nbc bay area news begins with breaking news. >> our nbc chopper over the scene in san jose in the berryessa neighborhood. you see a three-alarm fire, a house fire down below. two homes are invd w an entireeighborhood is anxiously watching this scene unfold. here is a quick look now at the map. the fire is burning just east of 680, and just south of the landis avenue exit. nbc bay area's george kit yriya is there on the scene. >> reporter: no injuries to report. that's the good news. you can see right now firefighters attacking this home with a stream of water, the top of the roof as well as the attic. there was a lot of smoke coming from this home on confer lane a

few minutes ago. every so often, you can see flames shooting out of the roof. this is now a four-alarm fire. so they're asking for obviously mutual hope from santa clara city as well as milpitas. there was a second house briefly on fire, but right now 80 firefighters are attacking this fire in the attic at 1948 confer lane. firefighters tell us the people in both homes are fine. in fact, there was a person inside 1948 conifer lane. he had no idea there was a fire until a neighbor came by, knocked on the door and told him to get out. firefighters say this is a big challenge for them. these homes are close to each other, they are in many neighborhoods. with the winds picking up, they're trying to make sure the fire does not lead to other homes there are firefighters on each side of the homes making sure that doesn't happen. how the fire started, we will not know that for some time. but right now firefighters really attacking the fire in this attic a few seconds, a few

minutes ago. that's where we saw flames shooting out. live here with breaking news in san jose. george kiriyama, nbc bay area news. >> george kiriyama in the berryessa neighborhood of san jose, coffering a four-alarm fire. we have some other headlines tonight. gay conversion therapy. it's a practice aimed at making gay people straight. >> but today the senate passed a bill to ban the therapy. marianne favro looks at both sides of this controversial issue and talks with a bay area man who went through conversion therapy. >> reporter: the form of psycho therapy uses different tactics aimed at making gay people straight. well talked to one man in san francisco who has tried it. and he is worried if kids undergo conversion therapy, it could make them feel being gay is a disease that can be cured. for most of his life, peter drake lived the life of a straight man, but realized he was not being true to himself. so he sought help to remain heterosexual. >> i went through three years of conversion therapy. >> reporter: but he said the therapy actually made him feel

worse. >> i was so depressed. i was nearly suicidal. >> reporter: and he said the therapy failed miserably. >> where it really started to get discouraging as we got into working to change my sexual orientation, that involves for me as a guy things like being encouraged to play sports more, as though gay men don't play sports. looking at pictures of women and trying to lust after them. >> reporter: which is why he testified before california lawmakers supporting a ban on conversion therapy for kids under 18. today the state senate approves senate bill 1172, authored by senator ted liu. los gatos psychiatrist thinks that's a good move. he says 2 american psychiatric association does not support conversion therapy. >> i think this ban will protect children and teens from engaging in something that can potentially be harmful to them. >> reporter: the national association for research and therapy on louisiahomosexuality

not support the ban, and their website says it could reduce the number of therapists willing to offer other psychological services to lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth in california. peter drake, however, says this is a ban worth fighting for so children won't be subjected to a therapy he believes do more harm than good. the bill will now go to the assembly. no date has been set yet for the initial policy review, but it will likely be next month. marianne favro, nbc bay area news. decision 2012. the race for the white house rolls through bay area today. these are live pictures this afternoon from the peninsula. in about an hour, the newly minted republican presidential nominee, mitt romney, will host a fundraiser at the historic carolyn chateau in hillsboro. this property is magnificent. 65,000 square feet. it's one of the largest mansions in the country and a california landmark. tickets for tonight's event co-hosted by meg whitman topped out at $50,000 per person. now among the notable guests,

former governorrh pete wilson a george shultz. romney's visit comes on the same day his campaign is trying to clean up a bit of an embarrassing mistake. take a close look. romney's new mobile app misspelled america. the romney campaign has submitted an update to the app, and is waiting for apple's approval. no one at the campaign is sfeeng record about the mistake. meanwhile, president obama called mitt romney today, congratulating him on winning the republican nomination officially. a new poll shows the president leading romney in the favorability category. 52% of people hold a favorable opinion of mr. obama, that's compared to 41% of people who hold favorable opinions about mitt romney. well, tomorrow an interesting meeting at the white house. politically at odds, but friendly nonetheless, the president and first lady will host former president george w. bush and former first lady laura bush. president obama will unveil their formal portraits. it's a traditional presidential

ceremony. a hot mic moment for lieutenant governor gavin newsom has him backpedaling. he is the host of a talk show on current tv. this is recent video from him with a one-on-one interview with raj mathai. last week between segments, he told an upcoming guest he only goes to sacramento once a week, and that the city is, quote, so dull. they later corrected his comment, at least part of it, saying he actually visits the capital about two days a week. tobacco companies are putting financial muscle behind the fight to stamp out proposition 29. reports show they contributed about $41 million toward defeating the measure, which would raise taxes on cigarettes by a dollar to support cancer research. their commercial and mailers apparently are making a difference. according to the public policy institute of california. support for prop 29 has slipped from 67% in march to 53% this month. a buildup of gas fumes forced firefighters to evacuate several san jose homes today.

the houses were on kurtner avenue in the willow glen neighborhood. the fire department was called when a resident accidentally backed into the gas meter on the side of her house, shearing it off. as a precaution, fire personnel evacuated five neighboring homes. after pge shut off the gas, fire crews youtube used special monitors to test the air in garages, attics, and other enclosed space before giving the all clear. drama in an l.a. courtroom today during a preliminary hearing for two men accused of beating san francisco giants fan bryan stow. luis sanchez and marvin norwood are accused of striking and kicking the santa cruz paramedic in the dodger stadium parking lot last year. stow, a father of two, suffered severe head trauma and continues to need constant care. today prosecutors played a phone recording in which norwood told his mother he was involved in what he called that dodger stadium thing. other witnesses testify the two suspects who were rowdy and

appeared to be spoiling for a fight. the hearing is expected to last four days. the man accused of kidnapping and killing sierra lamar is expected to enter a plea in court tomorrow. torres was arrested last week after investigators found his dna linking him to the mission morgan hill teenager. the 15-year-old was last seen on march 16, getting ready for school. garcia torres is charged with murder, even though no body has been found. meanwhile, the search for sierra continues in morgan hill. today volunteers with the class kids foundation fanned out around the city to look for any sign of the missing girl. the group is planning another search on saturday. sierra's family is still holding out hope that she is alive. right now drivers around the south bay are dealing with a big change. within the last hour, the new metering lights on 280 through downtown san jose were turned on for the first time. this is a follow-up to a story we first brought you on tuesday, just yesterday. drivers we talked to say the

lights do nothing but slow down the drive. but caltrans insists the traffic flows more smoothly in places where the lights are installed. a bay area teenager will be playing an important role in the summer olympics. >> her name is sarah williams, and she is from pleasanton. she is just one of 22 americans chosen to carry the olympic torch. it won't be in the united states she'll be rung it through uk. here is nbc area's jodi hernandez. >> i am beyond excited, beyond excited. it's such an honor to represent the united states. >> reporter: 19-year-old sarah williams says she can't believe she'll soon be heading to london to play a special role in the summer olympics. the pleasanton teenager is one of 22 americans chosen by coca-cola to carry the olympic torch. >> i was shocked actually. i mean out of all the people that must have been nominated for this, i don't know what they saw in me. >> what they saw, an incredible spirit of giving, inspired by a book written by a former foster child, williams started a

blanket-making program four years ago. and now the project spread nationwide. >> these kids are often called the perfect -- in children. they don't have anything. so a blanket, if you think of what that symbolizes, comfort, security, warmth, something that they don't have. >> reporter: thanks to williams, thousands of children across the bay area and the nation have something to hold on to. foster a dream in martinez distributes the blankets to area children several times a year. >> our foster youth count on these blankets. they know that when they come to the wonderland or they come to the birthday party or they come to get their backpack, that they're going to get a new blanket. and it's going to be theirs, no matter what is going on in their lives. >> you always think as the parent you're the one coaching and leading. but sometimes you get a surprise guest. and she has definitely been one. >> williams says she hopes by carrying the torch, she'll spread awareness about foster

children. she'll be thinking of them every step of the way. >> i'll be thinking of all those children who just need a little extra love and a little extra comfort in this world. >> jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> what an incredible honor. we wish her the best. well, the most decorated olympic athlete of all time is having just a little bit of trouble getting motived for the upcoming summer games in london. swimmer michael phelps admits he lost some motivation after the 2008 games, and didn't really take training seriously. however, phelps feels like he has recently recaptured the fire and is preparing for the olympic trials. >> over the last three years, my training hasn't gone too well or my performances haven't been too great. but, you know, it's kind of an exciting time. and, you know, this is -- it's going to be a fun summer. you know, i've been able to kind of get an excitement back in the water. >> it's very rare an athlete of that caliber would admit

something like that. but michael phelps very forthright. the countdown to the olympics, take a look. just 58 days away. you can see is all the actn right exclusively on nbc bay area and our family of nbc networks. also, a the olympics are ju one click away. head over to our website, nbcbayarea.com, and just search olympics. and good afternoon. i'm jeff ranieri in the nbc bay area weather center. a huge increase in our temperatures today. temperatures going up 5 to 15 degrees. 91 in gilroy. 84 in novato. it's going to get even hotter as we head into thursday. we'll let you know who will have 90-degree numbers, coming up in just a few minutes. and getting reviews on the go. see the new way to get the scoop on your favorite restaurant. and a drug-induced psychosis leads to a horrificdowhy s ctore nitack. why doctors say it's happening more often. ♪

[ kari ] i used to serve my country in the u.s. army. ♪ then, i was hit by a drunk driver and lost my legs. but that didn't change a thing. because i still serve my country, i just wear a different uniform. [ male announcer ] citi is joining kari miller to give back to the paralympic military & veterans program. join the movement at citi.com/everystep and help citi help u.s. athletes make a difference. together, every step of the way. one of san francisco's

tallest buildings will now be a prime gathering spot for earthquake data. the u.s. geological survey just finished installing 72 earthquake sensors in the one rincon hill building. the sensors will record motion throughout the building and transmit it to computers. engineers used cutting edge seismic designs to construct this 7-year-old building. in an earthquake, the data will show whether the building performed as expected. >> the thing about seismic engineering, things are always evolving. every time there is a new earthquake in chile and japan, we're collecting new data and improving the next slew of buildings. >> it's the largest amount of sensor on a single building in the nation and possibly the world. it will help with the designing of future tall buildings. >> the red downward arrows tell the story. the markets took a hit. the dow closed down triple-digits on continued economic and political worries in europe. also making news today,

mountainview-based google. here is our tech reporter scott mcgrew. >> reporter: good afternoon. google showing off how their incorporating the zagat reviews into google search. one in five searches on going environmental something to do with a local area. this is good news. that means the zagat reviews are free. it's bad news for yelp. a new study conducted by a science museum in new york says the books on ipad can be very distracting to children. they did a study where they determined whether the kids remembered the story as compared to when they read it in a book, and found the enhanced book, all the bells and whistles, interactivity, and other distractions led to the kids themselves being distracted. other news this afternoon. amazon is adding its video to xbox. and now you can watch instant streaming right on your gaming consul, right in your living room. tv shows and movies, much like you already do with netflix. if you pay for amazon's prime

service, you get many of the shows for free too. the other big story, what you mentioned off the top, american markets hit hard on the concern over europe. the european union is recommending spain be given an extra year's time to hit its deficit targets. now this news is important because it's a hint that the eu is softening a bit on its demands that countries make these huge cuts to their budgets. the cuts have been very unpopular, leading to the fall of governments in italy, france, and greece. spain right now paying about nine times the interest rates for its debt that you would have to pay to buy a new toyota. back to you. >> scott, thank you very much. b.a.r.t passengers are getting a sweeter read these days in more ways than one. after months of research and surveys, b.a.r.t is finally replacing the 40-year-old roll upholstered seats and replacing them with the easy to clean vinyl seats. not only do they look better, riders tell us they're more

comfortable and even smell better. passengers have complained for years that the old fabric seats seem unhygienic as if they've absorbed who knows what. next up they'll replace the flooring, dumping the carpets and putting in rubber. a warning. some of what you're about to see is disturbing. tonight we're learning more about the cannibalistic attack in florida. the actions are symptomatic of a drug-induced psychosis which is landing a number of people in hospitals. >> reporter: surveillance video from a miami herald security camera showing a naked man devouring the face of another man. >> 75 to 80% of his face was missing. and he was actually swallowing pieces of the man's face. >> reporter: while police say they've never witnessed anything this extreme, they have recently seen similar cases of people with no clothes on acting violently after taking a new potent form of lsd.

>> inside their body, their organs are burning up alive. they reach a temperature where they're actually melting inside of the body. and that makes them take off their clothes. >> reporter: in the emergency room, they've seen an increase of people suffering from psychosis after taking a variety of drugs. >> cocaine and new lsd, they cause delirium, which is you don't make sense when you take them. when you don't make sense and you don't control your emotions, you don't control your actions, you find yourself in circumstances that you just don't want to be in. >> reporter: during and after the recent ultra music festival, dr. paul adams says he has seen the effects of a designer drug nicknamed bath salts, which also causes body temperatures to spike. >> and then people don't drink water while they're taking it. so they become dehydrated. so you mix dehydration with elevated temperature with loss of inhibitions and you have a catastrophic combination.

>> that was diana gonzalez reporting. experts say little research exists about the drug's effects on users. let's turn things over to jeff ranieri as we head over this midweek. a lot of red in the map. honing in on that hot weather. we already have a 90-degree temperature down in the south bay. gilroy at 90 degrees. 87 at livermore. 74 napa. cooler by the way, 64 in san francisco. we'll take you out to our live hd sky camera network, and what you'll find here is some haze. but no fog at all a showing up on our current view out towards pacific. as we head into the morning hours, we'll find mainly clear conditions. in for thursday, it gets even hotter. breezy to windy conditions, and ahead, it's going to be this erratic pattern of numbers going down, numbers going back up and back down. the storm track across the pacific northwest is actually producing rainfall for washington. for us it's what we have been talking about for days. it's this bubble of hot air that is going to sit right on top of

us over the bay area. it's going to mean different things for different folks. against the coastline, that will mean more cooling. we'll keep 60s here. the wind could produce from 80s to also 90s that heat will be peaking on thursday. and as we head throughout friday, the numbers go back down. speaking of going down, for the overnight lows, 54 in los gatos. 53 in san rafael and 51 in santa rosa. daytime highs topping out int the upper 80s to near 90 for thursday. the hottest weather gilroy 92, and concord, and then a mix of 60s and 70s from oakland to san francisco. on your three-day forecast, it stays warm to hot all the way through friday. and this weekend, the fog pattern, the drizzle comes on back and numbers start to cool with 70s and 80s. and then as we head throughout next week. we'll stay in a cooler pattern, at least for this time of the year for monday and tuesday, with areas of fog and also drizzle. showers staying to north by tuesday. and then for wednesday, we start to heat back up. so make sure to drink plenty of water if you're heading outside today with all that hot air

starting to build. >> it's going to be hot. thanks, jeff. the greatest will be here er ue,neth for thedy xt.opodis alr ady here, next.dy

i want to pass along breaking news to you. within the hour we're getting reports of a 17-year-old boy shot in the leg outside of oakland high school. this is of course in oakland on park boulevard and macarthur boulevard. a 17-year-old shot in the leg. it's a nonfatal injury. he is in stable condition. oakland police of course investigating the scene. we'll pass along any further information as we get it into the newsroom. the cal softball team had no problem qualifying for world series, but making it if there proved to be difficult. the bears were unable to arrive in oklahoma city on time after their plane had mechanical problems both at sfo and in houston, where they were to catch a connecting flight. despite missing a pretournament banquet, everyone finally arrived safely and is ready to play their first game of the

world series on thursday afternoon. well, guess who made a surprise visit today. two weeks from tomorrow, the world's best golfers will be playing at the u.s. open at san francisco's historic olympic club. so golf's biggest name is trying to get a leg up on the competition. it's tiger woods. he was back in the bay area to play a practice round at the site of this year's open. the former stanford star played the late course today, and then went on google plus to say it was fantastic. woods added that the course has changed a lot since the olympic club last hosted the u.s. open tiger woods loves playing on the bay area course. >> back in a moment. t

we have some programing notes for you. knig "nightly news" is next. and another special edition of nbc area news around 8:00 p.m. following the game. and tonight at 9:00 "extra" and says hollywood. >> not even the evening.

"nightly news" and then the game, the kings and the devils. >> hope to see you soon. graduate, now that your journey begins, you're going to need a powerful connection ! felicidaaaadeeeees !

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