reach the gold-medal game. olympic primetime with bob costas comes your way in three hours. al michaels for dan patrick and our crew, talk to you tomorrow from london. shooters, southern.

>> eight teams in this competition, and team usa leads in shot blocks. this is near the the point position. they work on across deeper. t is kami craig trying to shake they helped propel the u.s. to the gold medal games. the refinery fire in richmond could cost you. we hear from the experts on how much more you should prepare to pay at the gas pump. >> and crime on campus. the investigative unit uncovers

violence at bay area schools that is going unreported. see why what you don't know could end up hurting your child. >> good afternoon. we are on with you a little earlier than usual and will be during the entire olympics. >> that's right. nbc bay area news will begin right after daytime olympic coverage bringing you special reports from london and profiles of our bay area athletes. we begin with the very latest from the fallout from that massive refinery fire in richmond. today, three refinery workers are recovering from minor injuries after that fire. an internal investigation is now underway at the chevron facility. air quality managers say that final test results won't be available until later tonight at the earliest. but early indications show pollution levels are inside the normal range. for the very latest on the damage done and the investigation, let's go to nbc

bay area's jody hernandez. she is live in richmond. >> reporter: chevron officials tell us a fire is contained tonight but fuel is still burning in its crude unit number four. you can see for yourself what the refinery looks like at this hour. we are will the fire is about the size of a basketball. officials from cal osha, from contra costa county and from chevron are at the refinery at this shower trying to figure out what went wrong. but many, many people who live here in the east bay are not happy at all about what took place here last night or how it was handled. >> last night's incident was far worse than the fire in 2007. >> rich monday mayor gale mclaughlin said she is incredibly concerned and upset about last night's fire at the chevron refinery that sent black smoke and fumes drifting over the east bay. >> they have to let us know what

went wrong and we have a right to review that data with our own independent sources of analysts. >> right now what we're doing, safety is our number one priority. we're ensuring there are no other active leaks in the plant. we're bringing in the other personnel, our engineering help, people from outside this facility to look at this and understand exactly how much damage there is. >> chevron's chief of emergency services says a team of experts is doing the best to figure out what went wrong. he says the leak of diesel like fuel started at 4:15. but didn't ignite into a situation worthy of alerting the county and the public until 6:30. >> once we saw this grew and ignited, we notified the city and the county and we activated the community warning system which sets off the sirens. >> but rachel cannot understand why it took so long. she watched smoke and fire for at least a half-hour before sirens sounded. >> it was just scary.

very scary and absurd that it took that long. it was very, very scary. i could not believe that it would take that long. >> reporter: we talk to resident after resident who said they were absolutely terrified last night and tonight, residents will have a chance to sound off a community meeting is taking place tonight with chevron officials, including the manager of the refinery. that meeting will take place at 6:00 at the rich monday memorial auditorium. that's at 4:03 civic center plaza. again, that town hall meeting, scheduled to take place tonight at 6:00. today was supposed to be a day of celebration for the richmond refinery. the installation celebrating the 110th anniversary of the refinery was supposed to take place today. a reception for that exhibit. that reception was canceled today. a resident told me just yesterday he received an invitation in the mail for a

free tour. we can imagine that will be cancel as well. >> should you brace yourself for some higher gas prices at the gas pump because of that fire. it is the third largest fuel processing facility in california. it normally processes up to 240,000 gallons of crude oil a day and gas experts warn that fire could increase gas prices by 10 to 25 cents per gallon for california, oregon, washington, within the next week. also, california can't just borrow fuel from other states because of some state specific requirements for our gas. san jose's police chief will not face a vote of no confidence by his officers but that doesn't mean there isn't unrest in the rank and file. that's the message from the police officers association. today, hundreds of officers passed the union board meeting. the issue, whether to bring a no confidence vote against chief chris moore. the officers voted overwhelmingly against idea adding that such a vote would only overshadow the real problem

which is an understaffed department and a soaring crime rate. >> we have some of our best people leaving. over 100 officers have left other agencies. our numbers are at lows that we haven't seen in over 20 years and they're going to go even lower. >> moving forward, officers say what they really want is the city council to restore the levels. the south bay's newest and most controversial casino is open for business after years of delays, san jose's casino matrix opened its doors today. it was scheduled to open tomorrow morning but that got pushed up a bit and many gamblers were all in today. the casino opening ends a five-year legal battle that began when the old garden city casino was bought by eric swallow and the leonardi family. now to our exclusive coverage of the 2012 olympic games. danville's sisters powered the team into the gold medal win

today. magaziny and jessica scoring big goals in an 11-9 overtime win over australia. the u.s. will now play for the gold on thursday. >> during the games we've seen many beautiful and amazing images from london from the famed tower bridge to the london eye. there is another part of the city that some would rather we not see. raj tips to anchor from the london games. >> reporter: hello from london. so far everything has been first class. we should say almost everything. for some of the students who are here working part time, it is a different story. take a look. these are timages we're used to. east of the glamour and even farther east of the olympic park is the road less traveled. the other side of the olympics, crawling with barbed wire. the side the london organizers would rauth not see. after a long day of cleaning the olympic venues, thousands of

people, mostly students from around the world, come home to camp clean event. our cameras, not allowed in. of the scrap metal yard turned dormitory. >> we live ten to a trailer and they're pretty much like storage units. they're not great. >> reporter: ethan is a college student from south carolina and he agrees this is far from the hyatt regency. >> 75 people to one shower. that's the only bad thing. >> reporter: don't be fooled. he like many others here are not complaining. this is their ticket into the olympics. >> i've been gone from america since may 15 and i don't regret it at all. i've had one of the best time of my life here and i'm kind of regretting going back to school. >> in hungary, it is maybe three pounds. >> reporter: for many of the students, it is not just the salary. >> just drinking money. >> reporter: about an experience of a lifetime, even if it is a bit rought&mlz around the edges.

olympic conditions are a little rough. as you can see, they're making the best of it. that's the latest from london. i'm raj mathai. >> the events haven't aired yet so this is your spoiler alert. if you don't want to see them, turn away now. we'll play some music for about 15 seconds and show the results. when you hear us start talking again, it is safe to watch. >> okay. here's a look at what's coming up in prime time. just watch. one semifinal match in the sand. see if misty treanor and walsh will make it an all american gold medal watch. plus gold medals will be handed out for gymnastics, individual

events, prime time coverage starts at 8:00. then stay tuned for nbc bay area news after the game. >> it will befn( a nail biter. big changes may be coming to a south bay retail hot spot. see why it may be even harder to find a parking place. plus, forget bring your own bag. find out why you might need to start taking your own tupperware to your own favorite restaurant. and next, an attempted murder, assault, rape. some of the major crimes committed at bay area schools but never reported. we uncover the reasons why and we look at the students' risk. good afternoon. i'm jeff ranieri. 68 in san francisco, 86 in livermore. we'll talk about our increasing heat which will bring this air quality down in a few days.

assault, rape, even attempted murder. what if those crimes happened at your child's school and you were never told. tonight our investigative unit

exposes campus crimes kept quiet. the investigative reporter joins us with more on the state system that is supposed to be tracking dangerous schools. and you're here to tell us why it isn't. >> over the past three months, we filed nearly 100 public records requests with law enforcement agencies, school districts and the state. what we found, crime on campus you didn't know about until now. chilling crimes at bay area schools. including attempted murder. none reported to the state because administrators didn't have to. it was 2009 when sources say a student at pioneer high school began harassing a female classmate. he was eventually transferred to another school. but within days, sources say he was back on pioneer's campus. in a black trenchcoat. the principal called law

enforcement. sources say as the girl walked out of the classroom, he ran toward her and was tackled by police. in his jacket, a 14 inch knife and two suicide notes. the student was tried as a juvenile and convicted of attempted murder. the san jose unified school district kept the information quiet. and when we asked what happened that day, assistant superintendent jason willis gave us a simple but shocking answer. >> we don't have that information. >> the district doesn't have specifics about an attempted murder that happened at school? >> that time of information is not necessarily something we make publicly available. >> the student was almost murdered at school. no need to tell parents about that. >> we really rely on our school staff to make the best judgments possible to inform the community about what is happening. as i've said before, it serve us well. >> reporter: in this case, the student was never expelled. according to the district, his family asked the board of

education not to. the district says he was in juvenile hall. >> i believe he is related to the person who was at that time the president of the board. >> okay. >> reporter: that student is related to veronica lewis. she was the president of the board. lewis refused to comment about her involvement in the case. >> do you think that had any impact? >> it may have. >> reporter: the decision not to expel did impact what the state knows about the case which is absolutely nothing. schools are required to report suspensions and expulsions. it is mandated by the no child left behind act to keep tabs on which schools are dangerous. since the student wasn't expelled, it wasn't reported. also not reported at other schools in the district, an alleged rape. and a student threatened with a knife. the suspects weren't students so the crimes were not recorded in state data and that's why the district tells us, they don't have any information. >> it does merit a very high

level of concern. >> reporter: dr. ron stevens is the executive director of the national school safety center. >> if you don't have a clue of what the problem is, you haven't tracked anything, it will be pretty hard to fix the issue. >> reporter: we found another issue. students caught with drugs and police never told about it. records at mountain view school district showed in 2012, half the time they caught students in possession or under the influence of marijuana, they didn't call the cops. >> my first question would be, who is confiscating that marijuana that is not being turned over to the police. at another school district, bad record keeping. students caught with marijuana, others selling it. records show police were called four of the 35 times. they now tell us the cops were called. they just didn't document it. >> the system is currently flawed in a lot of ways. >> reporter: assembly member

luis vallejo is working on several bills to change how districts report incidents. he said schools should be held accountable. >> i think most parents would say they want to know about it. they want to know what's happening. it should be made easily available. >> several districts say they are now working to improve their record keeping system. >> thank you very much. of course we'll have more from the investigation tonight after the olympics. we just heard what schools are not required to tell the state. the investigative unit also found that the schools do have to report is often wrong. the state tracks suspensions and expulsions to determine which schools are deemed dangerous. they found some bay area districts giving the state bad information. the data used in those studies by the media, even by lawmakers, is wrong. tonight, after the olympics, local school districts reporting outrageous numbers that affect how your child's school ranks. >> if you have a story for the

investigative union, call the tip line. or send an e-mail to the unit. san jose's upscale shopping and dining center is ten years old and having some growing pains. they're deciding whether to okay an expansion. they're being asked for permission to add an office building. the critics worry it will only add congestion to the area's jammed roads. there is current lay lot located at the corner. a south bay city may be ready to join the growing number of bay area cities which have banned plastic bags and styrofoam containers. cupertino is considering a plan on carryout bags and foam containers. backers say it will help reduce litter. the city council is meeting as we speak to discuss this plan. several cities surrounding

cupertino have already ins stood plans on single use plastic bags. let's to go jeff ranieri. the temperatures are going up. >> they are. especially across the east bay and a few spots on the south bay. right now we have cooling for some and warming for others. more of the onshore westerly direction. we have 68 in san francisco and also, 69 in san mateo. 86 in livermore. let's get you to the skycam this afternoon. and you'll see clear skies all the way past the golden gate bridge in downtown sf. it didn't look anything like this over the last weekend. this is much welcome for a lot of you. as you look to the marine layer, what you'll find is there is not too much left of it. so it is a sign of this warming trend, starting to get a little motion behind it. it is a little slower than anticipated. we're still expecting plenty of heat this week. we start off with fog in the

coastline. it won't be too extensive. by 10:00, 11:00 in the morning, we'll have that sunshine as quick as we had for today. by the bay, wednesday we'll have a mix of upper 80s and mid 90s by the afternoon. at the london olympics, it is also going to be heating up with some of the hottest weather of the game so far. we'll have a few showers on wednesday. then by thursday and friday, upper 70s. maybe a few 80s here as we head throughout the last days of competition on friday. then back here across the bay area. we're going to talk about, that's right. 100s in the seven-day forecast. not a typo. 1-0-0. lady gaga heads to washington. the issue for millions of school children that she is hoping to fix. plus, olympians after dark. they go hollywood. and inspired by space but used on the track. see the anti-gravity suit developed right here in the bay area. must be nice, cheering on team usa from the shallow end.

back in '08, we didn't have these u-verse wireless receivers that let you move the tv around wherever. no siree, bob. who's bob? and if you didn't have a tv outlet, well then you couldn't watch diddly-squat. you talk a lot.

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tonight in prime time you'll see more from gold medal finalists in track and field and everyone of them is looking for a little edge. some think they may have found it with training with a new machine. >> it is a high-tech twist on an old piece of gym equipment. nbc bay area tech reporter scott budman shows us how it works. >> reporter: olympic hopeful michael coe is suiting up for a high-tech training run. this won't feel like a typical training run. after all, who needs the hard unforgiving track when you can run in the altered g. the anti-gravity treadmill. literally supported by air. >> you feel like you're running on the moon. >> to counter the forces of gravity. >> we use air pressure to alter the person's perceived body weight when they're walking or running. >> reporter: the result, a training run without the pressure or impact of a normal

run. >> you know how to stay in impact so you recover quicker. when you're training at the level that i train at, you need that quicker recovery. >> reporter: no matter what your speed, alter g will make it easier on you and you don't have to be a super athlete, either. imagine the benefits of less weight if you're injured. >> someone who cannot walk because of a stroke, we can unweight them to the point where their legs are strong enough to walk and then they can practice walking. by practicing you get better at it and you eventually get stronger. >> reporter: at about $32,000 each, you will seattler g machines both in therapy centers and gyms. fighting gravity to help you train. >> so cool. scott tells us the air pressure technology was developed, of course, at nasa. a team packed with bay area athletes is continuing its march toward olympic gold. we'll get the latest from the pool. >> plus, remember the old mamas and papa's song, flowers in your

hair? meet the track star who is taking that tradition to the world stage. and what was in the air. still ahead, the lingering health concerns from yesterday's refinery fire.

. our coverage begins with a look at the health impact. hundreds of people have been showing up at the hospital complaining of smoke-related ill knows. patients were still turning up today at doctors medical center today in san pablo and richmond kaiser. the hospital have seen more than 800 patients complaining of sore throats, watery eyes and trouble breathing. the health officials say it was even worse for people with preexisting conditions like asthma and emphysema. >> this morning, i wake up and my chest was hurting. and i can't breathe. and i thought maybe if i walked around, it would be better. no, it's worse.

>> kaiser says even though they saw more than 300 patients, no one was admitted to the hospital. many patients were told the symptoms would go away in about 24 hours. we'll have more at 5:00. a guilty plea today in the arizona shooting rampage that wounded a congresswoman and killed six others. loughner will stay in prison. today's hearing, a psychologist described him as an aggressive yelling psycho path who heard voices and rambled incoherently when she first met him. however, after more than a year of counseling and drug treatment, she said quote, he has become human crying over the lives he took. today's developments allow the victims to move on. >> this is no victory for the defense. no victory for the prosecution. it is simple justice for an individual who is mentally ill, committed a horrendous act, and now will be locked up away from everyone for the rest of his life. >> reporter: in court today, he was not smiling. the bald headed suspect captured

in his infamous mug shot from a year ago. in a statement, gabrielle giffords said we hope to continue wo continue with our recovery. the white house is behind the effort as well as one of the biggest name in entertainment. here is more from nbc's chris clackum. >> reporter: anti-bully advocates are looking for messages like this, urging those who witnessed bullying to do something. at a bullying prevention summit that wrapped up in washington, that was also the message the white house wanted out. >> so many people observe bullying and look the other way. you don't have to look the other way. you can actually do something. >> reporter: it attracted bullying victims like this 17-year-old from utah. >> i get punched, kicked, black eyes, bruises and i lied to my mom and said it is nothing.

i fell down. >> reporter: another bullying victim, superstar lady gaga whose mother described relentless bullying she suffered as a teenager. >> everything from her locker being defamed at school. she was actually put in a trash can at one point. >> reporter: cynthia helped with her daughter's own anti-bullying foundation. >> some pretty empirical evidence that shows bystanders can actually do something to help stop, prevent bullying. >> reporter: her involvement is what experts say other parents should do. >> all of us, all adults that interact with kids need to take on bullying prevention efforts. >> reporter: they say that means even though your child may not be a victim, convince them to tell you others who are. nbc news. after a week in the pool, olympic swimmers enjoyed some

london night life. don't they look nice? michael phelps, natalie, and the others attended a party last night staged by a swim wear company. phelps says his career is done with. he has retired with all smiles after winning his 18 gold medal and his 22nd olympic medal. natalie won a bronze, her 12th medal which ties her with two other athletes for the most medals for an american woman. >> it does mean a lot. in terms of my career, having 12 medals and 12 olympic events, it is pretty crazy. and something that i am extremely proud of. >> now going for the gold still. usa women's teams are ramping up for a first place fight on the court and in the pool, too. >> today's sportsmanship took center stage and it took fellow olympians to steal the show. >> reporter: two decades and downing. that's how long it has been since the u.s. women's

basketball team has lost in the olympics. the winning streak reached 39 today. 20 years to the day after it started. the 91-48 rout of canada put tuesday in the semifinals. >> it has been fun to watch when we play the way we're playing. >> reporter: the u.s. women's water polo team has never won a gold medal but they'll get a shot at i thursday after beating arch rival australia 11-9 in overtime. >> we knew this would be it. one more battle to go. >> reporter: around the globe, the lobbed olympics are proving to be a very hot ticket, it attracted an audience of 900 million. here in britain, more watched than viewed the royal wedding. >> it will reach viewers in more countries than ever before with an he is made global reach of 4.8 billion across every country of the world. >> reporter: the british try athlete allistair brownley

played to that audience today. so document than in victory that he actually stopped at the finish line to savor the moment. and a moment to forget for the hurrieder liu zhang. in an echo of what happened at the beijing olympics, he pulled up injured at the men's hurdles today. afterwards, his fellow competitors helped him off the track. his anguish softened in a moment of olympic brotherhood. >> that was mark barger reporting. if you missed something, don't worry. we're archiving it online. how every event is being kept at one place so it is at your finger tip. >> this summer everywhere you go, people are talking about the london olympics. since you cannot be in front of a tv all the time, we've got streaming coverage of the games online that we want you to know about. it starts by visiting our home page. at the top of nbcbayarea.com, we've got five spotlight features. the second from the left says olympics, week two.

click it and enter our guide where a link to watch live action is near the top of the page. that takes us to the nbc live extra page, loaded with thousands have hours of streaming video, live and archived, ready to watch now. please note, you'll have to have service from one of the listed tv providers and sign in with your account password. once inside, the options are limitless and work best with a high speed connection. all in all, all 32 sports and all 302 events. ready to go. the nbc london olympics live extra for android is another good option to watch on the go. like they say in our national anthem, it is gallantly streaming. with our look at the games in london, lawrence scott. >> well done. coming up, overcoming injury to reach an olympic dream. raj mathai has the story of a bay area runner who would not be stopped from crossing the finish line in london. the easy way you'll be able to spot her on the track. and learn the story behind this pair of medal wearing pups.

>> good afternoon. i'm jeff ranieri. a lot of sunshine this afternoon and we're hoping for some cooler weather near the coast and the peninsula. we'll talk about the 100-degree heat and when it arrives, coming up in a few minutes. [ male announcer ] now at your neighborhood subway: dinner...is...served. tonight, take it easy and enjoy your favorite soup, salad and hot, hearty sub. like the toasty big hot pastrami melt. get to your local subway for some dinnertime deliciousness tonight. subway. eat fresh.

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the olympics apparently going to the dogs. at least some of the medals are. >> the thrill of victory frozen in one single frame. today, they are here to show some of the best images from london. >> it is always amazing to watch the competitions. some of our favorites are the still photos that we catch the action. they say a picture is worth 1,000 words. what about several images of serving a volleyball? the athletes in motion. look at those moves. >> that stop action motion is so cool to see. along with that, how about the elation of the italian fencers? they get high on life.

captured the mid air expression. says it all. >> really cool. south africa, the double amputee running in one of the 400 meter semifinals. >> a huge accomplishment there. >> and how high can they go? mckayla maroney captured through the air with the greatest of ease. that's on the vault and the camera followed. >> as well as the crowd. what about this guy? usain bolt, hamming it up there. >> they call him the bolt. >> everybody is doing the bolt. even the characters, whatever that thing is. >> a cyclops. >> and olympic singles gold. the medals went to the dogs. maggie may and rusty. this is from andy's dog page. maggie may's twitter page. on a dog with nearly 10,000 followers.

when you rock a big olympic medal, you can do whatever you want. >> you can catch all these great pictures on nbcbayarea.com as well as a lot of other great stuff. >> that's right. make sure you join us at 4:30 a.m. live in london. >> okay. thanks so much, guys. let's turn it over to jeff. i saw 1-0-0. >> yes, coming up in the weather, we head into the forecast in a few minutes. right now, it is sunny in san francisco. we'll let you know how long this heat will be lasting coming up. coming up in sports, we roent roll out the red carpet but we will focus on a king. we're talking about the home run king. barry bonds. stick around and find out why this day in history marks the milestone for bonds that will be remembered forever. that's next.

he was truly a sipping lar sensation. barbara remembers her friend marvin hamlisch as a beautiful human being. it was one of her signature songs. hamlisch collapse asked died yesterday after a brief illness. he was only 68. his music made him one of the most decorated artists in history. even winning a pulitzer prize. three emmys, four grammys, a tony and numerous golden globes. in health matters tonight, men who add weight training to their exercise routine could lower their risk for diabetes. a new study showed those who worked out with weights 30 minutes a day five days a week cut their chances of developing type two diabetes by 30%. if they also did aerobic exercise for that same amount of time, their risk went down 60%. let's turn it over to meteorologist jeff ranieri. jeff loves it when the temperatures soar. >> it is kind of that weather thing.

i like putting that 100 on the seven-day forecast. i know a lot of you don't like feeling it out there and you have to start crankinun09 on th a/c. the marine layer and fog is out here. it is starting to fade off and that eventually is going to give us a much hotter weather as we head down the next three to four days. right now we have the cooling wind in san francisco and san mateo. then back to the east bay. 86 in livermore. 91 in gilroy. then a stark contrast in saab jose and sunnyvale. you're holding on to the 70s with that wind from the bay. let's take you outside to that sky camera. you can see san francisco is absolutely positively no fog at the current moment. we're not going to see too much for tonight. it will be a real clear night over to oakland and for the south bay. you can see plenty of blue skies. as we bring you back to the weather boards, what we're focusing on is not over the pacific but actually throughout the four corners. we have some monsoonal/uemoistu. we're not expecting to get any of that for this week but high

pressure. a lot of dry sinking air and it will create this conveyor belt. as we've been mentioning the last couple days, some warm weather to northern california. primarily starting as we head into thursday. for friday, for saturday, maybe even lingering into sunday. and also for monday. so here's what we have on tap for wednesday. we'll have some 60s and a few 70s near the coastline. 80s and 90s inland. i think by thursday, when it starts to get hot and hazy, that is when the temperatures will likely go up into some low 100s. as we head into wednesday, we won't go quite that hot for the south bay. we'll get into the low to mid 90s for morgan hill and gilroy. it may likely feel like 100 degrees down here in walnut creek with 94. danville also 94. and livermore at 95. tomorrow will be that transitional day. if we get just a light onshore wind, some of the number may be a little bit cooler. nonetheless, still just

continuing to warm here as we head through the week. 91 in santa rosa. also, 89 in napa. we'll go for mid 70s in san francisco. london olympics right here on nbc in case haven't heard and throughout wednesday, we have a few showers and a linger in the forecast. impacting the beach volleyball events quite a bit. the athletes complaining about hard packed sand. temperatures in the low 70s. here's the thing. for any outdoor competition, we'll have some of the best weather as we head into friday and saturday. upper 70s, possibly even some low 80s coming our way as the competition starts to wind down. and speaking of competition, there is something you're really going to want to tune in for. not only tonight but tomorrow. where in women's beem beach volleyball, two women's teams could go head to head for the gold. this would be the first time, not only in the past couple olympic game but in history two usa teams would match up. the potential match-up, walsh/treanor versus kessy/ross. you can see we're going for the

gold when it comes to sunshine. thursday, friday, take a deep breath there. we've got some hot weather. saturday and sunday. upper 90s to low 100s. by monday, tuesday, we'll see the numbers decrease. i would think by friday and saturday, the pollen will increase. it will be uncomfortable out there. if you have respiratory problems, friday and saturday, not good for you. and the ozone, 7:30 p.m. we'll take one. tae kwon do. and we'll take you a little bit more behind the scenes as well throughout the olympics. there's just so much stuff going on. >> great pieces. thank you. >> do you have a question? >> and the road to london for one bay area athlete took a big detour. alyssa montano was considered a shoe-in for the beijing games but a serious injury side lined her. >> while some doctors told her she would never compete in an

elite level again, she was ready to prove them wrong. raj mathai continues our coverage from london and he has her story. >> reporter: good evening from london. one of the best story lines from our bay area olympians is the flower. she is easy to spot. all the way from berkeley to london. and if she win a pleddal, no doubt she'll have the flower in her hair up on the podium. welcome to her office. plenty of space and fresh air. a chance to get a leg up on the competition. cal grad is all business. it is her full-time job, after all. a job she's been training for well before she started smashing track and field records at cal. her path to success started in elementary school. 11 years old when her coaches noticed her natural gift for the 800 meters. >> i think my first time out, i ran 224. this it'sinto junior high school. >> while she takes her olympic training very seriously, she

doesn't take herself seriously. off the track, she is all smiles. putting her cal degree to good use. >> i studiedfb;cq here at the performing arts so i have a very a and troe verted personality. >> now number four in the world, her coach, tony sandoval, sees her as a top contender for an olympic medal. >> i see four or five people that could win it. and i'll be bold enough to say that i think that alicia should be considered a potential podium and winning person. >> reporter: a bold statement indeed considering in 2008, she broke her foot at the olympic trials. beijing was suddenly out. and some feared her olympic dreams were over for good. >> i had a couple of doctors tell me i would not be able to run at an elite level. i just left them behind and went to the next one. >> reporter: she also found a true partner on and off the

track. her stand coach and husband, lou. >> the thing that he brings to the table, when he comes on to the track, he is not, you know, lovey-dovey husband. he recognizes i'm here for business. the same thing for him. he is like the ultimate support he. >> reporter: they met back in junior high and stayed in touch as friends through college. but a couple years ago, that friendship turned to romance. >> you know, this sport can become very lonely. you get so introverted innñ[ wh you're doing that the ballot other side is really important. lou really brings that balance for me. >> reporter: while she finds balance from her husband, alicia finds strength and beauty in what has now become her signature statement. that flower tucked in her hair. she has been wearing it for years and it all started with the flag football game when she was a kid. >> this guy comes ripping down the field thinking he is going to score a touchdown. coming out of nowhere, this little 11-year-old girl. i come flying at him. i tackled him. i had him on the ground and there was like a daisy in the grass.

and i picked it up and put it in my hair and, you got tackled by a girl. is 26 and ready to compete on the world stage. >> i recognize myself as so much stronger all around. this is my time. >> reporter: she has a great personality. that will do it for now. we'll see you tonight. raj mathai from london. let's turn it over to henry wofrd. alicia runs tomorrow, by the way and i'm sure you've been tackled by lots of girls. >> all the time. i haven't seen anyone run that fast since my kids were running to the dinner table last night but that's another story. straight to sports. exactly five years ago, it was bombs away. barry bonds smacked his home run that moved him one ahead of hank aaron. hard to believe it has been that long ago. the historic home run was against the washington nationals. the ball traveled 435 feet.

hank aaron held that record for 35 years. the giants showed a brief video of hank aaron congratulating bonds for making history. meanwhile, bonds' former team takes the field to face the st. louis cardinals. it was a tough showing last night falling to the cards 8-2. tonight barry zito takes the hill trying to even up the series. the first pitch is at 5:15 on comcast sportsnet bay area. let's rush over to the gridiron. it is expected to go deep into the playoffs. we know they have one of the best defenses but will their offense have their opponents worried? maybe if they have a strong running game. the san francisco offense ranked 26th in the lead. we talk to running backs anthony dixon and kendall hunter today. both back looking for a bigger role this season as they helped frank gore carry the load.

dixon is fighting for his job. >> coaches always preach. that was my first year. the more you can do, the better. the better you'll be for the team. the more value you have. and that was, you know, coming into the camp, you know. of course we drafted la michael. and you can, i didn't just change my position, you know. i wanted to make my value more. i'm just doing extra, you know. doing what i can so i can be on the team. i love being a 49er. >> i had the off-season for the first time. and i was able to get in the play and get with the coaches and ask some questions. and just, you know, everything i had a question about, he can walk me through it. stuff like that. because when i came here last year, it seemed like somebody that threw me in there. it was just stacked up on me. >> one other note.

the a's against the angels tonight.

we've got much more news straight ahead at 5:00 including a new controversial crime fighting tactic. and a pricey proposition in the biggest city. san jose asks voters to hike the sales tax rate and even the mayor says he can't support this proposal. >> and putting it back together. one park ranger's quest to track down all the items that somehow escaped from alcatraz. >> that will do it for us. see you back here in a couple minutes. y.

right now, what went wrong. the community demands answers after a massive fire and one person claim it came too late. >> it feels like a vegas casino. >> a change in the guard in san jose as the city's newest casino opens its doors, bringing jobs and much needed revenue. and the new push to ask for more froin from taxpayers in the south bay. good tuesday evening, everyone. >> the smoke has clear. the questions are just beginning in richmond after that fire at the chef ron refinery. we're also hearing that even if

you don't live near the refinery, you may feel the impact of last night's blaze. gas prices could spike up to 25 cents per gallon in the next few weeks. we begin with the latest on the investigation into what caused that leak. there is a fire still burning at the refinery tonight but it is just cautionary. >> reporter: that's right. fuel is still burning inside ch chevron. it is just the size of a basketball. that is design to release pressure. that fire is being closely monitored tonight. officials from cal osha, contra costa county, and from chevron are onsite trying to figure out what led to last night's massive fire. that as a community demands answers. >> the first picture i captured, it shows the entire thing from the refinery.