>> live breaking news. ama: his name spanned generations. he was known as a hall of fame and a faux coach, beloved broadcaster, and videogame namesake. john madden has died. good evening and thank you for joining us. dan: tributes are pouring in as the sports world mourns his death and remarkable legacy. chris alvarez is in the newsroom and more on a remarkable life. chris: for every football fan in some way, shape or form, you have probably been influenced by john madden. 29085-year-old football icon is be remembered for his contributions to the game. >> ladies and gentlemen, the great john madden.

chris: johnchris: johnchris: jon of fame induction was the culmination of a lifetime of work. devoted to the game of football and in particular to the oakland raiders. he was born april 10, 1936, in austin, minnesota. he would attend jefferson high school with collegiate stops at oregon, the college of san mateo, and cal poly san luis obispo where he played football and baseball. a 1958 draft book of the philadelphia injury, a knee injury prevented madden from ever playing pro ball. he quickly turned to coaching. in 1960 he begin working his way up the college ranks. in 1967, al david lured him away from san diego state, hiring him as a linebackers coach of the raiders. in 1969, davis promoted madden to head coach, making him at 32 years old the youngest to hold that title in professional football. >> he was not only a mentor to

me and a guy who gave me my first opportunity, but he was also one of my best friends. reporter: under his guidance, the raiders would become perennial title contenders. the franchise reached and lost five afc title games in seven years. then the breakthrough came in 1976 when oakland went 13-1, then beat the minnesota vikings in a super bowl. a 2006 interview, madden called it the most prideful moment of his coaching career. >> what one thing, it would b winning the super bowl. that is one that had eluded us for awhile, but we finally kicked down the door. reporter: madden retired at the end of the 1978 season after becoming the youngest coach to reach 100 victories. he would finish with an overall record of 112-39-7. what madden built in his 10 years at the helm of the silver

and black was a tough, disciplined, no nonsense football team. >> wasn't walking around spitting saying how tough we were. we coddled them. the helmet would fly off, stuff would start flying. reporter: true to his word on the day of his retirement, madden never coached again. his next stop, the broadcast booth, where his one-of-a-kind lingo would become unmistakable. in his 30 years as a color commentator between 1979 and 2009, madden called super bowls for all four major networks. his name grew in popularity. in the 1980's he would lend his voice, personality, and name to a series of football video games. since its inception, madden nfl has been a consistent top seller, something he never envisioned when first created. >> i thought it would be like a teaching tool. that coaches could use it like you could put in plays against

defenses and let the computer play it and see how the plays would work and what they would look like. you could teach it to your players that way. so that is what we were looking for. we never said back in those days, ok, we're going to make a video game and video games are going to big big someday. reporter: like jordan in basic -- madden's name is will be synonymous with football. to this day he is still the winningest coast in raiders history. >> this is not the way i want people -- you don't have that right. like i say, you hope it is good. chris: that was larry beil voicing that piece. around 2009 i saw john madden sitting by himself in a copy shop. -- in a coffee shop. i said hello, asked him for a quick photo. i am so glad i mustered up the courage to say hello to a sports icon. watching the video, feels like a

third grandpa. so when you grew up with every sunday for years. now john madden has passed and we are all wishing his family and friends the best of a tough time. dan: he had a long life and such a productive life. by all accounts a nice man. in the 1970's watching john madden and kenny stabler, that was my favorite football team. great fun back then. ama: and we use the abc 7 news app to use a push alert when this news broke. download the app now to be the first to know when news breaks. dan: a lot to talk about with the coronavirus. the u.s. set a record when it comes to the seven-day case average for covid cases. is currently at 253,000, surpassing the previous high from january. ama: this comes amid a bleak forecast from the cdc projecting cases and deaths will increase sharply over the next four weeks.

it critics 21,000 americans will die from covid over the next two weeks. dan: california has become the first state to report over 5 million cases. texas has the second most at 4.4 million. ama: about one hour ago san francisco canceled its new year's eve fireworks show. it is the second straight year it will not be held. mayor london breed and other leaders cited concerns over the surge in covid cases, particularly with the omicron variant, and the potential risk to public health. dan: the scholz museum is canceling its new year's eve balloon drop. organizers say they are complying with recommendations to stop the spread of the omicron variant at large gatherings. happy new year charlie brown is the museum's largest event. as visitors watch 4000 biodegradable balloons watch -- fall from the ceiling. they are processing refunds if you had registered. ama: they are ordering an indoor mask mandate starting tomorrow regardless of vaccination status. >> the omicron surge numbers were so concerning at this

point. we're seeing the cases rise so quickly that it sort of made the decision pretty clear. ama: the county says there was a 229% increase in cases between december 9 and december 23. all indoor spaces are affected except for religious services which are exempt. the county has suspended all new jury trials. dan: in the bay's largest county, santa clara, issued a booster mandate today for anyone working in health care facilities, jails, or homeless shelters. no exceptionwi -- no exemptions will be made. health officials are preparing for this omicron surge. reporter: santa clara county is taking a strategic step to keep an expected surge in omicron cases from outstripping its hospital capacity. effective january 24 all workers at health care facilities must have booster shots, including hospitals, long-term adult

daycare, and mental care facilities, jails, and other correction facilities, and homeless shelters. >> the local order is a limited measure intended to focus on protecting vulnerable populations that these workers interact with. to protect the workers themselves and their coworkers. and to ensure continuity of operations in these could've sectors as cases rapidly rise. reporter: the new order also takes a hard line on unvaccinated workers including those with medical or religious exemptions. on february 1, they will be barred from working in the same high-risk settings. county health officer stands by her production of nearly two weeks ago that an omicron surge is expected, and it will put a major burden on hospitals. >> even a small proportion will have a significant impact on our hospitals. and that is what we are concerned about. reporter: at this point, she said the county is not requiring

similar vaccination mandates for restaurants or other businesses with high-volume occupancy. she said those establishments have been operating responsibly and safely. however, she urged the public to continue supporting them by ordering take-out or delivery. >> gathering indoors without a mask is not the safest way to be right now with omicron spiking as it is. reporter: just over half of those eligible in santa clara county have gotten the booster shots. vaccination sites are open, with appointments generally available within a day. david lui, abc 7 news. ama: with covid cases searching, california state epidemiologist is a simple message to anyone not feeling well, especially heading into new year's eve. >> airing on the side of caution you should self-isolate until symptoms pass or until you receive a covid-19 test that is negative. ama: california's public health measures and vaccination efforts are working, resulting in the

lowest covid death rate per capita among the largest states. so far more than 63 million vaccine doses have been administered in california with nearly 130,000 residents getting boosters each day. dan: one marin county family is planning to go forward with plans for a new year's eve party, but they are shelling out about $15,000 to ensure everyone is safe to give their guests covid pcr tests. tim johns spoke with the family and has their story. >> we have decided it is worth the risk. tim: with new year's a few years -- few days away, they are determined to throw a party at their home. >> we wanted to have this party and we think we can do it safely. tim: he says it is possible thanks to an at-home test processing machine t lock several months ago. >> you get the sample from your nose, stick it into the cartridge, and it syncs with my phone. tim: the process takes about 20 minutes, a time frame much

faster than waiting for pcr tests done at regular testing sites. he says he has created a spreadsheet for guest to get their tests done. >> we would not do this if we had rapid antigen test but with a pcr tests it will be better at asymptomatic infection and early infection. tim: he says the testing regimen is costing the family about $1500, a price they are going to pay especially for their children who are still too young to be vaccinated. >> it has been a stressful year but a really big and important year for our family and for us to all come together with our friends is important for us to do. tim: health officials are recommending that people cancel new year's parties. >> we are seeing their outbreaks occurring even at outbreaks where everyone is vaccinated. that is something we need to have our eyes wide open around. tim: given they have posted other outdoor parties successfully, he says they are being as safe as possible. >> i think we are going to be

living like this for a long time. getting used to how we do things and limit the risk is important. tim: tim johns, abc 7 news. ama: still ahead, demanding justice for valentina. the mother of a 14-year-old girl who was shot and killed by los angeles police detailed the horrifying moment her daughter died in her arms while the two hisd in a -- hid in a dressing room. dan: we have the latest on the

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♪ ♪ dan: the jury in the elizabeth holmes fraud trial is about to wrap up its fifth day of deliberations without a verdict. the panel has a mountain of estimate -- of testimony to wade through after 14 weeks. she allegedly duped investors by haley her company's blood

testing technology as a medical breakthrough, when in fact it was prone to wild errors. she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years on each count if convicted. ama: the family of a 14-year-old girl who was killed by an officer's stray bullet in los angeles is demanding answers. the girl was in a dressing room as police were searching for someone they thought was an armed suspect. valentina died in her mother's arms. >> valentina's life mattered. we demand justice. if it was your baby girl, will you demand justice to? >> to see a son or daughter die in your arms is one of the greatest pains and most profound pains that any human being can imagine. ama: the suspect was also shot and killed. he did not have a gun, but he allegedly attacked a woman in the store. the officer involved is now unpaid leave.

dan: it is tough going in the sierra. travelers finding themselves stranded because of that monster storm that slammed the mountains over the weekend.

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ama: highway 50 is open but 80 is still closed and there are major delays trying to leave tahoe. some gas stations have run out of gas and food is hard to come by for some trying to get back to the bay area who are stuck. j.r. stone is following the story and talked with those travelers. >> it is really long right now that way. and if you go. j.r.: and look forward you can see bumper-to-bumper traffic along highway 50 near south lake tahoe, and recorded as the cell signal gave out late tuesday morning. >> i am in this car, and it's literally no moving. j.r.: that from marcella, who is trying to get back to san francisco, but her story is similar to that of so many

others who are trying to leave the tahoe region, moving a matter of feet per hour. >> a lot of the gas stations we went to were out of gas. chevron, 76. j.r.: and while you can see an open highway 50 was moving at times, long backups because of accidents were extensive on tuesday, something joseph feared monday, so he and his girlfriend left reno by driving east and then south, nearly all the way to las vegas, through bakersfield, and eventually back to castro valley. a 15 hour ride home that you can see on this map, and one that ended at 1:00 a.m. tuesday. >> i told her unless you want to stay here, i mean, we have no other choice. we have got to get around this, because we cannot afford to miss work. j.r.: a long ride, yes, but he avoided the mess, made it to his two jobs, and his girlfriend who

is a nurse made it to stanford. all of that as the ski resorts are now looking forward to those who will be arriving when the highways and roads opened up. >> you can make it up here in the next couple days you will be treated to some light powder. >> with all my family, we're butting heads. j.r.: oh, you don't like nonstop days with the family over and over again? >> no. we're in a car. i just hope we can get home today. >> i would recommend just stay in san francisco. j.r.: j.r. stone, abc 7 news. ama: and a correction, 80 eastbound is now partially open to passenger vehicles and essential vehicles that need to get through. but westbound is still shut down. dan: and understandably. so much snow and more probably coming. ama: and the visibility was so low. >> that will still be a problem. right now when we look at

homewood, this is quite a treat. this is what winter should be. you can see the snow has piled up nicely over the last week. record-setting snow in the sierra nevada. some snow showers. they are still chaining up on all roads. 50, 88, and 4. tahoe valley airport is 26 degrees. look at the snowpack. statewide a big boost. 159% of average. last year at this time we were only 52%. so this has become a welcome sight. if i were you i would hold off on travel. not only windy but difficult driving conditions until 10:00 tomorrow night. the warning is going up to two feet for the peaks. with all the rain we have had likely -- lately, st. louis is 48% of average. don pedro 78% and everyone else in between. so we are making gains in terms

of where we are right now compared to a week ago. live doppler 7 is attracting a wintry mix in the north bay. let's get you down to street level where we are seeing lake drive and clearlake, lower lake, a mix of showers and snow. temperatures, it is so cold outside. you definitely want to bring out your winter scarves and gloves and heavier coats. only a $.30 40's right now for most areas. a beautiful view of san francisco. the mixups now are -- of showers and snow through tomorrow. the wet weather is back early next week. this is a light level 1 tonight and tomorrow. let the moderate showers and snow over higher peaks. we have already seen snow down to about 1500 feet the snow level is rising about 2000 to 3000. possible hail. the rainfall will begin to pick up at 10:00 tonight. moderate in pockets going into midnight and we will continue to see the snow showers over the higher elevations wednesday morning still looking at some

wet weather. 9:00 a.m. scattered showers in the afternoon hours mostly concentrated in the southern and eastern end of the viewing area. san francisco as well. then the showers diminish as we go into the late-night hours. in terms of rainfall totals, not a lot expected. anywhere from .25 to .5 inches inches. chilly in the morning, bundle up. 30's and 40's, snow and showers. afternoon highs 40's and 50's. here is your accuweather seven-day forecast. it is a mix of rain and snow showers. a one for tomorrow. all the mornings leading into the end of the year and the start of the new year. it is going to be a sunny one but actually one. a chance sunday night of some showers. wet and windy, a level two for tuesday. storms will be back but i think after tomorrow night we get a little break. we will need to dry out. dan: you did not have to go to the sierra to see the snow

because there was some here in the bay area. this video is from overnight in england at of -- temperatures dipped just below freezing. cold enough to let the snow stick to the ground, or whatever else it touched. ama: in santa rosa the fire department tweeted this photo showing some snow falling earlier today. this was taken at about 800 feet. it was not quite enough to stick to the ground but it was still a fun sight to see. dan: in south bay snow fell for the second time this week in the santa cruz mountains. that is a few miles southeast of the summit. this is video from earlier this morning. not quite enough to make a snowman, but more than enough to have a decent snowball fight if you are so inclined. saying goodbye to the worst of 2021. today is good riddance day. after the break,

ama: the powerball jackpot is now up to $441 million. these are a look at the numbers from last night's drawing. 36, 38, 45, 62, 64, the

powerball number 19. the next drawing is now tomorrow. if there is a winner, that person could be eligible for a $317 million lump sum. the odds are one in 192 million. dan: the odds are worse if you haven't bought a ticket. people in new york city are thumbing their noses at 2021. ama:he5tannual good riddance day offers people the opportunity to write down what they liked the least about the past year and had it incinerated. most of the people said the same thing. >> i want to get rid of covid, and all the things that come with it. >> i also want to get rid of covid. >> covid. >> what it surprise you to know that everybody says the same thing? >> no surprise. dan: that last guy has good reason to want to get rid of covid. he is an epidemiologist at the cdc. overall, many of those walking the streets of new york today are still hopeful for betty or

that for better things in 2022. that for better things in 2022. ama: enjoy the gift of being together. the binaxnow covid-19 antigen self test has the same technology used by doctors and detects multiple variants. so in just 15 minutes, you can test, know, and go. available in stores and online. ♪

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so in just 15 minutes, you can test, know, and go. available in stores and online. ♪ tightening its grip on the u.s. tonight, the omicron variant tightening its grip on the u.s. the country now reporting more than 240,000 new cases per day. and the biggest one-day total ever. images coming in from across the country. americans waiting for hours in long lines to get tested for covid. at least five states reporting more new cases now than any other point during the pandemic. the cdc now projecting more than 21,000 deaths in just the next two weeks. and a new report suggesting the incubation period of the omicron variant may be three days, which is less than the delta variant. tonight, questions about the cdc's new guidelines for people with asymptomatic cases, cutting isolation time from ten days down to five. new details about the deadly shooting spree in colorado.