Target is facing backlash for a Christmas-themed sweater that some say is trivializing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. 

The retail giant recently unveiled a new line of holiday sweaters that define OCD as "Obsessive Christmas Disorder." Many took to social media to express their outrage. 

"Hey @Target OCD is a real disease not a joke. I don't see any shirts making fun of cancer - why #mentalillness?" amy / bluelightblue tweeted. 

The slogan wasn't invented by Target — the phrase "Obsessive Christmas Disorder" appears in the Urban Dictionary online and on other apparel sold online. Target insists that it didn't mean any harm by the sweater and is standing by its product.

"We never want to disappoint any of our guests and apologize for any discomfort. At this time, we have no plans to remove this item from our assortment," the company said in a statement to TODAY.com.

One man was killed, more than a dozen people were injured, including an 11-year-old child, and one resident remains unaccounted for after a two-family home exploded in New Jersey on Wednesday, authorities said.

The blast on the second floor of the house on Magnolia Avenue in Elizabeth was reported at about 8 a.m., according to officials.

One man, whose identity is being withheld by authorities, was pronounced dead at the scene. Sixteen others were pulled from the home and have injuries of varying degree. Two people were critically injured, including the 11-year-old child. A dog was also rescued from the structure.

Authorities said one person is still unaccounted for, but it's not clear if the person is trapped in the rubble or wasn't home at the time of the explosion.

A man who lives with his wife and young son in the home to the left of the one that exploded clutched his little boy as he trembled on the sidewalk.

"I was woken up, knocked out of bed," the resident, Wayne Shephard, said as he choked back tears. "I didn't know what had happened. I thought a plane had crashed."

Duane Bourne, a spokesman with Elizabethtown Gas, said a preliminary investigation found no indication the blast was gas-related. But the mayor of Elizabeth said that several people had reported smelling gas near the new-construction structure before the explosion.

Three structures will need to be demolished, officials say. Several residents nearby left their houses after the blast, and at least one home had its windows blown in by the explosion.

Photos posted to social media from the scene show the home reduced to rubble.

The explosion was near one of the runways at Newark-Liberty International Airport, but no changes to flights have been reported.

Investigators are looking into whether one of the two Louisiana marshals charged in the fatal shooting of an 6-year-old boy with autism had a conflict with the boy's father, a law enforcement source told NBC News on Tuesday.

The marshals — Derrick Stafford, 32, and Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23 — have been charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in the Nov. 3 shooting that killed Jeremy Mardis and left his father, Chris Few, severely wounded.

Megan Dixon, Few's girlfriend, has told several news organizations that Few and Greenhouse had a history. Dixon over the weekend told a local newspaper that Greenhouse, a former high school classmate, had started messaging her on Facebook and had come by the house that she and Few were sharing at the time.NBC News has not yet verified the information.

A source close to Few has told NBC News that before the encounter with authorities, Few had an argument with Dixon outside a local pool hall. After leaving, Few picked up his son from a babysitter's house. The chase began shortly afterward — although it remains unclear why the marshals, who are tasked with serving warrants, pursued Few. State police said that there are no warrants for his arrest.

Two people that died following a murder-suicide at a Kearny Mesa hotel have been identified by San Diego Police.

The call for the shooting came in at 10:31 a.m. Sunday, when an employee called to report gunshots at the Four Points Sheraton Inn on the 8100 block of Aero Drive. 

Officers said they found a man and woman dead in a hotel room on the bed. Both had suffered gunshot wounds, said SDPD Lt. Mike Hastings.  

The victims were identified as 36-year-old Delores Zoraya Sanchez and 43-year-old Carlos Sanchez, both of Las Vegas, Nev., Hastings said. 

During the ordeal, rooms in the hotel were evacuated. 

The investigation continues. 

No further information was immediately available. 

Beginning Thursday, U.S. military veterans can apply for a special “veteran” designation on their driver licenses and identification cards in California, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced.

The California DMV, along with the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet), will launch a new program honoring U.S. veterans by allowing vets to apply for the special designation.

“California’s new driver license and identification card program honors and recognizes the military service of our veterans,” said CalVet Secretary Dr. Vito Imbasciani.

Imbascani said the designation will make it easier for businesses to confirm a veteran status when offering discounts to service members. There’s a one-time $5 fee for the veterans designation, plus other fees already in place at the DMV for applications and renewals of licenses or identification cards.

The program is the result of Assembly Bill 935, authored by Assemblymember Jim Frazier.

According to the DMV, the application process for the veteran designation is as follows:

• Get Records: Find your military discharge certificate (DD214). If you need assistance obtaining your military records, then contact any County Veteran Service Officer (CVSO).
• Visit Any County Veteran Service Office (CVSO): Take your DD214 and government identification to any CVSO to obtain your Veteran Status Verification Form. For faster CVSO service, make an appointment with any CVSO by calling 844-737-8838 or finding your local CVSO here.
• Visit Any DMV: Go online or call DMV for an appointment. Bring your Veteran Status Verification Form to any DMV field office. Pay any application fees and complete all application and testing requirements. To schedule an appointment at any DMV field office, visit the DMV website or call (800) 777-0133.

Once approved, the new ID card or driver license will include the word “VETERAN” printed on the face of the card issued to the vet who applied for the designation.

In anticipation of the new program, the DMV has launched this webpage specifically for vets, active-duty military and their families to aid in the application process and other DMV services for military.
 

The close friend of a driver who allegedly drove drunk, causing a deadly crash in Torrey Highlands, testified over the course of their afternoon together, they had multiple drinks. 

Friends, family and co-workers of Anthony Rodriguez, 30, packed the courtroom Tuesday as a preliminary hearing began in his trial. Rodriguez is charged with DUI causing death, gross vehicular manslaughter and having a blood alcohol level in excess of 0.08 causing injury — charges he faces in the July 22 collision. He previously pleaded not guilty. 

Orlando Castro, a friend of defendant, took the stand as the trial got underway, describing their afternoon together. 

 Castro testified that he went with Rodriguez to the Padres game on July 22 to celebrate Rodriguez's birthday. The two took an Uber to the afternoon game and had about three to four beers while at the game. 

After the game, he testified, they went to another bar next door for a beer and a shot before walking to Horton Plaza. There, they grabbed an Uber back to Pacific Beach, where Castro lived. 

Castro testified that once they got back to his place, all he remembers doing was grabbing some pizza and falling asleep. 

When he woke up, Rodriguez was gone. 

Deputy District Attorney Cally Bright said Rodriguez had a blood alcohol level of more than twice the legal driving limit when he drove his Fiat 500 into a Chevrolet Nova heading the opposite direction on Carmel Valley Road near Camino del Sur.

Enid Diane Mayer-Sheaf, the Nova’s 61-year-old driver, died at the scene. Her family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the driver accused in her death, claiming Rodriguez drove “with wanton, willful and conscious disregard for the safety of others.”

“The statement [Rodriguez] provided to the officers was that he had one beer, one shot and one margarita several hours earlier,” said Bright at a previous arraignment, “and then he also placed blame over the crash on the victim, saying she had traveled in to his lanes of the roadway.”

Based on his weight and height, the prosecution believes Rodriguez had close to ten drinks in his system when he got behind the wheel.

Mayer-Sheaf was driving from the hospital where her mother-in-law had just died when she too was killed. According to Bright, her family was not in court because they were at her viewing.

Rodriquez has been ordered to wear a bracelet that alerts authorities if he drinks. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years in prison.

Eight doctors and associates have been charged in a Southern California bribery scheme involving $25 million in improper worker's compensation charges, the U.S. Attorney's office announced.  

U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy, San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, San Diego FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric Birnbaum and California Department of Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced the three newly unsealed federal indictments at a 1 p.m. news conference Tuesday. 

In the indictments, six corporations are charged alongside the five defendants. The professionals and corporations are charged with conspiracy and honest services mail fraud. The indictments allege the players either paid or received tens of thousands of dollars to buy or sell hundreds of patients without their knowledge. You can read the indictments by clicking here. 

The medical professionals and associates were charged in federal grand jury indictments unsealed Tuesday with buying and selling patients in the bribery scheme. The improper claims for services and devices were then billed to California Workers' Compensation insurance companies. 

The scheme involves local chiropractors who are alleged to have received kickbacks for patient referrals. In one of the more egregious examples from the indictment, a San Diego chiropractor with offices on El Cajon Boulevard, received $6,000 in cash in the parking lot of a Jolly Roger in Oceanside. 

The U.S. Attorney says that parking lot cash, hidden in a gift bag, was an illegal bribe for referring patients to a Los Angeles medical services provider.

This bribery schemed resulted in some $25 million dollars in improper workers comp claims being billed ultimately to taxpayers and health insurance customers, according to the FBI, the District Attorney and Duffy.

Here's how the scheme would work: a patient who had been injured on the job would seek help from a chiropractor.

Those chiropractors, two of them from the San Diego area, were the gateway to a wide array of health care fraud, according to the indictments.

The chiropractors would refer patients to specialized treatments called Shockwave therapy. The procedure uses low energy sound waves to initiate tissue repair.

Two Shockwave therapy companies and another medical equipment provider would then pay the chiropractors money per patient for the referrals.

Duffy said doctors should do what's best for the patient because the relationship between a patient and a doctor is a sacred one.

“Patients put their trust, patients put their very lives, into the hands of physicians. This is a system that simply cannot be corrupted by greed. A doctor’s decisions should never under any circumstances be influenced by anything other than a patient’s best interest,” Duffy said.

The indictments were grouped into three cases. Duffy said there are some connections between the three separate cases but because of the ongoing nature of the investigation, she said she would not highlight those connections.

Officers from across San Diego County, Murrieta and Laos Angeles served five search warrants and three seizure warrants and arrested five people, including a radiologist, chiropractor, a medical equipment provider, a medical clinic administrator and a so-called medical marketer. Gonzalo Paredes, an indicted defendant, has a warrant out for his arrest. 

At the press conference, Duffy said this is the first wave of indictments and some of the connections will become more clear as more charges are brought.

None of the local chiropractors or shockwave therapy companies could immediately be reached for comment.

A ceremony honoring veterans will be held at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. 

The event, which is hosted by the Friends of the National World War II Memorial and the National Park Service, is set to begin at 9 a.m. ET. 

Watch the ceremony above.

Ride-sharing rivals Uber and Lyft are coming together to support veterans and make life a little easier for those most in need.

The companies will donate thousands of free trips to service members experiencing homelessness for transportation to work, job interviews and other employment events, the White House announced on its website Tuesday.

The move is part of a broader effort by the White House’s Joining Forces initiative, to help end homelessness among veterans, and encourage the public and private sectors to fulfill the unmet needs of America’s military families. Joining Forces was launched in 2011 by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.

“We have heard time and time again that transportation to and from work and job interviews is often a significant hurdle for homeless veterans trying to find work,” the White House said in its blog post. “If a veteran is working a night shift or employed in a remote area of a city, public transportation is not always a viable option and there is limited funding available for alternative transportation.”

Uber will contribute an estimated 10,000 rides — a value of $125,000 — over the coming year, Emil Michael, Senior Vice president of Business for Uber said on the company's blog post.

In addition, riders will be able to join Uber’s efforts on Nov. 11, Veterans Day, and donate $5 towards additional rides for veterans. The company's app will feature a 'VETS DAY' option for users, that when selected, availble cars will transform into American flags. At the end of the trip reply ‘Yes’ to the text message from Uber confirming your donation.

Lyft has not specified how many free rides they will make available to veterans, but according to White House blog tens of thousands of free rides would be offered by both companies.

On-demand transportation to veterans will be administered by veterans organizations working with the Labor Department’s Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program.

There are nearly 50,000 homeless veterans in America, according to the most recent estimates by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development based on data collected during the annual Point-in-Time Count conducted in January 2014. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans estimates that more than two-thirds of those veterans live without access to reliable transportation, limiting their ability to gain and hold jobs.

“The First Lady and Joining Forces would like to thank ride hailing companies Uber and Lyft for stepping up to help address this problem,” the White House blog said. “It is remarkable to see competitors come together to support our veterans.”

The first lady will share a “special message” during NBC’s “The Voice” playoffs Wednesday on behalf of Veterans and Joining Forces.

The Southern California man who once voiced the affable “Peanuts” TV cartoon character Charlie Brown pleaded guilty Tuesday to making criminal threats against the San Diego County sheriff but told a judge his behavior is a result of mental illness.

"I want justice to be served, but I’m mentally ill," Peter Robbins, 59, told a judge in a San Diego courtroom, as he pleaded guilty to charges of making criminal threats. "To stick me three years into a state prison is not benefitting the justice system. I feel I’m entitled to at least a second chance."

According to the prosecutor in this case, San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Brenda Daly, Robbins is expected to be sentenced Dec. 7 to four years and eight months in prison.

Robbins, who began his acting career at age 9, was the voice of Charlie Brown for the iconic television specials "A Charlie Brown Christmas,” "It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "A Boy Named Charlie Brown."

Robbins pleaded guilty Tuesday to writing letters from his jail cell threatening San Diego County Sheriff William "Bill" Gore. Authorities said in some letters, Robbins offered to pay $50,000 to have Gore killed.

In a reversal of a previous plea, Robbins also pleaded guilty Tuesday to making threats against the manager of a mobile home park where he once lived. According to Daly, Robbins began sending the manager menacing letters and messages from jail, threatening him and his wife, after the manager testfied against Robbins in court.

Daly said she believes Robbins changed his plea Tuesday because he realized a jury would find him guilty anyway and entering the plea would save time. If found guilty at trial, Robbins would be looking at nine years behind bars, according to Daly.

Robbins said much of his bizarre behavior amid his legal woes can be attributed to mental illness.

"This is what happens when you are bipolar. You behave as if you are on drugs," he said.

The prosecutor acknowledged that a calmer, more subdued Robbins appeared in court Tuesday because Robbins has been taking medication.

"I think he’s decided, too, that he’s not going to perform anymore," Daly said. "He’s just realized that his behavior in the past is really what put him in this position today. His acting out — and his erratic behavior and angry behavior — he realized that’s only going to make him go to prison longer and not serve him very well."

Robbins — known for his outbursts and putting on a show in court — has been in and out of legal trouble for nearly three years.

His legal problems began in January 2013 when Robbins was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border in San Ysidro for allegedly threatening and stalking his ex-girlfriend, Shawna Kern, and a La Jolla plastic surgeon, Lori Saltz, who peformed breast-enhancement surgery on Kern.

Robbins pleaded guilty to those charges. In May 2013, Robbins was sentenced to jail time and ordered to enroll in a residential drug treatment program.

He was also sentenced to five years of probation. Shortly after his release from prison, Robbins was arrested again and charged with violating probation. Robbins has been in jail since late February 2015.

On June 5, during what was supposed to be his sentencing for multiple probation violations, an angry Robbins acted out in court with a profanity-laden outburst, yelling at the judge, "I hope you drop dead of a heart attack."

Most recently, on Sept. 25, Robbins was set again to be sentenced for violating probation but was instead charged with four new felony counts, including making criminal threats against the sheriff.

President Barack Obama urged the nation to keep veterans in their thoughts long after Veterans Day and ensure that they receive the care and benefits they've earned.

Participating in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, the president noted problems that some veterans have had in accessing health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. He said improvements are occurring, but he is not satisfied.

He said the nation is in the midst of a new wave of veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. He asked communities and businesses to consider hiring veterans as they fill job openings.

"They're ready to serve and they'll make you proud,'' Obama said.

The president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and led remarks at an annual observance intended to honor and thank all who have served in the armed forces.

Earlier in the day, the president had a breakfast reception with veterans and their families in the East Room of the White House.

On Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate and again on Wednesday morning, GOP candidate Donald Trump touted the controversial 1950s "Operation Wetback" program as a way of dealing with the nation's approximately 11 million immigrants currently without legal status, NBC News reported.

Under the Eisenhower program, immigrants inside the U.S. were rounded up and deported to remote places, resulting in deaths and criticism of human rights abuses. Though Trump extolled the program's praises on the GOP debate, he didn't call "Operation Wetback" by name.

Trump was asked on Wednesday during "Morning Joe" how he would deport 11m people, and he said he would have a "deportation force" that would do it humanely.

In a crime that may have been common a century ago but is most unusual today, Fort Worth police are searching for an armed robber who is targeting men on horseback. Two victims have been shot.

The bandit startles his victims by jumping out of the brush along riding trails, confronting riders with a pistol and demanding money, police said.

"Before we'd ride our horses in peace, no problems," said Adrian Castillo, who lives in the neighborhood near Echo Lake in southeast Fort Worth. "Now we're looking every second that we get. We look around."

Jose Castro said he was recently riding a horse with his friend Fernando Villa when the gunman surprised them.

"I thought he was going to shoot us," Castro said in Spanish. "He said he was going to shoot us."

The robber also threatened to shoot their horses, Castro said.

Castro said his horse ran, but Villa stayed behind.

Villa said he told the bandit in broken English, "Me no got no money."

The bandit fired shots, he said.

Castro said when he heard the gunfire, he thought Villa had been shot.

But both men ended up getting away without getting hurt and without giving the man any money.

Two other victims have been shot in the leg, police said.

The same suspect has struck at least four times since October, said Fort Worth police Det. Francisco Solano.

"We're afraid the acts of violence will continue and a victim is shot in the upper torso where it could result in more serious injury," Solano said.

Police have released a photo of the suspect. They said he may wear a black Texas A&M baseball cap.

"It sounds like he has no care for anybody," Castillo said.

The attorney representing the family of a man who threw himself off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship released new video Tuesday taken moments before Bernardo Elbaz went overboard Friday night.

The footage shows a confrontation between Elbaz, 31, and security guards on the Oasis of the Seas. In the video, Elbaz is upset and complaining about being mistreated because he was gay, allegedly being called "lipstick" and "pedophile."

"I have a husband; I am not a pedophile," Elbaz, who went by Bernardo Garcia Teixeira prior to marriage, said in the video. Elbaz and his husband Erik were legally married a year ago in New York state.

Royal Caribbean officials and the Broward Sheriff's Office have said the security crew was responding to the report of a domestic disturbance involving Elbaz, now presumed dead, and his husband. The sheriff's office also said Elbaz announced plans to jump before he dove off the side of the ship.

His attorney disputes that claim.

"What's most important is this was not a domestic dispute; this was not a suicide," attorney Michael Winkleman said. "This was an act of protest based on the way that this legally gay, legally married couple was mistreated by Royal Caribbean."

The day after Elbaz went into the water, Royal Caribbean said the man landed on a lifeboat one deck below his balcony before plunging into the ocean.

His husband said Monday that Elbaz didn't jump.

"He was holding on for his life; he was reaching out for assistance," Erik Elbaz said. "He did not need to die. He was alive, and it was unfortuante missteps on the cruise line."

The widow said cruise ship workers could have prevented his husband's death and now "have blood on their hands."

"How can the ship have only a few security guards, and instead of being downstairs with him to assist him, they were all upstairs with me, all guards?" he wondered. "For what purpose?"

Attorney Winkleman originally said Bernardo Elbaz fell, but later admitted the fall or jump was intentional and was the direct result of the crew's harassment and being over-served liquor.

"I'm hired by families that have tragedies that occur, and I deal with the facts that are presented to them, and I argue as an advocate on their behalf," Winkleman said.

Winkleman said he intends to release more footage Wednesday.

Royal Caribbean released the following statement on Saturday:

"Our onboard security team responded to the guest's stateroom after a neighboring guest complained about a domestic dispute on the guest's balcony. Our staff did not have a physical altercation with the guest and were unable to prevent his jumping from the stateroom balcony.

"Royal Caribbean is deeply saddened by this event. We will continue to provide assistance to the family as well as law enforcement."

Boston Marathon bombing survivor Rebekah Gregory marked the 1-year anniversary of her decision to have her leg amputated with a post to her Facebook page on Wednesday.

A year ago Gregory decided to amputate her left leg below the knee after much treatment failed to save the limb. Not long after, she announced that she and her husband Pete DiMartino were separating after just 10 months of marriage.

In her Facebook post on Wednesday, Gregory said that "each and every day has only proven what I have believed all along....that somewhere in the huge mess and all the heartache, there is always a bigger plan. And for that I am so incredibly thankful. Happy 'ampuversary' to me."

Gregory, who now lives in Houston, ran the last few miles of last year's Boston Marathon on her new prosthetic leg last year. She also testified in the death penalty trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger of two brothers responsible for the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and injured 260 others.

Members of the New York Congressional Delegation are continuing their push for a full reauthorization of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act which expired last month, NBC News reported.

Despite public outcry, intensive TV coverage and pressure from the likes of comedian Jon Stewart, the bill is being held up in Congress by two House Republican committee chairmen who are worried that a full on reauthorization could create a mandatory spending program that's not paid for in its entirety. 

The 2011 Zadroga Act re-opened the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund and created the World Trade Center Health Program which, among other things, "provides medical monitoring and treatment for emergency responders, recovery, and cleanup workers, and volunteers who helped after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the crash site near Shanksville, Pennsylvania."

Snow, thunderstorms and tornadoes could threaten up to 60 million Americans on Wednesday, in an area stretching from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes, NBC News reported. Snow already started falling west of Denver early Wednesday, and a blizzard warning was issued for the Great Plains east of the city. Airlines canceled 50 flights at Denver’s airport, according to NBC affiliate KUSA.

Meanwhile, tornadoes could develop in the area encompassing southern Iowa, northern Missouri and northwest Illinois, including the cities of St. Louis and Des Moines.

Chicago is likely to see see thunderstorms and gusty winds but should escape the tornado threat, according to Weather Channel lead forecaster Kevin Roth, but Kansas City was "not completely out of the woods."

"It's a huge, typical November storm," Roth said. "Winter is on the way, that's for sure." 

With its killer whale shows soon to be phased out, SeaWorld is now looking at getting into the hospitality business.

After operating for a half-century, the company has seen its bottom line take quite a beating since the "Blackfish" documentary came out.

But SeaWorld figures it could remake its image, bring back visitors, and rebound financially with a resort hotel that's been in its city master plan since 2002.

"My recollection of that hotel is that it’s limited to 30-feet, a 300-room hotel,” says former City Councilwoman Donna Frye, who represented the 6th District in which SeaWorld is located.

“And I think they are going to pursue it,” Frye told NBC 7 in an interview Tuesday. “It’s a way to make additional revenue that they seem to need right now."

SeaWorld's proposed hotel site is along the Perez Cove shoreline in west Mission Bay.

Under a partnership deal with Evans Hotel Group, the firm could buy one of two hotels that Evans owns on Mission Bay.

But those are old properties, and observers think the company would prefer to have Evans develop one.

SeaWorld would need voter approval to build above the city's 30-foot coastal height limit.

In 1998, as a private citizen, Frye led the opposition that nearly defeated SeaWorld's referendum for an exemption to build its "Journey to Atlantis" ride.

Even at 30 feet, a hotel could get pushback during Council and Coastal Commission approval processes, from environmentalists and construction unions seeking project labor agreements, if they're not negotiated.

"And even neighbors are probably going to take issue with the potential for more development in the area,” says Lisa Halverstadt, who’s covered SeaWorld extensively for NBC 7’s media partner Voice of San Diego.

Other issues that could be raised by opponents, according to Halverstadt: “Lost views, or concerns about what's going to be happening … ‘Is there going to be more traffic in that area?'"

Indications are SeaWorld is in no huge rush for a hotel project.

But once it proceeds, there figures to be a built-in, packaged market among park-goers — more bang for the visitor buck.
 

Veterans Day is on Wednesday (Nov. 11) and many local businesses are finding ways to give back to San Diego’s military heroes by offering deals and freebies throughout the day.

This year, Veterans Day freebies include:

• Restaurants such as Applebee’s, California Pizza Kitchen, Chili’s, On the Border and Hooters will all be serving free meals to veterans. Applebee’s selections include a 7-ounce sirloin steak, a chicken tenders platter or an American Standard burger, among others. Meanwhile, Chili’s freebies include any lunch combo, soup and salad or any full-size flatbread, among other selections.
• BJ’s Restaurant, Claim Jumper and Olive Garden will serve free select entrees. BJ’s will offer any entrée under $12.95, while Olive Garden will offer free cheese ravioli or lasagna, among other entrees.
• Little Caesar’s will give veterans and active-duty military members a free $5 Lunch Combo from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Home Depot and Lowe’s will provide a 10 percent discount on purchases.
• Legoland California will give a 25 to 37 percent discount on admission until Dec. 31, which includes a second-day admission free
• Knott’s Berry Farm will give vets and active-duty military service members free admission for themselves plus one guest through Dec. 20.
• San Diego’s Old Town Trolley Tours will offer free tours to veterans
• SeaWorld San Diego is free to veterans plus three of their guests through Dec. 31.
• The USS Midway Museum will offer free admission to vets and their families.
• Denny's will offer a free Grand Slam to veterans from 5 a.m. to noon
• Outback Steakhouse will give military members a free Bloomin' Onion appetizer on Veterans Day, plus 15 percent off the entire check Nov. 12 through Dec. 31
• Sizzler will offer a free beverage and lunch to veterans
• Red Robin will offer a free Red's Tavern Burger with Bottomless Steak Fries

U.S. active-duty military members and veterans must bring their ID to enjoy these freebies.

An Ocean Beach group wants to block the city's plan to install 10 surveillance cameras and point them at the public.

Proponents say 24-hour surveillance of the public space between Dog Beach and the Ocean Beach Pier will help solve crimes, protect businesses and visitors. The 10 cameras cost the city $25,000.

But the new group Citizens Against Privacy Abuse (CAPA) says the real crime would be surrendering public freedoms to a Big Brother-style community monitoring.

“There was no community discussion, no community debate,” said Frank Gormlie, the group’s organizers and OB Rag publisher.

CAPA is growing; so far two dozen people -- including members of town council, the planning board and local businesses -- have joined.

Their fight may be an uphill battle. Lighthouse Ice Cream owner Carol Ladigus joins other businesses on Newport Avenue in welcoming the extra eyes.

“I have cameras all over this place in here. I think I am used to them. I think most people are used to them. I think we would feel safer,” Ladigus said.

“People are going to think twice if they know there are more cameras out in the community before they even try anything,” South Beach bartender Julia Jacobs said.

The cameras would record 24 hours a day without live monitoring except during large events like street fairs and the July 4th holiday.

The recordings are under San Diego police control, but who else sees them or how they are used has not yet been explained.

“If people are free, and they are free to stay and live on their beach, then they need to be free and secure in the knowledge that the government, the police are not watching them. Not watching them in real time or some later time,” Gormlie said.

Ocean Beach is already under surveillance. Cameras mounted on private buildings are monitoring public space. There is even a website broadcasting the boardwalk and beach 24 hours a day.

It may feel like everybody is doing it, but CAPA says not everybody wants them.

San Diego City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, who represents Ocean Beach’s District 2, secured the money and streamlined the camera project. Staffers say it will be implemented by the first of the year.

CAPA members are trying to first create a community forum to debate the issue.