The Mira Mesa High School marching band rung in the New Year with an exciting experience: a chance to perform in the 127th Rose Parade in Pasadena.

The 250-member band, known as Sapphire Sound, performed "Ode to Joy" and "America the Beautiful" on repeat for the 5.5-mile route on Friday.

"The people, they were cheering us on. They were doing awesome. One of the best crowds I've ever seen and this was one of the best experiences of my life," said freshman Chase Lowary, an alto saxophone player.

They were the first high school band in the San Diego Unified School District to march in the Rose Parade since Patrick Henry High School performed there in 1983.

"The best moment was I guess the part when we went into the tunnel because it was like the noise, everything around us was like really loud, so I can like hear the symbols and the percussion like playing as loud as they can," said Jhodail Santos, a freshman bass clarinet player.

On Friday afternoon, they made their triumphant return home to proud parents holding signs of support.

"It was mind-blowing," said Santos. "It was a lot of fun." 

A New Year's Day fire on the grounds of the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana has destroyed several U.S. government vehicles, consulate spokeswoman Preeti Shah said Friday. No injuries were reported.

The fire began about 1 a.m. behind the consulate's high walls, Shah said, adding that there was no apparent attempt to enter the building.

Tijuana firefighters extinguished the blaze. Shah said four vehicles were completely burned and one partially.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the federal attorney general's office in concert with the FBI.
 

A San Diego service member was given a prestigious military honor Thursday, dubbed the 2015 Blue Jacket of the Year by a naval health clinic in South Carolina.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Mark Simon was recognized for his work as a laboratory technician for Naval Health Clinic Charlston (NHCC) in Goose Creek, S.C. He has been stationed there since 2014, naval officials say.

The Blue Jacket award is given annually to one sailor who stood out among his or her peers for exceptional performance on and off duty.

Simon, a graduate of Morse High School, said he found out about the honor when his coworkers surrounded him, clapping. He told military officials that his family is his inspiration.

“All of my accomplishments are done for them,” Simon said. “I am eternally grateful for my loving and supportive parents. Making them proud is the best way I can repay them for all that they have done and sacrificed for me.

“My wife, Kasey, has also been extremely loving and supportive of me and my career choices,” he said. “We continually push each other to grow into better people spiritually, personally and professionally.”

Simon's commanding officer said he exemplifies the Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment.

“Simon has set a high standard through his selfless work ethic, attention to detail and sincere concern for our Sailors,” said NHCC Commander Master Chief Robert Miley. “We are proud to have him represent our Command.”

The San Diegan will be at NHCC until 2018.

A high-profile Mexican attorney known for winning big cases confirmed Friday he is representing Ethan Couch, the "affluenza" teen from North Texas jailed in Mexico.

Fernando Benitez, of Tijuana, said in a Twitter message to NBC 5 that he wants to make sure the 18-year-old is treated lawfully.

"My interest is that if they are looking for his extradition to the United States, that it proceeds only according to the Constitution and the law," he wrote in Spanish.

He did not immediately respond to a question about who is paying him.

Couch and his mother Tonya were arrested in Puerto Vallarta on Monday. Tonya Couch was deported to the United States late Wednesday and remains detained in Los Angeles pending a hearing Monday or Tuesday.

The younger Couch remains in detention in Mexico City. His extradition was blocked when Benitez filed an appeal.

According to Mexican news reports, Benitez represented former Tijuana Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon when he was arrested on weapons charges. Guns found inside Rhon’s home were linked to several murders, authorities said.

Rhon argued that police never had a search warrant to search the house so everything they found was inadmissible in court, and according to the reports, a judge agreed and the charges were dropped.

Asked Friday if Benitez was the same attorney who represented Rhon, he said, "Yes, I had the privilege of representing Mr. Hank in 2011, with good results."

In 2014, Benitez also represented U.S. Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, arrested for crossing the border into Mexico with three weapons in his truck. After 214 days in jail, prosecutors dropped the charges and he was freed.

As the Islamic State continues to dominate the headlines, Boko Haram is killing more people than ever, NBC News reported.

Thousands have been slaughtered at the hands of Boko Haram while ISIS continues its campaign of terror after being linked to attacks in Paris and elsewhere. But t

The Nigerian militant group has been linked to 11,000 killings in 2015 as of mid-December, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. More than half those deaths have been the direct result of the group’s suicide bombings and armed raids. The rest died from fighting between the group and Nigerian troops.

Nigeria’s government has promised to oust Boko Haram and has boasted of successfully retaking territory from the extremists, but experts are warning that this could lead the group to change its tactics.  

A Mississippi city councilman suggested residents pelt police officers with rocks, bricks and bottles for chasing suspects into the town of Jackson, according to NBC News.

"What I suggest is we get the black leadership together, and as these jurisdictions come into Jackson we throw rocks and bricks and bottles at them," Kenneth Stokes said on New Year's Eve.

Stokes said officers put Jackson residents in danger when they pursue people in his ward. He also called for legal action against police that chase misdemeanor suspects into city limits.

But law enforcement officials in the area condemned the comments. Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker said he would contact the Mississippi attorney general to see if the comments constitute “assaults on officers by threat.” 

A Seattle entrepreneur and philanthropist was found dead on a Washington mountain on Friday by a search and rescue team, NBC News reported.

Doug Walker, 64, of Seattle went missing Thursday afternoon while snowshoeing with friends on Granite Mountain in the Cascades, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.

“They got separated from him. They waited for him on the trail for a while. When he didn't show up, they headed down the mountain," Cindi West, a King County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said.“

No other details were made public. 

Police arrested a masked, costumed man with a swastika tattoo on his forehead after a disturbance at a Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, gas station, NBC News reported.

Michael Carter, 36, was wearing a red costume featuring a mask. He locked himself in the bathroom and refused to leave a Kum and Go store.

The Broken Arrow Police Department told NBC News that Carter became abusive to officers and was eventually arrested for obstruction.  

On Thursday, Pacific Beach residents marked the end of the year, as well as the end of their 40-year-old community garden.

Since the 1970s, locals tended individual plots at the Pacific Beach Community Garden on Shasta Street and Roosevelt Avenue. The land stretches for less than an acre in Crown Point.

However, a developer purchased the land, so New Year’s Eve became the last day for residents to grow their own herbs and vegetables.

Paula Gandolfo, the garden’s coordinator, said the plots were special because land is expensive in the area and many people don’t have a yard of their own.

“The dirt is what is healthy,” she said. “The dirt is what generates the beautiful plants and vegetables, and pots on the balcony will work, but it’s the dirt that you want alive, and that's hard to do in a pot in a container."

However, the end of the garden does not mean the members will stop exercising their green thumbs.

They are hoping to section off a portion of land in De Anza Cove to create a new garden. They will also turn to their neighbors for help.

“The gardeners are the real seeds,” said Gandolfo. “Us gardeners are going to fan out into the community -- whether it is De Anza in a few years, whether it’s somebody's neighborhood, front yard/back yard in the next couple of months -- and we're the ones taking the garden to new places here in Pacific Beach."

The gardeners are volunteering to plant and tend new gardens for any neighbor willing to donate his or her yard.
 

A series of home burglaries recently struck La Jolla, with thieves stealing laptops, cell phones and even Christmas gifts from residents.

NBC 7 has confirmed at least three reported burglaries in the La Jolla area in December. Police have provided the locations of two of the crimes: one in the 600 block of Westbourne Street and the other just a few blocks away, in the 300 block of Prospect Street.

The burglary on Westbourne Street happened on Dec. 23. Police say thieves stole all of the gifts from underneath the family’s Christmas tree. In that incident, investigators say it appears the front door of the home was left open.

Meanwhile, unknown burglars struck on Prospect Street on Dec. 31, at the home of Richard Schneider and Sheryl Falk. Again, the door was left open.

“We woke up this morning and the doors were wide open,” Schneider told NBC 7. “What I think happened, is they jimmied the door.”

Schneider said the thieves made off with a laptop, cell phones and Falk’s purse, which had all of her credit and bank cards in it, and other important personal items.

“I can’t even drive a car,” Falk said. “I don’t even have a driver’s license. It’s disheartening. It really is.”

Although Schneider and Falk didn’t let the home break-in ruin their New Year’s Eve, the incident is making them think about some possible security changes to their home.

“We’ll probably get a Doberman Pinscher or some kind of dog that’ll sit right by the door,” Falk told NBC 7.

At this point, San Diego police do not have descriptions of the home burglary suspects. Anyone who believes they may have fallen prey to this series of crimes should contact investigators.
 

It may be a far distance from San Diego to New York City but on New Year’s Eve, the massive crowd of revelers in Times Square will get a peek into America’s Finest City via a sunny, new ad campaign.

As thousands upon thousands pack Times Square for the New Year’s Eve countdown, a newly-revamped tourism commercial for San Diego will play on a huge video board at the corner of 44th and Broadway in NYC.

The ad – part of the San Diego Tourism Authority’s newly-revamped “Happiness is Calling” campaign – features photographs of sunny San Diego in all its warm, bright, feel-good glory, from scenic beaches and lush golf courses, to iconic Balboa Park and the “Kiss” statue near the USS Midway Museum.

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A banner at the bottom of the ad lists important San Diego stats, such as the average temperature (72 degrees), miles of beaches (70), state parks (18) and, perhaps most importantly, the average weight of a burrito (1.2 pounds).

According to the Tourism Authority, the ad is expected to be viewed by more than one million people on New Year’s Eve. The ad’s debut on Broadway marks the beginning of the Tourism Authority’s campaign in the Big Apple.

The San Diego ad will also run in 6,000 NYC taxi cabs.

The Tourism Authority’s expanded advertising campaign aims to attract more visitors to San Diego from New York and the East Coast as the city braces for another big tourism year in 2016.

The Tourism Authority says 2015 was a record-breaking year for tourism in San Diego, with a total of 34 million visitors to the region, who spent almost $10 billion and generated $266 million in hotel tax revenue.

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A couple in Carlsbad, Calif., is celebrating 80 years of marriage and all of the memories, laughs, love and, of course, bickering, that comes with eight decades of wedded bliss.

Maury Goosenberg, 102, and his bride, Helen Goosenberg, 100, eloped in Philadelphia in 1935.

Helen admitted she’s the one who proposed, recalling the moment they decided to make it official.

“He gave me a big kiss and he’s ready to go, and I said, ‘Wait a minute.’ And I just went on, told him how I felt and what I thought we should do,” Helen recounted in an interview with NBC 7 Thursday.

Maury said Helen beat him to it, since she was always the one for him.

“Actually, it was not a great surprise because if she hadn’t done it, I was prepared to do it,” he said, with a grin. “We had been going together for such a long time. Everybody knew that she was betrothed to me. It was just a matter of time.”

Helen admits she never imagined their marriage would last this long.

Neither did their families.

“We ran away and got married. It was an elopement. We told the family about it afterwards. We weren’t taking any chances,” she recalled. “His family wasn’t too happy with me and mine wasn’t too happy with him.”

“[They said] ‘It never would last – it just wouldn’t last,’” Helen chuckled.

Looks like the longtime couple got the last laugh, after all.

When asked of their fondest memories together over the decades, Helen said she simply can’t choose.

“Every moment is a fine time. It’s hard to pin one down,” she smiled.

Maury said his favorite memories with his wife include the great meals they have shared over the years and the time they won a big dance contest.

“I forgot that. It was quite a deal when we did that!” Helen said, as Maury’s story jogged her memory.

“I agree with you. It is quite a deal,” Maury replied.

When asked their secret to their long relationship, the couple admitted they don’t completely know the answer.

“I don’t think there’s a secret,” Helen said. “A good relationship [helps], a love of stories and anything that keeps a person interested and together.”

Like any husband and wife, Helen said she and Maury have moments when they bicker.

“[We argue] about anything and everything – the tiniest little thing or something big, it doesn’t matter. We just like to argue,” she said, laughing.

In the end, though, the couple loves one another unconditionally.

“It was his mind. He’s terrific,” Helen said, referring to what drew her to Maury in the first place.

Even after 80 years of marriage, the couple said they still hold hand sometimes, too.

They said young couples should always remember to laugh in their own marriages – as humor helps weather any storm.

“Keep your sense of humor. It’s very important,” said Helen. “And just, go along. Get as much pleasure out of the relationship as you can and just hope that it will continue and that you will be happy with its continuance. That’s all I can tell you.”

The couple lives in Carlsbad, just north of San Diego. They have three grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. Maury will turn 103 years old on Jan. 31.
 

A recruitment film in the form of a documentary about racial injustice in the United States featuring Republican frontrunner Donald Trump was released by Somalia-based militant group al Shabaab, NBC News reported.

The film was distributed on Twitter on Friday by Islamist militant organization, al-Kataib Media Foundation, SITE Monitoring reported Saturday.

The 51-minute film features Trump making his December call that the U.S. bar all Muslims from entering the county as his supporters cheered. It was shown between two clips of leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

Trump’s call to bar Muslims entry to the U.S. has sparked international uproar and led to criticism that his comments could be used as propaganda for Islamist militants.  

Twins born in a San Diego hospital will forever share different birthdays: one baby was born in the final minute of New Year’s Eve, while the other debuted in the first minutes of New Year’s Day.

According to staffers at the San Diego Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center, the twins – baby girl, Jaelyn, and baby boy, Luis – were born at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31 and at 12:02 a.m. on Jan. 1, respectively, to mother Maribel Valencia, 22, and her husband, Luis.

Though the twins will be sharing a lot of things over the years, they will certainly not be sharing a birthday.

The hospital said the twins were both 18.5 inches long. Jaelyn weighed four pounds, 15 ounces, while Luis weighed five pounds, nine ounces. Both babies and their mother are healthy and happy.

"We were actually watching the clock. We wanted to see if we were one of the first ones," said Luis.

According to the hospital, the Valencia family lives in San Diego. Maribel works as a cashier at the San Diego International Airport and her husband is a diesel mechanic for the United State Navy. The couple also has another daughter, 3-year-old Isabella.

Luis told NBC 7 that the older sister was surprised and a little shocked about how her siblings came into the world.

The twins’ birth times may mean Jaelyn is the last baby born in 2015 in San Diego County, and Luis is possibly the first baby born in 2016 in San Diego County.

"[Maribel] really wanted to have the babies on the same birthday because you know later on in the years, they're going to have a little confrontation and be like, 'my birthday came first,' so it means two birthday parties, back to back," said Luis.

The family had scheduled a cesarean-section scheduled for Jan. 6, but the babies decided to make an appearance earlier than expected.

"It's very unusual and it's very special," said nurse Lynnette Coetzee, "and I haven't seen it in all my 34 years of nursing."

She joked the timing of their births will probably affect the family dynamics.

"I think she's the little girl; she's gonna be pulling rank the whole time because she's gonna be the older one," said Coetzee. "He's gonna have a hard time living that down." 

Other babies were also born in the first few minutes of the New Year across the city at facilities including Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns, Scripps Hospital in Encinitas and Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD).

The first baby of 2016 born at Sharp Mary Birch is Harvey Charles Gillman, born at 12:35 a.m., weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces. Little Harvey was actually due on Jan. 8, so he was quite the New Year's Day surprise for his proud parents, Rebecca and Josh Gillman. The family lives in Chula Vista.

The first baby born in 2016 at Scripps’ Encinitas campus came into the world at 12:59 a.m., a hospital spokesperson confirmed.

NMCSD welcomed its first newborn of the New Year at 3:54 a.m. Baby Lucas John Squires weighed six pounds and 11 ounces and was born to mother Lisa G. Irwin and father Joshua D. Squires – both active duty service members in the U.S. Navy, NMCSD officials said.

A driver heading the wrong way on State Route 78 died after running off the freeway in Escondido, according to the California Highway Patrol. 

CHP spokesman Jim Bettencourt said at 3 p.m., Escondido police received a report of crash debris strewn on Metcalf Street.

Officers responded to search for the source of the debris, but for some time, they could not find a crashed vehicle.

Finally, when they began looking from above on SR-78, officers spotted a 2003 Surburban sitting vertically, nose down, against a concrete retaining wall that borders Metcalf Street. Inside the vehicle was a 67-year-old man from San Bernardino, who died in the crash.

Bettencourt said investigators do not know how long the vehicle and body had been there before they were discovered. 

CHP officials believe the driver entered the freeway at Broadway, traveling west in the eastbound SR-78 lanes. It appears the driver then went straight off the freeway and over an embankment.

"If you are driving the wrong way, there's nothing to stop you from pretty much going off the roadway here and crashing into a big concrete retaining wall that protects Metcalf Street for the traffic that's out there," said Bettencourt.

Investigators do not know if alcohol or drugs played a factor in the crash.

Two relatives of a youth pastor killed in the drunken driving wreck that thrust "affluenza teen" Ethan Couch into the national spotlight told NBC News they're hurt but not surprised to learn Couch violated his probation.

The 18-year-old Couch was spared prison time for the 2013 crash that killed Brian Jennings and three other people. Couch was serving 10 years of probation when he and his mother fled to Mexico sometime in late November. According to the sheriff, they had "something that was almost akin to a going-away party before they left town."

"It's definitely set my healing back," said Jennings' sister, Christy McCarty. "It's hard to move forward with the healing process when you hear about something like this. It just brings everything to the surface."

During the trial, Couch's attorneys invoked an "affluenza" defense, claiming the teen had been coddled by wealthy parents and failed to learn right from wrong. McCarty said she was taken aback when the term was mentioned in court.

"It was ridiculous. I think everybody in that courtroom felt the same," she said. "After that verdict, we were just speechless."

Although Jennings' family was upset by the outcome of the trial, his mother, Janet Henson, said they found a way to accept it, at least, initially.

"Brian would have wanted this — for Ethan to have a second chance," Henson said. "And he did have it."

Couch made headlines again when a video surfaced on social media appearing to show him at a party where people were drinking. Not long after the video was released, Couch missed a mandatory probation meeting and was later discovered to have fled to Mexico with his mother.

Henson said the family was upset but not surprised to learn Couch had violated the terms of his probation.

"I expected him to continue this behavior, just from the court and his previous behavior," she said. "It really kind of hurts to watch."

McCarty said it's hard to not be angered by Couch's apparent lack of remorse.

"When the video came out on Twitter, I was mad," she said. "And then you find out he flees to Mexico with his mom and all the events after that."

Because Couch was 16 at the time of the crash, his case has been handled by juvenile court. Authorities are seeking to transfer the case to adult court and a hearing was originally scheduled for Jan. 19.

McCarty said she wants to see Couch tried as an adult. Henson agreed, saying Couch ruined his second chance.

"Obviously, the last week or two proves it was the wrong decision for him," Henson said. "I feel like the system failed."

Henson and McCarty said they hope to finally see Couch disciplined and out of the news.

"I just feel like it's time for Ethan to face the punishment, that he should be charged for what he's doing now," Henson said.

Jennings' family said the hardest part is living without their loved one.

"Brian could light up a room," Henson said. "He was friends to so many people and Brian loved everybody. I love him more every day."

Hundreds of employees are returning Monday to San Bernardino's Inland Regional Center for the first time since a mass shooting at a holiday party left 14 people dead.

Monday's reopening will include emotional reunions for many of the workers who have not visited the site since a brief visit to collect belongings after the attack. The workers are looking forward to a renewed a sense of stability, according to Lavinia Johnson, the center's executive director.

"It is good to be back at our home," said Johnson. "We want to continue with the normalcy."

Two buildings at the campus of the Inland Regional Center, which provides health services in San Bernardino County, reopened Monday, about a month after the terror attack. A third building, the location of the Dec. 2 shooting, will remain closed indefinitely, the IRC said in a statement.

Security guards checked employee IDs at the entrance to the center's parking lot. No visitors were planned this week, and a chain-link fence wrapped in green mesh surrounding the property will remain up indefinitely, Johnson said.

Flowers, cards, balloons and other items have been left outside the building to honor the vitims. Returning workers will be greeted by staff members and counselors will be on site, Johnson said.

The shooting occurred during a staff holiday party at the IRC's main campus on South Waterman Avenue. County employee Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire on Farook's coworkers, killing 14 and injuring 22. Authorities believe the two were radicalized and said Malik posted allegiance to an ISIS leader on social media just prior to the attack.

Farook and Malik were killed hours later in a shootout with law enforcement agents.

IRC, the largest of 21 regional centers in California, is a nonprofit agency that serves clients who have developmental disabilities in a vast area of San Bernardino County.

After the shooting, the buildings were closed for repairs, which will soon be complete. Some operations were moved off-site and about 350 iPads will be distributed to employees, allowing them remote access to email, voicemail, records and client information.

As employees return to work on Monday, California Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to attend a private memorial service in Ontario to honor the shooting victims.

A 15-year-old Brooklyn girl has been accused of killing her mother and her mother's boyfriend, according to the NYPD.

The girl, identified by police as Destiny Garcia, faces weapons charges and two counts of murder after police discovered the body of her mother, 38-year-old Rosie Sanchez, and her mother's boyfriend, 40-year-old Anderson Nunez, in an apartment in Sheepshead Bay late on Sunday. She will be tried as an adult for the crimes, authorities say.

Cops were doing a welfare check inside the home after the victims weren't heard from in over a week and found the mother shot to death and the boyfriend with fatal stab and gunshot wounds Sunday evening. Someone passing their fifth-floor apartment at the Sheepshead Bay Houses noticed the door was open, the NYPD said.

The passerby flagged down police, who were in their patrol car at the time, and officers went in the apartment. They found the man's body in the kitchen; the woman was found dead in a back bedroom.

Shell casings and a knife were both recovered from the apartment, police said.

The girl told police several different stories as to why she killed Sanchez and Nunez, according to police. She at first claimed Nunez had abused her, then said it was her mother who physically abused her.

Police believe the killings were premeditated and there was no immediate danger to Garcia when she killed Sanchez and Nunez. 

"She went and got a gun from another individual that we're trying to find right now. So that's not consistent with someone who's in self-defense at that time," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. 

It's not clear if the girl was inside when authorities arrived.

 It wasn’t long ago that Staff Sergeant Evaan Ball and his wife Ashley attended the Marine Corps Ball in San Diego, but today it feels like a world away as Ashley fights for her life in a New Mexico hospital after a deadly crash that killed her brother.

“I thought I’d be the one in the hospital one day, not her,” SSgt. Ball told NBC 7 San Diego in a phone interview this week.

Ashley’s brother, Steven Marrow, was helping the couple move from Camp Pendleton to SSgt. Ball’s new post in Louisiana on Dec. 23. Ball drove one car, with the couple’s two children in the back. Marrow drove the second car with Ashley sitting in the passenger seat.

As the group drove down State Route 550 in Farmington, New Mexico, Marrow lost control of the car while passing a truck and crossed over the divide, crashing into an oncoming tractor-trailer, Ball told NBC7. Ball was driving ahead of his wife and her brother and had successfully passed the truck. He said he believes Marrow’s car slid on the dangerous ice and “caused them to move a little clockwise and slide over into oncoming traffic.”

Ball’s first thought as he turned around to face the wreck was, “please God, don't let it be them.”

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But as he turned around, he said, it was obvious Ashley and Steven were the victims.

“I got a little closer and saw my backpack on the ground, and all kinds of our stuff, everywhere, and some first responders got there really quick,” he said.

Marrow died at the scene. Ashley was taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, New Mexico. Ashley is in critical condition and has undergone multiple surgeries following the deadly crash. She has a traumatic brain injury and severe internal injuries, Ball said.

Ball has been taken by grief as he waits by his wife’s side in the hospital and mourns his brother-in-law, who he said was a wonderful person.

“He was a really awesome guy,” Ball said. “I mean, he was full of energy, you know, he always kind of lit up the room.”

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Marrow had moved to Oceanside to live with his sister and two nephews while Ball served his country in the Marine Corps and deployed to Afghanistan. He was a great help with the boys, ages 6 and 10.

“Steve was a real selfless guy,” he said.

His wife, in critical condition as of Saturday night, is a rock for the family.

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“During deployments I was gone for the entire time, obviously for anywhere from six months to a year, and every time, no hiccups; she made everything happen and the boys never missed out on anything except for time with me,” Ball said.

Ball said the people of Farmington have warmed his heart in the midst of such personal tragedy.

One of the officers who first arrived on scene later took him and his boys in for Christmas. The surgeon operating on his wife let his family stay in their home. One community member offered the family a cabin to sleep in.

“All the support in San Juan County and the people of Farmington has been amazing,” said Ball.

The family is staying at that cabin as the Marine, his two boys and mother-in-law wait to see if his wife’s condition will improve. The family has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for Marrow’s funeral expenses and any of Ashley’s medical expenses that may not be covered by insurance. You can find the link by clicking here.

Ballerinas at the Pennsylvania Ballet say they can't be compared to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The ballet took issue and fired back after a Facebook user said the Eagles "played like they were wearing tutus" when they lost to Washington.

"By tomorrow afternoon, the ballerinas that wear tutus at Pennsylvania Ballet will have performed The Nutcracker 27 times in 21 days. Some of those women have performed the Snow scene and the Waltz of the Flowers without an understudy or second cast. No 'second string' to come in and spell them when they needed a break," the Pennsylvania Ballet posted.

The post went on to say that some ballerinas are thrown into roles at the last minute, "That's like a cornerback being told at halftime that they're going to play wide receiver for the second half, but they need to make sure that no one can tell they've never played wide receiver before."

In fact, the Ballet said, had the Eagles played like they were wearing tutus, they would be headed to the playoffs.

Check out the full statement:
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The Eagles missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, ending the current season with a 7-9 record.