U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter is being asked about thousands of dollars in campaign funds that appear to have been spent in online video games and tuition to his child's school. 

The Federal Election Commission wants a response from Hunter regarding 68 charges on a credit card tied to his campaign funds. 

A letter sent Monday to the Alpine representative asks for an explanation on items "that appear to possibly constitute personal use of campaign funds by the candidate."

Among the charges are a $1651.00 payment made on September 21, 2015 to Christian Unified Schools. 

There are more than 60 charges to an online video gaming company ranging in amounts from $5 to $96.30. 

A spokesperson for Rep. Hunter said the charges were in no way hidden from the FEC, rather Hunter’s campaign reported the personal expenses in their quarterly reports.

Half of the charges were the result of a conversation the Congressman had with his son in June or July. Hunter told the then-12 year old to grab a credit card from his wallet to set up a subscription on a gaming account. The child grabbed the wrong credit card, according to Hunter's spokesperson.

When the issue was discovered in September or October, the gaming subscription was canceled and the Congressman reimbursed the campaign for expenses up to that point, he added.

However, the charges mentioned in the FEC letter occurred after the subscription was canceled. Now, the Congressman is trying to rectify the incorrect charges with the gaming company.

As for the tuition charge, Hunter's spokesperson said that was an error made by the school. 

The campaign made a contribution/donation payment which was counted as tuition payment, the spokesperson said. Once the school closed their books at the end of 2015, the error could not be fixed.

Hunter's office said the Congressman has already reimbursed the campaign for those tuition funds.

An FEC spokesperson said the agency sends letters like the one mailed to Hunter when an FEC campaign finance analyst identifies what may be prohibited activity regarding the campaign funds, a potential mistake or a need for clarification.

Candidates have 35 days from the date the letter is sent to respond to the FEC. For Hunter, that date is May 9.

Another endangered bird has been found dead in San Diego, the latest in a series that has prompted an investigation and launched a reward offering thousands of dollars for information leading to an arrest.

Someone is targeting parrots in the coastal communities of San Diego like Ocean Beach.

Just last weekend, a dead parrot was discovered and turned over to investigators with San Diego County Animal Services. No details were given on the cause of the bird's death.

Two parrots were found dead outside All Souls Episcopal Church on Catalina Boulevard on Easter Sunday.

In the last month, seven parrots, identified as endangered Lilac Crowned Amazons and Red Masked Conures, have been found dead in neighborhoods in OB and Point Loma. Five of those were killed by BB's and pellets fired from air guns.

A reward of $6,500 has been offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects.

Killing an endangered bird is a federal crime and could be punishable with jail time and $20,000 fine.

The grieving mother of a Missouri student, whose body was found Sunday in Siberia, believes her son was murdered and has accused local authorities of a cover-up over his death, NBC News reported.

Colin Madsen's body was found "lightly-dressed" at the foot of the Sayan Mountains, a week after he vanished from a guesthouse one mile away in the resort village of Arshan.

In a Facebook post Wednesday, Dana Madsen Calcutt, accused local police of trying to cover up the ineptitude that occurred before the "pressure to find him was accelerated."

Calcutt also noted that her son, an avid hiker, was familiar with the terrain, "spoke fluent Russian, and had his pack, water and food ready for the climb. Those things were left at the cabin."

The Russian Investigative Committee opened a murder investigation — which is customary in the case of any missing person — but in a statement Thursday said there were no obvious signs of injury, his clothing was intact and he was carrying personal items and money.

Developers planned an April 7 formal opening for the first dual-branded Marriott hotels on the former site of the Lane Field ballpark in downtown San Diego, part of a larger mixed-use project now known as BRIC.

A spokeswoman for the development partnership, Lankford Phelps Portman, said the name is a combination of the first two letters of Broadway and the last two letters of Pacific. Developers and local government officials were slated to mark the opening of the two hotels with a public ceremony at Broadway and Pacific Highway, across from the Embarcadero.

The $130 million first phase includes a 253-room SpringHill Suites and a 147-room Residence Inn, which had their soft openings last month. Developers said they have tapped Jim Rinehart and Matt Moser, of local brokerage firm Retail Insite, to handle leasing for the project’s 27,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space in the first phase, and another 31,500 square feet planned in the second phase.

No retail tenants have yet been disclosed. Developers previously announced that the $200 million Phase Two of the Lane Field redevelopment, breaking ground later this year, will be anchored by a 400-room luxury InterContinental Hotel, recently approved by port district officials.

Six-year-old Madison Pruitt's lifelong wish is to be a Chicago police officer.

Officers in the city's sixth district had prepared to welcome the young girl to the police station Wednesday, but their plans were unfortunately changed.

Shortly before the were supposed to surprise the young girl, they learned Pruitt, who is battling a rare muscular cancer and is under home hospice care, wasn't feeling well enough to come to the celebration.

"Her spirits are well, but she’s doing pretty poorly at this point," said Sgt. Ernest Bradley, of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy, or CAPS, the department's community policing program.

That’s when they decided to bring the surprise to her.

Roughly 70 police officers showed up on her doorstep, some even on patrol horses.

"I never imagined that it would be this much," said social worker Lindsay Wooster with Journey Care Hospice. "It’s pretty incredible."

No one imagined that Interim Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson would also be there to grant her wish, presenting her with an Award of Valor.

"It’s just amazing the courage she’s showing today," Johnson said. "That gives us pause to think about our own mortality and families. That’s the reason we do what we do."

When asked why Pruitt wanted to be a police officer, her response was simple.

"Because you get to protect people," she said.

It’s a day her grandmother Pamlor Nelson, said she will never forget. 

A man gunned down in Lincoln Park Sunday was remembered by family and friends at a vigil held Wednesday night.

Some 150 people gathered at Faith on 54th Street Church to honor the memory of 44-year-old Aaron Allison.

Friends and family were joined by members of the group Dreaming Of Violence-free Everywhere or DOVE.

The organization puts together vigils like the one held for Allison o bring attention to the violent crimes committed in San Diego.

Allison was shot and killed Sunday, April 3 on Reynolds Street near South Willie James Jones Avenue.

People who live nearby told detectives they heard an argument, then gunshots. They recalled seeing a small car headed east on Reynolds.

The tool used to break into the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone will only work on a "narrow slice of phones," and almost certainly does not work on the iPhone 5s or 6, FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday, according to NBC News.

Speaking at Kenyon College in Ohio, Comey said the government "purchased" a tool, developed by an unidentified third-party, that allowed them to crack the iPhone 5c running iOS 9 used by Syed Farook.

Comey said the government has not decided whether it will tell Apple what the flaw is, leaving the company with a very public hole in its security.

"That's an interesting conversation, because we tell Apple, they're going to fix it, and then we're back where we started from," Comey said.

Doctors removed a small octopus from the throat of a 2-year-old Kansas boy, authorities said. 

The boyfriend of the boy's mother was arrested and held on suspicion of child abuse in the incident Tuesday night in Wichita, according to police records and police sources who spoke to NBC's affiliate KSNW.

The boy's 21-year-old mother found her 36-year-old boyfriend performing CPR on the child, who wasn't breathing, police said.

Police documents say the boy was transported to a hospital, where an "obstruction" was removed from his throat. He was in serious condition Wednesday. 

The Gulls clinched a spot in the 2016 Calder Cup playoffs Wednesday evening before their home game against Bakersfield even ended.

San Diego entered the day needing one more point to make it official, but when San Antonio defeated the San Jose Barracuda in overtime, that became a moot point.

This means the Gulls have qualified for the postseason in their first season in the American Hockey League. Now they get to reward their fans with at least a couple more home games.

The Gulls were 36-22-3-2 entering Wednesday and currently sit in second place in the new Pacific Division.

San Diego is one of 5 expansion franchises based in California enjoying their inaugural season.

The playoff berth is also a reflection of the Anaheim Ducks success in developing young prospects.

The Ducks’ AHL affiliate has now reached the postseason 12 times in 19 seasons.

A gold-flecked meteorite that has traveled from the asteroid belt near Mars to the mountains of Fukang, China, and finally Marin County, California, is at the center of a vicious ownership battle being waged in San Francisco federal court.

The 227-pound iron "pallasite" meteorite is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old. First discovered in Fukang, China about 15 years ago, it could be worth as much as $1 million, according to Stephen Settgast, an asteroid collecter who claims he's the rightful owner.

He sued a museum in Maine and a New York meteorite expert in February alleging breach of contract over the sale of the meteorite. But they have now filed a counterclaim, alleging that Settgast, who is staying in Marin County, is behind a "blatant theft of a unique and precious meteorite."

The countersuit alleges Settgast sold the meteorite for $425,000, then engaged in an "outrageous act of seller’s remorse" by stealing back the space rock for himself.

"This isn't a typical theft," said Wayne Minckley, undersheriff in Miami County, Kansas, in a Skype interview with NBC Bay Area.

A sheriff is involved in the out-of-this-world case because authorities aren’t yet ready to decide who stole the meteorite until the suit is settled.

"It’s a complicated case in the mere fact that the individual who sold it to the folks in Maine is our suspect in the theft," Minckley said.

Settgast would not speak on the record. But his attorney, Curt Edmonson of the Oregon firm, Slinde Nelson Stanford, said this is a simple business dispute gone awry.

"Civil suits don’t use terms like ‘steal.' That’s a criminal term," he said. "We didn’t go over the top in our complaint, but they certainly went over the top in their counterclaims."

But Settgast's story is full of holes, according to the founders of the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum — Lawrence Stifler and Mary McFadden of Brookline, Massachusetts — and meteorite expert Darryl Pitt, of New York. All three filed the counterclaim on March 29.

In the suit, Jeff Valle, the trio's Los Angeles attorney, laid out his clients’ argument like this: Noted for his ability to spot beauty and value in meteorites, Pitt suggested to the museum founders that they buy the meteorite in question. Stifler and McFadden agreed to pay Settgast $425,000 to feature the "Fukang meteorite" in their museum, which is not yet open.

In August 2014, Pitt brokered the deal with Settgast. The final of three payments was made in February 2015, the counterclaim contends. According to his website biography, Pitt is the purveyor of the "world's foremost collection of aesthetic iron meteorites," which he describes as "extraterrestrial objects d'art."

Valle and Pitt have declined to be interviewed.

After the money was paid, Pitt and the museum founders waited for the meteorite to be cleaned up and prepared by Kansas duo Keith and Dana Jenkerson, of KD Meteorites. The couple's website twinkles with brightly lit stars and boasts they've been "chasing meteorites since 1990s."

The Jenkersons took almost two years to stabilize, restore and prepare the "Fukang meteorite," the countersuit alleges, and on Jan. 10, Keith Jenkerson told Pitt this was "one of the most awesome meteorites to ever be displayed." He guessed the spiffed-up space rock to now be worth $1 million. But Pitt and the museum founders said this higher price is wildly inflated, the counterclaim states.

Less than two weeks later, the meteorite was reported stolen.

Pitt and the museum founders allege that Settgast, whose lawyer described him as a "world-renowned" fossil hunter who also has a ranch in Montana, went into the Jenkersons' lab on Jan. 23 and stole back the meteorite. Settgast's attorneys claim a condition of the sale was that the meteorite couldn't be shown in a public museum, a point the museum founders' say is simply not true, the counterclaim contends.

How Settgast would have gotten the meteorite out of the lab, at the Jenkersons' home in Osawatomie, Kansas, without detection, and then to Marin County, where Settgast has been living with a relative, has not been clearly explained.

Minckley, from the sheriff’s office, reiterated that it’s his understanding Settgast stole the meteorite from the lab. He said there was no surveillance video to document what might have happened. His office, however, is reserving a final determination on whether a crime was committed, and by whom, until a federal judge makes a ruling on who really owns the meteorite.

As for why the sheriff’s department is letting the civil case play out first, Edmonson said: "That tells you a little bit about how they feel about the criminal action. If they don’t feel there is enough evidence for the claim of theft, then it’s not there."

A hearing is set for June.

Four Southern California social workers have been charged with child abuse and falsifying public records in the beating death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez three years ago.

The four are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday. 

Gabriel was not breathing when he was found May 22, 2013 in his mother's Palmdale home, months after a case was opened by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. He never regained consciousness and died the following day.

Gabriel suffered a fractured skull, several broken ribs and cigarette burns, among numerous other injuries. 

His mother, Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, 31, and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre, 35, are awaiting trial, charged with his murder. Prosecutors announced last summer they would seek the death penalty against the couple. Both had agreed to accept life sentences as part of a plea deal in 2014, but Aguirre later changed course.

In the criminal court case, testimony revealed that Gabriel was beat with bats, a club which knocked out his teeth. He was shot with a BB gun and pepper spray. He also was whipped with the metal part of a belt over eight months in a heartbreaking case that sparked widespread outrage and a move to overhaul of the county’s social services, which many felt had failed Gabriel. The boy had been repeatedly removed from his mother’s care in the years before his death, and more than 60 abuse reports were made by family members, neighbors, teachers and others.

Charges against the four social workers are detailed in an arrest warrant complaint filed March 28 against Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, and their respective supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt. Each defendant is charged with one felony count of child abuse and one felony count of falsifying public records, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.

"Social workers play a vital role in society," said District Attorney Jackie Lacey. "We entrust them to protect our children from harm. When their negligence is so great as to become criminal, young lives are put at risk."

The social workers displayed "willful disregard" for Gabriel's well-being, according to the district attorney's statement.

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services opened a case involving the Fernandez family on Oct. 31, 2012, about six months before the boy's death.

Rodriguez and Clement are accused of falsifying reports intended to document signs of "escalating physical abuse," according to the district attorney's office. The reports also are required to document whether family members are participating in DCFS efforts to help. 

Bom and Merritt knew or should have know they were approving false reports, according to prosecutors. Those reports "conflicted with the evidence of Gabriel's deteriorating physical well-being," the district attorney said.

Gabriel remained at his family's home until his death.

"By minimizing the significance of the physical, mental and emotional injuries that Gabriel suffered, these social workers allowed a vulnerable boy to remain at home and continue to be abused," Lacey said.

If convicted, each defendant faces up to 10 years in state prison.

The four workers were fired after the boy's death, but Merritt was later reinstated. The outcome of a separate trial to reverse the civil service commission ruling could ultimately impact Merritt's long-term employment position, but a judge ruled in January that in the meantime, he should be reinstated.

It was not immediately clear whether the defendants have hired attorneys.

Naval Base San Diego issued an all clear minutes after an alert advised staff and civilians of a threat made in the vicinity of Pier 7.  

Base officials posted the information to its Facebook page and Media Relations Officer at Navy Region Southwest Brian O'Rourke confirmed the information to NBC 7 San Diego.

According to the FB post, all personnel were advised to remain clear of the area as ot 9:30 a.m.

Then, after 10 a.m., officials sent an update, "The area in the vicinity of Pier 7 has been cleared. Naval Base San Diego has resumed normal operations."  

On January 26, a lockdown was ordered for Naval Medical Center San Diego following an anonymous phone call reporting a man with a gun. No gunman was found and no injuries were reported.

In February, two threatening messages were discovered in two days and led to the closure of the pier at 32nd Street and Harbor Drive. No one was injured and nothing suspicious was found in either incident.

Officials with Naval Base San Diego are offering $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Then, on March 24, the report of an armed man locked down NMCSD for six hours. Navy officials confirmed that four unspent bullets were discovered during security sweeps of the medical center. No injuries were reported and no arrests were made. 

Navy officials have not identified a link to these events. However, O'Rourke has said that the Navy takes any and all potential threats seriously.

Items placed too close to a sauna cause a small fire Wednesday at the Park Avenue building that has been dubbed "the world's richest apartment building," according to fire officials in New York City.

Fire marshals also said the fire at 740 Park Ave., near East 72nd Street, was accidental. 

FNDY crews were called to the small blaze about 3 p.m. Wednesday and quickly snuffed out the flames. The building sustained minor damage and no injuries were reported. 

The Manhattan building has been dubbed "the world's richest apartment building," according to a book chronicling the history of the building and its wealthy residents over the years, including families of and connected to the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers and the Chryslers. 

Jackie Onassis' childhood apartment was also in the building, on the sixth and seventh floors, according to the New York Post. It was last listed for $44 million in 2014. 

Viraj Puri didn’t have much of a green thumb seven years ago. Now he runs a company that produces 20 million heads of lettuce a year.

Puri is the co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens, a company that grows basil, bok choy, arugula, kale and other leafy greens in its rooftop greenhouses in New York City and Chicago.

"I came from an environmental engineering background, not a farming or food background," Puri told NBC. 

He realized his Gotham Greens concept was a viable idea after working in a greenhouse. Winning the New York City Green Business Competition in 2011 cemented his vision. Growing food in greenhouses on rooftops was not only feasible on a commercial scale, it was also an adaptive use of urban space that’s environmentally friendly, he explained. 

City farming itself is nothing new. Roughly 800 million people worldwide practice urban agriculture, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. But growing interest in locally-grown produce in recent years has fueled creative city farming techniques, like vertical farms and community gardens, as well as the relatively new method of rooftop greenhouses. 

Puri co-founded Gotham Greens in 2009 with partner Eric Hailey in response to “this growing trend in the market place in local, transparent, and sustainably produced food.” The company claims it is the largest urban agriculture company in the world and that it has experienced 400 percent growth in the past year with the opening of its Chicago greenhouse in October 2015.

His greenhouse in Chicago's South Side, which sits atop a soap factory and measures 75,000 square feet, churns out nearly 25 crops of leafy greens per year, Puri said in an interview with The Associated Press. In comparison, a conventional farm in the region produces two to four crops, he said. 

Gotham Greens uses alternative farming methods, like hydroponics, which means the leafy greens are grown without soil. Instead, mineral solution and water, which recirculates throughout the greenhouse, nourish the plants. The greenhouses also rely on sunlight and are fully powered by renewable electricity, which allows the company to grow their greens year-round.

"We have heat curtains as part of the greenhouse and we pull them at night and that reduces the volume of air we're heating and that is really a low energy demand for us us, surprisingly," Chief Agriculture Officer Jennifer Nelkin Frymark told the AP.

A major tenant of Gotham Greens business model is its focus on local delivery. Produce is traditionally shipped to stores from California's Central Valley and from Mexico, and arrives in the Midwest and East Coast after several days. Gotham Greens' lettuce arrives in local stores and restaurants just hours after being picked. This not only extends the shelf life of the product, but also minimizes the carbon emissions, Puri told NBC.

"How often do you go to a restaurant and talk about their lettuce?" John Damas, general manager of Chicago restaurant LUXBAR told the AP. "It's kind of strange, but to be able to cut down lettuce and harvest it by hand and have it delivered and on the plate within hours is a huge deal."

Gotham Greens also reduces waste by giving any produce that does not meet grocery store standards to food banks, where it is then distributed to shelters and nonprofits.

In New York, Gotham Greens operates three greenhouses, including one that sits atop Whole Foods in Brooklyn's Gowanus neighborhood. The store's spokesperson Michael Sinatra said the partnership has been a “winning relationship” since both companies focus on reducing the carbon monoxide foot print in food deliveries and turning “food miles into food steps.”

Puri said his company is the only one successfully using the rooftop greenhouse model on a commercial scale. But, he said, “it’s becoming more popular and you are seeing more urban farming start up concepts overall.”

One place greenhouses are also popping up is in schools. New York Sun Works, a nonprofit, is teaching urban agriculture and has installed two rooftop greenhouses on city schools. 

“It really is a new way of teaching science through the lens of urban agriculture,” said Sidsel Robards, director of development and events for Sun Works. “If we all grow the food right here in the city, what would that do to traffic patterns, population, contamination?"

Sun Works has a total of 30 sites in schools to teach urban farming to students and teachers, but the schools often opt to turn a classroom into a “classroom farm” rather than the rooftop greenhouse because of the high cost, according to Robards. A school has to get a permit and build the greenhouse, a process that can take two to four years and cost upwards of $1 million.

While greenhouses serve a vital option in urban farming, Puri is the first to note this method has its limits. 

“I think Gotham Greens' climate controlled green houses can play a role in the future of farming, but I don’t think on its own it's the future of urban farming because it can only produce certain kinds of crops," he said. "It can't do grains, it can't do dairy, or protein."

A new investigation by the Chicago Tribune indicates there may be more sexual abuse claims against former House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

According to the publication, unnamed law enforcement sources said at least four people made credible allegations of sexual abuse against Hastert. Three of those allegations, the Tribune reports, are believed to have been made by men who say the abuse happened when they were teenagers and Hastert was their coach. The fourth person is reportedly dead.

NBC 5 Investigates reported last month that a man who claims Hastert sexually abused him was cleared to testify in Hastert's upcoming sentencing hearing, along with the sister of another alleged victim, according to statements made during a confidential hearing in the case in late March.

The statements made in court confirmed for the first time what had only been hinted at for months: that Hastert’s case stemmed from allegations of sexual misconduct.

One of the witnesses is believed to Jolene Burdge, who has said in several media interviews her brother, Stephen Reinboldt, recounted sexual abuse at the hands of Hastert when Reinboldt was a student and Hastert the wrestling coach at Yorkville High School. Reinboldt died in 1995 of complications from AIDS.

Hastert pleaded guilty to a crime known as "structuring," an effort to mask payments to an unnamed individual whom he had reportedly wronged decades ago when he was a wrestling coach.

On Wednesday, attorneys for Hastert submitted a nine-page plea for mercy, saying Hastert has been punished enough through failing health and his own guilt and humiliation. They asked that Hastert be spared time behind bars, and instead receive probation when he is sentenced later this month.

“Mr. Hastert’s fall from grace has been swift and devastating,” they wrote. “[He] knows that the days of him being welcomed in the small towns he served all his life are gone forever.”

Hastert’s attorneys noted that soon after his guilty pleas last October, the former speaker’s health declined with a series of medical problems including sepsis and a small stroke. He was hospitalized for more than two months, and even now, needs assistance “getting out of bed, toileting, bathing, and dressing himself.”

Hastert relies on a caregiver 24 hours a day to meet his basic needs, they said, and largely travels in a wheelchair, although he can walk short distances with a walker and an assistant.

“Mr. Hastert feels deep regret and remorse for his actions a decade ago,” they wrote, “and is prepared to face the consequences.”

NBC Chicago has reached out to Hastert's lawyers for comment on the Tribune report. 

Hastert is scheduled for sentencing April 27.

The number of ISIS fighters in Libya has doubled in the past 12 to 18 months, according to the outgoing commanding general of AFRICOM, NBC News reported.

General David Rodriguez said there are between 4,000 to 6,000 fighters in the country now, mainly in Sirte.

Rodriguez said the U.S. is closely watching the development of a new government in Libya, and will conduct airstrikes against ISIS in the country once that government if developed.  

U.S. officials have warned about the rise of ISIS in Libya, fearing that the terrorist group could seize the country’s oil reserves and wealth.

It would have been bad enough that the Padres set a new franchise record for most scoreless innings to start a baseball season. That’s an embarrassment all by itself. But when you throw in the fact they’ve scored fewer runs than the opposing pitchers, you realize just how awful the season-opening series against the Dodgers was.

The Padres lost 7-0 at Petco Park on Wednesday night, becoming the first team in Major League Baseball history to be shut out three times to start a season. Still, manager Andy Green says the sky is not falling.

"There is still perspective here," said Green after his team was outscored 25-0 over the three game series. "We do have 159 games left and we will score runs this year. We will win series this year. Each individual guy needs to focus on what he can control. It really is nothing more than that."

One of the runs the Padres gave up was on a solo homer by Kenta Maeda. If you don’t recognize the name, you’re not alone. Maeda spent eight years in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League before joining the Dodgers this year. In those eight years he hit two home runs, but as a high school senior he did hit 27 dingers so the guy knows what he’s doing with a bat in his hands.

In his second at-bat in America’s big leagues, Maeda took Andrew Cashner deep, meaning in three games in their home ballpark the Dodgers pitching staff beat the Padres on both offense and defense. Cashner only survived 4.0 innings, allowing five runs on six hits with five strikeouts.

The Padres almost scored a run in the 6th inning. With runners at the corners and one out Wil Myers hit a ground ball to Adrian Gonzalez at first base. Instead of trying for the double play Gonzalez threw home to cut down Cory Spangenberg. It looked on replays like Los Angeles catcher A.J. Ellis was blocking the plate (a no-no with the so-called “Buster Posey Rule”) and Spangenberg might have gotten in under the tag but a lengthy video replay did not overturn the call of the home plate umpire. Yangervis Solarte struck out to end the inning, continuing the Padres’ march towards the history books.

Green says his club is suffering from what he calls "collective pressing," something the guys in the locker room would agree with.

"For sure guys are pressing. I'm one of them," said catcher Derek Norris, who went hitless in the series. "I can see it in my swing when I watch tape. I think once guys get a little bit settled in we're going to be fine."

The previous MLB record for consecutive scoreless innings to start the season was 26, set by the 1943 St. Louis Cardinals. That year, believe it or not, the Cardinals won 105 games and went to the World Series (they lost to the Yankees in five games). So perhaps history is on their side and this was actually a good thing for the Padres?

If you believe that, I have some oceanfront property in Nebraska you might be interested in. The Padres take a day off Thursday before starting a three game weekend series against the Rockies. If this offense can’t score in Colorado then the season is indeed lost.

Parents and former employees say an elite, private tutoring program for San Diego high school students abruptly closed its doors and owes them thousands of dollars.

On its website, Summa Education boasts that its weekend, after-school and summer "boot camp" programs in Rancho Bernardo and Carmel Valley helped students gain entry to Yale, Columbia, MIT and other top colleges. It advertises that 36 students got perfect SAT scores after taking its courses and tutoring programs.

But tutors and parents interviewed by NBC 7 Investigates said Summa essentially shut down its business in early March, without notice.

Julie Eisenbraun paid Summa almost $1,800 for tutoring for her daughter, a student at
Rancho Bernardo High, including more than $1,200 paid in advance for summer classes.

On March 4, in a letter, Summa notified Eisenbraun and other parents that it was closing its Rancho Bernardo office, effective the following day, and moving all classes to Summa’s Carmel Valley location.

Eisenbraun told Summa that her daughter could not attend classes in Rancho Bernardo, and asked for a refund. She said Summa did not answer her email. When Eisenbraun went to Summa’s Carmel Valley office several days later to pursue her refund request, she said the doors were locked and the blinds closed, and there were no signs or information for parents and students about what had happened.

Eisenbraun said she was frustrated with her inability to get a refund.

“To have no response back, or even to say the classes are cancelled, is unacceptable,” she said. “I think that we just need some answers."

Another parent, who complained about Summa on Yelp!, told NBC 7 Investigates he paid $2,000 for tutoring for his son, who received just three hours of academic coaching before Summa abruptly stopped his son’s program in early March. He said Summa still owes him $1,700.

Brian Devine headed the math department at Summa. He and another tutor said they feel Summa and its top executive, whom Devine identified as Matt Garrett, misled employees and parents about its future and withheld information about its imminent closure.

“They should have honestly told us (at an earlier meeting) on February 16 what their plans were,” Devine told NBC 7 Investigates. “If they had told us at that time, then we would have had the opportunity to go out and find other jobs, make other compensations, instead of waiting for that interim period and realize that we're not going to receive a penny for the effort we put in."

Summa Education and Matt Garrett did not respond to emails and phone calls from NBC 7 Investigates.

Eisenbraun, who keeps in touch with other parents who are demanding refunds, said some of them have complained to the Better Business Bureau and the state Department of Consumer Affairs.

Parents could try to get their money back in small claims court, but Eisenbraun says, she'd just be throwing good money away. Still she says she won't stop demanding answers from Summa.

"It's something that we need to fight for, and find out what's going on, and what's going to happen," Eisenbraun said.

Current and former Summa tutors told NBC 7 Investigates a few of them who were paid in advance have continued teaching classes on their own, to fulfill their commitment to their students.
Eisenbraun also said some parents -- who paid by credit card --got partial refunds from their credit card companies.

After we contacted one of Garrett's attorneys, Summa sent parents an unsigned letter, dated March 4. According to the letter, another tutoring company will “administer all of Summa’s classes this summer.” The letter advises them to email that company for more help.

Eisenbraun is skeptical, and said it’s too little, too late. She has already paid thousands more to another company, for her daughter's summer tutoring.

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A crowd of "Harry Potter" fans gathered early Thursday morning at Universal Studios Hollywood to celebrate the grand opening of the much-anticipated "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" attraction.

Excitement for the attraction's soared like a hippogriff this week, with park officials announcing Tuesday that advance online tickets were already sold out for Thursday, along with VIP and front-of-line passes for Friday and Saturday. It's the first time the park has had to cut off online ticket sales.

With a wave of their wands and a shout of "Revelio," a charm that reveals hidden objects, the sell-out crowd opened the gates to the attraction at 6:30 a.m. PT. Fireworks lit up the overcast sky and confetti rained down on fans, many dressed in Harry Potter-themed robes and other clothes.

A limited number of admission tickets are expected to be available for purchase at the Universal Studios gates today. Lines at the park are expected to form early as Potter fanatics try to be among the first to explore the immersive land.

Traffic around Universal City could also be unusually heavy. Metro officials are encouraging people to take public transit, notably the Red Line subway, which has a stop in Universal City.

And just in time for the Harry Potter crowds, Metro today will debut a 400-foot, L-shaped pedestrian bridge that will take people from the Red Line stop across Lankershim Boulevard and Universal Hollywood Drive, where patrons can catch a free park shuttle up the hill to Universal Studios.

The much-anticipated attraction includes a meticulous recreation of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with features such as Professor Dumbledore's office, the Portrait Gallery and the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

The surrounding Hogsmeade village includes shops such as Honeydukes, Owl Post, Wiseacres Wizarding Equipment, Dervish and Banges, Gladrags Wizardwear and Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods.

Also included in the attraction are two rides -- the 3-D "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey'' and Universal Studios Hollywood's first outdoor roller coaster, "Flight of the Hippogriff.''

A virtual tour is available online at www.universalstudioshollywood.com/wizardingworld.

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