good morning, i'm teresa garcia. a week long ordeal for a virginia family is finally over this morning. after missing 12-year-old girl was found safe and sound in san francisco. britney smith vanished from roanoke virginia where her mother was murdered. the suspect was spotted here with britney and was arrested. this morning, detectives from virginia are on their way here. the family and hometown police in roanoke are relieved and grateful and the police station took on a party atmosphere that

the suspect was in custody and 12-year-old victim was okay. amy hollyfield reports, it's all thanks to a woman that watched a tv show. >> here is the 12-year-old girl britney and you see 32-year-old kidnapper. >> it was nancy grace that cracked the case of missing 12-year-old britney smith. she features a girl prominently the past week and pleaded with viewers to look for her. at ocean beach, she spotted jeffrey easley and britney smith. >> they had observed the television show on cnn saying these are the people. >> they were standing near the grocery carts possibly panhandling. they took easley into custody

without incident. the grandmother is overjoyed. >> if i could hug and kiss each one of you, i would. >> i can't express it. believe me, i'm happy. it's difficult to put into words. >> the roanoke police chief that officers had feared the worst in this case. mother was found murdered last friday at her home the same day britney disappeared. they suspected easley in the murder. >> this is fantastic since the release. >> police in roanoke are beyond thankful for the woman of being observant. 3,000 miles away from their case. they asked other people whether they recognized the missing people. >> no one we spoke to would have stopped and reported it.

>> someone is paying better attention, that's good. i would never have a place on her. >> when the four detectives arrive here today, they hope to personally that san francisco shopper for her sharp eye and action. >> the girl's relatives are overjoyed knowing that britney is safe. >> everybody here is just elated there is so many tears. >> i have not talked to her. the father has talked to her. he couldn't even believe it was her. he wanted to make sure it was her and asked the name of her dog to make sure it was her. >> authorities say they didn't know whether she went willingly or forcibly abducted.

developing news, one of bernard madoff's friends was found dead in an apartment this morning. it was an apparent suicide. 46-year-old mark madoff was found hanged in his apartment. his death coincides with the father's arrest for bilking millions of dollars from investors. they were under investigation but? hadn't faced criminal charges. >> eric holder made history during a just concluded visit to the bay area. he addressed a legal organization to end racial and religious profiling. >> attorney general eric holder had never addressed the muslim organization and neither of his presented says source. >> thank you.

>> as the country's top law enforcement authority, he defended the recent arrest of suspected terrorists including that of a 19-year-old oregon man that was caught in a f.b.i. sting. he is accused of plotting to blow up the tree lighting ceremony. >> we executed the operation that led to miss arrest, their effort to identify suspects with intention to kill. >> but holder assured the crowd his department is just as intint on going after people that target the muslim community. his reinvigorated civil rights division is committed to pursue hate crime. >> i believe law enforcement has an obligation to sure that members of every religious community enjoy the ability to practice their faith in peace.

>> they say the fact that holder came to talk to them in person is a huge first step. >> it's our community that has been identified by federal law enforcement as priority number one for the last few years. it's critically important that there be a conversation between the justice department and the american muslim community. >> the attorney general has spent the attorney day in the bay area. before the event he was in san francisco where he attended a financial fraud conference. >> family and friends of elizabeth edwards are gathering to say their final farewells who wiangd a fight against cancer in the public spotlight. her funeral services are this afternoon in raleigh, north carolina and jeremy hubbard has more. >> the tributes came in. >> two of her closest friends in the world as well as her daughter.

i think it will be very emotional all around. >> her daughter kate, it's a familiar role. in the same church she eulogized her brother, the 16-year-old son who was killed in a car wreck. in just released clip, she shared how wade's tragic death helped her live with cancer. >> a lot of it, it's something we all have. some of it we learned after wade died. >> elizabeth felt that wade was an angel and that one day she would be able to see wade again. >> throughout this community there is an outpouring of reverence and respect for edwards, organizers have organized on facebook. also reports are surfacing of a

dying wish come true for elizabeth. >> we know one of her dearest wishes that kate would get engaged and elizabeth would live to see her grandchildren. >> no grandchildren but her daughter did get engaged over thanksgiving, when elizabeth was hospitalized in the final stages of her breavt cancer. >> elizabeth edwards' funeral is this afternoon. >> a surprise appearance at the white house, the current and former president held a news conference following a two-year private meeting in the oval office. mr. clinton said if he were still president he would have made the same tax deal. he urged fellow democrats to support it. >> i think this is a much better agreement than would be reached were we to wait until january. i think we'll have a much more

positive impact on the economy. while that was going on, vermont senator bernie sanders fought against it. with a speech lasting eight hours. >> you recall what i'm doing today. you can call it a filibuster or a very long speech. sounds like a good idea for working people. it's actually a bad idea. >> again, it has to be put within the broad context of what is going on in america. >> the senate is expected to approve the tax cut bill early next week. most democrats in the house are refusing to support it because it extends tax cuts for the wealthy. the sale of 24 state owned buildings has been given state approval. about half the proceeds will to help pay down the deficit. most of the office space will be leased back to the state. critics argue that the deal will

cost taxpayers more in the long run than it would have to keep those buildings. >> in san francisco, a police officer shot and wounded a man who investigators say refused to stop drinking in a park and put up a fight. it happened yesterday afternoon in garfield square in the mission district. they say the officer approached four men about drinking in public, one of them scuffled with the officer. the man was taken to the hospital but his injuries are not life-threatening. the officer also had some minor injuries. >> well, coming up, an injured sea lion that is being treated for multiple gunshot wounds. more on

in world news this morning, a united nations conference on climate change has ended with a modest deal on global warming. they approved the package to create a green climate fund and some other small measures, bolivia said it doesn't go far enough but mexico got the meeting to a close after the protest. >> more drug violence in mexico, drug lord is dead after a two day shootout with federal police. at least 11 other people, five government agents and baby girl were killed. he was known as the craziest one was the top leader of a cartel. they say the death is a significant blow to the cartel. >> in chile they are dealing with the aftermath of violence

in the capital. it erupted over a plan to move inmates to another facility. this is the same prison where 81 inmates died in a fire set by a fire by two rival gangs. it's prompted the government to announce plans to improve conditions for their prisoners. they have 1900 inmates and was only designed to have 700. >> lisa, it looks foggy outside. >> not only the fog, the mist and drizzle and dense fog advisory. at the airport, delays up to 48 minutes. it's not that bad here, it's worse at the coast. half moon bay, all way down the shore line of and howling it's going to last. how warm we're going to get. how about above normal. >> still ahead, listen to this. >> ho-ho than ho.

>> we're going to have much more on the last laugh for the santa fired from the union square macy's.@t

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of places along the coast is experiencing this type of thick fog. if you are planning to head out on vista roadway, plan on that. but it's a great weekend on and about because we won't get rained on. >> a california sea lion suffering from buckshot wounds to in the head is in critical condition at the marine mammal center. he lost his right eye and the pell etsd are too close to his brain to ro remove them. for now he has been receiving painkillers and antibiotics and is under close observation. he was found wednesday night on a sausalito beach. they say he was probably shot by a fisherman. >> if you are planning to head out and saw that fog, it's quite thick. >> it's all over the bay area but it's slowly going to dissipate.

really, it's into affect until 9:00. vollmer peak in the east bay, way in the 195distance is mount tam and everybody is looking at poor visibility. sonoma county down to eighth of a mile. dense fog advisory includes the coast and all way down to big sur. all points in between, looking at visibility, concord three miles. oakland is about five miles and airport not bad now but delays stacking up. we are looking at the low sun angle throughout the day but eventually we'll see partly sunny skies. 60 in mountain view so we're already above the average highs. we'll see numbers five to eight degrees above normal. i don't their we're going to see records today, but we are looking at conditions improving in the afternoon for brighter

and warmer weather. warmup lasting through monday and the fog lingering in the valleys. you will clear out by the afternoon hours. setup is high pressure to the north and this high pressure moves closer to the coast. as it does we'll look for that dry air mass at the surface once the sun works on that moisture. we've got that inversion tracked at the lower levels of the atmosphere. that is that moisture, but this is a plan then. we'll be looking at the ridge staying with us. tonight and into tomorrow, this is what we're going to see, dense fog in the central valley pouring through the carquinez straits and settling in some of the low valleys. napa and concord will take time to warm up. fresno is going to stay foggy. 80 in los angeles. in the mountains, the snow is memgt with upper 50s today.

tomorrow, the overnight lows, you can bet the fact they are making snow. 66 in campbell tonight. 65 in milpitas. mid-60s redwood city. 56 in pacifica. we should see 59 downtown and 63 with afternoon sun. 62 in petaluma. so the fog holding on here right through around 11:00. then we look for some hazy sun, warming up in san leandro as well as union city and inland valleys, we have mist and drizzle and then 54 in concord. monterey bay, some of the warmest numbers, three days away from the winter solstice, that would be tuesday when we begin winter the shortest day. so enjoy between now and then with the afternoon sun and back to a wet pattern.

>> this is the weekend to get out and enjoy. >> a sellout standing room only crowd turned out to see the lebron james and the warriors last night. >> good morning. lebron james and miami heat made their one and only visit to the bay area. lebron was asked if the heat might be in for a let down with the warriors struggling lately. >> we understand how important is for every game and try to get better, try to improve each game. >> lebron, looking very relaxed, rocking the ipod and rocking the rim. reggie williams, come get some! right here. lebron to dwayne wide, set up,

20,000 standing room only. monte with a one hand punch. warriors down two. waird is working the boards here. that tied it the 45. half time entertainment. third quarter, and then hooping with lebron, 25 for the king and pulling away, look at chris bosch, very smooth on the turnaround and then from way out. he had 25. the rookie first n.b.a. game facing up, offensive move, nice jump but the game was well over by then. miami in a rout, 106-84. warriors have lost six in a row. >> kobe in chicago, from a foot away, he is going the make that.

and with authority. down the middle, one hand, kobe with 23 but derek rose out dueled him down the stretch. wow, and beat rose with 29. both take it, 88-84. >> steve young and jerry rice teaming up once again, now it's all in the name of style. >> the former niners were shooting a commercial. young plays the professor of style and says he loves the chance to work with his favorite >> jerry and i have done a lot of stuff. we hope to do this for a couple years. i look for ways that jerry and i

can do together. this is really what we've been doing for 15 years, even after we're retired. >> that is a wrap on morning supports. mike shumann will be at 5:00 p.m. and see how stanford's andrew luft fares. >> i think everybody is a little neofs a new job. the santa that was fired by macy's, she back making the holidays bright and don sanchez has more on his story. >> a hero's welcome for john, his new pre-christmas home. all ages greeting him with thanks. taking a cue from an old film, they are calling this the miracle on geary street. >> it's terrific.

certainly unexpected on my part which makes it even better. >> john was fired at macy's after more than 20 years. a couple had objected to a joke he told. the future was than certain had then the owner of lucky o'duels brought him here. >> i wanted to do something, who better as spokesperson as santa. when the opportunity came, i take it. >> so santa will be here every day, instead of delivering toys, he'll be receiving them. they hope to get 10,000 toys in the firefighters' drive. >> maze has issued a statement that john has moved on and so has the store. they are focusing on their make a wish foundation donations. so john has been taking requests here at his new home. >> what toys do you want most at

christmas this year? >> kid of all ages summoned. >> i'm just curious what santa wants for christmas. >> i would be more than happy if the economy turned around. >> is that the holiday spirit. >> ho-ho-ho-ho. >> he will be here midday until the 24th. if you want to dropped by with a toy, they'll drop by and yes, i was sitting on santa's lap. okay. next at 5:30, medical marijuana advocates to show support for south bay distribution centers that are getting shut down by zblis and our top story, much more family reaction to the safe

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topping the news this saturday morning, detectives are on their way to san francisco where a cross-country kidnapping adventure ended. >> they were recognized by a local shopper. they believe the man killed the mother and abducted britney mae last week. a shopper recognized her in a news report and called police from a safeway near ocean beach. san francisco police arrested easley and britain any smith is

fine. she is being cared for by child protective services. those detectives from virginia plan to interview easley when they arrive. >> the girl's relatives are elated and overjoyed to learn that britney, shown here in the picture is safe. >> everybody here is just elated there is so many tears. >> i have not talked to her. the father has talked to her. he couldn't even believe it was her. he wanted to know and be assured it was her. he asked her for the name of his dog and her dog to make sure it was her. >> authorities say they do not know whether the girl went willingly with easley, one of many questions still to be answered. >> we have developing news, one of bernard madoff's sons was found dead in his apartment of an apparent suicide.

46-year-old mark madoff was found thanked his apartment in a soho neighborhood. death coincides with the anniversary of his arrest from bilking millions of dollars from investors. the. >> the dmv clerk of accused of sending a judgmental letter to a transgender woman was suspended. amber yust says he sent her a letter quoting bible verses and begging her not to get a sex change after she went to change her driver's license. yust has filed a formal complaint. >> the confusion over state and federal local laws concerning medical marijuana dispensaries is heating up on san jose. that is where dozens of people

lit up last night. lisa amin gulezian re reports from the south day. >> they are lighting up and smoking out at the united party at medical marijuana collective. all in response to a series of raids on pot clubs in santa clara county. >> right now no south bay city allows medical marijuana against legally to operate. >> in your mind, what you are doing here is legal? >> 100 percent legal. >> a lot of people think things are legal that are not legal. >> according to city leaders they are all illegal because they don't have a zoning ordinance to provide for them. >> we need to provide more access to more patients. that means san jose to oakland,

in the they pass a regulation. >> on monday, san jose city council will hold a special meeting to establish zoning regulations so pot clubs can legally open in the city. >> until that happens, councilmember says this is inappropriate. >> i showed him photos of what was going on inside the collective. >> what are the odds that all of them needs the medicine at the same time. are these people using it for the excuse to smoke marijuana. >> everyone inside the collective insists their needs are legitimate. >> i have the back pain and fibromyalgia and my bones are getting deformed. >> and they have the paperwork to prove it. in san jose, lisa amin gulezian, "abc 7 news." >> the state of education in california came under attack this week in an alameda county courtroom. the judge heard arguments in a pair of lawsuits that claim the

state is failing badly in it's responsibility to provide california children with a quality education. lawyer anthony reports. >> california has a constitutional obligation to provide students with a quote, meaningful education. that is the core argument behind two lawsuits filed against the state by a coalition of grassroots groups. >> since we don't ask for parents to pave the road. it doesn't seem fair to me for parents to pay for it. >> the state is step up officially -- >> the state has cut $17 billion from education in the past two years with more expected next year.

california is nistsdz in the country in the ratio of teachers to students and a third of students don't graduate from high school in four years and half fail to test proficient in standards. an attorney an attorney for state. >> people have decided at what level of funding is required for the california schools. plaintiffs believe if a different level of funding needs to be established, they need to go to legislature or back to the people. >> the state also argues the plaintiffs are suing the wrong party by targeting governor arnold schwarzenegger. >> the governor does not have the constitutional authority to appropriate money. we sued the state of california and the governor, think think we're talking to the right people here. that is rather a silly argument. >> the lawsuit is in the hands of judge steven brick which decides if indicates goes to trial by the end of january.

the street creature just convicted of elizabeth smart could face life in prison. yesterday a salt lake city jury rejected brian mitchell's defense, he kidnapped smart from her home at knifepoint in 2002 and held her for nine months. she testified during her ordeal she was kept chained and raped daily and force order drink are and smoke pot violating her mormon faith. she says she feels vindicated by the verdict. >> this is an example that justice can be present in america but it's possible to move on after something horrible has happened. >> smart is returning to a mormon mission which she left to testify at the trial. >> a new study suggests that you can use your imagination to lose weight. researchers found that just thinking about eating food

creates a same psychological response if you eat the food. researchers told a group of people to imagine eating 30 m&ms one by one and then they were given a bowl of them and told to then themselves. they had as much as the group who were told not to have it. >> doctors believe imagining something pleasant can trigger dopamine in the brain and that releases the same kind of good feelings. good feelings, yeah, it's not the same without tasting it. we'll try it. >> you know, we definitely have a lot of fog out there this morning. we will had a look for this to mix out. more sunshine and temperatures above normal later on today. high definition in emeryville, a

very cloudy start. temperatures in the upper 50s. full weekend forecast next. >> and up next, a young intern has helping top bay area companies like ebay save

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open this weekend. here a look through the tunnel and using it trims 10-15 minutes for the average bicyclist. it has special lighting, phone service and a fire alarm service. good news there. if you plan to get out and about lisa is telling us, can we see too well? >> we have pockets of dense fog but the visibility is improving. dense fog advisory expires. it's still pretty thick in the north bay. right now, santa rosa has eighth a mile. the airport has delays of 48 minutes. we are looking at livermore, too looking okay right now. so throughout the next couple of hours, things will begin to brighten up as the fog begins to dissipate with weak december sun. 59 in san jose.

so already temperatures have surpassed average highs for early to mid-december. we'll be looking at numbers flirting with a few records, maybe around the monterey coast. poor visibility here and there, north bay and east bay and coast this morning. warmup overall for everyone in the 60s today. with the lingering sun but these folks in the valleys, has fog throughout the late morning hours. brighten up with hazy sunshine. light and variable winds that will trap the moisture at the surface. with about ten days away, shortest day of the year and we're so warm and looking at 70s. but we're talking to 80s in southern california. here is our fog pouring through the carquinez strait and delta. it will continue this morning and then when the sun begins to

evaporate some of that moisture. it will be nice out there. 58 in fresno with the fog. low 60s in yosemite with some of the warmest numbers here, light easterly winds. in the mountains, plenty of sun but the fog is in the foothills, as well. upper 50s right through the weekend with overnight lows getting pretty cool tonight. we're looking at highs, mid to upper 60s here. nice afternoon if you want it sunny and mild for cupertino and campbell. on the peninsula, brighten up, 64 at menlo park as well as mountain view, highs in the 50s. 53 downtown. low 60s the sunset district. in the north bay, things will be improving in sonoma county and marin county shortly but we are looking at low 60s by the water in vallejo. 63 in berkeley. 54 in newark and inland valleys,

hazy sun. 65 in pleasanton. talk about the warmest numbers here so the fog burns down, 68 in watsonville. seven-day forecast, we'll keep this through monday and increasing clouds. rain comes likely on tuesday and looking at better chances of rain through the weekend. >> heavy rain? >> by next week we'll have to watch it. >> thank you. >> and young intern from cal who one of a selected group helping companies increase their social responsibility, specifically when it comes to the environment. ebay is one bay area company that is given insight in how to save energy and money. >> all of this is considered quite efficient. massive data storage centers along with more simple technologies for computers and

light bulbs demand electricity. but then there are those passionately trying to take any possible fraction of a kilowatt. >> on day to day, it can be fixing a light bulb, a drop in the bucket. >> meaghin is one of 51 specially trained students who uncovered significant energy saving opportunities. she was selected to intern at ebay through a program. its program launched three years ago by the nonprofit environmental defense fund to combat climate change through corporate social responsibility. >> businesses know that buildings cost a lot of money and operating those buildings where we can find energy efficiencies and we can save them money. >> she has quite a challenge

during her ten-week stint there. because the company is already sustained on stain built. the campus fulfills a third of the energy needs from solar panels and bloom energy boxes and alternative fuel cell source and one entire building is gold certified. >> they've done a lot but it's great to get somebody else in and really figure out where we could be doing more. >> she used her stain built abilities to identify four initiatives. >> they hadn't deployed a computer management software, you can have power saving setting. >> these power saving settings can help save electricity and so can replacing all computers up to three years and upgrading the windows operating software. calculations indicate if fully

implemented they could result in a million and a half cost savings and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. ebay recognizes it could be a positive impact on the environment and the bottom dollar. >> this is a program that is continuing so there will certainly be many more companies that will benefit from this saving energy. >> don't go away. 7 on your side is next. >> the owner of a car dealership investigated by 7 on your side back in july now faces criminal

a contra costa car dealer already facing criminal charges may be trying to open a new dealership. we uncovered evidence that he was selling cars without providing register triagsz or titles. he is expected to be arraigned next week and michael finney updates the story. >> these court documents outline the charges filed against monte slavin, 11 counts, ten of them for failing to transfer the registration of cars sold to a new owner. we heard complaints about that a lot, including from stan and natalie. >> they received a ticket from the police department for no registration and no plates because we were sold a car with a sal scrambling title.

>> they bought a cadillac seville from elite. dmv confirmed the couple still doesn't have the car's registration. >> i'm really upset it had to come to this. i'm really upset. >> he knows what they are going through. he bought an infiniti similar to this one from elite. eight months later he had no registration papers and no license plate and the car was repossessed. >> i was all ready dressed to go to work and went out and there was no car. >> he made $4300 in payments but refused to pay in the oot penny until he got his registration. now, he is concerned they can reopen under a new name. >> they have consumers that have been damaged financially, with

no recourse but they are able to reopen under a different name, absolutely it bothers me. >> the sign on the door that they would reopen aaa auto on december 30. several other opening dates have been missed, too. they received an application to reopen under a new name but refuses to tell us who applied for the answer. they returned the application as being incomplete. attempts to reach monte slavin about the charges filed have been unsuccessful. this is general manager when we interviewed him back in june. >> the complaint because of the repossession stuff. >> he faces jail time and potential court order to pay

victims restitution. we have also received complaints of cars that are in disrepair. they are not protected by the le mon law. it's highly advice that had you take it to an independent mechanic for an inspection. >> still ahead, a man who was horrified when his money got shredded gets it all back again with a little help from an expert. we'll explain. [ older brother ] hey, that's the last crescent. [ younger brother ] oh, do you want it? yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents?

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>> a scientist nicknamed the jigsaw has held a man recover cash that he accidentally shredded. he dropped $6600 into the shredding machine. they offer a free service repairing damage cash. it took them one week and she says the job was difficult and required quite a bit of patience >> one more look at the weather. >> fog is clearing up. it will be a nice afternoon. temperatures well above normal. 64 in oakland, 67 in san jose and down by the monterey bay, some of the warmest numbers, 69 in hollister. fog again tonight and the rain comes back by the middle of next week on and off, maybe heavier rain next weekend. >> as always, thanks for joining

us on the saturday morning news. this morning, after five years of being here with the newscast to share with you, i am actually going to embark on a sabbatical to take a little bit of time off. the news is in my heart, i won't be gone too long but in the meantime, it's been an absolute honor. we do this every day for the communititititititititititititit