The Padres annual FanFest is getting bigger. Instead of the typical single-day baseball extravaganza at Petco Park, the 2016 version will stretch in to a two-day affair.

FanFest 2016 takes place this Friday and Saturday, in conjunction with two exhibition games against the White Sox at Petco Park. The Park at the Park will be open each day with the whiffle ball field hosting games for kids 14 and under.

On Friday, fans can expect a preview of this season’s Friday night Party in the Park presented by Southwest Airlines events, including entertainment provided by a DJ, as well as food and drink specials. Saturday will feature entertainment provided by a live band, as well as a preview of this season’s Sunday KidsFest events, including bounce houses, games, obstacle courses and face painting. The interactive “For those who Serve” Military and First Responder Zone will be open Saturday.

Gates open at 4:30 p.m. for FanFest activities. The seating bowl and Home Plate Gate open at 6 p.m. with first pitch against Chicago set for 7 p.m.

On Saturday, Park at the Park gates open to the general public at 10 a.m. (unless you’re a Padres Member, you can get in at 9 a.m. like at Disneyland). The seating bowl and Home Plate Gate open at noon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. Following Saturday’s game, fans will be invited on the field for the opportunity to run the bases.

On both days fans will get a chance to see the new two-level group and social space in right field: The Pier and the Sun Diego Beach. The relocation of the beach area was a hot topic among the Padres fan base in the off-season so it will be interesting to see how the new setup is received.

The Padres Foundation annual Garage Sale also returns this year. On both Friday and Saturday fans will have the opportunity to purchase Padres items, including game-used jerseys and batting helmets, with proceeds going to the Padres Foundation.

Now, here’s the really important information ... how much will it cost us?

Everything that’s not an actual baseball game is open to the public free of charge (no ticket or pre-registration necessary). General admission tickets to the exhibition games are free for all Padres Season Ticket Members (one ticket for every seat on their Membership account) and $10 for the general public. Tickets for the exhibition games are now on sale at www.padres.com and at the Padres Advance Ticket Windows at Petco Park.

Free parking will be available to Padres Members in Padres-owned lots around the ballpark on a first-come, first-served basis. General fan parking is $15 in Padres-owned lots and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Various Padres players, coaches and alumni will sign autographs at Park at the Park between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Autographs will be available on a first-come, first-served basis so there will be lines and autographs are not guaranteed.

Standard Petco Park security and screening procedures will be in place for Padres FanFest. Re-entry will be permitted for FanFest events, but fans who exit will be screened again upon re-entry into the ballpark.

You can find information updates by visiting www.padres.com/fanfest for additional details and the most up-to-date information.

A conservative organization is calling out Disney and several other companies for allegedly going to “war” on Christianity, NBC News reports.

Texas Values president Jonathan Saenz said in a statement this week that corporations “declared war” on religious freedom after Georgia passed the Free Exercise Protection Act, which would allow local businesses to refuse services to anyone whose lifestyles offended their religious sensibilities.

"Will Disney now ban you from wearing a cross outside your shirt at their parks? Will a Catholic priest be forced to remove his white collar when he takes a picture with Mickey Mouse? This is how extreme the attacks now are on religious freedom, it's a zero tolerance policy for religious freedom,” Saenz said in his statement.

A number of companies converged to put pressure on Gov. Nathan Deal to veto the bill, which he did on Monday.  

New polls show Donald Trump’s national position is hitting new lows, including with groups that are supposed to form his base, NBC News reports.

A collection of recent surveys by Real Clear Politics finds 63 percent of respondents hold a negative view of Trump, compared to the 30 percent who view him favorably. Another poll from Marquette University shows 70 percent of those surveyed disapproved of Trump.

Other polls show unfavorable views from women, white men and non-college whites.

Trump’s waning support isn’t just limited to the general public. Support from Republican party leaders is weak, indicating he may be unlikely to win a contested convention. 

A Las Vegas police K-9 officer was shot and killed Thursday in the line of duty, three weeks after returning to duty following a machete attack, NBC News reports.

Nicky, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois, was killed when his human partner, Sgt. Eric Kerns, was involved in a confrontation Thursday afternoon, Las Vegas police said.

The suspect was shot as well, but police did not provide any other information.

Nicky returned to duty March 8, after being severely injured by a suspect wielding a machete, police said.
 

Alabama’s governor has defended himself again amid allegations that he had an affair with an aide, as some in his own party threaten impeachment, NBC News reported.

Republican state Rep. Ed Henry said he will begin an impeachment process against Gov. Robert Bentley this week. The state auditor filed an ethics report last week and an ethics commission investigation is pending.

Bentley was asked Thursday about the affair and denied any physical relationship existed with Rebekah Caldwell Mason, who resigned Wednesday. He said no laws were broken and he will not resign.

"The only thing that we know is true is that everything that the governor is saying is not true," Rep. Craig Ford, Democratic minority leader in the state House, said Thursday. "The governor needs to resign immediately. If he doesn't resign, the governor needs to be impeached as soon as we go back in session next week." 

A sketch of a suspect in the stabbing of a 15-year-old girl in Vista has been released by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.

The stabbing happened March 21 just before 10 a.m. The suspect entered the victim’s home, near the intersection of E. East Drive and N. Santa Fe Avenue, and attacked her with an unknown weapon.

She did not know the suspect and had not invited him into her home.

The girl was treated at the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and released.

The suspect is described as a 16 to 18-year-old dark-skinned man between 5’5” and 5’10”, 160 to 200 pounds. He was wearing a grey or black hooded sweatshirt, jeans and possibly a black San Diego Padres hat.

He was last seen riding a small green bicycle.

Anyone with information on this case should call the Sheriff's Department at (858) 565-5200.

You can also call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. A reward of up to a $1,000  is being offered to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this case.

Anonymous email and text messages can be sent via Crime Stoppers’ website.
 

A pet bird died inside a house fire in Spring Valley Wednesday. 

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department's Bomb Arson unit is investigating what started the fire just before 11 p.m. on Correa Lane.

The man who lives inside the home watched crews battle the fire from the sidewalk outside.

He said he grabbed cages of his 30 birds one by one, trying to save them.

Neighbors here question whether this fire was set on purpose. They say the home has been in foreclosure for a couple of years and went up for auction on Wednesday.

The homeowner, who identified himself to NBC 7 as Bob, said he lost the most important thing in the fire - his cockatiel named Mr. Gurgles.

"I don't see what personal gain I can get out of this I can see what person tragedy I can get out of this, because now I gotta deal with this mess," he said.

Three birds died in the fire. The others were sent to the homes of friends.

Firefighters from San Miguel, Bonita and San Diego extinguished the fire. 

A federal judge struck down Mississippi’s ban on adoption by same-sex couples Thursday, NBC News reported.

U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan called the state’s lawyers defense “tepid,” and criticized them for not even trying to justify the legality of the law. The lawyers argued that the gay and lesbian rights groups that represented four couples didn’t have legal standing to sue.

Mississippi was the last state to have a ban after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage last year.

"While it may be hard to discern a precise test, the Court extended its holding to marriage-related benefits — which includes the right to adopt," Jordan wrote in his decision.  

Students from Sweetwater Valley High School District used their day off of school Thursday to honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez with a day of service.

“When we work on this holiday,” one volunteer said, “it has nothing to do with a day off school.”

During the annual Cesar Chavez Day, volunteers from South Bay Community Services worked to improve neighborhood projects from cleaning up trash, to planting a garden at a school, to painting a new mural on the campus of Castle Park Middle School.

The mural honors Chavez, who spent his life working to improve the lives of those most vulnerable.

“People might notice and be like ‘wow this person is getting better. Maybe I should start getting better too,’” student Bianca Espinoza said of the effect of volunteering.

Cesar Chavez, himself a farmer, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, later renamed the United Farm Workers Union (UFW).

“I’m appreciating that my family used to be farmers,” volunteer Jasmin Rodriguez said. “I’m not embarrassed to say my family used to be. I’m actually proud of it.”

Among the guests of honor at the celebration, which included music, food and traditional dancing, was Barbara Ybarra, Cesar Chavez’s granddaughter.

“I think it’s his message overall – ‘si, se puede’, it’s always about that – ‘yes, we can’ and everything is possible,” Ybarra said of the union’s motto created by Chavez and the UFW’s co-founder Dolores Huerta in 1972.

Meanwhile, to celebrate Chavez’s birthday and the historic vote to raise the California minimum wage, Union Workers chanted ‘si, se puede’ as they marched through the streets of downtown.

Chavez was born on March 31, 1927. If he had lived be would have turned 89 Thursday. Chavez died in 1993 of natural causes.
 

A five-year-old was rescued Thursday evening after being found at the bottom of a hotel pool in Carlsbad, Carlsbad police confirmed. 

The girl was not breathing when a family friend got her out of the pool. Two hotel employees initiated CPR and successfuly revived the child.

She was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.

The incident happened at approximately 5:15 p.m. at Cape Rey Carlsbad, a Hilton resort. 

Carlsbad police and the Carlsbad Fire Department both responded. 

No other information was immediately available. 

Check back on this story for updates. 

Frisco, Texas, police say a mother not seen since Monday has been found dead in McKinney, and her three children are alive.

Police said Christine Thi Woo was found dead in her 2011 Honda Pilot about 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Target store in the 8900 block of Texas 121 at Custer Road. Woo's cause of death is unknown.

The children, 1-year-old Leah Woo, 3-year-old Nathan Woo and 5-year-old Lauren Woo, were found alive in the vehicle, police said, and appeared to be OK but were transported to an area hospital for evaluation.

The children's father, Brandon Woo, went to the hospital to be with them, police said.

A Frisco police spokesman, Sgt. Jeff Inmon, declined to speculate about a cause of death.

"At this point we're conducting an investigation to determine exactly what happened," he said. "The medical examiner's office, however, will determine the cause of death. We're all saddened by this incident and it's unfortunate but hopefully it'll bring some closure to the family."

Christine Woo and her children were last seen in Frisco Monday morning. Police tracked her last credit card to purchases at a Frisco Walgreens and McDonald's Monday between about 10 a.m. and noon.

Police continue to investigate at the scene, and additional details have not yet been released.

Husband Speaks to NBC 5

Brandon Woo, told NBC 5 Thursday that he texted his wife on his way home from work Monday and didn't get a response. When he arrived home they were gone.

"Got to the house, no kids, no wife, so I'm thinking, 'OK they may be out at the playground, shopping, somewhere,' so I give her a call. Cell phone rings in the other room," Brandon Woo said. "She doesn't have her cell phone, can't track her from her cell phone."

"Started getting worried when it got to 8 o'clock, now nothing. Nine o'clock, 10 o'clock, stayed up all night of course worrying," he said.

Brandon Woo said he returned to work Tuesday morning, but would later tell his boss his family was missing and was allowed to return home.

"I know a lot of your viewers are asking me why did you wait so long to file a missing person report," he said. "Call it ignorance, I always thought that you had to wait 24 hours for a person to be missing before you can file a report. Once I did file a report on Tuesday evening, the police obviously educated me on that saying, no you don't have to wait. As soon as you think they're missing you can file a report, doesn't matter how long."

Brandon Woo said there was no further activity on the couple's credit cards, or even their Toll Tag, beyond Monday morning.

Happy Birthday, Apple!

The company that defined Silicon Valley and pushed into a national spotlight is approaching its 40th birthday on Friday.

To commemorate the milestone, a group of employees got together to reminisce about the ups and downs of the past, and look ahead to the future.

Some who showed up to the shindig were there in Apple’s infancy and in the years following its 1976 founding.

“There was this feeling, even back then, that we were doing something that would change the world, and change how people related to their computers," said Bud Tripple, who joined the company in 1980 to work with the original Mac team. "We had big ideas: 

Greg Joswiak, who joined Apple in 1986, remembered when Mac hit hard times in the mid 1990s.

“There was a short time that we lost sight,” he said. “We were really trying to make macs like PCs." He credits the return of Steve Jobs in 1997 with reinvigorating the spirit of innovation that has fueled the company.

The longtimers also have seen many changes to the company headquarters – especially its neighbors.

As the years passed, the Apple veterans had to get used to sharing its Silicon Valley with new generations of tech giants, from those that lived (and died) during the dot com boom, to today’s growing technology infrastructure in the South Bay.

“It is definitely a big company…but the feeling is so much like a startup,” said Divya Nag, who joined on in 2014. 

And now, with customers hungry for new products, Apple is preparing to move into something only they would have designed.

“Apple approaches everything like a product,” said Joswiak with a smile “This new campus is a product.”

NBC 7’s Ben Rosehart discusses when – not if – the San Diego State wing player should turn pro

LSU freshman Ben Simmons and Providence guard Kris Dunn already announced their intentions to turn pro and enter the NBA draft.

But what about San Diego State’s Malik Pope? Will he pursue his dream of playing in the league now and follow in the shoes of Kawhi Leonard? Or will he return for at least one more year with the Aztecs?

Much like the Aztecs this past season, Pope showed flashes of greatness at times but then seemed to disappear altogether on some nights.

The sophomore came into his own during SDSU’s 12-game conference winning streak. Pope even hit that miraculous (sorry couldn’t resist) 3-pointer against the Lobos that forced overtime and ultimately propelled the Aztecs to an unexpected home victory after trailing by 5 with 22 seconds left in regulation.

Pope also had some ridiculous dunks – including a rim-rattler in the NIT victory over Washington that had one ESPN announcer exclaiming “Oh My Goodness!!!” over the airwaves.
I saw former Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks checking out Pope courtside at Viejas Arena a few weeks ago as the Aztecs were winding down their conference schedule. To my knowledge Brooks is not officially employed by an NBA franchise but it made me wonder how many people in basketball circles have Pope on their draft radar.

The Sacramento native was considered by many to be a 1st-round prospect right around the time he set foot on campus as a freshman.

The first time I watched Pope play as a freshman I thought he was the best player on the floor but wondered why he didn’t play more minutes. Turns out he wasn’t ready.

This season, Pope reached double figures in the scoring column only 3 times in the first 25 games.

But down the stretch, he raised his level of play and was more confident in his shot – tallying at least 10 points in 9 of his last 13 contests.

Aside from the disappointing loss to George Washington to close out the year, he emerged as a consistent scoring threat the last two months.

But he only averaged 7.3 points per game – which was good for 5th on the Aztecs. That doesn’t sound like a first-round prospect to me.

It is Pope’s dream to play in the NBA. I think he will accomplish that goal.

To me, it’s not a matter of if, but when he should declare for the draft.

He could do it in the next few days or wait another year or two before focusing 100% on being a pro athlete.

So after watching about 70 percent of the Aztecs games this season and a handful of the games Pope played as a freshman, here’s my assessment and prediction of where Pope goes from here:

Ceiling: The best case scenario is that Pope becomes a more consistent player in the pros and utilizes his wingspan and skill set to be a starting forward in the league.

He has the tools to be a steady two-way player because of his size and his athleticism.

He can attack the rim, he can shoot and make the long-ball, and he is willing to be unselfish as well as rise to the occasion when his team desperately needs a big basket (like the previously mentioned shot against New Mexico).

Best-case Basketball Comparison: Paul George

Floor: His talent keeps him in the league for multiple seasons, but his inconsistency makes NBA franchises hesitant to commit to him long-term.

As a result, Pope gets traded around as a throw-in for a handful of trades and becomes an NBA nomad.

Secondary Basketball Comparison: James Johnson

My Prediction: The longer Pope stays at San Diego State the more likely he will have a long NBA career.

I believe he will test the waters without hiring an agent and ultimately return for at least his junior season.

He will develop more confidence if he stays at Montezuma Mesa for at least one more year.

Pope and Trey Kell project as the first two scoring options for SDSU with sophomore-to-be (and a hopefully healthy) Jeremy Hemsley running the show.

Matt Shrigley and Dakarai Allen will chip in as the glue players in their senior campaigns, and the new faces – like incoming 6’9” freshman Jalen McDaniels (who just helped his high school win two state titles in Washington) will blend into the rotation.

Pope can help lead the Aztecs back to the NCAA tournament and on a bigger stage he could then showcase how far he has come for NBA scouts.

A new rule change that goes into effect for the upcoming 2016 NBA draft gives college players more time to get information on their draft projections and level of interest shown by NBA teams.

It also allows them to go back to school without losing their eligibility.

Pope is a perfect example of a college player with remaining eligibility and NBA talent who can go through the interview process and then decide from there.

The withdrawal date to return to school is May 25th this year – specifically 10 days after the annual NBA draft combine.

As long as Pope does not hire an agent, he can wait until late May to get a good reading from teams and then make his final decision. If he doesn't think he will go in the first round (where you get a guaranteed contract), I'd recommend he stay at SDSU and develop his game for the 2017 draft.

Let me be clear - I believe Malik Pope will be playing in the NBA in the near future. But I think he has a better chance at making an impact in the league if he plays at least 3 seasons in college.

Wouldn’t it be cool to see him matched up against Kawhi Leonard some day? Count me in.

A San Diego-based aerospace company is building a piece of spacecraft that will eventually blast off to Mars.

Hundreds of parts for one of NASA’s biggest missions will come from San Diego Composites in the Miramar area.

The company’s engineers are creating the most important piece of NASA's new Orion spacecraft.

That is, if a major problem pops up during its launch.

NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio visited Wednesday to see the company’s launch abort system firsthand.

“I've launched on four missions now and there's always a certain number of close calls," Mastracchio said.

In the event of a malfunction or emergency at liftoff, the piece acts like a cocoon around the pod that holds the astronauts. It’s designed to carry the crew to safety.

Rob Kolozs, President of San Diego Composites, said the system goes into effect when and if a booster starts to malfunction.

“That will pull the spacecraft off of those boosters and take them a mile up and a mile away almost at the speed of sound and take them to safety and then parachute back to earth," Kolozs said.

NASA plans to launch Orion to asteroids, the moon and eventually take humans to Mars. The hope is that Orion will carry astronauts by 2021.

Hillary Clinton lashed out at an environmental activist Thursday while accusing the Bernie Sanders campaign of "lying" about donations sent from the fossil fuel industry to her campaign, NBC News reported. 

"I am so sick, I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me. I'm sick of it," Clinton told Eva Resnick-Day of Greenpeace, who confronted the Democratic presidential front-runner after a campaign stop in New York. Clinton acknowledged that some of her donors work for fossil fuel companies.

Greenpeace released video of the encounter, which showed Clinton jabbing her finger at the activist. Clinton also appeared frustrated earlier in the day when Sanders supporters interrupted her speech, shouting "she wins, we lose" in unison before being escorted out of the event at SUNY Purchase.

FactCheck.Org in December found that Clinton had not taken any money from PACs tied to the oil and gas industry, or companies themselves. Employees of oil and gas companies, however, have contributed $307,000 to Clinton's campaign, according to the Center for Responsive politics, while Sanders has received $54,000.

Storms brought tornadoes, heavy rain, hail and flash floods to the Southeast, tearing down trees and power lines Thursday, and will continue to threaten region Friday as the system moves east.

A tornado ripped through Lowndes County in Mississippi, Thursday afternoon, according to NBC affiliate WTVA, leaving about 5,000 customers without power Friday morning.

The storm weakened overnight but was expected to continue pummeling the region as it moves over Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas.

Severe thunderstorms will continue to flare up across parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast, the Weather Channel said. 

A New Jersey man lost part of his hand in a mysterious blast inside his apartment Thursday evening, police said.

Police were called to the Kennedy Boulevard home in Guttenberg when a loud explosion rang from the man's apartment, shaking the neighborhood. 

Neighbor Jose Mejia said he heard a big boom, then saw his friend stumble out of his home. He had lost his hand, Mejia told NBC 4 New York in Spanish.

Police confirmed a man about 50 years old was injured. 

"He blew part of his hand off, mostly his fingers," said Guttenberg Police Director Joel Magenheimer. 

The building never caught fire, but police flooded the scene and closed the street immediately. 

A hazmat team and bomb squad were seen gingerly entering the man's basement apartment, checking it out to see if there were any additional explosives inside. 

After a thorough search, investigators couldn't figure out what the man was doing in there that caused the explosion.

"Possibly fireworks, I really couldn't say. We really don't know," said Magenheimer. "There's no evidence of anything at this point. Except debris." 

Mejia said he heard from friends it might indeed have been fireworks. Police determined it was not terror related. 

"Any kind of explosion will make you suspicious. That's why we had the bomb squad up here, terrorist task force," said Magenheimer. "Everybody's releasing it, saying that whatever he was doing, they're not concerned too much about it." 

Quotas in the NYPD still exist for arrests and summonses in violation of a 2010 state ban on the practice, current on-the-job officers told the NBC New York I-Team, despite Police Commissioner Bill Bratton's repeated insistence there are no quotas.

The 10 officers who spoke to the I-Team are plaintiffs, along with two other officers, in a federal class-action lawsuit that claims the NYPD is continuing to pursue illegal quotas and is punishing officers who don’t meet numerical goals.

Bratton insists the department's policies are focused on the quality of arrests and summonses, not the quantity.

"There are no numerical quotas in the NYPD. However, we expect our members to do their jobs. Just like any other organization, there are performance standards through which employees are evaluated. Our officers and supervisors are evaluated according to how effectively and appropriately they address the conditions within their area of responsibility," the NYPD said in a statement.

A woman was arrested Thursday on suspicion of arson after a fire was set at an independent living home in San Diego’s Palm City area, officials confirmed.

Flames and smoke ripped through a single-story house in the 2200 block of Donax Avenue just before 11:40 a.m.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) Battalion Chief Mike McBride told NBC 7 one resident suffered smoke inhalation and had to be taken to the UC San Diego Burn Center.

McBride said a woman was arrested at the home for allegedly intentionally starting the fire. The woman, he said, admitted she set the small home ablaze.

The residence is home to several people, all of whom have unspecified medical conditions. A nurse who works there, who wished to remain anonymous, told NBC 7 the suspect shows signs of schizophrenic behavior.

McBride said two people were inside the home when the fire started. The blaze began in the living room, where there are several beds.

Two San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officers who were the first to arrive at the scene of the fire were also treated for smoke inhalation, officials said.

Metro Arson Strike Team officials will launch an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
 

Nearly 340,000 students will miss class Friday as the Chicago Teachers Union stages a one-day strike to protest education cuts and inadequate state funding.

Roosevelt High School is one of two locations where striking teachers held a news conference at 6:30 a.m. joined by a numerous organizations protesting in solidarity with the teachers.

Following the announcement, teachers planned to hit the picket lines protesting at every CPS school. Teachers who do show up to schools to work may be kicked out of the Chicago Teachers Union.

The teachers are calling the one-day strike a "day of action," while CPS leaders call it a wildcat strike and are promising legal action.

CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said Thursday the schools will be closely tallying the costs of the strike.

"Tomorrow was an instructional day with full attendance and that's why we find this so disappointing that kids are being robbed of a critical day of instruction," Claypool said.

CTU president Karen Lewis said the strike was necessary because schools are at a crisis point that demands action now. She will walk the picket line at King College Prep High School at 8:30 a.m. Friday morning and Beasley Elementary at 9 a.m. on the city’s South Side.

"We're at a crisis point so we either do something now or it's going to be worse later," Lewis said.

The teachers aren't alone in their protests, several others groups will demonstrate fighting for their own labor rights. Among them are striking fast food workers, who want the minimum wage raised.

To help CPS students during the strike, Chicago Transit Authority is offering free rides to 250 contingency sites. The designated locations include schools, parks and libraries. Students wanting a free bus or train ride need to show their CPS ID card or reduced fare card to the operator. The offer runs from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

No child will be turned away at the more than 250 locations part of CPS' contingency plan for families who cannot keep their children home Friday, but early registration is encouraged.