The Padres traded right handed-pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne to the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday for 19-year old pitcher Jean Cosme. San Diego also officially signed reliever Fernando Rodney to a 1-year deal.

Cosme, 19, went 3-5 with a 4.74 ERA (30 ER, 57.0 IP) and 53 strikeouts against 18 walks over 12 starts for Single-A Aberdeen in 2015. The right-hander signed with the Orioles as a 17th-round selection in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Puerto Rico and made his professional debut with the Rookie-Level Gulf Coast League Orioles that year. Over his two professional seasons (2014-15) he has gone 5-5 with a 4.73 ERA (38 ER, 72.1 IP) and 70 strikeouts against 26 walks over 21 games, 13 starts.

Despaigne, 28, went 5-9 with a 5.80 ERA (81 ER, 125.2 IP) and 69 strikeouts against 32 walks over 34 games, 18 starts, for San Diego in 2015. The right-hander signed with the Padres in May 2014 as a minor league free agent and made his Major League debut later that year for San Diego. A native of Havana, Cuba, he has gone 9-16 with a 4.74 ERA (117 ER, 222.0 IP) and 134 strikeouts against 64 walks in 50 games, 34 starts, over parts of two Major League seasons (2014-15) for the Padres.

With today’s transactions the Padres currently have a full 40-man roster. But don’t be surprised if general manager AJ Preller keeps tinkering this month with spring training on the horizon.
 

Health department workers are spending the week spraying insecticide up and down the streets of Brazil's major cities, trying to kill as many mosquitoes as possible before Carnival. The giant festival of parades, music and dancing attracts millions of visitors from around the world.

As crowds pour into Recife airport, they're met with bands and warnings, according to NBC News. Staffers in mosquito-decorated T-shirts offer information about the Aedes aegypti mosquito that's spreading the virus across Latin America and the Caribbean.

"In a couple of days we will have about 1.5 million people on these streets during Carnival," said Jailson Correia, health secretary for the northeastern coastal metropolis. 

People trying to save time making dinner have turned supermarket prepared foods into a $29 billion per year business. But Consumer Reports says to be wary.

Those foods aren’t required to have nutrition labels, and you might be consuming more fat, calories and sodium than you think.

Consumer Reports’ secret shoppers purchased dozens of popular prepared foods from six major supermarkets and had them analyzed for sodium, calories, fat and saturated fat.

One thing they found lots of is sodium. A mini turkey meatloaf packed an average of 891 milligrams in a 6-ounce serving. And one cup of a healthy-looking orzo salad averaged 938 milligrams.

Without a nutrition label, you’d never know that a 6-ounce serving of parmesan-encrusted tilapia fish at one store had 19 grams of fat.

Another surprising ingredient: Sugar added to a chicken parmesan meal. And mashed potatoes made with a preservative called sodium benzoate and disodium pyrophosphate to maintain color.

It turns out that many supermarkets don’t actually make all of their prepared foods. According to the clerks who were quizzed by Consumer Reports’ secret shoppers, only about half of what was tested was actually made on-site.

And you pay a price for convenience. Some of the foods Consumer Reports checked out cost twice the price of making them at home.

Consumer Reports did find one great deal: rotisserie chicken. It’s often far cheaper to buy it at the supermarket than to cook one yourself.

Among the markets the Consumer Reports’ survey found were the favorite with shoppers include Costco and Whole Foods.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has started to rely more on his family as he continues to campaign. 

Bush was joined by former first lady Barbara Bush Thursday, for the first time since he announced his bid for the White House, NBC News reported.

Barbara Bush sat directly behind Jeb as he delivered an emotional campaign speech in which he described his father — the 41st president — as "the greatest man alive" and his daughter's drug addiction and recovery. 

George W. Bush's aides have hinted that the former president will make an appearance on his brother's campaign trail in the coming weeks.  

“It's about three little boys, who were daddy's boys, who loved me as much as any children can love a parent,” John Smith said.

Smith, a Carlsbad resident, last heard his sons call him "dad" 11 years ago.

Keoni was 3 years old. The twins, Lance and Mason, were 2 years old.

In November 2004, Smith and the boys' mother, Francina Fernandez, were in the middle of a heated custody battle, both fighting for more one-on-one time with their boys.

Smith said there were signs Fernandez wanted to leave the country. He shared this with a judge, who ordered Fernandez to surrender the boys' passports within 24 hours.

That same day, Smith said, she flew to the Philippines with his sons.

“It just seemed like such a daunting task of looking at the globe, looking at the atlas, how are we going to find my sons?” he asked. “You're looking at 6,000 islands. I've traveled to the Philippines five times. I've spent 477 days in the country. I've had meetings with the U.S. Embassy many, too many times to count.”

The FBI issued an international arrest warrant for Fernandez.

“At this time she is facing federal charges,” FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth said. “If she was brought back here or she was found in a country which would extradite her back here, she could be subjected to criminal prosecution here in the United States.”

Foxworth said the FBI knows where in the Philippines the boys are, but there isn't anything they can do. He said Fernandez can't be forced back to the U.S. because kidnapping your own child is not considered a crime in the Philippines.

“We don't have investigative authority to go over there to that country and assert U.S. law in those situations and demand the Philippines return those children to the United States,” he said.

According to the FBI, any American that willingly helped Fernandez flee the U.S. could face charges.

Smith said Fernandez’s parents have traveled to the Philippines, presumably to visit their fugitive daughter. According to the FBI, there is not enough evidence to charge them for a crime.

NBC 7 Investigates has called and emailed her parents multiple times, but could not reach them.

Smith, who never married or had other kids, said he hopes he'll see his three sons again.

“I wish I could tell them, ‘I love you guys so much,’” he told NBC 7 Investigates.

There are hundreds of kids and adults missing from San Diego County right now. Some have been abducted; some are runaways.

"Searching for San Diegans," an NBC 7 Investigates project, profiles people reported missing in the County with the hope it can help bring loved ones home.

You can search our database of the missing people here.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was faced with the nagging issue of her private email server once again during MSNBC’s Democratic debate in Durham, New Hampshire, on Thursday.

Clinton said she is “100 percent confident” the investigation will not be problematic in her bid for the White House.

“I have absolutely no concerns about it whatsoever,” she told debate moderators Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow.

It was the first time Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders debated in a one-on-one face off since former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley suspended his campaign on Monday. It is also the last time the two candidates will meet before the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.

Clinton called the server issue a “political ploy” before turning to news that former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are now facing a similar problem. The State Department said it found “secret” or “confidential” information on 12 emails from personal servers of Powell and Rice's staff.

“There are going to have to be security reviews of a lot of other people — including Republican office holders,” she said. “We've got to get to the bottom of what's going on here and I hope that will happen.”

The State Department said last week it would not release 22 emails from Clinton’s private email server because it said they contained classified information.

“I never sent or received any classified material,” she said. “They are retroactively classifying it.”

As for Sanders, he said he will not politicize the issue.

“The secretary probably doesn’t know that there’s not a day that goes by when I am not asked to attack her on that issue, and I have refrained from doing that,” he said.  

An armed and dangerous bandit couple from Missouri don't just have robberies on their mind. They also want to get married, according to a hotel clerk, who was kidnapped and then released by the two. 

"They wanted to get married," said Kyle Dease, 26, who was abducted by Blake Edward Fitzgerald, 30, and girlfriend Brittany Nicole Harper, 30, for a couple of hours. "They wanted to escape and start new lives."

U.S. Marshals are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Fitzgerald and Harpe who are considered armed and dangerous.

On Sunday morning, the wanted couple showed up at the Microtel Inn and Suites in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where Dease was working the desk. After a quick chat, Dease was forced to accompany them on a string of crimes before he was left in Vestavia Hills.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department is searching for the suspect who killed a man found with wounds to his upper body near San Clemente Thursday.

Just before 1 p.m., deputies arrived at the intersection of Cristianitos Road and S. El Camino Real after receiving a report of a body found at a homeless encampment.

The deputies searched the encampment, located in the field near the intersection, and found a 60-year-old man who had died.

The sheriff's department said he had obvious signs of trauma, but they did not say what created the wounds.

Homicide detectives are now investigating, and the medical examiner's office will determine the man's cause of death.

If you know anything about the incident, call the homicide detail at 858-974-2321 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

The Maryland man charged with murdering his 2-year-old daughter and her mother will remain behind bars.

A judge ordered on Thursday that Daron Boswell-Johnson, 25, be held without bond. 

Boswell-Johnson confessed to waiting for NeShante Davis, 26, and their daughter, Chloe Davis-Green, outside their home early Tuesday and then shooting them each multiple times, court documents show. He was angry over being ordered to pay $600 per month in child support, sources told News4. 

The mother and daughter were shot outside their townhouse about 7 a.m. Tuesday in Fort Washington, Maryland.

While Boswell-Johnson was in court Thursday, one of his brothers expressed disappointment in him and empathy for the victims' loved ones.

"I knew Shante. She was a nice woman. Their relationship was cordial even though they weren't together," he said. "I feel sorry for the family and I hope they could forgive us as a whole family. You messed up, bruh!"

Outrage over the killings boiled Thursday inside and outside the courtroom.

A young woman screamed at one of Boswell-Johnson's brothers outside the building. 

"Your brother's a f***ing monster, that's what he is," she yelled as a man held her back.

Anger also played out on Facebook, where comments on the suspect's page were so explosive, Facebook removed the page.

On that same page, Boswell-Johnson shared numerous photos of his son and daughter from another relationship, describing himself as a proud father, but did not mention little Chloe.

County offices have been flooded with phone calls about the killings and arrest, Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said.

"Our switchboard has received more calls than we have ever received on any case, saying to us how enraged they are and concerned they are," she said.

Boswell-Johnson, of Forestville, Maryland, was confirmed to be Chloe's father in December through a DNA test conducted as part of a paternity suit, sources said. 

Boswell-Johnson faces two counts of both first- and second-degree murder. Information on an attorney for Boswell-Johnson was not immediately available.

According to the preliminary investigation, Boswell-Johnson went to Davis' and their daughter's home early Tuesday to confront Davis about the child support, officials said Wednesday evening at a news conference.

Boswell-Johnson was arrested Tuesday in Montgomery County, Prince George's County Interim Police Chief Hank Stawinski said. Boswell-Johnson waived his Miranda rights and provided a statement to Prince George's County police on Tuesday in which he confessed to the crime, according to court documents. 

He told police he drove to Davis' home, parked down the street and waited for her to exit. Boswell-Johnson told police he then approached Davis at gunpoint and demanded she drop the petition he pay her $600 per month in child support. He then shot her and the toddler multiple times, he told police, court documents say. 

Witness statements and surveillance video corroborate the confession, police said in court documents.

Chloe is the second child to lose her life to domestic violence so far this year in the county, Alsobrooks said.

"Forty percent of our cases so far this year have been domestic in nature," she said. "We’ve had 10 homicides, and four of them have been domestic."

Boswell-Johnson is due in court in March. 

A small drone crashed into the 40th floor of the Empire State Building Thursday night and then fell to a 35th floor landing, authorities said. 

Police said a New Jersey man was flying the drone in an attempt to take pictures and apparently lost control of the aircraft.

Investigators said Sean Nivin Riddle was arrested at the scene and is expected to face criminal charges. He was being questioned by officers at the Midtown South police precinct.

Right after the crash, Riddle apparently wrote on his own Twitter feed: “filming w/ drone, now its stuck on the empire state building....w/security.”

The crash brought a significant police and FBI response to the landmark at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street as a precaution. Investigators said that they do not believe the crash was intentional.

No one was hurt.

Riddle did not immediately respond to requests from NBC 4 New York seeking comment. 

A United Nations panel ruled Friday that Julian Assange was being "arbitrarily detained" and urged an end to what it called the "deprivation of liberty" of the WikiLeaks founder, NBC News reported.

However, Friday's ruling by the U.N.'s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), does not compel any government to act. And Britain — where Assange has been holed up for more than three years — dismissed the ruling, saying it "changes nothing" and that Assange is "voluntarily avoiding lawful arrest."

The 44-year-old sought refuge at London's Ecuadorian embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning on a rape allegation.

The Australian said he feared the Swedish case would be used to extradite him to the United States to face trial over his whistle-blowing website.

The huge events surrounding the Super Bowl, as well as the resources needed to accommodate the big game, will leave the Titans of Mavericks Surf contest on the sidelines this week.

The Pillar Point Harbor patrol continues to monitor the El Niño-powered waves pounding the Mavericks surf area in Half Moon Bay. Deputy Harbormaster Cary Smith says the 20-foot waves with 40-foot faces would be ideal for the contest.

But Thursday is the first day of a "blackout" period for the Mavericks contest because so many agencies needed for the contest are tied up with the Super Bowl.

Smith says the blackout period ends Monday.

"I know it might seem like bad timing," Smith told NBC Bay Area, "but we're hoping the Super Bowl will bring us luck and maybe super waves so the contest can be held."

The Mavericks surf contest is an invitation-only event in which the world's top surfers are notified about 48 hours in advance that conditions are right. The contest is not held if the timing doesn't work out.

Smith says this year reminds him of another when the waves finally hit the right size – but on Thanksgiving, and right before Christmas, both holiday blackout periods.

"We'll be ready today as we always are," Smith said. "The waves will bring out a lot of surfers. It will probably be like a showcase for the top surfers. It just won't be the Mavericks contest."

The mother of a teenager shot by Chicago Police is asking the United States Justice Department to investigate her son’s case.

Patricia Green’s 17-year-old son Christian was shot and killed July 4, 2013, in a vacant lot on the South Side. Police initially said Green pointed a gun at them and that he had been shot in the chest. But an autopsy revealed that the youth was actually hit in the back, by an officer who fired eleven times.

“I just want justice,” Green said. “I want to know the truth—what really happened to my son.”

Green’s son was standing with a group of other young people near the Carter School, in the 5700 block of South Michigan Avenue, but fled the area as police approached. Pursuing officers chased him several blocks, and said they saw him attempt to drop a gun near the corner of 57th and State. The officers said he picked it up again and continued running.

Officer Robert Gonzalez told investigators that Green turned and pointed the weapon at him, prompting him to fire.

“Whether Laquan McDonald, or my son, or any other teenager that was shot in the back, we as citizens of Chicago, we deserve to know the truth,” Green’s mother said. “My son had his whole life ahead of him.”

“I have taken the deposition of the lead detective,” said attorney Victor Henderson, who represents the family. “I asked him point blank, once you learned that Christian was shot in the back, what did you do versus the early report that he was shot in the chest? He said, ‘nothing’.”

The Independent Police Review Authority ruled that the shooting had been justified.

In a letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel and State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, Henderson asks that the two officials request a Justice Department open a criminal investigation, because the family perceives a cover-up relating to the Green case.

“IPRA (Independent Police Review Authority) investigators conspired with the four policemen about what to say during interviews in order to further the cover-up,” the letter states. “Moreover, two eyewitnesses have stepped forward to say that Christian was no threat to Officer Gonzalez, and that he did not have a gun in his hand when he was shot.

Transcripts and audio tapes of the IPRA interviews with the four officers, obtained by NBC5 Investigates, showed that during those interviews, the IPRA investigator stopped the tape at least a dozen times. Henderson alleged those pauses in the recording were intentional, to allow the officers to formulate a cohesive version of events.

“This is a test case, and the first test since Laquan McDonald,” Henderson said. “Let’s just get the truth. That’s what we want—no more, no less.”

A Saudi military spokesman said Thursday the kingdom is ready to send ground troops to Syria to fight ISIS — an offer welcomed by Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri on Thursday told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia has taken part in coalition airstrikes against ISIS since the U.S.-led campaign began in September 2014, but could now provide ground troops. The U.S. is scheduled to convene a meeting of defense ministers from countries fighting ISIS in Brussels next week month.

"We are determined to fight and defeat Daesh," Asiri said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. He didn't say how many troops the kingdom would send.

Saudi Arabia is deeply involved in Yemen's civil war, where it is fighting Iranian-backed Shiite rebels. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have long viewed Iran as a regional menace, and Riyadh and Tehran back opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen.
 

McDonald’s is offering kids something other than toys with their Happy Meals this month.

Children can choose to get a book instead of a prize with their meals through Feb. 15, the company said in a release.

The four different books that are available are: “Paddington” by Michael Bond; “Clark the Shark Takes Heart” by Bruce Hale; “Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse!” by Laura Numeroff; and “Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool” by Kimberly and James Dean.

McDonald’s is partnering with Reading is Fundamental for the book drive, donating 100,000 books to the literacy nonprofit.

“Ensuring children have access to books has proven instrumental in combating illiteracy in children in the United States,” said Carol Rasco, the president and CEO of Reading is Fundamental.

This is the third year McDonald’s has made the book offer, according to the release. The first time was in 2013 and by the time the 15th rolls around, the chain will have distributed over 10 million books to kids.

The first Olympics to be held in South America will take place in August, when 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will compete in Rio de Janeiro.

The 2016 Summer Games will feature such iconic venues as Copacabana Beach for beach volleyball and Maracaña Stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies and medal soccer matches. (The most successful World Cup nation with five titles, Brazil has never won a men’s or women’s Olympic soccer title.)

Golf and rugby will return, golf for the first time since 1912 and rugby since 1924. But it will likely be the last Games for American Michael Phelps, who enters as the top-ranked swimmer in the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter individual medley, and for Jamaican Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, who swept the 100-meter dash and 200 meter dash at the World Championships in August.

Brazil is in a financial crisis and costs have been a problem. Organizers have cut $500 million to balance an operating budget of $1.85 billion, and the number of seats in some venues has been reduced.

And the appearance of the Zika virus has added a new anxiety.

So six months out, here are six ways to follow the 2016 Summer Games now:

The Olympic Torch will be lit from the sun’s rays on April 21 in the Greek city of Olympia, the birthplace of the ancient games. It will tour Greece before the relay officially begins on May 3 in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia. About 12,000 torchbearers will cover more than 22,000 miles by road and air. The torch itself — made from recycled aluminum and resin — expands as it is passed to reveal the colors of Brazil. The relay will end on Aug. 5, when the last torchbearer will light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony at Maracaña Stadium.

How does the flame remain burning throughout? The torch itself is extinguished at night or while on planes but the flame is still lighted in enclosed lanterns, which are closely guarded.

Will Rio be ready to host the Games?

One worry is the sewage-infested water that athletes will be swimming and boating in — near Marina da Gloria in Guanabara Bay, off Copacabana beach and in Rodrigo de Freitas Lake. Tests commissioned by The Associated Press -- the results of which were released in July and again in December -- discovered high levels of viruses and bacteria from human feces, up to 1.7 million times what would be considered dangerous on a Southern California beach. The contamination was found not only close to land but also offshore, where sailing will take place. In August, some athletes participating in pre-Olympic rowing and sailing events became ill with vomiting, fevers and diarrhea. 

Olympic and World Health Organization officials have not followed through on promises to do their own viral testing, according to the AP. WHO says Brazil needs only to test for bacterial “markers” of pollution.

Adding to the health concerns is the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which arrived in Brazil last year and is now “spreading explosively” across the Americas, according to WHO. Brazil reported a surge of babies born with microcephaly — marked by unusually small heads and severe brain damage — though exactly how many is in flux. The virus may also be causing another serious condition, Guillain-Barre syndrome, which leaves some patients unable to move.

Brazil’s health minister said the country would send 220,000 troops to eradicate mosquitoes but he also was quoted this month in the country’s major newspapers as saying the country was badly losing the battle.

Transgender athletes should be able to compete without undergoing sex reassignment surgery, according to guidelines announced by the International Olympic Committee in January. 

The guidelines were changed to reflect current scientific, social and legal attitudes about transgender issues, the committee’s medical officials told The Associated Press.

Previous guidelines, approved in 2003, required transgender athletes to have surgery followed by at least two years of hormone therapy before they could compete.

Now, female-to-male athletes are eligible to compete as males without restriction. Male-to-female athletes must show a testosterone level below a certain cutoff for at least a year before their first competition.

The guidelines, not regulations, are meant for international sports federations to follow.

Accusations of doping by Russia prompted U.S. Olympic athletes to call for officials to broaden their investigation, the AP reported. The Americans wrote to the IOC and the World Anti-Doping Agency the week of Jan. 25 in response to a two-part report detailing doping inside Russia’s track team, allegedly with the state’s participation.

The Americans want the investigation to be expanded to sports beyond track and field.

Follow along as athletes earn their way to Rio, beginning with the U.S. marathon trials in Los Angeles on Feb. 13. Trials for other popular events: diving, June 18 to 26 in Indianapolis; men’s gymnastics, June 24 to 26 in St. Louis; swimming, June 26 to June 3 in Omaha, Nebraska; track and field, July 1 to 10 in Eugene, Oregon; and women’s gymnastics, July 8 to 10 in San Jose, California.

The U.S. women’s soccer team will compete in Olympic qualifying matches to be held from Feb. 10 to 21 in Dallas and Houston, while the U.S. women’s water polo team will be competing for a berth from March 21 to 28 in Gouda, Netherlands.

A surfeit of talented players in some sports will make it tough to finalize Olympic teams.

Superstars LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are among the 30 finalists for the U.S. men’s basketball team. The list features 18 players who have won 29 Olympic or World Cup gold medals. Other marquee names vying for the 12-member roster: Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City Thunder and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Likewise, the qualification system for golf will eliminate some top players. The 60 men and women will be chosen from the top official world rankings, but there is a limit of four players per country. The cutoff for qualifying is July 11.

Refugee athletes will have the chance to compete in the Games. Three potential athletes have been identified so far and up to 10 are expected to qualify, according to the IOC. A group of refugees will march together in the opening ceremony, a refugee will carry the torch during the Greek leg of the relay, and the torch will make a stop at a refugee camp in Athens, the president of the IOC said on Jan. 28 during a three-day trip to Greece, the AP reported.

The IOC has pledged $2 million to help refugees.

Nick Zaccardi contributed information for this article.
 

Donald Trump continues to lead Tuesday's New Hampshire primary after his second-place finish in Iowa, but Marco Rubio has gained ground on him, according to a new NBC/WSJ/Marist poll conducted after the Iowa results.

Trump gets support from 30 percent of likely Republican primary followers — followed by Rubio at 17 percent, Ted Cruz at 15 percent, John Kasich at 10 percent, Jeb Bush at 9 percent and Chris Christie at 4 percent.

Last week — before the results in Iowa, where Cruz finished first and Rubio third — Trump was at 31 percent, Cruz 12 percent, Rubio 11 percent, Kasich 11 percent, Bush 8 percent and Christie 7 percent.

At least one man was killed and at least three other people were hurt when a crawler crane being secured because of high winds toppled over in lower Manhattan Friday morning, Mayor de Blasio said.

The construction equipment was being lowered and secured because of winds topping 20 mph when it toppled over at Worth and Church streets in Tribeca at about 8:30 a.m., de Blasio said. The crane,  owned by Bay Crane and stretching more than 15-stories high, smashed into several buildings on the way down before crashing onto several parked cars.

According to Storm Team 4, a ground-level gust of about 37 mph was reported about a mile away from the crash site nine minutes before the collapse. 

The collapse killed one man who was sitting in his car, de Blasio said, and injured three others. Two are in serious condition, while the third person had minor injuries. The people who were hurt were hit by falling debris, and the mayor said all of them were bystanders.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene  along with dozens of EMS workers and police.

Police have set up barricades around the scene. No. 1, 2 and 3 subway trains are bypassing stops at Chambers Street and Franklin street stops.

The crane crashed down so hard that it disrupted underground infrastructure, Con Edison spokesman Alfonso Quiroz said. The utility told NBC 4 New York that they got a gas reading at an address on Worth Street and has shut down gas mains in the area.  Several buildings have been evacuated and authorities are looking to secure four nearby buildings. 

De Blasio said that it will take several days to clean up the area.

"It will certainly take several days, certainly no earlier than Monday, possibly longer, before we can get things back to normal in these immediate blocks," he said.

The crane was being used at a building across the street from the NYPD Sergeant's Benevolent Association. Members of the union were among the first to respond after the collapse, according to Vice President Bob Ganley. 

"It was a scene," Ganley said. "It was surreal. It was like a war zone when it first happened."

Ganley said he looked out the window and saw the crane crashing down, and others in the building reported that the impact felt like an earthquake. Several officers in the building ran outside and began helping people who were hurt, assisting a person trapped in a car and covering the body of the man who died with a blanket.

The crane is owned by Bay Crane, but it was being operated by Galasso Trucking and Rigging. Bay Crane declined to comment on the collapse to NBC 4 New York, but de Blasio said that the company requires its operators to take down its cranes after gusts hit 20 mph. 

Officials say the crane that collapsed on Friday was a crawler. Crawler cranes are mounted on an undercarriage with a set of caterpillar tracks to provide mobility.

Department of Buildings officials had cleared the site a day before the collapse, de Blasio said. 

Bay Crane owned a crane that collapsed 30 floors in midtown in 2015.

Ganley told NBC 4 New York that he was talking with someone outside his building on Thursday afternoon and was uncomfortable with the height of the crane's boom, which stretched up several stories. 

"I told him, 'That doesn't look good, does it?'" he said. 

Investigators found no signs of forced entry inside a Gage Park house where six family members were found slain in the Southwest Side neighborhood, Chicago police announced Friday.

Chicago Police Chief of Detective Eugene Roy said Friday that all of the victims suffered blunt trauma.

Officers conducting a welfare check discovered the bodies of two women, two men and two children aged 10 and 13 around 1:30 p.m. Thursday on the 5700 block of South California. A concerned co-worker called police after after one of the men found in the home had not showed up to work for two days.

Investigators were working to piece together what exactly happened inside the small brick home tucked away in a typically quiet neighborhood near 57th Street and California Avenue. Asked whether it could have been a murder-suicide, Interim Chicago Police Superintendent John Escalante told reporters Friday it was "a possibility."

Police said in a Friday morning news conference there had been no sign of forced entry and all the doors had been locked when officers arrived.

Friends told NBC 5 the victims were a “good family” from Mexico with no known problems.

Police have revealed few details on a potential motive in the case, but said there is no threat to the community.

The victims' identities will be released after the Cook County medical examiner has performed autopsies Friday morning, Roy said. He said it appeared the victims were members of the same family.

After federal funds were yanked from a chain of beauty schools, about 4,300 students are now left without classes and 800 employees are left without jobs.

Marinello Schools of Beauty announced Thursday they have closed all their campuses in Nevada, Utah and California, including one in Miramar. More campuses in Kansas and Connecticut will shutter Friday.

The Department of Education cut off federal funding to 23 of the Marinello schools, saying administrators falsified financial aid records by allegedly offering funding to some students with invalid high school diplomas.

The school is also accused of cheating students out of money by either charging too much or withholding financial aid.

Marinello administrators deny all the allegations. In a statement released Thursday, the school said:

“When the Department began to withhold funds from our deserving students two months ago, we pleaded with the Department to provide even basic information about its concerns, yet it refused to do so. We are confident we would have been able to address them given Marinello’s long history of compliance with regulatory requirements. The Department waited until we were past the point of no return financially to allow us any opportunity to respond to its unfounded allegations."

Marinello is now working with state educational agencies, the accrediting commission and other schools to help students transfer and complete their education, administrators said.

Students will receive transcripts, transfer options and other materials during campus meetings listed on the school’s website.

Student Antonio De La Rosa, a San Diego veteran who spoke with NBC 7 Wednesday, said he believes the school’s disorganization and unprofessional conduct has led them to waste hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.

As he sought his barber license at Marinello, De La Rose said he was “flabbergasted” at some of the school’s practices. He saw students get their high school diplomas in one day, and courses were priced much higher than classes at other schools, he told NBC 7.

“I deserve my education and they’re not giving it to me,” he said before news broke that the school was closing.

The school’s statement said administrators are saddened by the loss of jobs and a century-old institution.

“To our students and coworkers, we want you to know that we did everything in our power to avoid this unfortunate conclusion and keep your school open,” the statement reads.