♪ amazing grace ♪ >> my friend lost his life because of a gun because of a person's mental health. >> right now at 6:00, heartbreak and grief in the face of unforgettable terror. overnight an emotional community gathering as family and friends of the nine san jose rail yard shooting victims came together to reflect on the lives lost. >> families of the victims trying to embrace their new reality, never seeing their loved ones again. ahead new stories we're learning about the men who died and why they will not be forgotten.

>> also some eerie new video showing the gunman prowling the grounds during the rampage. the new clues about a possible motive for the attack as the third hour of "today in the bay" continues right now. we know it's been a long week for many of you. thank you for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. well, that healing is only starting to begin, and vigils can be a powerful way for those mourners to realize they are not alone. >> kris sanchez is live outside san jose city hall where there's a growing tribute to all of the victims. kris? >> reporter: good morning to you. just in the last couple of minutes we saw a vta bus stop alongside san jose city hall plaza where we are this morning. the bus driver got out and came and spent a few minutes thinking about the vta nine who are now no longer with us. and now their photos are here. they are surrounded by candles and by flowers. and we have some of the stories that their families were

generous enough to share with us last night. san jose city hall was a sea of people as people were trying to show their support for the families and show them they are not alone in this. you may have ridden on their buses or light rail trains years ago or been on ones that they worked on to keep running smoothly in their years and decades of service, these nine men. many of the families talked about how their loved ones loved their jobs. all of them spoke of how much they loved their families. the same family talked about how taptejdeep singh called others to warn them and now he won't be around for his own children. >> my nephew and my niece, they're not going to have a father. they're 3 and 1. matter how mucs about fathers were the hardest ones to hear.

the families also talked about not knowing how to process what happened on wednesday. we are sharing their stories throughout the day and on nbcbayarea.com. in these situations you hear about casualties and fatalities. but at the end of the day they are people and people that live in our community. if you have been moved to help, we do have resources for you on our website, nbcbayarea.com. kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> it was beautiful to see how many people showed up to show their support to those family members saying you are not alone. thank you, kris. >> our hearts really, they ache with them as well. we spoke to the father of jose hernandez. he says he's still in shock but he wanted to talk about his son, whose life ended much too soon. >> what i'm going to miss the e or his car when he was stopping by. >> apparently the 35-year-old

worked for the vta since 2012. his father said he had many friends and was always quick to lend a hand to those in need. >> away from that large vigil at city hall, the friends of adrian balleza held a smaller vigil at yerba buena high school. adrian always seemed to be smiling or making everyone else smile. his former history teacher said those good-natured classroom labs made adrian a standout. years later she bumped into him and his wife. >> i knew exactly who he was. i knew his first and last name. after 19 years of teaching, 150 kids every year, it's hard to remember faces and names, but he was unforgettable. >> the laughs and fond memories helping them deal with that pain but they say it does not mask-y rudometkin was a childhood friend of san jose city council

member raul perales. he worked with the vta since 2013 and was a graduate of mission college's apprenticeship program. 63-year-old abdolvahab alaghmandan worked as a substation maintainer. 63-year-old lars lane worked for the vta since 2001 as an electromechanic and overheadline worker. 49-year-old alex fritch died at the hospital late wednesday night. he was a substation maintainer. well, the investigation is continuing now into this horrific act. chilling new video shows the gunman walking methodically between two buildings where he gunned down his co-workers. investigators are still at the yard. they're collecting evidence. nbc bay area has learned that he was going to be subjected to a disciplinary hearing scheduled for the day of the attack. >> bob redell is live outside of the scene of the shooting at san

jose. bob, do they know why that hearing was scheduled? have they released that information? >> reporter: we've got a sense. law enforcement sources tell our investigative unit that the man, the vta employee who shot and killed nine of his co-workers at the facility behind me was under investigation for allegedly making racist remarks to his co-workers. on wednesday, the day of the shooting, he was scheduled to attend what's called a skelly hearing. in that hearing he could have been disciplined or even fired from his job. sources also tell us that in recent weeks the suspect bragged about having guns and explosives. now, the sheriff's office describes him as, quote, a highly disgruntled vta employee for many years, unquote. yesterday law enforcement released new surveillance video from the vta maintenance yard that shows the suspect. you can see him with a black duffel bag walking from the right to left side of your top screenond building

where he would shoot more. sources tell to room, shooting range more than three dozen times. >> i don't think he was specifically targeting. there was someone there that was not an employee, and he said to him "i'm not going to shoot you" and then he shot others. i don't know if he was going for specific people or just shooting who was there that are employees. >> reporter: investigators have recovered three semiautomatic handguns plus 32 extra clips with additional ammunition at the suspect's home about eight miles south of here in south san jose investigators removed at least nine gas cans that the suspect might have used to set his house on fire wednesday morning. the fbi says that fire destroyed a lot of evidence, possibly including cell phones and hard drives that could have helped

them in their investigation. reporting live here in downtown san jose, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> bob, thank you. for the first time vta employees were allowed back into the yard to get their cars and belongings. one man told us that one of the victims saved his life. he was in building b at the vta yard when his phone rang. he said it was his co-worker, taptejdeep singh telling him to get everyone out because there was a shooter in the other building. minutes later taptejdeep was killed. >> i would say he saved our life. i'm sure he was calling others. >> he says singh's call saved several employees. if you'd like to help the victims' families, you can donate to a fund that's been set up by the south if you'd like to know more post more information on our website. our team will continue to update

the gallery as well. just head to nbcbayarea.com. so much loss for this community. in the meantime i want to check in with mike inouye. vta light rail service is still being impacted this morning as well. >> that's right. obviously we're talking about the human impact, which is a huge factor here. but on the practical note for the vta lines, you will have delays. i also have in the orange section there, we have a number for you to call if you have any questions. the bus bridge is providing as much coverage as they can for the entire light rail service right now which is offline until further notice. meanwhile the roadways on those freeways are running smoothly through the south bay and peninsula without any delay. i'll take you over to the tri-valley where we had the earlier car fire that has cleared without that fire spreading. in fact the clearing that happened on a friday, light traffic flow just as you're approaching little valley road. no major issues or surprises any time. same thing for 880 south going through union city. a little slowing where we see

much more monday through thursday. contra costa county looks great. at the golden gate bridge traffic looks smoothly just below those low clouds. kari, i am not a meteorologist but my assessment of this situation is it looks pleasant. that's all i can say. >> yeah, it's so may. we are going to see some more of that coastal fog and that's what's helping to keep our temperatures nice and cool. very pleasant today as well as tomorrow, but then on sunday that's when those temperatures start to heat up ahead of the holiday and we are going to see a lot of changes ahead temperaturewise. but for today just relax and enjoy. we still keep that ocean breeze is that makes it over toward oakland. if you're going to the a's game this evening, look at how cool it's going to be. make sure you're wearing something nice and warm. with the breeze it only will reach into the mid-60s. we have some 70s for the south

bay. upper 70s for antioch and low 80s for much of the north bay. we're going to talk about that warmup for memorial day as well as the drought and our fire danger. that's coming up in a few minutes, laura and marcus. >> all right, thanks so much, kari. 6:10 right now, pardon me. just ahead our coverage continues on the vta rail yard mass shooting. of course the rail yard still closed. we'll get an update on that and the status for light rail service. mike is keeping tabs on that as he has just mentioned. we've got some good news for you this morning. how about this, you can actually win some big money if you get your vaccinated. oh, yes. next on "today in the bay" we'll tell you about the new multimillion dollar incentive from governor newsom and youp for you.

right now at 6:14, let's get a look at our live view as we check out dublin and the morning commute coming through the tri-valley. it's all clear, temperatures are cool, and we're headed for a really nice day as our temperatures stay fairly mild, even in the valleys, but some big changes ahead in temperatures. more on that coming up in a few minutes. >> that is a clear drive as well, kari. over here it's a clear drive but a little hazy view westbound on the right side traffic flows

smoothing but there's a little slowing around the toll plaza. the volume is building a bit off the nimitz. we'll show you how this friday commute is shaping up coming up. it is quickly approaching 6:15. here is the latest developments in the vta rail yard mass shooting. a source is now telling nbc bay area the gunman was set to have a disciplinary hearing the day he opened fire, sadly killing nine co-workers before taking his own life. authorities so far not speculating about a motive. the rail yard has been closed with light rail service suspended ever since wednesday morning's rampage. there's still no timetable for its reopening. hundreds gathered for a vigil last night at san jose city hall to remember the friends and loved ones they lost. california hoping some good cold, hard cash will entice more people to get vaccinated. yesterday governor newsom announced the multimillion dollar incentive program aimed at getting more people to roll up their sleeves for the vaccine. the next 2 million californians to get their shots will get $50

gift cards. then on the first two fridays in june, ten people will be picked to split a $15 million jackpot. 30 others will each win $50,000. >> these are an opportunity to say thank you to those not only seeking to get vaccinated as we move forward but also those that have been vaccinated. >> so listen, if you have been vaccinated, don't worry. you're already entered in to win some of that money. if a winner is underage, that money will be put into a savings account until they turn 18. another promising sign when it comes to the bay area recovery, salesforce ceo marc benioff says that san francisco's largest convention will return to an in-person conference this year. right now attendance is capped at 5,000 with those vaccinations mandatory. in the past dream force has drawn in crowds surpassing

150,000. the limits could still change if health restrictions are loosened. >> that could really help the san francisco economy as well. happening today, the mass vaccination site at moscone center is shutting down after the last second dose appointments. more than 300,000 doses have been administered there over the past three months. things are slowly changing and getting back to normal. all right, weather and traffic together. let's take a live look outside. oh, yeah, that little haze that we see starting our bay area morning. still a nice look out at san francisco. and we're approaching what could be a longer weekend for many folks. of course they want to know that forecast, kari. >> yeah, i can see that may gray over san francisco. but for the inland areas, it's all been about how dry it is. the big update yesterday morning was the expansion of the area in the exceptional drought, the

highest level of drought in parts of the east bay as well as the north bay over toward parts of the sacramento valley. so i just want you to keep that in back of mind as you make your memorial day plans. be very careful with anything with a flame and we do have to also be careful out there on the roads. we know that a lot of just cars pulling off on the side of the road can set the dry brush on fire as well as conserving water. if you do plan on swimming or maybe not using the sprinklers, we do need to be really careful with all that we do when we get these kinds of conditions. looking at today, our highs stay fairly mild. only some mid-60s for oakland today, some upper 70s for martinez and in morgan hill expect a high of 79 degrees. but we know it's about to heat up. so these areas that are shaded in red are going to be under an excessive heat watch. what does that mean? our temperatures could reach 105 to 109 degrees on memorial day. and that includes solano county

and off towards the east. so you do want to limit your time outside. here's what's going on. we've got high pressure building just to the west of us. it's going to change our wind flow. we will no longer get the ocean breeze starting on sunday. by monday, temperatures really ramp up as that high pressure causes that heat to build across the region. thankfully it doesn't last long, but if you are going to be heading out to the beach, that's going to be a popular destination. stinson beach will go from the upper 60s on sunday to 75 grows on monday. half moon bay will be warming up as well but still staying comfortable. this is where you can finding some relief from some of that valley heat because we are not expecting the beaches to really heat up this time around. so for our inland forecast, we are going to see our temperatures in concord reaching 92 on sunday and 96 on monday. san jose will also be heating up about 10 degrees between sunday and monday, up to 92 degrees on memorial day. going through the forecast once

again, we are going to see a cooldown by the middle of next week. we just have to deal with two or three days of some unbearably hot temperatures in some spots. mike, you've been watching the roads and i was glad to hear they put out that car fire off of the side of the road in the tri-valley. >> that was a concern because we know that the hills throughout the east bay, contra costa county as well are all dry out there but that is cleared from 84. as we look at your live shot for the bay bridge toll plaza, this is also clear, typical of a friday. this sad reminder here in the corner by the clock, those flags continue at half staff has ordered by the president and the governor. we're looking at the memorial for those in san jose. let's look at the roadways where traffic flows very smoothly through the maze. the rest of contra costa county as we said basically at speed. a little dip in speed just down to about 60 miles an hour maybe through concord and also a little dip as you're traveling south on 880 through hayward into union city. altamont pass holds steady and

no other issues as far as the rest of the south bay. the contra costa county drive again, we're going to outline this. this is a great drive. the top two numbers awesome times by 6:20. we're seeing the travel times come over a half hour but on a friday very light. back to you. >> 6:21 already. coming up next on "today in the bay" nbc bay area responds. >> an $800 win for one airline passenger plus a lesson for many other travelers. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc bay area responds, next.

our consumer team has racked up thousands of dollars for viewers this month. >> consumer investigator chris chmura is here with one case that inspired us to create a new how-to video that applies to a lot of people. >> good morning. it has been a busy month for us. we've helped viewers get back more than $33,000 and still have a few days to go to add to that total. this month's tally includes $854 for butch. he wrote in because he had $854 in airline credit that expired during the pandemic. he didn't think that was fair because leisure travel was so restricted so he contacted us. we contacted the airline and butch said he then got his $854 credit. a lot of people who cancelled flights during the pandemic got airline credit instead of cash back. fair warning, some of those credits are only good for one

year, which means they were expiring now. but you don't have to forfeit them. so we made a video with steps to protect an airline credit. we show you how to use a simple strategy to park your money and redeem it later. you'll find it alongside all of our other how to videos on our website, streaming plampls and youtube page. just look for the how to playlist. have a safe holiday weekend. two long-time bay area house members today host a virtual town hall on combatting the surge in hate crimes against the asian-american pacific islander community. barbara lee and mark desaulnier will lead a conversation along with judy chu. the goal of today's event is to raise awareness and promote healing. it begins at 3:00 p.m. we just aired the 14th episode of our ongoing series "race in america, the conversation." we looked at all the changes that have happened since george

floyd's murder. if you missed that episode or the one before that, which talked about the asian-american pacific islander community, just go t our website, nbcbayarea.com/raceinamerica. developing right now on the peninsula, the search for multiple gunmen after a deadly shooting in daly city. this happened on mission street yesterday afternoon. police say someone fired shots into a gray sedan which then smashed into a parked car. the driver died at the scene. a passenger in the car is expected to be okay. police say the gunman took off in two separate cars. a tragic situation linked to a prominent bay area author, michael lewis. his daughter is one of two recent berkeley high school graduates killed in a car crash near tahoe. dixie lewis and ross schultz died when their car veered into oncoming traffic. it happened on highway 89. they were on their way back to truckee tuesday afternoon. investigators do not believe

drugs or alcohol were factors. the two were dating. dixie is the daughter of best-selling author michael lewis and mother tabitha soren who worked as an mtv correspondent. taken far too young. coming up next, top stories that we're following today, including more coverage of the aftermath of the vta rail yard mass shooting. >> reporter: and this is all an effort to show the families of the vta nine that they are supported and that their loved ones will be remembered. we'll show you some of the stories that they shared with us last night. >> reporter: and i'm bob redell in san jose with new information about the vta shooter, who as it turns out was under investigation at his work. the disciplinary hearing that was scheduled for the day of the shooting. you're watching "today in the bay."

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he was a good father and a good son and my best friend. we love you. >> so sad. right now at 6:30, overwhelming grief. thousands coming together to remember the nine lives lost in the vta rail yard mass shooting. >> and that's who he was. he lived his whole life helping others, whoever he met. >> overcome with sorrow.

families reflect on their loved ones. the heroic efforts by other vta colleagues to comfort them until their last breath. and new video of the gunman roaming the rail yard during the shooting. the new clues shedding more light on a possible motive as "today in the bay" continues right now. good morning, thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. well, first some 2,000 people gathered in san jose at city hall plaza for the vigil to remember the vta employees whose lives were cut short. it was an emotional evening for many of them. >> understandably. "today in the bay's" kris sanchez is live at city hall with a look at this difficult night for the community, kris. >> reporter: you know, it was so nice to see how many people turned out to show their support for families. even this morning we've seen people stopping by to reflect 8 bit, including a bus driver who pulled up, parked the bus, came out and had a quiet moment by

himself with his colleagues. now these are the vta nine. they are now surrounded by flowers and by candles here. last night san jose city hall was a sea of people as people showed up to show their support. you may have ridden on their buses or light rail trains years ago or within on the ones that they work to keep running smoothly in their years and even decades of service. many of the families talked about how much their loved ones loved their jobs, but all of them spoke about how much they loved their families. they described their brothers, their husbands, their dads, their sons. paul megia's father talked about when they worked at the vta together. >> he would be the light rail, i would be on the bus. we would see each other and we'd wave again. it was happy times. but yesterday was the saddest moment of my life. >> my nephew and my niece, they're not going to have a father. they're 3 and 1.

no matter how much i love them, no matter how much everybody else loves them, they're going to ask where their father is. >> almost every time i talked to my dad, he'd always say who's my favorite little girl, and i would always reply, i'm your only little girl. >> and i'm wishing i could give him one last hug and tell him how much i love him. >> reporter: the other families also spoke of not knowing how to process what happened on wednesday. if you are moved to help these families try to make sense or move forward, make their lives just a little bit easier, we do have resources for you on our website, nbcbayarea.com. i also put it up on my social pages. you can find that there. in san jose, kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> we can come together as a community to support each other, thank you, kris. >> the youngest victim of the rail yard mass shooting,

29-year-old adrian balancee z -- balleza. for those who knew him since he was a kid, some sadness and some anger. they simply can't believe why someone who knew him would decide to take his life. >> 40-year-old michael rudometkin was a childhood friend of san jose councilmember raul perales. he worked with the vta since 2013 and was a graduate of mission college's apprenticeship program. 63-year-old abdolvahab alaghmandan worked as a substation maintainer. 63-year-old lars lane worked for the vta since 2001. he was an electromechanic and an overheadline worker. 49-year-old alex fritch died at the hospital late wednesday night. he was a substation manager. 35-year-old jose hernandez iii worked for the vta since 2012. his father said jose had many friends and was always quick to

lend a hand to those in need. now to the investigation. law enforcement says the suspect was a highly disgruntled vta employee for many years. >> "today in the bay's" bob redell is outside of the vta facility where that attack happened. bob, i know the suspect was going to be subject to a disciplinary hearing on the day this all happened. >> reporter: yes, on wednesday, the day of this shooting, the suspect was supposed to appear in what is called a skelly hearing where he could have been disciplined and fired. our investigative unit has learned from law enforcement sources that the suspect was under investigation for allegedly making racist remarks to his co-workers. yesterday the santa clara county sheriff's office released this surveillance video from the vta maintenance yard. you can see the suspect if you look in the top portion of your screen. he's got a black duffel bag. he's walking from one building on the right where he had just

shot some of his co-workers to a second building where he was going to shoot more. sources tell our investigative unit that evidence collected so far indicates that the gunman moved methodically going from room to room, shooting at close range more than three dozen times. investigators recovered three semiautomatic handguns plus 32 extra clips with additional ammunition. sources also tell us that in recent weeks the suspect bragged about having guns and explosives. reporting live here in san jose, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> bob, before you go, i understand the department of homeland security had an interest in the gunman priefr to wednesday's shooting? >> reporter: "the wall street journal" is reporting back in 2016 the department of homeland security had flagged the suspect as he was coming back from a trip to the philippines. customs agents found several books about terrorism on him as well as a black memo book filled

with notes about how he hated the vta. marcus. >> all right. bob redell reporting live for us this morntal health experts say you don't have to be directly s be emotionally impacted. at last night's san jose community hall vigil for the rail yard victims, several speakers encouraged people to seek out emotional support and ask for help if they need it. one san jose state adjunct professor of psychology says violence can impact every member of the south bay community and beyond. >> the biggest piece here is that our sense of personal safety and community safety have been altered by this tragedy. >> health workers meantime say they are now hearing from people who survived or responded to the gilroy garlic festival shooting nearly two years ago.

for them wednesday's rampage is suddenly triggering some difficult, new emotions. >> if you'd like to help the victims' family members, you can donate to a fund that's been set up by the south bay labor council. if you'd like to know more about the nine men whose lives were taken too soon, we posted about them on our website. our team continues to update that gallery. just go to nbcbayarea.com. this morning mike is keeping an eye on the commute as well as that light rail service still impacted this morning, mike. >> obviously, just like people are impacted. things will have to recover because it's such a big loss for that shift and for vta service. the whole family there. we're looking at a practical look at the light rail service which is cancelled until further notice. buses will try to fill that gap but they're not able to do complete coverage. call this number in the orange section there if you have any questions. that's continuing until we hear otherwise from vta. now, b.a.r.t. does have a minor delay out of millbrae and that's the only other thing going on

for mass transit. there's a little equipment issue they have to take care of. it should be fine. south bay freeways are moving smoothly. silicon valley, an easy drive. no problems, there may be a disabled vehicle on the peninsula out of lanes for 101. as we look over towards the other drives, contra costa county drives, a great flow of traffic all the way into concord for highway 4. a live look out there and a live look at san rafael. we're starting to see a little peek of sunshine and a little traffic flow as well. things are going to warm up a bit, though, right? >> yes. we are expecting to heat up later this weekend. at least for right now it's nice and comfortable. i want us to start out with a live look out there at sfo. i know a lot of people will maybe be hitting the roads or getting on a flight to see some family they haven't seen in a long time. as we look across the state, here's a look at today's high temperatures. if you're going to san diego, we have some upper 60s.

palm springs will reach 101. 99 in vegas today. lake tahoe reaching into the low 80s. we are going to see some showers, possibly some thunderstorms, and really some cool weather from the midwest over toward much of the east coast. so that's what they're expecting. at least as we look at the flight and the travel times, we don't have any flight delays, even here regionally. now that's popping up for l.a., 30-minute flight delays so we'll continue to watch out and see what's going on there. if you will be heading there this weekend, expects highs in the low 70s, really nice and comfortable. here a little bit closer, if you're traveling up and down the coast, big sur will have upper 60s to low 70s. we'll talk about that weekend warmup that's coming up in a few minutes, marcus and laura. >> it's going to be hot, isn't it? thanks so much. well, we are staying on top of our developing story this morning, that vta shooting rampage. coming up a little later, more reaction from the community, of course understandably, still in mourning.

and in politics, that divide growing in congress over president biden's massive infrastructure plan. the gop has its own solution. we'll tell you about their counteroffer. plus -- >> reporter: and i'm cierra johnson live at sfo this morning with what you need to know before you head out for your flight this long holiday weekend. you're watching "today in the bay."

happy friday. it is 6:43. if you're about to step out the

door in san jose, a beautiful start to our friday morning. take a look at these temperatures. we have some mid-50s this morning and there will be a few clouds in the mix, but overall a fairly cool day. but we know it's about to get hot and we'll talk about that and our fire danger coming up in a few minutes. >> yeah, fire danger a concern but the commute not a concern right now. getaway traffic might be using 580 right here through dublin to get over towards tahoe. even southern california as some of those parks start to reopen but so far traffic is very light. and a look at some of the other top stories we're following for you right now. and this one getting a lot of attention in southern california. police have just released a photo of the suspect's vehicle tied to that deadly road rage shooting of that 6-year-old boy. chp says that it was a white volkswagen golf sports wagon, either a 2018 or '19 model. police don't have a license plate number, but they do know that a male passenger is the one who pulled that trigger,

shooting and killing that young boy. aiden lios died last city. his mother was driving him to school when this happened. such a sad story. the reward has grown to more than $300,000. the u.s. senate still in a holding pattern on the planned vote for a 9/11-style commission to investigate the capitol siege. we have a live look in the senate chamber which is back in session. that's kentucky senator rand paul right now addressing an unrelated measure. but if the vote on the january 6th commission does happen, it's believed the yes votes will fall short. gop senators may also deploy a filibuster. yesterday the mother of the d.c. police officer who died the day after the siege came to ask lawmakers to support it. gladys she wants answers and can no longer remain silent. >> this is why i'm here today. usually i'm staying in the background and i just couldn't. i couldn't stay quiet anymore. >> her son, officer brian

sicknick suffered two strokes after fighting the insurrectionists for several hours. leaders on both sides of the aisle meantime are admitting to a broad divide when it comes to president biden's $1.7 trillion infrastructure plan. senate republicans yesterday submitted their own pared down counteroffer under a trillion dollars. it also loses some of the president's key elements including spending to fight climate change. the gop measure is focused on core infrastructure including bridges, roads, transit systems appeared water storage. 6:46 as we head into the holiday weekend and it's a big one officially upon us. many californians have travel plans with that being the first holiday since the vaccine rollout. here's a live look at sfo and the bay bridge this morning. you can expect both of those to be busy today. cierra johnson is live with what travelers need to know and just how many travelers bay area airports are anticipating. cierra?

>> reporter: yes, good morning, marc happy friday. traffic has really begun to pick up here at sfo. we were live about an hour ago and it was a little quiet. i can tell that some of those flights are getting ready to depart because there has been an influx of folks within the last half hour. one thing is for sure, traffic will continue to pick up because there is a major travel holiday, especially now that that vaccine is available and more folks feel comfortable traveling. here at sfo officials say they are still well below that pre-pandemic travel rate but they are expecting that uptick in travel. just last week the airport saw a high of 31,000 passengers on one day. they could see as many as 38,000 passengers on a peak day this weekend. today is expected to be the busiest day of the holiday weekend at the oakland airport with more than 30,000 passengers expected to pass through today and more than 130,000 for the long weekend. for those heading to destinations that require that proof of a negative covid test,

officials at the airport say that free testing is available there on site. we head down to san jose and it's much of the same. an increase in the number of travelers for this long weekend. the unofficial start of summer is expected to bring more than 58,000 passengers through the airport compared to just 8,700 this time last year. and for a couple we spoke to said this -- >> getting out and about and eating in restaurants, you know, it's been a long time. so i'm looking forward to it but i'm still trying to be safe and cautious and mindful of other people's comfort zones and things like that. >> reporter: and in addition to more travelers, some airports like the oakland airport are continuing to reopen some of those shops and those eateries. it's best to check with your airport to see exactly what is open if you're traveling this

weekend. so aaa says about 60% of folks do plan to travel. all of them not by flight, some of them driving or taking a train in some of those metropolitan cities. it is still important to remember we are still in the midst of a pandemic regardless of the fact that the vaccine is available for many of the adults. but here at sfo, traffic is picking up and officials here saying it is sure to be a busy weekend. we're live at sfo, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thank you. more details for you as you may be getting ready to fuel up and hit the road instead of the skies. according to the latest aaa numbers, one gallon of regular unleaded is that's up 23 cents over a month ago. in san jose and oakland, you'll average about seven to eight cents less per gallon. an important reminder from cal fire ahead of the three-day holiday weekend. conditions across the state will lead to high fire danger.

they are tweeting ahead of time, reminding everyone to be extra cautious enjoying the outdoors, something to certainly keep in mind as you plan your memorial day barbecue, which we know folks like to do, but we also know how dry it is out there. we've got some really hot temperatures coming to the bay area. what, on memorial day, kari? >> yes, and that's when we will see those temperatures peaking. we know that people like to grill or even just enjoy more time with family, but you do have to be really careful. that was the big update that came out yesterday morning with the drought monitor update. notice how much of the bay area shaded in this dark red, which is the highest level of a drought. not only that but the vegetation is at a record dry level so you do have to be very careful with disposing those coals if you will be grilling. and because of the drought, we do need to conserve water, so sprinklers may not be a good idea, especially when we're trying to cut down on our water usage. in some of the spots that will be the hottest, we are under an

excessive heat watch that starts on monday. it's most of solano county into the central valley. that's where temperatures will reach anywhere from 105 to 108 degrees. so yes, it's going to indeed be like summer at least for a little while. the good thing is that the high pressure moves in and it moves out. what it does, it changes our wind direction. we no longer get that cool ocean breeze that brings in cooler air along with higher humidity. it gives us more of a northerly wind and at times that wind even blows offshore so that's going to heat up the temperatures through the weekend. concord going from 79 tomorrow to 92 on sunday to 96 on monday. livermore is also going to reach into the 90s, but even some upper 90s by memorial day. week as more people head back to work, we're going to cool things off once again back into the lower 80s. mike, how is it looking right now as people had this last day

before a long holiday? >> yeah, it looks like a lot of folks are sleeping in and are going to take off early. scott mcgrew has you all beat today. we're looking over here at the south bay, a little bit of slowing. a lighter volume of traffic throughout the south bay. a little slowing south 880 toward union city. the bay bridge toll plaza an easy drive out here. no backup and no problems. as we look across the bay bridge toll plaza, we can see all the pavement, that's an easy drive. marcus, back to you. happening now, russian hackers launching another major attack. microsoft says that group hacked a u.s. agency's email system. they sent spoof messages designed to trick people to handing over sensitive information or downloading harmful software to more than 3,000 email accounts. next, before we take you to the "today" show, a touching tribute from a bay area community in mourning.

♪ i once was lost ♪ >> thousands coming together to remember the nine men killed in this week's shooting rampage in san jose. new revelations about the gunman. everyone wants to know what was even behind this attack. this morning new clues about a possible motive. stay with us, we'll be right back.

welcome back to "today in the bay." one last look this morning at the story that's bringing so much grief and heartache this week. the vta rail yard mass shooting. >> a long healing process right now. last night thousands gathered to remember the nine men whose lives were taken just too soon. let's go to kris sanchez who's live for us outside san jose city hall. >> reporter: several vta bus drivers have pulled up alongside

city hall here, parked their buses and come to reflect a little bit here where the candles and the flowers remain from last night's vigil, thinking about those nine colleagues who we lost on wednesday. some of them were at the beginning of their career, some of them were nearing retirement with decades of service. they worked driving buses, operating trains, repairing the overhead lines and equipment. many families at the vigil talked about how much their loved ones loved their jobs but all of them spoke of how much they loved their families. >> he was a good father and a good son and my best friend. i love him. >> i won't know how to do all these activities like snowboarding, wakeboarding. i won't know how to do all of this without him. >> they took my best friend and husband too soon and i'm wishing i could give him one last hug and tell him how much i to makee

of something and several of them said they never thought in a million years they'd find themselves speaking about their loved ones at a public vigil like this. if you have been moved to help make these families' lives a little easier, you can find resources to do that at nbcbayarea.com. kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> reporter: and i'm bob redell also in san jose at the scene of the shooting where law enforcement sources tell us that the suspect was under investigation for allegedly making racist remarks to his co-workers and that on wednesday, the day of the shooting, he was supposed to appear before what's known as a skelly hearing to face possible discipline or even termination. yesterday the santa clara county sheriff's office released surveillance video from the maintenance yard that shows the suspers to another building where he was going to shoot more. sources tell our investigative unit that evidence collected so far indicates that he moved methodically, going from room to room shooting at close range

more than three dozen times. investigators recovered three semiautomatic handguns plus 32 extra clips with additional ammunition. reporting live here in san jose, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> mike, vta light rail service still impacted this morning. >> yeah, that's the only note that i have is light rail service is cancelled until further notice. that number in the orange there is the number you can call if you have questions. they have set that up specially for the vta questions regarding the light rail service. buses will do the best they can to provide service. kari, over to you. >> we have a couple more days of some very pleasant, comfortable temperatures across the bay area with our inland areas in the low 80s. by sunday into monday our temperatures will bow ramping up. >> it's certainly been a trying and emotional week for many people here in the bay area. that tragedy in the south bay truly hitting home for a lot of us. >> of course, we all live here.

we'd like to thank you for staying with us and entrusting the "today in the bay" team to bring you the latest developments on this tragic event as it all unfolded this week. our team stands with the community. we'll continue to work to shine a light on the nine lives lost. good morning getaway under way. good morning getaway under way. >> i think i'm just ready to go. >> this morning, americans from coast to coast eager to start the long holiday weekend after a long year in lockdown. airports, highways, beaches, bars, expected to be packed, but a slow-moving storm threatens to spoil some of the fun for millions on the east coast we've got everything you need to know straight ahead. breaking overnight, microsoft sounding the alarm on russian hackers, allegedly behind a new wave of cyberattacks