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Murder Suspect Released by Mistake

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An inmate who was awaiting trial for a gang-related murder was mistakenly released from jail due to a "clerical error," prompting a search for the man Monday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

"He should be assumed to be armed and dangerous because he is a known a gang member," Cmdr. Keith Swensson, an LASD spokesman, said.

Detectives were scouring LA for Steven Lawrence Wright, 32, and anyone who spots him was advised to call 911 immediately. 

"Unfortunately our employees missed the additional information provided by the court on a separate page - it indicated it was contempt of court and not murder charge that he was being released on," Swensson said.

He was mistakenly released from the inmate reception center of the jail just before 1 p.m. on Saturday. He completed a five-day contempt of court stay, which led him to being released for that charge, and not held on the suspected murder charge.

Deputies realized the error on Sunday at 9:30 p.m., nearly 33 hours after he was released to the public due to a clerical error.

Along with searching for Wright, LASD said officials would "conduct a critical incident review to make necessary improvements to the system."

Wright was booked into the jail in April of 2011, and was awaiting trial for a gang-related murder that occurred Jan. 19, 2011 in Pasadena.

The LASD alerted the Pasadena police after Wright was wrongly released.

Wright was accused of killing a man named Donnell Taylor on North Summit Avenue, resulting in is arrest.

Wright was described as a Black man, 37 years old, and about 5-feet 10-inches tall. Officials initially said he was 32, but later issued a correction.

He has distinct tattoos on his neck and back. The tattoo on the left side of his neck shows three stars.

Anyone who has information on where Wright might be or other tips should contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at (562) 946-7231. 



Photo Credit: LA County Sheriff's Department

WWII Vet Scares Off Home Burglar

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When an ax-wielding burglar tried to break into Joseph Milspaugh's home on Sunday morning, the 92-year-old World War II veteran didn't hesitate to defend himself.

When Milspaugh, of San Jacinto, heard the suspect trying to break into his home in the 1400 block of Chase Street, he armed himself with his model 1911 .45 caliber handgun.

As the suspect smashed the door with his ax and tried to crawl into the house, Milspaugh wasted no time and fired off one round from his handgun at the suspect.

"It's stupid what he did," Milspaugh said. "Being a Sunday, he assumed that people would be going shopping or going to church and no one would be home, that it would be a good time to break in."

The suspect, who San Jacinto police believe was not hit, immediately fled the scene, but left behind his ax and several other items.

"I could have shot him straight in the head, right between the eyes, but I didn't want to do that because I'd have been in trouble," Milspaugh said.

Anyone with information regarding the suspect is encouraged to call the San Jacinto Police Department at 951-654-2702.

Editor's note: A previous version of the story incorrectly identified the model of the gun.



Photo Credit: KNBC-TV

School Changes Room Name

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A middle school in Wisconsin changed the name of its fitness room after their first choice caused a "misunderstanding."

Meyer Middle School, located in River Falls, successfully raised funds with their Pride Fitness fundraising committee, the River Falls Journal reported. The committee received a $15,000 donation from the Roger T. White family and a $10,000 donation from the Royal Credit Union.

To honor Roger White – who was a community member and River Falls High School alumnus – the school renamed the facility the "Roger T. White - Pride Fitness Room as Presented by RCU,” the school said in a release forwarded to NBC Chicago.

Rocky Branch Elementary School Principal Chuck Eaton, who is the head of the fitness room’s fundraising group, told the River Falls Journal he thought it would likely be shortened to the "White Pride Fitness Room" – “a name, he says, attached to a good role model for the kids who use the room.”

After the story was published, many took issue with the name on Facebook.

"Wow. So disappointing, River Falls," one Facebook user wrote.

"The fact that a name that will be intentionally shortened to White Pride is insensitive," another wrote.

River Falls School Superintendent Jamie Benson issued a press release to clarify the name.

“To prevent any future misunderstanding, the fitness center will be named and referred to as the ‘Roger T. White Wildcat Fitness Room’ or the ‘Roger T. White Fitness Room as Presented by RCU’,” Benson wrote.

“To be clear, this "room name" has never been nor will it ever be called, ‘The White Pride Room’,” Benson added. “We can see and understand how the new name, ‘Roger T. White - Pride Fitness Room’ could be viewed by some people as implying “White Pride”. Clearly that was never the "intent" of the community group, the White family, RCU, nor of the school district. “

“This community and this school district stand united in our understanding of the need for us to continuously display, live and role model our beliefs; we know our role in teaching our children about compassion, understanding, inclusiveness, acceptance, and tolerance,” Benson wrote.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/Blend Images

Firefighter Indicted on Child Porn

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A D.C. firefighter who's been with the department for decades has been indicted on child pornography charges in Pennsylvania, authorities announced Monday.

Authorities say that Earl Greg Walker, a fire lieutenant at Engine 22 on Georgia Avenue NW, received and possessed child pornography at his home in Adams County, Pennsylvania in 2011 and 2012.

Walker, 53, has been with the D.C. fire department for more than 20 years, fire department spokesman Tim Wilson confirmed. Walker is now on paid administrative leave.

Walker was identified as a suspect through Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative that fights the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said.

The program uses federal, state and local resources to find those who sexually exploit children and to identify and help victims, prosecutors said.

Walker was indicted Jan. 20 by a federal grand jury for receipt and possession of child pornography. He was arrested Jan. 29 and the indictment was unsealed Monday.

Walker was scheduled to make his initial appearance in court Monday.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Teen Fight Leaves 1 Dead

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A teenager was stabbed to death in a northern New Jersey street Monday morning when he tried to rob the son of a former top aide in New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, officials say. 

The killed teen, Savion Lewallen, was among a group of  five people who tried to rob 19-year-old Khari Noerdlinger near his Edgewater, New Jersey home, according to prosecutors. Noerdlinger is the son of Rachel Noerdlinger, former chief of staff to First Lady Chirlane McCray, the Edgewater mayor told NBC 4 New York. 

Noerdlinger fought back and stabbed Lewallen in the leg, then tried to remove evidence from the scene along with the others, officials said.

Lewallen was taken to Palisades General Hospital, where he died of a stab wound to his right thigh, prosecutors said.

Khari Noerdlinger was arrested Monday on charges of aggravated manslaughter, weapon possession and hindering apprehension. He's been remanded to Bergen County Jail on $500,000 bail, prosecutors said.

Attorney information wasn't immediately clear. A message left with his mother wasn't immediately returned. 

De Blasio and McCray said in a statement emailed to NBC 4: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family that has lost their son, and with everyone affected by this tragedy." 

Lewallen is from Spring Valley and was recently released from Rockland County Jail for allegedly holding and assaulting a 15-year-old girl for 90 minutes in the woods near Spring Valley High School against her will, The Journal News reports.  

The four other people with Lewallen were charged in the robbery attempt, prosecutors said. 

Khari's mother, Rachel Noerdlinger, left the de Blasio administration in November 2014 amid scrutiny over her personal life. An official probe found she committed no wrongdoing by failing to disclose her live-in relationship with a man who has been arrested at least five times and convicted in a 1993 fatal shooting of a teenager over a jacket. 

But after her son was arrested on a criminal trespass charge in Washington Heights in November 2014, Noerdlinger decided to leave her post. 

She said in a statement at the time that her son's arrest "heightens the need for me to devote my full attention to Khari, my number one priority."

"I can handle criticism and scrutiny of me, even when it's mean-spirited -- that comes with the territory when you take on the status quo," Noerdlinger said at the time. "But increasingly, my son has been subjected to attacks that have nothing to do with the public interest, and everything to do with derailing this administration. I do not want to be a distraction -- the work at hand is far too urgent."

Three others youths were arrested along with Khari at that time, and two of them were allegedly found with marijuana. Khari was not one of them.

The case Monday is being investigated by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. 

Detectives could be seen at the scene near Old River Road at about noon. The roadway in front of a pizzeria was cordoned off. There was what appeared to be a bloodstain in the street.



Photo Credit: NBC 4 / Bergen County Prosecutor

Protesters Use Super Bowl Spotlight

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All eyes are on the Bay Area with Super Bowl Sunday just under a week away from kick off.

Groups of people who want to get their point across are taking advantage of the world stage during Super Bowl week.

On Monday, Uber drivers deliberately snarled traffic to protest pay cuts.

"This will wake them up," said Richard, an Uber driver. "It's like David and Goliath. They think we don't have a chance because they have all the money."

Uber is partnering with the Super Bowl Host Committee. Uber views it as a time to showcase a growing company, but it also has given disgruntled drivers a platform to show the world why they are angry.

"It's important to get the message out now because we're fed up," said Grace Gonzales, a former Uber driver. "They are constantly lowering our fairs and we can't survive."

Uber General Manager Wayne Ting said the company has 40,000 driver partners throughout the Bay Area.

"Our message to them is we realize  price cuts are difficult," Ting said.

While Uber drivers attempted to snarl traffic during Monday's evening commute, the Justice for Mario Woods Coalition welcomed the National Football League to San Francisco on Saturday.

Police reform, not Super Bowl mania, took center stage during the protest.

San Francisco police said people have the right to protest, but only in a peaceful manner.

"If you're going to cause problems, block traffic or break the law, we have plans in place to assess that in case-by-case basis," San Francisco Police Officer Carlos Manfredi said.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

Inmates Fought Over Killing Driver

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Two of the three inmates who escaped from an Orange County jail fought over whether they should kill a taxi driver they kidnapped and held at a San Jose motel before one of them drove back to Southern California and surrendered to authorities, sheriff's officials said on Monday.

Five days into their eight days on the run after a jail break out of a maximum security lockup in Santa Ana, Hossein Nayeri and Bac Duong fought at the Alameda Motel in San Jose on Wednesday.

They couldn't agree over whether they should kill and bury a cabdriver who they kidnapped after their break out from the Men's Central Jail in downtown Santa Ana and who they took on a drive north to San Jose during their run from the law, said Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock during a Monday news conference.

Nayeri, 37, of Newport Beach, and Duong, 43 of Santa Ana, escaped, along with Jonathan Tieu, 20, of Fountain Valley, on Jan. 22. Duong surrendered Friday. Nayeri and Tieu were arrested Saturday morning in San Francisco. Ten people had been arrested since the escape. Several other arrests -- for unrelated warrants or probation issues -- also took place during the manhunt.

The night of their escape from a dormitory at the jail where they managed to climb to the roof to escape in a well-planned plot that was hatched last summer, the inmates called a taxi for a ride, first to go shopping at a Target store in Rosemead, then to use as part of their getaway plot when Duong allegedly pressed a gun to the ribs of the cabdriver and told him he's coming with them, Hallock said.

The fugitives and cabdriver spent a night at an unknown location in Los Angeles County before driving to San Jose where they spent three nights at the Alameda Motel, Hallock said.

It was during their stay that Duong and Nayeri fought over the cabbie's fate, Hallock said.

But Duong left with the cabdriver to return to Southern California when Nayeri and Tieu went out to get the windows tinted on a second getaway vehicle, a stolen white GMC van, Hallock said.

Duong eventually surrendered to authorities. Hallock did not say why he let the cabdriver go free. Duong's other two alleged accomplices were caught when a citizen spotted the white van in the parking lot of a Whole Foods Market in San Francisco's famed Haight-Ashbury district.

All three were returned to the Orange County Jail where they are expected to be arraigned on new charges on March 4.

The three inmates disappeared after a 5 a.m. body count in the jail, but they were not discovered missing until close to 9 p.m., when the second daily body count was conducted. Nayeri had been in custody since September 2014, Tieu since October 2013 and Duong since December.



Photo Credit: Orange County Sheriff's Department

Clinton and Sanders Leave Iowa in a 'Virtual Tie'

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Hillary Clinton's slim victory over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Iowa Caucuses are, in the words of Sanders, a virtual tie, NBC News reported. 

The Democratic battle in Iowa was so close that both Sanders — the 74-year-old socialist with no major endorsements — and Clinton left the state without a clear-cut victory and the race was too close to call when both candidates left the state for New Hampshire. 

Aboard a charter jet bound for New Hampshire, Clinton Press Secretary Brian Fallon told reporters that "we believe strongly that we won."

"Its not clear post-Iowa what Senator Sanders' path to victory is," Fallon added. And then, around 4:00 a.m. ET the Iowa Democratic Party announced Clinton as the victor. 



Photo Credit: AP

Airlines Bring Back Free Snacks

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Free snacks are making a comeback in the main cabins of major U.S. airlines.

United Airlines flight attendants began passing out crackers and mini-pretzels on Monday.

Fort Worth-based American Airlines also announced Monday that free snacks will return for main cabin passengers. All of American's domestic flights should offer free snacks by April.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has always offered free snacks, as has Delta Airlines. 

Many airlines, however, ditched free snacks to save money in the lean financial years after 9/11.

The return of free snacks comes at a time when many U.S. airlines are posting record profits.  



Photo Credit: American Airlines

Customers 'Saved' by Tiki Statue

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The owners of a restaurant in Ventura, California, say a tiki statue saved four people when a 150-foot-tall palm tree came crashing through the roof during a day of powerful wind gusts in Southern California.

An interior security camera captured footage of the tree falling through the roof of VenTiki Lounge Sunday in downtown Ventura, narrowly missing four people on the patio. The footage shows restaurant employees running into view as the tree snaps in two after striking the roof.

"It was howling," said owner Duane Couch of the powerful winds. "It would come in gusts. People would come inside, it would settle down and people would go back outside."

About eight guests had just left the patio area where the tree landed, Couch said. Three customers and a chef were seated near the tree by a ground-level fire pit, but the tree came to rest on a tiki statue.

"That's what saved the four people sitting there on the benches," he said. "It was absolutely miraculous that everyone just happened to not be in the path of the tree."

The patio, roof and an awning were damaged. The owners said they were not sure when the restaurant will reopen, but co-owner Tonya Couch said a ritual to honor the tiki statue is in order.

"The tiki gods were with us," she said.

The tree was one of several knocked down in Los Angeles and Ventura counties Sunday due to damaging winds. Gusts continued Monday, some reaching 60 to 70 miles in northern Los Angeles County.

No injuries were reported.



Photo Credit: VenTiki
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Citywide Crime on Rise in 2015; Murder, Firearm Assaults Flagged

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 The overall rate of crime in the City of San Diego went up last year, for the first time since 2012 – topping that year’s rate.

A just-released report by SDPD analysts Karly Martin and Chris Haley pegs the 2015 increase at 8.5 percent, while noting that the figure uses the FBI’s “new rape definition that now includes additional sex crimes such as sodomy and oral copulation, and male victims of sex crimes.

“However if the historical definition for rape is applied to crime in 2015 for more accurate comparisons,” Martin and Haley wrote in the report, “overall crime increased by 7.8 percent in 2015. This was the first increase in overall crime since 2012, when crime went up 6.9 percent.”

Also, according to the report:

  • The city’s murder caseload rose to 37 last year, from 32 in 2014, an increase of 15.6 percent
  • Total robberies went up 4.6 percent – more than two-thirds were listed as street robberies, up 10.5 percent.
  • There was a 3.1 percent bump in aggravated assaults, with those involving a firearm showing the biggest increase of 14.6 percent. Nearly 25 percent were domestic violence-related.
  • Overall property crime saw an increase of 8.7 percent.
  • 2015 also was a busier time for thieves involved in vehicle break-ins, shoplifting and other pilferages, up 13.4 percent on a caseload of nearly 19,000. Almost a third of the thefts were vehicle break-ins.
  • Residents were victims of an 8.7 percent increase in burglaries, although the overall burglary rate barely moved upwards at .3 percent while there was a 15.3 percent drop in commercial burglaries.

Despite a hike in response times to all priority calls, Priority E calls – “imminent threat to life, dispatch immediately” -- showed the smallest increase of 2.9 percent. 

“Although crime increased,” Martin and Haley observed in the report, “the number of crimes in each of the categories in 2015 continues to be similar to the number of reported crimes from decades ago. The violent crime rate per thousand residents in 2015 is similar to rates in the early 1970s, and the property crime rate is comparable to rates in the late 1950s.”

Cynthia Burke, director of crime statistics research for the San Diego Assn. of Government, tells NBC 7 that a regional compilation of 2015 crime rates is awaiting verification from all local law enforcement agencies.

“But at this point,” Burke said, “we expect to see regional data that is consistent with what the SDPD is reporting.”

She also feels that while it’s too soon for solid explanation for the increases, “there is a fair amount of conjecture that it is due to Prop. 47 (which reduced certain non-violent, non-sexual felonies to misdemeanors) … I think it is very feasible that at least some of the increase is related to this.”

Meanwhile, according to the SDPD report, the city’s allocation of state funding from AB 109 – which moved 30,000 low-level felons from prisons to county jails – was cut from $1.1 million in 2015 to $690,000 this year.

San Diego’s allocation comprises roughly one-third of the region’s total of AB 109 disbursements.

Ben Carson: Other Campaigns Sabotaged Us With 'Dirty Tricks'

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Ben Carson accused his rivals of spreading rumors that he was dropping out of the presidential race, and singled out Ted Cruz's campaign for trying to thwart his chances in the Iowa caucuses.

Carson's campaign told MSNBC it had "confirmed reports" of Cruz supporters telling caucus goers that Carson had suspended his campaign, leading voters to believe they needed to cast their vote for another candidate.

Carson referred to the rumors as "dirty tricks," noting that this "level of deceit and distrust" is a main reason he entered the race.

Iowa Sen. Steve King, who endorsed Cruz, tweeted that "Carson looks like he is out. Iowans need to know before they vote. Most will go to Cruz, I hope."

According to Carson's campaign, the candidate flew home to Florida for a change of clothing after 18 days on the campaign trail, not because he was throwing in the towel. 



Photo Credit: AP

Stephanie Seymour Heads to Court

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Supermodel Stephanie Seymour will face a judge Tuesday in Stamford, Connecticut, on a drunken driving charge stemming from a crash last month.

Police said Seymour, 47, of Greenwich, crashed into a utility pole on Stanwich Road in Greenwich, left the scene and later backed into another vehicle at a stop sign on an Interstate 95 south exit ramp the night of Jan. 15. 

Troopers who responded to the crash found Seymour's black Land Rover sideways at the top of the ramp and a white Mercedes behind it.

Her eyes were bloodshot, she was "unsteady on her feet" and her breath smelled like alcohol, according to state police. 

When police asked Seymour to take a field sobriety test, she refused, according to investigators, who said they had to ask six or seven times before seymour fumbled through her purse to show her license. 

State police from Troop G barracks in Bridgeport charged Seymour with driving under the influence of alcohol and unsafe backing. She'll appear in court to face the charges Tuesday.

Greenwich police have charged Seymour with evading responsibility and failure to drive in a proper lane in connection with the Stanwich Road crash. She is due in court on the Greenwich charges later this month. 

Seymour, who appeared in several Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions and was a model for Victoria's Secret, made headlines in 2009 when she went through a bitter divorce with publishing mogul Peter Brant.

The divorce proceedings turned ugly, with Brant claiming Seymour was an unfit mother for the couple's three children.  He also accused her of submitting "invalid" urine samples in an attempt to prove she was not on drugs or alcohol.

No information was available on an attorney representing Seymour.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/Connecticut State Police

Family, Friends Mourn Woman Crushed by Tree

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Family members have identified the San Diego woman killed by a falling tree in Pacific Beach during a powerful winter storm Sunday.

Professional drummer Nicki Carano, 48, was on her way to a performance with her two bands when her car was crushed by a falling tree, her brother told NBC 7.

On Sunday, Carano was traveling along Ingraham Street near Crown Point around 3 p.m. when a massive tree, measuring eight feet in diameter, fell across the road.

Emergency crews responded by there was nothing they or passersby could do to save Nicki.

Her brother, David, said his older sister was the glue that held their family together.

"My greatest memory over the last five years, she just at the drop of a hat did everything and anything for our kids," David said. "She was funny and super professional."

"She was just a firecracker," he added. "Totally compassionate but always told you how she felt."

Bandmate Matt Silvia with the Christopher Dale Trio said Carano was one of the best musicians he had ever seen.

"She was technically sound and she could playquietly, which is a rare thing to find in drummers," Silvia said. 

Silvia was a "very sweet person" who never had a bad things to say. 

"I dreamt about her last night, a testament to how much I've been thinking about her," he said.

He said he didn't know how he and Christopher would move on without her.  

"I keep thinking about her last moments," Silvia said. "They say she died instantly, which is a comfort. But I can't help thinking she must have been terrified as the tree was coming down." 

Friend Kevin Charles Patterson talked with NBC 7 about how Nicki inspired him to face new challenges.

"If we are to take something from this, it's to learn to grow," he said.

Carano's band posted on Facebook, “Our drummer and vocalist was killed while making her way to the show. We are going to collect ourselves for this is a loss that’s heavier than one can explain.”

San Diego City emergency dispatch received close to 350 calls of downed or damaged trees to its 24-hour hotline. You can call (619) 527-7500 if you need to report a downed tree in your neighborhood.

Chargers Plan for San Diego Stadium Comes to Light

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In 2015, Carson became a 4-letter word to Chargers fans. But in an ironic twist of fate, now the same strategy the Chargers used to try and make their jump to Los Angeles is likely going to be used to try and build a new stadium in San Diego.

A lot has been made of the Chargers “coming back to the negotiating table” with Mayor Kevin Faulconer and County Supervisor Ron Roberts. If the Chargers plan plays out, local politicians will still have significant input into the process because the team will want and need their support. But, in the end, the content of the citizen’s initiative and the campaign to win support for it will be decided on and funded by the Chargers.

Through a review of financial disclosures in Carson, NBC 7 SportsWrap has learned the members of the team the Chargers put together to fully entitle the land in Carson via a citizen’s initiative. A source close to the Chargers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the team’s desire to have a citizen’s initiative be their course of action for whichever site is chosen, be it Mission Valley or Downtown San Diego.

“No matter which site is selected — Mission Valley or downtown — the quickest and most legally defensible way to gain the necessary local environmental entitlements will be through the citizen’s initiative process,” said the source. “That process will also involve all interested parties — community groups, fan organizations, organized labor, and the private sector — helping to provide the effort with real momentum in the way that would not be possible as the result of months of quiet, behind the scenes negotiating.”

In reality, the team feels citizen's initiative might be its only option. The Chargers still fear the so-called "quickie" EIR the City did for the Mission Valley site will not stand up to legal challenges and miss the August certification window, making it impossible to put on a November ballot. One more reason to believe the Bolts will be focusing their efforts on Downtown.

Chargers owner Dean Spanos has said publicly he prefers the Downtown stadium idea. To get that done, his best bet is to assemble the same team that got the Carson site entitled in a mere two months.

That team, according to public disclosure forms, consists of the law firm of Latham & Watkins; the political law and lobbying firm of Nielsen Merksamer; the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olsen; global investment firm Goldman Sachs; and of course Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani, and the campaign and signature-gathering team that Fabiani and his partner Chris Lehane assembled. Together they were able to push a citizen’s initiative through in Carson.

Fabiani and Lehane were also able to help Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson secure a new arena for the Kings when it seemed they were destined to move away from the California capitol. The Chargers may have lost out with their Carson proposal, but it’s not because the team working on the legal aspects did not do their jobs.

So with that success in their back pocket, the Chargers’ A-Team is about to be re-assembled for a run at a citizen’s initiative in San Diego, and the Bolts plan on starting that process soon.

NBC 7 SportsWrap was granted access to internal team documents that detail the timeline for putting the citizen’s initiative on the November ballot.

The first major deadline is March 24. That is when the measure must be drafted and ready for filing because the very next day a Notice of Intention, the full proposed legislation and an explanation of it, must be posted for the public to review.

Then on April 15 the public gets involved. That’s the day the petition can be circulated and the signature drive can begin. The Chargers paid for the signature drive in Carson and plan on doing that again in San Diego. This time they’ll need nearly 67,000 people to sign within an eight-week period in order to submit it to the City Clerk for verification.

The next major fencepost is July 18, when the City Council (assuming the signatures are verified) will have options on whether to adopt the initiative by Council action (which is what occurred in Carson) or to put it on the ballot. Assuming the Council chooses to place it before voters, the last possible day to place the citizen’s initiative on the November ballot is August 12.

All that leads up to the November 8 election. If all goes according to the Chargers plan November 8 will also be the day they find out if they can go ahead with a new facility in San Diego or if they take the deal to move in with Stan Kroenke in Inglewood.

That is the timeline we are working with but there is one more factor. Expect a big P.R. push from the Bolts as they try to win back fans and win favor from local decision-makers. The team understands having as many community leaders as they can on a united front makes what they’re about to attempt a whole lot easier.


Will Your Insurance Pay for Wind Damage?

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San Diegans woke up Monday to streets, driveways and backyards littered with fallen trees and limbs after Sunday's El Nino storm. But when it comes to cleaning up the damage, will your insurance pay? That depends.

State Farm Insurance agent Walt Waggener said most wind damage is generally covered -- but not all.

"Typically if your tree falls over in your yard, that is excluded by most homeowner's policies," said Waggener. "You're going to have to go ahead and pay for the cleanup yourself."

But if the tree hits a structure on your property, your insurance will generally pay to fix it. Waggener said that could include your house, garage, gazebo, patio cover and fence.

"Generally homeowner's policies are designed to cover homes, not trees," said Waggener.

You should also check your insurance deductible to see if it is worth going through your agent. But what if the tree that hits your home or garage is from a neighbor's yard? It still comes down to the homeowners insurance of the damaged property, not the policy where the tree was growing.

In the case of a damaged car, a homeowners policy would not pay for repairs. Instead the car owner's insurance would cover the damage if they have a comprehensive plan.



Photo Credit: Consumer Bob

Insect Once Thought Extinct Bred at Zoo

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It may not be Jurassic Park, but the San Diego Zoo entomology department received 300 eggs last weekend from a critically endangered stick insect.

The Lord Howe Island stick insect or tree lobster, thought extinct for over 80 years, was rediscovered in 2001 on an eroded remnant of a volcano called Ball’s Pyramid just off the coast of Australia.

The eggs arrived from Australia’s Melbourne Zoo and placed in 16-ounce containers filled with vermiculite, a soil additive that provides appropriate moisture for the egg’s development. The eggs will be kept in an off-exhibit area to hatch at a precise temperature and humidity.

"The rearing facility at the zoo is a very clean space," said  "The animals are restricted to that area because we want to make sure we have all best practices and that means no fear of cross-contamination with the other invertebrates in our collection. It's very hot, it's very humid, it's very much like Lord Howe Island."

The entomology department successfully hatched the insect in 2012, but the group didn’t thrive. A review by the animal care staff and horticulture team decided the insects needed special plants that were used the Melbourne Zoo programs, which were unavailable in North America at the time. Plans to hatch more eggs were put on hold until the zoo was able to raise enough of this plant to feed the insects.

Horticulture supervisor Seth Menser traveled to Australia in 2012 to bring back 100 cuttings of Melaleuca howeana, a shrub native only to Lord Howe Island and Ball’s Pyramid. The zoo now has over 150 plants growing in six different plots. This is expected to be the insects’ primary food source.

The eggs are expected to hatch in two weeks and are expected to grow to seven inches long.
Since the rediscovery of the insects, the Melbourne Zoo has had great success in their efforts to breed them.



Photo Credit: San Diego Zoo

'Ice Missile' Hits Car, Driver Hurt

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A 73-year-old Vermont woman is recovering from severe facial injuries suffered when a chunk of flying ice that witnesses said broke off the roof of a tractor-trailer smashed through her SUV's windshield.

Judith Donaghy, of North Hero, was driving Saturday on Route 2 in South Hero when the "ice missile" struck her car, according to Sheriff Ray Allen of Grand Isle County.

"This person could've been killed as a result of it," Allen observed, describing the smashed windshield which was struck by the so-called ice missile directly in front of the steering wheel.

Other drivers said a sheet of thick ice broke off the roof of a tractor trailer and hit Donaghy's hood and windshield, according to Allen. No one other cars were struck. The truck driver kept driving, perhaps unaware of what happened, Allen said.

Donaghy was taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. Allen said he expects her to be released Tuesday.

Mitchell Richardson of Keeler Bay Service & Sales towed away the SUV from the scene.

"There was a lot of force," Richardson said, describing the impact from the ice to the hood and windshield of Donaghy's car. "I can't imagine what her experience was. I just can't."

Allen said he and his deputies are working to gather additional witness accounts and surveillance footage from businesses along Route 2. They hope of identifying the trucking company and give Donaghy an opportunity to receive an insurance settlement.

Allen said he found an image of an interstate trucking company that may have been involved, but would not release more information on the still-unfolding investigation.

There is no Vermont "ice missle" law that could lead to the application of penalties or criminal charges in this case, Allen said. He noted that state requirements around windshield visibility demand those be cleared, but there is no such law mandating ice be cleared from vehicles' roofs.

"I think we ought to do something about it," said State Rep. Kurt Wright, a Republican from Burlington.

Two years ago, Wright proposed "ice missile" legislation like Connecticut's, hoping to give Vermont law enforcement the ability to issue fines in egregious cases.

Wright recalled Monday in an interview with necn that the bill did not have traction in 2014. A prime argument against it, Wright acknowledged, was that there is no easy way to clean the tops of big tractor-trailers.

"We ought to work with the trucking industry to find a solution to this," Wright said Monday. "There's going to be a tragedy that occurs some time, and we're going to wish we had been stronger on it."

For now, Allen is urging drivers to take extra time to knock snow and ice off vehicles after storms, highlighting Donaghy's case as an example of why it's important.

"You know the snow's coming," Allen said of forecasts in advance of Vermont storms. "Get up a little bit earlier and clean off your vehicles, pick-ups and trailers you're going to be hauling. This is very serious."



Photo Credit: necn

Dow Drops 250 Points as Oil Prices Fall

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Dropping oil prices continued to batter Wall Street Tuesday amid mixed reaction to some key earnings reports, CNBC reported. 

The Dow Jones industrial average slid more than 200 points in early trading. 

Shares of Exxon Mobil fell 2 percent in morning trade after the firm reported a 58 percent drop in profit, hurt by low oil prices. The world's largest publicly traded oil company also said it would cut spending this year by one-quarter, Reuters reported.

Energy fell more than 2.5 percent in morning trade to lead all S&P 500 sectors lower. 



Photo Credit: AP

Otay Mesa Man Rushes to Save Brother in House Fire

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An Otay Mesa man jumped into action when he heard his brother scream for help as fire engulfed their home early Tuesday.

The fire broke out at 12:30 a.m. on Clavelita Street located east of Beyer Boulevard and north of Interstate 905.

The property includes two homes. A board and care facility is operated inside one of the homes.

Antonio Shoam was sleeping when he heard his brother scream.

He said it was just instinct when he saw his brother on the ground in a room engulfed in flames.

“I really didn’t think about the fire, I didn’t think about any of it,” Shoam told NBC 7. “I just thought about getting my brother out.”

The fire began in a gazebo, San Diego Police said.

Officers evacuated all eight residents before San Diego Fire-Rescue crews arrived.

The fire burned through a back fence and spread to a neighbor's garage. Firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading further, knocking it down in 15 minutes.

One person was taken to the UCSD Medical Burn Center.

Investigators have ruled the fire accidental.
 

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