Is a judge ready to let Mary Bond slide?
Next at 6, what she said today that could possibly cut the heart out of the prosecution's
case.
Also, mass confusion in California about furloughs taking place tomorrow for thousands of state
workers.
Which offices will actually close?
Plus, why the battle to put out this house fire turned out to be a disastrous night for
firefighters.
A man who claims to be a psychic lashes out at the IT and you'll see what made him so
mad.
We have never stopped loving them.
We have never stopped praying for them.
And we were absolutely blessed beyond measure to see their pictures on Monday night.
A roller coaster of emotions for a Georgia couple who say their children were kidnapped
by a relative 20 years ago and have now been located in the Bay Area.
It's an incredible story with a TV movie ending.
After two decades, a mother and father hope to be reunited with their children who are
now adults.
ABC 7's Corina Rusk is live in San Jose tonight.
Corina, the parents flew in today hoping to see their kids.
Yes, and that meeting has yet to take place, Dan, but the grandfather who was living here
in San Jose appeared in court today.
He will be extradited to Tennessee as soon as possible and face charges there.
After being a fugitive for 20 years, he was arrested after a tip.
Someone overheard him in a bar talking about the abduction and complaining about the way
he was portrayed in a newspaper report.
This man was living in San Jose is John Bunting.
His real name is Marvin Maple and investigators say he kidnapped his grandchildren 20 years
ago.
His children were stolen from Mark and Debbie Baskin, who flew into San Jose International
Airport today in hopes of a reunion.
We've prayed for them every day like they were alive and we've asked God to watch over
them and to bless them and to give them a normal life in the midst of insanity, in the
midst of what they've lived through.
The ordeal started in 1989 when Debbie's parents took 8-year-old Kristi and 7-year-old Bobby
from their home in Tennessee.
The couple brought the children to California and raised them as their own, giving them
the names of Jennifer and Jonathan Bunting.
On Monday, the Baskins learned their children are living in the San Jose area.
Bobby's married now and Kristi's got a nursing career and those are just blessings because
we didn't know if they would ever be able to do that or not.
Before taking the brother and sister, Marvin Maple had accused the Baskins of sexually
abusing and neglecting the children.
The grandparents lost an ugly custody battle when investigators say the allegations prove
false but it turned lives upside down.
Right now we're just rejoicing the fact that we know they're alive because my father had
said he would kill them before he ever let us see them.
Police arrested Maple on Monday at his South San Jose townhouse.
They say his wife died in 2006.
He had numerous friends here at the Southside Cafe who all knew him as John Bunting.
I honestly believe that he thought he was doing the right thing for his grandkids.
I mean I have two grandkids myself and I would trust my grandkids with him.
Debbie says she'll never understand what her father did but long ago forgave him.
There's no punishment that could give us back 20 years and what they've done to us and how
they've slandered us.
So there's no punishment but if I could have him restored to a whole person, that would
be wonderful.
The Baskins have another hope that the children they lost 20 years ago and are now all grown
up will open the door and welcome a reunion.
We haven't talked to them.
We don't know if they want to meet with us at this point or not but we want to be here.
And the Baskins will take part in a news conference tomorrow morning with local police along with
the Tennessee officer who has been working this case diligently for 20 years.
Reporting live in the South Bay Bureau, Karina Rusk, ABC7 News.
It's such an incredible story.
Karina, thanks very much.
We appreciate that.
Well, former giant slugger Barry Bonds made two federal court appearances today and the
case that accuses him of lying about using steroids is trial is supposed to start in
less than a month.
The questions today were about evidence the defense wants excluded.
ABC7's Heather Ishimaru has the latest.
Barry Bonds arrived at federal court in San Francisco this morning to enter a not guilty
plea for the third time to revised perjury charges against him.
After that, at a separate hearing, Judge Susan Ilston said she's inclined to agree with Bonds'
lawyers that much of the evidence against him should not be allowed in the trial.
There is no proof of a sufficient chain or linkage or whatever term you want to use to
dignify these items with admission into evidence.
Three positive steroid tests and what appear to be doping calendars and logs are all tied
directly to Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson.
Anderson is not expected to agree to testify and without him that evidence usually would
not be allowed in.
Prosecutors weren't talking today.
They're trying to find exceptions to that rule.
But the judge was not swayed saying absent testimony, the documents are not hooked up
to this case.
The prosecution in its papers said we're relying on new theories of law.
We're stretching the existing law and I think Judge Ilston said you're not only stretching
it, you're stretching it to the breaking point.
The judge says she is leaning toward allowing a secretly taped 2003 locker room recording
between Anderson and Bonds' former personal assistant, Steve Hoskins.
Prosecutors say it shows Bonds was using steroids, but the defense says Hoskins made the tape
to blackmail Bonds because he was about to be investigated for stealing from the home
run king.
And defense attorney Dennis Reardon told the judge that there is no greater pit of mendacity
or lying than a men's locker room.
Our defense is that Barry Bonds is innocent.
That's our defense and we think that's the central fact of the case.
It's unclear when the judge will rule on the evidence.
The trial is scheduled to begin March 2nd.
Heather Ishimaru, ABC7 News.
More news about athletes.
Former 49er and Raider Dana Stubblefield is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow for his
role in the Balco steroids case.
Stubblefield pleaded guilty last year to charges of lying to investigators.
Under his plea agreement, the former NFL defensive player of the year faces up to six months
in jail.
However, the judge, who's also hearing the Bonds case, is not bound by the agreement
and could sentence Stubblefield to five years in prison.
The state is scrambling tonight to put the governor's work furlough order into action
tomorrow.
The governor said state employees have to take two days off a month without pay because
of the budget crisis.
But there's mass confusion over who is covered by the order and who isn't.
Capital correspondent Nanette Miranda has more.
As much as state workers try to stop the furloughs, they will go on.
Reality has sunk in and now many are worried because taking two days off a month unpaid
essentially amounts to a 10% pay cut.
I'm going to have to cut cable, I'm probably going to get rid of my home phone and just
use my cell phone.
You know, these are some things that you initially do.
But there's some confusion as to which of the 238,000 state employees the governor's
furlough order applies to.
At SEIU Local 1000, the largest state worker union, members sorted through dozens of department
memos and the governor's exception list.
Still, they can't make sense of it.
Oh, I think it's extremely disruptive.
You're going to have mass chaos everywhere, not only for the workers but for the public.
This much is clear.
Californians will see most state offices like the DMV closed.
Unemployment centers though got a last minute reprieve and will remain open.
Not so clear is whether the furloughs apply to state leaders, so-called constitutional
officers who are elected independent of the governor and control their own budgets.
The judge who ruled last week that the furloughs could legally proceed said today those state
leaders were not part of the lawsuit to stop this.
What does that exactly mean?
The court ruled today that the Department of Justice and other constitutional officers
like the treasurer, the controller, lieutenant governor, that these employees are not subject
to the furlough.
They're still part of the executive order and on Friday, the first and third Friday
of every month, the constitutional officers and their employees will be subject to the
furloughs.
Some state workers who know for sure the furlough order applies to them insist they still have
a responsibility to serve.
I'm still coming in and we're pretty behind right now and we're behind before the furlough
started and this is just going to push us further behind.
But you won't get paid for tomorrow.
I understand that.
For those who do have to come in like the unemployment office, they have to take their
two furlough days a month on different days.
The governor hopes to save a billion and a half dollars through June 2010.
In Sacramento, Nanette Miranda, ABC 7 News.
And there's this.
Labor unions and environmentalists are asking the state attorney general to investigate
accusations of improper conduct by lawmakers trying to forge a budget deal.
The groups claim Republicans are trading votes on taxes and fees for Democratic votes to
soften workplace rules and environmental regulations.
Republicans say changing those rules will encourage job growth and lead to more tax
revenues.
Every time we start to negotiate, we get beat up on TV, we get beat up on the radio, so
it's not new for us.
But I do think there's a little more desperation in some of the special interests out there
because some of the things that they've done that have hurt California are going to have
to be changed.
Democrats agree with Republicans that pressure from outside groups likely will not interfere
with ongoing negotiations.
San Francisco firefighters are waiting for any kind of a positive word about a fellow
firefighter who is in critical condition after a fire in which a roof collapsed.
He and five other firefighters were injured in that overnight fire at a vacant home on
Felton Street in San Francisco's Potrero District.
Vic Lee joins us now with an update on their condition.
Vic?
Well, four of the five firefighters were treated and released.
The fifth is at St. Francis Hospital.
He's being treated for burns.
He is in stable condition, expected to be released within a couple of days.
The most seriously injured firefighter is an 11-year veteran of the force.
Fire Department does not want his name released yet.
The extreme heat was fanning toxic gases onto firefighters battling the blaze inside the
house.
So just figure everything's all hot.
It blows down and you have 2,000 degrees of hot air blowing right into you.
Six firefighters were taken to the hospital.
Major injuries ranged from burns to smoke inhalation.
The most seriously injured is fighting for his life at San Francisco General Hospital.
He is listed in critical condition with major injuries to his lungs.
You know, I'm told the first 48 to 72 hours are critical in assessing how the road will
go from there.
But, you know, he's with family.
He's with our members.
The first 911 call came in at 1225 a.m.
Neighbor Tony Samu was awakened by his cat.
Then I jumped off the bed and I seen this place here was inferno.
There was about 20 feet high.
You know, then I called 911.
Firefighters responded three minutes later.
The vacant two-story house was fully engulfed by extremely hot, fast-moving flames.
The fire started low.
Within minutes, the blaze worked itself up to the attic.
A third alarm was called 13 minutes after firefighters first arrived.
By that time, 117 firefighters were battling the blaze.
About the back third of the building had collapsed into the structure.
And when that did, it sent all the superheated gases and all the flames right into where
the firefighters were aggressively fighting the fire in the hallway and in the front bedroom.
The arson task force is trying to determine what caused the fire.
Neighbors tell ABC7 the house was occupied by renters who had recently left.
The last couple of weeks, I saw a big debris box at the front of the house on Felton, which
were there, they were cleaning the house.
And by the way, an arson investigation is routine for big fires where the cause is not
obvious.
And by the way, I just spoke with the Deputy Chief Gardner moments before this newscast.
He said that the doctors are, in his words, optimistic about the firefighter who's here
at San Francisco General Hospital, that they have stabilized his condition.
But again, the next 24 to 72 hours are critical for anyone suffering from major respiratory
damage or injuries.
Vic Lee, ABC7 News.
All right, Vic, well at least there is some good news right now.
Thank you so much.
Appreciate it.
Well, as we continue tonight, big changes at the UC system.
Up next, why thousands of students will now be eligible for a free ride.
The question is, who's going to pay for it?
That toys are finally being removed from the shelves.
I'm Michael Finney.
And coming up on 7 on your side, why now?
Live Doppler 7 HD shows just scattered remnants of the rainstorm we had earlier, but another
one is on its way.
I'm Spencer Critchin.
I'll have details in my AccuWeather forecast.
Cactus 15.9, radar contact is lost.
I don't know, I think he said he was going to the Hudson.
And later on, you'll hear what happened in the intense final seconds before Danville's
hero pilot splash landed in the Hudson River.
For the first time ever, Grey's Anatomy, Shepard's Proposing, and Private Practice.
One by one, one.
Unite.
I need you to save my brother.
I need you to be a god.
Closed captioning brought to you by Mancini Sleep World.
Live life, rest easy.
In a tough economy like this, a higher education can be even more out of reach for a lot of
families.
But tonight, the University of California system is reaching out, offering more young
people a free ride.
ABC7's education reporter Leanne Melendez explains who is eligible and how UC can afford
to do it in an era of cutbacks.
The University of California will not pick up the tuition fee for every student whose
families make less than $60,000 a year.
The state already does that for many.
For example, UC tuition is $8,100 a year.
A Cal Grant pays up to $7,126 if a student attends one of the UCs.
And then we have federal and state funds in addition to those, the Pell Grants and so
forth.
Still, there are a few students, nearly 1,100 of them, who qualify for grants but who fall
short of getting a full ride.
Not anymore.
Every time a student pays fees to the University of California, that's educational fees and
registration fees.
33% of those monies go back into the financial aid program.
Now the UC system will increase that number to 36%.
That extra 3% represents $3.1 million and that will go to help those students.
So now students whose families earn less than $60,000 could attend UC for free.
We have a moral obligation and we were created to do great research and all the rest, but
to be the institution of access.
Shortly after the board approved the plan, UC regent Jack O'Connell brought that message
to seniors at San Francisco's Balboa High School.
It's what Giovanni Villarreal wanted to hear.
This really helped me out so I could have a chance and an opportunity to learn that
I need to learn to be successful in life.
The plan to expand UC's financial aid program will occur in September when a tuition increase
is also likely to go into effect.
In San Francisco, Leanne Melendez, ABC 7 News.
San Francisco Assemblywoman Fiona Ma is introducing a bill requiring public high schools in the
city to reinstate their junior reserve officer candidate training curriculum.
The school district board voted in 2006 to cancel the program, which included about 1,600
students.
Opponents said the armed forces has no place in public schools and its discrimination against
gay students was unacceptable, but Ma says that is not the case.
It is an inclusive program.
It does not discriminate.
It teaches leadership.
It teaches teamwork.
And it teaches about community service.
And at a time when our...
Ma also noted voters approved reinstating junior ROTC last fall by about 180,000 votes
and that's roughly a 55% margin.
On a money scope business headline, stocks improved to date.
The Dow Jones gained 106 points, the NASDAQ jumped 31, and the Bloomberg Silicon Valley
Index rose 10.
A fresh sign of trouble in the labor market.
The Labor Department says there were 626,000 new claims for unemployment benefits last
week.
That's the highest since October of 1982.
Most retailers report weak January sales as shoppers held onto their wallets pretty tightly.
A group...
A couple of bright spots here.
Walmart and Macy's turned in better than expected sales reports.
The retail industry has posted declines since October.
The Clatchy, publisher of the Sacramento Bee and other papers, reports a quarterly loss
of $21 million.
The Clatchy is struggling with debt from its purchase of the Knight-Ritter chain.
Remember, for complete coverage of all the day's business news, go to ABC7news.com anytime
you wish and click on Money Scope.
Well, you know, we've been keeping a watch on the skies and we had a little bit of what
we were hoping for.
Finally, Spencer's here.
Some rain and water coming.
Absolutely.
We didn't get the drenching downpours we had hoped for, but about a quarter of an inch
across much of the Bay Area, up to a half inch in some of the areas harder hit by the
system, and then trace amounts in other places.
So it's rain.
Let's start with something.
It's rain and more rain is coming.
Here's a live view from our high definition East Bay camera looking westward out over
the bay and interesting sky tonight.
Lots of clouds around, little breaks in the clouds as well.
Not much rain falling right now.
Here's a live view from our high definition South Beach camera looking at the skyline
of downtown San Francisco.
It's a lovely evening and a little damp in some spots, but not very wet at the moment,
but we did have some impressive rainfall totals over the last 24 hours.
Santa Cruz just about half an inch, just over four tenths of an inch at Kentfield, over
a third of an inch in Monterey.
Sonoma just a tad above a quarter of an inch, exactly a quarter of an inch in San Rafael,
and over a tenth of an inch in San Francisco.
Fourteen one hundredths at Napa, twelve one hundredths at Pacifica, just over a tenth
at Oakland, a tenth at Morgan Hill, and trace amounts, lower amounts at Livermore and San
Jose.
This is a live Doppler 7 HD, and we still have a couple of patches of widely scattered
light rainfall up in northern Sonoma County.
A couple of patches of rainfall right now.
Not very heavy, but again still some moisture in the air, and some of it is actually hitting
the ground.
Over in the East Bay, east of Fremont to south of Livermore, an area of more concentrated
rainfall, a small area, but rainfall nonetheless pushing out eastward into the hills right
now.
So, these are our current temperature readings.
It's basically low to mid-fifties around the Bay Area at the moment, uniform readings,
and these are the highlights.
Increasing showers overnight.
Showers and possibly isolated thunderstorms on Friday, and clearing on Saturday before
the next wave of rain.
Satellite radar composite image shows today's storm fizzling a bit and losing its punch.
A second storm headed our way that will bring us more showers tomorrow.
So, we'll start the forecast animation this evening and see this second storm descending
from the north by five o'clock tomorrow morning, the official beginning of our morning rush.
We'll see wet weather spreading across parts of the Bay Area from the north to the south.
Some cooler air coming down with this storm could add some instability to the atmosphere,
which could produce a thunderstorm or two tomorrow.
And by six o'clock tomorrow evening, with the evening rush, we'll still see wet weather
hanging around.
Meanwhile, in the Sierra, which our weather advisory is in effect, until early Saturday
morning we're looking for about four to eight inches of new snow at lake level, eight to
twelve inches above seven thousand feet.
No chain requirements at the moment, but it'll probably be a good idea to take change with
you if you're headed out that way.
Low temperatures here in the Bay Area tonight.
And very low at all.
A little on the mild side, mid to upper 40s generally, and tomorrow's highs a little bit
on the cool side again.
In the low to mid 50s, with some showers expected.
And down around Monterey Bay, a similar picture, mid to upper 50s with showers expected.
Here's the AccuWeather seven-day forecast, and our pattern remains unsettled.
Showers tomorrow, maybe a thunderstorm or two.
Dry on Saturday, starting out dry on Sunday, but more rain likely to arrive late Sunday
and continue into Monday.
And then mainly dry on Tuesday, with a chance of showers again next Wednesday and Thursday.
We like those chances of rain.
Keep them coming.
I'll have more in the next half hour.
Very good, Spencer, thank you.
Thank you.
Well, she has called the coupon queen for good reason.
Up next, Evan, on your side, shows us how much money she saved during a visit to the
grocery store.
Also ahead here tonight, phase two of a high-profile high-rise tower is now up for sale.
A bit later, we're going to look inside, show you around, and we'll take a look at whether
there is still a market for expensive condos like these.
The news continues.
Tomorrow at 6, a tunnel from the past making way for transportation of the future.
How Marin County plans to repurpose this old relic from the railroad days.
Join Dan Ashley and Carolyn Johnson tomorrow on ABC 7 News at 6.
How do you know?
It's time to move on.
Martin Hart Solitaire's 279, thousands of jewelry ideas guaranteed to appraise for double.
By Factory Direct and Save, the jewelry exchange in Redwood City.
It's our best field ever.
It's SAP Open Tennis, February 9th through the 15th, HP Pavilion at San Jose.
Get tickets at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office or online at Ticketmaster.com.
A federal judge upholds a ban on a toxic chemical in children's toys and various products.
7 On Your Side's Michael Finney has that, plus some helpful money-saving tips.
Yeah, we've got quite a bit going on today.
Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of toys will have to be removed from store shelves
by Tuesday.
That's when a ban on toys and other children's products made with phthalates takes effect.
The plastics softener has been linked to reproductive problems and cancer.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission had tried to allow the sale of the banned products
beyond Tuesday as long as the products were, pardon me, actually manufactured before that
date.
But the Natural Resources Defense Council and Public Citizen argued against that loophole.
And today, a federal judge in New York agreed.
Kids are always playing with toys.
They put them in their mouths.
There's a lot of exposure for kids when they're playing with toys.
And since we're talking about these chemicals in toys and can affect their development,
it's really important that we keep it out of children's hands and we make toys safe
for them.
9 Buying toys that...
Bobby Carr of the NRDC says parents will no longer have to guess if a product contains
phthalates before buying it.
Leading Democrats in a related story are calling on President Obama to remove the head of the
Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Nancy Nord was appointed acting commissioner by President Bush in 2005.
And her term doesn't expire until 2012.
But the chairs of the Senate and House committees overseeing the CPSC say Mr. Obama shouldn't
wait to replace her.
They say she has fallen short in protecting children from products containing lead and,
as we just reported, phthalates.
Attempts to reach the commissioner for comment have been unsuccessful.
Most of you probably use a coupon now and then to save a few cents, but chances are
you aren't saving as much as a coupon queen.
Angie Child goes to the supermarket with portable filing cabinets filled with coupons.
Check that out.
She orders six Sunday papers a week and browses coupon websites.
On this day she bought $220 worth of groceries for 19 bucks.
And that's nothing compared to what she did in November when she ended up getting money
back taking advantage of double coupon day.
It was 107% savings, 81.17.
Paid me $3.94.
It is like playing the lottery and winning every time.
Angie tells us that two-for-one offers can also be very lucrative.
Now if you have money-saving tips you want to share with us or if you have a consumer
problem I can help you out with, go to our website at abc7news.com.
On the left-hand side of the screen, click 7 on your side.
Whew, the coupons look like a lot of work, doesn't it?
Yeah, but she's saving money so I guess it's worth it, huh?
Big time, yeah.
Gotta pay attention to it.
Thank you, Michael.
All right, thanks, Michael.
We'll still come here tonight on ABC 7 News at 6.
The I-Team risks getting a gypsy curse to investigate the suspected shady dealings of
an East Bay psychic.
Also making their case on the Senate floor.
Find out if lawmakers are getting close to a deal on an economic stimulus package.
And Bay Area victims of accused swindler Bernard Madoff talk for the first time about the scandal
and the dramatic impact it's had on their lives.
That's our half hour of news in a moment.
Fascinating beauty secrets from around the globe.
The place where big butts and stretch marks make you sexier.
There's a place for us.
Next Oprah.
Tomorrow at 4 here on ABC 7.
This is ABC 7 News at 6.30.
A psychic from San Mateo County appears in court tomorrow facing charges of elder theft.
Janet Adams was arrested right in the middle of an I-Team investigation in December.
She pleaded not guilty and that story prompted a lot more tips.
Dan Noyes is here with the latest.
What a story this is.
Well, Cheryl and Dan, you know, those tips led us to other psychics around the Bay Area.
They all seem to use the same technique.
You have a curse on you or some bad energy and only they can help it go away at a price.
All sorts of people fall for this.
Some losing six figures.
This Oakland psychic goes by the name of Anthony.
Hey, Anthony, how are you?
Good, how are you?
Good to see you.
Just Anthony.
I don't like to use a last name.
Like Fabio or Cher or?
Yeah, it's more of a privacy thing.
He's quite pleasant when you first meet him.
Anthony will explain his special talent as a palm and tarot card reader who can see the
future.
Is this real?
It is.
It's 99.9% accuracy on all of our readings.
But if you dare to ask serious questions about what he tells clients in his two psychic shops,
watch out.
You need to get off of our properties and get the away from us before you get hurt.
Really?
How so, Anthony?
What could have gotten him so angry?
I'm going to get hurt?
How so?
Come inside and I'll show you.
It's this secret recording.
A rival family of psychics hired a private eye who sent in a decoy to document Anthony's
techniques.
My husband is very ill.
He's not expected to live.
The decoy says her husband has colon cancer, but Anthony sees something else in his tarot
cards.
The sickness that your husband has is not cancer.
It's something on a spiritual level that has been said towards him.
It's something that has to do with the spiritual path that he's followed.
And yes, it is curable.
With his help, Anthony says the cancer can be gone in two to three months.
He urges the decoy to come back later.
When she does, she meets Anthony's associate, Gina, who proposes a way to get rid of the
cancer.
I have to sculpture him.
Me and Anthony will have to sculpture him.
She and Anthony will build a wax candle, a life-sized replica of the decoy's husband,
set it on a mountain top, and light it.
By the time the candle burns down, the cancer will be gone.
And how fast can we do this?
With, in seven days.
Do you understand?
So in seven days he'll be all the way better?
All the way better.
Then, of course, there's the issue of payment.
What you're going to need is about $500.
Okay.
Is there any way that you could do this?
The decoy didn't pay.
Put those on.
We played the secret recording for Anthony after he told us on camera that he can't cure
cancer, would never disagree with a doctor's diagnosis, and would never charge a client
more than $70.
Explain that.
I have no comment on it.
Anthony ended the interview.
Is this all about helping people or about taking people's money?
Have a nice day.
He could only hold back his temper for so long.
You're a son of a f***ing mother f***er.
Get the f*** out of my businesses.
Anthony put what he called a gypsy curse on me and said, you're going to die.
I'm on the sidewalk.
Get the f*** out of my business.
Gypsy curses are something of a badge of honor among law enforcement professionals who investigate
psychics.
I have several curses on me, and I'm still here, yes.
When they put a curse on me, that means I've been successful.
Kathy Boyovich is an undercover investigator for the Alameda County DA's office who's
met many psychics over the past 15 years, and she's found all sorts of people who fall
victim to these scams, even the most educated.
If somebody robs a bank, they walk in with a gun and they hold everybody up.
These people found out they don't have to use weapons.
They use their words, and it works.
And it works actually more successfully than robbing a bank.
Patricia Carpenter knows firsthand.
She was going through a career change, was worried about her daughter's divorce, so she
went to Madame Vivian in Hollister.
She thought, what's the harm?
Before I left, she asked for 400, wrote her a 400 dollar check.
Oh, well she said, I can help you with your problems, you know, and I can make your life
better.
Madame Vivian kept demanding more money.
The psychic told Carpenter the important work would end if she stopped paying, and that
harm would come to her granddaughter.
I'm disappointed, and I'm feeling foolish, and I'm feeling like a big dope.
And you will see in those statements, my bank account quickly got emptied out.
That first few hundred dollars turned into checks for 2,000, 6,000, 9,000, even 14,800.
In all, Carpenter paid Madame Vivian more than 130,000 dollars.
As a sociologist, I'm not surprised.
I don't think any of us are really above superstitious belief or being conned by con artists, especially
really smart ones who are really clever with their tactics.
UC Berkeley sociologist Rob Willer says no one likes to admit a mistake, so victims of
psychics often continue paying.
And psychics use proven techniques, such as keeping the initial amount low.
The tough thing is getting that first payment.
But once you've gotten that, it's much easier to get people to agree to follow-ups that
are larger and larger in size.
We wanted answers from Madame Vivian, real name Bunny Ann John, so we went to her home
office in Hollister.
She was happy to meet a new customer, an I-Team producer, but she wouldn't open the door for
a reporter and a photographer.
Business is apparently going well.
We spotted two brand new cars in Madame Vivian's driveway.
Later, her attorney called the I-Team and declined an on-camera interview.
He then defended Madame Vivian, accepting money from clients, comparing her business
to a religion.
People pay hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars to spiritual causes all over the
world.
Madame Vivian, a spiritual cause?
What do you think?
I would like to see her, never do this to anybody again.
I would like to see her in jail, and I would like to have, ultimately it would be wonderful
if I could get my money back somehow.
I think it's horrible what happens to them, and it affects them for life.
It affects them emotionally, their ability to trust.
It affects them financially.
Financially, a lot of them are never able to recover what they've lost.
After our calls, the Santa Clara County DA's office is now investigating Madame Vivian.
No charges have been filed at this point.
By the way, Anthony, the psychic's real name is Peter George.
He has a family connection to a well-known group of psychics with a serious criminal
record.
I run that down for you in a new IT blog at ABC7news.com.
We found no information, by the way, that George has been convicted of anything.
That's a temper, though.
Yeah, he does.
Thank you, Dan.
More to come.
Thanks a lot.
Back to more news now.
The Senate is working into the night right now to reach an agreement on a massive economic
stimulus bill.
Their proposal has grown to $920 billion.
Republicans from both parties met privately throughout the day, trying to cut out about
$80 billion.
They're hoping that will draw more Republican support.
But back on the Senate floor, partisan tensions have boiled over.
Look at this bill.
This bill has got to be done by tonight.
And we're figuring out, as we go, what's in it.
Holding up a bill theatrical.
Did you ever do that when George Bush was president and he sent down a bill twice as
big as that?
I have been on this floor many times arguing with the past administration about policies
I disagreed with.
I don't recall you doing that a lot.
Well, the Senate has defeated several alternate plans, including one by Senator John McCain.
They call for bigger tax cuts and far less spending.
President Obama's nominee for CIA director made it very clear this afternoon that this
administration will treat terror suspects differently.
Pre-election hearings began today for former South Bay Congressman Leon Panetta.
He told senators that terror suspects will not be sent to other countries for torture.
But he says the U.S. still has the right to debrief such people.
Panetta also told the senators that CIA interrogators who used torture techniques with the permission
of the White House should not be prosecuted now.
The Monterey native could be confirmed by the end of the week.
President Obama's pick for Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has become the latest nominee
to face questions about unpaid taxes.
Today the Senate panel considering her nomination abruptly postponed a schedule confirmation
vote.
That postponement follows revelations that Solis' husband settled tax liens on his California
auto repair business that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years.
The White House insists Solis' own tax returns are in order and that she is not a partner
in her husband's business.
You know it's not just the rich and famous who are customers of accused Swindler Bernie
Madoff.
A bankruptcy court in New York has released the full list of names now and on it more
than 130 Bay Area residents and businesses that invested money with a man who now faces
charges of fraud.
ABC 7's Carolyn Tyler reports.
Elizabeth Innis is an artist in Berkeley.
She and her husband Mark Rosenberg are trying to downsize their lives after losing their
entire savings.
We lost about $500,000 all of Mark's IRA and it was most of the income we were living on.
Innis says her father began investing with Bernie Madoff in the 1970s and the rest of
the family then put their money and trust in him too.
Madoff was arrested in New York in December accused of operating a Ponzi scam that took
money from new investors to pay off previous ones.
Prosecutors say it's a fraud that could run as high as $50 billion.
The newly released list of those who say they've been swindled runs 162 pages about 80 names
per page and includes celebrities like actor Kevin Bacon and Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy
Koufax but many are small investors.
It seemed like a good investment.
Stephen Falk is a retired educator from Oakland.
He lost more than $300,000 to Madoff.
Falk says he's a little put off by people who say he should have known better.
That's the easiest thing in the world to know after something doesn't go right.
But nobody was really there wasn't any big voice saying that before nor was the government
indicating anything that we should be careful of this.
The government's investor protection agency the Securities and Exchange Commission is
now under intense scrutiny from Congress for failing to uncover the scandal.
Prosecutors have filed claims against Madoff but it's unclear if they'll ever recoup any
money.
Carolyn Tyler, ABC7 News.
And we have more ahead including an amazing exchange.
We're going to hear what Danville's hero pilot said to air traffic controllers.
Calm in a crisis as he landed his disabled jet on the Hudson River.
You'll hear it in a moment.
Shh.
Can you keep a secret about this Jeopardy clue?
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That's the money you could be saving.
Accountability to ensure local administrators spend the money in the classroom.
Smaller class sizes improve student achievement.
Tell your lawmakers ending the class size reduction program won't save California one
dime it only hurts our kids.
Starting February 9th while these contestants strike it rich.
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You could win a romantic trip to the big island with Wheel's second honeymoon sweet steaks.
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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is recovering tonight from pancreatic cancer
surgery.
The court says doctors apparently found a tiny tumor in Ginsburg at an early stage.
The 76-year-old justice had the surgery in New York today.
She's expected to remain in the hospital for 7 to 10 days.
She was treated for colon cancer in 1999.
Ginsburg is the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court and the only one now ever since
Sandra Day O'Connor retired.
You're about to hear the definition of cool in a crisis.
The Federal Aviation Administration released audio tapes today of Danville pilot Sully
Sullenberger calmly talking to air traffic controllers before landing the plane in the
Hudson River last month.
The air controller tried to arrange for the U.S. Airways flight to land at New Jersey's
Teterboro airport after a flock of birds disabled both engines.
Listen.
This is Cactus 1539.
It's birds who've lost trust in both engines returning back towards LaGuardia.
Okay, you need to return to LaGuardia.
Turn left heading up to 220.
Cactus 1549, runway four is available.
If you want to make left traffic to runway four.
I'm not sure we can make any runway.
What's the word to our right anything in New Jersey?
Maybe Teterboro.
Okay, yeah, off your right side is Teterboro airport.
Do you want to try to go to Teterboro?
Yes.
Cactus 1529, turn right 280.
You can land runway one at Teterboro.
We can't do it.
Okay, which runway would you like at Teterboro?
We're going to be in the Hudson.
Incredible.
Those were Sullenberger's last words before putting the plane down safely in the water.
Everyone got out unhurt.
Seriously.
Amazing.
Well, fill ahead.
It is not blowing over.
It is not.
Coming up in sports, the new fallout from Michael Phelps' marijuana pipe controversy
in a moment.
Tonight on ABC7 at 8, Ugly Betty.
At 9, Grey's Anatomy.
Private practice at 10.
Then at 11, watch ABC7 News.
8.
That's how many credit cards the average person has in their wallet.
Eight different cards.
Bank cards.
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The housing crisis and recession is not stopping another condominium tower from opening in
San Francisco.
It's a fancy one.
Developers will open Tower 2 of the Infinity this weekend.
Erewyn Friedman got a sneak peek today and shows us how even the luxury condo market
is actually taking a financial hit.
In a down market, here is the pinnacle of upside optimism.
This building isn't about hitting a particular cycle.
At least not when asking $6 million for a 3,000 square foot penthouse.
When developers conceived the Infinity Towers a decade ago, high rise luxury condos seemed
like a can't miss proposition.
But this sector of the market has dropped 15 to 20% in the past year.
So as a minimum asking price of $900,000 at $600 a square foot, a bargain?
You're buying close to water, you're buying close to downtown, and construction costs
have come up so significantly that before anything else gets built, values will need
to come up dramatically.
A luxury condo these days includes a pool, a workout room, and in this building seismically
sound knee to ceiling windows.
In fact, developers began selling the views here long before they even existed by creating
a condominium mockup.
This is like a set.
It is.
We put a lot of money into it.
During a media tour today, Infinity told us they've sold 20 units in the past month and
two this week.
The architect describes this design as having a curved aquatic theme.
I like for this building is the right thing to do.
It's next to the bay and it's like a wave.
Yes.
While upstairs but closer to earth, the 1,200 people who actually built it have begun looking
for their next big projects.
Randy Publitz, a plumber, is one of them.
If you can survive 2009, next year's I think it's going to pick up again.
And those are high hopes from a high rise condo.
In San Francisco, Wayne Friedman, ABC 7 News.
Is impressive.
Oh, they look pretty.
Yeah.
Time for sports.
Larry is here.
I was wondering if I could put a bid in on the set.
Because I could afford the set.
Yeah, just take that one home with you.
Just the backdrop.
All the fake views are okay with me.
Try it.
Yeah.
In the wake of the Michael Phelps photo of him smoking a marijuana pipe, we now have
video of Raiders running back Justin Faragus in a group of buddies promoting a marijuana
smoke-a-thon.
I met my guy J. Farb House from the Raiders, man.
It only goes down when yuck is in.
When yuck is in.
Exactly.
The star of the video is an Oakland rapper known as Yuck Mouth, who is visiting Faragus's
house in this video.
You see bags and bags of pot.
We should point out that Faragus is never seen so much as even touching the marijuana.
But something tells me this is not the image the NFL is trying to promote.
The Raiders had no comment on the video, which has since been taken down from Yuck Mouth's
website.
Yuck Mouth, not available for comment.
Michael Phelps was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming.
Just lost his endorsement deal with Kellogg's, which said the swimmer's behavior is not consistent
with Kellogg's image.
The Olympic swimming star was photographed smoking from the marijuana pipe.
Phelps has apologized.
He described it as bad judgment.
He talked about the incident for the first time today.
Michael Phelps, what were you thinking?
Obviously not much.
And, you know, it's, like I said, a bad judgment.
And I can learn from it and try to make my life better than it has been in the past.
Like I said, I've made mistakes and I have to learn with every, I have to live with every
mistake that I've learned.
Somewhere Al Davis is laughing tonight saying, I told you so.
X-Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, already making friends in the Southeast Conference.
He's been reprimanded by the SEC for claiming that Florida coach Urban Meyer was cheating
and illegally recruiting receiver Newquist Richardson.
But as Newquist was here on our campus, his phone keeps ringing.
And so one of our coaches is sitting in a meeting with him.
He says, who's that?
He looks at the phone and says, Urban Meyer.
Okay.
And so you know when it recruits on another campus, you can't call a recruit on another
campus.
But I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn't get him.
Oops, wrong.
Meyer immediately demanded an apology.
He got one with Kiffin saying he got carried away.
Meyer didn't break any rules with the phone call.
The player, by the way, ended up signing with Kiffin and his Vols of Tennessee.
Tiger Woods is still rehabbing his knee, so he's not playing the Buick Invitational this
week.
He's playing with Camillo Vigegas, who said he was glad he won't have to contend with
the best player on the planet.
Round one at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
Phil Mickelson, his hometown, missed the cut last week, has a new driver this week, but
the Irons need some work.
Approach on one, skips over the green left.
He did save par, shot a two under.
Seventy, Vigegas started birdie, eagle, birdie, never look back.
Matches his career best with a nine to par 63, leader by three after round one.
All right, Larry, thanks very much.
All right, little rain today, kind of a taste of what's to come.
All right, Spencer.
Well, there's still a little rain around right now.
Live Doppler 7 HD, you can see light rain scattered across, I mean, really light, parts
of Sonoma and Napa counties, some headed out towards the Central Valley and some off the
coastline here of Mendocino County, about to move onshore in the next few hours or so.
So this is our next batch of rain coming our way, and we'll see some more wet weather tomorrow.
In the early morning hours, we'll see clouds and showers around.
Looks like it could be a wet commute for some of us.
Afternoon showers continuing and on into the afternoon with some sunny breaks during the
day.
And here is the AccuWeather 7-day forecast.
So another wet day tomorrow with the chance of a couple of thunderstorms, isolated ones.
Dry on Saturday, dry early Sunday, but more rain arrives late Sunday, continues into Monday,
possibly into Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday.
Chance of more showers.
We're happy to see you.
So, yeah, we'll take them in small batches.
That's OK.
Thanks.
All right, stay with us.
We'll be back in just a minute.
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Derek, I need you.
For the first time ever, two of television's biggest dramas, Grey's Anatomy, Shepherd's
Proposing, and Private Practice.
All 9-1-1.
Unite for the best.
For the first time ever, two of television's biggest dramas, Grey's Anatomy, Shepherd's
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I need you to be a God.
ABC's Grey's Anatomy Private Practice crossover event begins tonight at 9, 8 Central on ABC.
Join me tonight at 9 o'clock on CoffeeTV20.
That's cable channel 13.
Coming up then, Bill Gates knows how to get someone's attention when he wants to.
The stunt he pulled that got a crowd buzzing.
Then at 11 here on ABC 7, newly released documents about the Southern California mother of octuplets.
See you tonight at 9, then again at 11 o'clock.
Alright, now though, a big celebration in Oakland tonight.
The historic Fox Oakland Theater, open again for business once again.
The ribbon cutting was held just a few minutes ago.
We just got this tape in and the big fundraising gala is sold out.
You know, when the theater first opened in the late 1920s, it was regarded as one of
the finest anywhere on the West Coast.
And now that it's been renovated, after two years of work, the Fox will host live concerts
again.
It is also the new home of the Oakland School for the Arts.
Take advantage of it.
It's just beautiful.
Absolutely gorgeous.
Alright, well that is this edition of ABC 7 News.
Thanks so much for watching.
We appreciate your time.
I'm Dan Ashley.
And I'm Cheryl Jennings.
Thanks for inviting us into your homes tonight.
Have a terrific evening for Larry, Spencer, and all of us.
Stay connected 24-7 at ABC7News.com.
See you at 9 and 11.