theaters, tom. how are the fans in the bay area reacting? >> reporter: well, they are saddened as you might imagine but not shocked because all of these folks knew about the massive heart attack that she had on that plane from london to l.a. just last week. carrie fisher has been at ucla medical center since she had the heart attack. a medic on the plane tried to revive her but said fisher was unresponsive for 15 minutes. the iconic actress who portrayed princess leia in the "star wars" series died this morning about 8:55. she had been on a ventilator at the hospital with her daughter and her mother, actor debby reynolds, by her side. i was breaking the news here in pleasant hill. i had to tell fans that she had passed away. >> oh, my gosh. i was hoping -- i heard she was in stable condition. i was hoping she would recover. that's sad. yeah. that's incredibly sad. >> i hope that -- that her family can find some comfort in -- i am sure there are a lot of people that will support them. >> she was supposed to be in 8 and 9. >> that's what he was talking about. he was like, mom, she won't be in the other movies. very sad. >> reporter: in addition to playing princess leia, she was in the blues brothers, when harry met sally and hannah. she was supposed to reprise her role as princess leia in the upcoming "star wars" films. doesn't matter if you are a "star wars" fan or not, tragic situation for families, fans and friends and everyone who loved carrie fisher. as you said, she was just 60 years old. live in pleasant hill. tom jensen, nbc bay area news. >> as you mentioned, so many people just learning as you speak with them this morning about the passing of carrie fisher at the age of 60. let's go right now live to a picture here in marin county, central marin, at imagination park. there is that iconic statue of yoda. we have a crew on the ground talking to "star wars" fans who you would imagine no doubt will be coming to pay their respects to carrie fisher today. here is what some of them told us a short time ago. >> i know obviously people pass away every year, but it really does seem like there has been an inordinate number of people this year, and especially too young as well. >> it's kind of sad. yeah. i really enjoy "star wars." so that was kind of difficult. >> i am shocked, but then again, i am not shocked because of everybody that's been passing away. george michael. david bowie, prince. it's just been a crazy year. >> that is very true. a tragic year that now includes yet another passing. carrie fisher, someone who has been in the public spotlight basically since she was a teenager. she dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to perform with her mom on broadway. let's go now to some of her many friends and colleagues and people in hollywood who just respected her so much, all weighing in on twitter. we start with mark hammel who says no words. devastated. michael shatner. i am deeply saddened. i'll miss our banterings. a wonderful talent has been extinguish extinguished. billy williams, the force is dark today. whoopi goldberg. carrie fisher has passed. she was funnier and smarter than anyone had the right to be. sahlen sail on, silver girl. we are just learning of the death of carrie fisher. her mom and spokesperson announcing that it happened about 9:00 this morning. there was much more to carrie fisher's life than just her role, her iconic role as princess leia. kurt gregory takes a look back at her life and her legacy. >> reporter: she was born in 1956 into entertainment royalty. the daughter of pop singer eddie fisher and actress debby reynolds. appearing in broadway's irene. her film debut in 1975 in "shampoo." two years later she blasted to stardom in "star wars." she would return as princess leia in empire strikes back and return of the jedi. on movie sets and broadway. behind the curtain she battled years of drug dependency and scandal. she married singer paul simon in 1983. the marriage ended eight months later. fisher turned to writing, publishing her first novel in 1987, postcards from the edge. writing seven books in all and working on dozens of plays for screen and stage, in between roles on the big and small screen. she wrote and starred in "wishful drinking" on broadway. >> i am the pez dispenser and in the abnormal psychology textbook. who says you can't have it all. >> reporter: she grew up in the glare of the spotlight, battling addiction and her fight against bipolar disorder. the book adaptation would go on to become a "new york times" best seller. in the past two years she came back to the story that made her famous reprising her role as princess leia in "star wars" 7 and episode 8 set for release in 2018, finding a new generation of fans. kurt gregory. nbc news. >> quite the life. let's take a trip down memory lane. in 2008 and 2009 carrie fisher performed at the berkeley rep. when we interviewed her in 2009 she said one thing wasn't funny and that was her death. nick with nbc bay area for continuing breaking news coverage of carrie fisher's death. again. it had seemed from reports from her family days earlier that her condition had stabilized but we've learned within the last hour or hour and a half that carrie fisher has passed away at the age of 60 years old. we'll be updating you with more reaction pouring in. throughout the midday news cast we'll provide unipdates on our digital platforms. a developing story out of the east bay. a search is still on for a gunman who opened fire at a shopping center during business hours last night. police are looking also for a possible victim. you see the shattered glass there. it happened off interstate 680. some of the gunfire went into a nearby hawaiian barbecue store. some of the windows in the shopping center were shattered. police say no bystanders were injured. witnesses say they saw a man who had been shot, bleeding from a leg. they say he walked towards a starbucks and got into a car and left. a san jose man has been arrested, suspected of stabbing his wife to death on christmas eve. police arrested marco arias, the same day of the incident but they are just releasing information now about his arrest. they say he stabbed his wife at their home near japantown and that she later died at the hospital. 11:09. work is under way on a new transit center on the peninsula. here is some video just in this morning showing construction at the south parking lot at the san carlos caltrans station. they'll removing median, repave the lot. it will transform the parking lot originally made for cal train into a center for multiple services. they say it will create safe access to buses, cal train rails and shuttles for the community. during the project the parking lot will be closed to normal traffic. cal train riders are asked to park at the belmont station until the work is complete, which is expected to last until sometime in july. international news now. new this morning, getting a look at surveillance footage from a train station in italy showing the main suspect in the berlin attack. police releasing this picture. you see the arrow on the left side of the screen. this was taken shortly after midnight last friday. the main suspect in that attack. anis amri. shot dead outside of a train station in a milan suburb. 12 people died and 56 others were injured in that massacre. up next, we continue to follow breaking news this morning. again, nbc bay area confirmed that actress carrie fisher has died only days after suffering a heart attack, returning on a flight from london to l.a. we'll continue to follow the story throughout the morning and bring you updates. i am meteorologist kari hall. we see the sunshine here at emeryville. a warmup and some rain in the microclimate forecast coming up. ==sam/cu== the world reacting this morning. so much heartbreak throughout hollywood and certainly here in the bay area as we have learned within the last hour or hour and a half that carrie fisher, most famous for her role as princess leia in the "star wars" franchise, has passed away. she died at 8:55 this morning after suffering cardiac arrest on a flight back from london to l.a. it had looked in recent days like she might pull through. there was a lot of encouragement among her friends and family, but sadly we have to inform you that she has in fact died this morning just before 9:00. so much respect and fond memories pouring in. we'll bring you back to more people talking about it here in the bay area. many of her fans describing their favorite moments with carrie fisher. we'll get to that later in the show. it has been quite the year as in the final few weeks, just a spate of deaths of profound performers. now yet another one. new details emerging this morning with the sudden, shocking death of another star that the world last this week. george michael. kelly cobiella reports from london ♪ yes, i've got to have faith >> reporter: new details on george michael's final days, behind the music, the talent, a troubled soul. neighbor sarah simpson says she saw him a few weeks ago at a restaurant. >> he was at the next table and very quiet. he didn't look well. >> reporter: on monday his longtime boyfriend tweeting out he discovered the singer christmas morning. it's a christmas i'll never forget. finding your partner dead peacefully in bed first thing in the morning. i'll never stop missing you. a friend saying the singer was struggling with addiction. george michael was a star at just 18. he said he found fame hard to manage. his run-ins with the law well known. arrested in 1998 for exposing himself to an undercover policeman in l.a., caught with drugs in london in 2006. a driving ban in britain in 2007. arrested again for drugs in 2008. and in 2010, after crashing into a london store, four weeks in prison. he always bounced back. even after a pneumonia scare in 2011. >> the hospital in austria that they rushed me to was absolutely the best place in the world i could have been. >> reporter: in recent months michael stayed out of the spotlight. >> he became very, very reclusive. he wasn't seen around that much. he didn't do very much. but an amazing career. i mean, i think that, you know, whatever personal demons he had, you know, he had to deal with. but, you know, let's hope his career is his lasting legacy. >> reporter: "the daily telegraph" is reporting they've spoken to george michael's boyfriend who told them this. everything has been very complicated recently but george was looking forward to christmas. i want people to remember him the way he was. he was a beautiful person. police say they won't have any further comment about a cause of death until after the postmortem. kelly cobiella. nbc news, london. all right. trading this morning kicking off the last trading week of the year here. and stocks try to go push forward. they pared some of the early gains. techs leading the way as the dow jones up 25 points at 1959 getting so close to the 20,000 plateau. oakland's minimum wage is set to rise 31 cents starting sunday. it will increase from $12.55 an hour to $12.86 an hour. that wage hike comes thanks to measure sf which voters approved with 82% of the votes passing in november of 2014. oakland's minimum wage still lags well behind cities like san francisco and emeryville. a new study looking at whether legalizing recreational use of marijuana for adults is changing the perception of use among teens. in washington state, marijuana use among 8th and 10th graders increased 2% to 4% after it became legal in 2012. teens' perception that it's harmful dropped about 15%. in colorado researchers found essentially no change. they legalized recreational marijuana the same state as washington state did. californians legalized it last month. the sierra covered up in snow. some parts with covered up in something less beautiful. garbage. holiday travelers packed into a snow park and traffic was a mess out there, but traffic was not the only issue. people left behind piles of that. broken sleds and trash, overflowing the dumpsters there. in other places people left their garbage along the i-80 corridor. >> the plastic doesn't disintegrate. it takes years and years. there should be a social responsibility which is, pick up after yourself. >> shameful because there are so many efforts to preserve the essence of the lake tahoe area in general. we see it with the lake as well. shards of bright plastic are hard to miss. workers will keen up some sites but some of the plastic could be left for decades. park officials have asked visitors to take their broken sleds home to be tossed in a garbage can. that's certainly the type of example you want to set for your kids. >> who raised them? >> our chief meteorologist jeff ranieri is in the sierra. he's probably out there picking up that stuff right now. >> he is. after he is done with the run for the day. a lot of people will be pretty excited about the fact that we saw half a foot of snow in some places. >> yes. there is a little more snow in the forecast for the sierra. we'll have some scattered showers as we head closer to the new year. we're enjoying a little bit of a stretch of dry weather and still chilly temperatures. it will be warming up. a live look outside at san jose. it's nice and quiet, not seeing a lot of activity there. as far as the roadways or the skies. here is a live look at sunol. it is 50 degrees. we're also feeling temperatures at about 50 at the coastline. ocean beach. 50 degrees. mostly sunny skies and a breezy wind. in san francisco, 50 degrees there. so looking at some upper 40s to low 50s across the map. taking its time. warming up today. it will reach into the upper 50s for spots like palo alto and san jose, and 55 degrees in livemore and concord. we're feeling 50s here, but a big change in those tch temperatures. it's been dropping in the midwest behind a cold front and a lot of people heading to new york city getting ready for the ball to drop for new year's day. it's 60 degrees, they're enjoying mild weather. that will change over the next couple of days as the cold front sweeps to the east. for us, it's already cold. 48 degrees in livermore. heading up to 54. our temperature trend through the evening right in time for the evening commute at 5:00. 53 degrees. and then quickly dropping back into the 40s over the next several days. not a whole lot going on here. but there will be a weak storm system moving into southern california. and we will watch out for a chance of some south bay showers. but it doesn't look to reach very far to the north. and then a chance of some rain off and on for sunday into monday. only slight rain chances, spotty showers, and the potential of up to .5 inches of rain. so there is not a lot of rain in the forecast. back behind the systems we could be watching out for chilly temperatures for the start of 2017. we'll talk more about that coming up a little bit later, sam. >> hopefully not too chilly. thank you ve thank you very much, kari. when will the raiders have the leader back? not before the end of the season. coming up next, an update on how derek carr is doing and tell you the reason raiders coach jack del rio tell you the team's spirits are lifted. breaking news this hour. actress carrie fisher has died. crews are fanned out across the bay area getting reaction to a local favorite and to an actress respected for a wide array of work. on our web page you did see interviews she did and tweets in celebrities around the world paying their respects to the late actress. back in two minutes. hawaii today-- to t princess l. happening today, president obama is taking some time from his vacation in hawaii today to visit pearl harbor. it's been 75 years since the attacks there which thrust the u.s. into world war ii. in an unprecedented and historic event japanese prime minister shinzo abe will also visit pearl harbor today alongside president obama. no japanese head of state has done so before, ever. as nbc's tammy leitner shows us, the two will pay their respects to those who fought and died. >> reporter: an historic moment. never before has a japanese leader made an official visit to pearl harbor. it's finally happening, 75 years after the attack. >> man your battle stations. >> reporter: al rodriguez survived the attack on pearl harbor and will be there today once again to witness history as japanese prime minister shinzo abe visits the battlefield of the attack that thrust the u.s. into world war ii. >> very emotional. >> reporter: the joint trip coming after obama became the first president to visit hiroshima, the city where the u.s. dropped the first two atomic bombs, forcing japan to surrender. ambassador to japan caroline kennedy has helped to strengthen u.s.-japan relations. >> the whole world, i think, should be inspired by the power of reconciliation. >> reporter: thousands now pass through these gates at pearl harbor every day. >> my father joined the navy right after pearl harbor and he actually was -- for some of the young men, it was an event that really rocked them to their core. >> reporter: a war that changed many and tore the world apart. and now a chance for two countries to show solidarity. >> it shows how far we came, not just as a nation but as a global family. >> reporter: a moment 75 years in the making that some thought would never come. >> that was tammy leitner reporting there. let's talk about an update on raiders' quarterback derek carr's condition following a brutal season-ending injury. he is expected to have surgery after breaking his leg in the last game. head coach jack del rio met with the media yesterday, he shed little light on the nature of the injury. he broke his fibula on saturday and is now expected to miss anywhere between six and eight weeks following surgery, effectively ending his season. head coach del rio, though, said carr remains extremely positive. >> this is all about the team and being there for the team. and, you know, wishing us the best. he'll be back as soon as he can to be there vocally for us. but he was outstanding. >> regardless, the raiders are going to the playoffs. backup quarterback matt mcgloin says he feels great and is ready to go as the starting qb. nbc news has confirmed that the "star wars" actress died this morning just before 9:00. let's hear how fisher's mother, debbie reynolds is reacting this morning. this peninsula house going up in flames for the second time in a week. it's who wasn't there that makes the story so unusual. with us for our midday l . good morning. at 11:30. welcome back. i am sam brock. we continue to follow breaking news this morning. actress carrie fisher has died. fisher, who was best known for playing princess leia in "star wars" died. a few minutes ago her mother, actress debbie reynolds, released a statement on facebook reading, quote, thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved, amazing daughter. i am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. love, carrie's mother. fans around the world and locally reacting. nbc bay area's tom jensen is live outside the century theater in pleasant hill this morning where the latest "star wars" film "rogue one" is still in theaters. i imagine when fans arrived at the theater this morning, they had no idea carrie fisher had passed away. >> reporter: no idea. most of the people we talked to out here had no idea. all of them very saddened but definitely not shocked because they knew about the massive heart attack she had last week on the flight from london to l.a. carrie fisher had been at the ucla medical center since having the heart attack. a medic on the plane tried to revive her but said fisher was unresponsive for 15 minutes. she had been on a ventilator at the hospital with her daughter and her mother, actor debbie reynolds. we had to tell the fans this morning that carrie fisher had died. >> it was such a big part of my childhood. it's very sad. >> it's very sad. i really admired her. actually, my husband is a rabid "star wars" fan. for him i think it's much more -- >> she was too young. i was a big fan of the "star wars" series. and it's just too bad. i pray for her family and friends. >> reporter: in addition to playing princess leia, she was also in the blues brothers, when harry met sally and "hannah" and sisters. she was supposed to reprise her role as princess leia in the upcomi upcomi upcoming episodes 8 and 9 of "star wars." it doesn't matter if you are a fan like the ones coming here today or family or friends. very sad for all these folks. you heard the heart-warming statement from her mom a couple of minutes ago. very sad indeed for all these folks. we're live in pleasant hill. tom jensen, nbc bay area news. >> indeed, especially in light of the fact that it looked like she might actually pull through. debbie reynolds giving her fans a lot of updates in the process. thank you very much for that report. let's go to marin county and the community of san anselmo. live pictures of imagination park south of sky walker ranch in lucas valley. you see the iconic yoda statue with george lucas' imprint looming large in marin county. we have a crew on the ground talking to "star wars" fans about the news of fisher's death. we just spoke with them within the last half hour. here is what some of the fans had to say. >> i know obviously people pass away every year, but it really does seem like there has been an inordinate number of people this year, especially too young as well. >> it's kind of sad. yeah. i really enjoy "star wars." so that was kind of difficult. >> i am shocked, but then again i am not shocked because of everybody that's been passing away. george michael. david bowie, prince. it's just been a crazy year. >> just a tragic end to the year. and a testament to how many people appreciated the talents of carrie fisher. all of the actors and comedians and musicians who are now weighing in. her former co-actors, talking about the impact she had on their lives. ellen degeneres said carrie fisher was a brilliant actor, writer and friend. she was so much fun. i can't believe she is gone. whoopi goldberg. carrie fisher has passed. smarter and funnier than anyone had the right to be. sail on, silver girl. condolences debby and billie. billy d. williams. i am deeply satened at the news of carrie's passing. the force is dark today. stick with nbc bay area for continuing breaking news coverage of carrie fisher's death. we'll be updating you as we learn more throughout our midday news cast and certainly will provide you updates all day long on all of our digital platforms. other news high pressuriapp now. members of the jewish community feeling uneasy in san francisco. someone stole a six-foot, 100-pound menorah from a park in north beach. some are calling it a hate crime. hanukah celebrators are not hiding in fear. they're lighting up the night. ♪ the candles are burning >> reporter: neighbors come together in san francisco's washington square park to light menorah's. >> we rededicate this space as a safe space where everyone can practice their religion freely and everyone can enjoy their holidays with light. >> reporter: they're reclaiming the space after someone stole a six-foot tall menorah from the park over the weekend. members of the hibad say it feels like a hate crime. >> for somebody in a public space to take a symbol that means they've had to be in a dark space in their life. >> reporter: the thief took the symbol of light while the jewish community is celebrating hanukah. people of many faiths gathered at the scene of the crime to keep the tradition going. ♪ i had a little dreidel >> they can take the one menorah but they can't take every one. >> i love a lot of jewish friends. and we celebrate hanukah as well as christmas. so it's a bruise to community as a whole. ♪ >> reporter: the san francisco police department is investigating the theft, while people here are eager to see the menorah returned and plan to keep the light shining brightly through the season. >> evil will not win. the light will win. >> reporter: jean elle nbc bay area news. some north beach neighbors say one also cut the christmas lights three times this year and broke the power box. they say next time the menorah will be back with extra security measures. investigators are trying to figure out what caused not one but two fires at the same peninsula home. the most recent fire broke out early yesterday morning in san mateo near highway 101. firefighters on the scene told us nobody was actually living inside. according to the san jose mercury news firefighters responded to the same house last week when a van and debris were burning in the back yard of the house. investigators say the home is red-tagged for safety violations and no one was allowed to live in it. right now, nbc bay area responds to a livemore woman who ended up with damaged furniture after an appliance was delivered to her house. chris chmura is here with the complaint and how he got results. >> dana bought a new refrigerator from sears in june. during the delivery she says her sofa and her side tables were damaged. she says she snapped these photos here of the damage and filed a claim right away. four months later dana reached out to us saying in an e-mail that she has dealt with eight supervisors, countless hours on the phone, hold time, wait time, frustration and now the claim has been denied. how can this happen? we redirected that question to sears. in a statement sears said there was an oversight in notifying dana. but it was settling the issue to her satisfaction. what's that mean? it means dana is going to get a check for $780 to cover the damage to her furniture. if you have a consumer complaint call us. the number is 1-888-996-tips. or online at nbcbayarea.com/responds. have a great day. chris, thank you very much. coming up next on nbc bay area. "star wars" actress carrie fisher has died. we continue to hear all of the beautiful tweets in her memory. we'll have more of those, continuing coverage of her death at just the age of 60 years old. winter storms pummeling parts of the u.s. as folks are trying to get home after the holidays. we are tracking that severe weather. >> things are still nice and quiet across the bay area but still chilly temperatures and a little bit of a warmup in the forecast. we'll look at the numbers and when you can expect some rain in just a few minutes. runway and spun before ending up in the grass in western india. . new this morning, a glitch is what's being blamed after a passenger jet skidded off the runway and spun around before ending up in the grass in western india. the jet airways flight was supposed to be headed to mumbai this morning but never made it off the ground. jet airlines say the glitch happened while the jet was getting ready for takeoff. the plane was carrying more than 150 people. the passengers who spoke with the media say they're just fwgl to be alive. everyone was evacuated safely. one new law in california targets distracted drivers. starting january 1st, drivers are not allowed to used cellphones while driving unless they are using a hands-free device. drivers caught violating the law face a $20 fine for the first oy offense and $50 for the second one. holiday cheer is still here, but your christmas tree may have to go pretty soon. up next, the tell-tale signs that you need to recycle or remove your tree, which can be more flammable than newspaper once it dries out. markham if you have family and in-laws looking to get back home, a major winter storm is reeking havoc on holiday travel plans. nbc's ron mott is tracking the trouble. >> reporter: the winter storm has spared the windy city. it's dry but much colder than it was yesterday. elsewhere, this storm is packing a mighty punch. this morning, a familiar sound. digging out. >> how the heck am i getting out of here. >> reporter: after a winter what willop swallowed cars and surrounded homes, trapping families inside, snow drifts so massive they have blocked front doors leaving a perfect imprint. a difficult back-to-work commute today across much of the northern plains. in north dakota, blinding snow, wind and near zero visibility. in minnesota this ice house broke through the lake. on the roads forecasters warned up to half an inch of ice could freeze over. travelers urged to bring extra flashlights and food and wisconsin. ten anglers left stranded after their ice sheet broke away. responders deploying an ice angel rescue boat to bring them back to shore. the forecast at airports, anything but merry the day after christmas. nearly 400 u.s. flights canceled monday. more than 3500 delayed. passengers left stranded laying on mats waiting for answers. for those who made it home, a winter wonderland. for kids and dogs alike. road travel could be treacherous today in the pacific northwest in the dakotas. there could be sporadic trouble spots in the eastern half of the country from texas all the way up into maine. that's the latest here in chicago. back to you. >> thank you very much. ron mott reporting. road travel could be treacherous today, as ron just mentioned, in the pacific northwest and the dakotas. the eastern half of the country could be seeing trouble spots as well. we are seeing this weather pattern, issues on the national scale right now. we were just talking about this a second ago. i have been through chicago and new york winters, you have been through many a connecticut winter. it's tough. i asked what kind of pattern are we seeing, to which you just said. it's winter. >> yes. >> what we have to deal with here, the cold temperatures that we are seeing right now, for folks whom are accustomed to that, it's pretty chilly. >> it is. several mornings in a row with freezing temperatures. that's what we have had. so that continues, and we are slowly recovering from that. we had a freeze warning earlier this morning for parts of the interior north bay and the east bay as well. right now in san jose, it's beautiful. it's sunny. you are stepping out and it's still chilly. a look at woodside. 43 degrees at this point. and it's still breezy in tiburon. 48 degrees. with all of that sun, temperatures slowly recovering. it's 50 degrees now in daly city. in castro, 50 degrees as well with all of that sun. at least we have that working for us. we will see those temperatures taini continuing to go up into the mid to upper 50s. in morgan hill, it's 52 degrees right now. santa cruz, a high of 60 today. 59 in palo alto. we were close to this yesterday. expect it to be a degree or two above yesterday afternoon's temperatures. we continue on that trend of some warmer air. we talked about those problem spots across the country. you see spotty snow showers up around michigan. and then that rain that's really kind of fizzled out. still some gusty winds and a big difference in the temperatures from new york city to cleveland. and that's where the front is now that continues to move off to the east. here we are looking for a couple weather systems moving in by the end of the week. there will be an area of low pressure creating spotty showers for southern california. that could move into the south bay but not expecting it to cause widespread rain for us. as we go into saturday and sunday, as we welcome in the new year there will be a couple of weak weather systems moving in but nothing that looks to bring any widespread heavy rain. looking at the forecast between now and next tuesday, it only brings us up to half an inch of rain. it doesn't look like a lot. then behind that there will be a big chill starting out the new year as some cold air dips in from the north. so we will not be shaking this cold weather anytime soon. looking at the seven-day forecast for san francisco, today highs in the mid 50s. upper 50s for tomorrow as well as thursday. and then on friday highs in the mid 50s. it starts to get a little bit cooler with that rain just to the south. some spotty showers possible on saturday into sunday. we'll say happy new year to some colder air with highs in the upper 40s for san francisco, low 50s for the inland areas. look at the difference we will have from the middle of this week to early next week. it is going to be really turning chilly out there. so we'll enjoy this warmth while it lasts. and sam, we cannot complain about those temperatures in the 30s. you saw the single-digit temperatures in parts of the upper midwest. >> seriously. we have highs in the 60s. kari, thank you very much. you mentioned christmas. that's now in the rearview mirror. we are talking about new year's. the tree is not necessarily in the rearview mirror. if you have one in your house, don't let it dry out and become a fire hazard. a dry tree can burn very quickly. according to the national fire protection association, a dry tree can burn faster than a newspaper. if you have that kind of tree in your household, recycle it. you'll notice once it starts dropping the needles, that means it's time to go. a year in review. looking back at 2016. an intense and unexpected year to say the least. despite the tragedies and the storms and the bitter politics, there have been some things to smile about in the past 12 months. here is rafael seth with a look at the wild side of 2016. >> reporter: why do we do this? why do so many cultures start a new year by freezing their nuts. perhaps these polar plunges gird our loins for what lies ahead. what came in 2016 was a combative election that was definitely no slam-dunk. the u.s. chose a new president in a messy process. but some felt the results had a whiff of russian influence. >> you want to smell like putin? >> reporter: what went wrong with the other campaign? perhaps voters just didn't feel the bern quite like this guy. i think we can safely say we're better together and that love trumps hate. but i am not sure that i'm with her. did she really make america great again? >> we have had a few injuries. i have gotten a black eye. >> reporter: for that, you may need some emotional support, a job not just for dogs anymore. this man has a service goat. this woman's best friend is a turkey. and this llama is in love with a leaf blower. american athletes did do pretty well at the summer olympics. they might do better if laziness was a sport. the key is not to give in to unbridled expectations. and brace yourself for what's to come in 2017. rafael seth, nbc news. >> satire, sometimes the best release there. continuing our breaking news coverage this morning of the passing of carrie fisher. dan aykroyd, steve martin and peter mayhugh, the latest to share their thoughts. back with more after that. hat. h. . . . . . =2shot= kari's final weather. . this morning we have breaking news. less than two hours ago we learned of the death of actress carrie fisher, best known for her role as princess leia in the "star wars" movies. she suffered a cardiac arrest returning on a flight from london several days ago, last friday. there was hope that her condition had stabilized and that she might pull through. tragic news this morning. and the world of entertainment and comedy and acting weighing in. a few more tweets. first from steve martin who says when i was a young man, carrie fisher was the most beautiful creature i had ever seen. she turned out to be witty and bright as well. from peter mayhew. chewbacca. she was the brightest light in every room she entered. i'll miss her dearly. so many people pouring in with their respect and love for carrie fisher. what a difficult end to 2016 this has been now with the passing of othanother immensely talented person. it's cold outside. >> it will still be chilly but at least we'll make some improvement. highs in the mid to upper 50s today. some sunshine in the forecast. more of that in the next couple of days. also, warmer air moving in. >> like you said, your mom is here from the east coast and she is gloating to her friends back east about our temperatures in the 60s. >> yes. we'll see you at 5:00 for the nbc bay area news. stand by, everyone. we're live in five, four, three, two, one. ♪ you can't stop the beat ♪ shaking on a saturday night ♪ with all my might ♪ you can't stop the motion >> you can't stop the beat all right. "hairspray live" to much anticipation. welcome to access hollywood. this time of year you love this. >> right. wasn't it so fun. i loved the countdown clock. my kids i'm like get out of the shower, two minutes to live and sort of the feeling of it all. >> yeah. >> don't laugh at me. it was great. >> it was a star-studded production. i mean take a look at this. you have kristin chenoweth,

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