garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. >>> the clock is ticking on one of the biggest surf competitions of the year, mavericks. now the ocean has until the end of the month to get it together. mavericks is held off the coast of half moon bay every winter, at least when surf conditions cooperate. the spot is famous for some of the biggest swells in the world, spectacular. this winter, while mother nature has been whipping up some spectacular storms on land, conditions of the sea have been less than ideal for the big wave competition. >>> so let's check in with rob mayeda to see what the weather is doing right now. it was crazy in san francisco most of the morning, rob. >> quite a bit of rain coming down. and we still have heavy rain in a few spots around the bay area. 47 degrees in san jose. that's not too far off from today's high temperature, if you want to call it that. 47, west wind at 10. in oakland, 42 degrees. northwest wind at 7 miles per hour. we should see more of a northwesterly breeze to clear out the skies later tonight. the rain is flying in san francisco, northwest wind at 13

garvin thomas reports.ow many schools are balancing the budgets on the backs of its brightest students. >> raise your hand if you think you can tell me what's going on. >> reporter: she looks like any other student, but she reads at a 12th grade level. and finishes assignments twice as fast as her peers. >> if i tend to overanswer stuff, so like once. she's 500,000. >> it brought diversity in my life, you could say. because i learned about stuff that i actual i would need later in life. >> reporter: it helps keep high-achieving kids motivated. he said, my daughter might get bored. >> the engagement. with others, you can't do as well in a regular classroom. >> reporter: jennifer says funding for gifted programs is being used to balance budgets instead. so in 2009, the state legislature responded to these budget shortfalls by telling districts they could spend this so-called taet goer. >> a legislative analyst's report say that they have taken away gate funds in order to pay for other costs like 25%. san jose

here now, garvin thomas leading our investigation. >> reporter: ending up on the wrong end of the towrarely the start of anything good. but for hundreds, possibly thousands of californians, crossing paths with two hollist hollister-based operations, he and his son, paul. >> kind of a nightmare situation. >> reporter: gonzalez is one of them. he says he never knew he owed. the wult of a -- result of a stolen vehicle they haven't owned in years or at all. >> it was never his in the first place. >> john says when he died, he went after him adding junior in pen to dmv document to try and prove the car was his. >> this guy, only one thing and one thing only, greed. >> reporter: in the end, they no longer even operate d. how many? >> i counted over 2200. >> reporter: greg is being sued by tack. he wouldn't go away. no matter what you showed him. no what what kind of proof. i showed them, and there were hundreds of them. everyone said the same thing. i was never served. i never owned that car. i owned that car sometimes up to eight years before they were sued. >> adler said it was looking to

as garvin thomas reports many schools are balancing the budget on the back of its brightest students. >> raise your hand if you can tell me what you think happened so far or what's going on in egypt. >> 10-year-old tila looks like a fifth-grader but academically she reads at a 12th grade level. >> there is no single figure leading the protest. >> and finishes assignments twice as fast as her peers. >> i tend to overanswer stuff so people like one sentence, i have like three for every question. >> she is one of 500,000 kids in california that have been deemed gifted and participate in a program called gate. >> it brought diversity in my life you could say because i learned about stuff that i think i would need later in life. >> it helps to keep high achieving kids motivated. without it she might get bored. >> the engagement of a big project with other children that are kind of at her level. that's the thing that you can't do as well in a regular classroom. >> unless kids are challenged they won't improve. >> jennifer with the bay citizens says funding for gifted programs is being used

garvin thomas has a warning from one man who was left penniless thanks to a good old sale's pitch and a legal loophole. >> reporter: this fox terrier is back to her old safe but she gave her owner quite a scare a few weeks ago when she ate something to send her to the emergency pet hospital. >> i got hit with a pretty substantial bill. enough to screw me up for the month. >> reporter: he was desperate to find a short-term loan. what he found was rph lender. >> i owned a car outright and thought, easy money. >> reporter: a title loan company. you sign over the title of your car, they loan you the money. >> car title loans are one of the most outrageous examples of predatory lending. >> reporter: title lending should be outlawed this man says in california. in fact, it is already illegal in 32 other states because the lender can charge whatever interest rate they want. >> there's a special loophole in california that exempts loans over $2,500 from most regulation, and car loans are ripping off many with the interest rate. >> reporter: right now the interest rate is 183%, but he planned

here now is nbc's garvin thomas. >> reporter: it's a tragic scene that plays out across the country each year. >> i couldn't believe it. i absolutely could not believe it. especially it hit so close to home. >> reporter: a family of four found dead in their central valley home last month, killed by carbon monoxide. the source, a generator in the garage the family was using to heat their home. >> it's very hazardous. >> reporter: san francisco fire marshal barbara schulteis says this could have been prevented with a simple device. as of january 1st, carbon monoxide detectors are now required in all new homes in california. existing single-family homes need to have them installed by july. it's a concern for sheryl decker. her home's furnace is in a closet in her 3-year-old's bedroom. >> things can happen with furnaces, but that's the construction of the house. and that's the only room that's available for her. >> reporter: she does have a carbon monoxide detector sitting on a shelf outside dalia's door. good? >> mount it and where to place it. >> reporter: but not good enough. she says it

here's nbc's garvin thomas. >> reporter: in a redwood city apartment building, you will find a bedroomct for a 5-year-old boy. there's the spongebob pillowcase, the chest full of toys and shelves stocked with happy family pictures. the only thing missing, though, from this picture is the 5-year-old boy. >> he'll be back. he'll be back. >> reporter: and george is his father. >> it feels like a nightmare. >> reporter: when's the last time you saw him? >> i saw him going on nine months. i saw him may 1st of 2010 when i gave him to his mother to take to greece for a short visit. >> reporter: he says his ex-wife is guilty of an international kidnapping. he has court orders at both the state and federal level saying the boy belongs here with him. the problem is his ex-wife has orders from greek courts saying just the opposite. >> they have a supreme court order from the greek court. >> reporter: we spoke with her from her home in greece. >> supreme. if there is one thing they can agree on, is that trouble in their marriage began in 2005 right around the time the boy was born. he claims aroun

garvin thomas nbc bay area news. >> 183% on that interest rate. he still does not have his car back and he doubts that he'll ever ever see it again. rpm lenders declined to comment for our story. >>> scientists in the silicon valley are closely monitoring a solar flare that has the potential to disrupt power grids, satellites and even your cell phone communication. the largest solar flair in four years erupted on monday. now solar flares happen when magnetic get short circuited. release waves of energy that can disrsot l ofals rt electrical transmission and communication, too. >> billions of tons of material travel away from the sun millions of miles an hour and that can impact the earth and caused electrical disturbances which affect all of our technologies. >> says the worst case more than a trillion dollars in damage could result to our technology infrastructure. that's the worst case. on the bright side if the skies are clear the solar flares can create amazing views of the northern lights. sometimes as far as south florida. >> once again let'

garvin thomas goes deep into the central valley canal where the body of julian catenes was found lastnd what's reportedly being done in egypt to usher in a new government. >>> good morning to you, take a live look from along the embarcadero, blue skies and those pretty little clouds that make for a gorgeous sunrise. it is now 7:30. and you're looking very sunshiny today. >> we're talking about fan fest, we got baseball like weather around the bay area today. one little issue, the gusty winds we'll be watching picking up for the afternoon. we got 50 right now in san franciscas we look at the winds there from san bruno mountain, you can see the camera bouncing around a little bit. a late start starting at 4:00 p.m. today for elevations genera ly above 1,000 feet. you saw the high clouds there and that live picture around san francisco, no rain today, cool start to your morning, but a pretty pleasant finish except for those gusty winds, highs today in the 60s and 70s tomorrow and we get even warmer in a few spots around the bay area. >> by the way, happy weather person's day. >> thank yo

garvin thomas. >>> the window for mavericks opened back in december and closes tomorrow. the third time in five years that the waves haven't measured up. not only will be the cancellation be a disappointment, the local economy won't get that extra boost of extra business. . >>> it was beautiful out there. even though it was still cool. >> no mavericks. weather very unpopular around the bay area. we got the sunshine back. san francisco is 50 degrees. west wind at 10 miles per hour. as you can see in oakland, a little breezy out there this evening. you'll want a jacket. even though you see the sun shining. 54 in san jose. there you see the wind northwest. a bit warmer today despite the chilly start. right now, 57 in gilroy. noticed the winds. a little breezy outside. northwest at 17. san jose, these winds, 10 to 20 miles per hour for the evening and settling off a little bit as we head into tonight the snow pictures this weekend, not much in the way of snow, this is probably the best picture that i have seen so far, you can see the wet flakes coming down. it stayed cold eno

garvin thomas is here with headlines from across the country and around the world. >> the u.s. is moving forward with imposing sanctions on libya in response to moammar gadhafi's deadly treatment of protesters. meanwhile, two and a half days after american evacuees boarded a ferry to leave libya, the weather finally calmed so the crowd could depart for malta. protesters say this home video shows libya's military joining protesters in a convoy as the uprising spread across the country. this chilling home video has surfaced as the earthquake rocks christchurch new zealand. we're also seeing amateur video taken in the moments following the quake. the official number of deaths in earthquake is up to 123 and some 200 people are still missing. in madison, wisconsin today, republican succeeded in ramming a bill through the state assembly curbing collective bargaining rights for state workers. democrats erupted since 15 of them were still waiting to speak on the issue. the vote ended three straight days of punishing debate, but not the monumental protests at the state capital. in the s

our garvin thomas joins us now with some of the answers. garvin?, we're talking in a word about cars. just what was the story with all those cars that pulled up before finding the one they were looking for? if you searched any part of that canal, would you come up with that many? and what about the pollution? the water ends up on the crops that end up on your table. the delta canal is 117 miles long. millions of gallons of water flow flew it every day. the people rely on the canal for drinking water, and thousands of central valley farmers need it to keep their crops alive. all facts you may not have known about the canal, though one fact we do know -- >> the search for a missing 4-year-old boy. >> reporter: -- we learned from watching tv these past few weeks. >> they have pulled out nine cars. >> reporter: the canal is a dumping ground for cars. as divers search for the vehicle they thought would contain giuliani cardenas, they pulled up car after truck after car that didn't. 17 in all. it's a number that surprised many people but not local cops.

garvin thomas will have a lack at that case tonight at 11:00. >>> across the bay in oh laaklan ex-con is in jail after police say he shot two officers inside her patrol car. police say they responded to reports of a man with a weapon near martin luther king jr. way. when the officers arrived 31-year-old bennie raymar tin jr. allegedly began shooting at their cruiser. the officers were not hurt. they called for backup and officers responded setting up a perimeter that closed streets. once in custody investigators say man tear admitted to shooting at the cruiser and another car. another man was allegedly arrested for trying to drive martin away from the scene. martin was released from prison two weeks ago and police say he's associated with a north oakland gang as well. >>> egypt's new vice president met with opposition groups today in an effort to find common ground with protesters. meantime, a large crowd of protesters remain in cairo's central square for the 13th straight day. nbc's richard engel has the latest political developments from cairo. >> reporter: a stunning announcement t

garvin thomas, "today in the east bay." >> the boy's mother says the father is welcome any time in greece supervised visits with the son. the father says he is afraid he'll be arrested on kidnapping charges the minute he steps off the plane. he says he's almost given up on the legal battle hoping political pressure will reunite him with his boy. >>> what's coming up later, we say good morning to laura garcia-cannon. >> good morning everyone. coming up next on today in the bay, shoddy record keeping, pg&e is tracking down missing paperwork. what it could mean for miles of gas line. explosive interview with the new police chief. what he plans to do and how he feels about being the target of controversy. all that and more coming up on "today in the bay." back to you. >> thank you much. one last look at the forecast. >> good morning, scott. we're looking good in terms of our forecast. especially heading into thursday. today, 65 degrees, still about 5 to 10 degrees above average for this time of year. as we head into turs, friday and the weekend, temperatures climb. take a look at the temperat

our garvin thomas investigates. >> reporter: there is barely a mention of it. in the may 20th, 2004, edition of the "san jose mercury news." just two paragraphs about the body of a priest found the day before. little mention because news organizations try not to give too much attention to what appear to be suicides. indeed within a day, the medical examiner confirmed it. father james had jumped to his death from the sixth floor of the garage. >> the bible was found right by that left lamp post. >> reporter: but what took the coroner less than 24 hours to decide is something still questioned. seven years later by the dead man's family. >> you just can't explain, you know, the physical evidence. >> reporter: john is father james's brother. he was a jesuit for more than 37 years, serving more than two decades as a missionary in asia. but in 1995, he suffered a breakdown. brought back to the united states, he was ultimately placed here. the st. bernard jesuit center. normally a home for older or ill or priests in transition, sacred heart housed another group he soo

nbc bay area's garvin thomas investigates. >> reporter: there is barely a mention of it in the sat "san jose mercury news." just two paragraphs about the body of a priest found the day before at the base of san jose's civic center garage. little mention because news organizations try not to give too much attention to what appear to be suicides. indeed within a day, the medical examiner confirmed it. father james chevedden had jumped to his death from the sixth floor of the garage. >> the bible was found right by the left lamp post. >> but what took the coroner less than 24 hours to decide is something still questioned. seven years later. by the dead man's family. >> you just can't explain the physical evidence. >> reporter: john chevedden is his father. he was a jesuit for more than 37 years, serving more than two decades as a missionary in asia. but in 1995, father chevedden suffered a breakdown. brought back to the united states, he was ultimately placed here. the sacred heart jesuit center in los gatos. normally a home for older or ill or priests in transition, sacred heart housed an

well, tonight at 11:00 garvin thomas takes you to a tiny town definitely thinking green. >>> coming up, missing for years. the clue a mother found in her son's closet that could reveal what happened to jeanine harms. >>> and a live look at the golden gate bridge from the north bay. we could get snow this weekend. we'll have live reports from all over the bay area inus t minutes. brent and laura are coming up on the backside of this break. >>> new this morning the state agency investigating a local transit agency over safety concerns. >>> and a live look outside this morning. the south bay, san jose, no snow yet on lower elevations, but we are getting reports of snow in the east bay hills already. we are on storm watch this morning. today is friday, february 25th, "today in the bay." >>> good morning to you. thank you for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm brent cannon. coming up on 5:00, the big story is the strong weather system moving through the bay area right now. we want to get the very latest on this with meteorologist christina loren tracking the storm. we have some

. >> reporter: garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. >> gary scott holland, by the way, is facing chargesnot just murder, but robbery and attempted rape as well. >>>er have zan plans to start selling its highly anticipated iphones in stores this week. the company started taking preorders for the phone last week, and customers can have one in their hands as early as thursday. so how does verizon service stack up to at&t? well, they're actually very similar cost-wise. both charge the same for the phone, $200 and $300. the voice and text plans are also the same. they do offer different data plans. at&t will charge you as low as $15 a month and as much as $45, depending on how much data you use. verizon is offering a flat unlimited $25 plan. at&t has multitasking and says it is working to speed things up as well. the iphones go on sell this thursday. the price tag $200 for the 16 gig version. i'm getting this, okay. and 300 for the 32 gig model. i've got it now. okay. >>> jump houses may be banned from public parks in walnut creek that city is planning to do away with allowing the popular chi

. >> and "today in the bay's" garvin thomas led our investigation into the story.t did you find? >> reporter: well, we found that the father and son team were just owning a truck company, but over the years they found suing people was more lucrative a business than towing them. their names and faces were familiar to folks in santa clara and monterey small claims courts because they were busy filing an unheard of number of cases. just how many cases? >> i counted over 2,200. >> reporter: greg adler was sued by paul grier over a vehicle it didn't own. it was the one lawsuit that proved too many. >> and so i started calling people that i found on the court's website. other defendants that were sued. there were hundreds of them. everyone said the same thing. i was never served, i never owned that car, i owned that car sometimes up to eight years before they were sued. >> reporter: adler took it upon himself to look into what was looking more and more like a scam. he traveled hundreds of miles and spent thousands of unpaid hours copying and analyzing court documents. in