the new video police hope helps find the suspect. and thank you for joining us on this wednesday morning. i'm kris sanchez in for marcus. >> and i'm laura garcia. >> if you're on the go, good for you broadcasting to your television, live on roku, amazon fire, on tv and live online. we've had pretty nice days. i've been enjoying them. oakland, 43. san jose, 43. however, if you live up in santa

rosa, two miles in napa. air quality is expected to be moderate. just how mild and cold we might be. >> that breaking news and efforts to ramp up covid testing for schools. 5 million free rapid tests for schools every month in addition to 5 million pcr tests. the white house says all but 4% of u.s. schools remain open. lingering concerns now among achers are now prompting

sickouts. yesterday the district said a handful participated. two more schools face the threat of a sickout today. the district calls it an unnecessary action. teachers say not enough is being done. chicago schools reopened after a five-day closure due to a standoff between schools and the labor union. covid is impacting everything from empty store shelves to a rise in prices and this morning live team coverage for you. >> you see sharon katsuda there looking at the growing number of empty store shelves having nothing to do with panic buying. the surging inflation, the latest numbers are hard to believe. 7% inflation is year over year. so this last december compared to the previous decision and a lot of that cause are the empty

shelves that we've been talking about as demand goes up. so this is the worst inflation number than we got in november. do remember these are not additive numbers. we don't add to december's. and, again, prices are up 7% month over month. now the solution to this, laura and kris, is to raise interest rates and that's certainly what's going to happen. that alone is painful. we were talking about mortgage rates and how high they have gone in just the last week.olveo get more product on the shell was and to make shopping and borrowing a little bit more painful.ch, scott.

we want to continue our coverage with sharon katsuda. all we know is it really hurts to pump that gas. >> reporter: yes, kris and laura. i spoke to a customer, he was on his way to work, he chose to fill up here closer to home because one station was over $5 a gallon. we are seeing prices at the pump much higher than last year. it says today's national average is $3.30. in california it is $4.65. last year it was $3.30. today the average price is $4.83.

in san jose the average is a sty you've probably noticed many shelves are bare. everything from milk to medicine to toilet paper the supply problem can be blamed on the omicron variant. >> we have millions and millions who have covid and what are they going to do? they stay home, right? >> reporter: companies are bracing for high cost for labor supplies and how long will this last?

economists say brace for it. >> leave supplies for other people, too. >> you can see an asian woman falling to the ground. she's actually shoved to the ground. the woman was gone when police arrived and so was the suspect. they are working to try to find her. >> we are asking the family to come forward and report it to the police department asap. >> a witness says she suffered scrapes to her leg. in surveillance the chamber of

commerce will offer new cameras. tatiana dugger left her family home in oroville last january with a man she did not know heading to observing. a hiker discovered her body in siskiyou county. a pretrial hearing in the wrongful death trial. jurors acquitted tiffany lee of killing the father of her children. he died in 2016. now his family is seeking financial damages a jury trial will start at the end of the month. supervisors approved a new housing project just for

teachers. the building will be built in palo alto and it will create housing in some parts of san mateo county. it will be completed by 2024. >> a live look at san francisco, the city by the bay. >> which bay, the galveston bay? >> i don't know, i'm a californian. vianey with a look at our temperatures. start out. d ahead. we are going to continue to see the dry weather. we're not forecasting any rain. 65 degrees in san jose this afternoon. 67 in morgan hill. 62 for concord. in through san francisco, 61 degrees and santa rosa in the mid-60s. we'll keep the high pressure

dominating in the forecast the next several days keeping us in the mid-60s but waking up to some fog. if you live in the santa rosa, novato or napa area you're seeing limited visibility through parts of the bay area at least for the first half hour of our morning. a quick check of how your traffic is doing. this accident, there is one lane blocking. you can see we're starting to notice some slowing as well because of that earlier crash. a quick look at how your east bay drive times are doing. things have slowed down from 238 to highway 84. let's get a quick look because it tends to slow down i'll have

another look at your weather and traffic in a few minutes. back to you. coming up next, glass door is out with the top companies to work for. >> i always like seeing that list. >> a popular oakland restaurant owner is closing her doors, shutting down. we'll talk with the chef about that closure. you can find the full interview just go to the local section.

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good morning. it is 6:13 and we are expecting a lovely day ahead. but we are seeing some areas of fog especially up in santa rosa down to about a quarter of a mile and visibility 3 miles in napa, 5 in novato. sunshine is in the forecast. we'll have details on that coming up. stay with us. well, good morning, a happy wednesday to you. there may be more paperwork for tesla owners. the "l.a. times" reports the california dmv is considering reclassifying teslas with the so-called full driving software,

that would bring teslas under the automated car laws. even if the driving software is not being used at the time. the dmv has not made a final decision on that. >> congratulations to those going to work in nvidia, the top company to work for in all of the united states, it makes chips and computer boards. now if you look at that data the next two companies scored the name. meta, which used to be called facebook dropped 36 spots from 11 to 47.

we've talked how it has trouble. the meta verse is a marketing term, much like tesla has people saying giga factory. meta, facebook, has a new board member who joins the company's board giving the company more executive expertise. the board works for zuckerberg not the other way around. we got the latest consumer price index. we were talking about that earlier as we spoke with sharon

katsuda. jay powell said higher interest rates are coming. inflation hurts but so, too, does fighting inflation. we're going to see intentionally the fed making it more expensive to borrow money including credit cards trying to slow hiring and slow down spending and growth and ideally inspired people to shop less. that reminder is solving inflation is a bitter pill, too. >> no kidding. we'll see what lies ahead. thanks so much, scott. pfizer is actually cutting a few hundred sales positions. the company says it reflects the changing environment when it comes to fewer face-to-face meetings with doctors and health

care providers. more done virtually. they will try to offset the cuts by creating jobs in new areas fo hey, check out facebook. we're celebrating a specialkris marcus all last week here on "today in the bay" and, you know what, last tuesday was her birthday. i felt so bad for missing it. >> no. >> and you didn't say anything. >> i don't say anything because january 4th is a tough day to have a birthday. >> i posted that picture on facebook of kris. follow me. >> happy birthday. >> and we're socially distanced so we can't eat the cake but you take it home to your family. >> you see we're staying safe. happy birthday, kris.

you sneaky, you didn't say anything. >> nobody wants to do anything on january 4th. that's cool. i'm going to bed early. i'm not spending money. dry january. whatever. >> it just makes the celebration last longer. >> one more thing. it's also mike inouye'sou're fi him so he can have the nice day off to sleep in perhaps. >> i won't even blow on it so we can share. can't eat that by tv, like a baby. >> oh, my goodness. >> that's very sweet of you. >> we adore you. >> it's nice to be with this

family and you at home. thank you. >> go on. we're moving on, people, come on. it's almost my next birthday. a beautiful day in san francisco to celebrate kris' birthday. sneaky, sneaky. it's beautiful out there. we have a system far up north. i do like to show you the shot of how the rest of the nation is doing. miami, 71 degrees. they're enjoying summerlike weather. san jose's air quality moderate

for today because of that building high pressure and your forecast highs will be in the mid-60s. concord, 62. hayward, 63. very light from the north. novato, 63. so let's take a look at your seven-day forecast. today from mid-60s but the one thing that will remain constant all the way through saturday and sunday and so do the overnight lows so keep the cold mornings

on tap. southbound 880 there is a crash. there is an unrelated crash. expect to see some slowing in through the east bay. looking at 21 minutes and let's see how your bridge drive times are doing. you're still in the clear from westbound 80 looking at nine minutes. happy birthday again, kris. back to you. next, nbc bay area responds. >> reporter: debt collectors have new ways to pester you. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how next. take a look at these pictures that our own cierra

johnson took as she was out for a walk in san francisco. nice views there. a lot more news ahead. you're watching "today in the bay."

from one moment to the next, our kids become the most important part of our lives. and even though the years pass, that never changes. we never stop worrying about them. that's why it's important to have health insurance. with covered california, we got a plan we could afford. it includes free preventive care, like cholesterol and blood-pressure checkups. because even though they grow up, they'll always be your baby. covered california. this way to health insurance. enrollment ends january 31st. go to coveredca.com. welcome back. you sit down to dinner, the phone rings and that's when debt collectors love to call.

>> chris chmura shows us how. >> reporter: let's talk about how to stop a debt collector from contacting you and how mad libs might help. the easiest way from calling, texting or email something to pay them. don't blindly pull out your wallet because they're being a pest. they're not always calling about legitimate debt. when they use the phone they are only supposed to call once a day. uncle sam says you can tell them to stop in writing. the consumer financial protection bureau requires them to provide an easy way to opt out. telling them to stop communicating doesn't fix the underlying issue. they think you owe them money. here is the good news, remember mad libs where you would fill in the blanks? the consumer financial protection bureau has a bunch of

templates for letters online to tell debt collectors to stop it, shove it or both. you fill in the blanks with your name and info and such. it will clear your name and stop the calls. well, here is to hoping. the "today" show turns 70 friday and craig melvin is looking back at how he joined the team. the one man who inspired him to follow his dream. >> when i was growing up, there were not a lot of people that looked like me. and then there was bryant gumbel. every morning i got ready to go to school watching brian interview newsmakers and presidents and heads of state and athletes and actors and then it's like, oh, wait a minute.

huh, maybe i could do that. >> you can watch right after "today in the bay." the top stories we're following for you including terrifying moments for a north bay family. coming face-to-face with an intruder. details we're learning. >> what a nightmare. >> reporter: and some big changes are heading to how many folks can gather here in sonoma county. we'll break down the new omicro. it is 6:27.

can you see my wall of smiles? when i first started using genesys technology i was kind of embarrased at all the love and attention i got from my customers. people are so moved by how much i understand about them. they start including me in their lives. that's helen and her friends. i arranged a wellness retreat for them. look at those ladies. such wisdom. mmm. but it's really genesys that helps me understand people and what they truly need. i'm just glad i can help.

right now at 6:30, a new health order in place in one north bay county. the stricter rules and how they may force you to change your plans. plus -- >> it means the virus is likely to be what's called endemic. we are in the midst of an omicron surge, but what happens after this? the change in strategy and the long-term outlook on the impact on our lives this is "today in the bay." and we broadcast to your

television, roku, amazon fire, apple tv and online. good wednesday morning to you. >> the drive-in theater, we're there, too. a live look out our window over palo alto and meteorologist vianey arana is in for kari. we have a couple issues on the roads, but the weather has been really nice the past couple of days. about 43 degrees right now in san jose. a beautiful shot there of downtown and temperatures across the board. look at livermore officially 38 degrees. so it's pretty cold out there and with the fog and visibility and mild we're down to half a mile in santa rosa. three miles in napa. less than two miles in concord and also keep in mind that once the fog clears out we'll see sunshine but because of the high

pressure expect moderate air quality. the bay, the east bay and the south bay. we're going to see sunshine but the air quality will be moderate. that's depending on where you live. back to you. >> thank you, vianey. a new social distancing limit is in effect in the north bay to combat the covid surge. "today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live. these new rules are giving us a sense of deja vu. >> reporter: good morning, yeah, from really the beginning of the pandemic when there were occupancy levels from gyms to restaurants. they're putting an occupancy limit on how many folks can goer indoors as well as outdoors. a little bit of information to

keep in mind. the occupancy level went into effect at midnight. no more than 100 outdoors unless distancing is observed. the county is advising folks to stay home as much as possible. >> our case rates have never been higher. >> reporter: local if i zig loc physicians are weighing in, two-thirds of the reported covid cases in the bay area are people being admitted for something else so just how long will the changes be in place? we have heard from the county and they will be in place for

about a month, february 11th, when we can expect notification whether they will continue indoor and outdoor gatherings in sonoma counties. >> thank you, cierra. a live look in san jose which is now the first california city to have a booster mandate. councilmembers voted to approve mayor sam liccardo's proposal. they will need to show proof of a booster shot or a recent negative covid test. the rules take effect immediately but vendors have until february 4th to comply. right now we're already seeing some of the highest levels since

the start of the pandemic. then it's forecasted to decline by the end of the month. people wonder what will life look like once the omicron surge is over. doctors, unfortunately, expect cases will decline soon because omicron spikes are falling elsewhere as fast as they rise. we're watching other countries. three of p biden's advisers are recommending a pla disease but giving antiviral pills to those at risk and giving specific masking recommendations for the vulnerable. we may soon have to treat covid like other diseases like the flu.

>> boosting immunity. >> right now the white house is promising to deliver 500 million at-home testing kits but most won't be available until the end of the month. you can get advice on where you can get tested, which masks work best and updates on how the virus will impact your life. a north bay family of six including four children are safe after some terrifying moments while sleeping. neighbors reported hearing banging from inside the home. police located the suspect. he's now in custody. he had been on probation from previous crimes. no one was injured but police say there was some damage to the home.

the city of san jose is holding a virtual meeting on safe pilot parking program. next month the city will open a parking lot for the homeless on stony point road. it will provide 50 open spots. taking a live look at downtown san jose this morning, looking nice and bright as we approach the 7:00 hour. vianey arana is tracking the forecast that doesn't really have any rain in it. >> no, it's calm. i do like comparing how we're doing in our temples to how the rest of the nation is doing. dc, 31 degrees. atlanta 38. even though we have a couple 30s on the maps as well. we will be seeing warmer

temperatures into the mid-60s. down through morgan hill and in through the east bay expect mild temperatures. 61 in oakland. a mix of sun and clouds. a quick check how traffic is doing. it does look like there are still some delays from an earlier crash. there was a lane block earlier. 238 to highway 84, looking at 18 minutes and your bridge drive times we're noticing some slowing looking at ten minutes. westbound 92 to the san mateo bridge and westbound to the dumbarton bridge. live look at the san mateo bridge. the latest drought conditions coming up in a few minutes.

we'll look forward to checking back with you. up next, no more hitting the skies. covid impacts post holiday. and an absolute miracle. the pilot's last-ditch effort that may have saved everyone. plus, we are in the middle of a major blood shortage. not just here but nationwide. so now there are huge incentives from the red cross to make sure people roll up their sleeves. some tough words from president biden. let's take you out to the big board.

- hi mommy! - hi honey! oh i missed you! you just want to video call the kids. ok. ♪ hush little baby...♪ ♪...don't say a word...♪ but if slow upload speeds turn your goodnight call into an accidental horror movie... can you hear me? shut it down. just remember. you're not a bad mom. you just need better internet. at&t fiber delivers faster upload speeds for more reliable video calls. get at&t fiber, plans starting at $35 a month for a year. limited availability in select areas. call 877.only.att.

good morning. it is 6:42 right now in san rafael, 43 degrees and we're going to keep some of that fog around for the north bay but then a lot of sunshine. eventually topping out in the mid-60s. a look at your full forecast coming up in just a bit. everyone onboard a helicopter that crashed in the philadelphia suburbs is recovering this morning including a baby that they were transporting.

this is new video in of the scene. they all managed to escape with nonlife threatening injuries. the chopper came down as the pilot pulled a last-second maneuver allowing the craft to roll to avoid striking the church and power lines that were nearby. still no word on what caused the crash. former senator harry reid is now lying in state at the u.s. capitol. reid was the longest serving in nevada's history and served as senate majority leader so we know his name well. reid died at the age of 82 after a four-yur battle with pancreatic cancer. a ceremony will be held but there will be limbed guests allowed.

scott mcgrew, president biden making a major turnaround with his opinion about the filibuster. >> yeah, keep in mind biden has been a senator much longer than president and vice president, so he really values the way the senate works but in a major turnaround he did call for the senate to change the rules to pave the way for new voting rights bills. it gives me no satisfaction in say that go as an institutionalist as a man honored to serve in the senate. as an institutionalist i believe the threat to our democracy is so grave that we must find a way to pass the voting rights bills, debate them, vote. let the majority prevail. and if that bare minimum is blocked we have no option but to change the senate rules including getting rid of the filibuster for this.

>> now president biden seemed to imply those who oppose changing the filibuster for whatever reason were siding with racists and segregationists saying, quote, do you want to be on the side of dr. king or george wallace? do you want to be on the side of john lewis or bull connor? do you want to be on the side of abraham lincoln or jefferson davis? that drew a few gasps from the crowd. biden and senators who want to change the filibuster need every democratic vote on their side to do it. they need 50 votes to make the change and it's not clear that they've got it. vice president harris will sit down with the "today" show's craig melvin to talk about the push for voting rights tomorrow on the "today" show that starts at 7:00. russian officials met with nato officials today at headquarters in brussels. russia wants guarantees ukraine will never be allowed inside

nato, something the alliance is not willing to promise. and a cool use of social media to tell you about. transportation secretary pete buttigieg was in l.a. yesterday as part of the push to speed up ports there. he then flew back to pretty goo wi-fi connection and he'd be up for answering questions on twitter to pass the time. a lot of people had a lot of questions. you might want to ask me a question. you'll find me on twitter @scottmcgrew. >> you get a lot of that. a live look at sfo. new numbers just in, it seems a lot less people taking to the skies post holiday amid the latest covid surge. according to new data the agency screened over 1.1 million passengers at security checkpoints yesterday. that's the lopest number since april of last year. >> i mean, we're kind of done

with the trial. covid getting the best of the martin luther king jr. events once again. the group putting on the annual march and parade and festival is postponing all outdoor activities this year. other events will happen in the virtual settings. if you head to their webpage you can find the events that are still happening. blood centers are running short of supplies. anyone who gives blood this month will be entered into a raffle for a two-night stay at a ritz-carlton hotel or how about two tickets to the super bowl? >> okay. take it. you can take one from each arm. >> look at her go. >> the red cross is offering its

raffle. those tickets, that are actually mine or soon to be. the red cross experiencing similar shortages with a 10% decline in donors. anybody who gives blood will be entered into the raffle for roundtrip airfare tickets, two tickets to the super bowl february 13. you can pretend it's a valentine's day present and get off the hook. >> you give blood and you're giving your heart. >> if you don't win the raffle, you can watch here. that might be the greatest gift of all. boy, we've been gifted with really great weather. >> it's been nice, comfortable. we have not been worried about the rain. the sun has been really showing off lately. i want to show you that beautiful shot of san francisco. that's a live look right now. isn't that pretty? you can see a little bit of a breeze. even the golden gate bridge. in the north bay you're seeing more fog. san jose right now is 43

degrees. that's a live look in downtown san jose. satellite radar paints the picture of what's going on. we have high pressure bringing us, quote, unquote, the weather. we saw a series of storms extremely helpful. we'll see where we currently stand. the air quality because of the high pressure from the north bay all the way down to the south bay expect moderate air quality especially up to the north, parts of the interior valley. forecast highs not too bad for the south bay. san jose, 65 degrees. morgan hill, 67. down through gilroy, 68 degrees. a closer look at the east bay, livermore, 63 degrees. antioch, 60 degrees. around the peninsula, 61 for san mateo. in the city, the outer sunset. the mission, 61. up to the north bay, 65 degrees in santa rosa. let's take a look at the drought

monitor. the reason i'm showing you this, these get updated every thursday. this is one day before the official update and 16.6% of the state of california is under extreme drought, a lot of the bay area now still falling in the severe category. we'll see we're not tracking any rain right now the next several days so will probably see a slight, if any, improvement at all dounl through the l.a. area. they have storms down there. san francisco's seven-day forecast. wednesday, thursday, friday. and we stay dry through the weekend. perfect weather to be outside for sure. maybe a nice hike would be good. 50 degrees on thursday. inland areas friday, 59. we bump up into the 60s. overnight lows dip down into the 30s. by saturday and sunday night could bring frosty conditions especially for those valleys. mlk day monday will be beautiful

as well. 59 degrees. temperatures dipping down into the 30s into the overnight hours. let's see how your traffic is doing. we did have a couple issues in the east bay. it looks like it's improving southbound 880 that was causing delays. it is now at 17 minutes from 238 to highway 84. bridge drive times, some slowing to the bay bridge. you're looking at about 11 minutes. a live look at the san mateo bridge doing pretty good on our bridges. i'll send it back to you. >> all right, thanks so much, vianey. 6:51 right now. happening now a heads-up for smokeers in alameda county. a new ban in unincorporated areas starts in july for nulty units including apartments, town homes and senior care facilities. the plan also covered common areas within 25 feet of doors or windows. up next a quick look at our top stories that includes breaking news out of washington, dc the white house plan to ease

student covid testing. plus -- >> reporter: i'm sharon katsuda. gas prices are up, many store shelves are bare. find out what's behind all this coming up. and how you can tell if your testing kit is fake. right now on our sync-ed in program a few key things to look for as you're shopping online for those hard-to-find kits. you can watch on instagram and tiktok.

welcome back on this wednesday morning. we are moving forward with a look at the top stories on "today in the bay." >> starting with breaking news as the white house ramps up cope individual testing in schools amid the omicron surge. plans overnight to increase tests to schools nationwide aiming to administer 5 million free rapid tests to schools every month in addition to 5 million pcr tests. despite the omicron surge forcing a return to distance learning for a lot of districts, the white house says 96% of schools will remain open for in-person learning nationwide. that is compared with only 46% a

year ago. also, breaking the latest inflation data shows prices rising faster than they have in decades. that consumer price index for december rose 7% year over year which is how we compare that. the highest surge since 1982. month to month prices rose half a percentage point. the jump was actually in line with what the forecasts were and investors so seemed unfazed. the surge in inflation felt by so many people trying to make it in the bay. sharon katsuda live in contra costa county with rising gas prices part of the equation here. >> reporter: that's right, laura and kris. i've been checking gas prices at a station near my house was over $4. we're paying more at the pump than we were last year. on the aaa website today's national average for a gallon of

regular gas is $3.30. but in california the average is $4.65. last year the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.30. today in san francisco the average price for a gallon of regular gas is $4.83 compared to $3.51 last year at the same time. and in san jose the average today is $4.75 compared to $3.40 the same time last year. experts say this is primarily due to a price surge in crude oil. if yeen to a store you've noticed many shelves are bare. economists say it's a situation of people calling in sick combined with supply chain delays everything from milk to medicine to toilet paper in short supply. economists say the supply problems can be blamed on the omicron variant. companies are bracing for high cost for labor, transportation and, of course, supplies. and we've noticed it ourselves out and about after our live

shot. usually we go to the coffee shop and it's open. lately because of staff shortages, some of these places aren't opening until 8:30. all of us having to adapt to these changes. reporting live, i'm sharon katsuda, "today in the bay." 6:57. there's now a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a teenager from butte county. the family of tatiana dugger says she left her oroville home in january of last year headed for oakland with a man they didn't know. she was last seen at an east oakland hotel last march. a hiker discovered her body in siskiyou county. investigators believe dugger may have been a victim of human trafficking. santa clara county making it easier for teachers trying to make it in the bay a. new housing project for teachers. 110 units will be built on grant avenue in palo alto creating affordable housing for teachers not just in santa clara county. construction begins in the fall

and will be complete hopefully by 2024. 6:58 right now. weather and traffic today. vianey has them both covered for us. we're going to be seeing a great sunny day ahead. temperatures will be mild in the 60s. 61 degrees for san francisco. notice from the icons, overnight lows waking up to a couple 30s in interior valleys. for the weekend we'll stick to the upper 50s, low 60s for saturday and sunday and overnight lows in the 40s. now a quick check of how your traffic is doing. we are seeing some slowing westbound 80 to the bay bridge about 11 minutes. westbound 84 to the dumbarton bridge looking at nine minutes. things are starting to slow down. i'll send it back to you. that's what's happening "today in the bay." we're back at 7:25 with a live local news update for you. and we'll be with you at 11:00 this morning. the "today" show is next.

take a look at this sunrise, though. gorgeous start to your wednesday morning. we sure hope that you're off to a good start. >> better take your shades as you head out the door. thanks for joining us. have a fantastic day. the head of the fda putting it bluntly. >> most people are going to get covid. >> this morning, living with this new reality, and the cdc considering changing its own guidance to recommend all americans wear higher quality masks. we've got everything you need to know. call to action. the president puts the battle over voting rights front and