just think that we had a section of los angeles county. over a third of a million citizens without adequate hospital care. when i transferred in m.l.k. more use of. true hospital was the e.r. facility it was a hospital it was a trauma hospital trauma it was open which was actually a pretty state of the art trauma and. i believe we were saying to in fifty. maybe even closer to fifty five fifty seven thousand a year in the main department a lot of times we would get the diabetic and coma who knew something was wrong but didn't have the means to go to the doctor's office. again that goes to the problem . that there were no primary care facilities in that area. a few years ago the county lost interest had a lot of clinics are open where people could go walk in off the street and see clinics where the county had a few bad budget years a few years ago they closed those clinics private clinics are going to open up and take under insured or patients who can't pay. and you don't have papers yes you have papers just permission how is your sugar leve

the body of whitney houston now moved to the los angeles county morgue. was found yesterday in a beverly hills hotel room just hours before she was expected to attend a huge party ahead of the world's largest awards show. just 48 years old. reports paramedics discovered had her lifeless body in a bathtub and tmz reports prescription bottles in the room at the beverly hilton shall no word how that will figure into the investigation, thursday night houston attended a rehearsal for the grammy awards and witnesses at that party claiming she appeared disheveled, but singer who appeared with her at a club said she was happy. whitney on thursday night was one of the girls. of course, houston's past trouble well-known she admitted to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills and going to rehab more than once before telling oprah winfrey in 2010 she was finally drug-free. houston sometimes volatile marriage to singer bobby brown had been splashed on the tabloids and they divorced in 2007. from all accounts she started to bounce back and her mentor, clive davis, was hol

department and fire department and their own courts and their own das that are all part of los angeles countyght now even amongst the people and i have been talking to people within the county they don't necessarily know who is taking charge at this point. but the one thing that they all agree with is that this is a 48-year-old woman who is dead who is not, you know -- has not died of obviously natural causes. there is the question of whether it was, you know, is there foul play is, there drugs. all these questions. all the things law enforcement are asking themselves right now. >> harris: robin, i'm joined on set by dr. mark siegel who is a physician and dr. michael badden who is a forensic pathologist. i believe dr. siegel has a question for you. >> robin, we were talking, dr. baden and i were talking about whether there would be value if the coroner had been able to get involved in this earlier and do you think there will be an autopsy tomorrow morning in this case? >> there should be an autopsy tomorrow morning. you and i both know what should and what actually happens are two different t

department and fire department and their own courts and their own das that are all part of los angeles countyght now even amongst the people and i have been talking to people within the county they don't necessarily know who is taking charge at this point. but the one thing that they all agree with is that this is a 48-year-old woman who is dead who is not, you know -- has not died of obviously natural causes. there is the question of whether it was, you know, is there foul play is, there drugs. all these questions. all the things law enforcement are asking themselves right now. >> harris: robin, i'm joined on set by dr. mark siegel who is a physician and dr. michael badden who is a forensic pathologist. i believe dr. siegel has a question for you. >> robin, we were talking, dr. baden and i were talking about whether there would be value if the coroner had been able to get involved in this earlier and do you think there will be an autopsy tomorrow morning in this case? >> there should be an autopsy tomorrow morning. you and i both know what should and what actually happens are two different t

houston's body is in the los angeles county morgue waiting an autopsy. the beverly hills police say they will release information on their investigation tomorrow. >>> we have a team of correspondents following this story. casey wian covering the police investigation and entertainment reporter kareen wynter covering the reaction from the music industry and the mood thus far at the grammys and deb feyerick in new jersey getting reaction in whitney's hometown of newark. we'll get to all of them. let's begin with casey wian in los angeles. what is the latest on this investigation? >> well, fredricka, as you can imagine beverly hills police are being careful about what they say less than 24 hours after the death of singer whitney houston. what we do know is beverly hills police department received a 911 call yesterday afternoon, 3:55 p.m., responded to the beverly hilton hotel, excuse me, 3:43 p.m. the call came in. responded to the beverly hilton hotel. already on the scene were the fire department and hotel security. they found whitney houston there unrespo

yesterday we told you about a ban on playing football on beaches in los angeles county. look it looks like that is not the case. now it turns out los angeles county already had an ordnance that banned footballs and frizz bees from beaches but it was never enforced. the vote this week revised the law to allow year round ball play on all beaches with permission pam of the life guard. >> you and i were talking about that. i thought it was going to be tough to enforce. >>> coming up. a peninsula teacher accused of physically abusing special needs students. now several other school employees are on the focus of the investigation. >>> enough is enough. the reason two hotels could be forced to shut down. >>> in an early morning fire sent flames sweeping 30-40 feet in the air. i will tell you what helped firefighters knock it down very quickly. >> the opening bell is about to ring. we are looking live at the new york stock exchange. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. (woman) the fund-r

he had been living here at silverado, a high-end assisted living facility in los angeles county.ording to his death certificate, he stopped breathing, his heart failed-- natural causes. no one reported anything was amiss. >> it's kind of an honor system. i would love to have the staff available to respond to every nursing home death. they're fraught with potential misses. but if anything was to go wrong in those facilities, unless somebody says something, there's a good chance that the case will pass through the system without ever being seen by the coroner. >> bergman: mr. kittower was buried, but the next day, his family received a phone call. the anonymous caller claimed that mr. kittower had been beaten by a caregiver at silverado, and the beating resulted in his death. the only way to know if that was true was to exhume the body and perform an autopsy. >> they found a myriad of injuries. they found bruising on his face, on his chest, bruising on his arms. we actually brought in an expert radiologist, as well, who consults with the coroner's office. there were 28 separate rib

her body reportedly left los angeles county coroner's office where we are and is currently in tote toos angeles airport to be flown back east by private jet. >>shepard: we will not know an official cause until the toxicology results are back but a preliminary cause of death is possible. >>casey: the official cause of the death comes up to eight weeks after the toxicology reports but a preliminary cause is reached based on the autopsy findings. she was discovered in her hotel room bat tub. and drowning has not been ruled out. the preliminary result could come this week. listen. >> we probably will not have any updates for anyone for a couple of days. it will take that long just to gather and put everything together and figure out, maybe, a preliminary, but, at this point we have no other information to give. >> the coroner adding that the prescription medication found inside her hotel room was "not unusual." >>shepard: thank you, casey. the original word we got, the initial word we got was she might have taken xanax and fallen asleep in the bathtub. we have in way of knowing if that is

the los angeles county coroner's office is trying to downplay that drugs played a major role in the singer's death. she died saturday. she was 40 pence to two high school students are recovering after a third student attacked them with a hammer. -- according to police, the suspect and all the victims have a history of fighting. while gay marriage supporters rallied for legislation here in maryland, same-sex couples and washington state have the right to marry. the governor signed legislation legalizing same-sex marriages yesterday. the law will take effect in june but opponents are working to overturn it. the governor told the mayor's supporters she believes that washington's voters will keep the law if it comes down to a public vote. still to come, don't you have a special someone this valentine's day? no worries. baltimore ranks high on a list for singles. if you are looking for that last minute valentine's gift, hear what women really want from the men themselves. >> if you are heading out for valentine's day, take a look at the forecast. -- if you're looking for that last minute valentin

you ♪ will always love >> regarding her death investigation, the los angeles county coroner confirmso nbc news that prescription pill bottles were found in her room, but it could be six to eight weeks to determine the cause of death. >> the person could have suffered a heart attack or embolism or something. no matter what medications they are taking, we're not going to speculate. >> condolences continue to pour in from all over the world, including one from nelson mandela. >> it is a tragedy. we are at a loss for words. >> she had the gift of wanting to live, wanting to sing. that light has been taken out. >> the corner is expected to release her body to her family so they can make arrangements for her funeral service. >> as you heard, the los angeles coroner says it will take weeks to determine how the singer and actress whitney houston died. the legendary star died over the weekend. her body was found inside a hotel bathtub. we are told there were no signs of trauma. a woman living in baltimore is remembering her job but growing up with whitney houston -- her childhood growing up w

. >>> in southern california, the los angeles county sheriff's department confirms that a second teacher from a south los angeles elementary school has been arrested. few other details about this morning's arrest have been released. it comes days after another miramonte elementary school teacher was charged with photographing children for sexual thrills. >>> thousands on the verge of losing their homes and they're hoping the help they need will be found in daly city this week. gil diaz is live at the cow palace where a nonprofit group is promising to lower mortgage payments. he has more. >> reporter: the last time the event was in san francisco, it was october 2009 although it made a pit stop in san jose last july. over 3500 people have already signed up for had event. they are hoping the long wait and for some the long drive was worth it. >> so i don't trust my bank. but i don't want to default and, you know, damage my credit. >> reporter: it's the same sentiments heard round cow palace. homeowners hoping for a miracle that one of these counselors can save them by adjusting their mortga

. >> every gang in los angeles county ends up coming here. and we just don't have enough places to segregate everybody and keep them from assaulting each other. and if you get one group that has superior numbers over the other and something sparks off a fight, it's going to be on. >> officials at the los angeles county jail told us racially segregated gangs are responsible for most of the violence including riots, like this one captured on surveillance tape. but we met one inmate who blames the problem on the system. >> i never wanted to get involved in racial problems. when i went to prison, i didn't hate blacks. i didn't hate mexicans. i didn't hate indians. i didn't hate anybody like that. but when you go to these prisons and by the time you do ten years like me, if you're even halfway sane, it's a miracle. >> vanjlis garafolo was awaiting trial for the attempted murder of five police officers while on parole for an earlier conviction of voluntary manslaughter. >> the date i met vanjlis garafolo it was like meeting hannibal lecter with sha

los angeles county coroner subpoenaed medical and pharmacy records from houston's doctors. that is a standard in most death investigations. abc's 2020 will air a two-hour special called "one moment in time "friday night at 9:00. >> moving on, hottest ticket in sports now is the bay area's own jeremy lin. he seemed to come out of no wr. from their perspective, it's true but not to those who knew him around here. and this is the best. >> this is exciting here, jeremy lin led the team to a 32-1 record and a state championship title. before jeremy lin helped the knicks win six straight games including this shot last night with half a second to play, he was putting a ball through this net. >> i know he came out of nowhere to us, it's no surprise. he was a star to us from the time he was a freshman. >> as a viking is he part of the school's hall of fame. a you tube clip of the 2006 championship captures the excitement. >> it's the best feeling and a dream come true. >> the athletic director says there is no accident. >> any time he'd be in the gym working out. he didn't just bask

. >> reporter: los angeles county has seeked her medical records. houston was found dead in a beverly hill's hotel saturday and the -- she did visit an ear, nose and throat specialist. she struggles with addiction in former years. >> promoters, even the fans have to demand that artist take care of themselves. >> reporter: a private funeral will be held saturday in houston's home state of new jersey. pastor and singer marvin will deliver the ulogy. >> she wore fame and was wonderful in it but she was always that little girl from new jersey. >> reporter: he says the family is finding peace in their faith. >> progress is slow for people in south west baltimore who still do not have gas or hot water. crews are working around the clock to fix a gas line that break yesterday. workers still have to turn off the gas in about 300 homes before they can inspect their gas connection. they hope to have the problem fixed by friday night. washington d.c. admits they're at fault in the most deadliest crash in history. the train slammed into a stopped train in 2009.

the los angeles county coroner's office has issued subpoenas seeking her medical records. investigators are contacting her pharmacies, and as many of her doctors as possible to determine whether she was filling multiple prescriptions. medication was found in her room, but the coroner says it was all in her name, and the amount is less than was usually seen in overdose cases. she visited an ear, nose, and throat specialist four-days before her death. her history with addiction cast a shadow had he ever her record in several years. >> record companies have to say, you want to be successful, you want to be in this business, and even promoters and the fans have to demand that artists take care of themselves. >> reporter: a private funeral will be held saturday in new jersey. >> if you scratch the surface, it didn't take you long to find out that she was still that little girl from new jersey. and she wore fame and she was wonderful in it. but she was always that little girl from new jersey. >> reporter: he says that this time, the family is finding solace in their faith. >>> c

houston's body is in the los angeles county morgue waiting for an autopsy that is expected to be conducted some time today. the beverly hills police say they will release information on their vebts investigation as early as tomorrow. we have a team of correspondents following this developing story. casey wian is covering the police investigation and entertainment reporter kareen wynter is covering the reaction from the music industry and the mood at the grammys today and tonight and deb feyerick in new jersey getting reaction in whitney's hometown. careen, to you first, there's been a lot of discussion about a real change to the grammy awards tonight. the tone, the tenor will be a lot more subdued. >> a lot of presenters, a lot of nominees, anyone really, fred, hitting that stage, this night will not be about them. they're going to be focusing on the great whitney houston, probably making some off the cuff, you know, just remarks about her life and reflecting on that. i wanted to let you know that we received -- actually it's a statement sent to "people" magazine working to confirm that by

. >>> the los angeles county coroner said it could be weeks before they determine the cause of whitneyouston's death. she was found dead in the hotel room of her beverly hilton hotel room. pathologist completed an autopsy on her over the weekend. they have found a number of bottles of prescription drugs in her room. but nothing illegal. >> we are not going to comment any specifics about miss houston. the condition of her body, the condition of the room, or anything we may or may not have found in the course of our investigation. >> the coroners office has careered houston's body for release to her family. but it's waiting there pending funeral arrangements. >> jennifer hudson performed houston's signature ward at last nights grammy award ceremony. grammy's host ll cool j offered a prayer. >> we thank you for sharing our sister whitney us. today our thoughts are with her mother, her daughter, and all of her loved ones. and although she has gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit. >> producer said a full blown attribute was not possible because

. >> reporter: earlier sunday, the los angeles county reporter told reporters an autopsy had been done. but it's far too early to tell what may have caused the singer's death. >> i know there were reports that she maybe drowned. did she overdose? we won't make a final determination until all the tests are in. >> he said it will likely take six to eight weeks before toxicology reports are back. criminal intent seems to be ruled out. whitney's daughter, bobby christina was rushed to the hospital monday morning. her father, singer bobby brown, cut short his concert tour in the middle east and arrived to los angeles sunday night. it took the coroner's office three months to release the cause of death in michael jackson's case. it could be a while before we hear anything definitive on whitney houston. >> thanks so much. >>> as for the actual grammy awards, it was a huge night for adele. we'll have that, as well as more on the tributes to whitney houston later on the show. >>> first, on the campaign trail, mitt romney scored symbolic wins. and the straw poll. recording the straw poll win, ri

. >> reporter: the los angeles county coroner tells abc news the pills found in houston's hotel roomere at the beverly hilton were ordinary compared to other high profile cases. diana avellar, abc news, beverly hills. >>> students at an east bay high school are peeved over a growing bathroom battle. according to a report, the principal at mount diablo high in concord locked all but one boys and one girls bathroom to fight a continuing graffiti problem. the school has 14 -- 1400 students. they've -- the principal unlocked a second set of bathrooms last week but that is not enough to come lie with state law. schools are required to have at least one urinal per 30 boys and one toilet for 45 girls. amnesty international group has launched an online campaign demanding that all restrooms be reopened. >>> we are getting a little relief from the dry winter we've been getting. >>> we have a form of winter with those gusty winds and cool conditions even snow down to 3,000 feet on mount hamilton. we'll see how long this progressive pattern will last. we have a couple more chances of rain in you

the los angeles county coroner's office confirmed bottles of prescription pills have been found in the hotel room and that they are looking into all possibilities that could have led to her death. >> she could have suffered a heart attack or something, and no matter what medications they are taking, until we run a test on a level to see what was in the system, we are not going to speculate. >> toxicology reports could take up to six weeks to be completed. other factors like drowning it will be looked into. the police department said her body was found to merge in a bag of a one of the staff. >> -- was found submerged in the bathtub by one of her staff. they are planning major events to pay tribute to the hometown girl. a public memorial is expected to draw thousands of family, friends, and fans, including the mayor of the christian baptist church. by citing not just the city, but across the country -- >> i think not just the city but across the world she is going to be honored. >> including a commemoration a short distance away at the apollo theater, where fans continue to celebrate wh

. >> reporter: earlier sunday, the los angeles county coroner told reporters an autopsy had been donebut it's far too early to tell what may have caused the si singer's death. >> i know there was reports she was maybe drowned or did she overdose. we won't make a final determination until all the tests are in. >> reporter: he said it will likely take six to eight weeks before toxicology reports are back. criminal intent, however, appears to be ruled out. meanwhile, houston's daughter was rushed to a hospital earlier sunday morning. sources say she was treated for anxiety. her father, singer bobby brown, cut short his concert tour in the midwest and arrived in los angeles sunday night. it's six to it eight weeks for the toxicology report, but it could be up to three months before the public hears anything about the cause of death if this is anything like the michael jackson death investigation. lynn, back to you. >> jinah, thanks so much. as for the grammy awards, it was a huge night for the english r&b sensation adele. we'll have much more on that as well as more tributes to withny hou

. >> reporter: the los angeles county coroner's office issued subpoenas seeking her medical records. investigators are also contacting her pharmacies and as many of her doctors as possible to determine whether she was filling multiple prescriptions. houston was found dead in a beverly hills hotel saturday. medication was found in her room, but the coroner says it was all in her name and the amount was less than is usually seen in overdose cases. she did visit an ear, nose and throat specialist known for treating sings are just four days before her -- singers just four days before her death. houston's addiction struggles cast a shadow over her career in recent years. a friend and fellow performer says more should be done in these cases. >> record companies and promoters and even the fans have to demand that artists take care of themselves. >> reporter: a private funeral will be held saturday in houston's homestate of new jersey. pastor and gospel singer marvin winen, a close spiritual advisor to the family will deliver the eulogy. >>> a change is in the wind tonight down at the world

of lewd behavior with young students. 61-year-old mark burnt is facing charges now inside of los angeles county courtroom. teacher allegedly took photos of blindfolded and gagged students with cockroaches on their face and worse. before he was arrested last month he is charged with abusing 23 children between 2005 and 2011. >>> nothing short of a baffling mix-up here. now prompting a public safety alert as police search for a domestic violence suspect mistakenly released after a psychiatric evaluation. jose hernandez arrested saturday at his ex-girlfriend's home after he slashed his own throat and tried to stab himself during a confrontation with police. taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation but afterwards he was accidentally set free. police right now looking for hernandez and say he should have stitches and bandages all around his neck. >>> the berkeley police department under fire for not doing enough to protect a man who was beaten to death in front of his wife. the 67-year-old man died saturday, allegedly attacked by 23-year-old daniel jordan dewitt. the victim called the police n

los angeles cou >>> welcome back, 4:41. a death certificate has been filed for whitney houston with the los angeles county department of health. it says that the possible singer will be buried in westfield, new jersey, at the cemetery where her father was laid to rest in 2003. the document lists the manner of death as pending investigation with the immediate cause of death listed as deferred. investigators are waiting for toxicology test results which could still take a few weeks. there are no plans for a public memorial but her funeral will be live online. the saturday service in new jersey is invitation-only at the request of the family. fans though have been placing flowers just outside new hope baptist church, where houston sang when she was a child. >>> 4:42 now. the house and senate could vote tomorrow to extend the payroll tax cut to the end of the year. negotiators sealing an agreement on capitol hill. it will save the average worker $20 a week. it stops cuts in medicare reimbursements to doctors. >>> two republican front- runners will be campaigning for president today in michigan. mitt romney expected to get the gov

meanwhile in los angeles county authorities say houston was under water and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a bathtub saturday in a beverly hills hotel room. they said she had prescription drugs in her room but not an unusually large amount. coroners investigators say the cause of death will be determined when the toxicology results return in a few weeks. >> when we find out, we will be in contact with beverly hills pd. but first, we'll also be in contact with the family and give them our findings. >> two anonymous sources telling the "associated press" a funeral is planned for friday at newark's reduction prudential center, the home for the new jersey devils. >>> meanwhile, fans in southern california continue to pay tribute to houston. last night's candlelight vigil at l.a.'s leimert part evolved into a celebration of her music. >>> the fate of a bay area healthcare facility will be decided today. the burlingame long-term care facility is seismically unsafe and no locker up to code according to the county health system. if it's closed as many as 200 jobs will be lost a