chance the san jose police are not coming. >> we had 12,450 alarm calls in 2010. 98.4% of those were false alarms. so it's a huge drain on our resources. >> reporter: a police spokesman says that 98.4% false alarm rate is keeping officers off the street, away from real crimes. last year, after all those calls, only 2 people were ever arrested. so as of january 1, the police department will only respond if the alarm is verified. >> if they have some indication that the suspect is there or even if the suspect is gone but we -- we believe that somebody has burglarized the house or forced entries, we're going to go out to that. >> that's a good way to save money. >> i don't think it's right. i think they should show up no matter what. >> reporter: but they have a 98.4% false alarm rate. >> it doesn't matter. i have a daughter and infant child. if my alarm went off, i expect them to be there.

>> reporter: this man installs alarms for a living and worries people might put themselves in harm's way trying to verify the alarm. >> if i have a neighbor walking over to a client's home checking at large and it's ringing and who runs out the back door, an intruder, that's a very dangerous situation. >> reporter: the california alarm association sent out an alarm today asking the mayor to delay a dangerous policy. a spokeswoman for the mayor says that's just not going to happen. it will take effect january 1. it was passed in the budget in june, elizabeth. >> wondering, joe, does this mean that maybe homeowners in san jose would be better off just not having the alarm and just calling 911 if there is a break-in? >> reporter: well, not quite. that's where it gets interesting. the police department says if you have these alarms keep them especially the sign out front because it is a deterrent. if they see it they may pass by and go to the next one. >> thank you, joe vazquez. a pillar of american

retailing appears to be crumbling. the parent company of sears and kmart plans to close at least 100 stores. linda yee on why the 125-year- old retailer may be past its prime. reporter: their customers, their base, the middle income population. and because of this tough economy, they are not spending as much money. so stores like sears and kmart, they're taking a big hit. reporter: sears was where america shopped. >> not anymore. [ laughter ] >> america shops online. >> reporter: an industry analyst suspects sears middle income kisses miles an hour don't have the money to -- middle income customers don't have the moneyspend. they will close 120 stores including some kmart stores t needs to reduce costs by $200 million. this comes as a shock to faithful customershave relied on the sears brand for generations. >> we do all our major

appliances, tv, washer, drier, refrigerator, everything, because they have good promotions where you can get things interest-free, which nobody does anymore. >> reporter: sears says it was the huge drop in appliance and electronic sales that caused most of its problems. >> it's kind of sad. but times are hard all over. >> reporter: kmart blames declining sales on fewer layaways and a drop in clothing and electronics sales. it's not clear which bay area stores will be closed, nor how many employees will lose their jobs. some customers have their own guess as to why sears is struggling. >> probably lacking is the customer service is a little slow. >> reporter: retail analysts say sears also isn't keeping up with the competition. stores are shabby and not up to date. some customers agree. >> i think kmart's okay but it looks like it's a bit rundown. sometimes you go in the stores and a lot of times there's not a lot of variety. >> reporter: and customers are finding more reasons to shop at

competitors like target. >> and every time you use their target card, you get 5% off. >> it has everything and it has groceries. so i can do everything in one stop. >> reporter: now, there is a domino effect when stores like sears and kmart close down. they are often the anchor stores for malls like this one here at tanforan in san bruno. if they go, the smaller retails will hurt too. reporting live in san bruno, linda yee, cbs 5. despite the trouble at sears, americans are gaining faith in the economy. an improving job outlook sent consumer confidence to an eight- month high. the index rose by nearly 10 points in its second consecutive monthly gain. but analysts say the numbers are far below where they would be in a healthy economy. governor brown says the key it convincing californians to raise their own taxes is to convince them that the alternative is much worse. he is pushing a plan to raise an extra $7 billion a year. he wants to increase the state

sales tax by half a percent and raise income taxes on people making more than $250,000 a year. an okay from the legislature will send it to the 2012 ballot. brown says if the voters reject it the cuts would be drastic. >> in my opinion, this is the minimum. this is what makes sense consistent with the law and even consistent with what i think the legislation can get to. >> the state is bracing for a projected $13 billion budget shortfall over the next 18 months. right now the northbound lane of highway 1 at devil's slide is shut down because of a fatal motorcycle crash that happened around 3 p.m. until the northbound lane is reopened, there will be a one- way traffic control in place. and a small plane crashed at buchanan field in concord. emergency crews pulled two people out of the single-engine plane at about 3:30 this afternoon and sent them to the

hospital. one of them is seriously hurt. the pilot declared an emergency immediately after taking off and tried make it back to the airport. but the plane went down in a gravel area near the runway. other bay area headlines, a san francisco man accused of posing as a doctor and performing liposuction on a woman pled not guilty today. carlos guzman garza is charged with practicing medicine without a license and other felony charges that could get him 12 years in prison. he is accused of performing at least two illegal procedures out of an officer in the mission district. a design flaw caused a big water main break in south san francisco the day after thanksgiving. that's the conclusion following an independent investigation of what happened. investigators say the pipe line was missing a restraint that holds two pieces of the pipe together. more than a dozen homes were flooded. a big rig that crashed and burst into flames shut down a san joaquin county freeway for

several hours. it happened on 99 at the louise avenue exit in lathrop south of stockton. the chp says a semi hit a civic then careened out of control before slamming into the support columns of an overpass. a medical assistant visiting relatives nearby ran to help the truck driver. >> then the tires kept exploding and every time the tires would explode, i would hide like behind the door and i'm like please, i'm keeping the pressure, please don't let it be the gas tank because i'm not leaving him. >> the driver is in the hospital with serious injuries. just about an hour ago, the chp reopened all lanes of the freeway. just one week left before the iowa caucuses and tonight, it has basically come down to two races. >> ron paul, newt gingrich and mitt romney all vying to win while michele bachmann, rick perry and rick santorum are just trying to make decent enough showing to stay in the race. what are the people of iowa looking for in the republican

candidate? danielle nottingham went out and asked them. reporter: steve britain is ringing up customers and keeping his restaurant running while he tries to figure out who he'll back next tuesday. >> this is definitely going to be a last-minute decision for you? >> oh, absolutely. >> reporter: the machine shed restaurant in urbandale has been a popular stop for the candidates. still, many voters here aren't sure who they will support. >> whoever convinces me that they are going to help unemployment, get people back to work, and cut government spending. >> i think a lot of it it's just really hard finding out what they actually truly stand for. there's so many negative ads out there. >> reporter: the republican candidates are flooding residents with mailers, phone calls and tv ads hoping their campaigns can pick up those undecided voters and gain some steam heading into next tuesday. they are also making as many face-to-face pitches as they can. newt gingrich, michele bachmann and rick perry kicked off bus tours across the state to win

over voters. >> this is an election where you got a choice, and i'm the limited government conservative in this campaign that's going to give washington a complete overhaul. >> reporter: voters in iowa say they're listening. >> state your claim as to why you think you should be the next president and why you think i should vote for you. >> reporter: and can'tidates have just one week to do that before the nation's leadoff caucuses. danielle nottingham, cbs news, des moines, iowa. our cold weather can't put a chill on lottery fever. >> the bay area market that has twice paid out a multi-million dollar jackpot. where there's a gold mine, it needs to be mined. >> a wealth of scientific data in your mouth. the medical breakthroughs doctors hope to find in a giant collection of human saliva.

volunteers are working aroud the countdown is on for the 123rd tournament of roses parade. volunteers working round the clock these days and nights to get all the floats ready by

next week. the theme this year is just imagine. one group hopes to break a guinness world record for the lodgest and heaviest individual float. meantime, occupy activists are planning a peaceful demonstration to protest the corporate money involved in the rose parade. do you have it? lotto fever is spreading across the bay area. >> it is. tonight's mega millions jackpot is over $200 million. patrick sedillo says just about everybody is talking lotto. reporter: >> just because the lotto, man. >> reporter: if you haven't already heard, the mega millions jackpot has surpassed the $200 million mark. lotto fever has people lining up to buy in. >> people would spend $2 are spending $10. the $10 ones are spending $50. >> reporter: the mera loma market in san francisco is extra popular because it sold not one but two winning tickets. >> 60 million one time and 20

million another time. >> put the ticket in. just like it's supposed to. the little flag comes up and said winner. >> getting some quick picks for my coworkers and i. and there's about 12 of us. >> reporter: how does the jackpot divide by 12? >> 12 goes into 100 million a lot. >> reporter: so we asked, what would you do if you won? >> bahamas. maybe cancun. >> reporter: could you spend $206 million? >> try me, dog. try me. trust me, if i can't, the wife sure could. >> pay off all my bills. >> donate to the church. >> help my family. >> reporter: helen is turning 98 tomorrow. she made time to get her ticket playing the same number she played for a long time. >> the quick picks before you were born. >> reporter: the last question what would you say to your boss? >> won't get two weeks' notice. i'm sorry, but i -- it would be that day. that day. >> reporter: california lottery officials say if you do win, sign the back of your ticket immediately and find a safe place to keep it. reporting from san francisco,

patrick sedillo, cbs 5. >> what do you think would you buy? >> i think i would find helen and give her some money just because she deserves it. >> i want her to win. 98 years old. parking tickets you don't center to pay. >> how one bay area woman is skipping out on a parking fine she says she didn't deserve and it is not against the law. hi, i'm meteorologist lawrence karnow in the cbs 5 weather center. storm clouds headed our way! the big question, will it bring us any rain? we'll talk about that coming up.

it's the sound of a holiday tradition. a tree chipper. [ laughter ] >> it's become a tradition. starting next week, curbside tree collection begins in a lot of cities around the bay area. in san francisco, christmas trees will be splintered into chips for biofuel and trucked to a facility in tracy. >> biofuel plants actually generate energy, electricity, and typically by burning a biofuel to turn a steam generator, it makes electricity. >> this is san francisco's 25th year chipping trees. thus, the tradition. each season produced more mulch. about 500 tons on average. parking in private lots can be expensive. turns out some lot operators police their own lots issuing tickets for alleged violations. >> they look like real tickets, too. but just how legitimate are

those tickets? on the consumerwatch, julie watts investigates of one driver got a big surprise. reporter: >> it's a convenient lot to where i work. >> reporter: so for years this cbs employee has been using a private parking lot in san francisco. >> there's a $15 fee. you pay at a machine and it spits out a ticket that you then take to your car and put it in the dash. >> reporter: it's a routine she knows well. she does it every day. but last month, she returned to her car to find a $40 parking violation for failing to show proof of payment in her dashboard. ann marie insists it was there. it was simply flipped the wrong way. >> i was in a hurry in the morning and i just threw the ticket in and didn't double- check. >> reporter: when she showed proof of payment the company said she still have to pay what ann marie feels is an unfair $25 fine for an upside-down ticket. >> at that point i was concerned that if i didn't pay the $25 fine, there might be -- it might be reported to the dmv or my car might be booted. >> reporter: so she turned to consumerwatch and we decided to find out just how much damage

those private parking lot tickets can do. >> they have created a piece of paper that may resemble to many drivers an actual ticket. >> reporter: but this criminal defense attorney says these parking violations aren't enforceable by the city or the state. therefore, they don't get reported to the dmv. >> they want you to believe that this is actually a parking ticket but that's not what this is at all. >> reporter: although she does say repeat offenders could be towed and in some cases sent to collections, ann marie made up her mind. >> i'm not going to pay. i refuse to pay as a matter of principle. >> reporter: we called priority parking that issued the violation and agreeing it was an honest mistake, the company has now decided to waive that $25 fee. on the consumerwatch, julie watts, cbs 5. now, if you need help with a consumer problem, call consumerwatch at 1-888-5-helps- u or go to cbssf.com and send us an email. lawrence, yesterday you were not impressed with the doppler radar. >> even less impressed today.

>> oh, no. >> can you believe that? and i wasn't feeling good -- just haven't been able to get the storm track moving far enough south to bring us rain. looks like this is going to be a near miss. outside there's still some clouds that are headed our way but right now most of that energy hung up north of the bay area with the jet stream and that means it looks like we are going to stay dry as this system moves through so for tonight we'll see partly cloudy skies, some patchy fog in the valleys. tomorrow increasing clouds. but right now looks like we're going to stay dry. there's another chance of some possible showers a little later on in the week but otherwise, boy, not much. even that system not that i am pressive. out over the bay right now a quiet evening outside. looks like temperatures beginning to cool off. probably not as cold as last night. right now 57 in concord. 57 in oakland. 54 degrees in san jose. you know, if you are planning on traveling around the state you will run into more rainfall the farther north you go, about 62 degrees and showers expected in ukaih, 53 and rain in eureka. even a few showers into the redding area but the high

country, not much snow there, as well. it looks like high pressure still holding on so yeah, these weak storms continuing to pass to the north. so we're left with a really near miss. another one here. we have seen that really all season long. got it get that jet to drop a little further to the south before we can really start talking about significant rain in the bay area. a lot of clouds through the next couple of days. but not much rainfall. so a lot of clouds will continue to filter across our skies as early as tomorrow. but no rain. temperatures for overnight lows probably not going to be quite as cold tonight. that's because we have a little more cloud cover in the works. plan on 36 degrees in santa rosa, 38 in livermore and 39 degrees in san jose. east bay temperatures in the 50s and low 60s. north bay a little cooler in spots but not bad, 50s and low 60s by the afternoon. dry the next couple of days. our next best chance of rain

friday. even that not very impressive. might have to pull that as well if that holds true then we'll stay dry and looks like keeping things dry with a pattern like that, near misses right into the new year. we'll see what happens. >> close but no cigar. >> not this time. >> we need snow. >> we need a lot of snow. we got so much last year and this year, what a change it's been. >> we can make it up. >> thank you. they were separated by 7 decades and four marriages. >> the final curtain call for a broadway love story that started right here in the bay area.

scientific milestone okay. 2011 almost over. it's time to look back at the major scientific milestones. year. one reached right here in the bay area promises to unlock doors for medical research for years to come. dr. kim mulvihill reports. reporter: in this bay area lab, a little bit of spit has made a big splash. >> it's sort of a technological

tour de force. >> reporter: more than 100,000 individuals from northern california donated a sample of their saliva for a massive research project. from the spit, scientists extracted dna, then using new technology analyzed each and every person's hereditary makeup, 100,000 of them all in record time. the results? a treasure-trove of genetic information. >> it's a landmark. i mean, that anybody has ever done this kind of project in such a short amount of time. >> nothing like it really exists anywhere else in the country or maybe even the world. >> reporter: epidemiologist dr. kathy schaefer. >> it's going to be 24 hours or 48. >> reporter: -- and that statistical geneticist are part of a crabbive effort involving ucsf and kaiser permanente. the dna analyzed in the project includes the tips of chromosomes called telomeres. >> people are very interested in telomere length as an indicator of how rapidly the body is aging, how much the

body is at risk of disease. >> reporter: the hope that this dna database will accelerate research in a condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, mental illness, even alzheimer's. how will they do this? well, genetics is only part of the story. each individual who provided spit belongs to kaiser permanente. in that way, all their health information including how much they weigh, the medications they use, their cholesterol and blood pressure levels, are all available to researchers. >> we have a lot of longitudinal information on individuals to follow them over 20 years. and over that period of time, determine all their health risk factors. >> reporter: add to that, state environmental data linked to locations that will allow researchers to determine what impact toxins, air pollution or water quality, for example, may have on our health. the dna database is just the beginning. >> it is a gold mine. but the gold mine needs to be mined. it's in the mine and we need to

excavate it. >> reporter: the hard work lies ahead. now this could revolutionize and individualize healthcare. imagine a health program designed just for you on your genetic profile and life experiences, early testing for diseases, knowing which medications work best for you or what lifestyle changes would matter most. it's all happening and it's happening here. here in the bay area. isn't that fun? >> very amazing. >> who knew spit magic... a broadway love story that started in san francisco more than 70 years ago has come to an end. carol channing's husband has died. a family spokesman says he suffered an aneurysm at their rancho mirage home last night. the couple actually sat down, that's what you see here, they were with cbs 5 a few years ago for thin the view. her husband a former modesto councilmember first dated broadway star channing for a few years while they attended aptos middle in san francisco.

they married others but reunited in 2003 after channing left her third husband. her fourth husband would have been 92 tomorrow. the housing crisis is not over yet. a report out today shows that prices are still falling. we are going to take a look at when things might turn around. that story and more tonight on the cbs evening news.

for eyewitness news at 6.

we am and here's what we're working on for your eyewitness news at 6:00. we are warned not to do it and a lot of people did it anyway. the toll that wood-burning over christmas weekend is taking on our air quality. and how a bay area farmer is giving us a peek back in time through his back 40. those stories plus a change you will see on the golden gate bridge tonight at 6:00. all right. we're going to give lawrence one more chance to go from missed it by that much to a direct hit. >> you guys are impressive. the chance of rain not very impressive. i'm sticking to it. looks like a chance of a few showers, passing clouds wednesday, better chance of showers looking toward friday but even that will be mainly north of the golden gate bridge. drying out on new year's eve and on new year's day look good lots of sunshine coming our way but hoping to get a mix in the atmosphere, maybe a better chance of rain toward next week. >> here's hoping. >> cbs evening news is next. see you at 6:00. >> caption colorado, llc comments@con