Retail giant Bloomingdale's is apologizing for a holiday ad that many believed seemed to promote date rape, calling the spot "inappropriate and in poor taste."

The ad from Bloomingdale's 2015 holiday catalog began circulating online Tuesday, showing a woman and man dressed up for a night out, with the woman looking in a away while the man gazes in her direction.

"Spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking," it reads.

Thousands took to social media in outrage soon after the ad debuted.

[[346737902, C]]

Bloomingdale's responded with an apology on Twitter.

[[346752642, C]]

The retailer also told NBC News, "In reflection of recent feedback, the copy we used in our current catalog was inappropriate and in poor taste. Bloomingdale's sincerely apologizes for this error in judgement."

Bloomingdale's would not comment on the company's process for approving advertisements or say whether disciplinary action had been taken in connection with the ad.

Eight companies have submitted bids for 24 of the 25 San Diego County locations being shut down by Haggen Inc., according to filings in the grocer’s bankruptcy case.

The bidders include the previously announced Gelson’s Markets, which is looking to buy stores in Carlsbad, Del Mar and La Jolla, and Smart & Final, seeking a total of 11 locations in San Diego, Carlsbad, El Cajon, Chula Vista, Coronado, Santee and La Mesa.

Also in the running is Albertsons, which last year sold several stores to Bellingham, Washington-based Haggen as part of a government-mandated divestment that cleared the way for a merger of Albertsons and Safeway Inc., parent of Vons. Albertsons is now seeking to re-acquire a total of five stores, in San Diego, El Cajon, La Mesa and San Marcos.

Specialty grocer Bristol Farms, a unit of Good Food Holdings LLC, is bidding for the store on West Washington Street in San Diego’s Mission Hills neighborhood. Carnival Supermarket Inc. is looking to buy the Chula Vista store on Telegraph Canyon Road.

Also in the running are RJS Investment Group, bidding on the store on Pomerado Road in Poway; Asian grocer Tawa Supermarket Inc., bidding on the Balboa Avenue store in San Diego’s Clairemont neighborhood; and Vistar California XXI, looking to buy the store on Penasquitos Drive in San Diego’s Rancho Penasquitos.

No bid had been registered as of Nov. 11 for the store on Third Avenue in Chula Vista. The federal bankruptcy court, which will ultimately decide on who gets stores in California, Arizona and Nevada, has scheduled a Nov. 17 hearing in the Haggen case.
 

A hankering for a Hot Pocket may have saved his life.

When a twin-engine charter jet slammed into an Akron, Ohio, apartment complex on Tuesday just before 3 p.m., Jason Bartley's building took the brunt of the devastation. 

The 38-year-old factory worker, who is usually home at that time, left to run errands at 2:15 p.m. Upon tackling his to-do's, Bartley didn't go home right away. Instead, he headed for the Dollar General to buy a pizza Hot Pocket for dinner and another Hot Pocket for breakfast before returning home. 

About six minutes after the plane crashed, Bartley drove up to his normally quiet, residential neighborhood and found thick smoke and orange flames filled the sky. Nine people on board the plane were killed.

"My apartment was the one that took the direct force hit," Bartley said, calling his near-miss "dumb-luck."

Having lost everything but his car and the clothes he was wearing that day, Bartley said that first day of the accident left him in a fog — and now he realizes he's lucky to be alive.

At least 23 people were killed and 105 were wounded Thursday in two suicide explosions in a busy area in Beirut's southern suburb, a stronghold of Lebanese Hezbollah, the Lebanese Red Cross told NBC News.

Local media said that the attacks occurred just outside a Shi'ite center in the Borj al-Barajneh area.

She may look like any ordinary elderly woman, but police said this 88-year-old from Miami is a crime-fighter.

Burglars tried breaking into the home of Arlene Orms, until she managed to scare them away. Many residents in her neighborhood are still talking about it.

"I was in shock. I couldn't believe it, and I can't believe how she reacted. That was awesome," one neighbor said.

In the dark of the night, some would-be prowlers tried to break into Orms' home, but police said she fought back.

The scene unfolded in the 6000 block of Northwest 2nd Street, when police said burglars knocked down Orms' door. But they didn't get far.

The feisty homeowner fired one shot from her 25 caliber Beretta, sending the culprits running for their lives.

The next morning, Orms didn't speak to the media, just quietly cleaned up the front entrance to her home. She did give a stern look, which spoke volumes.

The suspects are still on the run. If you know anything about this case, you're asked to call police.

The junior varsity football team at Cathedral High School in San Diego finished its season with a 9-1 record, but its defining moment didn’t come during an actual game — one of their Most Valuable Players didn’t play a single snap.

This past summer, doctors diagnosed 16-year-old Brycen Newman with an aggressive form of brain cancer, ending any hopes of a sophomore season sacking quarterbacks.

As he battled cancer, Newman showed up at every home game to cheer on his team from the sidelines. His fight against cancer had an impact on everyone around him, and his presence gave fellow teammates courage.

A few days before the team's October homecoming game, players figured out a way to return the kindness and support Newman had shown them.

Newman was already scheduled to walk out as an honorary captain, but his teammates had their own tribute in mind. Right after the coin toss at midfield, in a moment captured by videographer Miles Himmel, the team directed Newman to a pregame huddle and took off their helmets to show him their 32 shaved heads.

Newman cried, and a few of his teammates did too.

"I’m not alone in this fight against cancer, because my teammates were there," Newman said of the emotional moment.

Jake Goddard, Newman’s good friend and the team’s other co-MVP, helped organize the team shave.

"When we took our helmets off and he’s like, 'Whoa,' that brought me to tears," Goddard explained. "It’s one of the happiest things I’ve ever gone through."

Though several weeks have passed, the moment hasn’t faded.

"Teams always have your back and when you’re alone, no one has your back," said Newman.

Newman’s fight against cancer continues and so does the enormous financial burden on his parents who’ve been forced to take time off work to help their only child.

Friend’s set up a cancer support fund to help Newman and his family. You can donate through a GoFundMe page here.

Sixteen ISIS-linked suspects have been arrested in a coordinated operation by police across Europe, officials said Thursday, NBC News reported.

They are suspected of being part of an international terrorist network that allegedly planned an attack targeting Norwegian and British diplomats in the Middle East.

They also are accused of recruiting at least five people in Europe who traveled to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS, authorities told a press conference in Rome.

The suspects included 16 Kurds and one person from Kosovo. The alleged terror network was founded by one of the suspects arrested in Norway, Najmuddin Ahmad Faraj, who also goes by the alias Mullah Krekar, the officials said.

The pregnant wife of a pastor died after being shot during a home invasion in Indianapolis, police and church officials said Wednesday, NBC News reported.

Amanda Blackburn, who was also mother to a 1-year-old toddler, was found by first responders "unresponsive, and suffering from apparent signs of trauma" on Tuesday, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said.

The 28-year-old was taken to the Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital in critical condition where she died from a gunshot wound, according to a statement from the Resonate Church, where her husband Davey Blackburn is pastor.

Pastor Blackburn's statement added: "I hold firm to the belief that God is still good, that he takes our tragedy and turns it into triumph."

A driver led multiple agencies on a 30-mile pursuit through San Diego County after she gave consent for officials to check her trunk, where they found another person, Border Patrol agents said. 

The pursuit began around 4:52 p.m. Wednesday when the driver, passing through the I-8 Campo checkpoint near the southern California-Mexico border, ended up in secondary inspection by agents. When she got there, she gave Border Patrol her consent to have the trunk of her Ford Mustang checked by an agent.

When agents looked inside, they saw a person, at which point the woman sped off. Right as agents noticed her driving off, they closed the trunk to secure the person inside. 

Border Patrol agents pursued the woman for a time before handing off the pursuit to California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials. 

During the pursuit, the driver reached speeds of up to 120 miles per hour along I-8, CHP officials said. The driver exited the I-8 into El Cajon, then crashed into another car at Madison and 2nd, CHP officials said. 

The driver got out of the car and tried to run from officials, but was later apprehended. She has been taken into custody. 

Initial CHP reports indicated the woman was pulled over for a speed violation and raced off from officers. 

CHP officers took the driver into custody and to a nearby hospital to be treated for her injuries. Prosecution for the driver is pending. Customs and Border Protection officers are awaiting transfer of custody pending a doctor's clearance. 

The person in the trunk is in CBP custody and will likely be deported. A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the passenger could be a witness for the prosecution in any criminal proceedings against the driver.

On Thursday morning, officials confirmed the driver is a U.S. citizen and the man found in her trunk is a Mexican national. No further information was immediately available. 

Several razor blades were discovered in a playground at one of San Diego's busiest sites: Balboa Park. 

Parkgoers reported seeing the sharp objects around Pepper Grove playground in the 2400 block of Park Boulevard at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to police.

The area was evacuated and police put up crime scene tape while officers and park rangers searched for the blades. SDPD Sgt. Carmelin Rivera said several blades were recovered at multiple locations, though it's unclear how many police found.

Officers brought in metal detectors and checked the area to make sure no more blades were anywhere close by. After a few hours of searching, the crime scene tape was taken down and the area cleared.

"It breaks my heart," said Linda Hundhammer. "I work here in the park and I love Balboa Park and it makes me sad when anyone, in any way, tries to deface the park."

Rivera said the discovery was the first of its kind at Balboa Park.

He said the SPDP is taking the incident seriously in light of similar discoveries at North Park, Chula Vista and Mission Bay this year. Investigators do not know if the San Diego area incidents are connected.

"We want to make parents aware ... just to be a little extra cautious because these objects seem to be popping up at different playground areas and parks," Rivera said.

If you find any sharp objects at a park, call police right away.

Suspected criminals arrested, but not put behind bars on bail. This could be the reality, at least according to a federal class-action lawsuit recently filed by a nonprofit organization in California.

The organization, Equal Justice Under Law, filed the lawsuit last month in San Francisco proposing an end to money-based bail for non-violent offenders.

If the organization wins the case, it could have broader implications for counties across the state, including San Diego County, where some find the idea of no bail worrisome.

“I can't imagine life without bail,” exclaimed San Diego bail agent, Wendy Zummut, owner of Bail Bond Woman. “It would be catastrophic! We'd have anarchy.”

The lawsuit calls the bail process a "wealth-based detention scheme" that essentially allows rich people to pay out of pocket to get out of jail while the poor either remain jailed or are forced to go to bail agents, financing their freedom over time.

Phil Telfeyan, Executive Director of Equal Justice Under Law, filed the class-action suit.

“If the state has already made policy decision that if you're selling drugs, if you pay enough money you can be free, we don’t think that’s a fair process,” he explained. “It’s discrimination against the poor so that two people who commit the exact same crime have different outcomes based on wealth status."

But not everyone agrees with that stance.

“If I get arrested for DUI and my bail is $2,500 and I’m homeless and you get arrested for drunk driving and you’re a multimillionaire, it’s $2,500,” Marco LiMandri, of the California Bail Agents Association, told NBC 7. “That’s fair. We’re both paying the same amount.”

The suit notes counties have methods besides monetary bail to ensure suspects appear in court while still keeping the public safe, including things like home detention and electronic monitoring.

“If there is domestic violence there can be a restraining order put in place as a pretrial condition," added Telfeyan.

“Misdemeanor domestic violence is a gateway to felony domestic violence as things escalate, as we learned from O.J.," Zumutt countered.

The San Diego Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and San Diego County District Attorney’s office did not want to comment on the lawsuit, citing pending litigation. Similar lawsuits have been filed in seven other states.
 

On the streets of Pacific Beach, potholes are plentiful, and on Thursday, San Diego’s mayor began tackling the problem by rolling up his sleeves and working alongside repair crews.

Outfitted in a bright yellow vest, Mayor Kevin Faulconer joined an asphalt repair crew and helped fill potholes in the beach community, including those at the intersection of La Playa Avenue and Yosemite Street.

The repair work is part of the mayor’s efforts to fix 1,000 miles of local streets riddled with potholes over the next five years. According to Faulconer’s pothole plan, drivers will benefit from at least 300 miles of resurfaced streets this fiscal year.

A recent study found San Diego has some of the roughest roads in America, so Faulconer has made repairs a top priority. Since taking office, Faulconer has doubled the amount of street repairs across the city and worked to streamline the system so repair crews can visit neighborhoods more frequently to find problems.

Faulconer’s One San Diego budget has increased funding to street repairs. Currently, the City's asphalt repair crews fill roughly 27,000 potholes each year.

The roadside repairs schedule is posted on this website, so residents can know which days a crew will be working in their neighborhoods.

As Faulconer got to work in PB, city workers said the mayor did a pretty good job filling his first pothole.

“You have to get our roads up to a condition where they don’t deteriorate as fast,” Faulconer told NBC 7. “Pothole repairs are important and you need to do it – and we’re going to continue to do it.”

Though the repairs are a good start, some drivers in Pacific Beach, including Scott Bohnen, expressed frustration at how many roads in the area still need repair.

“Our streets are falling apart,” he said.

Some residents worry about the problems the forecasted El Nino season may cause to the already-damaged roadways.

City repair worker Mario Escalera told NBC 7 he’s frustrated by how many potholes riddle local streets, but hopes the mayor can achieve his goal of resurfacing 1,000 miles over the next few years.

“I hope he really accomplishes this,” said Escalera.
 

Customs and Border Protection officials said Thursday they are working to implement body-worn cameras, but first need to study how to best use them.

The announcement was seemingly an about-face to a report last week that the nation’s largest law enforcement agency had decided against them.

The commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement that after a year of research and testing, the agency decided they were a benefit, but required more research into how they should be incorporated.

CBP will integrate testing of body cameras at checkpoints, aircraft certificate inspections, vessel boarding and interdictions and certain ports of entry, a news release said.

The commissioner said officials had to pass a few hurdles before implementing them. Namely, developing a plan for video data storage, training, questions on privacy and funding options.

Plus, CBP must first discuss the issue with labor unions. The agency also needs to also find body worn cameras that best suit their officers. The cameras tested in last year’s study weren’t durable enough and didn’t fit well with the officers’ uniforms, officials said.

The timeline of the next phase of research is expected to be concluded between January and March.

No word yet on the cost, though officials are expecting it to be in the millions.

Foothills Christian senior TJ Leaf committed to Steve Alford and the UCLA Bruins Thursday afternoon in a live announcement on ESPNU from a downtown San Diego studio.

The highly recruited basketball player had whittled his list down to three schools with Pac-12 rival Oregon and San Diego State among the finalists.

Leaf is a skilled 6-foot-10 forward that ranks as a 5-star recruit by most recruiting services.

ESPN ranks Leaf as the Number 13 overall prospect for the class of 2016. Rivals.com projects him #15 as well.

Leaf wore a black suit with a red and gray tie for the televised announcement, leading some fans on social media to assume he might be leaning towards the hometown Aztecs.

He confessed afterwards he wasn't even thinking about color scheme and that was just his favorite tie.

The El Cajon native said he felt the best connection with Alford and felt that his style of play will translate well to UCLA’s system.

ESPN ranks UCLA's incoming recruiting class for 2016 as one of the Top 5 in the country. The Bruins are ranked as 4th best - right behind stellar programs such as Kentucky and Duke.

A serious problem at the border first highlighted by NBC 7 Investigates has caught the attention of at least one leader at the federal level.

NBC 7 Investigates traced how millions of tires aren't recycled and instead head to Mexico, crossing back into the U.S. through the Tijuana River. Click here to read the full investigation.

Former state Senator Denise Ducheny and environmental group WiLDCOAST took U.S. Rep Loretta Sanchez (D) 46th District on a tour of the region Thursday morning.

Sanchez says she wants to find a solution with federal funding.

"Right now, we really don’t have a trigger to put federal funds toward that, but it could be one of the solutions,” Sanchez said. “It’s my hope that we could find a way in which we spend a dollar ahead of time to save five (dollars) down the road.”

Experts say with El Nino, the stockpiles of tires and litter in the Tijuana River Valley will only get worse.

“Generally, the amount of sediment that we’re getting is correlated with the rainfall. When we’re getting a lot of rain, we’re getting a lot of sediment and trash. When we’re not getting a lot of rain, we’re not getting a lot of sediment and trash,” said Chris Peregrin with California State Parks.

When it rains, that trash flows out the river channel, into the ocean and into our food supply.

It flows to the river channel from Tijuana, crossing the U.S. Mexico border and into South County.

It costs $1.8 million a year to clean and sort the trash from the sediment and export the sediment for use on construction projects.

The first hurricane-style storm ever named by the British weather agency, Abigail, hit Scotland on Thursday night.

When a Northern California police officer pulled over a slow moving car Thursday, he wasn't greeted by a driver.

That's because he pulled over one of Google's Autonomous Vehicles.

The Google car was going 24 mph in a 35 mph zone, which caused traffic to back up, according to the Mountain View Police blog. 

The officer was able to contact the operators of the vehicle to ask how they were choosing speeds and let them know about traffic building up. 

Google's self-driving cars are allowed to operate on roadways with speed limits at 35 mph, according to police. The company put out a statement on Thursday to explain its cars do not operate over 25 mph for safety reasons.

"We want (our cars) to feel friendly and approachable, rather than zooming scarily through neighborhood streets," the Google Self-Driving Car Project group said on a Google+ post.

Google is proud to say that they have never been ticketed to date after 1.2 million miles of autonomous driving. 

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for an unidentified woman who fell from a cruise ship during the 2015 Mad Decent Boat Party Thursday evening.

The incident happened 22 nautical miles off the coast of Cuba around 7 p.m., according to USCG officials.

The command center received the initial report from crew members of the Norwegian Pearl, who said a woman had fallen from the deck of the ship.

USCG crews and an aircrew from Air Station Clearwater were en route to assist in the search for the woman.

The Norwegian Pearl took off Wednesday from Miami and was bound for Cozumel.

The Mad Decent Boat Party was taking place on the ship. The party was scheduled for Nov. 11-15. Dozens of EDM artists were scheduled to perform during the boat party and festival.

The cruise ship company released the following statement about the incident:

"On Thursday, Nov. 12, during a chartered cruise on Norwegian Pearl, a female guest was observed intentionally going overboard while the ship was sailing the Yucatan Channel. The ship's crew immediately initiated rescue measures, including deploying three rescue boats and notifying the Coast Guard and other relevant authorities. The search for the guest is ongoing. Both the ship and charter company teams are providing support to the family and all impacted guests during this difficult time."

No further details have been released.

This is a developing story. Check back with NBC 6 for updates.

Carlsbad will soon have the toughest water restrictions in the county.

As of December 1, people will only be allowed to water once a week.

The restrictions will certainly have an impact on developments like Bressi Ranch, where the landscaping is top notch and lawns are lush and green.

“I think it's good. I think we use too much water here,” Carlsbad resident Bridget Gould told NBC7. “I have a lot of neighbors who wash their cars in their driveway, but I also think it's going to rain a lot this winter, so hopefully, it won't change things that much.

Under the new restrictions even numbered addresses will be able to water on Mondays and odd numbered addresses on Tuesdays. Sprinklers are limited to 8-minutes. The rules also apply to businesses and homeowners' associations.

“I don't like it. I'm actually a gardener. I do all the weeding and everything else,” resident Jerry Torsian explained. “I mulch. I don't know if the plants can take it. Now if we have El Nino, then it's no problem at all.”

Carlsbad officials say the change is necessary to meet a state mandated 28% reduction.
So far, the city has come close, but has not met the mark – attributing part of the problem to tourists.

The news rules may be reevaluated next June.

“We'll go back to two days if things are looking better, possibly three,” Mario Remillard a water conservation coordinator said. “But we'll just have to judge that as we get through the winter and the spring.

Residents who ignore the warnings to cut back will face a $150 fine for a first offense and $500 for additional violations.