>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc7news. >> while the rest of the country deals with the weather storm, we have a perfect storm in the bay area. it's friday at 5:00 and it's the start of christmas weekend, which means the holiday rush has arrived. thank you for joining us. dan: let's take a live look at interstate 880, traffic conditions there, not just commuters and travelers. abc 7's reporter ryan caught up with some last-minute shoppers fighting crowds and a strike. >> a crowded broadway plaza two days before christmas. >> we wanted to do windowshopping, see the holidays and enjoy the day. >> they walked up and down the mall to find last-minute gifts

for loved ones. >> i am getting last-minute christmas presents for my family because i had a very busy week. >> the national retail foundation said consumers are shifting back to you in person shopping for traditional shopping experience. this late shopping rush is being met with a workers strike at macy's. at union square in san francisco, dozens of workers are on strike over a lack of pay. >> the company is offering is completely insufficient for what they went through. >> workers say the company has not treated them fairly the last few years. he says people should stop buying from macy's. >> go ahead and boycott macy's till they come around and treat workers fairly and equitably. >> we reached out to macy's and did not comment on the strike but says the union square location remains open. despite the strike, it still crowded for anyone doing last-minute shopping. they are predicting record-breaking shopping the

saturday before christmas. some say they didn't remember how crowded the days before christmas could be. >> you forget how crazy it can be, especially with covid and not seeing people shopping in store. i did all my shopping online last year. it's hectic. >> others say it's nice to see crowds back after the previous years altered by the pandemic. >> i love seeing people out and about. it's lovely. >> abc7news. >> happening n will not be able to light a wood fire for christmas this year. through christmas day through the bay area. that means it is illegal to burn wood. the video you see here shows a haze of pollution above san francisco in this view of the bay from foster city. it's murky and advised to outdoor activity. high levels of pollution can be unhealthy for children and seniors with respiratory conditions. >> it's not a pretty sight for

people flying today, it set a record for the most cancellations for single day this year with 5369 canceled flights. that number keeps going up. the previous record was 5200 47 on february 3. locally, you can see sfo has 55 canceled flights, that's 10% of their total flights today. 89 were delayed. oakland has 30 canceled flights and 62 delays. san jose is at 29 canceled flights and 70 delays. these numbers are according to flightaware. >> california continues to deal with the triple-demic. high cases of influenza, covid and rsv and respiratory illnesses. what should you do if you feel sick but have a family gathering coming up? that's what we asked california's director of public health. >> make some tough decisions. say you're feeling a little under the weather, it's

christmas, you're trying ask yourself should i go to the christmas gathering or stay home? is it enough if you wear the mask the entire time you're around people if you are feeling under the weather, or should you just take the l, as they say, and stay home so you don't get other people sick? >> i think the best thing to do is if you are feeling sick, stay home. just because -- this is exactly happens. as -- i hear stories all the time where people come over for a gathering and they transmit covid to somebody who has high risk. and afterwards they say, i thought i had a cold. that's how covid presents itself. if you been exposed to somebody, something you can do, test yourself because people might not have symptoms. if that test negative, you're not having any symptoms. you can wear a mask. that's a scenario where you could wear a mask and you been exposed and hopefully are not infected and are taking the

extra precaution. >> the doctor reminds anyone going to a gathering to get tested and wear the mask. he recommends you should talk with your doctor ahead of time before you get sick about whether you should take paxlovid or lessen the symptoms of covid. that way you know what to do if you get sick. >> the flu, covid and rsv means hospitals are reporting huge cases of people getting sick. what to do if you are not feeling well? we spoke to medical experts about the do's and don'ts around the holidays. >> after the shopping on the hustle, the holiday prep and planning, the holidays are here and someone gets sick. quakes people shouldn't freak out. the person having symptoms, that person should immediately take a covid test. >> the infectious disease specialist says if you test positive for covid, you isolate for five days and retest on day three. >> if you have no symptoms, you are pretty much good to go. >> he says if you will meet

family are people who recently had covid, you may not have to be so strained. like this they had the covid within the last month, it will be safe within one to three months. but if they got covid in january and you are talking about symptoms now, they may be likely to be reinfected. >> some medical experts advise skipping smaller holiday parties to stay healthy for bigger events. he suggests there's nothing wrong in asking your guest to take a covid test. >> i have a collie, for example, who had people go to the driveway, she met them outside with a bunch of tests. everybody swapped in the driveway, and when they were negative, they went in the house. >> when it comes to medications, some stores are facing shortages but many doctors are advising people generics work as well. if you are sick, consider medication to keep it from spreading. >> take mucinex or some kind of expectorant. it won't help with symptoms overall, but it will keep it

from progressing into a deeper infection. >> she is a registered nurse that works in the east bay. vaccinations can be a preventative measure but she reminds her patients that it is personal-care care drink water, take vitamins and antioxidants, yet sleep and exercise. she says, do get out and socialize. >> i know this is a hard time of year for a lot of people, but try to not isolate yourself. try to socialize, even if it is with a mask on, being around people you care about or just being around people is the healthy thing. >> looks into development in sonoma springs and what's causing some major disagreements. >> this story of pigeon stolen in san francisco when viral and we have an update of the saga. news of 5:00 will be back.

for back pain, i've always been a take two and call in the morning guy. but my new doctor recommended salonpas. without another pill upsetting my stomach, i get powerful, effective and safe relief. salonpas. it's good medicine. i have something for you. ♪ hi i have something for you too. ♪ ♪ just announced in time for the holiday, get 1.9 % apr for 5 years on all 20-22

gmc sierra light duty crew cab models. visit your local dealer today. ♪

>> to real estate investors with a large footprint in the area receiving pushback from residents. >> melanie woodrow has the story. melanie: sonoma county residents have long wanted a place to gather in boys hot springs. this could be the site of an anticipated plaza right at the doorstep of the post office and empire barbers studio. >> i think it's great. from my business it will bring more business. >> but where they see opportunity, others say they see risk. according to the supervisor, sonoma county is entertaining the possibility of a partnership with real estate investor can to build the plaza. >> probably two years ago he approached me with a proposal collaborate and partner with the county. >> veronica created the website

wake up sonoma.com. >> i don't think their intentions are to develop, i think their intentions are to acquire. >> the website's mission is to create transparency and accountability for all properties owned and managed by tim and ken in sonoma valley. via partnerships, they been seen here in a 2009 abc 7 interview have purchased dozens of properties around sonoma, including the property were gomez miranda works. >> so far as a tenant it's been great, i have no issue. >> at a recent meeting, he has this to say. >> i understand there are concerns and we do a lot of stuff in town. i believe the bigger picture or vision that we have from the area is completely in line with what has been talked about for the last 20 or 25 years, in terms of what everybody wanted to see for this area. >> some residents are doubtful. in addition to the volume of purchases there's the perception

among some that they are not being developed quickly enough. city of sonoma mayor sandra lowe. >> there are some landmark buildings in the city that are not being used to their full potential. one is the sonoma cheese factory. we want businesses to be there, to flourish for people in the community to use them. >> these were vibrant businesses before and they are not vibrant as they were. >> it's in part for those reasons that while a plaza is welcomed, not everyone welcomes the proposed partnership. matson is the only one investing in the springs. >> i would love to have a number of developers come to the springs with great ideas and then i'm in partner with them. >> what is the county doing to reach the developers? >> it's not necessarily the role of the county to put a shield allowed on the area and say, come down. >> while shooting the story i

ran into him outside of the restaurant, which he said was purchased in the form of a partnership. he would not agree to an interview but did tell me he and matson are real estate investors and that the properties they invested indo yet have permits. the residence as the permitting process in sonoma -- sonoma county is slow. he wants to make sure if a partnership is formed that there's progress. >> if we can get into an agreement with you, there's got to be some assurances and accountability. there has to be something built-in. >> the mayor has ideas for the buildings within city limits. >> we are considering some sort of a finer vacancy tax that would either compel them to do something with it, either sell it or get the business going. >> the supervisor said there will be another public meeting to discuss the plaza likely in january or february. in an emailed statement a spokesperson writes, members and leaders of the boys hot springs community have expressed a desire for a community plaza.

we offered to partner with them to make the dream a reality. they are supporters and opponents and we are listening to both. with no plaza here together, the proposed partnership still remains the talk of this town. for the eye team, melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. >> remember, if you have a story for our team of investigative reporters, you can visit abc 7 news.com/i.t. or call 188840i team. likes the man who kidnapped the lemur accepted a plea deal and will serve no jail time. the 33-year-old will return to his mother's home in north carolina will he will be given mental health treatment instead. federal prosecutors agreed that he needs medical treatment to aid his bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. he took him from the san francisco zoo on october 13 of 2020 and then release the lemur at a daly city preschool. >> we have an update to a story

we brought you this month about a young girl who had a stuffed animal, a pigeon, stolen during a trip to san francisco. after a desperate search and hope fading of fighting it now because -- come something close to eyelet a miracle. abc 7 anchor has a story with a happy ending. >> who can forget the tears of 12-year-old faith after what started as a fun field trip to san francisco in san francisco. >> he just so cold-blooded for robbing me, just a kid who was there try and have fun. >> on the last day of their vacation, faith and her mom went to a restaurant. you could see in the surveillance video a man with a walker, seated very close by, snatches her black backpack and walks out. inside, faith's beloved stuffed pigeon. >> i got them when i was like six and he was from santa and i loved him so much.

>> after the return home, faith's flew back to san francisco to search for him. we caught up with him -- or as she planned to post photos of the flyers. after more than a week, this mother and daughter duo, who rescue real pigeons, felt like giving up. >> i lost hope, i thought we would not see him again. >> at singtel san francisco police gave jennifer a call while the family was at a socal themepark. >> we didn't want to scream in public, but we were hyperventilating and in the best possible way. >> playing closed officers identified the man is a person with criminal history. he was executed for his residence in the area of franklin and golden avenue. >> we know there are other victims related to these thefts. >> turns out is slightly dirty but unharmed pigeon that will make it home just in time for christmas. >> an officer that's driving down southern california to be

with his family, we thought it would be perfect for him to be able to reunite the missing item with the family. >> as for faith, this is been a lesson in situational awareness and determination. she sends this message to all who helped in the search. >> we probably wouldn't have found him without them. it's really cool that they help them they are good at their job. lexa suspect is still at large. >> we have been tracking location. he will arrive at the hollywood police station any moment. we will update you with this sweet reunion when we get that footage, stay with us. >> a big change to tesla's full self-driving mode is on the way days after the feature was blamed for a car crash on the bay

your heart is the beat of life. if you have heart failure, entrust your heart to entresto. entresto helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. don't take entresto if pregnant;

it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto. >> tesla can no longer advertise the cars is full self-driving.

a new state law will ban the carmaker from using the turn because it implies they are fully automated when they are not. the problem with the advertising was highlighted in this thanksgiving day crash on the bay bridge. investigators say a tesla in full self-driving mode because the pilot that injured 18 people. officials say the problem of advertising cars as full self-driving is that drivers think they already required to pay attention and handle some of the driving duties. >> a local rapper and singer with a growing following as giving back to his hometown. 24 k gold and has over 2 billion plays on spotify. abc 7 caught up with him for a community charity event. over 200 people attended his second annual golden giveaway outside san francisco city hall. 20 4k golden has spread holiday cheer by giving away new balance shoes and lots of toys. >> there's a line around the block because people can feel the vibes. it's about holiday spirit,

getting back to the place that mimi ym. >> 20 4k golden's newest single checkers dropped last week. he's best known for his its eco-moon, featuring justin bieber. we need to get a check out our weather. >> we do. on one side you see a tower camera in buffalo, new york. the storm is roaring there. on the other seida's a dry, not freezing area on our east bay camera. >> abc 7 meteorologist says enjoy it while at last. >> that's right, it will change it a big way. you have to count your lucky stars that we have gorgeous weather compared to the east coast. i mean, other than the haze and the bad air quality, we do have milder conditions, it 50's to low 60's, take a look at our live tower cameras. rd not to notice that there is the haze in the air. air quality is at its worst in the east bay. it's poor for sensitive groups right now.

as we check out the visibility that the pollution and would boarding -- creating so much haze that visibility is down. two miles in half moon bay right now. here's a live view from our camera. i should say our east bay health camera. we do have a spare the air through sunday. we are still going to be dealing with the air quality and suffering. christmas day forecast. dense morning fog at 7:00, hazy sunshine at noon and it will be milder for christmas. in the 40's and 50's as you check out live doppler 7. hide tough workouts. dense fog advisory goes up tomorrow morning for solano county. it will be hazardous driving conditions due to the thick fog. keep that in mind if you are traveling tomorrow heading to grandma's, or just going out of

town. from our exploratorium camera, beautiful blue skies over san francisco. dry and warmer for the holiday weekend. above average by five to 10 degrees this weekend and then a wet pattern is setting up for next week. those king tides keeping the coastal flood advisory going right on through sunday afternoon. keep in mind that the low-lying areas will continue to flood. high tide around seven feet tomorrow at 11:14 in the morning. sunday it will be at 12:06 in the afternoon. morning temperatures in the 30's and 40's. you need to bundle up a give yourself time to get to where you need to go because that fog in the north bay valleys and east bay valleys will be thick and could be problematic for some areas. daisy's guys tomorrow afternoon, mild upper 50's to the mid 60's for your saturday. we will fast-forward to much-needed wet weather after christmas weekend. monday night the rain develops first and then it becomes intense tuesday morning. heaviest rain expected during

that time along with the gusty us wins, and this year it starts out with high snow levels above levels and then dropping the pass levels by tuesday into wednesday. rainfall estimates will be between one and three inches some of our weather spots over the hills by wednesday, looking at four inches or more. so it is definitely going to be a good soaker. the accuweather 7 day forecast, morning fog both days, including christmas. hazy sunshine, milder weather and level 1 on monday. moderate strength storm tuesday heaviest in the morning with wet weather continuing wednesday through friday all level 1 systems. we'll be closing out 2022 on a wet note. dan: that's great, thank you. congratulations to san francisco fire station 39. overnight it was named the winner of the fire station decoration contest. station 39 beat out nine other stations to win the title. look what they did. mayor london breed was one of

the judges. they won prize money that would go to the charities of their choice. >> christmas comes early for one toddler but his gift in reaction wasn' [narrator] everyone needs quality health insurance, even if you're healthy and active. covered california is a free service to help you get covered. 90% of members have received financial help and every plan offered is comprehensive, covering preventive care, doctor visits, emergency care, and more. regardless of your income, check today to see how covered california can help you. and if you have questions,

there's free assistance every step of the way. covered california, this way to health insurance. enroll by december 31st at coveredca.com.

>> jimmy kimmel loves frank sent over the past few years he has inspired a lot of parents to give their kids a terrible present a few days before christmas and then up late -- upload their reaction to you too. >> one mom carried on the tradition but the results weren't what she expected. >> that's for you, do you like it? >> yes. i want another one. >> that is a sweet little boy. that's wesley who's thrilled to have an onion. mom said he continued to play with alien over the past few days and that wesley is such a grateful, loving child. that's a great little young man right there. >> sometimes they like the wrapping paper. world news tonight is next.

>> for all of us here, we appreciate your time and we will see you here in half an hour. (steven) every time i come to see caremore, they go above and beyond to take care of me. i feel a lot better now. i'm taking medication for what i should have been taking years ago. (vo) call the number on your screen to learn more about medicare plans in your neighborhood that include caremore. norman, bad news... i never graduated from med school. what? but the good news is... it's the xfinity hello 2023 sale!

now hurry, and you can get xfinity internet for $19.99 a month plus, when you add xfinity mobile, you get the best price for 2 lines of unlimited. i gotta get this deal... and for a limited time, get 500 dollars back. i don't want to miss that! that's amazing doc. drop everything. get to the xfinity hello 2023 sale. -doc? click, call or visit a store today.

tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. winter storm chaos just two days before christmas. a brutal blast of life-threatening cold from the canadian border to the gulf coast now spreading to the northeast. more than 200 million americans feeling the wrath of this historic storm. blizzard conditions, coastal flooding, and shocking temperature drops. in ceyenne, wyoming, a record 43-degree plunge in just an hour. more than a million customers without power in the bone-chilling cold. 5,000 flights canceled on one of the busiest travel days of the year, and deadly pile-ups on the highways nationwide. we have team coverage, trevor ault in new york city. elwyn lopez in atlanta and rob marciano timing it out through christmas day. the other major headline tonight, the