A mother was arrested in San Diego's East County Friday after she allegedly stabbed a babysitter, officials said.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) said the suspect allegedly stabbed the sitter just before 9:10 a.m. in the 1200 block of Bates Lane in unincorporated El Cajon.

As of 11 a.m., deputies were at the scene collecting evidence and searching for the suspect.

By 3:40 p.m., officials confirmed the mother had been arrested. The babysitter suffered only a minor injury, deputies said.

The motive for the attack is unknown. No further details were released.

Catherine Wallice, 92, died from injuries suffered in a crash with another motorist in Ramona Friday morning, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials confirmed. 

According to CHP Officer Kevin Pearlstein, the deadly collision happened around 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of eastbound Thomas Paine Drive and Mussey Grade Road.

Wallace was behind the wheel of a 2001 Saturn and, while attempting a left turn, failed to stop at the intersection, Pearlstein said. Just then, a 38-year-old woman driving a 2014 Toyota Camry was traveling northbound on Mussey Grade Road at approximately 45 mph, which is the posted speed limit.

Pearlstein said Wallace wound up in the direct path of the Camry and the driver of the Camry had little time to react. The cars collided.

Due to the force of the impact, Wallace suffered critical injuries and died at the scene.

CHP officials said no other cars were involved in the deadly accident, and drugs and alcohol were not factors in the collision.

Wallace lived in Ramona. 

A man driving erratically rammed a pickup truck through a fence at Van Nuys Airport and struck a parked aircraft on Friday, officials said.

The suspect was later identified as 45-year-old Jesus Ortega, who was booked on two counts of felony vandalism and one count of trespassing onto an airfield. 

The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. after reports of a person who was driving on the service road at the airport, located in the 16000 block of Sherman Way, according to Jess Romo, manager of the Van Nuys Airport.

Ortega gained access through an unauthorized perimeter gate and pushed through, Romo said. The driver then sped across the other side of the airport and struck an aircraft. He also forced one other plane to divert.

Ortega was described as "disoriented" by police, as he zig-zagged through the airport before being spotted by an air traffic controller. 

Airport authorities said no one was hurt, and that this incident did not appear to be an attack or act of terrorism. 

Drugs or alcohol were not involved, according to police, and authorities say they are still investigating the incident for a possible motive.

Going green might cost some more green during tax season.

Uncle Sam wants his slice of rebates handed out for California lawns converted from grass to water friendly vegetation or gravel. The conversions were part of a plan to help the state conserve water during its historic drought.

But the IRS makes a distinction between energy and water conservation that affects taxpayers. Saving water is not considered as important to the IRS, so the agency taxes turf removal rebates as earned income.

That means homeowners like Jeff Willis, who converted his yard with multi-color rocks and succulents, and anyone else who received a rebate for turf removal in excess of $600 will receive tax form 1099 from the IRS.

"The gall of them to do that when we're in such a severe drought situation is just mind blowing," said Ellis, who paid $8,000 for the conversion, plus the costs for turf removal and replacement.

Devin Upadhyay, manager of the Municipal Water District, said water conservation rebates should be viewed as equal to energy conservation rebates, which are tax exempt. The agency is lobbying lawmakers to make the change.

"I do think it sends a mixed message and that's part of the reason we're trying to work to change that," said Upadhyay.

Upadhyay said advertisements for the rebate program also never mentioned that the rebates could be taxed. His agency makes it clear in approval forms that the money is subject to tax, he said.

The MWD and tax attorneys who spoke with the NBC4 I-Team both urged residents to declare the rebate on tax forms to avoid a dispute or audit. California lawmakers are working to make the rebates exempt form federal taxes with a promise that 2015 filings will be grandfathered in.

San Diego is becoming an increasingly difficult place to live if you look at the numbers, not the sunshine.

The average rent is San Diego is $1,618, according to a study released by Market Pointe Realty Advisors.

While high rent isn’t anything new for Southern California, the number of those leaving San Diego is a new phenomenon for one of the country’s fastest growing cities.

Between July 2014 and July of last year, roughly 9,300 more people left our county compared to the number who moved here, according to recently released Census Bureau figures.

When you consider overall population, our county continues to grow, as births outnumber deaths 2 to 1.

Still, the cost of living starts with housing, which continues to be a challenge.

The Market Pointe study showed that rent in San Diego has steadily increased from $1,359 in September 2011 to more than $1,600 in 2016.

Rent increased a “whopping” 5.2 percent in 2014 and has continued to grow since, the study found.

So does the industry support the exorbitant cost of living?

"In my experience we see people moving for self-employment, they're running their own business out of their homes, but a lot of the jobs that are here aren't necessarily keeping up with the cost of living," said Ryan Ponce of Welcome to San Diego Real Estate.

At the same time, vacancy rates have continued to cool. In March 2011, just about 5 percent of rentals were vacant; this March that rate is 2.46 percent.

Vanessa Carrillo recently moved into military housing because her family couldn’t find a place to live.

“It’s too expensive – beautiful – but so expensive and it’s not somewhere we see spending out the rest of our lives,” she said.

Encinitas resident Linda Kermott echoed Carrillo’s thoughts, pointing out the difficulty of buying a home in San Diego County, which pits you against the high number of fellow renters.

“You don’t get much for your money,” Kermott said. “You pay a lot for pretty minimal, but what you get is the sunshine.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning couples who have been exposed to the Zika virus they may need to wait up to six months before trying to conceive, NBC News reported.

According to the new guidelines, women with Zika should wait at least two months before trying to become pregnant. For men, the guidelines recommend no sex or condom use for at least six months. The waiting period for men is longer because it can take up to two months to detect the virus in semen.

Previous guidelines have focused on protecting women who were already pregnant.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus and has been linked to serious birth defects. The virus is spreading in Latin America and the Caribbean, and is expected to rise this summer.  

San Diego-based Stone Brewing will make its way to the southeastern United States next week as the company debuts its beers in Arkansas.

Starting Monday, several of the company’s most recognizable brews will be available in bars, restaurants and retailers throughout the entire state of Arkansas for the first time ever.

From America’s Finest City to The Natural State, all of Stone’s year-round beers and various limited and special releases will be distributed by Arkansas Craft Distributors and O’Conner Distributing – the company’s wholesale partners in Arkansas.

This includes the following brews: Stone IPA; Stone Cali-Belgique IPA; Stone Go To IPA; Stone Delicious IPA; Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0; and Stone Smoked Porter.

Stone’s launch in Arkansas will be marked by a series of special events statewide, too, running from Monday through April 1. The events on tap include special release beers and appearances by Stone representatives.

In additional to Arkansas, Stone beers are already distributed in 41 states across the nation and 14 countries around the world. According to the U.S. Brewers Association, Stone is the ninth largest craft brewer in the U.S.

The company will boost its production even more when Stone Brewing-Richmond opens at the end of 2016 in Virginia. By the year’s end, Stone plans to distribute to all 50 U.S. states.

The beer company also plans to launch five European countries as it prepares for its highly-ambitious opening of Stone Brewing-Berlin in Germany this summer. At the Berlin-based facility, the beers will be packaged exclusively in kegs and aluminum cans, the company announced last month.

Stone currently runs several company store locations across San Diego County including Escondido – also home to Stone World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, Oceanside and a spot on Kettner Boulevard. The company also has small outposts at the San Diego International Airport and Petco Park.

One of the suicide attackers who blew himself up at the Brussels airport with a suitcase bomb was the suspected bomb-maker involved in November's terrorist attacks in Paris, Belgian officials confirmed on Friday, NBC News reported.

Najim Laachraoui, 24, was the bomber pictured on the left of a surveillance camera image captured before two blasts rocked the departures area on Tuesday, Belgium's federal prosecutor confirmed.

Laachraoui's DNA was found on a suicide belt at the Bataclan music venue in Paris that was targeted by the terrorists along with an explosive device at the Stade du France, the prosecutor said.

His DNA was also recovered at several safe houses in Belgium used by the cell.

San Diego emergency rooms are overcrowded and overused according to local health officials.

Public health officials held a press conference at the Country Administration Center Friday to remind residents to use the ER only in emergencies.

Since 2009, more than half of San Diego emergency room visits were for non-emergencies experts said.

Because of the dramatic uptick in ER use wait times are increasing and resources are being stretched too far.

“When that happens that ambulance is out of commission and delays next response to the next emergency,” Don Butz, the president of the Fire Chief’s Association told NBC 7. “It also ties up our fire engines because they are giving first care.”

Butz explained that when an ambulance is called for a non-emergency it affects more than just the hospital and slows response times to actual crises.

Officials stressed the importance of preventive care, which includes enrolling in health coverage and having a primary care doctor.

Butz, Wilma Wooten, the County Public Health Officer, Dimitrios Alexiou, President and CEO of the Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties, Nora Faine, Medical Director of Molina Healthcare of California and John Ohanian, President and CEO of 211 San Diego all spoke at the press conference.

Shelly Stamis saw an online advertisement for a vacation home in Florida at only $200 a night, and she figured she had found a solid bargain.

"We looked at all the pictures, and it was right on the beach, and it was definitely in our price zone, so we booked it," the Grand Rapids, Michigan, mom told NBC News.

Shelly wired $1,500 to a bank account in Florida and packed up her two children, but when they arrived everything went wrong. Shelly found out she was a victim of a growing form of online scam that targets travelers booking hotels and vacation homes, enticing them with too-good-to-be-true deals.

According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, 15 million scam reservations were made last year, costing Americans over a billion dollars. 

Bernie Sander's flock of supporters went wild on Friday when the candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination greeted an uninvited guest in the middle of a rally in Portland. 

That guest? A little, green bird that fluttered onto his lectern, leaving Sanders laughing and the crowd on its feet. Sanders and the bird, which has since been dubbed "Birdie Sanders," look at each other for about 10 seconds, before it flies away.

The Vermont senator's rallies are known for exuberant crowds, but the bird got as loud a cheer as Sanders does.

When the crowd quieted down, Sanders – an emphatic environmentalist – noted some symbolism. "I know it doesn't look like it, but that bird is really a dove asking us for world peace. No more wars!" he said, to another ovation.

Twitter and Facebook users almost instantly made the moment go viral, and #BirdieSanders began trending. 

The Sanders campaign quickly started tweeting about it – as did the TV show "Portlandia," a sketch comedy show that parodies Portland's hipster scene. Perhaps its most famous catch phrase is "put a bird on it," from a sketch about extra-eager bird enthusiasts, which didn't go unnoticed by the show’s Twitter account. 

French President Francois Hollande said Friday the network behind the attacks in Brussels Tuesday and in Paris last year will be eradicated, despite a looming threat, NBC News reported.

Hollande made the comments after three suspects were arrested in raids related to the investigation surrounding the Paris and Brussels attacks. Another man was arrested in a raid in Paris Thursday. 

"We have had success in finding the terrorists and both in Brussels and in Paris there have been some arrests and we know there are other networks, because even though the one that carried out the attacks in Paris and Brussels is in the process of being wiped out — with a number of its members arrested — there is still a threat looming," Hollande said. 

Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk will meet with President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland Tuesday, Kirk's office confirmed.

This comes in the wake of Kirk telling GOP leaders to “man up and cast a vote” on Garland last week.

"We should go through the process the Constitution has already laid out," Kirk said. "The president has already laid out a nominee who is from Chicagoland and for me, I'm open to see him, to talk to him, and ask him his views on the Constitution."

Kirk’s office told Ward Room he will meet with Garland Tuesday at the senator's Washington D.C. office.

Republican lawmakers continue their push to block Obama's nomination until a new president takes office next year. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called Garland last week to inform him that the Senate would not move forward with the confirmation process.

Although 15 Senate Republicans are reportedly open to meeting with Garland, only Kirk and two others have called for confirmation hearings.

Obama nominated Garland at a ceremony at the White House's Rose Garden earlier this month. Garland serves as the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and is considered a centrist. He is an Illinois native, born in Chicago. 

Kirk defeated Oswego businessman James Marter in the March 15 Republican primary for his U.S. Senate seat. He will face Rep. Tammy Duckworth in the Nov. 8 general election.

Alabama’s state auditor filed an ethics report Friday alleging Gov. Robert Bentley and a former adviser misused state property resources, NBC News reported.

Bentley has been accused of having an affair with his top political adviser, Rebekah Caldwell Mason.

In his report — which initiates a formal investigation — State Auditor Jim Ziegler claims that Bentley and Mason "have been using state property and resources in furtherance of their personal relationship. He also cited news reports that Mason is paid by a group called Alabama Council for Excellent Government as well as a claim that she is the “de facto” governor.

The governor said he will cooperate with the state’s ethics commission. He denies any physical relationship took place.  

Rebekah Jager and Chad Benson said their daughter Payden was playing softball the day she suffered a rare stroke.

"Our six-year-old daughter that was completely normal playing softball that same morning right before – now is laying in a hospital bed, suffered a massive stroke and now has a bleed on her brain and we don't know why,” Payden’s mother told NBC 7.

Doctors at Rady Children's Hospital don't know what caused Payden’s stroke. Her parents said a couple of months before she had the stroke Payden complained her eyes and head hurt and she felt dizzy every so often.

"Sensitive to noise, sensitive to light, she would plug her ears,” Rebekah said. “We'd be watching football loud on the surround sound at home and she would come in and say turn it down, turn it down.”

They said they didn’t think much of it, but had her checked out by the doctor several times to be safe.

"We thought it was just five-year-old attention, maybe she needs glasses,” Rebekah explained.

After a game three weeks ago Payden’s parents were getting ready to take her to the emergency room for a boil that had formed on her leg when she collapsed in her father’s arms and started shaking.

“Once I picked her up she started shaking and then crying and I asked her ‘you okay? Give me a hug; let me know you’re okay.’”

Payden was unresponsive and rushed to the emergency room.

It took several days for doctors to diagnose what happened to her as a stroke, and 19 days later the six-year-old has been through countless procedures and even surgery.

Doctors told Payden’s parents that childhood stroke is becoming more common and Rebekah and Chad said they want others to be warned.

"My main goal now going through all this is to make sure that it doesn't happen again. It doesn't happen to somebody else,” her father said.

Payden is unable to eat, speak or breathe on her own now. Her prognosis is not yet known.

"Our main thing is for prayer,” Rebekah told NBC 7. “We ask for prayer, support to raise awareness to get her story out so that people know that this does happen and maybe one day we can figure out why."

Rebekah and Chad are hoping to find a specialist who can determine what the original cause of the stroke was, but for now they're just taking it day by day.

If you want to follow Payden's story, go the the Prayers for Payden page on Vanessa Herrera’s Facebook page.

A top leader for ISIS was killed during an operation this week, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced on Friday. 

Carter said Haji Iman, also known as Abu Alaa Afri, was a finance minister who oversaw all the funding for ISIS' operations. His killing will hamper the organization’s ability to conduct operations inside and outside Syria. Carter did not confirm where the efforts to kill him took place. Haji Iman has been described as a second-in-command leader, but Carter did not refer to him that way. 

The news comes after officials told NBC News earlier this month that top ISIS commander Omar al-Shishani — also known by his nickname Omar the Chechen — was believed killed in a U.S. airstrike in Syria.

“We are systematically eliminating ISIL’s cabinet," Carter said Friday, using an acronym for the group.

When the medical aid call came in, Ben Vernon and Alex Wallbrett's entire crew groaned.

‘Intoxicated male down. Possible mixed medications.’

"I could not have been more calm," San Diego firefighter Vernon exclusively told NBC 7. "We'd been on the same call a thousand times before."

As they rolled up, Vernon surveyed the scene. He saw uniformed armed guards at the Park and Market trolley station. He saw no threats, no commotions, and he could hear the patient yelling, meaning he didn't even need to bring the trauma kit from the engine.

"It was a calm scene," Vernon said.

Within minutes, it all took a drastic and violent turn.

A bystander refused to leave and became confrontational with those trying to provide medical aid to the patient.

"He pulled a knife, and I was like 'uh, oh,' 'back-up, calm down.' and that's when I tried to get away. And I hit this railing," Vernon said.

35-year-old Ryan Allen Jones rushed Vernon thrusting a hunting knife into his back twice, barely missing Vernon's kidney and puncturing his lung with the second strike.

Vernon's partner, Alex Wallbrett, tried to stop the assault and was himself stabbed three times. A fire engineer stepped in to stop the attack on Wallbrett.

"After I got stabbed, I ran around, and I grabbed onto this railing, and I couldn't breathe, and for some reason in my head this became my lifeline. And staying on my feet was how I was going to stay alive," Vernon said.

The violent act shattered many of Vernon's core beliefs, such as that 'no one would ever try to hurt a firefighter.'

Vernon held onto that railing until his friends arrived with an ambulance.

"They said: 'We got it. We got you, Benny.’ So, I was very grateful for that," Vernon said.

When Vernon was able to take a full breath again that's when he realized he was going to live. But, the healing process was long and it isn't over yet.

"I started having nightmares. The most amazing nightmares I've ever had. The most graphic, violent nightmares, to the point where I wasn't sleeping," Vernon said.

He's now speaking out, publishing an article in the Journal of Emergency Services about getting help.

"We try to be the toughest of the tough. We run into burning buildings. We run toward danger when everyone else is running away. So, appearing weak is not good," Vernon said, adding it takes real strength to admit to needing to talk to someone.

In his article in JES, Vernon stresses the need of finding the right doctor as being just as important as admitting to needing therapy.

After four months out, Vernon has returned to service working desk duty.

A jury found Jones guilty Thursday of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon for the attack. He's scheduled to be sentenced in mid-April.

Vernon said he's relieved the trial is over and can put it behind him but feels nothing but sympathy for Jones.

"I just feel really bad for him," Vernon said. "He's obviously got a lot of anger issues and I just feel bad."

As a trainer for the San Diego Fire Department, the nine-year-veteran has learned something he will never stop passing on to new recruits:

"The most dangerous call I've done in my career was the most routine thing I've ever done," Vernon said. "So, it just shows how dangerous this job can be on a daily basis."

A San Diego neighborhood is stepping up after a woman’s 'little free library' was stolen.

The fun structures are free book exchanges becoming more common in communities.

Annie Jones lives on Commonwealth Avenue in North Park. She said the free book exchange structure she had in front of her home went missing in January.

Last Wednesday, a neighbor spotted it in a nearby vacant lot, but by the time she went to get it, it was gone.

“When it was gone I was so devastated,” said Jones who got the library as 70th birthday gift from a close friend.

Jones posted about the incident on a community news app and has been getting replies by the dozens.

“I got a post that said ‘My boyfriend will come and make you a new one.’ I was stunned. Really shows you what kind of neighborhood we have,” she said.

Monday, neighbors say they will meet at Jones’ yard on Commonwealth Avenue to help her rebuild a new little library.
 

Eater San Diego shares the top stories of the week from San Diego’s food and drink scene, including an in-depth guide to the newly-opened, highly-anticipated Liberty Public Market, plus details on a new French bistro replacing a well-known spot in Bankers Hill.

Your Ultimate Guide to the Liberty Public Market
San Diego's ambitious new 25,000-square-foot food emporium has soft opened in Liberty Station. Here's your guide (with lots of photos, too) to the more than 25 artisan vendors within, which include a beer tasting bar, wine store, sit-down restaurant, and everything from a seafood market to an old-fashioned butcher shop.

New French Bistro To Replace Croce's Park West
A new French restaurant, called Parc Bistro & Brasserie, will slot into the Bankers Hill space left vacant when Croce's Park West shuttered late last year. Serving lunch, dinner and brunch, Parc plans to reopen on 5th Avenue in late May.

Solunto's Bakery Reopens After Modern Revamp
After more than 50 years in Little Italy, iconic eatery Solunto's Bakery has relaunched after a remodel with a fresh look and expanded food offerings. The bakery, which is still making its signature bread and pastries, has added housemade gelato, a new pizza oven and cocktail bar.

Artisan Prezel & Craft Beer Combo Coming to North Park
A local pretzel company will have a storefront in North Park when California Tap Room opens next month. The eatery will offers various hand-rolled pretzel varieties, from NYC-style to Bavarian twists, plus beer cheese and gourmet mustard. A craft beer tasting bar will follow.

Farm-to-Table Mexican Craft Food Enters La Jolla
Now open in the heart of downtown La Jolla is Lena Craft Mexican, a modern family-owned eatery specializing in authentic regional Mexican cuisine from the Yucatan, Oaxaca, Mexico City and more prepared with local and organic ingredients in an open, wood fire oven-fueled kitchen.

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Officers with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) swarmed a neighborhood in Paradise Hills Friday morning in search of a suspect who stole a car and possibly crashed it.

The SDPD said a black Nissan was reported stolen in the area of South Meadowbrook Drive and Paradise Valley Road at around 10:45 a.m. Investigators said the suspect crashed the stolen car and then took off.

Several patrol vehicles and officers were sent to the neighborhood to search for the suspect near Division and South 61st streets. Officers, accompanied by K-9 units, were seen walking around homes and thoroughly checking front and backyards. A police helicopter also aided in the search.

At 11:30 a.m., three officers and a K-9 were seen at the door of a home in the 5600 block of Alta Vista Way. One officer had his gun drawn and another kicked open the door.

Seconds later, a man was pulled from the door and handcuffed. He was led away by the officers. By 11:37 a.m., the man was being placed into the back of an SDPD vehicle and officers began clearing from the scene.

No further details were immediately released. Check back for updates.