>> now from abc 7, live breaking news. >> that breaking news in concord. police investigation a shooting inside sun valley mall. one person was shot around 3:45. >> they were taken to the hospital. the extent of injuries is not known. they have not said if a suspect is in custody, but the scene has been stabilized. >> the mall is on lockdown. more info as it becomes available. thanks for joining us. she was endearing both on-screen and off. we honor the memory of betty white and the impact she had in the bay area. >> betty white was weeks away from turning 100. an award-winning actress whose on-screen career spanned decades. >> it is time to say hello again ♪

>> how is it going? >> hi, blanche! >> god i hate morning people. >> if you will excuse me, i have to rake someone's tail over the coals. >> i love watching her. the death of her charm and influence was obvious. the outpouring of tributes following her death. social media lit up with the news. governor newsom tweedy she was a beacon of hope through her career, bringing joy and humor to everything she did. >> bob iger treated your wit, charm, warmth, and smile will be with us. >> president biden and the first lady both reacted as they walked to lunch. >> it is a shame. she was a lovely lady. >> always loved betty white. we are so sad about her death. >> 99 years old. as my mother would say, god loved her. >> many in the bay area are reacting to the passing of betty

white. from animal advocates who knew her, to stage performers. everyone agrees she was the real deal. here is cornell barnard. >> i'm devastated. she is my hero. one of my all-time icons. and really, such a comedic genius. >> hi rose, how is it going? >> betty white was a hero to dorothy drawl injured. he's channeled betty for the last seven years, portraying rose in the annual golden girls live drag show in san francisco. >> they chose eileen dip myers imaginary playmate over me. he says betty made it look easy and believable, no matter who she was playing. >> betty white is amazing because she can play any character from the bit, to the airhead. >> people say i look like wilma flintstone. >> the beloved actress loved her craft, but loved animals even more. >> my life is divided into halves, show business and animal business.

two things i love the most. >> nancy mckenney first met betty in the 1990's at a fundraiser for seattle's humane society. >> we had this fundraiser, she was generous with her time and was just a sweetheart with everyone she met there. everyone was in all of her and so happy to have her. it is almost like she was oriole t in our midst. >> won't you join me and help all animals in need. >> the founders say white was the real deal. >> a lot of activists, but she s stayed the course. >> the monterey bay aquarium tweeted thank you for your passion for wildlife and your support of our mission of ocean conservation. >> excuse this. it has special powers. >> we say thank you for the laughs. >> i will see to it that your dinner party will become a feast to remember. >> and for a life well lived. >> there will never be another

one like her. >> i think we lost a true original. and all i can say is it should inspire all of us to be a little bit more like betty white. >> it is time to say hello again ♪ >> cornell barnard, abc 7 news. >> i love hearing her sing. the abc 7 news app to send out a push alert about betty white's death. you will find out about breaking news. >> a well-known bay area journalist has died. gail berkeley armstrong spent the last 17 years as the editor of the sun reporter in san francisco. before that, she worked at the oakland post for 32 years. alongside her father thomas berkeley, who founded the paper. she was 74 years old. >> now to colorado. a fast-moving wildfire decimated hundreds of homes north of denver. officials estimated 500 homes were destroyed yesterday. but the state's governor says as

many as 1000 homes may have burned. fire officials say it is likely the fire was sparked by power lines down by winds. amazingly, no casualties reported. morgan norwood has more on the fire being called the most destructive in state history. >> god help us. >> the wildfire catastrophe were sitting by the hour. making it the most destructive in-state history. triggering hundreds of evacuations across multiple towns and cities. >> i have people that need to be evacuated. >> the fire scene from above, seemingly forming a wall around the city of lafayette. the skies turning red. on the ground, the winds fueling the out-of-control flames. will carr in the thick of it. >> hurricane force winds, gusts up to 115 miles per hour. strong enough to flip truck's and fan the flames. >> homes leveled to their foundation by the fire. the flames nearly taking over

the roads as first responders narrowly escaped. >> we had deputy sheriffs and firefighters in areas that had a lot. they got overrun. >> as the firefight continued, the devastation revealed. the building once stood, owning concrete, charred wood, and ahs. >> it looks like the two major hospitals were spared. it looks like schools were spared. and we might have our very own new year's miracle on our hands if it holds up there was no loss of life. >> more than 6000 acres burned. upwards of 500 homes lost. for this family, decades of memories destroyed. >> knowing that the fire is only blocks away, and you really could never see those family photos again, that part was harder than even seeing the devastation. >> no fatalities reported. officials hope the expected 36 inches of snow will help with the firefighting efforts.

president joe biden has already granted an emergency disaster declaration, unlocking recovery funds. morgan norwood, abc 7 news los angeles. >> no fire danger in the bay area. >> so much rain and snow. abc7 news weather anchor spencer christian has your forecast. >> 2021 is going to very cold note. current winds. ca lm across most of the bay area. breezy at the coast. making it feel colder than it actually is. let me move along the area and show you current temperatures. my computer seems to be freezing. temperatures in the 40's and many inland locations. tonight, lows in the 20's. the coldest inland areas. in the bay area around the bay and near the coast. tomorrow, 2022 gets to a sunny start. most of the weekend will be sunny.

rain moving in on monday. a rainy first week of 2022 coming our way. the details and forecast later. >> now to today's pandemic headlines. california's test positivity rate continues to climb upward. approaching 16%. we have not seen numbers like this since january. thousands of travelers are stuck because of more than 1500 canceled flights. which airlines blame on crew shortages due to the omicron search. that is the same reason why around the world, new year's eve celebrations are being condensed or canceled altogether. a busy morning at the drive-thru covid testing facility at the santa clara county fairgrounds in san jose. the county run test site has been performing about 3500 tests every day. parents need -- patients need an appointment. parents in a large east bay school district picked up free test kits today. the goal to test all students of the castro valley unified school

district before they return to class on monday. david louis explains this state giveaway will be available to all students in alameda county. >> there you go. >> with an enrollment of 9000 students, the unified school district organized its giveaway by having paris drive-by to pick up free test kits. one kit for each student, each containing two tests. they want one administered now, the other on sunday ahead of classes resuming monday. if the test is positive, the parent must report the results. >> the parents also know that this student needs to stay home. so our nurses and staff follow up with the family to make sure they quarantine the number of days they are supposed to pour and teen and isolate. >> this is part of a statewide program governor newsom announced to provide $6 billion -- 6 billion at-home covert tests for charter school students. the health get passed out has a

retail value of $14. the antigen test involves a nasal swab. the results are ready in 15 minutes. the line under the sea and the tee markers indicates a positive test. a quarter million students across alameda county and 18 districts will also receive the test kits. each district will decide how to handle distribution. parents were happy that giveaway process went fast. >> it was going so smoothly, it took me a minute to drive up the hill and a minute to drive through here. it was very efficient and quick. the state school superintendent and county health officials used the event to stretch the importance of vaccinations and testing. >> you want to make sure everyone takes the test before they come to school. so if someone is symptomatic, they can quarantine safely. >> school and health leaders stress ongoing testing is important, and to take advantage of free local test sites.

in castro valley, david louis. >> coming up, the popular bay area family destination working

>> call it the countdown to the countdown. a live picture from times square in new york city. the crowd gathering for tonight's annual ball drop. you see the folks out there. it draws about one million revelers. it will be limited to near 15,000 because of covid-19. ♪ >> dubai. the fireworks and light show are set off from the tallest building in the world. ♪ >> that is is is is is is

covid did not stop the new year's eve fireworks spectacular over sydney harbor. one of the first major world cities to mark the start of 2022. it was midnight at 5:00 a.m. here. some politicians urgedmanymanymy thousands of cancellations because of the surgeon covid cases. san francisco canceled its new year's eve fireworks show because of covid. we put a previous year's show on our abc 7 connected bay area app. watch it by downloading the app on roku, apple tv, amazon fire tv. >> as pediatric covid cases continue to be a concern, a popular family destination is working to ring vaccines and a fun experience to kids. zach fontes has the story. >> more than 2100 kids across the country have been hospitalized this week was confirmed or suspected cases of

covid. that is up by 800 according to federal data. new york's cases remain the worst. we spoke about the local outlook. >> i expect the same thing would happen here. >> with the vaccine approved for kids five and up, he says the best way to protect kids younger than that is to keep close watch on who they are around. >> their only protection is staying away people who are infected. for many of them, it means family members should all be vaccinated. >> in the south bay, the children's recovering museum hoping to get kids vaccinated. they teamed up with partners to give families a chance to get vaccinated this sunday and enjoy the museum for free. >> you just show up and lineup, and it runs from 9:30 to 4:30. >> each family who comes through gets a free pass to the museum good for one visit for up to eight people. you can either use it the day of or six month after. two clinics and january have

been planned, but the museum says the recent headlines have pushed them to work on more dates. >> when we started reading those reports about the hospitalizations for very young children, we redoubled our efforts. >> the museum says it hopes each clinic is a step closer to getting kids back to pre-pandemic life. >> we believe by helping families come up with an easy way to engage in vaccinations where you can get the vaccination done, but also treat the family to a fun thing, will make the difference for some families. >> in the south bay, zach fontes. >> history was made. records set. we are looking first psoriasis, then psoriatic arthritis. it was really holding me back. standing up... ...even walking was tough. my joints hurt. i was afraid things were going to get worse. i was always hiding, and that's just not me. not being there for my family, that hurt.

woooo! i had to do something. i started cosentyx®. i'm feeling good. watch me. cosentyx helps people with psoriatic arthritis move, look, and feel better. it targets more than just joint pain and treats the multiple symptoms like joint swelling and tenderness, back pain, helps clear skin and helps stop further joint damage. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections—some serious —and the lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. it's good to be moving on. watch me. move, look, and feel better. ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx.

>> steps are being taken in the north bay to help the homeless escape the cold weather. thunderosa and catholic charities will operate a warming tent on wilson street through sunday. it is not a sweeping location,

but pride seating stations as temperatures dip into the high 20's. another warming station opened at the salvation army facility on south mcdowell boulevard. we certainly need those centers in this kind of cold, which we do not get often. >> but we are in it now. >> we are indeed. below freezing in inland areas overnight. let me start with the travel forecast. sunny skies and chilly conditions with a light breeze. temperatures in the low 50's. beyond the bay area, honolulu is a shower he. high of 56. 56, rain and snow. high of 35 in los angeles. back in the bay area, mainly clear skies. 52 degrees at san francisco. mountain view, san jose. as you look along the bay bridge under mainly clear skies, temperature readings. upper 40's at thunderosa and

livermore. 50 in votto. looking toward the golden from emeryville, forecast futures clearing. frosty start to 2022. write skies and dry through the weekend. wet and windy weather. tonight, look at the lows. 26 degrees at lakeport and thunderosa. low 30's and most other inland locations. mid to upper 30's. tomorrow, sunny skies. mainly sunny on sunday. highs in the upper 40's and mainly inland locations. 51, 52 degrees around the bay shoreline and on the coast. sunday night, look at what is approaching. a rainy weather pattern sweeping in on monday and bringing rainy weather. before it tapers off so the first full week of 2022 is going to be wet. here is a accuweather 7 day forecast. chilly mornings coming our way. rain through wednesday. light storms.

one other storm impact. mostly cloudy skies thursday and friday. happy new year. >> happy new you. >> abc 7 news is on the air 365 days a year. we cover a lot of stories. tonight, a look at the top stories of 2021. >> overnight, firefighters battling out-of-control flames, desperate to keep the fire from taking over south lake tahoe. >> the seas on the u.s. capitol in washington dc was sickening and fighting for so many to watch. >> now stepping aside to history in the form of the bay area zone kamala harris. >> i solemnly swear. >> i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. >> our goal by july 4 is to have 70% of adult americans with at least one shot. >> some bay area counties considering the possibility of requiring proof of vaccination status to enter bars, restaurants, and other businesses. >> now is not the time time timt

hundreds of millions of dollars on a recall effort. >> water is off to an amazing start. the best since 1983. >> the river has a fire hose hoe moisture in california. >> that is the snow. >> curry, quick release. and splash. there it is. the best shooter the game has ever seen has cemented his game -- legacy. >> more of the city's budget spent on clear air transportation. >> housing, health care, good quality life for everyone in our community. >> i am hoping we can get back into the office and get more social. >> my friend's family also

remain healthy. >> san francisco in the bay area can hopefully heal from the pandemic. >> we need to take a deep breath and recognize we are in this together. >> and you can read all of those stories on abc7news.com. >> what are two changes you want to make in the new year? if you are not sure where to start, we will sha

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♪ rome, but people got a view, standing outside of the coliseum. the clock struck midnight around 3:00 p.m. our time.

>> excitement building in pasadena with the return of the rose parade, which was canceled last year because of covid. thousands will line the route for the 133rd edition of the iconic event. many will be camping out tonight to get an up close great seat. >> i have four daughters. the look on their face when the floats come down, the flowers, the pomp and circumstance of the rose parade keeps us coming out and staying out here in the frigid weather to see those floats early in the morning. >> overnight temperatures will be in the 40's. masks are recommended for parade goers. proof of vaccination or a negative test is required along some areas. watch the rose parade on abc7 tomorrow morning from 8:00 until 10:00 a.m. >> and tonight, world news tonight, is followed by a 30 minute version of abc 7 news at 6:00. then catch on the red carpet january preview. jeopardy at 7:00.

followed by wheel of fortune. at 8:00, dick clark's primetime new year's eve with ryan seacrest. back to new year's rock any at 11:30. >> with 2022 starting tomorrow, we wanted to find out what people are planning. >> we asked two things you want to change in your life. >> talking about new year's. >> what is one thing in 2022 you want to stop? >> wearing this mask. >> being apart from my children. >> trying to get rid of my bad eating habits. >> i'm going to stop working so hard. i want to start having more fun. >> i might join the master gardener program. >> start seeing new places. >> in the last couple of years, they have cause us to reevaluate things. started thinking about what to stop doing, instead starting to appreciate things more and spending more time with my family and loved ones. work is important, but it is not as important as our loved ones. i want to stop working so much

and start spending more time with my family. >> such great perspectives from all of those folks.

tonight, breaking news on this new year's eve. millions mourning the death of beloved actress and tv icon betty white. an american treasure. betty white passing away in her home in los angeles just weeks before what would've been her 100th birthday. her remarkable career spanning nearly eight decades. best known for her roles on "the golden girls" and "the mary tyler moore show." her quick wit, her humility, and grace. tributes from former co-stars already pouring in. and betty white in her own words on how she wanted to be remembered. other headlines we're following tonight -- new year's eve celebrations scaled back for a second year, as covid cases in the u.s. soar to record highs. more than 2 million infections in the final week of 2021. nearly four americans testing positive every second. across the country, major

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