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

rain coming in late sunday into early monday morning. as we track those systems, we're also looking at partly cloudy skies for this afternoon. some peeks of sunshine and temperatures reaching into the low 60s in the south bay and upper 50s for napa and san francisco reaching 59 it greede. we'll talk about the timeline of the rain and what's ahead in the forecast. that's coming up in a few minutes. mike, we're dealing with fog this morning. is that impacting the commute right now? >> i care more about the commute with santa and the fog. the drivers it is affecting folks. as we look at the bay bridge toll plaza. not affecting this. nothing is affecting the bay bridge toll plaza and few more cars getting through the area without delay. the crash at ashby cleared from the east shore freeway and the fog talking about up there and getting over towards rio vista and that stretches down towards contra costa county and brentwood getting over at vasco

and crash hayward and looking for an update from chp. we begin in san francisco with claims the city's stay-at-home order is working and saving hundreds of lives. >> "today in the bay" cierra johnson is live in the city this morning and this is important because of a lot of people out there were questioning whether stay-at-home measures were working. >> yes, good morning, guys. a lot of families, myself included had to make that tough decision on whether or not to stay or toance ca anccancel tho but for those who decided to cancel their plans and visit their relatives and live or work in san francisco, the city's top doctor is saying your decision actually helping to save lives. now, according to that doctor, dr. grant colfax an estimated 330 lives have been saved by this latest stay-at-home order. although the number of cases in the city is still rising with an

average of 275 cases a day, some of the statistics have shown improvement. dr. colfax explained on december 6th when that stay-at-home order went into effect the reproductive rate of the virus or how many people one sick person infects was around 1.45. as of december 20th, that rate was around 1.24. that means one person is infecting fewer people. san francisco department of emergency credits limiting mobility wearing a mask and practicing social distancing for the decrease in that number. >> we are saving lives and we can still do more. think about that as you make decisions over the next two weeks. >> and another positive outcome of that shelter-at-home order is the rate at which the virus is spreading. two weeks ago the cases were growing by about 8% each day. that rate has slowed to about 2% each day. we're seeing a lot of really

positive outcomes because of this. but it's not a time to let up on those safety protocols following the hygiene washing your hands and wearing a mask because as you know usually a surge after the holidays. so you individually do what you can to protect yourself and those around you. live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> good advice. two million cases and counting. california passed that threshold last night and continues to add more cases than any state in the country. averaging more than 40,000 per day over the past week. now, this has led to a dire warning from bay area health leaders. they say the next two days very critical with holiday gatherings 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. >> you saw there santa clara

county's top dr. sara cody along with other leaders are pleading with people to stay home. cancel their travel plans and family gatherings. as cases mount, there are now two vaccines in circulation. that's the light at the end of the tunnel. both involve a first shot and then a second shot a few weeks later but raising all sorts of questions about possible confusion. when people should go back to receive their second dose. "today in the bay" sergio quintanga explains. >> reporter: protecting its high support staff and 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 prepare to receive their second shot in the coming weeks. >> we expect the first, the first group of people requiring a second dose by january, i think january 14th.

>> reporter: gina is one of ucsf's lead coordinators of its vaccination program. each person who gets the pfizerer vaccine will have to return 21 days later for the second shot. those getting the moderna shot will have 28 days and the shots are not interchangeable if you got pfizer for the fist and you'll get pfizer for the second. same goes for the moderna shot. ucsf pran plans on expanding t program in january and they'll vaccinate about 600 people a day as long as the doses keep arrivi arriving. >> i think what i've seen even just the past couple days a little more advance notice of when we'll get doses and how much. i think that the distribution channels and that the people who are doing the distribution are also getting ices. >> reporter: medical centers across the bay area are also fine tuning systems to begin vaccinating the public. at ucsf they have already been 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 getting the vaccine to take at least half an hour and most likely longer. that's 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. 6:07 for you this morning and president trump is at his mar-a-lago retreat in florida. this is where he'll be through at least the new year. last night left washington with a lot of unfinished business and as chris pollone reports from washington, he did not leave before granting more presidential pardon. >> reporter: on his way out of washington for christmas, president trump handed out more gifts to friends and loyalists convicted of federal crimes. issuing pardons to son-in-law jared kushner's father charles and key figures convicted in the russia investigation. roger stone and former campaign

chairman paul manafort. >> these are the 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. leaves behind a capital in chaos after claiming the covid relief bill and calling for bigger stimulus checks and veto the military budget for the upcoming year. override a trump veto for the first time ever next week. >> we're going to move to override that and attempt to get legislation out of the house that will 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 workers like bartender nick in limbo.

>> all of my savings is gone. >> reporter: a covid relief bill now in question. 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 6:09 on this christmas eve. and a live look outside for you in fremont. good amount of cars on the road. kind of surprises me how many people are out there working with me on this christmas eve morning and it is chilly out there. luckily it will be dry today and another good day to head out and finish your christmas shopping, marcus. i don't want to put you on the spot, but i'm going to put you on the spot. do you have any gifts to buy today and who are they for? >> no, i don't have any gifts. >> you're all done. i don't know if i'm all done, but i don't have any gifts to buy. >> i'm not sure what that means. >> gifts will be given. that's all i am going to say. all right. you know what, the gift we give to you every morning, courtesy

of meteorologist kari hall. what you can expect today and, kari, what do we have in our package today. >> we have a lot of those essential workers already hitting the roads this morning and having to deal with the fog. visibility has been really low. moving through fairfield just a quarter of a mile but else where it'sic looi ilooking pretty cle. foggy mornings from the past few days and that continues through the east bay and north bay. but we're also seeing the clouds moving in from the south as the storm system approaches southern california. could bring in some spotty sprinkles along the coastline and for the most part we're looking at early clouds. now, the main event will be our rain set to move in for tomorrow afternoon. we will also have another system right behind that that will come in on sunday night into monday morning. so, it looks pretty busy here as we go into the next week with some more rain. let's get a look at our san jose forecast because with the clouds, it's also very cold here in the upper 30s to start out

this morning but it's going to be a nice day and make some plans to get outside because we do have cooler, as well as some wetter weather heading our way. but between 1:00 and 4:00 this afternoon, we're seeing temperatures in the south bay in the lower 60s. so, we'll get a look at the timeline of the rain and how much you can expect where you live. that's coming up in a few minutes. mike, we've been tracking the fog and also for people heading out the door, having to deal with that. >> not just fog, kari, but i heard about another potential problem and some debris in the south bay. i'll let chp sort it out. speed sensors on the map show us a nice drive through silkiconic valley and on the east bay we're tracking the crash i circled and hayward south 880 just past 238 and crash activity still there but no slowing. we'll keep following that. shifting over to the right, guys. we're looking at the fog and

alameda county 580 and look vasco road, as well. contra costa county could be a factor. back to you. >> love all that green, mike, thanks. coming up next, a touching story on this christmas eve morning what this woman did and ended up with hundreds of letters to santa and what those letters are telling us about what our kids are thinking during this holiday season. it's 6:12. you're watching "today in the bay."

6:14 for you this morning. markets are set to open in about 20 minutes. >> we want to turn to your business and tech headlines with cnbc's dom chu. >> wall street is set to open higher this morning on the final day of the holiday shortened week. investors may be reacting to reports of a 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 lose higher direct payments to americans as part of the stimulus package that was just passed by congress and a reminder the markets close early today, 1:00 p.m. eastern time. well, it's not just the play station 5 that is in 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, according to tracking firm in market. sales jumped nearly 50% last weekend as deadlines for free shipping with guaranteed delivery by christmas did expire. but 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 bundled that is mart of broader

business apps such as office 365 and google work space. with your cnbc morning business reporting, i'm dominic chu. we want to tell you about one woman who has unexpectedly become santa's special helper and she's taking the job seriously answering letters to santa that ended up in her mailbox. >> big task there. since thanksgiving more than 300 letters to the north pole have pin mailed to her small town in colorado. katie eastman has more on how this woman is helping out by answering 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 that the answers to these important questions can be found by putting a letter in a mailbox of spruce road in evergreen,

colorado. >> when we moved up here they had a mailbox that had a lock on it and we're like this is a pain. we don't want to use that. >> reporter: but whitney soon saw the magic in the mailbox. >> right to the north pole. >> reporter: 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 that he wrote back. >> obviously, they do eat magical candy canes every now and then but eat mostly reindeer food like oats two times a day. >> he asked for a safe because his sister keeps stealing his money. >> reporter: how much santa is needed this money. >> i want my family to hang out and have a good time together without fighting. >> reporter: hazel wants help being good because she doesn't like her teacher and jackson wishes 2020 would stop.

>> their grandmother passed away from covid this past year and they're very close with her. i even had a mom who wrote me a letter because she's having a rough letter. her dad has pretty bad cancer and so she hasn't been able to be around him because of covid. >> reporter: santa's responses are all personal. he asked hazel to find things in common with her teacher and told jackson it was okay to still talk to his grandmother even though she's gone. the parents often reach out with notes of their own. >> about as close to real magic as you can get and you'll forever be dear to my heart for that. you never know when something so small could mean something so big and this was huge. >> reporter: magic made on weekends in evergreen. >> just a little bit today. >> that's a big heart. that is truly a big heart. all right, look, the three of you have kids, so, what about the santa writing days, are they over or just started? >> i'll take it first, our days

just started. my older son of my two sons is 4. and i feel like this is the first year he really like gets it. he's really excited about christmas and thanks to all of you for letting meet get off work early tomorrow so i can get home in time for santa's presents. but he doesn't fully get the whole wish for world peace thing. right now he's wishing for shoes that light up. that's what he wants. >> and your kids are aittle bit older, mike. >> yeah, my kids are teens and betwe tweens and understand the spirit of christmas and the good hearted part of them they want their grandparent to be healthy and happy this year, especially during covid. very concerned for them and also a punching bag and a ps5. the ps5 we're going to need more help than santa claus. >> you'll need a miracle for that one. >> and, kari, your little ones.

have they started yet? >> we haven't written any letters but they've told me what they want santa to bring them and, of course, it's like cars and trucks and stuff like that. so, hopefully santa delivers tonight. >> all right. well, we have a request anyway. >> marcus, do you, what do you want? >> what do i want? let's get kari's forecast. >> so, you want rain. all right. we've got that for you. i wanted to dip in on norad santa and we've been tracking santa this morning and you can do so this morning, too. go to noradsanta.org. i was watching a few minutes ago when santa was in japan and you can do this at home with the kids after writing a letter.

let's see what's going on as we check out our forecast for tonight we're going to have some great weather for santa. still some clouds but at least no rain and temperatures will be in the low 40s pie the tiby the gets to the bay area later on this evening. rain starts tomorrow in the north bay and scattered showers by late tomorrow morning and first in the north bay and the north bay is where we will see some of the heavier rainfall, especially as it becomes more widespread for tomorrow afternoon. notice the yellows and the oranges there indicating heavier rain and, so by the time it moves into the rest of the bay area, the rain is kind of falling apart. some of us will be waiting and really not seeing that much especially for parts of the south bay by saturday, most of the rain is out of here. you can make plans to get outside on saturday afternoon. it will be cool and breezy, but at least it will be sunny and our rainfall totals in all with a couple of weather systems coming in for the next week, it does show about a half inch of rain for parts of the north bay, maybe even a little bit more and

then with the next storm system coming in, it will continue to add on to those rainfall totals. so, possibly up to a three tenths of an inch of rain. busy weather pattern especially starting tomorrow into sunday and then again on monday night into tuesday. so, we'll be watching that and, mike, what are you watching right now for the commute? >> well, kari, something on the roadway but it's not a gift. it's a bunch of screws and someone reported they dropped a bunch box of screws on the freeway north 85 towards camden. note for folks traveling through the area and no word of any flat tires. that's good news. traffic flows nicely and circled hayward where that crash has been cleared from 880 and right in the middle of the freeway for a short time. green sensors all around the bay, the bay bridge toll plaza and green, go, go, go at the speed limit. back to you. >> thanks, mike. 6:23 for you this morning. next here on "today in the bay" santa special message for everyone on this christmas eve.

>> 6:23. you're watching "today in the bay."

great day on the lake! it is. lunch is cookin'! and i saved a bunch of money on my boat insurance with geico. fellas, can it get any better than this? whoa! my old hairstyle grew back. so did mine. [80's music] what? i was an 80's kid. it only gets better when you switch and save with geico.

good morning and look at this. we are tracking santa live. he is over south korea and for all those good boys and girls out there, he will be to us in just a little less than 18 hours. so hold tight. >> hold tight and close my eyes. when i wake up, santa will return. >> i know you've been a good

boy, marcus. you know, santa, you know what, he's already on his way trekking around the globe right now. he wants everyone to know that he knows this holiday season will look a little different because of the pandemic. >> typically santa is too busy on christmas eve to stop and address children everywhere, but this year he's going out of his way to deliver this special message for parents and children who had hopes of spending this holiday season with loved ones. >> really different and difficult times. the christmas season will hopefully bring us little rel f relief. >> santa claus went on to say stay safe, stay healthy and keep connected with each other. >> i love that. all right, 6:27 this morning. coming up nextt for you. the top stories we're following today, including a south bay church that has racked up hundreds of thousands of fines to define the order. what the plans are for christmas eve. a live look for you at the golden gate bridge this morning.

quite a few people on the roads and still ahead what the latest data is telling us about christmas travel. kari has your christmas eve and christmas day forecast coming up next. you're watching "today in the bay."

right now at 6:30 it's christmas eve, everyone. take a live look outside and you can see there, that is obstructing your view of santa. okay, no, a little too early for that. but anyway a foggy start in some parts of the bay area this morning. we'll get to that in just a

second. i want to say good morning to you. thank you for making you a part of our morning. marcus washington. >> i'm kira klapper in for laura garcia. might i say that marcus might be more excited for santa's arrival than any of us here. >> i'm the biggest kid out of the four of us. >> it is adorable. we're going to check in on the roadways and then maybe the skyways for santa with mike in just a minute, but first we'll check in with meteorologist kari hall as you head out on this christmas eve. hey, kari. >> it's hard to see in some of these spots for people heading out this morning and heading to work. low visibility coming through fairfield and other parts of the delta where we are tracking some fog for you this morning. but else where it is mostly clear in san francisco. we also have a storm system rolling up from the south and it could bring in some spotty light rain but for the most part just a lot of clouds to start out our thursday morning, but we are tracking a couple storm systems. the next one coming in tomorrow

and then another one right behind that set to arrive in the bay area sunday night and monday. we'll talk about the timeline of the rain and how much rain we may see out of all three of these systems moving through. that's coming up in just a few minutes. mike, the fog right now an issue and it hasn't caused any problems for the commute. >> hasn't caused any problems, but it is moving around. we'll show that in a second, kari. live look at the bay bridge toll plaza shows why green sensors around the bay because light traffic flow around the bay. very light. obviously, christmas eve tend to be that way. as we look at the map, the fog is registering in the upper right corner and creeping over towards the carquinez and dum barton bridge and be careful if you hit fog, keep your lights on. they're standard beams or keep your reindeer on rudolph the rest of the roadways green and back to you, marcus. >> thanks, mike. well, you know what, on tuesday this week another 361

people died from coronavirus here in california. that's the second most deaths ever in a single day in the golden state. governor newsom stressing that the next two days are critical. this is important to really follow those rules and keep safe. >> one bay area church continues to ignore public health orders even in the face of mounting fines. tom g thom jensen is live at calvary church and it sounds like it will happen there tonight. >> the church told nbc bay area last night that they did plan to go forward with their church service or christmas eve service. they say that their faith will protect them and that they have every right under federal law to hold their church services where and when they choose. county health officials, though, have pleaded with the church to

cancel the madue to the packed icus. they're asking people to have faith in the protocols that work for a few more months while vaccines are rolled out. they're afraid an event like this could become a major superspreader eer and kill a l people. >> covid is a silent killer. silent chains of transmission until someone is severely ill and requires hospitalization and dies. >> the church has already been fined at least tens of thousands of dollars and lost multiple court challenges, but it won't cancel the indoor masses, it says. county health officials begging them to stop and the church confirmed with nbc bay area yesterday that it will run the holiday service tonight. the county has already confirmed that it has identified other businesses that are openly de defying the health restrictions. they say they will take action but this in particular is a

major concern with a number of people that you could get into a church and the types of infection numbers that could cause going forward in 2021. we're live in san jose, thom jensen, "today in the bay." >> thank you. let's take a live look for you this morning. this is where last-minute holiday travelers will still be on the go. this is sfo. because of the pandemic, those numbers are down dramatically. holiday travel is off by almost 80% at sfo and then over in oakland, it's down about 70% and then close to 90% down in san jose. now, everyone is being warned to stay home if possible and many travelers we spoke with said they're willing to take that risk just 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 masks and all arriving passengers are supposed to be warned ahead of time about that ten-day quarantine policy in san

francisco and santa clara counties. despite the pandemic, shopping lists need to be checked and completed. we saw the last-minute shopping rush at great maul in mill in m. the gift giving goes on. and christmas eve is officially crunchtime for delivery drivers and workers who are trying to get your packages delivered to you on time. the pandemic, though, has put a new sense of urgency on their timeline. "today in the bay" pete suratos reports. >> reporter: holiday shipping increased this year for a variety of reasons and why shipping companies are doing their best to accommodate that 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 felt 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 through the first quarter. >> reporter: on track along with u.p.s., fedex and the postal service will need every available worker to meet demand. a usps spokesperson tells me they've been slammed with record setting volume, especially with fedex and u.p.s. concentrating on delivering vaccines. and speaking of fedex, a spokesperson also tells me they expect record-breaking shipping volumes projecting 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 a lot busier. expect them to 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. >> so you're able to avoid -- >> i was finished. totally finished. >> reporter: pete suratos, "today in the bay." now to some news about getting to angel island. the blue and gold fleet ferry has filed a request with the california public utility commission to stop service to the island. the ferry operator says the route is no longer profitable because of the pandemic. if the puc allows the service to be cut the only remaining ferry option from tibron. >> half of the people who visit angel island board a ferry from san francisco and without 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 a petition urging the puc not to cut that service. a new face at the 49ers practice field in glendale,

arizona. josh rosen who they signed from tampa's practice squad. he will be wearing the number 2 and will be the backup for c.j. beathard. jimmy garoppolo practice yesterday and may be healthy enough to return to the final game for the seattle seahawk. one of the hottest names in college football staying in the south bay. head coach brent brennan signed a contract extension with san jose state. the terms of the new agreement have not been made public and validation that that program is going in the right direction on and off the field. >> very deserving. it is 6:39. coming up on "today in the bay." breaking news out of washington. up next, the action house republicans just took on president trump's push to give each american a $2,000 check. and one restaurant in san francisco's chinatown should be celebrating 100 years this holiday season but, instead, closing for good. just ahead for you, we'll talk about the new push to stop more

small businesses from suffering the same fate.

right now at 6:42, let's head to the trivalley for people who are working on this christmas eve. dealing with some fog in spots but at least it's clear through dublin as our morning starts. it's cold and we're going to have sunshine and warming temperatures today. we'll talk about the rain set to move in tomorrow with the timeline coming up in a few minutes.

and tracking this live look at san mateo bridge. taillights going westbound mid span where these taillights are headed and disabled vehicle or some sort of hazard on the high rise. we're watching this live shot. chp report and sensors and give you the comprised report coming up. >> mike and kari, thanks. breaking news out of washington and something that will impact everyone who has taken a financial hit because of the pandemic. house republicans just this morning blocked an attempt from house democrats to pass $2,000 direct payments to americans. this as the coronavirus relief package hangs in the balance. the democrats move to increase the size of the checks after president donald trump threatened on tuesday to oppose a more than $2 trillion pandemic aid and federal funding bill because it only sent $600 to americans rather than $2,000 deposits. this proposal which congress

passed monday after the president took no role in the seven-month-long talks in which lawmakers crafted it included a $900 billion amount in coronavirus relief. democrats will try again with a roll call vote on a new bill on monday after the christmas holiday. back here locally, a landmark restaurant in san francisco's china town is closing its doors after 100 years in business. the owner says he can no longer continue to lose money during the covid shut down. >> "today in the bay" jean elle explains city leaders are stepping in to do whatever they can to save it. >> reporter: far east cafe planned to celebrate its 100-year anniversary with a big celebration 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 says 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 the value and a lot of phone call and they feel sorry about that. they say they can help. >> reporter: this week the san francisco board of supervisors introduced legislation they hope will be a lifeline for the far east cafe and other struggling restaurants in china town. they're hoping to secure $1.9 million to pay restaurants to feed people in need in the neighborhood. >> everybody recognizes it. i'm in banquets. 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.

>> yeah, it's a hard time for me. >> reporter: lee says for now he will close at the end of the month, but plans to talk to investors about the city's plan. does he think it's enough to come back next year? >> we don't know yet. >> reporter: jean elle, "today in the bay." >> hopefully relief is found there. it is 6:46 for you this morning. you've heard it, the show must go on. probably heard it 1,000 times when it comes to theater, but what happens when the show can't. >> for one local man he's making sure his creative talents are being put to good use and to helping kids in need during the 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 a 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. >> they saw if was drawing and papt painting and engineering and working with students and just this perfect confluence of everything i like. >> reporter: but while time may have stood still in the theater, andrew has not in the shop. he has been making simple desks to be given free to remote learners 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. >> reporter: andrew has been delivering them to the campbell union school district who had no problem finding takers among their students. >> we found it makes a difference the kids are able to focus. they're not working at the dining table or kitchen table and destroyed by noise and distraction and they can find an area of their own and parents are saying it makes a differe e difference. >> reporter: making a difference by making sure that in this theater good things went on during the pandemic a, even if e show couldn't. garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. a hospital in louisiana is

doing something really special for newborns born in time to celebrate their first christmas. this year the staff is dressing up newborns as santa's little helpers with those tiny red and white stripe elf hats you see there. nurses say they hope that the hats lift the spirits of the families who couldn't bring their little babies home for the holidays. >> and they look so cute in little hats, too. >> so cute. kari, doesn't it make you want another baby. it makes me want another baby. but i'm not having another baby. >> no. babies are cute. so, i'll come by and babysit for you and then come on back home. >> you crack me up. all right. take it away. >> yeah, we're starting out with some cold temperatures as we take a live look outside in san jose and 40 degrees as you get ready to head out the door and

we will get peeks of sunshine for today as those temperatures continue to warm up. we're heading into the low 60s for today. which is actually a little bit warmer than normal out ahead of this rain that we're getting for tomorrow and then napa will reach up to 58 degrees and we'll see upper 50s in livermore and along the coastline, half moon bay reaching 59 degrees and tonight in time for santa to deliver those presents, there will be some clouds overhead but we're staying dry and our temperatures will be cool mostly in the low 40s so, it's going to be pretty nice for that delivery and then we're getting ready for the rain. so, let's talk about the timeline. it's partly to mostly cloudy today and then going into tomorrow we stop it at 11:30 in the morning because the rain starts to move into the north bay even though there may be some spotty showers out ahead of that but some of the heavier rain makes it into the north bay first. and then it really just weakens as it continues to approach parts of the east bay and south bay. so we are looking at some higher rainfall totals in the north bay and then it starts to wind down

heading into late friday night into early saturday morning. saturday at noon, it's looking pretty much all clear so you could make some plans to get outside. and our rainfall totals mostly will be about a tenth of an inch with this initial round of rain and then with the next round coming in on sunday into monday adds up more of the rainfall totals and we could still have more wet weather heading into next week and potential of half an inch of rain here and up to 11 inches of snow in the sierra. doesn't look as hefty as it did with the original runs of the computer models, but the system does look like it won't get that deep subtropical moisture. so the rainfall and snowfall totals will be lighter for us. but through the forecast, it will be cool and we do have some chilly weather. heading into next week as we get more of those storm systems passing by every couple of days. and, mike, this morning the main issue for the commute has been the fog. >> and that's kind of still the

main issue. although look at the san mateo bridge. we're tracking reports of a hazard of some sort westbound away from us at the high rise. that was a big concern and the traffic flows nicely now for the live look. you see the taillights and also notice all the space between the cars. you notice the headlights still coming towards us. look at the map no slowing on the sensors either and the bridge crew has been deployed and they will make quick work of what they find on the span. i'll sendi you a tweet. neither the rest of the bay, look at the fog that registers over to the altamont pass and discovery bay. a disabled vehicle or a crash but it's off the freeway and more fog for solano county. back to you. >> thanks, mike. happening now, manger square in bethlehem.

plan to go ahead with in-person celebration but fewer events. next, marcus, a quick look at our top stories including bay area hospitals already pushed to the brink hoping people heed advice of health leaders and stay home this christmas. up next, a live report from one bay area city where the surge in covid cases may actually be turning around for the better. you're watching "today in the bay."

welcome back. here's a quick look at the top stories we're following. >> "today in the bay" cierra johnson is live where health leaders are talking aboutthe lives saved because of the people who listened to the latest stay-at-home order. >> yes, good morning. many families had to make that tough decision on whether to stay or actually travel this holiday season but local leaders are saying if you're one of the ones who stayed and you also work or live in the city or county of san francisco, you may have helped save lives. according to the city's top doctor, dr. grant colfax an

estimated 330 lives have been saved by the latest stay-at-home order. although the number of cases continue to rise in the city with an average of 275 cases a day. some statistics have shown improvement. dr. colfax explains december 6th when that order went into effect, the reproductive rate of the virus or how many sick people one person infects was 1.5. as of december 20th thaterate was around 1.24. that means one infected person is infecting fewer people. some other good news, the infection rate is slowing down at 1.2 weeks ago 8% per day and that has slowed to just 2% each day and as you listen to the successes of that stay-at-home order, it is important to do what you can to help slow the spread. stay at home if you can, stick to your bubble, wear your mask and continue to wash your hands so we can have a safe holiday and post-holiday celebration. we're live in the city, cierra johnson for "today in the bay."

even when we're not on air we're updating pandemic coverage constantly. head to our website to find updates on vaccine and testing. go to nbcbayarea.com. santa elves don't always show their faces. one anonymous donor made the davis street gift basket give away in san leandro this year. each basket included a $100 bill and all the ingredients for a holiday meal along with gift cards for the children. handed out baskets to 1,000 families in need. >> that's beautiful. now to a holiday contest among san francisco fire stations. it's back bringing some much-needed holiday cheer. fire crews at 17 stations, look at that, decorated their fire houses reviving an old tradition that hasn't happened since 1950. it featured dry ice turned into small mounds of snow in front of the light covered station.

mayor london breed applauded the effort by all 17 fire stations and she wants the contest to come back next year. i think we can all agree on that one. we're going to head outside before we let you go for your morning. taking a live look outside as the sky's open up and the sun is trying to break through those clouds on this christmas eve morning. chilly out there. let's check in with meteorologist kari hall before we head off for the day. >> we are starting out with some clouds. there will be some breaks and some sunshine, too. temperatures reaching into the low 60s. we'll be tracking that rain moving in tomorrow. first to the north bay during the morning and the rest of the bay area getting it during the afternoon. so, keep checking back in for updates. mike, what's the update on the morning commute? >> well, top of the screen you see some of that fog. the low clouds in the distance for 580 and altamont pass and look how easy the traffic flow is at the bottom and the bay bridge toll plaza if you couldn't tell from the earlier

shot, you can tell from this shot how light traffic is and no metering lights and no wait. >> that's a beautiful look, mike. thanks to all of you for making us a part of your christmas eve morning. we hope you have a great day. >> we're tracking santa over china. go to bed early tonight, kids. "today" show is next. good morning all the president's men. president trump issuing pardons overnight to some of his closest allies, including his former campaign manager paul manafort, controversial adviser roger stone, even the father of his son-in-law jared kushner this morning, the swift reaction, including one publican senator who is calling it rotten to the core. chaos and confusion. new fallout this morning after the president hinted he might veto the covid relief package, leaving the $600 checks in limbo, and making a government shutdown a real possibility. >> i wouldn't recommend to the president he veto this >> so where does it go from