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Padres Shut Out for Second Straight Game

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James Shields had a decent performance on the mound in the Padres second game of the season. Shields lasted six innings with six hits, a walk, and struck out three batters.

The Padres offense still struggled. The Padres only mustered up two hits. Cory Spangenberg had an infield single in the first. The next hit wouldn't come until the bottom of the ninth from outfielder Jon Jay with a single. But that would be it. Final score Dodgers 3, Padres 0.

The Padres were shutout again by the Dodgers. Game 3 against the Dodgers is Wednesday night at Petco Park. Going into Tuesday night’s game the players seemed focused and ready to move on after a rough Opening Day shutout. After a 15-0 loss to the Dodgers, the Friars were in bounce back mode. Many of the players, especially the new guys on the roster are just trying to stay focused on the next game.

I spoke to skipper Andy Green before Tuesday night’s game and he was focused. In the second game of this series against the Dodgers the starting lineup included the same 8 position players from opening day, but the batting order was different. Green moved second baseman Cory Spangenber up to the second spot and dropped catcher Derek Norris down to 5th in the lineup. Alexei Ramirez and Melvin Upton Junior were moved to the 7 and 8 spots. Green did mention there would be some moving parts when I spoke to him ahead of the opening day game on Monday, but he is still solid in his decision in pitchers, especially Tuesday’s starter, James Shields. Green says, “He’s competitive, as competitive as anyone I’ve been around in my life so I think he just wants to get out on the mound and get to work. I think every fifth day that’ show he is. That’s who he is. He never wants to come out of the game. He always wants to be in the game. He always wants to compete. That’s the way you want all your guys wired so that’s what we love about him.”

The Padres face the Dodgers one more time on Wednesday before going on the road to Colorado.
 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Deputy Slapped Woman in Wheelchair, Threatened Tourists

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 A San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) deputy has been fired after admitting he slapped a woman in a wheelchair at least twice and threatened a family of tourists that tried to intervene, according to documents obtained by NBC 7 San Diego.

The incident happened sometime in the past two years when the deputy, “heavily inebriated” at the time, slapped the woman at least twice without provocation, according to a Civil Service Commission document from the Feb. 3, 2016 meeting. The incident happened when the deputy worked in detentions and court services.

When a group of tourists from Arizona tried to step in to help the woman, the deputy pulled out his badge, but lied and identified himself as a police officer, the documents say. The deputy “knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily stipulated that all of the charges were true” at the meeting, according to the document.

As San Diego Police (SDPD) officers arrested him, the deputy kicked at the windows and doors of the police car as he was being transported, according to the document. He demanded “professional courtesy” from the officers and told them they were lucky he didn’t have his gun on him.

The deputy said in his defense that this case was his only instance of bad behavior in 23 years of military service and police work.

Because the act was so outrageous and out-of-character, he argued, it should be discounted.
“Conversely, he argued that the outrageous nature of the conduct shows that it should be discounted from any estimate of his real character,” according to the document. 

SDSO spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said the deputy's behavior was not representative of the thousands of men and women who worked at the department every day. 

"Employees make mistakes, employees do things they shouldn't, but this rose to a level that is completely unacceptable," Caldwell said. 

She said when people go through training to become a deputy, they go through many different types of training, including ethics and how to interact with the public. 

"You don't assault anyone, for any reason, whatsoever," she said. 

She said she was glad the case was an outlier; the deputy's behavior was unlike anything she had seen in her ten years with the department. County and Sheriff's officials said the officer personnel records are protected by state law and his name is not being released.

"Every aspect of the behavior was reprehensible to this department and that was what happened; then we took a look into it substantiated the allegations and found them to be accurate and that's when he was terminated," Caldwell said.



Photo Credit: San Diego County Sheriff's Dept.

Students Detained Near Westview High in Pot Raid

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Seven students were detained on Tuesday morning across the street from Westview High School in Torrey Highlands as part of a marijuana raid.

San Diego police said they were following an anonymous tip on Fallhaven Road about a car with marijuana inside. There, undercover officers discovered two cars were linked to the pot investigation, officials said.

Officers declined to provide specifics of what was found or any possible charges against the students.

Four of the students are under 18 and three are 18, meaning they can be charged as adults, police said.

San Diego police Sgt. Wes Albers said he wants the situation to serve as a lesson to high school students.

"For those who are in school that might be adults, what I would ask is they think about the reality that you might be in high school right now, but the world changes the moment you turn 18," Albers said.

Westview’s principal released this statement to community members:

"Prior to the start of school this morning we were alerted by the San Diego Police Department to possible illegal activities taking place across from our campus on Fallhaven Road. We will continue to monitor the situation and are working with the SDPD as they continue their investigation.

The individuals involved with this situation have been detained and there are no safety concerns for the students on our campus at this time."



Photo Credit: Google Maps

National City Police to Get Body Cameras

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All uniformed National City Police officers are expected to get body cameras as soon as early July 2016.

Lt. Robert Rounds updated city councilmembers Tuesday explaining the goals and challenges of the camera program. He’s been working on the program the last several months.

“Now we’re at the point where we’re drafting our policy on when our officers will use [cameras], won’t use them,” said Lt. Rounds.

He said the pilot program would cost $125,000 the first year and then about $46,000 every year after that for maintenance.

The goal is for every uniformed police officer to wear a body camera to enhance transparency and accountability of both the officer and the public, according to Lt. Rounds.

“The cameras are going to show the officers are out there working hard and doing a great job,” he said.

The project comes with challenges. According to the project report at the council meeting, they include:

1. Cameras have to be manually activated
2. Officer initially distracted from a situation to operate camera
3. People reluctant to come forward as witnesses“If it’s not on video, it didn’t happen”
4. Privacy issues
5. Technology issues
6. Cost
7. Data management

Also, civil liberty groups like the American Civil Liberties Union are pushing for more law enforcement departments to release body camera videos to the public.

“We won’t do that because we want to respect the privacy of the officer and community in general,” Lt. Rounds said. “A lot of times we show up when it’s a person’s worst day. They may not want their story released to everyone.”

City council members did not take any action Tuesday. Next steps include receiving National City Police Department’s finalized policies on body camera-use.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Man Trails Students Heading Home, Tries to Grab Them: PD

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A suspect trailed two elementary school students in Scripps Ranch Tuesday, repeatedly stopping and waiting for them to pass before getting out of the car and trying to grab both of them, San Diego Police said. 

San Diego Police (SDPD) are investigating the attempted kidnapping, which happened when a 10-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy were walking home near Jerabek Elementary School at approximately 3:55 p.m. Tuesday on the 10500 block of Scripps Trail, SDPD Officer Heims said. 

A Jeep driven by a man followed the children as they walked, police said. Eventually, the car passed the children and pulled over to wait for them to walk by several times, police said. 

After pulling over several times, the suspect crossed over to the passenger side of the car and got out, police said. 

The driver tried to grab the boy, but the girl pushed him forward, police said. He then tried to grab the girl and got a hold of her backpack, police said; his hand slipped off. 

Both victims ran up the hill to escape. 

Principal Kristie Joiner said the two students "did the right thing with their quick reaction to 'stranger danger', got home safely and reported it immediately to their parents," according to the note. The parents reported the incident to SDPD. 

The Jeep is described as a red car with black fenders and a black top. The man was described as approximately 5-foot, 8-inches tall with dirty blond hair. His eye was described as "messed up," police said.  He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, camouflage pants and red and white shoes. 

"We encourage you to remind and dialogue with your child about safety strategies related to 'stranger danger'," Joiner's letter to parents said. 

Anyone with information about the incident can call SDPD at the non-emergency line (619) 531-2000 or (858) 484-3154. 



Photo Credit: Shane Levias, NBC 7

I-5 Crash Victim Confronts Driver Moments Before Death

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One man died on Interstate 5 near Carlsbad Wednesday when he was struck after confronting another driver following a collision, witnesses told NBC 7 San Diego.

All lanes of northbound Interstate 5 were closed for several hours while California Highway Patrol officers investigated what prompted the collision just north of Palomar Airport Road. 

Two cars traveling in the northbound lanes collided at 3:16 a.m., CHP officers said. 

The driver of a silver Chevy driver told NBC 7 San Diego the driver of a red Pontiac suddenly stopped in front of him. The two cars collided leaving the Chevy on the right shoulder and the Pontiac in the center divide. 

The Chevy driver said the Pontiac did not have lights on when the crash occurred.

He also said the driver of the Pontiac ran across I-5 and yelled at him and his wife who was riding in the passenger seat. The man then urinated on the side of the road and ran back across the highway to the center divide.

As the Pontiac driver ran back across the highway, he was struck twice.  The man, described by CHP officials as a man in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The driver of the first vehicle to strike the victim was sent to a hospital with injuries. 

CHP Sgt. Curtis Martin said vehicles traveling on I-5 are too fast for a human being to safely dodge.

“It’s almost impossible to judge the speed of a vehicle. There’s no possible way you’re going to outrun a vehicle,” Martin said.

Traffic was diverted for more than an hour while the debris was cleared. 



Photo Credit: Liberty Zabala, NBC 7

Humans Aroused When Touching Robots: Study

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Researchers at Stanford University studying the physiological impact of human-on-bot contact found that "touching areas perceived as private made the skin more moist," NBC News reported. 

The team of scientists programmed a two-foot-tall robot — part Michelin Man, part Wall-E — to command four female and six male subjects to touch various parts of its body. Study participants wore finger sensors to measure arousal and reaction time.

When asked to touch a neutral, easily accessible part of the body such as the hand, there was no marked response.

However, when instructed to touch the robot's buttocks, participants not only took longer to respond but showed a "measurable increase" in skin conductance, or high emotional arousal. The researchers found that "physiological arousal was inversely related to accessibility" — meaning that touching bottoms came up tops.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/Science Photo Libra

DUI Suspect Crashes at Old Town Trolley Station

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A suspected drunk driver caused a head-on collision on the tracks at the Old Town San Diego Trolley Station Wednesday night, officials confirmed.

The crash happened just after 10 p.m. Police said a DUI suspect was driving at a high rate of speed westbound in the 4000 block of Taylor Street when he misjudged a curve in the road.

The man lost control of his pickup truck and slammed head-on into another truck traveling the opposite direction, right near the trolley tracks. The wreck and debris all over the tracks caused an interruption to trolley and train traffic for about 40 minutes as emergency responders and police worked to clear the scene.

The DUI suspect was arrested at the scene and booked into jail on suspicion of driving under the influence. The driver of the other truck suffered unspecified non-life threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital, police said.

No further details were released.
 



Photo Credit: Getty Images/File

Police Pursue Warrant Suspect in Logan Heights

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Police are in a foot pursuit involving a warrant suspect in Logan Heights San Diego police confirmed. 

Officers began setting up a perimeter in the area after the suspect got away around 10:30 p.m.

The pursuit began in the 3100 block of Logan Avenue.

It's unknown why the suspect was originally wanted by police.

 No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 



Photo Credit: Getty Images/File

How Kasich's 2016 Run Got on the Offensive

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In a series of interviews and appearances, Republican presidential candidate John Kasich launched an offensive against his Republican rivals last Thursday and continued his attacks this week, NBC News reported. 

Last Thursday, Kasich called Donald Trump "unmoored and untethered" and said he was "unprepared to be president" after the GOP front-runner stirred up another few days of controversy. The next day, he offered his clearest critique yet of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, telling reporters Cruz's "record is shutting down the government and making everybody he works with upset."

He then summed up the field from his point of view during an appearance on Monday: "We have one guy with no experience and the other guy who's experience amounts to shutting down the government and calling the Majority Leader a liar," he said.



Photo Credit: AP

Starbucks Plans Massive NYC 'Coffee Theater' Roastery

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New Yorkers can find a Starbucks on many, if not most, city street corners, but a newly announced outpost coming to Manhattan would trump all those shops.

Starbucks announced Tuesday it's planning to open a 20,000-square-foot Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in the Meatpacking District in 2018.

Currently in development at 61 Ninth Avenue, next to Chelsea Market, the store follows the first Starbucks roastery, which opened in December 2014 in Seattle, the company said in a news release.

Starbucks describes the Roastery as showing “coffee as theater,” encouraging customer interaction with baristas about how the beans are roasted and the coffee is brewed, and the "art" behind making the drink from beans from around the world.

"We want this experience to tell our customers that we’re coming to Broadway," Howard Schultz, chairman and chief executive officer of Starbucks, said in the release. 

A promotional video for the Starbucks Roastery in Seattle shows coffee beans shuttling through tubes and beans being roasted in giant machines in what Schultz calls a "Willy Wonka experience." 

The concept has been likened to the restaurant's farm-to-table experience -- but for roasted coffee beans and brews.



Photo Credit: Starbucks

Brussels Bomber Worked as Cleaner at EU Parliament

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One of the suicide bombers who carried out the devastating attacks in Brussels once worked as a cleaner at the European Parliament, officials said, NBC News reported.

He had month-long summer jobs at the parliament in 2009 and 2010, parliament spokesman Jaume Duch Guillot said in a statement said, without revealing his identity. But a police source confirmed to NBC News that the individual in question was Najim Laachraoui.

"As required by the contract, the cleaning firm submitted proof of the absence of a criminal record," Guillot noted.

Laachraoui blew himself up at the Brussels airport, and is also suspected of making the bombs for the Paris terror attacks of November 2015. 



Photo Credit: Belgian Federal Police via AP

'Bridal Bandit' Vows to 7 Years in Prison

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San Diego’s “Bridal Bandit” – a woman who admitted to stealing wallets from brides, guests and workers during weddings – vowed to do seven years in prison Wednesday.

Denise Gunderson, 50, dubbed the “Bridal Bandit” by authorities, was sentenced to seven years behind bars for her crimes. Gunderson pleaded guilty in February to two counts of grand theft and two counts of identity theft stemming from her wedding crime sprees across San Diego County.

According to prosecutors, Gunderson made thousands of dollars in fraudulent credit card charges on cards she stole from guests at weddings in Pala Mesa, Coronado and Santee’s Carlton Oaks community.

Gunderson would pose as a wedding guest, crash ceremonies and receptions and rifle through the bags of guests, brides, members of the bridal parties and wedding workers.

Investigators said the Bridal Bandit used victims’ stolen cards to buy gift cards and other items at stores like Costco, Walmart and Target. Prosecutors said surveillance cameras caught her using the stolen credit cards – sometimes just minutes after unsuspecting brides walked down the aisle.

Her victims included newlywed Michelle Tietz, who told NBC 7 her credit cards were stolen on June 7, 2015, during her wedding at the Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook. Just as Tietz and her husband were preparing to go on their honeymoon, Tietz learned more than $1,000 in fraudulent purchases were charged to her card.

Another one of Gunderson’s victims was Yvette Lynch, a catering director at the Carlton Oaks Golf Course in Santee. Lynch left her purse in her office while she catered a wedding at the venue and her wallet was stolen from the handbag. Lynch shared surveillance video with NBC 7 that showed Gunderson walking around the golf course on the day of that theft, posing as a lost guest.

Gunderson, who also goes by the last name Burns, was also linked to a theft at a David’s Bridal store.

Gunderson was arrested in Las Vegas in December 2015 after she was accused of stealing a wallet at a church.

Investigators said Gunderson initially lied about her identity. Once they uncovered her real name, investigators realized she was wanted in Riverside and San Diego counties on several charges.

When Gunderson pleaded guilty, she also admitted to having three separate prior convictions. With that plea, she agreed to do seven years in local prison and that's exactly the sentence a judge handed down Wednesday.



Photo Credit: San Diego Sheriff's Department

Men Sneaking Into US Get Lost, Call 911

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Two men who illegally entered the U.S. east of San Diego called 911 Tuesday saying they were lost in the desert and without water.

Officers with the El Centro Sector Border Patrol rescued the two Mexican citizens in the desert northwest of Imperial, California. The men are 55 and 24 years old.

A 911 call from the men went to the California Highway Patrol at approximately 2 p.m. The pair said they hadn’t had water in two days. One of them was said to be in and out of consciousness, according to U.S. Border Patrol officials.

With their phone battery at 50 percent, the men gave the feds the GPS coordinates to help guide them to their location.

A team of agents with Border Search Trauma and Rescue found them in rugged desert terrain.

Federal officials say they will be processed and returned to Mexico.
 



Photo Credit: Getty Images/File

Obama to Push SCOTUS Nominee

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President Barack Obama will visit the University of Chicago Law School Thursday to discuss his Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, with students and faculty.

During the trip, Obama will make his case for Garland and touch on the Senate’s constitutional responsibility to give a fair hearing to a qualified nominee, a White House source confirms.

Obama nominated the fellow Chicago native to the Supreme Court at a White House Rose Garden ceremony in March.

Republican lawmakers are pushing to block Obama’s nomination until a new president is elected next year. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called Garland after he was nominated to inform him that the Senate would not move forward with the confirmation process.

"I simply ask Republicans in the Senate to give him a fair hearing, and then an up-or-down vote," Obama said during his nomination announcement. "If you don’t, then it will not only be an abdication of the Senate’s constitutional duty, it will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair."

Garland met with Illinois Republican Sen. Mark Kirk last Tuesday and visited with Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin on Wednesday.

"We need open-minded, rational, responsible people to… make sure the process works," Kirk told reporters in his Senate office prior to Tuesday’s meeting.

Obama taught constitutional law at the university for over a decade.  



Photo Credit: Getty Images

1st Syrian Family Headed to US for Resettlement

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The first Syrian family to be resettled in the United States departed for Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday, NBC News reported.

Ahmad al-Abboud and his family fled Syria’s civil war three years ago and found refuge in Jordan. But al-Abboud was unable to find work. His wife, family and five children are among the 1,000 Syrians who have been permitted to enter the U.S. from Jordan since last October.

"I'm happy. America is the country of freedom and democracy, there are jobs opportunities, there is good education, and we are looking forward to having a good life over there," al-Abboud told The Associated Press on Wednesday from the international airport in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

Missouri’s state leaders have not tried to bar Syrian refugees, although Gov. Jay Nixon called on the federal government to use safeguards to protect Americans. Gov. Sam Brownback signed an executive order in November saying neighboring Kansas would not accept refugees.



Photo Credit: AP

Missing 5-Year-Old Oceanside Girl Found Safe

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A 5-year-old Oceanside girl missing for four hours on Wednesday was found safe at home, police said just before 5 p.m.

The girl was found hiding in her home's garage, police said.

The Oceanside Police Department had launched the search for the girl when she was reported missing from the North County community. The search entailed search dogs and a helicopter scoping the area surrounding the neighborhood.

Police said the little girl went missing from the area of Douglas/Vandegrift and the family cat had also disappeared.

Police said the girl was last seen at 12:30 p.m. by her brother at their home in the 1100 block of Parkview. Her brother was caring for her, police said.

Police reported her "safe and sound" just before 5 p.m.

Woman Detained After Clairemont SWAT Situation

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A Clairemont woman whose actions prompted a SWAT response Wednesday will not face criminal charges, San Diego Police officials said. 

The woman surrendered to police at approximately 6:30 p.m. after an hours-long standoff in an apartment in the 3100 block of Clairemont Drive. 

SDPD received a call from the woman's son at 1:28 p.m. saying the woman was depressed and threatening to harm herself and others.

SWAT officers surrounded the complex after learning a shotgun and AR-15 rifle with more than 100-rounds of ammo were inside the apartment.

Some neighbors were temporarily evacuated.

Her husband's weapons were in their home, but according to officials she never threatened to use them. 

The woman surrendered peacefully, after police negotiators and counselors communicated with her through text and phone.

Police said they were getting the woman the help she needs.


San Diego Zoo Cares for New Brown Kiwi Chick

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For the first time in more than a decade, there’s a brown kiwi chick at the San Diego Zoo.

Caring for these endangered birds is not an easy feat. In fact, the San Diego Zoo is one of just seven U.S. zoos working with brown kiwis.

The female chick hatched March 11, marking the zoo’s twelfth chick since it first successfully reared a brown kiwi in 1983.

The flightless bird doesn’t feed its chicks. It’s common for newborns not to eat for the first six days.

Staff at the Avian Propagation Center will monitor the chick’s diet and weight gain for the next several weeks.

Native to New Zealand, the kiwi is a protected bird. 

Eighty percent of kiwi habitat has been destroyed in the country, prompting the need for conservation efforts by zoos around the world including here in San Diego.



Photo Credit: Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo

How 'Citizens United' Is Helping Clinton Win Presidency

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Hillary Clinton has railed against the so-called "dark money" that has influenced presidential politics since the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, but a Center for Public Integrity investigation reveals that despite her statements, millions of dollars from unions and corporations have poured into a network of political organizations supporting the Democratic front-runner. 

In fact, three super PACs exist almost exclusively to strengthen Clinton's presidential bid, the investigation shows. Priorities USA Action has already spent millions helping Clinton clinch the nomination, while Ready PAC organizes and collects information from grassroots supporters. And there's Correct the Record, acting as a  political SWAT unit attacking those who go after Clinton, the Center for Public Integrity reported. 

A fourth super PAC, American Bridge 21st Century PAC, aids Democratic candidates by conducting opposition research. These four super PACs have raised a total of $86 million, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of the most recent filings made with federal regulators.



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