tv KTVU Noon News FOX April 18, 2012 12:00pm-12:23pm PDT
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a tough type for people in downtown oakland when the power went out. that includes a a scare for window washers. i'm tori campbell. the power is back on in downtown oakland. the outage which lasted about 45 minutes did cause tense moments. window washers were trapped on a platform near the top of a a building at second and harrison
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streets until the power was restored. they were helped off and were not injured. pg&e says the power outage affected 3800 customers. it was caused by an underground equipment failure just after 10:00 a.m. at third and mlk boulevard. the problem was fixed. all of the power was restored around one hour ago. after a large and public raid on oaksterdam university, we learn you had in plans for the school's future. we're live from oakland to let us know what's going to happen. >> reporter: good afternoon. the man who started oaksterdam university in downtown oakland is deciding he will step down. it stems from that federal raid that happened here 2 1/2 weeks ago. here is still some of the evidence from that raid. agents chopped down these marijuana plants. founder richard lee says he wants to sever ties with the school because of his legal
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issues and the other cannabis businesses that he runs. he said it was not an easy decision. >> yes, it's difficult giving up all that we worked heart to do down here in oakland. part of the battle. i think it's the politics of the issue and that the people who are in favor of cannabis prohibition are fighting back. >> reporter: lee announced today he is retiring from the university turning control of the medical marijuana school over to executive chancellor dale sky jones. this comes after a mass he have raid by the i.r.s. and dea. lee's home was also raided. lee is hoping the school can survive this federal crackdown. today we were given a a tour of the downtown oakland facility where medical marijuana advocates are vowing to keep the doors open at the university.
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>> i feel that we will continue to move forward. it's a shame what they've done to rich. but our leader now has to fall back so we can take care of him and now it's time for his generals to carry on. >> reporter: richard lee says he may be retiring but his work will not stop. he is landing to spend his time supporting the movement toward legalization. i did put in a call and reached a representative with the i.r.s. i asked about an update on this investigation. they say there is no new information to release on any possible charges or the investigation into the university or its founder. we understand classes will continue in this very room and the folks here are encouraging new students to enroll. back to you. the san francisco police department has launched a formal investigation into the bay area's dead least boating accident in years.
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five of the eight crew members on board the yacht slow speed chase never made it back from a weekend race to the farallon islands. the san francisco police department has jurisdiction over the islands because they're considered part of the city and county of san francisco. police have already interviewed two of the three survivors. we have received new photos from the coast guard. they show the yacht stranded on the rocks of the farallon islands. the coast guard has suspended the search and completed its preliminary investigation. it's now up to san francisco police to determine exactly what went wrong. >> our role is to find out if it was mechanical, if it was nature, weather related or if it was human error that caused this tragedy. >> some people are already questioning why the crew decided to continue with the race at least a dozen boats dropped out because of the treacherous conditions.
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you can find more information on our website at ktvu.com including a link to a live webcam at the farallon islands showing the site of the wreck. the search resumed this morning for any sign of missing morgan hill teen teen sierra lamar. there is new information about dna evidence already uncovered. >> reporter: sierra's mother thanked volunteer who turned out to help search for her missing daughter. >> i am so grateful that anybody that takes the time to make it here. >> dozens received assignments at burnett elementary school, 44 of them have been here since the first searches began one month ago. >> i never heard of the lamars before sierra went missing. now they're like family. we need to bring this girl home. >> this woman says she could
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relate to sierra's mother. >> it's important. i have children. i have granddaughters. i would not want this to be one of my own. >> reporter: one of the spot that is volunteers are searching is this area that is near the coyote creek golf course. it's quite steep terrain. they're looking for anything that might belong to a teen, makeup, clothes, and binding material, zip ties, rope and duct tape. meanwhile sheriff's investigators continue to scour nearby waters, this time two reservoirs. we confirmed through sources that dna turned occupy one of the items eats sierra's clothing, cell phone or purse found in the first few days after she vanished. whose dna is the question. >> it would be premature to say they have a person of interest or suspect. we're not there yet. there some information, some leads that does require some
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follow-up. they're hoping that it does rule into something significant. >> reporter: this past month has taken a toll on sierra's mother. >> the familiar sound thawrs used to hearing all the time and i never thought i'd be saying, this but we miss the rap music. really miss her. >> reporter: 15-year-old sierra lamar vanished march 16th after she left to catch the morning school bus. back to you. today defense secretary defense secretary leon panetta apologized for newly published photos showing u.s. troops apparently posing with the bodies of afghan insurgents. the photos were published in the los angeles times. they were reportedly taken in 2010 showing members of the 82nd airborne division. the army said an investigation is underway. the wheat house called the
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photos reprehensible. in napa a high school student's idea to create a monument to local military personnel killed in iraq and afghanistan is getting the green light. after three hours of debate, the napa city council voted to approve the project last night. dozens of veterans turned out to show their support. some people objected to the removal of a fish sculpture on third and main streets to make room for the monument. >> the point of this project is to bring community awareness and have this memorial placed in the most visible spot in the park. to know that i have accomplished that along with raising $12,000 to make this happen, i really cannot ask for any more. >> the high school senior says she has collected enough money to pay for the cost of the veterans monument and to relocate the fish sculpture. today marks the 106th
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anniversary of the big san francisco earthquake. every year on this date a special ceremony was held along market street. we're live with the significance of that location. >> reporter: quake survivors gathered here right after the big quake. you can see what it looked like in 1906. then it was a place to meet up. today it's a place to remember. at the oldest surviving monument in san francisco, lotus fountain, hundreds paused to commemorate the 1906 earthquake and honor a handful of living survivors. first silent, then sirens. the mayor and the fire chief laid a wreetd on the family us fountain, one of a few structures on market street that still stood after the
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massive earthquake. >> our family was scattered to the winds. >> reporter: at 20th and church, native sphsm ans paid tribute to loved ones and painted the so-called magic hydrant. historians say it saved the mission district in days after the quake when fire spread throughout the city. 3,000 people died. this 106-year-old woman is one of four living survivors. >> my life is one of moderation. >> reporter: with more than 70 descendents, hook tells us there is nowhere she'd rather spent the rest of her days. >> it was so full of interesting things to do. >> reporter: mayor ed lee says it's also a reminder that we should all be prepared with our own disaster kit.
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back to you. we have amazing pictures of the aftermath of the great quake on ktvu.com. just within the past hour, oakland police stopped a car and took two men into custody near the colosseum. we don't have any details. this happened on the frontage road on 880. the men are suspects in a series of auto burglaries. the incident was a visual distraction for drivers on the freeway. we have been following efforts to save this whale on the california coast. what's happened today is ahead. steve paulson is up soon talking about beach weather. >> hoping to live the dream, why hundreds of people were lined up at an' arena in the
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cut some of the debris. once it's found they'll attempt a second rescue. the whale appears to be healthy despite the situation. this is the third whale rescue in a month off the orange county coast. the other whales had been tangled in netting. one died. texas authorities say a nurse has admitted she shot a young mother and abducted her newborn son yesterday near houston. the nurse verna mclean is accused of attacking the mother outside a pediatrician's office. witnesses say she shot the woman multiple times and drove away with the three day old baby. he was found safe a few hours later when police tracked the woman to her home. she has been charged with capital murder and is now being held without bond. the giant oil company bp this morning hand add federal judge the details of its plan to settle a class action lawsuit stemming from the 2010 oil spill in the gulf of
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mexico. attorneys for more than 100,000 plaintiffs also joined in the settlement plan. bp says it will pay about $7.8 billion to settle the claims which come from individuals and businesses. the judge has not said when he will decide whether the plan is ok and it does not cover state and federal government claims still pending against bp. the federal ninth circuit court of appeals is scheduled to hear arguments tomorrow in a lawsuit of a college against a power plan being constructed in hayward. cal pine began building will it 2010 after the epa ruled it would not have a significant impact on air quality. the college disagreed and sued in federal court. a lower court refused to throw out the permit. a fire in antioch is under investigation. it started last night around
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9:00 in an apartment building in the 2300 block of sycamore drive. firefighters rescued one person. two people were taken to the hospital. no one was seriously hurt. six of the apartments were damaged by fire. two were damaged by smoke. the cause is being investigated. oscar grant's family has reached a deal with a a hollywood film company to make a movie about the controversial police shooting. octavia spencer won an academy award for best supporting actress in "the help" last year. she's in talks to star as the mother in the film. the move eel cover grant's final hours before a bart police officer shot and killed him at the fruitvale station in 2009. filming begins in july. vallejo residents are hoping the city's mare island will become the home of george
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lucas' new studio production project. they say there is a lot of room for development and many historic building theirs ready for renovation. >> i think it would be an outstanding thing for vallejo if we got the jobs back here and it would bring vallejo back. >> lucas film is looking for a new location after the studio dropped plans to build in marin county. the marin county board of supervisors somebody ready to give up the lucas film studio. yesterday spzors passed a resolution encouraging luke to us build at grady ranch. george lucas was said to be watching meeting veria webcast. the global financial
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services firm btig today held its 10th annual commissions for charity day complete with a full cast of celebrity traders. >> i want to buy 250 shares. >> the list of celebrities included sports and entertainment stars. among them joe morgan, ronnie lott and vitae blue. >> last year we raised $4 million over the ten years that we've done this it's been about $20 million we've donated globally. every year it's gone up. >> btig has been holding this charity day since 2003. our weather is nice, sunny
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but not very warm. 58 in san francisco. mostly sunny. a few high clouds, no 70s yet. it's close. we have a nice westerly breeze 15-20 miles per hour. there are some higher clouds to the north. that's where they're staying. it's sunny now. temperatures are in the 50s and 60s. it's breezy. we'll have mostly sunny conditions, a few high clouds at the north bay. tomorrow more noticeable with the warmth. temperatures in the upper 60s or low 70s. we'll watch this over the next couple of days. i think we'll see some orange which would equal as a, but not until friday. systems continue to move north. some light rain up in crescent
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city. we had morning fog and clouds, lows in the 40s and 50s. everything saying warmer weather is on the way. today is the transition day. tomorrow upper 70s, near 80. low 80s friday and saturday. it's sunny but breezy. windy in the hills and toward the delta. some 70s, a lot of 60s closer to the coast and around the bay. warmest spot antioch and brentwood. tomorrow they'll be warmer. south bay about the same, low 70s. peninsula upper 60s for some, low 70s for others. too much of a westerly breeze for coast to get much warmer than the 60s. warmer thursday. friday and saturday 80s inland, not on the coast. >> thank you. a few thousand people showed up this morning in daly city to register for friday's
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auditions for the fox television program "x factor." >> that's 13-year-old isaiah live outside the cow palace this morning. the show accepts contestants as young as twelve. >> i have been singing since i was really little. i love it. i want to do it for the rest of my life. i think i have a good message for people. >> registration continues through tomorrow at the cow palace with auditions on friday. after the break, today we learned more about facebook's billion dollar deal it buy another bay area company. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving.
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