good thursday morning i'm kira klapper. >> i'm marcus washington. we'll get to mike with his commu commute but first we'll talk about christmas eve forecast. karis that coming up today? >> spotty sprinkles out of some of the clouds we're seeing right now but for the most part heavier rain holding off for tomorrow and we'll see the rain mostly during the afternoon for the north bay and evening hours for other yare yi areas south o north bay and another round of rain coming in by sunday and tracking all of this and talking about the timeline and how much rain you could expect. that's coming up in a few minutes. mike, how is it looking right now for the commute? >> kari, it's looking great. this week tends to have lighter traffic and i mean the week of christmas with folks changing their work schedules, and of course, the lighter commute during the pandemic and the shelter at home. the bay bridge toll plaza has no backup and the north bay, solano

county calling out there, as well. no problem for the green sensors and live look at san mateo how very light the traffic flow is. we will show little build and track that and for now back to you, marcus. >> thanks, mike. two million cases and counting. california passed the threshold last night and continued to add more cases than any state in the country averaging more than 40,000 per day over the past week. now, it led to a dire new warning from bay area health leaders. they say the next two days will p be critical with holiday travel potentially adding to the latest surge. >> our huge, huge, huge concern at this moment is that our case levels are so high that any surge added on at christmas will be magnified tremendously. >> our county's top doctor sarah cody along with other leaders. they are pleading with people to cancel family plans and

traveling. as covid cases mount two vaccines in circulation. both involve a first shot and then a second shot a few weeks later. raising confusion on when people should go back to receive their second dose. "today in the bay" explains what ucsf is doing to keep on top of it. >> reporter: ucsf is a week into vaccinating its front line high-risk medical and support staff. about 80% of the doctors, nurses and other personnel in this group already got their first shots but ucsf ran out of its first batch of pfizer doses and started using moderna's. something that will have to be closely tracked as people are set to receive their second shot in the coming weeks. >> we expect the first group of people requiring a second dose by january, i think january 14th. >> gina is one of ucsf's lead coordinator of its vaccination program. each person who gets the pfizer vaccine will have to return 21 days later for the second shot. those getting the moderna

vaccine will have 28 days and the shots are not interchangeable if you gotifieser for the first and you get the pfizer for the second and then go for the moderna shot. ucsf plans on expanding its program in january and they'll be able to vaccinate 600 people a day as long as the doses keep arriving. >> i think what i've seen even the past couple days a little more advance notice of when we're going to get doses and how much. i think the distribution channels and that the people who are doing the distribution are also getting better at the logistics. >> reporter: putting together a system to vaccinate staff means medical systems across the bay area are put together systems to vaccinate the public. reaching out to some patients about when they may be getting their shots and what to expect when they do. >> i think the thing that would be challenging which is different than maybe the flu vaccine is the required period of time that we have to monitor the patients.

>> reporter: people should expect to take half an hour and most likely longer because after you get the shot, you'll have to be supervised for at least 30 minutes to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. nbc bay area news. president trump this mornin. he left washington with a lot of ounfinished business and as "today in the bay" chris pollone reports, he did not leave before presidential pardon. >> reporter: president trump handed out more gifts to friends and loyalists convicted of federal crimes issuing pardons to key figures convicted in the russia investigation. roger stone and former campaign chairman paul manafort. >> hallmark prosecutions of the department of justice. they've been wiped away with a stroke. >> reporter: in all, more than 20 pardons for the second straight day.

nebraska republican senator ben sasse called it rotten to the core. mr. trump leaves behind a capital in chaos after posting a video calling for bigger stimulus checks. the president formally vetoed the military budget for the coming year. override a trump veto for the first time next week. >> we'll move to override that and we're going to, you know, attempt to get legislation out of the house that we provide the $2,000 and we don't know what the republicans are going to do. >> reporter: republicans have signaled they will kill a democratic attempt in the house today to raise stimulus checks to $2,000. putting them at odds with the president and leaving struggling businesses and iworkers like ths bartender in limoblimbo. >> i do feel scared. >> without the president's signature on a spending bill, the federal government will shut down on monday. in washington, chris pollone, nbc news.

it is 5:05 right now. here is a live look outside in fremont. some people already up and at emon this christmas eve. very cold out there, marcus. i could not get my heat in my car started fast enough. >> i thought you were going to say you didn't have any in your car. >> no, luckily i did. but not coming fast enough. >> i know that's right. it is warm where we are now. it's time to get a look at that forecast, too. is it going to warm us up a little bit today, kari. >> a little bit, but we are going to have more clouds coming in and we're starting out with some fog in some spots. we're dealing with that low visibility during that morning commute. i know that if you do have to work, you're really dreading it now. looking at the visibility in fairfield and continues to get lower. you can barely see ahead of your car. so allow some extra time to get there. now, we're also seeing these clouds spreading, again. that may also bring in some spotty light sprinkles especially near the coastline.

most of the bay area will stay mainly dry today but i'm tracking not only one but three systems that will be coming in. so, the first one brings clouds today and the next one brings some rain tomorrow and then we'll have another one right behind that that will bring us some rain between sunday night and monday morning. so, we'll talk about the timeline and how much rain in total we could see out of all of this. it's coming up in just a few minutes as we head over to you, mike. that fog is getting thicker coming through parts of the delta. >> that is the big concern, kari, because we don't have as big of a commute. the volume during december but we're looking at a smooth drive with some folks who may be expecting a breezy, easy drive getting where they're going. chp called out alameda county and also looking at the potential coming up through contra costa county and look at all the fog with the orange highlighting and as we take a live look at golden gate bridge and parts of the north bay, as well. solano county be careful out

there but crossing the bay on this golden gate bridge is not only clear for the drive, but it's also clear for the view right now. we'll watch for the changes. back to you. >> thanks, mike, for that heads up. coming up next, probably our favorite story on this christmas eve morning. why this colorado woman is getting hundreds of letters to santa and what those letters are telling us about what our kids are thinking this holiday season. you're watching "today in the bay." in a land not so far away, people are saving hundreds on the most reliable

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let's get a check with your business and tech headlines. >> here's cnbcdom chu. >> wall street is set to open higher today on this final day of the holiday shortened week. investors reacting to reports of a potential brexit trade deal between the uk and european union. stocks closing well off the highs of the session yesterday giving up much of their gains in the final minute. the s&p 500 did manage to snap a three-day losing streak. that slide came as investors cashed in profits going into the end of the year. president trump also vetoed a sweeping defense bill. he's also calling for higher direct payments to americans as part of the $900 billion stimul stimulus package that was just passed by congress and the markets close early today at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. not just the play station 5 that is high demand this holiday season. gift cards are one of the hottest presents. shoppers who are worried about visiting stores and don't want to risk gifts not arriving on

time for christmas are snapping up gift cards instead. purchases in the first week of december were two times the same time last year, that's according to tracking firm end market. sales nearly jumped 50% last weekend as deadlines for free shipping with guaranteed delivery by christmas expired. the boom may not help the overall holiday sales picture. retailers can't record revenue from those gift cards until they're redeemed. zoom has had a blockbuster year with its stock rising more than 500% thanks to the surge in remote work during the virus pandemic. now the company is looking to expand beyond video chats into e-mail and calendar services, as well. reports say zoom is already working on the e-mail product which will be web based. zoom could start testing that early next year. many of zoom's competitors are bundle that are part of broader business apps such as 365 and

apple workspace. i'm dominic chu. >> thanks, dominic. one woman is finding herself working as santa's special elf. >> since thanksgiving more than 300 letters to the north pole wound up in her small colorado town. reporter katie eastman explains what she is doing to help answer these christmas requests. >> it's been crazy. to say the least. but that's all right. it's been fun. >> reporter: weekends spent at home are slow for some but whitney pickering gets to work. >> dear santa, merry christmas. what do the reindeer eat? i heard they eat magical candy canes. >> reporter: it only makes sense the answer to these important questions can put a letter in a mailbox in evergreen, colorado. >> when we moved up here they had a mailbox that had a lock on it. we don't want to use that.

>> reporter: but she soon saw the magic in the mailbox. magic she could bring to kids like caden. >> at the very top of the earth. >> reporter: caden asked for a santa action figure in his letter. >> that made him so happy. >> reporter: santa said so in the letter he wrote back. >> obviously, they do eat magical candy canes now and then but mostly eat reindeer food like hay and oats two times a day. >> reporter: some letters are pretty funny. >> his sister keeps stealing his money. >> reporter: i want to have my family to hang out and have a good time together without us fighting. that one is cute. >> reporter: being good because she doesn't like her teacher and jackson wishes 2020 would stop. >> their grandmother pass away and they were very close with them. >> reporter: i had a mom write me a letter because she's having a rough year.

her dad has pretty bad cancer and she hasn't been able to be around him because of covid. >> reporter: santa's responses are all personal. asked hazel to find things in common with her teacher and told jackson it is okay to talk to his grandmother even though she's gone. parents reach out with notes of their own. >> you'll forever be dear to my heart. you never know when something so small could mean something so big. it really got me. >> reporter: magic made on weekends in evergreen. >> just a little bit today. >> that was katie eastman. that woman is an angel. that was really beautiful and something i think we could all use today. >> yeah. let's check in with meteorologist kari hall now for a look at our christmas eve forecast. >> yeah, we are awaiting santa's arrival for tonight. it looks like the weather is

pretty good. can we pull up the santa tracker. i want to show you how to find where santa is now and you can do this at home on your computer. just go to noradsanta.org and you'll be able to see where santa is as he continues to make tracks around the world. we're seeing him just around the guam area and already over the pacific ocean and we'll continue as we go throughout the morning. so, all is looking good there. we are starting out with some cool weather as we are now feeling temperatures below freezing in the north bay. but by the time santa gets here tonight, we are going to see a mostly cloudy sky and temperatures that will be in the lower 40s. but it's looking good for all clear weather for santa and then, of course, we'll be getting some rain for tomorrow. so, let's look at the timeline of that rain. starting out with some clouds today, here we are taking it through 11:00 tomorrow morning. we'll start the see some of the spotty showers moving through. off and on rain into tomorrow

afternoon and especially for the north bay where the radar really start to fill in and then some more widespread rain going into tomorrow night. but notice not a lot happening in parts of the south bay. and then it does move out by saturday morning early in the morning. looks like saturday is clearing up for us and we'll get more sunshine. but we're looking at a couple storm systems coming in and il heavier more measurable rain in the north bay and half inch of rain in santa rosaossie and notice how much less we'll see for san francisco into the east bay and south bay maybe a tenth of an inch of rain and it does look like the system falls apart as it moves in and then we'll have another chance heading into sunday night into monday and in total we could see close to half inch of rain for parts of the east bay where we look at oakland and san francisco and three quarters of an inch possible for half moon bay and around an inch possible for santa rosa. and for the sierra, it's also

looking like less of a storm. so possibly up to five to 11 inches for a lot of our spots in the sierra. we're watching out for that. looking at our weather today just cool at times, some clouds and the sun peeking out may be spotty sprinkles in some spots but we're still looking at a lot of the heavier rain arriving tomorrow and a break from the showers on saturday and i know some people will be making some returns or even scheduling them to have a pickup. we're looking at good weather on saturday and maybe getting outside on sunday especially during the evening. we'll be watching more rain but look at how cool it's going to be and some of our bay area peeks may have some snow for the first time this winter. so, we'll be watching out for that. of course, i'll have more updates. let's head over to you, mike. the fog is the main issue for the commute this morning. >> definitely the concern. also we worried about the

conditions because of all the d delivery workers rushing around to get us our packages. fog is the issue as kari talks about. we zoom over towards alameda county and chp issues a fog advisory for that stretch but i'm also giving that note for popular routes and you see that coming through the fog and brentwood, byron coming down and off of highway 4 and road weather index shows highway 4 stretching over into the benicia and carquinez bridges a factor in the north bay and coming towards the bay bridge where really no problem for visibility and we can see clearly how light the traffic is. live camera there not seeing a lot of activity. right now we're just at a few cars now, as well. that's how light we expect much of the morning commute to be. back to you guys. >> all right, thanks, mike. 5:19 for you this morning. next here on "today in the bay" a special message for everyone on this christmas eve. but, first, our team is

always on social media. check out this photo of kris sanchez's dog cole with a mistletoe above his head. he is ready for christmas and definitely deserving of some kisses. be sure to follow kris and we hope you share all of your holiday photos with us. you're watching "today in the bay." the usual gifts are just not going to cut it.

we have to find something else. good luck! what does that mean? we are doomed. [laughter] that's it. i figured it out! we're going to give togetherness. that sounds dumb. we're going to take all those family moments and package them. hmm. [laughing] that works.

welcome back to you. 5:22 this morning. you know what, nothing has been normal this year, including the usual visit to see santa. >> but for one special group of young people, it did happen and garvin thomas shares with us in this morning's bay area proud thanks to a group that regularly works wonders. ♪ >> in a back corner of the san francisco zoo, away from the temporarily closed public exhibit a little holiday magic is taking place. >> ready to go see santa, max? >> reporter: the riding program reindeer ride to see santa. >> the cutest reindeer. her antlers keep falling down. >> reporter: to be honest, though, every day at brady is a bit magical. >> it is magic. it's just magic. >> reporter: sarah is brandy's executive director. we first profiled sarah and

brady seven years ago. they take children with physical and developmental disabilities, introduce them to their equine therapists and then sit back and watch their clients transform in front of them. >> the instant reward you get, these kids light up. their faces, their faces are immediate sign for what's happening in their heart and body and mind. >> how are you? >> reporter: take the visit with santa, for example. for many of these children, a trip to sit on a mall santa's lap, if you could do such a thing this year, might pbe a challenge. but given the confidence that comes with being in charge of a horse, it seems anything is possible. >> this gave them that confidence booster. gave them that i can do it. if i can do it here, i'm going to apply it in other areas of my life. that's the best. >> good job, sweetheart. up you go. put it in the strap.

>> reporter: just like the rest of us, life for kids this past year have been tough. under the first stay-at-home order in the spring, many saw setbacks in their progress. why brady was essentially deemed an essential service and children are back to stay benefitting from a bond that isn't always easy to explain but simple to see. >> you love lola and she loves you, sweetheart. so much. >> reporter: garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. >> you know, santa already on his way around the globe right now. heading to australia. you know what, his trek around the globe, he wants people to know this. that the holiday will look a little different because of the pandemic. >> santa is normally too busy on christmas eve to deliver a message to children everywhere but this year going out of his way to tell parent and children who had hopes of spending this special time with loved ones this year. >> really different and difficult times that christmas

season will hopefully bring us little relief. >> santa claus told everyone to stay safe and healthy and keep connected with one another. >> look at that beard. well, coming up for you on "today in the bay" including a south bay church that racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars defying that stay-at-home order. plans for this christmas eve. a live look at the golden gate brim this morning. not many cars but it is cold. what the latest data is telling us about christmas travel and plus your christmas eve and christmas day forecast coming up next. you're watching "today in the bay."

right now at 5:30, it is christmas eve and want to take a live look out at a foggy walnut creek this morning as we get started with the day. we'll figure that out in just a bit. good morning to you. thank you so much for starting your morning with us. i'm marcus washington. >> i'm kira klapper in for laura garcia. first, we'll check in with kari hall and that christmas eve forecast. >> yeah, we're starting out with some clouds and some fog this morning. and we are getting ready for that rain that is set to arrive tomorrow. we're also going to see another chance of rain form sunday night into monday morning but overall we are heading into a wetter weather pattern. as we get a look at the

visibility very low in fairfield and watching for that dense fog creeping out of the central valley into the bay area. you'll have to deal with that as you're heading to work but, once again, a lot more clouds coming in and sprinkles possible for some of our coastal areas. i'm tracking this as well as our christmas rain in the forecast and another system right behind that. we'll talk about the timeline that's coming up in just a few minutes. mike, how is it looking right now for the commute? >> it's looking great. that fog is a factor, though, kari. i circled on the map here not the bay bridge toll plaza but west 80 around ashby approaching the toll plaza on the east shore freeway. a crash reported there just in the last few minutes. trying to get more information once chp can give it to us about lanes being blocked but no slowing just yet. highlighting upper right-hand side. that's the fog, dense fog that is back in just like it was a couple days ago and not quis as widespread but solano county be

careful up there and the altamont pass. a clear view of the dublin camera shows 580 and how light that traffic flow is right now. that's why the bay area freeways are at speed. back to you, marcus. another 361 people died of coronavirus in california yesterday. this is the second most deaths ever in a single day. governor newsom stressing the next two days are critical and it's so important to follow the rules and keep safe. >> one bay area church continues to ignore public health orders even in the face of mounting fines. "today in the bay" tom jensen is live at calvary christian fellowship and, tom, will christmas eve services happen tonight? >> they still do plan to have a christmas eve service tonight and they say that they have every right to. that county and state restrictions cannot prevent them from having church services, even though they already face

tens of thousands of dollars in fines and have lost multiple court hearings on this hearing. county health officials still begging them to stop, to reconsider but the church says it plans its christmas eve service tonight. anyways, county health officials say that they're putting everybody's lives in the community at risk. they say it's not optional. it's required to follow these rules. multiple health officials pleaded with the church to reconsider due to the enormous strain on health care workers, especially with the packed covid icus. the county confirmed other businesses are openly defying the health order. they are hoping everyone will start coming onboard with these protocols as vaccines are rolled out. but they're really concerned about what could happen here.

the number of people that could gather at a church like thisor a christmas eve service. and what sort of superspreader event that might be. we're live in san jose, thom jensen "today in thebay." last-minute holiday travelers are still on the go, but because of the pandemic holiday numbers are down drastically. almost down 80% at sfo and 70% over in oakland and close to 90% in san jose and everyone is warned to stay home if possible. many travelers we spoke with said they're willing to take that risk to see family and friends. >> been separated from my 5-year-old and i'm taking a risk to go see him. i'm healthy and i think i'll be okay. >> we didn't see anyone not wearing a mask and all arriving passengers are supposed to be warned ahead of time about that ten-day quarantine policy in san

francisco in santa clara counties. of course, mreplenty peoplet and about despite the pandemic despite the last-minute christmas shopping. we found the parking lot packed even though most in-person holiday parties are canceled this year, the shopping must go on. today christmas eve is officially crunchtime for delivery drivers and workers trying to get your packages delivered in time. and the pandemic has put a new sense of urgency on their timeline. "today in the bay" pete reports. >> why shipping companies are doing their best to accommodate the demand. it's another busy night in fremont at the on-track shipping facility. packages rolling out steady. the shipping volume is way up this holiday season compared to last year. >> we had to make adjustments for it and feel like we have been successful on a daily

basis. >> reporter: adjustments that included adding more than 200 workers in just the past month. >> we almost doubled our staffing and currently we're still in the hiring process and we definitely plan on maintaining our staffing throughout the first quarter. >> reporter: on track along with u.p.s., fed, which and postal service will need every available worker to meet demand. they have been slammed with record-setting volume, especially with fedex and u.p.s. concentrating on delivering vaccines. speaking of fedex, a spokesperson tells me they expect record-breaking shipping volumes. a 22% increase compared to this time last year. all that has some people wondering if their packages will make it by friday. others sending out a last-minute package in fremont tonight anyways. >> i would expect them to be busier. come in and stand in line but i was in and out. >> reporter: but for some, they say the potential for shipping delay is even more reason to wrap up christmas shopping as

early as possible. >> my christmas shopping was done by the end of november. >> reporter: you were able to avoid. >> i was finished. totally finished. >> reporter: pete suratos, "today in the bay." oakland leaders have approved a series of painful and immediate budget cuts to help close a $52 million budget deficit. council members agreed to cut $15 million from the police department. now, some of that will come in overtime pay and the fire department temporarily closing three stations saving about $5 million. the city will enact a 9 million hiring freeze and some fear those cuts to first responders that may impact public safety. it all takes effect immediately and at least through the end of june. and oakland police are warning about a spike in violent crimes involving middle school children. you heard me right. over the past few weeks officers have arrested carjacking suspects as young as 11 years old and more are still at large. "today at the bay" melissa

colorado spoke to one oakland woman recently mugged by two young people she believes just 12 eryoyears old. >> they punched me and i fought back with them. >> reporter: it was an attack that lasted seconds. but in her mind, it felt like hours. iona of oakland says she was mugged by two people on monday afternoon near jack london square in oakland. >> they told me, shut up. >> reporter: when the criminals managed to wrestle away her wallet and phone, iona says a get away driver picked up the two males and sped off. >> i thought they were perhaps, you know, maybe 15 to 18 years of age. >> reporter: you can imagine iona's disbelief when she said oakland police told her her attackers were likely 12 and 14 years old. >> that these youth were coordinated and were driving a car and speeding down a highway. >> reporter: hours after iona's attack, palo alto police say

they arrested three boys from oakland for mugging a woman at a stanford shopping center and leading police through a high-speed chase in a stolen car. police say the driver was just 12. all three were arrested for robbery and felony battery and a number of other crimes. palo alto police would not say whether the victim in that crime was also asian but said the investigation is still ongoing. >> it's really frustrating to feel like we're in a place specifically when we're being targeted right now at this moment. >> reporter: a spokesperson for oakland police say iona's attack is still under investigation and would not comment further. in the meantime, the three boys are in custody at the santa clara county juvenile hall. as for iona the bruises and scrapes on her face and hands have healed but the fear is still there. >> we all want to be able to walk out our door and not be scared. we have every right to do that. >> reporter: in oakland, melissa colorado, nbc bay area news. a new job and a new home for

san jose's recently retired police chief who stayed retired for all of a week and a half. eddie garcia will become the new police chief in dallas, texas. named the replacement just yesterday and he will be the first latino to lead there. garcia spent 28 years at the san jose police department where he moved up in the nk ras from patrolman to chief. he retired december 12th. the department in dallas is three times the size of san jose. it may soon be more difficult to get to angel island. the blue and gold fleet ferry has filed a request with the public utilities commission to stop service there. the ferry operator says the route is no longer profitable because of the pandemic. if they allow service to be cut, the only remaining ferry option is from tibberon. >> half the people and without the ferry service from san francisco that will impact tens of thousands of people and their

ability to get to the island. >> more than 250 people have already signed the petition urging not to cut that service. a new face at the 49ers practice field and it is a new backup quarterback josh rosen signed off and back up beathard on saturday and jimmy g. may be healthy enough to return for the final game against the seattle seahawks. one of the hottest names staying in the south bay i'm talking about head coach brent brennan agreed to a contract extension with san jose state. the terms of the new agreement haven't been made public just yet but that extension is validation that that program is going in the right direction on and off the field. good to hear that. well, you know what, 5:40 for you this morning.

100 years. that's what one restaurant in san francisco should be celebrating this holiday season. but instead it's closing for good. up next, we'll tell you the latest push from city leaders to stop more small businesses from suffering. you're watching "today in the bay."

right now at 5:43 as we take a look at these cold temperatures we're starting out with this morning, below freezing farther to the north and we are very close in the

south county. so, as you head out the door, we're not only dealing with some near freezing temperatures but also fog and we have rain in the forecast. we'll talk about the timeline and how much you can expect coming up. so right now that fog is definitely a concern but so are two crashes tracking one in berkeley and a new one on the nimitz we look at how light the traffic flow is on 880 and focusing on hayward where the new report comes in and see if lanes are blocked. back to you. >> mike and kari, thanks. to a landmark restaurant in san francisco's chinatown is closing its doors after 100 years in business. the owner said he can no longer continue to lose money during this shutdown. >> jean explains now city leaders are stepping in do to whatever they can to save it. >> the far east cafe planned to celebrate its 100 year anniversary with a big celebration and instead now planning to close its doors. a victim of the pandemic. city leaders are hoping can be

saved. the streets of san francisco's china town went quiet before the first covid-19 shut down in march. >> we keep losing money day after day. >> reporter: bill lee said business never returned and he must close the far east cafe. as word spread that the restaurant known for big family banquets and private booths is closing 100 years after opening its doors concern is growing. >> a lot of people they really care about and a lot of phone calls and they feel sorry about that. and they are saying they can help. >> reporter: this week the san francisco board of supervisors introduced legislation that they hope will be a lifeline for the far east cafe and other struggling restaurants. hoping to secure $1.9 million to pay restaurants to feed people in need in the neighborhood. >> everybody recognizes it. i'm in banquet. all the families were here.

>> reporter: life long customer hopes it's not too late. >> a restaurant like this needs to be saved because it's kind of like history. history. standing history right here. >> yeah, it's hard time for me. >> reporter: for now he will close at the end of the month but plans to talk to investors about the city's plans. will it be enough to come back next year? >> we don't know yet. >> jean elle, "today in the bay." you know what they say, the show must go on. i know you heard that thousands of times about the theater, but what happens when the show can't. >> one local man turned his talents in the theater into a gift for students in this pandemic. garvin thomas shares his story in today's bay area proud. >> so much has changed these past nine months. it's always a bit of a shock to stumble across a spot where nothing has changed.

since march. >> well this is the set that has yet to be used. >> reporter: the stage at west valley college theater is one of those places. >> basically the show is about to start. >> reporter: the set that andrew designed and built back then still sits unacted upon. >> painted and ready for a show that never happened. >> reporter: it's been a trying time for all who work in the theater including andrew. he's a professional artist who taught in the past but not until he walked back stage at west valley five years ago did it all come together for him. >> i saw it was drawing and painting and engineering and irk withing with students and it was just perfect confluence of everything i like. >> reporter: but while time may have stood still in the theater, andrew has not in the theme shop. he's been making simple desks to be given free to remote learners and needing a space to learn. andrew got the idea after seeing a video of a father making desks

for his kids. >> as soon as i saw it, light bulb. this is something that i can do to tangibly help right away. >> you can set it right here. >> reporter: andrew got to work with donations from places like his local home depot and volunteers from the school and community. they have already constructed 80 desks with enough materials for 80 more. andrew has been delivering them to the campbell union school district who have had no problem finding takers among their students. >> we heard it makes a difference. the kids are able to focus. they're not working at a dining room table or kitchen table surrounded by family, dogs, distractions. they can find an area of their own and parents are saying it makes a difference. >> reporter: making a difference by making sure that in this theater, good things went on during the pandemic even if the show couldn't.

garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. >> what a cool gift. well, today is officially christmas eve but did you know it is also dr. anthony fauci's birthday. >> he's turning 80 today. you know what, an east bay city of lafayette giving him a unique gift. check it out. >> we know your birthday is approaching and it's on wikipedia so i believe it's public on the 24th. you'll be turning 80, congratulations. we would like to as just a very small town proclaim december 24th of 2020 dr. anthony fauci day. >> look at that. december 24th is now officially dr. anthony fauci day in lafayette. duri fauci praised the community for following the cdc guidelines and stressing the importance of continuing to wear the mask and staying home. he also talked about the hope that comes with the new vaccines and really encouraging people to get their shots as soon as they

can just like he did earlier this week. now to one hospital in louisiana doing something special for newborns celebrating their first christmas. this year the staff in alexandria dressed newborns as santa's little helpers. the babies were given red and white elf hats and nurses say they hope the lift the families of the people who couldn't bring their babies home for the holidays. >> that is so cute. >> so cute. >> celebrating christmas in style. >> yes. well, you know what, time to get a look at that forecast for you today on this christmas eve. kari, a lot of folks are like, santa's coming and i should probably go to sleep now. you used to think go to sleep early. >> not yet. that's not the way it works. that's not how any of this works. we're going to track santa in just a few seconds. i want to get you out the door for people who are working and getting a look at the commute and heading through dublin right now. we've been dealing with some patchy, dense fog at least right

here it's clear. look at how cold it is as kira was saying it may take a while for the heater to get going and as we start out with some 30s, we will also see more clouds but the current visibility pretty low especially with that fog that we've been talking about. in the central valley starting to make it through the mountain gaps and really coming through the delta and parts of the east bay and also into the north bay where fairfield visibility only at about 0.3 of a mile. allow some extra time to get to work this morning. we're also watching some clouds overhead surging up from the south and with the disturbance approaching southern california and it looks like a lot of the rain will stay to the south of us and we can't rule out a few spotty sprinkles with all of the clouds coming in. the main event, the christmas rain will be here and we're tracking that as we go into tomorrow starting out with some of the showers passing by and then there's another system right behind that. we are able to pull up that santa tracker.

i wanted to show what, where santa is now and what we're expecting as santa moves in. all right, so, here we go. we're taking a look around the world. i was just watching santa going through australia. so, right now continuing to deliver those gifts and almost a billion gifts already delivered. and i love how when you track it on noradsanta.org you can zoom in and see santa is wearing a mask. he is staying safe in these times. as we get a look at our forecast here as we go into today checking out san jose. once again, starting out cool with clouds and at time the sun will peek out and reaching into the upper 50s to low 60s for the south bay. and then cooling down quickly and then by the time santa starts to make its way into the bay area delivering those presents tonight, expect those temperatures in the lower 40s and we will see some clouds at times. but we are watching out for the rain that will be here tomorrow.

let's go through the timeline approaching the north bay by late tomorrow morning. most of the rain, though, covering and going into the afternoon and evening hours and going to be pretty widespread for several hours. but check out saturday. by the time we wake up and get ready to head out for the outdoor activities. at noon it is clearing out and cool and breezy in between these weather systems and we're looking at the potential of getting some much more rain for the north bay compared to the south bay. really not going to see that much in san jose. a few tenths of an inch possible and up to a half inch of rain for santa rosa and even more as you head farther to the north and for sierra snow it's also not looking as much as what we were expecting but we're going to see another system coming in that could bring us some additional rainfall here as we go into early next week. so, we'll be talking more about all of that as well as what is

ahead with the cool weather settling into the bay area. as we head over to you, mike. you're tracking the fog and the morning commute and it doesn't look like there are as many people out this morning. >> yeah, so, that could be a good thing but it may be tougher because you don't even have a lot of folks out there to do the reporting. right now reporting around the bay and fog is one factor. we did get an update on the crash and i've circled it though on the left side of the screen. south 880 as you're coming down towards hayward and a vehicle in the middle lane coming through hayward because of an earlier crash. we will track that. no slowing shows up right now but maybe a little blip and fog will slow you down coming down and two areas of concern and keeps those sensors at the limit and clear view at the bay bridge toll plaza where there is no backup and easy drive right now as we expect through christmas

eve. back to you. >> definitely, thanks, mike. when it comes to the covid vaccine mari vax marine county not just the heroic hospital workers their plan includes first responders, deputies and firefighters who put their lives at risk each day. >> as nbc bay area jodi hernandez shows us some of them, they already received the first shot. >> we're the first one that interact with individuals that have come down and contracted co virx oo vid. it can be pretty stressful. >> marin county among the first in the bay area to offer vaccinations to firefighters, sheriff deputies, police officers and others who answer the public's call for help every day. >> it's imperative that we get vaccinated as soon as we can because it provides that extra level of protection. not only for ourselves, our family and the community that we serve. >> the first responders and the

ambulance crews and hospital crews are out there every day putting their lives on the line. >> reporter: mark thome rolled up his sleeve and got his first dose of the pfizer vaccine. he says two-thirds of his department has done the same. >> been long awaited andiumer are just trying to do my part to be part of the solution to help control this pandemic. >> reporter: chp captain robert moda got his vaccination, too. he says chp officers haven't slowed down when it comes to keeping drivers safe on our highways. and is glad the vaccine is finally an option. >> we are absolutely in the front line and i'm glad that the vaccine is finally here and our folks are getting it. i'm one of the lucky ones who at the front here getting in the first few days. >> so far marin county has vaccinated several hundred first responders. they'll continue through the weekend hoping to protect as many of our protectors as possible. in marin county, i'm jodi

hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, jodi. happening now for you manager square in bethlehem festivities are mostly virtual this year and plan to go ahead with celebrations but reduced events. we'll be right back. we're the croods. -we are the bettermens. welcome to a better way to live. ♪ welcome to my house the croods are coming home. kinda big, isn't it? that's the mirror. -sorry. and the world will never be the same. what is this? uh, we call that a window. window. dun, dun, dun. make it a croods family movie night with "the croods: a new age". go to watchcroods.com.

right now at 6:00, it is christmas eve. we have a live look outside in san francisco. a cold, depending on where you are, clear morning. nice-looking san francisco at all the lights. let's get started with our third hour of "today in the bay" right now. good thursday morning to you, i'm kira klapper. laura garcia is enjoying some much deserved time off. >> i'm marcus washington. mike, an eye on that commute probably not a lot for you this morning but we'll get to in a sec. forecast gearing up for santa's big arrival tonight, kari. >> yeah, looking at nice weather for santa's arrival and little cool but nothing that santa can't handle. starting out with some clouds this morning and also getting ready for some rain that will be here tomorrow. we'll also have another round of