store in union square, and also with a lot of people traveling over the next few days. we've already seen a deadly crash and other major backups across the bay area right now. and the push to recall oakland's mayor intensifies where the effort stands tonight, and if it will make it on the november ballot. the news at 530 starts right now. thanks so much for joining us. i'm janelle wang and i'm raj mathai. could this be a lifeline for union square? for decades, it was the centerpiece of san francisco. but since the pandemic. union square has lost its buzz and lost many of its retailers. but now, one of the world's biggest video game makers, nintendo is moving in. here's nbc bay area's sergio quintana news that a nintendo store is coming to san francisco's union square prompted fond memories for people we talked with about the announcement. i think nintendo is very cool. it brings back memories of childhood and happy memories of growing up. it's a

fun thing. do you still have your nintendo? yes, for my kids, yeah. yes did you ever play them? no. not really. when when they were little. yes, i did the nintendo store announcement is a big deal for union square over the last couple of years, the premier shopping district has seen retailer after retailer close its doors. we talked to tim walsh, who lives in menlo park and is touring around a couple friends who are visiting from germany. it's a ghost town near the financial district. it's a little unsettling if you haven't been here in a while. yeah, but it's great if you're looking for a parking spot. according to data compiled by a research firm called coresight, 40 retailers have closed in union square since 2020. the city has been trying to attract other companies to replace them, and a few new high end retailers and restaurants have opened in the union square area. nintendo has not announced exactly where in union square it will be, but according to the city's office of economic and workforce development, it's a welcomed part of union square's transformation. this is the kind of activity where you are not

just looking at things and purchasing things, you are engaging, it really is the forefront of retail and we're really excited to see more of that happening in union square, because this is exactly the kind of activity that we've been working to court and stimulate nintendo operates three standalone stores in japan and one in new york city. nintendo opened its new york city store in 2005. so 20 years later, 2025 is when nintendo's san francisco store is expected to open at san francisco's union square. i'm sergio quintana, nbc bay area news. sergio, thank you. a rough start for this memorial day weekend. a lot of traffic throughout the bay area. we'll start with that deadly crash in the south bay. this is on southbound 101 near blossom hill road. this crash happened just after 11 a.m. one lane remains closed as of this hour after a red honda crashed into a big rig. the driver of that red honda was killed. 100 gallons of fuel spilled on the road, making the cleanup obviously much

longer and more complex. there could be delays for several more hours. this crash comes as so many people are trying to get out of town right now for the memorial day holiday weekend. let's go outside, take a live look at our traffic cameras. you can see traffic is moving on 101 in san jose, further north. of that area of the south bay. traffic is moving. no problem. san mateo bridge people moving along nicely, but check out the bay bridge toll plaza. slow crawl. it's been looking like this all day. and that's because cleanup is still going on after a big rig fire at nine this morning. so it's really difficult for people trying to get into san francisco right now, not just the roadways. a live look at sfo where airports are expected to be packed, the tsa estimates that nearly 3 million passengers are going to be passing through security checkpoints. one couple says they beat the lines, but don't expect that same luck for everyone. but i'm surprised that right now i don't see as many as i expected to see in the airport. people it'll get busy.

i know that those travelers at san jose airport, the number of travelers today is expected to rival the record set on the sunday after thanksgiving last year. well california's bracing for emergencies that tend to crop up during the summer as the temperatures rise and the state dries out. you can now be prepared with a new website launched today by governor newsom. the governor introducing readicut gov during a visit to california offices of the emergency services, he made the announcement. he described the website as a one stop shop for californians to prepare for emergencies and extreme weather. it's part of lithos, california. it's a state effort connecting communities with resources before, during and after emergencies. they say they have the signatures today in oakland. group says it has the support needed to trigger a recall election of mayor shengtao. if everything is valid, voters could see it on the november ballot. here's nbc bay area's scott budman. my budget will not

reduce public safety. the effort to recall oakland's mayor has, according to those running it, reached a milestone. this recall is happening. the group oakland united to recall xiang tao says it's collected more than the 25,000 signatures needed to put the recall to a vote on the november ballot. she's been dismissive. she said that the leaders of the recall were losers. well, look what we losers have done. we have energized and motivated. oaklanders. the recall was launched back in january by a group who believes tao is to blame for a host of the town's problems, from business closures to losing the a's to a rise in robberies. they say their efforts built support even faster than expected. we are here to support the efforts of the recall, as well as to

rebuild the management of this city, it does change things. i mean, now this is going to go out to the people. and now, according to cal state east bay professor nolan higdon, the mayor needs to take the effort seriously. i think there's been, some criticism from supporters, the mayor contending that this is, you know, a small minority with a lot of money who are using their power well, in an election. now, it's time to decide. the group says it does not have a candidate to replace mayor tao. we reached out to the mayor's office for comment, but did not hear back. in oakland, scott budman nbc, bay area news. well, bay area lawmakers are calling for a full investigation into the closure of an east bay prison. the federal correctional institution in dublin was closed last month as we reported, but eight former officers at the facility are facing lawsuits for sexually abusing female inmates. it's a women's prison. five have pleaded guilty today. representatives mark desaulnier, anna eshoo and others sent a letter to the house judiciary

committee making a request for an investigation. nearly 600 women were housed at this prison before its closure. tiktok is policing posts on its platform, specifically campaigns that are aiming to influence or influence political views. that's according to a new report the company released today. it says tiktok disrupted and broke up to 50 teen influence operations so far this year. those are networks of accounts posting content to give a positive light to government policies. individuals behind these accounts are impersonating high profile creators and celebrities. these networks are running out of countries like china, germany, guatemala and others. the state gave many of us free money a year and a half ago. well, next week the state's going to start taking back some of what families didn't spend. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. tonight we're going to help you claim and protect your money. next i'm chief

meteorologist jeff ranieri. clouds are back tomorrow morning, along with some drizzle. i'll show you how long this lasts into your memorial day weekend. plus an upda on te a slow network is no network for business. that's why more choose comcast business.

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to spend however you want. let's bring in our consumer investigator chris kamara to explain why. and to help you get your slice chris. good evening. the next few minutes could put a couple hundred bucks back in your pocket. record prices at the gas pump. sudden inflation unleaded gas for over $7 a gallon. hit family finances hard in 2022, not for just gas, but for everything else. it's really hard. state lawmakers and the governor responded with an emergency relief program. it's

called the middle class tax refund, and it's our way of getting money back into your pockets to help with everyday expenses. sacramento sent millions of people a debit card or deposited money directly into their bank accounts. it was for $700. carlos solis, who's a san jose state student, welcomed the relief money, which, you know, this will help me. i mean tremendously to pay tuition a year and a half later, part of the relief program is beginning to wind down. but state financial records we reviewed show hundreds of millions of dollars left unspent and now at risk of not benefiting any families at all. in fact, next week, the franchise tax board is set to trigger a huge transfer. on june 1st, it will move more than $360 million out of the better for families fund and into the general fund, where lawmakers can spend it however they want. before we dig into

how and why so much emergency money from 2022 is still sitting unclaimed in 2024, we're going to put a qr code up on the screen, snap it to contact the state to see if you're due any money. if the government makes a promise to help the people, they should remember carlos and his $700 will. turns out part of his relief money was stuck. he couldn't transfer it all from his car to his bank. so i kept calling and calling for the period of six seven months. and it was the same deal every every day, every time. it was just, oh, sorry to hear that. or let me transfer you to the right department. and i got disconnected. ultimately, he asked for our team's help to get his full 700 bucks without our intervention, the state might have labeled his account dormant and might have sent his money back to lawmakers. that's not acceptable. other people complained to us, too. this is our tax money and state lawmakers. we got calls, you know, by the hundreds from

people who literally could never get through on the customer assistance lines. and that frustration ultimately led, i think, for people to just give up. a recent state audit of the refund program found lax oversight at the franchise tax board, allowing its private card contractor to ignore 36% of calls for live help with the tax rebate cards. the vendor, called money network, told us. calls were not answered for various reasons. like some callers hanging up quickly, it said the middle class tax refund program was unprecedented in speed and scale. the big failure was on the folks who were not able to get through in the system, and the folks now who still have these benefits coming to them, who haven't accessed them yet. if you never got a payment or aren't sure, speak up before june 1st. scan that qr code. now if you've got a debit card but haven't spent it all, your balance is safe. for now, the state is holding that money in a different bucket that lawmakers

can't claw back until 2026. if you forget, it's okay. we're going to be back in two years to remind you, but we really do recommend you use that money now. carlos contacted us online. you can to snap this qr code to fill out our consumer complaint form. so we'll see. kris in 2026. yes, exactly. oh my gosh. thank you chris jeff i was too hot. now i'm too cold. what am i going to be just right. how about sunday? oh perfect. yeah. we're going to meet right in the middle as we head into sunday's forecast. certainly going to get into some better weather by memorial day as well. so let's take it into that microclimate forecast. and wow, what a difference we've been telling you about it. but once you step out and you felt it today, just huge, huge temperature drops. look at this here from 89 in santa rosa on tuesday down to 74 today. but some of the more even stronger differences here was concord 88 and down to 65 today.

san jose went from 83 on tuesday down to 67. so you might have had the jacket out all day long. and we're going to stay with that trend here as we head through tomorrow's forecast. from this cold front that's going to be moving across california, a little bit of wind i'm seeing with it 15 to about 30mph doesn't look damaging. the other thing here is some drizzle for the morning. so we're going to get you all through this as we started off through tomorrow morning, cloud cover is going to be more widespread than we saw today. so everyone really expecting the low clouds to start. also those areas of drizzle it's going to be one of those mornings to where it's just kind of slow to clear back. you want to get your day going, you want some sun. but even by 11:00 in the morning, we're still with the clouds. the way it looks now and then as we head through the afternoon, we should get into that sunshine. so as we roll through the morning, it's going to be chillier with that foggy breeze moving in all the way down to 48 for the tri-valley south bay 49, you're coming in on the chilly side. two east bay at 50. and for san francisco 52. so daytime highs tomorrow really don't warm up a

whole lot. it's just going to be kind of a hard go on the first day of the memorial day weekend, with these temperatures here in the 60s, quite unusual here for may 69th, in santa rosa, 67 in concord, 67 as well, in san jose, palo alto, only 64. and then i have 50s right here from san francisco over to half moon bay. but things again, are going to warm up once we hit sunday's forecast. so if you're headed out to bottlerock in napa valley , you can see the difference here from 69 tomorrow up to a much better 77 on sunday. i think that's just about right. and if you're not here, but you're doing any traveling, i did want to get that national map in here and show you tonight . we are seeing some delays at the airports. some of the delays in boston have now cleared out, running 30 minutes behind here in chicago, 75 minutes in dallas behind. that's our largest delay. and in san francisco we're 23 minutes behind. they are running an air traffic management program that's slowing things down. also, the

low clouds tonight could add a additional delays on that. let's get you into a closer view here of the west coast airports. and, no delays in vegas, los angeles, san diego are right there in palm springs now as we roll through tomorrow. strongest weather, no doubt through the central u.s. we're talking kansas and also oklahoma. that zone in red here is where we have a high likelihood of tornadoes, some extremely strong winds, and also some large hail will be possible. thunderstorms, though, would be possible here from the central u.s. stretching all the way back towards the east coast. so a lot of bumpy weather if you are heading into the sky tomorrow. right back here on my 7-day forecast in san francisco monday. looking good here with 63 on memorial day. and for the inland valleys sunday monday is the best days of that three day weekend, as we'll get right up to that 77 on sunday. i think that's just about right. just about in the middle. janelle, what are you thinking about that that's that's our temperature i love the high 70s right there. i love

it i can't wait. perfect week. we planned it well. looks great. good job. thanks, jeff. up next, if you win one of the biggest sporting events in the world, your reward is. yeah, a bottle of milk. we'll tell you about the unique history of the indianapolis 500.

it's happening this sunday for the 100 and time, it's the indianapolis 500 and the winner gets a lot of money. a few million bucks. and not just the car, the money. an ice cold bottle of milk. nbc, nbc sports leigh diffey explains the unique history behind the race's tradition. we're in indianapolis, and that means just one thing it is time for the indy 500 has to be seen to be believed. ever wonder why the winner of the indianapolis 500 celebrates by drinking milk? one word mum. one of the most iconic traditions in sports can trace its roots back to a mother in yonkers, new york. the story begins in 1936, when louis meyer made history by becoming the first driver to win three indiana 500, and he's over lieu

meyer. ladies and gentlemen, lieu meyer has won the race after an exhausting 500 miles, meyer was captured on camera, holding up 3 in 1 hand and taking a sip of ice cold buttermilk with the other. a beverage his mother said was the best refresher on a hot day, somebody's given him a bottle of milk. well, that rate would make anybody thirsty. someone in the dairy industry saw that and requested milk be offered to every indy 500 winner in victory lane. however, it wasn't until 1956 when this became a yearly tradition. that's because wilbur shaw, three time indy 500 winner and indianapolis motor speedway track president at the time, opted to serve cold water to the winner from 1947 until he passed away in 1954. this became known as water from wilbur, but with the help of dairy industry executives, milk made its triumphant return and winners were offered $400 to take a gulp, plus another $50 for the chief mechanic. today, all 33

drivers are polled by the american dairy association. indiana. before the race begins. whole milk 2% or fat free? should you win some select to chug the milk in winner's circle, while others opt to pour the entire bottle over their head in celebration, often creating scenes that have lasted a lifetime all thanks to mamma mia! i never knew that i know. would it be nice to add some, like, chocolate sirup into it too and ask for chocolate? i'm going 2% on that. you can watch the indy 500 this sunday right here on nbc bay area. our live coverage begins at 8 a.m. still to come, a boeing spacecraft that has a new date for when it hopes to send astronauts into space. the latest norman, bad news... i never graduated from med school. what? -but the good news is... xfinity mobile just got even better! now, you can automatically connect to wifi speeds

up to a gig on the go. plus, buy one unlimited line and get one free for a year. i gotta get this deal... i know... faster wifi and savings? ...i don't want to miss that. that's amazing doc. mobile savings are calling. visit xfinitymobile.com to learn more. doc?

history. school shootings. on may 24th of 2022, 19 students and two teachers were killed at robb elementary school in uvalde, texas. the families of the victims are still looking for justice. earlier this week, they filed a lawsuit against nearly 100 state officers. that lawsuit claims the officers did not follow active shooter training while responding to the school. today, the families filed more lawsuits, this time against meta, microsoft and gun maker daniel defense. the families claim those companies marketed weapons to teenagers through social media and the

video game called call of duty. the companies have yet to respond. rapper sean kingston and his mom, both arrested on fraud and theft charges. the mom, janice turner, appeared in a fort lauderdale courtroom today. she's facing eight charges ranging from organized fraud to grand theft. her attorney asked the court to reconsider her bond, calling it excessive. the judge stuck to the $160,000 bond and said the 61 year old must surrender her passport. turner already has a 2005 conviction for bank fraud. her rapper son was arrested in california. he will be transported back to florida to face similar charges. morgan spurlock, the documentary filmmaker who chronicled a 30 day period when he only ate mcdonald's, has died. his family says spurlock died yesterday at his home in new york due to complications of cancer. spurlock was best known for the oscar nominated super size me, the film where he subjected himself to a diet of only

mcdonald's for a month. spurlock also made documentaries about the war on terror, corporate power, and masculine identity. he was 53 years old. boeing and nasa say the starliner astronaut launch will move ahead despite a leak in the spacecraft. boeing says it can manage the helium leak and starliner's propulsion system, saying it is not a flight safety issue. the launch is set for june 1st and will mark the first time it will carry a pair of u.s. astronauts. it will serve as a major test of the capsule by delivering the crew to and from the international space station before flying routine missions. still a lot more news ahead. jessica aguirre joins us now with what's coming up next. right now at 6:00, the party is just starting in the north bay. bottle rock kicking off its three day weekend of fun music and food. we're going to take you there. live to santa to napa as the concerts roll on. also, a live look at the golden gate bridge. the holiday weekend is here. and look at the clouds. the fog. jeff has our updated forecast. not as warm as it

usually is, but first, a new move to stop closures at a critical south bay hospital. we're there live. the news at six starts right now. good evening and thanks for being with us on this friday. i'm raj mathai and i'm jessica aguirre calling out san jose regional medical center and its plans to shutter its trauma center and other vital services. tonight, a community group says the hospital is valuing profits over people. protesters called on state attorney general rob bonta to investigate the hospital's owner. nbc's robert honda, explains the public backlash aimed at san jose regional medical center has been going on for quite a while, ever since hca began announcing program cuts. but today the coalition of groups said no more. san jose regional medical center is run by hca healthcare, which operates on a for profit basis and has also said it will close certain hospital services

because, in its view, not enough people use them. earlier this year, mmc planned to close programs dealing with heart attacks and certain types of strokes. but when it announced it will close its level two trauma center community groups joined with political leaders and labor organizations today, asking attorney general rob bonta to investigate what it called predatory practices. this closure is based on one goal more profits for their shareholders, and it's a direct attack on our communities, county supervisor cindy chavez said. hca has a track record here. the county here owns three hospitals and part of the reason we ended up buying two of those hospitals is that when hca purchased san jose medical center and alexian, they closed san jose medical center. one mmc doctor came out to support the group. now, if you look at all the studies, when any major trauma center is closed,