Here’s a preview of what’s going on in San Diego sports for the week of November 9th-15th.

CHARGERS: The Bolts have a Monday night showdown against the Chicago Bears at Qualcomm Stadium 5:30 p.m.

GULLS: The Gulls have a trio of home games this week at the Valley View Casino Center. Wednesday they host Bakersfield at 7:05. San Jose comes to San Diego Friday and Saturday for 7:05 p.m. match ups.

UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO TOREROS:
MEN’S TENNIS: Thursday-Sunday at ITA National Indoors all day in New York.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL: Thursday at Gonzaga 6 p.m., Saturday at Portland 12 p.m.
WOMEN’S TENNIS: Friday-Sunday at the SDSU Invitational and the Arizona State Invitational all day.
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: Friday at Western Regional in Seattle.
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Friday at USC 5 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Friday at Nevada 6:30 p.m.
FOOTBALL: Saturday at Davidson 9 a.m.
SOFTBALL: Saturday at San Diego State 11 a.m., also Saturday vs. Cal State San Bernardino 1 p.m. at SDSU.
MEN’S SOCCER: Saturday at Santa Clara 7 p.m.
MEN’S CREW: Sunday San Diego Fall Classic 7 a.m. at Mission Bay.
Go to www.usdtoreros.com for more information.

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY AZTECS:
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL: Thursday at Boise State 5 p.m., Saturday at Utah State 5 p.m.
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Friday vs. Illinois State 7 p.m. at Viejas Arena.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Friday at Long Beach State 7 p.m.
WOMEN’S TENNIS: Friday-Sunday SDSU Fall Classic all day.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: Friday at NCAA West Regional 6K in Seattle.
FOOTBALL: Saturday at Wyoming 7:30 p.m.
MEN’S SOCCER: Saturday vs. UCLA 7 p.m. at the SDSU Sports Deck.
Go to www.goaztecs.com for more information.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO TRITONS:
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL: Friday at Cal State Dominguez Hills 7 p.m., Saturday at Cal State L.A. 7 p.m.
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Friday at UC Irvine (exhibition) 7 p.m.
MEN’S WATER POLO: Saturday vs. Sunset San Diego 10 a.m. and Olympic Club 12 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Saturday vs. Cal State San Marcos 5:30 p.m.
WOMEN’S AND MEN’S ROWING: Sunday at San Diego Fall Classic all day in Mission Bay.
Go to www.ucsdtritons.com for more information.

POINT LOMA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY SEA LIONS:
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL: Thursday at Hawaii Hilo 9 p.m., Friday at Hawaii Pacific 9 p.m., Saturday at Chaminade 9 p.m.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: Friday-Sunday at NCAA First and Second Rounds TBA.
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Friday vs. Western Oregon 5 p.m. in Lacey, Washington, Saturday at Saint Martin’s 7 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Friday vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills 5 p.m. in Pomona, Saturday at Cal Poly Pomona 6 p.m.
Go to www.plnusealions.com for more information.

One of four emus that escaped from a farm on Seymour Road in Woodbridge, Connecticut, has died and another remains on the loose.

Four emus escaped from Walking Wood Farm at 5:40 p.m. last Saturday, according to their owner Woozie Wikfors, who keeps the birds as pets. One of them was recaptured Tuesday, another was caught on Wednesday at 4 a.m. leaving two emus on the loose.

Wikfors said the two still missing were the "grandparents" -- a female named Mnck, pronounced "monk" and a male named Stella.

When Wikfors, her husband and a neighbor tried to recapture Mnck early Saturday afternoon at Carriage Hill Road in Woodbridge, Mnck died in the attempt to bring her home. Wikfors said she assumes exhaustion caused Mnck to have a heart attack.

However, Stella remains missing.

People around town reported seeing an emu in Seymour, Bethany and Woodbridge during the week and tried to help catch the flightless, ostrich-like bird.

"You know you hear about people not wanting to get involved but that simply is not the case this time," Wikfors previously said.

Animal control officers were on the lookout for any emu sightings in the area – but they'll have to be fast. Emus can sprint up to 30 mph and are the only birds that have calf muscles, according to the San Diego Zoo.

Human remains have been found in Pine Valley, San Diego Sheriff's Deputies confirmed.

Deputies from the Pine Valley sub-station were called to the scene early Sunday morning in a remote part of the city near the 24000 block of Japatul Valley Road. 

Deputies responded to the scene around 9:30 a.m. after hikers reported finding the remains in a nearby canyon.

Members of the Sheriff's Homicide Detail are at the scene investigating.

The manner of death and identification of the remains have yet to be identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's officer. 

Officials said the remains have been there for w while - possibly even years.

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story. 

The Red Cross kicked off their nationwide Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign at the Veteran’s Museum in Balboa Park Sunday.

This year they are hoping to make 15,000 cards, which would be 5,000 more than 2014.

Youth clubs from high schools and colleges around the county gathered to create holiday cards for service members, veterans and their families.

“We do this to just bring a smile to those who are helping our country and serving in the military,” Bella Agpaoa with the Ford Youth Council told NBC7.

The Red Cross collects the cards through the first week of December, and their Service to the Armed Forces program will hand out the cards to locals leading up to the holidays

“Our local Service to the Armed Forces department works very closely with our local military…Whether our team is taking those out to…pre-deployment briefings and handing out cards there, they might be going into the VA and handing out cards there…we also might be taking those to our military hospitals,” Courtney Pendleton of the Red Cross explained.

According to Pendleton many different organizations host their own card making events to be given to the Red Cross for distribution including Sharp Healthcare, local libraries, and Boy and Girl Scout troupes among others.

“If people want to bring cards – you can make cards, you can sign cards – all we ask is you bring them into the Red Cross locally,” Pendleton added. Their address is 3950 Calle Fortunada, San Diego 92123.

To find out more about the program people can visit their website.
 

Scooter, a mixed breed Chihuahua puppy, came to the county animal care facility after a concerned citizen called to report the sick dog.

Unwell and with severely deformed back legs, Scooter underwent orthopedic surgery to correct his back legs.

Eight weeks after surgery Scooter is walking and available for adoption!

A congenital birth defect, the $4,000 operation was covered by the donation-driven Spirit Fund.

“This little pup would not let his deformity slow him down,” said Animal Services Director Dawn Danielson. “But with his surgery, we hope Scooter can now enjoy a full, happy life with a wonderful new family.”

Scooter still needs physical therapy to help his muscles develop, and eight sessions will be provided free of charge by “Pawsitive Rehabilitation” in Pacific Beach.

Anyone interested in adopting Scooter must complete a Special Adoption Application. It can be dropped off at any of the department’s three facilities or emailed to dasinfo@sdcounty.ca.gov. Completed applications must be received by 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13.

The adoption fee for Scooter is $69 and includes vaccinations, neuter, microchip, license and a free veterinary visit.

Top candidates will be selected at a later date.
 

Louisiana authorities are questioning why two city marshals chased a vehicle and opened fire on it, allegedly killing a 6-year-old boy and wounding his father, NBC News reported.

Both marshals were charged Friday. Derrick Stafford, a lieutenant with the Marksill, Louisiana, police, and Norris Greenhouse, Jr., a full-time marshal in Alexandria, Louisiana, are being held without bail. They’re charged with second-degree and attempted second-degree murder.

Jeremy Mardis was struck by five bullets Tuesday night in Marksville, Louisiana, and pronounced dead. His father, Chris Few, is in serious condition in hospital.

Police are looking into why the marshals, whose main job is to serve warrants, pursued Few — there were no warrants our for his arrest, according to NBC News.  

Two people are now dead after a shooting in Southcrest.

San Diego Police and SD Fire responded around 8 p.m. to two people shot at the 4000 block of Newton Avenue.

A woman and a man in their 20s both died of their injuries.

Officials said the situation started with an altercation in a parking lot, although they don't know the relationship between the suspect and the victims.

Police are currently looking for the suspect, 38-year-old Felipe Vega who was seen fleeing in a car.

The names of the victims have not been released yet.

Check back on this story for updates.

James Richardson has died twice – at least according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"I was going to frame it… How many people can say they're dead? But it's not anymore funny when it’s the second time around," a very alive Richardson explained to NBC7 Sunday.

On Nov. 2, the VA notified Richardson’s wife of his death via a letter – but it's not the first letter his wife has received from them.

Back in April, the Navy veteran, who served eight years active duty, was surprised to find a letter from the VA addressed to his wife.

"Why is she getting a letter from the VA? I'm the veteran, not her," he wondered.

The letter read, in part: "We're sorry to learn about the death of James Richardson and extend to you our deepest sympathy. We understand the transition period following the death of a loved one is difficult and we wish to offer our assistance."

A short time later, a letter from the office of the president of the United States arrived, thanking Richardson's family for his service.

"It's just the initial shock of seeing 'Sorry about your loss... Thank you for your service... Oh, by the way, we're cutting off your benefits,'" Richardson’s wife explained.

Over the next several weeks, the couple were nearly forced from their home. Richardson worked with the VA and by June everything seemed sorted out.

Then the bank got news that Richardson was dead.

"The credit bureaus won't let me check my credit because I'm dead," Richardson explained.

The stress was too much for Richardson’s wife, who got sick and needed to be hospitalized.

"I tried to have the best possible face I could at work but inside I was angry, I was frustrated, I was worried for her... just angry," he said.

Recently, things were starting to look better – until Nov. 2.

"And I looked at the date and it said Nov. 2, and I said, 'Oh man, come on!'" Richardson recalled.

Richardson and his wife are now worried this problem of being dead could follow him around for the rest of his life.

NBC7 reached out to the VA Sunday but did not immediately hear back.

Richardson is set to meet with the VA Monday morning.

Two Americans were shot dead Monday at a police training center in Jordan, according to U.S. defense officials and a Jordanian security source, NBC News reported. 

Several people also were injured in the incident, which took place in a cafeteria, a Jordanian security source told NBC News.

The U.S.-funded training center was established as a facility to train Iraqi police.

"We've seen the reports and are looking into them, but that we have no further information to provide at this time," the Pentagon said in a statement. 

 A mother and her 14-year old daughter are in the hospital Sunday morning after they were stabbed multiple times by the mother's husband.

Just after 10 p.m. Saturday night, Oceanside Police responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon at the Presidio Apartments on the 4400 block of Mission Avenue.

When officers arrived, they found that the 28-year-old husband, identified as Orlando Barela, stabbed his 40-year old wife several times. She collapsed in front of the apartment building.

After attacking his wife, Barela chased his 14-year old step-daughter to her grandparent’s apartment and also stabbed her multiple times. The girl's grandparents and neighbors intervened during the assault and held Barela on the ground until officers arrived. 

The 14-year old was taken to Radys Children Hospital and her mom was taken to Scripps La Jolla Hospital. They’re both expected to survive.

Oceanside police arrested the 28-year old man. He’s been booked into the Vista Detention Facility on two counts of attempted murder. Detectives are still investigating the incident.

Barela will be arraigned on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. 

 Two people are dead following an apparent murder-suicide at a Kearny Mesa hotel, San Diego Police said. 

The call for the shooting came in at 10:30 a.m. Sunday for reports of gunshots in a hotel. A hotel employee called police to alert them. 

SDPD Lt. Brent Williams with the Homicide Unit said one man and one woman are dead likely as a result of gunshot injuries. Williams would not reveal where those wounds were located and did not reveal what type of weapon was used.

During the ordeal, rooms in the hotel were evacuated. People have no been let back into the hotel yet. 

Police are not revealing where the man and woman are from but say both are in their 30s. Family has not been notified. 

The investigation continues. 

No further information was immediately available. 

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story. 

President Barack Obama is already citing the decision not to proceed with the Keystone XL pipeline as one of the key accomplishments of his presidency.

Obama spoke to the group Organization for Action on Monday. He recounted the improving economy and job numbers and the higher number of people with health insurance coverage. Those are staples in his speeches to supporters. But he added to the list of accomplishments the decision to kill a Canadian energy giant's application to build the pipeline.

He says going ahead with the pipeline would have harmed the United States' leadership on curbing global warming.

"We've got to lead by example, because ultimately, If we're going to prevent large parts of the Earth from becoming not only inhospitable but uninhabitable, then we're going to have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them," Obama said.

The group Obama addressed supports the president's political agenda, including efforts to curb global warming and overhaul the nation's immigration laws.

Philadelphia police identified a man and woman who were shot to death inside an SUV near a historic mansion in Fairmount Park and referred to their murder as a "crime of passion." 

Shakoor Arline, 25, and Lisa Smith, 32, were found with gunshot wounds in their heads inside a white Toyota Sequoia at the park's Lemon Hill Friday afternoon. A maintenance crew found their bodies inside the white Toyota Sequoia parked at the hill, just north of Boathouse Row and yards from the historic Lemon Hill Mansion, about 2:40 p.m. on Friday.

The crew was emptying trash cans at a picnic pavilion just off the 800 block of Lemon Hill Drive when authorities said they noticed the SUV parked in an unusual area near a gazebo and went to investigate.

Police said the two were in the back seat of the SUV with Arizona plates. A back passenger-side window was shattered by gunfire. Arline was naked while Smith was partially dressed, according to investigators.

The victims each suffered several gunshot wounds to the head, police said. During a press conference Monday, investigators revealed the gunman fired nine shots in all at close range and referred to the shooting as a "crime of passion."

"I can tell you from the crime scene it appears to be very much a crime of passion," said Philadelphia Police Captain James Clark. "We've got nine shots fired, all of them head shots, to both of the victims." 

While police initially said Arline and Smith were dating, they revealed Monday that the two victims were also in relationships with other people.

"We know that they had a relationship but also they had outside relationships so obviously that's where our investigation is gonna start," Captain Clark said. "Because somebody knew that they were in the park at that time and obviously had an issue with that." 

Police say they interviewed an unidentified woman in connection to the shooting but no arrests have been made. They continue to investigate.

Tipsters should contact 215-686-3334 or text a tip to PPD TIP (773847).

The coach of the University of Missouri football team, whose players boycotted games and practice because they felt that the school's president wasn't properly handling allegations of racism on campus, said Monday that supporting the players was the right thing to do and that he'd "do it again," NBC News reported.

Coach Gary Pinkel said at a press conference that he backed the boycott, which ended earlier Monday when University President Tim Wolfe resigned. Members of the football team said they wouldn't play, in support of a graduate student who started a hunger strike over hateful speech and actions, canceling practice Sunday.

"Football became secondary," said Pinkel, who referred to the players as student leaders. He tweeted a photo Sunday of the entire team standing together in a show of unity.

Later Monday, R. Bowen Loftin, chancellor of the system's flagship campus in Columbia, announced his resignation, effective at the end of the year.

 One person has died after a two car crash on Deer Springs Road in San Marcos, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials said. 

The incident happened at approximately 2:32 p.m. Monday on the 500 block of Deer Springs Road when a 37-year-old woman from San Marcos was driving her 2007 Saturn View westbound near Sarver Lane at a high rate of speed. 

The crash is blocking both traffic lanes on Deer Springs Road. A Sig Alert has been issued for the area. 

Witnesses told CHP officers she lost control of her car and crossed over the double yellow line into incoming traffic. Her car spun, hitting the passenger side of a 2012 Chevy 2500 HD. A 38-year-old man from Temecula, the driver of the Chevy, suffered minor to moderate injuries. He was taken to Palomar Hospital. 

The woman was pronounced dead on scene. 

Alcohol or drugs do not appear to be a factor in the crash. 

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's office will identify the victim of the crash. The crash remains under investigation.

No further information was immediately available. 

San Diego schools have been in the process of implementing the Common Core standards for a couple years now, and many parents are still finding it difficult to adjust to the new standards.

Music Watson from the County’s Office of Education says Common Core is here to stay, so parents should get used to it.

“What Common Core is, is higher expectations for kids. You really can’t argue with kids wanting to come out of school not just knowing two plus two is four, but understanding the concept behind how to get there.”

But some parents find it frustrating, saying homework takes too long, particularly in math.

They’re especially disgruntled because recently released Common Core-aligned test scores were lower than parents are used to seeing.

Less than half of all California students passed new math and English tests aligned with the Common Core standards, according to results released in September. In San Diego County, the majority of students (51 percent) met or exceeded the language-arts assessment buy only 40 percent of students met or exceeded the mathematics standards.

Music Watson argues, the new standards are much more rigorous, asking kids to do much harder work. “It’s a new assessment, we’re teaching completely different things, you can’t compare them to the old tests,” she says.

Watson says parents may be having a harder time shifting to Common Core standards, than their children.

“If you look at social media you’d think that the world is coming to an end because of Common Core. But kids are really excited about it and appreciate it,” she says.

The County has a variety of resources on their website designed specifically to help parents struggling with Common Core, to get some answers. The website has links from different resources at the State Department of Education, the PTA, and San Diego County. There are also videos in Spanish.

Watson says the most important tool for success however, is access to your child’s teacher and school.

“We all want to see students succeed. The real key is making sure that parents are involved and have the opportunity to ask questions and figure out how to meet their individual student’s needs,” she says.
 

The Florida-headquartered parent of SeaWorld San Diego reported slight increases from a year ago in third-quarter revenue and net income, though attendance dipped as the company continued to invest in marketing efforts and legal challenges related to its handling of killer whales.

“We continue to see early indications that our efforts to improve revenue and profitability are taking hold,” said Joel Manby, president and CEO of Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., in a statement.

The company reported revenue of $496.9 million for the quarter ending Sept. 30, up $1.1 million or less than 1 percent from a year ago; and net income of $98 million, for an increase of 12.4 percent. Attendance for its 11 U.S. theme parks was 8.37 million, down from 8.41 million in the year-ago period.

For the first nine months of the year, revenue totaled $1.1 billion, about even with the $1.11 billion for a year ago; with net income declining 20 percent, to $60.2 million. Attendance for the nine-month period was 18.06 million, on par with 18.03 million for 2014.

Manby said the company is updating its earnings guidance for the full 2015 to be in the range of $360 million to $370 million, after SeaWorld Entertainment finished 2014 with adjusted income of $370.1 million. The CEO cited adverse weather over the past six weeks, which caused park closures at three locations over key Halloween event weekends, “along with increased costs from legal matters and associated reputation initiatives.”

SeaWorld is in the process of mounting a legal challenge to a recent decision by the California Coastal Commission, which approved SeaWorld San Diego’s planned $100 million Blue World whale habitat expansion on the condition that the company stop breeding captive orcas.

SeaWorld Entertainment also operates SeaWorld parks in Orlando and San Antonio, where similar orca habitat expansions are in the works. In the local market, SeaWorld also owns and operates the Aquatica water park in Chula Vista.
 

Volkswagen's U.S. subsidiary said on Monday it will offer $1,000 worth of credit cards, of which half may be spent at VW and Audi dealerships, to owners of certain diesel models the company has admitted do not comply with government emissions standards.

The automaker said eligible U.S. owners of nearly 500,000 VW and Audi models equipped with 2.0 liter TDI diesel engines can apply to receive a $500 prepaid Visa card and a $500 dealership card, as well as three years of free roadside assistance services, NBC News reported.

The program could cost VW nearly $500 million, half of which could flow directly to dealers.

VW has said about 482,000 cars sold in the United States since 2009 with four-cylinder diesel engines had software installed that allowed the engines to pass government tests for smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions, but pollute at levels far above government limits in normal operation.

San Diego County Crime Stoppers and investigators from the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station are looking for a suspect in an attempted burglary in Encinitas.

The suspect, caught on home video surveillance, attempted to rob a house in the 2400 block of El Camino Del Norte on October 25. The suspect tried to open a door, but the alarm was activated and he fled.

The home, which belongs to an elderly woman, has been burglarized before. Last May someone broke into the woman’s house while she was at her husband’s funeral. The suspects unsuccessfully attempted  to steal a safe.

The suspect is described as 35 to 45 years old, 6’2”, with brown wavy hair and a mustache. He was last seen wearing thick, wrap-around sunglasses, a green short-sleeved shirt and khaki cargo pants.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers tip line at (888) 580-8477.

An analysis of city utility data by NBC 7's news partners at inewsource shows in the last three and half years, asbestos cement pipes accounted for three out of every five breaks in the city of San Diego.

Through the California Public Records Act, inewsource requested data from the city showing where water mains are breaking. Joe Yerardi with inewsource analyzed the data to find out how often pipes are breaking, where they are breaking and how much it is costing the city.

For years the city has been working on replacing cast-iron pipes. While those projects continue, a consultant recently completed a condition assessment of the city's 2,200 miles of asbestos cement mains.

Click here to read more about what Yerardi found and click the photo below to see an interactive map of where the water main breaks are in San Diego.