Not only do Florida Panthers like to hang out on porches, they also apparently like nature walks.

That's according to a video a woman posted on Facebook Tuesday showing one of the endangered cats running past her on a wooden walkway.

Tina Dorschel, who posted the video, said she was on an early morning nature walk at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples when she encountered the panther.

"On on early morning nature walk we saw a gator, a snake, frogs, pretty birds, and had this unexpected encounter. (Warning...curse word at end!)" Dorschel posted, along with the brief video clip.

The news comes as a Fort Myers man captured a rare sight of a Florida panther taking a rest on his father's porch.

Five star soccer players from the U.S. Women's National Team filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Thursday, accusing U.S. Soccer of wage discrimination. 

Co-captains Carli Lloyd and Becky Sauerbrunn, forward Alex Morgan, midfielder Megan Rapinoe and goalkeeper Hope Solo said in the complaint that players on the women's team are paid far less than their counterparts on the men’s national team.

"I think the timing is right,'' Lloyd said on NBC's "Today" show. "I think that we've proven our worth over the years. Just coming off of a World Cup win, the pay disparity between the men and women is just too large. And we want to continue to fight."

When the USWNT won international soccer's most prestigious event, the World Cup, in 2015, the team earned $2 million in prize money that was given to the national federation to be distributed to the players and the organization. Meanwhile, the men's team, which lost in the World Cup's Round of 16, earned $9 million. The men's team that won the tournament, Germany, earned $35 million.

Belgian and French authorities searched an area of western Belgium on Thursday as part of an investigation into a French terror suspect who was arrested last week, NBC News reported. 

Belgium's prosecutor told the Belga news agency that the search in the town of Kortrijk, near the French border, was connected to an ongoing investigation into Reda Kriket. 

Kriket was arrested last Thursday on suspicion of plotting an imminent terror attack and his apartment was packed with an "unprecedented" arsenal of weapons.

Officials have said the 34-year-old French national's arrest was not tied to the Brussels terror attacks. 

The State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs tweeted a poorly-worded warning to Americans traveling overseas Wednesday — and then deleted the tweet after a deluge of criticism from people who called it "sexist" and "insulting."

The tweet, sent from the State Department's @TravelGov account, was meant to warn travelers of potential scams initiated by flattery. 

"Not a "10 in the US? Then not a 10 overseas. Beware of being lured into buying expensive drinks or worse — being robbed #springbreakingbadly," the tweet read. 

The agency initially tried to explain itself, telling responders that they are "just trying to warn folks about overseas scam artists." But eventually, it took down the offensive tweet and issued a two-part apology.
 

Video of a Southern California police officer playing hopscotch with a homeless girl while a fellow officer tries to find housing for the child and her mother has earned thousands of views and heaps of praise.

Police found the 11-year-old and her mother living out of a car while investigating the report of a suspicious vehicle at Graham Street and Edinger Avenue in Huntington Beach, authorities said.

While Officer Scott Marsh spoke with the mother and contacted the department's Homeless Task Force, Officer Zach Pricer tried to make the girl's morning a bit brighter.

Pricer distracted the girl by playing hopscotch while Marsh and the mother discussed "adult problems," according to the Huntington Beach Police Department, which posted video of the game Wednesday.

The girl is seen giggling as Pricer jumps through the pattern, at one point losing his balance. Pricer ends the game with a high-five "after displaying his expertise in hopscotch," the department wrote on Facebook. 

The video and post — which ends with the hashtag #Copslovehopscotch — had received more than 312,000 views by Thursday morning.

"Officers interacting with the public in a positive way brings a lot of positive attention," said Huntington Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Marlatt.

"It shows the personal side of the PD," she added.

Police officers and residents are rallying to support a two-year-old boy with Down syndrome who had his Easter eggs stolen from his front lawn in an act of petty theft caught on surveillance video.

Chula Vista residents Janet and Michael Ford say they were excited to celebrate Easter with their toddler, Gabriel, on Sunday after they learned their neighbors had put Easter eggs on their lawn for the little boy to find.

Gabriel has Down syndrome and was born with his ring and middle fingers bound as one. His parents say he recently underwent surgery to have his fingers separated. As part of his physical therapy, Gabriel had been practicing picking up eggs, so the Fords say their son was really looking forward to partaking in an egg hunt on Easter - the first time the tot has really been old enough to celebrate the holiday.

Janet and Michael planned to help Gabriel hunt for the eggs on their lawn after church on Sunday, but while the family was at church, a group helped themselves to the eggs.

A surveillance camera at the family’s home captured video of a couple taking a few eggs from the family’s yard and then leaving. The footage then shows the couple coming back, this time accompanied by two kids, and taking the rest of the eggs.

But the theft didn’t stop there.

The surveillance video shows the couple coming back to the Fords’ yard a third time at night and cutting Easter eggs left on some trees.

Janet said the unfortunate incident was very disappointing.

However, there is a silver lining.

In an overwhelming response, the Fords say Chula Vista police officers, firefighters and community members have rallied in support of little Gabriel.

On Monday night, an emergency dispatcher and a Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) officer who is also a parent of a special needs child visited the family’s home and decorated their yard with bright Easter eggs just for Gabriel.

The dispatcher and officer also left a big box of sidewalk chalk for the boy and a note that read: “Happy Easter from your neighborhood Easter bunnies. 28 eggs total.”

Chula Vista firefighters also dropped off a special Easter basket for Gabriel.

This Friday, the community plans to come together to host a big Easter egg hunt for all the children in the neighborhood, Gabriel included.

The community is asking people to contribute eggs for the event, and to bring a toy to donate to Rady Children’s Hospital, since the hospital has been such a big part of Gabriel’s life.

“It’s turned into so many families wanting to do it. We have had people from other states contacting us,” Janet told NBC 7.

According to CVPD Lt. Fritz Reber, police know the identities of the people who stole the eggs, but have yet to speak with the group. The investigation is ongoing, and the adult culprits could be charged with petty theft in the incident, according to police.

A severe storm system that spawned tornadoes in Oklahoma and Arkansas, injuring at least 10 people, was set to bring strong winds and torrential rain as well as serious flood risk across the Southeast on Thursday, NBC News reported.

Flash-flood warnings were issued for parts of Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas, the National Weather Service said. Flood watches were also in effect for northern Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Meanwhile, tornado warnings were in effect for parts of Louisiana and Arkansas.

The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down Wednesday evening in north Tulsa, Oklahoma. There were reports of downed trees and damage to some structures.

Nine dogs -- one of which was pregnant -- have been rescued following in lengthy investigation into a San Diego dog fighting ring. 

San Diego Police (SDPD) and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) officials said months of investigation and several search warrants lead them from Los Angeles County to San Diego County, said LASD Sgt. Robert Hill. 

Authorities served a search warrant at a home on Westinghouse Drive in San Diego's Linda Vista neighborhood, where they found four people inside the home, Hill said. One was arrested on unrelated drug charges, and authorities expect more arrests going forward. 

Inside, officials found nine dogs, some of which had scars from a history of fights. Down the stairs and through a brick opening, authorities also uncovered a type of dungeon where the dogs would be trained. In the room, a treadmill, chains, tropheys, weights and belts, items consistent with dog training. 

"These dogs are very valuable to the people that own them," Hill said. "They sell them for several thousand dollars."

One of the dogs was pregnant, officials said, and some may have to be put down if they are extremely aggressive. The dogs will be taken to a vet in the Los Angeles area for rehabilitation. 

The dogs were kept in the United States, but were brought to Mexico to fight in several different cities where they could win up to $80,000 in prize money, Hill said. Successful dogs like these could be sold from anywhere between $1,000 to $10,000, depending on their histories. At least one of the dogs was bread, likely because the dog showed consistent behavior for a fight dog, Hill said. 

Hill said the larger dog fighting ring likely had more than 1,000 members.

Doctors say it is a miracle 8-year-old Joshua Brathwaite is alive.

The second-grade student was rushed to a hospital last week after he was hit by a stray bullet during a shooting outside his home in Concord, California. The bullet is still lodged in the boy's neck.

"I am happy to be home because I want to see my brothers," Joshua said in an interview with NBC Bay Area.

After spending three days in the hospital, Joshua is back home doing what he missed the most: playing with his brothers.

"They are supposed to play and ride their bikes and have fun, play video games and do things that he likes to do," said his father, Joshua Brathwaite Sr. "Not sit in the hospital with a bullet in his neck."

Last Friday — the day after his eighth birthday — Joshua was standing outside his house when police said family friend James Jarrard started shooting at another person.

"I didn't know what kind of gun, but he just pulled it out," the boy recalled.

Joshua's father said the bullet ricocheted off the ground and struck the boy's neck.

"I just felt something hurting," Joshua said.

His mother, Sarah Barela, said Joshua clutched his neck and told her he was in pain.

Barela said Jarrard then fled the area.

"It made me so angry — just, you need to come back," Barela said. "Just help me. You just shot my child. Help me."

Joshua returned home from the hospital Monday, the same day someone spotted Jarrard in a Fairfield parking lot. While trying to escape police, the suspect was shot in the neck.

"Now he has a bullet in the exact same spot he shot my son," Barela said.

Doctors said they will eventually have to remove the bullet from Joshua's neck, but for now the boy has made a full recovery.

Meanwhile, Jarrard is in stable condition and will be booked into the Solano County Jail once he is released from the hospital.

China has unveiled a proposal for a $50-trillion global electricity network that would help combat pollution and the effects of climate change, NBC News reported.

The plan envisions linking existing and future solar farms, wind turbines and electricity plants in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, according to the head of State Grid Corporation of China.

The proposal is in its initial stages and would require huge investment from around the world. If it goes ahead, it would be the world's largest infrastructure project. According to backers, the network could be operational by 2050. 

Protests are expected Thursday after news broke that the Chicago police officer charged in the death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald has been hired by the police union as a janitor and "jack-of-all-trades."

Officer Jason Van Dyke now makes $12 an hour at the Fraternal Order of Police hall in the city’s West Loop, union president Dean Angelo told the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday evening.

Over the past several months, Van Dyke has appeared in court numerous times to face a judge on first-degree murder charges stemming from the October 2014 shooting. Van Dyke is accused of firing 16 shots at McDonald, who was seen on surveillance video walking away from police.

Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty and his attorney has requested a change of venue, arguing it's impossible for his client to have a fair trial in Cook County.

Already there has been heavy pushback against Van Dyke's new role. Father Michael Pfleger, a Roman Catholic priest and social activist, took to Facebook late Wednesday after news of the hiring broke. His heated post calling the move a "disgrace" and arguing that every union member should demand he be fired garnered more than 1,000 shares in just 10 hours.

"The Police Union says to Chicago...we don't give a damn what he did, what you think, he is one of ours, and we are going to take care of him," he wrote.

Other activists followed suit, planning demonstrations for outside the FOP at both noon and 6:30 p.m. [[374115201, C]]

"The F.O.P. just declared war with the people of Chicago," wrote Jedidiah Brown. "The ultimate slap in the face is to hire a man who shot a child sixteen times." [[374115721, C]]

Prosecutor Bill Delaney had asked that Van Dyke remain held without bond on Nov. 30, 2015, but the judge rejected that, saying everyone is presumed innocent. He set Van Dyke’s bail at $1.5 million. Five hours later, Van Dyke posted bond and walked out of jail.

Van Dyke is currently stripped of his police powers and is on unpaid status. His new job is considered to be at a level slightly higher than that of a typical security guard, according to the Sun-Times.

"He might be on the roof, he might be in the office, he does anything we need," Angelo told the newspaper, adding that the hiring of Van Dyke is not an unprecedented move.

"We’ve probably had 100 people in no-pay status who we got jobs or hired at the hall," he told the Sun-Times. "This is nothing new."

In an interview with The Associated Press, Angelo said Van Dyke's suspension has been a "very difficult situation, financially" for the husband and father, adding that the union would do the same for any CPD officer.

Van Dyke had been turned down for all other jobs, Angelo said, and his wife's business had to close its doors due to an onslaught of threats against the officer and his family.

A golf course in Poway is now using a new set of wheels to shuttle players around the links: a surf-inspired, motorized vehicle known as a “GolfBoard.”

The Maderas Golf Club located at 17750 Old Coach Rd. has introduced GolfBoards as an alternative mode of maneuvering from hole to hole.

Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the vehicle – which looks like a cross between a skateboard and a golf cart, or a hoverboard-meets-Segway – allows golfers to cruise the green in a manner that feels similar to snowboarding, surfing or skateboarding.

According to the GolfBoards website, the vehicle increases the pace of the game compared to golf carts, making it possible to get 36 holes under one’s belt in five hours. Its top speed is 14 mph.

The electric-powered ride is made by Sol Boards, Inc., of Bend, Oregon.

The GolfBoard made its grand debut two years ago at the West Coast PGA Show. Since then, the unique vehicle has steadily gained traction on courses nationwide.

Golfboards are now being used on approximately 150 courses across the U.S.
Maderas Golf Club, which is managed by the world’s largest golf management company, Troon, is the first Troon course in California to feature the GolfBoard.

Maderas Golf Club general manager Michael Flickinger said the club believes the addition of GolfBoards will help grow the game and attract younger players to the links – especially those in Southern California who already love skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing.

“It’s a vehicle they’re comfortable with, and it makes the game faster and more fun,” Flickinger said in a press release. ‘We see this as an exciting new way for golfers to experience the game.”

Golfboard spokesman Brent Duclos said the terrain at scenic Maderas lends itself to “GolfBoarding.”

“The undulating fairways coupled with majestic canyon views provide for a perfect GolfBoarding canvas,” Duclos said.

Maderas Golf Club is currently renting out GolfBoards for $20. The boards can be reserved while making a tee time reservation online. Renters are required to watch a safety video and sign a waiver before hitting the course on a GolfBoard.

Check out the GolfBoard in action at Maderas in this short video below or here, or check out the GolfBoard website.

 By now you the Chargers are focused on moving the team to a Downtown Stadium location. Wednesday morning the San Diego Chargers released their Downtown San Diego Stadium initiative. In the lengthy 110 page initiative the Chargers lay it all out there. The cliff’s notes version is as follows: In the Chargers' plan for a new stadium the team and the NFL would be paying $650 million but it would also require a 4 percent increase in the hotel tax to provide the other $350 million for the total $1 billion cost. Team officials are pushing to get enough signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

So what does this mean for you? That depends on how much (if anything) you think the tax payers should have to chip in. In a broader sense, most stadium deals require the tax payers to put up the entire bill. In other cases, like with the Sun Life Stadium renovations in Miami, the owner cuts the check. The initiative the Chargers are proposing would have tax payers paying about one-third of the cost. But of course, there are many layers to this stadium onion. We have the document released by the Chargers for you to view in it's entirety in our news section. 

Before anything can happen, San Diegans would need to get on board and agree to the $350 million hotel tax hike. Otherwise, this initiative isn’t going anywhere; but the Chargers may be going two hours north.

 Officials have identified the four San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputies who were off duty when they got involved in a dispute outside a 7-Eleven in Vista.

When a man drove a car into the group, one deputy fired his weapon multiple times, striking the driver.

Alejandro Blanco, 32, was arraigned in Vista Wednesday on three charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and one count of personally inflicting great bodily injury. 

Blanco is not a U.S. citizen, prosecutors said, and argued he was a flight risk. He was held on $500,000 bail. Prosecutors are waiting to hear if Blanco was impaired when he got behind the wheel of the car that morning. 

Prosecutors say Blanco was in an argument with a group of men over foul comments made about a female companion the night of the deputy-involved shooting.

The fight was taking place in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven on East Vista Way just before 2 a.m. Sunday, March 27.

The deputies, who were not uniform, were in a nearby shopping center nearby and walked over to the parking lot to attempt to de-escalate the situation and break up the fight, SDSO Lt. Kenneth Nelson said. 

Blanco, who was driving a Nissan Maxima, walked from the parking lot to his car, suddenly putting it in reverse, Nelson said. He ran over one deputy and knocked another on the hood of the car, Nelson said. The deputy hit by the front of the car was knocked unconscious, prosecutors say. 

Blanco switched from reverse to forward drive, accelerating toward the third deputy, Nelson said. That's when a deputy fired his revolver twice, hitting Blanco in the upper torso, Nelson said.

Deputy Jason Phillips with the department’s Special Investigations Division has been identified as the deputy that opened fire.

A news release from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Division, identified the three other deputies involved as Sgt. Alejandro Navarro, Deputy Anthony Garcia and Deputy Zheath Sanchez.

Garcia and Sanchez work with Phillips in the Special Investigations Division (S.I.D.) that focuses on special projects ranging from narcotics to gangs and organized crime.

Navarro works for the Court Services Bureau.

Anyone with information about this incident can call the Homicide Detail at (858) 974- 2321/after hours at (858) 565-5200 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-TIPS(8477).

A 52-year-old Uber driver has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a female passenger in El Cajon, police said Wednesday.

John David Sanchez was on duty as an Uber driver when he gave the woman a ride in late February and allegedly sexually assaulted her, police said.

El Cajon police investigators have been investigating since the incident last month. After serving search warrants on Sanchez’s home as well as his vehicle – a silver 2012 Scion XB – they arrested him Tuesday.

Sanchez was booked in the San Diego County Jail on suspicion of felony sex assault charges.

Police said the ride-sharing service has been fully cooperative with the investigation and immediately suspended the driver. Sanchez has not driven for Uber since the incident, police said.

Wednesday afternoon, Uber released this statement on the case:

"Uber takes safety incidents like this very seriously, and our thoughts are with the victim and her family. Uber immediately removed this driver-partner from the platform following our initial contact with the El Cajon Police Department. We have been working closely with law enforcement to assist their investigation."

A jury dismissed most claims against former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner in a sex harassment lawsuit Wednesday, but did say the woman accusing Filner was subject to unwanted contact because she was a woman.

It took the jury only a few hours to come back with a verdict Wednesday following five days of testimony regarding allegations made by a City of San Diego employee that she was inappropriately touched by the former mayor at a city event.

Stacy McKenzie, a manager for the City Parks and Recreation department, claimed that Filner grabbed her from behind at an April 2013 parks event and touched her inappropriately.

During deliberations, jurors considered 20 questions with subparts that involve three areas: sexual battery, harassment and damages. 

In civil trials, a jury finds for or against the defendant based on a preponderance of evidence, not proof beyond a reasonable doubt as in jury trials. In announcing their verdict, the jury dismissed most claims against Filner. Further, jurors did not signal any damages awarded to the plaintiff.

McKenzie told NBC 7 San Diego she was proud of the case.

"I think we put folks in the city on notice that we’re not just stand by and take this kind of behavior," she said. "It turned out the way it turned out, but I’m still proud we brought it forward. I think we made a stand and I think we made our statement."

McKenzie's attorney Dan Gilleon said he was disappointed in the jury's decision.

“This case was not about money,” he said. Gilleon previously argued that a fair compensation for his client would be $150,000 for total pain and suffering. 

The jury got hung up on a technicality, he said: That the act happened at a park and not in a work environment.

"I just don’t think that the law allows a boss to harass somebody on their day off at the park," Gilleon said. "I think the law is the opposite of that."

Both Filner and the City of San Diego were accused of sexual harassment in the workplace. Only Filner was accused of sexual battery. Under the law, the plaintiff had to prove that Filner intended to cause a harmful or offensive contact with her buttocks or breast. Jurors dismissed this claim.

Only the City of San Diego was accused of failure to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, and jurors dismissed this claim.

Assistant City Attorney George Schaefer argued jurors saw evidence of emails and other written jokes made by McKenzie after the April 2013 incident.

Schaefer recalled testimony from one witness who said McKenzie characterized Filner's behavior as creepy but did not consider it sexual harassment. 

McKenzie testified she suffered anxiety and depression following the parks event. 

A man was arrested Wednesday at Westfield Plaza Bonita Mall, accused of taking lewd pictures of unsuspecting men in the public bathroom.

Mall security called National City Police at 8:15 p.m. after shoppers complained. 

The 46-year-old man used his cell phone to take photos underneath the bathroom stall, Sgt. Dennis Leach said.

He added that investigators will work to determine if this is an isolated incident.

The mall is located near Interstate 805 and State Route 54 in the South Bay area of San Diego.

Surveillance video captured the death of a U-Haul lot attendant as he was run over by a truck in the Miramar area of San Diego.

The engine of the U-Haul truck was still running in the lot outside the rental company on Camino Ruiz just before 7 a.m. when SAn DIego Police arrived.

"This is a tragic accident," said San Diego Police Lt. Kevin Mayer.

The lot attendant got inside one of the trucks and began moving it around the parking lot. 

“As the vehicle was in reverse, the male decided to get out, the door knocked him down and the vehicle ran him over and killed him,” Mayer said.

Mayer said surveillance video from the rental company confirmed the events although it's not clear what prompted the employee to get out as the vehicle was moving.

Point Loma Nazarene University women’s basketball team has a new head coach. The PLNU website announced today that Lisa Faulkner will replace retiring coach Bill Westphal.

Faulkner spent the last four seasons as assistant coach at Boston University where her specialty was recruitment, perimeter players and offensive strategy. The Eagles finished 14th in the ACC with a 2-14 conference record and 15-16 overall.

Before joining BC, Faulkner coached at the University of Denver (2008-2012), Northern Arizona University (2007-2008) and Vanguard (2005-2007). But her experience isn’t just on the sidelines. Faulkner played high school basketball at Oregon City High School where she helped lead the Pioneers to two state titles.

After high school she played for the University of California Irvine setting the school-record for assists in a season and garnering an All-Big West honorable mention before transferring to Vanguard following her sophomore season. At Vanguard Faulkner was a two-time All-American helping the Lions reach the Elite Eight both season and was named NAIA co-Player of the Year in 2005.

Faulkner told PLNU’s athletics site that she’s, “Grateful for the mentors that I have had along the way to be ready to embark on this journey as a head coach. I cannot wait to start working with the team and to start growing together on and off the court.”

The Sea Lions finished sixth in the PacWest Conference with a 19-10 overall and 12-8 conference record in 2015-16. All five starters will return including Madison West and Alex Brunk who were All-PacWest selections.

Faulkner takes over for former coach Bill Westphal who retired after 17 seasons with PLNU. Under Westphal, the Sea Lions were 357-181 with nine 20-plus win seasons.