>> building a better bay area. this is abc7 news. ♪ >> an impassioned speech from the president of ukraine, pleading for more help from rural leaders. tonight at least 2 million refugees have fled ukraine, but some are staying behind to help. >> i have to be safe because tomorrow there are other people i need to help. >> here at home, drivers are feeling the pain at the pump as president biden announces a ban on russian oil imports. pres. biden: defending freedom will cost us as well in the united states. dan: thank you for joining us. ama: you are watching abc7 news at 5:00. russian forces are continuing their attempted push for ukraine on this 13th day of the invasion.

for a fleeting moment in evacuation corridor opened up, allowing a few hundred people to escape the fighting in the northeastern city. at least -- in at least six other cities thousands have been forced to stay in bomb shelters without food or water. president zelensky appealed the british parliament and the world for help. >> the fault is with the occupants, but the responsibility is with those who have not secured ukraine's skies from the russian killers. ama: zelensky says ukraine will not give up, but without help ukraine may only have 10 to 14 food and supplies left. -- days worth of food and supplies left. dan: one woman is staying behind to help. in the last week she spearheaded a group of residents providing aid to keep their military going. abc7 reporter luz pena spoke about her work with the local defense team. luz: she was a project manager

at a local bank in kyiv. today, this is how you will find her, dressed in tactical gear, fighting for her country. >> i bought -- about five minutes ago we heard a rocket flying over our heads. anything can change within minutes. luz: she has become the lifeline for many inner-city. from early hours in the morning until nightfall, before the curfew, she maneuvers her way through the city while bombs are destroying everything around her. she decided to stay back to help. >> after this conversation with you guys, i will be getting on a phone call with surgeons. luz: for safety reasons we are leaving her last name out. the person translating for her is her brother vlad, who lives in seattle. what goes through your mind as you are hearing your history describe putting her life at risk to save others? >> i am scared for her, but i

also trust god. he is going to protect her. luz: she spends her days finding ethical supplies for local hospitals -- finding medical supplies for local hospitals and helping feed over 400 ukrainian military servicemen and local defense team members. >> we have in multiple districts of kyiv kitchens set up and working 24/7. luz: the unity is what moves are. she broke down thinking about children hiding in a basement at a local hospital, and the men who are risking their lives every day on the front lines. one of them is her fiance. >> when i try to move from one place to another across the city, i understand it is really dangerous. i have to be safe because tomorrow there is other people that need help. luz: today, on international women's day, she took a detour from her daily mission and got flowers for the women risking their lives with her to keep their military going. >> we just cry together.

we will not give up. together we are strong together. luz: in san francisco, luz pena, abc7 news. ama: the u.s. is stepping up its involvement in ukraine. a pentagon spokesperson says it is sending more military aid, including an shipment that arrived overnight. congressional leaders reached a deal to provide $14 billion in humanitarian and military aid. pres. biden: vice president harris will be meeting with our allies in poland and romania later this week. i have made it clear, the u.s. will share the responsibility of caring for the refugees so the costs do not fall entirely on the european countries bordering ukraine. ama: mcdonald's, coca-cola, and starbucks are temporarily stopping sales in russia. mcdonald's said it will close 850 restaurants. dan: but the biggest announcement today was the u.s. will ban all russian imports of

gas, oil, and energy as part of the continued sentient effort against vladimir putin. abc7 spoke with local experts about what this means for prices at the pump. >> yes, it actually is possible to find gas prices under five dollars a gallon ehre in the south bay -- here in the south bay, but that will change soon. today the u.s. will ban all russian imports of oil and energy. pres. biden: this is a step we are taking to inflict further pain on putin, but there will be costs as well in the u.s. i said i would level for the american people from the beginning. i said defending freedom is going to cost. it will cost us as well in the u.s. >> and where it is going to cost, the gas pump. we told you last week california was the first state ever to reach an average of five dollars a gallon. this latest sanction could bring it higher. >> we are at an all-time high

for the u.s. this is a global phenomenon, so it is not just us in this boat. every country that consumes counseling is seeing prices dramatically. -- gasoline is seeing prices dramatically higher. >> patrick with gasbuddy says the cost of gas for stations causes the price to go up. it is like the housing market. supply drives demand and gas costs more. an economics professor says many oil companies have curbed russian oil use in preparation for these sanctions. he is hoping for only a modest increase in price. >> we don't import a lot of russian oil. it is in the single digits in terms of the fraction of oil we import, so effectively it is not a big hit to our supply. >> both experts anticipate the increase in price should slow down, but that could change if further sanctions, from other countries. >> if other countries stopped importing russian oil, that

would cause the price of oil to go up more. >> if the eu would cut off russian energy, that would cause an explosion in the price of oil. >> that is not anticipated to happen, but the u.s. sanctions will still be felt at the pump in the coming days. ama: as the cost of gas continues to rise, some people might be searching for more affordable options to get around. now local transportation experts think it could lead to the return of casual carpooling. abc7 reporter ryan curry has the details. ryan: before the pandemic this was a popular sight, commuters heading to work in san francisco. the goal was to save money on gas and bridge tolls. during the pandemic, those usual pickup spots returned to empty sidewalks. could casual carpooling return? >> the most available transit assets we have are the empty seats in people's cars. >> the metropolitan transportation commission believes it will become a popular option once again.

he says high prices fueled the casual carpal. >> casual carpooling took off in the 1970's in response to skyrocketing gasoline prices. ryan: during the peak times of covid, the idea of getting into a stranger's car seemed outrageous, but continue to go down -- but covid cases continue to go down. >> we use lyft and uber and you are riding with someone you don't know. why not find someone in your neighborhood you can commute with? i was working at gap inc. a lot of people in the gap brands were using it, especially people who lived in the east bay. ryan: she says casual carpal was -- carpool was easy for people who could not get to bart. in san francisco, ryan curry, abc7 news. dan: for a second straight day, more mechanical issues for bart.

passengers are facing delays on the line from richmond to san francisco airport. yesterday an electrical outage led bart to temporarily stop service on the richmond line. today passengers are being told to look at alternate transfer routes to get to their transformation. -- their destination. ama: sky 7 was over 580 this afternoon as chp looked for shell casings. officers closed all the lanes in the westbound direction near the macarthur boulevard exit. it is not clear if they found anything, but the freeway reopened around 11:15 am dan: still ahead, she is accused of faking her own kidnapping and costing the sheriff's department $150,000 on her case. today sherri papini appeared in court for a bail hearing. ama: plus, new develop ends in the committal investigation against the former windsor mayor. the latest from police in florida regarding a case involving a former re

ama: new developments in they middle investigation against the former windsor mayor. today, the palm beach florida police department suspended its investigation into sexual battery allegations made against him by a former reality tv star. a police official told the chronicle that all their investigative leads have been exhausted. the former mayor denies the accusations. he resigned as mayor last may. dan: supporters of the outgoing santa clara city manager are demanding an apology from the member of the city council. a coalition of community groups are upset that a councilman is a dog analogy when discussing santana's firing. they say his comments were unacceptable. >> this is about diversity, equity and inclusion. this is about standing against

misogyny, against racism. we are probably standing here together and raising our voices in unison to say we demand better from our elected officials. dan: park joined the majority in voting in favor of firing santana last month, citing a lack of confidence in her ability to lead the city. after the vote, park told the mercury that ousting santana was necessary, adding "when you get bitten by a dog, you need to heal regardless. you need to remove the dog. there are some things you have to do." lou reached out to park for a response. -- we reach out to park for a response. we have not heard back. ama: after the break, apple unveils its of products. with costs going up, are customers willing to pay? >> if the average family is spending $500 a month on gasoline, it i

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what are you recommending for muscle pain? based on clinical data, i recommend salonpas. agreed... my patients like these patches because they work for up to 12 hours, even on moderate pain. salonpas. it's good medicine ama: the mom accused of faking her own kidnapping was released

from the sacramento county jail after posting a $120,000 bond. . sacramento area reporters surrounded sherri papini as she went to a waiting vehicle. she will have to surrender her airport. papini was arrested five days ago after detectives found she had been staying with an ex-boyfriend during her disappearance. the shasta county sheriff says his office spent $150,000 on the case. >> what angered me most about this is the outcome, that there is a tremendous amount of resources wasted because of one person's selfishness. ama: the 39-year-old is facing up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to half $1 million if convicted. dan: in san francisco, the street sign on the corner of russia avenue and mission has been changed to support ukraine. it reads "no war" and "ukraine." ama: in the north bay, they have

unofficially changed the name of the russian river. congressman huffman shared this picture on twitter of a sign that had been taped over in the colors of the ukrainian flag with the words "ukrainian river." hoffman remarked his constituents had their hearts in the right place. dan: as the u.s. and western allies continue to put more pressure on russia, sanctions are taking a toll at home as gasoline and other prices spike. now there is concern that the squeeze on consumers may impact tech companies like apple. abc7 news reporter david louis explains why. david: apple put on a slick and upbeat show to promote its latest news devices -- new devices. however the tech giant along with many other companies may be facing real headwinds. >> rising gas prices are going to be the toughest tests that apple confronted from a brand premium standpoint. david: discretionary spending could be wiped out as families confront not only alarming

prices at the pump, but for food. necessities take priority. it is not that apple is out of touch with reality. it announced an enhanced 5g iphone se starting at $429, aimed at price sensitive new users. it added two new shades of green to its color choices. >> this past fall we added more users than in previous lunches. david: it launched a desktop computer, the mac studio. while all of that is good for fans of apple inclined to buy now, the real test will come in the fall when apple traditionally launches new advices -- new devices for the holiday season. >> people's confidence about where their jobs may go, where there discretionary income may go, is in question right now. i don't believe apple will be immune to that come september and october. david: apple is taking a small had already by pulling out of

russia in solidarity with ukraine. because of its premium products, it also had a cushion -- has a cushion in its gross profit margin. a looming recession and higher interest rates are factors it cannot control. david lou, abc7 news. ama: it was spectacular outside today? is that an appropriate word? dan: i think that is the perfect word out of the beautiful weather. not nearly the kind of wind we saw yesterday. the forecast includes rain? sandy: there is nothing wrong with saying spectacular. it was a beautiful day today. i want to show you how warm it got in your area. 73 in oakland. -- 73 in san francisco. definitely was a mild to warm day. onshore winds beginning to come

up, gusting to 20 in novato. gusting near the coast and other areas toward thursday. a little hazy. good air quality the next three days as winds come up. we have a system that is going to dive down over the sierra nevada. it is a cold front for us. they get a couple inches of snow. blue skies right now at golden gate bridge. 62 san francisco. oakland still in the low 70's. mild from san jose to mountain view. looking at the coast from our cam, it is clear. those temperatures 74 in santa rosa. fairfield, 72 degrees in concord. i think the sea lions are enjoying the sunshine as well. cooler tomorrow and windier the ghost. higher fire danger thursday.

spring forward sunday at 2:00 a.m. to go to daylight saving time. temperatures will be plunging tonight into the upper 20's to low 30's. parts of lake and mendocino counties under freeze warnings. hard freeze warnings until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow from 11:00 p.m. tonight. bring in sensitive plants. for the rest of you, mainly 40's and occasional high clouds in the northern end of our viewing area. windy coast tomorrow. breezy inland. our warmest spots will be in the low 70's like santa rosa, fairfield. the winds start to come up. 4:00, 34 to 38 mile an hour winds. thursday, the wind will come more out of the northeast. close to 40 miles an hour. higher elevations wilsey 45 to 50 mile an hour winds. because of the gusty, windy conditions, we are looking at enhanced fire danger towards thursday.

you will notice the oranges and reds showing up thursday morning. high to extreme fire danger. remain vigilant toward thursday. we are looking for rain. saturday night into, us drizzle and sprinkles, but it is monday and tuesday we have the best opportunity for seeing that level one store materialized. windier and cooler tomorrow. higher fire danger with the winds. warmer weather briefly friday before spangle's show up late saturday into sunday and then a storm impact scale with wet weather possible monday and tuesday. ama: san francisco has laid out the welcome mat for what could be a big help in reducing homelessness for the city. mayor london breed celebrated the opening of a new center for individuals experiencing homelessness. the new space was built by a new nonprofit working to provide temporary housing options for the homeless. >> while permanent housing is so

critical, people need a place to come now, an interim stop where they can feel safe and be sheltered while figuring out there permanent exits out of homelessness. ama: a larger grand opening is planned when the full project is completed later in the spring. dan: a special treat is on the menu at schools in san francisco in honor of national school breakfast week. organic cereal and milk. san francisco unified school district is partnering with a nonprofit to make breakfast a little healthier. this week they are featuring all organic breakfast items. the milk was provided by a local dairy farm in marin. ama: still ahead, could there be an agreement on the horizon or will games be canceled? chris alvarez will be here

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ama: a reminder you can get our breaking news, weather, and more with our streaming app on fire t v and roku. dan: when will umpires yell play ball? that is what baseball fans are wondering as the lockout continues. abc7 sports anchor press alvarez

is in -- chris alvarez is in the newsroom. noent.chris: it is day 97 of the lockout, for mlb and the players union our meeting in person, so that is good. mlb had set the deadline for today as the last chance to save the 162 game regular season. right now both sides apart on financial issues, including a balanced tax. if a deal was reached today, it is possible players could be in spring training camps by as early as this friday. last week commissioner manfred announced the first two series of the regular season were canceled. the original opening day was set for march 31. time is ticking before games are officially lost. with all the moving deadlines, it seems both teams would like to save their original season. they still have to make a deal. mb announced -- mlb announced a fund to help spring training workers impacted by the canceled games. a lot of people affected by

baseball not being played, not just on the field, but businesses and people that livelihoods rely on. dan: huge impact all the way around. thanks a lot. ama: finally tonight, this one goes out to the ladies because today is international women's day. dan: it is a call to action to continue fighting for women's equality and to take a closer look at still what has to be done to create a world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. it is a chance to recognize how far women have come socially, economically, culturally and politically. a celebration of women's day dates back to 1911 and is celebrated all around the world, which is encouraging and powerful. ama: it certainly is. world news tonight with david muir is coming up next. thanks so much for joining us. dan: for all of us here, we appreciate your time. we will be back for abc7 news at 6:00 and a half hour, but connect 24/7 on abc7news.com.

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tonight, president biden banning all oil imports from russia to the u.s. another blow to vladimir putin, what the president said to the american people about how this will affect them. gas prices already at the highest level in u.s. history. all of this amid the images coming in tonight from ukraine. people by the thousands evacuating cities during a fragile, temporary cease-fire. video posted online showing the red cross helping them. tanks firing nearby. nearly two dozen people killed when their city was shelled overnight. and tonight, poland's major announcement, saying it is willing to transfer all of its soviet-era fighter jets to u.s. forces in germany to give them to ukraine. the immediate question late