live in mill valley, pete suratos, nbc bay area news. >> certainly concerning. pete, thank you. >>> and don't forget, you can download our nbc bay area app straight to your smartphone. it is free, and that way you can get personalized forecasts for your neighborhood and check the current temperatures. >>> breaking news just in to our newsroom right now, b.a.r.t. service is being stopped between fruitvale and coliseum due to a fire adjacent to the tracks. we just learned they managed to put that fire out. we have a live look from our nbc bay area sky ranger this midday. the transit agency says expect some delays in service on the line in all directions. we'll bring you updates as soon as we get them. again, expect b.a.r.t. delays between fruitvale and coliseum. >>> san ramon valley school leaders are discussing possibly banning certain books at the meeting tonight. they'll discuss the complaint process parents can take up if they have concerns over certain literature. "the east bay times" cites an incident when a san ramon student was disciplined for not reading "

pete suratos for "today in the bay." >> good info. thanks, pete. >> you can download our free nbc bay area app straight to your smartphone and get that personalized forecast. >>> happening now, oakland police are asking for help trying to solve a deadly hit and run. the victim was a man who recently turned 100 years old. it happened sunday morning at 19th and harrison streets near lake merritt. witnesses say the man was dragged more than 30 feet down the road after being hit. a resident says drivers in that area routinely ignore traffic signals. >> i've never seen an accident since living here, but i've definitely seen people blow through these lights. >> authorities have released the victim's age, not his name. police say the car is believed to have been a white or tan mini cooper. >>> the pressure mounting in oakland, this is where more supporters are calling for the reinstatement of fired police chief leronne armstrong. we showed you yesterday at midday the city's naacp leaders holding a rally for armstrong at city hall. mayor sheng

pete suratos explains that the mayor isn't backing down from her decision. >> reporter: oakland mayor shen thou is standing by her decision. but representatives for the former oakland police chief said he could speak out about all this as early as today. now, during that one-on-one interview with us, she says she fired the former police chief, chief leronne armstrong, after reading an independent report that she says hurt his credibility for the role that he was in. oakland police have been under a federal monitor for 20 years. she would like to see that come to an end sooner than later. but his supporters say that he is the best person at making that a reality. now, here's the mayor explaining her decision to fire him as well as some of armstrong's supporters speaking on his firing. >> in the independent investigative reports, i think that it is short sight if we are not paying attention to what the investigation found and also we're very serious, serious sustained allegations around what is actually -- has been -- what i see is a systemic problem inside of the police department. >>

"today in the bay's" pete suratos is live from sausalito with a look at damage there. that includes a close call for some of the folks that live up north. >> reporter: yeah. good morning to you, marcus and laura. definitely a close call for a homeowner where the tree came down in sonoma county. we've got video into the newsroom this morning. you can see this large redwood pretty much split this home from the rooftop in what appears to be the living room area. we talked about those winds and we're seeing some of the damage really across the entire bay area overnight. thankfully when you look at that video, no one was hurt. folks were able to get out safely. we did hear from one neighbor who had this to say about the moment that tree came crashing down on his neighbor's home. >> i heard a crack and then i seen the tree and it looked like it was coming this way, but it hit his house and it was a big old bang. >> reporter: scary stuff there. now, let's talk about the impacts to some of the bay area bridges. now, if you're on the bay area bridge yesterday, there was a tree

pete suratos is live for us in the north bay with a look at just how first responders are preparing. >> first, let's check in with meteorologist kari hall, she's been tracking the timeline for us. this morning so far, relatively mild. >> yeah, it's nice and mild. we have a few more hours to prepare for high winds that are going to be kicking up today and also producing some high waves and dangerous currents along the coastline. and it's also going to be much cooler today compared to yesterday, more clouds moving in. and we will have cold temperatures, along with a chance of showers and even snow on the bay area hills over the next couple of days. the rest of the week is just going to be off and on rain, very cold and also some wintery weather, but we see the winds picking up at 10:00 along the coastline, areas in purple. those are 50 plus-mile-per-hour winds and we could see that across the bay area, especially in the hills today. it's going to continue to be gusty, even into this evening as some of those wind gusts for half moon bay and san francisco could top 60 miles per hour. we'

pete suratos is live in sausalito with a look at the damage.t includes a close call for north bay residents. >> reporter: yeah, very close call. we got new video coming into the newsroom this morning of a redwood falling into a home in sonoma county. we want to show you some of those images. the large redwood basically splitting up that home last night. with the winds, of course, we're expecting this type of activity. this is just one example of a downed tree. those downed trees we've been seeing across the entire region, especially with winds picking up overnight. thankfully, no one was hurt and the folks inside did get out safely. here is a neighbor explaining the moment the tree collapsed into his neighbor's home. >> i heard a crack and then i seen the tree, and it looked like it was coming this way, but it hit his house and it was a big old bang. >> reporter: now, if you were heading westbound on the bay bridge yesterday you may have encountered this, a tree getting knocked down at the entrance of the tunnel. it created quite the backup, br

pete suratos joins us this morning. >> reporter: good morning, marcus. yeah, shao did get emotional and the judge called for a ten-minute recess, and the question was how much access the public would get to the case. he is suspected of shooting and killing seven farm workers in half moon bay last month, and one person survived the shooting. we heard motions last week, a judge granting to restrict access to court records and that could affect coverage on this case. also a consideration for a gag order, and cameras inside a courtroom, that will be decided on a daily basis. the hearing will take place at 1:30 p.m. and will have updates on air and online at nbcbayarea.com. pete suratos for "today in the bay." >> thank you. >>> happening today, one of two suspected drivers charged in the alleged street racing crash that killed a peninsula mother and father is due back in court for a preliminary hearing. 23-year-old kyle harrison in december plead not guilty of second-degree murder and speeding. he and a 17-year-old boy were racing at high speeds in redwood ci

pete suratos for today in the bay. >> thank you, pete. >>> it's 6:05. also today, an assisted living worker charged in the death of a 94 resident will appear in court. for the 54 year leticia starring, prosecutors charged her in the death of the resident last august. our investigative unit was the first to learn after medical examiners said he drank a cleaning chemical. a single charge against her could lead to an eventual plea deal. our investigative unit has been following this story very closely. you can watch previous reports on our website, just head to nbcbayarea.com/investigations. >>> let's take a live look at the white house. as early as today, president biden plans to speak about the unidentified objects the u.s. military has been shooting down. sources telling nbc news the president will break down new perimeters on how to deal with the objects spotted in the future. many want to hear directly from president biden as to if the u.s. is under threat. we are still awaiting a time exactly when the president will speak. >>> we have been reporting,

"today in the bay's" pete suratos joins us live with more on the annual event. are you ready, pete?reporter: oh, yeah. good morning to you, laura and marcus. it's hard to believe, pitchers and catchers report to spring training for the giants in a matter of weeks. they'll be heading to arizona. you can enjoy the san francisco giants and their coaches tomorrow with giants fans here at oracle park. the best part about it is that it's free. you can't beat that. the thing of it, it's an open house for fans. the clubhouse will be open, you'll see the world series trophies, you can enjoy that, as well as there will be q&a sessions with players and coaches. they even have a kids' press conference. there will be a preselected group of kids able to ask some of the players and coaches some questions leading into the season. also, there's an orange carpet ceremony that will happen before the event kicks off. fans can welcome the giants as they walk in to oracle park. we did get a chance to speak with them about the excitement of this event. >> as baseball fans, as sports fans, we're always exc

pete surato. >> honestly it's disgusting to me, you know, because children do learn from what they see. and i'm a firm believer of that. >> reporter: vina is the mother of a school in clayton. the school said a student was disciplined for passing out cotton balls at school to mock black history month. >> it was egregious and could have been used as an opportunity to create a safe space. >> reporter: the superintendent says the office notified parents about it via email and the district took it a step farther to bring counsellors from equity department to campus to dus it directly with students. he feels just disciplining students does address the problem >> i want to make sure the adults in charge of students at these schools address these issues, turn them into teachable moments. that's what we're here to do. to teach, not punish. we're not the penal system. >> reporter: clark says it's one step to creating a more inclusive environment in the district and the discussions need to be ongoing. vina appreciates the efforts to make all kids feel welcome, including her own. >> it feels like

"today in the bay's" pete suratos joins us with more on the annual excitement. every year, pete.or some baseball? >> reporter: it's hard to believe, we're just wrapping up football and now we are going to have baseball soon, with spring training starting soon with the team reporting to arizona in just a matter of weeks. but things kick off for fans here in san francisco tomorrow with that annual giants fest. the best part, it's free. you can't beat that. think of it as an open house for fans at oracle park. the clubhouse will be open, and you can take a look at the numerous trophies by the san francisco giants. there's going to be a q&a session with players and coaches, even a kids' press conference where they have a pre selected group of kids who will ask questions. that should be pretty neat. then there's an orange carpet ceremony that's happening this year. we got a chance to talk to giants executive vp of business operations about the orange red carpet. >> at 9:15 before we open the gates, we're going to have the orange carpet ceremony where all players who are going to be he

pete suratos joining us with details. sounds like the mayor isn't backing down from her decision. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, laura. it looks like oakland mayor sheng thao is standing by her decision that was definitely expressed in the one-on-one interview she did with us here at nbc bay area. representatives for the police chief say that he could be providing a response shortly. when it comes to the one-on-one interview she did with raj mathai, she says she fired former police leronne armstrong after reading an independent report she feels hurt his credibility. oakland police is under a federal monitor and it's been that way for 20 years. the newly elected mayor wants that to eventually come to an end. the supporters say he's the best chance at making that the reality. here is the mayor explaining her decision, as well as armstrong supporters speaking about the firing. >> in the independent investigative report i think that it is short sight if we are not paying attention to what the investigation found, and those

as nbc bay area's pete suratos reports, it's an issue u.s. postal inspectors are tracking across the entire bay area. >> reporter: it all began with a 911 call from a homeowner along kelsey lane, they noticed a suspicious car driving slowly going through mailboxes. oakley police arrested three individuals in the car who they claim had stolen mail from 34 households across oakley and antioch. it's troubling news from residents like anita. >> i'm a little bit concerned because we haven't had that kind of theft here. >> reporter: the police chief did not provide detail on the mail stolen. this is the time of year thieves are targeting specific items. >> in the postal system we have a lot of tax return checks coming back to people. we have forms of not stimulus checks but government aid checks going out to households right now. >> a thing that gets stolen out of the mail. >> reporter: a postal inspector handling cases across the bay area. he says government issued checks are a prime target for thieves. it's important not to let your mail sit in m

as nbc bay area's pete suratos tells us, they could have consequences. >> reporter: a vision to add 5800 homes to the city over eight years. there was more dialogue with specials before the plan was submitted. the city deciding housing near downtown makes the most sense. >> we did a number of plans in the down area that really focus on trying to bring people to the amenities, to bring people to the retail core. >> reporter: but is the plan good enough for the state? california's department of housing and community department is in charge, and tells cities how many plans they have to build in eight years. in the bay area, the state only approved plans for alameda and san francisco so far. the vice president of public housing for the bay area council and he estimates 65 to 70 bay area cities didn't meet the deadline and they could face a peanlty. >> a builder's remedy says a developer can come in and build a plan in an area of single family homes. >> reporter: this could lead to battles ahead. he expects cities to go to court to challenge the builder's remedy. >> they will try to apply des

pete suratos has more. >>> i wouldn't use the term back to normal. things are better. >> reporter: the owner of solid rock cafe in antioch. like many, the shutdowns due to covid hurt the bottom line. though mandates are a thing in the past, revenue is still down compared to before the pandemic. >> i would say our revenue went down at the apex probably 50%. i would say we're down 30%. >> reporter: smith wasn't forced to close down his business like some counterparts, he is paying off a backlog of bills that were deferred during the pandemic. >> we're paying two bills right now each month. making the old payments and the new payments. >> reporter: some relief may be on the way. >> we're here in february and some of our small businesses are feeling the economic pinch of the covid-19 pandemic. >> reporter: lamar thorpe announcing local businesses still struggling financially can apply for a grant for up to $15,000, can receive up to $25,000 in reimbursements for upgrades to its facade funded by the american rescue plan act totaling $1 million. reid is th

. >> reporter: in contra costa county, pete suratos, nbc bay area news. >> check out nbcbayarea.com for the latest information on the shooter's possible motive. >>> police will again be walking city streets to address crime concerns. today mayor sheng thao announced plans to bring back officer foot patrols. the foot unit was put on hiatus two years ago. now with more staffing and grant funding, six officers and a sergeant will go back to patrolling on foot starting next week. the mayor says it's one step in a much larger effort to make the city safer. >> this is not a new problem. we know that. but it is a challenge and i know we can rise to meet it and come together. this is what it's about. it's about bridging those gaps with not only government, but with businesses, with residents, with visitors. >> now, the opd is also working to increase presence around the airport, an area that's been a target for car break-ins. the mayor says other efforts include a d.o.t. vehicle enforcement that will remove abandoned cars throughout the city, and the unit will free up opd resources. >>> more he

. >> pete suratos is live in the north bay with a look at how first responders are preparing.let's check in with meteorologist kari hall, tracking the timeline for us here. this morning it's still relatively mild. >> nice and mild and the winds are calm, but we are expecting as we go into the afternoon the winds will pick up in the north

pete suratos has the details. >> he appeared last week and was emotional calling for a ten-minute recess. when it comes to last week's hearing, the main focus was on how much access the public would get to this case. now, he was charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and is suspected of shooting and killing seven farm workers in half moon bay last month. there was one other person who survived that shooting. there were multiple defense motions ahead of today's hearing. the judge granting -- >>> this is an nbc news special report. here's lester holt. >>> good day, everyone. we're coming on the air with breaking news. just moments from now, president biden is expected to make remarks about the recent state of high-altitude objects shot down by the u.s. military over north america. a total of four have been brought down in the past two weeks, but we really only know anything about the first one shot down february 4th and later recovered off the coast of south carolina. u.s. officials say that was a chinese spy balloon. the chinese say it was a weather monitoring aircraft that d

in san francisco, pete suratos for "today in the bay." >> thanks so much. >>> two big games we'll beiors host the dallas mavericks at chase center. in college basketball, 18th ranked st. mary's is hosting 12th ranked gonzaga here in the bay area. >>> but first to the green we go. round two of the at&t pro-am in pebble beach. beautiful. celebrities paired up with the pros. actor jason bateman competing, as well as actor josh dudumel. kurt kitayama is from chico, and he is the leader in the tournament heading into today's round three. >>> at 7:50, up next, a quick look at the top stories we're following, including the man accused of firing a gun in a san francisco synagogue has now been arrested. many people still on edge. we'll tell you the precautions they're taking for shabbat this weekend. business can happen anytime, anywhere. so help yours thrive and stay connected with the comcast business complete connectivity solution. it's the largest, fastest, reliable network. advanced gig speed wifi. and cyberthreat protection. starting at just $49.99 a month. plus, you can save up to 60%

pete suratos, nbc bay area news. >>> more news you should know about. alto are concerned about changes in special education. san jose records its fourth homicide. >>> a gust knocked over redwood tree in santa cruz and sent it into a family's home. the 1-year-old boy was conscious and breathing on his own when first responders arrived. paramedics took him to a trauma center. no one else was hurt. >>> police are investigating a shooting that took place near andrew hill high school around 4:30 yesterday afternoon. one person is dead. police are treating this as a homicide. so far, no other details. we are expecting an update later today. >>> parents of children with special needs protested outside an elementary school in palo alto. they decided to consolidate k through 5 special education programs. that means next year students will have to move to other schools in the district. parents say it will disrupt their kid's education. >>> another story, three people are dead after a high speed chase. 12:30 this morning, chp chased a stolen vehicle. that car flip

. >> reporter: pete suratos in san francisco. can see the large redwood splitting that home and the living room area. thankfully, no one was hurt. the folks inside got out safely. over at the bay bridge, a tree getting knocked down at the entrance of the tunnel yesterday. it has since been cleared but definitely creating quite the backup. so we'll continue to monitor conditions around the region and provide updates as they come in. >> an update right now, kari, you just told me there's snow on mount hamilton. >> yeah, you may be able to see it in the distance. at some point in the next few days you'll see snow capping all of our bay area hills. we'll see spotty activity today, but definitely much more action going into tomorrow, especially during the afternoon. once we get more waves of rain, and also snow as you go up above 1,500 feet. really heavy snow potentially going into thursday night into friday morning. off and on rain, snow, and even some wintery mix below 500 feet. we'll see our temperatures only reaching into the 40s

. >> pete suratos here in the east bay where oakland's former police chief could speak out as early as-one interview, oakland mayor sheng thao says she lost costs in leronne armstrong following a report that undermined his credibility. the mayor mentioned her focus now will be on a nationwide search for the next police chief. >> time to get a look at that forecast today. meteorologist kari hall has a look at the cold temperatures we're starting out with. >> very cold start to our day. there's a lot of temperatures near or even below freezing as we head to the south county, as well as in parts of the santa cruz mountains. then take a look at our high temperatures for today. a nice recovery reaching into the low 60s for fremont, as well as mountain view and 62 in novato. even mid-60s for san jose. our warming trend continues into tomorrow, as well as sunday. upper 60s in the forecast across much of the bay area. also looking good into presidents' day, then much colder for the middle of next week. >> thanks, kari. we're going to have another local news update in 30 mutes. i'llin m >>> it

. >>> pete suratos in the north bay, where we're monitoring the cold and windy weather set to hit theuld hit up to 40 miles per hour with some of the higher elevations and marin county's office of emergency management are not anticipating the same type of damage from previous storms. if temps drop for three consecutive nights, they will open up the shelter for the unhoused. >> kari is monitoring it all for us. >> it's still mild and we haven't seen the winds increase just yet but the wind advisory starts at 1:00 this afternoon as the winds along the coast and in the hills could reach 60 miles per hour. cold temperatures 40s and 50s with off and on rain into next week. we'll expect a possibility of snow coming down in elevations to about 1,500 feet and a wintery fix at 500 feet and below. small hill will be possible the next few days. so major changes as our highs go from 60s to upper 40s with gusty winds and off and on rain. >> thank you very much. thank you for joining us as well. heot ♪ >>> strike up the band, 7:30, mardi gras time down in new orleans. it is fat tuesday, and that's

. >> reporter: pete suratos here in san francisco where baseball festivities kick off tomorrow with there will be a q&a session with players and coaches, a chance to get autographs and also you can check out the clubhouse. the event begins at 10:00 a.m. there's going to be an orange carpet ceremony at 9:15, welcoming the players into oracle park. this event will take place rain or shine. >> let's get a look at the forecast. meteorologist kari hall is tracking that rain. >> we're seeing a lot of it moving over toward the east bay. it's just starting to pick up for the south bay once again, but letting up for the north bay. all of this pushing through and will taper off by late morning into the afternoon. still a chance of some spotty light showers into the day, and early tomorrow it looks like most of the morning is dry, except for the north bay. hopefully it holds off for fanfest there in san francisco, but most likely will be rolling back through with some heavier rain in time for the lunar new year parade in san francisco. we'll see waves of rain moving through for much of the rest of

. >>> pete suratos here where the suspected half moon bay shooter will appear for a plea hearing.earing and arraignment is set to take place at 1:30 p.m. >>> time to get a look at the forecast. meteorologist, kari hall, has a look at what we can expect today. >> it's a cold start. a lot of the inland areas starting out below freezing, and then throughout today more clouds move in and a high around 60 degrees. a chilly night and then it starts to get warmer tomorrow. we will have a nice saturday and sunday and president's day, and then after that by wednesday we could see rain chances coming back and much cooler temperatures. for san francisco, we're in the upper 50s today and sunshine and mild weather for the weekend. marcus. >> thanks, kari. >>> we will have another local news update for you coming up in 30 minutes, and you know we are always on at nbcbayarea.com. see you back here then. ♪ >>> check that out 7:30 yesterday's massive victory parade for the chiefs. big win in the super bowl. hundreds of thousands of fans lining the street. you think patrick mahomes had a good time?