tim: tim johns, abc 7 news. liz: it has been two weeks since those brazen smash and grab robberies rocked san francisco's union square. the city has launched a traffic control measures and stepped up police presence to deter crime. the question is, will it be enough to bring holiday shoppers back? abc 7 news reporter cornell barnard went to union square to find out. ♪ returning to san francisco's union square, and so were the crowds. >> people were out today. it is really good. it is making me feel like we are into christmas now. jesse were taking in the sights but being careful after those into miss smash and grab robberies several weeks ago. >> we are being cautious. watching ourselves. i have my purse where i can see it. cornell: since the robberies, police have several arrests and increased police presence around the square, including this mobile command center. >> it is a safe environment now. we have got lots of police officers securing the perimeter. you start to see a lot of families down here enjoying

and i love this community. >> in millbrae, tim johns, abc 7 news. julian: happening now snow is hitting the sierra hard in the lake tahoe region. i-80 is still closed and there is no timetable on when that may change. highway 50 is also closed at echo summit where several cars are stuck in the snow there. accidents have caused major delays. c.h.p. posted this video showing i-80 after it closed in both directions. the interstate is shut down from the nevada state line to colfax. you can see in this video all of the skiers having a good time. the national weather service has issued a winter storm warning through tuesday morning for lake tahoe. holiday travelers say it's been a frustrating couple of days. >> it's already like noon and we are going to head back to home neighbor an hour or two. >> an abc 7 news viewer told us it took him seven hours to get from south lake tahoe to san francisco yesterday. st rained the entire trip back. it's been a stormy weekend all across the bay area. that is the unmistakable sound of hail pummeling the santa cruz mou

reporter: in redwood city, tim johns, abc 7 news. liz: turning to the pandemic and the omicron variant, it's now been detected in at least 29 states. a study from the u.k. found boosters at add a significant layer of protection against the variant, substantially raising the efficacy. officials are predicting omicron will overtake delta appears the dominant variant in some european countries as early as this week. it's not a question of if, but when. warriors star steph curry is chasing the nba record for three-pointers. last night in philly, he fell short. his next chance is tomorrow in indianapolis as the warriors' road trip continues. abc 7's sports anchor chris alvarez was in philly and spoke with curry after the game. >> steph curry's run at history is going to have to wait another night. curry going 3-14 from deep. he did score 18 as the warriors lose by nine to the 76ers. it was a playoff atmosphere from the jump, and while it wasn't his best shooting night, he's now seven from breaking ray allen's all-time three-point record.

tim: the three officers involved are currently on administrative leave. tim johns, abc 7 news. liz: a low status mom accused of throwing secret drunken sex parties for teenagers will try to get out on bail for a second time. shannon o'connor was denied bail back in october when she was arrested. according to our media partner "the mercury news" she has not entered a plea to 39 criminal counts. if convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison. her court lawyer said he would file a motion for bail and the hearing is set for january 18. today, fallen u.s. soldiers will be remembered with holiday wreaths as part of the annual wreaths across america event. headstones of thousands of fallen soldiers of the san francisco national cemetery at the presidio will be decorated with remembrance wreaths. los gatos memorial park will hold a similar event. they both start at 11:00 this morning. if you wake up in sonoma county this morning, bundled up before going outside. a freeze warning is in effect tomorrow morning and this morning is expected to be the coldest of the weekend. sonoma county

as tim johns tells us, it was more than just gifts on people's minds. >> as the holiday shopping season enters the final stretch, shoppers are hitting the stores around the bay area. one of the most popular spots is the village. >> i found it more busy than i was last year. >> i am so excited. some sparkly sweaters. >> i do not have a plan of what i am going to get. i am just here trying to find stuff. >> after a hard holiday season last year, many retailers say they are happy to see shoppers at it again. >> it has been bananas. today has been ongoing traffic back-and-forth. we have not had any down time. >> many shoppers told us they knew omicron variant was still on their mind. >> i have my parents and people i want to look out for. >> one of the hottest items are at home covid tests. the cvs told us they sold out of tests within 24 hours. >> you just want to have it on hand. >> covid is not the only factor on shoppers' minds. some tell us the prices are playing a role. >> in comparison to years past, it is 10% to 15% higher. >> despite the challenges this season may bring, many say t