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Watch: Dads Dance While Wearing Babies

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A San Diego business specializing in parent-baby dance classes has gone viral with a clip featuring dads dancing with their little ones nestled in baby carriers strapped to their chests.

The clip, making its rounds on social media, shows a group of dads wearing their babies while line dancing to the funky Wild Cherry hit, “Play That Funky Music.”

The boogie session is part of a class held by GroovaRoo, a small, San Diego-based baby-wearing dance school founded by Del Mar residents Meeshi and Amber Anjali – a couple expecting their first baby on June 4.

The couple started the company in September 2015 after seeing a YouTube video from Spain of a baby-wearing salsa dance class. Over the past several months – and over the course of Amber’s pregnancy – they’ve seen their little dance school grow quickly.

Meeshi told NBC 7 he has been teaching multicultural dance classes for 20 years, including dance classes for men. Amber has worked as a birth doula, post-partum yoga instructor and baby-wearing consultant. The couple combined their two passions to create one fun, groovy exercise class for families to enjoy together.

“We want dancing to be another activity – like playing catch – that families can do together,” Meeshi said.

On Monday, the couple posted a clip of dads dancing with their babies to the GroovaRoo Facebook page. In just a few days, the adorable video has received widespread attention from media outlets around the world – from “New York Post” and Buzzfeed to “The Today Show” and “Inside Edition.” The clip has also been shared by thousands of people on social media.

In the video, the dads enthusiastically nail every move, sliding, fist-bumping and swaying while holding their infants close in their baby carriers. About 2 minutes and 40 seconds into the song, the dads use their babies like tiny air guitars to really drive home the funk. The dads are then joined by the mothers of their babies, who also bust out their best moves.

The Anjalis say their baby-wearing dance classes are held several times a week in Encinitas and South Park and include between 10 and 15 students. Meeshi and Amber say about 40 “regulars” attend the classes weekly with their babies.

The couple said the dad dance session-gone-viral was part of a class for fathers to show the mothers of their children how much they love and appreciate them.

Meeshi said that, while you can’t hear it in the video, he used a lot of sports analogies throughout the dance to keep the dads focused and pumped move after move.

He said he hopes the video and the GroovaRoo classes help eliminate the fear and stigma sometimes associated with men dancing.

"One of the main visions in starting these classes is to expose a whole new generation of American babies and baby boys, in particular to dancing right from the start before they can even walk," the couple told NBC 7. "We feel that it is important for American dads to model that it is okay for men and boys to dance, and we hope that these dads grow in confidence with bonding and dancing with their babies."

The “soul line” dance style practiced in the couple's classes includes a lot of rocking, swaying and gentle hip motions. Meeshi said the moves have proven to be soothing for little ones in their carriers.

“About two-thirds of babies are out and napping once we start dancing!” he said.

The couple is currently in the process of training new GroovaRoo dance teachers from around the world so the movement can spread even further.

The founders believe “dancing with your family is your birthright,” and should be practiced regularly and passed down from generation to generation.



Photo Credit: GroovaRoo
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Half of US Cancer Deaths Due to Bad Habits: Study

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Researchers say people are in charge of their own risk of cancer — with as many as half of cancer deaths related to things people could easily change, NBC News reported.

Smoking, heavy drinking, being overweight and a lack of exercise were responsible for 20 to 40 percent of cancer cases and for half of cancer deaths, according to a team from Harvard Medical School. 

The group examined data from health professional of 140,000 people and determined that heavy drinking raises colon, breast, liver, head and neck cancer rates. Obesity raises the risk of colon, pancreatic and other cancers. Smoking caused 80 to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths. The risk of cancer was lower in those who exercised, kept a health weight, didn’t smoke and didn’t drink excessively. 

Researchers said health insurance companies should encourage doctors to help patients do what they can to prevent cancer, and that Americans need to believe that cancer can be a preventable disease.



Photo Credit: AP, File

District Reveals What Was in Poway Student Records Release

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Information ranging from student birth dates to parent employers was released inadvertently by Poway Unified School District (PUSD), angering some parents who are demanding the district establish procedures to prohibit a similar breach of security in the future.

Parents of PUSD students received an email Monday alerting them that the records were released accidentally. In the initial notification, Associate Superintendent Malliga Tholandi said the records handed over under a Public Records Request Act (PRA) included directory information and district-based test scores.

After a special session held Wednesday, the school board instructed administrators to pull together details of what specifically was released.

Officials said Thursday that the files included:

  • Names and birthdates, student ID numbers, demographics, directory information, language fluency, hearing and vision screening results of 36,443 students from July 2014.
  • Names, employers and occupations of 75,716 parents from January 2015
  • GATE testing results of 1,752 students from March 2014

"Given the scope of data involved, it is likely most, if not all, PUSD students enrolled during this time period and their parents were included," Acting Superintendent Mel Robertson, Ed.D. said in a prepared statement.

Officials added that Social Security numbers, financial data, and Individualized Education Program (IEP) data were not released.

Gabriela Dow, a Poway parent and a member of the district's Education Technology Advisory Committee, wrote the PRA on April 7 asking for "any and all documents, emails, and records containing her name and her childrens’ names,” according to the district.

The request included over 9,500 emails placed on two CDs, the district said. In the process, some unredacted files were inadvertently included.

Dow informed the district about the sensitive material on Monday, May 9, the district said. Three days later, officials asked her to return the CDs to the district.

Dow took the laptop containing the student education records to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office on May 13.

District officials said the CDs will be destroyed.

"Importantly, this data was not delivered by PUSD to the parent via other electronic means or over the internet and the District did not give it to anyone else,” Robertson said.

At Wednesday's special session of the PUSD board members, Dow said, “One CD, one laptop doesn’t mean the information hasn’t already been shared in multiple places for years."

After PUSD received 84 PRA requests for the 2015-2016 school year, a decision was made to hand the process of reviewing and redacting sensitive information to legal counsel.

Robertson said the process will once again be done by district employees  effective Thursday.

He also told parents that the administration would:

  • Eliminate any protected student data from requested documents
  • Adopt a new policy regarding access to district records
  • Provide ongoing training on PRA requests for all personnel
  • Examine how student data is stored and shared
  • Consider and implement changes that will make our processes more secure

Under a California Public Records Act (CPRA) request, public agencies must provide records on request to anyone who wants to inspect the records during office hours. There are some exceptions to this rule like birth or adoption records or attorney-client discussions.

However, there is also a federal law that protects students’ education records from being released without a parent’s written permission.

The next scheduled PUSD board meeting will be Tuesday, May 31 at 6:00 p.m.



Photo Credit: NBC 7
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Actor Josh Duhamel Aims to Support Injured Veterans

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Josh Duhamel is taking a leap to help out severely injured service members.

The "Transformers" actor recently met up with two injured veterans in Riverside County, who jumped out of a plane as Duhamel waited below.

The skydiving venture was filmed with 360-degree cameras and the footage will be featured in a promotional video on Duhamel’s new "Enlist Me" campaign, which aims to shed light and raise money for injured service members.

In particular, the money will help pay for veterans on a waiting list for specially adapted smart homes to accommodate their disabilities.

More than 200 service members are in need of smart homes.

Duhamel told NBC 7 the cause is near to his heart.

“It’s sort of our duty to take care of these guys when they get back,” he said. “I think these guys have literally sacrificed everything for this country.”



Photo Credit: NBC 7

SF Top Cop Resigns

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Police Chief Greg Suhr has resigned from the San Francisco Police Department in the midst of the shooting of a black woman by SFPD officers and other racial tensions, Mayor Ed Lee announced at a news conference late Thursday afternoon.

Lee said he had asked Suhr, who has served in the city's police department for more than 30 years, to resign.

The mayor appointed Toney Chaplin, former SFPD deputy chief of the Professional Standards and Principled Policing Bureau, as the acting police chief.

"The past several months have shaken and divided our city, and tensions between law enforcement and communities of color that have simmered for too many years have come into full view," Lee said.

"Though the facts are still emerging, we know that, this morning, a young woman of color was killed in an officer-involved shooting in the Bayview. The community is grieving, and I join them in that grief."

The resignation comes after police earlier in the day fatally shot a woman in the Bayview District. Earlier in the day, Suhr said the woman was driving a stolen car and refused officers' commands to stop the car. Officers approached her on foot and she drove away. She was then shot by police.

The shooting comes at a politically difficult time for Suhr and Lee.

The San Francisco Police Department is under intense scrutiny following the fatal shooting of Mario Woods in December and the fatal shooting of Luis Gongora in April, as well as two recent scandals involving racist text messages exchanged among officers.

Activists for months have been calling for Suhr to be fired. A group of five protesters — dubbed "the Frisco 5" — went on a hunger strike outside of Mission Police Station on April 21, vowing not to eat until Suhr had tendered his resignation.

On May 3, about 400 supporters marched with the strikers, who were pushed in wheelchairs, to the steps of city hall where they interrupted a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting and demanded his resignation. At the time, the board’s president London Breed said she would not “comment publicly” on whether she wanted Suhr to resign.

On May 8, the hunger strikers were sent to the hospital and ended the strike for health reasons, leading to a violent protest involving their supporters and sheriff’s deputies at City Hall. At the time, Lee had still expressed support for Suhr.

City supervisors Jane Kim, David Campos, Eric Mar and John Avalos joined those calls for Suhr's removal last week following the release of a critical report on the department by a blue-ribbon panel commissioned by District Attorney George Gascon.

Edwin Lindo, one of the hunger strikers, told NBC Bay Area that Suhr’s resignation is a positive step for the city.

“This shows the power of the people and the community,” he said. “When we come together with love justice, the power for justice is inevitable. This battle is a victory, but the fight for justice continues, making sure the next chief is one accountable to the community and that the necessary reforms are implemented."

The Frisco 5 released a statement following Lee's announcement, demanding that the officers involved in these shootings be fired and charged with murder.

"We demand a meeting between the community and the interim police chief to discuss real reform created by the community," they said, calling for Lee to resign.

They said that Lee "allowed rampant police misconduct, terrorized the homeless and forced out the middle and lower income residents to serve the interest of big business over the people of San Francisco."

Dozens of people gathered in front of City Hall Thursday evening. The gathering was initially planned as a protest, but it turned into a celebration of Suhr's resignation among activists.

"It's very exciting because we've been working two years on this, so this is party time right now," said Oscar Salinas of Justice for Alex Nieto. "But the work has just begun."

Phelicia Jones of the Justice for Mario Woods coalition said, "I am elated that he finally decided to resign. It's a small victory, but a victory all the same. But we still have a lot of work to do. We have to change a culture."

Mayor Lee's full statement on Suhr's resignation:
"The past several months have shaken and divided our City, and tensions between law enforcement and communities of color that have simmered for too many years have come into full view.

Though the facts are still emerging, we know that, this morning, a young woman of color was killed in an officer-involved shooting in the Bayview.

The community is grieving, and I join them in that grief.

These officer-involved shootings, justified or not, have forced our City to open its eyes to questions of when and how police use lethal force.

For the last many months, every day, I have asked myself, is the path to reform best advanced by our current Department leadership?

Because my goal has always been, and remains, real reform and the restoration of trust.

I have previously expressed confidence in Chief Suhr because I know he agrees with and understands the need for reform. He has demonstrated his commitment to instilling these reforms into the whole department, from the command staff to the cadets.

But following this morning’s officer-involved shooting and my meeting with Chief Suhr this afternoon, today I have arrived at a different conclusion to the question of how best to move forward.

For me, this has never been about personalities and politics, it’s been about performance.

Because, in my three decades of public service, I’ve learned how important it is to measure progress along the way. Greg Suhr, a dedicated public servant who’s given more than three decades of his life to the Bayview and to this City.

The progress we’ve made has been meaningful, but it hasn’t been fast enough. Not for me, not for Greg.

That’s why I have asked Chief Suhr for his resignation. And in the best interest of the City he loves so much, he tendered his resignation earlier today. Despite the political rhetoric of the past few weeks, I have nothing but profound admiration for Greg. He’s a true public servant, and he will always have my respect.

I’ve known him for years, and he’s a man of great character. He takes his job seriously, he’s loyal, he’s smart, and he understands that a Police officer is more than a public safety enforcer. A police officer is peace of mind, a social worker. He’s a model San Franciscan and a great man.

To take Greg’s place, I am naming Toney Chaplin as Acting Chief of Police.

Toney has served in the Police Department for 26 years. He’s established a record of commitment to the City’s diverse communities, serving at Mission and Taraval Stations, in the Gang Task Force, and running the Homicide division. Toney has most recently helped establish our new Professional Standards and Principled Policing bureau, the arm of the department that focuses on accountability and transparency.

The men and women of the San Francisco Police Department put themselves in harms’ way daily, literally. We owe it to them to restore the community’s trust in their department. As we embark on a new chapter for the Police, we aim to restore this trust.

Some of the reforms underway might have prevented or clarified today’s incident.

We need to turn these plans into actions.

I will hold the Acting Chief and the Department to a high standard of urgency to implement the reforms we’ve already announced in the past several months.

And we will keep pressing forward with new accountability measures, and stronger oversight over police use-of-force.

My fellow San Franciscans, we must push forward, harder than ever before, to reform the Police Department and restore trust with every community and keep our City safe.

In this solemn moment, we must put aside politics and begin to heal the City.”

NBC Bay Area's Gillian Edevane, Riya Bhattacharjee and Kristofer Noceda contributed to this report.

Information from Bay City News and the Associated Press is included in this report.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area
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Ocean Beach Bike Path Closed Off

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A popular bike path in Ocean Beach has been closed until next week for a natural gas pipeline test, according to San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E).

The path on the south side of the San Diego River to the west of Pacific Highway all the way to Mission Bay Drive was closed off Wednesday, May 18th.

This comes just ahead of Bike to Work Day, which will be celebrated nationally Friday.

Any bikers hoping to take that route will now need to detour to the route north of the river on the Pacific Highway and Mission Bay Drive.

According to SDG&E, the construction will continue until May 27th. The bike path will reopen for Memorial Day weekend.

Paris Attack Victim Receives Degree

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An emotional commencement ceremony was held Thursday at Cal State Long Beach, where the parents of Nohemi Gonzalez, the student who was killed during a terrorist attack in Paris last year, accepted her diploma.

Greeted with rousing applause and a standing ovation, her parents took in the bittersweet moment to celebrate the 23-year-old's life and accomplishments.

"When I came to this country, I was only 21 and I had dreams," said her mother, Beatriz Gonzalez. "I wanted a better life for my family. And we did it, we did it. And Nohemi is the first one who has a diploma."

Nohemi Gonzalez's older brother, her boyfriend and her closest classmates gathered around her family members at the ceremony.

At a recent CSULB alumni event, Noehmi Gonzalez was named the outstanding graduate for the College of the Arts. The department's design shop will be renamed in her honor.

Nohemi Gonzalez, of El Monte, was one of 17 CSULB students studying abroad at the Strate College of Design in Paris at the time of the attacks. She was killed Nov. 13 while out with friends at a bistro.

The attacks killed 130 people at Paris restaurants, a noted music hall and a sports stadium outside the city. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the carnage.



Photo Credit: KNBC-TV

911 Program Manager Resigns

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The program manager for San Diego’s 911 dispatch center has resigned, amid controversy over unanswered 911 calls and long hold times.

City officials confirmed Program Manager Gerardo Gurrola’s resignation Thursday.

Last month, a Mira Mesa family whose baby was mauled by the family dog gave up on 911 to race to the hospital, after waiting more than three minutes for a dispatcher.

Gurrola’s replacement in running dispatch will be San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Captain Jerry Hara, according to city officials.

Several dispatchers and community members we spoke with say they believe the new leadership is a step in a positive direction. Gurrola did not return a request for comment.

The April 21 death of a Mira Mesa infant boy drew attention to emergency hold times.

The family wasn’t alone in waiting on 911. In April 2016, the longest wait time for a 911 caller was 7 minutes and 6 seconds.

State mandates require police departments to try to answer 911 calls within 10 seconds at least 90 percent of the time.

In April 2016, SDPD answered within the 10 second goal only 67 percent of the time.

A San Diego businesswoman told NBC 7 she recently had to wait several minutes on 911 when a woman went into labor at her work.

“Those few seconds, when they’re on hold, someone can have a heart attack,” said Cynthia Green. “Someone can lose a child. A mother can lose a daughter, a son, a grandparent.”

Photos taken in recent months of the San Diego Police dispatch center system shows wait times of more than 10 minutes to get to a dispatcher.

In the heat of campaign season, mayoral candidates vying to replace Mayor Kevin Faulconer have also taken aim at the issue.

“Well, you know, I want to change the management from the very top because I really feel like this comes from the top down,” Mayoral candidate Lori Saldana said in reaction to the news of Gurrola’s departure.

Mayoral candidate and San Diego lifeguard Ed Harris has been particularly critical of Faulconer on the issue that he says impacts public safety.

“He didn’t inherit this problem,” Harris said. “He owns this problem. Two and a half years. If you can’t fix something, in two and a half years, if you’re still talking about goals after two and a half years. If you worked in the private sector, you wouldn’t have a job.”

Mayor Faulconer declined an interview.

Since the April 21 death, Faulconer has authorized more police officers to work dispatch with eight officers fielding non-emergency calls and another 65 in training to assist dispatch as they can.

He has pledged more money to address retention and recruitment in dispatch and the San Diego Police Department.

This week, Faulconer announced he was adding $652,000 for dispatchers to increase recruitment and retention, and an additional four million dollars in funding to address retention issues at San Diego Police Department as a whole.

No specific plan for how that money will be spent is outlined because doing so would violate state “meet and confer” laws, which mandate negotiations with unions be done at the bargaining table, a mayoral spokesman said.

Several dispatchers told NBC 7 the department sometimes doesn’t use resources for the highest priority.

They pointed to a $153,306 purchase of office furniture in fiscal year 2014.

Others in the community told NBC 7 that if anyone’s going to fix the problem, it’s San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman.

“She just stepped into this. It’s not on her. It’s because other people have been flakey and not taking care of the problem when they saw it started,” said MJ Villegas, a San Diego resident. “But because she’s there, I know she will take care of it. There’s a lot of things she might have to maneuver to get it done, but she will do it.”

City pay data shows Gurrola received $101,334.36 in total pay and benefits for fiscal year 2014.

More Store Brands on the Shelf

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When Jen Brown goes shopping for her family of six, she often buys store brand products.

"It comes down to price a lot of times," said Brown.  

Jen was walking down the aisle of the new Aldi store in Vista. More than 90% of the products on the shelf are store brand items.  

"I think it comes down to what we consider value and do we think it's a good tasting item?" she said.

A lot has changed since the bland generic products on the shelf.  Today Costco's Kirkland brand and Trader Joe's house brand have gained wide acceptance.

San Diego State marketing professor Miro Copic says of all product lines in the supermarket, at least 20 percent are store brands.

"If you're a national manufacturer like General Mills or Kelloggs you should be really concerned," said Copic who adds that house brands are generally 10% to 15% cheaper than name brand.

Today, almost all major grocery stores carry house brand products.  Copic says sales are up because of improved quality and packaging and because shoppers are more willing to buy them.

"Consumers are great because they're willing to try everything at least once," said Copic, "if the product delivers they'll come back and try it again."

But there are some national brands that seem to have an edge on the store shelf, according to shoppers Reggie and Shavon Lowndes they are less willing to try generic brands on cookies, sodas and cereal.

"I prefer the real stuff," said Shavon.



Photo Credit: Consumer Bob

Another Girl Taken by Boko Haram Rescued: Nigerian Army

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A Nigerian Army spokesman confirmed to NBC News that a second girl from the group of 276 schoolgirls kidnapped more than two years ago was rescued Thursday. 

The second rescue took place near Damboa, according to an army official. Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman told NBC News that troops killed 35 Boko Haram members and rescued 97 women and children during the operation. 

Among them was Serah Luka, who told officials she was at the Chibok boarding school just over two months when the group was captured in 2014. The spokesman said the girl was receiving medical attention. 

NBC News could not independently verify this information.

Thursday’s rescue comes a day after the Nigerian Army confirmed that 19-year-old Amina Ali Darsha Nkeki and a 4-month-old baby were rescued on the edge of Nigeria’s Sambisa Forest — a Boko Haram hideout.



Photo Credit: Nigerian Army

2 Women Injured in Eastbound I-8 Crash, Sig Alert Issued

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Two women were injured in a crash on the eastbound Intersate 8 near Sport Arena Boulevard Thursday, according to the San Diego Fire Department (SDFD).

The crash involving two vehicles happened around 7:10 p.m., the California Highway Patrol (CHP) confirms. 

CHP says a 20-year old woman was driving a Ford Focus on the I-8 East with a 21-year old woman in the passenger seat. That's when they noticed something was wrong with the car. They pulled over into the center divide and got out to check on the car.

One woman was standing at the rear of the car and the other was standing at the front, checking on the car. A part of the wheel well had fallen off and the debris was still on the road.

That's when another car, attempting to avoid the debris, swerved and lost control. The driver struck the Ford Focus and both the women standing outside.

Both sustained major injuries but CHP says they are not considered to be life-threatening.

One was transorted to UC San Diego Hospital and the other was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital. 

The driver of the other vehicle was identified to be a 22-year old man. It is unknown if he sustained any injuries in the crash.

CHP says they are investigating but it doesn't appear that drugs or alcohol were a factor in the accident.

A sig alert has been issued around 7:38 p.m. and the number one lane on the eastbound I-8 was blocked. 

The freeway has been reopened as of 8:24 p.m.

CHP says the women did better than most people by pulling over to the side of the freeway. 

But did advise driver to exit the freeway in case of a similar situation.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Woman Sacrificed Chickens

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A Northern Virginia woman has been accused of sacrificing as many as 12 to 15 chickens each week in her townhome in suburban Sterling, Virginia.

Mercy Carrion was arrested May 5 after a confidential informant working with Animal Control officers witnessed her slaughtering the chickens, according to the Loudoun Times-Mirror, which first reported the charges.

Carrion was charged with three misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals, the Times-Mirror reported.

Authorities believe the sacrifice was part of a religious offering.

"It's one of our more interesting cases,” said Officer Patrick Breslin of Loudoun County Animal Control.

“Any time we see any sort of violence with any animals it’s alarming for the community," Breslin said. "But this one in particular is a little more alarming.”

The details of the case are disturbing. The informant told Breslin that Carrion would carry out the sacrifices on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of each week at her home in the 100 block of Sherwood Court.

In some instances - while the chickens were still alive, Carrion would bury the chickens in the back yard, or burn them.

Breslin said authorities seized two cauldrons from the home, as well as instruments that he described as "various animal torturing devices."

The Times-Mirror reported that Animal Control officers saw blood spatter on the walls of Carrion's living room.

Neighbors described hearing the chickens frequently. "Every morning," said neighbor Aurora Gutierrez.

"The fact that these animals were killed in an inhumane manner -- that's what we’re focusing on here," Breslin said.

But there was one piece of good news: As police searched the home, they found one rooster still alive. The rooster is now at the Loudoun County Animal Shelter until a court decides what’s next for him.



Photo Credit: NBC Washington

Child Bitten by Snake in Escondido

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A child was airlifted to Rady Children's Hospital Wednesday after he bitten by a snake, Escondido Police Department confirmed.

According to Cal Fire, the little boy's parents called 911 around 7:35 p.m. to report he had been bitten on the left foot by a snake.

The reported location was at a church at the intersection of Lake Wohlford Road and Valley Center road in Escondido.

Cal Fire says they believe the reported location is not where the boy was biten.

The 911 dispatch realized a Cal Fire engine was stationed by the church. That engine reported the incident to the Escondido Fire Department and the child was picked up by an ambulance.

Escondido Fire Department airlifted the boy to the hospital.

He is beleived to be seven or eight years old.

Right now, his condition is unknown. 

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Morley Safer's Connecticut Home

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When he wasn’t in New York City or traveling the globe during his more than five decades of reporting for CBS News, the small town of Chester, Connecticut, was Morley Safer’s home.

“The way you saw him on television is the way he was locally,” journalist Lary Bloom said, “He was easy to talk to, people liked him a lot, he was here.”

Bloom knew Safer since the longtime "60 Minutes’" correspondent moved to Chester in the 1980s.

“He literally planted roots in the community,” Bloom said, adding Safer enjoyed gardening work.

Safer, 84, passed away Thursday just a week after the remarkable TV reporter retired, ending a 52-year run with CBS News.

“This is what we should shoot for,” Bloom said, “I mean do the work you love as long as you can do it and he didn’t have any regrets in that regard.”

Safer belonged to the synagogue Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek in Chester.

“This was more of their sanctuary,” Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg said. “Their place to escape.”

Goldenberg recalled meeting Safer for the first time after she spoke out against the death penalty in a sermon on social justice.

“He praised my courage for taking a stand on the issue,” she said. “It was really a humbling moment.”

Safer will always be remembered for his ground breaking reporting from the front lines of the Vietnam War.

“He saw, he witnessed the burning of a village and that was something, that was really breaking,” Bloom said. “Turned the war, that turned the American public on that.”

Safer did not tweet much, but Sunday night he posted, “It’s been a wonderful run and I want to thank the millions of people who have been loyal to our 60 Minutes broadcast. Thank you!”

The tweet came right before CBS aired an hour long special looking back on Safer’s incredible career.

“We loved having him,” Chester First Selectwoman Lauren Gister said, “He’ll surely be missed.”



Photo Credit: FilmMagic via Getty Images

Padres Get Swept as Giants Win 8th Straight

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The Padres were not able to avoid the sweep and the Giants leave San Diego on an eight game winning streak. James Shields was on the mound for the Friars tonight facing Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija.

The Giants took an early lead but in the bottom of the second inning Alexi Amarista sent a double down the first-base line off Samardzija and Christian Bethancourt scored. Amarista’s RBI double gets the Friars on the board to tie the game at 1-1.

It would be a short lived celebration for Padres fans. Later in the top of the fourth inning, San Francisco's Hunter Pence singled back up the middle off James Shields to bring in Matt Duffy and the Giants took the lead again 2-1.

The Giants padded the lead in the top of the seventh inning as Brandon Crawford chases a Shields cutter and lined it out in a hurry to right field for a solo homerun that gave the Giants a two run lead with a score of 3-1.

With a short gap to fill, the Padres tried to rally in the ninth inning with a runner second base. Giants closer Santiago Casilla got Brett Wallace to hit a sharp liner right at Joe Panik and sealed the game for San Francisco. The Giants won their eighth straight game with a final score of 3-1. The Padres face the LA Dodgers tomorrow night as they continue their six game homestand at Petco Park.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Motorcyclist Crashes in CHP Pursuit Near Fallbrook

4 Sanders DNC Rallies Approved

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Four pro-Bernie Sanders rallies, with estimated attendance of 38,000 activists, have been approved for public demonstrations during the Democratic National Convention in July, the city said Thursday.

The four rallies, given permits Wednesday night, bring the total to five for approved rallies and marches during what is expected to be a bustling week of political activity in Center City and South Philadelphia. The convention officially runs July 25-28, but two of the five approved rallies and marches of more than 7,000 activists will be held July 24 -- the day more than 4,000 delegates arrive from across the country.

NBC10 first reported Wednesday that an anti-fracking, clean energy group called Food & Water Watch was the first to receive a city permit for public demonstration. A group organizer said more than 5,000 activists are expected July 24 at a march from City Hall to Independence Mall.

For the largest of the four pro-Sanders rallies approved, more than 30,000 people are expected to attend weeklong demonstrations called “March for Bernie at DNC,” which will be held at FDR Park in South Philadelphia. It’s within earshot of where conventioneers will gather at the Wells Fargo Center to nominate their party’s presidential nominee.

The rally has been approved for five straight days, starting July 24 and ending July 28. The permit from the city also allows activists to gather each day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The “public assemblage,” as the city technically describes demonstrations, could evolve from rally into protest depending on what happens during delegate voting inside the convention.

Unlike the Food & Water Watch rally, which has a "sponsoring organization" identified by the city, three of the four pro-Sanders demonstrations have no group named, including the FDR Park demonstration..

Their permits were submitted by individuals, and the city would not identify them, a spokeswoman for Mayor Jim Kenney said.

She cited personal privacy concerns for the applicants.

The fourth pro-Sanders demonstration approved Wednesday has a sponsoring organization identified.

A group called Black Men for Bernie has been approved to hold a “We the People Restoration Rally” at Thomas Paine Plaza across from City Hall on July 27-28. They will be allowed to gather from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The purpose of the rally is “to address economic inequality, human rights, poverty, criminal justice reform and lack of ownership,” according to the city’s permit approval document.

A message left for the group was not returned.



Photo Credit: FilmMagic

WTC Observatory Celebrates 1st Year

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The observatory at One World Trade Center will celebrate its one-year anniversary this month by hosting a free open house.

Ticket-holders will get to travel up the tower’s 104 stories and experience sweeping views of the city from the One World Observatory. 

The observatory opened on May 29, 2015. It sits a top the tallest building in the western hemisphere. 

“We look forward to opening our doors to the community, to not only commemorate our first year of operation, but express our sincere gratitude to those who have embraced our experience and supported us throughout our inaugural year,” the observatory’s general manager, John Urban, said.

The observatory will continue anniversary celebrations through Memorial Day weekend with on-site celebrations for guests.

The open house is on Tuesday, May 24 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Tickets are only available online, on a first-come, first-served basis while tickets last. The offer is valid for two complimentary tickets. 



Photo Credit: AP

San Diego Man Sentenced for Poisoning Neighbors' Dogs

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A San Diego man was sentenced on Thursday to one year in jail for poisoning his neighbors’ dogs using Vicodin and rat poison coated in peanut butter.

Jerrold Alan Schwartz pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. As part of Schwartz’s sentencing, he can be released after 240 days if he seeks weekly counseling.

Schwartz will then serve three years’ probation. He’s also not allowed to own a dog or go to spots where dogs frequent, such as a dog park.

From September 2014 until May 2015, residents say they found Vicodin and rat poison coated in peanut butter in several yards in the University Heights Neighborhood.

Dog owner Diane Ferreira said she never knew of anyone trying to their two poison dogs until Mickey, a rescued Terrier mix, died in September 2014, and a veterinarian told her the dog may have been poisoned.

As a result, the vet pumped the stomach of her other dog named Hobbes, a mix that was rescued after Mickey died.

Ferreira told NBC 7 after the poisonings that in addition to losing their precious pet, the ordeal cost her thousands of dollars in vet bills.

A motive was never revealed, but Ferreira said it appeared the perpetrator was “trying to poison any dog that barks.”

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