cierra johnson is live in san francisco. you've been following the story for days now. what should people expect? >> reporter: we've been following this for about a week. we're officially there, entered the yellow tier yesterday and approaching the week and it will be a big deal for the bars and restaurants. not only those type of businesses expanding as well, there are museums reopening for the first time since that pandemic, one of them being legion of honor in san francisco. them later today, they'll be doing so with a very big installation. now, this installation is done by a kenyan-american artist, and she interprets the gruesome 2018 death of neil wilson using bronze sculptures, placed in the middle of the museum's courtyard. 18-year-old wilson, if you recall, her and two of her sisters were traveling to a memorial service for a relative when she was stabbed to death at macarthur b.a.r.t. station, again in 2018. the 29-year-old suspect in that stabbing was found to be insane at the time of the stabbing so the bronze sculpture arrangement will be placed in the cent

we want to bring in "today in the bay's" cierra johnson live following developments. cierra?reporter: yes, good morning marcus and laura. both developments are really step forwards in both the fight against covid as well as the desire to return to life pre-pandemic. we're going to start here locally with what's going on with that yellow tier and what exactly that yellow tier means. now the state of california says that san francisco could enter that yellow tier by as early as friday, we're also keeping a close eye on marin county. they, too, have seen a decline in both their cases per 100,000 as well as their positivity rate. so the biggest change within this tier, bars don't have to serve food and they're allowed to operate indoors at 25% capacity. some other changes you can expect indoor gyms, wineries, tasting rooms can operate indoors at 50% capacity, and as for the live events that capacity is bumped to 67%. now this news of potentially loosened restrictions comes as former fda commissioners share developments when it comes to the vaccine and treating those under the age

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson is in the city with more on that. cierra? >> reporter: yes, good morning, marcus and laura. both of those moves point us toward life that was pre-pandemic, we're going to start with some of the changes that we could be seeing here in the city. san francisco could soon make that announcement regarding changes to local health orders, this move comes after the cdc announced that fully vaccinated and in some instances unvaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in certain outdoor settings. these guidelines have been backed by the california department of public health, so at this point we're waiting for san francisco to make changes to their policies and there's more news in loosening restrictions, we've been talking about it, the state is expected to allow san francisco to move into that less restrictive yellow tier that could happen as soon as friday. experts say marin county could be close behind because they have also seen falling cases per that 100,000 as well as falling positivity rates. so what are some of the biggest

we're live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thanks, cierra. as we're seeing, more things open up, we're seeing the number of people needing vaccines to decline. oakland's coliseum mass vaccination site closed yesterday, up since mid-february and county leaders made that decision due to the demand dropping to about 400 first doses per day, down from the peak of around 7,000. they want to focus on underrepresented neighborhoods. >> now is the time that we have to go deeper into the community, really engaging people one on one to help them get past whatever is holding them back from getting vaccinated. >> while it was open, it did a lot of work, oakland coliseum site vaccinated about a half until people since opening in mid-february. >>> not just happening in oakland, the vaccination site in san francisco's moscone center will also close, shutting down friday after the last remaining second dose appointments. more than 300,000 doses have been administered there over the past three months. >>> more fully vaccinated americans also means fewer peopl

cierra johnson where two asian-american women were stabbed. what are investigators saying? >> reporter: yes, good morning. those two women, one 85 and one 65 years old were simply waiting for the bus at fourth and market as mentioned, a busy intersection where an individual came up behind them and stabbed them. here's what we know about their injuries. an official with the city says one of the women was slashed across the back and elbow, another through the arm and to the chest. that woman needed surgery to treat her injuries. both were transported to san francisco general. police were able to locate a weapon and using security cameras in the area, were able to locate the 55-year-old san francisco man suspected in the stabbings, about two hours later they found him on the 600 block of eddy street. right now police are not ruling out that that stabbing was a hate crime. they're not considering it a hate crime rather but also not ruling it out. we will continue to follow this story bring you updates on charges brought against that individual as well as updates on the 58-year-

but let's head over to cierra johnson live with a look at the tree damage and some of the other wind 've had from this wind storm that blew through. cierra? >> reporter: yes, good morning, kari. right now all is calm on the other side of the golden gate bridge. things are quiet but a completely different story this time yesterday and into the afternoon hours. take a look at your screen. crews throughout the bay area capturing some of that damage. crews were busy in daly city. the winds left a tree down on a roadway. one person there was left with minor injuries. first responders aren't sure if it's because the tree fell onto the car or the car crashed into the tree, but take a listen to what they had to say about the strong winds. >> the wind is very strong tonight, blowing approximately 25 with higher gusts up in the 30s. you can still hear the wind now coming down. so this is a tree approximately

live in the valley, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> anybody in the bay area can drive around and see and feel just how dry it is out there. you've been looking at the drought conditions for quite some time, kari. >> yes, and so we are in an extreme drought for much of the bay area, and we're also looking at the vegetation. it has dried out to levels where we normally see during the middle to end of summer, so as we take a live look in sonoma mountain, at least the weather conditions now are fairly favorable. you see the fog rolling over the hills. higher humidity and lighter winds and the winds will be picking uhm. if you're hiking or near vegetation make sure you're careful and temperatures in the south bay reach up to about 70 degrees during this afternoon. let's head over to you, mike, how is it looking for the commute? >> well the concern out of the altamont pass the crash that was in the middle of 580 look at the map was past tense, now on the shoulder at most. some crash activity remains there, so there's a distraction but the sensors backed up before you get to grant l

we're live in mill valley, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thank you, sierra. >>> now we turn to "today in the bay's" tracie potts live in washington this morning. tracie, good to see you this morning. the cdc are actually going on the defense denying that decision to ease the mask restrictions was political. >> right, marcus. dr. rochelle walensky the head of the cdc says she acted not on politics but on science as soon as the science was available. >> deaths at rates we haven't seen this low since april of 2020, and now we have science that has really evolved. >> so they're easing these restrictions at the a time when 156 million americans have had at least one shot of the vaccine, and 120 million are fully vaccinated, still well under half. the government says the cdc's advice is for individuals, not necessarily for businesses, but as sierra mentioned there are several retailers allowing people to go maskless, others holding back on that. top infectious disease expert dr. anthony fauci says that's okay. >> there may be organizations who feel they don't want to remove the ma

. >> i'm cierra johnson. we honor the brave souls who lost their lives defending our country. >> we appreciate your service and thank your family for their sacrifice as well. vianey arana is in studio with a look at the forecast and it is red hot. >> it is. we are under a microclimate alert for good reason. we talk about memorial day hot temperatures could be record-breaking, temperatures between the low 100s to upwards of 105, 108 for the interior value i ys. where you see the red and the orange hues those are the hotst spots, solano county to sacramento valley. around its coastline as well in san francisco, we're expecting upper 70s so definitely above normal all of this thanks to a ridge of high pressure that's been keeping us dry. you notice how hot it was over the weekend. expect similar conditions today. i'll talk about that more in a bit. cierra? >> thank you. with the hot temperatures for this holiday weekend, fire cruise are preparing for what could be a busy memorial day. here's thom jensen. >> repo

cierra johnson for nbc bay area news. >> thank you cierra. >>> the mountain lion that's been keeping a san francisco neighborhood on edge has been captured. mountain lion just into the newsroom. take a look there. managed to tranquilize the elusive big cat last night. authorities did ask our team to turn off the light as they worked to bring that to an end. the video from the big cat tuesday morning, that animal does have a tracking collar on it. this is also the same cat that's been spotted in the neighborhood as well as the potoma area. >>> coming up, what are your plans for your summer? a new report says more and more americans are ready to head out. >> the capital is under siege. there is a roadblock stopping investigation. >>> island heritage month is focusing on a tony-award winning actor. bd wong first rose to providence following broadway production of "madam butterfly," tony award for best feature actor in a play. he has since appeared on the junior ask park series and law & order svu. we salute you, bd wong. >>> an attack on a chinatown shop owner. a 16-year-old tried to st

let's check in with cierra johnson. cierra, i'll be flying tonight, what are your plans for the weekend? >> i'm hoping to do a little hiking this week before a lot of folks will be hitting the roads and the skies. as you mentioned, aaa estimated more than half of americans plan to go somewhere. if you're planning to hit the roads, you may want to bring your pocketbook because the prices are on the rise. the gas station here in san bruno is a little higher than others in the area. $4.40 a gallon. $3.76 is one of the lowest prices you can find in the san francisco area. just last week, sfo saw a high of 31,000 passengers on one day. and they said they could see as many as 38,000 on a peak day. and today is expected to be the busiest day of the holiday, of the oakland airport with more than 30,000 passengers expected in more than one day alone, and more than 130,000 for the long weekend. i had a chance to speak with some folks traveling by land and by sky. they say they're prepared both for the gas prices as well as a safe

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live at the chase center this morning with what to expect. some of the fewer restrictions finally in effect city wide, cierra. >> reporter: good morning. happy friday to you, laura and marcus. there are fewer restrictions coming just in time for aweeken warriors behind me have a huge game tonight at 6:00, and then just a couple blocks down the road, giants also have a huge home game starting 45 minutes later, so there will be a lot of excitement here and some of the local bars and restaurants will feel that with the fans coming out and fewer restrictions now able to break down what those restrictions that were lifted on thursday are, they include outdoor ticketed and seated performances are allowed. groups up to eight people indoors and outdoors are now able to be served at bar counters and tables without seats and if you're headed to a place of worship this weekend, the places of worship can create sections for fully vaccinated individuals without fog social distancing requirements. heading back to school monday for the afterschool programs

cierra johnson is live this midday with details on the attack. cierra. >> reporter: yes, good morning, marcus. we've been in communication with b.a.r.t. police and right now there's no arrest from this situation, although they are saying it is not a hate crime that many right train are in the aape community and find the situation very unsettling. take a look at your screen. this is what that woman, the victim, looked like following that attack. b.a.r.t. police said she was riding b.a.r.t. towards 16th and mission statement around 8:00 monday morning when a man approached her that. man demanded her phone. he yelled curse words at her and hit her in the face several times of the right now b.a.r.t. police say those words used against her were not asian slurs and, again, they are not describing the crimes as an act of anti-asian violence, but many advocating for the protection of this community saying something has to be done. now b.a.r.t. police saying it is an active situation, an active investigation. they are combing through that surveillance vide

cierra johnson, nbc bay area news. >> happening today. there are two new walk-in covid vaccination sites open in contra costa county. both are available to anyone who lives or works in the county. one is at meadow homes elementary school in concord. that's happening through thursday. the other is at st. john missionary baptist church in richmond. that's going on through sunday. also today a new vaccination site is set to open in the south bay. it will open at vta's santa theresa's site in san jose. it's an easy way for people to get vaccinated on the go, at work, school, wherever they are going. the station is on st. ignacio avenue. all vta rides to the station will be free. and if you're still looking for a place to get your vaccine, we've made it easy for you. go to nbcbayarea.com and click on race for a vaccine right at the to of the page. it's in the trending bar. >>> well, a dire situation in india continues to develop. the u.s. now sending supplies worth more than $100 million to just troy to help. this is new video of a plane arriv

cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thanks so much. 6:58 right now.ditions are getting even worse. east contra costa county firefighters had a busy 12 hours. this is new video from overnight. about ten acres burned. no one was hurt. >>> 10 to 15 acres burned in discovery bay. this morning there's news of four to five small boats burning. a busy time for firefighters and is likely only going to get worse with this drought. kari, any relief? >>> no, in fact, we have to watch out for the high winds again coming through the delta. the winds will get stronger which could fan any flames. and our temperatures at least are cutting down for a couple of days but it does heat up this weekend. what's the update on that breaking news, mike? >>> still jammed for dublin. still four lanes blocked. meanwhile over at the bay bridge we have an easier drive. here is the video. a video of what's being cleaned up. we'll continue to update you on twitter. >>> that does it for "today in the bay" this morning. >> the "today" show is starting next. a live look at the marina in

live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> we're talking about wins. let's go, let's go. >>> new at 11:00 for you. how about a thrill. tomorrow you can ride a roller coaster at great america and santa clara so the amusement park reopening its doors in less than 24 hours and two weeks later the water park is going to reopen bigger and better that be before the pandemic. that's what they are telling us. nbc bay area's kris sanchez has a look at how america plans to keep you safe. uh-oh. behind you, kris. give me one ride. >> i know. i know. >> we queued the merry go round but listen to this, marcus. this was closed for more than a year and if you think about it in kid terms that's long enough for you to have grown some of the rowdier rides so clearly there's a lot of excitement about reopening the park and when the gates open tomorrow it will already be sold out. as we were here today, we saw cruise putting the final touches on great america's classics like the gold striker roller coaster, one of my family favorites and painting the south bay shores, a n

cierra johnson is still in mill valley where you need a mask if you head into starbucks even though they have made some changes here. >> reporter: yes, good morning, marcus. starbucks is just one of many businesses that decided to follow suit after the cdc made that announcement on thursday. so across the nation the new rule for starbucks among with some other businesses is you don't need a mask to come inside, but since california has not updated their mask mandate, it's best to wear one inside because of what is going on here. now the company starbucks made that announcement on their website, but the confusion for customers come into play because many businesses like starbucks are saying folks don't need to wear the masks if -- need to wear the mask if local regulations require them. many are leaning on the side of safety first and still waiting for that moment they can officially ditch that mask for good. >> since my second vaccination i've -- i'm more apt to forgot it on the dashboard of my car and it's like my mask, but i will not miss wearing my mask. yeah, the sooper we can get ou

cierra johnson, nbc bay area news. >> i didn't recognize what that is and once we got close to it, very bold and powerful there, that exhibit. thank you. >>> one week from tomorrow you will have more options to get around if you're in san francisco. muni's underground metro service returns may 15th. this is a full month ahead of the state's planned reopening but ridership there is already starting to bounce back. according to "the kroon call" muni reported nearly a quarter of a million riders. they are hoping to get to pre-pandemic levels by january. >>> if you like the taste of this wine literally out of this world, have you to bid big and get paid to sleep. yes, that is an option for you. the arabia curry is opening up about her home life with steph and the kids. here's laura garcia. >> how would you like an out-of-this world bottle of wine? a bottle of pet ru s 2014 wine that spent years maturing in space. it's up of 12 bottles sense to the international space station in 23019 as part of an experiment to see how plants react to space conditions. this bottle could sell for about $1 mi

. >> "today in the bay's" cierra johnson takes a look at one organization helping to bridge culturalng a positive difference while fighting for a better future. >> we're very proud that we can serve young people from so many different back grounds. >> reporter: for decades the japanese community has served youth of all back grounds. >> we do childhood development, we do youth development. two of our bigger areas are, we are one of the largest providers in supporting college access for low income first generation college students and we're also one of the major providers of youth workforce services here in san francisco. >> reporter: jonna saki says from the beginning this group was about supporting those from any community that may need help, a mission that began in the late '60s when many minority students fought for their heritage to be taught in local colleges. j.c.wysee was there to strengthen voices and during the racial awakening of 2020 and more recent fight for the fair treatment of those in the aapi community, jcyc continues to stand with and fight for those searching to hav

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson with that angle to the story. this could affect a lot of people that are using vta services, cierra. >> reporter: that's right. good morning, laura. this investigation is ongoing all while a community and the greater bay area grieves for the lives lost in that tragedy. as vta works with those investigators, we're told services at those stations are on pause. now right now the light rail service is canceled. vta tells us they are working to ensure the bus bridges are running along those light rail routes. now this morning commuters are being asked to plan their trips using regular buses. and with the disruption in service vta anticipating commuters and some travelers may have some transportation related questions. vta is sharing their customer line number. you can find that number on our screen right now or also continuously updating our website nbcbayarea.com with the up-to-date information. and, mike, i know you've been following this situation closely. any advice for those commuters heading out this morning as th

cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> cierra, thank you. in the east bay new details this morning in san leandro. that's where investigators are working to locate the men who attacked an elderly asian man out for a weekend walk. this was all captured on home security video. i want you to take a look at the video. maybe you know who the suspects are. this all happened around 4:00 saturday afternoon in san leandro and you can seat 80-year-old man being robbed by two younger guys. now they managed to rough him up a bit and get away with his fitbit. he wasn't seriously injured. the peace of mind for that man and his neighbors has really been rattled. >> pay attention to the surroundingsings and normally that wasn't at casism could walk freely down the street and not have a care and now, unfortunately, it's something that i have to factor in when i if out. >> reporter: police are still looking for the suspects who might have alsoame afternoon. police tell us they don't believe the victim was targeted because of his race. >>> new video showing a

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson joins us live in san francisco to explain why the free ride idea have stalled out. cierra? >> reporter: yes, good morning. that free ride program would have run until at least the end of september with the july 1st start date but that july 1st start date isn't looking feasible, because mayor london breed has yet to approve the proposal. as it stands right now, the proposal to make the transit fare free passed as you mentioned at tuesday's board of supervisors meeting. it passed 7-4, just one vote off for being able to override a veto from the mayor, that would have been crucial because that needed eight to happen and according to "the chronicle" mayor london breed plans to veto the measure once it reaches her desk. for month city leaders discussed what it would look like, saying it would spur the city's economy and benefit the middle and low income riders but in a statement to the chronicle mayor london breed's office says "the mayor believes we need to return muni to full service to support the economy's recovery especially for lower income communi

. >> and i'm cierra johnson. marcus and laura are off this morning and before we get to anything else, we want to start to honor those brave souls who lost their lives defending our country. >> we appreciate their service and thank you famiies for your sacrifice as well. we get to meteorologist vianey arana who is looking at a forecast that's very hot this morning. >> it is hot and quick to warm. it's 5:00 a.m. and 59 degrees in walnut creek so this gives you an idea. wind speeds are calm, overall noticing the icons, a lot of sunshine. by 9:00 a.m. we'll be in the 70s. by 11:00 a.m. bumping into the upper 80s, not as hot as we get. we expect to get triple digits hotter. san jose topping out in the 90s today. 58 degrees right now but in through the interior valleys we talk about near record heat in the triple digits for the valleys. so anywhere from 98 plus to 101, 103, maybe even hotter. i'll talk in more cierra? >> sounds good. >>> enjoy that cooler weather while you can, as soon as the sun comes up, the tempera

. >> reporter: and i'm cierra johnson at sfo.ing up we'll break down just how many folks plan to travel this memorial day weekend. >>> and we are focusing on a san francisco based civil rights lawyer as part of our asian-american pacific islander heritage month coverage. he was instrumental korematsu's conviction vacated. this is after he refused to enter into a japanese internment camp in world war ii. for his work in 2003, he was awarred the thurgood marshall award from the american bar association. he's also a member of the california attorney general's asian-pacific advisory council. we salute you. i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love,... more adventure,... more community. but with my hiv treatment,... there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor... and switched to... fewer medicines with dovato. prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with... just 2 medicines... in 1 pill,... dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen.

. >>> plus -- >> reporter: and i'm cierra johnson live at sfo this morning with what you need to knowore 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 s

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson joins us live in san francisco. how did the district finally reach its decision? >> reporter: good morning, laura. the decision was made over the weekend and if you think back to your senior year of high school, i think back to mine and every moment seems so precious, the last track meet, the last homecoming dance. the class of 2021 in san francisco unified school district gets to come back to their school to walk the halls at least for a couple of days. as i mentioned that deal involves the oldest students in the san francisco unified school district, solidified over the weekend, in all about 500 high school seniors are expected to return to the classroom. it won't be like what we saw with some of the younger students, taught in the traditional sense but receive assistance from seechers completing final projects or online learning and the return won't be consistent, likely the students deciding to return may only do so for about three days between today and the last day of instruction on june 2nd. the district coul

we're live at sfo, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> we sure do. thanks so much, cierra. 6:10. >>> we're keeping tabs on the staggering new statistics this morning as california and the bay area are now facing a year-round fire threat. this is new video from southern california, in fact where a brush fire raged yesterday near the santa ana river. this morning a better glimpse at just how dire this overall fire threat is to us. listen to this tally. in may of last year, cal fire reported just over 900 fires. fast forward now to this may, and so far there have been 1,500 fires across the golden state, burning more than 3,500 acres. it is very concerning of how dry it is out there, and of course, the climate and conditions changing as well. >>> but really in these afternoons we've been having nice temperatures around here but i'm sure the temperatures are eventually going to ramp back up, kari. >> yes, we're going to see that for the holiday weekend. so we're starting out with some cool conditions this morning. we've seen the coastal fog and also some

. >> cierra johnson live with more on what the yellow tier means. good morning. >> reporter: yes, good morning. today is a big day, yet another milestone. inching closer and closer to a sense of normalcy. restaurants, wineries and bars no longer have to sell and their capacity has increased. the biggest change, as i mentioned, that indoor capacity for bars 25%. now the capacity has increased for indoor gyms, wineries, restaurants and tasting rooms. they can open at 50% and capacity for live events now stands at 67%. with all of these changes we can see a domino effect with other industries seeing an increase in their business as well. parking garages, ride share drivers, hotels just to name a few, they could all see a benefit from increasing to that yellow tier. we did have a chance to speak with dr. sara cody for santa clara county, and she says that county is also drifting closer and closer to the yellow tier. as it stands now 2.3 cases per 100,000. so it could be just a matter of days before i'm standing in santa clara county telling you that the

cierra johnson is picking up the coverage. you're talking about governor newsom and the mandate plans. we'll see some changes with those masks. >> reporter: good morning, marcus. exactly. it's been more than a year since grabbing your mask and heading out the door getting out of the car has become second nature, but governor newsom says next month we could he announced june 15th could be the day the economy here in california reopens and later said the mask mandates could be lifted that day. the governor walking back to modify the state to explain that only outdoor mask mandates may be lifted. the governor offered the clarification we will have some mask guidelines and mandates but is hoping sooner or later that will be lifted as well. dr. anthony fauci suggests it may be time to relax some of the indoor mask mandates as more folks here and around the country get vaccinated. locally they are hoping local leaders decide to make restriction changes based on metrics like we've been doing since the beginning of the pandemic. >> yo

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live at the chase center with what to expect thanks to so many fewer restrictions in effect city wide. people can get out and about, cierra. >> reporter: good morning, laura. yes, it is a very exciting time, a busy weekend in terms of sports and people just wanting to be potential. tonight at 6:00, the warriors take off at 6:45 a little down the road the giants take on the dodgers. if you're in the area there will be extra traffic. if you can't make it to the game, there are some options, you can go to local bars and restaurants and there have been more restrictions lifted so that experience will be a little different than it has been in the last couple of weeks. now some of those restrictions that are lifted include outdoor ticketing and seated performances are allowed. groups of up to eight people are allowed to be served at bar counters without tables or seats. indoor places of worship create sections for fully vaccinated folks without having to use the social distancing requirement and for the kids, when you go back to school on monday for th

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson joins us live in san francisco this morning, and cierra, i would imagine a lot of people are excited about it. restaurants probably gearing up as well. >> reporter: yes, good morning, laura. it is a very big week and today a lot of businesses have expanded their capacity, they're expecting more folks but some businesses are actually reopening for the first time since the pandemic and one of those not really a business but one of the attractions, legion of museum here, legions museum, excuse me, reopening for the first time during the pandemic and when they open to the public later today, they'll be doing so with a very big installation. now, this installation is done by a kenyan-american artist, and she interprets the gruesome 2018 death of neil wilson using bronze sculptures, placed in the middle of the museum's courtyard. 18-year-old wilson, if you recall, her and two of her sisters were traveling to a memorial service for a relative when she was stabbed to death at macarthur b.a.r.t. station, again in 2018. the 29-year-old suspect in that stabbi

i'm cierra johnson on facebook and twitter. cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >>> investigators say they now know what started a small grass fire that destroyed a home. officials say juveniles were playing with fire. it got out of control and burned up the hillside. it started in the backyard on arthur road. witnesses say they heard a lot of explosions and thick, black smoke could be seen for miles. >> the wind took it and hit the grass and went up on the hill. a lot of cars up there. there were propane tanks that exploded. >> the three juveniles were questioned and released to their parents. they all got out safely. >> the chance of a 9/11-style commission investigating the capitol siege now resting in the hands of u.s. senators. more than a dozen republicans supporting it. tracie the showdown is hardly over. >> reporter: democrats and republicans both say they want to get to the bottom of what happens at the capitol but how they do it. is the issue. republican leaders are skeptical that there's some language in the fine

. >> "today in the bay's" cierra johnson joins us live in san francisco this morning with more. od morning, cierra. >> reporter: good morning, marcus and laura. we're inching closer to the pre-pandemic loosening of restrictions in terms of tiers and as well as wearing masks. start with the local health orders. now san francisco could soon make an announcement that they will be making changes to some of their local health orders, as the cdc announced fully vaccinated and in some instances unvaccinated people no longer need to wear a mass income certain outdoor settings. the new guidelines are backed by the california department of public health so we'll keep a close eye on what san francisco specifically has to say. more news in loosening restrictions. the state is expecting to allow san francisco to move into that less restrictive yellow tier as soon as friday. experts say marin county could be close behind as they've seen falling cases per 100,000 and falling positivity rate. the biggest change entering the yellow tier. bars don't have to serve food and are allowed to operate in

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson is picking up our coverage here this morning. cierra? >> reporter: yes, good morning, marcus. both headlines both the move to the yellow tier as well as the vaccine potentially working in folks under the age of 16 are huge headlines in our fight against covid and desire to go back to life in that pre-pandemic manner. let's start with what's happening here locally with that yellow tier. the state is expecting san francisco to move into that less restrictive yellow tier as soon as friday. we're also keeping a close eye on marin county as they, too, have seen both falling cases per 100,000 as well as the falling positivity rates. the biggest change with this tier, bars don't have to serve food and are allowed to operate indoors at 25% capacity. some other changes indoor gyms, wineries and tasting rooms can operate indoors at 50% capacity and for the life events that capacity is bumped up to 67% and this news as i mentioned coming as that fda director shared developments when it comes to the vaccine for those under the age of 16. now, as it

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson joins us live in san francisco this morning, cierra, the governorrge from the pandemic stronger than ever. >> reporter: yes, good morning. that is exactly the headline they are using to tout today's 10:00 press address. it's taking place as you mentioned in the east bay and alameda county. right now the governor's office is being tight-lipped what the plan entails and what the governor will be touching on at that meeting. the governor did take to social media to reveal that expansion to child care that happened yesterday that expansion would include adding 100,000 child care slots, investing millions into child care for california and also revealed it would include $200 million in support for career pathways for the home health care workers and millions in state funds to support child care providers. the announcement did not provide a time line or any basis of where that money would come from, so not only are we discussing that child care, newsom will be in town to discuss what will help us emerge from that pandemic deficit. this coming as newsom an

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson joins us live in san francisco with a major step one landmark is trying to take to get visitors back into the city. i'm ready to go, cierra. >> reporter: yes, good morning. it's hard to believe it's been about 14 months since this hotel had any guests, any convention and any of those employees were inside, but today is the day the hilton at union square, one of the largest hotels in the state is officially reopening and that's good news -- [ muted ] >> okay, i think we lost her audio there a little bit, but the hilton hotel is one of the hotels that's opening of course trying to lure all these visitors back into the city. the convention and visitors bureau of course, they know that so many people usually visit the city and so revenues have been down. we'll continue to follow the story and work out the microphone issue with cierra as well. >>> 5:08 right now. is your grocery bill skyrocketing? you're not alone. what shoppers say they're paying more for these days. >>> inflation certainly is an issue but people are out there spending money on just abo

we're live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> a lot of memories for those kids, no doubt. thanks, cierra. >>> palo alto school district is offering covid-19 vaccines to students. appointments start this sunday at palo alto high school. all are already filled up. the district is partnering with satisfy way pharmacy to provide shots. more vaccine events are in the works at other district campuses. each vaccine clin lick offer about a thousand shots. >>> many of us will never forget the day last year when our nation ground to a halt because of the pandemic. today, it could be another memorable day, the first day since the cdc ended mask mandates for fully vaccinated people. >> "today in the bay's" chris pollone is live in washington with more. chris? >> yes, marcus, laura, good morning to you. the nation will soon start looking a lot different as fully vaccinated people ditch their masks, this new cdc guideline happening as the white house continues to push americans to roll up their sleeves and get the shot. a turning point in the covid-19 pandemic. >> we have all

we're live, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thanks for the latest, cierra. >>> new progresseing made in the fight against covid. daily u.s. infections have continued to drop dipping below 25,000 yesterday nationwide. so according to the cdc, at least 32% of the population fully vaccinated. also more than half a million 12 to 15-year-olds received their first pfizer covid vaccine shot, this is less than one week after the fda and the cdc approved it. >> there's a new push in sacramento to end distance learning for students and make it happen soon. san francisco state assemblyman phil ting wants to end a waiver that allows for at-home learning. in a normal year schools get state funding for attendance but districts were given a pass at the start of the pandemic. ting is calling for that to end next month saying distance learning has not worked for all students. >>> alameda prosecutors declined to issue charges as there were no criminal accident. >>> fines going up for illegal dumping in san jose. if you're caught, it will cost you $10,000 up from $2,500. the city council appro

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live in mill valley cierra?e of >> reporter: yes, good morning, marcus and laura. after the cdc made that announcement on thursday, several national chains some of the bigger businesses decided to follow suit. one of them being starbucks right here behind me in mill valley, so starting today, any of those starbucks you will not be required to wear your mask inside if you are fully vaccinated. now, the company made that announcement on their website. the exception to this rule is if the local regulations require the mask by law. the chain still does plan to keep those restrooms closed where customers are not able to tyn in. some of the other chains loosening mask rules, walmart, trader joe's and costco, vaccinated customers at their store no longer need to wear a mask. the state of california has not issued any guidance on a revised mask rule so many bay area counties are waiting for guidance from the state level before revising their rules. while some stores may allow to you go maskless you still may not be able

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live, this comes as california's attorney general prepares toe new efforts to combat hate. >> reporter: yes, good morning, marcus. the state's cop top rob banta took office earlier this year and combating crime against asian-american is something he' office. we'll get more to his announcement in a little bit. yes, as you mentioned the older asian-american man walking in his neighborhood, attacked in broad daylight and it was caught on camera. we have that video. take a look at that. this happened in san leandro, the 80-year-old man attacked by two younger guys. he managed to get up. not until after he was roughed up and they got aaway with his fitpit. the peace of mind is gone for this man as well as his neighbors. >> pay attention to the surroundings. normally that wasn't the case, i could walk freely down the street and not have a care and now unfortunately it's something that i have to factor in when i go out. >> reporter: and police are still looking for those suspects. they drove away in a dark colored sedan. anyone with any information is

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live with details on the attack and what police are saying. >>eporter: good morning, marcus. thankfully the woman didn't sustain any serious injuries and is resting at home after that attack. b.a.r.t. police are not calling this is racially motivated but the string of attacks we've had nationally and the bay area, many members of the community unsettled by what played out here. take a look at the screen, these are pictures of that woman after she was attacked at the b.a.r.t. station. her name is not being released but those close to the situation say she was riding b.a.r.t. train toward the 16th and mission station around 8:00 monday morning. that's when a man approached her, the man demanded her phone, yelled curse words at her and hit her in the face. right now b.a.r.t. police say the words used were not asian slurs and as i mentioned, not describing the crime as an act of anti-asian violence. many advocating for protection of those in the aapi community say something has to be done so members of the community feel safe. >> let's make sure peop

. >> i'm cierra johnson. marcus and laura are off. before we get to anything else we honor the brave souls who lost their lives defending our country. a live look at arlington national cemetery often the site for ceremoies on this day. thank you for anyone who served and family members there to support them. >>> we get a look at your forecast because you're going to want to know about it if you are headed outdoors today. it is going to be hot and downright dangerous. >> it really is. any time we inch into the triple digits especially with how quickly it warms up throughout the afternoon it's something to take note of and keep in mind. 57 degrees in livermore, notice by around 11:00 a.m. about 84 degrees and by 1:00 p.m. 90s but that's not as hot as it's going to get. it gets hotter through the afternoon. look at the temperature trend into the afternoon, in the upper 80s, a couple of triple digits. this will inch us near record high temps for the interior valleys, high heat advisory into effect at 11:00 a.m. cierra? >>> enjoy the coole

spent, how some of that will be allocated and how it will impact yo we're live in san francisco, cierra johnsontoday in the bay." >> thanks so much, cierra. 5:35. >>> the bay area has some of the best covid-19 vaccination rates in the entire country, take a look at this chart. according to cdc, every county in the bay area, except solano has 50% of the population with at least one dose. however, herd immunity may still be a long way off, due to global immunity, a key component being unattainable for a long time, due to limited vaccine access in other parts of the world. bay area health officials say their focus now is getting as many people injected locally. they say life can return to normal if enough people are vaccinated. >>> more americans are debating taking summer vacations and planning getaways as more people get their vaccine shot. join me is dr. sapriya narashimhan. chief of infectious diseases at santa clara valley medical center. what advice do you tell people as they go out in community and live life? >> right. i think that overall the disease active in the united states, i can rela

cierra johnson for nbc bay area news. >> and more restrictions will likely be coming. >> let's turn toi for advice on that. >> we really have to think about how we're going to save as much water as we can. it's not just a california problem. look at how expansive this drought is. across the region you can see almost half of nevada, new mexico, utah covered in that high level of drought. more of that is moving into california and especially the bay area as we've seen the darker red shades, the exceptional drought expanding there into the sacramento valley, into parts of northern california. what does that mean for you? when we hit exceptional drought, it means we have a year-round fire season. we already had a record start to the fire season. that means water shortages are widespread. for our agriculture, those fields are left barren and food prices rise not just for california, but because we're the largest producer of fruits, vegetables and nuts for the country, it will be hard-hitting across the country. food prices start to rise. the tree mortality is high. that's really important a

police are investigating this situation and nbc bay area's cierra johnson is live in san francisco and picks up our coverage there. cierra? >> yes, the two women ages 85 years old and 6 a years old were simply waiting for a bus further down fourth street of fourth and market when they were stabbed. now, police do an update on their conditions. they were both slashed one at the back and the other at a elbow. police were able to locate a weapon. a 54-year-old man suspected of the stabbings was apprehended a couple hours later at the intersection of eddie street. one woman was slashed across the back and elbow and the other needed surgery as they were teethed toage of violence. superintendent matt chapie took to twitter saying discussing an horrific attacks on market spree, speaking of yesterday. two asian seniors have been in touch with the san francisco police department. that suspect was arrested. the victims are at the hospital. taarabt stoptheattacks and #stopasianhate and the district attorney shared this tweet regarding that attack reading heartbroken tonight for two elderly aapi v

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live. this comes as california's attorney general prepares to announce a new effort to combat these hate crimes. >> reporter: good morning, marcus. yes, that's exactly right. attorney general rob banta has been an advocate for combating those crimes against asian-americans, it's something he's been speaking about since he first took office earlier this year and yes, as you mentioned, that crime against this asian-american did play out in broad daylight and it was captured on home video. now, take a look at this video, this happened around 4:00 broad daylight in san leandro, there with where he see an 80-year-old man robbed by two younger guys. they managed to rough him uhm and get away with his fitbit. he wasn't seriously injured but as you can imagine that peace of mind for this man as well as the neighbors has been rattled. >> pay attention to the surroundings. normally that wasn't the case, i could walk freely down the street and not have a care and g that i have to factor in when i >> p

nbc bay area's cierra johnson live in san francisco with the latest here. cierra?rter: yes, good morning, marcus. two counties, san francisco county and marin county could be that much closer to resuming a little bit of normalcy in their life as they go to that less restrictive tier. now the state is expecting to allow san francisco to move to that less restrictive yellow tier as early as friday. experts say marin county could be close behind as they, too, have seen the falling hospitalizations, cases per 100,000 as well as falling positivity rate, so what exactly does the yellow screen mean? that means bars, they are not required to serve of food. they are also able to increase their capacity to 25%. indoor gyms, wineries and tasting rooms can also open indoors at 50%. as for the live outdoor events, those can be bumped up to 67%. now all of these changes, that loosening of restrictions, come as state tourism leaders are urging folks that are taking those safe vacations to do so right here in the golden state. just moments ago members of -- of the state tourism in

"today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live with the area seeing the most of that strong wind.rst meteorologist kari hall is tracking those conditions for us right now.