Quantcast
Channel: NBC 7 San Diego - Top Stories
Viewing all 60603 articles
Browse latest View live

Poll: Clinton, Trump Lead in Pennsylvania

$
0
0

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton hold double-digit leads in the April 26 primary contest of Pennsylvania, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll.

In the Republican race, Trump gets support from 45 percent of likely Republican primary voters in the state — well ahead of Ted Cruz at 27 percent and John Kasich at 24 percent.

The poll shows Trump performs the best among men, those who strongly support a candidate, those without a college degree and those in the Northeast part of the state.

Meanwhile, in the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders by 15 points among likely Democratic voters in Pennsylvania, 55 percent to 40 percent.

Clinton leads among African Americans, those aged 45 and older, women, self-identified Democrats and those strongly supporting a candidate.



Photo Credit: Getty Images; AP

Local Ecuadorians Collect Supplies for Earthquake Victims

$
0
0

Ecuador is in ruins a week after South America's largest earthquake in more than a decade.

A group of volunteers gathered in Lindbergh Park Saturday to collect diapers, water, food, clothes, shoes, dog food and other supplies to send to earthquake survivors. 

"People are without a home and basically we’re doing a little bit of trying to help out, basically our country by doing this,” volunteer Jorge Ramirez said.

Ramirez and others from San Diego's Ecuadorian community felt helpless watching the devastation happening hundreds of miles away in the country many of them still call home.

More than 600 people are now confirmed dead in after the earthquake while the search for 130 people continues.

The 23,000 residents left homeless are now lining up for scarce food and water, and some survivors are even turning to trash dumps to try and find a meal.

Others are sleeping on an airport tarmac. A mother of a one-year-old in Ecuador said it could be their home for a year.

"We've been getting a lot of donations as you can see,” Ramirez said of the donations. “People are getting the message out there…and we'll see if we can get as much as we can out there. Because they need it. They need it."



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Cruz Wins Support of Majority of Maine Delegates

$
0
0

The majority of Ted Cruz’s delegates in Maine were picked for the Republican National convention over the weekend, NBC News reported.

That means at least 19 of the 23 delegates Maine will send to the convention in July will be Cruz supporters, benefiting the Texas senator if the selection process goes to multiple ballots. 

Cruz grabbed 12 pledged delegates in March, winning Maine’s caucus. Donald Trump secured nine, while John Kasich won two. 

Trump and his supporters have called the delegate process “rigged,” because it doesn’t reflect the will of voters. They argue the nine delegates he’s won should remain loyal to him on every round of voting. 

The Republican National Committee says the presidential nominee is chosen by the delegates — not the voters.



Photo Credit: Press Herald via Getty Images

Officers Shot During Search for Kansas Fugitive

$
0
0

Three federal officers and a fourth member of law enforcement were shot during a shootout while searching for a suspect on Kansas’ “Most Wanted” list Saturday, NBC News reported. 

Officers were trying to arrest Orlando Collins, 28, at the County Club Motel in Topeka, Kansas. He was put on the state’s “Most Wanted” list for two counts of interference with commerce by means of robbery, according to the FBI.

The shootout started after the federal task force heard “continued” gun fire and approached a motel room door. Two U.S. Marshals and an FBI agent were shot when gunfire broke out, according to an FBI statement. The officers were transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

A body was found in the room where Collins was believed to be in. The body was not identified. 



Photo Credit: Sarah Plake

Cruz Goes All Out in Indiana, Dismisses Kasich

$
0
0

Ted Cruz has gone all out in Indiana, even though John Kasich’s campaign said last week it locked down the support of a majority of the state’s delegates, NBC News reported. 

Cruz said Sunday that only two candidates have a “plausible path whatsoever to winning the Republican nomination — me and Donald Trump.” 

The Texas senator is making an 11-day tour of Indiana, and the campaign has budgeted what officials called a "significant" amount of money. 

The strategy mirrors the operation the Cruz campaign set up in Wisconsin, where Cruz ultimately won big on April 5. The campaign has even established "Camp Cruz," where volunteers can live for free just outside of Indianapolis. 

Indiana's primary will be held on May 3 — a week after the primary Tuesday in Pennsylvania, where Trump has a strong lead in the polls.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Lane Closures, Delays Expected in Santee: SDG&E

$
0
0

Lane closures, traffic delays and detours on Carlton Hills Boulevard are expected for more than two months starting Monday the City of Santee said.

The closures are necessary for the installation of a SDG&E natural gas pipeline between Mission Gorge Road and Carlton Oaks Boulevard.

All driveways and streets with access to Carlton Hills Boulevard will remain open during the pipeline installation.

The project, which is actually in its second phase, is expected to finish in July.

The first part of the pipeline replacement was completed last year on Mission Gorge Road.

Work occurring north of the San Diego River bridge will take place between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday through Friday.

When the project moves south of the bridge, construction will take place Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 9.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Natural gas service will not be interrupted during the project.

SDG&E has advised residents that they may smell the odor of natural gas and hear a loud, steady noise when workers are releasing natural gas from the pipeline. Anyone with concerns about the gas odor can contact SDG&E at 1-800-611-7343.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Arrest Made in Connection With Lakeside Homicide: SDSO

$
0
0

San Diego Sheriff's deputies have arrested a man in connection with the death of a man found lying on the sidewalk, near death.

Lance Benson, 29, of Lakeside, will be booked into San Diego Central Jail on one count of murder after the victim, who has not yet been identified, was found early Sunday morning. 

A newspaper delivery person called 911 when he found the man, who has not yet been identified, lying on the 10400 block of Aquilla Drive in Lakeside around 4:20 a.m. Sunday. 

When deputies arrived on scene, they found the man unresponsive, suffering from upper body trauma. Paramedics responded, but the man succumbed to his injuries, SDSO officials said. 

Neighbors in the area said they were shocked to find detectives on their doorstep. 

"This is shocking," said Sharon Cerecedes. "I was asleep, my husband woke me up and said something horrible is going on."

Nelson said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. 

"It's very scary, it's something that I'm not going to be walking even my dog down that street anymore," Cerecedes said. "I used to walk down that way all the time, but  Iwon't anymore."

The suspect's roommate, Derek Downey, said he didn't know what to make of it. 

"I don't know what to think, living with somebody in the same household, and they do this," he said. "It just makes you think about people's characters."

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's office will conduct an autopsy and determine the official cause of death. 

San Diego Sheriff's deputies (SDSO) are investigating a homicide in Lakeside, the department confirmed to NBC 7 San Diego. 

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide Detail at (858) 974-2321/after hours at (858) 565-5200. If you would like to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

No other information was immediately available.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Locally Convicted Priest Working in Oklahoma

$
0
0

More than four years after being convicted of groping a 20-year-old woman in San Diego, a priest is behind a Catholic pulpit again.

Father Jose Alexis Davila had been at St. Jude’s Shrine of the West in Southcrest only two months when he was arrested in 2012. He was later reinstated at St. Jude’s but left by the end of the year.

"Without excusing or justifying his behavior, I think he can now safely and appropriately return to ministry,” Paul S. Coakley, the Archbishop of Oklahoma City where Davila now works, said. “Some actions such as the sexual abuse of a child are so grievous that the perpetrator must be permanently removed from ministry. This was not one of those actions.”

Joelle Casteix, with Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), has followed Davila's case since the original sexual assault charges against him.

“If he knew about Davila’s background and still allowed him to be a priest, that is reckless endangerment, and it should definitely be held accountable,” Casteix said.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City welcomed Davila to the fold in December.

“I don’t think being a leader means that you are free from the possibility of making mistakes or sins,” Michael Chapman of the archdiocese said.

Archbishop Coakley said Davila’s job came after a full investigation, including a background check, probationary period and lengthy interviews with leaders from where Davila has served.

Still, Davila's background was news to many church members in Oklahoma City.

Janet Bullard said she may be looking for a new congregation now.

“It's hurtful this kind of stuff," Bullard said. "It puts a stain on the church. Most of these people are good decent people, and these scandals really hurt a lot of people and really ran a lot of people out of the church.”

Casteix said she’s calling on the archbishop to remove Davila from the pulpit for good.

Davila pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery in 2012 and was sentenced to three years’ probation.


Horse Trainer Dies After Horse Spooks, Falls to Pavement

$
0
0

An experienced horse trainer and member of the Escondido Mounted Posse (EMP) died Saturday after her horse spooked and fell, knocking her off, a group founder said. 

Diana Cavender, a member of the EMP for several years, was riding to a staging area after the Lakeside Parade when the accident happened, said Al Pfeltz, one of the founders of the group. 

Her horse spooked and started to spin, Pfetlz said. Though Cavender tried to get the horse under control, it slipped on the asphalt and fell on its side, he said. 

"The last thing I remember seeing is the horse lose its footing and fall down on its right side and the force of the impact whipped Diana down and her head into the asphalt," he told NBC 7 San Diego. 

Cadender's head hit the ground; friends say her husband tended to her until medics arrived. 

She was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital and died six hours after being admitted as a result of head injuries. 

Pfeitlz said Cavender was one of the best horse trainers in the business and her and her husband owned a number of horses. 

The rest of the posse says they lost their best rider. 

"Diana was always someone we respected because of her ability to ride and her knowledge of horses, but I think the most important thing was not the horse it was God and her husband," Pfeltz said.

Sometimes, even the most skilled riders can get knocked down, he said.

"Riding horses is like riding a motorcycle, it is not something you'll go through your whole life without getting hurt," said Pfeltz.

No other information was immediately available.



Photo Credit: Courtesy of Escondido Mounted Posse

Koch: 'Possible' Clinton Would Be Better Than GOP Rivals

$
0
0

Conservative billionaire Charles Koch suggested that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton may make a better president than the Republicans contenders, NBC News reported.

In an interview on ABC's "This Week" Sunday, the influential donor, who, along with his brother David has deployed their vast wealth to champion conservative causes, criticized the tone of the GOP presidential primary, citing it as the reason they have not contributed to any campaign, including efforts to derail Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

Koch also said Bill Clinton's presidency was "in some ways" better than George W. Bush's, and when asked by ABC News’ Jonathan Karl if another Clinton — Hillary — could be preferable to another Republican.

"It's possible," Koch said. "It's possible."

Clinton responded in a tweet Sunday afternoon, saying she was "not interested in endorsements from people who deny climate science and try to make it harder for people to vote."



Photo Credit: The Washington Post/Getty Images
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Parents of Baby Killed by Dog Tried to Call 911 Twice: SDPD

$
0
0

A couple, whose three-day-old baby was killed by the family dog in what is being called a tragic accident, made two unsuccessful 911 calls Thursday night, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) confirmed. 

The mother and father of the newborn were watching television in bed with the baby and the dog Thursday when the mother suddenly coughed.

"The dog made contact with the baby leading to traumatic injuries," Sgt. Tuu Nguyen, of the Child Abuse Unit San Diego Police Department, said.

The family waited 28 seconds before hanging up during their first 911 call, then waited an additional 34 seconds on their second emergency call before finally hanging up and driving the baby to the hospital themselves.

The newborn did not survive the injuries. 

Neighbor Jimmy Xiu heard the family's panic before seeing them race away to the hospital.

“Oh my god. That’s what I heard. Oh my God ," Xiu said. "I heard them screaming and rushing to their car and their car rushing out."

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family in this very tragic case. We know every second counts in an emergency,” Lt. Scott Wahl of SDPD said in a statement Saturday. 

According to SDPD, between 7:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. when the family was calling for assistance, dispatch received 73 total 911 calls.

Wahl said they know from a study the police department did that nearly a quarter of 911 calls are pocket dials.

“They're supposed to answer immediately and say ‘what’s the emergency?’ not wait until the person has to call back again," neighbor Naomi Diaz said.

In an investigation NBC 7 found many local 911 calls are taking minutes, not seconds, and aside from pocket dials, understaffing is contributing to the problem. 

Overtime is being required by the department until the dispatcher jobs are filled.

Offiicals said despite the long wait, it's critical callers not hang up and stay on the phone. 



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Jahi Turner's Stepfather Booked Into San Diego Jail

$
0
0

The man accused in the slaying of his stepson, Jahi Turner, has been booked into San Diego County Jail and will soon face charges in the toddler's death. 

Tieray Jones has been charged with killing 2-year-old Jahi, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said. His mother was deployed aboard a Navy ship at the time.

Hundreds of volunteers and police officers spent weeks searching for traces of the 30-pound toddler when he was reported missing in 2002. Law enforcement officers raked through 5,000 tons of garbage at the Miramar Landfill, but came up with nothing.

Jones is charged with one count of murder and one count of felony child abuse causing death, authorities said. Both carry a 25-years-to-life sentence. It wasn't immediately clear if Jones has an attorney. 

Now that Jones has been booked into jail, he will be arraigned. His bail was set at $5 million. The booking comes one day before the 14th anniversary of Jahi's disappearance. 

"Jahi's disappearance rocked the community to its core 14 years ago," DA Bonnie Dumanis said. "It's without a doubt one of the highest profile unsolved cases here in San Diego County."

Dumanis and Zimmerman explained that U.S. Marshals arrested the boy's stepfather on a fugitive complaint Monday in North Carolina without incident and took him into custody. 

Though new evidence has been uncovered in the case, authorities have not found Jahi's body or remains, police said.

On April 25, 2002, he allegedly disappeared from a playground at 28th Street and Cedar Street in San Diego's South Park neighborhood.

According to police, Jones told officers he was with the toddler at the park when he left to get a drink. Jones said he returned 15 minutes later and Jahi was gone.

However, officials were unable to locate Jahi's fingerprints on playground equipment, prompting speculation the child never visited the area, authorities announced Monday.

Officials say the last reported sighting of Jahi was April 22.

At the time of the child’s disappearance, Jahi’s mother, Tameka Jones, was deployed aboard USS Rushmore.

A huge search for Jahi ensued, including a week-long police search of the Miramar Landfill, where authorities took the extreme measure of systematically raking through 5,000 tons of garbage.

Domanis said authorities could not file charges earlier because they didn't have enough proof, though they began uncovering new evidence in the case two years ago.

"We never gave up on finding justice for Jahi. In 2003, we assigned a prosecutor and full-time investigator to the case," Dumanis said. "Unfortunately at the time we didn’t have the evidence required: proof beyond a reasonable doubt, to proceed with criminal charges."

Jahi’s family eventually moved to Frederick, Maryland.

Officials said because this is a criminal case, they are not able to discuss any of the facts or the criminal evidence, including any new evidence they uncovered since the case went cold. 



Photo Credit: North Carolina Authorities

More Kids Harmed by Ingesting Laundry Pods: Study

$
0
0

Despite warnings about the dangers laundry detergent pods pose to children, calls to poison control centers continue to rise, NBC's "Today" show reported, citing a new study published Monday.

The study in Pediatrics shows a 20 percent increase in reports of children younger than 6 putting the brightly colored packets into their mouths, with serious and sometimes even fatal consequences.

Researchers analyzed data from 62,254 calls made in 2013 and 2014 to U.S. poison control centers. Calls increased for all types of detergent exposure, but the greatest jump was in the number of incidents involving highly concentrated laundry pods, followed by dishwasher detergent packets.

Study coauthor Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and his colleagues strongly recommend that parents not use laundry detergent packets if there are young children at home.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Decades After Chernobyl, Another Chance for Paralympian

$
0
0

There was no stuffed animal to hug. Constant hunger pains. Hope that a mom would show up and rescue her.

Those were some of the memories that flooded back when Paralympian Oksana Masters recently returned to Ukraine, where she spent her first seven and a half years shuttled among three orphanages. Masters visited with orphaned children that stared at her with an "Are you here to adopt me?" gaze.

Two decades ago, that face was hers.

She was adopted by an American woman who took in a malnourished Masters with birth defects believed to be from the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident. On the 30th anniversary of Chernobyl this week, Masters is now in a much different place.

She's become a three-time Paralympic medalist in rowing and cross-country skiing, with her sights now set on making the cycling squad for the Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games later this summer. She's appeared in ESPN The Magazine Body Issue.

Above all else: She has a mother.

"My mom literally saved my life," the 26-year-old Masters said recently before a training session at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. "I wasn't supposed to make it out of the orphanage."

Her journey began because of a black-and-white photo that Gay Masters saw through a Ukrainian adoption notebook. That picture of Oksana — circa age 5 — captured the heart of a speech pathologist who was teaching in Buffalo, New York, at the time. Oksana was born with webbed fingers, no thumbs, six toes on each foot, deformed legs, one kidney and only parts of her stomach.

She was perfect. The match was perfect.

Adopting her, though, was quite a saga. With the Ukrainian government placing a moratorium on foreign adoptions, Gay Masters had to wait 2½ years to bring her home. She sent care packages all the time, stuffed with teddy bears and other treats.

The little girl never got them.

She simply thought she was on her own again. That is, until one night at 11:30 p.m., with all the paperwork finally approved, Gay arrived to take her new daughter home.

"The adoption agency kept saying, 'You can go to Russia and get a baby now,'" Gay said in a phone interview from her home in Louisville, Kentucky, where they moved when Oksana was a teenager. 

"But that was my daughter. I couldn't abandon her."

At the time, the child weighed about 35 pounds — healthy for a 3-year-old, not so much for someone who was nearly 8.

"I know friends who didn't make it out and died," she said. "I watched that."

The new mom and daughter didn't speak the same language but found a way to communicate through gestures and by pointing at phrases in a book. It didn't take long for them to get on the same page and settle into their new life.

It was around that time when a dentist discovered the root cause of Oksana's birth defects. She was missing the enamel from her teeth due to radiation. Being from the region near Chernobyl, it wasn't hard to make the connection with the world's worst nuclear accident, which occurred on April 26, 1986. They believe her birth mom either lived in an area that was contaminated or ingested produce that was riddled with radiation, leading to in utero radiation poisoning.

"As a child, I didn't think about (Chernobyl) because I didn't know what it was. Being older and educated more what it was, knowing now how it is still affecting that whole area, it's just jaw dropping," said Oksana, who's from Khmelnytskiy in western Ukraine.

She was born with tibial hemimelia, which resulted in different leg lengths. She got by as a child by fusing her ankles so she walked on tippy toes, but her body could no longer support her weight. She had her left leg amputated near the knee at 9 and the right one at the same spot five years later.

About that time, she discovered rowing. The pull of the oars and the push against the water became a release, a "healing from my past," she said. Oksana became good in no time.

Before the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, Gay gave her a replica Olympic medal that once belonged to Gay's parents. She taped it inside the boat for good luck during races. Oksana and her rowing partner, Rob Jones, who lost both legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan while in the U.S. Marine Corps, wound up with bronze.

"I kept saying: 'Is it really true? Is it really true?'" Gay recalled. "It's just indescribable, how amazing it was."

Two years later in Sochi at the Paralympic Winter Games, Oksana captured silver and bronze in cross-country skiing.

And now onto a new challenge. She's a strong candidate to make the Paralympic cycling squad, with a final opportunity to qualify for the U.S. team in Charlotte, North Carolina, in July.

"I do think about Rio," she said. "I want to be there. But I don't want to get my hopes up."

A coping mechanism from her days in the orphanage: whenever a visitor arrived, they would put her in a dress and place a bow on her head.

"Every child looked at the next person that comes in as, 'Are you going to be my new mom?'" she said. "Every kid wants that."

Going back last October was overwhelming — and therapeutic. She talked with wounded soldiers from the conflict in eastern Ukraine and spent time with children in an orphanage.

"I often look back and just think, 'I can't believe this is my life right now,'" Oksana said.



Photo Credit: AP
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Special Needs Student Attacked

$
0
0

A Southern California student was arrested after video surfaced online showing a special needs student being attacked at a Santa Clarita high school, officials said Sunday.

"I was appalled that someone would go after anyone, especially a special needs child," said Linda Storli, who has taught in the William S. Hart District for 30 years and serves as a board member.

The assault occurred last Thursday at West Ranch High School on the 26200 block of Valencia Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A bystander caught the beating on video and later posted it on social media.

Students said the victim approached a group of peers and was attacked by one of them. Footage shows the victim being punched repeatedly while a group of students stands by, watching, laughing and holding up cellphones.

Authorities said a student involved in the attack was arrested on Friday and held on battery charges.

Other students held a rally on campus Friday and wore black in support of the victim. Many also turned to social media using the hashtag #justicefor(name) and #standwith(name).

Students Matthew Padilla and Grayson Thomas saw video of the assault and were upset to learn so many of their peers had watched and taken video instead of trying to break up the fight.

"This generation is obsessed with retweets and favorites. You can tell that every person [in the video], no one was not on their phone. Everyone is trying to record it and be the first one to be popular on Twitter," Padilla said.

Detectives with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station will continue to investigate the incident along with West Ranch Administrators and the William S. Hart Union High School District Administration.

"I don't know what the administration is going to do," Storli said. "If they were my students or my children, I would want them to have done the right thing."

The principal at West Ranch sent home a letter to parents, saying in part: "We stand for peace, and we must do this for all students... Safety is our first priority."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station at 661-255-1121. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.


Chargers Signature Gatherers Out in Full Force

$
0
0

The Chargers stadium initiative needs 67,000 signatures to get on the November ballot, and signature gatherers were out in full force Sunday - outside supermarkets, Walmarts and others stores - trying to get people to sign.

If the measure passes, the hotel tax would go up to help pay for a downtown stadium.

“This is a great thing, man,” signature gatherer Israel Vamos said. “It’s going to be a beautiful park. It produces a lot of business and everybody seems happy. It’s good for the city and the economy.”

The Chargers brought in heavyweights like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Ladainian Tomlinson for a rally to kick off the Chargers stadium initiative drive Saturday.

"Once we win this – I assure you, there’s going to be a stadium right where we’re standing here," Chargers owner Dean Spanos told the screaming crowd. "It’s going to be something San Diego will be proud of for years to come.”

Not everyone is supporting the initiative though. Former San Diego County Taxpayers Association board member April Boling said it could hurt local businesses.

“It’s going to make us one of the highest rates in the country and we will undoubtedly lose some business because of that,” she explained.

Even so, some San Diegans aren’t bothered by the prospect of a hotel tax hike.

“I live in San Diego so I’m not going to be using the hotel tax a lot. It’s going to bring a lot of revenue into our city,” one Chargers fan explained while adding her name.

“It is worth it,” another fan said. “I mean we pay all these other taxes, you know? Football is San Diego.”



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Rainforest Advocates Protest Pepsi

$
0
0

Rainforest advocates scaled the Pepsi Cola sign at the foot of the East River in Queens Monday morning and draped a banner in protest of the company's use of palm oil.

Members of the Rainforest Action Network scaled the sign in Gantry Plaza State Park and unfurled a white banner that stated "Cut conflict palm oil" in large red letters. The banner was placed on the bottom of the historic billboard.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, palm oil is the world's most popular vegetable oil, found in a host of foods and household products and harvested from forests in Asia, Africa and South America. 

The activist group claims PepsiCo's use of palm oil in its snack products begets rain forest deforestation and human rights abuses.

"Pepsi has known for over three years about major environmental and human rights violations in its palm oil supply chain, but the company has fallen short and continues to drag its feet instead of taking the kind of decisive action needed to address this urgent problem," Robin Averbeck, senior campaigner for Rainforest Action Network, said in a statement.

PepsiCo said in a sttement that it has "strong publiccommitments and efforts around the responsible sourcing of palm oil and the protection of labor and human rights throughout our supply chain."

In 2015, the company claimed it had moved to source all of its palm oil from resources certified by the "Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil."

"Palm oil is currently the most widely-used vegetable oil globally and has greatly contributed to the economic growth of many developing countries. However, the rapid expansion of oil palm plantations has also resulted in challenges," PepsiCo said in the 2015 statement.



Photo Credit: Blair Fitzgibbon

False Tsunami Recorded Off NJ Shore

$
0
0

A tsunami buoy off the New Jersey coast went into "event mode" Sunday night, raising concerns after it recorded a very steep wave reading while undergoing maintenance.

Texas Tower No. 4 Station 44066 — a tsunami buoy located about 75 nautical miles east of Long Branch, New Jersey — recorded a sudden change of about 55 meters in water depth in a matter of seconds. A report on New York-based Superstation95’s website was shared across social media overnight.

"Event mode" occurs when the algorithm on the Bottom Pressure Recorder (BPR) detects info more often — every 15 seconds is possible — due to sudden activity.

The seemingly seismic event, which occurred around 22:38 UTC (6:38 p.m. Eastern Time), raised fears among community members.

But no, it wasn’t an earthquake — the nearest quake, recorded off the coast of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, about 10 minutes later, was unrelated — nor was some super wave headed for the Jersey Shore.

The event was actually caused by routine maintenance work being done to the buoy, the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) told NBC10 Monday morning.

Often, the NDBC will turn off the buoys while work is being done to avoid causing concern like what happened in this case, said the Mississippi-based NDBC. 

"Not every Event is a tsunami," says the NBDC website. "In some cases, it can go into Event Mode because of electronic problems, or during the recovery of a BPR. The tsunami warning centers can initiate an event to have the tsunameter report more frequently in anticipation of tsunami. Events are usually initiated by the seismic signal from an earthquake, and the actual tsunami, if there is one, will pass the tsunameter later. It requires expert analysis to determine a tsunami from the tsunameter data."

The NDBC works on buoys about once a year.



Photo Credit: National Data Buoy Center
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

US Ends Probe Into Honda's Failure to Report Deaths, Injuries

$
0
0

The U.S. government has closed an investigation into Honda's failure to report deaths and injuries, saying that the company has met all of its obligations. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted on its website Monday that Honda paid a $70 million fine and took steps needed to make sure similar failures don't happen again. 

The government fined Honda in December of 2014 in what then was the largest civil penalty levied against an automaker. 

The company admitted in a consent order that it didn't report 1,729 complaints that its vehicles caused deaths and injuries, and that it didn't report warranty claims. Many of the deaths and injuries were related to air bag inflators made by Takata Corp. 

The Japanese automaker acknowledged in November of 2014 that it failed to make legally required reports during an 11-year period beginning in 2003. The company admitted it learned of the omissions in 2011 but waited three years to take action. 

Honda also failed to report certain warranty claims and claims under customer satisfaction campaigns throughout the same period, federal officials said. 

Honda agreed to pay the fines under a consent order it signed with the traffic safety administration on Dec. 29, 2014. 

Federal law requires automakers to submit death and injury complaints to regulators as part of an "early warning" system for identifying potential safety defects that can lead to a recall. 

The safety agency said in documents closing the investigation that Honda completed its performance obligations that were spelled out in the consent order from Dec. 29, 2014. The automaker had to develop written procedures for reporting deaths and injuries and had to train its personnel on early warning reporting requirements. It also had an outside party audit its procedures.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

'He Never Got Out': 8-Year-Old Drowns in Community Pool

$
0
0

Family members held a food sale Monday to raise money for the funeral of an eight-year-old boy who drowned in a community pool over the weekend.

The drowning happened during a party at a pool at the Del Rio Apartments on Fenton Parkway near Rio San Diego Drive in San Diego's Mission Valley neighborhood, San Diego Police (SDPD) confirmed to NBC 7 San Diego. 

The boy's cousin identified him as Brandon Reynoso. 

"All we know is that he was in the pool, and he never got out," said Kimberly Merin. She said the family held a food sale to raise money and has also set up a GoFundMe for additional costs. 

Reports indicate the 8-year-old was found face down in the pool around 8 p.m. The pool is three and a half feet deep. Several kids said they saw something at the bottom of the pool, but didn't realize it was a person.

SDPD's Child Abuse Unit is investigating.

After the boy was removed from the pool Saturday, emergency crews performed CPR on the child in an attempt to revive him. 

Leen Alghamadi witnessed the tragedy.

"It made me feel very scared and like I should be more aware of people around me," she said. 

A sign on the pool's gate reads "Pool Closed. Sorry for the Inconvenience." Managers at the complex would not confirm if the sign was because of the drowning.

"It's horrible," resident Kathy Cosenza said, thinking of her own grandchild. "That's why it's like 24/7, your eyes on the child...because something could happen like that."

Irvine Company owns the property, but they told NBC 7 out of respect for the family, they're not talking about any future precautions or what exactly happened Saturday night. 



Photo Credit: nbc7
Viewing all 60603 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images