you're living. san francisco getting ready for the orange tier. >> good morning, everyone. it's thursday, march 18th. let's go to mike for the forecast. we had our first round of light rain move through. most of it is pretty quiet. so we've tapered to drizzle. our super commuters are dealing showers across highway 4 and 580. up in the north bay it's quiet. offshore, the next round of showers are poised to come on shore and make the commute a little bit wetter. we have light to moderate rain impacting both commutes with 25 to 30-mile-per-hour. temperatures today in the 50s. grab that wet weather agreement

you'll need it. kumasi? get ready for orange. san francisco officials will tell us what will change as the city moves into the next tier. san francisco and marin are expected to join san mateo in the orange tier. we have more on what state guidelines will allow. amy? >> reporter: hi there, kumasi. the mayor is talking about being a little bit more strict. what we are hearing is people are ready for what the orange tier will bring. it will mean gyms will allow more people inside. they will be able to fill up to 25% of the capacity instead of the current allowed 10%. bars will be able to open, finally. outdoor service only but bars will be open. restaurants, though, are the big winner. they will be allowed to fill up half of their capacity. they could bring in 5% of the

capacity instead of the current 25. we are hearing a lot of enthusiasm for the next phase. >> i think it should reopen but i think everyone should still do the social distancing. everyone should still be aware of where they are and what's going on and stuff like that, you know what i mean? but it's time to open the city up. >> reporter: now mayor london breed said they may not accept all of the orange tier. they will be discussing that today and will discuss the details and what this will mean for the city later this afternoon. reporting live, amy hollyfield. >> all right. you need to get that man a masks. santa clara is confirming c the second case of the south floridaian covid variant. this comes as vaccinations wrap

up. governor newsom tweeted the states had issued more than 13 million vaccines including 1 million in the last 48 hours. that's a new record. san francisco mayor london breed said they have surpassed their plan. we have a vaccine tracker. you can find it on our home page, abc7news.com. developing news, a deadly shooting spree in georgias had spent fear throughout the community. robert long admitted to killing eight people at three spas. now police are trying to determine if the victims' race, sell or both played a role in the attacks. they said they believe long had a sex addiction and this could be a temptation he wanted to eliminate. they said long planned to

travel to florida. meantime a sheriff's deputy, dealing with the case is facing criticism for having the suspect, quote, had a bad day. jobina forston has more with those viral comments. >> thank you, kumasi. >> reporter: captain jay was at a press conference describing the suspect's state of mind. >> he understood the gravity of it. he was fed up. at the end of his rope. he had a bad day and this is what he did. >> reporter: the comments spread quickly saying he made light of it. baker faces controversy over antiasian posts year. representative ted leiu said if

the comments are real, he would not have confidence in him. lieu urged the fbi to do to do independent investigation. deputies said they believe he was repeating what the man told investigators. new developments. several people have arrested in an attack on a year-old asian man. three teenagers face charges. as we've been talk about asian-americans are facing an increase in hate crimes. there were 500 incidents reported in january and february alone authorities are trying to combat the spike, including in san francisco where police are increasing

patrols in predominantly asian neighborhoods. >> we need to make arrests, arre which we've done that. the asian-american pacific islander community needs to know we stand with them. >> part of it is fighting for racial and social justice. officials in california are urging governor newsom someone of asian asian descent to replace xavier becerra. they said it's important to have someone who will combat antiasian vice. assemblyman ron vonta would be the first filipino if approved. the secretary of state's office is now tasked with

verifying more than 1 1/2 million signatures submitted. organizers said the governor's failed policies put the state in a state of despair. >> people are getting closer to living a quote unquote normal life. that's the memory of a lot of the struggles will have faded. >> officials have until april 29th to verify the signatures. to understand you had a recall works here, you can look at our step by step explain per. it's on abc7news.com and the tv app the house is expected to vote today on protection for undocumented immigrants. it would protect children and provide legal status to farm workers. the vote cost serve as an

indicator for, tensive reform. the increasing number of unaccompanied minors entering the united states is complicating that. a history college in the bay area is closing its doors. what led to the time decision. millions of americans facing the threat of extreme weather. the path of destruction across the deep south. i'll take a look at what to expect. you can see it left 1/100ths of an inch of ran on

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system across mississippi and alabama. in tuscaloosa, alabama, dozens of homes were damaged. this was left behind in moundville in birmingham. 16million people could see powerful storms through this morning. mike, we want to check in with you to see how it's looking in the southwest part of the country. thank you, kumasi. the warnings were heeded. you can see the comma-shaped storm. it's spinning across st. louis. ahead of it, we have lap line of thunderstorms that could produce tornadoes. the best chance from myrtle beach, across the grand the gra up to moorhead. the tornado watch near vidalia

where those beautiful onions come from to the panhandle of florida. back home it's quiet. storms lurking offshore. as we head through the morning commute, the rain increases throughout the day. expect periods of rainy weather, a quarter to three quarters of an inch of rain. let's get over to jobina talk about the commute. seeing some spinouts. taking a look at the bay area toll plaza. much dryer conditions in terms of the road. i want to check in now showing you the sat bridge. people are making their way through and an overall look at our map. non-life-threatening slowdown that we usually see out of

tracy isn't that bad. it's been a nice ride. a big move toward bike safety. the santa clara transportation authority is hoping to establish a 10-mile bicycle super highway through san jose and santa clara. one of the routes is called the walsh river. this who likely be of three alternatives proposed by vta. it follows the coyote creek. the shortest is called the shortliner. vta will make a final decision about this plan next year. well, you have a little more time to file your taxes because of the pandemic. the new deadline set by the irs. also, tinder's new partnership that can help you meet your match in person while staying covid

new this morning, it appears a mountain lion attacked a dog near ramundo. a historic bay women's college is closing its doors. mills college said it's no long are granting degrees after 2023 the college faces declining enrollment and financial burdens. mills president said she understands. >> they are understand the careers they might be able to earn and lift up their communities. mills has been a place that

enabled them to make a difference. yet, students aren't choosing to come as off the & mills first opened as a women's seminary in 1952. after the closure it will shift it become mills institute the irs and california have extended the filing deadline to may 17th. the decision was made to give people more time to pandemic related tax changes. a highly antiantianti exhibition paying tribute to the work of vincent van gough. the immersive experience has 40 projecttors, digitally mapping his artwork on to the walls.

it's making a west coast debut and opening on van ness and market and is expected to run through labor >> this was an ooh-ahh experience for me. >> when they say immersive, it is immersive because you're surrounded by not only the artwork but the music hoot music i did not expect. for some reason i hadn't thought about it. when you go in there it's a great sound system. it has this beautiful class cal music and people are quiet. so it just feels -- i don't know. it feels really private. >> like you're at a nice concert, beautiful art museum all at once. you can go up on a platform and see it from that angle. that's why i watched it twice.

i probably stayed too long. >> you're part of the art >> i'm part of the art >> i'm blending in. >> so neither of you, i take it, were worried about being around other people. >> i was going to say -- as i found out the hard way, they will enforce that circle. i saw my friend and went over to that circle and they were like. >> i saw right after a person got up off the bench, they were like -- everything is like we're going to keep this safe. >> wow. all right. i'd love to do it but today marks the one-year anniversary of my last day in the studio. i've been coming this far by home and i still don't want to

go out. our next batch of rain is rolling in as you can see, we've got a slug of moisture moving toward us. it's this cloud deck that will bring us the weather. it's a little slippery now. it will get worse as the breezes start to kick up up top 33 miles an hour. bridges like the bay bridge will have a nasty cross wind. about 2/100ths of an inch above temperatures in the 70s. today 56 to 60 degrees. if you're thinking about dining out, go inside if you're comfortable or get takeout. there's the possibility of rain through the entire evening. you can see it tapers to isolated showers and mid to upper 40s. here's the forecast. warming weather this weekend but nothing like tuesday and

wednesday when we have those 70s. reggie, continue continue? >> thank you. "good morning america" is coming up at 7:00. >> ginger is joining us with what's ahead. >> i'm here in mississippi. more than 100 reports of severe storms. that is a giant tree slicing through the home. this is one of them. beastly tornadoes made their way through mississippi and alabama. alabama. i will be tracking these are real people, not actors, who've got their eczema under control. with less eczema, you can show more skin. so roll up those sleeves. and help heal your skin from within with dupixent. dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. many people taking dupixent

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so far the storms have been

slick. valley rain, mountain snow. in fact, we have a winter weather advisory for tahoe that starts later on this morning at 11:00 and goes all the way through 12:00 a.m. saturday up to a foot and a half on the slopes, up to a foot at pass level. so be careful if you're traveling up there. a quarter to three quarters of an inch of rain. we have a long way to go. tinder is giving away free covid-19 tests. it is from everly well. one test for them and the match they want to meet in person. the coronavirus test will have to be returned by may tinder warns that a negative test does not mean that someone definitely does not have or cannot transmit covid-19. st. patrick's day looked different including a beach

front concert in santa cruz. so they're calling this a vertical concert and it was definitely a pivot for the dream. people, as you can see, dancing from their balconies because no crowds were allowed on the floor. what does it take to put together an event like this? >> some crew and staff members. no guests are allowed on the pool deck. they all go through the covid safety precautions, temperature check, hand sanitizers and signed waivers. >> tickets range from from from $900. happening today the disneyland will be welcoming back guests. all guests have to reserve a ticket before the visit.

disneyland is getting ready to reopen, too. disneyland ceo bob chapek made the announcement. >> we're ready to make magic all open again >> the reopening for disneyland is set for april 30. to start off, only california will be allowed and the park will have a 15% capacity limit. guests will use the reservation system. also, you have to wear your masks. there wouldn't be any parades or nighttime spectaculars. disney is the party company of abc7. >> and the characters will be there. they will just be socially distanced. i'm here for it. coming up, jobina is helping us with a job hunt. the country that is is is it calls pin-employees the

building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc7 news. the asian-american, pacific islander community needs to know we stand with them. >> san francisco's response to several high profile attacks as we learn the latest. >> and taking you to a live look through our richmond san rafael camera. you can see some of the roads wet and mike is tracking the storm. >> and the pandemic changed ours workplaces in some cases for the better. good morning, everyone, it's thursday, march 18th. we want to start with mike and

look at that forecast. a lot of people are seeing rain when they come in now. right. we've had one round of the appetizer. the main course is slated to move. good morning, jobina, kumasi, reggie, everybody. the south bay is quiet. east bay is getting quieter as that round of rain is moving deeper into the central valley and up along the northbound coast. almost a 101 as our next batch of light rain is moving in but there's more moderate on the way also. we're dipping our toe into this storm. that's a light storm. here's a look, about 2/100ths of an inch of rain. mop up 40s the rest of the afternoon with the light to moderate rain, increasing from morning to afternoon. reggie? san francisco police are stepping up patrols in

predominantly asian neighborhoods. this comes after attacks of asian-americans in the bay area and, of course, the spa shooting in alabama. amy hollyfields had more amy? >> reporter: police are seeing a surge. police are on high alert. there was an and seventh. they were punched by a homeless man here at seventh and market. they were taken to the hospital. police did make an arrest. police are concerned about recent attacks on the asian community. >> we have to investigate these cases with all resources brought to bear and we need to make arrests which we've done that. the asian-american pacific islander community needs to know that we stand with them.

this is horrific. >> reporter: the police chief said he plans to increase patrols and is working with federal law enforcement to step up enforcement and improve outreach. he said the city has seen a number of attacks against surveillances in the community and he won't tolerate it. mayor london breed said long- term evidents will be announced soon. amy hollyfield reporting. >> thank you. authorities say the man accused of killing eight people in the atlanta area has confessed to the murders. robert long will be in court. six of the eight were of asian descent. seven were women. investigators are trying this determine if the victim's 's 's

sex or both played a role. the the white house has been e careful not to attribute the motive. the administration is blaming former president trump for his rhetoric. a man was arrested outside of vice-president harris' residence after finding a rifle in his car. he was stopped near the naval observatory. that is the vice president's residence. however, he were staying at blair house. charges have been filed against an assault on an uber driver. this person was seen coughing on the man.

she is charged with attempted robbery, assaulted a covid health violation. there spring resurgence of covid cases. >> reporter: thank you, continue continue. as states continue restriction, health officials are giving warnings. michigan is seeing a 56% increase and a similar problem if minnesota where much of the spread has been traced to kids. experts said to fight thrills people need to get vaccinated. >> i think people have been confused by a lot of information that you can find on social media that spread various rum mores about the vaccines. i would just really urge everyone to step away from those sources and look at the

actual evidence that these are remarkably safe and effective. >> reporter: more states are expanding vaccine eligibility. nevada is the latest to open to everyone over the age of 16 early next month but if parts of the country surveys show up to 43% of the population is unwilling to get the shot. in mississippi where vaccinations are among the lowest, there are reports of a surplus of shots >> wow, what a different experience. jobina, thank you. today president biden will give an update on covid vaccinations. california is month five worst states when it comes to vaccine equity. california has been vaccinating wealthier people at higher

rates. the data was taken between mid- january and february. bay area experts and pediatrics said covid vaccines could be available by the end of the year. :between six months and 11 have been vaccinated in the trial. the trial plans toen role more than 6700 kids from the u.s. and canada. high school students in san francisco unified will be able to compete. only outdoor sports are allowed. still ahead, the social media company that has hundreds of job openings in the area. we're taking a look at the new york stock exchange. we have another update next. meet tech savvy teenagers who are moving their smarts for

good. how they're helping the old are jen generation get vaccinated. hi, mike. temps are 13 degrees warmer. dress for 40s to 50s. 40s to 50 this is from the san mateo bridge to the west. we'll talk to jobina as soon as i finish to find out what to expect. because of the drizzle and light rain we've had, the roads will get busy per. the roads will be wettest due to the light to moderate rain. the south bay, most of us will be dealing with light rain and drizzle.

then it spreads to everywhere and gets more intense. that's why i'm expecting more issues with the evening commute. it will also be windier with the southerly winds coming across the east-west bridges. as we head into the overnight hours, look at this. we wake up to mostly cloudy conditions. an showers you can see will be across the north bay mountains. so as we head throughout the day you can see it will rain a lot now between now and tonight. all right. as promised, let's get over to jobina. hi, jobina. what's going on outside? >> it as been actually surprisingly pretty good. we've had some spinouts but no major blocking problems there or injuries. we do have a new advisory from the chp, that i will get to. this is a live picture showing

you the richmond san rafael bridge. as we bring in the south beach camera, metering lights are not on yet this morning. it is beginning to slope down westbound. the chp has also issued a wind advisory for the bridge. so heads up there. as we look at the map, this speaks to what we're four, five, turn, kick.

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breaking news. six flags in vallejo will open april 1st. it will open to the public april 3rd. six flags discovery kingdom had been closed excepts july.

now to our money market report. the u.s. economy is still struggling to recover during this pandemic. according to the labor department, 770,000 people applied for unemployment last week. that's higher than the 700,000 economists expected. more than 4.1 million americans are looking for work. that's about 100,000 more than project. now let's take a look at the new york stock exchange. you can see we're up by about 50 points. at abc7 we are committed to building a better bay area. every week jobina is searching out openings and contacting employers on what you need to land a job. you found pushing for pin-ploys.

can anyone ployee is. it's with pinterest. they are based in the bay area. look no further than the company itself. >> we have over 200 opening rolls. half the roles are in san francisco but we're actually hiring globally. >> reporter: she said they're looking for a health and safety manager, a not to the sign of the times but other roles too. >> the majority are split between engineering and sales. product management, business development, human resources, communication and marketing. >> reporter: this response to the pandemic. >> in may 2020 the company may

started pin-tension. it focuses on sharing resources and best practices. >> reporter: eachly lee got two days off to just reset. pinterest will do the same thing in may the company appears to be big on impact for both employees and the community. >> pinterest is specifically bringing attention to the outside impact that covid has had on women in the work force. >> reporter: the ask has set up a fund pinterest shops. all right. so we are going to take a look at an opening at pinterest right now so you can see what's available right now. it as for a creative strategist. we have some information on the duties. they will develop marketing

strategies and solve challenges, objectives and innovative business models. bow have more information on our website, abc7news.com. kumasi. starting today california will be hosting a panel to discuss how president biden american rescue plan will help people. they said their goal is to californians benefit from healthcare premiums. representatives from kaiser, anthem and blue cross and blue shield will be there. sam kirsch realized that the grandparents in his neighborhood were struggling to make their appointments online. he helped more than 2,500

people get their vaccine. >> i do some before school starts and after school i get a couple more appointments. once i refresh the page, i keep getting appointments >> teenagers with laptops are coming to the rescue. in chicago benjamin categorien kagen get appointments. >> that is so kind. >> one of my friends has taken this on as a hobby. she has helped anyone living in the community. she is sending out on her facebook, if you need someone who needs an appointment and said she will get it. she got my applicant one, my aunt's friend. this is a wonderful service for those who are not computer savvy >> and unfortunately, not needed in mississippi, so we understand. >> victim of these states,

mike, they got the leftover because people are not getting it. >> all right. send them our way. speaking of sending more our way, more rain is on the way. we're not close to the three quarters of an inch. about 4/100ths in santa rosa. that's the most active weather. you can see right here another slug of moisture. that's what this cloud cover is showing right here and that's all going to be heading our way as we get deeper into the noon hours. that's why i think we're going to have already light to moderate rain on the way so. we had one round go through. the bigger round is going through mid-morning into the early evening hours and container tonight. light breezes out there right now. those will pick up also 25 to 35 miles per hour coming out of the south. right now it's four miles per hour. breezy and rainy todatoda

to moderate. rain tapers to isolated showers. it will be brighter and warmer but nothing like next week. how about mid-50s to 60. that's all we can must ter today. this will go through midnight or $12 a.m. mid to upper 40s for tonight. another mild night out there, just in the as wet as this morning. here's a look at the exploratorium camera. notice it builds tomorrow aunt weekend. good news, as we look at san jose which is bone dry, no unhealthy air. it will be cool with the sunshine. same thing on sunday. a dry cold front monday. hard to think of snow when you

see those temperatures but we'll go back to jobina for that toyota tahoe report. thank you, mike. yes, it is time for the traffic toyota tahoe report. we have an update on 89. chains are required. looking at alpine north star and heavenly, all going to take you between three our and 1 hello and three hours and 16 minutes. base totals around 76 inches. as we move to the other resorts, sugar bowl. two hours and 52 minutes. you will not need chains on 30 or 88. the most snow we're seeing is at sugar bowl. back to you guys. the ncaa tournament tips off today. it's all happening in

this is video from indianapolis. the logistics have led to a slight shift in the schedule. head to espn.com/bracket and make your picks. choose wisely before brackets close tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. since the start of the pandemic life has been change. some of the changes can stick and not necessarily for the worse. employees have broken the mold. now some workers are expected to split the workweek between home and office. companies may downsize. the consulting firm gardner said it costs 43% more for parking and,s. >> the volleyball courts, the lavish cafeterias are probably a thing of the past. >> as women elected to work

from home, they actually lost visibility in the office. this is a downside. business consultants are worried that the gender wage gap will worsen. coming up tonight we're looking at education. even before the pandemic most educators and districts agreed that the education system was broken. now with students returning to classroom learning, an inside look at the math forward. if you want to see the rest of our path forward pieces right now on demand, download the app and you'll find the entire 20- minute special on the home screen. less than a week after its reopening, the church of 8 wheels in san francisco has been forced to close its doors. the city sent them a letter

saying it was in violation of the stay at home orders. they even purchased air scrubber machines and skate sanitizers. humpback humpback whales have returned. boaters are asked to keep an eye out for them. the marine mammal center is asking for help to attract boats. >> that's nice. >> i've never seen whale in the bay but i have seen a baby dolphin and, of course, many seals. >> well, coming up in the seven things you need to know today. >> first,

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if you're just joining us here are the seven things to know the gunman accused of

killing eight people confessed. >> the national weather service said roughly 16 million people in the southeast could see powerful storms through this morning. >> hopefully it's in the a repeat of yesterday. back here at home we have a one on the scale. it will bring us light to moderate rain from the morning into the early evening hours. the commute has been somewhat slick, but thankfully no problems. the chp has issued a wind advisory. number five, california attorney general xavier is expected to be head of

health and human services. what will change going to the orange tier. the city could enter the orange tier next number six. six flags vallejo magic kingdom will be open to the general public on april 3rd. rides have been last march. >> i'm ready. >> we know you're ready, friend. >> when we went to the immersive experience, it was about doing something new. >> and seeing other people enjoying things together. that felt good. >> it did. >> we're glad you isn't manager with us, everyone. we hope you have a great

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good morning, america. at least 25 reported twisters tearing across six states in the south. >> literally like a tornado. >> homes reduced to rubble. college students in alabama packing into this shelter for cover. this morning, the threat far from over. more than 17 million americans still on alert. as the powerful storm system moves east, ginger and our extreme weather team are live in the storm zone this morning. urgent call. the nation's top doctors plead for all americans who are eligible to get the vaccine. >> we need to have people who want to roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated. >> at least nine states plan to announce