no progress or resolution in the case. >> this is not just another one of those days. >> alameda county district attorney nancy o'malley announced charges against 49-year-old david misch who was already in custody. he faces murder charges with two special circumstances. one for murder in the course of a kidnapping and another because he was already convicted of a previous murder. >> the crime shocked not only the local community of hayward and alameda county but the entire bay area and the nation. it was so brazen, so ruthless, but clearly planned. >> o'malley says misch said garrett moved her scooter to the back area of a park, lot. thereby isolating her. investigators received new leads earlier this year. >> we had the opportunity to follow those leads patiently, as misc harx has been in state prison since 1989, convicted of murder. >> he's also awaiting trial for

a double murder committed in fremont in 1986. it was fremont police who alerted hayward police they might want to take a look at misch. he left a partial palm print on garrett's scooter that investigators said had to be compared manually, directly with their own eyes. we asked hayward's police chief if misch might be connected to other missing girls. >> right now, it's wide open, just like we were able to crack this after 32 years, nothing is off the table. >> garrett's body has never been found. the chief said he is hopeful they will find her remains and that it will depend on information they get from misch. melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. >> all right, melanie, thanks so much. mikhaila's mother, sharon, spoke with abc 7 news reporter kate larson a short time ago. she read a heartbreaking statement to kate. > in the last year, i had come to a place of accepting mikhaila was probably no longer alive, but somehow, that acceptance was

far more wrapped up in the idea of mikhaila sitting on fluffy pik clouds walking streets of gold, dancing on grassy hills. soaring among the stars. but i did not envision my daughter as a dead child. it was only when i heard this news that this vision of reality appeared, and i honestly have not figured out what to do with it. that chill set in that had nothing to do with the snow outside my home in southwest iowa. i feel as though i am still looking for cumaila, but now i don't know where. i honestly feel lost in the dark. >> coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00, we'll hear from her father about the arrest as well as the original detective in the case. >> now to developing news with the coronavirus. as california sets more records today. more than 17,000 people are in the hospital because of covid-19. we have seen a new daily high every day since december 9th. for the 18th straight day, the state has set a record for the

number of people in icu. today's count is more than 3600. there were more than 37,000 newly diagnosed cases of coronavirus in the state, which is below the daily average for the past week. here's a look at the current icu capacity for the five regions. the bay area has improved and at 13.7%. northern california is in the best shape at nearly 29%. the sacramento area is at 16.2%, san joaquin valley in southern california, are still out of icu beds. and as cases continue to rise and icu capacity declines, governor newsom says it's very likely some regions could have their stay-at-home orders extended. liz has more on the governor's update. >> with just four days until christmas, california's covid-19 crisis remains as dire as ever. governor newsom today said the state's 14-day test positivity rate is now 12%. two weeks ago, it was 8.7%. hospitalizations also continue to rise, with more than 3600 people currently in icu.

>> 51% increase in admissions as well over a 14-day period. >> the death rate is also climbing. right now, on average, 233 people are dying every day in california from the virus. >> sober, sober reminder of how deadly this disease is. and how tragic a loss of every life is, but particularly those lives that are lost during the holiday season. >> state-wide, the icu capacity is just 2.5%. there's still zero percent capacity in the southern california and san joaquin valley regions and now the state says it's very likely the stay-at-home orders there will be extended. they currently expire at the end of the month. >> at the moment our projections don't show that any of the regions that could first exit the regional stay-at-home order will likely do that. >> newsom also addressed the new strain of covid-19 believed to be spreading in the uk. he says the state is considering strategies to prevent it from

spreading in california, including quarantines for people traveling here from britain. >> i hope the federal government takes action in this space. they should. in the absence of that, we'll be pursuing different strategies on testing and quarantine. >> newsom himself is back in quarantine at home after a staffer he was in contact with tested positive for the virus. >> i'll be here for the next number of days and hopefully we'll keep getting tested negative. >> the good news comes from the vaccine. newsom says the state administered more than 70,000 doses of the vaccine last week, more than 100,000 doses of the moderna vaccine have just arrived. >> moderna vaccine has arrived and that's indeed good news. >> abc 7 news. >> president-elect joe biden received his first dose of the pfizer vaccine in delaware this afternoon. he said he wanted to receive the shot on live television to encourage public confidence in the vaccine. biden is 78 years old and is at risk of a more severe infection. incoming first lady dr. jill

biden received her first dose earlier in the day as well. >> the long awaited rollout of coronavirus has heightened the anticipation of slowing the pandemic. clinical trials will continue to bring more vaccines to market. a bay area company is behind that effort. david louie gives us an inside look. >> bay area based headlands research was involved in the clinical trials for the pfizer and moderna vaccines but their work is far from ov. >> we need hopefully three to four if not more of those to succeed if we're going to really try to get across the whole global population as fast as we can. >> headlands is also working with johnson & johnson and astrazeneca. both pharmaceutical companies have large scale trials under way, possibly involving 30,000 people that will wrap up some time in january and early february. this map shows that most of the trial sites are in the south, and that's important to researchers to have access to patients who come from diverse backgrounds. covid has disproportionately infected and claimed the lives

of members of ethnic and racial minority groups. >> we had 90% latinx population across one of the trials of moderna and in excess of 40% african-american. and that's really important for the trials we get that diversity enrollment. >> such enrollment could address concerns about vaccine safety or their efficacy. as the vaccinations get under way, data will be collected to track granular details such as adverse reactions and which vaccine a patient received and when. this will help with future vaccine development. it's made possible because each vaccine has a tracker. >> you can make sure who's gotten the vaccine, make sure they have a follow-up. a lot of this is done electronically, and when you're trying to vaccinate 320 million people ideally across the united states, you can't really do it on a paper format. >> by the end of the trials. it's estimated as many as 164,000 americans will have participated. david louie, abc 7 news. >> and we spent all last week

digging into the questions and concerns you might have about the vaccine. you can find all of our stories on abc7news.com/vaccine. >> airbnb says it's cracking down on party houses in the bay area. the company says it's received complaints about 65 properties in san francisco, oakland, and san jose. all of them have either been suspended or removed from the site for violating airbnb policy. it's also restricting anyone who identifies under the age of 25 from booking a one-night reservation, plus anyone without a history of positive reviews will be prohibited from making a reservation on christmas or new year's eve. >> i'm live at chase center, home of the warriors who tip off a new season tomorrow in brooklyn. but when they do come home, fans will be in for a treat. a chance to see themselves virtually at the game because the team has set up this giant video board behind me. much like we saw in orlando in the nba bubble. so who gets their face on the board? and who gets to watch the game from there? we'll talk with warriors team

president about that, hopes for the upcoming season, and if and when fans will be in the building. all that coming up live, center court at chase center. >> always wanted to be center court. all right, larry, thanks. a holiday travel breaking pandemic records at the airport. home for the holidays, the people stepping up to help parents with sick children. >> and christmas star. the celestial site you can catch in about an hour tonight. >> i'm meteorologist sandhya patel. i'll let you know how viewing conditions are looking for that rare

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the warriors season starts tomorrow, but they're in brooklyn. they invited me to work from home, their home. i think they just got tired of looking at my fireplace in the background. so i'm here actually at center court, making myself very much at home. we're the first to see the warriors' brand-new sideline virtual setup. huge video boards all along the court where fans can check out the game from home. and warriors president rick welts is joining us now. i should mention at the top, we both in order to get in the building had to have a negative covid test and masks are mandatory, but regarding the board, it's so nice of you to bring your tv from home and haul it in here. >> i wish. mine is kind of like this big, but this is going to be a little

different experience for everybody. >> so how can fans get involved? because we saw this was so successful during the nba bubble. you had celebrities. is it a zoom call or what do they do? >> it's like that. you do it on your laptop. 120 fans per game. you see, i think, 90 of them there. we also have a great setup in the player tunnel, so when steph curry comes out on the court, we can have aisha, his wife and his kids waving to him as he goes on the court. a combination of fans, a combination of our season ticket members. we're going to add some community groups in here. all people have to do is go to warriors.com, not quite yet. we're not ready to sign people up yet, but before our home opener on january 1. >> the team starts with four road games including a matchup with kevin durant tomorrow, which is interesting. then a break, and giannis the next game. >> unbelievable start. and a couple people really important to the history of our

franchise, obviously, k.d. but steve nash has a pretty interesting job this year, too, as the new head coach of brooklyn. so he's been a part of our organization for a while here, too. so other than tomorrow night, we're going to be rooting for those guys. >> for sure. so you guys unfortunately had the worst record in the league last year because of injuries. you have steph curry coming back. klay thompson blows out an achilles so he's going to miss the second straight season. what are the expectation snz. >> coaches are pleased with the way camp has gone. a little setback at the start with a couple of positive coronavirus tests. but we have draymond back now, wise nn back now. a lot of new pieces to fit in. one of the byproducts of the 15-win season is the number two draft. we haven't seen him on the court yet, but as a physical specimen and as he's played in the first few weeks of camp, there's a lot of excitement around the locker room. >> we can break some news here because james is going to play

tomorrow against the nets. his first real nba game will be against durant and the loaded net. unfortunately, draymond is not going to play in that game so we have to wait. you could use his defense against durant. what does wiseman bring? he only played three games in college, so a huge mystery. people have compared him to the admiral, david robinson, before he's even played one game. >> i tell you, we'll take that comparison, all right. just the shot blocking ability, it's been a long time since we had terrific big man in the middle. it will very much change depending upon his development, could change the way we play our game because we want to go up tempo. we want to play better defense than we have ever played before. and he fits right in to the coach's plans for that. >> talking about big men, i hope that wasn't a knock against foyle. >> never. >> never. so we spent a lot of time together for years as you were in the process and really one of the driving forces behind getting this palace built.

i'm sure the last thing you expected was a fan-free experience because of a global heart that chase center has been closed more days than it's been open since we cut the ribbon and started a year ago. but we can't wait for the opportunity to welcome fans back. we're working incredibly hard every day to try to find a safe path back to welcoming fans here to chase center. >> i know the city has said no to your initial plan to have fans back in. if you had to guess, is there any way to know, you know, february, march, april, when you might be able to see humans back in here watching? >> well, it won't be our decision. the county actually left the door open for us to come back and talk some more about partial fans in the stands. we think there's a path to do that and a path to do that safely, just like you and me. when i was here for the preseason game a week ago, this was the safest place in san francisco because everybody in this building had had a test

prior to entering and had a negative test, so it's possible to create that atmosphere. it's going to be governed by what's going on in the world. we're not immune or unaware of what's happening. and the seriousness of the situation right now. but we have to -- we think there's a path to do it. >> rick, really appreciate your time, and we'll see the warriors. >> listen, this is not you. this is not -- i miss that face. your smiling face. >> i didn't know i didn't need to put makeup on today. i would have left that home if i knew we were going with masks. rick, the team president for the warriors who will open the season tomorrow in brooklyn. >> wow. all right, larry. that was great. thanks. once in a lifetime occurrence will happen during tonight's winter solstice. jupiter and saturn will be so close together, it will look like one bright star. it happens about every 400 years, and it's called a congentian. right after sunset, look to the southwest. the last time this happened,

ooh, was in 1623. and it's been 800 years since this happened at night. some think this may be the origin of the star of bethlehem when the planets lined up in the year 7 bc. if you want to check out that rare celestial event tonight, you can join chabot astronomers virtually. the center in oakland is hosting a streaming event on their facebook page starting at 5:00. and so when you have an event like this, you hope for clear skies so all the pressure is on meteorologist sandhya patel to deliver that. sandhya. >> i will tell you this much. we will have some high clouds around and some patches of fog, but for most of you, viewing should be good. so let's take a look at that rare conjunction between jupiter and saturn, 45 minutes after sunset will be ideal viewing. you want to look to the southwest, and it's nicknamed the christmas star, as kristen

just mentioned. temperatures will be in the upper 40s to the mid 50s, so if you're going to venture out to check it out, definitely bundle up. here's a look at the hour-by-hour forecast. 5:00 tonight, you will notice most areas other than parts of the north bay and a little bit of the inland east bay will have some clear skies. the fog is around the inland east bay and we'll have high clouds passing by as a weak system graces us. by tonight, we'll see a few sprinkles north of the bay area as we head into 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, watch out for some thick fog, but it is not going to be quite as widespread as this morning because of the front coming through. now, by tomorrow afternoon, we're looking at sunshine across the entire bay area. here's a live look right now. we're still dealing with fog right around the central valley and also spilling over into some of our inland east bay. here's a look at visibility just over a mile in concord, fairfield is still reporting quarter-mile visibility with that dens fog. walnut creek camera showing you a hazy view, and here's a look

at the temperatures. 44 in fairfield, 43 in concord. 59 in santa rosa and and and lovely view. upper 50s from san francisco to san jose, and gift degrees in half moon bay. from our mt. tam cam, we're watching fog rolling in as well. high clouds and patchy fog overnight. dry pattern through christmas eve and rain returns on christmas through early next week off and on. we have another spare the air alert for tomorrow, as we're noticing that the pollution is building. por air quality, santa clara valley. moderate for the rest of the bay area. tomorrow morning, mid 30s to the mid 40s. watch out for some of that fog, and then tomorrow afternoon, enjoy the sunshine as winter has arrived today. we're looking at mid 50s to low 60s for the second day of winter. a look at what's ahead for christmas. some rain moving in by the afternoon, and by evening, it's widespread across the region. snow is expected in the sierra nevada for saturday going into

sunday as well as another system comes through the bay area. we need that rain, and it is coming. a look at the accuweather seven-day forecast. the fog will be followed by sunshine tomorrow. a chilly wednesday followed by bright skies and a level one system on christmas. more level one systems for saturday going into sunday and monday. >> all right, santa's bringing the rain. thank you, sandhya. >> the ronald mcdonald house helps give parents with sick children a place to stay. it's been more difficult than ever because of the pandemic, but thanks to the generosity of others, there's help. we'll tell you what's being done to keep parents close to their kids. >> and if you want to stay cozy over the holidays, check out this stream, we're streaming a yule log. you'll even have the option to watch it with a cozy crackling sound. or with music. whatever you like. we have you covered. you can watch it. it's on our website or wherever you stream abc

for all of us during this time of pandemic, it's been about being flexible and making adjustments. for ronald mcdonald house charities in the bay area, that means finding ways to house the families of young patients at a time when physical distancing is of maximum important. laura anthony introducing us to a family making the most of it. >> i really appreciate it because this is a tough time. >> this man and his son have a

little less to worry about these days thanks to a donated apartment in san francisco. >> it's pretty easy for me to go in and out, easy and it's pretty quiet neighborhood, yeah. >> the 9-year-old recently had a bone marrow transplant and is undergoing treatment at ucsf chirn's hospital in oakland. due to the pandemic, housing a family like the shaws with a child who is severely immuno compromised has become even more challenging for ronald mcdonald house bay area charities which helps facilitate housing and services for patient families in oakland and san francisco. >> we have to lower capacity inside a house to make sure we have proper social distancing, and what's that's really meant is we had to think about resources dchly. >> enter bay area companies veritas and apartment list, which partners with rmch to increase capacity. >> about three months ago, we donated ten furnished apartment homes to ronald mcdonald house

for their use and for the use of families like this one who need a safe place to stay while their children are getting treatment. >> the donated apartments have worked so well for children's hospital families like the shaws, the hope is it's an arrangement that will live on long past the pandemic. for the shaws, it's all about the here and now. >> thank you for helping us with the apartment. i really like it. thank you. >> in oakland, laura anthony, abc 7 news. >> many families have been struggling to put food on the table during the pandemic. and today, the city of san jose said it will help provide 100,000 extra meals to community members through new year's day. >> we have seen that for these low-wage hourly workers who are already struggling to be able to afford rent and pay for food in silicon valley that this fallout

has really been devastating. it has pushed families that were already struggling month to month, even deeper into poverty. >> the meals will come from second harvest, hunger at home, and other community partners. sacred heart community services in san jose began its annual holiday food distribution today. the organization expects to hand out more than 3,000 boxes of food over the nebs three days. sacred heart says it needs more donations this week, especially turkey and ham. >> a new strain of the coronavirus forces several countries to ban travel in and out of great britain. what does this mean for us here? we'll get some answers i felt gross. it was kind of a shock after i started cosentyx.

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>> building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. >> more countries are restricting travel from england and other countries that have reported seeing new strains of the coronavirus. britain imposed strict new lockdown measures saturday night because of what it described as the unusually rapid spread of a new strain there. a few other european countries have confirmed cases of the virus variant, and another strain considered especially infectious has been identified in south africa. >> all right, right now, let's find out more about the new strain with abc 7 news special correspondent dr. patel. dr. patel, we want to talk about the new strain of the virus. first of all, let me ask you this. is it really a surprise? viruses mitate. >> it's not a surprise off the bat, you're correct. virus do mutate. this has been estimated to have one to two mutations per month. the reason this is getting

headlines is it has over a dozen. what has everybody kind of, i don't want to say concerned but paying attention is potential mutations in the spike protines or parts of the virus that make it available to infect people, jump around from person to person, and potentially evade our immune systems. >> but are we seeing any evidence at all yet that this is in fact more transmissible or if you get it, is it deadlier, if you will, more potent? >> now, i know what i said probably evoked a little bit of a fear response in the control room, but there is no evidence that it is more deadly or it's causing more severe disease. there's an early thought that it may be more transmissible, but again, i think it's really important that people don't speculate too early and don't spread ideas that are not yet confirmed. just because this specific strain is being reported in large quantity in the uk, it doesn't give us any data just yet. it's something scientists have to keep an eye on and track closely. >> as you know, some european nations have now banned flights from the uk because of this new

strain. yet dr. fauci today said that may be an overreaction, and that he wouldn't advise against us banning those flights. i know the state is considering it. they're not there yet, but this brought it up as something they were considering. what is your thought on this? >> so many thoughts. foremost, there are a lot of countries banning flights from uk, latvia, argentina, colombia, the list goes on. i do agree with dr. fauci not necessarily in saying i'm against banning flights or telling people not to travel right now, but because that's not necessarily the solution. first of all, this variant could be in other parts of the country. other parts of the world. it is identified in the uk because of what they were doing with pcr testing, but it might be all over the place, and also it doesn't matter what we're doing or saying about flights. if people don't change their behavior, and that's what it comes down to, even if you say, hey, don't fly to the united states, we already have enough surges right now. people need to be following all of the restrictions we keep talking about to keep that down.

it doesn't matter how many strains are circulating, if people aren't taking the right measures, wee not going to get anywhere. >> now that the vaccine is being given out and today, president-elect biden got his very publicly, i want to ask about this. this morning, you tweeted, it's funny how many politicians downplay the virus, not that biden is one of them, and are now rolling up their slievs to get vaccinated. politics gonna politic. or politrick. some are saying, hey, politicians should be getting them because continuity of government, all that. people are voting on the stimulus checks. you want to make sure they're protected. but what do you think? what's the issue here? >> i'm not saying that politicians shouldn't be protected. that's not the point of that satirical tweet. what i'm saying is that it caused a response in the physician community when we saw politicians who downplayed the virus, politicians who even accused doctors of lying about death tolls in order to profit.

that is senator joni ernst who said that. you have marco rubio, lindsey graham, mitch mcconnell, people rolling up their sleeves when for the last nine months where were they? where were they in response to all the rallies where people weren't wearing masks or not speaking out to president trump when he was say downplaying it. the reason this is getting such a response is i personally know plenty of physicians, frontline works, nurses, doctors, in the icu, who have not yet gotten their vaccine in the same states where these politicians have. >> it does seem like in ernst's case, she was not wearing masks and mingling and poo-pooing it as a hoax, i understand what you mean about the public being angry when they're rolling up

the sleeves. a lot of ethics involved so a lot of conversations for us in the future. >> maybe they'll walk back their comments. thank you. >> all right, so i'm here working from the house that curry built at chase center. steph is in brooklyn. the warriors getting ready to take on kevin durant and the nets tomorrow in the season opener. earlier, steph and wife aisha were guests on the tamron hall show. >> we're equal partners and i love it so much. >> steph, did you know she was going to be the superstar in the family? >> 100%. i knew anything she did from the time i met her she was successful at, which is why i encouraged her so much to take some chances, take some risks, and she's obviously -- she even outdid my expectations. she's a two-time "new york times" best seller. i'm going to hype you up right now. we don't like talking about ourselves, but we can talk about each other, which is amazing. >> that is a dynamic duo there. the curries also opened up about

feeding underprivileged children through their eat, learn, play foundation, and aisha's best selling cookbook. the tamron hall show airs week days at 1:00 right here on abc 7. >> steph and aisha are awesome. just ahead, abc 7 mornings gets wrapping, and this isn't about christmas paper. plus --

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okay. you ready for this? >> i'm coming to you from the chase center. all masked up here. yeah, we're ready to go. the tsa has reported more than a million passengers passing through security. those checkpoints in the last three days. this is the first time we have hit that number since the sunday after thanksgiving. and while those numbers are down significantly from a normal year, it's still a sign that more people are traveling as we get closer to christmas. kristen, how concerned are you that we're just going to keep seeing surge after surge after surge as we go through the holidays? i have to say pretty concerned because thanksgiving, we warned of this, and two weeks after that, we did start to see those numbers materialize. so i am concerned. oma, what about you? i think this will contribute, for sure. >> i don't know what people are doing. what are you doing? like, i just -- i don't even have words add this point. i mean, we have to take care of this. so priorities.

>> yeah, and sandhya, you probably also see a lot of tweets of people saying they're going to gather with their family, it's jun wu family or two households, but does that worry you, too? >> yeah, it's very concerning. i think people are still sort of ignoring some of the rules and they just figured, hey, let's get together. big groups, who cares as long as we're masking up, keeping our distance. obviously, travel. i just -- i don't understand. i mean, i get that people want to see their loved ones. but i don't understand why they would risk it and fly across the country right now at a time like this. >> yeah. >> well, even with the stay-at-home order in the bay area and covid-19 infections surging, it looked a lot like the usual last-minute holiday shopping rush. an abc 7 news viewer shared this video from stone ridge mall in pleasanton on saturday. look at all those people. they aren't just standing around. they're waiting in line to get into a store. the person who shot this video said the mall was full of

people, and other stores have lines out the door as well. i'm just going to say that i avoid this on a typical year. i don't want to be waiting in a line, and in a covid year, i'm going to say no thanks. what about you, larry? >> yeah, i'm kind of surprised. you guys used to joke because i was not an amazon shopper. i may have become their number one shopper in the past few weeks because i just don't -- and i don't even know what those people were waiting in line for. whatever it is, could it have been purchased through that store's website without going? i mean, i don't want to be indoors. i don't want to be with a bunch of strangers. i'm even far away from you guys. >> indeed. >> thankfully. >> fortunately, you can spread out. i know, sandhya, you changed your plans. normally you love to go to malls and that's not happening. the countdown to the countdown is on. the 2021 numerals for new year's eve celebration in new york arrived in times square today.

they're seven feet and will light up on december 31st. this year, though, will be very different. the typical massive crowds will be missing. times square will be closed to people. that's right. but there will still be live performances for the big new year's eve shows. can we just do the ball drop and pretend it's 2021 now? because sandhya, we don't want any more 2020? >> you know what, there's always next year, so watch it on tv. i mean, we can have all the crowds gather next year to welcome in 2022. that's what i have to say, kristen. >> larry, what about you? >> i wonder. yeah, i wonder how many people are going to say, you know what, it's our tradition to go to times square. we're going to go down there anywhere anyway, even if there's nothing to see or do or a stage set up or anything like that. so i think it's going to be interesting. you know, i'm hoping that the fact that they can't go downtown doesn't lead to people gathering

in their own homes or on rooftops or whatever because people are going to find a way to party if that's what they really want to do. speaking of party, there was kind of a fun one over the weekend on tv. and earlier today on midday live, jobina dropped a few rhymes with e-40 and too short. >> i'm talking to short and 40, and they might think my lines are kind of corny, but i appreciate your time while you see me spit my rhymes, and if you need a news anchor, i got someone you can sign. hey! >> hey. >> that's all i have. it's working. >> that's some serious talent. >> so cool. yeah. and you know, those guys were battling it out over the weekend on versus. i know a lot of people in the bay area were watching that and really enjoying all of the performances with those two guys. did you get a chance to check that out? >> i haven't, but i will now.

i have to say, i just love how relevant e-40 and too short are, because they literally were the soundtrack to my, like, youth. middle school, high school growing up here in the bay area, they were just, you know, awesome. and they still are. so it's just, i don't know, just so great every time i see them because it's like, yeah, they're still out there, still doing good things in the community. i love it. >> well, also, you know, kristen, we talked about the times square situation. here are these two icons in music, and they're putting on a performance and going back and forth against each other, but they're doing it virtually and making it work in an environment where normally you would say, come on, that's not going to work. >> right. >> it can be done. >> we're so used to the virtual now, and we have seen so much creativity from artists, that was amazing. i have to say, jobena, and i mean this in the best way possible, is like an onion. every time you peel away a layer, there's another layer of talent and skill there.

wow. >> absolutely. >> all right. that's going to do it

it's been four month since we started following students and teachers to chronicle the imact of distance learning on them. on the latest episode of our series, mack, a a a a a a

story, w to teach in a school she's never set foot in. >> all right. good morning, good morning. this is finals week. can everybody hear me? good morning. sheray. >> good morning. my name is sheray edwards. i'm a ninth grader at mcclemens. before the pandemic, can was looking forward to, like, making friends. sometimes i feel lonely. mainly because i'm an only child. but also because i got no friends. >> we just moved here from down south, and so she's totally new to oakland, 100%. she doesn't know any students here. so she's trying her best to make connections through the zoom or through the lunch meet so she could have friends for ninth grade. >> i think it would be better if

i was at the school so it would feel like i was a part of it. >> i have actually had a conversation with some ninth grade parents who are saying how tough it is for their students who have never set foot on campus, so it's kind of like a disconnect for them. there's a group who are doing well, and then you have a group who are struggling. >> do you see them falling behind? >> honestly, yes. i don't believe that we're reaching 100% of our students. but the question is, do you get them back to school and then risk having to shut down the school because of covid? so it's -- it's a no-win situation. >> we're at the part where we need to put in -- >> summer school? >> yeah. that's summer school. >> my name is clovis. me and my son malik are in the

process of applying for colleges, getting prepared for his graduation in 2021. malik is a very intelligent young man. he is very dedicated to his sports. he's been playin since pop warner. he's now playing high school football. he is a senior, so we were hoping there would have been some college recruitment at this time. >> i want taplay this year. i really do, to really show what i can do and try to really get a scholarship. >> california's federation does not expect the cpdh will issue any guidance for schools to return to full competition until january 31st, 2021, at the earliest. all full competition start days are officially on hold until updated guidance is issued. state championships, regional

championships have been canceled but we haven't officially canceled out the whole season. so we're still remaining optimistic, but honestly, it just doesn't look like it's going to happen. >> it is so challenging for so many kids at this point. you can watch the complete episode of mack, a pandemic school story, on our abc 7 bay area streaming app. also available on roku, apple tv, android tv, and amazon fire. >> yeah, definitely worth checking out. thanks, larry. let's get to sandhya for a last check of our weather. sandhya. >> yeah, let's take a look at live doppler 7 right now. you will notice there are some clouds moving through. we also have the central valley fog and the inland east bay right now. tomorrow afternoon, a brighter day. sunshine for everyone. mid 50s to the low 60s. a level one system coming in on christmas. rain will spread from north to south. light to moderate in intensity.

it will be breezy. most of you will pick up 1500 to 7500s of an inch, but some of the lighter spots could see 1 to 1 1/2 inches of rain when it's all done. here's a quick glimpse of what's to come. about .75 inch in santa rosa. here's a look at the seven-day forecast, and winter is here. the next few days we're expecting dry conditions and then a level one storm for friday going into saturday, tomorrow is a spare the air day, by the way. >> thank you. a much needed hand this holiday season. up next, how a south bay food pantry is upping the ante this year by giving out more than just food. >> and liz is here with what's coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00. >> hi, kristen. you heard about the break of the case of mikhaila garrett. new at 5:00, you'll hear from her father on the news a man has been charged with her murder and the detective who thought about little else for 30 years.

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san jose food pantry martha's kitchen has increased 100% this year. while they have met that need, the soup kitchen wanted to do more. south bay journalist dustin dorsey shows us how martha's kitchen is giving back in a new way. >> even in what has been one of the most difficult years for bay area residents, martha's kitchen in san jose continues to give back. this holiday season, they're lending a helping hand to santa claus. >> merry christmas! >> this year we recognized that with covid there's a lot of families that are struggling more so than normal. and a lot of other organizations have reduced or eliminated their toy giveaway programs. so we decided that it was important that somebody step up and fill the void. so we decided to do that. >> volunteers wrapped thousands of toys and handed out the presents for every age group. after two days, 5,000 gifts for given away with another 3,000 more on monday. each wrapped with special care to make sure children in the bay

area had a gift christmas morning. >> a lot of these less fortunate kids literally will get not a single present for christmas. the wrapping was important to us because we want the children to have a little slice of a normal christmas. the ability to not just get a toy, but to be able to take something home, not know what it is, and wait till christmas day to open it. >> i love it, especially now with my hours being cut at work and stuff. so thank you so much for everything that they're doing. >> right now with this going on, it's very helpful. it's a support for our family. we really appreciate this. just to get something from them is very important for us. >> there's a lot of love happening here because you know you brought a little bit of happiness and a little bit of normalcy to a family that otherwise has had a really rotten year here with covid. >> just because the toy drive ends today doesn't mean you can't help. they're always looking for volunteers to help build a better bay area. we have that information on our

website. dustin dorsey, abc7 news. >> thanks for joining us from chase center. when they're sick, they get comfortable anywhere and spread germs everywhere. nothing kills more viruses, including the covid-19 virus, on more surfaces than lysol disinfectant spray. lysol. what it takes to protect.

it's bittersweet. you know, you always hope these things turn out differently than they do. >> next, a break in a case that has haunted the bay area for decades. the d.a. charges a man with murder following the 1988 disappearance of michaela garecht. tonight, what michaela's father has to say as well as the detective who never forgot the day she was taken. also ahead, the coronavirus caseload that continues to soar. now there's talk the governor may extend stay-at-home orders. plus, the dozens of san francisco firefighters testing positive for co-ed and tvid and to get them vaccinated. >> building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc7 news. it was a kidnapping on a seemingly average saturday in