we bring in nbc bay area's jodi hernandez who joins us in martinez where the hunt is on. what are we looking for here and why martinez? >> the hunt is definitely on, raj we caught up with several people today who spent their day on this trail looking for pieces of space rock. it seems that meteor zip over us last night wasn't enough for so some. christina and her daughter spent the hills searching martinez looking for signs of last night's meteorite. >> i don't know if you've ever held one, but it's cool. i would like to hold one again, especially one that's come hurtling out of space. >> reporter: it blazed through the sky over the bay area last night, leaving everyone who saw it in awe. >> it was spectacular. one of the brightest things i've ever seen in the sky. >> it looked like the trajectory was going to take it over toward fairfield. >> we think it may have landed somewhere in the martinez hills. >> reporter: an astronomy teacher speculates the meteorite may have landed near martinez. others say it probably ended up much further north. >> even if the area you think

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez has the details. >> if she's been there, if this is mikayla, it breaks my heart that she's laying in that place for all this time. >> reporter: sharon is operation herself for the possibility her daughter may have been a victim of the so-called speed freak killers. investigators say they're testing a bone fragment pulled from a well back in february, to see if it belongs to the 9-year-old who disappeared from haywa heyward 24 years ago. >> one of the bones in those remains were determined to be belonging to a child. >> reporter: that determination may never have been uncovered if not for the family of 16-year-old joanne hobson whose remains were positively identified after being unearthed from the well. joanne's mom decided to have the bone fragment she was told were her daughters retested by an independent anthropologist who concluded they were co mingled with at least three other people. >> thank god she did that. >> reporter: kathleen galgiani is in close contact with hopkins mother, joanne shelly. >> she saw a backhoe with steel claws pulling the bon

jody hernandez has the details live from castro valley. this is a stunner. >> reporter: it really is, jessica. the victim and her boyfriend not only

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is live in oakland with more on what is being done to provide safety and keep the city's agenda on track. jodi? >> reporter: the city of oakland has seen tempers flaring at recent council meetings. they have taken a number of steps to try to keep things orderly, including bringing in 16 police officers to last night's meeting. but things still got heated. council security isn't just an issue here in oakland. >> we are not leaving here without being dragged out of here. >> reporter: last night's oakland city council meeting once again got heated. city staff closed the gallery and kept people who came to protest on a deadly officer-involved shooting from inside already filled to capacity chambers. >> they were very boisterous, and very negative. you know, yelling and shouting down the council members. because you don't know what could or wouldn't happen given, you know, the nature of the issue that people are there to talk about. >> reporter: council president larry reed says meetings at city hall have been getting increasingly tense. two weeks ago, he was f

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is live in benicia where the cycling community is shaken. jodi? >> reporter: that is right. craig is a regular here at wheels in motion. he and the owner of the bike shop go on weekly group rides together. while they are very aware of the risks of cycling, namely cars, what happened saturday morning is something no one saw coming. >> freak thing. we were going down a hill, and turkeys ran out, and unfortunately, clipped craig. >> reporter: that's how greg andrade describes the cycling accident that left his friend fighting for his life. 51-year-old craig elstons was on a 35-mile group ride through the hills saturday morning when a flock of turkeys ran right into his path. elkins collided with the gobblers going 40 miles an hour. >> what i saw was the birds just scatter. and that's what i saw. and then soon after that, i saw craig down. >> reporter: that area of contra costa county is filled with wild turkeys. we found flocks of them on the side of the road. jeff says he witnessed some bold turkey behavior just last week. >> they stopped motorists

reporting live in alameda, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> what a great move. thank you, jodi. >>> well, basketball on the waterfront. the warriors are giving the public its first look at designs for a proposed san francisco arena. if approved, that arena would be built right here on a 13-acre site at piers 30 and 32, just south of the bay bridge. here are some drawings now. they were revealed today. it shows the arena is pushed back from the embarcadero to maintain views of the bay and the bay bridge. the site will also include seven acres of public space and raised terraces that will cover more than 600 parking spaces. the team says it's working to address neighbors' concerns about traffic and blocked views. >> i think a lot of people who have been concerned that we were going to build disneyland on piers 30-32 will be quite surprised. >> the team plans to present the new designs to community groups during a meeting tomorrow night. the project faces numerous potential hurdles from the city and that state. >>> the city of oakland today passed a milestone no cit

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez was inside of that courtroom when that verdict was announced. jodi, this brings a little bit of closure to this high profile case, doesn't it? >> reporter: it certainly does, raj. and it brings a huge sense of relief to michelle le's family. they sat in the front row, holding hands. and as that verdict was announced, they gasped and began to cry. as they got the outcome they had hoped for. >> i feel like a tremendous burden has been lifted. but we still have to process this. >> reporter: michelle le's loved ones hugged and cried outside the courtroom after a jury found 28-year-old giselle esteban guilty of first-degree murder. esteban nodded her head as if not surprised as the verdict was read. >> we're just happy that justice has finally been served. it felt like yesterday we were going through all of this, and to finally wrap it all up with the right choice is -- is less a burden. >> reporter: the prosecutor argued esteban was jealous over a perceived relationship between her former boyfriend and the 26-year-old nursing student. he played tape

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is live at the coliseum with a preview of tonight's pressure-filled game. jodi? >> reporter: the a's may be down, but fans say they are certainly not out. fans are confident the underdog team can pull off a three-game sweep here at home starting with the win here at the coliseum tonight. now we caught up with the team on the field this afternoon as they warmed up for tonight's big game against the detroit tigers. after losing two games on the road, it is do or die for the a's tonight. but fans say they're not worried. after watching the team come from behind last week, fans say they are certain they can do it again. now the a's have the home field advantage, and fans say they are ready to do their part to help the team score a win. >> we're not scared. down 2-0, we're coming back. we're not even tripping. we're at the house. we've got all the vibes from everyone out here, in there. we got nothing but young cats on this team who are not scared to come play baseball. let's go, right now, a's. >> they swept texas to make it here. and i think they're going to

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez joins us in vallejo this evening. jodi, what do we have tonight? >> reporter: raj, vallejo police say they fully expect to have the fbi and atf help in this investigation. they say evidence that they pulled from mayor osby davis' office has now been sent to an atf lab. meanwhile, the mayor is finally talking about what happened here. mayor osby davis talked to reporters about the arson fire for the first time this morning. he said he does believe the torching was political. while he would not elaborate on who he believes is behind it, he certainly has had plenty of critics through the years. he has most recently taken a lot of heat for a slew of officer-involved shootings. the mayor says whoever is responsible, he is determined not to let this steer him from his profession as a lawyer or from his duties as mayor. >> although i believe that the last criminal act is part of an escalating attempt to intimidate me, let me make it very, very clear. it has failed. i am not now nor will i ever be intimidated by such cowardly acts of vandalism or criminal

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez spoke with the sheriff one-on-one and joins us live from san francisco with the latest. jodi, when does he officially start? >> reporter: well, murkarimi says that's up to interpretation, and it is his interpretation that officially begins right now. that is why murkarimi returned to his offices here at city hall this afternoon to begin the transition of once again taking the helm of the sheriff's department. >> i am anxious, eager, and gratified, and immensely humbled by the last ten months. >> reporter: reinstated sheriff ross murkarimi was all smiles as well-wishers stopped to congratulate him as he made his way back to work. >> it's time to heal. you know, and it's not about win or lose and what side or me being reinstated or not being reinstated. i think it's time to heal. it's really nice that we all rise above i think this experience, which i think has been agonizing for all san francisco. >> reporter: murkarimi took time to talk with nbc bay area before he returned to the office. he says he is exhausted but ready to get back to the business of bei

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez has more on the suspects and the alleged murder plot. >> barbara was one of the most special people that i ever met. and she was always, always there for anyone that needed her. and she was very loving. >> reporter: friends and family of 58-year-old barbar latiolais can't believe someone the castro valley woman and her boyfriend trusted and tried to help is one of the teenagers accused of killing her. >> there is some absolute evil out there. and these two are evil to do something like this. >> reporter: investigators announced this morning they arrested 18-year-old cody nicosia and a 16-year-old boy who was distantly related to the victim's boyfriend, a young man who did yard work for the couple and who latiolais's boyfriend tried to mentor. thinking woman is in the sanctity of her own home. she is violated by a person that she knows, she trusts, about these two men, young men commit an absolutely despicable act to murder her, and then to return hours later to set her body on fire. it's just a despicable act. >> reporter: investigators say the teenagers k

jodi hernandez is also there, outside of city hall. i know you spent time with steven's parents. they must be so proud today, but also proud of his accomplishments. >> they certainly are. the memorial is taking place inside city hall. stevens' sisters and his brother are sharing memories of their childhood, growing up with christopher stevens. his sister remembered him as clever and witty, someone who is always dedicated to his family. she esaid no matter where he travelled in the world, he would always come home. tonight his friends and family must say goodbye. >> his commitment in being the ambassador to an area of our world that is in such turmoil was a huge, huge high calling for him. >> i know we have lost a hero, but we need to celebrate that life. >> reporter: and that's the aim of this afternoon's memorial service for ambassador chris stevens. mayor ed lee says there is not a more appropriate place to pay tribute to the slain u.s. ambassador to libya than san francisco's city hall. >> he was in fact a bay area uc berkeley grad, a hastings grad, one that really spent his p

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez joins us this evening in concord. not much of a choice for most of us, jodi. we rely on our cars. but when will these prices come down? >> reporter: that's anyone's guess. some actually think the prices may go up even more. rotten robbie here in concord had to raise their prices 24 cents in just a day, according to the owner. that is the biggest one-day jump they have ever had to make. and if you think the prices you see right here are bad, compared to other gas stations in the bay area, this may actually be a bargain. call it sticker shock. gas prices acrosshe bay area have reached near record highs. in some places, breaking the $5 mark. >> it's going to be $6 soon at the rate this is going. people can't afford, that even if you're wealthy. >> reporter: aaa's says pump prices in the bay area are the highest in the state. they say pipeline problems and refinery outages, including reduced capacity at chevron's richmond plant following the recent fire there have caused prices to soar. >> all of that put together has crea

jodi hernandez joins us in concord and do i dare ask what happens in the next 24 hours?> reporter: i don't want to know. i checked at the gas station leaving folks with a serious taste of sticker shock. the price went up 24 cents in just a day. the price is even steeper at other bay area goes station. so fueling up has people fired up. >> i remember, used to be 2 1/2, 3 dollars, like today it's a whole paycheck. >> with gas prices now near the $5 mark, its tough to make your dollars go far. >> near record highs, some stations have hiked prices 24 cents in just today. causing a lot of pain at the pump. especially people that have ard economic times. >> aaa says the bay area's prices are the highest in the nation. they say pipeline problems and refinery outages including reduced capacity at the richmond plant after the recent fire have caused prices to sore. all of that put together has created the perfect storm and has driven prices up significantly. because there is a perceived reality there is a shortage of fast 0 lean. it's the tightening of supplies. means tightening

nbc bay ea's jodi hernandez has the new details and joins us from oakland this evening. jodi? >> reporter: the le family has been through such an excruciating ordeal that began when the nursing student disappeared last year. today after months filled with court appearances, testimony and finally deliberation, they got a verdict that could put le's killer behind bars for the rest of her life. >> you never know what's going on in the jury's mind. we were just hoping and praying they made the right call. >> reporter: michelle le's family got the verdict they'd hoped for as the jury found 28-year-old giselle esteban guilty of first-degree murder for the may 2011 killing of the nursing student. >> we're just happy that justice has finally been served. it felt like yesterday when we were going through all of this, to finally wrap it all up with the right choice, it lifts a burden. >> reporter: le's family held hands and cried as the verdict was read. while esteban nodded her head as if not surprised by the jury's decision. her attorney never denied esteban killed le but argued it wa

reporting live in vallejo, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. let's take you to santa rosa. arson investigators are hard at work. the first fire started just before 10:00 last night at st. rose church on 10th street. minutes later fire crews were called to church of incarnation and then a third call came in about a fire at an engineering company on third street called carlie macy engineering. all fires were quickly put out and damage is minimal. investigators believe the fires are connected. right now there's no evidence the fires are hate crimes but at this point nothing is being ruled out. so far obviously no arrests have been made. >>> it is october first and blazing hot outside. a fall heat wave continues to grip the bay area. let's bring in our chief meteorologist jeff ranieri in the nbc bay area weather center. super hot today. >> feeling more like july here across a lot of the bay area. good enough for a record in santa rosa. 103 in gilroy. walnut creek, 102. san francisco, 92 degrees. sweltering for city standards. upper 80s in the south

in the east bay, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> while most counties require postage, san francisco voters don't need a stamp at all. election workers urge that you put it in the mail by tomorrow to make sure it gets in on time. >>> still ahead, some schools overlooking a federal law that protects students. the investigative unit exposes a breakdown in that system. >>> a potential early treatment for autism. that's next. ah. fire bad! just have to fire roast these tomatoes. do you churn your own butter what? too? this is going to give you a head start on your dinner. that seems easier sure does who are you? [ female announcer ] new progresso recipe starters. five delicious cooking sauces you combine with fresh ingredients to make amazing home-cooked meals. ♪ ambiance [ female announcer ] new progresso recipe starters. your head-start to home cooked. >>> in health matters tonight, many cancer patients feel sick long after they're cured from their disease. at least a third of cancer survivors continue to suffer physical and mental problems long after the treatments end. those who surv

our jodi hernandez joins us with their emotional request. jodi. >> reporter: raj, this family is in so much pain. it's a case that's really rattled the entire community. police officers here say it's a case that they take home with them every day. and now there's a new push under way to catch the killers. >> screaming and crying, begging. >> reporter: 17-year-old ashley johnson describes her emotions on learning her brother and his pregnant fiancee had been shot and killed. 31-year-old deshaun jones, a warehouse worker for coca-cola and his 28-year-old fiancee, ashley mills, a college student who went six months pregnant with twins were gunned down in their vallejo home last month. >> i lost my son. it's like a lost a branch from part of my tree. i lost him. his fiancee. their unborn twins. grand babies. >> reporter: the couple's heartbroken family members gathered this morning to plea for help in finding their loved ones' killers. police have announced a $10,000 reward in the case. >> they have to be taught. they have to be found. and punish

reporting live in livermore, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> fascinating. thank you very much. >>> the san matteo county coroner will perform an autopsy on a popular union city high school teacher to try and figure out how he died. the body of 54-year-old christopher ryan was found late yesterday at the bottom of a ravine near the crystal springs reservoir. ryan taught english and social sciences at james high school and had been doing so since 1994. his sister reported him missing on tuesday. his car was found abandoned near the reservoir on wednesday. at the high school today grief counselors were on hand to talk to students and fellow staff members. >>> it is a bad number with 2 1/2 months left in the year and san jose now on pace to set a dubious new record -- 37 homicides so far in 2012 edging dangerously close to the city's all time high of 39. the homicide 37 took place this morning in north san jose in a heavily industrial area by the 880/101 interchange along the 1700 block of rogers avenue. as of 2:00 a.m. a man was gunned down outside a vietnames

reporting live in oakland, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> okay. thank you, jodi. not since 2003 have both bay area major league teams been in the playoffs. the giants kick off their postseason run at home on saturday. who they will go up against is still in play. >>> new details on a story we brought you at 5:00. is it dirty politics? serious accusations are circulating in san jose. all of this after a 95-year-old woman is attacked in her own home. nbc bay area's stephanie chuang joins us with the latest. stephan stephanie. >> reporter: picking a lock, breaking down a back door, the home invasion reported monday morning is part of a growing trend in san jose. burglaries are up in two parts of willow glen and 45% up citywide. >> we're down 340 officers and we're down gang enforcement teams, burglaries are up 150% in areas of evergreen. >> reporter: james gonzalez says the last straw came in june when the city council rejected adding six officers to the burglary investigation unit. even a councilman says the city hasn't made public safety its top priority. >> i thin

just takes time. >> reporter: jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >>> san jose's tech museum welcomesibit this morning. myth busters exhibit opens at 10:00. it includes several myths that you can test out yourself. "myth buster" carrie sat down with scott this week to talk about how they come up with their ideas. >> there is such a wealth of myths to pull from because we have the internet, which is full of misinformation and we have all of history to pull from. we are doing myths from 400 bc. >> you can watch the full interview with carrie coming up tomorrow on "press here" right after "meet the press." >>> coming up, the boss goes to bat for the president. how bruce springsteen is getting involved in the race for the white house. >>> this week's vice presidential debate still has people talking mostly about the behavior of the two candidates. vice president joe biden came out aggressive attacking the republican ticket using the word malarkey and laughing, scoffing and interrupting and even flailing his arms at his gop opponent paul ryan. before the debate was even over, a twitter acc

reporting live, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thanks, jodi. just down the street from the intercontinental hotel is the bill graham auditorium where the president's next event will take place. >> that's with a we fine jean elle. notable names getting ready to take the stage. not only the stage, but the kitchen, correct? >> reporter: that's right. along with the celebrities here, helping the president out, raising some money, security here is tight at civic center plaza. it's shut down to cars. but there are lots of people wandering around here, hoping for a chance to see president barack obama. not all of them are supporters. a group of protesters just marched into the plaza, protesting everything from the federal crackdown on medical marijuana to the wars in afghanistan and iraq. there are also thousands of people here who paid anywhere from $100 to $20,000 for, excuse me, a chance to see the president. some lined up for hours, hoping to get as close as possible to mr. obama at the fundraiser. the president will first be meeting with a group

jodi hernandez takes us on a meteor hunt. >> i look, whether or not i find it and get to keep, it's still the adventure of finding it, and the adventure of learning about it. >> raymond spent the afternoon scouring the hills of martinez, looking for signs of last night's meteorite. he found a pile of rocks that piqued his interest. not exactly an extra treterrest jackpot. everyone who saw it was left in awe. >> it was spectacular. one of the brightest things i've ever seen in the sky. >> it looked like the trajectory was going to take it over toward fairfield. >> we think it may have landed in the martinez hills. >> the space center astronomy teacher speculates the meteorite may have landed near martinez. others say it probably ended up much further north. >> even if the area you think it fell in was just a few miles across, that's a lot of terrain to cover to look for something that might be that big. >> that's not stopping meteorite hunters from trying. christina wilcox and her daughter lily, didn't find remnants from outer space today, they'll be back on the trail tomorrow. >> we're go

reporting live in castro valley, i'm jody hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> new tonight at 6:00, a vallejo man is behind bars for a series of arson, including one that injured a law office. they linked mod love to a jun fire at the mortuary and church fire in july and september fire at the office of mayor davis. firefighters extinguished those flames within minutes. a search of court records shows the suspect and mayor davis might have been acquainted. a plaintiff by the name of mod love is having filed a case against davis in small claims court in 2005. that was two years before davis became mayor. details on the case or who won that case were not available. the police say the investigation is not yet finished. >> the man a former yahoo! executive living with his wife and kids in san francisco's valley and year ago moved to new york and just last night they were shattered aeldly by their own nanny. the krims moved to the bay area before going to manhattan and took a job at ccnbc, they found the children dead in a bathtub. the family's 50-year-old nanny was lying nearby with a knife by her

reporting live in oakland, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. a san jose man who reported his girlfriend suicide a year ago is tonight under arrest, now suspected of killing her. police arrested anthony almager on homicide charges. p he called 911 last steept report that andrea committed suicide. investigators initially gathered evidence at the scene they say linked him to the death. an award is offered for additional tips leading to the conviction in the case. if you have information you are urged to call the homicide unit. police made an arrest in the death of a man whose body was found in the front yard of a home this morning. investigators say they got a call reporting a disturbance. when they arrived they found him in the yard. emergency crews confirmed he was dead. so far no details on the circumstances and police are not releasing the name of either the suspect or the victim. >> the california real estate market is looking healthier this quarter with the number of foreclosures way down. data quick reports the number of homes entering fore

reporting live in san francisco, i'm jodi hernandez, "nbc bay area news." >>> in other news tonight, alameda county fire officials are investigating the cause of a four-alarm fire that destroyed several businesses at an east bay strip mall. it happened at the alvarado shopping center. one firefighter cut his hand fighting this fire. he was taken to a hospital, treated and released. this heat was so intense and the smoke so thick that 50 people in an apartment behind the mall were evacuated. one man we spoke with was inside one of the businesses when the fire started. >> then all of a sudden i smelled like a smoke, so i thought is that something is wrong with what i'm doing. i'm tipping my -- the smell is very severe, so i tried to look around. then when i go out, i see the smoke on the ceiling. >> the fire destroyed about nine business and took out a churnk f the roof. >>> aa lightning strike could be the cause of this large fire in richmond early this morning. it happened at an industrial area just after 2:00 a.m. a pallet manufacturing plant caught fire. two acres of wood pallets b

nbc bay area's jody hernandez has details on this unprecedented development. >> reporter: civil rights attorneys say they do not take this move lightly. late today they filed this motion in federal court asking a judge to place the oakland police department under federal receivership. as you mentioned, t a moit is a that is unprecedented but necessary because of what they call the oakland police department's chronic failure to make reforms. >> the recent uptick in murders where this city tragically experienced five murders in just an 18-hour period cannot be allowed to continue and will not be tolerated. >> reporter: tough talk from oakland's police chief as crime spikes and the department comes under fire by a federal monitor yet again. in back-to-back reports, the monitor criticized the department's handling of officer-involved shootings and of occupy oakland demonstrations. putting the chief in defensive mode. >> we have the fourth most dangerous city in america. these are challenges that my officers face every single day. we're not making up any of this stuff, the fact -- reality o