This is worth a toast: a local craft brewery is rolling out some rare beers and unique cask creations at an upcoming fundraiser that will benefit a breast cancer charity.

On Aug. 29, from noon to 5 p.m., Green Flash Brewing Co. will host its 5th annual “Treasure Chest Fest” at its tasting room at 6550 Mira Mesa Blvd.

The event will boast special, rare craft brews available exclusively at this festival, including the debut of the company’s “Treasure Chest 2015” brew: an exotic pink-hued IPA brewed with grapefruit, prickly pear juice and hibiscus flowers.

Green Flash describes the special release beer as, “Erupting with fruit-forward complexity, 100% Mosaic hops present aromas of heady citrus and refined stone fruit. The pleasantly bitter flavors of the hops are enhanced by the addition of fresh grapefruit juice. Offering balance to offset the bold citrus notes, prickly pear juice imparts a peppery-sweet kick in the finish. Tropical Hibiscus flowers give this beer a naturally pink hue, a nod to the official color of the Treasure Chest mission.”

The 21 and up brewery event will also feature a lineup of one-a-kind creations from a cask, including Barrel-Aged Ristretto with Bourbon Glazed Cherries, Natura Morta with Blood Orange and ESB with English Caramel.

All drinks will be on tap for one day only, just for the 2015 Treasure Chest Fest. The pink Treasure Chest 2015 beer will eventually go on sale in 22-ounce bottles at local stores.

Early bird tickets to the festival can be purchased in advance online and cost $40 per person. Each entry includes 10 beer tastings and 10 food pairings. Additional tasting tickets can be purchased for $15 for five more tastings.

Each rare beer will be paired with small plates from local restaurants. Green Flash says participating eateries include Brother Provisions, Carnitas Snack Shack, Nomad Donuts, The Local and Viva Pops, to name a few.

Other activities at the fest will include culinary and craft beer demos presented by the pros, a fun photo booth, appearances by pin-up girls and vendors selling unique goods.

This year’s party includes a tropical Hawaiian Luau theme, so attendees are encouraged to sport their best Tiki attire, including grass skirts, Hawaiian shirts and any other kitschy island apparel.

The event will serve as a fundraiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure San Diego. The brewery’s goal is to raise $150,000 for the charity.

Treasure Chest Fest was first established in 2011 by Green Flash co-founder and breast cancer survivor Lisa Hinkley, who has now been cancer-free for five years.

Each year, the company’s master brewers debut a new, limited-release beer starring a new pin-up style icon just for the event.

A Chicago couple says they consider themselves lucky to be alive after they barely avoided being struck by gunfire from an armed man on a train from Amsterdam to Paris.

"I probably missed that stray bullet by inches, so I feel very lucky," Amy said.

She and her husband, Bob, who declined to provide their last names, were aboard the train Friday when a gunman carrying an AK-47 started shooting at passengers and crew. Amy said she was dozing when she heard the sound of glass shattering and then felt pieces of glass in her hair.

Three people were wounded in the attack, but several passengers, including three Americans, took down the gunman before he could do any more harm.

"Our hearts were pounding. I thought it was a final train, basically," Bob said.

The gunman was identified only as a 26-year-old Moroccan man who was formerly under surveillance by European authorities.

The three Americans and a British man have been thanked by French authorities for thwarting what could have been a deadly massacre. President Barack Obama called the Americans Saturday afternoon to thank them as well.

Spencer Stone, one of the heroes and a serviceman in the Air Force, was injured during the attack, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

The other two Americans who helped stop the attack were identified as Oregon National Guard Specialist Alek Skarlatos and college senior Anthony Sadler. All three are friends from childhood.

"I think it could have been much worse because regular civilian people I don't think would have had the wherewithal to try to disarm a man with a machine gun," Amy said.

A terminally ill mother’s wish to see her daughter’s fairy tale 15th birthday celebration came true Saturday when Los Angeles police officers hosted a quinceañera for the teen.

Gang enforcement officers from the LAPD’s Central Division had met the family at a community movie night and learned that the parents didn’t have the money to throw the coming-of-age party for 14-year-old Jazmine Delgado. The mother has brain cancer.

With the help of local businesses, officers coordinated the bash that was held in East LA. A uniformed LAPD officer backed by mariachis serenaded guests and Jazmine took to the dancefloor with her mother for a special dance.

"I never expected this to happen," Jazmine said. "I’m happy to be here having my party and I invited a lot of friends."

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Earlier, police shared photos on Twitter of Jazmine in a pink gown and a tiara posing with her family and officers before the big night. Another photo showed a line of lowrider cars outside the family’s home in the William Mead housing project just north of downtown LA.

"Watching Jazmine and how happy she is and how energetic and just ecstatic she is about today, that's the reward for all of us," LAPD Sgt. Janet Kim said.

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Two sanitation workers picking up recycling materials in New York spotted something shocking early Saturday morning: a bloodied man running from his house with his hands tied.

The 76-year-old man was inside his home on 101st Street in Jamaica, Queens, when one of three robbers entered just after 6 a.m., police said. The suspect used a ladder to get into the house through a second-floor window. He then entered the victim's bedroom and tied his hands and feet before pistol-whipping him, police said.

Two other suspects — a man and a woman — then entered the home. They stole a television, cell phone and a wallet with $20 in it, police said. The three suspects then ran from the area.

A short time later, two sanitation workers saw the bloodied victim running from his house. The two workers, Michael Bermudez, 35, and Joseph Felicetti, 34, untied the man and called police.

He was taken to Jamaica Hospital. His condition was not immediately known, although he appeared to be suffering from wounds to his face in video shot at the scene.

"It should be safe in this area because the precinct is right here," neighbor Jasmine Amado said. "I know the man, my kids know him. He's a nice guy."

No arrests have been reported in the case.

Dozens of police officers were called to San Diego’s busy Little Italy community Saturday to investigate reports of a man armed with a metal rod causing a disturbance on the streets.

The San Diego Police Department confirmed the rod-wielding man, likely a transient, was acting out near the Little Italy Farmers Market and refused to put down the metal object when ordered to do so by officers.

A short, streetside standoff ensued between police and the suspect in front of the Pappalecco eatery and The Barbery barber shop in the 1600 block of State Street. Officers used pepper spray on the man and by 9:40 a.m., he was in custody of police.

He was handcuffed and taken away in an ambulance as onlookers cheered for the officers.

No injuries were reported, and no further details were immediately released.
 

One San Diego couple's marriage is already underwater and they haven't even been married a week.

Mark and Crystal Vartanian took the plunge at La Jolla Cove Saturday morning, diving 20 feet underwater to get married.

Mark Vartanian certainly didn't have cold feet before the ceremony. In fact, he wore a tuxedo over his wetsuit for the occasion.

"I'm hot," he admitted before the ceremony as his fiancée laughed.

Crystal followed his lead, wearing a dress over her scuba gear.

The entire wedding party, many of whom had never been diving before, also donned wetsuits for the wedding.

"We feel like if you've been to one wedding, you've been to them all," Crystal Vartanian told NBC7 of San Diego. "We really wanted to give our guests something different to take back with them."

Crystal says the couple was just searching the web one day when they came across an ad about scuba diving. They quickly came up with the idea of combining the two. They became certified and began planning for their big day.

After the ceremony, the couple had their reception at San Diego's Birch Aquarium.

An African elephant from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is moving out on his own.

Vus’Musi, an eleven-year old Swaziland elephant, made the 5-hour drive from Escondido to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo last Thursday as part of a breeding loan recommended by the Species Survival program.

“Moosey,” as his keepers call him, entered his moving crate without any trouble. Keepers had been preparing him for the move for weeks; they continuously monitored him along the way and gave him treats during frequent stops.

The 7500-pound animal will lead a new herd of elephants, and animal care staff hope he will become a father.

“He’s all grown up,” Curtis Lehman, animal care supervisor at the Safari Park said in a statement. “Being a male, we knew that someday he’d probably move to another place and start a family of his own—and it turned out to be the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.”

To help him adjust to his new surroundings and new keepers, two of VusMusi’s Safari Park keepers will stay with him in Fresno. Once he is out of quarantine, VusMusi, which means “to build a family,” will have two new female herd members, Betts and Amy.

All three elephants will live in the new African Adventure habitat set to open October 15. The area will feature waterfalls, savannas, pools, and mud wallows. It will also be home to lions, cheetahs, rhinos and meerkats.

Vus’Musi was born at the Safari Park in 2004. His parents were relocated from Swaziland to keep from being killed.

A death investigation is underway at a La Mesa home Saturday night.

Police are on the scene at the 4400 hundred block of Summit drive.

No other details are available at this time.

Check back on this breaking story for updates.

An East County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post may soon have to close its doors if it doesn’t raise enough money.

Officials at the VFW Post 93-27 in Santee said it can no longer afford its lease after seven years at their strip mall location on the 8700 block of Cuyamaca Street.

Post 93-27 has helped veterans for decades, from their contributions to events like Stand Down, an annual program that helps vets in need of financial medical and other assistance, to smaller community events like the annual picnic for veterans.

“It will have a major impact on things we provide the community – especially during Christmas time,” Todd Childs, Commander of the VFW 93-27 told NBC7.

The Eagles Club has temporarily given the post a space, but in order to make money from liquor sales, the post’s biggest money maker, they need a permanent home.

They have now set up a Go Fund Me page, hoping the community they’ve helped so much will help them back.

“This is a good opportunity to help your veterans,” said Rick Rambo a Vietnam veteran. “You know we really appreciate it when people say thank you for your service, but this is a chance where they can say thank you for your service and now we have a way of supporting you.”

The Go Fund Me page has raised nearly $5,000 toward a permanent new home. The post says they need to raise $30,000 by September or they will likely have to close their doors for good.
 

Billions of taxpayer dollars go to college students who never end up with a diploma in their hands, a new report found.

Pell grants — which are given to low-income families and, unlike student loans, do not need to be paid back — are the costliest education initiative in the nation, NBC News reports. But little official data exists on whether they are a good investment, according to the education watchdog Hechinger Report.

Education Department Undersecretary Ted Mitchell last month lauded Pell grants as "one of the key levers that we have" to increase college completion rates. But an analysis published Monday by Hechinger revealed that Pell recipient graduation rates are often considerably lower than the overall graduation rate — even six years after a student starts college.

A fire, deemed suspicious by investigators, ripped through a vacant home in North Park Saturday morning, sending heavy smoke into the neighborhood.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) received reports of the blaze in the 4000 block of Utah Street around 2:20 a.m.

SDFD Capt. Dave Seneviratne said a one-story, single-family home was engulfed in flames but fortunately, the property was vacant.

With an aggressive attack, Seneviratne said firefighters were able to knock out the blaze within 20 minutes and kept it from spreading to a nearby apartment complex.

No one was injured, the fire captain confirmed.

The SDFD’s Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST) was called to the scene to investigate the fire, as officials deemed it suspicious, especially since the home was vacant.

Seneviratne said neighbors reported squatters allegedly hanging around the vacant home, but he said officials had not yet discovered evidence to confirm those details.

The investigation is ongoing.
 

Fire crews were called to Bay Park Saturday to investigate a small brush fire, but when officials arrived they found more than that – a fiery, suspected DUI car crash that had claimed the lives of two women who were unable to escape the flames.

According to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD), a vehicle crashed in the 4800 block of Friars Road near Pacific Highway just before 7:30 a.m. Flames quickly engulfed the mangled car, spreading to surrounding vegetation just off the roadway.

California Highway Patrol officials said drivers reported seeing heavy smoke visible from different parts of Friars Road and Morena Boulevard. Firefighters tackled the car fire and brush fire, knocking the flames out. By 8:30 a.m., officials were preparing to clear the scene.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said three people were inside the 2000 Dodge Stratus – a man, who was driving, and two women in the passenger seats. The Stratus slammed into a curb, drove onto an embankment and struck a large boulder, investigators said.

The car then caught on fire. The man was able to escape the flaming wreckage, but the women couldn’t get out and they died in the vehicle, police said.

The man sustained burns and cuts and was taken a local hospital.

The SDPD said the man is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. Officials said he will remain hospitalized for now, and will be arrested and charged once he's released from the hospital.

The crash is under investigation. The names of the victims and their ages were not immediately released.
 

A San Diego nurse was sentenced to three years of probation for removing drugs from a La Jolla clinic and replacing them with saline solution, according to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy’s office.

Registered nurse Sarah Elizabeth Martin, 25, was sentenced to three years of probation, a $1,000 fine and 100 hours of community service for removing Meperidine Hydrochloride, a generic form of Demerol, from vials at a clinic, officials said. She will also have to pay restitution and complete a six-month residential drug rehabilitation program.

Martin, who acknowledged during her sentencing that she had developed an addiction to pain medication because of her actions, glued the vials' caps back on after she switched the solutions and placed the vials back in the locker to be used for other patients.

“Consumers and especially patients rely on FDA to ensure that the prescription drugs they take are safe and effective; when actions compromise either the safety or the effectiveness of those medications, we will intervene,” said Lisa L. Malinowski, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations’ Los Angeles Field Office, in a statement. “We will continue our vigilance and work to ensure that those who violate the public’s trust and endanger the public health will be brought to justice.”

Between 50 to 250 of the adulterated drugs were given to patients at the clinic, investigators found, but there was no evidence that her actions lead to any injuries or resulted in any conscious or reckless risks of death.

A San Diego-area nonprofit running an "underground railroad" is trying to save "as many people as possible" from turmoil in Iraq by finding them refuge in Southern California, and it has tens of thousands of Christian Iraqis on its waiting list. 

Mark Arabo, a first generation Iraqi-American born and raised east of San Diego, founded the Minority Humanitarian Foundation (MHF) in 2014 after he grew tired of waiting for a response from Washington officials to the crisis created by Islamic State militants, he told NBC7 in San Diego.

“My number one goal is to save as many people as possible," Arabo told NBC7. "It's never been about me or whether I am a target or not. I am focused. We have to save people that are getting killed because of who they are."

The group aims to help Chaldean Catholics and other persecuted religious minorities in Iraq by creating a safe passage for those that would like the leave the country and building a safe haven for those that would like to stay within the country.

In the past ten months, more than 300 Chaldeans have been transported safely from Iraq to El Cajon's Chaldean Cathedral, east of San Diego, though tens of thousands more are on the foundation's waiting list. 

Though specific stops along the "railroad" are kept secret to protect the refugees, Arabo's passage to freedom starts in northern Iraq and goes through Turkey, several destinations in Europe, Mexico City, Tijuana, and finally El Cajon.

Arabo says visas are no longer processed in Iraq, making it impossible for Chaldeans to enter the U.S. in any ordinary fashion.

In June 2014 and July 2015, Arabo confirmed to NBC7 he flew to Washington, D.C. to speak with U.S. officials about the refugees that need help.

He visited with White House officials, State Department officials and members of Congress during his time in the Capitol, holding a binder filled with 70,000 applications for U.S. visas that he urged officials to consider. For many Iraqis, a visa is difficult if not impossible to obtain in Iraq, Arabo told NBC7.

Arabo said the underground process meets federal regulations. Once at U.S.-Mexico border, refugees ask for political asylum.

Arabo says in Iraq, Chaldeans are forced to join the Islamic State or they are killed.

As a result, there are more than 160,000 displaced Catholic Iraqis. 70,000 of those are on Arabo's waiting list, he told NBC7.

The prominent Chaldean businessman, who is president and CEO of the Neighborhood Market Association in San Diego, called for a more robust response to the crisis from government officials. 

“Our extractions are at night, when many of our government officials are asleep and we are doing everything we can to rescue these innocent survivors of a genocide," Arabo said. "This is our last resort, not our first, but in the absence of Washington we have to do something."

NBC 7 has reached out to ICE officials about the "underground railroad." Twenty seven Chaldeans are in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Diego, Arabo said, but were not passengers on his “underground railroad.” 

Despite some fraudulent cases, Arabo said, many Chaldeans and others are in need of refuge.

Arabo said his "underground railroad" can't move people out of Iraq fast enough. He is pushing Congress to draft legislation that would give Chaldeans direct access to asylum and is pleading for action with the State Department and Obama Administration.

More than 60,000 Chaldeans live in El Cajon, east of San Diego, where the refugees have found temporary safety. It is the largest concentration of Chaldeans in the U.S. after Detroit.

Authorities were investigating on Sunday whether the heavily-armed alleged gunman thwarted in the midst of an apparent terror attack on a Amsterdam-Paris train was acting alone, or whether "a wider framework" was involved.

Belgium's chief prosecutor Eric Van Sypt told NBC News that the attacker was 26-year-old Moroccan Ayoub El Khazzani, who had lived in Europe for several years and recently spent time in Brussels.

Van Sypt said it was not yet known if El Khazzani had an accomplice or was acting alone, and authorities in Belgium were probing "if there is possibly a wider framework involved."

French Interior Minister Brenard Cazeneuve said Saturday that Spanish authorities had flagged a 26-year-old Moroccan in February 2014 because of his links to radical Islam.

For the first time since revealing details of his cancer diagnosis, former President Jimmy Carter taught Sunday school in his hometown, drawing hundreds of well-wishers to the tiny Baptist church he has attended for much of his life.

His grandson said it was the 689th time he had taught classes there.

Before Carter started the lesson, he briefly recapped the details of his cancer diagnosis — how doctors had found melanoma had spread to his brain after undergoing surgery to remove part of his liver.

Then, he said, "That's enough of that subject."

He next pivoted to a 45-minute lesson on faith and love.

Carter promised the crowd at the church he would be back to take photos with them after teaching a second class at the nearby high school. He asked the crowd to come up in groups.

The Sweetwater Valley Little League team fell to their Texas opponents Sunday in their second game of the Little League World Series. 

The double elimination game against Pearland West Little League from Texas began at 12 p.m. in Williamsport, PA. Texas jumped out to an early 6-0 lead on the back of Sweetwater’s five errors throughout the game.

By the end of the game, SVLL had closed the gap a little more, but still lost the game 8-4. 

At a viewing party in Bonita at the team's home field, dozens of fans brought their chairs, blankets and coolers to cheer on their team on Conduit Street. The game was played on a 20-foot by 10-foot high-definition screen for viewers. 

Fans at the viewing party were saddened by the loss.

“For me I'm crying because I know what they're feeling: disappointment and sadness, but they made us proud,” said Karla Poukkula through tears.

Fans at the watch party, like Eric Castillo, held their hands beneath their chin, saying a prayer.
“They've been very strong," Castillo said. “Watching them play like this is a little bit frustrating its like, come on!"

Despite the slow start, fans were still hopeful the team's bats would heat up.

“It’s not over yet, said Alan Botterman during the game. “We have two more at bats and they're going to come back and do this. “

After Botterman and other fans started rocking their rally caps, Sweetwater went on a tear at the bottom of the 6th, smacking a three-run homer.

Though it wasn't enough to mount a comeback, the team of 12 and 13-year-olds have hit a homerun with the Bonita community.

“Yeah, it does inspire me and makes me want to play even more,” said Alex Izaguirre-Lopez.

Before the game started, Sycuan Casino donated $20,000 to the team to help with their Little League World Series travel costs.

The team will now head to an elimination game on Monday at 5 p.m. against New England. 

Lebanon's prime minister threatened to resign on Sunday, warning rival parties in his unity cabinet that the state faced collapse because of paralysis that has come to a head with its failure to resolve a crisis over rubbish disposal.

Protesters called for a second day of demonstrations against Prime Minister Tammam Salam's cabinet on Sunday after at least 35 people were injured on Saturday night when security forces used water cannons and tear gas to disperse several thousand demonstrators in central Beirut.

Salam's government has suffered almost complete paralysis since it took office last year as wider crises in the Middle East, including the war in neighboring Syria, have exacerbated Lebanon's own political and sectarian divisions.

Fifteen members of San Diego’s Regional Incident Management Team are in Washington State to help crews fight the Pacific Northwest fires.

With 30 large fires still uncontained in the state, the federal government is calling for help and for the first time ever, that help is being requested from local regional teams across the country.

“What is unique is that this is the first time that an all Hazards Incident Management team has supported another state,” said Assistant Fire Chief Brian Fennessy of the San Diego Fire Rescue Department. 

More than 32,000 firefighters are on the ground fighting the fires, but now there is a shortage of crews to manage and oversee day-to-day efforts. That is what the 15 San Diegans will be doing.

“It’s very unlikely they will be assigned to manage a fire….[they will] use skills and training to manage evacuations, repopulation of communities, immobilization centers, [they are] trained in a variety of assignments,” Fennessy said.

The team is put together from various local agencies in the county, from firefighters to members of the County Health Department. The members are experts in providing management support in times of local emergencies.

“Having served on teams like this before...you aren't taking over, you are assisting and supporting and there are sensitivities to that,” Fennessey said. “It’s an opportunity to build structures.”

The team arrived in Spokane and will be stationed in Washington for the next two weeks.

A woman faked her own death in order to escape her abusive ex-boyfriend, according to police.

On Saturday shortly before 6:30 a.m. police responded to a home on the 800 block of Radclyffe Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for a report of a woman experiencing a seizure and not breathing.

When police arrived they found the man who called them, 25-year-old Bartholomew Palumbo, as well as his 29-year-old ex-girlfriend who was badly injured.

The woman, who managed to crawl up the stairs when police arrived, told investigators Palumbo assaulted her by choking her, slamming her to the floor, punching her in the face and throwing her down the basement steps. The woman said she then faked her own death by acting out seizures.

Believing he had killed her, Palumbo went upstairs, called 911 and claimed his ex-girlfriend had suffered a seizure, according to investigators.

Investigators later determined the woman’s story was true. Palumbo was taken into custody and detectives confirmed the assault. He is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person. He was arraigned and lodged in Northampton County Prison on $100,000 bail. 

Palumbo's attorney information was not immediately available. 

The woman was taken to St. Luke’s University Hospital where she is currently in critical condition.