you can see those showers here off into parts of the north bay. a closer look now over cloverdale and heelsburg shows some of those showers developing. also down to bodega bay, you'll see this activity starting in santa rosa. 9:00 p.m. tonight, the best chance of widespread coverage is over ma rain, napa, sonoma counties. 11:30, we'll see some of those showers develop over the east bay, as well as for the peninsula. now, we're not only tracking this system, but two other storms back behind it. and details on a stronger storm saturday night into monday. we'll continue our climate coverage and show you why we could have more atmospheric rivers through the next couple of decades. >> thank you so much, jeff. download our app and get your weather updates. you can access the same weather radar jeff uses and get the forecast for your neighborhood.

for those of us here 30 years ago, this is an anniversary we will never forget. october 19th, 1991. the oakland berkeley firestorm ignited and ultimately killed 25 people. so what have we learned and still need to be concerned about? here's melissa colorado. >> reporter: the burn scars are long gone, and in their place, new homes with spectacular views of the bay. but the oakland fire department says there's lots of lessons to be learned from the 1991 oakland hills firestorm. and building more homes on those fire prone hills is a recipe for disaster. >> it was like a parking lot. you couldn't move. the cars were to the top of the hill. >> reporter: gordon piper made it out alive, but 25 others did not. >> people had to run for it. >> reporter: more than 3,000 homes were destroyed, including the home of mayor libby schaaf's father. >> my sister and i helped him go

through everything to try and find anything. >> reporter: 30 years ago, assistant chief robert lipp was a rookie firefighter on his day off. he just happened to live on the edge of the fire. >> you just have to maintain your readiness at all times. not just as a firefighter, but as a community member. >> reporter: in the last three decades, technology has vastly improved, allowing for better communication among fire agencies. one of the key issues on that day. and more than 90% of homeowners are complying with the city's vegetation management requirement. but the fire department says there's one problem on the horizon, and they're not referring to climate change. >> we continue to push for a narrowing, a limiting oh of that volume of development in the objection hills. >> reporter: the fire chief sent this to the planning and building department, urging the city to prohibit the building of accessory dwelling units in the fire-prone hills.

>> adding to the fuel load, adding to the number of people living in these areas, in addition adding to the likely number of vehicles that will follow and congestion. >> the mayor says when granting permits, the city should take into account evacuation routes. >> that doesn't mean we shouldn't stop figuring out new ways to accommodate both fire safety, as well as our need to build density. i believe we can do both over time. >> reporter: in oakland, melissa colorado, nbc bay area news. a mom accused of hosting drunken sex parties for teenagers is back in the south bay after being arrested at her new home in idaho. shannon o'connor flew home today and a passenger recognized her and took these photos. they show her in a wheelchair being transported at san jose airport by two deputies. she's accused of getting teenagers drunk and encouraging them to perform sex acts on

other drunk teens. in all, she faces 39 charges of felony child abuse and sex assault. one woman who says she was the one of the victim's mothers was waiting for her at the airport, hoping to see her. >> oh, she 100% lied to us. she gained our trust and betrayed our trust. and it's very, very violating, very sad what she's done. >> o'connor will face a judge tomorrow afternoon. when she was arrested in idaho, there were ten underage boys and two underage girls in the home where she was staying. they're trying to determine if she will face charges in idaho, as well. what is san francisco doing about the car break-in problem? the city is teaming up with enterprise rent a car to change san francisco's reputation as a playground for smash and grab

burglars. this happens more than 20,000 times per year in the city. this is just from a couple months ago. investigators say most of those work in these car burglaries are sophisticated ring of thieves. today, the major and police chief announced that enterprise rent a car will fund a new reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any smash and grab burglar. >> once you cross that line, we have a responsibility. we have a responsibility to the public to make sure that people feel safe. so when those lines are crossed, we have no choice but to hold you accountable. >> 26 new officer pass trolling the streets have reduced the break-in numbers in recent months. now the city hopes this new plan will help get criminal networks that have made this place where no car is safe. today, the state auditor released a report on how schools

are spending covid stimulus money. from a lack of oversight to schools possibly forfeiting $160 million. the findings, what our investigative unit up covered weeks ago. candas wen went through that report that mentioned the number of bay area school districts. >> reporter: that's right. this is a 65-page audit detailing how schools are spending their stimulus money. across california, including here in hayward, k-12 schools struggled to stay open, despite receiving more than $24 billion in federal energy dollars to address the pandemic. >> we are going to make sure our voices are heard. >> i do not like the fact that they are not being transparent and the spending of the money. >> reporter: the state auditor voiced the same concern in this

report how the department of education is monitoring school covid spending. margaret fernandez is with the auditor's office. >> one of the big issues is that the department of education is not providing enough oversight for this. >> reporter: among the state auditor's findings, the department of education did not ensure local education agencies consistently submitted proof they spent the money to address the pandemic. one school district they looked at was hayward, which couldn't provide documents showing how they spent $4 million of their stimulus money. >> a federal government requires you to be able to support those funds. if you can't support them, then you have to return the funds. >> reporter: the auditor found tej case department only monitored 1% of the school districts it oversees. but even in that sample, it found misspending. >> any time of program when you're not monitoring it, of course there's an opportunity for, you know, mismanagement, wrongdoing. >> reporter: in a statement to the investigative unit, the

california department of education said it agreed with some of the audit findings, but disagreed with recommendations about monitoring. it said although it reviewed only 1% of local education agencies, those agencies represented over a quarter of the funds allocated. >> this is a use it or lusz it situation. >> reporter: we reported on many of the issues that the report is expanding on. one of the most alarming, schools may have to forfeit $160 million back to the federal government, because they're not spending it fast enough. according to the audit, 1/5th of the school districts that received emergency funding have spent 20% or less. the state says it will help schools in due course. in hayward, though, the school district's public information officer says they're in good shape. >> there's plans to be spent within the deadline. >> we are still struggling to get custodial staff, teachers. our children deserve better. >> this audit was sent to the

governor and legislative leaders. for you to look up how much your school district received and what it spent it on, go to nbcbayarea.com/investigations. >> candice, thank you. breaking news now in san francisco. our investigative unit has just confirmed 40 sfpd officer who have not been vaccinated for covid have been placed on leave. this begins the termination process. there are 59 other unvaccinated officers who are already on leave for other reasons. sources tell us if they return to work and still haven't gotten their shots, they will also be placed on administrative leave for termination. that's a total of 99 officers, two ultimately could be fired if they don't get fully vaccinated. we'll continue to follow the story as we get new details into the newsroom and will pass them along. it is the central question in the silicon valley federal

fraud trial. was elizabeth holmes calling the shots at theranos, while raising millions in investment money? the prosecution continued to call witnesses to prove she was. prosecutors asked questions about the theranos blood testing machines and how well they worked. he testified the machines rarely gave back accurate results. the machines are being talked about in the press and rulered to be on their way to the military. but he testified they weren't working right. >> what was so important about the government's witness today was not only showing the problems at the lab, but the fact that they were communicated straight up the ladder to ms. holmes. >> before the trial wrapped up for the day, the defense began cross-examination of elden, trying to show he was not as involved in the actual lab work. up next at 6:00, gas prices

haven't been this high in years. what analysts are now saying and what to expect in the next few weeks. today, students here at san jose state honored two black olympians who took a stand against racial injustice. coming up, the challenges those athletes faced after they stepped off the podium. and i'm tracking three different systems meeting up with an atmospheric river. the latest on the totals and why we could see more atmospheric rivers in the future.

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>> >> you've gotten gas for your car lately, you probably notice prices are rising again. the average cost across the country for a gal ann of unleded is now $3.32. that is the highest average price since 2014. no surprise, california has the highest average price per gallon at $4.45. according to the website gas buddy, the cheapest price for a gallon of gas in san francisco, oakland, san jose, we found it for $3.99. >> that is a lot. they raised their fists in protest. what they did 53 years ago at the olympics still matters today. so today, tommy smith and john carlos were back at san jose state where it all started. honored by the students and staff members. >> reporter: this was the moment

when san jose state track athlete tommy smith and john carlos became civil rights acons. the gold and bronze medal winners raised their fists at the 1968 olympics in mexico city to protest racism and injustice against african-americans in the united states. they didn't utter a word, but their actions spoke volumes. >> it was to represent the poverty that was happening in black america. >> reporter: she is the executive director of the institute of the study of sports society and social change at san jose state. she says few people know what life was like for the athletes after they were ousted from the olympic games. >> it was a hardship. it was not a good experience, not only for themselves but their entire family. not being able to find work, being, you know, in many ways i would say that they were followed by the fbi. >> reporter: dr. robert griffin

was on the track team with smith and carlos. he says after the olympics their track careers ended. they were not embraced by san jose state when they returned and their lives were threatened. >> tommy smith worked at a car wash because he couldn't find employment. the olympic gold medalist working at a car wash. >> reporter: today at san jose state in the shadow of a statue honoring their actions, students praised smith and carlos for demanding change, despite the consequences. and for inspiring them to fight for social change, too. >> every day on this campus, we must choose to rise to the occasion and fight for what we believe in. smith and carlos are just a few of the many great leaders that made sacrifices for the greater good. >> reporter: the power of two men that stood for justice, no matter the cost. marianne favro, nbc bay area news. it's official, the olympic flame has been handed over to the beijing olympic organizer

committee. the ceremony was held today in greece. the flame was transferred from the traditional cauldron in athens to the 2022 winter olympics in beijing. it is expected to arrive on october 20th. beijing will host the winter and summer olympics, as they hosted the summer games in 2008. >> what is it, right around the corner? >> about 100 days away. 3 1/2 months. you just got back and now we're off to beijing. >> did you unpack, raj? >> barely. >> it's going to be freezing there. you are in like record heat, and i'm going to be in frigid cold. >> it's going to be fun none theless. >> that's exciting. >> we've got some cool weather coming in, and the rainfall chances. let's show you just this overview and what we're tracking

here is this system tonight and then two other systems back behind it. each one of these will be meeting one an atmospheric river, helping to boost up the rainfall total. we'll get you the latest on what we expect with that. what could happen if we continue to see warming? if those temperatures, again, continue to rise, the oceans will also heat up. what happens with that? this gives the atmospheric rivers more fuel to grow stronger and bigger. now, if you're not familiar with atmospheric rivers, they're known as rivers of the sky. a stream of moisture that can bring flooding rains to the bay area and towards southern california. now, in the future, again, if we continue to see warming, atmospheric rivers, there's new data that shows they could be 25% wider and longer. a global frequency increase of 50%. when we get rainfall again, this would increase our flooding risk overall.

remember, there is a new report that came out this year. we can make a difference with substantial cuts in emissions and greenhouse gases, we could avoid some of these, you know, horrible side effects that may come our way when it comes to that weather. go to nbcbayarea.com and click on the climate in crisis tab to get more. now back to the weather here at home. by 7:00 tonight, best chance of rain is in santa rosa. we'll begin to see some showers over the east bay and the peninsula by 11:30 and an overnight chance through the east bay and the south bay. then as we head through tomorrow morning, a spotty chance of showers and the cloud cover with us. a quarter to half an inch in the north bay. everywhere else for the most part, a quarter inch or less, except for the santa cruz mountains. up to three quarters of an inch. after we get over this one, we're dealing with right now, we

have another one thursday into friday. but the one to really watch out for is saturday night. it begins, but it could last to monday. so this is an atmospheic river we would see move in sunday and monday. a half to 2 1/2 inches just from that alone. if it stays on track like it is now, we might see isolated flooding concerns on monday, especially with any street drains that haven't been cleared out. here in san francisco, we'll hold with temperatures in the 60s, and through the inland valleys, those on and off rain chances all the way through monday. and then a break by next tuesday. so very, very wet. the thing we're concerned with is sunday night into monday's forecast. >> thank you, jeff. up next, one step closer to coming down the hurdle cleared in san jose to bring down a controversial statue.

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♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ a south bay statue is one

step closer to being removed. the statue of thomas fallon sits in downtown san jose. he once served as mayor and was a captain in the mexican-american war. opponents call the statue a symbol of u.s. imperialism. last night, the city's art commission agreed and endorsed its removal. city council members will vote on the recommendation next month. the bay area housing market continues to be difficult if you're looking to buy. difficult or perhaps better said impossible for many people. according to new data, in san jose, home values are about $1.5 million. that's up nearly 20% from last year. 17% to be exact. and inventory is down 3.5% since august. houses for sale are spending an average of 13 days on the market. if you would rather rent than buy, rent sup 5% since last year, with an average of more than $3,000 a month. there's nothing better than a trip to the pumpkin patch, but

a school brought the pumpkin patch to them. a special mentoring program is teaching kids about agriculture through pumpkin patch activities. middle schoolers helped preschool and first grade students through a maze, pumpkin decorating and story time. >> it's refreshing to see, because even with my middle schoolers who i have every day, they don't get as many interactions with the preschoolers and elementary kids as they used to. so they've been working hard. i don't think they anticipated how much work and how busy they would be. >> what a fun day. in the spring, the middle schooler also partner with the younger grades again to start gardens. up next, to put up the fence or not. the decision that might change the look near sjc.

it's been a long debate. the city council is looking to address homelessness with airport safety. >> an encampment of people have expanded on airport property. the faa mandates that the parcel stay vacant and is providing a $1.5 million fund for fencing. the mayor, though, would rather invest in rapid build units for the homeless and increase park

ranger and police staffing to block future encampments. we have an update about breaking news. the 40 san francisco cops placed on leave for not getting vaccinated. will this impact public safety? and the mom accused of hosting those drunken sex parties for teenagers. she was extradited back to the bay area this afternoon. those are the stories we're working on. up next on "nightly news," the nfl comes under fire for using race norming to help determine if former players are eligible for awards. a former stanford star speaks about this controversial practice. lester holt joins us right now. tonight, the major news on mixing and matching covid booster shots. the fda expected to allow americans to receive a booster shot different from the brand they initially received it could change the way millions of

americans get their added dose of the protection it comes as vaccine mandate battles heat up the college football coach who refused the shot fired also tonight the race to rescue americans held hostage in haiti the gang reportedly demanding $17 million for the 16 americans and 1 canadian what happens if the ransom isn't paid? the fiery plane crash in texas the passengers believed to be headed to boston for tonight's alcs game four remarkably, all 21 onboard escaping alive. the critical vote tonight by the january 6th committee on holding trump ally steve bannon in contempt of congress new developments in a story you first saw right here the heated texas school board meeting after a top administrator was recorded making controversial remarks about the holocaust. the former student alleging anti-semitic bullying the key deadline in the nfl's concussion settlement after the league pledged to end the controversial practice known as race norming.