Newly published text messages purportedly show how drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán was eager to set up a meeting with Mexican actress Kate del Castillo — and apparently had never heard of actor Sean Penn, NBC News reported. 

Guzmán was recaptured early Friday after escaping a Mexican prison through a tunnel six months earlier. While on the run, the Sinaloa cartel chief had sought to have a biopic made about himself and his contact with the outside world apparently helped to tip off authorities.

The texts published late Tuesday by Mexican newspaper Grupo Milenio show how Guzmán began courting Castillo in late September for a meet-and-greet. NBC News has not verified the text messages.

Guzmán is referred to as "papa" in the purported messages sent to Guzmán's attorney's cellphone, and Guzmán tells the Latin star that he is in Sinaloa and is looking forward to meeting her. 

In texts between Guzmán and his attorney, he explains to the cartel kingpin that Castillo wants Penn to come to their meeting. But Guzmán is not sure who he is.
 

After months of warning it could leave Connecticut for a more business-friendly lower-tax home, General Electric Co. made it official Wednesday, announcing they’ll leave their Fairfield campus for a new world headquarters in Boston’s Seaport Innovation District.

The move means 800 new jobs for Boston, but is also a colossal symbolic victory for Boston's and Massachusetts' reputations internationally as business and innovation hubs. The number 8 company on the Fortune 500, with over 300,000 emlpoyees worldwide, is now calling Boston its global headquarters.

“This is a huge win for the city of Boston, a huge win for Massachusetts,’’ Governor Charlie Baker said Wednesday afternoon.

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh said: “I know we're talking a lot about Powerball here in the country, and certainly, we won Powerball today here in Boston by having GE come here.’’

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said: “Of course, I am disappointed. I know many in Connecticut share the disappointment and frustration. Today’s decision is a clear signal that Connecticut must continue to adapt to a changing business climate.”

GE CEO Jeff Immelt said it came down to relocating to a place where the company thinks it has the best chance to recruit and connect with the kind of talent it needs as it continues its transformation from an old-line industrial conglomerate to an “Internet of things” giant with major operations in health care, life sciences, green energy, and other fields.

"Boston attracts a diverse, technologically-fluent workforce focused on solving challenges for the world,’’ Immelt said. “ We want to be at the center of an ecosystem that shares our aspirations."

Massachusetts is providing $120 million dollars in grants and incentives to support GE’s move, which Governor Baker called typical for supporting a company moving to or expanding in Massachusetts. “We offered pretty much the same sort of thing that we would make available -- and we do -- when companies either expand here or move here, which is a combination of incentives and grants but they're typically around infrastructure and capital support, but that's the kind of thing Massachusetts does under its existing authority.’’

Walsh’s chief economic development officer, John Barros, said the city is providing up to $25 million over 20 years in property tax breaks, but forecasts Boston alone will reap some $260 million worth of new economic activity and spinoff benefits during that same time period.

GE has been headquartered in Fairfield since 1974, employing more than 800 people, including its top companywide executives. The company is the top taxpayer on Fairfield's grand list.

A statement GE released on Wednesday said that it will sell its offices in Fairfield and at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City to offset the cost of the move to Boston's Seaport District

Employees will move to a temporary location in Boston this summer and will complete the move, in several steps, by 2018.

The company made clear its displeasure with Connecticut's tax and business climate in June during the General Assembly's Regular Session.

Democratic lawmakers had floated the idea of — and eventually passed — new corporate taxes, which GE officials had described as burdensome.

Even after a Special Session of the General Assembly in December, GE executives never changed their position that they would explore new locations for their future home.
Several candidate cities dropped out of the running early, according to multiple reports. Cities like Dallas and Atlanta had all made public overtures to the corporate giant, but all proved unsuccessful.

Malloy had met with GE officials on multiple occasions in recent months in efforts to keep the company in Connecticut.

He added that the state of Connecticut has won several fights to get companies from other states to move here, including from Massachusetts and New York.

"We've won a lot more than we've lost," Malloy said, adding he expects to make announcements in the not-so-distant future about companies coming to Connecticut.

But House Republican Leader Themis Klarides blasted Governor Malloy.

“Connecticut’s toxic business climate, combined with the Malloy administration’s failure to take seriously the threats that it posed to our corporate community, has led us to this day that many of us feared was inevitable. Any doubt about the effect of the punitive policies of ever higher taxes, hyper regulation and the uncertainties that they create for business have been erased because of GE’s apparent decision to move its corporate headquarters out of Connecticut," she said in a statement.

Connecticut's Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, addressed the GE move in a statement.

“GE’s decision to relocate across the border to downtown Boston is certainly disappointing, yet we remain a favored location for companies to thrive. It appears, particularly from GE’s advertising, that their decision is not about taxes but more about rebranding into a high-tech company, and Boston is well known as a high-tech industry hub. Connecticut’s piece of the corporate pie remains strong, and our state’s ongoing commitment to work closely with business leaders to encourage future economic growth will ensure we continue to be a great place to live, work, and raise a family for years to come,” he said.

In Massachusetts, even as the mayor and business groups like Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and the Massachusetts High-Technology Council all praised Baker and Walsh for winning GE, many wonder whether GE’s move could open the door to more big-name companies shifting headquarters here.

“Boston is open for business,’’ Walsh said. “We are willing to sit with anybody and talk about any potential opportunities. Do I think GE opened the door for other big opportunities? I absolutely think they did.’’

Baker said for companies that want to connect to universities, research, life sciences, venture capital, and a whole “ecosystem” of innovation, GE has just issued a major and influential stamp of approval. “We're honored to have them here. We believe they are going to be a tremendous part of the growing innovation economy that we have here in Massachusetts,’’ Baker said. “This is a great place to play, and I would expect and anticipate that you would see significant interest coming from others.’’

Cancer experts are applauding President Barack Obama’s ambitious “moonshot” to cure the disease, saying it’s a good time to do it.

Obama announced the initiative Tuesday night during his State of the Union address, putting Vice President Joe Biden in charge of the effort. Biden has added $264 million to the National Cancer Institute’s budget in the 2016 spending bill, according to NBC News.

"Right now, only 5 percent of cancer patients in the U.S. end up in a clinical trial. Most aren't given access to their own data. At the same time, community oncologists — who treat more than 75 percent of cancer patients — have more limited access to cutting-edge research and advances,” Biden, whose son, Beau, died of brain cancer last year, wrote in comments about the new initiative.

Cancer researchers say the initiative will help cancer centers share data from patients. And giving people ready access to treatment can help save more lives.

“This is something the vice president can fix in six months,” the American Cancer Society's Dr. Otis Brawley told NBC News. 

A suburban Chicago school teacher faces charges after an alleged alcohol-fueled outburst during a screening of the new "Star Wars" movie.

Police said 30-year-old James Sokoloski attended a sold-out show with a friend on Dec. 17 at Orland Park’s Marcus Cinema.

District 233’s website lists Sokoloski as a math teacher and head junior varsity wrestling coach at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. The Chicago Tribune reports Sokoloski's friend identified himself as a dean at the high school. 

Shortly into the highly anticipated film, the men started standing up and loudly shouting, according to a police report.

Other moviegoers reported the unruly behavior to theater security, who asked them to leave, police said. The men refused the security guards’ requests and began teasing the officers, taunting them to bring in the "real police," according to the report.

When on-duty officers arrived, Sokoloski's friend apologized for his behavior and tried to persuade Sokoloski to leave, according to police. 

Police said Sokoloski ended up in handcuffs when he continued to mock and disobey the orders of an off-duty Cook County sheriff's police officer who jumped in to the security team’s aid.

On the ride to the police station, police said Sokoloski threatened to sue them for arresting him. Responding officers reported he smelled strongly of alcohol.

Orland Park police said Wednesday they have no comment or confirmation on the employment of the man or his friend, as "it does not have any baring (sic) on the case."

Sokoloski, of Oak Forest, is charged with disorderly conduct, resisting police and criminal trespass.

His friend, who was not charged in the incident, was allowed to stay and proceeded to finish the film at the theater, police said.

The school district's spokesperson Jodi Bryant released the following statement to NBC 5 Wednesday regarding the teacher's arrest: "The district is aware of the situation and has met with the teacher to take appropriate measures regarding the incident. Since this is a personnel matter, the district has no additional details that it can provide."

Requests for comment to Sokoloski were not immediately returned.

With the Iowa Caucuses are less than three weeks away, the biggest Republican donors are sitting on the sidelines, NBC News reported.

Of the top five donors who spent more than $100 million dollars in 2012, only two have pledged support to a candidate this election cycle. Only five of the top ten Republican donors have picked a candidate, according to the most recent data from the Federal Election Commission.

Among those who have yet to back a candidate are Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, who spent more than $90 million four years ago, John Joe Ricketts, the Chicago Cubs owner and founder of TD Ameritrade, and Jerrold and Margaret Perenchio, owners of Univision.

The FEC will release campaign filings from the last three months at the end of January, which will give more insight into the last six months’ worth of Super PACs’ donations.  

Bill Clinton was back in New Hampshire for a second time, campaigning for his wife and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, NBC News reported.

Clinton pushed his wife’s plans for the economy, infrastructure, clean energy, climate change and affordable college. His speech also focused heavily on his wife’s accomplishments — from her time as first lady of Arkansas to her term as secretary of state.

Speaking to the few hundred gathered at Keene State College, he spoke about the 11-hour Benghazi hearing, saying it proved “she can stand her ground.”

Clinton’s first trip back to New Hampshire was last week. His arrival comes as Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers are taking a hit both in early states and in recent nation-wide numbers.  

 Nurses rallied outside Alvarado Hospital in La Mesa Wednesday, pushing for better working conditions and higher pay to retain new and experienced nurses.

Staff rallying in front of the hospital said because of the high turnover, the hospital has become a training ground.

“We train them and we train them very well, but then we can’t keep them,” said Leslie McEwan, who has been training nurses at university for 16 years. “They go work for other hospitals so we’re nothing more than a training camp.”

In the past year, four out of 10 registered nurses have left the hospital for other area hospitals, nurses at the rally said, which adds up to 104 registered nurses in 2015.

Alvarado Hospital said in a statement they value their nurses and are committed to quality, affordable health care.

But nurses at the rally had a different message. They said the hospital does not pay enough to retain nurses, said Maricela Mauricio, a registered nurse who works in the intensive care unit.

“Management is just not seeing what the problem is,” Mauricio said.

Mauricio said many nurses get burned out and walk away.

“You cannot run a hospital only with inexperienced nurses,” said Mauricio.

Alyssa Logan, a nurse at the rally, said she handed in her two weeks’ notice recently – she’ll be working with Sharp Healthcare, where she says there is a better environment and she will get paid about eight dollars more an hour.

Contract negotiations with Alvarado began in June, and since then, hospital officials say the nurses' union has agreed to meet only 11 days, and even canceled negotiations scheduled two days before the nurses' contract expired.

In a statement hospital officials say "stalling negotiations and holding press conferences, such as the one today, are common tactics deployed by unions bargaining with employers. Patient care is not disrupted during these demonstrations and we remain committed to providing the best service to our patients and visitors."

Read Alvarado Hospital’s full statement on the rally:

"Since the first negotiation on June 10, Alvarado Hospital has requested to meet as often as possible with the California Nurses Association (CNA) to reach an agreement for a new three-year contract before the current contract expired on Dec. 31, 2015. The union has agreed to meet with us on only 11 days in the seven months since negotiations began.

On Dec. 29, CNA and Alvarado Hospital were scheduled to meet to continue the collective bargaining negotiations. However, the union canceled the negotiations. Stalling negotiations and holding press conferences, such as the one today, are common tactics deployed by unions bargaining with employers. Patient care is not disrupted during these demonstrations and we remain committed to providing the best service to our patients and visitors.

As Alvarado Hospital values its nurses, we have been bargaining in good faith to offer benefits to our nurses that are consistent with our commitment to providing quality, affordable healthcare. We invite CNA back to the table to reconvene negotiations. We look forward to meeting as frequently as needed to finalize the agreement."

The San Diego Chargers are denying reports that they are anywhere close to a final deal with the St. Louis Rams to share a stadium in Inglewood, according to Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani.

NBC Sports reporter Alex Flanagan reported Wednesday that Chargers owner Dean Spanos were currently reviewing the deal and "barring anything unforeseen, plan on going to LA."

However, Fabiani released a statement saying the negotiations need more time:

"Dean's comments from Tuesday night accurately represent the team's position: Dean will take some time to evaluate the new options that have been created for the Chargers by the owners' vote. No decisions have been made, and no serious review of a proposed framework for a Rams-Chargers deal has yet begun."

The details of a proposed Rams-Chargers joint stadium partnership have not been released.

The decision to stay in San Diego or leave for Los Angeles was left to Spanos after a game-changing vote by the NFL team owners in Houston Tuesday.

The owners decided to move the Rams to LA, but they gave Spanos a year to work out a deal with Rams owner Stan Kroenke before deciding whether to relocate. Spanos told NBC 7 he planned to take a few weeks to look at his options.

Beginning Tuesday night, the owner started meeting with NFL and Rams representatives to hammer out a potential deal.

The Rams will begin playing in LA at a temporary stadium starting this coming season. It’s unclear if the Chargers would join them or stay at Qualcomm Stadium through the 2016 season. The Inglewood project won't be complete until 2019.

The Chargers will be on the hook for a $550 million relocation fee, to be paid to the NFL.

The delay in a definite decision gave hope to Chargers fans in San Diego who wanted more time for the team to work out a stadium deal in its current home. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said if the Chargers or Oakland Raiders ultimately decide to stay in their home markets, they will receive $100 million from the league to help build a new stadium.

San Diego city and county leaders said the movement gives the Chargers "an opportunity for a fresh start" in local negotiations, but they will only go back to the bargaining table if the Chargers give up plans to move to LA.

A Paris cafe that was targeted by Islamic extremists in the deadly terror attacks on Nov. 13 reopened for the first time, NBC News reported.

Customers smiled and cried as they entered Le Carillon, taking glasses of champagne and walking past flowers, notes and photos of those killed in the coordinated attacks.

Paris commerce has suffered since 130 were killed in attacks across the city, and the city is emerging from the cloud of fear. Tourist activity is down and landmarks are patrolled by added security. 

A U.S. Navy sailor who was briefly taken into custody with nine others by Iranian authorities Tuesday was shown on state television apologizing for entering the country’s territory, NBC News reported.

"It was a mistake that was our fault, and we apologize for our mistake," the sailor is shown saying on state television. It is unclear under what circumstances the apology was made.

In the video, the sailor is asked whether GPS showed they entered Iranian water and he replied, “I believe so.”

The ten sailors were held overnight on Iran’s Farsi Island and released Wednesday. They were taken into custody when their two small vessels entered Iranian waters during a training mission.

U.S. officials said there was no government apology to Iran. 

A 40-ton truck crane collapsed, trapping one worker and closing the southbound lanes of State Route 15 at State Route 94 Wednesday.

The incident happened around 1 a.m. according to the California Highway Patrol and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

The worker was moving large white concrete blocks that usually line the side of the highway as part of a Caltrans project.

He works for Western Rim Construction, which is based in Escondido. We don't know the extent of his injuries, but someone from Western Rim said they are not life threatening.

No details were provided on what caused the crane to tip over. l.

The crane was towed away and the lanes were reopened by 5 a.m.

The crane is owned by Lakeside-based Bob's Crane Service, a rental company that's been in business for 30 years.
 

The St. Louis Rams are moving to Los Angeles, and the San Diego Chargers have the option to go with them, NFL owners decided in a 30-2 vote Tuesday.

After a day of negotiations in Houston and months of speculation, the NFL has decided to build a new stadium in Inglewood, California, a suburb southwest of downtown LA.

The official ballot came down to two options: the Chargers and Oakland Raiders in Carson, or the Chargers and Rams in Inglewood.

Those were the only choices available. When the first vote came back 20-12 in favor of Inglewood, Chargers owner Dean Spanos was not very happy. He expected to be in the catbird seat with the Carson site earning approval.

Spanos said repeatedly he would abide by the decision the NFL makes. However, as soon as the NFL came to a decision to put the Rams and Chargers together, Spanos balked at the idea.

So Spanos went against what he said he would do and went against the decision. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called Spanos, Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Raiders owner Mark Davis in to a room to work through the issue.

The Raiders reportedly bowed out, leaving the Rams and Chargers to go to Los Angeles. Still Spanos was not happy. So they worked out a situation where the Rams will move immediately and the Chargers will have the option to go to LA in 2017 or 2018.

The Chargers will have a year to work out a deal with the Rams in order for a move to be official, Goodell said at a news conference Tuesday evening.

But a deal may come sooner rather than later.

“In the next several weeks or so I’m going to sit down and look at all my options and make a decision in the near future,” said Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos. “I’m going to be objective and really think it out.”

When asked if he’s committed to San Diego for the 2016 season, Spanos did not confirm anything except to say, “I’m going to take the next several weeks and reflect on everything and we’ll be getting back to it, I’m sure.”

Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani said the NFL has put together the framework for a deal for the Chargers to share Inglewood with the Rams. That framework allows for a few different options.

“One is a lease offer; another is an equity partnership. There are different possibilities,” said Fabiani, who then confirmed the Chargers and the NFL are meeting late Tuesday night in Houston to further negotiate the terms of a potential deal that moves the Bolts to LA as early as the 2016 season.

Fabiani also said he expects Spanos and Rams owner Stan Kroenke to meet Tuesday night and talk in person about the possibility. If they are able to hammer out a deal it’s possible Spanos will not give San Diego the one year window we thought they’d had when the initial announcement was revealed.

That year would have conceivably given the Chargers time to work out a deal with their home town and stay for the long term in San Diego, but it’s going to be very difficult to resurrect all the bridges they burned along the way.

Goodell said if the Chargers decline to move, the Oakland Raiders will have the option to move to LA.

Whichever team stays in its current home, it will receive $100 million from the league to figure out a stadium solution.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and County Supervisor Ron Roberts released this joint statement about the developments:

“Today NFL owners rejected the Chargers’ bid to move to Carson. If Mr. Spanos has a sincere interest in reaching a fair agreement in San Diego, we remain committed to negotiating in good faith. We are not interested in a charade by the Chargers if they continue to pursue Los Angeles.”

They plan to hold a news conference Wednesday to go into greater detail about San Diego's position.

Spanos released this response to the NFL's decision: 

"My goal from the start of this process was to create the options necessary to safeguard the future of the Chargers franchise while respecting the will of my fellow NFL owners. Today we achieved this goal with the compromise reached by NFL ownership. The Chargers have been approved to relocate to Los Angeles, at the Inglewood location, at any time in the next year. In addition, the NFL has granted an additional $100 million in assistance in the event there is a potential solution that can be placed before voters in San Diego. I will be working over the next several weeks to explore the options that we have now created for ourselves to determine the best path forward for the Chargers."

Rams owner Stan Kroenke bought the Inglewood land two years ago with plans to bring his team to the LA-area. Until Tuesday, the owner wanted to build a stadium just for the Rams, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones offered an alternative proposal a few days ago: to have the Chargers join the Rams in the same arena.

The proposal quickly gained enough traction to carry.

No NFL franchise has moved since the Houston Oilers went to Tennessee in 1997. The Raiders and Rams both left Los Angeles after the 1994 season. The Rams had been in the LA area since 1946.

Ten U.S. sailors detained in Iran have been released, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday, according to NBC News.

The sailors — nine men and one woman — were held overnight on Iran's Farsi Island. They were taken into custody Tuesday when their two small U.S. navy riverine vessels drifted into Iranian-claimed waters during a training mission.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement read aloud on state TV that the sailors had been released back into international waters following a U.S. apology and clarifications that any incursion was unintentional.

The U.S. Navy confirmed that the sailors had been "safely returned" after leaving Iran's Farsi Island at 3:43 a.m. ET aboard the riverine vessels they had been operating when the incident occurred.

San Diego Chargers fans are in limbo, waiting while Dean Spanos weighs his options on the team's future.

We wanted to know what fans thought about the team that's spent the last 55 seasons playing for crowds in Mission Valley.

We asked: "Will you still support the Chargers?" adding in an option to support the team even if they move to Los Angeles, St. Louis or San Antonio.

The response from #NBC7SportsWrap followers was varied.

Joseph G Diaz II posted on our Facebook page, "If two other letters come before The Chargers,I don't have it in my heart to do it."

On Twitter, Casey Markee asked, "Is HELL NO not an option?"

While Facebook user Ethel Hogue Ealson had this thought, "What I find amusing is, Spanos thought everything was in his favor,and he held all the cards. Now it looks like he needs the fans more than he thought."

Share your opinion in the poll below or visit our Facebook page to get in on the conversation. 

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The Chargers met with the NFL late Tuesday night, trying to hammer out details of their option to move to Inglewood with the Rams. After that meeting, and a follow-up meeting early Wednesday morning, Chargers owner and Chairman Dean Spanos still does not know what he’s going to do.

The NFL presented the framework of an agreement to the Chargers that included multiple options for playing in Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s new stadium, including both lease and equity possibilities. The Bolts are still trying work out details and negotiate terms.

Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani told NBC 7 SportsWrap the meetings went “Very well.” I believe that’s the way Fabiani described every meeting with every entity that did not involve a San Diego political figure in the last year.

Dean’s son A.G. Spanos, the Chargers’ president of business operations, said the Chargers are deliberating while weighing their options and “We’re still crunching the numbers.”

The dilemma for the Chargers now is a lack of leverage in negotiating. They know they’re the second team in to Los Angeles but can’t use that against San Diego because Mayor Faulconer and Supervisor Roberts have already said, in no uncertain terms, that they’re willing to work towards a new stadium solution but only if Spanos simply says no to L.A.

Time is of the essence in this situation. If the Chargers choose to move to L.A. they need to start the process ASAP so their players and personnel can start the off-season training program and the front office can set up a home base of operations.

If the decision lingers too long it could put preparations for the 2016 season in jeopardy, not the way you want a 4-12 football team to start off.

When asked what he really wants to do, A.G. Spanos said he’d rather stay in San Diego. “We’re $100 million closer, so that’s a step in the right direction,” he said.

Now we have to see if his father feels the same way.

The NFL owners’ decision to move the Rams to Los Angeles provides the City of San Diego and the San Diego Chargers “an opportunity for a fresh start”, officials said Wednesday.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and County Supervisor Ron Roberts addressed the NFL's rejection of the Carson stadium plan.

In selecting the Rams as the new LA-based team, the owners also offered Chargers owner Dean Spanos the option to move to Los Angeles as a second team.

Spanos has told NBC 7 he plans to take a few weeks to look at all the options before making a decision. Chargers officials will consider if having a home base in the Los Angeles market and paying the expected $550 million relocation fee is more lucrative than staying in San Diego and trying to get a new facility built there.

Of course, Roberts and Faulconer have said they will negotiate with the Chargers but only if they abandon any plans to move to Los Angeles.

The Chargers broke off talks with the city after two brief sessions in June. But Faulconer and Roberts said they are willing to go back to the table. They say the City would even consider building an NFL stadium downtown - something that was not in the plans last year.

“Today isn’t about the past. It’s about the future," Faulconer said. "It’s about the opportunity that we have, if San Diego and the Chargers can work together as a team."

Roberts described himself as an optimistic person saying, "It is a new day. Think of how much this playing field has changed in the last 24 hours."

After Tuesday night's announcement by the NFL, a spokesman for City Councilman Scott Sherman, in whose district Qualcomm Stadium is located, told NBC 7 San Diego that the city’s message to the Chargers would be along the lines of: “The negotiating table is always open.”

City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said there is still time to reach a deal with the team if the team wants to stay.

"A legitimate, financed, agreed-upon plan can be presented to the voters within the time-frame that the NFL has given us," he said.

If the team opts to leave, its annual window to give notice of intention to end its lease runs for three months beginning Feb. 1.

If notice is given, the franchise will be on the hook to pay the city $15 million left on a $50 million bond debt stemming from the 1997-98 renovation of the stadium, after which Qualcomm assumed naming rights for filling an $18 million funding gap.

Chargers Park, the team’s Murphy Canyon headquarters and training facility, would revert back to the city, which undertook construction as part of the renovation arrangement.

For the third month in a row, San Diego County has missed the mark on water savings, conserving an average of 18 percent in December.

However, the San Diego County Water Authority says the region is still on track to meet the state’s mandated conservation through February.

Local districts must decrease their water use by between 12 and 36 percent; each district was assigned a specific goal by the State Water Control Board. As a whole, the Water Authority determined the county needs to save 20 percent of its water to meet those mandates.

While water conservation started out strong when emergency regulations went into effect last June, savings have been slowly declining since then.

In October, urban potable water use dropped by 19 percent compared to October 2013, and in November, the savings was 15 percent.

The Water Authority says nevertheless, taking December into account, the region has still saved 24 percent of its water since June – exceeding the 20 percent goal.

“Much less water is used outdoors in the wet winter months, and that makes it much harder to achieve significant water savings,” said Dana Friehauf, water resources manager for the Water Authority, in a statement. “An 18 percent decline for a month when water demands are already much lower is a major achievement. The easiest way to save these days is to make sure irrigation systems are turned off to take advantage of winter storms in San Diego County.”

State law prohibits residents from watering their lawns within 48 hours of rainfall.

In December, the state board requested the mandated conservation measures be extended farther into 2016.

In response, the Water Authority filed formal comments seeking to ease the strict goals for local districts. Officials maintain that San Diego has invested in water reliability in the past two decades, so the region was more prepared for a drought than other parts of California.

They believe San Diego County should not be required to save even more water to make up for other counties.

The Water Authority also wants the state board to reexamine its emergency water use regulations in April, when they will know if El Nino storms eased drought conditions.
 

The family of a Florida defense contractor killed in a November terror attack while training security forces in Jordan is suing Twitter, claiming the company has knowingly allowed terrorist groups such as ISIS to use its social network to spread extremist propaganda.

According to court documents filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, Lloyd "Carl" Fields Jr. was killed by a Jordanian police captain he was training at the International Police Training Center in Amman, which is operated and funded in part by the U.S. State Department. ISIS took credit for the attack, which also took the life of another American contractor, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit blames Twitter in part for the attack, claiming it allows extremists to recruit and spread violent ideology on its platform.

"For years, Twitter has knowingly permitted the terrorist group ISIS to use its social network as a tool for spreading extremist propaganda, raising funds and attracting new recruits," the suit says. "...Without Twitter, the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible."

According to the lawsuit, ISIS has an estimated 70,000 Twitter accounts, at least 79 of which were "official," and it posted at least 90 tweets every minute.

Twitter hasn’t immediately replied to the suit.

This isn't the first time Twitter has been accused of offering a venue for terrorists. In December, the government of Turkey fined Twitter for refusing to remove content deemed "terrorist propaganda." Twitter responded by filing a lawsuit saying the fine was illegal.

"Time to Rebuild Trust”: Members of Women Occupy San Diego held signs bearing that message while the city of San Diego's Rules Committee heard their request Wednesday for a ballot measure to change the city’s Citizens Review Board.

The signs referenced the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) and the Citizens Review Board on Police Practices (CRB), a watchdog board consisting of volunteer citizens who review cases of police misconduct.

Some of the proposed changes include having independent investigators for the review board, more diverse board members and opening all of the board meetings to the public.

Women Occupy San Diego submitted the proposal last week for consideration to be added to the June ballot.

On Wednesday, Martha Sullivan, an Occupy member, told City Council President and Chairperson Sherri Lightner the group rethought the timing on the measure and now believes November, during the presidential election, makes more sense for the ballot proposal to be voted on by the public.

Outside the hearing, former CRB board member Judith "Jude" Litzenberger told NBC 7 Investigates she was encouraged that the rules committee "saw how important the reform of the Citizens Review Board really is.” She also said she was impressed “there was such a diverse array of interested citizens” at the meeting.

Litzenberger is executive director of the California Veterans Legal Task Force and has been an outspoken critic of the board's oversight of the SDPD. She said she feels the council can help "create a more effective board that provides credible oversight" which should include public input.

The board and the role it has overseeing the SDPD was the focus of NBC 7 Investigates stories, in which two former board members described the review process as “flawed.”

Click here to see the complete investigation.

Staff members from the City Attorney's office and current CRB board members also attended the hearing.

The council’s Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee will review the ballot proposal next. After the review, it goes back to the Charter Review Committee, then to the Rules Committee and finally to the full City Council for a vote.

If approved by the council, the public will have an opportunity to vote on the measure in November.
 

The Oceanside Police Department (OPD) has identified a man found critically injured on the street on New Year’s Day as investigators continue to work to solve his suspicious death.

On Jan. 1, at around 8:40 p.m., a man was found lying in the bike path along the 2100 block of S. Coast Highway, suffering from multiple injuries to his face and back of his head. The man was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries a short time later.

He had no identification on him but now, nearly two weeks later, the OPD has identified the man as Fallbrook resident Mark Andrew Slaughter, 45.

The police department said Wednesday that Slaughter’s case is still under investigation, as his death is considered suspicious.

Though an autopsy conducted by the San Diego County Medical Examiner (ME) determined Slaughter died from blunt force trauma to the back of the head, the ME could not determine what mechanism actually caused that injury and, thus, could not declare a preliminary possible of cause of death.

Because Slaughter was found along the busy S. Coast Highway, police said his injuries could’ve been the result of an assault or impact from a passing car.

For now, his case has been classified as a “suspicious death,” the OPD confirmed.

Detectives are asking witnesses or anyone who may have been with Slaughter on the day of his death or on an earlier date to contact the OPD at (760) 435-4892.