rate of california's covid-19 cases has more than quadrupled. numbers that we have not seen throughout the state in months. >> fireworks show canceled, the new year's eve spectacular taking a backseat to the pandemic for a second year in the row -- in a row. >> remembering the life of football legend john madden,'s impact on the league and the bay area. >> craft season is pint -- is finally here. good morning everybody. you are watching abc seven mornings live on abc seven, hulu live in wherever you stream. >> we will get a start with our forecast with lisa argen. lisa: we are starting off withgh what whether and there is fog. yet another level 1 system on the way and we go in closer to the north bay and it is raining

out towards bodega bay. antioch has showers back through hercules. we are not looking at a whole lot of activity but scattered throughout the peninsula from san francisco to half moon bay and mount hamilton where it is 33 degrees, 39 on top of mount tam. there is fog, anywhere from a mile to two mile visibility around the bay. you will have to slow down and the rain is going to stay with us throughout the morning. really not going to become isolated until later in the day. we could see a wintry mix over the higher elevations. upper 40's to mid 40's now, so this morning we are slightly milder and temperatures are not going to go very far today. there is a look at the golden gate bridge. the extra heavy coat and a chilly night on the way with a break in the rain for several days.

sue: we are starting off very busy on this wednesday morning with a couple alerts and accidents. we have flooding and major puddling. bay bridge toll plaza, we have an accident in the slow lane facing the wrong way. bridge crews are trying to get to it but our big problem is westbound 580 at castro valley. we had a box truck that hit the center divide and ended up on the bark tracks. damaging the part tracks, bart has been notified and there are very few trains running so we will try and get a reporter out there to get some live shots of this accident. right now we are seeing a break from 680 with the chp heading in the westbound direction. if you can, avoid this area for the time being and will be back with more in just a few minutes. >> covid cases are surging across the country and california is no exception. the positivity rate has more than quadrupled since

mid-december and the state has passed 5 million cases the pandemic started. amy hollyfield joins us live with what we are seeing in the bay area. amy: it is turning to look like christmas was a super-spreader event -- it is starting to look like christmas was a super-spreader event. here is a look at the numbers from the state department of health. the positivity rate is at 9.7% in california, more than quadrupled what it was just two weeks ago. on december 25, it was at 2.3%. officials say this surge shows how contagious the omicron variant is. >> if you are like me, you are getting calls from friends and relatives about being exposed to it and what do they do, and that is even in vaccinated people. it is clear we will see a lot of cases. amy: the demand for testing is high. counties are trying to meet the

demand and also process this information. right now the situation is worse than we know, likely, because cases take a couple days to show up in county records. there is no surge in the hospitals so officials are feeling encouraged. officials say if you've had two or three shots of vaccination, you will have a high level of protection. no new year's eve fireworks in san francisco. cornell barnard explains to us how this is another big blow to local businesses. >> it is a huge bummer. cornell: for the second year in a row, there will be no new year's eve fireworks over san francisco bay. >> that is devastating. cornell: the city canceled the

show due to the omicron variant and covid-19 cases. the department of emergency management tweeted, the decision to cancel as a proactive measure that will best protect san francisco and a central front line workers. -- and essential front-line workers. >> we respect the decision, we just don't like it. cornell: restaurant owners were counting on business from thousands of new year's eve revelers after a tough two year struggle with the pandemic. >> i respect those people in the public health department and we have to abide by the rules. it just hurts. cornell: the red and white fleet has sold tickets for a new year's eve fireworks crews. a fleet spokesperson told us off-camera it is reassessing the situation and may issue refunds to passengers. >> i think people were looking forward to seeing fireworks this new year's eve. cornell: pier 39 restaurant owner bob says he decided last month to close his six eateries early on the 31st. >> we made that decision.

crowds might still not be the thing so let's close at 9:00 and let our staff get home before the new year rings in. cornell: shane and hannah came from england to celebrate the start of 2022, hoping to see some san francisco fireworks. >> part of me thinks why should we be stopping big events like this? >> ethic it is a good choice. we don't want too many people in one area. cornell: in a statement, city leaders urged everyone to stay vigilant to help stop the spread of covid. they say limiting or canceling large events may be a tough call but all done in the name of health and safety. kumasi: even though the fireworks are a no go in san francisco, you can still catch the magic of the big show. the connected tv at we have has a look back at the previous fireworks displays. the app is available for apple

tv, amazon tv and roku. sonoma county is strongly encouraging employers to require their workers get booster shots. at this time it is just a recommendation. the county is requiring booster shots for emergency workers, school employees. jobina: the cdc is revising the estimated percentage of covid-19 infections in america being caused by the highly infectious omicron variant. that number is now at 59%, down from a previously estimated 73%. means the new variant only now became the dominant strain. nationwide the country just logged more than 440,000 new cases after the holiday backlog as a single day record. children saw a 200,000 -- children saw 200,000 new cases last week. cdc director, dr. talking about how to send kids back to school in the new year, given the outbreak. >> we have really clear science

now on a test to stay strategy, that if children are exposed, they can safely return to school as long as they are getting a test every day, every other day, and we have devastated over the last month new science that demonstrates it is a safe way to keep our children in school. jobina: there is more new data on the omicron variant. the cdc says the incubation period may be just three days compared to four days for the delta variant in the original strain's five days. doctors believe this means there is less opportunity for asympto matic spread. kumasi: now to the tributes pouring in for the man known as the soundboard for the nfl. john madden died unexpected league yesterday at the age of 89. he was a titan of football with an influence that spanned decades. after growing up in the bay area, madden would become head

coach, delivering the oakland raiders there super bowl win in super bowl 11. he spent three decades in the broadcast booth, calling some of the biggest games and super bowls. he won 16 emmy awards for hisaws broadcasting. jobina: john madden grew up in daly city and he retired in the east bay. this morning, we are remembering the nfl legend through those who knew him over the years. amanda: with john madden's passing, the bay area has lost one of its own. madden grew up in daly city. >> we were part of a group that played the three major sports at the time, football, baseball and basketball. amanda: he is pictured here wearing number 34, madden in number 54. although the two lost touch, he said he couldn't shake his fun-loving spirit. >> the more i think about all

that he has contributed and achieved in the sport of football and beyond, it is a very sad day and it is a big loss for the bay area. amanda: for this radio anchor, he and madden exchanged text messages as recently as monday. >> it was a relationship i had no business being in. i was just a guy on the radio. amanda: he did his first broadcast with madden in the summer of 2000. in the years that followed, the pair's morning collins became a fan favorite. >> john was a bay area guy who got to live not one dream but two or three or four. amanda: dreams that opened doors for others. george atkins of tribbett and his own career to coach maddon. >> he was the one who picked me up at the airport.

we drove to santa rosa from san francisco. we had an unbelievable conversation. he was responsible for me making the team. amanda: in pleasanton where he retired, he spent several years as cohost of a bocce ball tournament. >> he is just an iconic figure. he's done so much for the game. there is an nfl game about him. >> i am not an oakland raider fan but i am a john madden fan. he was an incredible coach and he will go down in history. jobina: we use the abc 7 news app to send a push alert. download it so you will be the first to know when news breaks. kumasi: bay area crab season gets underway today. the first commercial casually brought and after weeks of delays and also today, a pilot program will launch that allows people to buy crabs right off the boats at fisherman's wharf.

crab season was supposed to start on november 15 but it had to be put on hold because of migrating whales and sea turtles. the recreational season started on december 17. lisa: it is a chilly morning. here is our next system, driving some cold air in. it is 33 on top of mount diablo, 32 in mount hamilton and 39 on mount tam. up by hidden valley lake, we have a little bit of white. otherwise it is cold and foggy with scattered showers. we go down the peninsula and the roadways are wet. looking at sunnyvale out through the foothills over towards mount hamilton, just a little bit of pink but in the sierra nevada, temperatures are in the mid 20's. we have a winter storm warning until 10:00 tonight, where just an additional couple of inches at our ski resorts but nine to 10 inches above 10,000 feet.

some of the ski resorts here, picking up more and we do have a break but as for right now, one to two mile visibility out there and as we go through the next several hours, you will notice it is a morning and early afternoon event. here we are by 2:00 and you can see, moving into the east bay and once our skies clear tonight, it is going to be cold out there. perhaps a third of an inch to a half inch. highest today just in the upper 40's. we were talking earlier, it is already pretty dicey out there. sue: good morning everyone. we do have the 80 freeway through tahoe open with chain requirements. 50 has reopened as well. check ahead. closer to home, we have a single alert in castro valley, west 580 right near castro valley boulevard.

a box truck has gone into the center divide, damaging 30 feet of bart tracks. we are not hearing of any delays from bart. we will keep checking back in. there are 17 bart trains in service or on the whole system right now. left lanes are blocked on 580. you can see chp is on the scene. better news in pittsburgh. we had a single alert that has been cleared and it looks like traffic is flowing freely through the area. be aware of wet roads this morning. jobina: additional resources being deployed to help crews during these extreme weather conditions. kumasi: a new plan to stop the millennium tower from tilting even more. jobina: saying good riddance to 2021. how some are saying goodbye to the negativity that came with this year during the pandemic. kumasi: as we had to break, we

will take a live look outside. this is castro valley. we will be checking on the conditions all morning long, and of course you can track conditions where you live right now at abc7news.com get your personalpoints plan! i'm james corden and i'm here to tell people that ww is getting even more personal. keep on shopping. ignore us. i've lost, like, 28 pounds. you look great! wow. i love that my clothes fit better. but i just love ice cream a little bit more than that. the new ww personalpoints program is particular to you. so what kind of foods do you like? avocado. ice cream. sandwiches. no food is off limits. when can i start? start the new year with three months free. join today at ww.com. hurry, offer ends january 3rd. right now at kohl's... join today at ww.com. it's time to ring in the savings... and spend your kohl's cash!

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jobina: welcome back. the nevada national guard has joined search and rescue teams looking for a skier at -- looking for a skier who disappeared from northstar ski resort on christmas day. this helicopter is able to help searchers during extreme weather. several other rescue crews and ski patrols are also involved in the search. a 43-year-old set out to ski in heavy snowfall and white out conditions. his ski pass was last scanned at a lift in the -- at a lift that would transport skiers to the top of the resort. they recently moved to truckee from colorado. >> the last message i have from him was 11:15, saying he is closing up shop and going for a few runs. jobina: the sheriffs office said

rescuers face high avalanche danger, strong wind, frigid temperatures and heavy snow. they are an experienced backcountry skier and was believed to be carrying avalanche gear. kumasi: today a coalition of law enforcement groups will oppose a proposal for a legal safe drug and section site in california. the senate bill was authorized by scott weiner. supporters of the bill say these sites would reduce over the -- overdoses but opponents say it would normalize use. at least four law enforcement agencies will come together to enforce the bill, saying it could quote, pave the way for the eventual legalization of all legal drugs -- all illegal drugs. overdoses in california have skyrocketed. jobina: -- with the sinking millennium tower, across the street from the salesforce tower on mission. engineers now have a new plan to anchor the luxury high-rise foundation to the bedrock 250

feet underground. 18 concrete columns would be used instead of the 52 originally proposed. engineers believe it will level out the weight and stop the building from tilting any further. a board of supervisoa bo subcommittee will get an update on the next situation on thursday, january 6. in new york city, people in times square could not wait to say goodbye to 2021. kumasi: yesterday was the 15th annual good riddance event to burn away all of the year's negativity. people took the opportunity to write down things they regretted or other unpleasant experiences of 2021 and then throw them into an incinerator. >> i want to wan people in my life who don't make me feel like my best self. >> i'm burning toxic men away.

jobina: do what you do. kumasi: the annual event usually kicks off new year's celebrations in times square but this year's festivities are going to be scaled back with a limited vaccinated crowd that will be there, watching the ball drop. i'm not mad at this. jobina: i'm not either. we need to shed so much. kumasi: going into the new year with clarity. jobina: i'm for it all. rain. we haven't said good riddance to the drought but december has been kind to us. you can notice that we have rain up in the north bay, more scattered about and further south from hercules over 580 and as you head down the peninsula, you can see westward in the

ocean, there is more to come on shore. temperatures are cold on top of mount hamilton, about 32, so we could see a wintry mix out there but overall with the wet pavement and scattered light rain showers, there is fog and it is particularly tricky out there. temperatures in that blanket of cloud cover allowing us to stay warmer this morning but temperatures not coming out of the 40's for most of you. it is five to six degrees milder in oakland and you notice you can see the headlights and what it is out there. a mixhowe and sw out mount tam, not likely. cold and frosty as we get rid of the rain. then we get into the clear skies. friday and saturday morning, temperatures in the 20's and 30's and the wet weather is back next week. we are talking multiple feet of

snow for 2022. you can see a heavy cell moving across the bay. by 2:00, the rain is moving into the east bay and then by the evening, we are cloudy with clearing. not picking up as much as san francisco. lesser amounts to the north, bibby a half inch elsewhere. give you an idea of how cold it is going to get, look at the north bay valleys. 48 in concord, just 49 in san francisco and the accuweather 7 day forecast, notice several dry days for 2022. jobina: coming up, the seven things to know this morning. jobina: and another warning about the latest social media challenge. kumasi: a bay area company's new wearable device. jobina: as we had to break, taking aive look outside in castro valley, these are the roads.

kumasi: covid-19 cases are rising in california with no signs of slowing down. according to the state health

department, the positivity rate is 9.7%, quadrupled from just two weeks ago. jobina: mask rules are changing in several bay area counties. contra costa has joined several bay area counties that require everyone -- requires everyone wear a mask indoors. kumasi: hall of fame nfl coach john madden has died. the bay area native coached the oakland raiders for 10 seasons, winning a super bowl and he went on to become a legend in the broadcast industry. jobina: bay area crab season gets underway today. a pilot program also launches today, and allowing people to buy crab right off of the boats. lisa: a level 1 system with us this morning, the heavier rain from san francisco south will see light to moderate showers and a wintry mix over the higher peaks. sue: we are looking at a sig alert. cameras on 580 westbound, you can see the two left lanes are

closed. this is right near the bart tracks and we are keeping an eye to see if there is any damage to the tracks. kumasi: the second star wars series to hit disney plus is premiering today. the first episode of the book of boba fett is out on the streaming platform. disney is the parent company of abc 7. jobina: a mother claims of their amazon alexa encouraged their young daughter to try a challenge for damaging electrical outlets and starting fires. >> in this morning's gma first look, and amazon echo device giving a family a surprising response when kristin and her 10-year-old daughter asked alexa for a challenge. >> we had been doing some youtube challenges where it was physical education, a teacher had made some challenges for kids to do in things like balancing a broomstick on your hand. >> the device's answer alarming, suggesting the outlet challenge,

a dangerous trend popularized on tiktok. >> what it told her to do was plug a phone charger partway in and then touch the exposed prongs with a penny. >> coming up at 7:00, how amazon is responding and what parents can do to keep their kids safe. trying to break into the fitness marketplace. it is a smart ring. it monitors heart rates, sleep, respiration, blood oxygen, steps and calories and can even tell you why you slept way you did an alert you when your body temperature goes up. more details will be announced next week at the electronic -- at the consumer electronics show in vegas. a beta version is expected later next year. kumasi: there is ahere is aheree

contestant from oakland continuing to make history. we will let you know how many games she needs to win before she can place third in game history. jobina: even with the threat of omicron, one family plans to go on with their new year's evrink. before that drink turns to drinks, make a plan to get home safe. just call a friend, a cab, and get a rideshare. whatever you do, don't let drunk drive. go safely, california.

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invisalign. out. hair, done. fit, fantastic! marijuana. not so fast. remember, marijuana and some meds don't mix. a sober driver can cure that. don't let high drive. go safely, california. >> building a better bay area. moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. jobina: flu season concerns. parts of the country now seeing pre-pandemic levels of the flu, right alongside covid. kumasi: honoring harry reid, the former senator leaving behind a long history. a look at his past in washington. jobina: a south museum helping families get vaccinated. the incentive if they get their shot this week. kumasi: good morning everybody. abc 7 mornings is live right now on abc seven, hulu live and wherever you stream. jobina: we will start with our

forecast with lisa argen. lisa: good morning. the rain is starting to increase in the north bay, down through penn grove, santa rosa, highway 101. further south you can see san francisco, the peninsula, a little wet weather. this will be mainly a morning to midday event but we have fog as well, anywhere from a mile up in the votto, it is cold out there with temperatures in the mid 40's, 51 in union city. afternoon highs for most of you will be in the 40's. look at the numbers throughout 7:00 with the showers and fog. cold showers becoming isolated as we get to what the late day, and then we will get a break for the next several days and we will pinpoint those chilly morning lows. jobina: we're continuing to

follow the drastic jumps in covid case -- drastic jump in covid cases in the bay area following the holiday weekend. amy hollyfield is live this morning with the latest for us. amy: i am looking at these numbers that are in from the holiday weekend and they are high. around 3400 cases a day, starting christmas eve through monday. that rate surpasses what we saw in the summer surge from the delta variant. the positivity rate is at 9.7%, more than quadruple what it was two weeks ago. that is when it was at 2.3%. officials say this surge shows how contagious the omicron variant is, but it does not appear to be causing as much severe illness and health officials give the vaccine the credit. >> it does seem like the main thing that protects people is the level of immunity they have.

with omicron you will see a lot of cases and a lot of illness but if you had two or three shots, you have a very high level of protection to prevent you from needing to go to the hospital, getting very sick or dying. amy: they are calling this post christmas result the surge on top of the surge. on christmas day they set a record and yesterday they set another one. officials believe the number of cases will keep climbing for now and the number of hospitalizations is climbing too but it is not overwhelming hospitals yet. reporting live, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. jobina: dr. anthony fauci says people using at-home tests should continue to use them despite the fda warning the antigen test may be less sensitive to the omicron variant . >> what the fda is saying today is that when you look at omicron

and its ability to detect omicron, some of the tests still useful and should be used. should use the at-home test specifically according to instructions and you should follow up with a molecular test through your doctor's office or clinic. kumasi: one north bay family is planning to go on with their fit -- new year's eve party but they are shelling out around $1500 to give their guests covid tests to make sure everyone is safe. andrew is planning to provide guests with an at-home diagnostic test. the process takes up to 20 minutes. testing all guests comes at a hefty price tag, a price he is willing to pay, especially for his children. >> we are going to be living like this for a long time, and so getting used to how we do things and limiting the risks.

kumasi: health officials are seeing now the rings are where outbreaks are usually occurring, even in fully vaccinated people . >> concern about the really taken a backseat but right now, different parts of the country are experiencing pre-pandemic levels of the seasonal flu. health officials say covid-19 safety measures likely prevent flu infection in 2020. now a big concern is missing out on natural immunity. >> many people who get exposed to influenza never get ill but they have some degree of immunity from that exposure, and that pretty much didn't happen last year, so those people would be more at risk. >> flu symptoms are pretty similar to covid-19 symptoms. the only way of finding out which one it is is to get tested. the good news is if you have gotten your flu shot, you are

reducing your risk of giving -- getting the flu. >> mask rules are changing in several bay area counties. contra cons a has joined several other counties requiring masks in all public spaces, no exceptions. the counties shaded in yellow allow exemptions in certain controlled off -- certain controlled environments. kumasi: now to the south south h where the children's discovery museum is offering to help families get vaccinated and visit the museum for free. all you have to do is show one of those dates, get vaccinated and the museum will give you a free museum pass. you can use that pass the day you are vaccinated or within the next six months. if you have any questions about covid-19 vaccines, you can ask our vaccine team at abc7news.com /vaccine. jobina: the death of john madden is being felt across the football world and beyond.

the hall of fame coach once said he never worked a day in his life. his legacy would spend decades, from the football field to the broadcast booth to one of the most successful video game of all-time. andrew: john madden first gained fame during his 10 stent ask head coach -- stint as head coach of the raiders and he led the team to seven afc title games, winning the super bowl in the 1976 season. >> john madden's ear to ear. andrew: but it was his work off the field that catapulted him to stardom. after retiring at 42, mad began a new career in television. his larger-than-life personality made him a natural on camera, a constant presence in american homes for over 30 years. >> boy could i go for a nice cold miller lite beer. andrew: even on saturday night

live. >> here is a sad little guy. the placekicker. andrew: it was the decades he spent in the nfl broadcast booth that made him a household name. he was skeptical about becoming a broadcaster but turned out to be a natural, winning 16 emmys with his distinctive powerful voice. >> right there, boom. andrew: and his sense of humor. >> this is a mother bucket and since the last game, they had a baby bucket. andrew: not to mention his talent with that famous telestrater. >> if this guy is pointing to this and he takes this and dumps it on that, he will be the player of the game. andrew: making him a fan favorite. madden famously giving a turn ducking -- a turducken to the winning team of the thanksgiving game he commentate it each year.

-- complete with a sauna, two bathrooms and full kitchen. he would go on to become the namesake of a videogame empire. john madden was 85. no cause was given for his death. he is survived by his wife of 62 years and his two sons. >> on the ground and that is causing problems for drivers in the sierra. the city of south lake tahoe has activated their emergency operations center to manage the road conditions. bumper-to-bumper traffic along the roads near south lake tahoe, and food is hard to come by for people who are trying to get back to the bay area. >> i am in this car and it is literally no moving. >> a lot of the gas stations we went to were all out of gas. kumasi: i-80

and packing vehicles after caltrans -- other vehicles can now travel to the nevada state line from colfax. jobina: an oakland woman continues to make jeopardy! history. amy schneider won for the 20th time, tied for most wins by a woman of all time. the 42-year-old engineering manager has $768,000 in winnings. she's also the first transgender contestant to qualify for the tournament of champions. if she wins 12 more games, she will top the third place all-time. next up is matt amodio and then ken jennings. if you want to watch her go at it, you can, weeknights at 7:00 on abc 7. kumasi: apple's to the g to keep others from leaving -- betty white just weeks away from turning 100 years young.

her tips on living a long and quiet life, but first let get a check on the weather with lisa argen. lisa: we are looking at some rain, increasing in the north bay. you can see up towards middletown, a rain/snow mix. wintry conditions with temperatures in the higher elevations dropping to the 30's. mount st. helena, some scattered showers. further south around hercules, definitely some wet pavement and offshore, there is more rain that will move into san francisco through the next several hours. you notice 580 here with a few showers and the pink indicates the rain/snow mix. speaking of snow, our winter storm warning holds until 10:00 above 2000 feet. up to two feet above 7000 feet. about a half foot around donor with an inch in tahoe city. traveling to tahoe the next several days, things will

improve but today it is a level 1 with light to moderate showers and as we look at the current numbers in the mid 40's, we will see potentially a couple 50's out there today but overall, it is a chilly day with rain focused in the morning from san francisco south, a third of an inch in the city, perhaps too tense around san jose. we clear out tonight with overnight lows in the 30's to maybe even the upper 20's in some of the protected valleys. as we get into 2022, we look at mild conditions at the range is not over by a longshot into the new year. 49 in oakland, 50 in fremont and the traffic has been a mess. sue: that's right, good morning. we have a sig alert on 580 through castro valley, westbound. there is a chp break between the 680 junction and castro valley boulevard. let's take a look at our maps. we've got this,

pedroia have an accident west of the toll plaza blocking lane number two. not seeing a delay because it is early but you can see a lot of standing water and solo spinouts this morning. here is what our maps are showing for the westbound 580 accident, still a significant backup with those two left lanes closed. i've watched several bart trains go by, so it has not affected the tracks which originally we thought the box truck had gotten up and damaged the tracks. bart trains are getting by without delay.

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kumasi: this morning, president biden is calling harry reid one of the all-time great majority leaders. the former senator died after a four year battle with pancreatic

cancer. mona: harry reid rose from humble beginnings in the 1940's, growing up in a house with no indoor plumbing and an alcoholic father. his mother supported the family by taking in laundry from local brothels. he said through hard work and determination, he made a life in state politics and was elected to the u.s. house of representatives in 1982. >> make sure you will work as hard as you can at what you want to do. mona: four years later, he won a seat in the u.s. senate, becoming the democratic party leader in 2005. after president obama was elected in 2008, he helped shepherd in some of obama's mos. >>'s leadership in the senate helped make reality many of the visions barack obama brought to the presidency in the first place. mona: overnight, the former president sharing a letter he recently wrote to reid, saying i

would not have been president without your encouragement or support and i would not have gotten most of what had gotten done without your determination. a former boxer, reid:'s nature -- he called obama a liar and a loser, later apologizing to the loser remark. >> we sh we sh we sh we sh we sh behind us. mona: a politician, a fighter to the end. one of his final public accretion -- in one of his final public appearances, reid: made one last jab. >> the main thing we are going to do is thump trump. mona: he made it because of hard work. senate republican leader mitch mcconnell called reid:'s rise to power quintessentially arin.

jobina: the dan who -- the man who has admitted to a deadly killing -- john earnest was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on tuesday. he previously pleaded -- pled guilty to a 139 count indictment. the shooting left one person dead and three others injured, during the last day of passover in 2019. federal prosecutors say ernest was 19 at the time when he walked into the synagogue and began shooting with an assault rifle. kumasi: the u.s. state department is allowing some expired passports to be used by american citizens abroad right now. there was a pretty big backlog for passport renewals because of the pandemic that has left many people unable to renew in time for upcoming international travel. those with 10 year passports that expired after january 1 of 2020 can still use them until the end of march 2022. the passports have to be unaltered and in your possession. jobina: apple is reportedly

handing out gigantic bonuses to some engineers in hopes of keeping them from leaving for other tech companies. some high-value engineers are getting big stock bonuses ranging from $50,000 to $180,000. apple is trying to keep those engineers from going to other companies, namely facebook's parent company, meta. meta has poached 100 engineers from apple these past few months and apple did the same, hiring away key meta employees. kumasi: america's national treasure, betty white is weeks away from her 100th birthday. jobina: and she is revealing her secrets to living a long life. eating healthy didn't make it on the list. she says green. the magic of living a quieter life, she says.

the actress enjoys watching jeopardy! that does keep you sharp. so does golf and playing crossword puzzles. i can get behind those. she says the key to happiness was taught to her by her mother, always finding the positive. -- is january 17.y kumasi: i feel like the overwhelming theme is less stress and more joy, because stress will catch up with you. jobina: yes. but what about the no vegetables? kumasi: if you are eating vegetables and you are stressed out. jobina: that is counterintuitive. kumasi: just let me be happy andy but i want. jobina: i need to know her feelings on krispy kreme. kumasi: this is true. lisa: i don't know that i agree with you, kumasi. the endorphins you get from being happy, versus the stress from. kumasi: everything. lisa: anyway, the rain is a

welcome sig ht -- a welcome sight. conditions will be improving in terms of the roadways and dry weather the next several days, including new year's eve and new year's day. helzberg, santa rosa, this is a level 1 system and you can see it is pretty rainy out there. a rain/snow mix with rain from crockett. it gets l l l this will all fill in later on today. some scattered showers and offshore we are looking at some rain. this system will swing on through in tle of hours and you can see a little pink here with temperatures around freezing from mount hamilton to mount diablo. you can see all of the activity in the sierra nevada. a winter storm warning until 10:00. 40's right now with falcon the north bay.

the cloud cover and the rain allowing temperatures to be not as cold but as we go through the next several hours, here comes some of the heavy downpours. 8:00 from san francisco to redwood city and even in the south bay, the santa cruz mountains. anywhere from a 10th of an inch of rain to a third to a half inch. as we look at the next several days, here is your wednesday system and your break thursday. new year's eve, new year's day and into sunday we are back into it with perhaps three to seven additional feet of snow in the mountains. upper 40's to near 50 today for a chilly day. jobina: turning a new leaf interning 22, making sure your wardrobe fits. the looksee you will be seeing everywhere. kumasi: a new disney plus series is debuting today. star wars fans are going to be excited about this one. jobina: and no party poopers

here. this is too much. celebrating the new year with sculptures, and those sculptures ar say hello to 2022 with xfinity and you'll get fast and reliable internet for only nineteen ninety-nine a month for twelve months. plus, you can get twelve times the speed for the same price when you add xfinity mobile. you'll save hundreds over at&t. say hello to kicking off the year with this amazing offer. and with xfinity mobile, you can get a 5g phone on us and three hundred dollars back during our

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and their eligible family members. are we still exclusive? absolutely. and that's exactly why you should join. jobina: a belated present for star wars fans. this is the second star wars series to hit disney plus after the successful man delorean -- mandolorian. disney is the parent company of abc 7. jobina: get ready for this script. what do tigger and a russian artist have in common? they like to look for

this artist in russia is famous for creating life-sized sculptures out of manure. his latest masterpiece celebrates the new year and chinese new year of the tiger, so in this video he has created what looks like a tiger family with a christmas tree. the artist hopes everyone rings in the new year surrounded by loved ones like this tiger family you see in the video. so don't be a party pooper. kumasi: thank you jobina. jobina: thank you for who wrote that, this morning. kumasi: where is he taking it and who is coming to look at it? jobina: thank you for these questions that we need answers to, and the penny. kumasi: the penny? we will just move on. new at 6:00, putting a stamp on the spirit of the season.

one local restaurant in oakland doing all it can, to stay open is getting a good surprise on good morning america. jobina: plus an overflow of tributes this morning to one of the titans of the nfl, the legendary impact of john madden in the bay area. as we had to break, a live look outside. we will be tracking the roads throughout the morning. nespresso vertuo. redifining coffee. with one touch. precision brewing technology.

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got to live not one dream, but three or four dreams. >> the legacy of john madden, the iconic face of the sport of football, and near and dear to bay area football fans. we are hearing about his true legacy from some of those who knew him best. kumasi: we are waking up to another morning of slippery roadways. we are giving you a check of the conditions. you can see it is wet out there. we look at the trouble starts -- spots to help you plan out your day. >> you