the restrictions that would be lifted. and financial relief for those struggling in recent months. the status of federal and state. it is tuesday, february 23rd, before we get to those stories, we want to check in with mike for a look at the sunny forecast. hi, mike. >> hi, kumasi, jobina, reggie, hi, everybody. near record highs with increasing sunshine. could be our warmest day of the year for many of us. here is a look at live doppler 7, showing umbrella needed only to shade yourself from the sunshine. we have some high clouds, but those are going to quickly exit to the south. this is looking at them from san jose 280 at 17. 47 to 52 at 7:00. look at that, 66 to 68, that's from the coast to inland. we'll stay in the 60s at coast while the rest of us make a run into the 70s by 4:00. and still very comfortable at 7:00 this evening. 58 to 62. i'll show you some of the potential records coming up. here's kumasi. >> thank you, mike. covid-19 numbers are

improving in the bay area. that means marin, san francisco, and san mateo counties could move into the red tier as soon as today. amy hollyfield live in downtown san mateo with what would be allowed to resume. amy? >> reporter: hi, kumasi. well, as you have seen, restaurants have moved outside, but now it is looking like they're going to be able to move back inside very soon here in the bay area. so good news for several businesses if they move into the red tier. restaurants would be one of them. they would be allowed to open 25% of their indoor dining rooms. right now they're only allowed to serve outdoors. restaurant managers tell us they are preparing to bring back more employees to handle the extra tables. they are excited to make that phone call and to let them know they will have more shifts to offer. so that's if they move into red. gyms, also, would be allowed to welcome people inside, up to 10% of their capacity. and workers there is a they are looking forward to seeing anywhere clients. >> great to see everyone come

back, come back and support us, get fit and stay happy and keep these relationships going down here. the sense of community is what it is all about here so -- >> reporter: the numbers indicate that san mateo and marin counties would likely enter the red tier today, so they would be allowed to start phasing in the reopenings tomorrow. san francisco possibly could be moving into the red tier right now, although some think san francisco may have one more week to go to get there. those announcements come out today. we're hearing a lot of optimism and health officials say we are moving in the right direction, they're feeling really good about the drop in the number of cases and the number of hospitalizations. reporting live in san mateo, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> thanks, amy. millions of californians will be getting a $600 stimulus payment. governor newsom is expected to sign that relief bill today. it is part of a $7.6 billion package the state legislature just approved.

it will go mostly to low income people. they could see a after filing their tax returns. a grant program in sonoma county opens. the fund offers relief to businesses that didn't qualify for previous grants. so this is how it works. owners will apply online, answer 20 questions to determine eligibility, and then submit. those applications will be accepted until march the 8th. a lottery system will choose about 200 businesses for grants of up to $10,000. >> we pay rent, pay our pg&e, hopefully begin to pay employees. we started with 47 employees, we went it 3 at one point and now up to 16. so trying to keep the people employed and keep them working. >> san mateo county officials want to get checks to owners by

next month. today members of congress will hold a moment of silence for 59the 500,000 lives lost to covid-19. it comes as the push to vaccinate people continues and jobina fortson has a look at the timeline for the newest vaccine. >> good morning. this afternoon house speaker nancy pelosi and senate republican leader mitch mcconnell will join other members of congress on the steps of the u.s. capitol for a moment of silence. on the vaccine front, johnson & johnson says it will deliver 20 million single dose -- single shot doses by the end of march. that is if the fda grants emergency authorization, which could happen as soon as in weekend. as health experts are stressing the need to vaccinate quickly the variant first identified in south africa has now been confirmed in 12 states. >> the continued spread of more transmissible variants could jeopardize the progress we made in the last month if we let down our guard. >> researchers at a lab in

alabama are working on a covid vaccine in the form of a nasal spray. human trials begin this week and also this week the house is expected to take up president biden's $1.9 trillion covid relief package. >> thank you, jobina. today, san francisco city college reopens its mass vaccination site for a second dose appointments. the moscone center site has been put on pause again. supply issues forced officials to delay the opening to thursday. there is a backlog of about 33,000 doses and that means 33,000 people unsure if they still have their spot in line. >> i'm going to assume the schedule -- the appointments are on and we'll go to -- >> hope we get a more consistent growth in supply rather than this two steps forward, one step back. it is really damaging, it is confusing. >> there is some good news, though. the sf department of public health told us that no appointments were canceled

because spots are only released once the vaccine supply is confirmed. appointments thursday start at 11:00 a.m. and then 8:00 a.m. from friday on. abc 7 news is monitoring the vaccine rollout with our vaccine tracker. you can track california's progress and compare our state's progress with the rest of the country. you can find that on abc7news.com. happening today, california's attorney general's confirmation hearings, they begin as he's nominated to become president biden's health and human services secretary. senate republicans plan to grill him on what they say is a lack of experience within the sector. becerra is the first ever latino to serve as california ag and the first to lead the hhs. california senator alex padilla is expected to introduce him today. the supreme court is granting the release of donald trump's federal income tax returns to a new york prosecutor. the documents will be released to a grand jury but will still be kept secret from the public. it paves the way for investigators to learn more about alleged hush money

payments to women claiming he had extramarital affairs. in a statement, the former president called the new york investigation a continuation of the greatest political witch-hunt in the history of our country. adding the supreme court never should have let this fishing expedition to happen, but they did. still ahead, police reform in berkeley. the change under consideration that council members will be voting on today. also, hitch a free ride when getting your vaccination for covid-19 in san francisco. there are several transit options now available. and a little too cold to dine outside for you? i got our warmest evening of the year on the way. look at that, still in the 70s at 5:00. we'll remain in the 60s away from the coast through at least 7:00. tracking record high temperatures, we'll talk about those coming up.

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all right, let's look at some neighborhood temperatures at 6:09 on this tuesday. we got mid to upper 40s in fremont, union city, hayward, castro valley. everyone else under partly cloudy sky and low to mid-50s. we run from the mid-40s to mid-50s, all of our neighborhoods. mild morning considering how cold it could be. about 43 in walnut creek, south on 680. no matter what your activity outside today, get ready for some sunshine. a little cool this morning, but this afternoon you'll definitely not want to have a jacket and you'll want to have the eye protection. grab those sunglasses, you'll need it. and if you suffer allergies, it is that season, tree pollen is not too bad yet. ash, cedar, elm, juniper, and pine, i heard some people like jobina already suffering. i'm sorry about that. how are we doing on traffic, though? >> thank you, mike. you know, traffic is beginning to pick up out there, everybody. hi, we're going to start off

with a live look showing you the bay bridge toll plaza. no mitering lights on yet. you see the backup is beginning to form. we'll keep checking i and see ift hapns in the next few minutes. i want to move over to a live look showing you our oakland 880 at the coliseum camera there. a couple of quick things to mention regarding 880 on southbound 880 at the fruitville off ramp, a semi with a 40 foot trailer that is blocking the off ramp, right now, that doesn't appear to be causing a slowdown, but where we are seeing a slow downis is in hayward. a three-car crash we're following now blocking one lane on southbound 880 before tennis ison. heads up to you there. starting today you can take muni for free to and from vaccination appointments in san francisco. all you have to do is show your appointment confirmation or vaccine card. if you have an essential trip card, you'll get an extra $60 to get to and from vaccination sites. the card helps seniors and people with disabilities to

cover taxi rides during the pandemic, paratransit rides will be offered for free within the city. coming up, the new memorial plan for honoring harvey milke in san francisco. and family game night, the game that is getting a lucky charms makeover. a live look outside now at 6:12. we'll be right back.

the city of berkeley is voting on major changes to police policy, including how officers conduct traffic stops. that conversation is part of our effort to build a better bay area. abc 7 news reporter kate larsson spoke to the city's mayor and law enforcement experts about what this means for equity and public safety. >> in berkeley, you are 6 1/2 times more likely to be stopped by the police while driving if you're black, compared to a

white driver. >> reporter: jesse arreguin is making a case for a groundbreaking package of police reforms focused on traffic stops. >> i believe that it is going to increase our police officers' time to focus on more dangerous behavior like speeding and driving under the influence. >> you think people are going to drive around all over the place with expired tags now? >> i think there are always unintended consequences for laws. that's why we need to work on the details with our police association and the police department. >> reporter: a member of berkeley pd told me they're worried the new policies will be detrimental to public safety, so i set up an interview with berkeley's police association, but when we arrived, they said they had no comment on the proposed policy changes. >> the police are in a difficult position. they're funded by city councils. >> reporter: rebi agent rick smith feels the proposed changes are ill advised. >> people care about being protected. and this is not being protected.

but it is being driven by people with a whole different perspective on what is needed in society. >> i have two cases, i mean, two situations this year where i've been unfairly treated by the police. >> reporter: berkeley resident deshaun hudson says reform is overdue. >> whatever is happening in berkeley needs to be done immediately. >> reporter: kate larsson, abc 7 news. >> the special berkeley city council meeting with public comments starts at 4:00 this afternoon. concern over dangerous side shows quickly became the focus of a town hall with oakland's new police chief. the chief pointed to budget cuts making the situation worse. >> because of covid that has taken our ability to deploy officers specifically to address the side show activity. we're hampered by the lack of resources. >> the chief also pointed to statistics saying when compared to other cities of its size, oakland has one of the smallest police forces in the country. new developments this morning, an independent team that reviewed the death of elina

mcclain called the investigation flawed. their report said neither the person who called 911 or the responding officers said that a crime was happening. mcclain was a black man who died in police custody in 2019 in aurora, colorado. he was walking home from a convenience store. someone called 911 to report him as suspicious. officers put him in a chokehold, and medics administered ketamine. mcclain died six days later. plans for a harvey milk memorial are in way again. in 2017, a neighborhood group held an international competition to remake the plaza at castro and market streets. but the size of the project and how the memorial was pulled away ot drew se criticism. accordinchni dig tm haseen h to create v memoalere lle exns turtles left cold stunned during the winter storm that

pummeled texas, look at them, they're back in the water. they slid back into the gulf of mexico. nearly 5,000 sea turtles were at risk after last week's storm. animal rescue groups began releasing the turtles over the weekend and zoos in oakland and in san francisco raised money to help the rescue groups in texas. >> i would also like to slide on my belly into the gulf of mexico. >> you don't want to be cold though. >> we have to pay for that. >> i'll skip the cold snow. >> skip that part. they look so sad and cold. i'm so happy to see them back. >> i know. it is really nice, though. one of the worst parts of the whole situation, yeah. >> yeah. that's worse than iguanas falling from trees. >> that too. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> well, 5,000 of them that had to be cared for. that's quite an undertaking. and sure, appreciate the folks

that did that. let's look at what's going on. partly cloudy as we look around north of the coliseum on -- increasing sun today, flirting with record high temperatures. and could be the warmest day of the year for many of us. increasing wind speed tomorrow, and then we got dryer air, mainly sunny conditions and not as warm as today, but still pretty nice through the entire seven-day forecast. two areas of high pressure developing, one in the eastern pacific, and then the other one up around portland or so. that's the one that is pushing with the clockwise flow, high clouds across the neighborhood. as it does that, we'll see the clouds exit for a very at this, mid-70s in the south bay, with 76 at san jose, potential record, same thing for red wood city, 75, and san bruno, 73. mid to upper 60s along the coast with low 70s in downtown and south san francisco. up through the north bay, 77 in san rafael, 79 santa rosa, near record highs.

76 in places like napa and petaluma and vallejo. east bay shore, mid-70s, 76 oakland. potential record. 74 to 77 in the east bay. about three or four degrees from record highs there. you see the high clouds sinking to the south, still a lot of low to mid-70s through the central valley. 77 in l.a. today. 48, that's pretty close to average, for tahoe. tonight, our temperatures will be like that. mid to upper 40s. those will be our lows. even some upper 30s possible in the north bay and around morgan hill and gilroy. so my accuweather seven-day forecast, wind advisory tomorrow, 12 hour window from 10:00 to 10:00 in the mountains where we could have gusts up to 60 miles per hour. 70s possible, more likely we're starting in the 60s and that's where we'll stay. we'll be back with more right after this.

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prince william says his grandfather prince philip is okay. the 99-year-old royal remains in the hospital for rest and observation. prince william was asked about v a rovirus vcition center in eastern england. buckingham palace says queen elizabeth's husband was taken to the hospital last week as a precautionary measure. his illness is not believed to be connected to covid-19. prince philip retired from public duties in 2017 and rarely appears in public. after a nationwide uproar down under, facebook says it will be restoring australia's news pages for its users. last week the menlo park-based company banned australians from finding or sharing news on its platform. it followed months of bitter disagreement with the government there. leaders have been pushing for tech companies to pay publishers for news content. facebook says it found an agreement to support the publishers it chooses. dontar t coege sca

seo it wil on howger accepted millions in bribes. more than 50 people were charged in the scandal and you can stream the documentary on netflix starting on march 17 i want to expand upon the winds and potential damage that could cause. here say look at it. everywhere in yellow that's where we have the ten-hour window for a wind advisory. winds will be sustained around 15 to 30 coming out of the north, but they could gust as high as 40 to 60. so make sure everything is locked down or brought inside. as far as temperatures, it is going to bring in dryer conditions and even with the northerly wind, we still get a little downslope, so you can see temperatures are still in the 60s to near 70 the next three days. while not as cool or as warm as today, still not bad for this time of the year. reggie? >> thanks, mike. the chief of the cherokee nation is asking jeep to stop using the tribe's name for its suvs. jeep has used that name since

1974, saying that it was carefully chosen to celebrate native americans for their nobility, prowess and prescribe. the chief says it does not honor us by having our name plastered on the side of a car. jeep says it is committed to an open dialogue with the nation. the grand cherokee and the cherokee are jeep's best and third best-selling models. former president barack obama is teaming up with bruce springsteen for a new project. they have a new podcast. renegades born in the usa features springsteen and obama hanging out and just talking about things. the first two episodes are new available on spotify. new at 6:00, cereal candy combo coming out in time for st. patrick's day. lucky charms world board game. the same concept, but now you try to catch lucky the leprechaun trying to get away with his magically delicious lucky charms. the games are limited edition, so you have to be lucky if you want to get one.

preorder it on the lucky charms website. >> were you allowed to eat sugary cereal as a kid. >> mm-hmm. i liked smacks and i liked frosted flakes. >> what about fruity pebbles? >> yes. >> that was my jam! >> what is a fruity pebble? do we care? >> no. it is delicious. >> so bad. >> it would get all milky at the end. >> yes. >> this is why i like you. >> i know. so good. all right. coming up next at 6:30, high school students use their smarts for good during the pandemic. the device they have invented and the nonprofit that is helping them launch their business. >> i think we're still processing it. >> wow this seems like it was -- i don't know, a million years ago and also just yesterday. catching up with passengers of the grand princess cruise ship, how they are processing their experience one year after a deadly covid-19 outbreak on board. >> and look at this, a garage that has been transformed into a

classroom. this family's push to get kids back in school, that is stirring up some strong emotions in solano county. >> a live look outside for what is going to be a warm day for most of us and what a beautiful sunrise we have. we'll be right back.

covid's still a threat. and on reopening schools, we know what happens when we don't put safety first. ignore proper ventilation or rates of community spread, and the virus worsens. fail to provide masks or class sizes that allow for social distancing, and classrooms close back down. a successful reopening requires real safety and accountability measures. including prioritizing vaccines for educators. parents and educators agree: reopen schools. putting safety first.

building a better bay area, for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. >> now at 6:30, three bay area counties on the verge of more reopenings. the changes that could be coming as soon as>> one variant of cov accounts for more than half the cases in california. ucf scientists explain why this is more dangerous than others. >> a live look outside from our sutro camera this morning. a gray day to be outdoors. mike is tracking near record highs. >> good morning, everybody. it is tuesday, february 23rd, want to check in with mike to see just how warm we're talking about, mike. >> all right, kumasi, reggie, 70s everywhere except for the coast where they lag a little bit behind. we'll start with what's going on with live doppler 7, nothing, it is still working, just not seeing anything. as far as any wet weather out there, we have some breezes up in the higher elevations, but notice they're blowing off shore from land to sea and that is a

warming breeze and that's why once we get rid of these clouds that we see out there, that will combine with sunshine and push our temperatures up to near record levels. so gorgeous sunrise developing right now. 47 to 52 through 7:00. look at that, 66 to 68 at noon. we'll stay in the 60s at coast, look at the 70s near record highs this afternoon and still a very comfortable evening for 58 to 62. so if you're heading out, maybe a lighter jacket than what you've been wearing lately. we'll look at individual neighborhoods and show you what to expect as far as those records coming up. let's get over to reggie for the morning news. >> mike, thank you. indoor dining and indoor workouts could be an option in three bay area counties soon. marin, san francisco, and san mateo counties are poised to move to the state's less restrictive red tier as early as today. the economy and reopening, something we're closely tracking in our effort to build a better bay area. amy hollyfield live for us this morning in san mateo. amy? >> reporter: hi, reggie.

restaurants have constructed these elaborate outdoor dining areas just so they could survive. but it still has not been enough tables. so moving into the red tier would be a big boost to their business. and the red tier would allow restaurants to open up 25% of their indoor dining room. gyms would also be allowed to open up inside, open up 10% of their indoor area. movie theaters and museums could also open up to a limited capacity. business owners and managers say they have employees on stand by and they are looking forward to calling them back in to work. >> i have them already speed dial, click, we're ready, you're going to have five shifts, these are the ones. lots of them ready to come back. we're ready to go. do i think it is going to happen? we'll see. you know there has been so much speculation back and forth. >> reporter: well, the speculation is that marin and san mateo counties could be announced going back to the red

tier today, the announcement is expected today so they could go back into the red tier tomorrow. san francisco could possibly go red tier too. although some city leaders think san francisco may have another week to go. so we will be watching that one closely. but officials nevertheless are just encouraged by the drop in the number of covid cases and the lower number of hospitalizations. they say we are headed in the right direction. reporting live in san mateo, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> thank you. the city of san francisco expanding a loan program benefiting black-owned businesses. the fund now stant stands at $6.3 million. mayor london breed created this in june, borrowers can receive 0% loans up to $50,000. mayor breed hopes the money can give businesses the resources to help them survive the pandemic. a california red covid variant that has spread across the state appear to be more dangerous than others. >> it is definitely more

transmissible. it went from less than 1% in september to now accounting for more than 50% of cases at the end of january. >> the scientists say people infected with the variant were more likely to end up in intensive care or to die. as the mutation ahatan t t immur ults in the mission. california is expecting to receive nearly 3 million more vaccine doses in the next few weeks. this comes as we're seeing improving case numbers in the bay area and across the state. here is the latest look, the state's seven-day positivity rate sat 3%, compared with nearly 9% a month ago. daily deaths total 233 and last month it was a record 764. and hospitalizations and icu counts are also dramatically improving. >> in san francisco itself we have been moving probably to our lowest number of new cases that

we have seen probably since the summer if not earlier in the year. at our hospital, we're almost down to the lowest number of covid patients that we have, probably almost a year ago. >> governor newsom toured a mass vaccination site in long beach yesterday. he said the state administered more than 7.3 million shots. >> we're making progress. there is not just light at the end of the tunnel. there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. >> the governor says california anticipates receiving 1.4 million vaccine doses this week and 1.5 million next week. >> we heard a lot about herd immunity when it comes to stopping the spread of the coronavirus. dr. patel gave us a timeline. >> we could get there by july, according to math models. if we double the amount of vaccines we give out every day to 3 million, which we may get to if johnson & johnson gets aproved and widely distributed, we'll get there faster, such as may. this is based on some assumptions from the protection from the vaccines, based on the

assumption about variants and what they may or may not be able to do. >> there are two ways to build immunity, first being exposed to the virus, and s vaccinated. it has been one year since more than 3500 passengers and crew were the first to be forced into quarantine aboard the grand princess cruise ship. little did we know what was coming next. the ship departed from san francisco, it would be doomed to suffer a severe covid outbreak and weeks of quarantine on board. we caught up with the san jose couple to reflect on their life since. when they're on board, their daughter was pregnant with a ds hopeful. >> he's a major mental health tool. >> i call him my theo therapy. >> grand princess passengers are also keeping in touch through a facebook group to help each other deal with this totally different world. i remember talking to those

passengers live on the air as they were coming into port. it was truly wild. happening today, first congressional hearings begin nat investigation into the january 6th insurrection. the hearings come a little more than a week after former president trump was acquitted for inciting the riot. these hearings will focus on how to prevent anything like it from happening again. >> on my mind will be what happened with the national guard, why was there a delay in that deployment. how about intelligence, sharing what went wrong there, who knew what. >> today we will hear testimony from four former security officers including the former head of the capitol police. five people died in this attack. more than 100 people were hurt. more than 230 people have been charged. u.s. aviation experts remain busy trying to pinpoint what went wrong in that flight, really terrifying, when the engine failed over colorado. jobina is at the live desk with

what we're now learning. >> thank you, kumasi. investigators are now releasing new close-up photos of that right engine made by the pratt and whitney company. the plane landed safely, but one photo shows just how close things were to disaster. you can see a gaping hole under the wing, suggesting pieces of the engine actually hit the plane. investigators are focusing on two fan blades showing signs of metal fatigue. they believe one blade broke off, then hit the second blade, causing the explosion. >> the metal fatigue, you usually are going to find what i will describe as beach marks, a series of marks that you can visibly see. oftentimes with the naked eye. >> the emergency on the united flight from denver started four minutes after takeoff. it is setting a global grounding of all boeing 777s.

the uk is ordering a full ban of planes with that engine, joining the united states, south korea and japan. still ahead, the nonprofit helping high school students launch their businesses. we'll show you one creative idea that came from it. you're looking live right now at the big board at the new york stock exchange. down about 100 points and another update on how the markets are doing next. notice the huge cargo ships that just keep coming through the bay, two reasons for what we're seeing at the port of oakland right now. first we check in with mike at 6:39. >> all right. thank you, kumasi, reggie, hi, everybody. let's look at neighborhood temperatures. we'll start in san francisco, where lake merced at 48, financial district at 49. some cooler spots, 55 in ocean beach, places like know valley around 53, milder spots. temperatures range from the mid-40s to mid-50s thanks to this blanket of high clouds making for an absolutely

stunning sunrise this morning. you see the bay bridge there with the pink and the blue and the little bit of gray off in the background. let's talk about your commute. it is pretty quiet, no fog, a sunny afternoon and if you have a coat on this morning, definitely not going to be wearing it later on mass transit. the winds will pick up tonight and they could be dangerous up in our higher elevations. you see all those areas in yellow. that's above 1,000 feet. that's from 10:00 tomorrow morning to 10:00 tomorrow evening. gusts could hit 40 to 60 miles per hour and potential damage is possible. so do what you can to mitigate that. a look at the winds and they'll be in our higher elevations, way up there as we sleep tonight. but notice as we head through the morning hours, they kind of pull back just a little bit. but then they surge as we head into the afternoon hours. so it is going to be breezy for all of us, even outside of the higher elevation. just not going to be damaged. what it is going to do is usher in slightly cooler weather and . so after near record highs

today, changes are on the way, i'll have that coming up in the accuweather seven-day forecast. over to jobina to talk about the morning commute. hi, jobina. >> hi, mike. thank you so much. good morning, everyone. we are going to begin with a live look showing you the bay bridge toll plaza, because mitering lights are now on. they came on at 6:18 this morning. you can certainly see the backup there. once you make it through the lights, we have a pretty standard speeds across the bay bridge, though, things at the limit there, so no slowdowns to report going into the tunnel or coming out. also now, i want to move over to walnut creek, live picture of 680, traffic is moving well in both directions. but you do see a little bit of a slowdown for southbound traffic, but it is just a patch there, it will pick back up. i do have an update for you is in hayward, three car crash we were following there that was blocking a lane, everything has been moved out of the way on southbound 880 before tennison. speeds still down to

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welcome back, everyone. state lawmakers have approved millions of dollars in funding to stop the violence against asian-americans. phil ting of san francisco secured $1.4 million to help track cases in an effort to eventually stop these incidents from happening. lastaapi hate logged more than -- americans 1200 of those happened here in california. only on abc 7 news, a berkeley man accused of threatening to kill asians ahead of the lunar new year is expected to appear in court this morning. these now deleted social media posts are attributed to reginald jackson. some reference beating up, robbing and blowing up asians. jackson has a long rap sheet including attempted robbery and weapons charges. he was out on post release community supervision until yesterday. he's now being held on a $190,000 bail. the mayor of antioch

announced an agenda for police reform. it includes a mental health crisis response team. a new training program focused on conflict resolution and mediation and a ban on purchasing military equipment for the department. the city council also discussed its body camera policy, mayor lamar thorp says these reforms are meant to bridge the divide between police and the community. >> the voters have more foresight than those who seek to divide us based on pro and anti-law enforcement political rhetoric. that's all it is. political rhetoric, served to divide our community. as your leader, i refuse to fall victim of that nonsense. i will not allow it. >> the announcement comes just days after a family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of anti-of course. th they say police used an illegal chokehold. he died three days after the altercation. the district attorney's office is investigating. teachers played a

significant role in spreading covid-19 in some georgia schools, according to a new report. the cdc looked at information from eight elementary schools from december 1st to january 22nd. and the agency says in that time about half of the infections were traced back to educators, which means that teachers played a big role in spreading the virus. researchers point out that social distancing was, quote, less than ideal, and that mask use by students was inadequate in several instances. after the pleasanton school board voted to return to in person learning, some say teachers were using zoom time to try to persuade their kids from not returning to the classroom. >> essentially i'll have my desk sort of taped off in an area and i can't really leave that area. >> this is part of a recording from a zoom class last week for students at one high school. on a public facebook page, several parents say at least a few other teachers made similar comments to theireha tir em, th

getting the information from the teachers and some of it was maybe not ruled out as positively as i would have liked to see it or know about. >> pleasanton family and students have until tomorrow to decide whether they're going to stay remote or return to some in person learning. the fight to reopen schools is heating up. some homes in benicia that have signs saying things like open our schools and let them play got egged. this family has been trying to give their kids a sense of normalcy. they converted their garage into a classroom. since august, a pod of classmates has been coming togetherer instead of being home alone on their computers. >> it is better here, socializing with my friends than just being at home. >> are you learning as much this way? >> no. >> it is absurd we're the only state our kids can't play sports, kids can't go to school and it -- the social element for them is actually detrimental. >> the sixth graders are together five days a week from 8:00 to 3:00 for their school

work, lunch, pe and more. now to your morning money report, business remains slow at the port of oakland. loaded cargo ships are still anchored in the bay while containers are being stacked up, trucks being backed up for yet another day. now, officials are blaming the situation on two things. first, the recent arrival of three new giant cranes kept one of the ports' four terminals from being used. and secondly, heavy congestion in southern california ports is slowing things down here. they say to their knowledge the issues are not related to covid. now let's take a live look at the new york stock exchange. trading gets under way this morning. we're down now about 2 10 points. new details on a potential cheaper peloton treadmill. it is called the tread. it is going to be coming out in may. the price is $2500. it is close to half, though, of the price of the standard tread plus. the new tread is a little skinnier with a lower max incline and has a smaller front

screen. peloton is hoping to make itself even more accessible after making $1 billion in profit last quarter. our effort to build a better bay area, abc 7 is highlighting people who are trying to create positive changes during the pandemic. jobina has a look at the work two of students and their invention that is promoting health. hi, jobina. >> hi, reggie. yes, so i talked to two monte vista high school students that are self-proclaimed germophobes, like all of us they have been impacted by the pandemic, so they created something to help. junior achievement of northern california is a nonprofit dedicated to work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. the pandemic forced everything to go public, but they still managed to host their company program where volunteers help students launch and run their own businesses. >> you can avoid direct contact with door handles, elevator buttons and keypads.

you can attach anything you want to your easy peole because it i right there with your car keyes. >> reporter: a portion of the products' proceeds will go to covid-19 relief efforts. here is the easy pull in action. >> it goes on your wrist. it is super convenient. it is one item to grab. and it even has a phone scan feature, the thing over here to press on a button, elevator buttons and keypads. and then it has a bottle opener, so it is a multifunctional tool. and this part is where you pull the doors. >> nice work. so it is available right now on easy pull.co. they sayience just opened their eyes to different job opportunities and on that note, coming up this thursday, abc 7 is partnering with junior achievement for a jobs and careers town hall. it will be virtual for middle

and high school students. students will be able to have their questions answered live by industry leaders and i'll be hosting it and we'll have the registration information available on our website, abc7news.com. and i mean, i thought that was pretty cool, guys. >> it was. >> i love that. they're, like, out here being, like shark tank entrepreneurs. >> and the proceeds go to relief efforts. so very nice. >> i think the town hall you're hosting is going to be really helpful. there are so many questions i know they have about how to navigate this time. that's going to be good too. >> looking forward to it. mike what you got? >> nothing that exciting. unless, don't know, nothing that practical. i don't know. record high temperatures and in february. i'll let you be the judge. let me tell you the information, you can decide. here say beautiful shot from the golden gate bridge. pink a few seconds ago. the sun was coming up. now the clouds returned back to a blueish gray out there.

winds off from the east at 3 miles per hour. we have a little bit of an offshore breeze. gorgeous side of our sunrise from the exploratorium camera at pier 15. the clouds will head to the south, will be sunny with near record warmth today. clear sky and breezy in our t a afternoon.reezy and near normal, temperatures for the weekend. let's look at what's going on, two areas of high pressure, the one off the oregon coast is the one that is having the most influence. you can see with the clockwise flow, it will push those clouds down way south of us as we head to the afternoon hours. now that will open us to 76, potential record high in san jose. we have mid-70s on the peninsula, 75 red wood city and also in san bruno, record highs. mid to upper 60s along the coast. 71, downtown san francisco. get to 80 for a record high. 77 in san rafael. 79 in santa rosa, near record highs there. same thing with the 76 in oakland and 75 in hayward and

mid to upper 70s, 74 to 77 in our east bay valleys. this is the mildest evening we have since outdoor dining was established once again. we'll be in the 60s away from the coast through 7:00. by 8:00, we'll drop to the 50s. we're on our way to the upper 30s north bay valleys. rest of us in the mid to upper 40s tonight under clear sky. the breezy conditions will drop our temperatures back into the 60s. a lot dryer air out there, you may have some issues with chapped hands and that kind of thing as we head throughout the seven-day forecast. for first time ever we're seeing high quality video of a spacecraft landing on mars. na nasa released this video he from perseverance perseverance. nasa released an audio recording of wind gusts from the red planet. >> that's just -- that's cool.

it is really neat. overwhelming if you will. >> samples will return back to earth in about a decade. yeah. other images for perseverance will help nasa prepare for astronaut flights to mars in the decades ahead. back here on earth, a kansas couple is spending their free time during the pandemic building a new home. kind of. check it out. it is a three-bed, one bath midcentury house, office area, game room, but if you look closely, you'll notice that something is amiss. that's right. it is only 1/12 the size of the couple's real home. they built this miniature house complete to scale with family pickeds. it pictures. it is electrical. there is a dollhouse house. look at this puppy. her name is skipper, she is suin oklahoma hospital expected. they say that the pup born last tuesday is strong, healthy,

definitely one of a kind. she will need special care. skipper's human family says she's been doing really good at home. she has been getting to crawl around and we can all follow skipper's progress. the puppy's life is being documented on a facebook page called skipper's journey. did you look at it yet, friend? >> yeah, i'm not on board with this name skipper. which seems rude. >> do you have a better name in mind? >> stitch. >> she's not going to come when you call her that? >> skipper doesn't know her name. skipper is a few ounces big at this point. >> i'm on board with whatever her human family is calling her. and as long as she's loved. >> why are we naming her after the thing that -- >> that's not the point. coming up next, the seven things you need to know today. >> but that is the tea. >> abc 7 has launched new streaming apps, so wherever you are, you can get our live news cast, breaking news weather and

more with a new abc 7 bay area app on apple tv, android tv, fire tv and roku. just search abc 7 bay area

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it is 6:57. if you're just joining us, here are the seven things to know thiss om in three bay area counties including marin, san francisco and san mateo. they're poised to move into the state's less restrictive red tier as early as today, which means looser restrictions on indoor dining, gyms and more. governor newsom is expected to sign a bill to provide stimulus checks to millions of californians. the $600 checks will go mostly to low income families receiving state assistance. number three, today the senate opens its first formal riot, following at quital of former president trump, these will focus more on how to stop an attack from happening again. number four, confirmation hearings for xavier becerra, he's hoping to become the first ever latino to get the health and human services secretary

slot. number five, prepare for near record high temperatures in the low to upper 70s today. likely the warmest day so far this year. number six, taking ■a live look at emeryville now, showing you 80, the headlights making their way westbound and if you're traveling that way toward the maze, speeds are averaging around 30 miles per hour. and number seven, candy land and lucky charms teamed up for this brand-new board game. lucky charms world is a limited edition, so you have to be lucky to preorder one on the lucky charms website. look, reggie you know how we love fruity pebbles. so my friend bryce on facebook said there is fruity pebbles with marshmallows. did you know this? >> what happened? >> he said it is even better. >> really? >> wow. >> i don't know if i want to test it out. >> i don't want the cocoa pebbles. make it fruity or make it

nothing. >> you don't like the chocolate milk at the end? >> no. i don't like good morning, america. president biden's emotional candlelit memorial honoring more than 500,000 american lives lost to the coronavirus. >> let this not be a story of how far we fell, but of how far we can climb back up. >> calling for unity and consoling the nation. >> this nation will smile again. this nation will know sunny days again. this nation will know joy again. >> as the administration races to catch up on vaccines after the winter storms. and the glimmering shot of hope, johnson & johnson announcing it can deliver 20 million doses of its single dose vaccine by the end of march, which could be authorized as early as friday. urgent investigation. new images this morning showing

more damage from that midflight in the side of the plane.