let's bring in our velena jones in downtown oakland, velena. what's it look like?l, take a look, because this is the first clinic here at the new training facility. we have youth girls here in a basketball clinic. this is the new digs. for what this performance center now looks like. it's purple and black. we've got in out of the blue and gold. and now the valkyries are making it their own. they have a state of the art facility here. we have, you know, a training facility. we have a weight room. there is also hydrotherapy. and so there's all state of the art facilities here within downtown oakland. they said it's very important for them to continue the legacy of basketball with the warriors organization right here in oakland and velena. we know the history. with the warriors having moved to san francisco, the valkyries now playing there in oakland. how big a deal is this for the city? you know, it's a huge deal. it means that the warriors organization will continue to be here in oakland. they will continue to have roots here. with the valkyries now taking over this

our velena jones was there for today's special event and tell us what happened there today. velena. know, janelle, with this new electric bus comes a lot of activity and celebration as well as events. i want to show you what's going on right here. we're outside of west oakland middle school where there is a pickup game. right now, if you see in the background there, that's mr. fab here playing with the kids. we have kids playing on the basketball courts. this is all part of hoop bus's mission to engage community and neighborhoods. the youth with basketball and just inspire the youth. and so as you mentioned, they launched their new ev bus. this is the first ev bus that they have been able to be equipped with. hoop bus goes all ovover the country to set up the mobile basketball courts throughout the country. and now they have, for the first time, an ev bus. they launched that today that will go in between la and the bay area, but it's here specifically for all star weekend to engage with communities throughout the east bay and give those kids an opportunity to engage with basketball

so we sent our velena jones to check out the house. okay. velena. what is the catch here? catcher? well, janelle. right. we all want to know what the catch is because that under a million here in the bay area, specifically in berkeley, you don't hear that a lot, right? so this is just under $400,000. it's in a beautiful location. the caveat is it comes with an 83 year old tenant who will live there in perpetuity, rent free. it also comes wit several different disclaimers they talk about. the building has had no maintenance done since 1974. the roof of the garage has collapsed, as well as a sunroof. the roof on that has collapsed as well. there is an active water leak from the main line in the basement that has been there for what they expect or think is over a decade. there is also monthly utilities that cost about 2000 per month. there is an additional tenant that lives in a lower unit that pays 1200 per month. so that doesn't even cost. that doesn't even cover the cost of utilities. and so you have this prime location here in berkeley. but not only do you have all the maintenance

nbc's velena jones joins us courtside. velena you got the best assignment of the night. what's happening there? i sure did. you know, it was a lot of excitement here in the arena. a lot of here for basketball. right. and of course, to see all their celebrity, all the celebrities here. and it was really a star studded event. you know, this all star celebrity game brought people from all over the country here back to the town to watch basketball tonight. it has wrapped up team barry bonds winning 66 against team jerry rice 55. now they are setting up for the hbcu classic which will be h here tomorrow. now when we look at this star studded roster, there were a lot of stars here. again, one of the teams coached by niners legend jerry rice. his team includes singer shaboozey, comedian drewski and pro football hall of fame wide receiver t.o. as you mentioned, they faced off against barry bonds, where rapper two chainz helped coach the players, including actors rome flynn and danny ramirez. now, rome flynn came away as the game's mvp tonight, scoring over 20 points. we caught u

in oakland, velena jones, nbc bay area news. okay. thank you very much. velena. up next. they tried to get her tent off public property, but a judge is stepping in. we'll tell you about the legal fight in the north bay over an unhoused woman's encampment. plus, we are one year out from the winter olympics in milan. my interview with east bay olympian alysa liu on her journey back to the games and more. that rain is moving in. we'll get you the important timeline to take you all the way through ruled that a disabled woman cannot be removed from her shelter in vallejo. 64 year old evelyn davis alfred has lived on a vacant lot on merritt island for more than two years. her attorney says that alfred applied to live in 19 different housing facilities in the area, but still is waiting to be approved. back in october, the city of vallejo issued notices for her to be removed and from that shelter on the lot. but alfred worked with the california homeless union to fight the order and stay in her temporary home. last week, a federal court granted a preliminary injunction that preve

in oakland, velena jones nbc bay area news. does look fun. all right. thank you. velena bay area is finally drying out after the latest round of storms, and crews are picking up the pieces on the ground. check it out. sky ranger captured this video today of that large tree that fell into a power line. this is south wright road in santa rosa. road was closed for hours this morning and way into the afternoon as well. pg&e crews were on the scene to make repairs and to clear out some of those branches. a lot of cleanup also ahead for homes along the russian river. we flew nbc bay area s ranger through sonoma county as well. now the weather has calmed down and you can see just how high the water still is for neighborhoods all along that area. jeff is here to talk about that as we recover, but also we're going to dry out and just get some really nice sunshine. yeah, saturday, sunday it's coming in. just excellent out here across the bay area. and then we are also talking about what could be a significant storm system for next week. so we got a lot to cover here. we're

she's inside oakland arena and velena. i am so envious. bay area celebrities and sports legends are among those playing on that court. yeah, i know, absolutely. it's a star studded event for sure. the celebrity all star game is bringing fans from all over the country back here to oakland to watch basketball. you can see some of those fans still milling around tonight. there's going to be several different breaks within the evening as well as people do games and different things like that because it's not a real nba game. but there's a lot of excitement here tonight with fans waiting to see whether these celebrities can ball. now, tonight's star studded rosters include team jerry rice, who will be coaching. his team includes six time grammy nominated singer shaboozey, comedian drewski and pro football hall of fame wide receiver terrell owens. over on team barry bonds, we have two chainz helping coach players including emmy winning actor rome flynn and star of marvel studios captain america brave new world, danny ramirez. now, fans say they'

but first, let's go to velena jones in oakland. that's the celebrity game that just wrapped up velena. that would have been so much fun to watch. oh, it was so much fun. and there's so much excitement here. you know, a lot of people are reminiscing about times when the dubs played here. you can see a lot of people exiting tonight as this game has just wrapped up, and the celebrity all star game is bringing fans from all over the country back to the town. the game just wrapped up with team barry bonds winning 66 to 55 against team jerry rice. now tonight's star studded rosters, including one team coached by niners legend jerry rice. his team includes singer shaboozey, comedian drewski and pro football hall of famer terrell owens. they'll face off. they faced off against barry bonds, where rapper two chainz helped out coach the players, including actors rome flynn and danny ramirez. now players and coaches got in a practice yesterday ahead of today's big game. they also walked the red carpet before hitting the court today. that's whe

in oakland, velena jones nbc, bay area news. in other news, as california seeks to quadruple its battery storage of the solar power, the recent fire at a local battery plant is a major black eye. while the plant that burned in moss landing was once considered state of the art, it is now consired outdated and vulnerable. here's investigative reporter jaxon van derbeken. beneath this raging fire in moss landing is a massive 300 megawatt battery facility. the fire burned for hours and destroyed 80% of the plant's batteries.t also triggered evacuations of nearby neighborhoods, and monitoring data shows it spread toxic heavy metals into a nearby ecological preserve. the facility, run by a texas company called vistra, is one of the largest in the world. it's part of california's ambitious effort to ramp up battery storage systems to harness the potential of solar power. but the fire is serving as a wakeup call of the potential dangers. it's really no longer an emerging technology. it's here. adam barrow is an expert on battery safety

in oakland, velena jones, nbc, bay area news. okay. coming up next, a day in the life of the warriors hype man. we're going to take you inside chase center. where? there he is, franco finn getting ready for all star weekend. hear a familiar voice. totally. warriors hype man franco finn. it's the assignment of a lifetime for the san francisco native. so what exactly does the hype man do? nbc bay area's via gia vang went behind the scenes at chase center to find out. let's go, let's go, let's go. come on, come on. this is the hype. yeah, i like this. before the hype. dub nation, are you ready? if you've ever been to a warriors home game or watched one on tv, it's go time. you know the voice. get hyped and make some noise. born and raised here in the city. this is the moment i've been waiting for. literally in my 22 plus career years here. let's go, let's go. what's up, what's up? a dream assignment now. a reality for warriorsrs. hype man franco fin. three in a row, three in a row. i got an email. that's how i found out. but i'm like, why

nbc bay area's velena jones was there for us. the stars took over oakland arena from the world of entertainment to sports, leaving it all on the court. we have some strategy, you know, on the offensive end, they just said, give me the ball. i'm like, okay, i'm cool with that. niners legend jerry rice and giants legend barry bonds led the star studded rosters. team rice coaching singer shaboozey, comedian drewski and pro football hall of fame wide receiver terrell owens. jerry rice had a word or two for team barry bonds on the red carpet tonight. i want them to know. hey, barry, we out to beat you. we ought to take you down. we ought to take two chains down, and team rice is going to win. rice's team faced off against barry bonds with the help of rapper two chainz, helping coach players including actor rome flynn and danny ramirez. team bonds took home the w, winning 66 to 55 with actor rome flynn dubbed mvp. we had a great like just chemistry, camaraderie. we all just wanted each other to win and play for each other and we just h

velena jones nbc, bay area news. love that velena. thanks.rs play in chicago tonight and anticipation is growing as their newest player, jimmy butler, could be making his debut tonight. prior to the warriors thursday game against the lakers, butler met with the media as a warrior, saying he's excited and ready to play. the warriors acquired butler after trading andrew wiggins and kyle anderson to the miami heat. if butler plays tonight, it will be the first time he's been on the court since january 21st. tonight, the san jose sharks will host their own black history celebration. the team is celebrating by rolling out some special edition jerseys. and here's a sneak peek at what fans can expect. all the swag is created by washington, dc based logo artist jordan dabney. she's also an active member of the black girl hockey club, and she'll be a part of tonight's pre-game puck drop. the sharks host the dallas stars tonight at seven. all fans will receive a special beanie featuring her artwork. 53 past the hour. up next, a quick look at our top st

here's nbc bay area's velena jones. reporter. bart is bracing for a big boost in business, as the nba all-star weekend takes both sides of the bay. when riders come to bart, if they take it for all star weekend, they're going to see clean stations. they're going to see our new train cars, they're going to see police presence, and they're going to have a great experience. the agency says they'll be using their longer eight car trains to accommodate what they expect to be a lot more riders this friday through sunday. they will also have extra trains on hand if needed. bart p-d is also partnering with opd, sfpd and the san francisco department of emergency management to make sure those riders feel safe. bart also announced today the installation of new, more secure fare gates at all downtown san francisco stations just in time for the big weekend. we do plan to have extra staffing. we do plan to have extra security, you know. of course we will have the visible presence on trains and in our station of our officers, ambassadors and cr

in livermore, velena jones, nbc, bay area news. fleta. thank you. now to stay on top of the weather in your neighborhood throughout this rainy night and in the weeks ahead. download our free nbc bay area app. it's great resource to get started. we made it really easy. just scan that qr code you see on the left side of your screen. among the helpful features, you get access to our storm ranger radar that's the best in northern california, and updates from our team of meteorologists. raj we're going to move on to some other news from the bay area to boston this week, a day without an immigrant aimed to send a very direct message to the trump administration. workers stayed home. students didn't go to class to protest the immigration enforcement action across the country. but the p protest also led to collateral damage, including the hit that local schools took. with so many kids skipping class. nbc bay area's damian trujillo is in san jose with that story. school districts across the state are still doing the math, but the loss in state funding for one

that was velena jones reporting. the new da is scheduled to be sworn in on tuesday. former oakland mayor sheng thao is expected to appear in court. this week comes a little more than two weeks after federal prosecutors unsealed an eight count indictment against how her partner, andre jones, and two members of the dewan family. the dugongs are an east bay family that own multiple businesses, including a prefab housing company and a recycling company contracted by the city. federal prosecutors say the scheme started in october 2022, a month before tao was elected as mayor. tao maintains her innocence. if convicted of all counts, tao and jones face a maximum of 95 years in prison. tao is due in court on thursday and plan on a few showers to start tomorrow morning. mild temperatures the day beginning in the 50s, ending with a lot of rain. and not just for the north bay like we saw this snowpack has dropped to 65% of average. this is typically the peak time for snowfall in the region. meteorologist rob mayeda takes a closer look at how our la nina weather and climate chan

velena jones today in the bay and the weekend is not just about basketball. this is the annual nba tech summit in san francisco. sort of business conference. you can see nba commissioner adam silver on the stage there sharing some time with robots. the summit unites nba players, past and present, with tech titans and venture capitalists. they're talking ideas, deals and partnerships. our coverage of the nba all-star weekend continues on nbcbayarea.com. just click on the link in our trending bar that's at the top of the page. you get a complete schedule of all the events, both in san francisco and in oakland. well, as we've been talking about a busy weekend in the city. look at the sun shining over transamerica pyramid this morning. there are events all across the city for the all star weekend, as well as the chinese new year parade that is happening later this morning. san francisco is ringing in the year of the snake. the parade starts at the corner of market and second. there will be more than two dozen floats. this year's grand marshal is actress joan chen

nbc bay area's velena jones has more on the outge from city workers, who are now demanding those layoff notices be rescinded. save our services, save our services. dozens of the nearly 100 city workers that have received layoff notices gathered in front of city hall today. they're not only calling for their jobs back, but claim the way the city rolled out the layoff notices breaks the law. they also note those layoffs could have a major impact on critical employees, like monitors tracking illegal dumping, neighborhood watch and crime analyst follow the law. protect our public services. and as an addendum, don't mess with city workers. be straight up. we're partners. we're teammates. two unions have jointly filed a charge with the california public employment relations board. they must eliminate their temporary employees. the temp agency employees, the limited duration employees before they can ever touch a civil servant. jennifer foster is one of the nearly 20 opd civilian employees cut. she says those cuts include police oversight and accountability units, along with those who process

in oakland, velena jones, nbc, bay area news. that sounds great. it's going to be fun with the valkyries and bay fc and its second season now. it's really a lot of support, especially in the bay area. and it gives you so many more options of venues of things that you can go see and sports activities and things to take the kids to. and that whole area is just growing so much. you got some valkyries kind of purple there on your tab. you know, i knew we were doing that story. supports women's sports. yes. and our weather forecast over the next couple of days for any kind of any kind of all star events, i think it's going to cooperate. we got the worst behind us as we move it into our microclimate forecast. i can show you that right now when the atmospheric river is what brought us that extreme rain this morning that probably had you up last night when those heavy, heavy downpours were coming on in. right now we're dealing with this area of upper low pressure, and that's going to keep the chance here. some on and off rain tonight. we'll keep some flood

in berkeley velena jones, nbc, bay area news. we have new details about that 15 year old boy who was stabbed to death at santana row. according to a post from the family on social media, the boy was on a valentine's day date with his girlfriend last friday. the post says he was beaten and then stabbed in the heart. police say the attackers ran off and have not been caught. investigators have not confirmed the number of people involved or whether they were also teenagers today at santana row. shoppers were stunned. that's so abrupt. like that's the way his life ended. like, i feel bad for, like, him and his family because i'm like, he was 15. like he had so much life left to live on the peninsula now. gladiators boxing gym in redwood city says the victim was a young boxer. they're posting on social media, quote, he was more than just a fighter. he was family, full of heart, determination and a bright future ahead for san jose. police. officers are recovering from minor injuries after they broke up a brawl over valentine's day. wee

here's nbc bay area's velena jones. reporter.ig boost in business, as the nba all-star weekend takes both sides of the bay. when riders come to bart, if they take it for all star weekend, they're going to see clean stations. they're going to see our new train cars, they're going to see police presence, and they're going to have a great e

nbc bay area's velena jones at one of the protests in oakland's fruitvale neighborhood.mmigrant tracey nyjah know immigrants, their families and allies are all joining together to stand in solidarity. their message? immigrants play a crucial role in the fabric of america, and they're under attack by the president. everything is influenced by immigrants. i mean, the country was built on immigrants. you know, if there wasn't an immigrant community, there would be this world would i mean, this country would be so different. so, so different. since president trump started ordering the mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, paula says she worries for her husband, who doesn't have the same protections as herself and kids every day. i mean, he walks out the door and you don't know if he's going to come back. you just don't. that's just the reality of our situation, you know? and it can happen anywhere. griner today, activists from the group, by any means necessary, led a march down international and 35th

deebo maher velena to nomber to karate. i can buy myself flowers. write my name in the sand, run away. but we're running in circles. run away, run away. get ready for snl 50. the homecoming concert. it's happening. valentitine's day at radio city music hall in new york. these are just a few of the artists who have graced the snl stage, and will be a part of that star studded lineup bad bunny, miley cyrus, post malone, lady gaga, jelly roll, and david byrne from the talking heads. wow. tonight show host and former cast member jimmy fallon will emcee. it will stream live on peacock at 5 p.m. our time. so if you don't have valentine's night plans, the radio city concert comes two days before the official snl 50 the anniversary special that is a three hour live broadcast. it will air right here on nbc bay area. sunday, february 16th at 8 p.m. so sunday night live happening today here in the bay area in the south bay, a big lunar new year celebration in san jose at santana row. this is video from last year's celebration. our own mike inouye emceed. today