Day. Good evening, im dan ashley. The investigation is ongoing into what caused this crash. Police say it appears alcohol may have been a factor. One car hit another head on in san jose just after midnight christmas morning. The impact killed the driver of one car. We spoke with the family. Some bringing alcohol as mementos. Some people came by to light the candles. Ai street side memorial included candles, signs, stuffed animals, and lots of booze. One friend came by to leave a can of modelo. People are pointing fingers, but both sides took a loss. Witnesses say she careened into a lexus, a 14yearold killed, her parents, injured. Police say zamora may have been under the influence of alcohol. Her family arrived at the memorial to clean up the beer and liquor bottles. This isnt her. Do you know what i mean . Her friends thought they didnt know . No. This wasnt her. This, they dont realize, you know this is what took her life. Reporter she says zamora was a single mother whose 5yearold daughter is distraught. The name of the 14yearold and his parents have not been released. My condolences go out to the family of the little boy she took the life of. Were very sorry. She did snap chat, saying they were giving her free drinks. She was having a drinking and drugs. Reporter no one was available for comment. We asked police about this. A driver was killed on interstate 5. Chp says the small car headed south and smashed into the red suv causing it to roll over several times. The womans husband and two young boys survived. The driver of the small car is a woman from the bay area. Two people died in a plane crash in fresno today, taking off from the Sierra Sky Park airport when it plummeted into a pond. A witness says it took a sharp turn right, then plunged. Federal investigators are on the way to the crash site. Police have two suspects in custody for a Christmas Eve stabbing. Police told us he was a 36yearold man. Two suspects were arrested after the attack. This was haywards 13th homicide of the year. Happening now a hanukkah celebration going differently than planned because the menorah was stolen. Melanie . Reporter you can see a number of people gathered here, they planned to light smaller menorahs. You can see people and Television Cameras and that is because there is a lot of interest after this larger menorah was stolen. People are hoping to shine light on the darkness of the theft, some are calling a hate crime. This is a picture of the six foot, 100pound menorah. This, during the jewish holiday of hanukkah. Taking eight days to pierce the darkness. San Francisco Police are investigating and suggesting recyclers are on the lookout. This is a hate crime. They asked people to bring menorahs from home. Bring lights to our community. And back live now, you can see the rabbis wife talking to people with smaller menorahs from home. Shes asking them to spread light. This larger menorah from Washington State park just prior to light these candles. Theyre pressing on. Good for them. Its the beginning of kwanzaa. People celebrating and lighting candles in black, red, and green, and focusing on a principle. Today is unity. Go to abc7news. Com. We have an article explaining the history and traditions of the celebration. Up and down the Northern California coast, heavy brains brought hope for returning coho salmon. There is plenty of water going out. How many are following it in . A perfect stage, a forest, a Roaring Creek and that would be the mossy banks of the creek. Follow the signs, look at a ritual going on so long that it predates modern man. Now, the winter rains have come, runoff draws them back. It makes them special. Theyre kind of decaying. Reporter this time every year, you can see the video of spawning salmon digging nests in a creek bed, all hers. You had to think like a salmon. Definitely. Like an exhausted salmon. A salmon with reproduction on its mind and nothing else. What are you thinking . Im hoping its recorded. Now, we know how the season is turning out. Were less than a week from new laws taking effect. Powdered alcohol will be banned in california. Some. Trying to make everything shine and sparkle, some vowed theyll do whatever it takes to make it a reality. Then, on the 31 if were not done well go through the night until the first. You dont sleep . Just get it done. I feel excited because ive never done this before. Its a lot of work. You can see people from around the world doing this. Now, you cant have a parade without marching bands. One drum corps is getting ready to shine. Jonathan bloom has more now from santa clara. This is like a family reunion. This is a big hono the second time doing it. This is a big thing for us. On the 50th anniversary, the van guard drum and bugle corps was chosen to perform at the tournament of roses parade. Youll hear everything from God Bless America to uptown funk. Theyre the best of the best. They make it look easy. The next week, theyll eat, sleep and work together. Day one, theyre fitted for uniforms. Then, its practice this intense. Strangers become friends. You make new friends overnight and by the end of the week there will be a new set of best friends. And leave with a new feather in their caps. The honor of marching in a world famous parade. It takes time, patience and practice. It becomes a beautiful moment. This is really impressive. The oldest bowl game, the rose bowl. That is right. Fans will have their eye on another game this weekend, too. The raiders game without derek carr. Coming up, a look at how the team plans to win without him. Im sandhya patel. Live doppler 7 tracking a pair of systems for the weekend. Ill let you know if the rain will dampen your Holiday Plans coming up. A new automotive convenience with a story long this is a hectic time of the year, wont it be nice to have someone else deal with other hassles . Are you Offering Services . We can have food delivered so why are we pumping our own gasoline . This looks like a normal gas station. Is a hiring poster. Ever seen at all. A service station attendant not inside standing behind a counter but outside. Pumping gas. Customers love this. If youre in a little bit of a hurry, its nice. We get comments all the time. Really . How much is that going to cost . The same thing as anywhere else in orinda. Still, they admit the full service is handy. Have you ever been here when it rains . Yes. You stay in the car . Yes. Throwing back the old times. That means your service could last longer. It was a major gasoline retailer. The name is making a come back here in Northern California. That is nice. Isnt that fun . Interesting. And hundred lined up saying deals are too good to resist. There is a talk of being a big return day but. That target manager tells us he expects to see a higher number returning but not a single day spike. No rain here, but a live picture showing you the breeze is gentle here. And good visibility and beautiful picture from our abc7 news camera. Looking towards were going to be dealing with milder days on tap wednesday through friday. Were seeing a little bit of a breeze. Hour by hour forecast, clear, high clouds. 10 00 its going to be cold inland. Mid40s and youll feel winter chill. So just like this morning, tomorrow morning expecting areas of fog. Mid to upper 20s. After the moop, good recovery. Temperatures 50s to low 60s and impact saturday morning. 8 00 friday night, still bright. You can down load the abc7 news app. And then, it continues into the south bay around the late morning and early afternoon hours. Sunday afternoon, wet weather and that is january 1. Going into monday morning you might be dealing with rain. Here is a look at the accuweather forecast. Cold start in the values. Cool in the afternoon. Milder conditions wednesday, thursday, friday. Saturday its one for new years eve. Sunday afternoon there is a Second System bringing in rain. Thank you. What a scary moment. Coming up in sports, ill have an update on derek ca according to espn, garic carr will have surgery tuesday in los angeles. Recovery is at least six weeks. With carr out, matt mcgoin will start. Saturday, he did complete a couple key thirddown passs. We expect the guys to play. He handled himself well and been prepared. The second time, 49ers coming off a victory. Saturday, Collin Kaepernick made a conversion with about 30 seconds to play. San francisco is just 2 and 13. Kelly was asked if he plans to meet with jed york. Well discuss it after the season. Today nba did say lebron james should have been charged with a technical foul for hanging on the rim yesterday. Durant wound up falling down. Warriors lost 109108. Thank you very much. Ahead, nice kicks. A local teenagers shoe collection will help change li abc7 presents beyond the headlines with cheryl jennings. Hi. My name is hailey. Im 11 years old, and im dyslexic and in the 6th grade. Dyslexia isnt a disease. You just learn differently. My name is joey zoretski. Im 10 years old, and im in the 5th grade, and i have dyslexia. I am smart, and i can learn anything. You may not know about this stunning statistic. One in five kids has dyslexia. Its a brainprocessing disorder that makes it hard for them to learn to read. Now, just in california, there are more than 6 million children in school, so do the math 20 means more than 1. 2 million students, potentially, with dyslexia. Thats just in this state. Many of those cases have gone undiagnosed. But a new law is aimed at changing that situation. Welcome to beyond the headlines. Im cheryl jennings. Joining us right now is somebody who has dyslexia, the Lieutenant Governor of california, gavin newsom. Thanks for having me. Its fun. Thank you for being so open about this. Yeah, no, its interesting. The response has been interesting. Ive always been pretty honest about the fact i have dyslexia, but no one really paid much attention to it until i became mayor. And actually, one of the first things i did as mayor, the first public events, was visiting kids with dyslexia in the school, and everyone was shocked to know that i had this learning disability, which if i look back, was probably the best thing thats ever happened to me. Except a lot of kids would hear that and go, for me, its the worst thing. It was, and it was terrible growing up. Well, take me back. I think, for me, i think it was two things. One, it was very difficult for me, in terms of my own academic experience. School was a terrible and terrorizing experience. Ill just be candid with you. Spelling, reading, writing, i had speech therapy, i went through and i just, interestingly, in preparation to come here, i had not realized, i went to five schools in seven years. So i bounced around because, frankly, the schools, back then, didnt really focus on it, and they didnt want to focus on it even after they discovered that they should be focusing on it. So, my mother, to her credit, kept bringing me to new environments. But i wanted to make the point, it wasnt just about me. It was about my mother. She was a single mom with another daughter my sister and she didnt have dyslexia, but the impact it had on her is remarkably pronounced. And i think thats just another part of the story. We talk about the impact of the kids and our own struggles, but the impact in the household is very, very challenging. Well, its tough because shes fighting for you, she wants you to succeed. Youre coming home with bad grades and low selfesteem, and im sure that, just like every other kid, you didnt want anybody to call on you to read out loud. No. Are you kidding . You sit in the back of the class i mean, back of the class with eyes down, back of the class, acting like youre doing Something Else so no one would ever look up at you. Nothing more terrorizing, seriously, than going down the rows of desks, everyones asked to read a chapter in a book, and youre just staring at the clock, going, please, please, please get this period to end so i dont have to stand up in front of everyone. And ill never forget god as my witness mr. Morris class, ill never forget that moment where the clock didnt strike at the 50 minute to the hour so i can get to the next period, and i had to stand up, and people start laughing, and its one of those experiences i know its almost cliche, right . But its so indelible in my life because it was sort of an exp i was exposed to the rest of the classroom. What did they say . Just laughed at me. I literally couldnt read. Im shaking, and im trying to read, and i cant, and, you know, theyre laughing, and i put the stuff down, and if i could run out of class, i would, but i remember i didnt. And it was just one of those horrible experiences. And, you know, you feel dumb, you feel isolated, people call you dumb. Interesting for me, cheryl, i found out about it my mother hid it from me for years. I was diagnosed as dyslexic, but she didnt want to stigmatize me, and i appreciate that in hindsight. I lost her 15 years ago, so i dont have the benefit of talking to her about it today. But she didnt want to. And i remember coming home, and i found out i had dyslexia. I just thought i was, frankly, not that smart and was struggling and thought, you know, something was wrong with me. Before we run out of time, ive got to ask you, how does this affect you now . Do you read speeches . Yeah, i rarely read speeches, and if i do, theyre the worst things i ever do, cause theyre terrible. A teleprompter is easier than looking down at a piece of paper and looking up, cause ill lose my place. When i read, i underline. If i read the newspaper, i underline. When i read books dont ever lend me a book, because i will underline it. And what i do and this is the gift, i think, of dyslexia. At the end of the day i know the word gift is a controversial one because its really ways of overcompensating become gifts. They become attributes. They become advantages. But what im able to do is, after i read something, i have to read it again. And in reading it again, then it becomes indelible in my mind. Im able to take it away from the written word, and im able to connect it in a way where my memory is strengthened. Theres so many wonderful things that come from it being creative, learning how to fail, because that becomes an expertise of those that are struggling with learning disabilities. And understanding the importance of failure, in terms of ultimate outcome and success in life. And now, finally, in california, because of extraordinary leadership, decoding dyslexia, and other leaders, we have a bill that allows us to have a protocol in california, finally, to have our teachers and others take a look and begin to assess students in california that may suffer from the same struggles. Final question youre a dad four kids in your life. Yeah. You worried about this . Im not worried about it, but im focused on it. If our kids are just turned 6 and 4, 2, and a brandnew baby if theyre dyslexic, fabulous. And that just allows us to have the opportunity to see them grow a little differently. And im for different. Im for people being aittle bit, you know im for authenticity. Im for personality. You are a message of hope, gavin. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. All right, and when we come back, youre going to meet an 11yearold girl with dyslexia whose Youtube Video went viral. She and her mother will join us in just a couple of minutes. Stay with us. Well be right back. Welcome back to beyond the headlines. Joining me right now, 11yearold sophia granucci and her mother, lisa granucci. And thank you for coming all the way an hour and a half drive each way. So thank you for giving us that gift of your time. And, sophia, i saw your video that went viral about something you wanted your teacher to know. So tell me about first of all, tell me about the video. Well, that video would so my teacher would know that i have dyslexia. And so i wouldnt be going into her classroom and she wouldnt be able to know, and so she can help me, and i can have extra time on tests and be able to listen to my books and do have a special class during time the school hours. Schools hours, yes. Now, when did you know that you had a problem with reading . Were you little little . 2nd to 3rd grade. I got diagnosed in 3rd grade. And at 2nd grade, i knew that there was something wrong, so i everyone was getting as and bs, and i was getting ds and fs. Oof. So, um was that frustrating for you . Yes, very frustrating. How did you feel about yourself at that time . Well, i felt i felt really, like, disappointed sometimes because i knew that i could do it. I felt like i just had to try a lot harder. Mmhmm. And, mom, youre watching her struggle. Yeah. Wow. So, as youre listening to her, take me back to those early days. You know, i had some concern, and every year, i would talk to the teachers, and i said, what can we do . What can we do . Just keep reading to her, just have her keep working harder, and i just thought they were the professionals and they were telling us what we needed to d so i was telling her, you just got to work harder. You just got to try harder. And looking back now, and i think about how frustrating the tears at the homework table i feel awful about it. If i just wouldve known earlier. But who would know . I mean, its not something we talk about. Right. And so then, what happened to lead you to get a diagnosis . Well, just after not getting the answers and i knew there was something going on, and i spoke to a friend whose daughter had dyslexia, and so she led me to a private psychologist who evaluated her. And she was evaluated with the school prior, but they said that she was okay and she wasnt far enough behind. She needed to be three years behind in reading. Oh, no three years behind . Yeah, and she was only two years behind, so they said, shell be okay. Continue. And then i went to a private psychologist, and then they, hands down, diagnosed her with dyslexia. Wow. So when you heard that word, sophia, what did you think . Did it make you feel better . Well, i didnt know whathat was, so i thought that id have to go into a special classroom, i had to have new friends and i wouldnt i would get, like, special, like, time after school and i would have to do more homework, and itd be harder. So i was kind of nervous. But then when i figured out when my mom told me what it was, i felt better, and i knew, okay, this is gonna be ill still be in the same classroom. Im just gonna have a little extra help, and i wont have to, like, go to a whole different classroom. Are you doing better now . Yes. How well . Well, now im getting as and bs instead of ds and fs. So i think that was just because i needed someone to read it to me, so and help get let me have extra time. And now im getting as and bs. Oh, congratulations thank you. So, we have about 30 seconds left. The Youtube Video youve heard from people all over the world. This is not just a california or United States problem. So, who have you heard from . Weve heard from all over a lot of people from australia, china, all over the country, canada. Its pretty impressive. Every day, i turn on my email, and we have a new comment about how inspiring it has been for them and how theyre gonna try harder and thanking sophia for making the video for them. Sophia, what do you want to tell kids out there in 10 seconds . I want to tell kids that dyslexia i have it, too. So its not like its just you. Okay, youre not alone. Right . Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing your message. All right. And we have a lot more to talk about. Coming up, youre going to meet the mother of a dyslexic chi who decided that she had to take her fight to the state legislature to get services for children like her son. Also, youre going to meet a doctor considered to be the guru of dyslexia, working on sciencebased programs for decades. Stay with us. Well be right back. Welcome back. Were talking about a brainprocessing disorder called dyslexia, which frequently and sadly goes undiagnosed. Our guests today are dr. Sally shaywitz. She is author of the book overcoming dyslexia. And tobie meyer, who led the fight in sacramento to get a law passed to acknowledge dyslexia in the Education Code. So, thank you both for being here. This is your book. Youve got another one coming out. This is overcoming dyslexia, and the whole point of this show is to help people and talk about it. So, dr. Shaywitz, let me start with you. You and your husband have been working on this issue for decades. Why is this your passion . Well, dyslexia is our passion because we know it affects so many people 1 in 5, as you had mentioned. But as i testified to congress a year ago we always need more information, but in the case of dyslexia, we have enough knowledge to do better. So what we have is an action gap, not a knowledge gap. And we need to use the 21stcentury knowledge we have, and we have to make sure education is aligned with 21stcentury science. And, basically, dyslexia is very prevalent. We study the brain. We know where it is in the brain. We know so much about it, and yet kids were gonna hear go struggling. Teachers dont use the word. That should change now in california. And you had pointed to tobie, and youre absolutely right. cause you had this struggle with your son, so tell me about that. Yes, i did. When he was in the 1st grade, he became a different child. I couldnt get him out of the car in the morning to go to class. And, finally, one day, he told me he was not smart, and he would lay his head down on the table in class. We asked the school to assess him for a learning disability, and they found him ineligible. We hired a neuropsychologist and then eventually an attorney to secure services for my son. But this whole process cost us thousands of dollars in loans and a full school year at my childs expense. Oh, my goodness. Now, youve studied this, and fortunately, they were able to take out loans, but there are so many people you work with who are not that dont have any resources. And thats so true. And if you look at, for example, the nations report card, you find that theres 20 to 30 of children who are not at basic. And if you look at africanamerican, latino, native americans, thats even far larger. So we have an epidemic here. Oh, my gosh. Of dyslexia. And yet attentions not being paid. There are some schools, but theyre often very expensive independent schools. If we could have, for example, public Charter Schools for dyslexia, that would make a huge, huge difference, because these children and weve studied enough of the dyslexic theyre smart. They want to learn. They went to school with their mothers and fathers youre gonna learn to read. And were failing them. Well, that is its so sad, but you talked about action. You testified before congress. You worked with the california legislature, you and a team of moms and dads and kids. Tell me about that. Yes, that is correct. Jim frazier, the assemblyman. Yes, jim frazier decided that he would go ahead and author a bill that decoding dyslexia california would sponsor, and that bill was Assembly Bill 1369. And it had over 6,500 parents and children dyslexic children and organizations from all over california that lobbied for the support of the bill. And it passed unanimously through all the houses and eventually signed into law. Two parts, right . 2016, 2017. Thats correct. Two different laws. Theres phonological processing, which took effect on january 1, 2016. And the second law is that the state is required to develop program guidelines, and that will become effective by the Academic School year 20172018. And, dr. Shaywitz, we have about 10 seconds left. What is your advice to parents of dyslexic kids . Dont wait. We have a paper published just this fall that showed the achievement gap is present already in 1st grade, and it doesnt go away. So, parents, dont be afraid. And another thing parents are afraid of f your child has it, he or she has it, getting the diagnosis is a benefit. Its not gonna make the child dyslexic. Itll be a benefit. But itll bring benefits. And the child will know that he or she is not stupid. Oh, thats the best. Thank you both so much for all of your for teaching me about this so we could share it with other people. All right, we do have to take a break. Were going to put all of this resource information and i told you about overcoming dyslexia. Also, i got to show you the coolest hat ever. Got dyslexia . Youre in good company. So remember that. When we come back, youre going to meet a family who fought for years to get the help they needed for their teenage son who had a 3. 5 gradepoint average but couldnt read higher than 3rdgrade level. Were also gonna take you on a tour of the new dyslexic Research Center in San Francisco at ucsf mission bay and hear from the neuroscientist involved in a Pilot Project on reading disorders. Welcome back to beyond the headlines. Were continuing our discussion on dyslexia. Now, youve heard that a new law is going into effect in the Education Code to acknowledge the reading disorder dyslexia in order to get services to the children who need them. Now, it comes too late for the courageous students who fought to graduate. I want you to meet one of those students who is a success thanks to his dedicated mother and his own hard work. When i was, like, in school reading, i knew it was difficult. 18yearold durrell struggled to learn to read, but hes worked hard and is excited about graduating from high school. Hes an artist, creating his own comic book. He wants to be an engineer and maybe own a Videogame Company after college. But its been a difficult journey to get this far. Durrell learns differently than some children. His mom noticed it when durrell was in 2nd grade. He was put in specialeducation classes, and she kept fighting to find out why he had trouble learning. The school would say, go to the doctor. The doctor would say, the school. Her battle continued as durrell kept being moved forward through school and into high school, never learning how to rd above a 3rdgrade level in spite of his intelligence and very hard work. So, the whole 9thgrade year, 10thgrade year, this boy is getting 3. 85, 3. 5. But he cant read. Finally, a doctor diagnosed rrell with dyslexia, a brainprocessing disorder. Donna learned from that doctor about an agency calledredf that helps families like hers. Dredf stands for the disability rights education defense fund. Eventually, dredf referred the case out for legal action. The case was resolved outside of court, and while the end result is confidential, donna says durrell is finally getting the help he has always needed. Most parents that come to me come to me after years and years of begging for help, just like donna campbell. She had been fighting for her son. He was in incredibly hard courses with very, very driven academic achievers. He is one of them. Hes very bright. He is incredible. But he couldnt read. Generally speaking, how any sort of legal action against a School District can help these students is by gaining services. So theres something called compensatory education to compensate for services that should have been provided that were not provided. Durrell goes to tutoring classes early in the morning and after school. He also turns in extra work to make up for low test scores. He volunteers at a charity. Hes working hard to be a success and a good role model for others like him. Never give up and always fight for what you believe in, because you could do anything when you set your mind to it. Keep fighting for your child. I mean, if you see something wrong, just try to find the help. Wow. That is an amazing family. Well, joining me in the studio right now is dr. Fumiko hoeft, who works at the Dyslexic Center at ucsf mission bay in San Francisco. And i want to thank you so much for being here. You were gracious enough to take us on a tour of the new center. It was very exciting. We saw your son tyga in there. Yes. Its kind of like the control kit, i guess. So, tell me about your sons. Tell me about tyga. Okay. So, i have two sons, one who is tyga, whos a 7yearold who reads like an adult, like i do or any other adult. The other one, who struggles to acquire the most basic skills, such as sounding out letters and learning to read. And what we want to do is learn how this is happening in each child with dyslexia. So, the brain mechanisms underlying dyslexia, how we can help each child, utilizing their strengths and not just addressing their weaknesses, because these are different for each child. And also, how we can identify each child early so we can prevent unnecessary failure from happening. Yeah, you heard some of the parents saying that you have to be three years behind before theyre gonna get any help. Thats just scandalous. That should not happen. Yeah. So that is what we want to address. And so ucsfs Dyslexic Center was established very recently with honorary chair gavin newsom as honorary chair and in partnership with Charles Armstrong school, which is a preeminent Dyslexia School in the bay area. Everybody there is dyslexic . Yes. So theyre in good company. They are the fortunate people who have absolutely amazing teachers and peers. And what were trying to do is, we combine cuttingedge technology and genetics and brain imaging, and we dont study just reading, but we study a lot of other things, from musical processing, speech processing, language, attention, visualspatial skills, social emotional skills all the important pieces for a child to succeed in this school. And what were trying to do is identify each childs profile, which is different for each child, as we all know, and what i call a neural fingerprint. And now, what do you do with that information . How is that gonna be implemented into action . So, what we want to do is not just do research for the sake of research, but we want to bring it rapidly and directly into the classroom. So, we take each childs profile so we can identify their strengths as well as weaknesses so we can address and maximize and optimize their chances to succeed. And so one of the projects, for example, that were doing is developing an app utilizing these neuroscientific findings so that we can translate it and bring it to underresourced areas so that we dont have to have a ucsf Dyslexia Center in your neighborhood but so everyone can participate and benefit. All right, were gonna look forward to those apps. Dr. Hoeft, thank you so much. And thank you for letting me go on that tour. Were gonna share that with our viewers. All right. Thank you very much for having me. All right. And that is it for todays show. We could do hours on this. For more information about todays program and the resources where you live, just go to our website abc7news. Com community. Were also on facebook at abc7communityaffairs. Follow me on twitter cherylabc7. Im cheryl jennings. Have a great week. Well see you next time. Man standing is recorded in front of a live studio audience. Mike hey, babe. Hey. Whats the matter . Oh, nothing. Im just im just right on that lateafternoon fence. Do i have another cup of coffee or just say screw it and pour my first glass of wine . Tough one. Well, which way do you love me more a little jittery and chatty or passed out and drooling by 8 30 . I love you both ways