nbc bay area's marianne favro is here now to tell us how the study was done and what it means to parents. >>> this study looked at twins in california. so researchers were able to look at children that shared the same genes but only one of them developed autism. and that's one reason why scientists say environment both in the womb and after birth play a bigger role in triggering autism. it's a question parents of children often ask -- why does my child have autism. for years scientist thought the answer was only in the genes. but new research at stanford is shedding light on other triggers. >> using state records, scientists here at stanford identified 192 pairs of twins in california where at least one of the children had some form of autism. the children studied were from diverse backgrounds. scientists found that while genes twins share can increase the risk of getting autism, the genes shared in the womb and after birth may increase the risk even more. one author says the research shows both the environment and genetics play an equal role. >> what we think about our study -- it shows

reporting live from san jose, marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> that is very good news. thank you. west nile virus is surfacing again in the bay area. officials in contra costa county say a dead bird found in walnut creek tested positive for the disease. here's the map. it's not far from 680. officials say hot weather and standing water from the rain has caused the mosquito population to spike. they urge residents to drain stagnant water from yards. you can protect yourself from west nile by using insect repellent and avoiding the outdoors around dawn and dusk when mosquitoes tend to be the most active. >> in the quest to build the stadium the 49ers may have scored their biggest victory to this point. the team has sold its luxury boxes for the new stadium, $138 million worth. the new stadium is scheduled to have 165 luxury boxes, up from the current 77 boxes at candlestick park. the money more than doubles the funding committed so far and puts the niners and the city of santa clara about a quarter of the way toward bankrolling this massive project. construction is expect

marianne favro joins us live. this is not good karma for this thief. >> reporter: absolutely not, raj. church service begins here at 7:30 tonight. and members tell me even though they now have no guitars and no keyboard, they still have their voices, and they plan to sing. they call it temble la hermosa, the beautiful church. inside something ugly happened -- >> why us? why they want to do it? >> reporter: what someone did was steal all the instruments from the altar. two electric guitars, a keyboard and drum set. church drummer america saldana is devastated. she's wondering what she'll do when members arrive for services. >> maybe cry. because we don't have nothing. no microphones, no guitars, nothing. >> reporter: someone broke this window inside the church, crawled in, and hauled out the instruments, mics and speakers worth more than $2,000. this isn't the first time the church has been burglarized. six months ago someone broke in and stole an electric piano and a computer. the church has only 36 members. they

i'm marianne favro.'ll have the story coming up. >>> and at 44, she says she is starting to feel her age even though she doesn't take a look. why olympian dara torres is working out harder than ever. you'll hear from her coming up. >>> and good afternoon, i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. numbers going down a little bit more today. right now, 70 in san mateo, 89 in sunnyvale. we'll have a lite patchy fog near the coastline. it's really delicious, mom. it's not too well done? nope. but it is a job well done. what are you reading, sweetie? her diary. when you're done, i'd love some feedback. sure. your mom and i read that thing cover-to-cover. loved it. thanks. would you mind if i cut the lawn this weekend? only if you let me talk to your mother on the phone for hours on end. done. [ male announcer ] u-verse brings peace to the family. at&t u-verse lets you record four shows at once from any room and play them back on any tv. get u-verse tv for only $29 a month for 6 months. in the network, everyone ca

nbc bay area's marianne favro with more on the clinic. >> reporter: hi. well, the stanford headache clinic officially opens tomorrow. but already dozens of patients have signed up for appointment hos hoping for relief. cheryl randolph just can't kick her constant headaches. >> it just throbs all through here. you see kind of sparkly -- you feel bad all over. and you just -- you just want them to go away. i've had them for a lot of years. >> reporter: now she can turn to stanford's new headache clinic for relief. dr. rob cowen is the director. >> it's a complete program. it has nutritional counseling and biofeedback training and physical therapy and psychological counseling, in addition to detox for patients who are overusing medications. >> reporter: an estimated 60 million americans suffer from chronic headaches, a condition that costs the u.s. $30 billion annually in lost productivity. dr. cowen says the new cherie bank will primarily focus on those who suffer migraines. >> patients who have already been to, you know, three or four, seven doctors, and h

nbc bay area's marianne favro tells us more about a winning effort. >> reporter: for years soccer wasc's life. the 19-year-old started playing at age 4 and was about to try out for the uc davis team when a snowboarding accident in tahoe sidelined him, he crashed after attempting a 40-foot jump. >> equal to a 60-mile-an-hour car crash. >> reporter: he was air lifted to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. >> after the surgery was done i couldn't walk. >> reporter: with his parents and friends by his side eric remain eed surprisingly upbeat. >> i still go out all the time. >> everything but his favorite sport. >> i definitely miss playing soccer. >> reporter: inspired by his courage and love of the game his former teammate and opponents are coming together this sunday for a tournament to raise $15,000 for eric's medical bills. they remember what eric gave them on the field. >> eric was an excellent teammate. he was a kid that you always knew you could count on, whether things were going well or thing were going rough. every time he stepped on the field you knew that he was g

reporting live in sunnyvale, marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> it will be cozy in there. >> still ahead tonight, moving on. new reports of a big new purchase by maria shriver in the wake of her separation from arnold schwarzenegger. plus, the former governor gets reacquainted with his once secret son. also tonight, in her own words, for the first time we hear jaycee dugard speak about her kidnapping and imprisonment in a backyard compound in the east bay. >>> plus, when rock 'n' roll turns dangerous. a lawsuit connected to a concert. >> i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. that fog, slow coming but not too much of it. it has knocked temperatures down today. a look at where we are currently. still some of the warmest weather for you in the east bay. we'll talk about the cooling winds and when we'll see big changes for everyone coming up. >>> police say the 20-year-old man shot in the head in pittsburgh last night was not the target of a random act. the man was found along the delta dianza regional trail and then taken to the hospital where he remains on life support. police learne

marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >>> a new app is changing the way bicyclists work out.he map my ride app maps your routes, tracks biking activity and even helps you develop healthy eating activities. i wouldn't check it while i was riding, though, the heart of the program is in its recordkeeping. it uses gps to map the ride, record speed, distance and calories burned. it also works for people to w.h.o. jog. the basic app is free. a deluxe version is available for a small fee. >>> for the first time ever, safeway stores are holding a summer food drive. organizers say there is an increasing need for food for low-income families in the summer months when children don't get fed at school. food banks also report donations drop during the summer months. that's why safeway stores stepped up and are asking their customers to do the same. for $10, you can buy a prefilled grocery bag filled with things like tuna, peanut butter, cereal and other non-perishable items. this is patricia blackwell, she received some of that food at our union city home. she said she and her five childr

marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> both stress the need for people to get involved in alzheimer's clip call trials and the alzheimer's association has a free clinical trial matching service. we'll put that information on our website at nbcbayarea.com. >>> he went from meteorologist today to catering serviceman. bringing us just a slew of yummy things. rob mayeda is in the weather center. you came back with a bounty of yummy food. >> that was from downtown san jose, and we brought the food to the newsroom and it was like dropping food in a fish tank, it was gone in seconds. you can enjoy that all the way through sunday. the weather is going to be fantastic. 63 right you in san jose. san francisco, about 58 degrees. still a sea breeze out there. 61 in oakland. no worries about rain. the jet stream is way off to the north. interestingly enough, we're going to track what's left of tropical storm arlene, which crossed over the eastern coast of mexico. as that moisture reappears in baja, california, there's a slight chance for the southern mountains we might see some of that moisture by

nbc bay area's marianne favro joins us with a look at what you can do. >> reporter: this is great news. ucsf researchers identified seven specific risk factors. the empowering news is these are all things we can do something about. that's offering a lot of hope, especially to those who know alzheimer's runs in their family. molly vanden of walnut creek is only 27, but already she's thinking of ways to prevent alzheimer's disease. that's because her 61-year-old father, mark, was diagnosed with the disease. >> it is a great big risk factor after having one parent diagnosed. >> reporter: which is why she's making change. starting with what she eats. >> i've learned to cook a little bit healthier instead of using butter, use a little oil. broiling instead of frying. >> reporter: she's also exercising more, lifting weights and walking. new research shows it may pay off. u.c. san francisco researcher dr. debra barnes justice released a study identifying these factors -- physical inactivity, depression, smoking, mid-life hypertension, mid-life obesity, low education, and diabetes. >> so the i

marianne favro, nbc area news. >> thank you. a happy homecoming tonight. >>> he comes from a high-profile family in orinda. he was scamming families. the former head of the real estate group pled not guilty. >> carl miller cheated clients out of millions of dollars. nbc bay area's jodi hernandez with the latest developments. >> reporter: it's actually several hundred thousand dollars, but there's a civil case against this man. today a number of carl miller's alleged victims came to court to see for themselves a man they say was living a life of luxury on their dime. the man who once seemed to have it all now faces a stiff potential prison sentence for allegedly stealing from his clients. >> when i first met him, he looked like a choir boy, an innocent guy. >> reporter: kurt i hines and dozens of others trusted carl miller of orinda to put his hard-earned money to work. hines gave the investments will company owner $400,000 with the promise of getting big returns. instead, hines says he got swindled. >> when you put money in some

let's bring in nbc bay area's marianne favro. the progress they're making at stan sanford always inspirinspi. >> reporter: it is. they're the first hospital in the nation to implant a tiny artificial heart in babies. thanks it research done here, that may soon be an option for babies across the country. audrey macivor loves to coo and smile at mom. amazing since the 4-month-old has had a very rough start in life. doctors diagnosed her with heart failure. she needs a donor heart to survive. because she's so young, it could take three to six months before she can get one. while she wants the berlin heart surgically implanted last month is doing the work her heart can't. with every pump, it sends two teaspoons of blood through her tiny body. >> instead of waiting for her transplant in an almost hibernating state, not getting very many calories, lying in bed and having a breathing machine in, she's able to open her eyes, look around, look at her mother's face. >> reporter: mom says that interaction is a gift in itself. >> i'm happy t

marianne favro joins us with some basic rules for waterproofing your entire family. >> reporter: surroundedjestic views, the russian river lures thousands of kayakers, swimmers and waders every summer. but don't let the calm water watol you. the most recent was on the fourth of july, juan leon drowned trying to save his girlfriend who couldn't swim. captain terry churny was searching for his body when he heard a 13-year-old girl scream up river. >> she went under water one time and i was swimming up river to her. when she came back up, i grabbed her. >> reporter: minutes later, deanna rescued another young girl. and then -- >> a little boy started drowning. some people were trying to get to him. we were in the boat, so we got him. >> reporter: of the three kids that nearly drowned here july fourth, two of them could not swim at all and none were wearing a life vest. this sign warms of danger. >> watch your children. all three of the children that we rescued, we never did see their parents, which means no one was really watching. >> reporter: the only thing predictable about the river is it'

we bring in nbc bay area's marianne favro who joins us from palo alto. and i'm guessing here everyone's asking what do we need to do and how do we sign up? what do you have? >> reporter: this is your chance to help if you've always been fascinated by quakes. this is your chance to become a citizen seismologist. all you need is a computer that's on most of the day. kathy parks is about to become a quake capturer. stanford students are installing this matchbox-sized earthquake monitor in her home. the sensor is connected to her computer, and data will be sent directly to the quake capture network based at stanford. >> ideally the system will give people lead time even if it's just a few seconds. the goal is to provide alerts as they're happening. >> narrator: 50 monitors were installed in bay area homes this past weekend. the goal is to install 1,000 monitors by the end of next year. researchers are specifically looking for volunteers here on the peninsula and also on the east bay because they really want to monitor the san andreas fault and hayward fault.

marianne favro with the story. >> reporter: pediatricians and experts i talked to, said this is a planigned to help may do more harm than good. >> you expect kids to grow taller, but kids in california are also growing wider. during the past 30 years, obesity rates in our state have tripled among children. how do we help them? in a commentary in the journal of american medical association, harvard pediatrics professor, dr. ludwig suggests putting extremly obese kids in foster care. those in the body mass index in 99th percentile. an 8-year-old, 50 inches tall who weighs 100 pounds. this pediatrician says it is an attempt to help that comes too late. >> by the time that we are thinking of taking them out of out of hot we missed the boat. when their body mass starts to increase we need to intervene then. it is a sad day when we have to intervene when their body max index is at 99th percentile. >> reporter: this clinical director helps place kids in foster homes. he says removing an obese child from their home could do more harm than good. >> the incidence of child removals, itself, is tr

marianne favro shows us what you can do. >> reporter: molly is changing things up. she's eating healthier, lifting weights and walking more. >> i definitely have started exercising more than when i used to in college. >> reporter: the 27-year-old does sudoku puzzles to stay active. she hopes it will help her reduce her risk of alzheimer's. >> it's obviously a risk factor that i didn't think i would have to worry approximate about. >> reporter: when her dad mark was diagnosed with alzheimer's in his 50s, she realized she's at risk, too. new research just released at the alzheimer's association's international conference in paris shows her efforts may pay off. ucsf researcher released a study identifying these seven risk factors, physical inactivity, depression, snowing, mid life hypertension, mid life obesity and low education and diabetes. dr. barnes says up to half of alzheimer's cases may be attributable to these factors. >> i feel it gives us hope about things to do now to try to prevent the epidemic we see coming our way. >> it's exciting research because it's a