After the Farmers Insurance Open wraps this weekend, the doors to a popular eatery at The Lodge at Torrey Pines will shutter as a $2.5 million renovation project tees off.

The Grill – a casual, course-side restaurant at The Lodge at Torrey Pines – will temporarily close starting on Feb. 1 to undergo construction and extensive renovations, including an overhaul of its patio, which will be completely redesigned.

When it reopens in June, the restaurant will include a revamped kitchen, an outdoor, custom-built, wood-burning rotisserie and a fresh, new menu from the property’s executive chef, Jeff Jackson.

Jackson says the menu will be heavily influenced by the new rotisserie, with a focus on “wood-fired cookery as its foundation” and a selection of slow-cooked proteins and farm-fresh vegetables. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served – including The Grill’s trademark Drugstore Burger – as well as an expanded selection of local craft beer.

Reps for The Grill say the eatery’s expanded patio will also boast several new, intimate fire pits where patrons can mix and mingle.

The Grill has been a mainstay since 2002 at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, the hotel located at the Torrey Pines Golf Course. The restaurant’s temporary closure coincides with a year-long shutdown of the 18-hole northern course at Torrey Pines, which is also slated to undergo large-scale renovations.

During the closure, guests at The Lodge will be able to dine at two options on site: A.R. Valentien, and The Lounge, which will have expanded al fresco seating.
 

A coastal storm could bring up to 1 inch of rain along San Diego’s coastline over the weekend.

The National Weather Service has reported a chance of a half inch to 1 inch of rain starting Saturday and into Sunday, tapering off later in the day.

NBC 7’s Vanessa Herrera describes the chances for heavy rain as a slight chance, noting it depends on a powerful storm making its way down the coastline to San Diego.

“This could be significant rainfall is everything lines up exactly how it should – exactly how it’s lined up right now,” she said.

Oregon’s coast was getting pummeled with rain on Tuesday afternoon.

The weather service is also predicting 1 to 3 inches of rain in San Diego’s mountains.

The Pacifica city council on Monday approved an emergency declaration after storms caused by El Niño battered the city's coastline, leaving behind a sinkhole, a damaged sea wall and a trail of destruction.

Failing bluffs along the Pacifica shoreline have led city officials to declare a third apartment building uninhabitable Monday.

Eroding cliffs along Esplanade Avenue have already led the city to declare apartment buildings at 320 and 330 Esplanade Ave. uninhabitable, and neighboring 310 Esplanade Ave. joined them today, city officials said in a statement. A drone video posted to YouTube shows bluffs falling into the the ocean below.

The building was "yellow-tagged," meaning residents can go inside to get belongings out but can no longer stay there. The neighboring buildings at 320 and 330 Esplanade will need to be demolished, city officials said.

"Recent bluff failures have resulted in unsafe conditions for living space at 310 Esplanade Avenue," city chief building official Mike Cully said in a statement. "Cavities in the bluff are forming to the south, west and north of the building and these critically over-steepened slopes are anticipated to fall back to more stable profiles in the next several days."

Significant storm damage in the city over the last several weeks led the city manager to declare a local state of emergency on Friday. The City Council approved an emergency declaration at its meeting Monday night.

The Pacifica Pier has sustained storm damage and is partially closed. Beach Boulevard remains closed near Santa Maria Avenue because of the failure of the seawall there, according to city officials.

The apartment buildings on Esplanade have been at risk of collapse for years. In January 2010, cliff erosion left the building at 330 Esplanade teetering on the edge of the cliff and residents were evacuated.

In April 2010, the apartments at 320 Esplanade were deemed unstable as well and the owners had to come up with a repair plan to keep the buildings from being demolished.

The city has seen damage to the Pacifica Pier, the Milagra Watershed Outfall and the failure of the sea wall along Beach Blvd. near the intersection of Santa Maria Avenue since mid December. 

"We need state and federal assistance to respond to the growing list of failing public infrastructure," City Manager Lorie Tinfow said.

Private properties have also been affected, and owners of two properties were notified that their structures were not safe to inhabit. Other areas along the cliff are experiencing significant loss of bluff top as well.

Some Pacifica homeowners decide to stay in yellow-tagged buildings despite crumbling cliffs. https://t.co/NXUiK0LoKd https://t.co/a6CkCVgdM9

— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) January 26, 2016

A fully-involved fifth wheel trailer fire in Lakeside sent plumes of thick, black smoke into the air above East County. 

The fire was reported on the 1700 block of Terrace Hill Drive at approximately 10:42 a.m. Tuesday, Lakeside Fire Department officials said. 

San Diego Sheriff's Department deputies received calls of smoke in the area as well.

Crews on scene fought the fire, just steps away from a family home. They safely put it out by approximately 11 a.m. 

No further information was immediately available. 

 After years of money shortages, the San Diego Convention Center is finally zeroing in on funding to repair and renovate its iconic Sails Pavilion.

The facility has undergone a quarter-century of wear and tear.

That’ll be remedied by a series of projects that'll take two years to complete.

Convention Center officials already have game-planned for the adjustments they'll have to make to their busy meeting schedules.

They tell NBC 7 that the repairs and upgrades that are needed just can't be put off any longer.

"It's just old age, and wear and tear,” Convention Center spokesman Steven Johnson said in an interview Tuesday. “And just like all of us, we need time to recover and get back up to speed."

From its cracked and hole-pocked concrete floor -- weighted down by millions of tons of equipment and conventioneers since 1989 -- to the aging fabric sails that have come to represent "San Diego" on the world's stage, the pavilion will need $22 million in upgrades.

"We'll redo the whole concrete floor first and then we'll take a break,” Johnson explained. “And then we'll wait for Comic-Con to happen, and then immediately after Comic-Con happens we'll shut down the Sails Pavilion. And for the next six months we'll be replacing the sails infrastructure."

The escalators that serve that wing of the building, are in line for another $4 million in modernization work, with the same amount going the fire and life-safety systems and replacement of the cooling towers.

The funding will come in the form of loans from the State of California's Infrastructure & Economic Development Bank -- lending at low-low rates between 3 and 3 and a half percent over 20 years.

The city of San Diego is co-signing the loans.

But the Port District, which owns the convention center, will get to sell naming rights to the pavilion.

Official approvals from City Hall and the Convention Center's board are expected by April; hopes are, that the Infrastructure Bank will green-light the loans in May.

The annual payments on the debt will run just over $2 million.

A prosecutor revealed graphic details of an alleged rape on New Year’s Eve, accusing the suspect of raping a woman inside his truck while threatening her with a knife.

Deputy District Attorney Marisa DiTillio called suspect Jacob Skorniak, 49, a flight risk and a risk to the public during his Monday arraignment. He pleaded not guilty to charges of forcible rape and kidnap for rape, with allegations that he used a knife during the rape and moved the victim to a place of increased harm.

According to DiTillio, the 21-year-old victim, who is from another country, told officials she had spent New Year’s Eve with friends and was returning to the Pacific Beach home where she was staying when she encountered Skorniak.

She got out of her taxi, and the next thing she remembers is riding in Skorniak’s truck as he held her at knife point. DiTillio said the suspect pulled down a dark street, parked and used the knife to tear off some of the victim’s clothes.

He then forcibly raped her as she begged him not to hurt her, according to the prosecutor.

"During the course of the rape, her cellphone dialed a family member who was able to hear a portion of the assault on the live phone line,” said DiTillio. That family member called police while Skorniak drove to a gas station, where he was seen on surveillance video paying for gas inside.

DiTillio said the victim was too scared to run, but she motioned to someone at the gas station, indicating that she was in danger.

The bystander wrote down the truck’s license plate number, which was registered to Skorniak’s father. The prosecution confirmed the truck was in Skorniak’s possession at the time, according to DiTillio.

The suspect then drove the victim back to the area of her home, but soon saw police surrounding the house, investigating the relative’s call. Skorniak allegedly continued to drive away with the victim still in the truck.

The victim was finally able to convince the suspect to release her, and he dropped her off several blocks from her home. With little clothing on, the victim ran to police.

After getting the victim's description of the suspect and his truck, investigators identified the rape suspect as Skorniak. A statewide manhunt ensued, and Skorniak was arrested Jan. 22 in Santa Barbara, with the same truck in his possession.

When asked if officials have the right suspect, DiTillio said "it appears to us at this point that it's a fairly egregious case, so we think that the evidence is fairly strong."

According to police, Skorniak, a Colorado resident, has served two decades in prison for robbing a bank in Colorado and was on federal parole at the time of the alleged rape. DiTillio said his criminal history dates back to the 1980s, including burglary with an escape and a robbery in 1995.

Skorniak faces 65 years to life if convicted.

Homicide investigators have arrested a second person in the death of an Alpine toddler whose fatal injuries were initially blamed on a fall.

Lucas Orlando, died Jan. 13 of multiple skull fractures, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office determined following an autopsy.

The 19-month-old boy also suffered a broken arm and leg, investigators said.

As the boy’s caregiver faces charges of murder, deputies announced they have arrested Orlando’s mother on charges of felony child endangerment.

Renee Fournier, 28, was booked Tuesday into Las Colinas Detention Facility.

Fournier’s boyfriend, U.S. Navy corpsman Brett Brown, was arrested Jan. 14 and is being held without bail.

Brown, 29, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and assault on a child with force likely causing death.

Sheriff’s deputies responded on Jan. 11 to the Alpine Oaks condominium complex on Arnold Way, where they were told Lucas had fallen.

Deputies began CPR on the boy before paramedics arrived and rushed him to the hospital. He died two days later.

The medical examiner later determined Lucas’ cause of death to be blunt force trauma. His death was ruled a homicide.

Brown is a corpsman attached to the Naval Medical Center San Diego. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 29.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors backed efforts to work with schools and the hotel industry to report human trafficking across the region.

During their Tuesday meeting, the supervisors discussed three new initiatives to fight the illicit industry, which is San Diego’s second largest underground economy after drug trafficking. A recent study by the University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University showed human trafficking rakes in an estimated $810 million a year.

The proposed initiatives include educating motel and hotel staff on sex trafficking and working with school employees and students on what signs to look for in identifying the crime. The District Attorney’s office is also helping to launch a new public awareness campaign called "The Ugly Truth."

“Who can become a victim? Really anybody, and sadly San Diego is on the top 13 cities for child prostitution,” said San Diego Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Stephan, who is leading the local human trafficking task force.

Stephan visited Hoover High School Tuesday to discuss the problem in an interview that will broadcast to the entire student body Wednesday.

Authorities say an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 sex trafficking victims live in the San Diego region, and most of them are young girls around 13 years old. Recruitment is happening at almost every school in the county, so the task force wants to make educating students and teachers a top priority.

“Initially it's offered as a boyfriend or some glamor operation, a movie, or becoming a model, but then what it turns into is a lifetime of sexual exploitation,” said Stephan.

At the state level, California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) announced human trafficking reforms that would essentially treat the buying and selling of sex separately. That means there would be harsher punishment for those buying it and no punishment for trafficked victims who are minors.

“It's long-term,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob. “It's not an easy issue to talk about; it's not an easy issue to tackle but we must.”
 

Four people were displaced by a fire that burned into their attic in Rolando Tuesday night, San Diego Fire-Rescue officials told NBC 7.

The fire started in the home's garage in the 4400 block of Carling Drive just after 8 p.m. A tenant arrived home, smelled the smoke and immediately called 911.

When crews arrived, they found fire and smoke pouring from the roof of the single-family home. The flames reached the attic, but firefighters got there in time to save most of the residence.

No one was injured. The house is divided into two rental units, and all four people living there were told to find somewhere else to temporarily stay.

A fire captain said the American Red Cross was called out to help those displaced by the fire.

Officials have not yet determined a cause, but they were focusing on the washer and dryer connections in the garage.

A newly published study suggests e-cigarette vapor hinders the immune system and boosts superbug bacteria in the body, according to researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System.

The researchers carried out their experiments on mice in the lab, exposing one group to e-cigarette vapor for one hour a day, five days a week, for four weeks. They discovered that inflammatory markers – signs of inflammation throughout the body – in the mice’s airways and blood were 10 percent more elevated than in unexposed mice.

“This study shows that e-cigarette vapor is not benign — at high doses it can directly kill lung cells, which is frightening,” said senior author Laura E. Crotty Alexander, MD, in a statement. “We already knew that inhaling heated chemicals, including the e-liquid ingredients nicotine and propylene glycol, couldn't possibly be good for you. This work confirms that inhalation of e-cigarette vapor daily leads to changes in the inflammatory milieu inside the airways.”

Bacterial pathogens, on the other hand, benefited from the vapor. Staph infections in particular thrived more easily in the body when exposed to e-cigarettes.

Likewise, all normal mice infected with the superbug MRSA (methicillin-resistant S. aureus) survived the dose. However, 25 percent of mice that had been exposed to e-cigarette vapor died when infected with MRSA, according to the study.

The same outcome took place when the researchers used seven different brands of e-liquids. They say that means the findings hold true no matter what kind of e-cigarette is used.

“Some of the changes we have found in mice are also found in the airways and blood of conventional cigarette smokers, while others are found in humans with cancer or inflammatory lung diseases,” said Alexander.

The study was published in the Journal of Molecular Medicine on Jan. 25 and was funded by the U.S. Department of Affairs.
 

Four different Aztecs collected ten rebounds Tuesday night against Nevada to help San Diego State escape with a 57-54 victory.

Both teams missed a lot of shots, but the outcome was still up for grabs until the final whistle.

SDSU hung on for its 8th straight win to improve to 8-0 in conference play.

Trey Kell was a star again for San Diego State.

The sophomore from St. Augustine finished with 17 points and 10 boards, including a huge offensive rebound and circus-shot to help SDSU get within one point down the stretch. He later nailed a trey to put the Aztecs up 55-51 after the visitors erased a 6-point deficit with 8 minutes to play.

Winston Shepard racked up 12 points and 10 boards and Zylan Cheatham contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds as well.

That means SDSU had three doubles-doubles in a game for the first time in almost 8 years.

The last time the Aztecs had a trio with that type of output was on Jan. 29, 2008, in a 83-82 win at Colorado State with Ryan Amoroso, Lorrenzo Wade and Billy White.

This is the sixth time in school history that the Aztecs have accomplished that particular feat.

San Diego State returns to action Saturday at 5 p.m. (PT) at UNLV.

Students at three local elementary schools will learn a new way to conserve water as part of a new program that entails collecting it via rain barrels.

The program is being spearheaded by the U.S.-Israel Center on Innovation & Economic Sustainability at UC San Diego. Franklin Elementary in City Heights, Pacific Beach Middle School in PB and Encinitas Union School District Farm Lab are taking part.

The curriculum, recycling water by collecting rain, is modeled after a common conservation effort in Israel. Students will set barrels outside and collect the rainwater to be reused in gardens and for toilet flushing.

It’s the first program of its type in California, said Susan Lapidus with the US-Israel Center at UCSD.

Lapidus said she’s excited that young people will learn how to conserve and recycle water amid California’s drought. She hopes it sets a precedence for future years.

“By bringing it to schools, we reach the youngest, most impressionable Californians,” she said.

There are no immediate plans to expand the pilot program in public schools.

The suspected shoplifter who police say brought a gun to a Serra Mesa 7-Eleven, only to be overpowered by employees and a shopper, pleaded not guilty to charges against him Tuesday.

Branden Garcia, 20, is facing counts of robbery and assault with a firearm on a person. A San Diego Superior Court judge ordered he be held on a $150,000 bail.

The prosecutor said on Jan. 21, Garcia and a woman wrapped in a blanket entered the 7-Eleven store at 3385 Sandrock Road and spent about 20 minutes walking around the store.

The owner became suspicious of the two and asked them to leave. Garcia, feeling disrespected by the request, picked up shampoo and other items and walked out of the store without paying for them, according to the prosecutor.

When the owner and another employee confronted the duo, the woman ran away, but Garcia turned and punched the owner in the face, according to police.

Two employees began wrestling with Garcia, who allegedly had a gun on him. At one point, they heard one shot go off, but the bullet did not hit anyone.

A shopper in the store, Alfred Tudela, soon intervened. He said he grabbed Garcia’s gun, put it in his back pocket and helped tackle Garcia to the ground with the employees. Tudela told NBC 7 Garcia bit his hand and made it bleed during the scuffle.

The men held the suspect until police arrived and arrested him. The woman involved was detained, questioned and then released without charges.

According to the prosecution, Garcia has a criminal history, including a reckless driving charge from 2015. On his juvenile record, he has true findings of vandalism, burglary and battery from 2012.

While the prosecutor asked for a $200,000 bail, the defense argued that Garcia’s priors did not warrant such a high amount. The judge determined the bail should be $150,000.

Garcia is scheduled to next be in court on Feb. 4.
 

It's been three weeks since Michigan declared a state of emergency in Flint, but not a single water pipe that contains lead has been replaced, NBC News has learned.

The city's utilities manager and a union official confirmed that none of the costly plumbing work has been started — even though experts agree it's the permanent solution to the crisis, NBC News reported.

"We need to remove all the lead," said University of Michigan Professor Martin Kaufman, who is helping the city create a database of the 15,000 to 20,000 homes that have the dangerous pipes.

"It's got to be done now."

Yet, according to Harold Harrington, business manager of United Association Local 370, the plumbers union, none of his members have been dispatched for replacement jobs, which would cost thousands per home.

Reports of an active shooter at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) Tuesday morning led to a lengthy lockdown of the military facility, but U.S. Navy officials confirmed no gunman was found and no injuries were reported.

NMCSD was placed on lockdown just after 8 a.m. and people inside were ordered to shelter in place after an unidentifed Department of Defense employee reported hearing three shots fired in the basement of Building 26, which houses a gym and barracks, according to the Navy.

More than two hours later, K9 units were sweeping the military medical center, honing in on Building 26, Brian O'Rourke, PAO Navy Region Southwest said.

Initial searches of Building 26 turned up no evidence of a gunman or shots fired, O'Rourke said.

N. Scott Sutherland, Deputy Director of Public Affairs for Navy Region Southwest, sent out the following information just after 10:30 a.m., echoing the details from O’Rourke.

“The investigation of Building 26 continues. First responders and Navy working dog units have conducted an initial top down inspection of the Building and have not located any casualties or evidence of a shooting having taken place. There have been no reported casualties at this time. There is a secondary, more thorough floor by floor inspection taking place at this time. The medical facility remains on lockdown and a shelter in place order remains in effect.”

“Patients needing immediate medical attention should go to their nearest Naval Medical facility other than Balboa Park,” Navy officials added.

The first alert of a possible active shooter at the facility came around 8:10 a.m., after NMCSD posted the following notice to its Facebook page: 

“**!ATTENTION!** An active shooter has just been been reported in building #26 at Naval Medical Center San Diego. All occupants are advised to run, hide or fight. All non-emergency response personnel are asked to stay away from the compound, located at 34800 Bob Wilson Drive, San Diego, CA 92134.” 

NMCSD employees received the following text message alert:

"CODE WHITE NMCSD. SHELTER IN PLACE AND STAND CLEAR OF BUILDING 26 POSSIBLE ACTIVE SHOOTER IN BUILDING."

But Navy officials said at 10:30 a.m. that there was no threat at the Naval hospital.

“We have done a number of clearing sweeps of the building and as of this time, we have found nothing that substantiates those reports,” explained Capt. Curt Jones, Commanding Officer of Naval Base San Diego.

“We are continuing to clear the building to ensure there are no casualties and there’s nothing that’s not quite right in the building,” he continued. “I can tell you the person who reported the gunshots was in the building at the time and reported that they thought they heard three gunshots.”

“As of now we have found absolutely nothing that indicates there were any shots fired. There are no casualties at this time,” Capt. Jones added. “I’d like to emphasize, we take all reports like this very seriously. We do a lot of training to help people recognize what they’re supposed to do in the event of an active shooter.”

Capt. Jones said many San Diego-based agencies aided in the emergency response. Officials with some agencies came on their own when they heard something extremely serious may have been happening at the facility.

Building 26 at NMCSD serves a number of functions: barracks, a gymnasium, facilities for wounded warriors, medical administration, and residential and office facilities, Jones said.

Capt. Jones said part of prior training at the facility has included telling active duty and civil servants to do three things in case of an active shooter situation: “run, hide or fight,” just as NMCSD’s initial Facebook alert advised.

As the situation unfolded just after 8 a.m. and a massive law enforcement response stormed the facility, NMCSD advised all personnel to not report to work and avoid the area.

At that point, NMCSD officials told NBC 7 that, as far as they knew, this was not an active shooter drill or training.

At around 9:15 a.m., NMCSD released the following details, which were still developing:

"The sound of gunshots were reported in the basement of building #26 at Naval Medical Center San Diego at about 8 a.m. today. Naval Medical Center San Diego is treating this as a possible active shooter. All personnel are advised to execute active shooter procedures. Non-emergency response personnel are asked to stay away from the compound. San Diego Police Department and Chula Vista S.W.A.T. are on scene at building #26."

One by one, individual buildings at the Naval hospital were all placed on lockdown, one employee told NBC 7. The front gate to the facility was also locked.

Florida Drive was blocked off to traffic as law enforcement surrounded the area, including California Highway Patrol officers who were seen entering the facility through an emergency room entrance. A steady stream of patrol cars from multiple agencies, including the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) and Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD), could then be seen flowing into the area.

With access to some roads blocked, traffic was backed up for miles.

By 8:45 a.m., a SWAT truck honed in on the military hospital.

A concerned staffer for the childcare center at NMCSD told NBC 7 that employees at the facility have undergone training in the case of an active shooter situation. The staffer said the childcare center opens daily at 5:30 a.m., so, at the time of the reported incident, there could have been more than 200 children there.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen this happen," the staffer told NBC 7. "I’m thinking this is something real serious if the SWAT team has to come in. It’s really concerning for me that there’s something going on at the hospital.”

At 9:08 a.m., Naval Base San Diego officials posted this update on Twitter for parents of kids at the childcare facility: "For all concerned, the childcare facilities at NMC are currently secured. All children are accounted for and safe."

NBC 7 also spoke with military couple, Nikki and Broderick, whose son, Sydney, is a patient at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) inside the military hospital.

The couple waited anxiously outside NMCSD gate Tuesday morning, waiting for any information on the activity, hoping to soon be reunited with their baby boy, who was born at 34 weeks gestation.

They both said they understood the extra precautions preventing them from getting to their son.

“I want them to have this situation under control as much as possible because I wouldn’t want anything to happen to anyone,” Broderick said.

Navy Petty Officer King, an X-Ray instructor at the medical center, was waiting outside like everyone else. Some of his students had reached out to him to check on his safety.

“I just hope no one is hurt today,” King said while he waited for word on what was going on inside the facility.

NBC 7 spoke with a source whose mother was locked down inside the Occupational Room on the second floor of Building 26. She said her mother sent her a text message saying everyone was safe. They were told to barricade the door, stay quiet and shelter in place.

NBC 7 also spoke with representatives inside the facility's Continuous Improvement Department, at Building 6-5, and at Building 1-3, the facility's Dialysis Center, who said everyone inside those buildings was safe. They were all told to shelter in place and remain on lockdown..

By 10:05 a.m., officials were seen leading people out of the facility with their hands up. A law enforcement official told NBC News’ Pete Williams an initial sweep of the building turned up no forensic evidence of shots fired. They were checking rooms a second time and working to locate the person who made the original report.

Meanwhile, amid the investigation at NMCSD, several temporary lockdowns were activated, including one at Naval Base Point Loma. By 9:35 a.m., that lockdown had been lifted, officials confirmed.

San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) officials confirmed the following nearby schools had also been placed on temporary lockdown: Garfield Middle School on Oregon Street, San Diego High School on Park Boulevard and Roosevelt Middle School, also on Park Boulevard.

SDUSD officials said the lockdowns were precautionary, and that all staffers and students across the campuses were safe. By 9:45 a.m., the SDUSD confirmed those school lockdowns had been lifted.

At a second news conference at noon, both San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman praised the quick response and teamwork by local and federal agencies.

“This is what we train for, as a region, as a city,” said Faulconer.

“This is exactly what we want and we train for this. When that call came in that there was an active shooter on the base, no one hesitated,” added Zimmerman, calling the coming together of law enforcement a “unified collaborative response.”

At that briefing, Capt. Jones said investigators remained at the Naval hospital and were still working to clear Building 26 “in a very methodical fashion.”

He said that within the initial report of gunfire at the building, about 10 minutes passed before the entire NMCSD staff had received the warning and the wheels were in motion for city, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies to begin working together.

“There is a very substantial response that would ensure that if there was a problem, it would have been immediately dealt with,” he added.

By 2 p.m., Navy officials released another update, saying the shelter in place order had been lifted for all parts of the facility, with the exception of Building 26, and personnel were permitted to move about.

Access to NMCSD was resuming, as well as patient care, officials said. The main and emergency gates to the facility were reopened to outbound traffic.

By 3:40 p.m., the shelter in place order was lifted for Building 26 as well.

"Operations are going back to their normal cycles at the hospital as patient care and access to the NMCSD facility is resuming to business as usual," Navy officials said.

According to the NMCSD’s website, Building 26 -- the site at the center of Tuesday's incident -- houses several amenities, including a fitness center. The Liberty Center is also located near Building 26, and offers recreational activities for all active duty service members and NMCSD ID cardholders, including a cyber café, billiards tables, a music room and a 25-seat movie theater.

The large staff at NMCSD is comprised of more than 6,500 military, civilian, contractor and volunteer personnel. The 272-bed, multispecialty hospital and ambulatory complex is located on 78.4 acres in the southeast corner of Balboa Park, about 2.5 miles from downtown San Diego.

The military hospital treats families of military members, too.

NMCSD personnel deploy to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Djibouti and aboard the USNS Mercy. The facility is affiliated with 19 civilian nursing schools, training more than 400 students per year in clinical rotations.

Ammon and Ryan Bundy, the brothers leading anti-government protesters occupying a federal wildlife reserve in Oregon, and six others were arrested Tuesday in a confrontation with authorities, the FBI said. One person was dead, NBC News reported.

Arizona rancher LaVoy Finicum, 54, was killed, his daughter, Challice Finicum Finch, confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday night.

FBI and Oregon State Police began an "enforcement action" with shots fired at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the FBI said, around 4:25 p.m. PT.

Protesters led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy have occupied the refuge since the beginning of the year. Members of the group had been scheduled to appear at 6 p.m. PT for a meeting Tuesday with authorities in the town of John Day in Grant County.

At least 50 miles of U.S. Highway 395 were closed about 5:30 p.m. between Burns and John Day for a "crash/hazard," according to the state Transportation Department.

A Pine Valley man found stabbed to death was killed using a 3 foot Samurai sword, prosecutors revealed in court Tuesday. 

Douglas Kell, 20, is accused of killing Donnie Chip, 28, who was found stabbed to death on Valley View Trail on Jan. 21. During his first appearance in court, Kell pleaded not guilty to a first degree murder charge and a use of a deadly weapon charge. 

On Thursday, just before 5:30 p.m., the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) said deputies were called to the 8000 block of Valley View Trail after a neighbor reported hearing loud noises and some sort of altercation coming from a nearby home.

When deputies arrived in the area, they discovered the lifeless body of a man, Chip, lying in the yard of a home. Chip had suffered obvious signs of trauma to his torso, investigators said.

Prosecutors say Kell and the 28-year-old acquaintance got into an alcohol fueled argument that turned into a wrestling match. The two of them lived together. 

Chip followed Attorneyo the house, then went back outside, where he was attached, said John Cross, San Diego Deputy District Attoreny. 

"The victim goes back outside at some point," Cross said. "Inside, the defendant goes into his room and gets a 3-foot Samurai sword. He goes back outside and stabs victim through chest."

Kell could face 26 years to life behind bars.

A former Louisiana television personality known as "Mr. Wonder" was arrested in San Diego County on charges he sexually abused young children during a free camping trip nearly four decades ago. 

Frank John Selas III, known by his television name "Mr. Wonder," is accused of criminal sexual conduct with juveniles, said Sheriff William Earl Hilton of Rapides Parish, Louisiana. For the last 30 years, he has been living in the San Diego area under another last name, officials revealed Tuesday.

In a statement, the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana said 76-year-old Selas remained a fugitive for 37 years before his arrest Monday at his home in Bonita, California, on two counts of obscene behavior with a juvenile.

“As I have stated many times before, there are cases you never forget, some that always are in the back of your mind that you hope one day to solve. And today, this person has been brought to justice,” said Sheriff Hilton in a statement.

It was not immediately clear if Selas had an attorney.

In the late 1970s, Selas hosted the "Mr. Wonder" show on KNOE-TV in north Louisiana. In 1979, the sheriff's office received complaints from parents who accused Selas of abusing their children during a camping trip near Valentine Lake at Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana. The three-day retreat was promoted by Selas through Ouachita Parish, associated with his TV personality. He promoted the trips for children ages 5-11, according to a flier provided by the sheriff's office. 

Louisiana Sheriff's officials obtained a warrant for Selas' arrest in relation to two counts of obscene behavior with a juvenile. When officials went to his home, his wife told them her husband had fled in the family car. In the coming days, officials would find Selas' car in Dallas. Selas, then 39, allegedly fled the country and flew from Dallas to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before investigators could arrest him.

During the investigation, detectives learned Selas was accused of prior offenses when he worked as a teacher at a school in Tokyo, Japan. 

Investigators believe he returned to the U.S. in the early 1980s and lived with his wife under assumed names in several different cities and towns across the country, including San Diego; Chicago; Darien, Connecticut; South Royalton, Vermont; and Sheffield, Massachusetts.

The sheriff's office said investigators learned about two weeks ago that Selas was living in San Diego County, California, where he had legally changed his last name to Szeles in the early 1990s.

Selas has lived in San Diego since 1985 and during that time, he was the PTA President of Ella B. Allen School at 4300 Allen School Road in Bonita and Valley Vista  Elementary at 3724 Valley Vista Way. He was a PE teacher, soccer coach and a member of the Southern California Mormon Church and Bonita Optimist Group. He was an American Red Cross swim instructor and Cub Scout Troop Leader of Troop 888 in Bonita. As they arrested him, they found a Cub Scout uniform in his home.

"It's quite alarming, the access to children he had," said Steve Jurman, supervising deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service. "At this time, we don't know of any victims here in San Diego."

A Boy Scouts source told NBC 7 San Diego Selas worked with the Boy Scouts until 2012, when he was removed.

The Boy Scouts of America sent NBC 7 this statement regarding Selas:

"This individual was removed from Scouting several years ago and precluded from any further participation in our program. The safety of our youth members is of paramount importance to the BSA and we seek to prevent child abuse through a comprehensive program of education on the subject, the chartered organization leader selection process, criminal background and other checks, policies and procedures to serve as barriers to abuse and the prompt mandatory reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse."

When asked why he was removed, the spokeswoman said in an email, "This individual was removed from the Scouting program for non-compliance with our youth protection policies and procedures."

Agents from a U.S. Marshals Service task force arrested him without incident.

Hilton, the Louisiana sheriff, was one of the detectives assigned to the case in 1979.

“If there was a definition of a sexual predator, this is one, and I am so proud of the work of our investigators along with the assistance of Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office and our local members of the U.S. Marshals Western District-Louisiana, Violent Offenders Task Force, in locating this suspect after all these years. We never forget our victims,” Hilton said.

Selas is being held at San Diego County Detention Center on the two initial counts of obscene behavior with a juvenile and may be charges with additional crimes as detectives continue their investigation. 

At a press conference Tuesday, Louisiana officials said they believed there may be additional victims spread throughout several Louisiana jurisdictions, across the nation and possibly internationally. At the time, Selas is said to have traveled to several countries, including Japan, Central and South America.

A neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, told NBC 7 she had a jarring experience with Selas years ago.

"The gentleman, when my children were little about 20 years ago, would come to the bus stop with a puppy," she said. When she asked Selas if he had children, he said no.

She called police and they told Selas to leave. However, now the neighbor wishes she had pushed harder.

"I saw fliers for camps he was offering that I knew weren't right, and when we called police, they said there was nothing they could do," said the woman.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the RPSO Criminal Investigations Division at (318) 473-6727 or (318) 473-6700. 

A car with mechanical problems crashed off Interstate 805 near Main Street, striking a water line and creating a mess for the morning commute Wednesday.

Chula Vista Police say the crash happened around 5 a.m. when a driver attempted to exit off I-805.

They say he hit the waterline as he was traveling on the exit. The car flipped on its roof when it struck a retaining wall.

No one was injured.  

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story. 

Some of San Diego’s top professional chefs will serve as judges Thursday for the 12th Annual “Teen Iron Chef Competition” showcasing up-and-coming culinary talent.

The cooking competition – now in its 12th year – will feature teams of high school students from San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Culinary Arts and Management program going head-to-head as they prepare a top-notch, three-course meal that incorporates a “secret ingredient,” which will be announced at the challenge.

That secret ingredient – which is different each year – must be folded into at least one of the teams’ three courses. In year’s past, organizers say some secret ingredients have been calamari, brie, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, cantaloupe and tofu.

According to organizers, the students’ dishes will be judged by a panel of reputable food experts, including Chef Bernard Guillas, executive chef of The Marine Room, Chef Deborah Scott, of the Cohn Restaurant Group and Larry Lewis, program director and senior executive chef of the San Diego Culinary Institute – just to drop a few names.

Organizers say the competition is supported by the San Diego County Chapter of the California Restaurant Association, and is based on the Food Network hit, “Iron Chef America.” Teams of students from Hoover, Garfield, Madison, Morse and Scripps Ranch high schools will compete.

The battle will be held at the Jack in the Box Innovation Center on Spectrum Center Boulevard, with students arriving at 3:30 p.m. to set up. The secret ingredient will then be announced and, at 3:40 p.m. sharp, the one-hour timed competition begins, which includes all cutting, mixing and food preparation.

According to organizers, teams are allowed to buy their ingredients, portion their protein and measure any dry or liquid ingredients the day before the big competition. However, they aren’t allowed to do any actual cooking, pre-baking or pre-mixing before the showdown.

They can have their recipes or prep-lists at their cooking stations during the event.

By 5 p.m., the students should be finished plating their masterpieces and will then present their dishes to the judges’ panel. At 6 p.m., the winning “Teen Iron Chef” team will be crowned and presented with the coveted “giant fork” trophy.

According to the SDUSD, the culinary challenge was created by Zhee Zhee Aguirre, a College, Career & Technical Education (CCTE) teacher who wanted her students to experience competitive cooking.