Coming up next on News 8 at 5, the Senate takes up immigration reform, debating a new
bipartisan plan that has the support of the president.
For a while it looked like two wayward humpback whales would make their way to sea, but now
the mother and her calf are going the wrong way again.
And giving your home a green makeover, tips to help create an environmentally friendly
living environment.
Plus a health warning tonight for people to use the widely prescribed diabetes drug of
Andeia.
And we thank you for joining us.
We start tonight with some breaking news.
Deb Hankey live in Chopp, right over the scene of a fire at what appears to be a church in
Mission Valley.
Deb?
Yeah, it's the First United Methodist Church, which is just west of Mission Valley Center
along Camino Del Rio south near Texas Street.
When we got on scene just about five minutes ago, we could see smoke off in the distance,
quite a bit of smoke, but I haven't seen any flames, although the first fire crews that
got on scene did report seeing smoke and flames.
We haven't seen any flames yet, but they've called out at least five fire engines that
we can see.
A large church, a large complex here.
You can see the main building toward the left and then this other building off to the right
side of the screen, and that's where we see the smoke coming from.
So we don't have any other information other than that.
The call came out just a short time ago, and there you can see from one of our sky cams
the smoke in the air.
This is again the First United Methodist Church here in Mission Valley at Camino Del Rio south
where a fire broke out.
Fire crews are on the scene.
We'll continue to stay over this as they fight this fire and hopefully get it under control
quickly.
Alright Deb, thank you.
Well in other news, despite having the support of the White House, the newly proposed immigration
reform plan is anything but a done deal.
Critics of the plan today were quick to denounce key elements, including the part that would
grant legal status to millions of illegal immigrants.
The bill would also toughen border security and create strict workplace enforcement rules,
increasing penalties for employers of illegal immigrants.
News 8's Steve Price is here now with what the lawmakers had to say today.
Steve?
Well, as you can see on the screen, Stan, just late this afternoon the Senate voted
to go ahead and move ahead with a formal debate on a new and very controversial immigration
proposal.
A proposal that's had members of Congress arguing all day.
We all agree, Mr. President, that the current system is broken.
Broken?
But can it be fixed?
Immigration reform is now taking center stage in the Senate, and it's clear the currently
proposed plan is not drawing unanimous support.
Now this amnesty bill is an incredible deal for low-skilled immigrants, our border countries,
and certain special interest groups.
It gives the American people the short end of the stick.
The current deal on the Senate floor gives illegal immigrants already in this country
the opportunity to seek something called a Z visa, which gives immediate work authorization
if they arrive in the U.S. before January 1, 2007.
The head of household would have to return to their home country within eight years,
but would be guaranteed the right to return to the U.S., and applicants would have to
pay a $5,000 penalty.
San Diego Congressman Brian Bilbray doesn't like it.
For God's sakes, don't the first thing you do when your bill is announced to the world
that you're going to reward anybody who comes here illegally.
Guest workers not yet in the country can apply for a Y visa, which would be issued to 400,000
guest workers per year.
Guest workers would enter the U.S. on two-year visas, return home for a year, then reenter
for an additional two years.
The plan's supporters say it may not be perfect, but it's definitely better than what we have
now.
Employers don't know who they can hire and who they can fire.
Produce is dying on the vine because farmers can't find enough workers to harvest the crops.
There are no winners under the current system, only losers.
The plan also calls for tightening border security, adding hundreds of miles of new
fencing and hiring 18,000 new border patrol agents.
The White House was hoping the measure would make its way through the Senate by Memorial
Day, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said today that he would not press his colleagues
because he says there is too much work to do.
One thing you're not hearing people talk about is just how expensive this plan is.
Some people estimate possibly $2.5 trillion just in benefits alone.
There's a lot of paperwork that goes into the immigration process as it is right now,
so you can only imagine if there's a huge influx of applications to be processed.
It's a huge undertaking.
A lot to work out in the Senate, and we still have the House to deal with this, and then
we'll see what happens when the President gets it.
Thanks, Steve.
A memorial at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery remembered space pioneer Wally Chirra.
A full military salute paid tribute to the fifth American in space.
The Rancho Santa Fe resident died more than two weeks ago.
Chirra was the only astronaut to fly in all three of NASA's original manned spaceflight
programs, which paved the way for moon landings.
He could be tough as nails when he had to.
And sometimes he could border on being an en re SOB.
But to everyone here today and the hundreds and the thousands of lives who Wally touched,
he was always just plain fun-loving Wally with a gotcha, with a gotcha for every occasion,
and we've all been gotcha'd by Wally at one time or another.
Chirra's remains were cremated and will be scattered into the ocean.
Coming up at 630, his friends and colleagues remember Chirra as a fine pilot and a witty
jokester.
The DA calls him a bad cop, and the judge who sentenced William Taylor calls his actions
reprehensible.
The former El Cajon police officer will spend five years in prison for using his badge to
extort sexual favors from women he arrested.
Rekha Mudaraj is live in El Cajon with details on his sentencing and why he dropped his bid
for a new trial.
Stan and Barbara Lee, the former El Cajon police officer, decided he didn't want a new
trial.
Instead, he was sentenced to prison.
The sentencing of William Taylor left his family distraught.
Our family lives in a bubble of truth, and we are floating in a sea of lies.
The former El Cajon police officer was accused of using his position of authority to get
women in his custody to perform sex acts.
And the defendant, William Robert Taylor, guilty.
In March, he was convicted on five charges, including petty theft, bribery and sexual
battery.
However, one juror said she didn't agree with the verdict, so Taylor asked for a new
trial.
As we've discussed today, my client has decided to enter a change of plea.
But on Monday morning, Taylor entered another guilty plea to one count of bribery.
His attorney says it was part of a decision to speed up the judicial process.
It was about an agreement being agreeable to both sides.
A judge ended up sentencing the 28-year-old to five years in a state prison.
Because he chose to enter a plea bargain, Taylor also waived his rights to appeal his
sentence.
And given the nature of his case, he will have to register as a sex offender.
Taylor's family and lawyer say Taylor wanted to put the case behind him so he could spend
time with his wife and two young kids.
Prosecutor Robert Kearney says the sentencing means the case will provide closure for everyone
involved.
It provides closure for the victims in this case, the women who testified, so that they
don't have to testify again in a second trial.
It provides closure for the alcohol and police department and all the investigation and work
that they've done in this particular case.
And it provides closure for the district attorney's office and the public in that there will be
no appeal.
This is the sentence.
This case is now over.
And Taylor could have served a maximum sentence of 18 years in prison if he was convicted
of all the charges against him.
But his attorney says he might not even serve the full five years in prison if he earns
points for good behavior.
Stan and Barbara Lee.
Ricky, thank you.
A faulty washing machine is being blamed for a condo fire that sent a woman to the hospital
and displaced three other people.
A sprinkler put out the fire in the 800 block of State Street this morning.
Firefighters say a woman got an electrical shock when she tried to check out the smoke
coming out of the washer.
She is in the hospital with non-light threatening burns to her hands and arms, water damage
to three units is estimated at $15,000.
More San Diegans are realizing the importance of disaster preparedness.
That according to a new county survey.
Fifty percent of residents' questions say they have a disaster plan.
That's compared to just 39 percent nationwide.
Two-thirds say they believe it's likely they will be affected by a major disaster.
Seventy-five percent said they would be able to evacuate their home in 15 minutes.
Back to our top story now.
A fire at a Mission Valley church.
Deb Henke is live in Sharp Raid with the very latest.
Deb, how's it look?
And we do have some new information, Stan and Barbara Lee.
They have gotten this under control.
It took just 12 minutes for San Diego firefighters to knock down this fire at the First United
Methodist Church.
Broke out just before 5 o'clock the main part of the sanctuary, the main floor.
And for those of you who have been inside this church, it's been years ago for me,
but I do recall coming in here once.
It's a huge, huge sanctuary, a beautiful church.
And you don't know if you can quite make out the stairs on either side, but apparently
the fire spread to the upper level and there is a sprinkler system in place.
And so the sprinklers came on.
In fact, last we heard they were trying to turn the sprinklers off, but they've got the
fire taken care of and now it's just a matter of getting the sprinklers off and taking care
of the smoke.
Of course, it's not the type of building that they would climb on top and cut holes
into as they do in many cases with fires.
So they're going to bring some big fans in there and try to air it out.
But certainly there's going to be a fair bit of damage between the sprinklers and the smoke.
This is the latest from the First United Methodist Church and we will send it back to you.
Well the two whales in the Sacramento River have hit a snag on their way back to the Pacific
Ocean.
The mother and calf are now circling near a bridge in Rio Vista.
Sean Stiles reports on the effort to get the pair moving again in the right direction.
It's been just over a week since a female humpback whale and calf made their way up
the Sacramento River.
Since they've traveled some 90 miles.
Even yesterday, after being left alone, the two decided it was time to head back to the
Pacific Ocean.
During their time in the river, the pair have suffered cuts from ships that use the river
and the health of the whales has been a concern.
They're in good shape right now for the migration north where they just need to get out of the
river and out back into the Pacific Ocean.
By this afternoon, they'd made it about a third of the way back and were at the Rio
Vista Bridge.
It was thought the vibration of cars traveling across the bridge might be scaring the whales,
but the traffic was stopped and the bridge was raised.
But after the two went back and forth, it appeared they were just taking a break.
The Department of Fish and Game has also issued a distance restriction 500 yards for boats,
1000 feet and one mile of flight for planes and helicopters.
They've also given the go ahead to tag with a satellite transmitter.
That tag will allow for the potential of relocating the whales if we lose them somehow in the
Delta and it will also provide an opportunity possibly for relocating them and getting another
sighting on the wounds that they experienced and see how those are healing.
If all goes as planned, the whales should be near the Golden Gate Bridge by Thursday
and hopefully continue their migration north.
It's always hard to tell, but I think if they can get out into the Pacific Ocean, they can
get up north, the female can start feeding, so they maintain lactation and the calf can
still continue to nurse.
Should be pretty good.
Now it looks like as of now, the whales have actually started to move back up the river
somewhat, but what the folks at Fish and Game are doing is they're sending pipes down into
the water and banging on those with hammers to transmit some sound into the water.
Hopefully to turn the whales back around, we'll have to wait and see.
The other question is, what made these whales go up this river in the first place?
I'm saying they might have just done it on a fluke.
You never know, but it's an interesting story and we'll continue to follow it.
Thanks Sean.
All right.
Well, drivers may want to pack some extra cash before hitting the road this Memorial
weekend as gas prices hit another record high.
That's coming up.
Also, fire causes heavy damage to historic British Clippers ship under restoration.
And the May Gray really arriving to start the week, but I'll give you the details for
your microclimate forecast for the next seven days.
Coming up.
Coming up next, we're learning of another victim in this weekend shooting rampage in
Idaho.
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An important health alert tonight.
A popular diabetes drug that could increase your risk of a heart attack.
Plus Al Gore brings his global warming message to San Diego.
That's new in our second half hour.
This has always been the latest, the latest.
It's a Nissan Titan.
Say and go, more show.
Whoa, the two and a half minute on CBS Tonight.
The pictures, the stories, your world.
Marberly Edwards, Stan Miller,
meteorologist Matt Bailo,
and sports with Nile Kraska.
This is News 8 at 5.
Former Vice President Al Gore is in San Diego tonight discussing his documentary on global warming and inconvenient truth.
Coming up at 5.30, a live report from UCSD.
This time out, we'll look at your world right now.
Here's Kathleen Bade.
Thanks, Stan.
Another victim tonight in connection with this weekend's shooting rampage in Idaho.
The body of the gunman's wife was found inside her home yesterday morning.
Police say Jason Hamilton shot her in the head before going on a shooting spree outside a courthouse where he killed a police officer.
He then went to a nearby church and shot a church sexton to death before taking his own life.
Tonight, the White House is keeping a close eye on the escalating violence in Lebanon between that country's army and Al Qaeda-inspired militants.
For the past two days now, extremists have been trying to overthrow the government through a series of violent attacks.
President Bush says the militants need to be reigned in to preserve democracy in Lebanon.
In a positive development tonight, representatives of the Palestinian militant group Islam Jihad says
Fatah militants have pledged to cease fire and withdraw from positions facing Lebanese troops.
And in England, plans are already underway to rebuild the historic Qadisarq after a massive fire ripped through the Clipper ship.
The Qadisarq was in the middle of a four-year renovation when the fire broke out this morning.
It is the world's only surviving example of an extreme clipper regarded as the ultimate merchant sailing vessel.
It made only eight voyages to China during the tea trade in the 1800s before new steam-powered ships made it obsolete.
The fire is being called suspicious. And that's what's happening in your world right now.
Now, your exclusive micro-planet weather. Here's meteorologist Matt Bailão.
A lot of cloud cover out there and some mist in some areas.
Yeah, a little bit of drizzle. That's still out there. In fact, in a couple of spots.
I don't know if you remember about five years ago when we had that three and a half week period where it was drizzle every day.
Yes. And 55. I mean, it was cooler than this.
You're not going to say that we're about to go through that again, are you?
No. But I'm going to say it's all right. But I would say it could always be worse.
I mean, it really has been gray today. And this is the kind of May gray that just stays there and nobody got sunshine today.
It's not even up in the higher elevations and up in the mountains. But it could be so much worse.
This is that time of year when we tend to get things like the drizzle and temperatures even cooler than today.
Low to mid fifties. Outside, it hasn't been exactly warm, but it's been cooler on this date.
Right now, temperatures are mostly in the upper fifties inland. We do have some low sixties along the coastline.
We've got a very strong onshore flow today. That's why those clouds have stayed right where they started this morning.
And we've still got some of that patchy drizzle out there right now.
And the difference with that strong onshore flow is that temperatures up in the mountains, a lot colder, 20 to 25 degrees colder than yesterday.
It was 84 in June yesterday. Right now, it's 58 there.
So even up in the higher elevations up in the mountains, a lot cooler than it was yesterday.
Temperatures pretty much cool every place. This is a live picture from our news eight Skycam.
You know, that gray has just been every place and it's still out there right now.
The next one is the temperature downtown. The wind is out of the south at 14. The relative humidity is 72 percent and the barometer is falling.
It reached 29.86. Looking at the forecast maps for today, there's actually a trough of low pressure extending through parts of Nevada.
And behind this trough of low pressure, we have a nice northwesterly flow.
This is the kind of flow that typically tends to dry things out, maybe mixes up the atmosphere a little bit.
So today there was at least the chance for some sunshine as of this morning.
The problem is that we had that very, very strong onshore flow. It's been out there for the past couple of days.
It's still out there right now. And with that strong onshore flow today, really picking up quite a bit.
It's taken all that moisture that's out over the ocean and kept it right up against the mountains.
And in fact, today it's even a little bit further than that up into the higher elevations right around 4000 feet in some spots.
That's why temperatures have been so much cooler. Even up there.
I mean, last week it was in the 70s and 80s up there. That's not the case right now.
And this evening temperatures are going to stay in the 50s there.
We still do have a chance for some patchy drizzle out there.
That drizzle is likely to be sticking around through this evening, probably into the overnight hours as well.
And right now it doesn't look like anything's going to kind of scour everything out of here.
So we're not looking for any big significant warm up, lots more sunshine coming up over the next couple of days.
But there is a brighter, warmer forecast on the way. I know that you'll both be happy about that.
I think a lot of people will be. We'll talk more about that coming up.
People tend to lose energy in this kind of weather, don't you?
That green saps it out of you. You just want to...
I think we're all drinking a little more coffee right now, is what's happening.
That might be part of it.
It's feeling like Seattle.
That might help.
Thanks, Matt.
Well, let's look at Democratic candidates running for president.
Groves by one. We'll have that shortly.
And a warning tonight about the health risk linked to a widely prescribed medication to treat diabetes.
I'm Larry Immel. Coming up, you'll meet a man who's a cook for ooks. That story right here on News 8.
The S&P 500 hits its highest mark in seven years before retreating.
Here are today's closing numbers from Wall Street.
News 8 is brought to you in part by Jerome's Furniture.
Well, another day, another high-speed chase in Los Angeles.
We're going to go up for coverage from our sister station, KCBS, right now.
This has been at times a very, very high-speed chase.
We're going to listen in on their coverage.
But there's a car coming the other way, trying to get in, and pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Look at that. That pedestrian's got to wonder what the heck is going on here as the suspect moves through the intersection.
But back to the tracking boat, the officers on the ground will kill their lights and siren.
So there will be no lights and siren behind the car.
And basically the helicopter keeps the cars on the ground about a block off.
And they go into this tracking boat where they call the car position out to the ground units.
And that way, if the guy does stop, they can move in and only be about a block away.
So sort of a risky proposition in a way in case the suspect decides that he is going to try and get into another car or drive into somebody's home and perhaps get out on foot.
But the LAPD right now in that tracking boat and the suspect now in a lot of traffic.
But you can see that the black and whites really haven't backed off because of the traffic.
He's got nowhere to go. Take him.
Well, apparently this is unusual. The guy is sitting there in his car.
There are three units behind him and they are not making a move. He may be armed.
We don't know that yet. So that may be why they are not approaching because there are other cars.
We're losing this picture from the chopper as they go around the buildings.
We also don't know how this pursuit began, but we do understand that speeds were reaching up to 80 miles an hour at one point.
That's a small Toyota apparently that they're after and that the car was sometimes in the other lane actually going against traffic.
So we have lost our feed from KCBS, our live coverage there.
We're going to continue to follow this though. If we do get the live coverage back, we will bring it to you.
They say this has been one of the more dangerous pursuits they've ever had in Los Angeles.
So you know that's crazy because we've seen some really wacky stuff out of LA.
And when we get this picture back, here it is. Looks like they've let him go again.
You know, their new policy in Los Angeles because they've been sued so many times in these high-speed chases that ended crashes,
is basically to let the cars run out of gas or to stay back far enough during rush hour that they don't put any pedestrians or other cars in danger.
But in doing so, you know what happens. These things tend to play out for about an hour or two hours, and these cars drive all over the city.
And apparently the officers, this is what the chopper pilot is sort of gathering at this time, backing off a little bit when the driver does slow down
because his actions have been so erratic and so dangerous up to this point that they're really dealing with somebody who is very dangerous and unpredictable.
If they can keep this at a slow speed too, then this guy seems to be driving, you know, very slow, very in control at this point,
and they're going to want to keep it this way until they get to a place that's open enough where they can take him out,
put him into a pit maneuver and spin that car out and maybe try to get him stopped. But the chases we've seen lately...
...and continues now. We don't know what the name of the street is, but there is cross traffic. There is traffic coming the other way.
And again, LAPD right in behind this vehicle. Nope, another right turn. Now we're going back westbound, westbound.
87th Street. Right here. We're going to try the pit right here. It looks like the officer is right there up on the vehicle and didn't do it.
But now we continue. We're going to stop right here just in case of the pit maneuver here and see what happens.
There's a lot of trees. I want to make sure that we get a good look at it. And the car continues.
I can tell you officers are now up ahead of the vehicle, but they will not try and block the roadway.
Of course, that would be extremely dangerous for them. So there's the pit right there. The officer makes the pit maneuver, but she doesn't stop.
No, she hits him head on. This could be assault with a deadly weapon.
Officers with their guns drawn ordering her out of the car, but they have not fired their weapons yet.
And so the suspect now hits a vehicle head on and they are now pulling her out of the vehicle.
Looks like some sort of struggle going on. And you can see she is now on the ground behind that bush.
And officers now are turning off the ignition of that car. And now it looks like she is going to be subdued by the officers.
So no idea other than reckless driving as to why she would have taken off the way she did.
And again, officers now we're going to move back around and get you into position to see that she is now in the custody of the LAPD.
And that was a very dangerous thing to do. A lot of times officers will opt to take some sort of deadly force there.
In that case, they did not. They showed restraint. And now you can see this woman is in custody and will be taken by the LAPD.
And as you can see, she put her hands up as they went into the pit maneuver and spun that small car around, which was fairly easy to do with a patrol car.
And we understand that this woman was originally wanted. They tried to pull her over for, coincidentally, reckless driving.
But we still don't know the full story behind this. Another high-speed chase comes to, in this case, a peaceful end up in L.A.
We're going to take a short break. Please stay with us.
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This is News 8 at 5.
An investigation has now went away in Mission Valley after a church caught fire.
It broke out just before 5 o'clock.
The first United Methodist Church in the 2100 block of Camino del Rio South.
Deb Hanke, live in Chomper 8 with more. Deb?
Fire crews now in the clean-up stages.
They got this fire taken care of in just about 12 minutes.
There's a sprinkler system within the church.
The church fire broke out in the main part of the sanctuary, went into the second floor.
The sprinkler system, though, came on and took care of things in a short period of time.
But you can see quite a bit of smoke there for a while.
So they'll be dealing with the smoke damage and, of course, probably some water damage, too, from the sprinklers.
But as far as we know, everyone got out just fine. No injuries that we are aware of.
Now, there is a daycare here at the church.
And so they did evacuate the daycare, and they have evacuated to a parking lot here.
And as we come back live, you can see we've got the daycare people and the kids just probably waiting for rides from mom and dad to come and pick them up.
So that's what it looks like here, the clean-up after a fire at the first United Methodist Church.
We'll send it back to you.
All right. Thanks, Deb.
After making it official in L.A. today, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is running for president.
The Democrat has long been in the mix among a crowded field.
His political experience includes work as a congressman, ambassador, and cabinet member under President Clinton.
If elected, Richardson will be the first Latino president.
His poll numbers have been tracking in the single digits.
Well, he may not be running for president this time around, at least not yet.
But former Vice President Al Gore is drawing a big crowd tonight in San Diego.
He's presenting his Academy Award-winning documentary on global warming at UCSD.
News 8's Phil Blower is live on campus where the former vice president is speaking right now.
Phil?
Stan Barberle, the arena behind me is packed with thousands of people who will hear the former vice president speak about 90 minutes or so.
The question tonight is, will he be staying with his environmental message or will he be talking about future political plans?
America and the world needs his expertise, his experience, his integrity, his vision, and his courage.
And that's perhaps why tickets went so fast for former Vice President Al Gore's infamous multimedia lecture, An Inconvenient Truth at UCSD.
With the first generation of ethanol and biofuels...
Gore will say the world can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue, but rather as the biggest moral challenge facing global civilization.
He'll also speak about the pioneering global warming research conducted by Scripps scientist Charles Keeling
and the role of UCSD founder Roger Revelle in introducing Gore to climate change research when he was at Harvard.
I've seen the movie. It was a big science school. I knew it was Scripps right down here, so it's a really relevant issue.
There's definitely a lot of recycling programs around campus and I just think the environment's getting to be a bigger and bigger topic.
Who knows what he might say. It may not even be on the topic that just may be the catch line. So just have to go find out and see.
Gore's appearance comes a day before his latest book, The Assault on Reason, hits shelves.
It looks back at the last six years, laying out his case as to how the world might look today if the Chads had fallen another way.
The buzz on the book is it's not a book about global warming.
It's a book that is challenging the American people to begin to use their brain power to reason some of the things that are going on today.
And as far as a run for the presidency, the coordinator for San Diegans for Gore in 2008 says keep your eyes open.
I believe he's going to run. I believe he's not going to come in until September, October.
There's a lot of visibility. There's a lot of buzz. There's a lot of expectation that's building about all of this.
Now if you'd like to know more about that political group, which again is San Diegans for Gore in 2008,
you click on our hot button on our website at CBS8.com and we will link you to it.
After he finishes here, Gore heads out on a 12-city book promotion tour.
We'll have much more reaction coming up at 630 for you.
All right, Phil, thank you.
Well, green has become the color of choice for many new homes and it has nothing to do with the paint job.
Brand new houses now include a host of environmentally friendly features.
But what if you've owned your place for a while and still want a green makeover?
Kathleen Bade joins us now with some advice on going green at home in this Consumer Alert. Kathleen?
Well, Barbara Lee and Stan, can your house make you sick? It's a question many of us have pondered.
Some environmental experts actually say it can.
They claim chemicals found mostly in the home can make people ill and they recommend giving your house a green makeover.
But where do you start? We asked a greening specialist to help us with what it takes to go green.
This townhouse in Sorrento Valley looks safe and clean, but there are hidden environmental dangers lurking throughout.
And the home's owner doesn't even realize he's at risk. Fortunately, help is on the way.
If you haven't already heard, green is not just a color, it's a verb.
And we are going to green the home behind me, which belongs to Ron Marcus.
And we've brought in an environmental expert from greenhome.com, Lawrence Comras, to show us how.
Better to throw less things away.
Lawrence Comras is a nationally renowned environmental expert and CEO of greenhome.com, a company that sells environmentally friendly products.
And when greening a home, Lawrence likes to begin in the kitchen.
Kitchen is one of the most problematic spots just because it's where food gets prepared.
And so we use products that have a lot of toxic chemicals in them and then they end up with residues on the countertops and then that ends up in our food.
Under the sink, Lawrence finds a bunch of typical cleaning products.
He says most people have no idea what kind of chemicals are in these containers.
People honestly believe that just because they sell it in stores, it's safe.
When in fact a lot of the products that are on the market for cleaning have never even disclosed the ingredients that are in them.
So let's see what's here.
Okay, so this is Comet. And Comet is a scrubbing cleanser that has bleach in it.
Bleach is chlorine. Chlorine is toxic to anything organic. Unfortunately, we're organic.
Lawrence says hydrogen peroxide is a less toxic alternative to bleach and works just as well.
What is the best way to clean our counters then?
What we recommend instead of the ready-made products is an enzyme-based cleaner.
Enzymes have been used for years to clean up oil spills.
They actually eat the grease instead of just encapsulating it and wiping it away.
Enzymes are living organisms that keep cleaning for as long as they're alive.
The good thing about enzyme-based cleaners is that once you're done, there's no residue that's toxic to your health because all that's left are enzymes.
After Lawrence cleans up the kitchen, it's time to take on the hallway.
I've got these lights here. Do you use a lot of energy?
They're energy hogs. They use 10 times to 100 times the energy that this LED floodlight will use.
This floodlight contains 72 LEDs or light-emitting diodes.
LEDs use a lot less energy than incandescent bulbs and will last for up to 20 years.
And while they cost more than traditional lights, Lawrence says thanks to lower energy bills, you'll pay them off after three years of use.
LED lights are fantastic. They're brand new. They're one of the cool new green technologies we've got.
They work great. They're beautiful, and they last forever.
Compact fluorescents are another popular option for reducing energy consumption.
They use about a quarter of the energy that incandescents use, and they last about four or five times longer.
The problem is they do have mercury in the bulb.
That means by law you have to recycle compact fluorescents at an authorized hazardous waste disposal site.
People spend eight hours a day in the bedroom sleeping, breathing, absorbing everything that's in the air.
Speaking of sleeping, Lawrence says our sheets can be a health risk because of the pesticides used when producing the cotton.
So you're using a pound of pesticides to grow a pound of cotton, and then you want that against your skin?
Also, cotton is sprayed with defoliant in order to make it fall off, and then it's treated with formaldehyde to make it last on the shelves.
He recommends using organically grown cotton sheets instead.
And when it comes to furniture, Lawrence says spend more for the good stuff.
Furniture that's brand new, inexpensive, is probably made with formaldehyde.
And formaldehyde is a strong preservative that's very toxic to humans and off gases for up to a year after you buy it.
Even Ron's candles are a no-no according to Lawrence.
That's because 99 percent of all candles are made from a byproduct of oil and gas called paraffin.
In fact, if you burn more than one candle, it's worse than breathing in the fumes from a diesel truck.
You're kidding me.
No, it's a very dangerous and very under-reported problem in the home.
Rather than burning the midnight oil, Lawrence recommends using natural beeswax candles as an alternative to paraffin.
Ron plans on scrapping his candles and paying more attention to what he brings into his home.
I don't think most of us think or give a second thought to what we're buying when we buy it.
And all of a sudden I'm hyper aware of things in my product that are bad.
A lot to think about. If you would like more tips on greening your home or would like to purchase the products mentioned in the story, you can always visit CBS8.com.
We've put a link to Green Home on our site. Just click on the hot button in the upper left-hand corner.
And by the way, Barbara and Stan, this story could have probably been about two days long.
There are so many new green products coming out all the time and so many things they're discovering about the environment in which we live.
You don't have to run out and do it all at once, right?
Right. Just little bit by little bit. And discovery is a key word because even if you do care and give a second thought to what you buy, we don't get a lot of the information up front.
You're really going to dig.
They're not required to put all those ingredients. Think about that on the labels when you're talking about cleaners.
We're both floored about the candle part alone.
Yeah.
I'm in trouble there. I've been throwing them out. Thanks, Kathleen.
We're also floored about gas prices. They are now higher than ever, even after being adjusted for inflation.
The national average for a gallon of unleaded gasoline is $3.18, according to the Lundberg survey.
The previous record price was $1.35 in 1981, and when inflation is factored in, that works out to $3.15 in current dollars.
Here in San Diego, UCAD reports an average price of $3.44.
We have an important health alert tonight for people suffering from type 2 diabetes.
A new study warns of a health risk related to the widely prescribed medication Avandia.
That's coming up next.
And there are some brighter days on the way.
They'll be this week, too. Your microclimate forecast for the next seven days. That's on the way.
Don't miss Legacy Week aboard the USS Midway, from Discover Tables to matinee movies to Navy ceremonies,
and of course, lots of family activities from May 28 through June 1.
News 8 is brought to you in part by your San Diego County Jeep dealer.
Electronic stability program. Available rear liftgate speakers.
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And with an estimated 30 highway miles per gallon, you'll change the way you think about filling up.
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There is a rhythm of the seasons, so we've developed styles of beer to accompany that.
We brew Oktoberfest, Winter Lager, White Ale, and right now, there's Summer Ale.
Samuel Adams' Summer Ale is a flavorful wheat beer. It has a very nice spice note.
It has little lemon zest and a historic brewing spice called Grains of Paradise.
It's citrusy. Lemon. Flavorful, refreshing. Wow.
I'm not mad. I'm Summer Ale. It's just something about it. It totally reminds me of Summer Ale.
It's a great drink to have on your phone.
Singular's name is now AT&T.
If stormwater pollution was rubber duckies, it wouldn't matter what went down our storm drains.
But it does, because stormwater pollution is not rubber duckies.
It's trash, oil, cigarette butts, and pet waste flowing untreated to the sea.
It's a good thing for all of us, because we all live downstream.
Clean water. It means quality of life.
Think blue, San Diego.
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We have a health alert tonight.
A popular drug used to treat diabetes may raise the risk of heart attacks by as much as 45%.
A new analysis published by the New England Journal of Medicine links the widely prescribed Avandia to greater risk of heart attack and possibly death.
Avandia is used to treat type 2 diabetes.
A spokesperson for the drug's maker, GlaxoSmithKline, says the study is not definitive scientific proof, and the FDA has yet to comment.
Now, your exclusive micro-planet weather. Here's meteorologist Matt Bailo.
More clouds, sun on the way, maybe?
That sounds like a good forecast to me.
We just want some hope here.
You know, there's always room for hope, I think, when it comes to San Diego's weather.
And certainly what we've had out there today, it doesn't get any cloudier than this.
No matter where you live around San Diego County, every micro-climate getting a good overcast, a good bit of the May gray today.
But there are some brighter conditions coming up.
Outside right now, you can get a few glimpses of some brighter skies.
That's a live picture from our News 8 Skycam.
Right now, downtown at 61, that wind has been breezy all day long.
It's out of the south right now at 14, the relative humidity is 72 percent, the barometer at 29.86.
You know, all the storms right now are staying way up to our north.
There's really nothing to scour out this cloud cover.
So your forecast is going to be governed really by that strong onshore flow that we've got outside right now.
That is expected to stick around this evening. That's why we'll still have the clouds.
You'll still have a good chance for some drizzle overnight.
And we'll start with those clouds at least for part of the day tomorrow.
I think there are some brighter conditions coming up, though.
Later on this evening, it won't be any brighter.
We'll have lots of clouds around 10 o'clock or so.
When you go to bed, look for some upper fifties, both inland and at the coastline.
Tomorrow morning, about the time you wake up, look for temperatures to still be in the upper fifties.
With that big cloud deck, there really isn't much variance from high to low during the day.
It just acts like a big blanket, keeping everything in there.
That blanket will be, well, worn away quite a bit by tomorrow right around lunchtime.
Look for a lot more sunshine inland than we had today.
That won't be difficult to do. Any sunshine would be more than we had today.
Temperatures should make it to the upper sixties, maybe low seventies.
There are still some fifties along the coastline in a couple of spots.
And then once again tomorrow evening, those clouds moving back in
as temperatures drop into the low sixties by tomorrow around dinnertime.
Over the next several days, we'll have the chance for some drizzle tomorrow morning.
Otherwise, look for temperatures to be warming up as we get towards Wednesday and Thursday at the coastline.
It'll be in the upper sixties then.
And heading all the way into the upcoming weekend, temperatures are expected to be mainly in the mid to upper sixties,
all the way through Memorial Day, and still no real rain in sight.
Inland microclimate neighborhoods will have one of the coolest days tomorrow with a high of 71.
Then mid to upper seventies as we get into Wednesday and Thursday,
looking ahead towards the next all-important weekend, a little cooler from Memorial Day weekend,
but still lots of sun in the afternoon.
You can always get the latest seven-day microclimate forecast for your neighborhood
and the latest current conditions as well as our daily weather column just by clicking on cbs8.com slash weather.
Okay, we'll take it.
Absolutely, you'll get it.
How much else we can do now?
All right, the Red Sox, the Yankees are battling in New York.
Kyle's up next with the highlights.
Plus, Junior Sao is coming back for another year.
Kyle will tell you where he's going next.
We'll be right back.
Someday, a backyard.
Someday, medical school.
Someday, a home office.
Hi, hon.
Someday, a real vacation.
Today, talk with a Wells Fargo banker and seize yours someday.
Jake's pretty competitive.
I know, I faced him.
See Jake and your Padres take on the Milwaukee Brewers Memorial Day weekend.
On Friday, all fans receive a Padres beanie cap.
On Saturday, come early for action sports day and stay after the game for spectacular family fireworks.
Another one bites the dust.
Today, we've had a national tragedy.
The entire building has just been a fire disaster in San Diego County.
Saddam Hussein was captured.
Hurricane Katrina slammed into Maine.
Communications with Columbia were lost.
News as it happens, AM 600, Kogo.
Let me go slowly now, because maybe they didn't cover this in public school.
I get to make my point, you get to make your point.
You shut up while I'm making mine, I shut up while you're making yours, okay?
AM 600, Kogo, San Diego's News & Talk Station.
It's the way our vehicles come together that sets us apart.
Now during the Chrysler Memorial Day sales event, get 0% financing plus $500 bonus cash.
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I signed up for car insurance on progressive.com.
I save money, which is great, but they also have these local response vehicles.
And if you're in an accident or need an estimate or whatever, a progressive guy will come to you.
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I am a musician who's on the road a lot, so it's pretty cool that they'll come to me
if my van, you know, gets pummeled by adoring fans or if I hit a pole.
Progressive, saving hundreds is just the beginning.
Came out of nowhere.
Closed captioning on News 8 is brought to you by Sleep Train Mattress Centers.
Your ticket to a better night's sleep.
And now, News 8 Sports. Here's Kyle Kraska.
Padre's taking the day off, or what?
Yeah, interleague play over the weekend. That's over with.
Tomorrow they'll host the Cubs to Petco Park. It's always fun.
Unfortunately, there's a lot of Chicago Cubs fans in this town.
Yeah, but that's good. I mean, they're good baseball fans.
They tend to drown out the Padre fans. They're a little louder.
We don't need that.
It makes it fun.
They'll hush up a little bit.
Padre's knocking on the suddenly struggling Dodgers door after taking 2 out of 3 in Seattle over the weekend.
On Sunday, another terrific, if not surprising, effort from starting pitcher Justin Germano,
who, remember, was an emergency call-up when Clay Hensley went down.
Germano, I should say, goes 6 innings, allows just 6 hits,
and has not given up an earned run now in 13 consecutive innings.
Padre's won the game on Sunday 2-1.
They trail the Dodgers down by just one game in the National League West.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox will be here in a month.
Today they're visiting the Yankees in New York.
Tim Whitefield's knuckler not terribly effective early on.
Alex Rodriguez with the bomb.
That gives the Yankees a quick 2-0 lead.
And then in the second, another bad knuckler, Derrick Jeter, takes it down the left side.
That scores another run.
Yankees now out in front by a score of 4-1.
It's still early, though.
Only in the fifth inning we'll have more highlights for you later in the day.
When the Chargers visit the Wigland Patriots in Week 2 of the NFL season,
there will be a familiar face trying to knock down LaDani and Tomlinson.
Former Charger linebacker Junior Sayow signed a one-year contract with the Pats today.
The 12-time Pro Bowler started 10 games for Bill Belichick and company last season before breaking his arm.
But that has now healed, and the Pats think that Junior is still an effective run stopper on first and second downs.
In conjunction with the San Diego Hall of Champions, each and every month we like to honor some local athletes
who are doing excellent things in our community.
We call them our stars of the month.
And this month, among others, we are featuring this young man,
Nelson Rosario of El Camino High School was among the April stars, continues to do great in May.
In fact, he competes in all three jumping events as well as the 400-meter relay.
In this past weekend at the section prelims, he posted a state best in the long jump and a section best in the triple jump.
Next weekend are the sectional finals where he hopes to advance on to the states.
See, at the finals I'm trying to win all three events like I was supposed to last year but had a little breakdown.
I'm trying to win all three of those and then I stay on trying to get on the podium. That's my main goal.
He's really easy to coach because he's so talented.
The problem is he's got too many events to do. If he could concentrate on just one event, he could be a superstar in high jump, triple jump, or long jump.
Nelson is just one of our stars of the month.
Here's a look at the others. Brandy Jones at the bottom of your screen will be playing lacrosse at Maryland next season.
Very impressive. And the other stars you see here including Whitney Sisler of La Costa Canyon.
She owns the state's best high jump this year.
You were just saying how much you enjoy sitting in the high jump.
I just think it's beautiful looking. We were saying really all the track and field events are gorgeous to watch.
No question. Great athletes, all of them. We're happy to do it.
Thanks to the Hall of Champions for helping us out.
Thanks, Kyle.
A microclimate forecast update plus what's ahead at 630 just ahead.
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Don't miss these Memorial Day deals at Smart and Final.
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You slather it on before you head outside, but is your sunscreen doing everything it should?
There's a new ingredient just approved by the FDA that protects your skin more than ever.
Barber Lee Edwards with a special health alert.
What specific ingredient to look for in your sunscreen to keep your family protected?
Tomorrow on News 8 at 5, San Diego's only HD News.
Almost everyone who sees it on the Internet says it's fake.
Now, proof that it's a fact.
Tonight on News 8 at 6.30, San Diego's only HD News.
Hi, I'm Kenny Rogers.
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On your wedding day, when everyone is looking at her, she'll be looking at you.
So rent your tuxedo at Men's Warehouse and you'll look almost as good as she does.
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Who killed the 16-year-old girl?
CSI San Diego, tonight at 11.
Coming up new at 6.30, the release party for The Reagan Diaries, which give a never-before-seen glimpse into Ronald Reagan's presidency.
It was in Simi Valley and Nancy was there.
Plus, it looks just like the movie The Birds, where Californians are looking up in fear.
And the resort city where the pain at the pump hit more than four bucks a gallon.
America's most beautiful couple creates quite a stir at the Cannes Film Festival.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt made a rare public appearance today.
For a special screening of their upcoming film, A Mighty Heart.
Jolie stars as Marianne Pearl, the widow of slain journalist Daniel Pearl.
Pitt co-produced the film.
Jolie was famously pregnant with the couple's baby Shiloh Nouvelle during filming.
What does that tattoo say? Did you catch that?
I couldn't translate it that fast. Otherwise, you know, I'm sure I would have.
What language was it in?
Who knows?
That's another question.
Our weather has been a little on the gray side in any language outside.
And it looks like we're going to continue to see those great conditions.
You know, the biggest factor for San Diego's weather is the ocean.
And the reason temperatures have been in the low 60s out there is because that water temperature is 61.
Waves will be out of the southwest at three to five feet over the next couple of days.
In fact, there could be some, should be some very strong rip currents as we get into tomorrow and Wednesday as well.
But maybe a little more sunshine as we get towards the middle of the week.
Good deal. Thank you.
Good night.
I'm Katie Couric.
Serious questions are being raised tonight about the safety of a drug taken every day by hundreds of thousands of Americans.
A new study is linking the most popular diabetes drug, Avandia, to an increased risk of heart attack.