hi, welcome to assignment 7. today on our program, every penny counts. new school now opened in afghanistan thanks to a penny collection had a started in the bay area and debris and chemicals in san francisco bay, why we are responsible for it. also a look at the historic homes in the bay area that you can buy, rent or take a tour of, but let's begin with the high spee rail project in california. critics are trying to put the brakes on it. heather ishimaru has more on a man in charge of the project and the challenges he faces. >> reporter: california voters prastd a $10 billion bond for

high speed rail, but at a current price tag of $43 billion we'll ne more than that bond. >> today, i am more confident than ever that this project can and will be built. >> the hig speed rail authority ceo told san jose business leaders thatunding is the single biggest obstacle but he expectthe money will come from two main sources, private sector and the federal government. he says there is momentum in washington to provide about $1.5 billion a year over ten years and there is the idea for an infrasucture bank. >> which is another possibility to make a development bank which has not yet taken off, but which would fund the project of this nature. >> and other things to overcome are peninsul cities that are unhappy with the pla >> how do you separate those trains from those cars going at

120 miles an hour? do you raise the train 30 to 40 feet in th air and create a scar down the community? no. >> and they wi use caltrain right of way butt's too narrow instead of 60 feet instead of the 80. >> there are sections that are narrower and we are loing at options going partially into a tunnel to not have an impact on the property adjacent. >> the most important part is the high speed stf and board they have to listen a little more. pay atttion to what the community is saying. >> van art says construction needs to start in 2012. >> a one of a kind procedure pioneed by a bay area surgeon is changing itself life of a boy from mexico born without ears. >> good to see you.

>> reporter: these gold medals are valued posssion, a victory of national competition, medal he wants to give to his doctor. >> he is like gold to me. >> he was born without ears or ear canals but his middle ear bones are intact. >> somewhere in development when the ears developed and the ear canal starts to open it stops. >> typically requires several surgeries to correct but a plastic surgeon have pioneered a way to perform mulple operations the same day, about ten hours in surgery, worki together to create a new ear canal. >> so this will tn and rest of the ear will be here and the opening will be here. >> it's somethg they have dreamed of.

>> it's a miracle for me. it's been 12 years, even with newly reconstructed either might bring him discomfo. >> they say if i get biby a mosquito my ear wi swell up. i have been nervous but am callbecause i'm in good hands with dr. report son. >> early in the morning, first they begin construction of the outer era d then they create an ear canal and eardrum while the doctor continues his sculpting of the ear. seven surgeries in one day. four weeks later, diego is ready to have the packing remove, a chance to hear for the time. >> for him, it's a huge change, but what we'll see over the next

several weeks that will continue to improve and come up to a better level. >> h has another favor to ask. >> it's my other operations. >> he plans to be back at christmastime for his left ear and he will hear the roar of the crowd at his gymnastics competition. >> two wom have returned from afghanistan after deliring on a promise. they used the pennies raised by children in this country to build a new school for girls. cheryl jnings has the remarkable story. >> these young afghan boys are at the opening ceremony of a brand-new high schl for their sisters in a province in afghanistan. it's high in the mountains at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet. these pictures are from roots of

peace. this is the only high school for girls here. it was paid for with pennies raised by children from the san francisco bay area and around the world. they joined the roots of peace children's pennies campaign co-hosted by two peopl from san rafael. >> i was approached by the first and only woman governor of afghanistan. >> she promised to build a schoolere. heidi and their daughter risked thei lives to attend the school's dedication this fall. >> ty know we are there. >> they were joined at dedication by her husband. he was there inspecting agricultural programs led by roots of peace. the students receid brand-new computers donated by a company in dubai. they also returned to the very first school buy by the roots of

peace pennies campaign back in 2006. there, they delivered more brand-new computers. >> we believe through education and agriculture this country will be lifted up. >> they dedicated a new computer lab, walt disney's daughter to largest private donations to remove land mines. >> kylie was the first to visit there when she saw children studying under a tend in the hot sun. she promised to get a scol built. the children are immensely grateful. >> chery jennings, "abc 7

news". up next, 7 on your side, how your wireless printer may be giving away secrets. >> ihink it can move. sure, it's just not easy. >> the bay area company where making coffee spans generation, why it may be traded for baseball. ♪ [ fele announcer ] with cable's bundle choices, ere's not much to see. th at&t u-verse tv, you can record up to four shows at once on a single dvr. hey. yeah. ony way home. [ female aouncer ] you can even choose wireless voice service. can't do that with cable. now you have your choice of offers. call today to get u-verstv and internet plus choose home phone or wireless voe service starting at $99 a month. or choe to get $300 back via promotion cards with other qualifying bundles. bundle the services that fit your life. with u-verse tv, record and play back your ows

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welcome back to assignment 7.

chances are you have a printer at home to use with your computer but is the printer giving away your secrets? michael finney on the new privacy concern. >> so if i go to google i can find this? >> right. you ca find all of it on google. >> i've done plenty of internet searches but i've never seen anything quite like this. it all starts with your printer scanner. here is be buy display, most of them are wi-fi enabled. it can leave your system open to snoops. >> you click to see if there is anytng there. >> we are looking at a lis of hue elector wi-fi enabled scanners. we click on one and then we click again. if anything is on the scanner w get to see what it is. here a photograph. we are blurring it out. here a document, again we can

read it but we're blurring it so you can't. computer security firm z-scaler figured this out. >> an xp scanner that is connectein the room could be wide open and any document they are pulling out there could be scanned by others. >> reporter: jay is ceo and president and he says companies like hp sh the printers with a default settings that makes it access easy. we asked hp about that and we're told on a secured network the likelihood o a web scan being a security issue is extremely unlikely. properly secured home or business networks will keep documents private, and that is true. but he says not everne as a secured network. >> it's hard to educate masses. you n try to put the burden on a layman, bu it doesn't work.

>> you caning on the internet and click on everything that is on that list, it's kind of scary. >> she works f best buy's geek squad. it's her job to inform consumers the sses and protect them, too. >> i would definitely, but that is huge thing, after looking at that'll let the consumers know and rt of my team. there is new alarming report out there on the health of the san fransco bay and what is in the water. all sorts of chemicals. leigh glaser reports. >> water flows through diamond canyon, down to 580 and 880 and here intthe bay. >> this is where rain water from the creek watershed enters the bay. what is being done to enter the bacon tians high levels of pcp's

and pesticides. >> there is legacy of pcb's but come to the level that make many fish unsafe to eat. >> sto drains and 15 industrial areas around the bay, waterways near richmond and san pablo were found to be heavily polluted. and the creek in san pab le, but they say the communy has tried to help. >> stu that you would see normally floatin around the creek has been cleaned up. >> plastic bags are another polluter. neighbors living next to this creek restored the creek side with nati plants. it will reduce the amount of contaminants dowtream. >> as the water slows down, all the sedime that is carryi will be able to slow down and fall out in suspension and gets

trapped. so all the contaminants that are attached to it are al trapped. >> while water quali in the bay has improved, more needs to be done and they are looking for the public for help. leigh glaser, abc news. >> a change could be coming along the waterfront at jack london square in oakland, it involves coffee andaseball. wayne freedn reports. >> it seems to be in perfect put you'll motion, plow row along third street in oakland, a place of import, expt, traditions and history, but if you read the headlines these days, it may be a neighborhood in atlanta signifies. >> i could not see a ballpark here. >> spon like a man with 85 employees and legions of loyal customers. >> this is not bad. >> peerless coffee is a three

generation coffee business. fill works in the same office next to their wife sonya and the kids work here too, from george and christina and it would please them the immigrant who founded the company back in 1924. >> peerless we wanted to be the best coffee. >> how do say peerless in yugoslavia. >> but it's full of surprises. there is a museum, it's all about coffee and it's company stocked wi items, small and large. >> it's in mint 1922 condition. >> but the coffee museum, there is another one, an active working museum a few feet away. >> just like the rest of this neighborhood, its busy place.

making coffee begins with big bags all around the world. there are sacks and also barrels, this is no fol gergs or starbucks. >> but in the coffee world we are small. >> but the flavor. >> superb. >> it's specialty stuff, chalked full of family secrets. did you know that coffee bea need to cool for two minutes and then sealed in bags. that is why coffee bags have little pressure valves. >> youave to have a way for the gases to leave the packaging otherwise we would have blown up bags everywhere. >> and against this busy backdrop, a looming dilemma, a possible trade for beans for. >> but i think the tradition can

move, sure, it's just not easy. >> when they bui the company they did it generation at a time. living proof in a coffee business, a family that works together stays together but here who knows. wayn freedman, "abc 7 news." >> still ahead, an architectural history lesson. >> and wear and tear, but i kind of like it. >> we'll take you inside some of bay area's historic homes.

>> another bay area is full of houses with past and several are for sale or rent. here is dan ashley with history you can live in. ♪ >> here we are and it is a grand fo zbler this is the mansion in the north berkeley hills. real estate agent is showing us around. >> this is billiard room, gentlemen would share company. >> it was built in 19 by a wealthy landeveloper, it was designed by john hudson thoma >> it has unparalleled beauty and it's unique. >> it can be yours for $6.5 million. the mansion was used for several decades as a young women's

college. a lot of original details are still intact. signature woodwor, beautifully preserved but the house does need serious work, there are three acres that was once a show place garden. >> somebody has the desire, this could be most beautiful place to live. >> if you are looking for something with a lower price tag might consider renting a historic home in the presidio. thiseighborhood was built in the early 1900s for doctors. >> the house was vacant for 30 years now the presidio trucht is refurbishing them for rentals. >> what the historic character, we do that, we need to make it suitable for modern use. >> that means new kitchen and

lighting and wiring but everything else is the same. >> they came back to take a look. they used to live here. >> i was surprised to see this. >> there are three homes and eight duplexes from rents to $5,000 to $10,000 a month. biggestouse is almost 4,000 square feet. they remember it was a lot to clean. >> its a wife killer but that didn't stop me because i loved the house. >> at this open house, some people are looking to rent, some want to step back in time a bit. >> it makes you feel good, presidio trust that restores these buildings and makes them accessible. >> it's not quite easy to get a look at this home. alpine ranch is on more than 300 acres in san mateo county hills.

>> the ranch house was built in 1870 and this was the original parlor and everything was redwood on the property. >> it was built by a lawyer as a wedding gift for a young woman from the paige family but she rejected the proposal and never moved in. it became a cattle ranch and still filled of relics from the past. >> this is the old wedgewood stove that came th the house. >> there are steps worn down by 130 years of family. >> this is the wear and tear but i kind of like it. >> it's not easy to give up history likehis. she had the ranch on the market but the time we got here to see it, she changed her mind >> i just came up here and sat on the porch, listened to the trees and decided, this is my

www.abc7.com. look under the news links on the left side for assignment 7. that is all for this edition of assignment 7. i'm kristen e. thank you much for joining us. we'll see you back here next we'll see you back here next time. honey...? [ mom ] yes. honey, i can't find my intert cord. oh, ll borrow hailey's.

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