celebrity spotting in this neighborhood is rare. but this appearance was expected by homeowners waiting for answers. the hosts of "mythbusters" went door to door to try to explain how their show's experiment went so wrong. >> we're looking into all the reasons that this happened. making sure that not only that it never happened again, but that we make everything here right. >> reporter: things are not right in this family's home. the wife, two kids and in-laws were taking a nap yesterday when a cannon ball came bouncing off the driveway, into the front door, up the stairs and out through the wall of the master bedroom. >> still, i think they should stop. they should go probably somewhere far off that nobody lives. no damage can be done. >> reporter: "mythbusters" had been testing a theory on the alameda county sheriff's bomb range trying to figure out where a make shift cannonball made of rocks could travel and have the

same impact as a civil war-era cannonball. it was aimed too low and went straight through several barriers meant to stop it. it ended up ten football fields away, damaging homes, landing on a car. >> you always fear that something you don't expect is going to happen. you try and think through all the worst possible worst-case scenarios. we've added a new one to our roster. >> reporter: now, what the "mythbusters" crew is trying to figure out is back on the battlefield when people ran out of cannonballs, would they be able to use other materials that would have the same impact? yesterday's test was the baseline test which means they used an actual cannonball to see what kind of impact it would have. they never got around to doing the next test which would have proven whether this myth was plausible, confirmed, or busted. live in dub bin, traci grant, nbc bay area news. more time, a desperate plea from the parents of a toddler

shot in the head last week. hyrum lawrence remains in a coma. although tests show he may be brain dead, his parents are begging to keep him on life support a little bit longer. jodi hernandez joins us from oakland with this horrific situation. despite what doctors are saying, they feel he is being responsive? >> reporter: they certainly do, jessica. his parents say that he has moved and his blood pressure has shot up when his father enters the room. he had three bowel movements yesterday, and while the family takes that as hopeful signs, they say the doctors have basically told them there is no hope. now, his aunt tells me tonight that tests are being performed on the little baby's brain inside the hospital as we speak. she said the first test that was done today showed no life in the brain. but again, so far, that's something his parents refuse to accept.

>> our main focus is my baby. that's nobody else's baby but mine and hyrum's. that's our focus. anything else, it doesn't matter right now. >> reporter: the mother of 23-month-old hyrum lawrence says she's not giving up on her baby and she doesn't want doctors to either. little hyrum has been in a coma since a bullet struck him in the bed as he sat in his father's arms following the taping of a rap video last week. though preliminary tests have indicated the baby may be brain dead, the family is pleading with doctors not to make any final conclusions. >> i think that if high ryrum h more time to recover that he will make it. >> reporter: the family pointed to the incredible recovery giants fan bryan stow has made. they say their baby too can pull through. >> the first day they concluded he wasn't going to make it out of surgery and he made it. that shows me my baby is fighting and if they give him

time, he will come home. >> reporter: again, the boy's aunt tells me tests are being performed as we speak. she says that the family has been allowed to bring in their own private pediatrician to monitor those tests. she says the family has decided if the pediatrician concurs with the results the family may consider giving up its fight. meanwhile, the investigation into this horrific incident continues. oakland police tell me tonight they have six persons of interest in custody, including a man who was wounded during the incident and was released from the hospital just a few hours ago. police are interviewing him right now and they hope to identify the shooters very soon. in oakland, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> such an emotional story for that young family. san francisco's occupy movement is one of the largest in the nation. not anymore, though.

tonight protesters are vowing to reoccupy after an early morning police rate. our nbc chopper tonight in the city, you see it here, live pictures above justin herman plaza, occupy protesters are expected to gather, in fact, you can see some of them down below, gathering to attempt to retake the plaza at any moment. they're out to disrupt the city's financial district. overnight this was the scene. our cameras were rolling as more than 100 san francisco police officers cleared out parts of the encampment and set up a barricade around the plaza. protesters were given five minutes to vacate the area. officers arrested 70 demonstrators, two of them arrested allegedly for throwing a metal chair at an officer dressed in riot gear. the city has allowed the protests at the plaza to go on for more than two months despite health and safety concerns and complaints from nearby businesses. to developing news, at least nine inmates in sacramento enter hospitals after a riot broke out

at the new folsom prison this afternoon. correction officials say 50 inmates were involved in a melee that lasted nearly ten minutes. prison staff eventually used pepper spray and fired rubber bullets to quell the riot. injured inmates are being treated for stab wounds, gone shot wounds and other bodily injuries. the new prison is next door to the much older folsom state prison. he's been arrested again. tonight, he's behind bars. there are two new sexual abuse charges against former penn state assistant coach jerry sandusky. state police handcuffed him and escorted him out of his home in pennsylvania today. the new charges were brought by two alleged victims who are involved in sandusky's charity. they claim sandusky started abusing them when they were 10 and 11 years old. a lawyer for one of the acuters explained why his client is only now coming forward. >> he thought he was the only

one that this had ever happened to. and there's a certain amount of shame and negativity feelings that go on with it. >> sandusky already faces 40 counts of child sex abuse involving eight boys over a 15-year span. he has denied all charges. new details tonight about that fire that destroyed a historic berkeley building last month, displacing 60. reports show the building's elevator hadn't been inspected in over a year and the permit had expired. the fire started in the elevator control panel. the building's owner reportedly did have a maintenance contract. residents say they had been complaining before the fire of electrical problems in their own apartments. take a look, the mothership is online. apple released more pictures of its new spaceship campus.

set of couper teeny posted pictures and reportedly the city's website has been overloaded with online traffic, people wanting to see these pictures. the proposed campus will be four stories and have almost 3 million square feet of office space. it will have a state-of-the-art cafeteria and fitness center. steve jobs first proposed the new campus to the cupertino city council in june, just four months before he passed away. still to come at 5:00, facebook flaw. how mark zuckerberg's personal photographs were exposed on the very website he created. ready to ride. a critical step in the deal to bring bart to san jose. could just be one day away. and the word of the day, alec. the "30 rock" star making amends after getting kicked off a flight. good afternoon. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. started off with bitter cold temperatures. ta ma at 23. san martin at 26. we'll nice rebound. temperatures right now in the

mid 50s. we'll talk more about cold nights still in the forecast. and when23s.ogn ju i a few mites. california should be proud. we were the first to ban smoking on airplanes. the first to have smoke-free bars and restaurants. all while saving over $86 billion in health care costs... and over a million lives. we've done a good job. but even if you were born today, you'd still grow up in a world where tobacco kills more people... than aids, drugs, alcohol, murder and car crashes... combined. we have a lot more work to do.

70 years ago today the japanese launched a surprise attack on pearl harbor, killing nearly 2,500 americans. changing our history forever. today, there was a moving ceremony to remember those lost and to honor those who survived. nbc's stephanie stanton joins us live from pearl harbor on a very historic anniversary. >> reporter: good evening to you, jessica. about 120 survivors made the journey here to pearl harbor to take part in today's ceremony. to remember the day of infamy and to also be remembered as heroes themselves. a military fly-over in the missing man formation followed by a moment of silence at 7:55

a.m. marked the moment the attacks began here 70 years ago. the presentation of colors and the national anthem helped commemorate the anniversary of the japanese surprise attack on december 7th, 1971. >> "uss arizona." >> reporter: with more than 2,400 dead that day, now 70 years later some 3,000 people came to leb, including more than 100 survivors. among them, 88-year-old mal middlesworth. middlesworth gave the keynote address at the ceremony. he was just 18 when the attack happened and remembers it like it was yesterday. >> the day of infamy united our country as never before. the country rallied around the slogan, "remember pearl harbor." >> reporter: middlesworth and the other survivors are now in their late 80s and early 90s.

for many this may be their last journey to pearl harbor. ♪ >> reporter: a piece of living history that will eventually be gone. but the memories of that fateful day will forever live on in american history. >> let no one disturb this sacred water. in the harbor. they hold the watery graves of that date of infamy. and those among us whose ashes are yet to join you. remember pearl harbor. keep america alert. god bless you and god bless america. >> reporter: and there are about 2,700 members left in the pearl harbor survivors association. but those numbers are dwindling. here today it was a very emotional day for those survivors and for everyone here. about 5,000 people attended. several events going on

throughout the day. later on, a little bit later on this evening there will be a memorial parade held in waikiki. he'll be in jail for a long time. former illinois governor rod blagojevich was sentenced today in one of the harshest penalties ever given in a political corruption trial. a federal judge sentenced him to 14 years for corruption charges, including trying to sell president obama's vacated u.s. senate seat. his defense team had asked for a much more lenient sentence for the first time blagojevich acknowledged responsibility and apologized with his wife in tears at his side. blagojevich spoke briefly as he left the courthouse. >> this is a time to be strong. this is a time to fight through adversity. this is a time for me to be strong for my children. be strong for patty. >> he is the fourth illinois governor to be convicted of a crime. he moves to federal prison in

february. in the south bay, the 40-year debate over bringing bart to san jose may finally be settled tomorrow. and while the vote hasn't been taken the outcome is all but certain. the valley transportation authority will decide whether to approve a $772 million contract to extend bart from fremont, ten miles south to san jose. boosters say it will create jobs and be used by 46,000 riders each day. an extra plus, the leading bids save $75 million and is projected to come in a year ahead of schedule. for that to happen, though, the feds would have to kick in enough money in february. that would have the trains running by 2017. a plan to bring bart to san jose is still years away. the move is on. facebook is moving from palo alto to menlo park. they're answering critics who claim the company can't generate new money into the new neighborhood. in response, facebook's leaders commissioned their own economic study. facebook says its planned

expansion plans alone will generate thousands of jobs and add $366 million to the peninsula's economy. facebook entertains a lot, projecting payments of $3 million annually for hotel bills for job candidates and visitors. vendors and advertisers will also need lodging. and the company's testing something they call face bucks, specialized credit cards employees can use at local restaurants and other businesses. and then there's this. mark zuckerberg's personal photos from his own facebook page exposed. hackers are trying to make a statement about facebook's security settings. more than a dozen of zuckerberg's personal photos taken from a private album and put online. the photos show zuckerberg along with his girlfriend making dinner and hanging out at their palo alto home. other photos show him playing with his puppy and holding a chicken he apparently killed. hackers say he took the photos to highlight facebook security

flaws. company officials say they've since fixed the flaw. an apology from alec baldwin tonight, apologizing to fellow flyers delayed by his game addiction. baldwin was flying from los angeles to new york on an american airlines flight yesterday. a flight attendant asked him to turn off his cell phone. he didn't want to interrupt his game of words with friends. baldwin refused the request and was then asked to get off the flight. zinga says all the hubbub has increased its bottom line. the game-tracking app saw a boost of 100,000 new users using it last night. by the way, alec is the word of the day. my wife is addicted to words with friends. >> she is too? is she playing with alec baldwin? >> she probably is. how are we sfloog. >> it's a fun game. you can text on that too. i'm not saying he was texting

but you can message on there. take a look, numbers right now, they're cool but not as cold as it has been the past couple of nights at this hour. 54 novato. 54 oakland. 57 napa. 54 sunnyvale. the next 48 hours, tomorrow morning is actually a little bit of patchy fog returning. a slight onshore flow will have some of that developing for the north bay. as we continue throughout thursday, plenty of sunshine. poor air quality yet again on thursday. we have still some very light winds. only 5 miles per hour across the bay area. it's not getting stirred around enough in order to clear the air out. so it's going to be another rough day for you tomorrow if you suffer from allergies. we have mid to high high level cloud cover across you'eureka. high pressure anchored offshore is going to keep that storm track well to the north. that cold air we've been dealing with in the morning, a lot of it pushing off toward the east. while we'll be chilly to start, not nearly as cold as it has been the past two days as we

head into thursday morning. also for friday morning. also clear and crisp and a lot of sunshine as we head throughout the next two-day forecast. as for tonight, 36 in santa rosa. 37 in livermore. 36 in gilroy. down into santa cruz, 39 degrees. we may have some isolated 20s well up into some of those tucked away valleys in the north bay. a lot of widespread 30s for tonight. spare the air in effect for thursday with some very unhealthy air for the east bay. the coast, also the north bay, and moderate levels into san jose and the air quality management district is still asking you not to burn wood in your fireplaces because these light winds tomorrow will prohibit any kind of air from moving on occupant bay area. for tomorrow, it stays sunny, dry. temperatures in the upper 50s to near 60. 59 half moon bay. 59 san francisco. 61 in oakland. also upper 50s from san ramon to

alamo to pleasanton and dublin. 58 novato. 60 santa rosa. goldilocks weather in my seven-day forecast. not too mild, not too cold, just right. you can see on that seven-day, chilly starts here thursday and friday. not nearly as cold as it was earlier this week when we had freeze warnings. for saturday, dry. a few clouds sunday and monday. our storm system looks to stay offshore next week so rain is still going to escape us at this point. so as far as our chances go in the seven-day, it's about 0% right now. >> woke up this morning, the lawn was frosted. >> you've got to tweet me that picture next time. >> oh, gosh. lowering your risk. the lifestyle factors that impact the risk of breast cancer. also speaking of tweets, millions of tweets each day. a look at the topics that made the biggest impact this year. [ male announcer ] steak & lobster is on the menu at sizzler.

a fresh cut tri-tip sirloin served with a succulent lobster tail... just $15.99. sizzler. worry less about cell phone radiation and more about things you can control. that's the advice from a uc davis doctor releasing a new

report on the top breast cancer risks that women face. the report from the institute of medicine looks at so-called environmental risks, those that aren't governed by genes. >> medical radiation, the use of combined progesterone/estrogen hormone therapy, oral contraceptives currently being used, as well as alcohol and obesity and overweight. >> here are things that lowered the risk for breast cancer. regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight, especially after menopause. the jury's still out on several other factors, like exposure to second-hand smoke, the chemical bpa, and your work hours. the nation's top health official took the unusual step of overruling the fda. stepping in to stop girls age 16 and under from having easy access to the so-called morning-after pill. kathleen sebelius defied her experts when she ordered the drug plan-b must stay behind the

counter, available only by prescription. sebelius says she is not certain younger girls would understand the instructions on the label and that they would end up using it inappropriately. advocates for women's health reacted angrily, accusing the administration of "letting politics trump science." it is holiday season and we have reports there are elves at the san jose state university police department. this is the 20th year they've made sure that needy families around the campus will have a happy holiday. students, faculty and other staff members are donating toys and money. you can join in on the fun. donations can be left at the university police department lobby. there will be a wrapping party on december 14th. and then the police will caravan to make all the special deliveries on december 17th. after the break, a look at the biggest talkers of the year in the twitter room.

the revolution will be tweeted. egypt's historic regime change is among the most tweeted subjects of the year. the san francisco-based website released its hot topics of 2011. the revolution made egypt the most used hash tag on the website, followed by charlie sheen's reference to tiger blood. sheen was also the most tweeted actor. rebecca black and her song "friday" took the lead for most tweeted song. >> where is jeff's weather tweets? >> jeff ranieri? >> i need help on twitter. >> @rajmathai. >> that's my new year's resolution.

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