Tucked away behind a row of books is one of the most sought-after spots in the La Jolla Library.

Last September the library became the first to have a hands-on biotech lab with all the basic tools of molecular biology.

The lab used to be a storage closet with some broken furniture in it, but now the former closet stores 3-D printers, microscopes and a thermocycler, an apparatus used to amplify segments of DNA.

"Really this is a community that has a lot to do with biology, not just people who work in that field, but their families are interested,” Shaun Briley the La Jolla branch manager told NBC 7.

Briley said he wanted to create something that would connect with the community. He said since the area has several biotech companies, three hospitals and UCSD an important role of the library is to connect with the community.

Students have the opportunity to use the lab for research with a the help of a volunteer mentor who must be a qualified biologist.

“Today we’re going to analyze the DNA using gel-electrofereses,” he explained.

The room has the same level of equipment you might see in an advanced biology high school classroom or even an introductory college course.

One of the things that surprised me, but now I really love about this is the range of ages we get in here,” library volunteer Callen Hyland said. "We've had some success with having students coming in to work on their science fair projects and doing what we've been calling self-directed exploration."

Hyland is a molecular and cellular biologist with a PhD.

Each month the library offers two workshops and one lecture a month on bio-tech related topics, all of which have sold out so far.

The library partnered with a group of citizen scientists called the Wet Lab, who donated the equipment.

Jeff Sessions of Alabama became the first sitting U.S. senator to endorse Donald Trump on Sunday, NBC News reported. 

Wearing "Make America Great Again" hat, Sessions told the crowd that he was throwing his support behind this "movement" because, in his best estimation, "at this time in America's history, we need to make America great again!"

Sessions' endorsement comes after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie endorsed the real estate mogul. 

"I'm becoming mainstream. All these people are now endorsing me," Trump told the sprawling Alabama crowd. "When I get Jeff Sessions, that means a lot to me. That means a lot. That's a biggie, especially since he's never done it before."

Sessions was an adviser in crafting the Trump's immigration policy plan and the two met on Capitol Hill in September joined by Sarah Palin.

A teen girl who was initially believed to have died after being shot in the head during the shooting spree in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is now breathing on her own.

Abigail Kopf, 14, no longer needs a breathing tube, according to an update posted to her GoFundMe page on Saturday.

“Our hearts are full of joy right now as we celebrate a milestone for Abbie,” the message read. “The tube is out she's breathing on her own. And she wiped her own face with a towel! Bless you all and we have so much gratitude for your support.”

The teen was thought to be dead after she was taken to the hospital, but squeezed her mother’s hand, according to officials. A doctor then asked Kopf a question, wanting a thumbs-up response.

“She gave him two thumbs up," State police Lt. Dale Hinz said. "It's a glimmer of hope in this otherwise tragic situation."

Kopf was in a car outside an area restaurant when she was shot, according to authorities. The teen was among eight total victims who were shot at three different locations Feb. 20. Two survived.

The suspected gunman, an Uber driver who authorities say paused between shooting to pick up fares, faces six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Supporters have donated more than $17,000 to Kopf’s GoFundMe page to help her family pay medical bills.

Navy SEAL Edward Byers, 36, will receive the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama Monday.

Senior Chief Byers earned the award for his courageous actions during a mission in Afghanistan in which his team rescued a civilian being held hostage in December 2012.

Fellow SEAL Team Six member Nicolas Checque, who is also hailed as a hero, was the first in the door of the compound where the hostage was being held. The 28-year-old was fatally shot in the head.

Byers will be the 11th living service member to receive the award, which he will earn at the White House in front of both his and Checque’s family.

Byers was born in Toledo, Ohio. He graduated from BUD/S class 242 in Coronado, and has served on various East Coast teams. He has completed eight overseas deployments with seven combat tours.

Chief Byers' awards and decorations include five awards of the Bronze Star Medal with Combat V device, two awards of the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor device, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V device, two additional awards of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, two awards of the Combat Action Ribbon, three Presidential Unit Citations, two Joint Meritorious Unit Awards, two Navy Unit Commendations, and five Good Conduct Medals.
 

Surveillance video of a "play fight" at San Diego's Lincoln High School, which quickly escalated into a brawl, will be released, San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten said. 

The Friday fight, which sent a school police officer and several students to the hospital, broke out at the school on Friday right in the middle of the daily lunch break. SDUSD spokeswoman Linda identified Sunday the officer as Bashir Abdi. The school is located at 4777 Imperial Ave. 

At an event Saturday night, Marten said surveillance video of the incident exists, which she will fight to release it as soon as possible. Zintz said school police are working with SDPD and the San Diego County District Attorney's office to determine when the video can be released, and she imagined it would be "next week some time." 

Six people -- a school police officer and five students -- were among those taken to various hospitals due to the melee. Multiple students said the situation began when a group started "play fighting" at lunch. Officials could not confirm how the fight began, but they said at most, six students were actually involved. Between 70 and 100 others were bystanders to the fight. 

Officials said the school officer was struck from behind and punched on the back of the head by a student and, as a result, suffered a concussion. He will be kept until at least Sunday morning, officials said, and as of Saturday evening has not been able to provide a statement on what happened Friday. Officials have not identified the officer, but plan to do so at a later date. 

Four students were hurt by pepper spray and the fifth was injured by a Taser. All were treated and released, school authorities said. Other students also suffered minor injuries, SDFD officials said, but those students were evaluated or treated at the scene or released to their parents.

The San Diego Unified School District released a full statement about the incident Saturday:

"The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priority. We are cooperating fully with the San Diego Police Department as they thoroughly investigate the incident at Lincoln High School on Friday. We look forward learning the facts. One of our School Police officers was hospitalized and students were arrested. We are concerned about all of them."

In all, six ambulances were dispatched to the school. Initial reports from authorities on scene said about 20 people were involved in the fight, but Zintz said Saturday only six students were involved and all others were merely bystanders.

In a statement Saturday, the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties said they were "deeply concerned" about Friday's incident, adding a student was not facing charges in juvenile court as a result of the incident. 

The ACLU also said the school police officer involved has a history of complaints against him, saying the officer "unnecessarily escalated the situation by singling out and assaulting the student," though other accounts may differ.

"The fact is, at this moment, the public does not know what happened and should not rush to judgment," the ACLU statement says.

The ACLU statement, in part, closed by saying: 

"We are committed to working with the San Diego Unified School District, local law enforcement, elected officials, and the community to do everything possible to; ensure that these types of incidents are proactively prevented, that our public schools are safe educational environments where resources are invested in restorative justice and ensuring students receive equal access to quality education and are allowed to develop their full human potential."

Saturday, SDUSD spokeswoman Linda Zintz told NBC 7 San Diego she would not classify the fight as a "brawl" because it involved only six students, started by two boys. It is unclear, at this point, what caused the brawl; the incident is under investigation. No weapons were involved.

Two minors were taken into custody at the school, one for assault on an officer and the other for vandalism. Authorities have not independently confirmed to NBC 7 San Diego whether anyone will face charges. 

Meanwhile, one person on social media claiming to be a witness said the incident was not a brawl at all, but rather escalated when a school officer used a Taser on a student as the student was backing up. It is one of several witness accounts, but police have not confirmed any.

The LHS administration is planning some sort of assembly to go over the incident with students Monday, allowing them to ask questions in hopes of preventing a similar fight in the future. 

A man in a dark sedan tried to pull a 16-year-old girl into a sedan in Chula Vista, Chula Vista Police (CVPD) said.

The incident happened shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday when a 16-year-old girl, walking down the 600 block of G Street, was approached by a man driving a dark sedan, police said.

The man tried to pull the teen into his car, but she was able to fight him off and run away, police said.

The man fled in an unknown direction. The suspect is described as 25 to 35 years old with short, dark hair and a goatee. He was 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall and 180 to 190 pounds. The car is described as a 2010 to 2016 black sedan with black rims, similar to a Chevy Camaro. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the Chula Vista Police Department at (619) 691-5151. 

No further information was immediately available.

Hillary Clinton dealt Bernie Sanders a bruising defeat in South Carolina's Democratic primary Saturday, with early returns showing her crushing the insurgent senator by a 3-to-1 margin, NBC News reported.

While the win was no surprise, it was still one of the best nights of Clinton's second attempt at the presidency thus far because it proved the basic electoral theory of her campaign: That a strong advantage among minority voters would carry her to her party's nomination — and potentially all the way to the White House.

The resounding victory makes it clear that Sanders, despite his best efforts, has been unable to address his fundamental weakness with black voters.

African Americans represented 61 percent of the turnout in the sate's Democratic presidential primary — up from 57 percent in 2008 — and Sanders lost the group 84 percent to 16 percent, according to NBC News exit polls.

 A San Diego woman will be reunited with several precious pieces of jewelry this week, weeks after a young boy found the items in a South Park canyon in mid-February.

Several weeks ago, on Feb. 12, Joan Andrews came home to find several items missing from her home: several necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings, including her Grandmother’s engagement ring.

“I really felt sick to my stomach,” she told NBC 7 San Diego.

That feeling is long gone now that she knows her possessions have been found.

Andrew, a nurse at UC San Diego Medical Center, first saw the jewelry in a story NBC 7 San Diego posted on their website, showing a young boy had found the pieces and was searching for the owner. 

It was Thomas Hoffman, 13, who serendipitously found Andrew’s valuables: her grandmother’s antique white-and-gold diamond engagement ring, and a gift given to her by one of her patients. Many of the pieces stolen are valuable to her, she said.

“This is the heart that goes on the necklace Thomas found the day he was doing the story,” Andrew said, showing a missing piece of a necklace left behind.

When Hoffman found the jewelry, he turned it in to police.

“Number one I don't use jewelry...if someone stole something from me, I would want it back, too,” he said.

This week, Andrews will get the chance to meet Thomas and say thank you. The detective working on the case will help reunite the two.

Andrews said she’s overwhelmed with joy of finding the missing jewelry.

“I can't describe how much that meant to me,” she said.

 Lifeguards rescued a man who tried to rappel down Sunset Cliffs to retrieve a remote controlled plane, causing him to slip and fall 25 feet, officials said. 

The accident happened at 3:50 p.m. on the 1000 block of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, San Diego Lifeguards and San Diego Fire-Rescue (SDFD) officials said. 

The unidentified man, 31, was flying a remote controlled plane when it went over the cliff, lifeguards said. He decided to rappel down the cliff to get the plane, lifeguards said. 

He slipped and fell 25 feet, officials said, breaking his leg. A helicopter rescued him and he has been taken to Scripps Hospital. 

No further information was immediately available.

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story.

A bloodhound from Louisiana is being heralded a hero after finding a missing toddler, NBC News reported.

Three-year-old Eli Alcock reportedly wandered away from his Florien, Louisiana, home Tuesday afternoon.

Doug Downs, a local pastor, was contacted, with the hope that his bloodhound, Honey could be of some help. Downs told NBC affiliate KPLC that Honey’s only real experience at tracking has been while hunting deer. But Downs said he wanted to help.

After several hours of searching, Honey led searchers to Eli, who was found safe in the woods behind his home. 

Lindsy Alcock, Eli's mom, says her son doesn't remember much about what happened that night. 

Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has agreed to plead guilty to charges in the United States, but only if he is placed in a medium-security prison, his lawyer said.

In an interview with Mexico’s Radio Formula, Guzman’s lawyer, Jose Refugio Rodriguez, said his client is seeking a "reasonable penalty" to be served in a medium-security prison in the U.S. because of what has been described as poor treatment in the Mexican prison Guzman is currently being held.

Guzman is behind bars at the Altiplano prison — the same jail he escaped from seven months ago — while waiting for the possible extradition solicited by the U.S. government.

Rodriquez previously revealed guards at the maximum-security prison won't let Guzman sleep and wake him up every two hours at night — a practice his attorney likened to "torture."

Guzman’s third wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, also said the notorious drug lord’s health problems have become "a lot worse" because of his lack of sleep.

Speaking for the first time in an exclusive interview with Telemundo last week, the 26-year-old former beauty queen said she is "afraid for his life" and claimed guards at the prison "want to make him pay for his escape."

Mexican authorities say they've formally notified Guzman that arrest warrants from the U.S. are being processed. About a half-dozen U.S. attorneys' offices across the country — including Chicago, San Diego, New York City, New Hampshire, Miami and Texas — have secured indictments against Guzman in his absence over the years.

In Chicago, Guzman has been dubbed "Public Enemy No. 1," and prosecutors say the city is a major hub for Guzman's Sinaloa drug cartel.

David Duke reportedly balked at endorsing Donald Trump last year because the Republican candidate was too friendly with Jews, but that’s changed since Trump is now the GOP front-runner, NBC News reported.

Duke, 65, founded the White Youth Alliance at Louisiana State University in 1970, where he became infamous for wearing a Nazi uniform. He later became a Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, replacing the white sheets with business suits to make the KKK more mainstream. 

Using the KKK as a springboard, Duke won a seat in the Louisiana legislature as a Republican in 1989 — the first and last time he won an election. He later abandoned the Klan and formed the National Association for the Advancement of White People to press his racist agenda.

In 2002, Duke was convicted of filing a false tax return and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.  

Mexico’s interior ministry said a truck carrying radioactive material was missing Monday after being stolen, NBC News reported.

Five Mexican states were on alert after the theft of a 2006 red Chevrolet Silverado pickup transporting radioactive iridium-192, which was reported Saturday by a company in Queretaro.

In a statement it said the material, which was being transported in a bright yellow container, "can be dangerous to people if not handled in safe conditions or if handled without the right protection."

The theft comes just over a week after radioactive material went missing in Iraq, with fears that it could fall into the hands of ISIS. That material was found dumped near a gas station.  

Court documents unsealed Monday reveal that Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev never expected to survive the manhunt that resulted in his eventual capture.

Several new documents from Tsarnaev's trial were unsealed as part of an appeal by his friend Robel Phillipos, who was convicted of lying about the case to federal prosecutors. 

Among the documents are two statements Tsarnaev allegedly made to FBI agents while being treated at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston on April 21 and 22, 2013. Parts of the interviews remain redacted, but some of the details have never previously been released.

Three people were killed and more than 260 others injured when twin bombs placed near the marathon finish line exploded on April 15, 2013. Tsarnaev, 22, was convicted of 30 federal charges and sentenced to death for his role in the attack. He is being held at the federal Supermax prison in Colorado.

In the FBI hospital interview, Tsarnaev allegedly said "no one had any knowledge of their plan... because they could not trust anyone else." He allegedly said that he and his brother Tamerlan "built the two devices and planned the attack alone."

Tsarnaev allegedly said he "did not warn any of his friends to stay away from the marathon because he didn't care if they got hurt." He told FBI investigators that he contacted his friends to give away his laptop because "he did not expect to survive."

According to the FBI summary, Tsarnaev also told the agents that he and his older brother Tamerlan picked their own spots to place their bombs and each of them set off his own device.

He told the agents he and his brother walked toward the marathon finish line on the day of the bombing, April 15, each carrying a backpack containing a bomb. He said he called his brother just before the attack to synchronize the two detonations. Tamerlan set off his first, followed by Dzhokhar's 10 seconds later.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev also told investgators that "there were no other attacks planned" and no unaccounted for devices.

The developer of the controversial 85-15 plan has conceded a special election on the future of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon. 

Last Tuesday, residents went to the polls to vote on the controversial "measure A" that would have developed the Agua Hedionda Lagoon area, created by created by developer Rick Caruso.

Monday morning, Caruso called leadership for the Citizens of North County and congratulated them on their campaign. 

"While we had hoped for a different outcome, we are proud of our effort, our plan, the integrity of our message, and we are thankful for the great friends and supporters we have made over the past four years," Caruso said in a statement. "We are very grateful for their support and hard work.”

The San Diego Registrar of Voters is expected to release the final results in the election Monday. The San Diego County Registrar of Voters' Office has been counting thousands of provisional ballots, which require additional review before counting.

As of 3:45 p.m. Monday, the registrar said 51.99 percent of Carlsbad residents have voted no on the measure, and 48.01 percent have voted yes. There are still approximately 300 mail and provisional ballots to be counted. 

The registrar has 30 days to certify the election results.

Opponents of the plan, which would build an outdoor shopping center that would overlook the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, said in a statement they were happy to prevail with their grassroots campaign and glad voters voiced their thoughts on developing land where the strawberry fields once grew. 

“The message from Carlsbad voters is that it’s not okay to sidestep our city’s general plan, zoning regulations and planning process that have made this such a wonderful place to live," said De’Ann Weimer from Citizens for North County in a statement. "I hope we never again see an attempt to exploit loopholes in local and state law to ram through an inappropriate project.”

The "Yes on Measure A" effort was a well-funded campaign backed by Caruso, while the opposition was supported by a grassroots campaign run by those who did not want a mall on the stretch of fields. 

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, 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 does not 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 man charged in the deaths of Virginia college students Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington is expected to enter a plea agreement this week.

Jesse L. Matthew Jr. will enter the pleas in Albemarle County Circuit Court on Wednesday, Commonwealth's Attorney Robert N. Tracci announced Monday afternoon.

Graham, an 18-year-old student at the University of Virginia, vanished in September 2014 after a night out with friends. 

She was seen on surveillance video on Charlottesville's downtown mall, both alone and with a man prosecutors have said is Matthew. Her remains were found five weeks earlier.

Harrington, 20, was a student at Virginia Tech when she disappeared in fall 2009 after attending a concert on the University of Virginia campus. Her remains were found in early 2010.

"...(It) is anticipated that Jesse Leroy Matthew, Jr., will be entering a plea agreement to resolve both the Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington abduction and murder cases," Tracci said in a release Monday. An earlier version of the media release said Matthew would be entering guilty pleas in the cases. A second version simply called it a plea agreement.

Matthew had been charged with capital murder in Graham's death and first-degree murder in Harrington's death. His trials in those cases had been scheduled to be held in July and October, respectively.

During a pretrial hearing in January, Matthew's defense attorneys argued that crucial evidence should be thrown out, but after 10 hours of testimony, a judge sided with the prosecution.

Matthew is already serving three life sentences in another case, the attempted murder and assault of a 26-year-old woman in Fairfax in 2005. The victim had been walking home from a grocery store when she was grabbed and grabbed into the woods, where she was assaulted and choked.

Matthew took an Alford plea in that case in June 2015. An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence to convict.

Prosecutors have said all three cases were linked by DNA evidence.

Investigators had first linked the Harrington and Fairfax cases, but didn't have a suspect. After Matthew was arrested weeks after Graham's disappearance, Virginia State Police said the arrest "provided a significant break" in the Harrington case.

An elephant in a remote Indian village was videotaped on a rampage, tossing and damaging about 27 vehicles last Thursday.

Five elephants were tethered for a religious festival in southern India when one of the animals broke loose, according to reports.

The escapted elephant attacked small trucks and motorbikes. Footage shows it using its trunk to pick up and throw large vehicles. Two young riders were on its back at the time.

No injuries have been reported.

March 1 will mark the end of a record-breaking space mission and the beginning of a study for many local researchers.

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) researcher Brinda Rana, PhD, is just one of several scientists who will be working on NASA's twin study of Scott and Mark Kelly.

NASA and the 10 teams of researchers across the country plan to use the information collected on twins Scott and Mark to better understand the effects of space travel on the human body.

Scott, an American astronaut who spent the last year living on the International Space Station, broke records during his one-of-a-kind mission in orbit. His time in space was twice as long as any American before him. 

Mark, Scott’s earth-bound identical twin brother, was meanwhile studied on earth. While Scott was orbiting the planet and taking periodical tests of health, Mark lived on earth, doing the same. 

During the trajectory of the study, Rana will be looking at microgravity-induced fluid shift and its effects on the brain and vision, as well as heart and blood flow issues, according to UCSD.

In laymen terms, microgravity fluid shift is when a human body is in zero gravity and fluids move toward the heart and head. This phenomenon has resulted in brain pressure and vision in other astronauts, according to Rana.

Little molecules called metabolites will also be analyzed to assess the brothers’ health. These molecules are natural byproducts in the body, like sugar, and can be found in blood or urine, explained another study collaborator from UCSD Kumar Sharma, MD.

“Metabolite levels in the human body are influenced by everyday factors such as nutrition [and] can also be affected by stress and environmental factors, including those unique elements…experienced by astronauts,” explained Sharma.

The findings of this study may be able to provide great insight into the effects and risks of even longer missions in space, such as a 30-month trip to Mars.

NASA hopes the study will be completed by this December.

For those interested in watching Scott's return to earth, the schedule and information can be found here.

A pursuit of a stolen taco catering truck that struck a school bus packed with children and a propane tanker in a San Bernardino intersection ended with officers opening fire on the suspected thieves, before the suspects were taken into custody, police said.

The incident began about 8:30 a.m. with a chase of the catering truck on the 210 Freeway after officers received a report that the box truck had been stolen, according to the San Bernardino Police Department.

The chase made its way to Mill and L streets, where police say the truck drove onto the curb and sideswiped the school bus with 30 to 40 students aboard, then ran into the tanker in the intersection.

One of two men who fled from the truck allegedly made a threatening move, prompting police to open fire, but no one was struck, officials said. The men, identified by police as 20-year-old Sean Fowler and 22-year-old Daiquon Horne, were taken into custody and transported to the hospital for injuries they suffered during the crash.

No children were hurt as a result of the collision, police said. They were placed on another bus and taken one block down the street to Richardson PREP HI Middle School.

Carolina Garcia, the owner of the catering business Amapola Rico Taco, said the truck had been stolen at some point overnight, but she didn't find out until customers called in saying someone was driving the truck erratically.

"Don't steal a truck with a big logo on the side and... stay in the same city that the vehicle is from," Garcia said. "That wasn't very smart."

Laura Brogna, a witness, said she reported to police and the catering business that the truck had entered her property and hit her pickup truck in the early morning hours.

The security camera had recorded the box truck hours before Brogna saw the video later Monday morning. She thought the hit-and-run driver was long gone, but then she saw it outside down her street. She confronted the driver, but he took off, so she called the number advertised on the side.

Nyree Arabian contributed to this report.