computer, which wasn't functioning, and that led to us having no service at all this morning. things getting back to normal now, but we've been speaking with commuters, and they say between the strike, contract issues, and things like this, they've had enough. >> the fwats to bart station across the bay area have been shut for hours into the morning commute. >> there we are. gates are closed. no option. >> a 4:00 a.m. start rolled to 5:00, then 6:00, and still no service. in walnut creek commuters worked the phones. >> i already called into work. i told them that i'll be in when i can. >> all because of a computer failure according to bart that affected the operations control center and communications with trains and their track switches. >> and without the computers we weren't actually able to see on that big board that we have, the big map where the trains were. we did have a constant radio communication, but without that visual confirmation, it's very difficult to run trains. >> he says he is not sure if it's age or something else that caused it, but operators had to manually switch tracks to get trains to the station for hundreds of passengers to be able to get off well after midnight service ended. >> it's starting off real bad right now. >> riders like dave walker decided wait for a cab after he figured out the problem. >> oh, man. it's crazy. especially with the bart strike. that's what i thought it was. like, oh, no. i'll tell them, it's just crazy. i don't know. >> no strike. that's just not right. >> we can't fault them on this one. >> i think it stinks. i've had it with bart. >> before 7:30, train service started up again. >> been pretty hectic rsh. >> this morning bart saying they actually fixed the problem by returning the computer to its original configuration. that got things running again. we asked them about the possibility of maybe sabotage against their system, but bart said, month, they don't think so, but they certainly did offer their apologies for all this. reporting live in oakland, christie smith, nbc bay area news. >> okay, christie. a tough go for bart lately. thank you. went to know what you think. do you consider bart a reliable commute option? you can vote by texting or calling this number that you see on the screen. it's 408-300-9222. one for yes. two for no. you can also submit your vote on-line on our website, nbc bay area.com. we'll have the results of this flash survey tonight during our 6:00 news. right now we have new details from san jose state university where three white students are now suspended while facing hate crime charges accused of bullying their african-american roommate for months. prosecutors, they say logan bisler, collin ward, and joseph bomgartner called their roommate three-fifths and hung a confederate flag on the wall, and then wrote racial slurs on the dry erase board. that's not even the close to the worst of it, say prosecutors. >> the most offensive thing is they on one occasion locked his head in a u-shaped bicycle lock. >> hundreds of students very upset over these allegations, marching on campus demanding justice yesterday. prosecutors say the victim, he never spoke out because he wanted to "get along." this morning the victim's family releezing a statement saying they are deeply disturbed by this celebration. the statement does go on to say we're hopeful the district attorney's office will take the necessary measures to insure justice will prevail for our son. >> well, the winds have called down just a little this morning, but overnight it was a much different story. even turning deadly in oakland. police say two men were killed due to the windy conditions. one was smashed inside his vehicle when a tree fell on it. another was electrocuted to death when power lines fell on him and his motorcycle. in berkeley this downed tree on oregon street between add line and telegraph avenue damaged at least two vehicles. we spoke to the owner of this truck we see here. who knows if the damage could have been much worse. >> ironically, i just got the back end of my car just fixed. he was coming back from getting a tail wind that was snatched out, and then got smashed, so it's been a bad month for my truck. >> well, our viewer in the north bay sent us these photos. the powerful wind knocking over the 75-pound planter and break it into pieces. at the height of the windstorm, about 60,000 people lost power. most in the east and north bays at this hour. pg&e says just over 9,000 people are still in the dark. >> those winds causing problems all over. we have some developing news in napa county where firefighters are starting to gain some ground on a wind-whipped vegetation fire. right now we can tell you this one about 50% contained. so far about 300 acres have burned. now, this is happening near soda canyon road and loma vista drive. not too far from silverado trail. right now mandatory evacuations are in place for about 50 people living on loma vista, shady oak, and ridge drive. now, we can tell you the fire started about 11:00 last night, and firefighters say the flames spread very quickly. no word yet on any injuries or if any of the homes out there have been destroyed. right now the exact cause remains under investigation. >> serial killer joefs nasso sentenced today when he will possibly be hit with that death penalty. 75 -- 79-year-old nasso was convicted of killing four women. those murders happening back in the 1970s and in the 1990s in northern california. nasso acted as his own attorney during most of the trial. a jury recommended a death sentence for nasso, but marin county -- a judge, i should say, will have the final say at this morning's sentencing. well, just moments ago lawmakers and community leaders announced new legislation to regulate replica guns. the state senator behind the bill hoped it would prevent shootings from happening, such as one this 13-year-old andy lopez of santa rosa was shot and killed by a sonoma county deputy. the deputy said he thought lopez's replica gun was a real ak-47. this morning state senator norine evans of santa rosa outlined new legislation requiring all pellet guns, bb guns, and replica guns only made -- be made only, rather, in bright or translucent colors. happening right now, the eternal flame at the arlington national cemetery being lit with significance today. this morning it was a somber remembrance of a date that would become a breaking point really in our history. the assassination of president john f. kennedy. as seen right here on nbc, the entire nation pausing today to remember less than an hour ago. >> nbc bay area's jay gray is in dallas where events are being held to mark this somber day. ♪ >> reporter: a day of memorials and memories. ♪ >> reporter: began at the president's grave site where family and a nation reflecting on this tragedy still outlined by a series of chilling images. timed off balance, the film clips and pictures from that day captured the shock and horror of a nation in chaos. >> this is just kind of seared into your brain. something like this. we saw so much of it live. >> reporter: a young widow still in her blood-stained dress taking her explain husband home. a rushed shift of power, and a young son saying his final good-byes. but the pain and grieving gave way to anger. i don't know sfwloo i don't know if the rest of the world realizes how devastating this was to dallas. they were immediately the city that killed the president. >> reporter: a city 50 years later still struggling with that horrific legacy. >> i like the -- i like that it's kind of here, and can you actually come to the place. kind of gives you the chills, though. it's kind of like you're here where it happened. >> the place once alienated and now ironically so many are drawn to. >> this is a unique part of american history. it's terrible, and it's something -- >> especially on this day. a painful day for the city and the country still 50 years later. jay gray, nbc news, dallas. thank you so much, jay. now we look at a few local newspaper headlines from 50 years ago. the yellow san francisco examiners saved by my own mother. in fact, the headlines read president's death, how the assassin struck. he is charged with murder. that was the day after the assassination. a look at a few other headlines. dramatic day from the u.s. a stunned nation mourns, and then also a last salute to the president with a picture of little john john in his famous salute to his father. >> what a very personal and unique perspective. thanks for sharing that, marla, and we will have continuing koj of today's commemoration on air and also on-line. just go to nbc bay area.com. we have a special page set up on our website to president kennedy's leg as where i. to see it search jfk 50. that is, again, on our home page. just into our newsroom, we are now hearing from the wife of the palo alto man detained in north korea. she's asking the north korean government to send 85-year-old merrill newman home to his anxious and concerned family. she released a statement this morning saying the family feels a misunderstanding led to his detainment. he is a veteran with a heart condition. he was on a tour of north korea when he was detained. this is according to his friend who he was traveling with. his friend said it happened about a month ago on october 26th, but neither the u.s. state department nor the north korean government confirmed this detainment. still ahead at 11:00, jumping on your cell phone at 50 30,000 feet. this seems like a luxury for travellers, but a lot of people say it could prove to be a big-time headache. we'll tell you about the reaction to a potentially major change to how we all travel by air. just more good news for the california economy. the unemployment rate drops again. we'll take a look coming up in business. ñ/ >> good morning. i'm bob riddell. it's one of the best ways you can spend $10, to help feed the needy this holiday season. we'll have a live report coming up. looking forward to that, bob. good morning to you. now, temperatures are pretty comfortable out there. we're warming up a little bit. the winds are starting to drop off. i'm happy to report that wind advisory has expired. next up, showers for your holiday travel. we're going to detail that in your full forecast coming right up. [ female announcer ] now your most dazzling accessory can be your smile. colgate optic white dual action shines and whitens over 2 shades more than a leading whitening toothpaste. and whiten even more, with optic white mouthwash and the whole colgate optic white line. a federal communications commission now considering whether to allow mobile broadband use for passengers above 10,000 feet. >> i would say mostly for work and if, you know -- if a personal matter cannot wait, definitely. it's very convenient. >> on the flight i would think not. i think it's -- it can be disruptive to the people around you. >> home airlines would actually get on board with this one. jetblue stepping up saying it will make it very comfortable for both those who want cell phone service and those who want peace and quiet. scott mcgrew almost every state. >> got second place, and it's all good news. 39,000 -- in -- -- didn't come in -- now, our unemployment rate is still higher than the national average. it depends on california. where in california are as far as the true picture of things and how they're going. for instance, in silicon valley, we're doing so much better than they are doing, say, in the central valley. well, here's a woman who probably has a job ahead of her. janet yellin who had testimony before the senate banking committee last week is up for confirmation with the fed to be the head of the fed. it looks as if she's now a shoe-in after there were major changes in the way that the senate nominates federal employees. janet yellin will almost certainly be the next head of the fed. back to you. >> all right, scott. looking forward to that. >> i tell you what, next time you have grocery shopping, this weekend you have a very great opportunity to help the less fortunate this holiday season, and we've teamed up with the annual tradition now. teaming up with safeway for our annual holiday food drive. >> bob riddell is live at a san ramone safeway with more on our annual end hunger drive. you resemble raj. >> do i have the pose down? maybe not. okay, guys. it's our fifth annual end the hunger food drive at all the participating safeways. tomorrow is our big push. you come into the local safeway. wendy here with safeway. what can people do? >> they can did fw down to their local safeway. we have prepackaged bags available of items -- >> you can just drop it off in the bin. last year they sold 100,000 bags. >> good to see you. what's the demand like? >> it's phenomenal. we're serving 149,000 people each month. but it has not dropped by a bit. just kind of scary for us. what's the rhyme or reason for to that? >> i think the rhyme or reason is these people have jobs. they have low income jobs. they're making minimum wage. they just can't get by. these are people who are working two, three jobs to go up and it's a real struggle. >> a $10 bag, how far does this go? >> basically we're providing meals to people with this stuff. everything that's in this bag are things that we would have been buying otherwise. safeway is really making a difference to us for this drive and getting the people the food they need. >> and cash is king, right? >> cash is king, because cash helps us transport this stuff. we got to pay for truck and stuff, so thanks to kiwanis clubs -- >> nancy, you got a check here? there we go, nancy. what's the check for? >> the kiwanis club of san ramon valley. this is our ninth year helping out the food bank, and nbc on this food drive, and we're honored to give you a check for $4,000 to help cover the cost and produce and additional food to help feed those hungry people. >> thank you very much, nancy. very kind of you. laefr, you guys, it's real simple. you come by with a $10 bag. i'm going to be safeway in livermore where i live. just off 508 and first street. i think rob will be here at this location. you will be out and about as well? >> i'm going to be at the river mark safeway in sapta clara around montague expressway. >> thank you so much. >> me too. for more on the food drive, head on our website, nbc bay area.com and search for holiday food drive, and christina loren, you're going to be there with me, and also scott mcgrew. right? >> yeah. really looking forward to hanging out at the safeway. do a little shopping while i'm there as well. should be a good time out there. it's always a great opportunity for us to meet you in person. not through this little box that you are watching me on right now. a comfortable day shaping up. let's talk about the changes ahead. it's been really windy out there. the fiercest wind has been through the east bay hills, and we're still getting pretty strong wind speeds right now at the immediate coast. things are calming down, and we're looking really good for that fierce wind to continue to drop off as we head throughout the next couple of hours. by this evening, you'll notice on the key, we're getting the blues and yellows. it's calmer wind, and that's really going to work in as we head through about 6:00 p.m. even up in the north bay. that's good news for the fire that's burning in napa county. next we focus in on a fwrad wal warmup headed our way. just want to give you an idea. sfwloom in. show you redwood city. 62 degrees for today. 67 by saturday. sunday, 68 degrees. 70 degrees by wednesday, and the winds will stay calm until then. then, guys, we're looking at showers as we head through wednesday. busy travel day, and thursday, thanksgiving day, of next week. keep that in mind. remember, you can catch your seven-day forecast here at the bottom of our screen. all regions, oh, wrau, we got you covered. back to you, jon and marla. >> you're like a better vana white. >> full service. i like that. high-end service all day long. thank you. >> still to come, forget a little trim. we're talking about shaving it all off. josh redick, guess what, he has lost the beard. we'll tell you about the bet that cost him that signature look. >> it's called paying the piper. josh redick has shaved off his famous beard. >> he had a big, bushy beard last month, and it's become sort of a trademark look for him over the past few years. >> kind of the in thing. >> let's check out the photo he fweeted out. redick was just a few days of stubble. wow. he is a great guy. a few days. why did he shave it off? take a listen. >> you may be a fantastic baseball player. you may have won a golden globe, but guess what, you are not the -- you are not the king of beer. >> i can't think of a better way to start your weekend right now. that was a challenge issued by world wrestling entertainment star daniel brian back in march at a taping of a smackdown. this week it was revealed redick actually lost the king of beers challenge. yeah. the king of beards challenge. his punishment, you see it right there, having to allow another man to shave his beard off. >> war wore star seth curry will make a game time decision on whether or not he will play with a concussion against the lakers tonight. he is with the team in l.a., but he was just cleared for noncontact drills yesterday. he suffered a concussion on monday night when jazz forward marvin williams fell on top of his head. curry sat out wednesday night's game against the grizzly. let's hope he is feeling okay. >> quickly, very fast. >> still to come, it's not even thanksgiving, but the christmas trees, they're already out. we'll show you a record-setting one, involving hundreds of kids. right after the break. to those who've waited... worried... poked and prodded... taken risks... and lived in a state of "what if?"... welcome to a new state... of health. welcome to covered california. the place to find quality, affordable coverage. financial help for those in need. and nobody can be denied because of a pre-existing condition. enroll now at coveredca.com or call 1-800-752-6631. brand new world record by forming the largest human christmas tree ever. >> they donned red, green, and brown hoodies. it was an event arranged by one of the largest shopping malls. the previous record for the world's largest human christmas tree was set in 2011 by 672 people here in germany. >> i remember that back in 2011. >> i'm sure you do. to the relief of parents, the christmas tree was not in the form of a human pyramid, as you just saw. it was more of an exercise in crowd control, as the group assembled into a tree-like formation on the ground. the record was set in 15 minutes and 29 seconds. >> a monumental congratulations there. always a huge fan of world records no matter how unusual they are. hats off, kids. well played. that's it for us on this friday. thank you for being with us. our next newscast at 5:00. you can always get the latest information on-line. >> have you gotten your christmas trees yet? >> no. >> that would be a world record, to do something early on that front. >> bye. have a great weekend. - liz, there's someone in the apartment. someone who thinks you're special in every single way i wrote this song to wish you a happy valentine's day and the chorus goes here yeah this is where the chorus goes i didn't have time to write it but the chorus goes here yeah this is the chorus - criss-- criss, it's okay. i really don't care about valentine's. - but, you're a lady, right? why haven't i seen pictures of you as a baby? - you know what i like to celebrate on february 14th? the 1920 founding of the league of women voters in chicago, illinois. interesting fact-- they were supposed to meet on the 13th, but they all got lost, so-- - but, valentine's day is fun, liz.