San Diego has fallen behind other cities across the nation in an effort to house chronically homeless veterans, according to a national initiative called 25 Cities.

Now, the San Diego Housing Commission is aiming to house 1,000 chronically homeless veterans by March 1, 2017, along with a campaign launched by San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer called “Housing Our Heroes.”

The federally-funded agency is trying to tackle the problem by going more high-tech with recent purchases of Mac Book Pros, Apple iPad tablets, Apple iWatches and Apple TVs.

Jose Corrales, an inspector for the San Diego Housing Commission, uses an iPad to conduct a move-in inspection at an El Cerrito area apartment slated for a tenant with a federal housing voucher.

Corrales enters the inspection information into the iPad where the data nearly automatically becomes available to future landlords and to housing assistants helping low-income or homeless tenants find shelter.

“It helps in that it speeds up the process, so right now, back in the office, they already know that it passed because my results have already gotten uploaded,” Corrales said. “It eliminates a lot of the paper shuffling, with for example, the report’s on this person’s desk, and it’s going somewhere else. Whereas now, at least, the result is done.”

Not everyone agrees with how the money is being spent.

Through the California Public Records Act, NBC 7 found the agency bought about $50,000 in Apple products between 2013 and 2016, including two Mac Book Pros, 22 iPads, two Apple TVs and two Apple Watches. The documents can be found and reviewed here.

Eddie Rivers, an Iraq war veteran who spent about seven years living on the streets, said the public agency buying the iWatches is a stretch.

“I could just imagine, you know, the iWatches for example could have fed how many people for this week? That could have clothed how many people this week? That could have provided shelter if only for a week; it’s better than one night on the street,” Rivers said. “I just wonder if the iWatch was not a special little perk for an executive position and I question the need for it.”

Kary Clements, the Housing Commission’s vice president of information technology, approved the purchases. He said his organization is constantly evaluating new products for efficiency.

About the iWatches, he said: “We’re evaluating those for mobility. So, it’s for anyone that’s on-the-go. So inspectors, maintenance people that are out doing things or executives that are constantly on-the-go, we were evaluating those to see how well they could do.”

Clements said the Housing Commission is not going to make any big purchases of iWatches because after evaluating them, they don't think the cost-value is there.

“We’re constantly evaluating technologies to be more productive so that we don’t spend as much money, so we do things more quickly, so we can just be more efficient,” Clements said.

The agency originally did not provide the records for the Apple iWatches to NBC 7. NBC 7 requested documents for all Apple product purchases, and the agency responded with purchase orders and invoices for Apple product purchases totaling more than $50,000, but left out the iWatches purchase.

After NBC7 followed up again, they provided the additional $1,289 invoice for two iWatches. A spokeswoman for the agency said the iWatches weren’t included in the original response because they weren’t bought through the typical procurement process and instead were purchased with someone’s credit card.

Nearly 800 people have been held at Guantanamo Bay prison since prisoners begun arriving there in January 2002 and 91 still remain today. 

All would be transferred somewhere else under President Obama's plan to close the facility. Half are facing criminal charges, while 35 have been deemed eligible for transfer to other countries. Another 10 have been determined to be "unreleasable." 

The detainees are from more than a dozen countries, but most — 52, including 29 who've been cleared for release — are from Yemen. The detainees include Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a Pakistani citizen who was "the principal architect" of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, according to the 9/11 Commission Report. 

Abu Zubaydah, suspected of being an al-Qaida operative and 9/11 plotter, is also being held there. He was waterboarded and lost an eye while held by the CIA after his capture in 2002. 

Click through for more on the detainees being kept at the facility. 

Teams of culinary arts students from 10 high schools across San Diego County went whole hog Tuesday as they battled it out in a cooking competition.

The 2016 San Diego County CTE MasterChefs Competition went down at Orange Glen High School in Escondido, with teams showcasing their culinary talents by whipping up two identical entrées that included five components: protein, starch, vegetable, sauce and an edible garnish.

This year’s selected protein was pork, and the students had to cook on two burners in just one hour, organizers said. This marked the third year San Diego County high schools have participated in this competition.

Organizers said teams from the following high schools got in on the action: Escondido; Fallbrook; Mission Hills; Orange Glen; San Dieguito Academy; San Pasqual Academy; San Pasqual High School; Santana; Southwest; Vista.

The students were evaluated by a panel of experts in areas including safety, sanitation, cooking procedures and their finished product. Judges on that panel included some big names in the local culinary scene, including AmyDiBiase, executive chef and general manager at Tidal/Paradise Point Resort & Spa, Ron Oliver, Chef de Cuisine at The Marine Room and Travis Watson, executive chef at the Rancho Bernardo Inn.

In the past, Fallbrook High School and Vista High School have won the competition.

History repeated itself Tuesday, with Vista High School once again taking home the first place victory. Second place went to Escondido High School, and third place to Santana High School.
 

About 20 students at an elite San Francisco high school walked out of class Tuesday morning in protest of what they see as racist behavior from fellow students.

Lowell High School students walked out of class around 9 a.m. and headed toward San Francisco City Hall for an 11 a.m. rally, where they were greeted by a representative from the mayor's office and by Supervisors Norman Yee and Malia Cohen, as well as by the Rev. Amos Brown, president of the local branch of the NAACP. The students are hoping to talk to school officials at a board meeting Tuesday night.

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The school’s Black Student Union group said students found racist imagery on the windows of the school's library earlier this month.

Photos of prominent African-Americans — including Kanye West, President Barack Obama, and a shot of Ice Cube and Chris Tucker in the movie "Friday" — were taped to the window alongside a printout that said "HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH #GANG," the group said.

The display, which prompted students to organize Tuesday’s rally calling for change, is one example of the types of racist comments and uncomfortable climate many black students experience at Lowell, students said. Rev. Brown said the walkout is "an indication that courage has not skipped the Millennial generation."

A school district representative said the person responsible for the display has been dealt with but did not elaborate.

Lowell's principal, Andrew Ishibashi, condoned the walkout and admitted the school has a long way to go. He said he'll be meeting with community leaders, "continue the listening," then implement "corrective action."

Lowell has 132 teachers, but only four of them are African-American, one faculty member told NBC Bay Area. San Francisco Unified spokesperson Gentle Blythe said the district has been trying to attract more African-American candidates for teaching positions, but the nationwide teacher shortage has compounded the issue.

A number of students said they had experienced incidents of being called "ghetto" or dirty, of having other students refuse to believe they could be taking Advanced Placement classes, and of being told by adults that they needed to change the way they looked to fit in. Several students said they did not feel like they belonged at Lowell.

"We go to the same school, we passed the same test, so what makes us different?" one student said. "We are just as smart as everyone at the school, we worked just as hard to get there."

"I personally feel that the school can do more," Lowell sophomore Charlotte Schwartz said. "But, being someone that believes they can do more, I also believe that they’re taking a step at all, which is more than most schools would do for this."

Lowell, the city’s top-rated academic high school, has an enrollment of 2,650 students. Fewer than 60 of them are African-American. Overall, Lowell is 57 percent Asian, 14 percent white, 10 percent Hispanic and 2 percent African-American.

The students planned to gather Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at the school district’s board meeting at 555 Franklin St. to release a list of demands.

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NBC Bay Area's Chuck Coppola and Mark Matthews, and Bay City News contributed to this report.

Carlsbad residents cast their ballots Tuesday in a special election on the controversial "measure A" to determine what happens to the Agua Hedionda Lagoon area. 

The plan, created by developer Rick Caruso, would build an outdoor shopping center that would overlook the Agua Hedionda Lagoon and sit where the strawberry fields once grew. 

On Tuesday, many that came to cast their ballots were passionate about the future of the project.

The registrar of voters told NBC 7 San Diego they imagined there would be at least 50 percent turnout for the election. 

The Carlsbad City Council approved the project unanimously in August, but after opponents gathered signatures, the council agreed to put it to a city-wide vote and opposition has been fierce.

Through a signature drive, developer Rick Caruso bypassed the typical extensive environmental review, known as CEQA, and the public input that goes along with it.

Proponents of the Agua Hedionda project, including the owner of the Carlsbad Strawberry Company, say the shops will be built on about 30 acres, leaving 85 percent of the land reserved for things like hiking trails, an outdoor classroom, amphitheaters and natural space.

Opponents say moving forward without an environmental plan could set a precedent for development decisions across the state.

If the measure passes, the ordinance approving the plan will go into effect 10 days later, starting the process to build the area. It is expected to be completed by 2018. If doesn't pass, land-use would remain as is today and the development company can resubmit its development plan or end its contract with SDG&E. Another party could purchase the area.

The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.  

Five students and one staffer were sickened at Clairemont High School Tuesday after someone released pepper spray in the girls’ locker room, prompting an evacuation of the gymnasium.

Linda Zintz, communications director with the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), said a noxious odor from an unknown substance filled the air at around 10:40 a.m., causing students to cough. Zintz said all students and staffers were safe, and were evacuated from the gym as a precaution.

Officials with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) were called to the campus to investigate. SDFD crews quickly determined there was no gas leak, but remained on site for about half an hour trying to figure out what caused the smell.

At around 11:35 a.m., Zintz said SDFD investigators had concluded the odor was pepper spray, released by an unknown person in the girls’ locker room.

The students and staffer sickened by the pepper spray were receiving first aid from the school nurse. There were no interruptions to other classes, Zintz said.

The incident is now being investigated by school police. Clairemont High School is located at 4150 Ute Dr.
 

Two ferrets died Tuesday in a house fire in the Skyline area of San Diego.

When San Diego Police and San Diego Fire-Rescue crews arrived to the home on Glencoe Drive just after 11 a.m. they found smoke and flames coming from the home. 

San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Joe Amador say residents of the home were fighting the flames with a garden hose.

Firefighters forced entry into the home and knocked down the fire within 10 minutes.

Two pet ferrets were found dead.

Six adults were looking for a place to stay, Amador said.

Investigators were trying to determine the cause.

No one was injured.

San Diego County Sheriff’s homicide investigators have released surveillance video of three suspects they believe stabbed a man multiple times in Fallbrook, in hopes of finding the men. 

Deputies are searching for the three unknown men in connection with the stabbing, which happened Jan. 22 when Hugh Pettigrew was walking home along the 400 block of Ammunition Road in Fallbrook at about 10:45 p.m. 

Pettigrew was walking west of the Albertson's grocery store when he was attacked and stabbed multiple times, deputies said. 

"Right now in the investigation we know that there were three assailants," said Lt. Kenn Nelson, with the SDSO. "They were either white or Hispanic males, late teens to early 20s. What their motive is, we've not confirmed. We kind of ruled out robbery at this point but we're still looking at all avenues."

After family members called 911, deputies from the Fallbrook substation and medical personnel responded. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died from complications from multiple stab wounds on Feb. 9, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office said. 

Security footage shows the thee suspect appear to be in their late teens to early 20s, deputies said. The suspects were driven in the Albertson's parking lot by a female adult in her early 20s, deputies said. The suspect car is a 1997 red Honda Civic four door. 

"We have a few leads that we are following up on however, being a homicide investigation, there are quite a few details that we still need to piece together and we need the public's help," said Nelson.

Investigators are asking anyone who may have been in the area or seen anything to please get in touch with them. You can reach the San Diego County Sheriff's homicide detail at 858-974-2321, or after hours at (858) 565-5200.

 San Diego Police (SDPD) are looking for a suspect who punched a person in the face so hard, the injury will require plastic surgery to fix.

SDPD officials said the suspect attacked the person inside the Whole Foods on the 700 block of University Avenue in December. 

The suspect pushed the victim once inside the store, SDPD spokesman Mark Herring said. Then, in another part of the store, the suspect punched the victim in the face and broke his orbital bone. 

Police said the suspect and victim never exchanged any words. 

Before police arrived, the suspect fled the scene. When police arrived, the victim said he had never seen the suspect before and did not know what could have provoked him to push and punch him. 

On Monday, police released photos of the suspect, who is charged with felony battery. The suspect is described as in his 20s, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call SDPD's Detective Bennett at his desk phone, (619) 692-4834, or his cell phone, (619) 672-0302.

No further information was immediately available.

A memorial of flowers, stuffed animals and a note draped a fence in a community northeast of San Diego on Tuesday, near the site where a 10-year-old girl was hit and killed by a car.

Neighbors and family were mourning the loss of the girl who died trying to save another child on Monday afternoon. The girl, Kiera Larsen, was remembered by neighbors as beautiful, playful and a true hero.

Authorities say Kiera was playing with her siblings and friends outside her home when somehow a Mercedes parked in the girl’s yard rolled down a sloping driveway and toward the group of kids.

The accident happened in the 13400 block of Interstate 8 business in Lakeside just after 5 p.m.

Kiera saw the approaching car, officers say, and pushed a 2-year-old girl out of the way, saving her.

Kiera suffered injuries and was rushed to Grossmont Hospital, but later died.

Neighbors were stunned and devastated about the loss.

“We’ve just all rallied together as a neighborhood just to be there and do whatever we can for them,” said neighbor Terra Ennis. “We love them very much. There’s not a lot we can really say or do so we’re just here for them.”

Authorities will perform a mechanical evaluation of the car to determine why it slid down the driveway.

Meanwhile, Kiera’s neighbors and friends have set up a GoFundMe page for her family. You can donate here.

A local company that makes medical devices for spinal surgery must pay a former distributor at least $27 million for interfering with the distributor’s business, following a jury’s decision in federal court.

According to court documents and trial testimony, the dispute started in 2012, when San Diego-based NuVasive, Inc. allegedly fired Madsen Medical, a Nevada medical supply company that sold NuVasive products to hospitals and surgeons in Las Vegas and Reno.

Madsen Medical’s owner, Kris Madsen, claimed NuVasive breached its contract with Madsen by hiring six of Madsen’s sales representatives and having them sell directly to Madsen’s former clients.

The San Diego jury heard 13 days of evidence and argument in the dispute. After several hours of deliberating on Friday, jurors sided with Madsen Medical.

The jury agreed Madsen wrongly suffered a $7.5 million loss for interference of contract and lost profits. Jurors also agreed NuVasive wrongly earned $14 million in sales proceeds in Nevada after firing Madsen and hiring the company’s former sales reps. The jury’s award includes $20 million in punitive damages against NuVasive, which is headquartered in Sorrento Valley.

Unlike most verdicts, NuVasive will not have to pay Madsen both amounts.

Instead, Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz will review the evidence and verdict and consider post-trial written arguments from both sides before deciding which of the two damage amounts -- either $7.5 million or $14 million -- NuVasive will have to pay Madsen.

Regardless of the outcome, Madsen’s attorney, Joe Ybarra, said the verdict confirmed his client’s claim that NuVasive had violated its contract with Madsen Medical and Kris Madsen.

“We’re very proud of our client,” said Ybarra.”She stood up for herself and her rights, and we’re really proud that the jury vindicated her.”

NuVasive declined a request for an interview, but confirmed it will ask Judge Moskowitz to set aside the jury’s verdict and vacate the damage wards.

“We are aware that the court in the Madsen case reached a verdict unfavorable to NuVasive, and we are in the process of filing post-trial motions to overturn the verdict and/or seek a new trial,” the company said in a statement released Tuesday to NBC 7 Investigates. “We believe that neither the law nor the facts support the verdict in this matter, and we intend to appeal in the event our post-trial motions are unsuccessful and a judgment is entered by the Court. As this is an ongoing litigation matter, our policy is not to comment further.”

On Monday, the jury deliberated a second time on the issue of punitive damages.

In court, Ybarra told jurors NuVasive had not only broken its contract but acted with “malice, fraud or oppression” and the knowledge that what it was doing was wrong. He asked the jury to award Madsen an additional $15 million in damages, for that allegedly malicious behavior.

NuVasive’s attorney pointedly disagreed in court, telling jurors that NuVasive’s behavior did not rise to the level required for punitive damages of any amount.

After deliberating less than a day, the jury ordered NuVasive to pay Madsen an additional $20 million in punitive damages.

“Big corporations have to deal fairly with their business partners,” Ybarra said of the jury’s award. “You can’t just trample over their rights. That’s what the jury understood.”

Ybarra said the jury’s award of $27.5 million on the low end, or $34 million on the high end, would be one of the biggest verdicts in a civil business dispute in California in recent years.
 

A Mexican eatery in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood has tapped some well-known chefs from Baja for a series of taco takeover events taking place over the next few weeks.

Tacos Perla, located at 3000 Upas St., Suite 105, is hosting “Guest Taco Nights” on Feb. 24 and March 16 – one-night events featuring unique street tacos created by guest chefs.

On Feb. 24, Chef Oso Campos, of Tacos Kokopelli in Tijuana and consulting chef for Tacos Perla’s menu, will set up shop at the North Park restaurant. On March 16, Ensenada native Diego Hernandez will take over the kitchen, representing his award-winning, farm-to-table restaurant based in Valle de Guadalupe, Corazón de Tierra.

On both nights, the original tacos concocted by each chef will sell for $3.95 a pop, available from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tacos Perla will also offer beer specials from local and Baja craft breweries to pair perfectly with those tacos.

Tacos Perla says additional chefs and “Guest Taco Nights” will be announced in the coming months. Space is limited, so get there early. There are no advance tickets available to this event.

The eatery kicked off the sizzling series last Friday with tacos by Adria Marina, chef and owner of the Tijuana-based food truck, Don Ramen, and contestant on the current season of “Top Chef Mexico.” The restaurant posted photos of the tasty tacos Marina made on Facebook.

Tacos Perla is housed in Jonathan Segal’s North Parker building and is open every day – 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. The eatery is known for its authentic, Tijuana-inspired fare, including traditional options like carne asada street tacos as well as non-traditional items like the "Ocho," a braised and grilled octopus taco with poblano, pesto and cheese.
 

A 13-year-old South Park boy is looking for the owner of jewelry he and a friend found while hiking near a South Park canyon.

Thomas Hoffman said he and another boy were exploring new areas near a canyon at Felton and Ivy Street on February 13 around 9:30 a.m.

“We saw something glitter and I went down more and found a whole chunk of jewelry,” said Hoffman.

The boys said they found a pair of clip on earrings, bracelets and necklaces strewn down the canyon. Jewelry boxes were scattered on the ground as if thrown, he said.

“We thought we should try to find whose stuff it was and return it to them,” said Hoffman.

Hoffman gave the jewelry to his mother. She has tried to report this to San Diego Police, but says police have not gotten back to her. It’s unclear whether this is connected to a crime in the area.

“I just hope we find the person who owns this jewelry,” says Hoffman.
 

A Rancho Santa Fe estate is currently listed at $92 million and, if sold at the asking price, would be the most expensive property sold in San Diego County, real estate agents say.

Del Dios Ranch includes an 8,148-square-foot main residence, with a 3,936-square-foot adjoining pavilion dedicated to a pool and spa.

The ranch also boasts a separate guest house, six-stall barn, office and maintenance building and garage and workshop.

Of the expansive property, the listing agent, Willis Allen Real Estate, writes: "The property comprises some 210 acres, a large portion of which is available for development. The residence itself is a magnificent redwood, glass, and marble structure, with foundations and framework of poured-in-place concrete commanding 360-degree views from its private hilltop location.”

A lake, tennis court and equestrian facilities also sit on the property.

You can’t find the property publicly listed, as only very serious buyers are encouraged to contact the agency, said agent Linda Sansone of Willis Allen Real Estate.

Sansone told The Wall Street Journal that the current record for the priciest home sale in San Diego County is the 2007 purchase of a $35 million beachfront Del Mar home.

Del Dios Ranch was built in 1972 and was the longtime home of Roland Sahm, founder of Elixir Industries. Sahm and his wife have both since died, the Wall Street Journal reports, and their son is selling the estate.

Bill Beck, a leader in the San Diego lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, died Monday of Parkinson's Disease. He was 74.

Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins announced the news Tuesday calling Beck a “true pioneer in LGBT rights in San Diego.”

Beck was dedicated to raising money for AIDS research and fighting for equality but he was also a force in San Diego politics.

The Ohio native helped pave the way for several openly gay candidates to win seats at the state and local levels.

Beck served as finance manager for political candidates, working behind the scenes to help advance those who would give the LGBT community a voice, Atkins said.

Former state senator Christine Kehoe credited Beck with being “part of a wave of progressive change.”

San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis echoed that sentiment in the prepared statement saying that Beck helped members of the community "secure a seat at the table."

When he was honored by the Lambda Archives of San Diego (LASD) as one of the “Heroes, Pioneers and Trailblazers”, Beck pointed out that he could not have accomplished what he did in his life without the support of his husband David Huskey.

The couple had been together for more than 30 years when they married in 2008.

The Chargers want a multi-use stadium in the downtown area of San Diego and ask fans to keep an “open mind” as they pursue it, according to a statement from the team released Tuesday. 

Team officials acknowledge the reasons why San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and County Supervisor Ron Roberts are backing a Mission Valley site, but they claim “the multi-use facility, when combined with Petco Park, the existing Convention Center, the Gaslamp Quarter and a revitalized East Village would create an unparalleled entertainment and sports district.”

Read the statement here.

Faulconer and Roberts released a joint statement in response to the Chargers' announcement.

“We want the Chargers to remain in San Diego. After consulting with numerous experts on stadium financing and conducting a large-scale public outreach effort last year we proposed a straight-forward plan to finance a modern NFL stadium at the existing Mission Valley site. That plan would build a new stadium without raising taxes.

"Most experts we’ve talked to have concluded that building a stadium Downtown – on land not owned by either the City or the Chargers – would increase costs by hundreds of millions of dollars and take years longer to complete.

"However, it now appears that the Chargers intend to pursue a stadium in Downtown. It remains unclear how the Chargers intend to finance a Downtown stadium. But it is abundantly clear that a ballot measure that raises taxes for a stadium must be approved by two-thirds of San Diego’s voters. This is an extremely high hurdle to clear. We remain committed to maintaining an open dialogue with the Chargers as we learn more details about their plan.”

The Chargers will pay for the full ‘stadium portion’ of the downtown plan, said Steve Peace, a spokesman with JMI Realty, which is leading the coalition charged with planning a downtown stadium. He said it would cost $400 million less to build a combined facility rather than to build two separate facilities; the stadium component is cheaper overall, Peace said.

"One of the opportunities downtown is that because of a consolidated venue with the convention center, there's certain economies of scale; we can reduce cost. That'll all be done in due course as we work through the process," said Fred Maas, a former chairman and CEO of the Centre City Development Corp. who is now serving as the Chargers' special adviser.

The proposal would also allow the Chargers to keep the hotelier commitment in place, according to Peace. Downtown hoteliers have been vying for a convention center expansion at the current Embarcadero site. 

As of Tuesday, there is no actual plan in place and nothing has been set in stone, Peace said. The numbers are conceptual only and things may change.

During a news conference Tuesday, Maas laid out their "abbreviated" process to move forward.

He said the team is working with JMI to create an initiative to present to the county registrar by March 24. If approved, they can begin a signature gathering campaign to put their stadium initiative on the ballot in November.

The land where the team would like to build the stadium sits on 11 separate parcels owned by different poeple, so the Chargers leadership would need to determine how they can obtain the area.

In its statement, the team also mentioned a permanent site for Comic-Con International and a Comic-Con museum.

Comic-Con officials, however, made it clear they do not support the stadium-convention center plan.

"We have had no discussions with the Chargers and were surprised to be mentioned in their recent statement. We hope the public is aware, and we would like to reiterate our ongoing belief that a contiguous convention center expansion is the preferable solution to the limits on current convention center space. Comic-Con has doubts that a multi-use facility would serve the best interests of potential conventions hoping to exhibit in San Diego," their own statement reads.

In early February, after the NFL denied his proposal to share a stadium with the Raiders in Carson, team owner Dean Spanos said he wasn’t committed to downtown. 

He decided to hire Maas to take a fresh look at staying in San Diego. 

Stadium supporters were already on deadline for a November ballot to ask voters to support building a stadium in San Diego.

The team pledged $10 million in financing to help sway voters, many of whom feel burned by the looming potential of losing the franchise that's been in San Diego for 55 seasons.

OSSIC, the San Diego startup building 3-D audio headphones for virtual reality games and other immersive experiences, said it exceeded a crowdfunding campaign goal of $100,000 on its initial day.

A person wearing the OSSIC headphones will hear sounds that seem to come from a certain area, depending on which way that person’s head is oriented.

The business had set a $100,000 funding goal on Kickstarter and had collected about $250,000 in pledges before 9 a.m. Pacific time on Feb. 23, the campaign’s first day. OSSIC’s Kickstarter campaign ends April 21.

The headphones will carry a retail price of $399. Orders for early versions at $199 sold out, with delivery promised in November.

OSSIC is part of the EvoNexus incubator in the University Towne Center neighborhood. Jason Riggs is the company’s CEO.
 

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When Gabrielyn Watson, known to her students as Ms. Watson, returned to school after taking several months off amid a battle with cancer, she never expected what would be waiting for her.

The choir director at Chicago's Morgan Park High School took seven months off from teaching to fight multiple myeloma and was welcomed back to school this month with a moving performance of "Amazing Grace" by a throng of former students, including "American Idol" finalist Peter Frank.

Frank led off the surprise, standing in the hallway alone as he began to sing. Watson collapsed, overwhelmed with emotion as other former students join Frank in harmony. Soon, even Watson herself began to sing along.

The heartwarming homecoming was filmed as part of the "Someone Needs One" program by Kleenex. Frank, now 29, said he arranged the surprise to show his appreciation for "the most influential teacher he’s ever had."

Since video of the touching surprise was posted to social media last week, it has been shared more than 130,000 times and received more than 7.3 million views.

Frank, who appeared on Season 10 of "American Idol," credits Watson with his career as an aspiring entertainer and called her "an unsung hero who deserves recognition." He recalls a moment when Watson gave him a tux for a chorus competition because he couldn't afford one. 

In the video, an emotional Watson said she loves her students.

"I want them to have the best opportunities so that they can thrive," she said.

Morgan Park High School Principal Carolyn Epps called Watson a "true educator" and said there is "no greater tribute to a teacher."

"It was a real tearjerker," Epps said. "She was so surprised and so happy, so it really touched your heart."

Watson described the surprise as "such a rewarding, healing and inspiring experience," according to Kleenex.

In the midst of the Flint water crisis, plumbers union official Harold Harrington was among those offering help, sending hundreds of tradesmen to install filters and faucets for free, hand out lead-testing kits and inspect service lines.

He was so busy that he never got around to testing the water at his own home, he told NBC News. But last week, he finally turned samples over to the state lab. Results showed that the level of lead coming through his taps was 151 parts per billion — 10 times above the point at which the federal government says action must be taken.

Harrington thought back to how his dog, Lucy, had gotten so gravely ill in the summer that he had her euthanized. He also wondered if the lead level could explain why his wife Suzan's hair kept falling out or if it had anything to do with the persistent rash on the back of his head.

"I'm mostly upset at myself," said Harrington who, like most of his neighbors, accepted government assurances that the water the city began taking from the Flint River in April 2014 was perfectly safe to drink. "I should have known better. When I seen and smelled the nasty water, I should have known something was up. I never should have trusted them when they said it was safe."

Officials have identified a young victim killed when his family’s SUV crashed in Escondido – a boy who had celebrated his 11th birthday just one day prior to the tragic accident.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s (ME) office has identified Stephen Lemelle, of San Bernardino County’s Crestline community, as the boy killed in the collision on Feb. 21. His birthday was on Feb. 20, the ME’s office confirmed.

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the boy and his family were inside a Chevy Trailblazer traveling on northbound Interstate 15 south of Gopher Canyon Road at around 9:30 p.m. when another driver – an 18-year-old man from Chino, California – hit the family’s SUV from behind with his Dodge Challenger.

The impact caused the Trailblazer to veer to the center divide on the freeway and roll over several times. Lemelle was ejected from the backseat of the SUV. The boy suffered a traumatic injury to his head and died at the scene, officials said.

CHP officials said there were five people inside the Trailblazer, including Lemelle. This included a 27-year-old driver, a 33-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl – Lemelle’s sister. They all suffered moderate injuries in the crash as well.

The teenage girl was taken to Rady Children’s Hospital, accompanied by the driver of the Trailblazer. The 33-year-old woman in the Trailblazer and the driver of the Dodge Challenger were both taken to Palomar Medical Center with moderate injuries.

The crash is under investigation. At this time, CHP officials do not believe alcohol was a factor.