Weather. It might be colder out there, but we do have fire danger in the forecast. Meteorologist vianey arana will tell us where the risk is highest in the bay area. Plus, you felt the bite on your pg e bill, but it could get worse. A new study takes a look at why rates have been rising so fast as the Company Wants to raise them even more. But first, lets talk about the new strategy to take on san franciscos deadliest problem. City leaders unveiled a new task force today that will now investigate opioid related deaths as homicides. So if investigators can link a drug dealer to an overdose death, that dealer could be charged with murder. The new Task Force Includes sf police, the d. A. s office, the chp and the state national guard. Earlier today mayor london breed highlighted the importance of this particular fight. For the past few years weve seen on average at least 500 people lose their lives to just fentanyl alone, and how deadly this drug is is impacting the quality of life differently than any other drug weve encountered. But there are still a lot of questions being worked out about the specifics of this task force and some concerns about who could be targeted during this crackdown. Nbc bay areas Christie Smith is following the story for us and joins us live. How much of a game changer could this be for the drug crisis . Reporter well, its certainly a different approach for cases where it would apply. What were being told is basically members of the task force would help with approaching of an overdose and respond in the same way that a Homicide Investigation might take place with gathering evidence and looking where they could potentially link the overdose to a drug sale and a specific drug dealer. The d. A. Says some investigations may not yield what they need but they will certainly watch out for what they do. In the past there just werent resources for this kind of approach but that changes with the governors announcement today in this new partnership. We still dont know exactly how many personnel will be involved with it. We heard from the mayor. Shes for this. Have you heard from anyone today who could possibly be against this plan . Reporter yeah, we did. Earlier today we reached out to the Public Defenders Office here in san francisco, and they released a statement essentially saying this is more of the same, what theyre calling failed war on drugs, also adding there is concern about this could potentially lead to more overdoses with people being afraid to call the police for help. Im wondering now this task force, this plan has already been put in place. Do we know when the task force will start . Reporter we dont have an exact date yet. Were told theyre expecting it to be up and running some time in early 2024. Christie, thank you. Well see your full report later on tonight. Lets take you to the east coast now, just days after the mass shooting in lewiston, maine, a show of support. You see it here, signs that read lewiston strong hanging from balconies and businesses. You saw the hearts as well expressing love for neighbors and friends appearing on a lot of trees out there. The shelter in place order just lifted this afternoon. More than 48 hours later. In the meantime an extensive manhunt continues for the suspected gunman, robert card. Police in nearby lisbon say they received a tip of a suspicious noise. After searching the area police determined it was not related to the search. Coming up at 5 00, we do have a live report from maine with the very latest. Were going to switch gears now back here in the bay area. It might feel cool now, but we could have trouble heading our way. A red flag warning takes Effect Tomorrow in parts of the north bay and east bay as firefighters brace for higher fire risk over the week. Lets go ahead and head over now to our meteorologist vianey arana who is keeping an eye on this. It hasnt really felt like fire season this past week, but here we are. Absolutely and a great point. You said its feeling cooler so oftentimes people will say how are we in elevated fire danger . Key ingredients that go into it and its humidity levels and the wind. Well see the wind speeds bumping up. To give you an idea this map behind us, any area you see in red, you can see it now includes parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains is now considered under a red flag warning. So what were going to be seeing is increasing offshore winds especially heading into saturday. If you look at the wind speeds, the time stamp right around 12 00, they increase for the north bay. Look what happens with the intensity heading late saturday into early sunday morning. We see a lot more of that red and purple color hue. Those gusts could reach upwards of 50 plus miles an hour. Unfortunately, a lot of the wind gusts are happening overnight into early sunday morning when a lot of people are sleeping. We want to make sure folks are alert and aware. Another factor, the humidity levels. Normally a good humidity level is above 40 . We see this dip down into Single Digits both into saturday and sunday. And with that High Pressure, what that does is it dries that vegetation out. It takes out all the fuel, the moisture, and it creates fuel essentially and weve seen before what can happen with the wind, it can quickly spread or start a fire. Firefighters are getting ready for the weekend. Vianey, thank you. Police are searching the oakland coliseum. This is after a car chase that started when officers tried to pull over a stolen car this afternoon. The driver sped off leading to a chase through the city. Police say the people in the car eventually abandoned it along 66th avenue. They tried to run away, but officers detained several people. Its unclear if anyone is still on the run. Police are searching the area, and that includes the coliseum. Heres something to think about. A new study is backing up what many have long suspected. You are paying some of the highest prices in the country for power, for energy. New report shows pg e utility bills have outpaced inflation in the way area and customers are paying more than double the national average. The report comes as the company is requesting to increase rates again. Weve talked about this. Nbc bay areas ian cull has been following the story store us. Not only does it show those bills have outpaced inflation, theyve gone up. It was written by the state Public Utilities commission. They serve as a check on utilities and shows electricity prices here are more than twice the national average. The blue line in the graph and the blue dotted line on the right shows prices rising again by the end of the year because the company is again requesting to raise your monthly bills by 22 . For the average residential customer, thats 50 more a month. Advocates say thats likely to make it harder for some of us to make it in the bay. If the price of electricity keeps going up there could be another side effect, fewer people willing to trade out their gas vehicles for electric. Im very concerned that were on a pace where it will be exceedingly difficult to encourage folks to make that kind of switch if the cost savings arent there to make these technology choices. Have we heard from pg e . They say they are still reviewing the report that came out yesterday. The higher bills have been paying for enhanced safety. Crews have started the expensive process of moving power lines underground in highrisk fire areas and thats the reason pg e is asking for a rate increase to strengthen its infrastructure against wildfires. It did say we recognize our responsibility to serve our customers safely and reliably. We are working to keep overall customer costs at or below assumed inflation between 2 and 4 . The utility goes on to say operating costs were reduced by 7s last year as they work to identify more savings for customers. The date to circle is next thursday, november 2. When regulators could make a decision on the current rate hike request. It impacts so many people. Well be there. Ian, thanks. Moving you forward, a big boost for b. A. R. T. To extend further into the south bay. They have approved 375 million in funding from the state. It will go to the 12. 2 billion project. Right now the b. A. R. T. Line into the south bay stops at beriessa. Here is a reason to be crabby if you like craps. If you were planning to serve fresh dungeness crab at your thanksgiving dinner, you wont this year. The season was set to begin november 15th. But california fish and wildlife delayed the season by a month. This is to protect humpback whales migraing south along the coast. Fish and wildlife agents say they will reassess midnovember to decide whether the season can start on december 1st. Still ahead, would you ditch your bank to handle your finances on social media . Elon musk has another plan in mind for x, formerly twitter, and it could create a big change for the popular site. A hightech network of cameras is in the spotlight. Well tell you about the special recognition to help firefighters recognition to help firefighters get a head start. We made it bmo has arrived. Hello . You said it. Hello to more ways to save money, grow your wealth, grow your business. Just what we needed, another big bank. Not so fast. How many banks do you know that reward you for saving every month . Hes got a good point. Did i mention bmo has more feefree atms than the two largest us banks combined . Uh, bmo . Just beemo, actually. Quick question, will all this stuff fit in your car . should i get rid of the mug . Bmo elon musk wants his app x to replace your bank account. Musk told staff he plans to roll out the new features some time next year. The idea is for users to be able to do all their finances in one place f. It involves money, it will be on the platform. Not clear when musk plans to roll out the feature, but it falls in line to make x an app for everything. Rapid progress of Artificial Intelligence has some people worried about their jobs. So here is a new term you should know. Ai exposure. Its used to describe how much ai may affect a profession. Researchers found jobs requiring Higher Education are most exposed to ai. Some may think this term is a little neutral and thats on purples. Purpose. It could lead to displacement or ai could help workers do their jobs better. A big honor for wildfire Detection Technology here in california. Time magazine detected the ai fire detection tool that was developed by alert california as one of its best inventions of 2023. When the ai tool spots a potential fire, it raises the alarm and that allows for a much more Rapid Response to prevent those fires from getting too out of hand. Our meteorologist vianey arana spoke with the Principle Investigator and he says it called for advanced solutions. We need to have data drive systems. You can see the perimeter, put on the different maps and you can see where your house is versus where the fire is. Please dont wait for an event to get on this website and practice so you can empower yourself. And were told the ai actually continues to evolve but continues to learn through each incident. Vianey, you got to speak with the investigator there. What a game changer for firefighters to get the head start thanks to the new ai tool. He mentioned they have over 1,000 cameras in the state of california alone. So definitely check out the website. Type in a zip code, and it is very user friendly and navigates you right to that spot. Maybe this weekend is a good time to do it. We have the red flag warning, so lets get right to the microclimate. I talked about how the winds will be increasing and also the humidity. Interestingly enough we also have a frost advisory. We have 60s on the map. Its feeling cool, comfortable. It will stay that way with a slight warmup. The warmup will not be as noticeable as the winds will be. Satellite radar, things are clear over the bay area. We do have that High Pressure thats going to begin to settle in over the weekend and that will kick up the winds but, of course, lower that humidity. Now i want to talk about those cold conditions because if you live in the north bay or any of the wind sheltered valleys, if you notice by 7 00 a. M. On saturday, were going to be seeing the temperatures dipping down into the 30s, which means frost might be possible in some spots. Napa, concord, livermore, extending out to tracy and down through san jose and even morgan hill, low 40s expected. Daytime highs for tomorrow will be comfortable, 60s and 70s. There is a frost advisory for santa rosa, napa, san rafael. Because of the overnight 30s, this will go into effect starting at 1 00 a. M. Through 10 00 a. M. Tomorrow, frost will be likely. Protect, of course, your plants, pets and pipes, an area of concern there. The biggest threat this weekend will, of course, be that wind from the north northeast extending into early sunday with the gusty conditions kicking up for the Higher Elevation areas. Make sure to stay vigilant and alert. Our chief meteorologist jeff ranieri will have more on the winds and the timing coming up at 5 00. Audrey . All right, vianey. Thank you. Our janelle wang is working on the 5 00 news for us on this friday. You wont believe what thieves are doing to steal gas. Weve heard of people siphoning gas. Now thieves are taking more aggressive action. A rise in these types of crimes as gas prices rise in california, the highest in the country. And earlier this week we told but the unusual move some Starbucks Stores were taking to prevent customers from loitering and hanging out too long. They were sealing off their power outlets. Thats giving Smaller Companies an opportunity to entice these customers to their shops instead. All those stories and more at 5 00. Come on over, use our power. Our power and free wifi. Well see you in just a bit, janelle. Thank you. The new warning for coastal communities at risk from Climate Change. New Research Projects that sea levels could rise 10 to 17 feet from the melting of just one ice sheet in antarctica. Even though the consequences are decades away, our coasts are already struggling with modest increases the last 30 years. As the beaches wash away, its costing a lot more to protect homes and businesses. Chase cain shows us the potential price tag of holding back the ocean. Reporter viral video shows the ocean swallowing a home in North Carolina last year. The federal government just bought others nearby to demolish them, preventing a similar fate. The 700,000 price tag might seem small until you consider that 800,000 homes risk collapse over the next 30 years, worth roughly half a billion dollars. Sea level rise caused by human caused Climate Change eats away at bridges, dunes and cliffs, threatening an amtrak line, homes in delaware, massachusetts and most recently, new york. Ive been coming out to the pines for 24 years and have never seen the beach look as bad as today. It is terrifying even after Superstorm Sandy the beaches were not bad as today. Reporter the 7 Million People who live on long island got a onetwo punch leaving houses on the edge of collapse. And then theres a less obvious but even bigger concern, emergencies, because you can see how high the water is coming in. Fire trucks and ambulances could actually use the sand to get back and forth between communities more quickly. Now thats just not an option. Its putting lives at risk here in this community. If we let this go, if we let it go, the cost to the community, the cost to the taxpayers is going to be infinitely greater. Reporter the price tag a major question. Building back beaches can cost upwards of a Million Dollars per mile. Miami scoffed at this plan along its scenic waterfront. Nationally western carolina projects 13 billion to restore beaches, tax dollars. Even choosing to do nothing has cost because a certain amount of Sea Level Rise is already baked in from the fossil fuels we burned. By the end of the century we have to plan for about three feet of global rise and sea level from the temperature components. We can do that. I mean, we can adapt, but its going to be costly. Reporter a problem that will gain more attention as king tides, the highest of the year, give an unsettling preview of what normally high tides will look like as our oceans continue to rise. In new york, im National Climate reporter chase cain. And we have an entire page dedicated to Climate Change and how it affects you. For more stories like this visit us online, nbcbayarea. Com. You can click on the climate in crisis tab. This is shocking video out of australia where a humpback whale body slammed a wind surfer. This was a story you got to vote on yesterday. Telephones so good we had to show you. Thats jason breen catching a wave when the whale leaps out of the water landing right on top of him. It does get worse. The whale gets tangled in the leash dragging him almost 30 feet under water. He says he thought he wasnt going to make it until the leash broke and he managed to escape. Hes thankful the whale was still young because it could have ended very differently with a fully grown humpback. This is an extra special treat for a boy in ohio. Meet blake. Every halloween designs costumes around his wheelchair. Because theyre so creative, he gained popularity over the years. He was mcdonalds french fries. This year hes a zamboni for the columbus blue jackets. It took about a month and a half to put this one together and hes scoring big time. He and the zamboni will be special guests of the blue jackets when they take on the Washington Capitals tomorrow. Hes just going to love it. Hes going to get all the support hes ever dreamed of and more. Blake says this may be his favorite costume yet. Looks great. The years biggest movie is coming to the biggest screen in san francisco. Its the best day ever. It is the best day ever. So was yesterday and tomorrow. Barbie mania is back. The Box Office Smash playing at oracle parks 4k scoreboard tonight at 7 15. The doors open at 6 00 with barbie inspired photoops, food. Guests are encouraged to get into character with prizes for the most elaborate costumes. Seating is first come, first served. Jeff and janelle are working on the forecast next. My late fatherinlaw lit up a room, but his vision dimmed with age. He had amd. I didnt know it then, but it can progress to ga, an advanced form of the disease. His struggle with vision loss from amd made me want to help you see warning signs of ga. Like Straight Lines that seem wavy, blurry, or missing visual spots that make it hard to see faces like this one, or trouble with low light that makes driving at night a real challenge. If youve been diagnosed with amd and notice vision changes, dont wait. Ga is irreversible. Its important to catch it early. Talk to your eye doctor about ga and learn more at gawontwait. Com with nurtec odt, i can treat a migraine when it strikes and prevent migraine attacks, all in one. Dont take if allergic to nurtec. Allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. Most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. Ask about nurtec odt. Right now at 5 00, the manhunt in maine. More than 48 hours after a gunman killed nearly 20 people in a shooting spree, he remains on the run. We have a live report from maine. Also, dangerous weather this weekend. Strong winds could pose a high fire threat. Jeff ranieri is tracking the red flag warning today. And starbucks makes changes to keep people from loitering and hanging out. Other coffeehouses are opening their doors. The message theyre sending to customers. Good friday, everyone. The news at 5 00 starts right now. Thanks for joining us. Im janelle wang. And im jessica aguirre. We begin in maine where a manhunt is still on after that deadly mass shooting. You remember this, happened earlier in the week, a gunman killed 18 people in lewiston, maine. More than a dozen others wounded. Police are still searching for the suspected gunman, robert card. Local leaders lifted a shelter in place order. The shelter in place order is rescinded except hunt something prohibited in the towns of lewiston, lisbon, bowdoin, and monmouth until further notice. The state Police Continue to certificatech in those areas. Even without that shelter in place order, people are told to remain vigilant. As the search for the suspected killer continues, safety remains a top priority in lewiston and the surrounding towns. This as families of those killed in the shooting continue to mourn. Nbcs Chris Pollone joins us live with the very latest. Chris, a very difficult, emotional, intense couple of days. Reporter yeah, it sure has been, janelle. Thats 100 correct. There are signs tonight that life is starting to get back to normal for some people in the community, certainly not all and not the people directly affected by the tragedy. You alluded to the shelter in place order being rescinded. In the last five, six, seven minutes, this road that leads to the Bowling Alley where this attack began on wednesday night just reopened, police takin