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Maryland Teen Killed in Home

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A Maryland man stabbed his girlfriend's 14-year-old son to death and injured the teenager's brother, Prince George's County Police say. 

Keyshaun Mason, who had just started his freshman year at Potomac High School, died Monday after he was attacked inside his own home. 

Sean Crawford, 48, stabbed Mason and his 18-year-old brother inside the home they shared on the 600 block of Audrey Lane in Oxon Hill, Maryland, the preliminary investigation shows. Crawford is the live-in boyfriend of the brothers' mother, police said. 

Officers were called to the scene about 7:25 a.m. Mason was pronounced dead on the scene and his brother was treated and released. Neighbors said they heard yelling. 

"It was like a football field of people fighting under me," neighbor Alexis Black said. "It was really, really loud." 

"Preliminarily, our detectives believe that this incident stemmed from some sort of argument," Officer Nicole Hubbard said. 

Officials at Potomac High School shared news of Mason's death with stunned students at the end of the school day Monday. Grief counselors were available. 

"He was a nice kid. He was friendly with everybody," Chardonnay More, 14, said. "My best friend is gone." 

"He was so sweet and he had a future," Black said.

Crawford will be charged with first-degree murder and attempted first- and second-degree murder, police said. He is being held without bond. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the Prince George's County Police Department's Homicide Unit at 301-772-4925. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crimes Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS, text PGPD plus your message to CRIMES or visit www.pgcrimesolvers.com.


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Alabama University Killer Apologizes for the First Time

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An Alabama professor who pleaded guilty to killing three colleagues and wounding three others has apologized for the first time, NBC News reported.

Amy Bishop, a biology professor, shot up a faculty meeting in 2010 at the University of Alabama-Huntsville.

In a court filing obtained by NBC station WAFF of Huntsville and The Huntsville Times, Bishop included a handwritten note calling the shootings a “terrible crime” and said she was sorry for the victims and their families.

Biology professors Maria Ragland Davis and Adriel Johnson and department Chairman Gopi K. Podila were killed. Two other professors and a staff assistant were wounded.
 



Photo Credit: Alabama Department of Corrections

Tennessee County Votes Down Proposal to Raise Confederate Flag

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A Tennessee county voted 20-1 against raising the Confederate flag above the county’s courthouse, NBC station WBIR reported.

The Greene County courthouse houses a Civil War monument.

The proposal to fly the flag was sponsored by Commissioner James Randolph, who claimed the flag is part of Tennessee history and is an important part of Greene County’s past.

But historians disagree, saying the county was a bastion of pro-Union support during the Civil War.

Victory for Pot Clubs

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A federal judge on Monday found the federal government has no ability to block the operation of a pot club as long as the operator complies with state law.

Lynette Shaw opened the first licensed medical marijuana dispensary in the San Francisco area, which also was the first in the nation. Shaw's dispensary operated in Fairfax until 2011 when feds shut it down.

Since her Marin County dispensary was shut down, Shaw has been in and out of court more than 100 times trying to fight the decision. Monday's landmark decision ended the battle.

Congress decided last December to stop funding federal prosecutions of medical marijuana operations that were abiding by state laws.

U.S. Judge Charles Breyer found the decision held sway over the Department of Justice, which meant the federal injunction against Shaw and her dispensary was unenforceable.

Shaw's attorney, Greg Anton, said Breyer's decision is a tipping point.

"The law is clear there will be no funds expended for interfering with California state medical marijuana laws," Anton said.

Calls and e-mails to the U.S Attorney's Office seeking comment were not returned Monday. Lawyers with the U.S. Attorney's Office have 30 days to appeal Breyer's ruling.

Shaw said she would like to reopen her medical pot dispensary in Fairfax and has started a GoFundMe account to help raise the money.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

$300 a Month Rent Coming Downtown Next Year

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Can you imagine paying only $300 a month in rent? That will soon be reality at one apartment building in downtown San Diego.

Right now, construction crews are converting Hotel Churchill off C Street & 9th Avenue into apartments for homeless veterans, teens moving out of foster care, and adults transitioning out of correctional centers.

 It's a $20.5 million project, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)  is contributing most of the money.

Politicians like HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Congressman Scott Peters and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer toured the Hotel Churchill Monday to check the progress.
There will be 72 studio apartments, with 56 of those specifically for veterans. Each unit is fully furnished, with a kitchen, bathroom and central heat and air.
Residents will also receive on-site services like medication support, case management, emergency food and clothing. The studios will stay "affordable" for the next 65 years.

Here's how it works: A veteran must get a voucher from the V.A., with the average voucher amounting to $942 a month. The veteran pays 30 percent of that for an out-of-pocket cost of $283 in rent.

"We're working right now on not only flexibility with the (V.A.) vouchers, but also local apartment owners and others," said Faulconer.

Rickee Little told NBC 7 he's a Vietnam veteran, working on staying off heroin and off the streets. Little hopes to transition from a sober living center to living on his own. Hotel Churchill could be an option.

"I would like to get my own place, that's what I really want. Get my own place, my own TV, have a good time. Just enjoy life and go fishing," said Little.

He and other veterans can move in starting June 2016.

The most common question reporters asked politicians after the tour: "What about federal funding not matching up with the number of homeless here in San Diego?"

Castro, the U.S. housing secretary, said he will open up a "comment period" to hear your opinions this spring.

"You very much are on our radar screen. We look forward at HUD to being good partners, and this won't be the last time I'm here," Castro said.


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Top U.S. Military Officer Dunford Arrives for Talks in Iraq

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The top U.S. military officer landed in Iraq Tuesday to get an update on the battle against ISIS militants, the Associated Press reported.

Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was making his first trip to the warzone since taking the top post on Oct. 1.

Dunford said he sees no prospect for Russia to expand its airstrike campaign in the country, according to the Associated Press.

Dunford told reporters requests for Russian airstrikes from the Iraqi government are no longer in play.



Photo Credit: AP

Oscar Pistorius' Family 'Happy' at Prison Release

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Oscar Pistorius’ family is “happy” the athlete is home, but say his sentence isn't over, a family spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Pistorius was released into house arrest on Monday. He served less than a year in prison for fatally shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

"The family will support Oscar as he serves the rest of his sentence," family spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess told reporters. She said his relatives were "happy Oscar is home but they want to make the point that Oscar's sentence continues."

Pistorius will serve the remainder of his four year sentence at his uncle's home.

A representative of Steenkamp's family said Pistorius' fate mattered little to them, because the slain model was never coming back.



Photo Credit: AP

Democrats Divided on Whether Biden Should Run

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There are more Democrats that say they don’t want to see Joe Biden run in the 2016 presidential race, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows.

The poll, released Tuesday, shows 38 percent of Democratic primary voters say they prefer Biden stay out of the race, compared to 30 percent who want to see him run.

In the latest survey, Biden received 15 percent of the support, while Sanders got 29 percent. Hillary Clinton took the lead, garnering 49 percent of Democratic primary voters when Biden was included.



Photo Credit: AP

Massive Fire Breaks Out in NYC

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A massive fire engulfed a Chelsea building early Tuesday, shutting down several streets, sending the smell of smoke as far as Queens and prompting fears the building may collapse.

The five-alarm fire broke out around 3 a.m. on the fourth floor of 221 W. 17th St. and ripped into the fifth and sixth floors, tearing through the roof, the FDNY said.

The FDNY tweeted that the fire was under control just after 7 a.m., but also said the building, which is near Seventh Avenue, was in danger of collapsing.

"The building is in major danger of collapse, so we are keeping everybody away from the building," an FDNY chief said. "We have a few other buildings that are evacuated because of the potential collapse, and this is going to be an extended operation."

A "collapse perimeter" has been set up around the building and across the street, the FDNY said. People who work next to the building are not allowed to go into their offices.

Neighbor Joshua Bares said he came around the corner because he smelled smoke and saw flames shooting "everywhere."

The apartment building across the street was evacuated as smoke permeated the neighborhood.

“I saw a black cloud and then five minutes later I saw all these flames coming up from the bottom to the top,” said Alan Jennings, who lives across the street. “It wasn’t good to inhale some of that stuff.”

Nearby restaurant Cafeteria opened its doors to evacuees so they could stay warm. 

Many people said they were concerned that Walker Tower, a classic art deco building in the neighborhood, was compromised by the fire. It is unclear if the fire affected that building, which was once the corporate headquarters of Verizon.

The 10-story building was under construction and slated to house a luxury, 14-unit apartment building called the Dorian, according to TheRealDeal.com.

Contractors had filed applications for installing a sprinkler and standpipe system back in August, but the application was still under review, records from the NYC Department of Buildings show. Sprinklers weren't installed in the building when the fire broke out.

One lane on Seventh Avenue had reopened by 5 a.m. after the street was closed from West 23rd Street to the teens as firefighters worked to put out the flames. Some side streets were also temporarily closed between Seventh and Ninth Avenues.

It wasn’t clear what sparked the blaze. No injuries were reported. 



Photo Credit: Gloria Kim

Jury Mulls Marine Wife's Killing

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The jury will continue deliberating Monday afternoon in the trial of three defendants, who lived a sadomasochist lifestyle and are charged with the 2012 torture and slaying of a young Marine wife.

Deputy District Attorney Patrick Espinoza told jurors during the September 14 opening statements that the three defendants killed 22-year-old Brittany Killgore “for their own sadistic pleasure.”

The three defendants: former Marine staff-sergeant Louis Perez, 49, Dorothy Grace Maraglino, 40, and Jessica Lynn Lopez, 28; lived together in a Fallbrook home where police discovered a sex dungeon with whips, ropes, sex apparatuses, spiked collars and a Taser, among other items.

Defense attorneys said their clients were not present when Killgore was killed. They said their clients lived a lifestyle of bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism – or BDSM, but stressed that all their interactions were strictly consensual.

In April 2012, Killgore’s body was found naked and strangled in a Riverside County ravine four days after she was reported missing.

She texted a friend “Help” shortly after getting into Perez’s truck on April 13, prosecutors say.

Espinoza said Perez texted friends that he had planned a BDSM night for the weekend before picking Killgore up.

The prosecution also presented evidence that Perez texted Maraglino: “Come home,” after picking up Killgore.

Lopez’s defense attorney painted her client as a scapegoat for the crime – a sex slave who was only doing what she was told.

Attorneys for the other two defendants portrayed Lopez as the sole bad actor who suffers from severe schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder.

Perez’s lawyer, high-profile defense attorney Brad Patton, said during opening remarks that Lopez was jealous of Killgore and saw her as a threat to the conditions in the Fallbrook home where she lived as a slave to the other defendants.

Each of the defendants is facing identical charges: one count of murder with a special circumstance; one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping; one count of kidnapping; one count of torture; and one count of attempted sexual battery. The special circumstance charge on the murder is for murder during the act of kidnapping.

The maximum sentence each defendant faces is life in prison without the possibility of parole.
 



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Ban Ki-Moon to Visit Israel, Palestine Amid Violence

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United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked Palestinian youth to end the violence.

Ban has expressed concern over the recent escalation in violence, NBC News reported.

"I am dismayed — as we all should be — when I see young people, children, picking up weapons and seeking to kill," he said in a video message.

He said he also understands the need for security for the Israeli people, and that a political solution must be reached to end the violence.

The U.N. chief is expected to make a surprise visit to the region on Tuesday and meet with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, according to the Associated Press.



Photo Credit: AP

Man Struck, Killed in Spring Valley

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NBC 7's Chris Chan reports on the investigation into a man's death at Jamacha and Grand early Tuesday.

Rugby Player Threatened Women: Cops

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A troubled Australian professional rugby player was arrested in New York City last weekend after he allegedly followed two women into an apartment building and threatened them, screaming, "This is the night you die," police said.

Matthew Lodge, who plays for the Sydney-based rugby league football club Wests Tigers, was on vacation in New York City when he followed two women into a building at 76th Street and West End Avenue on the Upper West Side early Friday, police said.

The women, who were German tourists, according to the Daily News, hit several buzzers to get into the building to escape the 20-year-old Lodge, police told NBC 4 New York. It's not clear how Lodge encountered the women or why he was following them, but he allegedly screamed at them: "This is the night you die." 

When a neighbor ran into the hallway to help, he and Lodge got into a scuffle, and Ldoge then ran into the man's apartment, with the man's wife and child inside, and began breaking things, according to police. 

Mario Veltri, whose son owns the building, told NBC 4 New York he heard from tenants about the chaos, which ended with police arrived. He said tenants told him Lodge threw a bottle at officers before police found him hiding in a closet.

"It would make anybody nervous," said Veltri.

Neighbors were shocked to hear of the alleged assault, and many were scared to hear the suspect was able to get into the building.

"Our building has 24/7 security, so it's less of a worry, but any apartment or anybody living on the first floor with no security is going to be concerned," said Ami Kantawala. 

"It's absolutely terrifying. I feel bad for them," said Gabriel Marshall.

Lodge had posted a video on Instagram hours before his arrest, showing him inside a taxi laughing with the driver as music blared. 

He was charged with trespassing and menacing, and was held on $20,000 bail Saturday. It's not clear if he had an attorney here. 

This wasn't his first run-in with the law. His team benched him in August on domestic violence charges, and then fired him Monday, The Wests Tigers said in a statement: "The Club is incredibly disappointed to learn that Matthew Lodge has been charged by police while overseas on holiday. We have since made the decision to terminate Lodge’s playing contract." 

His family told a local news station in Australia they were "devastated." 

"I have no comment because I don't know what's going on," his mother Karan Lodge said. "I don't know anything about the incident, and my husband's currently on his way to New York to find out details." 



Photo Credit: Getty Images/File
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Ballast Point Brewing Files for IPO

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You might call it an IPO, for IPA's. One of San Diego's largest craft brewers filed for an Initial Public Offering Monday.

Investors will soon be able to buy shares of Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits.

One of the leading local craft breweries, Ballast Point is known for popular beers such as the India pale ale, Sculpin, and Calico, an amber ale.

The company operates breweries and tasting rooms out of Miramar, Scripps Ranch and Little Italy, as well as its “Home Brew Mart” and tasting room on Linda Vista Road.

The craft brew company was founded by home brewers Jack White and Pete A’Hearn in collaboration with Yuseff Cherney, a fellow beer aficionado who became the Home Brew Mart’s first employee.

Ballast Point has about $84 million in yearly sales. Its stock will trade on the NASDAQ, under the symbol "Pint."



Photo Credit: Ballast Point Facebook

Jim Webb Quits Democratic Presidential Campaign

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Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb announced Tuesday that he is dropping his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Webb said he will meet with people from all political backgrounds in the coming weeks to see if he has enough support to consider an independent presidential run.

"The very nature of our democracy is under siege due to the power structure and the money that finances both political parties," Webb said, joined by his wife, Hong Le Webb. "Our political candidates are being pulled to the extremes. They're increasingly out of step with the people they're supposed to serve."

Webb has complained that he did not get enough time to present his views at the first Democratic debate.



Photo Credit: Getty Images
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Why Biden's 2016 Odds Are Getting Longer: Analysis

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Whether he decides to throw his hat in the ring or not, Vice President Joe Biden’s odds of winning the Democratic nomination for president are getting longer.

A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows 38 percent of likely Democratic primary voters would rather not see him enter the race as opposed to 30 percent who would like to see him run. Another 31 percent had no opinion.

If he chooses to run, those poll numbers don’t bode well for Biden either: He’s in third at 15 percent, trailing front-runners Hillary Clinton (49 percent) and Bernie Sanders (29 percent), with Clinton boosting her lead over Sanders by more than 10 points since last week’s Democratic debate, according to the poll.

Another sign: Biden hasn’t raised any money. Clinton and Sanders have raised a combined $60 million. And the VP lacks campaign infrastructure in key states Iowa and New Hampshire.



Photo Credit: Getty

Japan Acknowledges Possible Fukushima Nuclear Radiation Casualty

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A possible first casualty from radiation at wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant is an unnamed male worker in his 30s, who was diagnosed with cancer after the crisis in 2011, a Japanese official said, Reuters reported. 

An official from Japan's health ministry said the worker was employed by a construction contractor, worked at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi plant and other nuclear facilities.

The ministry's recognition of radiation as a possible cause may set back efforts to recover from the disaster.

Hundreds of deaths have been blamed on chaotic evacuations, crisis and hardship on the refugees, but the government had said that radiation was not a cause.



Photo Credit: GettyImages

Protestors Surround LA Mayor's Car

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Black Lives Matter protesters surrounded Mayor Eric Garcetti’s car following a town hall meeting in a South LA church that ended with the mayor getting shouted out of the building Monday night.

"If you are interested in having a civil conversation, we are going to ask you to remain here, if not, I am going to ask you to leave," Reverend Kelvin Sauls of the Holman United Methodist Church said to the crowd amid the chanting.

"Black lives, they matter here!" rumbled throughout the church before Garcetti was escorted by LAPD for his own safety. 

Garcetti initially came to answer questions from citizens regarding economic opportunity and community safety before protestors began chanting.

But the event quickly turned to chaos as Black Lives Matter protesters rushed the podium.

As Garcetti attempted to leave with a heavy LAPD presence, protesters blocked his car.

One person ran across the hood of the mayor's car. 

The protesters continued to shout: "No justice, no peace. No racist police!"

Black Lives Matter protesters said they wanted meaningful dialogue with the mayor.

"The Black community has something to say to the mayor we want him to hear, as well as us engaging in his responses," Malina Abdullah, Black Lives Matter said.

Garcetti's office issued a statement following the incident, saying: 

"Tonight, we had hundreds of South LA residents attend a community meeting - leaders, business owners, mothers and children, who took time out of their evening to discuss the critical issues that matter most to all of us. I am disappointed that our conversation was cut short when there is so much work for us to do together to make our neighborhoods stronger and safer. I believe in our City and my commitment to our shared concerns continues, stronger than ever."



Photo Credit: KNBC-TV

Israel Restaurant Offers Discount to Jews, Arabs Who Eat Together

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An Israeli restaurant owner is giving a 50-percent discount to parties that are mixed Arab and Jewish, NBC News reported.

"Afraid of Arabs? Afraid of Jews? We do not have Arabs! But we also have no Jews ... We have people!" Kobi Tzafrir, the owner of Hummus Bar in the Israeli village of Kfar Vitkin, wrote on the restaurant's Facebook page. 

Hummus, made of ground up chickpeas, is a dish enjoyed by both Jews and Arabs throughout the region. Tzafrir, 32, told NBC News he came up with the offer because of the deadly Israeli-Palestinian violence.

He said the response was overwhelming, withs Jews and Arabs from policemen to emergency responders taking him up on the offer. 

 



Photo Credit: AP

Dozens Sickened at CA Restaurant

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More than 40 people have become "acutely ill" after contracting an infectious bacteria called Shigella at a San Jose seafood restaurant, which has had its permit suspended by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, officials said.

Health Department spokeswoman Allison Thrash announced the new numbers Tuesday morning, up from 30 reported sick on Monday. Twelve of those who fell ill have been taken to the intensive care units of local hospitals, according to the health department.

Health officials said the illnesses have been linked to the Mariscos San Juan restaurant in at 205 N. Fourth Street in downtown San Jose. Patients fell ill after eating at the restaurant Friday or Saturday, according to authorities. Santa Clara County food inspection reports show the seafood restaurant had its permit suspended on Sunday.

Shigellosis, an intestinal infection caused by the Shigella bacteria, causes fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea. The bacteria can mostly be treated with antibiotics, though some strains are proving resistant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One person who was sickened, Andres Guera, ate lunch at Mariscos San Juan No. 3 on Friday. Guera said the pain began soon afterward.

"My fever was at 104 – that's when vomiting started," said Guera, who was still recovering late Monday after spending the weekend at Kaiser Permanente Hospital's intensive care unit in Santa Clara. "The first thing they did was put seven liters of fluid in me."

Dr. Sara Cody, who serves as a Santa Clara County health officer, said Shigella can be spread by people who do not wash their hands after using the bathroom.

There are three Mariscos San Juan restaurants in San Jose. The original restaurant on Willow Street had its permit suspended in August, county records show. The second restaurant, on Senter Road, has not been cited this year. The third has been linked to the Shigellosis outbreak.

Eighty-one area restaurants have had their permits suspended within the last six months because of heath code violations ranging from improper sewage disposal, temperature control and employee record keeping, online county records show.
 

For a list of all Santa Clara County restaurant food inspection reports, click here. To report a case of Shigella, click here or call 408-885-4214.

NBC Bay Area's Kristofer Noceda and Terry McSweeney contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: Terry McSweeney
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