police chief apologizes for sending an officer to a reporter's house asking him to change his story. arson investigators are trying to determine if two vehicle fires in san francisco lift night are related. >> good morning. we have cloudy skies on this sunday morning. a later sunrise and some morning showers to talk about coming up. >> thank you, lisa. good morning, everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm carolyn tyler. tomorrow a berkeley councilwoman plans to meet with the city manager to discuss the controversy involving the police chief. the chief is publicly apologizing for ordering one of his officers to pay a midnight visit to an oakland tribune reporter to try to get him to make changes that a reported story. abc7 reports on the backlash the chief faces, even after apologizing for what he calls an error in judgment. >> it happened thursday night after a raucous meeting in

berkeley put together by city leaders. police chief michael meehan took pointed questions by the audience about the way his department responded to an attack last month. the oakland tribune reporter filed his story online about 11:00 p.m. about the meeting. about two hours later sgt. mare kusmiss, the police department's spokesperson, showed up at his house. >> she said she was mortified that she had to be there but she was very apologetic but we will -- she had to come over there and tell me that the chief wanted me to immediately reextract some stuff from the article that i posted. >> 23 years his by line has showed up in print, he's never had such an unusual situation over a story. >> i didn't know what to sleep. -- to think. i couldn't sleep the entire night. i was just so shocked. >> so what's the problem the

police had with the story? again, the thursday night story surrounded the case of peter sukor. he was beaten to death outside his home allegedly by daniel dewitt who has been since arrested. there were questions about how quickly the police responded to the attack. but the chief told the thursday night audience his department responded appropriately. in the story filed that night oakley wrote the chief apologized to the audience but he only apologized about how they handled informing the public about the response. >> it is completely and totally an error in judgment. i know this, i know better. this is nothing doug has done. he's been very responsive and reasonable. >> oakley said he accepts the apology. meanwhile the city counselor has said she's going to walk some of her concerns about the situation into the city manager's office come monday morning. at berkeley police headquarters,

abc7 news. tired of being targeted by robbers, oakland food truck owners are taking security into their own hands. we are told why many of them are considering armed security guards. >> reporter: the martinez family runs the truck. they are still mourning the loss five-year-old gabrielle jr. who was shot to death in the truck last december. the family is hiring their own security, but the aunt sis it won't stop random violence like the kind that killed gabrielle. things happen, no one knows where it will come from or when it will happen. we still can't understand why it happened nor who did it. the food trucks have been described as mobile atms because the robbers find them easy targets. now the association of mobile food trucks is hiring their own armed guards to try to stop the robberies and the killings. >> we are taking the ball by the horns and we are going to say we aren't going to take it anymore, we will keep you protected and do what we are going to do.

>> many have lost business due to the fear of violence. >> they are nervous right now. they are still really nervous. >> the issue is money. how much will it cost and which security agency will they hire. they plan to hire security for 15 trucks that operate along the boulevard but some security -- truck owners have already got their security covered. >> this is a crime watch security patrol car. it's been haired by the owners of a man who saw the need for armed security two years ago. >> we need another type of security service out here and o. p. d. can respond to major calls. let o. p. d. do their job. >> this security agency out of las vegas is provides security for ten brick and motor businesses and food trucks. they said people who need the affordable food should feel safe buying it. >> when a customer comes to our business they can spend a dollar and at the same time feel safe and secure. the association members will decide on a security company next week. in oakland, abc7 news.

in livermore police are looking for a man they say tried to kidnap a four-year-old boy. take a look at this sketch of the suspect. yesterday afternoon he told a child care employee at the livermore valley tennis club that he wanted to pick up his son and he pointed to the boy. when he asked for i. d., he left. police searched the area, but were unable to find the man. >> hayward fire investigators are looking into a house fire. and then a few blocks away a second larger fire destroyed a plumbing business and threatened several others. lisa as the details on both fires. >> reporter: just before 6:00 a.m. the flames turned the sky above this hayward strip mall orange. crews aggressively attack the fire from the ground and from up above.

>> we don't want it to spread to other buildings and have half the city blocks catch on fire. the number one concern is to make sure it in place. >> the fire stays put, and caused major damage to a nearby business. the three neighboring businesses were spared. >> i was afraid it was our building but as you can see luckily this brick wall here stopped the fire. >> still, broken glass and melted power boxes forced everyone to close. while cleanup continued here, sadness grows a few blocks away on eighth street where two people were severely burned at a separate blaze at this home at 3:45 a.m. >> they are nice people. i know them for about 31, 32 years. >> neighbors identified the victims as 92-year-old laura florez and her son, 60-year-old lorenzo, who many are calling a hero.

>> he walked in and he say she was on fire, that's what he saw. he pulled her out because she was burning or something and then he pulled her out and that's when he culled the police. >> now officials say florez's chances of survival are slim. this neighbor says i don't believe it. i can't. she was in good condition. she got up. she was moving. i think she'll come home. the cause for both fires is still under investigation. in the meantime the hayward fire department says they were able to handle both of these large fires, but they did call the county in to come in and help man their empty station while they put out this blaze. in hayward, abc7 news. last night a man and his dog died when their house caught fire in almeda. fire investigators say it started in the kitchen area just before 9:00. crews pulled the unconscious man from the home and performed cpr, got him to a hospital, but he did not survive. it took about 40 minutes to put out the fire and that's when firefighters discovered the man's dog had also died.

the exact cause of the fire still under investigation. san francisco arson investigators are looking into two vehicle fires in golden gate park last night. both have links to the recreation and park department. investigators say it appears someone first set fire to a honda belonging to a rec and park employee around 9:00 this was near the band shell in the park. about an hour later a city rec and park truck went up in a ball of flames in a parking lot between the stadium and the park police station. an officer reported seeing an explosion lift that truck into the air. investigators say both fires appear to be intentionally set. they are looking for any evidence that might connect the two. still ahead, the race to the white house. the latest caucus results, and what's ahead for the candidates on the campaign trail. nation of islam leader luis farrakahn's controversial visit to u.c. berkeley. his message next.

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are america's softest... no wonder people want to share them on and on. ♪ send a kleenex brand share package for free today at kleenex.com. kleenex. softness worth sharing. >> tuesday primaries in alabama and mississippi could be game-changers in the race fóró the white house. yesterday mitt romney won decisive victories in smaller caucuses, but rick santorum claimed the big surprise. we have the latest on the race. >> thank you! >> as expected, rick santorum took the lion's share with the 33 of the 40 delegates at stake in kansas. >> we've had a very, very good day in our neighboring state of kansas. >> based on the numbers, the former pennsylvania senator doesn't stand a chance of surpassing mitt romney. >> good morning, y'all! >> the frontrunner took a breather from the campaign trail saturday after padding his commanding lead with 18 delegates overnight from guam

and the marianna islands. on saturday the virgin islands state party claimed romney the winner of the caucuses. the next one was tuesday, the alabama and mississippi primary. a win in either state could burnish romney's electability factor. the stakes are high for newt gingrich. the georgia native said the south is his path to victory. a poor showing tuesday could be his last stand. he's short on money and resisting calls to drop out of the race. >> if we can win alabama and mississippi tuesday night, we will reset the campaign. >> right now only romney has a clear path to the 1144 delegates for the nomination. but his rivals could keep him from sealing the deal by the final primary in utah on june 26th. abc news. religious leader louis farrakahn stressed the importance of black self-empowerment during a speech at u.c. berkeley yesterday.

the leader of the nation of islam made a rare appearance during the african black coalition conference hosted by cal. some think he has made antisemitic and homophobic comments. >> and somebody on this campus would say you shouldn't hear what i have to say when the world listens to what farrakahn has to say? [applause] >> farrakahn said he would not apologize for things he said of that infuriated the jewish community. >> get ready. later this morning be prepared for traffic congestion near san francisco's embarcadero. from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., a stretch of the embarcadero, including fishermen's wharf will

be closed, and mission street, going from pier49 and running down to mariposa street. it's not construction, it's the first weekend for the sunday streets program. it enjoys pedestrian and bicyclists a chance to enjoy a car-free environment. >> maybe a little cool. >> maybe a little cool. maybe a few showers in the morning hours. we are getting close to a little rain dropping in the bay area. we have the live doppler hd all fired up. from this camera you can see what is not looking too bad out there. we will have wind and rain to talk about in the next week. that's neck. >> all right. also stephon curry returns to the starting lineup were but he gets injured again as they try to beat the dallasñsñññññú

at progressive, you can bundle your home and auto policies and save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com. >> you know we spring forward for date savings time. it's not even officially spring yet but as we move into spring and summer we get that extra hour of date in the evening. this is also a good time to remember to check the bat russ

in your smoke detector and your carbon monoxide alarm. so if you are thinking it is 5:18, you are mistaken. it is 6:18. >> and if you are thinking it's spring, you are mistaken. we are going back to winter, still winter, because we have several days of that winter-like weather coming up. spring officially begins march 19th, monday night about 10:00 here pacific time. we have changed our clocks, like carolyn said. sun coming up 7:26, setting 7:14, giving us 11 hours and 47 minutes of date. we have a winter storm watch for the sierra nevada for late tomorrow night into late tuesday with high-elevation snow to start out and lowering snow levels. it will take a good five days or so for the snow levels to finally lower and get some cold air into the mountains. right now we are looking at very mild conditions with the cloud cover, 49 san francisco, how about 51 oakland, 42 mountain view. we are as much as 10 degrees

warmer in some spots than we were yesterday morning. no holes in our cloud deck yet. that's why we have 29 minute delays at sfo. we will look forward to the longer day, featuring a few scattered showers mainly in the morning hours but we could see see see -- see it slide down the peninsula. the first system went on through yesterday. here's the next one. kind of knocking at our door. we have the big upper level trough sitting to the north and west of us. that's where it stays. all week long in afghanistan cord for weak impulses to slide to the south. live doppler 7hd shows rain right here around mound shasta, ready to get our friends in cloverdale a little wet. we have some snow into the sierra nevada. talking about the high snow levels to get things going, but then things will be lowering today. here come the showers. in fact the timing on it, well,

in the next couple of hours sonoma county, mendocino county, here we're 8:00 this morning where the green is all up in the north bay, but right on through 11:00, that's when you can see the activity through 1:00, maybe a little shot at rain in the east bay, the peninsula. but for the most part more clouds than anything. less than a quarter inch. in fact less than a tenth in most spots. looks dry through monday night and into monday evening we've got more precip headed our way. the heaviest activity with the next really significant front comes on through monday morning, and monday afternoon still a pretty good pocket of rain in the north bay that continues to slide south through the city into the east bay. so another day of temperatures mild in the sierra nevada. we have a winter storm watch in effect for tomorrow night for the west slopes of the sierra nevada. we look for things to really get going into tuesday there. 61, dry through the next three,

four days in los angeles. and weekend rain for you. 55 in san mateo, with 60 in concord today. so a cool, gray day with a few showers down by the monterey bay we are talking maybe a trace, if you see anything at all. not really likely, even in san jose. a slight chance, 58 santa cruz. our look ahead shows basically a dry day on monday. a few showers. but then everyone gets wet tuesday and through the west of the week. i got you so nervous you dropped your pen here. careful. >> i was looking at your little green shamrock. >> isn't that cute? always something to breton that up, right? >> all right. thanks, lisa. coming up right after our newscast is good morning america. dan harris is joining us live now from new york to give us a preview. i've been watching you there on the satellite, dan, as you got ready. good morning. >> hi, carolyn. i hope i department do anything embarrassing on the satellite before i was on the air. but let me tell you what we've got coming up on the broadcast

this morning. we have breaking news out of afghanistan. an american soldier allegedly left a base in afghanistan going rogue, opening fire on civilians. the death toll is rising this morning. the fear is also rising. what is this going to do in a country that is still really riled after those koran burns. and now questions bat videotape i'm sure many of you have seen, the screaming flight attendant. we are going to ask whether the screening process for airline employees is tough enough. and yet the world in shock yet again this morning. another extreme skier injured seriously. in fact, fatally. this is just weeks after another professional skier died in competition. the question we are asking is whether these deaths could have been prevented. we will get into that this morning. and politics getting ugly. a brawl among professional presidential impersonators and a reality tv producer. it looked funny on the surface,

but somebody got stabbed. this is a bizarre story. we will be looking into all the details coming up on gma this sunday morning. that story, the more we scratch, the strainier it gets. >> so it's in the a fake brawl between fake presidential candidates? >> fake presidential candidates, real brawl, real stabbing, real victim. very, very strange. >> all right. you've got my attention. i will be looking for that and more. thanks, dan. >> thank you. >> okay. we are going to turn to sports now. it is selection sunday. this afternoon saint mary's will find out who they are going to be playing in the ncaa tournament. cal will find out if they actually will make it in. last night the warriors defeated a weary dallas mavericks team playing their third straight game in three nights. here's schu with your

highlights. >> good morning. how about the warriors facing the defending champions, the dallas mavericks. a good news, bad news situation. good news they win, bad news he reinjured his ankle. former cal bay kid out with a strained calf. david low with some defense in the second quarter. warriors were up 19. mavs to close the gap. lee stays hot. throwing down for monta, lee in the first half. to the third. curry rolls the right ankle again. and he would not return. very frustrating. monta the steal, the finish and one. he had 20. nate robinson a huge lift off the bunch. what a shot off the glass. he had 21. war yes, sir defeat them 111-87 that final. cardinals now have six straight 30-win seasons and have won nine of the last conference tournaments. she put on a show. knocking down a jumper early. stanford races out with the 17-4 lead. the sister also sharp, 17

points, 13 boards. and trying to keep cal close. the three-ball. 20 for her. cal down 6 at the half. she lights it up from downtown. she buries 3 threes in the second half. finishes with 29 points, 12 boards. she is the tournament mvp. stanford wins it 77-62. they look like a top-seed in the ncaa tournament. >> here's the tomahawk jam. arizona down 2. seconds left. here for the win. air ball. colorado hangs on 53-51. they are the pac-12 tournament champion. the sharks would not make the playoffs if the season started today. they have fallen to ninth place in the western conference. they were in phoenix last night and the head coach may be on the hot seat. this doesn't help. michael stone, one-timer off the pipe and in. his first nhl goal. 2-0 in the second.

that was more than enough for mike smith. 42 saves for his fifth shutout. coyotes win 3-0. sharks have lost five straight and 7 of their last 8. to base. yoenis cespedes is introduced in his cactus league debut yesterday. he bats second playing center field against the reds. the pitcher was bringing it. four strikeouts and one earned runs. cespedes walked his first at-bat. the second up the middle off johnny cueto. 3-0. cespedes's first cactus rbi. in the fourth facing jeff francis, it's gone. solo shot. cespedes goes 2 for 2 and probably so lid guys a spot on the opening day roster. a's win it, 6-3. and jerry with plenty of support. teeing off in the third, first home run of the spring. another in the seventh. 4 ribs. still in the third.

the pan did you rips one, pablo sandoval. his first jack of the spring. it equalled a 13-3 giants victory. that's the way the ball bounces. see you again tonight at five. have a great day. one year after the devastating quake and tsunami in japan, how the country is recovering and the new signs of hope. also the honor jaycee dugard received in her first publi c

>> well cooler today back, everyone. today is the one year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami in japan that wiped out much of the coastal line and caused the nuclear disaster. people held a moment of silence at the exact moment the quake hit. in tokyo people representing the nations of the world laid white roses at a memorial to the victims. abcs bill weir returned to the disaster zone one year later. >> considering the magnitude of the quake, the biggest ever recorded in this seismic nation, considering the power of the tsunami, which took out coastal communities for 200 miles, and considering the three nuclear reactors that melted down in the aftermath, it should be no surprise this proud nation is still reeling, still mourning, and a long way from rebuilding.

there were 70,000 pine trees lining this picturesque stretch of coast and now there's one. sadly not even this one is going to survive. there's been a lot of talk about whether to graft saplings, new symbols of hope, but so many people don't want to talk about trees or symbols because they are still looking for the bodies of their children, their parents, their siblings. there's a town where 500 people are still missing. this man tells me the country wants to move on, but they are still waiting for their loved ones to come home. they haven't even had a funeral yet. adding to the grief is fear of radiation from the shattered nuclear plant and the 51 others around the country. but atomic and health experts from around the world say despite it all, the long-term affects will be minor and more people will be sickened by the stress of this ordeal than by radiation. but through it all, the legendary japanese order, that

stoic grit and communal respect is still strong. and some have a whole new level of gratitude. she was looking for her little boy when this iconic photograph was taken. it took three days, but she found him. i take nothing for granted. even turning on the lights, she tells me. now every single day is precious. bill weir. abc news, sun dodge, japan. >> here's a staggering statistic. some 325,000 people are still said to be living in temporary housing in japan. the local japanese community will hold a remembrance ceremony for the victims this afternoon at 2:00. it will take place at japan town's peace plaza, which is located at buchanan and post street in san francisco. a northern california kidnapping survivor was honored side by side with oprah winfrey in new york this weekend at the

dvf awards which honor women who display leadership, strength and courage. oprah received the lifetime leadership award, but instead of talking about her career, oprah heaped praise on honoree jaycee dugard, which received the inspiration award. dugard was kidnapped at age 11 from her lake tahoe home and held captive 18 years near antioch by a couple. she told her story on "20-20." she described how her struggle has had an impact all over the world. this morning some undocumented bay area students and their supporters are on the second day of a three thousand mile trek across the nation. they started their walk yesterday, heading from san francisco to washington, d.c. to bring attention to the federal dream act, which has not been getting support in congress.

the proposed legislation would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who are in college or in the military. >> the reason why we did this campaign now during an election year is because we feel while the presidential candidates are focused on their own campaigns, they are forgetting about the undocumented youth. that's why we created the american dream and show we aren't going to give up for this and we shouldn't be forgotten. >> their goal is to reach the nation's capitol on the eve of the presidential election. a small plane crashed last night injuring three men, including the pilot and narrowly missing a house. according to the federal aviation administration the plane lost power in both engines around 7:30, shortly after taking off from the airport. it clipped a telephone pole before landing in a field behind the house. all three men aboard got out safely. they were taken away by ambulance. a group of oakland

residents say they are tired of the blight in their neighborhood so they are sending a message to their leaders. this is a group of west oakland residents who want to improve their neighborhood. yesterday they hung a "no dumping" sign at a vacant lot at 28th and magnolia street. >> we are tired of blight, we are tired of drugs, we are tired of trash, and we want to see our city come up to a higher standards than what it is right now. the group wants to turn the empty lot into a park or a recreation center. [chanting] daly city sarah bowl told has been told to get out, ending a 51-year-old run. the bowling alley, they held a save the bowh rally yesterday. the bowl's last day is april 15th.

>> so one may be closing, but one in the mission neighborhood in san francisco is set to open. >> okay. we are set to see a few showers this morning. in fact, a lot of clouds around this morning. another hour of darkness out there. the sun not coming up until 7:26. we are looking at a bit of a breeze from our sutro camera. higher elevations, winds up to 20, 25 miles an hour. a look at the golden gate bridge where we will see a few showers before the morning is out. the forecast is up next. >> thank you, lisa. also coming up, the sound of music. the people who turn life in the big city into a concert. -dad, why e you getting that? -that's my cereal. is there a prize in there? oh, there's prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur? [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are the great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh.

a perhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪

>> marine biologists have rescued a sea lion at pier 39. they were able to remove a packing strap that was wrapped around the sea lion's neck. for two weeks they tried to

rescue it after someone first spotted in trouble back on february 22nd. the team used a dart with a mild sedative to slow down the sea lion. they named him dart minnesota. -- dart man. he is said to be doing well at the marine mammal center. lisa argen is doing well here on a sunday morning. >> you think so, huh some. >> well we lost an hour of sleep so both of us are a little sleep deprived, as is everyone on the morning crew. >> it is going to be a gray week so maybe we can catch up with a nap here or there. we will return to winner here in the bay area. a look at heavenly where skies are cloudy and we are looking at mixed precipitation in blue canyon. truckie, 34 right now. the tahoe valley airport 40 with some haze. a winter storm watch going into effect for the west slopes of the sierra nevada late tonight into later tuesday. right now the snow levels are

high. they will be high to get going, then after a series of systems slide through, they will lower for some lake level snow. right now our roof camera, you see the cloudy conditions. we are looking at another beautiful day, more or less, in the by area because we do need the rain out there. we will catch up from where we have been lagging all winter long. those deficits, well, we will see what we can do. with several inches of rain coming our way through the weekend, next weekend. 42 mountain view, 51 oakland, 49 san francisco. we talked about a little bit of wind. higher television east by breeze out there and official sunrise 7:26. so later for you today and we will look for ask theerd showers throughout the mainly in the morning hours. but could be a few in the afternoon. on and off rain really starting early tuesday morning for the morning commute. here's a look at our water vapor per imagery. the first system went through

yesterday. here's the second system. you see it's continuing or already bearing down on northern california. we have gotten used to the high pressure ridge in afghanistan cord over the eastern pacific all season long. that's switching. all week long we will have a trough to the north and west of us, accepting pees of energy our way. right now a little wet in the sacramento valley. we are looking at some drizzle and we talk bat rain-snow mix up in the sierra nevada. rain around mount shasta right now with temperatures in the 40s there. the incoming system will slide south throughout the bay today. less than a tenth of inch of rain is forecasted. some areas, of course, won't see any at all. the livermore valley not likely. the time shows 8:00 in sonoma county. light rain shower activity. cold there to the north right on through 11:00. marin county, napa could see a few showers and basically cloudy skies for the rest of the afternoon.

we will be looking at monday a few more showers in the afternoon. more likely toward the evening hours. overnight monday into tuesday, here comes the heavier, more significant rain right on through tuesday afternoon. then it looks like we will see the rain pretty steady right on through next weekend. 51 in yosemite later on today with 61 in press no. still dry throughout much of california today, but we will begin to see just a few drops here and there in sonoma county in the next couple of hours. 60 in concord today. monterey bay, pretty much a dry forecast there, but more clouds around. 60 in hollister. maybe a few showers into monday, and then the wet pattern gets going with some breezy winds at times. we haven't seen rain in such a long time that we could see some ponding on the road ways and some problems by next weekend. >> that's what i was going to ask you. i thought maybe since the ground was so dry it would take a lot before we would get to any kind of flooding issues. >> well, because we are going to

get a decent amount in a short period of time, that's why we will see it. definitely by the week'sen, perhaps. >> thank you, lisa. it might surprise you to know there are free concerts every day in the bay area. recently abc7s wade freedman took his video camera into the bart system to listen in. >> it has become an overwhelming dissonant cacophony of machines in motion. ♪ but just on a stairway next to market street there's a subterranean haven you can go to escape. >> this game, as some call it, you don't know until you go. ♪ i want to go >> maybe you haven't heard of earl, but around the bart system they know his face and music. and he's not alone. >> if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

♪ >> my parents wanted me to be a doctor, but look what i'm doing here. >> what he's doing is rush hour in bart in embarcedero station. it's darwinism in music. >> anybody will tell you there aren't that many gigs. >> and this audience is one of the world's largest. a distracted one, a moving one, a hurried one. >> people look in the tip jr. and they say, wow, that guy is making a killing, and they don't know you pay one bill and you are broke. >> any rapid transit station in any big city reinforces the notion that the closer we find ourselves to strangers, the more distance we tend to need. music pulls people together. >> i see a lot of people who wished they had time to stop. some places you can't tell what you see. sometimes the place you see is very rewarding, but you get a smile that lets you know that what you are doing does something for them. ♪ i want to go

>> bart has been attracting musicians since the system opened. this happened by accident. >> because it has no acoustics. this is a good spot. >> the acoustics were part of the architectural design, but not necessarily for musicians. >> mark is the unofficial historian. a guy who retired after three decades with the agency. he remembers how bart tried to keep musicians out at first. it took a lawsuit by now dead violinist, nicholas. that guaranteed their place here. >> even though bart lost the case, did they win? >> i think in the long run, yes. ♪ >> today, thanks to that violinist, bart remains wide open to a symphony of soloists, playing all kinds of

instruments. some with names that an average guy can't even pronounce. >> this instrument? >> aoowa. >> what? >> aoowa. >> and in a city filled with so much other indistinguishable noise, aren't you happy to have most of the music, anyway? by now guys like earl are as much a part of bart as the train and the turnstiles. more than the structure even. they are the soul of the place. >> man, what i'm giving is priceless. it's real, man. you can't give what you ain't got, right? >> you'll never know until you go. at san francisco's embarcadero bart station, wayne freedman, abc7 news. [applause] >> thank you. >> don't go away. 7 on your side is next. >> a family puts $25,000 in a tax-free college fund, but it disappears. i'm michael finney. coming up, 7 on your side locates the cash. ♪

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be happy. be healthy. can i try yours? >> one way to handle college expenses is to set up a special bank account that earns tax-free interest. it can help if it works, but one family had the opposite result. 7 on your side's michael finney stepped in to help out. >> this is damian when he was just 4 years old. his father wanted to make sure that he could go to college some day. >> in 2006 my mom passed and i got an inheritance from her. >> james took his inheritance to wells fargo bank and put $25,750 into a college fund that could earn tax-free interest. >> she told me if they invested it aggressively, it could earn up to $10,000 in five years. >> that sounded great. however, years later when damian was ready to use it, his dad got

a pretty big shock. the college fund was gone. >> we don't have no record of this account, are you sure you opened it at this bank? >> wells fargo said the college fund simply did not exist. james had lost his own paperwork over the years, and now hee1 couldn't prove he had opened his account. his $25,000 had simply disappeared. >> i felt like you've got to be kidding me. i felt like i gave someone my money, someone that i trusted that's supposed to be taking care of this that knows more about it than i do, and they are just telling me that we don't have it. >> james tried for more than a year to find his money a search using his social security number turned up nothing. >> i was just getting so frustrated and just so, so upset. when it comes to college, it's expensive and now my son is going what's up, dad, what are we going to do? >> james called 7 on your side and we told him to search every scrap in his files for any document linked to that account. and then it happened.

>> i just happened to find this receipt. >> james found his copy of the cashier's check he had deposited in the college fund. here it is. $25,750 payable to as wells fargo investments. the bank traced the check number and found the number in a dead checking account. >> they sid i put a stop payment on it on the 26th of november. >> james said he never stopped payment and the money should have been earning interest all these years. we asked wells fargo how this happened. the bank said it could not discuss the case, only saying we have been in contact with mr. d, and we believe we have reached a fair solution. here it is. the bank refunded his original deposit of $25,750, just not with the interest he expected. >> well, i'm glad i got that back anyway. you guys were great. >> james tells wells fargo agreed to pay $1,800 interest on the funds for the six months it laid in the dead checking account. now not as much as it might have

earned had it been invested, but he's glad to have this money back. i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >> up next we will show you around an old school auditorium that's about to get a new lease on life.

>> here are the winning numbers from last night's $10 million super lotto plus. 14, 24, 38, 40. the meganumber 19.

no one got all six numbers. wednesday's jackpot is estimated at $11 million. >> a landmark san francisco theatre owned by the school district may open up after being hidden for more than 25 years. the city's arts and lecture series wants to call it home. all it takes, money. arts and entertainment reporter don sanchez takes us inside this forgotten gem. >> it's an ornate entrance on hayes street across from city hall. inside is the glory of norse auditorium. built in 1927, it was a temporary courtroom in 1985, and then it was turned into a regal storage room. now it's about to change. >> it's going to be glorious. >> she wants to move the city's arts and lecture series here. its home is closing forrest station. this has what she needs. >> the scope of the place, the details of the woodwork, how it feels to sit up in the balcony and look down.

>> and not a bad seat in the house. the plywood floor that was put down for the courtroom will go. she will install 1800 new seats, sound, lighting. carpeting. >> it will cost less than $1 million because the fire marshal has deemed what we are doing maintenance and redecorating. ♪ >> here they are testing the acoustics. the city's arts and lecture series won't be the only show here. ballet have expressed interest. it is in what has been described as glorious disrepair. what she wants to do is turn it into a showplace. >> it's a modest project, but it's big for us. it's a necessity. if we don't have a theatre by may of 2013, i don't know what will happen to city arts and lectures. >> which has brought us conversations with fascinating people for 31 years.

in san francisco, don sanchez, abc7 news. well, it may not be healthy, but now there's a quick, easy which to satisfy your sweet tooth. the famous sprinkles cupcake maker has introduced a new cupcake, atm. it disspin expenses a fresh cupcake 24 hours a day. all you need is a credit card. right now it's only available at the beverly hills location. it will soon be available at its ten stores nationwide, including palo alto. not clear on the concept there. >> my daughter said she developed it when she was pregnant. she wanted cupcakes late at night and couldn't get one. that's what she said anyway. we within to try it. a couple hours of rain. and sonoma county a little drizzly. the rain will slowly sink south. not everyone will see it. less than a tenth of an inch today. maybe more in the north bay.

a chance tomorrow and a windy week ahead with-yet rain midweek into next weekend. >> all right. thank i, lisa. thank you for joining us. that will do it for us this morning. the next newscast starts at 9:00. you can keep track of the latest breaking news on twitter at abc7 news bay area, and you can talk about at facebook.com/abc7 news. i'm carolyn tyler along with lisa argen. good morning america is up next.