With an El Nino season just around the corner two San Diego communities are preparing residents for rough weather days ahead.

Currently, a strong El Nino is present along the equator, and it is strengthening. Forecasters are predicting rising tides, coastal flooding and a wet winter.

Such conditions will affect coastal communities like Imperial Beach in some ways and East County communities like La Mesa in others.

A lecture drew nearly 100 Imperial Beach residents to the Tijuana River Visitors Center Tuesday night.

Jessica Martinez was among those in attendance. She lives just blocks from the beach and has her parents, grandparents and three dogs to keep track of in a storm.

“Even if it is an exaggeration, I’d rather take it to heart and I would rather be prepared,” she said. “I want to have an action plan ready and encourage others in my community.”

Animal control officers, border agents, lifeguards, deputies, insurance agents and search and rescue officials were just some of the services behind the booths with handouts and advice.

“We live close enough to the beach. I want to make sure my house is prepared,” Brooke Kolinski said.

Coastal residents should be prepared for higher tides, beach erosion and flooding in the event of a strong El Niño.

Kolinski could write a book on being prepared.

She has a list and the last thing on it is coming here to see if there was anything she'd missed.

“Making sure I have an emergency kit at work. Making sure possibly have one in the car. Making sure I have one at home. Making sure my gas tank is halfway full all the time so if I do have to evacuate I don't run out of gas,” Kolinski said.

In La Mesa, 75 residents showed at the El Niño community forum.

Heartland Fire and Rescue officials and police officers warned of flooding, landslides and power outages in East County.

“You want to make sure you keep supplies. Any of your disaster supplies, you want to keep them in multiple locations," Emergency Management Coordinator at Heartland Fire & Rescue Mona Freels said.

Methodology

New England Cable News reached out to each presidential campaign for its position on select issues. Candidate positions from official campaign wesbites were used for the campaigns that didn't respond; those cases have been indicated in the graphic. 

Note: Some of the responses have been edited for clarity and length. 

Student activists from across the globe will hold a day of action to further the movement of ending racial injustice on Wednesday, NBC News reported.

Organizers are calling the latest movement #StudentBlackOut — a collective day of action where student leaders are encouraged to organize events that, according to Yamiesha Bell, one of the organizers, uplift Blackness.

There is an expectation that many of the actions will mirror much of what has already been seen in the past few weeks from the University of Missouri to Yale to Virginia Commonwealth University and others.

"I am pretty sure we will see rallies, marches, walk outs and the occupation of presidents' offices," said Brandan Marshall, one of the support members for the day of action. "Students from across the globe are experiencing many of the same issues on their campuses and Wednesday will display the collective experiences."

A man died when his stalled car was struck by oncoming traffic on Interstate 805 late Tuesday, California Highway Patrol officials confirm.

The unidentified victim was sitting in his gray Nissan Altima in the southbound lanes of I-805 just north of Carroll Canyon Road after 10 p.m.

A passing driver called 911 to report the incident.

Soon after, another car traveling southbound struck the stalled car causing a fiery crash, CHP officers said.

San Diego Fire-Rescue crews found the body of a man inside the burning vehicle.

The driver of the second vehicle, a white Lexus IS350, was not injured.

Traffic lanes were temporarily closed during the investigation.

In a clear sign that al Qaeda is losing the ideological battle with ISIS, online forums once aligned with al Qaeda — including Osama bin Laden's favorite chat room — have switched allegiance to the more violent Islamic State, experts say, NBC News reported.

Evan Kohlmann of Flashpoint Intelligence, an NBC terrorism analyst, said there are 10 or fewer terrorist forums where the most battle-hardened jihadis gather, and the chat rooms have rigorous controls on which "online couriers" can post. Only one of these terrorist forums, according to Kohlmann, remains loyal to al Qaeda and its affiliates.

The trend is one of several "merics" indicating al Qaeda has been stung by losses in leadership and prestige, and is losing the internal war for loyalty among the most radical Islamists, say both terrorism experts and U.S. government officials, who've seen al Qaeda operatives shift loyalties, as well.

San Diegans will be paying about 16 percent more for their water next year, the San Diego City Council decided Tuesday evening.

In a 7-2 vote, the council voted to lower the proposed 17 percent rate hike to 16 percent as they faced angry residents who said they should not be penalized for saving water.

The increase will go into effect Jan. 1, 2016. Over the next four years under the new rate schedule, residents will end up paying 40 percent more for water than they do today.

The council also voted to launch a study of new rate structures that would reward water conservation and provide relief to low-income households.

City officials say there is no getting around paying more without jeopardizing the water delivery system. The increase pays for infrastructure maintenance and the rising cost of imported water from outside the county. Click here to read more on why water rates are going up.

But opponents say a 16-percent increase in one year is too much too soon, especially for low-income households. 

"Many families will suffer," said Monica Cortez with the Workers Benefit Council. "They'll get their water turned off. They won't be able to pay their bills. That will also create a public health hazard." 

Since Tuesday morning, Cortez and others have packed the council chambers, many demanding councilmembers deny the increase.

South Bay residents arrived to protest rate hikes for recycled water, which they say will be higher than households in northern council districts would be charged.

Officials say without that money, the system's finances would be at such risk that credit agencies would lower the city's bond ratings, and thus hike the cost of borrowing.

They also warn that would scuttle a pure-water recycling program to produce a third of the city's drinking water within 20 years.

"We're going to have to invest in our water infrastructure and in our future water supplies in order to  have a sustainable future," said Wendy Broley. "Conservation alone can't cut it.  We're going to have to do more."

City officials also point out that the increases would cover pass-through costs of water from the Poseidon desalination plant, which is close to coming online in Carlsbad.

Sen. Ted Cruz had sharp words for President Barack Obama's over comments regarding Republican rhetoric on Syrian refugees, saying his statement "is utterly unbefitting of a president," NBC News reported. 

"If you want to insult me, you can do it overseas, you can do it in Turkey, you can do it in foreign countries, but I would encourage you, mister president, come back and insult me to my face," The Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate said this on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

President Obama had harsh words for Republicans calling for a stop of Syrian refugees to the United States, saying such calls are "political posturing" and "contrary to American values."
 

The Obama administration is planning to admit at least 10,000 Syrian refugees into the U.S. next year, and 300 of them could call San Diego home, according to the International Rescue Committee.

Right now, 74 refugees are living in San Diego to escape Syria. Among them is Ceko Kurd, 28, who told NBC 7 his country is plagued by deadly violence and a lack of basic necessities.

“You don’t know if you're going to wake up the next morning,” said Kurd. “Like I said, you know they're a mortar; they're firing mortars bullets.”

Kurd had to travel through four countries over seven years to reach the U.S. when he was 16. He now lives in El Cajon.

Though he was able to get out, his aunt and three cousins had to stay behind for years. But about two months ago, the trio boated, hiked and trekked across several countries until they reached Switzerland.

Thousands more are trying to make similar – and potentially more dangerous – journeys to escape the war in Syria.

Many state governors have declared they will not accept any more Syrian refugees for fear that terrorists would sneak in among them.

Gov. Jerry Brown announced he will work with President Barack Obama to ensure those coming to California will not be a threat.

According to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statement, federal officials put refugees through a vetting process that has been significantly enhanced in the past few years.

Officials say refugees undergo the highest level of security checks compared to others who travel to the U.S. Their biographic and biometric information is cross-referenced with various law enforcement agencies and databases.

Once they arrive on U.S. soil, refugees are picked up at the airport by resettlement groups like the International Rescue Committee, which help them in their new lives.

Four organizations serve that purpose in San Diego, including the Kurdish Human Rights Watch in El Cajon.

“If there is a service there, we bring people to talk to them about it,” said Chinar Hussein with Kurdish Human Rights Watch. “And we bring other people to give them job information because a lot of them want to work.”

They also offer English classes and lessons on American traditions and cultures.

Kurd hopes another aunt who is still in Syria will be one of the 10,000 coming to the U.S. next year.

“She constantly hears those bombs around her, not to mention bullets flying,” said Kurd. “She has two kids that go to school when they can, when school is open.”

Last year, a totally of 6,100 refugees from around the world settled in California, according to the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Police are searching for an unknown man accused of targeting doughnut shops in Chula Vista, California, robbing clerks by pretending he’s armed with a weapon, including a mother and her 9-year-old daughter.

The Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) released surveillance video Tuesday of the robbery involving the young girl. In the footage – captured around 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 10 – the suspect enters an empty doughnut shop, walks up to the counter and begins talking with the girl.

About 30 seconds into their encounter, he raises his left hand and begins touching the cash register. At that point, the girl behind the counter is joined by her mother, who emerges from a back room to find the man touching the register. The mother opens the cash register and hands the suspect some money. As the man flees on foot, the mother and daughter retreat to the back area of the doughnut shop, out of view.

According to CVPD detectives, the suspect is responsible for at least five robberies at two different doughnut shops over the last month, one in the 600 block of Broadway and the other in the 1000 block of Third Avenue.

The most recent robberies were this past Saturday when he hit both shops within three hours, the one on Broadway around 7 p.m. followed by the shop on Third Avenue around 10 p.m.

Police said each robbery is similar: the man enters the business and confronts the clerk while simulating a weapon in his jacket pocket. Once the cash register is open, he grabs the money and flees.

Investigators describe the suspect as a white or Hispanic man between 22 and 28 years old. He’s approximately 5-foot-10 to 6-feet-tall and 225 to 275 pounds with a thin mustache. In the heist caught on camera, the suspect wore a maroon, sleeveless hooded sweatshirt with the Salisbury University (Maryland) logo on it, a black baseball cap, black shorts and red shoes. No getaway car was used in any of the robberies, as the suspect fled on foot, police said.

No victims were injured in the robbery series. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information on this man should contact the CVPD at (619) 691-5075 or (619) 691-5151.
 

A mobile home near an elementary school caught on fire Wednesday around 9:27 a.m. in La Mesa.

The fire started at a mobile home on the 7900 block of Oakland Drive at the Lake Murray Mobile Home Park.

Heartland Fire Department says they found flames and smoke coming from the home when they arrived on scene.

They searched for any victims but it appeared there was no one home during the fire.

Maryland Avenue Elementary School took emergency measures after they were made aware of the fire.

One neighbor tells NBC 7 he tried to stop the flames using fire extinguisher but it didn’t help.

This is breaking news, check back for updates.

A Pompano Beach, Florida, woman is facing charges after a violent fight with another woman over borrowed shoes turned deadly, authorities said.

Cortez Fields, 18, was arrested Monday on a charge of aggravated battery causing bodily harm in the death of Nicole Hewitt, according to a Broward County Sheriff's Office report released Wednesday.

Fields appeared in court Wednesday where her bond was set at $7,500. It was unknown if she's hired an attorney.

According to the report, Fields went to Hewitt's home in the 300 block of Northwest 6th Street on Saturday night to retrieve a pair of shoes she had let Hewitt borrow. Fields told police that Hewitt confronted her in a stairwell and asked her to leave, then pointed a finger in her face and yelled at her, the report said.

Fields said she became angry and punched Hewitt in the face, causing Hewitt to fall and hit the back of her head on the concrete stairwell, according to the report. Fields said Hewitt got up and grabbed her neck, but Fields pushed Hewitt into the stairwell and held her down, the report said.

While Hewitt was down, Fields punched her in the side of the head, and saw swelling and bumps on Hewitt's face, Fields told police in the report. Fields said she fled the scene while Hewitt chased her.

Hewitt's uncle visited her the next morning and found Hewitt with a swollen face, according to the report. Hewitt refused medical treatment at the time, but when the uncle returned that evening, he found her lying in bed with severe swelling, the report said.

Hewitt's uncle flagged down fire rescue workers, who found Hewitt unresponsive and took her to North Broward Medical Center. She was found to have blunt force trauma to her face and head, the report said. Hewitt died at the hospital later that night.

Detectives found Fields at her home and she agreed to an interview. During the interview she said, "I never killed anyone before," the report said.

Fields faces a number of charges in juvenile court including aggravated battery, burglary, and grand theft, jail records showed.

A naked man apparently found the cover he was seeking as he stole T-shirts from a massage parlor in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego, though his lower half was still left exposed to the elements.

Security cameras caught the bizarre break-in Monday night at Happy Head Massage on University Avenue.

Clad in nothing but his shoes, the suspect climbed in through a back window and began wandering around the business, owner Michael Pritsker told NBC 7 Tuesday.

After a shower in the bathroom, the man is seen on surviellance video walking to the reception area. He grabs shirts from a rack and takes lotion from nearby shelves.

"Just pure silliness... watching this character break in just to steal lotion and some T-shirts," said Pritsker. "I could’ve given him one for free if he really wanted one."

Video shows the nude man then running out the front door.

The owner said he did not recognize the suspect. After San Diego police officers responded Tuesday, Pritsker said he decided not to file a police report because nothing of large value was taken.

However, if the suspect is found, Pritsker can decide whether to file a report and press charges.
 

Two San Diego County brothers were among those killed at a Texas campsite over the weekend, their mother told NBC 7.

Nathan and Austin Kamp were camping with their family about 100 miles southeast of Dallas when they and four others were slain by William Hudson, 33, according to Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor.

Taylor would not give a motive or say how the victims were killed, only that there were “several different crime scenes,” according to NBC 5 in Dallas-Fort Worth. The family was celebrating Nathan’s 24th birthday on their father's recently purchased land.

The Kamps died with their father, Thomas, who lived for several years in Midlothian, south of Dallas. His girlfriend Hannah Johnson, her 6-year-old son Kade and her father Carl were among those killed.

Only Johnson’s mother Cynthia escaped by hiding in the woods before calling 911.

Nathan and Austin’s mother Carina Lujambio told NBC 7 her boys were living in Oceanside before their deaths. Both attended Carlsbad High School but moved to Texas before graduation.

They had recently returned to San Diego County after their parents’ separation.

Sheriff Taylor said the suspect, William Hudson, had befriended the family and even helped them get one of their vehicles out of the mud before the rampage. He was arrested at his mother’s house, which sits next door to his own.

Hudson is facing one count of murder at this time, though more charges are pending. It’s unclear if he has obtained an attorney to comment on these allegations.

Law enforcement authorities in two Southern California counties are searching for a second woman in a series of thefts reported by brides and wedding guests.

Denise Burns has been identified as the so-called "Bridal Bandit", a woman captured on store security cameras using stolen credit cards belonging to brides and bridesmaids just hours, and in some cases minutes, after they disappeared.

Now, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department officials say a friend of Burns, Sheila Russo, is wanted as a co-conspirator in the crime spree.

Russo, 51, is accused of using the stolen identities, officials told NBC 7 Tuesday.

Detective Rich Holder said Burns shows up at wedding ceremonies and then steals wallets, credit cards and personal identification cards belonging to the wedding party, wedding coordinator and other guests.

NBC 7 first reported on this crime spree in July after newlywed Michelle Tietz posted surveillance pictures on her Facebook page to solve the theft of her credit cards during her Temecula wedding.

“I walked out of the bridal suite about 6:08 pm and the first charge was 6:32,” said Tietz.

She said someone charged $1,400 at various stops beginning with a gas station along State Route 76 and then at a number of stores in Escondido including Target, T.J. Maxx, Albertsons and CVS.

That Facebook post connected Tietz with Yvette Lynch, the catering director at Santee’s Carlton Oaks Golf Course, who says her wallet was stolen from her purse in her office during a wedding.

Officials released surveillance video showing Burns walking around the golf course on the day of the theft, allegedly posing as a lost guest.

Credit cards of the victims have been used at large retailers like Costco, Walmart and Target to buy gift cards and other related items, Holder said.

“Burns knows there’s a short window in which once the card is stolen that she may have only a few hours or even a few minutes to get out there and start conducting unauthorized transactions from these victims,” Holder said.

An $100,000 arrest warrant has been issued for Denise Burns by San Diego County Sheriff's Deputies who are investigating several incidents.

Now, officials say Russo is wanted in the crime spree as well.

“It’s believed Miss Burns has provided the victims’ personal information to her,” Holder said.

Both women have lengthy criminal histories, he said.

If Burns is found and arrested, it wouldn’t be the first time she is accused of hitting up unsuspecting victims. The lead detective on the case confirms Burns was charged back in 2012 with sneaking into teachers’ classrooms in Temecula and stealing their wallets when they were out of class.

Russo faces charges ranging from identity theft and forgery to burglary.

Deputies say they plan to share the photos of the suspect with area wineries in the hopes of solving the case.

If you have any information about this case, contact NBC 7 Investigates at (619) 578-0393.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department non-emergency line is (951) 955-2400. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department non-emergency line is (858) 565-5200.

A Otay Ranch youth football coach allegedly involved in a fight during a game said the man shown in the video is not him.

A fight broke out in the stands among adults during a Sept. 26 game between Otay Ranch Broncos and The Inland Empire Ducks.

The American Youth Football (AYF) released a video showing Coach Marcel Hawkins involved in the fight. In the video, he is identified as the man wearing the white t-shirt and white hat, restraining a minor.

The video led to Hawkins' suspension.

During a press conference Wednesday morning, Hawkins said the man in the video is not him.

The AYF said the video shows two Otay Ranch parents also beating the 17-year old brother of an Inland Empire Ducks’ player.

Meanwhile, the National Action Network, a local civil rights group is protesting Hawkins’ suspension. They said he was never given clear reasons for his suspension or due process in the matter.

According to a statement released by the AYF, San Diego Youth Football & Cheer provided them with Coach Hawkins’ name as well as a parent from Otay Ranch that was involved in the fight.

The statement in part also said:

“AYF made further inquiry related to the involvement of the identified individuals and found that both had engaged in the altercation and were either actively involved in the fight or made attempts to engage in the fight. Moreover accounts state and video, seems to confirm that certain coaches, left their team and made their respective way to the fence which separates the stands from the field. At least one coach either struck and or attempted to strike a minor. A more prudent decision may have been to stay on the field with the team.”

Pastor Shane Harris from National Action Network told NBC 7, the main concern isn't that coach Hawkins was or wasn't involved in the fight.

They say he was trying to protect his team because the fight was spilling from the stands onto the field.

Pastor Harris also said it was understood by Coach Hawkins that the league determined his disciplinary action for this matter would be that he would be removed from the Otay Ranch Broncos team and reassigned to a team in Phoenix.

However, the AYF issued a letter recently saying he is suspended completely.

The National Action Network protested the AYF’s decision Wednesday morning outside the league’s local office in Lincoln Park.

ISIS released a photo Wednesday of what it said was the improvised bomb that brought down the Russian Metrojet plane over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula last month, NBC News reported. 

The photo, showing a soda can and what appeared to be a detonator and switch, was published in the terror organization's propaganda magazine, Dabiq, with the caption: "Image of the I.E.D. used to bring down the Russian airliner."

It said "revenge was exacted upon those who felt safe in the cockpits of their jets."

NBC News has not verified the photo.

Dabiq also published a photo of what it said were passports belonging to dead Russians "obtained by the mujahideen."

Employees at a San Diego warehouse were evacuated after a mountain lion was reported to be on the prowl inside the building early Wednesday. Once police arrived, they took a closer look at the video and determined the animal was a cat.

Employees at GTM Discount General Stores on Corporate Center Drive called police around 8 a.m. for what they thought was a mountain lion caught on the security camera system.

Police were told the animal may still be inside.

However, about an hour later officials determined the so-called mountain lion was just an average-sized cat.

See the security camera video above and share your thoughts below or on our Facebook page.
 

A woman blew herself up and another perso was killed as elite French police raided an apartment early Wednesday near Paris, targeting high-level terror suspects involved in last week's attacks, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins confirmed to NBC News. Seven people were also arrested in the raid. It was not immediately clear how the second person died.

Heavy gunfire was reported for several hours beginning around 4:30 a.m. local time (10:30 p.m. ET Tuesday) in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, near the Stade de France, which was targeted by three suicide bombers on Friday. 

A woman detonated her suicide vest as the apartment was stormed, according to the Paris Prosecutor's Office. Five police officers were injured during the incident and a police dog named Diesel was also killed, according to NBC News.  

Officials confirmed that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian jihadist who is suspected of being a lynchpin in the assaults that killed 129 people in Paris on Friday, was one of several people targeted by the raid. However, it was not immediately clear whether Abaaoud was among those arrested or was ever in the apartment.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls is calling on an extension of the country’s state of emergency to be extended for another three months, NBC News reported.

Valls believes there “could also be a risk of an attack using chemical or biological weapons.

"Terrorism hit France not because of what it is doing in Iraq and Syria ... but for what it is," Manuel Valls told the lower house of parliament. "We know that there could also be a risk of chemical or biological weapons ... We must not rule anything out."

Valls was unveiling a security bill in the wake of the Paris attacks. The measures are aimed at reducing the threat of attacks by extremist groups, according to NBC News.

Some of Italy’s famous tourist sites were named by the U.S. State Department on Thursday as “potential targets” for terrorist attacks, NBC News reported.

The U.S. Embassy in Rome identified St. Peter’s Basilica, the Duomo and La Scala theater in Milan, churches, synagogues, restaurants, theaters and hotels as locations that are possibly at-risk.

Italy raised its security alert level to 2 — the highest possible.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said in an interview with state broadcaster RAI Thursday that the country’s security services were looking for five possible suspects, NBC News reported.