seasoned curly fries, with triple cheese and bacon or chili cheese. try my sauced and loaded fries. it's pretty delicious. we have limited the amount of people that will be coming, and it will be pretty much the immediate household. >> right now at 4:30, a thanksgiving unlike any other. the steps many bay area families are taking before gathering this year as health leaders warn the worst is still to come. plus, as the holiday travel rush gets under way covid testing troubles are arriving. why you'll want to think twice before booking an appointment before flying out of sfo. and with many families being forced to eat outside this year, all eyes are on the forecast. meteorologist kari hall is tracking what we all can expect. "today in the bay" starts right now.

good wednesday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. we'll get to the commute in just a bit. first let's start with the forecast. meteorologist kari hall has been tracking those temps for us. we're starting out cool this morning in the tri-valley, checking out what's going on in dublin, and we are seeing some clear visibility for now. we will see some light, patchy fog drifting by, but it will be slightly cooler today. and by tomorrow we'll have a very cold morning. some of us may be starting out near freezing. our dry weather does continue at least throughout the weekend. we'll talk about what's ahead coming up. mike, how is it looking right now for the commute? kari, it's looking really great right now as we look at the bay bridge toll plaza. very light volume now and i expect for the earlier morning commute maybe 6:00, 6:15 we'll see slowing. we'll watch that. the maps show no major issues around the bay. maybe a little fog in the north

bay. no big deals. we'll talk about the different patterns for today and the rest of the week coming up. back to you, marcus. thank you, mike. thanksgiving covid style may not be what we want to hear but probably something a lot of people will be talking about this year. according to health experts it will be necessary to keep people safe and healthy who usually spend the day eating together under one roof. this woman is social distancing. she set up overflow area for outside dining and is taking temperatures, requiring hand sanitizing upon entry and providing outdoor seating for overflow. >> the age range that i now am, i am very mindful about that aspect of gathering together and about-face masks. >> these are the images from flight radar. there are more planes in the sky today than the tuesday before thanksgiving in 2018. well, here in the bay area,

marcus, the covid surge continues. another record-breaking day in santa clara county. 512 new cases confirmed. contra costa county, 399. in san mateo county, 227. those are some of the highest numbers we've seen in those counties today. and now muni is confirming one of its employees has died of covid-19. since the start of the pandemic 90 have tested positive for the virus. but muni points out as in any agency covid-positive rate is lower than san francisco's as a whole. santa clara county health leaders plan to give an update on the covid-19 situation today beginning at 10:00, a half hour before that free covid testing at the central park library. you must make an appointment first but can you get tested even if you don't have symptoms. to a live look at sfo this morning. if you're thinking about getting a covid-19 test there before you head out for the holidays, think

again. according to sf gate advanced reservations are booked through december 1st, walk-up, day of travel testing is not available for the rest of the week. sfo says 179 employees have tested positive for covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. that news comes since the highest number of people are traveling this week. they are doing everything they can to keep travelers safe. >> you're spacing out people at the checkpoint and then everybody must wear a mask in the airport. >> curb to curb passengers are required in just about every point to wear a mask. >> between friday and monday around 4 million people have passed through those checkpoints, and it is also more than 9 million at the same time as last year. starting last night in los angeles there's a ban on indoor dining. case numbers there are soaring, approaching an average of 5,000 new infections per day.

there were talks supervisors might have more drastic action. they debate add stay-at-home order, the likes of which have not been seen since early in the pandemic. the idea was discussed so far. no action will be taken. >> east bay volunteers will help many people trying to make it in the bay this holiday season. the community food bank will host its final meal distribution today ahead of thanksgiving. a drive-thru event begins at 8:30 this morning. now the effort comes as glide memorial church is already setting up ahead of its annual thanksgiving feast. this year due to the pandemic many of the 2,300 people expected to attend will be housed under five tents. it also plans to deliver meals. another easy way you can help out through our nursing neighbors food drive, the next time you're at safeway make that $10 donation. that money will go right to local food banks. our drive goes through december

29th. all right. midway through the week and probably a shortened one for a lot of folks with thanksgiving tomorrow. we'll see if that morning commute is pretty light. it's early unless you're getting out of town. kari has a look at the forecast for those of us staying in town. >> we do have to watch out for this fog especially in napa. take a look at the current visibility down to zero. we're seeing really dense fog in parts of the north bay as well as santa rosa. quarter mile visibility. elsewhere it is fairly clear so we're watching out for that and will be drifting around the next couple of hours. our temperatures today will reach into the low 60s. it's going to be very much like yesterday. once we have the early morning clouds and fog clearing out we'll get sunshine and breezy. a touch cooler in a few spots. we'll talk about what's ahead for thanksgiving coming up. how is it looking now for the morning drive, mike? >> it's looking like the week of

thanksgiving, like you said. 101 there was an incident, a roadside fire. 101 and story but the freeway is open and just fine right now. the speed sensors show green everywhere. blips popping up here and there. most of the road crews are off for tonight and into this morning. we're looking at the bay bridge with no backup and no slowing. there is fog registering as kari was saying. look at vallejo and napa county as well. just a heads-up, lower those speeds. visibility is tough. marcus, back to you. >> thank you, mike. driving full-speed ahead, a judge makes a controversial decision about what is and is not allowed on license plates across california. plus, the change to come to twitter's news feed and why the social media giant wants to hear from you. 4:37. you're watching "today in the bay." ♪

sfx: turkey gobble sfx: dog bark sfx: bubbles give thanks, no matter how you share it. we have the power to harness california's abundant solar and wind energy, but it's not available all day long. use less energy from 4 to 9 pm for a cleaner california. to syour body needs routine. system, centrum helps your immune defenses every day,

with vitamin c, d and zinc. season, after season. ace your immune support, with centrum. your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c. right now at 4:40 as we start out this morning we're seeing patches of fog in the north bay and temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s, but elsewhere we are seeing temperatures near 50 degrees to start. it will be slightly cooler this afternoon. we'll talk about what's going on and i'll let you know if there's any rain in the forecast coming up in a few minutes. so lower visibility for parts of the north bay but lighter traffic for most of the bay this week as we look at 880,

the nimitz freeway by the coliseum, no road crew between 23rd and 29th. they have gotten the day off presumably because of the holiday week. we'll see if our friends at cnbc are working today. good morning. i'm rahel solomon from cnbc. wall street is set for a mixed open this morning after a rally that saw the dow close about 30,000 for the first time. the dow jumping more than 400 points. that was on continued optimism over a covid vaccine, the start of an orderly transition to the biden administration and the prospect of former fed chair janet yellen nominated for treasury secretary. the best performing stock on the index a very popular name, apple, up more than 280%. the dow up 13% in november and on pace for its best month since january 1987. and in focus reports on durable

goods, personal income, new home sales, consumer sentiment and the latest on the number of people filing for unemployment. twitter is relaunching its verification system along with brand-new guidelines for those seek to go get the coveted status symbol. twitter is asking for public feedback on its proposal. accounts eligible would include governments, companies, brands, nonprofits, news media, activists and what twitter calls other influential individuals. each account must meet requirements such as being profiled in a media outlet to receive verification. and pinterest is testing online events that would allow signing up for zoom classes. they can use organized materials, notes and other resources or connect with a group chat. it has become popular during the

pandemic as teachers use it for teachers plans. >> i just use it for recipes. >> thanks, rahel. >> yeah, who knew? >> teachers putting it to work. well, up next on "today in the bay," more than a prank. the paint ball attacks leaving people in pain and very uneasy in one san francisco neighborhood. plus, a family pet in a curious position. the high-rise kitten rescue that brought a neighborhood together. we'll talk about it on the other side of the break.

there's no bad time to start at amazon... ♪ i like the flexibility.

it also allows for picking up shifts. safety comes first, speed comes second. safety. safety. safety. we're making sure that somebody is getting their very important items. it makes me very happy. ♪

and here we go on this wednesday morning. happy hump day to you all out there. 4:46 for you that morning. a live look at sfo. we know a lot of people are traveling this holiday season. if you are going to travel make sure you wear your mask, wash your hands and be very careful. for those of us staying here the bay area, let's talk about the forecast. a lot of people are wondering how will it be for thanksgiving? i think some people will move their activities outside. right. we are going to have some cool weather moving in as we start out this morning. we've had some fairly mild temperatures in parts of the east bay with some upper 40s and low 50s to start and if you're going to be dealing with the morning commute it's going to be very tough to see in parts of the north bay. we're starting out in some spots

with visibility near zero. we're seeing that in napa and novato. visibility down to half of a mile. so for people heading out for work this morning a little tough to start but then if you have the day off maybe you can go for a hike along the peninsula. it will be beautiful. we will start out with the clouds and fog there. can you see how it clears as we go into today with temperatures staying in the 50s. it's going to be breezy, too, and we're watching out for high waves so stay away from the water. a look at our high temperatures reaching into the low 60s. you'll notice it will be just a couple of degrees cooler than yesterday. we do have a dry cold front moving through and that may cause the winds to pick up quite a bit. highs in the low 60s for much of the east bay, along the coastline, some upper 50s. san francisco will be in the upper 50s to low 60s. the mission district up to 61 degrees and 63 today in sonoma. as we go through the forecast we are looking at still very dry conditions. but across the region there will

be some active weather for the pacific northwest. i'm watching monday for the possibility that the north bay may see some rain. this is not going to be a big rainmaker. even into the end of next week still looks very dry. we'll watch out for that one chance of rain on monday. other than that cool and sunny. mike, how is it looking for the commute? as we look at the map cold out there. we might see roadside fires. story road, the road itself was fine. the off ramp is open again after a short closure. no problems out of the altamont, under 20 minutes from brentwood. a live look at fremont, 880, not

far from the chp station and checkpoint this is maximum enforcement period. they're watching out extra careful on the roads. you be careful, too. a mystery in san francisco, someone keeps shooting paint balls at people. several people have been hit in recent days. the same car is involved every time. no one has been seriously injured, but police say it's leaving victims and bystanders stunned. >> it sounded like gunfire when it went off. very scary. >> the woman was traumatized, unfortunately, and as soon as th she got hit they raced her into the bar and they put ice on her head. it was severe. >> frightening. the man describing the paint ball being fired no a crowd

outside bare bottle brewing. police are investigating. wow. well, not surprisingly the pandemic is having a major impact on sexual misconduct cases. stanford posted its latest title 9 report. 187 reports of sexual misconduct. 92 fewer than the year prior. the school conducted 20 formal sexual harassment investigations. it led to eight disciplinary actions. a judge says california cannot enforce the ban on vanity license plates. a gay oakland man wanted a license plate with the word queer. the judge did leave a place.

little black and white kitty that we're going to show you just survived a harrowing ordeal. she got herself trapped six stories up in a gigantic tree. for nearly two days cried for help as her family tried to figure out how to get her down. >> and then a good samaritan showed up. jodi hernandez has the scoop on the daring rescue that made a family very happy and jodi as well. >> reporter: this little kitty caused quite a stir over the weekend after she climbed up into that big tree and couldn't get down. after the fire department wouldn't come out her owner turned to social media for help. this is what the family's kitten named kitty love endured for nearly two days. after disappearing friday the cat's family finally heard and spotted her 60 feet up in their cypress tree. >> her little head popped out and then when she saw us she

started meow, meow, meow. she wanted out. >> reporter: the family called law enforcement but couldn't get help from police or firefighters. >> the fire department laughed and said this isn't the movies. we don't respond to calls like that. >> reporter: fearing she might fall they placed a mattress out, the family growing more and more worried by the hour. >> i was like, please come down, kitty love so we can be a happy family. >> reporter: desperate, jessica plummer posted a plea for help on social media and a neighbor answered the call. >> i work in a refinery so i'm used to being 100 feet, 200 feet up in the air. >> kitty rescue 911. >> reporter: he brought over his 25-foot ladder but it didn't even come close to reaching the kitten. so he decided to scale up the huge tree in the dark. >> once i got up there and realized trying to grab her, hold on to a tree and try to climb down was a little more difficult than i was expecting.

>> reporter: with kitty love tucked in the sweater, he lost his footing and fell the last ten feet down. fortunately both rescuer and kitty are okay. >> i am extremely grateful. >> reporter: kitty love seems overjoyed to be back on the ground. >> my son loves her. i couldn't imagine without her now. she's part of our little pack. >> reporter: in antioch, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> oh, kitty love. glad she's safe. coming up next on "today in the bay," a work of art one person hopes ends up at the white house. meet a talented teenager whose portraits are turning heads. and happening now for you a major recall you need to know before you start any cooking in a crock pot. sunbeam products is recalling nearly a million of its crock pot 6 quart express multicookers. the maker says that the multicooker can pressurize and can lead to that lid opening up

unexpectedly and that hot liquid spraying out. there have been 99 reports of people getting first to third-degree burns. 4:53. we'll be right back. a hundred-year comet... did i miss it? but you can't sleep through my breakfast. because it's served all day, every day! thanks, jack. try my $4.99 french toast sticks jumbo breakfast platter. part of my all day, everyday breakfast. ♪ i got it all from you ♪ i'm always pushing through ♪ i know we'll make it to the finish line ♪ ♪ i know you're waiting on the other side ♪

♪ i'm like you on-demand glucose monitoring. because they're always on. another life-changing technology from abbott. so you don't wait for life. you live it. sfx: turkey gobble sfx: dog bark sfx: bubbles give thanks, no matter how you share it.

tv: this is the greatest play i've ever seen! what'd i miss? but you can't sleep through my breakfast. because it's served all day, every day! thanks, jack. try my $4.99 french toast sticks jumbo breakfast platter. part of my all day, everyday breakfast. welcome back, everybody. a south bay teenager turning some heads in the nation's capital hopes to catch the eye of vice president-elect kamala harris. meet 14-year-old tyler gordon from san jose. he posted this time lapse video of him painting a portrait of harris. so far it's gotten more than 30,000 likes and even chelsea clinton tweet it had to the vice president elect. >> he is so talented. this might be on your christmas list for a lot of people, former

president barack obama, his memoir, breaking even more records. "a promised land" sold more than 1.7 million copies in its first week, the highest ever for a nonfiction book. it sold nearly 890,000 copies in its first day. the only other former white house resident that even compares, well, his wife, michelle. her memoir "becoming" sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. and trending for you this morning if you're look to go binge watch classic chappelle shows on netflix you will be out of luck. netflix pulled it at the request of the creator, dave chappelle. it has to do with a deal chappelle made years ago with viacom cbs which has the rights to the show. earlier this month on "snl" he addressed this feud and vented on instagram. netflix has its own deal for new

material. cbs viacom has not issued a comment. 4:57. getting the plan straight from the president-elect. mr. biden talking exclusively with nbc about the pandemic, economics, and his move to the white house. plus, set to issue new guidance, the information the cdc is expected to release on the coronavirus and what it means for you. - they're the world's first family, the croods. and nothing brings families together quite like the holidays. - not now, douglas, the birds are on. - but it's also a time when some people in our communities need extra help. - what's your problem, big guy? - visit feedingamerica.org/croodscare to see how you can get involved... - boom! - and make giving back your family's holiday tradition. - thanks. - the more you know.

your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c.

a team that will keep our country and our people safe and secure. right now at 5:00 the presidential transition gaining serious steam. our washington insider breaking down what joe biden is saying exclusively to nbc about his move into the white house. also, the steps he's taking long before day one. and changing course, the cdc's new guidelines against covid-19 when it comes to self-quarantining. we're serving almost twice as many families, almost 60,000, than we were just a year ago. staggering numbers the day before thanksgiving, the need growing for hungry families struggling to make ends meet. a live report on the way bay area food banks are stepping up to the task and how you can help. the season of g