Transcripts For KGO ABC7 20240703

Situation . Good morning on this thursday, september 21st, we will get to that. But were going to start with the check of our forecast with lisa. All right. Good morning, you guys. We are waking up to the poor air quality again. You talked about the red flag warning, all because of an area of low pressure dropping to the south of us to the its to the east of us. And it is dropping, bringing that strong Pressure Gradient right now. Moderate air quality for most of us except san jose is a little bit worse as well as santa rosa. And we are looking at a spare the air alert through today. Then tomorrow things get a little bit better and then much better over the weekend, the first weekend of fall. So look at the winds, 20 to 30 miles an hour. Thats above 1500 feet. Its chilly in the north bay, upper 40s there, upper 50s in hayward. Our 24 hour temperature change, quite dramatic. So weve got the marine layer. Weve got smoke, weve got haze again today. So sunshine with the haze. But that sea breeze kicks in for some of you. Youll notice a little bit of improvement closer to the shoreline. Good morning, jobina. Good morning, lisa. Thank you. Hi, everybody. Im bringing in our richmondsan rafael bridge camera because look at all of this traffic. Its nearly stopped right now. I was mentioning that stall at the center span probably over the last 30 minutes. And it still is not out of the way. So its blocking a lane and emergency crews are headed in this direction. But right now, its really jamming things up. So lets check in on the average speeds tracking in that area. Youre down to around nine Miles Per Hour as you approach it. But look, the good news is once you make it through that youre smooth sailing into the north bay right towards san quentin there. And then well end with a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza metering lights came on at 537. We also have a wind advisory issued for the bay bridge as well this morning. Thanks, jobina. A trifecta of weather related events are happening today. A spare the air alert is still in effect through today because of all that lingering smoke. A red flag warning is also in effect for fire danger in sections of the north bay. And those winds are leading to a chance of some very , very, very limited planned Power Outages happening in in napa county, but also in counties farther north. First, though, lets talk about the smoke. A blanket of it has settled across the bay area. This was what it looked like in downtown san jose. Very hazy. This is video from yesterday, the lingering effect, the lingering effects canceled some sports practices. But it didnt stop everybody from spending time outside. Abc7 News Reporter Gloria Rodriguez in the south bay live with a look at the air quality there this morning. Hi, gloria. Good morning. Yes, were live in palo alto this morning and we did see some people out here at the park yesterday. They were still outside doing some exercise, playing sports. But we know that spare the air alert is in effect today. And the unhealthy for sensitive groups condition likely through tomorrow. So, however, there have been some Outdoor Activities that have been impacted because because of this bad air quality daly city recreation activities will be held indoors for the rest of the week for the safety of seniors and youth in redwood cities. Red morten park soccer practice was canceled for austin woodworths seven year old daughter, pickleball player ben philippe decided to take the extra step and mask up during his match with the smoke on wednesday. Really got to him, but it didnt stop. Hundreds from enjoying oktoberfest in downtown redwood city last night. The five day event runs through sunday. Even in spite of how smoky it is outside, weve got all sorts of traditional german beer, food and everything. Everything you could possibly ever want. We have a couple of people in masks, but everyone seems pretty comfortable. Al contreras has a son and 100 other kids with 40 niners. Were going through regular practice. Last night and others also were not too concerned. The air district says that wildfire smoke is really difficult to predict because of different factors such as the wind. Live in palo alto, Gloria Rodriguez, abc seven news. Thank you, gloria. In the east bay, the effects of the smoke were felt all over oakland childrens fairyland closed early yesterday because of poor air quality and the oakland zoo didnt even get that far. They decided that morning to be closed for the entire day. A preschool near lake merritt ended up having to sing kids home after the air quality got worse throughout the day today, we had probably about 40 students come by and they were only able to play for about two hours before we had to make that phone call to send them home early. Oakland Public Schools took precautions, including keeping kids with sensitive conditions like asthma in side. The district says canceling classes is a last resort. Theres a possibility that some of the bay area could lose power today. Im talking about very few people. Pgandes has raised the likelihood its going to shut off power. A preemptive move to reduce the risk of wildfires. Only one bay area counties affected. That would be napa county. And its only seven customers. Its part of a psps warning that went into effect yesterday. It goes into today. In total, about 5000 customers across eight Northern California counties may be impacted. You can get live air quality and weather forecasts anytime through our abc7 news bay area app. It has 24 over seven checks on the conditions where you live. Just download the app wherever you stream. New this morning a chp officer hit and killed a pedestrian in san mateo overnight. Officials and officers confirmed to us it happened on eastbound highway 92 at delaware street around 10 p. M. The pedestrian ran across the road and an officer driving a white marked patrol car hit them and the person died at the scene. The officer wasnt hurt. The lanes were shut down for several hours. Safety changes are on the way for the twin peaks neighborhood in San Francisco, and people who live there are saying at this point anything would help. A camera will be installed at the twin peaks entrance on portola drive. Mayor london breeds office tells abc seven a license plate reader is also in the works. People living in the area say they welcome the changes because they worry about their safety. I do support it because, you know, ive lived here for a while and i had my house broken into. Maybe cameras would be good. I dont know. Anything to help, you know, solve the problem or at least catch the people that are doing it. The changes follow a deadly shooting in twin peaks that left a 19 year old dead on sunday morning. And an instudio interview. Mayor breed called the shooting a targeted attack. Developing news in washington. Lawmakers have just nine days to avert a federal government shutdown. Republican House Speaker Kevin Mccarthy says he has a short term plan to fund the government through october, but its unclear if it has enough support to advance in the house. And the democrat led senate. Jobina is tracking that from the live desk. Jobina. Thank you, reggie. Good morning, everyone. So the shutdown deadline is at midnight, september 30th. And after hours long meeting with House Republican conference members, Speaker Mccarthy is leaving optimistic about a short Term Government funding deal. They worked out. But sources tell abc news the proposal includes deeper spending cuts and Stricter Border policies. But it faces an uphill battle in the senate. Former House Speaker nancy pelosi is accusing republicans of not keeping their word on spending levels agreed to with democrats and some hard line republicans are voicing opposition to saying mccarthy is breaking deals he made with them to become speaker. All weve gotten are lies and broken promises and failure and shutdowns. Its very hard when you dont have shared values with out a funding plan estimates project that 4 million workers wont be paid, including the military and federal law enforcement. Speaker mccarthy says he intends to hold house members in washington until at least saturday as the september 30th funding deadline looms. Kumasi thank you, jobina. Still to come, cruises ceo responding to criticism about selfdriving vehicles. Why he says some of those problems are being overblown. Then a ferris wheel popular in Golden Gate Park may be on the move. Why . It could pop up in a different spot. And a look at our live doppler seven. Theres a system dropping down which is the culprit for our red flag warning our poor air qualityour gusty offshore winds. Details but do they really . Do they see all that you are . At Kaiser Permanente all of us Work Together to care for all that is you. Thursday night football on prime. Its on. Welcome to thursday night football. Thursday night football is on its daniel jones, holy mackerel. Up against christian mccaffery. For a touchdown as the new york giants take on the San Francisco 49ers. Stream thursday night football. Only on prime. To continue through 5 00 for the upper elevations here in the north bay interior mountains around healdsburg. And look at mount diablo, a 50 mile an hour north wind. So youve got the north wind to the north to the east, and thats above the surface. Later on today, well get into the surface onshore flow. But right now, relative humidity is at 30. So another four hours of these gusty north winds. And well be down to certainly 20 range. So loop of our smoke forecast today and tomorrow shows were in the bluish green phase. The worst air quality coming in the morning and night when the winds really slacking off. The winds help mix and disperse the smoke. But they have to be from the right direction. So right now were in the 40s and 50s. Later on today, some haze out there. Again, reggie. All right. Thank you, lisa. Still ahead, the government that will send out more free covid tests if you want them, when theyll be available. And oakland leaders trying to make their city safer. Their next step after missing the deadline to get all that funding. As we head to break, a live look outside. It is 612. And well be right back. Running is awesome. But her moderate to severe eczema would make her skin so uncomfortable. I was always so itchy especially when i was hot. Now my skin doesnt itch as much. Now were staying ahead of her eczema. Theres a power inside all of us to live our passion. And dupixent works on the inside to help heal your skin from within. It helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema. So, they can have clearer skin and less itch. Serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. Dont change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. Healing from within is a wonderful thing. Ask your childs eczema specialist how dupixent can help heal their skin from within. Help with investigations and install high tech cameras. Now, as you know, the city just missed a deadline to get funding to fight retail crime. It takes a comprehensive approach to address crime, to reduce crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everybody by creating a Grant Program that allows Business Associations to purchase these cameras and put them on private property that would have access to it also funds reentry for people leaving incarceration, which council . Which a Council Member views as critical to reducing crime. He says the city has until december to come up with a status report on each item in the plan. Dont expect perfection. Thats the message from crew ceo kyle vogt. Thats what he has for critics of autonomous vehicles. According to our Media Partners at the San Francisco standard, he made those remarks at the Techcrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco yesterday. Vogt was asked if he thinks concerns like cars getting in the way of First Responders are valid. He acknowledged they move differently than human drivers, but that they result in fewer collisions. Cvs is shutting down another store in San Francisco. The store on mission and Second Street in downtown will have its final day, october 23rd. Thats according to the chronicle. If you have a prescription there, itll be transferred to the pharmacy at ness and turk. Cvs first announced it was closing hundreds of stores over a three year period in 2021, after this closure. Next month, the company will have fewer than a dozen locations left in San Francisco. Jp morgan has closed nearly a quarter of its First Republic banks. As we inch closer to the end of the year. Chase which acquired First Republic in may after the lender failed, has closed 22 branches. That includes a dozen branches across the bay area in San Francisco. Burlingame walnut creek and more. According to the chronicle, the company targeted locations it said has relatively low transaction volumes and are not too far from another location. The observation wheel that popped up in San Franciscos Golden Gate Park back in 2020 could be moving to the waterfront, according to our Media Partners at the standard. Theres this idea floating around that the port of San Franciscos Northern Advisory Committee could relocate it when the city hosts the Asia Pacific Economic cooperation summit or apec summit in november. Organizers are still working on a permit. Theyre also trying to figure out the best spot for the apec meeting is expected to draw 30,000 people to San Francisco is set to start november 12th. A new farm is now open in one of the busiest areas in the south bay. Its apparently the largest urban farm in the state. And theyre calling it a first of its kind space. Its on north winchester boulevard in santa clara, near the border with san jose. So thats close to santa ana row, westfield valley fair mall. Also the winchester mystery house. It offers a lot more than just fresh produce. Theyre calling it agrihood. So theres Affordable Housing attached that is geared towards seniors and veterans as this is the first urban agrihood in a city of this size or in any in any city in this country. Not just for the residents. Its for everybody. And thats thats really the goal. So this is a this is a Community Public asset. How does public space serve the public . And thats really what i think this will do. Plans to hold dozens of pop up events throughout the year at the farm to build community. Apparently, police now have to remind people not to climb into outhouse toilets after after a woman got stuck trying to get her apple watch. Oh. Oh, no. Michigan state police shared these pictures showing a department of Natural Resources sergeant standing in the doorway of the outhouse. And then looking inside the toilet. What it took a minute, but they finally got this woman out. She told First Responders. She lowered herself into the toilet to get her apple watch and then could not get out. These people had to remove the toilet and then get a strap to hoist her out. Maam, this might be the most ridiculous thing. Count of diseases. Thats what im saying. And then do you you say a successful. How many shots does she need . You retrieve the apple watch. You wear it. You keep wearing. Yeah. What happens with that watch . Youre going to put that on your human hand. Well, she doesnt care. She went all the way down there. Thank you. You all have all been in a bathroom like that before, right . Like a park or whatever it is. Thats why i dont want to cover the harley strictly Bluegrass Festival again. The bathroom situation. Its tough. Its tough. Just get there early. Be the first one in and dont go back. I, i just really cant imagine a scenario where there is any where i would ever consider doing this. Would you go down for your wedding ring . I was just thinking that its insured. Nope. So sorry. Not even that . Nope. Not even that. Oh yeah. Okay. Im cleaning out. See ya. Yeah. You you have a system that is bringing onshore offshore winds. We havent had an offshore wind event in quite some time. And whats interesting about this is that the temperatures are rather cool. The offshore wind event is strong enough, 58 mile an hour wind gusts mount diablo. Also neil here near healdsburg that it is concerning dropping the relative humidity already to 30. But the air quality is moderate. So we got into an onshore flow yesterday helping to clear things out a bit, but still under a spare. The air alert today for our moderate to poor air quality, its slowly improves. Its going to get a little bit better tomorrow, much better over the weekend. Mount diablo, 46 mile an hour north wind over 20 miles an hour. Saint helena. But thats going to continue for the next four hours. And so with the north wind that pulls down the smoke from the north and so it gets worse at night when theres no wind at all. So throughout the day, its moderate to unhealthy. And then look how it accumulates through the overnight hours and then into your friday, trying to get a little better. It will that system has to move out of town and then well get another system that will allow for a nice weekend as that system is on the heels of this one that is going to clean the environment out. 56 in oakland, theres the first system. Thats the area of low pressure and theres the second one. But its not going to move in until it brings us a pretty nice weekend. So 70s today jobina maybe a few 80s inland and hazy. Thank you, lisa. Good morning, everybody. So the richmondsan rafael bridge is certainly our hotspot right now, but traffic is beginning to move in the westbound direction. Youre no longer stopped there. Thats good because they have moved the stall out of the way. At least it appears to be, because look at that. Its picking up your 52mph. Once you make it through the toll plaza there. So good news. And then once you travel into san rafael , check this out, 101. Those tail lights are traveling southbound. No problems in that area. Tracy to dublin has increased ever so slightly to 48 minutes. And then that antioch to concord ride you just saw flipped to red so thats going to be our slow spot. Coomassie. Thank you, jobina. Now were checking in with ginger zee who is live with whats coming up on gma. Good morning, ginger. Good morning to you. Reggie kumasi nice to be with everybody. So well start with the latest on the top story. I know youve been covering the crisis at the border. The Biden Administration announcing new steps overnight to help the overwhelmed cities as one is declaring a state of emergency. Also the urgent manhunt for a murder suspect who was mistakenly released from jail. It all happened in indiana. So well get into that. Plus, weight loss revolution in a look at the impact of those drugs that are used for weight loss on muscle mass and an exclusive first look at robins interview with kerri washington. The scandal star like youve never seen her before. And ill tell you what even michael was like. I cant handle being teased anymore. Show us. So its a good tease. Again we like that. We have a question for you, ginger, that im sure you werent anticipating. Have you ever heard of dixon lake, michigan, being a person who grew up in michigan . Because dee dee, as in delta, dixon, dixon lake . I havent. Thats weird because i know a lot of michigan. Im told its 180 miles outside of grand rapids. I know you were not very far from grand rapids. If youre wondering why she asked me about dixon lake, its because this is where a woman lost her apple watch in an outhouse bathroom, decided to go and retrieve it by jumping into the toilet. And they had to rescue her out of it. And my question to you is, is everything okay . Let me tell michigan. Let me tell you something about those bathrooms. I know exactly what type of bathroom she was in, where i used to be, where i used to camp in manistee, michigan. This is not your normal outhouse or portapotty. Like if youve never been to the kind that actually has a hole in the ground and it is deep depending on the amount of waste that is in there, you may be maybe it was a first time and shes thinking the ground is right there. Im glad she is alive. Like that was a nightmare for that. I had recurring every memorial and labor day when my dad made us go to this campsite was that exact thing. And not that i would buy my own volition, jump in there, but that my brother would push me in. Oh, and then it would go from there. Thats a nightmare. These are the fears that you have in michigan and im really glad you didnt fall in and just another warning, another unnecessary warning, i think. Yeah please dont just let it go. Yeah, let it go. Let it go. Whatever it is, let it go. Yeah. And also, like, i know my dad, he would have been like, you go to Lake Michigan and you shower and it would have been like 55 degrees in that water and that would have been all i had to try to clean up whatever that was. And then i would detest my brother for all time. But good for her and her apple watch. Im glad. Well, im glad shes alive. I dont me to her dignity is gone. But her watch is still a ticking. I can smell it. I know. All right, we got to go. Like you just dont. You dont know. You dont know. Well, we do know whats down there. Thats not good. Ginger zee, thank you for that education about growing up in michigan. Well see you at 7 00. And well be right back order four free tests, eight per household from covid test. Gov starting on monday. This program was suspended back in may after the end of the covid 19 Public Health emergency. Before then, government the government shipped more than 755 million free covid 19 tests when people requested them. Theres been an uptick in cases in recent weeks. New covid shots are available at some pharmacies, including walgreens and cvs. Next at 630. The family suing google maps for faulty and potentially fatal directions. And the white house proposing new policies to handle the surge of migrants at the southern border. Whether the changes will appease lawmakers running is awesome. But her moderate to severe eczema would make her skin so uncomfortable. I was always so itchy especially when i was hot. Now my skin doesnt itch as much. Now were staying ahead of her eczema. Theres a power inside all of us to live our passion. And dupixent works on the inside to help heal your skin from within. It helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema. So, they can have clearer skin and less itch. Serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. Dont change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. Healing from within is a wonderful thing. Ask your childs eczema specialist how dupixent can help heal their skin from within. Now at 630, another day with poor air quality across the bay area. A spare the air alert is in effect today and we are tracking and timing it all out for you. Then potential progress made in hollywood when it comes to the writers strike. Both sides may be close to a deal as they are set to meet again today. Its starbucks wants you to stand in line less. The changes, they say, will make your drinks get made a little bit faster. Okay. Its already fast. It is pretty fast. Our crew is on it. Oh, wow. I think they like us. I like them. I do too. Good morning, everybody. It is thursday, september 21st. We tend to order at the same time every day. And they are together on it. Its ready right there. Ready to go, lisa . Yeah i love it. Im part of that crew. You know what . Look at this fiery sunset. You showed this earlier or sunrise, i should say. I know this is bringing back memories, isnt it . Well, we have certainly the poor air quality again today for the spare the air alert due to a red flag warning and strong northerly winds in the upper elevations, 56, San Francisco, 55 in Mountain View. Its 50 two half moon bay. We take you over to the east bay. So we have our inversion in a little bit of low clouds and fog and then without any wind, all of that smoke, a lot of it trapped underneath the inversion. We need some wind from the right direction. 48 santa rosa and novato not quite happening today. You can see the air quality is worse in the east bay. The south bay moderate elsewhere. So today is another day where youll see it probably smell it. Look at that 50 mile an hour north wind. Mt. Diablo up to 25 miles an hour in the north bay. Hazy afternoon sun, mainly in the 70s around the bay jobina. Thank you, lisa. Good morning, everybody. So i do want to let you know that if you are heading out the door this morning and you need to commute, for the most part, youre in great shape. We just have some heavier stretches of traffic and one of those is certainly going to be right here at the san mateo bridge. You can see those brake lights tapping for people that are traveling in the westbound direction. So its crowded and wow, actually, see, lets look at this. Hopefully were not looking at a crash. But you see that its getting really thick there in the westbound direction. Okay. Well keep our eye on that one. Thats interesting. And a good reminder not to follow too closely when youre commuting in traffic like that. The bay bridge toll plaza metering lights came on at 537. Traffic is well into the maze at this point. And then we will end here with our drive times. Pretty slow, but again, no severe issues out there. So antioch to hercules, 47 minutes, highway four to the maze 21. Thanks jobina. The smoke that is clouding our air here in the bay area and that you can really see behind me this morning is actually part of a disturbing long term trend that could have Significant Health consequences. As researchers at stanford confirm the link in a study just released yesterday. Abc7 News Reporter Gloria Rodriguez joins us now with a closer look at these numbers. Hi, gloria. Good morning, reggie. Yeah that study finds that wildfire smoke is actually reversing the progress that was made towards cleaner air in dozens of states here in the united states. And the lead author of that study says that the tiny particles that are emitted from wildfire smoke are unregulated and they can actually harm our health risk watchers at stanfords dor school of sustainability find that wildfire smoke is exposing millions of americans to extreme pollution levels and unraveling decades of air quality gains made by cutting pollution from cars and factories. With the help of the clean air act, which was passed more than half a century ago. And while the landmark law regulates most sources of pollution, they say it does not include wildfire fires. Environmental scientists. Marissa childs was a co study , a co author of that study, which shows that wildfire smoke could have Significant Health consequences, as particularly in california. Wildfire smoke is undoing a bunch of progress towards air quality improvements. And in california specific, we estimate that the trends in air quality have reversed because of wildfire smoke. And that reversal has been dramatic. They say that particulate pollution in california and nevada had actually fallen 32 from 2000 to 2015. But from then until now, that same pollution index is up 14. And its driven in large part by the wildfires that have swept through the sierra and elsewhere for and the lead author of that study says that wildfire smoke seems to be sticking around a lot longer now and having a bigger impact. Live in palo alto, Gloria Rodriguez, abc seven news. Thank you, gloria. Firefighters say moisture expected this weekend in the oregon area where that series of wildfires is burning right now could shift the flow of the smoke that would bring relief here in the bay area. Its part of a sudden spike in an otherwise slow fire season across the west. We have been very fortunate this year, although we started off very slow, very below average for the most part across the entire western us. The past few weeks have seen a dramatic increase in activity. The bay area has 30 air quality monitoring stations to track the latest air quality index levels. The data shows the air quality we experienced yesterday hadnt been that bad in nearly two years. You can check on the air quality anytime using our online interactive tracker. You can find it along with our full weather forecast. Right now on abc7 news. Com. We have more on the school flag debate in sunol. The School Board Held a follow up meeting to last weeks contentious meeting, but they ended up not taking any action and it drew another big crowd. Following last weeks decision that essentially bans the flying of the pride flag, there were rumors the sunol glen District Board would fire its superinten attendant and its Legal Counsel , but that did not happen. The superintendent is against the flag ban. Yesterdays meeting drew the Alameda County superintendent, who said that she would consider withdrawing support for the district. It is our moral imperative to make our schools safe for our kids to thrive and learn. And it is really, really troubling when we let politics take that over. Its not clear whats next, but there is already at least one challenge to the flag ban, and there are groups considering other actions, including pulling students out of the district in the south bay. There is a showdown brewing over whats being taught in the classroom. A rally billed as no room for hate took place outside San Jose City hall yesterday. This is in response to another group that is seeking to ban the teaching of critical race theory. As well as numerous books perceived to have an lgbtq theme. We will not stand silent and let them roll back and ban books. We will not stand silent as they go after the Lgbtq Community and those transgender youth. We will not be silent. To san jose. City Council Members are proposing a resolution that reaffirm the citys commitment to Racial Justice and inclusivity. The federal government is going to start reviewing the discharge records of lgbt q plus veterans to see if more vets could be eligible for benefits. The department of defense announcement comes on the 12th anniversary of the repeal of dont ask, dont tell. For the first time, officials will be pro actively looking at the records of veterans who were less than honorably discharged because of their sexual orientation. If theyre eligible to be upgraded to an honorable discharge, that would entitle them to full veterans benefits. Veterans are also able to apply for this review on their own time is ticking for more than 100 families living in rvs in San Francisco and three months people who keep their rvs along. Winston drive behind stonestown. They wont be able to park them there anymore. Long term. Sfmta voted to start implementing a four hour parking limit, so crews can start work on a Pedestrian Safety project. We spoke with one man whos lived in his rv with his wife for a year now. We have families here that they have children, they have teenagers. They have kids. And i dont know whats going to happen if they lose their place because nobody wants to see them living on a tent. The parking restrictions dont go into effect. As we mentioned, for three months. That time is hopefully going to be used to get residents and the city time to find solutions. The Citys Department of homelessness and Supportive Housing has confirmed 20 families with kids have been offered long and short term housing vouchers. The department is also looking into potential safe parking sites at the San Francisco police chief bill scott is responding to criticism following a social media post that went viral. In the post, photographer thomas hawk said that scott failed to arrest a man who was smoking fentanyl. Chief scott denied that accusation and he said, quote, we approached this gentleman to check on him and offered him help. He declined. He was not using drugs that we could see and he wasnt committing any crimes as police were limited in how we can help out the most vulnerable population nations. New details on the windows that broke in downtown San Francisco. You remember this . It happened during the storms this past march. A report says most of the windows already had issues before the storms blew through. It adds repairs would have prevented just about all of them from shattering this report looked at 31 windows. The department of building inspection says its going to make some changes, including requiring visual inspections of all buildings. 15 stories or taller that were built after 1998. It expects building managers to make repairs promptly. Striking writers a major Hollywood Studios will continue negotiations, opens today, and some sources are describing yesterdays meeting as encouraging. Well see if this ends the strike. Theyre trying to resolve a nearly five month standoff that has disrupted film and tv. If they cant agree on issues like compensation and the role of i, the strike could last through the end of the year is to help spark a deal. Disney ceo bob iger attended yesterdays meeting. Disney is a Parent Company of abc seven develop news. There are new efforts to ease the migrant crisis at the southern border. One of the policies, 400,000 people from venezuela already in the us are going to be granted temporary legal status. The decision makes it easier for them to get authorization to work. New video this morning shows hundreds of migrants riding on top of this train. You can see in this video theyre heading north from mexico. Some leaders in border cities say they are frustrated with the lack of resources. This isnt a political situation. This is not a left or right issue. This is a an immigration system that has failed us. The Biden Administration is also planning to send 800 Defense Department personnel to the border, which is on top of the 2500 National Guard members already deployed to help customs and border protection. Still to come, the murder suspect now free after he was accidentally released from jail on a clerical error and russian retaliation. The violence overnight in ukraine as president zelensky is in the states meeting with President Biden today. And stay with us on the abc seven bay area streaming app at seven for abc, seven at seven. Were live every weekday from 7 to 8 a. M. You can download the app now wherever you stream. And a strong system to the north and east of us dropping to the south, picking up those offshore winds, bringing the poor air quality, the spare, the air alert and the red flag warning to the north of us, moderate air quality. San francisco to the north, along the peninsula. Its not as good in the east bay and the south bay. So well have that spare the air alert today for at times poor air quality, better tomorrow. But the weekend does look pretty good. Its going to take another 24 to 30 hours to improve 20 mile an hour winds. But the winds have been in really incredible over mount diablo. Thats 3300ft. So it is 48 miles an hour. There lower wind, lower elevation. The winds are still strong and the relative humidity a lot less here at 33 vs that 55. Mount diablo. So theyll continue to dry out the atmosphere here. Well continue to see the hazy conditions. It gets worse at night when the winds slack off and then into your friday. Were kind of in that borderline category where well have moderate air quality once again. So you can see the haze out there. It doesnt look good. 56 in oakland from mount diablo there, 48in novato. So much chillier air and we are still concerned with the upper elevations and the chance for fires starting there in our northern interior valleys. 80s inland and better air quality you didnt choose your hairline. Hot flashes, the flu, or that thing when your knee just gives out for no reason. You didnt choose your bad back or this. Or. That. You didnt choose depression, melanoma, or lactose intolerance. But with Kaiser Permanente you can choose your doctor who works with other bestinclass specialists to care for all that is you. Are just in more than a month. Its happening at the same time as ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is at the Un General Assembly summit in new york, where he called russia a terrorist state. Zelensky is set to meet with President Biden and us congressional leaders today to discuss another aid package. This is a horrible story. A North Carolina family says depending, depending on a google map cost a man his life. The tragedy is now part of a case which includes accused asians. The company ignored multiple calls to correct its directions in what became a deadly crossing. Jobina is tracking the lawsuit against Mountain View based google from the live desk, jobina. Thank you, reggie. The family of a father of two killed after driving off a bridge is now suing google, claiming the companys app luh led to his death. Philip paxton was driving home late from his daughters Birthday Party outside of charlotte, North Carolina. His family says he was following a google map route that led him down this road to where a bridge had washed out nine years earlier. Paxtons car flipped as it fell off the unguarded edge of the collapsed bridge, trapping him under water where he drowned. The lawsuit claims in the years before the accident , multiple people wrote to google about the error, but nothing was done for years. Google attempted to lead people over a collapsed bridge despite being notified by users of this exact danger. I want whos ever responsible l mean to be held accountable. And you know, i just we want to make sure that this doesnt happen to anyone else. In response, google issued this statement saying, quote, we have the deepest sympathies for the paxton family. Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in maps. And we are reviewing this lawsuit. The family is seeking compensation and punitive damages. No amount has been requested yet. The owners of the bridge and private road are also named in the suit. Kumasi thank you, jobina. This morning, the search continues for a murder suspect in indiana who was wrongly released from jail. Prison Officials Say a clerical error caused someone to believe they were correcting duplicate bookings. For kevin mason. Instead, the clerk accidentally removed holes on his account, which led to his release. Now, the clerks didnt catch the mistake until the next day. Mason was in jail for just two days before he was let out. He was accused of killing a former friend in 2021, a poker player from vallejo who claimed to have terminal cancer. Now admits he lied even after raising thousands through a gofundme page. And despite the lie, hes not giving the money back. Rob mercer told the Las Vegas Review journal he made up a stage four colon cancer diagnosis back in june. More mercer, who is not featured or pictured in this video, said he wanted to raise 10,000 to play in the world series of poker. Well, he eventually got between 30 to 50,000 and a stay at the bellagio. In an interview, mercer said he believes he has an undiagnosed eased form of Breast Cancer and is actually sick, but said it was colon cancer because that was less embarrassing. The world series of poker has not responded to comment. Now its your Morning Money report. Starbucks wants to cut down your wait in line. The coffee giant is testing out a new bar setup. It wants that all of its chains, the socalled siren system, brings all the items needed for cold drinks within reach, making the process easier and faster for baristas. Thats according to bloomberg. Employees would dispense milk or ice with the press of a button instead of reaching down into freezers as well as pump sirup. We are talking about taylor swift this morning. Her Instagram Post helped register more than 35,000 new voters and led to a record breaking traffic on the website vote. Org. According to the website, it averaged 13,000 users every 30 minutes. Coincidentally 13 is swifts favorite number. The amount of people that registered tuesday is a 23 jump from last year. It was also the largest since the 2020 general election. The tpc harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco was the site of a tournament shaking up a sport thats built on tradition. The Second Annual university of San Francisco, Howard University inter collegiate, wrapped up there tuesday, and it was a hit. 13 teams participated this year. Thats an increase from last years nine teams. The tourney puts an emphasis on, including historically black colleges and universities, schools from our region and ivy leagues. According to golf digest, of the nearly 29,000 pga of america members, fewer than 1 are black. Golf needs this. The golfers. Now. To me, the inclusive piece to give everyone who enjoys it should have the opportunity to compete and play. Howards connection with the bay area also extends to nba champ steph curry in 2019. Curry revived howards men and womens golf teams with the men winning the pga works collegiate tournament twice, and abc seven mornings champ jobina fortson. Hey, hey, hey. It extends to that, too. Yes, Howard University alum alumna. Yes, yes. And golfer. So this is my story that aired last night and well see it again in our 7 a. M. Newscast. So you see our promo down there. It streams on our bay area streaming apps. But so in addition to fewer than 1 of the pga members being black, also fewer than 10 are women. And ahead of this tournament, they had something thats called first tee, where they work with kids from the bay area. And a bunch of young girls were out there teaching them how to play. Some of them play really well already, which was exciting to see. And then when we were covering this story on tuesday in the middle of the tournament, we found out that howards womens team had won their first tournament of the fall slate on the east coast. So its really great to see stephs investment really paying off. And he was texting the teams and wishing them all good luck. Thats cool. Yeah. And involved. Hes very, very much involved. Yeah. And thats kind of a part of it too. Its not just like writing a check and letting it go, but yeah. Did it have golf when you were there . No. So the golf team, i cant actually remember what year it, you know, disband it and its really expensive sport and thats kind of what we were talking about. And its not just, you know, a schools that like an hbcu, for example, that dont have them, but theres a lot of universities that dont have Golf Programs because you have to pay for the time of the course. The equipment is extremely expensive. Like, you know, theres all these things, right . So this tournament is really aimed at programs that like princeton was there. Im trying to think what other schools are at santa clara. Was there maybe some programs that just havent gotten as much shine as of late, but are good programs is giving them, you know, the space and opportunity to do it. And its free for all of the players, which is huge. Yeah. So now, did you play when you were out there . You know, i did not. I did not. But i was like thinking i could maybe dabble. But actually the tournament was like very serious. And i was like, oh, okay, okay. Like, this is play. Play. Yeah. This isnt for funsies got it. But no, it was cool and fun to meet some of the parents and coaches and thats really cool. Students yeah, im just sorry. Lisa they didnt get our best weather. Thats true. Yeah. Yeah, its tough out there. It was tough. Yeah. So true. And you may want to wait again today. The good weather comes our way. Really . Over the weekend. Well see improvements tomorrow. And as we look at live doppler seven, were looking at a system that is dropping off from the north. Thats the north wind that is allowing for the dry relative humidity. The red flag warning here around healdsburg parts of napa county, the sacramento valley, and relative humidity at about 33, dropping through about ten, 11 00. And the air quality and moderate to poor from the east bay to the south bay. So theres our 32 relative humidity. But these north winds are going to keep going right on through about 11 00. And then theyll begin to lighten and then well get into our sea breeze. So we should see a little improvement late in the day in terms of air quality. But look at that. You know, it is not great out there. 56 downtown, 51 palo alto. And look at zero real estate here, almost very crowded on the pier there. Pier 39 with the sea lions, 48. Santa rosa looking at a cold morning in the north bay. Just 40s here, 11 degrees colder in napa. And if you are planning on heading to santa clara or watching the game, theyll have hazy skies too in the south bay with temperatures 515 in the mid 70s. So on the mild side, but it is going to be another day until we get that one system out of here and then look for a stronger sea breeze that takes us through the first weekend of fall and then perhaps a cold front into next week. Jobina thank you, lisa. Good morning, everybody. So i want to let you know about a big closure thats going to be happening through the weekend in the south bay. Oh, of course, the graphic just didnt load properly, but this is a caltrans closure of northbound 87. Its going to be between 85 and 280. And santa clara county. And this is going to happen on starting tomorrow at 9 p. M. Through monday at 5 a. M. So just a heads up to you. If you go through 87, in the south bay san mateo bridge, nice and crowded for people that are traveling towards the peninsula to theres no blocking issue. But the westbound direction has been pretty stacked up over the last, id say, 20 minutes or so. And then emeryville will end here with 80. Those headlights are traveling in the westbound direction. If youre going towards the toll plaza at the bay bridge, metering lights came on at 537 coomassie. All right, thank you. Jobina up next is seven things to note today. You can watch all of our newscast live and on demand through the abc7 bay area connectedtv app. Its available for apple tv, google tv, amazon fire, tv and roku. Download the app now and start streaming now as we head to break, a live look outside right now at 656. If you head outside, take precautions. If youre affected by health issues, maybe you might need to stay indoors or use a mask if youre outside. A spare the air alert is in effect for today. Number two, a red flag warning is also in effect because of the high winds today for some counties in the north bay. The fire danger could trigger the fire seasons first pg and safety shutoffs. I should say. Its only for seven people in napa county. Only and number three, its going to get a little worse before it gets better. As we look at the poor air quality throughout the day today and getting moderate for friday, good for the first weekend for the most most of us of fall. Number four, i want to bring this back because the graphic didnt load properly. Caltrans roadwork, 56 hour full closure, northbound 87 between 85 and 280 begins friday at 9 p. M, ends monday at 5 a. M. Number five, free at home covid tests are returning the Mailing Program will restart because theres been a rise in covid cases nationwide. And so you can get four tests at a time, starting next week. You just go to covid test. Gov to order number six, san jose based cisco is buying Cyber Security Company Splunk for about 28 billion. Just last week, cisco announced it would lay off 350 people and number seven tonight, the 40 niners are returning to levi stadium for the home opener. Theyre playing the giants at 515 to night. The 49 ers are looking to go three and zero for the year. All right. Well, we end on sports night. I know. I got nothing for you. When team go points go teams go teams. Enjoy things. Good morning america. For our viewers in the west, new action on the border crisis. Overnight the white house announcing new action, sending a surge of active duty Defense Department personnel to the region, with thousands of migrants arriving daily, as one city in texas declares a state of emergency. Plus linsey davis has an exclusive with ron desantis, weighing in on the crisis. Breaking overnight, russia unleashes devastat