peninsula. for the north bay, this is where some of the highest gusts will be as we're under a wie wind warning. that's a step up from an advisory. this is where gusts could reach 60 miles per hour, especially in the areas highlighted in red. elevations above 1,000 feet may see higher gusts above 60 and there could be some power impacts as well as downed trees. we're going to be watching out for all of this in the forecast. it continues over the next couple of days and i'll have details in a few minutes. >> we'll check back with you. 5:01 right now. we are starting with news on the vaccine front. as soon as today pfizer will request emergency use authorization for its vaccine for children as young as 6 months old. "today in the bay's" brie jackson is live in washington with a look at the possible timeline and challenges of getting this approval as well. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, laura. yeah, this could be tricky. according to the "washington post," pfizer is expected to seek a two-dose regimen while it continues to research how well three doses works. recently, nbc bay area spoke with doctor yvonne maldonado, principal investigator in the pfizer vaccine clinical trial at stanford. we asked her why three shots would be needed. >> the vaccine trials that have been done so far in the under 5-year-old children have demonstrated strong safety, but just not the degree of antibody responses, especially in 2 to 4 year olds, so it is hoped that a third dose in the under 5 year olds will provide a strong antibody response. >> reporter: if approved, the children will get one-tenth the dose adults receive, but a ucsf professor of epidemiology says approval may not be a slam dunk because data on the third dose still needs to come in. >> we think to think in terms of a three-dose series rather than two doses and a booster down the line. we have to make a prudent decision. the layers of safety for vaccines in children are even higher. >> reporter: "the new york times" reports that pfizer waited for data on a three-dose regimen. the data would not be submitted until late march and the vaccine might not be authorized for that age group until weeks later. but if the two-dose series is approved, the vaccine could be ready by the end of this month. a lot of factors here, laura, but one thing for sure, a lot of parents are waiting to see what happens here. >> sure, of course. safety of utmost importance for those little ones. thank you so much. we are also moving you forward this morning with a bay area covid restriction. as of today, san francisco is rolling back its rule and people can once again go maskless in some cases. today's cierra johnson live this morning outside of one of those gyms in the city, where those masks may not be required. we've seen this before, but this time they're actually adding a step. >> reporter: yeah, good morning. this isn't the first, second, or third time i've done this story. it may be the fourth. we've seen the roller coaster ride of having to wear the masks, having them on, taking them off. but for folks that are going to the gym and some of those other locations, today is a little different because you're going to have to add that booster shot as a requirement to be able to go maskless in some of those locations. so take a look at your screen. this all starts today. you'll be able to go maskless at locations that include offices, gyms, as well as religious gatherings. this also includes college classrooms. now, it's important to note that everyone has to be vaccinated, as well as boosted and the location must have fewer than 100 people. another change, if you're unvaccinated, you'll once again be able to go to warriors games if you're able to provide a negative covid test. but it can't be one of those at-home tests, it has to be administered by a third-party provider. if you're vacc of a booster will now be required. these changes come as many communities find themselves on the other side of the omicron surge. local infectious disease experts are reacting to the latest round of loosening restrictions. take a listen. >> we've seen a big surge in omicron and we're coming down that mountain very quickly. but we're just at the warming hut midway to sea level. in a controlled setting with generally the same group of people coming in and out, you know, in a carpool or in a gym or in an office situation, it is a good way to, again, reduce some restrictions. >> reporter: so far, we have not seen any indication that some of the other bay areas would follow san francisco's lead and also reduce some of their mask restrictions like we've seen in the past. we will definitely continue to follow what's going on around san francisco county and bring you the latest if those mask restrictions are loosened. we're live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> a lot of my friends that go to gyms in san francisco have been counting down for this day. thank you. also starting today, oakland will require customers to show proof of full vaccination at businesses, including restaurants, bars, gyms and movie theatres. the rules apply for anyone 12 and older. adults must show a photo i.d. people not vaccinated must show a valid exemption and recent negative test results. happening today, the lunar new year begins and people across the bay area will celebrate. it's been an especially difficult two years for the asian american community, but many are hoping that the celebrations will help signal a new beginning. i spoke with the chief medical officer at the asian health services. this is dr. nguyen. this is about precautions that people should take in crowds. >> one thing patients, family members ask me, is i say keep the gathering small if you can. instead of a large number of people with aunts, uncles and grandparents, keep the gathering small and outdoors, if you can. finally, as much as possible, opening up a window, a door. my family got creative and set out a table in our garage, and we left the garage door open and had a picnic. and then, also, for folks, really to make sure that if you do -- are eligible and have a chance to get vaccinated or boosted before these large gatherings, an extra layer of protection for a lot of folks is testing with the covid rapid test at home, either before or after the gathering. >> amid the pandemic i know there's been so much social tension out there. stigma often in flected on the asian community, the aapi community. what positive impact do you believe the celebrations will have on the asian american community? >> the global pandemic has hit our entire world, and one thing about that is, as humanity, we're undergoing the same hardships and one of the things is taking time to find milestones and moments of celebrations like lunar new year is really important. it's about wishing each other blessings and prosperity, good health, and a time for people to be with loved ones and family. this is when multi-generational communities and families come together. >> dr. nguyen, thank you so much for your time, and i appreciate you, and happy lunar new year to you. >> thank you. happy lunar new year to you. >> that was so great speaking with her. so i spoke with dr. nguyen about a lot of things, and especially keeping people safe during those gatherings. to hear more about her tips, you can watch the full interview on our streaming app, nbc bay area streaming app. it is free. you can download it on your amazon fire, roku, apple tv and just click on the must-see playlist. let's take a live look in lake tahoe. today teams conduct the second snow survey of the season. last month surveyors measures twice the average snow pack. won't happen this time. kari has been telling us that snow pack levels are right about average at this time of year due in large part to the string of dry days we've been having. i just came back from lake tahoe. we need a good, juicy storm. >> yes, we do. and there's nothing like those manual surveys where they go stick the long measuring stick into the snow and they're measuring moisture, content and things like that. something that our automatic sensors can't pick up on. when we look at these numbers, 93% of normal, the statewide average, and you think about a month ago we were at double the normal amount. it's quickly going down due to the dry conditions we've had. as we look at the extended forecast, we go into the text ten days with more dry conditions across the bay area and sierra as the rain stays well to the north of us. it looks like, unfortunately, this pattern does continue. and then we're going to throw in high winds. we'll talk about that in the forecast coming up in a few minutes. mike, you've been watching the roads. any issues popping up? >> i've been tracking the tri-valley. let's get a look at the maps because i want to give you a big overview, green. green sensors. there was slowing for 84 out of livermore and pleasanton, but that seems to have cleared up. maybe some crew clearing there. i've circled the issue of the big rig in isabelle. it sounds like everything should be clear. no injuries, but it was a crash that was reported. a little build out of the altamont pass. nothing surprising about that. an easy drive for highway 4 through contra costa county. traffic new walnut creek and berkeley looks nice. >> thanks, mike. we've got a special delivery. next on "today in the bay," everyone's favorite girl scout cookies are back, but this time with a modern twist. the new way you can order your thin mints without ever leaving your home. >> sounds like something good to me. plus, things get controversial this morning as we put a poll on which girl scout cookie is the best of all. >> and why is it thin mints? so there you go. so should your boss be able to email you or text you after hours? we'll talk about that when "today in the bay" continues. oh, wow, barbara corcoran! good morning. sorry, we don't need any business help now. we're gigillionaires. what? we're gigillionaires now. i don't get it we have at&t business fiber with hyper-gig speeds. but i just... so thanks, but, we're doing great. i'm so happy for you! but i'm just here for my order. oh. entre-pin-eurs? yeah, my bowling team. i like it there's money in puns. do business like a gigillionaire at&t business fiber, now with speeds up to 5-gigs. limited availability time to warm up the vehicle a few minutes early before you head out. it's a chilly start this morning with some upper 30s, as you're heading out the door in the east bay. we start out clear, no issues with visibility. a lot of sunshine, but it will be windy, especially in the hills today. we'll talk more about the wind forecast and what's ahead in the forecast coming up in a few minutes. >> and an easy, light drive right now, even easier in the north bay. i have great news. the big rig we've been tracking, no injuries, and was, it's past tense. it's just cleared the right lanes. easy traffic coming down through the junction, across the bridges into the east bay. well, good morning. busy day ahead. it's the first day of february. march was the worst month of the s&p 500 since the start of the pandemic on the stock market. alphabet, google's parent company, reports profits today as well. electronic arts, the video game maker in redwood city will open books to investors. two interesting things about ea, one, their latest big release called battlefield 2042 is really pretty terrible. so bad it caused huge fights between developers and players online. ea was really depending on this game. two, all kinds of video game companies are getting bought up. sony just bought bungee. what's the future for electronic arts? we'll find out. belgium just passed a law saying employers can't email their employees after hours. anyone who watches "emily in paris" knows that's the law in france. they can email you or text you or call you, but you don't have to answer. the laws are fuzzy. we've talked about this before, but this is worth bringing up again. if you make any money cutting hair, mowing lawns, selling on etsy, and you use venmo, you are going to have to tell the ira, because venmo is already telling the irs. no, it does not matter what you say in the transaction what it's for or if you use the personal side, not the business side. if at one point you made $600 or more total over the year for doing something, the irs is going to know about it. >> you're literally talking about the guy who teaches guitar on the side to grab a few extra bucks, and maybe the kid who is mowing lawns. >> and, you know, that activity is good, it's productive, it's entrepreneurial. why burden this activity more? >> well, because it's income. also a good time to remind you, if you made money from cryptocurrency like bitcoin and you realized those gains, that is you sold the bitcoin and made a profit, the irs is going to know about that, too, and they're going to tax you. these are capital gains taxes we're talking about. it's a reminder of our strange tax system. the government asks you to fill out forms telling them how much you made, but they already know now this is actual income and ur people may not realize that this is something not only do they have to report it legally, laura and marcus, but the government already knows. >> but, you know, we were saying, what if we went to wine country and bought multiple cases of wine and i was just paying him back kind of thing? how can they tell that? >> well, because -- yes, if it's more than $600, it would get reported to the irs, but you would have every legal right not to report that as income because it isn't income. >> just paying you back. >> right, you owe me. >> thank you. >> party at your house. >> yeah, party at my house. it's 5:18 this morning. if you find yourself day dreaming about thin mints, tag a longs, samoas, it is your time. >> girl scout cookies will be on sale until march 27th. they're $6 each. you can order online using the cookie finder tool. this year the organization is also teaming up with doordash to offer on-demand delivery. give me my thin mints. half of the money is used for events for the troops and the other half goes to charity. >> we donate to a camp that helps kids or people who have had childhood cancer or have been affected by childhood cancer, so we're donating to that. we're also donating to the santa clara animal shelter. >> that's nice to see. there you go. the 12 flavors include plenty of fan favorites. look at those. >> laura, this year they have a new flavor. a brownie-inspired cookie. this is the box right here in the middle. laura, you tried this one? >> i did. they're very sweet. i would recommend it with a little cup of coffee or something on the side. they're good. i love cookies. >> my favorite is the one you see right here, samoas. i can literally eat an entire box. >> can you really? >> yeah. there aren't that many in this one. >> i could easily eat a sleeve of thin mints. >> scott said this is his favorite. >> those are my favorite. and you can put them in the freezer and save them. delicious. actually, they're not. don't try them. >> on my facebook page you can see they gave me the boxes this morning and i was in heaven. i want to know your favorite. so go online, post that, let me know what your favorite cookie is. they make it easy for you to get the cookies. you can get them doordashed now. that's dangerous. >> they're going to find you. >> they will. and they take credit cards now. don't worry, we take credit cards. when they did that to me, i was like, okay, i'll take two boxes, please. >> i know why they have us out of the studio now, they don't have to share the cookies. >> we'll have to send you a box. i can eat outside today, kari. the wind is going to be blowing, so i have to hold the box tight. >> right. don't let it blow away, marcus. we're going to have some very windy conditions out there today, and that's the reason why we do have the wind advisory for much of the bay area. you see parts of the inner bay and santa clara valley is not included in the advisory, because we have the hills on either side that blocks the wind and keeps it from really reaching some of the 30 to 40 miles per hour gusts we'll see in the other areas shaded in yellow. for the north bay there's a high wind warning and some of those upper elevations we could see gusts over 60 miles per hour. that could really bring down trees and cause some power outages. we're also concerned about the fire danger, because it's been so long since we've had any rain and the vegetation is continuing to dry out. the winds will calm on thursday and then we'll possibly see another round of high wind for the weekend. but we're starting out with thee south bay, and for much of the rest of the where you don't have the wind. that wind really keeps winds ar increasing, we're going to see the win psibly 50 miles per hour in parts of the north bay hills. elsewhere about 25 to 30 mile-per-hour winds. much of the bay area will see wind gusts picking up, especially for tomorrow afternoon for parts of the east bay. then once again calming down on thursday. as far as temperatures we'll see highs back to what we saw recently, highs in the upper 50s, even mid-60s for parts of the east bay. for the coastline we're looking at low 60s this afternoon for san mateo, and some low to mid-60s for much of the north bay. going through this forecast, we're still looking at dry conditions. a couple of spotty showers moving across southern california, but this as a low dips to the east of us and that's creating gusty winds. but then the high pressure keeps it dry. we may still see this pattern continue into february as we go into the next several weeks. it's still, unfortunately, it looks like the high pressure doesn't budge. then our temperatures warming up into the mid to upper 60s for our inland areas. we're still looking at nice and mild weather. mike, looks like the commute is still moving pretty well. >> yeah, holding up nicely out there. we'll take you for a look at the sensors. the great big look at sensors, all the way through the south bay and including south county, that's good stuff. we're going over toward the only exception, out of the altamont pass. it's not a surprise, west 580 merging with 205 and then you're clear by the time you get to north again and greenville. you see discoverly bay, little blips of slowing coming down toward highway 4. so just note that for that part of contra costa county. a clear view across the span from the emeryville camera. back to you. >> thanks, mike. 5:24 this morning and the wait until the olympic games, almost over. janelle wang is live after arriving over the weekend. she gives us a look at the broadcasting center. the bubble and beijing sports center are on her page. check it out. coverage after the break. yep, it's go time with wireless on the most reliable network. ok, that jump was crazy! but what's crazier? you get unlimited for just 30 bucks. nice! but mine has 5g included. wait! 5g included? yup, even these guys get it. nice ride, by the way. and the icing on the cake? saving up to 400 bucks? exactly. wait, shouldn't you be navigating? xfinity mobile. it's wireless that does it all and saves a lot. like a lot, a lot. helen knew exercise could help her diabetes. but she didn't know what was right for her. no. nope. no way. but then helen went from no to know. with freestyle libre 2, now she knows what activity helps lower her glucose. and can see what works best for her. take the mystery out of your glucose levels, and lower your a1c. now you know. freestyle libre 2. now covered by medicare for those who qualify. welcome back. 5:27 this morning. you know what, it takes a lot of work to make the olympics happen, not just on air, but also off. nbc giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the home base for production crews. it's a building that is 65,000 square feet and it has been two years in the making. super bowl is actually changing how engineers traditionally pull things off. a total team of more than 3,000 people responsible for airing the 2022 winter olympics. and if you missed it, you can actually watch our journey to the winter olympics special on nbc bay area streaming app. download it for your apple tv, roku and amazon fire, and look for the special under our winter olympics playlist. coming up next, the top stories, including a new vaccination deadline. why some first responders warn the strict rules may impact staffing numbers. >> reporter: several schools in oakland face permanent closure because of budget issues. the staff who are threatening hunger strikes as a result. you're watching "today in the bay." right now at 5:30, booster fallout. a new mandate kicking into high gear for high-risk south bay workers. ahead in a live report, the reasons some fear the mandate will cause major staffing issues. >> the majority of the schools are up for closure this year. >> plus, on the chopping block. controversial school closures now under consideration. what this could mean for thousands of east bay students, plus the dramatic measures some teachers are taking to make sure campuses stay open. this is "today in the bay." good tuesday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. we're not only broadcasting here on television, you can also catch us live if you're on the go, on roku, amazon fire, apple tv and online. we've got a lot to get to this morning, but first want to start with nbc bay area celebrating black history. ahead we're going to share a unique and inspiring story of one black winemaker in the north bay. that's coming up for you at 5:45. we want to turn to meteorologist kari hall with a look at the forecast and we're dealing with a wind advisory. >> yeah, and it's going to be all about the wind for today, as this continues to really gust over the next couple of days for the bay area. but the highest concern will be for the north bay, where we will have a high wind warning in effect, and that continues until about 10:00 on thursday. those winds may get over 60 miles per hour in these areas shaded in red, and this includes the elevations above 1,000 feet. this could bring down tree limbs and cause some power outages. due to the lack of rainfall we've had recently, we may be talking about a high fire danger here. once again, we are going to see the north bay, the area of focus, but it could be gusty and windy for our hills in the east bay and along the peninsula, and the winds start to cool many down on thursday as our temperatures head back up. we're going to talk about this in this forecast, as well as where we're seeing the most dense fog and it's not one of the usual spots. that's coming up in a few minutes. >> thank you so much. 5:33 right now, today is the deadline for santa clara county workers to show we've received a booster shot to keep working in high risk settings like health care or first response. >> we have what it could mean for you if you are suddenly facing an emergency situation. >> reporter: good morning. the firefighters union says this could impact response time if there is not enough firefighters on the front lines, especially as we head into fire season. let's take a quick look at what this requirement in the county of santa clara means. this means that workers in high risk settings, like you said, in public safety or health care, they have to be boosted or reassigned to lower risk work starting today, february 1st. the alternative is modified work or taking unpaid leave. now, the city tells me as of january 10th, 96% of san jose firefighters were vaccinated. the santa clara county fire department, 40 firefighters did ask their department to seek waivers on their behalf under the guidelines, the ordinance as it's written, individual workers cannot request those waivers themselves. the county department's message to the media reads in part, the mandate as it's currently being enforced will incur an additional loss of over 40 employees and worsen an already critical staffing shortage, putting our firefighters and residents at risk. now, the city of san jose did not give updated numbers for the police department, however, back in november we reported that all of the city's san jose workforce, everybody, high risk and otherwise, only six employees were on track to take the unpaid leave rather than get vaccinated. the city did not specify how many police officers there are in that number, citing privacy concerns. in the last few weeks, san jose pd did have all officers pitching in to cover patrol duties because there were so many sick-outs calls with folks who had active covid or who were quarantined because they were a close contact. all of this in motion, but the deadline is today, february 1st. kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> we'll see the fallout in the coming days as well. thank you so much. also today, more covid testing will be available on the peninsula. the provider, carbon health, will administer up to 2,000 tests per day at the san mateo county event center. you can register in advance or just show up. the positivity rate over the past week or so is nearly 15%. developing this morning, a lot of parents, not to mention teachers across oakland, facing a world of uncertainty. the district taking the first steps in closing numerous schools, some of which may end up merging. "today in the bay's" bob redell is live for us in oakland. it sounds like the teachers have no plan of taking this move sitting down. >> reporter: correct, good morning, marcus. according to the san francisco "chronicle," at least one teacher or member of the staff are threatening to go on a hunger strike to try to force oakland unified to stop with this plan to shut down eight schools and merge another five. last night the board met virtually to discuss the list of schools facing closure or merger, which ousd says is necessary to deal with lagging enrollment and to cut back on a multi-million budget deficit they have projected. parents and teachers called in during the meeting with many accusing the board of bad management. one teacher says the move caught them off guard. >> the majority of the schools are up for closure this year, so within a week span they are presenting schools and taking a vote to make a decision that's going to affect about 11 to 13 schools in four months. >> reporter: as you can see on your tv screen, here's a list of some of the schools that are facing closure. some of these schools would be closed by 2023. a couple by 2024. if you move down the list, you can see some of the schools that would be proposed to be merged with other schools, again, some by 2023, others by 2024. the deficit is projected to be just over $12 million for fiscal year 2022-23, and another $7 million by the following fiscal year. the board is scheduled to vote on this next tuesday, february 8th, to approve the closures and the mergers. reporting live, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> thank you. 5:37. breaking news just into the newsroom. a massive fire under way at a fertilizer plant in north carolina. you can see the flames ripping through that building. this is happening in winston-salem. so far there are no injuries reported, but evacuation orders have been extended for one mile. this is due to the toxic fumes and the potential for an explosion. no word yet on how that fire started. much closer to home, taking a live look outside, downtown san jose. kind of an interesting shot out there this morning. a little ominous, right? a little foggy, clear in some spots. kari is keeping track of the forecast for us on this first day of february. >> yes, it is. and we're starting with fog in the south bay, something we don't typically see. and the past couple of days have been like this. we're seeing fog that's been moving through. as we take a look at our live view and where visibility is the lowest, right now down to about five miles in san jose, down to morgan hill. you can see the fog drifting through some of the gaps through the santa cruz mountains, into the south bay. for the rest of the bay area, winds starting to fiks out the fog and we'll see a hazy sunshine as our temperatures head for the low 60s this afternoon. we'll reach 64 in napa. 61 in san jose, and 62 in livermore. not bad as far as temperatures today, but we're also looking at more of these gusty winds in the forecast. we'll talk more about that coming up. mike, you're seeing possible delays ahead? >> yeah, we're looking ahead toward -- well, we know about this, so i'm warning folks in san francisco as we look at the map. i've just put on the map throughout the city, like yesterday, we have potential delays for the line on the muni system because of staffing levels. muni warned us about this yesterday and that continues through today. we'll release more on which lines are specifically short on drivers later in the morning. highway 37 just starting a little bit of slowing coming out of the fog is not as much of an issue today. it is creeping through the south bay again today. kari has warned us about that. right now the issue is heading south or west on 84. there's a little bit of slowing there. we're looking at travel times across the bridges. they're looking great right now. back to you. >> thanks. on "today in the bay," celebrating black history. >> you own this? and i have to say yes. >> we introduce you to this north bay winemaker who is making a name for herself one glass at a time. >> reporter: the u.s. and russia continue to hash out the ukraine crisis. we'll have the very latest. there are some positive moves. >> and caught on camera without a mask at the 49ers game. now one state lawmaker wants governor gavin newsom to make a change immediately. you can find the story online right now. just head to nbcbayarea.com. it's right on our home page. oh, wow, barbara corcoran! good morning. sorry, we don't need any business help now. we're gigillionaires. what? we're gigillionaires now. i don't get it we have at&t business fiber with hyper-gig speeds. but i just... so thanks, but, we're doing great. i'm so happy for you! but i'm just here for my order. oh. entre-pin-eurs? yeah, my bowling team. i like it there's money in puns. do business like a gigillionaire at&t business fiber, now with speeds up to 5-gigs. limited availability right now as you're heading out the door, we're seeing some clear visibility in the east bay. a look at walnut creek, where it's in the upper 30s right now. cold start, but a lot of sunshine and we're going to see temperatures heading up to a comfortable number, in the low to mid-60s today. we're also tracking high winds in the forecast and i'll talk more about that coming up in a few minutes. >> so far, no problems reported by chp. as kari has given you notice, we're looking at slowing starting to develop and this is the morning commute right here. 84 does show more slowing coming out of livermore, out of the altamont pass, more build there as well, and the bay bridge toll plaza we have lighter traffic. we'll see if the metering lights turn on soon. 5:44 right now. some movement, perhaps, in the crisis over ukraine. >> scott mccrew reports that the russians are ready to respond to some of the americans' proposals to solve the problem. >> and the problem being that there are 100,000 russian troops poised to invade ukraine, perhaps. two things may happen today. number one, vladimir putin may hold a press conference. the russian leader is meeting with the president of hungary. the two of them are scheduled to talk to the press afterwards. obviously, ukraine will come up. number two, the "washington post" says russia has responded to a written set of proposals from the u.s., a letter with a letter back, which is progress. now, russia, weirdly enough, denies that and says they're not ready to respond. the two side met as part of the united nations security council yesterday. both russia and the united states are permanent members and can veto each other's proposals, but grievances got aired out. >> russia's aggression today not only threaten ukraine, it also threatens europe. it threatens the international order this body is charged with upholding. an order that if it stands for anything, stands for the principle that one country cannot simply redraw another country's borders by force or make another country's people live under a government they did not choose. >> reporter: other news, "the new york times" says this morning that donald trump was far more involved in the plot to seize american voting machines than first thought. the times says trump ordered his personal attorney, rudy giuliani, to pursue the idea. we knew there was talk in the white house of using the military to seize voting machines after the election. the times says after that plan was rejected, trump asked if other agencies like homeland security could do the job. nbc has not independently confirmed that report. some prosecutors are taking a closer look atly in texas and whether he treated law enforcement, looking into various cases against him. trump told the crowd they should protest in cities where prosecutors were pursuing cases. he also said the investigations into him are racist. the prosecutors in georgia and new york are black women. the prosecutor in atlanta has asked the fbi for security protection. we're watching what's happening with putin and what's going on in ukraine, talking about it on social media, on twitter you'll find me @scott mcgrew. >> thank you so much. all month nbc bay area is highlighting african americans making strides and this week we're focusing on something synonymous with the bay area, which is wine. >> very few vineries are owned by black people. "today in the bay's" cierra johnson takes a look at life in the wine business and a local group looking to support them. >> it's a 30 acre former apple orchard. >> reporter: within the rolling hills and rows of produce is a story. >> so we moved here, took out all the apples and put in grapes over, probably, about a ten-year period. >> reporter: a story of a wine label that stood out from its peer, not only for chardonnays and pinot noirs, for who was behind the label. >> we got awards, but it's really about people coming and enjoying themselves. >> she's one-half of the husband and wife duo behind fog crest vineyard. being a black woman owning a 30-acre vineyard, a tasting room in sonoma and the production facility. >> it is very hard to really maintain or acquire all of those pieces. >> reporter: according to an article published by bloomberg, while the nation boasts about 8,000 wineries, less than one half of one percent of the winemakers or brands is black-owned, a reality this vineyard owner faces head-on. >> you own this? and i have to say yes to that as well. and people would be very shocked by it. >> reporter: but, like some black-owned businesses, she has seen an uptick in sales. the civil unrest of 2020 put many black businesses in the spotlight. as well as did an organization, home grown organizations like black vines, work to generate a new pool of consumers. >> introduce the reality that there are black winemakers out there. >> reporter: fern stroud has guided black vines into what often felt like uncharted territory. in the decade since the inception, stroud and black vines has been able to connect a community of black winemakers and wine owners with black consumers, genuinely interested in the industry and the folks behind the label. >> we take the pretension out of the wine experience and make it approachable. >> reporter: an experience both women agree benefit both parties. >> i absolutely believe that a collective movement will raise all boats. >> it's so very important to see people that look like you doing things that you may not have seen being done before by people who look like you. >> reporter: cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> i love that. if you see it, you can achieve it. when you see people who look like you, it's easy to say, i can do that, too. >> kari actually went to a winery, she said, recently. she was sharing photos. looks very romantic in these pictures, kari. i mean, we didn't even know about it. we just stumbled upon the vineyard and enjoyed the views. i highly recommend this vineyard. yeah, and we had some great weather, too. as we take a look at our forecast it's going to be pretty windy in that area, in wine country, parts of the north bay. we're focused on seeing high winds over the next couple of days. a northerly wind will dry things out and, unfortunately, increase our fire danger over the next couple of days. gusts at 25 to 35 miles per hour, may reach over 60 miles per hour, in some of the elevations above 1,000 feet. as we go through the forecast on wednesday, those winds really peak and then start to calm down on thursday. looking at our temperatures for this afternoon, very seasonal weather, the kind of temperatures we've seen from the past few days. also very low humidity. this is one of the reasons we're talking about a fire danger, when humidity levels drop into the teens and 20s, the vegetation that's beautiful, lush and green right now may start to turn brown over the next couple of days. we've also had a big lack of rainfall across the region. this high pressure continues while these lows slide into the interior parts of the country and increase our winds here across the bay area. so we're looking at the same weather pattern with all of the rain hitting the pacific northwest and then moving off to the east. over the next ten days we're still not looking at rain in the forecast. the rain is staying to our north. our seven-day forecast shows our temperatures will also be warming up, with all of the sunshine and highs reaching into the mid to upper 60s for the inland areas. san francisco will see highs in the low 60s for the next week. mike, what's happening for the commute? >> let's quickly get to the maps. what's happening is your normal commute. at the bottom you see san jose, little blips showing up, north of 680, and also into the tri-valley, 880 coming through hayward. now the bay bridge toll plaza, there's a little slowing in the area, more volume. no metering lights. great flow of traffic. happening now, san francisco students will get help realizing their college dreams. the mayor's office announcing the bridge to excellence scholarship program offering high school seniors $2,500. to qualify, students must demonstrate a significant financial need and be the first in their family to attend college. the global health industry taking center stage for all the wrong reasons. next on "today in the bay," why world health leaders are sounding the alarm when it comes to our climate in crisis. we'll take a look at it and we'll be right back. welcome back. you're watching "today in the bay." turning now to our climate in crisis, we just got new data out this morning showing just how big of a toll this pandemic is having on our environment, with medical waste now going into landfills. and the world health organization says that many medical facilities are improperly disposing ofg numbers. an estimated 87,000 tons of ppe, 2,600 tons of plastic from test kits and 143 tons of syringes, needles and safety boxes are in landfills and this doesn't include the pandemic waste from the general public. and these masks and everything you've seen just ending up in oceans, and littering those wildlife habitats. experts point out that there are some solutions for protecting ourselves from the disease, while not harming our earth, such as eco-friendly packaging, and we should also have safe and reusable ppe. it should be recyclable or biodegradable and also they should use non-burn waste technology. these are some of the things we're looking at now. you can see more solutions on how you can help by going to nbcbayarea.com and click on our climate in crisis page. >> thanks so much, kari. it's 5:57 right now, and developing, new help coming to tonga from the bay area. a volcanic eruption on january 15th left the island nation covered in ash and debris. local pacific islanders have secured a plane to take relief supplies to tonga. east palo alto, home to one of the nation's largest pacific islander communities. activists there made a simple request. >> help us fill a boeing 787 with pallets of emergency supplies that will go directly to our families on the ground, by giving what you can. >> ups actually donating the plane for flight. the list of needs is long. non perishable food, tools, generators, baby items, cleaning and kitchen supplies. all donations must be on a pallet for easy loading. you can also donate through a gofundme page. happening today, a san francisco food institution is now set to become a historical landmark. casa can shez started as a rest aunt years ago and a lot of people are saying if you've never had their chips and salsa you haven't lived. the family-owned business is slated to become the city's first latino-owned property to receive the status. the ordinance was passed last week. mayor breed will give the final approval today. quickly approaching 6:00 and a covid vaccine for children under 5. >> a real close look at the data and make the most prudent decision. >> pfizer seeking approval for children as young as 6 months. ahead in a live report, the possible timeline and the possibility the shots may be shot down by regulators. >> plus, rolling back mask mandates partially. one city moving ahead with loosened restrictions and the data health leaders say supports the plan. >> and celebrating the lunar new year. we speak with one local health experts about precautions you should consider before gathering in big crowds. this is "today in the bay." a terrific tuesday as we start out the day. thanks for making us a part of your morning. i'm marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. and if you're on the go, we broadcast not only to your television, but you can catch us live on roku, amazon fire, apple tv and online. let's take a live look outside, san francisco from the east bay this morning. what a beautiful shot. we are in for some strong winds today. >> let's go over to meteorologist kari hall. she's been tracking that for us. and how strong are we talking about here? >> yeah, we're talking in parts of the north bay 60 plus mile-per-hour gusts, and that will mainly be for the north bay mountains and hills. as you go up in elevation above 1,000 feet, that's where the winds will be gusting higher. this could bring down trees and cause some power outages. then we start to see the wind calming down on thursday. with it just being tuesday, we are going to see another couple of days of these high winds and this prolonged period of high winds, as well as we take a look at our live view in san jose. it's foggy right now, where it's definitely a lot calmer and temperatures in the low 40s now. a chilly start, but it will be a mild day with winds increasing. we'll talk more about that in the forecast coming up in a few minutes. >> we'll check back with you. we begin with news on the vaccine front. as soon as today, pfizer

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