the investigative unit uncovers safety violations. what's not being done right here in the bay area. and california sues a charity accusing it. squandering millions men for combat veterans. >> good evening, everyone. i'm janelle wang. and i'm jessica aguirre. it is thrilling and ad very mve. how dangerous is it? who is acting as a safety net to make sure every jump is good and every jumper protected? >> lee is here to break down the standards surrounding sky diving and asking who is regulating it? >> it is a good question. according to the faa, 247 people

have died sky diving since 2000. by its own admission, the industry says there is very little regulation and people within the sport we spoke to say it should be that way. >> 17, 18, 19. you're on this next one. >> oh, yeah. up to 10,000 feet. >> it's undeniable. >> it's like a bucket list. >> again! i would do it again right now. >> are you excited to go sky diving? >> i'm real excited. >> this is you. >> yes. >> and that's the lady that jumped with me. >> that's what sky diving was for laverne everett. >> i was in more danger than i thought i was. >> reporter: you may remember her jump. it went viral one year after she almost fell out of her harness in mid air. >> right after that, the phone

started ringing. >> reporter: >> reporter: everett ed the federal aviation administration which regulates the sport only became aware and investigated the close call after seeing her video like everyone else on youtube. >> do you think there should be changes? >> evidently so. >> i think they can do more. >> reporter: the supervisor pushed the fax for tighter safety measures after 54-year-old robert's parachute did not deploy. his body was found more than 24 hours later near the byron airport in contra costa county. because it was not required to check in with anyone once he landed, nobody was looking for him. >> two years after this accident, has anything changed? >> as far as i know, no. silence. >> i was one of the last people to see him. >> reporter: garrett, a sky diving instructor at bay area sky diving says policy did change after the death. jumpers must sign in. but it is not a federal requirement. nor are drop zones, which is

where skydivers land, required to report accidents. fatal one to the faa. >> it is self-regulated. >> reporter: the national transportation safety board also criticized the fax for how it oversees the maintenance, training and inspection of sky diving operations. we did request an interview with the faa. instead, a statement was released in part saying, it has extensive regulations and guidance to protect the safety of skydivers, pilots and passengers in other aircraft. and takes the ntsb's investigation very seriously. >> there is no other national sky diving organization in the u.s. >> reporter: most accidents are reported to the united states  parachute association, not to the faa. the executive director ed scott says nearly all drop zones in the u.s. are members of the nonprofit. >> we're depending on the skydiver communicate or even the public at large to let us know if they see problems. and it does work.

>> reporter: when we asked for the statistic on nonfatal injuries, we were told it is confidential information. how many accidents have happened here? >> i don't keep track of them. there are way too many. >> reporter: faa records show six people died at the lodi parachute center since 1983. two were ruled sue sides. >> the federal aviation administration is investigating the lodi center. >> reporter: according to media reports, since the early '80s, there were at least 12 deaths at the drop zone. >> there isn't a single accident that couldn't have been prevend. >> reporter: the owner said his employees belong to the spca but his drop zone does not and the regulation and training can only do so much. >> make sure the parachutes are correct. they're in date. they've got the right equipment and that's all you can. do. >> reporter: laverne everett who jumped at the lodi center said she understands the risk of sky diving but doesn't plan on

taking the plunge any time soon. >> i feel like i'm doing better just keeping my feet on the ground. >> since 2000, the faa found 80 safety violations relating to sky diving jumps across the country. it found no violations in connection with robert's death and is still investigating laverne everett's mid air mishap in lodi. we'll keep you updated. >> thank you. if you have a tip, call us or send an e-mail. just in, millions of dollars men for veterans squandered. that's why state attorney general cam la harris said she is suing california charity health hospitalized veterans. it is accused of mishandling donations and spending money on parks like golf memberships and hefty pensions. the group's founder and former president retired in 2009 with a nearly $2 million pension plan. harris was on cnn tonight.

help hospitalized veteran has reported more than $400 in revenues. the charity watch dog says only 35% of the group's funlds goes toward programs aimed at helping veterans. the industry standard is more like 65%. a man is shot and killed outside the vacaville police department this afternoon. he was reportedly acting bizarrely. when police found the man in the parking lot, they say he pulled out a knife and started threat. that's when an officer opened fire. the incident is now under investigation. >> a mass shooting in a movie theater, a rampage at a sikh temple. both just weeks apart over the summer. the magnitude of those is weighing heavily on school officials and parents as kids head back into very public schools in just a few weeks. the story is new tonight. nbc bay area's george kiriyama is live in san jose. i can only imagine the security must be top of mind. >> reporter: you're right. this is all about peace of mine and the recent shootings have

caused some school districts to look at their own safety policies. as one administrator told me, you can never be too safe or proactive. >> reporter: ben and his 11-year-old son have had conversations about the temple shooting. it is not the easiest thing to talk about. >> you have to be more vigilant today. it is more difficult for the little kids. they don't see the stuff we as adults see. >> reporter: in a few weeks, his son, like many other bay area children, will go back to school. >> you drop the kids off to school, the expectations is that they're in. >> good hands. >> reporter: in the aftermath of the shootings, bay area school districts grg over their procedures. >> the new shootings are a reminder and reinforcement of thing we're always concerned about. other since the columbine shootings. >> reporter: since columbine, they have install video surveillance cameras at every school. the administrators say it is important to know who should or

should not be on campus. >> with the security cameras, we're always making sure that visible i.d. is available for anybody who is out there. and we will get right on anything unusual on anyone who doesn't belong there. >> reporter: the school district has a system of security codes that alerts teachers when something suspicious is going on. lock down drills will be emphasized when school starts. >> parents have to know that the school never lose focus on the safety of their kids and that the education and the safety go hand in hand. >> reporter: that brings some comfort to many parents. >> all the security measures they're taking proactively, i encourage it. >> reporter: on the prevents vention side of things, the recent budget cuts has decimated the number of counsellors across california. they handle about 400 to 500 students each. so administrators will tell that you make it difficult to spend time with students who need the

attention. we're live in san jose tonight. george kiriyama, nbc bay area news. >> that's a lot of kids for one person. thank you. a good friday morning to you from london. it is a great friday morning for a bay area soccer star who helps lead team usa to a gold medal. that story just ahead. we'll also tell you some business headlines. why this cup of starbucks coffee is in the headlines. plus, an apple heist. thieves get away with thousands of apple products. a warning for anyone shopping online. and good evening. i'm jeff ranieri. we did it. we surpassed the 100-degree mark today. 104 in brentwood and 102 in livermore. it will be hot as we get into friday. we'll talk more about spare the air and how long this lasts.

they investigated the bp oil spill in the gulf of mexico. that same team is in richmond and they're going to try get to to the bottom of that chevron refinery fire. the u.s. chemical safety board will inspect the unit of monday's inferno along with state and chevron inspectors. they're to figure out if it is safe to enter and then determine when production might resume. in all, five separate investigations will be done. now because of this fire, analysts say gas prices could reach $4 a gallon this weekend. power down. that urgent appeal being issued to people all across the state with temperatures expected to soar tomorrow. a flex alert will be in alert

through sun. that means you'll be asked to reduce energy use in the peak hours. avoid the clothes drier, the ofb, turn off as many lights as you can. that will prevent electrical reserves from falling to emergency levels on the state's power grid. they are home tonight. mom and baby safe after a harrowing 24 hours. a young mother and her baby kid namd by the same person who was supposed to be protecting them. he is still out there. that's him. 19-year-old marcos hernandez, the woman's boyfriend, kidnapped both at gunpoint after physically assaulting the 17-year-old mom. hernandez described as armed and dangerous and potentially unstable. if you see him, police say stay away and call 911. she was only 16 years old. a brand new mom and working on turning her life around by going back to school. her young life came to a sudden en. at a timiana turner was shot and killed last night. she was out with friends when someone opened fire on a crowd

of people, also injuring a 23-year-old man. turner's family was devastated. >> she had dreamed to get into fashion, to go to college, raise her daughter. but somebody decided to take her life. at 16, and she didn't deserve it. >> turner leaves behind a 9-month-old daughter and meanwhile, they're dealing with the death of her cousin, an aspiring firefighter. splitting money between a stadium and classrooms. tonight the 49ers agree to share millions of dollars. the agreement will settle a lawsuit. in june the county seized the money earmarked for the new stadium. now . >> now to our exclusive coverage of the 2012 london licks. they are the queens of the field

and the pool tonight. both the u.s. women's soccer and water polo team took on gold medals helping the country pass china once again in the overall medal count. >> and raj mathai joins us from london. it is early morning. can you believe it? it is almost over in a couple days. >> reporter: it is like we just got here. we're just getting used to these midnight newscasts. friday morning and the big headlines, internationally and locally, let's start with the times of london. you see the fastest man in the world. this is usain bolt. and cool rungs is the headline. the jamaicans having a grand time. they sweep the 200 meter race in track and field. but locally the big headlines, all about danville. this has been a phenomenal story. we've been following the steffens family for several months. let's start with maggie steffens. was she born with a water polo ball? absolutely. the baby picture of 19-year-old maggie steffens from danville. her parents, big water polo players. a couple weeks ago, the family photo at the house in danville

before they came here to lopped and they're all here cheering on both the steffens girls on team usa. a full circle deal. they end up winning the gold. let's show you what happened in the pool. team usa water polo against spain. and how about this? think if you're the parents. you have daughter jessica steffens with the assist to kid sister maggie steffens. maggie steffens scored five goals in the victory against spain for the gold medal. team usa scored eight goals in all. five goals for magaziny. brenda villa, heather pepri and seidemann all scored. the celebration at the end was classic. team usa led by the steffens sisters beat spain 8-5 for the first ever gold medal in water polo. >> nothing can explain it. i've watched water polo in the olympics since i was little and

it has been my dream. not only have i become an olympian but i'm an olympic champion which is unbelievable. >> congratulations to maggie steffens. she has a busy summer ahead of her. back to the bay area and then in september, she is a freshman at stanford. more local athletes dominating, ending up in gold. this time in women's soccer. are you ready? wembley stadium in london, more than 80,000 fans, which was a record for a soccer match for a woman's soccer match in the united kingdom. and the americans delivered. alex morgan, the former uc berkeley soccer star work the assist of carli lloyd. carli lloyd scored both goals for the americans. they beat japan. some sweet redemption for team usa. if you recall, just last year japan beat the americans in the world cup final. this time in the olympic final, it is team usa. >> it feels so great. we got it back.

we've snatched our dream back and we're so happy right now. we're on top of the world. >> alex morgan snatching the dream back. so very positive day for team usa in terms of water polo and soccer. we also have a business story in london. i'm showing you this cup of starbucks coffee. it is not a shameless plug. it is a way of life here in london. a little insight. it is an amazing assignment to come here to cover the olympics but it is a tiring assignment. 3,000 of us nbc employees are here. approximately 3,000. we're all working 14 to 15-hour days. with that said, let's show you inside our nbc commissary here in our london newsroom. meals are served 24 hours a day. a lot of us are here on different time zones. and in the corner of the nbc commissary is a starbucks. it is exclusively for us. and here's the bottom line. the highest grossing starbucks here in london for this last month is the nbc commissary

starbucks that gives you an indication of how much we rely on the caffeine. thousands of cups per day. a 2-1 ratio. we're outnumbering everywhere else in london. >> we're going through probably 10,000 or 12,000 cups of coffee gourmet coffees a day. it is a lot of coffee. you can have as much as you want all day long. so we go through it more because of that. >> 10,000 couples a day. the highest grossing starbucks in london. leave it to us nbc folks. as we send it back to you. i'm not even a coffee drinker or a tea drinker but every morning i'm starting with this. >> you are addicted. watch out. you lost me when you brought up the free coffee. i've lost all sympathy. >> and the free food and the pancakes. >> i've got to go get breakfast, guys. >> see you later.

the stars of the u.s. women's soccer team. you saw them a little while ago. they are going to be on the "today" show. you'll hear from them starting at 7:00 a.m. those ladies just were awesome. awesome. >> it was so amazing. we're so happy for them. people are happy with the weather. let's check in with jeff ranieri. only a few complaints. here's the hottest in case you missed it. brentwood did top out. we're holding on to a little warmth with warm 70s in livermore. generally a lot of very comfortable temperatures. recoveries, take you out to the hd network. a little fog up against the immediate coastline. as for downtown san francisco, it is all clear. now back on the weather boards. we do have that region of hot high temperature. pick up a little moisture and

also the southern california locations as well. knob for us. we have plenty of hot air getting streamed in across most of the west. here's the thing. and sunday and also monday. we'll see a lot of that hottest air scooting back off to the east. that will gradually give us the cooler weather in the seven-day forecast. for tomorrow, it won't get some major beach weather. we'll find areas of fog. 60s and 70s. for those interior valleys, 90 to low 100s. it looks like unfortunately, if you're sick of the heat. we'll hang on to a few more 100s. we'll begin with mid 50s in the north bay and 57 in san rafael. 62 in san jose and 59 in los gatos. daytime highs, we'll top out slightly cooler for a few of you. 89 in sunnyvale. not too bad with 90. we should try to get out of the triple digit category, at least for parts of the south bay. 99 in gilroy.

topping out in gilroy, 101 in livermore and 100 in antioch. by the bay, 85 in fremont. 73 in san francisco. close to 80 in berkeley and as well in oakland. expecting 79. the olympics are not over. we are thinking about the closing ceremony here on sunday. for tomorrow we have bmx racing. temperatures in the upper 70s. some of the hottest weather of the games as we head into the last few days of competition. a slight chance of a shower on sunday for the competition but not much of a storm. and bmc has not been around too long. the races are short. real short. only 40 seconds as the bmx racer starts on a 26-foot high ramp. we're catapulting through the heat. some low 70s by the coast and

then we see the number taper off for mob, tuesday, wednesday. poor air quality and also allergies. >> spare the air day. try to car pool together. >> a man in drag gets away with cash.

look out for stolen apple products online. thieves broke in just after midnight yesterday and stole about $160,000 worth of ipads, iphones and ipods. police think they will show up on sites like ebay soon. bank robberies can be such a drag. especially if you're this guy. the surveillance pictures are from a bank in the west of stockton. police say the man walked in dressed as a woman around 4:30 this afternoon. even though he really didn't look like a woman. tellter gave him cash after he

handed her a note demanding money. they then saw him walk into a mental health clinic right across the street from the bank. the warriors will see more of dwight howard. details of the star's trade to l.a.

with football on the horizon, we have some news on a blockbuster basketball deal. out of the nba. espn the first to report the trade will be finalized friday morning. it will send dwight howard to the los angeles lakers. according to the report, the 76ers receive andrew bynum and jason richardson. the nuggets get andre iguodala and the magic receive arron afflalo, al harrington and a future first round pick in the deal. cardinals get away. bottom one, two out.

carlos beltran with a two-run home run. the 27th of the year for him. and the cardinals run 2-0. bases loaded for marco scutaro. a line drive to right center. caught by john jay. the giants are within a run. the giants at the plate. hector sanchez strikes out to end the game. the giants lose 3-1. the giants return to action friday to host colorado. that's sports.

that's mars in living color. nasa released the first color pictures from the curiosity rover. this panoramic picture is stitched together from thumb nails taken by curiosity's camera. the rover started its two-year mission on mars on sunday. but it's not all success for nasa. a disappointing day for this experimental crop. it exploded on lift-off during a

test flight. nasa says hardware failed on the morpheus engineers. they said they were ready for this and a second craft is already in the works. it appears the rivalry between cal and stanford stretches all the way to london. both have athletes who have done very well. take a look at the medal down. cal's medal count is at 16. 11 are gold. stanford has 14 overall but one more gol than cal. alea you watch during the olympic late night show coming up right after this newscast. you will want to see how the girl with the flower in her hair does, there she is with that little flower in her hair. love the story about her. how it started. she knocked down a boy and she said and you get knocked down by a girl. >> and tomorrow, january gal will be performing in women's track and field. a lot of gold medals being handed out tomorrow. the weekend is coming.

let's get a preview of what we can expect. >> hot as we head throughout friday. and for saturday and sunday, we'll keep the heat and the coastline, low to mid 70s. as we head throughout monday, tuesday and wednesday, temperatures will be warming. not warming, cooling down. it's 12:35. warm, cool. >> midnight newscasts are finally getting to us. >> we have one more full day for us. we'll be doing our 4:00 newscast, too. we'll be doing special news at 4:00 but complete coverage starting at 4:30 in the bay. >> today in the bay. >> we'll be back at 4:00 tomorrow to see you. hope you join us then.