A furious San Diego man is pleading for the public’s help in finding the driver who hit his wife and left her crumpled on the ground.

Carol Lord, a P.E. teacher at Alice Birney Elementary School, was riding her bike at Clairemont Drive and Galveston Street Thursday morning when a blue sedan swerved into the bike lane to pass another car, striking Lord, according to her husband Steve.

The collision left Carol with a compound fracture and dislocated ankle. The driver fled the scene.

"It's terrible, drivers that leave the scene of the accident, the scene of the crime, leaving someone to die," said Steve. "My wife could have been dying there today."

San Diego police say the vehicle that struck Carol was a dark blue, small compact or sub-compact car with front bumper and hood damage. It is also missing the passenger side mirror.

Alice Birney Elementary Principal Amanda Hammond-Williams told NBC 7 that when Carol called to tell her about the accident, she said she was sorry she wouldn’t be there for the kids.

“She’s totally into building kids’ fitness and making sure that they’re balanced, and she’s into safety. She’s into health. She's a very dynamic person and we love her," Hammond-Williams said.

According to Steve, this is a day they have always feared as cyclists.

“We’ve been riding together for 20 years,” he said. “She rides three to four thousand miles a year on San Diego streets. Well, it happened this morning. I stopped and turned around and there was my wife on the ground, crumpled. I thought she was dead.”

A surgeon at Scripps La Jolla Hospital was able to essentially reattach her nearly severed foot to her ankle.

Now comes the recovery, which Steve expects won’t be pretty. Sitting isn’t exactly Carol’s thing.

“This is going to be hard on her,” he said. “She’s not a good patient in that regard, and nobody should have to go through this. Nobody.”
 

A 14-year-old girl was being hailed as a hero on Thursday after she took bullets and shielded her infant nephew from gunfire in South Los Angeles.

De Je Brewer is in pain and can barely move her right arm, the one that took the .40-caliber bullet. A bullet also went through her back and narrowly missed puncturing her lung.

"I'm blessed," she said.

The shooting happened Tuesday night in the driveway of one of De Je's relative's in the 1300 block of West 59th Place.

De Je was inside the family car, sitting next to her 10-month-old nephew in his baby seat when a dark green Pontiac Grand Prix pulled up and a passenger opened fire.

De Je was struck in the back three times and the child narrowly missed gunfire.

"I felt something hit me," said De Je, the ninth-grade, straight-A student. "So then I checked and there was blood."

Her aunt, Donna Brooks, is furious.

"It's vicious," she said. "It's evil and it's cruel."

Police said they did not have information on the suspect.

Stephanie Marroquin and Corey Arvin contributed to this report.

Jeb Bush has a new set of targets in his sights, shifting focus from other Republicans to Democratic rivals Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton during a speech Thursday to Nevada voters.

Bush spoke about Sanders’ plan to roll out $18 trillion in new spending programs, calling it “impossible to imagine.”

The Republican presidential candidate said his plan to shrink the government and taxes is the “proper” way to boost economic growth in the country.

Bush briefly spoke about the second round of Republican debates on Wednesday, calling it a “crazy” and “different” experience.

San Diego State looks to win its 10th straight home game Saturday when South Alabama visits the West Coast.

It’s a bounce back opportunity for both the Aztecs - who lost by 28 at California - and the Jaguars who were humbled by Nebraska 48-9.

"How teams come back from hard defeats, hard losses, or adversity of any kind has a lot to do with how the team leadership reacts,” said Aztecs head coach Rocky Long, “and how they take it and how they proceed from there."

The South Alabama roster features more than half a dozen players that transferred from UAB. That’s the school that briefly folded its football program last season due to financial problems.

“We play a team that is a much more talented team than anybody in San Diego probably realizes,” added Long. “(UAB) was a bowl (eligible) team last year.

South Alabama has quite a few players coming back on offense, not too many on defense. They’ve got good speed at the skill positions and they’re pretty good up front, too. They’re not real big, but they’re pretty good up front.”

Among the players that blazed a new trail to South Alabama, UAB’s former starting quarterback Cody Clements.

“He’s a very experienced guy and he’s a pretty good player,” said Long.

SDSU would be wise to keep him in the pocket. Clements is known to scramble dating back to his UAB days.

"It's all about execution,” said SDSU junior defensive back Malik Smith. “We didn't execute it very well last week. The score tells it all. We need to get the ball rolling on defense and just be good at everything."

The SDSU offense will have its hands full as well.

"South Alabama is a little different than the two teams we've played so far,” explained Aztecs tight end Daniel Brunskill. “USD and Cal weren't huge pressure teams and South Alabama is going to bring a lot of pressure.

When they bring that much pressure, you have to account for every guy and know where they're coming from.”

One other concern is that the Aztecs scored only 7 points against Cal, yet they were whistled for a whopping 14 penalties.

Coach Long mentioned multiple times that his team is focused on cleaning things up in that area this week in practice.

A neighbor testified Thursday that a Carlsbad woman did not seem distressed the morning she shot her husband, a high school math teacher.

Julie Harper is on trial for second-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband Jason inside their home on Aug. 27, 2012, while their children were downstairs.

During her testimony, neighbor Michelle Cullen told the court she saw Harper that morning. With their line of questioning, prosecutors were trying to establish that at no time did Harper seem distressed.

Cullen instead called Jason a good neighbor and father.

“He was an ever-present figure; he was often with his kids,” she said. “He was very friendly. He was very kind.”

On cross-examination, the defense played a recording of an argument the Harpers had, which was secretly recorded by Julie. The attorney then asked Cullen if knowing Jason used profanity in front of his children and berated his wife would change her opinion of him.

Cullen said not necessarily.

“I’m not saying it’s not ideal, but conflict exists in my marriage and most marriages I know of,” she said.

Harper’s defense says she shot her husband out of fear that he would kill or rape her. Prosecutors argue Harper was spiteful over the marriage and had just filed for divorce in the days before the killing. They questioned why, if she were innocent, she would bury the gun and not immediately report the shooting to police.

As testimony continued Thursday, a field evidence technician who responded to Jason’s death said they had trouble finding his body. It was covered in blankets and other items in a room cluttered with boxes, clothing, pens, water bottles and more.

Among the items was a book titled “The Unofficial Guide to Getting a Divorce.” The jury was also shown pictures of weapons, ammunition and cash found in the closet.

Jason’s mother, sitting in the courtroom, buried her face in her hands as graphic images of his wounds were exhibited.

This is the second trial for Julie Harper. Last October, a jury acquitted her on first-degree murder charges but was deadlocked on the second-degree murder and manslaughter counts. Prosecutors decided to retry her on the lesser charges.

The Stockton Police Department is coming under fire after a video was posted on YouTube showing nine officers forcibly arresting a 16-year-old boy accused of jaywalking, and the teen’s family filed a formal complaint Thursday.

The video begins after the initial confrontation, just before 7 a.m. Tuesday, when witnesses said a single officer told the teen to walk onto the sidewalk and not in the bus-only lane. The incident escalated and the video begins with the boy sitting on the edge of a planter with the cop over him, baton drawn.

Witnesses can be heard yelling at the officer, who calls for backup.

Eight additional officers quickly arrive and several of them forcibly put the teen on the ground together and arrest him.

The video was posted by witness Edgar Avedaño, who gave his version of the incident on his Facebook page.

“Here's the info of what happened,” he wrote. “The kid got stopped for ‘jaywalking’ when he barely stepped out of the bus he was 2 feet away from the sidewalk when the cop stopped him for ‘jaywalking’. The cop was telling him to take a sit but the teen kept walking to his bus but the cop kept grabbing his arm & the kid took off the cop's hand off his arm so the cop took out his baton & that's when I started recording because everything happened too quick. He didn't have to hit the kid with the baton & no need to call about 20 cops. And as you can see his body cam is on the floor. Smh” (sic)

The police department contends the detainment and arrest was within policy.

According to spokesman Officer Joseph Silva, the teen did not comply with the officer’s request that he stop walking in a bus-only lane and cussed at the officer in reply. He continued walking in the street, Silva said.

Silva said that a struggle ensued, and the teen knocked the officer’s body camera to the ground and tried to grab his baton. The officer requested backup, and asked for additional officers because of the crowd that was forming.

"If everyone would just learn to comply with the lawful orders from police officers and not try to hold or grab any of our weapons, force would never have to be used," Silva said.

The teen was cited for trespassing and resisting arrest, Silva said.

An initial review indicated that the officers acted within policy, he added, but there would be additional investigation.

NBC Investigations' Andrew Blankstein contributed to this report.

A pedestrian received major injuries after being hit by a vehicle on State Route 76, Oceanside police say.

The crash happened near N. Santa Fe Avenue.

A medical helicopter has been called into to airlift the victim to the hospital.

Police have closed the westbound SR-76 between Santa Fe and College Boulevard while they investigate.

The world’s fastest boats will roar into Mission Bay this weekend for the famous three-day San Diego Bayfair – a racing fest on the water boasting high-octane action.

The 51st annual, family-friendly, outdoor festival goes down Friday through Sunday, when more than 85,000 spectators are expected to descend on East Vacation Island, Crown Point and Fiesta Island.

This year, Bayfair organizers expect one of the largest boat fleets ever on the water, with more than 80 teams from around the world competing in multiple races on Mission Bay.

Among the hydro highlights, organizers say racing fans will want to catch a glimpse of the H1 Unlimited hydroplane, Go3Racing, expected to make its first appearance at Bayfair since 2008. The vessel is powered by a dual turbocharged Allison V-12 engine.

Other things attendees can enjoy on land include live music, beer gardens, vendors and activities for kids. This year, spectators can also tour a pit area that allows fans to get up close with the boats and racing teams on the bay.

The schedule, as well as details on different ticket packages and prices, is available here.

By the way, just in time for Fleet Week San Diego, Bayfair will host Military Appreciation Day on Saturday. That day, active-duty military and reservists will receive free admission, while their family members are given a special discount rate on tickets.
 

Two San Diego-based politicians confirmed their romance Wednesday with a photo posted on Twitter.

California Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D) 80th District shared a photo with former Assemblymember and San Diego mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher.

The same photo was posted to her Facebook account with the caption: "I'm happy to say this was a fabulous birthday! Thank you to all the wonderful wishes from family and friends.... And for my perfect dinner date Nathan Fletcher! Life is very good."

The first woman to be elected CEO and Secretary-Treasurer for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Gonzalez was elected to the Assembly in 2013. 

Fletcher served as a Republican in the Assembly for four years beginning in 2008. He earned headlines for switching from the GOP to Independent during his run for mayor and then switched his political affiliation to Democrat.

He and his wife of 11 years separated late last year and filed for divorce in January.

San Diego Police arrested a man on Tuesday in connection with a series of burglaries in North Park and Normal Heights.

According to officials the man broke into the houses while the residents were at home. The break-ins began on August 20th, resulting in nine burglaries.

Officers contacted Domonique Eatman, 18, on September 25th for littering and arrested him.

“Detectives worked diligently to investigate nine cases in the North Park and Adams North communities,” Said Lieutenant Carole Beason in a statement. “During the course of the investigation, Dominique Eatmon (6-12-97) was identified as a possible suspect and probable cause to arrest was established. The suspect information was shared with officers who patrol the Mid-City communities.”

Eatman has been booked into the county jail on nine counts of hot prowl burglary and three counts of vehicle burglary.

Detectives are still investigating. They have already located some stolen property.
 

Low wages and part-time work are keeping San Diego’s poorest families from getting out of poverty, a new survey suggests.

Data from the 2014 American Community Survey released Thursday shows 15.7 percent of the City of San Diego’s population lives below the federal poverty line.

The Federal Poverty Threshold is $12,316 a year for a single person or $24,008 combined income for two adults with two children.

The 2014 numbers are basically unchanged from the previous year.

“It’s a little bit surprising because unemployment has gone down and we’ve added jobs,” said Peter Brownell, PhD. with the Center on Policy Initiatives.

Of those living below the poverty line, 41.5 percent are working.

It’s those folks who are at the bottom of the labor market who suffer because job quality is not enough to bring them out of poverty, Brownell said.

“One of the problems continues to be raising the quality of jobs we have here in the region,” he said.

The problem is even worse for the city's children, with 20.4 percent living in poverty.

Two leading presidential candidates visited the Granite State on Thursday ostensibly to build excitement ahead of New Hampshire's early primary.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was greeted by a huge crowd at a town hall-style rally in Rochester, New Hampshire and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton held three events around the state.

Trump may leave with the bigger headline after a supporter asked Trump a question about Muslims in America.

"We have a problem in this country. It's called Muslims," the supporter said.

"We know our current president is one," he added. "You know he's not even an American."

"We need this question," Trump replied, smiling.

"That's my question," the man said. "When can we get rid 'em?"

Trump did not attempt to correct the record about President Obama's faith or nationality.

"We are going to be looking at a lot of different things," Trump said in response.

NBC News reached out to the Trump campaign for clarification on the remark. His staff told NBC News that Trump meant to say that "Christians need support in this country. Their religious liberty is at stake."

When pressed whether Trump believes that Muslims are "a problem" in this country, a staffer replied: "Mr. Trump was referring to the need to protect Christians' religious liberties as his previous statements said and nothing more."

Other supporters asked about veterans issues. Trump says a plan is coming.

"You’re going to go to private practice," he said. "It'll be less expensive and you'll get much better service. But you're not going to be waiting in rooms for five and six and seven days."

Trump also talked about taking jobs and bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., continuing his harsh words about Oreos.

A former employee of Lucent Technologies brought up Republican challenger Carly Fiorina, saying she cost her part of her retirement when she helped run the company and the stock price eventually plunged.

Clinton held three rallies Thursday, covering several issues. The last of those rallies took place at the same time as Trump's.

Her day began in typical "political stump" fashion, with a diner stop to meet and chat with voters.

From there, she had two early events - one in Nashua, the other in Laconia - to talk about the drug problem.

Then, it was on to Concord for a town hall meeting where she was asked about the best way to fight terrorism.

"This is an ongoing learning process," she said. "I think we have to be very, very careful, and we have to use force as a last resort, not a first resort," she said. "

Clinton will remain in New Hampshire through Saturday, when she's scheduled to speak at the New Hampshire Democratic Party State Convention along with Lincoln Chafee, Lawrence Lessig, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders.

Republican candidate Bobby Jindal is also scheduled to be in the state on Friday.

Qualcomm, the San Diego-based wireless technology giant, has started handing out pink slips to local employees as it begins its strategic realignment plan.

The plan, which ultimately means the company will cut 15 percent of its workforce, was announced in July in an effort to save $1.4 billion.

Now, Qualcomm is reducing the number of full-time employees and significantly cutting its temporary workforce.

However, company officials did not give NBC 7 the number of people affected in San Diego, just saying that they are notifying employees.

"We remain committed to our strategic realignment and cost reduction plans," said Qualcomm in a statement. "We underwent a thorough assessment to determine which roles and skill-sets will be needed to best support the future business. These decisions were driven by the near- and long-term strategic objectives for the business under our Strategic Realignment Plan."

The company is giving all affected employees at least 60 days of working notice. It is also providing a severance package, outplacement resources and career transition services, partnering with the Economic Development Council, EvoNexus and local universities to do so.

Under its realignment strategy, Qualcomm will also be streamlining its engineering department, increasing its mix of resources in lower-cost regions and reducing locations and invest in differentiated technology areas.

Eight high schools in San Diego received threats Thursday, prompting lock downs and an immediate response from San Diego and district police officers. Two hours later, two additional schools received threats, officials said.

As of 12:40 p.m., lockdowns were lifted at seven of the schools, according to San Diego Unified School District. The remaining three schools were cleared approximately 20 minutes later.

The initial list of schools included: 

• Scripps Ranch
• Patrick Henry
• Morse
• SD High
• Clairemont
• Crawford
• Kearny
• Mira Mesa

Each individual school received a threat via a phone call, according to San Diego Unified Chief Public Information Officer Ursula Kroemer.

The first call was received at 9:30 a.m. and the last call was received at 9:48 a.m., Kroemer said.

Some received a threat related to a potential shooting while others received a threat related to a potential device on campus, she added.

At 11:30, the district posted a Tweet adding two more high schools to the list:

• Point Loma
• La Jolla

The schools were immediately placed on lockdown and police were dispatched. San Diego Police were called to assist in some instances.

"The schools are safe," Kroemer said. "Your students are absolutely safe."

"When we have a school in a lockdown, students remain in the classroom. All activity is put on hold," she said.

One NBC 7 news crew was on the campus of San Diego High School where there was a police presence as of 10:30 a.m.The school has been locked down due to threats, officials said.

NBC 7 Newschopper captured SDPD patrol cars parked outside Crawford and Scripps Ranch High Schools.

SDUSD officials are asking that parents not go to schools and pickup students.

At 11:49 a.m. Point Loma principal sent a text message to parents alerting them to the threat and the fact that law enforcement was present on campus.

One student inside Point Loma High School said the lights were turned off in her classroom and there was paper covering the windows.

At 12:40 p.m., officials announced the lockdowns had been lifted at seven high schools including: Patrick Henry, Morse, San Diego, Scripps Ranch, Crawford, Mira Mesa and Clairemont. Classes would be released at normal times.

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story. 

A lawsuit filed against 90 California school districts claims kids are not getting enough physical education time that they have been promised by law.

"I can say that it's very clear that it's not happening," attorney Donald Driscoll said. "The school districts say they're doing it all, the local administrators do much more of it. But if you talk to the teachers you find out how much of it is really being done."

Driscoll has filed several complaints against school districts in California, claiming kids are getting little or no PE time. He recently settled with Los Angeles Unified and San Francisco Unified districts over the issue.

California law states all students in grades one through six get 200 minutes of PE per 10 days of class. Driscoll suspects pressure to improve school testing scores have kept kids in classroom chairs instead of getting the P.E. time required by law.

Palo Alto Unified School District is one of the districts named in the lawsuit. Superintendent Max McGee said PE is a critical factor in a student's ability to learn.

"If someone is trying to get higher test scores by having them sit longer to prepare for a test they're doing the students a disservice, plain and simply," McGee said. "The students will be better when they have exercise."

PE time is logged by teacher and school principals turn it in monthly to the district.

"If you go around to the schools and talk to the teachers, talk to the administrator they'll say it's important," Driscoll said. "But whether it happens, that's the key issue."

The Valley Fire, which has so far killed three people, did not grow overnight, as Cal Fire crews were able to battle the flames and contain 45 percent of the blaze by Friday night.

The latest acreage estimate was that the fire had burned 73,700 acres in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties, the same number as Thursday, Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said.

Even better news was that residents living in Napa County's Berryessa Estates were told on Thursday afternoon that the mandatory evacuation in their neighborhood was lifted and they would soon be allowed to leave the makeshift tent city in Calistoga and return home.

But an exact date of moving back in hasn't been issued. That's because PG&E crews need to go in and check downed power lines, and arborists have to inspect fallen trees.

"We want people to get in as soon as possible," said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant, but he added that there are "hazards" that must be dealt with first.

Marco Candela has been living in a tent on the Napa County Fairgrounds for six days. "I hope our house is still there, I hope to God," he said. "I"m trying to stay positive for the kids."

Emergency workers say they are doing all they can to restore needed services and clear debris so people can safely start returning to the disaster zone. They say those whose homes are still standing will be the first ones allowed back in. For those who have lost everything, it will take a little longer. The Office of Emergency Services is trying to secure temporary housing.

As emergency workers tackle the needs of people, animal rescuers are tending to the needs of pets. Furry fire victims are still pouring into the Middletown Animal Hospital.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife is caring for a 4-month-old mountain lion cub that was separated from his mother and burned on his paws.

Animal rescuers looking for lost dogs in the area of Blossom Lane near Mokelumne Hill in Calaveras County, near the Butte Fire, came across the cub whose hair had been singed from the fire.

Rescuers say they were able to just walk over to the cub and pick him up. He was taken to an animal hospital in Turlock where they've named him "Fire Claw."

Authorities said they hope the animal is able to make a full recovery, but they don’t expect Fire Claw will be able to return to the wild.

Muslims and Jews in Louisville, Kentucky, plan to join together Friday after several anti-Islamic messages were spray-painted in red on a mosque this week, NBC News reported.

The hate-filled graffiti was first spotted Wednesday at the Louisville Islamic Center, and includes the messages, "Nazis speak Arabic," "Moslems — leave the Jews alone," and "This is for France," a possible reference to the Islamic terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train last month.

In response, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has asked the community to come to the center and help paint over the graffiti Friday afternoon as a way to unite the community.

“We do not tolerate intolerance of any people; we are a city of compassion and united in condemning this vandalism,” Fischer wrote in a Twitter post.

The San Diego International Airport (SAN) has launched a program designed to encourage sustainable jet-setting and offset the carbon footprint created by air travel.

The San Diego Airport Authority announced a pilot program Thursday dubbed “The Good Traveler,” which enables travelers to offset the environmental impact of their journey in an easy way – and for only a buck.

Here’s how it works: for $1, travelers can buy a Good Traveler tag or sticker that can be placed on a bag, laptop or phone case. Airport officials say 100 percent of proceeds will benefit three environmentally-friendly projects: the restoration of a California forest, a wind farm project in Idaho and a water restoration project in the Colorado Delta.

Airport officials say each $1 purchase of the Good Traveler tag will offset the equivalent of the carbon footprint created by 500 miles of air travel or 200 miles of driving.

Additional “carbon offsets” and merchandise can be purchased through this program, with proceeds going toward conservation efforts that help counteract the effect of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Good Traveler tag is available for purchase at certain concessions at SAN, including Ryan Bros. Coffee.

According to the Airport Authority, the pilot program at SAN will run through the end of this year. At that point, the airport hopes to expand the program to other airports and cities.

The airport is also running an art competition now through Oct. 14 to find a new design for a Good Traveler T-shirt that will later be sold.

The Good Traveler program was first developed in February 2014 after SAN became the first U.S. airport to sign the Climate Declaration addressing climate change. After that, SAN conducted a review of how to provide passengers with an option to offset the environmental impact of their travel, and this program was born.
 

What do a mammoth’s foot fossil from Carlsbad and a humpback whale’s baleen from Camp Pendleton have in common? Both were some of Naval Medical Center San Diego’s most unique (and oldest) patients.

The specimens were brought Thursday to the hospital in Balboa Park, and NBC 7 got an exclusive look at the marriage of oceanography, paleontology and medicine.

“The baleen whales, we really don’t know a lot of the nitty gritty of how they feed and how they use the baleen,” said Tom Deméré's, Curator of Paleontology at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

A baleen is the filter-feeder system in some whales’ mouths that look fibrous. It helps trap krill for the animal to eat.

The baleen was from a deceased humpback whale that washed up onto Camp Pendleton in October.

The mammoth’s foot fossil was found at a construction site in Carlsbad earlier this year. Other fossils also found at that site include a complete bison skull, a horse and a pond turtle.

During hospital after-hours and surrounded by volunteer radiologists and techs, the mammoth fossil and baleen were wheeled through the hospital to a special room to receive CT scans.

“This is a very high-end computer/scanner,” said Cdr. Dan Hawley, M.D. with the U.S. Navy and Naval Medical Center San Diego. “We’re all academically curious.”

Hawley says the technology used is very sophisticated. The machine is the fastest of its kind in San Diego. It can scan a human heart in 1/15th of a heartbeat. The significance of that to a human patient is the machine releases less radiation since it completes the process faster.

In less than 30 minutes, the machine created digital 3-D models of the baleen and fossil that will be used for future research of mammoths and whales. Dr. Deméré said this is why he loves science.

“This is what I love about Paleontology, the study of history of life on the planet,” he said.

Both specimens are being stored and studied at the San Diego Natural History Museum.