Veterans' hospitals compare pretty favorably with others when it comes to treating older men with three common conditions -- heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia. That's according to a study on death rates and re-admissions.

The research found that chances for dying or being readmitted within 30 days of treatment for those conditions varied only slightly for patients hospitalized within the VA system versus at outside hospitals. It's based on 2010-2013 data.

The researchers say the results should be reassuring but that there's still room for improvement at hospitals in both systems.

Dr. David Shulkin is the VA's undersecretary for health. He says the results debunk the impression that the VA has fallen behind.

The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Residents of Syria's besieged city of Aleppo are witnessing "deaths everywhere," as the U.N. warned that 300,000 people could be cut off from vital aid, NBC News reported. 

"It's war," Aleppo resident Hussam — who would only give his first name out of fears for his safety — told NBC News in a phone interview. "There is shelling, there are deaths everywhere."

Government forces battling to regain full control of Aleppo from rebels have cut off aid supplies to the city from the north, triggering a flood of refugees towards neighboring Turkey. Hussam said, however, that reports of reports an exodus were "an exaggeration" but that many thousands had fled amid intensified fighting.

Hussam said the city has been in the dark since power lines were damaged in October and water supplies have been cut off for almost four weeks, with locals drawing from wells with water unfit for drinking.

The San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative has received a $689,500 federal grant to protect the coastline from El Nino storms and flooding.

The collaborative (which includes seven San Diego public agencies along with the University of San Diego, the San Diego Foundation and San Diego Gas & Electric) will use the funds to protect the coastline, its infrastructure and the economy, according its news release.

The two-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will provide resources across all of the coastal cities, with a particular focus on the north-central coast of the county and Imperial Beach, where significant private residential, business, and infrastructure investments are threatened.

The project will provide new data on flood mapping and shoreline bluff surveys, develop additional legal, economic and scientific expertise, and help cities with outreach and communication.

“This comprehensive strategy will result in implementable actions to reduce the San Diego region’s risks and vulnerabilities to coastal flooding, beach erosion and extreme weather events,” Laura Engeman, the USD administrator who manages the Climate Collaborative, said in a statement.

The cities of Carlsbad and Del Mar are matching the grant with a combined $328,000 they received from the State of California to assist them with updating their local coastal plans to account for coastal storm and sea level rise hazards. The San Diego Foundation is also contributing a match of $80,000, bringing the total raised to over $1 million.

A San Marcos homeowner is missing after his foreclosed “hoarder house” caught fire the same day it was auctioned off.

Duncan Kendall, 62, was nowhere to be found as his house burned in the 1800 block of Rock Springs Road on Monday morning. The fire, which started in the kitchen, caused moderate to major damage to the home and killed a small dog inside.

When Kendall’s adult son arrived, he said he just learned Sunday that his father would be losing his house to foreclosure. The son did not know where Kendall was, so he requested deputies file a missing person report.

Kendall is considered an “at-risk” missing person and may be driving a silver 2008 Ford Focus with the California license plate 6EJX949, registered to his son.

San Marcos fire officials announced they did not find obvious signs of foul play as they initially investigated the fire, but the agency requested sheriff’s arson investigators assist in the investigation.

After Kendall’s home was foreclosed, a woman bid for it at the courthouse, finalizing the purchase just minutes after flames broke out at the two-story home.

If you know where Kendall may be, call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a Del Mar dining spot has been ranked among the “most romantic” restaurants in America, according to a popular reservation and review website.

According to OpenTable, Addison restaurant – located at 5200 Grand Del Mar Way – is among the 100 most romantic restaurants in America for 2016.

The list, which can be seen in full here, was compiled based on more than five million restaurant reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners over the course of one year, and includes “restaurants adept at delivering hospitality with a personal touch.”

Addison is the only San Diego-based restaurant that made the cut.

This year, the restaurant – led by Chief William Bradley’s passion for gourmet French cuisine – is offering a romantic, nine-course dinner for Valentine’s Day.

The restaurant’s website gives a peek at the special menu, which includes Kumamoto Oyster with green apple and horseradish as the first course, followed by indulgent items like Black Olive Tortellini with octopus, preserved lemon and smoked peppers, and Cucumber Sorbet with yuzu consommé and Thai basil.

The nine-course Valentine’s Day experience at Addison is $250 per person. Seating is extremely limited and reservations are required. Those who are interested can reserve their seats by calling (858) 314-1900. A wine pairing option is also available for an extra fee.

Other romantic restaurants for 2016 listed in the OpenTable round-up include the famous Rainbow Room atop 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City and St. Martin’s Wine Bistro in Dallas, just to name a couple.

In a move that signals a new approach to “We’re All In” – a marketing slogan that was abruptly deep-sixed last year – the Chargers have announced the appointment of a prominent development executive as special adviser to team chairman Dean Spanos.

In assigning that role to Fred Maas, former chairman and CEO of the Centre City Development Corp., the Chargers embraced the so-called “Citizen’s Plan” initiative and said Maas would head up a multitude of efforts toward the goal of building a new stadium in San Diego.

Mark Fabiani, longtime special counsel to Spanos, told NBC 7 in an email conversation that the team would commit major financing to a stadium initiative campaign: “It will be quite expensive to write the initiative, qualify it and then campaign for it,” Fabiani said. “$10 million or more, all in.”

The statement released on behalf of the Chargers speaks of creating “the infrastructure necessary to give the Citizens Initiative process the best possible chance of success”, and says Maas will be working with “an established team of legal, financial and land use advisers.”

The Citizens Initiative already has nearly $1 million in backing led by JMI Inc. -- a leading developer in downtown’s East Village, where the Chargers have expressed interest in a stadium and hybrid convention center “campus”

The proposed measure, drafted by activist attorney Cory Briggs would hike and reconfigure the city’s hotel room tax structure and, according to its backers, could pave the way for the Chargers’ East Village vision to become a reality.

Former city councilman-turned-radio talk show host Carl DeMaio, who sparred with Maas over redevelopment policy and issues, leveled a broadside against the former CCDC chief’s new role: “Nobody knows more about taxpayer giveaways than Fred Maas -- he will fit right in with the Chargers as they demand hundreds of millions more from San Diego taxpayers.”

Read the full statement here.

Gusty Santa Ana winds in Southern California have created higher pollen and dust levels, causing a flare-up of allergic reactions.

“We currently have a moderate offshore wind, blowing from the deserts, toward the coast,” said NBC 7 Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh.

“We’ve been dry and gusty, so dust and pollen that would normally be settled, is being picked up and carried through the air. We can’t see it, but we are breathing it in.”

Airborne allergens like pollen, mold, animal dander and dust are among the most common elements that can trigger reactions. When levels are high, even those that don’t typically suffer from allergies may feel the effects.

“You may have a headache. You may have itchy, watery eyes. You may notice yourself sneezing or coughing a lot,” said Kodesh. “It could very well be due to the relatively dirty air outside.”

Kodesh said that Santa Ana conditions have also resulted in abnormally high temperatures and critically low humidity levels. Temperatures, in some areas, are running 10 to 20 degrees above average. Humidity percentages have plummeted into the teens.

She calls this “headache weather.”

“To be honest, your body may be feeling the effects of many aspects of the weather, right now,” said Kodesh. “You could be feeling the effects of the abnormally high temperatures and a big swing in barometric pressure. You could be feeling the effects of the very low humidity, and you could certainly be feeling the effects of the dust particulates in the air.”

Kodesh recommends keeping windows closed, when in the home, or driving. As clear as the air appears, it is carrying dust, as it travels across the county.

She also recommends taking extra measure to stay hydrated, by drinking plenty of water, and using a moisturizer.

“Children lose moisture faster than adults, so it is important to make sure they are staying hydrated, as well,” said Kodesh.

A little relief is expected this weekend, as the Santa Ana setup weakens. The winds will lessen, and temperature and humidity levels are expected to adjust to more comfortable levels.

“The best relief would come in the form of rain,” said Kodesh. “We’re still waiting on that.”

New Hampshire votes Tuesday with billionaire Donald Trump trying to lose the loser label, Ted Cruz looking to fashion a victory with far fewer Christian evangelicals than in Iowa and Marco Rubio aiming to shake off doubts following his disastrous debate performance.

Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, hopes to prevent a victory by Bernie Sanders by putting her ground game in New Hampshire against his popularity in the state.

In the country’s first primary, the candidates want to capitalize on their success in Iowa or show their campaigns are still alive. A week after the caucuses officially kicked off the race for president, a state that prides itself on its independence now makes its picks.

“Usually what they do in New Hampshire is correct Iowa’s mistakes,” said Patrick Griffin, who worked on President George W. Bush’s primary campaign and is now a political and media strategist at Purple Strategies New England, a communications and government affairs company in Boston. 

On the Republican side, Trump competes after being handed an embarrassing second-place finish to Cruz, though political consultants in New Hampshire doubt that Iowa’s results will matter much in the Granite State.

“As everyone will tell you, all that gets shuffled and thrown back on a table essentially,” said Neil Levesque, the executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College in Manchester.

Trump accepted defeat graciously the night of the caucuses, but afterward unleashed a stream of insults against Cruz on Twitter, accusing him of fraud in Iowa and demanding the results be invalidated.

Trump was leading in the final 7News Boston/UMass Lowell tracking poll on Monday with 34 percent. Rubio and Cruz each were at 13 percent, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, at 10 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, 5 percent, Carly Fiorina, 4 percent and Dr. Ben Carson 3 percent.

Cruz’s win in Iowa came after he visited often, traveled throughout the state and appealed to two important groups, evangelicals and the homeschool community. Trump had his celebrity name, combative comments and the free media coverage that followed. In New Hampshire, Trump’s campaign appears to be trying to jump-start a more traditional campaign with “Walkin & Talkin for Donald J. Trump” fliers appearing asking supporters to help spread the word.

“Cruz proved that Iowa is a place were organization matters, where identifying voters and getting them out, hand-to-hand retail politics or combat, depending on how you look at it, truly matters,” Griffin said.

Cruz, who is not expected to replicate his success in Iowa in New Hampshire, is looking ahead to the primary in South Carolina. But he could be damaged by Saturday night's Republican debate, where he was forced to apologize again to Carson for his supporters' behavior in Iowa. The night of the caucuses, they spread false reports that Carson was dropping out of the race.

Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, said Rubio’s finish in Iowa means Kasich, Christie and Bush must make a strong showing to become the candidate for the Republican establishment.

“They’ve got to find places where they can punch through because between now and March 15 there’s going to be a ton of contests and the money is not going to be sufficient to wage a decent fight in those places,” Miringoff said. “People may pick a state or two to try to reverse their fortunes but that doesn’t get them in the contender status.”

But Rubio may also be hurt by the debate. He was widely mocked for robotically repeating himself even as Christie made fun of his memorized "30-second" speech.

Twenty-eight states plus the District of Columbia, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and Democrats who live outside of the United States will make their choice by March 15.

The day before the primary saw all of the candidates but Carson campaigning in New Hampshire, according to the NECN candidate tracker. Rubio had seven stops scheduled, the most of anyone.

Kasich and Christie have campaigned heavily in the state, doing more than 180 town halls, meet-and-greets and other events. Fiorina and Bush have both made more than 110 stops, while at the other end Trump and Carson have made fewer than 50.

Among the Democrats, Sanders is ahead in the polls, but by how much? The 7News/UMass poll has him ahead by 16 points, 56 percent to 40 percent, but one by the Boston Herald/Franklin Pierce University puts the lead at seven points, 51 percent to 44 percent.

Both campaigns have been trying to manage expectations, Miringoff said; Sanders by stressing that Clinton won New Hampshire over Barack Obama in 2008, Clinton by emphasizing that Sanders is from Vermont.

Independents, who make up 44 percent of the electorate in New Hampshire, can vote in the primary, which could help Sanders, Miringoff said. Clinton is making a determined appeal to the young women who have been drawn to Sanders.

Griffin said he did not know that Clinton’s organization in New Hampshire — and the support she has from prominent Democrats such as U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Gov. Maggie Hassan — would be enough to overcome Sanders’ strengths.

“I’m not sure that that necessarily works to her advantage in a race with an insurgent Bernie Sanders who points to the politicians and basically says, ‘They’re the problem, she’s the problem, Wall Street’s the problem, we need a revolution,’” he said.

But Levesque said he would not discount Clinton.

“My opinion is always buy Clinton stock when it’s undervalued,” he said.
 

A Crawford High School teacher accused of engaging in an ongoing consensual sexual relationship with a student is facing 11 felony counts, prosecutors said Monday. 

Toni Sutton, a 37-year-old female Spanish teacher and volleyball coach, appeared in court for the first time Monday, where she faced multiple charges, including lewd act on a child aged 14 or 15, unlawful sexual intercourse, oral copulation and sodomy. Sutton is represented by defense attorney Kerry Armstrong, who pleaded not guilty on her behalf. 

Prosecutors with the San Diego County District Attorney's office said Sutton had sexual relations with the 16-year-old in various places, including her car, her home and her classroom.

Armstrong said Sutton, who is very religious and goes to church every Sunday, was so upset she cried on the way out of the courtroom. 

“She’s heartbroken…She’s the nicest, sweetest lady you’d ever meet in your life," he said.

The relationship began in summer 2015 when the student was a sophomore and continued until January, when it came to light through a series of text messages, prosecutors said Monday.

San Diego Police (SDPD) detectives made the arrest Thursday after a parent contacted them about her son's relationship with an adult family friend. The parent had discovered inappropriate communication between the woman and the boy. The teen was one of her students from a previous year. 

The evidence reflects a consensual relationship, both the defense and prosecution said. Sutton was ordered to stay away from the minor. 

The district has placed Sutton on paid administrative leave, pending the investigation's outcome. Sutton has been a teacher for 11 years. The district said no other teachers are involved in the investigation.

Ben, the teacher's boyfriend of six years, said the couple lives with his two children in the home they share just five minutes from the school.

She was taken into custody on $100,000 bail at her arraignment.

Sutton will next appear in court on Feb. 11 for a bail review and Feb. 22 for a readiness. 

San Diego Police Department reports show officers responded to the Children’s Park in downtown San Diego more than 400 times in a two-year period.

The park is located on Island Avenue and Front Street, built by the city of San Diego when the city hosted the Republican National Convention in 1996. The tax-payer funded park is described by Google as a place "where ducks swim" and "a kids' playground under the pines."

Area residents and San Diego City Councilman Todd Gloria paint a different picture of the park.

“You never know what's going to happen or what you are going to see, so we never really think of coming here,” Will Carreras, a downtown resident and father of two girls, told NBC 7 Investigates.

He said he would never bring his family to play at the park.

“What we see are people camped out, tents, sometimes shopping carts,” Carreras said.

Gloria said the park has been a concern of his for several years and the physical layout of the park is attracting criminals.

“You have these mounds, and collectively it really creates an opportunity for folks not to be seen, and that's certainly not good for children,” Gloria said.

NBC 7 Investigates reviewed years of police records from the SDPD. The records reveal officers were called to the Children's Park 234 times in 2014 and 226 times in 2015. Some of the crimes recorded by police included petty theft, disturbing the peace with violence, arson in progress, domestic violence, prostitution, vandalism and drug possession.

Click here to view SDPD records for the Children’s Park.

The 460 calls for service is more than double the number the SDPD received for other downtown parks during that same time period. According to police records, Pantoja Park on G Street had 139 calls for service and Amici Park on State Street in Little Italy had 12.

Click here to view SDPD records for Amici Park.

Police records show officers did more than respond to calls for service at the park. In 2014 and 2015, 20 arrest warrants were issued at the Children's Park, including parole violations, possession of methamphetamine and commercial burglary.

In that same time period, seven warrants were issued in Pantoja Park and zero were issued in Amici Park.

The SDPD provided the records to NBC 7 Investigates, but declined to comment further.

Gloria said one solution to reducing crime at the Children’s Park is redesigning the space.

“Parks need activation, and without it you tend to invite other elements that people don't want in their neighborhood,” he said.

In 2011, Civic San Diego approved a $3.2 million master plan for the 1.5-acre park. The proposed changes included new landscaping and adding playground equipment and a restroom. Click here to see more details about the approved plan.

But the plan was never put into action.

In 2012, state redevelopment money, the primary funding source for neighborhood projects, was cut. Gloria said without state funding, there wasn't enough money for the improvements.

Since the 2011 plan was approved, area residents have new ideas for the future of the park. One possibility being discussed is transforming the land into an off-leash dog park.

Gloria said he supports the idea, but finding the funding will be difficult.

“The city’s budget is $1.2 billion, so it should be able to find something like that,” he said. “But that has to compete with other demands not just across the city but within downtown.”

Brad Richter with Civic San Diego declined NBC 7 Investigates request for an on-camera interview.

In an email he said $600,000 was allocated last year to begin implementing the 2011 park improvements. If the plan were to include the addition of an off-leash dog park, the approval process starts over.

Carreras said he hopes the city makes "cleaning up" the park a priority.

“I think San Diego has the opportunity to revitalize places like this and make them more family friendly," he said.

A motorcyclist traveling Interstate 805 in excess of 120 miles per hour slammed into the back of a car during a police pursuit that crossed San Diego County Tuesday.

A man riding a Suzuki motorcycle led California Highway Patrol officers on a chase from Oceanside to North Park in just 15 minutes, officers told NBC 7.

A driver on her way home became part of the pursuit when the rider slammed into the back of her vehicle, spinning her car around and up onto an embankment.

"I don't know everything happened so fast," said Erma Ramirez. "You're not expecting to be rear-ended by a motorcycle pursuit at 130 miles per hour."

Despite the motorcycle sustaining serious damage, the rider was able to walk to the median of the highway where he waited for CHP officers.

They put him into handcuffs and took him into custody.  

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story.

New Hampshire on Monday is hosting the first-in-the-nation presidential primary, featuring candidates for the Republican and Democratic nomination. Of the state's 1.33 million residents, more than 870,000 residents are registered to vote. Polls started opening at 7 a.m., except for a handful of communities that begin voting just after midnight. In Dixville Notch, voters in that tiny town gave Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich two votes, Republican Donald Trump got two and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders won four votes for his Democratic bid.

The candidates continued to reach out to voters and made rounds on TV shows on Tuesday.

Chris Christie told his campaign volunteers to work now, celebrate later.

Visiting his Bedford headquarters, Christie said the Republican contest is far from over, and that the campaign has much work to do to get voters to the polls.

Christie continued to tout his performance in Saturday's debate, during which he came down hard on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, saying it solidified the central premise of his campaign: that his work and life experience make him the best prepared to take on Hillary Clinton and win the presidency. And he says he's fine with others criticizing his record, because at least he has one.

Jeb Bush,  buoyed by some favorable poll numbers and growing crowds at his town halls, was hammering away at Trump, saying his own experience as a two-term Florida governor is a better presidential qualification.

Bush, appearing on Fox News Tuesday, says he's determined to knock down Trump because he says "this guy is not a conservative" and he cannot "win by insulting your way to the presidency."

Bush says he's the only candidate offering detailed plans to lift people out of poverty, raise middle class incomes and keep the country safe.

He says "that's what people want," not "the insults and all the divisiveness."

Speaking to MSNBC's "Morning Joe" as polls opened, Trump said his campaign is $45 million under budget as he enters the second race of the presidential nomination process.

He acknowledged that he's polled well in the Granite State but urged people to go out and vote.

Trump also addressed a possible third-party run by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, calling Bloomberg his friend, but acknowledging some of his shortfalls as mayor with regard to property development.

Trump has maintained a lead in most New Hampshire polls among his Republican contenders leading up to Tuesday's primary.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich avoided making predictions and focused on his economic plans for the country, instead.

Speaking to "Morning Joe" Kasich said he expects a "strong finish" in the first-in-the-nation primary, but emphasized his wishes to maintain a positive campaign that promotes job creation and economic prosperity for the American people.

One of Hillary Clinton's morning stops put her face-to-face with Frank Fiorina, the husband of Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina.

Clinton and Fiorina greeted each other at a middle school in Derry, New Hampshire that serves as a polling site.

Clinton asked Fiorina, "Isn't it amazing?"

Fiorina joked that he's not crazy about the snow but the people who come to the polls are "amazing."

Clinton added, "Give my best to Carly."

Independent voters, officially known as "undeclared," make up 44 percent of registered voters in New Hampshire. They can vote in either primary, making them a key group on Tuesday. Here are snapshots of voters who went to the polls Tuesday:

Greg St. Laurent, a 68-year-old computer engineer who lives in Manchester and works over the border for a small Massachusetts firm, cast his ballot for Kasich in the GOP primary.

"I think it's a very interesting process that we need to go through. I think the bulk of the country is indicating its displeasure with the establishment. So, I think it's important that everyone comes out to vote in the primary to indicate whatever pleasure or displeasure they have," he said.

"The division between the parties is greater than it has been. Being a kid, I remember people a lot more united behind a particular candidate."

Cait McKay, 29, of Manchester, voted for Sanders, who is locked in a tough battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. McKay works as a supervisor at a residential care facility for children with special needs.

"The biggest issue that I hear from everyone is the economy, the economy, the economy, the economy," McKay said. "But, those aren't the biggest issues to me. I am more interested in gender equality, in equal pay and equality for everyone in health care — in just building a better society for everyone. Other countries all over the world have it so why is it so crazy to think that we can have it, too?"

"I really find it odd that one side is scrabbling so hard against each other to find one person that they're all supposed to support. I mean, how is everyone going to pick someone so specific if they can't even get along with each other inside their party? That's one of the reasons that I really like Bernie. He's not taking the negative ads or the negative stabs at everyone. If you can't get along with the people that you're supposed to get along with, how can you go across the aisle and get along with anybody in the government?"

Merton Grant, 87, and his wife, Phyllis, 80, say they voted for Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz because he's a born-again Christian like them.

"It was a tough choice. There were a lot of candidates, but we had to agree. Otherwise, why cancel each other's votes?" said Merton Grant, a retired real estate agent.

The Nashua couple, lifelong Republicans married for 58 years, said they paid close attention to the debates but met just one candidate face-to-face: Ben Carson, who attended Sunday services at their church this past weekend. "Nice guy. Not sure he has a chance, though," said Merton Grant.

Phyllis Grant, a retired nurse, said the two were ultimately swayed by the way Cruz handled himself in debates.

Troye Fennell, 53, is a Goffstown resident who spent 18 years living overseas — including the United Kingdom, Turkey and Jamaica. He voted for Clinton.

"I have been a supporter of Hillary for a long time, mostly because I like the way she conducts herself in her personal life and I loved the way she conducted herself as secretary of state. And I think that in the world that we are living in now she's probably the most qualified because of her familiarity with international politics and the way America is perceived in other countries," Fennell said. "I think she has a bit more of a global view, which I think is more in line with what I think. I've lived in a few different countries. I think the way Americans are viewed abroad, she has a better fit for that going in than the others do."

Not everyone votes in New Hampshire, despite its prominence in the presidential primary season.

Richard Kipphut, 61, moved to New Hampshire in 2006 from his native Connecticut. He has yet to take advantage of voting in the first-in-the-nation primary.

A librarian at Plymouth State University, where he orders, catalogs and processes all its books, Kipphut says it's just too early to cast a vote and he doesn't like to have to declare for one of the major parties to vote in the primary.

Kipphut is an unaffiliated voter, and he usually votes for Democratic candidates — though he says he voted for Republican Richard Nixon in his first presidential election.

"I know you're supposed to say every vote matters. I don't think it's going to matter much, at least not for me," he said.

So he's opting out. When the barrage of commercials from the candidates pops up on TV, he puts it on mute. He's having a tougher time ignoring the ads on his social media news feed. But it will take a break after Tuesday's primary, and Kipphut will vote in the general election.

John Starer, 72, of Bedford, a Republican who owns a company that makes glue sticks, voted for Cruz.

"I think he's about the only one who could possibly get elected as a Republican. I'd like to think Trump had a chance, but no," he said.

He said Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, also vying for the GOP nomination, lacks the experience to be president. "Maybe next time around."

Starer said he made up his mind about five minutes before he voted after narrowing down his choice to Trump or Cruz.

"The most important thing is to get back to our original values. We have to have someone who can put a coalition together, someone who's closer to a Reagan Republican."

Megan Tolstenko, 33, an unaffiliated voter from Manchester, voted in the GOP primary for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

"He pulled on my heartstrings," said Tolstenko, who works in the financial services industry.

She described herself as "scared out of my mind" about the Islamic State group and thinks Christie would be best able to manage the country's defenses.

"It's nice to see someone who's not forgetting about our role in the world," she said.

She met Christie last summer.

"I didn't think I was going to vote for him then. Today, I woke up this morning and something clicked," she said. "I will be honest with you — this whole season has been a struggle. I've gone back-and-forth between both political sides. At the end of the day, I need someone who has compassion and cares about the world as well as the United States. It seems like some candidates have lost sight of that, but for some reason, it just seemed like he always had that on his mind, and he talked about it in every speech. There was some integrity there, and that resonated with me."

Nicole Reitano, a 24-year-old embroiderer from Nashua, says she voted for Sanders because she likes his economic policies and the fact that he supports abortion rights.

"I felt like he was the most honest," Reitano said. "He's had the same views forever, and he's never budged. That makes me feel confident in him."

An independent who voted for President Obama in 2012, she briefly considered voting for Clinton.

"She seems to flip flop a little bit, but if she ended up winning instead of Bernie, I would be OK with that. Anybody but Trump is good for me. Pretty much."

A pedestrian died when he was hit while crossing a Vista street Monday evening.

San Diego County Sheriff’s officials say a 69-year-old man tried to cross N. Emerald Drive near Jonathan Place outside a crosswalk at about 8:15 p.m.

As he walked on the northbound lanes, many drivers swerved to avoid the pedestrian.

When he reached the southbound lanes, one vehicle was able to turn around him, but a second car hit the man.

He collided with the vehicle’s front driver’s side and windshield, suffering a fatal head injury, authorities say.

Oceanside paramedics took the pedestrian to Tri City Hospital, where another crew then airlifted him to Scripps La Jolla. He later died.

The man’s name will not be released until his family has been notified. The driver involved in the crash stayed at the scene to talk with deputies. Alcohol is not considered a factor, officials say.

Several witnesses talked with investigators, but the sheriff’s department wants others who saw the crash to give their statement as well.
 

Emergency rescue crews rushed to Rancho San Diego Tuesday morning after a driver plowed through a retaining wall, flying down an embankment and landing in someone's yard.

The collision was reported just before 7:40 a.m. at Jamacha and Grove roads. Officials with California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Cal Fire were called to the area after a driver in a black Mustang collided with a truck, veered off the road, slammed through a retaining wall, flew 30 feet down an embankment and finally came to rest in someone's backyard.

The driver was trapped inside the mangled Mustang, and crews had to rescue him, Cal Fire's Kendal Bortisser said. Both he and the driver of the truck involved in the accident were taken to local hospital with unspecified injuries.

No other injuries were reported.

CHP officials said the driver of the Mustang appeared to be speeding as he drove over the hill on Jamacha Road. The driver of the truck was preparing to make a turn when the crash occured.

Once the Mustang landed in the yard, glass and debris from the vehicle flew in all directions. The front of the car was ripped off and smoke billowed from the wreckage. Some patio chairs and a tarp were also damaged in the crash, a mess left behind in the yard. However, the car did not crash into the home.

Neighbors, including Roumaldo Romero, told NBC 7 the collision sounded like a loud, thunderous explosion that reverberated in the valley surrounding the homes in the area.

Romero said he rushed to help the driver of the Mustang, a young man in his 20s, and held his hand until emergency crew arrived. Romero said the driver said his shoulder and leg hurt.

Some residents said this isn’t the first time a crash like this has happened in the neighborhood.

The accident is under investigation. Further details have not yet been released.

New Hampshire is no longer a Clinton family refuge. Bernie Sanders soundly defeated Hillary Clinton Tuesday in New Hampshire, a state that in the past had salvaged the presidential dreams of both Hillary Clinton in 2008 and Bill Clinton in 1992. 

Nearly every demographic group soundly rejected Clinton's candidacy in favor of the 74-year-old self-described democratic-socialist barely known to most Americans. Since 2008, when Clinton edged past Barack Obama to claim a win in the Granite State, the Democratic Party has moved to the left. But Clinton's defeat is also telling of her unresolved, underlying weaknesses. 

The campaign is planning to formalize a key role for Jen O'Malley Dillon, the former deputy campaign manager for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, a source confirmed to NBC News Wednesday.

Both Bill and Hillary Clinton have been concerned about campaign strategy and messaging, according to sources.

An unfounded bomb threat led to the evacuation of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver Tuesday afternoon — after hundreds of thousands of people packed the area to celebrate the Denver Broncos' Super Bowl victory, authorities told NBC News.

State Patrol Trooper Nate Reid confirmed that a bomb threat had been received Tuesday afternoon. He said authorities swept the Capitol before determining after about three hours that the threat wasn't credible.

More than 1 million people rallied at nearby Civic Park and in the downtown area earlier Tuesday afternoon for the Broncos' Super Bowl parade, but KUSA reported that many of them had already left by the time the Capitol was evacuated.

 There is room, after all, for moderates in this presidential race. 

Ohio Gov. John Kasich's moderate views and positive message helped him gather enough votes to emerge as the second place finisher Tuesday in New Hampshire's Republican primary. Kasich's approach is to avoid the negative tone of his opponents, he remarked. 

While Donald Trump tended to win most voter groups, Kasich did better than the rest of the field among Republicans who are dissatisfied but not necessarily angry with Washington (21 percent); among Republicans who are somewhat rather than very worried about the economy (27 percent); and among GOP voters who are somewhat rather than very worried about a terrorist attack (24 percent).

Kasich also did well among self-described moderates (28 percent), voters who have a post-graduate degree (22 percent) and voters who don't own a gun (21 percent).

New York City police are searching for a woman who allegedly attacked a 38-year-old transgender woman on the subway and they say the incident is being investigated as a bias attack.

Video captured the exchange on an uptown D train at 125th Street on Jan. 30, according to police. It began with a verbal argument when the suspect asked the victim if she was male or female. Other passengers tried to subdue the attacker. 

The victim, Jennifer Louise Lopez, is a transgender advocate. She told NBC 4 New York her attacker punched her in the face, sending her to St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery on her eye. 

"Jennifer is probably afraid for her life," said friend Tanya Asapansa-Johnson of Harlem, also a transgender woman. 

Lopez took a photo of her alleged attacker and posted it on a transgender community website. 

"It's pretty scary when you're attacked for your gender identity," she said. 

Police ask anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. 

Minnie Mouse, Cookie Monster and Olaf from the film “Frozen” became the latest costumed characters to be arrested in Times Square after a cop allegedly saw them harassing a man for money.

The three colorful characters posed with the man on Sunday, but things turned south quickly when they allegedly started following him and demanding cash.

At one point the characters even blocked the man’s path and insisted that he pay them $20. The intimidated tourist handed over $10, according to police.

That’s when an NYPD officer stepped in and arrested the three characters for harassment.

The characters are popular with tourists, who flock to them for photos all year round. 

“They’re so cute. Yeah, I love the costume,” Chinese tourist Tristy Huang said.

But they’ve been involved in numerous squabbles over the years. Minnie Mouse, Cookie Monster and Olaf are just the latest masked characters to be arrested for behaving badly.

“That’s kind of shocking,” NYC resident Lauren Stegland said.

Spider-Man duked it out with an ice cream truck vendor last August after the vendor warned tourists that he had hassled others for money. The brawl outside Toys "R" Us was caught on camera.

Woody, Minnie Mouse, the Statue of Liberty, Batman and Elmo are just a few of the characters that have been arrested in Times Square over the last couple of years.

Last August, Mayor de Blasio assigned a multiagency city task force to address what he called the "growing problem" of topless, painted women and costumed characters in Times Square and said that one option under consideration is removing the famed intersection's pedestrian plazas. In the meantime, plainclothes NYPD officers have been patrolling the square to combat aggressive characters.

Lisette Gill, of Manhattan, said she has felt pressured by the characters before, but that people just have to stand their ground when approached. 

“They wanted $5 each, and he was like, ‘Come on, give me more.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t have any more, sorry.’”

You've heard about the Washington, D.C.- area, contractor that got Mike Tyson to star in the company's Super Bowl 50 commercial. But have you heard about the guy shown knocked out by "Iron Mike"?

Sam Crossed, aka the Vanilla Gorilla, is a professional boxer who trains at Old School Boxing Gym in Fort Washington, Maryland. The 30-second ad for Michael & Son Services, which is a News4 advertiser, shows Crossed getting punched once by Tyson.

But he actually was hit 10 times in the making of the ad that aired Sunday. It was a fake punch, but it still stung, he said.

"It grazed my lip. He pulled up right at the last second, but he made contact with me," he said. "It hurt a little bit, honestly."

What also wasn't fake was his body slamming to the mat over and over again.

"The next couple weeks, my elbows and knees were scabbed up from falling so many times," he said.

Crossed, who lives in Prince George's County and works as a bartender, is training for a bout later this month at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. He said being knocked out by Tyson has gotten him lots of attention.

"It's been awesome, man," he said. "People I haven't talked to in years have been calling my phone, texting me, saying they saw the commercial."

Asked why he's called the Vanilla Gorilla, here's what he said, lifting his shirt: "'Cause I'm a hairy white guy, that's why."

If Crossed and Tyson really competed, who would win?

"I think I'd knock him out," Crossed said.