more shootings overnight. what some community leaders say needs to be done to stop the rise in crime. >> also, bay area food banks finding it more difficult to help people during the holiday season. thanks to the rising food costs. >> some of our core food items like green beans and canned tuna, we had to pay $60,000 more than the previous month. >> yep, it's getting expensive for everyone. how this east bay food bank is dealing with the growing costs. >> and booster shot appointments are filling up in the south bay. but what about the rest of the bay area? the state announcement that gives people new options. >> good evening. thanks for being with us. we begin with our breaking news. we have been covering this for about an hour now. let's take you to the golden gate bridge. our sky ranger is overhead. what you're seeing below, a few hundred protesters on the san francisco side of the golden

gate bridge, and not only the protesters but the line of traffic that's going back several miles now. our sky ranger is there, and you can see, they're not necessarily blocking the lanes of traffic. cars are going through. chp officers have been holding that group back. however, there is still a major backup. >> and now we're understanding that there's also been an accident that may be connected to this group. someone on the bridge, let's bring in nbc bay area's jean elle we has been monitoring the situation. we saw the protesters wind their way right to the edge of the freeway. what happened? what do you know about this accident? >> i don't know specifics about that accident, jessica. all we could see that a car, it looked like it drove into one of the bridge vehicles. i don't know if it was on purpose or accident. it's quite a distraction, this protest on the side of the road. for several minutes while the chp works to clear the incident, there were no cars traveling

northbound over the golden gate bridge. i can tell you when i was trying to get here to the scene, traffic is backed up for miles. as this traffic on the bridge is intermittently stopped by cars, by incidents, i think the chp really just has safety in mind and is trying to keep traffic moving slowly past this large group of protesters. it's really quite a chaotic scene. lots of chp officers with their arms out, trying to hold people back off of the roadway. i did talk with several protesters who say they are against mandates. they don't believe the vaccine is safe. and they especially don't believe children should be mandated to get the vaccine. i asked them how long they're planning to stay here, they didn't have any indication of when they might leave. but they're really snarling traffic at this point, and they say they're doing it because they feel like they need to get their message out. >> yeah, we're seeing it here from our sky ranger on the ground level for us, but you can see cars, buses, traffic barely moving past. basically one lane is open.

this is northbound heading in toward marin county on the golden gate bridge. jean, any indication down below if there's been a peaceful protest or any signs of any arrests or discomfort there? >> i haven't seen anyone arrested. i have seen some verbal confrontations. you know, there are visitors here to golden gate bridge as well. i'm going to guess most have left, but some confrontations about why are you wearing a mask? you know, confrontations like that. i haven't seen any police activity other than holding people, protesters back, can clearing accidents and clearing cars as incidents happen as they try to keep traffic moving, slowly, as you said, in the northbound lanes of the golden gate bridge. >> jean, did the demonstrators say they actively want to get on the roadway so they can block traffic? >> i did hear some protesters talking about how they were angry that the bridge closed parking lots and they closed the walkway of the bridge in

anticipation of this event. that's what protesters told me. i have not talked to the bridge district. i have heard people talking about wanting to interfere with traffic. i have not heard them specifically say i want to get onto the roadway. so at this point, it's hard to know what people's intentions or desires are. at this point, they are standing together on the south side near the visitors center. i have not seen a person on the bridge. i have seen people in cars stop on the bridge and get out of their cars and they're quickly rushed back into their cars and sent on their way. >> that's what we're seeing now. traffic at a complete halt as our helicopter pulls out. you can see the scope of this backup here. all those headlights heading in toward marin county, but it's now backed up into san francisco and the parkway there. the timeline of all this, these protesters started gathering around 4:00 p.m. and just about 5:05 p.m., they started making their way on toward the bridge, but then they were stopped by the chp officers. that's where they remain, right at the foot of the bridge on the

san francisco side, but the backup, the traffic goes back several miles. jean elle down below for us. we'll check with you in a few minutes. >> in the south bay, people are lining up in droves for a covid booster shot just one day after santa clara county said it would give the shot to any adult, anyone 18 and over, who wants it. yesterday, the county gave that green light to booster shots for anyone 18 and over. meaning it's been at least six months if you want it since their last covid vaccination. california is asking other counties to do the same. the same thing in santa clara county, recommending all local health departments give these boosters to anyone who meets the basic requirements. the result, appointments are filling up faster than they were previously. bl we definitely have seen a rush on appointments in the last 24 hours. and our county operated sites are working hard to open up additional appointment slots for those who are seeking boosters. >> all right, at last check,

late this afternoon, there were still opening for tomorrow in san jose. this new wider recommendation comes as numbers show that the demand for boosters nationwide has been lower than expected. the hope is to get as many people as possible these booster shots before the expected holiday covid surge. >> well, teachers and students, both groups getting vaccinated, but is it enough to loosen the covid rules at your local schools? the bigger districts in the bay area, the vast majority of teachers are fully vaccinated. state-wide, the number is 90% of teachers fully vaxed. meanwhile, almost a million kids between the ages of 5 to 11 have been vaccinated nationwide. a lot of families are wondering when schools' mask mandates might go away. the cdc director tells lester holt, masks are for now but they're not forever. >> while more people hungry and rising food prices. food banks across the bay area struggling to provide this year with the escalating prices and the escalating number of families in need.

nbc bay area's audrey assistio shows us what one food bank is doing to make sure no family goes without this holiday season. >> a busy thursday on edgewater drive in oakland. as dozens of organizations from across the bay area stop by the alameda county community food bank to load boxes and boxes of food onto trucks. rafael with first presbyterian church in oakland says all this food will be distributed to families in need on saturday. >> you save a lot of money because now the food is really expensive. >> very expensive for everyone, including food banks. supply chain disruptions, higher fuel costs, and lower inventory are all contributing to higher prices. >> we are in a tough situation. so last month, for some of our core food items like green beans and cans tuna, we had to pay $60,000 more than the previous month. >> in total, dishing out about $1 million a month to distribute

about 4.5 million pounds of food. >> we're trying to absorb a lot of those costs so our families that are in need do not have to pay for that product in their store. >> in comparison, pre-pandemic, they were spending about a quarter of that money for about 2.5 million pounds of food. >> here's an example of another produce item that we get in bulk. >> employees and volunteers working around the clock, knowing their service is more important than ever. >> we realize that thanksgiving is our biggest distribution time, and we more than ever, because of what's been going on with the pandemic and people really struggling to even put food on the table. >> a lot going on. people have a lot of needs. so i feel great helping. >> despite all the issues, workers here say they're confident they'll have enough food to distribute throughout the holiday season. in oakland, audrey assistio, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, audrey. >> now, an easy way you can help people in need is through our

nourishing neighbors food drive starting next saturday, we'll be partnering for our annual holiday food drive. we do this every year. now, the next time you're at safeway, you can make a $10 donation very easy, and that money will go right to local food banks. our drive begins november 20th, which is a couple days before thanksgiving, and it will run through christmas day. >> after a pandemic pause last year, san jose's 103-year-old veterans day puray returned in full force. 70 groups took part today, including groupers honoring veterans from every u.s. conflict along with the local dignitaries and marching bands. the grand marshal, a retired marine corps colonel, wanted to make sure everyone understands that while parades are nice, and these events are all meaningful, veterans' needs run deep. >> there are a lot of homeless veterans out there, and there are a lot of people who really need a lot of help with drugs and alcohol abuse. and that's what we are really

working on. >> many people did stress the need to build on existing local programs to hire and house veterans. >> well, imagine the trauma of a loved one going missing, and you're unable to get them help to find them. what if the color of their skin or how pretty and young they are impacted how people searched for them? it's an important conversation that we'll be examining in our episode of race in america this evening. we're going to discuss the topic of missing white women syndrome. join me tonight for an uncomfortable conversation on how we're all culprited in this plight, including us in the media, and the stunning number of girls missing every month that no one hears about. >> up next, we're going to go back to our breaking news and give you an update on what's happening at the golden gate bridge. a major backup after this protest on the san francisco side of the bridge. we're back in a moment.

>> i'll continue our climate cover. we'll get the latest on the drought and really good numbers to share with you on this and when we could get more rainfall. >> when we're joined by our viewers in the west as a winter covid surge begun? the rising surge in infections, and also our team in africa where china has expanded its military footprint. the strategic signals being sent when we see you back here tonight.

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dangerous situation unfolding on the golden gate bridge right now. you're looking at a live picture right now. what you're looking at is a car accident, you can see in the distance there, that happened just a short time ago as a result or connected to a demonstration against vaccine mandates. this started about 4:00 this afternoon. protesters walked up right there to that edge of the golden gate bridge. you can see the backup there. they're being held back by police. unfortunately, someone headed in the northbound lane ended up getting into an accident. we don't know the extent of the injuries, but we do know that someone is being transported in an ambulance. and the backup all the way into marin county is heavy and severe. right now, one lane is open, and people are trying to get back, but what you see there is that crowd of demonstrators right up there to that lane. you can see the car there. there are some people surrounding that car now. the chp is there.

again, what's supposed to be a peaceful protest has ended in a car accident there on the golden gate bridge. >> you can see that car on the right side of your screen. you saw the accident. it looked like some sort of minivan that drove into that truck. not sure if it was distracted or just an accident or crash or if it was intentional, but you saw that dark colored minivan. watch this on the right side of the screen, right there. the car turns right, right into that truck. this happened about 20 minutes ago. again, we don't know if this was an accident or intentional. but that was what looked to be a minivan, turned right into that service truck, right near that group of people. now, we do understand someone has been taken away in an ambulance to the hospital. not sure if it's the person inside this van. this is at the san francisco side going northbound into marin county. >> you can see someone going to the driver's side. >> chp. this is about 15, 20 minutes ago. the backup continues for several miles, trying to get into marin

county out of san francisco on the golden gate bridge. we'll continue to stay on the story throughout the evening. >> all right, let's bring in jeff. jeff, very clear skies today. we're seeing a nice balmy night with not a lot of rain in the forecast. >> very dry conditions which we anticipate to keep here as we head really through the next couple weeks. we're going to update you on rain chances in our climate coverage, but i wanted to start off with great news with the drought. we started getting really all of that heavy rainfall in october. then we had a few storm systems this month. we have now seen a 32.83% improvement in exceptional drought since october. now, exceptional drought on this map is the worst level of drought, it's this really deep red color. so basically, that has started to shrink. exactly what we needed to happen here. 16.68% of california now in exceptional drought. we still have exceptional drought, but again, the number has dropped quite a bit. and we do have more rain chances on the way, but we are just

going to have to wait for it until that gets here. so let's go ahead and show you what i'm seeing now. really over the next ten days, unfortunately, best rain chances go up towards seattle and portland. that's where they'll get a couple atmospheric rivers. for us, we may only get a little drizzle over the next ten-day forecast. beyond this, right around thanksgiving, i'm looking at a possibility of rainfall. it doesn't look like a big storm system, but maybe around a half inch or so. then early to mid december is when we could get a moderate storm system that could offer an inch. hang on. ten days of relatively dry weather and then more rain chances coming our way. let's brin it to our current weather pattern. high pressure moving in from the south that's pushing the rain off to the north. we'll be left with fog tomorrow morning and dry conditions. you can see as we started off, temperatures will be cold with upper 40s and low 50s. now to 51 in the south bay. east bay with 49. san francisco, 53, and north bay at 48. as we move through tomorrow down here across the south bay,

numbers warming up a few more degrees. 73 in san jose. very similar temperatures here through the east bay, 72 in antioch. let's move to the peninsula, light winds, sunny skies. 71 in cross the board, and through the north bay, 74 in sonoma. on my seven-day forecast, we will stay dry over the next several days, but again, clouds increasing sunday, monday, also into tuesday. and some cooler weather next week into san francisco. and across the inland valleys, we have 70s into sunday, then we'll also drop off the temperatures into next week. i really think friday and saturday is going to be shaping up pretty excellent for us. >> looks gorgeous. gorgeous today. thank you, jeff. >> okay, we all know gas prices are rising. but this will really freak you out. how much higher they are than they were just a year ago.

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a community in san francisco is in mourning after a teacher was hit and killed across the

street from the elementary school where he worked. today, there are flowers and notes near the corner of franklin and union where andrew zemin was killed before school yesterday. he was an aide at sherman elementary. today, andrew's girlfriend sent us a message saying when they first met five years ago at sherman elementary, what drew her to him was his patience and gentle teaching style. she also says her heart will never be the same. several families also visited the small memorial today including some who witnessed the accident. >> it was a lot. i mean, my husband and i saw everything, and it's really hard. you know, living in a big city, you're used to seeing a lot of sadness, but that was so unexpected and just devastating. >> the cause of this crash is under investigation. neighbors say they have been concerned for years with the neighborhood there in the marina about people speeding along franklin street. >> well, from abuse caught on

camera to years of elder neglect, we investigate the largest senior living operator in the nation. brookdale senior living has more than 600 locations across the country. dozens in california, and 11 assisted living facilities in the bay area. our investigative unit spent months speaking with families. 83 of them, and now part of a lawsuit accusing brookdale of financial abuse and of violating laws that protected the disabled. state records reveal other problems including staffing shortages, a delayed 911 call, even physical abuse by staff. one woman says brookdale exacerbated her father's already declining health and that it contributed to his death. >> he was on a permanent catheter. it wasn't working. brookdale nurses said they had been pumping fluids into him to see if they could get him to move. he ended up in the icu for several days with, like, stage 5 kidney failure. >> now, brookdale says it

believes its size and popularity make it a target for lawsuits. the provider defending itself, calling the allegations unsupported. tonight at 11:00, you can watch our full investigation into brookdale senior living, including what happened when the company invited investigative reporter candice nguyen inside one of their facilities. that's tonight right here at 11:00. >> with the inflation rate at a 30-year high, gas prices are nearing an average of $5 a gallon. ready for this? today's average in san francisco, a gallon of regular unleaded $4.85. that's up 22 cents from october. oakland's price today, $4.76. 23 cents higher than last month. san jose's average today, $4.77. it was $3.26 one yeas ago. >> want to update you on the breaking news, the golden gate bridge and that accident when another car as you see it right there, hit that utility truck. in what appears to be a service truck. we're hearing many more injuries

than we first thought. an update coming up next.

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we want to get back to our breaking news. we have significant update. what you're looking at here is a live picture of the golden gate bridge. san francisco side, heading into marin county. you can see at the foot of the bridge, a major traffic backup. there are protesters there who are protesting the vaccine mandates here in the bay area and state-wide.

we do understand several injuries, chp officers and employees of the golden gate bridge district. there was a crash earlier, in fact, we might have the video where you see a car swerving into another car. here it is, look on the lower right side of your screen. that car turns into that truck. there are injuries. let's bring in nbc bay area's jean elle to talk about who exactly is injured and what you're seeing now at this protest at the golden gate bridge. >> yeah, raj, about ten minutes ago, we saw fire trucks and ambulances coming from marin into san francisco and then turning around and going right over to that protest. and the chp is saying that during traffic, during this protest tonight, two chp officers and three golden gate bridge workers were injured when a vehicle rear ended another. we did see three ambulances arrive. i did just watch a patient being loaded onto an ambulance. that patient was on a gurney. the ambulance is still sitting on the bridge. it hasn't left yet, but two

other ambulances also have already left with patients heading back over to marin to get these bridge workers and chp officers medical attention. although i will check myself, i don't know who was loaded into the ambulances. the chp is saying it's three bridge workers and two chp officers that were involved in this incident, and injured. we don't know the extent of the injuries. we do know that three ambulances arrived here, two have left with patients, and one is still here on the bridge. >> thank you very much, jean. of course, we're going to continue to follow this at 7:00 and also at 11:00 tonight. thank you for being with us. >> lester holt is next with nightly news. breaking news tonigh >> breaking news tonight, the defense resting its case in the kyle rittenhouse trial. the final witnesses a day after rittenhouse broke down on the stand.

the defense zeroing in on three critical seconds in the timeline. the judge and prosecutor clashing again today, and the new charges the state wants the jury to consider. >> also tonight, the rising toll in the astroworld concert tragedy. vert tragedy. a 22-year-old college student now the ninth person to die. you will hear dramatic new police audio as the chaos unfolded. covid cases on the case in 17 states. are we at the beginning of a new winter surge plus, the states defying the fda and opening up boosters for all adults. the surveillance video and 911 calls played for jurors today in the ahmaud arbery death trial what they reveal the first blizzard warnings of the season the powerful coast to coast storm we're tracking. soaring gas and heating prices can the white house bring them back down rising tensions with china our nbc news exclusive inside the u.s. base for a major show of military might. and honoring those who serve on this veterans day the place