A high school senior from San Diego has earned a prestigious honor: he’s among the 52nd class of U.S. Presidential Scholars announced by the U.S. Department of Education Wednesday.

Emmit K. Pert – a student at Westview High School in the Poway Unified School District – is among just 160 high school seniors named in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars list.

U.S. Secretary of Education John King said the students, who hail from across the country, are recognized for their accomplishments in academics, the arts and career and technical education fields.

“This year’s class of Presidential Scholars continues a more than 50 year trend of honoring students who’ve shown excellence in their educational, artistic and civic pursuits,” King said in a press release. 

Pert is among seven U.S. Presidential Scholars chosen from California this year.

The teen spoke with NBC 7 Wednesday about receiving the award. He said one of the steps in the application process included a letter of recommendation from a teacher at his school. He said that letter and support came from his literature teacher, Mr. Bob McHeffey, who has been very influential in his life.

McHeffey is currently hospitalized in Ireland after testing positive for H1N1 during a school trip there last month. Pert said McHeffey is supposed to travel with him to receive the Presidential Scholar award next month but due to the teacher's condition, he's not sure if those plans will pan out. Pert said he plans to reach out to McHeffey to tell him the good news about the award soon.

The teen said he's still in utter shock over the accolade.

“I really couldn’t believe it. I was elated to receive such a serious honor from the United States,” Pert said. “It’s a huge honor. It’s something that really means a lot to me.”

He said his parents were also thrilled and added, “They were probably even more excited than I was!”

According to a biography on Pert from Westview High School, Pert keeps very busy with friends, sports, clubs and his love of science. He made the top 50 for the National Chemistry Olympiad and also became a leader in his school’s science-based Catalyst program.

Pert is also one of the co-presidents of his school’s mock trial program and competes for Westview’s Academic League Team. When he’s not competing in academic challenges, Pert coaches students for middle and high school Science Olympiad.

The senior also plays water polo for his school. Outside of school, he earned his Eagle Scout award for his work on a conservation project to help burrowing owls.

Pert told NBC 7 he has an interest in both science and law and is heading to the University of Virginia this fall to study chemistry. After that, he may attend law school.

“I’ll see what happens,” the teen said with a smile.

The U.S. Department of Education says the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars is appointed by President Barack Obama and selects outstanding scholars annually for this honor.

Of the three million seniors expected to graduate from U.S. high schools this year, more than 5,600 candidates qualified for the 2016 awards determined by performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams as well as nominations.

From there, the list was narrowed to just 160 students.

This year’s Presidential Scholars are comprised of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and from U.S. families living abroad. Fifteen students were also chosen at-large, the Department of Education says, as well as 20 scholars in the arts and, for the first time, 20 scholars in career and technical education.

The program first launched in 1964. Since then, nearly 7,000 of the nation’s top students have been honored with the award.

Pert – along with the 159 other students – will receive a Presidential Scholar Medallion at the 2016 ceremony on June 19. For the full list of 2016 Presidential Scholars, click here.

A teacher from San Diego who contracted H1N1 on a school trip to Ireland remains hospitalized overseas with one wish: to come home in time to watch his teenage daughter attend prom.

Officials with the Poway Unified School District confirmed Wednesday that Westview High School English teacher Bob McHeffey is recuperating in a hospital in Ireland.

In mid-April, McHeffey accompanied a group of students including his daughter, Delaney McHeffey, on a spring break trip to Ireland. During the trip, he suddenly became very ill.

“He came down with a cough and soon enough he had a fever and could barely walk with us around the various towns,” McHeffey’s daughter, Delaney, wrote on an online fundraising blog.

On April 19, McHeffey’s condition took a turn for the worse and he had to be rushed by ambulance from his hotel to a hospital.

McHeffey tested positive for the H1N1 strain of the Swine Flu. He was also diagnosed with Bi-Lateral Pneumonia, according to his family.

The students flew back to San Diego but, due to his condition, McHeffey had to stay hospitalized in Ireland. His wife traveled to Ireland and has been by his side ever since.

The Poway Unified School District told NBC 7 McHeffey’s family started a GoFundMe fundraiser page online to help cover his medical care costs. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, the family had raised nearly $23,000, surpassing their fundraising goal of $20,000.

Now, McHeffey is working to get better so he can return to San Diego.

“We are hopeful to be home in time to see Delaney go to prom,” said a message posted to the family’s fundraising page Tuesday.

The post said McHeffey is continuing to improve daily and is now able to get out of bed, get dressed and hold a conversation. He’s taking short walks every day and “working to be more independent.”

Doctors are monitoring McHeffey for a rash and fever. He’s remains on oxygen support, but the family is hopeful he will soon be released from the hospital.

In the meantime, students and faculty at Westview High School created an 18-minute video to cheer McHeffey up dubbed, “We Miss You, Bob!”

The sweet video features many of McHeffey’s students expressing how their beloved teacher is sorely missed.

“Class just has not been the same without you, honestly. The energy just is not the same anymore,” said one student. “You are the reason for coming to school for us. We really miss you every single day.”

Several students also talk about how much McHeffey has helped them with their English skills and influenced their writing.

“Basically, class is not actually class anymore without you sitting there in your chair,” said one girl.

“It’s not the same,” her friends chimed in.

“There’s just no motivation to actually write. There’s no point of writing unless Bob is actually there watching us!” the group agreed. “We need you!”

McHeffey's influence has certainly made an impact on Westview High School senior Emmit Pert. 

Pert was recently named among 160 students in the 52nd class of U.S. Presidential Scholars. He told NBC 7 that, as part of the application process for the prestigious award, a teacher had to write a letter of recommendation for him.

That teacher was McHeffey.

Pert said McHeffey is supposed to travel with him next month to attend the U.S. Presidential Scholars awards ceremony. The teen hopes the teacher is home and well enough by then to accompany him.

San Diego police (SDPD) are asking residents to help identify a suspect who stole more than $400 in hair care products from a local business. 

The theft happened at approximately 2:35 a.m. Tuesday when the suspect, captured on security camera, broke into the closed business on the 6900 block of Alvarado Road. 

The man nabbed more than $400 worth of hair care products from the business, police said. 

The suspect was seen caught on camera wearing a black Metal Mulisha baseball hat and a gray hooded sweatshirt with the words "Speed Freak University" on the front. 

Police said the man was 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall, weighed approximately 180 pounds and had red hair and a red beard. 

The man appears to have a tattoo of brass knuckles on the right side of his neck and some sort of name on the left side of his neck. 

The car captured outside the business in the security footage appears to be a four door black Chevrolet Silverado with black oxidation to the roof and sticks on the upper corners of the rear windows. 

Anyone with information about the suspect or vehicle is asked to contact SDPD Detective Natalie Hone at (858) 495-7942, the department at (619) 531-2000 or call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 to remains anonymous. 

A former Louisiana television personality known as "Mr. Wonder", arrested in San Diego County on charges he sexually abused young children decades ago at a free camp, will be extradited to Louisiana to face charges. 

U.S. Marshals arrested Frank Selas, 76, at his home on Casa Verde Court in Bonita on Jan. 25. Selas has pleaded not guilty to a fugitive charge. 

Since his arrest, Selas has fought extradition and claimed marshals arrested the wrong man. 

Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the San Diego County District Attorney's office said Selas advised the court he did not wish to file a writ to challenge a governor's warrant. The move removes legal impediment to his extradition and he will now be extradited back to Louisiana. 

Selas was initially arrested on a warrant stemming from the late 1970s, when Selas was accused of abusing children during a camping trip near Valentine Lake at Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana. At the time, Selas hosted the "Mr. Wonder" show on KNOE-TV in north Louisiana.

Louisiana law enforcement officials obtained a warrant for Selas' arrest in relation to two counts of obscene behavior with a juvenile.

When officials went to his home, his wife told them her husband had fled in the family car. In the coming days, officials would find Selas' car in Dallas. Selas, then 39, allegedly fled the country and flew from Dallas to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before investigators could arrest him.

When Selas returned to the U.S., investigators say he changed his last name and Social Security number.

The judge ruled at a previous hearing prosecutors and marshals proved Selas is the man wanted in Louisiana. Now, prosecutors say they will await a governor's warrant to proceed with extradition.

Investigators say Selas spent the last three decades living in San Diego and volunteering with community organizations including the Cub Scouts and the American Red Cross.

The revamped and renovated Horton Plaza Park opened its doors in the heart of Downtown San Diego on Wednesday, but it's the project's three-and-a-half year history that won't be printed on any plaque in the park. 

At the grand unveiling, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and other city officials all pointed out the park on the north side of Horton Plaza is a great new addition to downtown.

It would be hard to argue the point, given what stood in the same spot five years ago. The historic fountain, built in 1910, had been neglected, overrun with rats and described as an eye sore by many who lived and worked in the area. 

The new park, which features open seating areas and a restored fountain, will host more than 200 events a year.

The park is an upgrade, but it's what happened between the vision and fruition that city leaders did not talk much about at the opening festivities.

Construction started three and a half years ago and will finish at more than double the budget initially given.

While the loss of redevelopment money statewide may be the largest factor in the park’s delays, the timeline below shows there’s no one reason for the delays or cost overruns. A timeline will show it’s been a combination of delays.

November 2010: Plan announced for an $8 million dollar park on the north side of Horton Plaza.

October 2011: Governor Jerry Brown’s plan to pull the plug on statewide redevelopment money takes effect

November 2012: City Council approves the park, but with a price tag of $14 million

November 2012: Demolition begins

June 2014: budget increases to $18 million (Councilman Todd Gloria argues the state should pay the increase in costs for taking away the redevelopment money that would have initially paid for most of the park)

May 2015: NBC 7 confirms the construction company building the park does not have a valid contractor’s license.

May 2016: Park opens at a final cost of approximately $17 million.

"It really was a situation of what could go wrong, did go wrong," said Councilman Todd Gloria at Wednesday's opening.

Gloria and the city went to court to argue the state should pay for bulk of the project because it was redevelopment money that had previously been promised.  The city did eventually get it's money, but it added to the delays.

"Nothing worth doing is ever easy, and this would be an example of that," said Gloria.

The series of delays and budget increases is eerily similar to another downtown project in recent years: a bridge over Harbor Drive. 

In February of 2005, the concept was made public for a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Drive connecting San Diego’s waterfront to the East Village.

The initial budget was $8.6 million. The bridge eventually opened roughly six years later at a cost of nearly $27 million. It took less time to build the neighboring Hilton Bayfront hotel than it did to build the bridge.

It’s a beautiful bridge. It’s a beautiful park. Both will always have a little history you won’t find on any dedication plaque.

Stone Brewing Co. CEO Greg Koch has announced the formation of True Craft, a $100 million company geared toward investing in smaller craft breweries to help them remain independent.

A statement from Escondido-based Stone Brewing said True Craft will make minority investments in craft brewers while allowing those brewers to retain control of their business and culture. The new venture’s structure is still in formation, with further details to be announced at a later date.

“Some people start companies to sell out. Some start companies because they are compelled to follow their passion. True Craft is for the latter,” said Koch, who co-founded Stone Brewing with company President Steve Wagner in 1996.

Koch said craft beer needs an “alternative model” that can help founders avoid selling off their companies in order to grow and compete.

Officials said True Craft has been in the making for the past 18 months, and Stone Brewing will be participating as a founding member. The new venture has received an initial $100 million from an unnamed investor group.

The U.S. craft beer industry has seen several small- and mid-sized players fully or partially acquired by larger macrobrewers in recent years. During 2015, those included the acquisition of Miramar’s Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits by Constellation Brands Inc., in a $1 billion deal; and the purchase of Miramar’s Saint Archer Brewing Co. by MillerCoors, for an undisclosed price.

While it may have been a preview of her ultimate goal, Wednesday marked a significant moment for Temple University student Rachel Hall.

The 23-year-old lacrosse player walked across the stage during her school’s athletics ceremony over a year after she was critically injured in a hit-and-run crash. Hall, who once had a 20 percent chance of survival, is now set to walk during her graduation ceremony Friday.

"It feels great to finally be with my friends for graduation and go through all the ceremony and all the excitement that I missed," Hall told NBC10. "So I’m really happy to be back."

Few people gave Hall a chance to ever walk again — let alone survive — in the days after the hit-and-run last year. The star lacrosse goalie was riding her bicycle near Temple’s campus on April 29, 2015 when she was struck by a 2012 Mitsubishi Gallant.

The driver, later identified as 19-year-old Rashan Roberts, fled the scene. He was arrested and sentenced to 11 ½ to 23 months in prison after pleading guilty to the hit-and-run. Police said he only had his learner’s permit at the time of the crash.

Hall suffered severe head trauma and a badly broken leg. Determined to overcome her injuries, she endured grueling rehab and therapy. She still attends therapy sessions five days a week, according to her mother.

"It’s a miracle that she’s where she is now," said Kathy Hall. "I never expected it. All of this is from her. It’s her work."

Rachel Hall, who dreams of becoming a police officer, said she always knew she’d achieve her goal of overcoming life-threatening injuries and walking again.

"I always had a very positive personality even before this," she said. "I knew there was no reason to be negative about it because it won’t help me at all."

On Thursday, 40 companies, including Amazon, Boeing, BAE Systems, AT&T and Tesla, pledged to hire more than 110,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years in support of the Joining Forces initiative, the White House announced.

Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden launched Joining Forces in 2011. The nationwide initiative calls all Americans to rally around service members, veterans and their families by supporting them through education and employment opportunities.

At the time, the unemployment rate for veterans of the 9/11 generation was more than 12 percent, according to the White House Office of the First Lady.

Obama and Dr. Biden challenged the private sector in August 2011 to hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses. Since then, more than 1.2 million veterans and spouses have been hired or trained by the private sector and the unemployment rate among veterans is now lower than the national average, the White House said.

In addition to creating employment opportunities, 15 companies and organizations have committed to lead training programs, sponsor scholarships and support certification courses for nearly 60,000 veterans and their spouses.

In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal Thursday, Obama and Dr. Biden said the U.S. military has been "largely overlooked" by American companies looking to hire top technology talent.

"Whether they were establishing wireless networks in Baghdad, repairing communications equipment in the mountains of Afghanistan, or maintaining data-storage units on 100,000-ton aircraft carriers in the South China Sea, these military personnel have often done their jobs in conditions that most people can’t even begin to imagine," the op-ed said.

Obama and Biden noted these experiences demonstrate America's men and women in uniform "can handle whatever comes their way in an office building in Silicon Valley."

"Despite that remarkable achievement, there is plenty left to be done: 200,000 service members are returning to civilian life every year, and as far as we’re concerned, one unemployed veteran is one too many," Obama and Dr. Biden wrote.

A pregnant driver was injured Wednesday night in a hit-and-run crash in National City and police are still searching for the second motorist involved in the collision.

National City Police Department (NCPD) Sgt. Chris Sullivan said two vehicles collided just after 11:05 p.m. at Palm Avenue and Division Street.

One driver, a pregnant woman, complained of pain following the crash and was transported to UCSD Medical Center. The other driver, however, fled the scene.

Sullivan said that motorist was not immediately located by police. The incident is being investigated as a hit-and-run.

Sullivan said police are looking into the possibility that the driver who fled the scene was street racing but that detail remains under investigation. He said the hit-and-run suspect may have been driving a gold Durango.

The victim’s condition is unknown. No one else was harmed in the hit-and-run.

London could make history as the first major Western city to elect a Muslim mayor, with Labour Party candidate Sadiq Khan on top of opinion polls, according to NBC News.

Khan, the son of a bus driver from Pakistan, became a human rights attorney before entering politics, and supports gay marriage. His opposition, Zac Goldsmith of the Conservative Party, is the son of a Jewish billionaire and was elected to the House of Commons in 2010.

Goldsmith has criticized Khan for appearances alongside radical Muslim speakers and Khan has accused Goldsmith of running a "nasty, dog-whistling campaign."

The tense election is being likened to the 2016 presidential election, which has drawn global attention for the fighting and inflammatory remarks among candidates, namely from presumptive Republican Party nominee Donald Trump. 

"The campaign has degenerated in a profoundly depressing way," London reporter and blogger for The Guardian, Dave Hill, told NBC News.

Officials in New Jersey said that the inmate who busted out of a minimum security prison in New Jersey earlier this week has likely left the town where he was spotted Wednesday.

Barnegat police spent the day Thursday through Ocean County for 38-year-old Arthur Buckel, an inmate at Bayside State Prison who was missing when guards performed a prisoner count at a satellite unit at Ancora Hospital in Hammonton Tuesday morning. 

Buckel, who previously served time for the 1996 death of a 10-month-old girl before his latest stint behind bars, was spotted walking into a CVS in the town on Wednesday, prompting school lockdowns.

But late Thursday, officials in the town said that Corrections Department officials developed leads that Buckel had left the Ocean County town. It's not clear where he went.

Barnegat officials said there would still be additional police posted at schools to help abate fears about the escapee. 

"This is not normal for Barnegat," said Mayor John J. Novak. 

Buckel, whose last known address was in Clifton and had been serving a sentence for aggravated assault, was caught on surveillance cameras at the CVS Wednesday morning wearing construction boots, khakis, a T-shirt and yellow safety jacket.

Barnegat police said that when they responded to the pharmacy they found a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado stolen from Hammonton, about 40 miles from Barnegat. Authorities said that they think Buckel was getting around in the pickup truck.

Buckel was serving a sentence for crimes including aggravated assault, burglary and receiving stolen property. He was set to be eligible for parole on May 21.

A Corrections Department spokesman said Buckel could face an addition 3 to 5 years in prison for escaping once he's recaptured.

Buckel was also convicted of aggravated manslaughter in the death of a 10-month-old girl in 1996, according to NJ.com. Buckel, who was 18 at the time, admitted to slapping the girl, who died from skull fractures.

Corrections Department records show that he was in prison from 1996 to 2010 for the killing, NJ.com reports.

It's the second such escape from Bayside State Prison's Ancora unit in six months. In October, NBC10 in Philadelphia reported that Panagioti Souris busted out of the prison and traveled to Philadelphia.

He surrendered to authorities without a struggle in the Old City district and was returned to the prison. 

Anyone who sees Buckel is asked to call 911 and to avoid making direct contact with him.

A homemade bomb exploded on the campus of a Southern California school for foster youths Thursday morning, authorities said, but no one was hurt.

Deputies with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO), as well as CAL Fire officials, responded to San Pasqual Academy in Escondido around 9:15 a.m. after getting word of a reported threat to the school.

San Diego County Director of Communications Michael Workman told NBC 7 a student made some sort of bomb and the contraption exploded at the school. No one was injured, officials said.

He said the school was on lockdown for a period of time Thursday morning while officials swept the campus for any other potential threats.

Ultimately, the school was deemed safe. As of 10:50 a.m., students were in the auditorium being briefed on the situation, Workman said.

The incident remains under investigation. Officials said a 15-year-old male student at the school was detained on campus for allegedly making the device. He was booked into Juvenile Hall for possession of a destructive device.

Workman said that after an initial investigation, the homemade bomb appeared to be made out of bathroom products, including toilet bowl cleaner and some sort of aluminum foil. SDSO Sgt. Tom Vrable said the device was placed within a plastic soda bottle.

Deputies said this type of homemade device is more commonly known as a "pressure" or "acid bomb."

SDSO officials said a staff member at the school spotted the device and picked it up in front of the teenage student accused of making it. The teen suspect warned the staff member to get rid of it, as it would explode.

Vrable said the staff member quickly tossed the bottle into nearby bushes and a few minutes later, the bomb exploded.

Although no one was injured, SDSO bomb arson investigators said the bottle bomb was dangerous and someone could've gotten hurt if the school staffer hadn't thrown the device into the bushes.

One official told NBC 7 the detonation times on these kind of homemade devices vary "anywhere from 10 or 15 seconds all the way to five minutes."

"They are very unpredictable; very dangerous," the officials added.

San Pasqual Academy is a residential education campus for foster youths located on more than 200 acres in Escondido at 17701 San Pasqual Valley Rd.

Students are 12 to 18 years old and need stable, long-term placement and guidance, according to the school's website. The Academy opened in October 2001 and has a capacity to serve 184 youths. 

An Arizona teenager who flashed his genitals for his high school team’s yearbook photo won’t be charged, NBC News reports.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said Wednesday it would not pursue a felony charge.

Hunter Osborn was arrested Saturday and was charged as an adult with 69 counts of misdemeanor indecent exposure — one count for every “victim” who appeared in the photo with him, police said.

Mesa police said no one in the photo wanted to press charges. Osborn pulled the prank on a dare, but later said he was “disgusted” by his actions, according to police.

School officials recalled the yearbook in order to alter the offending image.

Grocery chain Trader Joe's is voluntarily recalling a salad containing broccoli slaw, kale and chicken, due to possible listeria contamination.

More than 33,600 pounds of Trader Joe's Broccoli Slaw & Kale Salad with White Chicken Meat, Sunflower Seeds, Cranberries, and a Sweet & Spicy Vinaigrette, which is produced for Trader Joe's by California-based Ghiringhelli Specialty Foods, is affected by the recall, the grocery chain announced Wednesday.

While no illnesses have been reported, the chain is urging anyone who purchased the salad that contains a "USE BY" date of 05.02.2016 through 5.07.2016 to avoid eating it and return it for a full refund or throw it away.

The possibly contaminated salads were distributed to stores in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah.

Trader Joe's decided recalled the product and removed it from its shelves when the company's vendor of sunflower seeds notified Ghiringhelli Specialty Foods that the product might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Products with a "USE BY" date of 05.08.2016 or later are being produced with a different source of sunflower seeds.

Anyone with questions can call Trader Joe's Customer Relations at 626-599-3817 from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. PT from Monday through Friday or email the company at http://www.traderjoes.com/contact-us/product-feedback.

For more information, visit the Trader Joe's recall page.

Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush will refrain from endorsing or commenting on Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

The senior Bush has enthusiastically endorsed the party's nominee in the past five election cycles. But the 91-year-old's spokesman confirmed to NBC News that President Bush will not endorse Trump and "is retired from politics."

George W. Bush is also staying out of politics this year and "does not plan to participate in or comment on the presidential campaign," his personal aide, Freddy Ford, told The Texas Tribune.

Trump repeatedly attacked Bush 43's administration on the campaign trail, saying it failed to prevent the 9/11 attacks and lied to get the U.S. involved in the Iraq War.

Neither Bush attended the 2012 or 2008 Republican conventions.

The embattled state's attorney of Cook County, Illinois, has asked to recuse herself from the murder prosecution of Officer Jason Van Dyke, the white Chicago police officer who shot a black teen 16 times.

Anita Alvarez requested that the court appoint a special prosecutor to handle the case. Van Dyke is accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in October 2014. He was charged with first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.

"My primary goal in bringing a charge of First Degree Murder in this case is and always has been about seeking justice for Laquan McDonald," Alvarez said in a written statement in court Thursday. "Today I believe that I am fulfilling this obligation by requesting that the court turn this case over to a special prosecutor."

Alvarez has faced mounting criticism over her handling of the case, with many questioning why it took more than a year to bring charges against the officer involved in McDonald's killing. 

Activists and civil rights attorneys previously asked Judge Vincent Gaughan to appoint a special prosecutor, alleging Alvarez was "disqualified from representing the people."

Alvarez has defended her handling of the case, but has since lost her campaign for re-election. 

"More than anything else, our role as prosecutors is to seek justice and do all that we can to promote confidence in our criminal justice system," Alvarez said Thursday. "It is my greatest hope that the citizens of Chicago who have been shocked and polarized by this crime and this tragedy will understand and welcome this decision and respectfully support the efforts of all elements of the criminal justice system as the prosecution of Jason Van Dyke moves forward.”

Gaughan said Thursday he plans to make a decision about the request for a special prosecutor June 2. 

Van Dyke is accused of shooting McDonald 16 times while the teen was walking away from police in October 2014. Dashcam footage showing the shooting was released to the public in November 2015, sparking protests and outrage nationwide.

San Diegans love Cinco de Mayo and perhaps the best place to celebrate the Mexican holiday is at Old Town State Historic Park – at least on this side of the border.

Each year, Old Town hosts one epic, three-day fiesta in honor of Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that commemorates the victory of the Mexican army at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

This year marks the 33rd annual Old Town celebration and, in its signature style, the free, family-friendly shindig will span three full days of live music and dance across three stages, plus food, beer, tequila tastings and other activities, including a low-rider car show, historical demonstrations, and face painting and arts and crafts for the kids.

The fun starts Thursday as select Old Town bars and eateries offer Cinco de Mayo drink and food specials and live entertainment.

On Friday, the fiesta officially kicks off at 4 p.m. with a petting zoo and pony rides and the Low-Rider Lane car show. Lucha Libre wrestling will also go down on the hour from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The party continues in Old Town through the weekend, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday for “Dia de las Madres,” aka Mother’s Day.

The Old Town Cinco de Mayo bash is the largest event of its kind in Southern California and always draws a huge crowd. Parking is limited and the lots do fill up fast, so attendees may want to consider taking public transit, including the trolley to the event.

The trolley stops at the Old Town Transit Center located at 4005 Taylor St.

For more fiesta details, click here.

Wal-Mart is bringing back its store greeters this summer after eliminating the position from its 5,000-plus U.S. stores four years ago, NBC News reported.

The Arkansas-based retail giant said a pilot program that returned its goodwill ambassadors to the front door earned positive customer feedback. The company announced this week it will be stationing 9,000 people at its store entrances.

The company said two-thirds of the new positions will be the traditional greeters — often senior citizens. The remainder will be "customer hosts," specially trained younger employees, who will be responsible for checking receipts, processing returns, handling security, and protecting against theft. 

Wal-Mart's founder Sam Walton implemented "people greeters" in the 1980s after a store associate suggested a familiar face at the entrance would give shoppers the impression of a friendly, neighborhood business.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a Colombian sailor who spent two months adrift in the Pacific Ocean and survived by eating seagulls, NBC News reported.

During his time at sea, the sailor witnessed the death of three fellow shipmates. He was picked up some 3,500 miles from home, far out in a desolate stretch of the Pacific Ocean, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The sailor — a 29-year-old Colombian — told the Coast Guard his group of four set out more than two months ago and found themselves adrift after the engine of the group's 23-foot skiff failed.

Officials did not name the sailor but said he was taken ashore on Honolulu.

LEGOLAND California Resort in Carlsbad unveiled its newest ride Thursday: an interactive attraction that gives visitors a chance to train like a ninja.

Dubbed “Ninjago The Ride,” the attraction is housed in LEGOLAND’s new Ninjago World. Complete with shockwaves and lightning, the ride allows guests to use “hands on, minds on technology” while they imagine their life as a ninja. Riders use hand gestures to guide them through the interactive experience, hurling fireballs and ice as they go.

Designed to get kids active and moving, Ninjago also tests balance and agility. Riders collect points along the way and high-tech components include a 3D wall and 4D features like heat, wind and smoke.

The ride holds four people per car. There is no minimum height requirement to ride, though riders under 48 inches must be accompanied by a rider 48 inches or taller.

Those looking to test their speed, endurance and reflexes can complete challenges during the ride, including “Cole’s Rock Climb” or “Jay’s Lightning Drill.”

“Ninjago The Ride is a revolutionary breakthrough where, for the first time in North America, you control the outcome of your adventure, just by using your hands,” explained LEGOLAND spokesperson Julie Estrada. “It’s all about getting the kids moving and doing things and really controlling their own imagination and their experiences here at LEGOLAND California.”

LEGOLAND hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday at Ninjago World to mark the launch of the ride. Parents and kids gathered at the park for the ninja-themed party. The event was also attended by actor and comedian Joel McHale, who was also there with his family.

Estrada said that in addition to the newly-unveiled ride, Ninjago World features four other attractions that test speed and creativity.

The area also houses Ninja Kitchen, an eatery that serves Asian-inspired cuisine such as Bánh Mì and steamed Bao Buns, and a ninja-themed gift shop called Wu’s Warehouse.

LEGOLAND first broke ground on the Ninjago World project in July 2015. Plans for Ninjago The Ride were announced in September 2015. Admission into Ninjago World is included with paid admission into LEGOLAND.