we love the school. i mean, why take it away from us? >> right now at 4:30, the controversial school vote that is forcing hundreds of parents to find a new school for their kids this fall. >> plus, russia's flagship in the back sea is sunk. the reason leaders say ukraine's recent military attack will set russia back. >> and feline frenzy causing havoc at the coliseum. the plans to stop them from spreading. this is "today in the bay." we're broadcasting not only

to your tv, but you can catch us live on roku, amazon fire, apple tv, and online. good morning. >> i'm marcus washington. we're going to get a look at the commute with vianey coming up in just a bit. first, we want to start with the friday forecast. meteorologist kari hall has been tracking that. >> we're going to make sure we get sunshine in here before we see rain coming back to the bay area. let's get a look of the rain that has moved off to the east. we are waking up to a couple of spotty sprinkles and more rain coming in for tomorrow. as you're heading out in brentwood, your commute is looking good. just a few clouds. and the roads may still be a little wet as temperatures start out in the low 50s. we'll dip a few more degrees around sunrise and then a mostly sunny sky will help us warm up a little more today. san jose reaching 69, 68 in livermore and 64 in napa. how is it looking for the commute? >> we have a crash being

reported in the south bay. it is starting to cause delays along 101. a live look at the san mateo bridge. we have a smooth commute. let's get right to the south bay crash. this is along south bay 101 near the de la cruz exit and we are noticing yellow spots on the speed sensors, meaning it's slowing down. there could be a lane blocked. i'll keep you updated. now, your south bay drive times, it's at least moving along in the northbound direction from highway 85, you're looking at about 18 minutes. a little bit of slowing from 580 to the richmond bridge, 11 minutes. i'll have an update in a few minutes. >> thank you. some parents in the south bay are frustrated saying their kids keep getting pushed from one school campus to another. >> alum rock school district voted last night to turn an elementary school into an early

learning center. tom jensen has more. >> it has been a long time for cesar chavez families. >> all we're trying to do is keep our schools open. >> reporter: parents watched as board members voted to transform cesar chavez into an education center for kids preschool through kindergarten. the superintendent met with parents on campus two weeks ago and it seemed like the decision was already made. >> once we got here, she dropped the bomb, okay, we're going to turn this into basically like a daycare. >> reporter: the district's early learning director says it's part of meeting california's universal pre-k initiative to help jump-start kids' learning before age 5. a year of school to bridge preschool and kindergarten. >> environment really matters for these children. they may not have the language, but their brains are ready to

learn. >> reporter: many students moved to cesar chavez after their former school closed and she's afraid, once they're relocated, their new school will also be closed. >> we love this school. why take it away from us. >> reporter: other parents and community leaders applauded the early learning efforts, but urged them to consider other options. in the end, the board voted unanimously to use cesar chavez campus for the center, meaning about 200 kids will be moving to three different nearby elementary schools. tom jensen, "today in the bay." mountain view police are investigating a hate crime at an elementary school and they need your help solving the case. police say over the weekend someone vandalized the utility room with two hateful symbols. other graffiti was found as well. detectives are asking if any nearby homes have surveillance video of the area. turning now to the war in

ukraine, this morning ukraine's military is claiming a big win, after a russian warship is sunk in the black sea. u.s. officials say it's a major blow to russia's military stockpile. "today in the bay's" brie jackson is in washington with details on the attack. >> reporter: one of russia's premier warships under water in the black sea this morning. ukrainians claim their cruise missiles inflicted heavy damage, causing the ship to sink. >> we cannot confirm the ukrainian reports that it was hit by a missile, but we are also not in a position to refute that. >> reporter: russia put the blame on ammunition detonating on board. no matter the cause, military experts say it is another setback for russian forces. u.s. officials warn russian president vladimir putin may consider using nuclear weapons. >> we've watched for that very intently. it's one of our most important responsibilities at cia.

>> reporter: ukraine is bracing for a major offensive in the east. president zelenskyy blasting european countries who continue to rely on russian oil, helping to fund russia's war, saying -- we don't understand how you can make money out of blood. putin claims europe has no alternative and warns attempts to phase out russian gas imports would have a negative impact on western economies. as fierce battles continue, president biden says he's not ruling out sending u.s. officials to ukraine. >> are you sending u.s. officials to ukraine? >> we're making that decision now. >> reporter: as we await a decision on that, $800 million in military aid is now on its way. in washington, brie jackson for nbc news. well, a live look at the coliseum this morning and what you don't see from this angle, anyway, will be the focus of the authority meeting happening later today. lurking in the depths of the

laid yum right now is a large back of feral cats. we told you about this earlier this week and that's why the authority revealed earlier this week we are saying it's being overrun with stray cats and kittens and it's been compounded by two years of pandemic. animal control teams have been called in to try to relocate and hopefully adopt the cats. next monday the a's will play their home opener. other topics will include the end of the stadium covid protocols and an update on the sewage system. coming up on "today in the bay," is she fit to lead? the response from political allies of senator feinstein after the eye-opening report that questions her mental fitness.

right now at 4:40, let's take a look at your south bay planner, getting outside and enjoying more sunshine today and also warmer temperatures. even though it starts out cloudy in the south bay, we're in the low 50s. it heads up for the upper 60s with mostly sunny skies today. we're going to talk about rain ahead in tomorrow's forecast. that's coming up in a few minutes. >> and we do have some slowing along westbound 580 because of a crash right near the toll plaza. right now toward the richmond bridge, you're looking at 11 minutes. westbound 80 toward the bay bridge, seven minutes.

there are new concerns about one of the bay area's most legendry politicians, the chronicle reporting that several senators, including democrats, questioning senator dianne feinstein and her ability to do her job. >> multiple sources are coming forward reporting that her memory is rapidly deteriorating. how is the 88-year-old senator responding? here's "today in the bay's" cheryl hurd. >> joe cotchett and bob mendelson have known senator dianne feinstein for decades. cotchett has been her attorney for 25 years. mendelson served with her on the san francisco board in the '90s. >> it's amazing to me that people need to come up and whisper in reporters' ears about the fact that this one is not as sharp as she once was.

i'm not sure who is as sharp as she once were. >> is she slowing down? of course. but to call for her resignation when two years ago, three years ago, she was elected overwhelming by the people of the state of california, it's a disgrace. >> reporter: senators, as well as three democrats, and feinstein staffers and a california democratic member of congress told reporters at the san francisco chronicle that her memory is rapidly deteriorating and it appears she can no longer fulfill her job duties without her staff and she sometimes fails to recognize senate colleagues. political science professor diane crane worked with feinstein on capitol hill. >> i think it says something that people are willing to come forward, not by name but on the record with a reporter. it tells me that people are feeling an urgency, i think, to communicate in other ways to her

that they think maybe she is not all that she has been. >> reporter: house speaker nancy pelosi and congressman ro khanna are giving support. speaker pelosi saying senator feinstein is a workhorse for the people of california and a respected leader among her colleagues in the senate. she is constantly traveling between california and the capitol, working relentlessly to ensure californians' needs are met and voices are heard. representative ro khanna says this type of rumor mongering is disrespectful to senator feinstein's life of service and frankly agent and cruel at a time when she just lost her husband. the senator herself responding to the article by saying, the real question is whether i'm still an effective representative of 40 million calfens, and the record shows that i am. her long-time friend agrees. >> when dianne is not able to do

the job anymore, she'll tell us. we don't need to tell her. >> reporter: cheryl hurd, "today in the bay." coming up on "today in the bay," a flag now flying outside antioch city hall is stirring up controversy for some residents. the reason they're upset and the reason the city plans to keep the flag flying all year long. >> plus, boosting business during covid. the new partnership helping pour in business for north bay wineries.

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it's a chilly start. our temperatures right now are 43 in napa. that's one of the cooler spots. here's a look at our high temperatures, reaching into the mid to upper 60s in the east bay. look at morgan hill and san martin, reaching 71 and the seven-day forecast is up at the bottom of the screen. tomorrow it's going to be slightly cooler thanks to more clouds and rain, especially for the morning. we'll see san mateo reaching 62 degrees, in fairfield 68 degrees. on easter sunday we're feeling temperatures warming up as the sunshine returns and we're going to see more of that going at least into the start of next week. overall we are going into a wetter weather pattern as we are going to see more rain starting

to reach in closer starting tomorrow morning, and as we take it hour-by-hour, today is dry, we'll start to see some light showers moving into the far north bay around midnight. the rest of us seeing it after midnight, before sunrise, and it's going to be a soggy start to our saturday morning. if you have saturday afternoon plans, it looks like it's clearing out by then. and we'll also see breezy winds, just kind of a cool day and we'll see a mix of sun and clouds. we could see about 1/2 inch for most of the bay area. that would be pretty good. coming in next week, the next on tuesday, then more rain thursday into friday, and also next weekend may start out a little wet. we are seeing more storm systems moving through. in the next week we could see another 2 feet of snow possible in the sierra, maybe even a little more in kingvale. that will really help bring up

our sierra snowpack. as we go into the seven-day forecast our temperatures staying nice and seasonable. rain tomorrow, then again on tuesday, and then again on thursday. we'll be tracking all of that. vianey, what are you watching for the commute? >> i'm looking at a couple fender benders and keeping a close eye on our traffic cameras. this is a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. smooth right now. we could be seeing friday light, which means the metering lights tend to come on later. richmond, we did have an accident being reported, possibly a crash near the toll plaza on the westbound lanes that was causing some earlier delays. we've also been keeping a close eye in the south bay and it looks like good news. this is along southbound 101. it looks like it's not really blocking the actual lane itself. it's off on the right-hand shoulder. so south bay drive times right now, you're looking at a smooth commute. i'll be back with another check of the drive times coming up in

a few minutes. antioch isn't waiting for pride month to fly the pride flag. the city council made that unprecedented decision to raise the flag now and for the rest of the year. the mayor says that move comes after reports of recent homophobic attitudes being expressed in antioch. city council voted this week to fly what's called the progressive pride flag. it includes black and brown stripes to represent people of color. not everyone is happy about the decision. some peel it should only be flown during pride month. >> i think we need to be representative of everyone in the community and if we fly one flag for nine months or eight months that are left, it doesn't leave us to do anything for anybody else. >> it is a historic move. it could be a model for many cities and raising the flag for the rest of the year. that's such a huge step and symbol. >> members of the lgbtq community say the city is send

ago message they have a place in antioch and can be celebrated year-round. new this morning, this is a story for those 21 and older. a business expanding to napa and its helping pour new lives into wineries along the way. side car tours is booking food, wine and brewery tours for guests. >> it's teaming up with locally owned wineries that are looking to bounce back following the pandemic. our "today in the bay" producers got a firsthand look at the adventure awaiting guests. take a look. >> we love the outdoors and we love wine tasting. motorcycles are in our dna. >> driving the motorcycle, you feel it with all your senses, it's the smell, the air, the wind. >> the pandemic really affected many people and it affected us as well, but what we did is

really stay resilient and we took the motorcycle and took people out for an outdoor experience where it created an opportunity for us, ourselves, and also it brought business to the winemakers. >> a lot more people coming, a lot of family, friends. we've been working together for the smaller family wineries. >> we are hoping things were going to come back online, we were still very slow in the weekdays. these guys really helped us increase our weekday traffic. they've been steady fixtures on the weekend. they're creating inertia to get everything restarted. >> with the pandemic, they've suffered quite a bit because restaurants were closed. so the valley is recovering.

>> that's pretty cool. >> very cool. you've got just a nice seat there with fresh wind in your hair. >> and hopefully a glass in your hand, because you're not driving. >> just enjoying the view. we have posted more of the side car tours on our website, nbcbayarea.com. let's check out for more wind in your hair, glass in your hand stuff on there. what else is exciting, the nba playoffs start. coming up, the signs hinting steph curry could be ready for game day. >> and happening now, an affordable housing project breaks ground today in west oakland. this is for those struggling to make it in the bay. the $80 million project will build nearly 80 units along 7th and campbell streets. former black panther party leader elaine brown is expected to turn the first dirt at the

ceremony this morning. we'll be right back.

bad news this morning for sharks fans. it is time to start thinking about next season. last night the sharks were officially eliminated from the playoffs. they lost to chicago 5-4 in a shootout. to make matters worse, this was their eighth straight loss. this is the first time in franchise history the sharks will miss the playoffs in three straight years. next year it is. look, the warriors fans, meanwhile, playoffs again tomorrow at chase center against denver and all fans really want to know is, will steph curry play? >> that is the big question.

we can tell you steph took part in the team scrimmage yesterday. now, remember, he's still getting over an injured foot and it is possible even if he does get cleared to play, he'll only get limited minutes. he says just playing at all right now feels good. >> every step has been in the right direction in terms of trying to get back out there. i never enjoyed practice so much. >> steph missed the last 12 games of the regular season and coach steve kerr still says steph will be a game-time decision. >> i'm hoping you're in, kid, come on. 4:57 this morning. coming up next on "today in the bay," say good-bye to those nose swabs. the new way to test for covid-19 that was just approved by the fda.

right now at 5:00, fighting to stop anti-asian hate. more funding coming to stop rising violence. a bay area lawmaker explains where some of that money will be going. >> plus, a big blow to russia after a warship goes down in the black sea. a live report from washington, d.c. on how this could be a turning point on the war in ukraine. >> and hundreds of south bay students are looking for a new school. the vote that has many families wondering which school their student will be attending in the fall. this is "today in the bay."

a good morning to you on this friday. thank you for making us a part of your morning. >> i'm marcus washington. >> i'm ginger conejero. laura garcia is off today. we're broadcasting not only to your tv, you can catch us on roku, amazon fire, apple tv, and online. >> we're going to get to traffic in just a bit, but first we'll start with the forecast. it is friday and we love the friday forecast. >> good friday at that and we're going to see a little more sunshine today, warmer temperatures. as we get a live look outside in san francisco, it may still be a little wet from overnight sprinkles, but we are on a drying trend as temperatures start out in the high 40s and low 50s. livermore is 49 degrees, 44 in saint helena and today we'll see temperatures reaching into the mid to upper 60s, a few spots hitting 71 degrees. it's going to be overall a really nice day. we'll be talking more about that as well as the rain coming back into the forecast coming