San Diego firefighters have new tools to save pets suffering from smoke inhalation.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has received 60 sets of pet oxygen masks. On Thursday, firefighters gathered at Fire Station 28 in Kearny Mesa and demonstrated how the masks work.

“Pets have the same problems a human does when they’re in a fire and they get displaced by the smoke and oxygen,” said Fire Captain Harold Lemire. "It’s difficult to resuscitate an animal with the stuff that we use for humans."

The Emma Zen Foundation donated the equipment. The masks come in three sizes, each specially designed to fit over an animal's snout. They can be used on cats, dogs and small animals, including birds, ferrets and hamsters.

“You never know what people have in their backyards,” said Debra Jo Chiapuzio, President of the Emma Zen Foundation.

The Anaheim-based non-profit hopes to outfit all Southern California fire departments with the masks by the end of the year. Chiapuzio says San Diego County was a priority.

“Your fire season is coming, and you really have a lot of fires out here in San Diego,” she said. “So I think your county is extremely important to get these masks put into.”

Each kit costs $75. The organization raises money through pet safety classes, raffles and private donations.

The foundation is named after Emma Zen, a Labrador/Great Dane mix rescued from the Santiago Fire in 2007. Emma Zen was in San Diego Thursday to help demonstrate the equipment, along with Banks the potbelly pig. 

Earlier this month, at least two cats were killed by smoke inhalation in a duplex fire in Lemon Grove. Five adults, two kids and two dogs survived.

 

A fatal car accident in National City affected morning traffic, according to California Highway Patrol.

Click here for live traffic updates

The accident happened around 9:30 a.m. at northbound Interstate 805 between H Street and 43rd Street.  A man was fatally struck as he attempted to cross the busy road, according to officials.

Police said he could possibly be a transient and was hit as he tried to walk across the freeway.

The 40-year-old-driver told authorities she tried to avoid the collision but could not.

Traffic was heavy in the area for nearly two hours while authorities investigated and removed the body.

A San Diego Superior Court judge shot down a motion filed on behalf of the San Ysidro school district requesting a protective order on materials and documents from a deposition in an $18 million lawsuit.

Judge Steven Denton ruled Thursday morning that the district was seeking to seal documents related to discovery materials that are not currently records of the court. 

"Sealing only pertains to records of the court," Denton explained to the district's legal counsel Arthur Palkowitz. "I am not authorized to issue an order preventing counsel from discussing the case with anyone they want." 

In a motion filed yesterday, Palkowitz asked the court to seal a transcript and a video from a deposition taken April 17. The video features former San Ysidro Superintendent Manuel Paul invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination (or "pleading the fifth") and declining to answer any questions.

In the approximately 26 minute video, the former superintendent, who is facing criminal charges, answered the same way 41 times: 

"On the advice of my attorney, I assert my Fifth Amendment privilege and respectfully decline to answer." 

Palkowitz mentioned in the courtroom Thursday a concern about Paul's constitutional rights, but didn't specify which rights were being impacted by a public review of the documents. Judge Denton raised questions about why the district's taxpayer-funded attorney was in court arguing on behalf of the constitutional rights of a former party to the lawsuit and a former superintendent of the district.

"Right now, his status in this case is as a dismissed party and he's being represented by the same counsel as is representing the district," the judge said.

In court papers, Palkowitz wrote that the deposition material "contains sensitive information that should not be openly disseminated to the public by plaintiff's to gain an advantage in litigation." 

The lawsuit stems from the district's cancellation of a services contract with Eco Business Alliance to install solar power systems at district campuses. Because no solar panels were ever installed, no district funds were ever spent on the endeavor.

In a prior deposition, Paul said under oath that he accepted $2,500 in cash from a different, unrelated contractor in the parking lot of a Chula Vista steak house. He said the money was for campaign signs for a San Ysidro board member. 

That admission has become the subject of a federal investigation. Paul was also among 15 South County school officials and contractors who have pleaded "not guilty" on corruption charges. He is facing charges of perjury and accepting gifts over the legal limit.

Paul has declined to comment on the court proceedings and lawsuit, but a person who has worked with the former superintendent for 25 years believes Paul will eventually be absolved of wrong-doing.

Chairman of the San Ysidro Planning Group Michael Freedman has this to say about Paul:

"With regard to the allegations: I, personally, believe that Mr. Paul is a person of high moral character, proven by his 38 years of service in the San Ysidro School District and in the community of San Ysidro," Freedman wrote via email. "In my opinion, he will be absolved of all the counts. I do not believe there has been any wrong-doing on his part. Taking custody of a political donation and volunteering to use it to have yard signs printed isn’t a crime.  It might not be smart, but that doesn’t rise to the level of criminal intent."

Local scuba divers have spotted large sevengill sharks swimming off the coast of La Jolla this week.

The shark is one of the newest creatures to call the area home, and also happens to be one of the largest local predators.

Divers are pushing for a scientific explanation to explain this recent phenomenon inside La Jolla Cove.

In the past several years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of sevengill shark sightings. The 5-to-8 foot meat eaters don't appear to be too interested in people, but people are interested in them.

Rod Watkins, owner of Scuba San Diego Incorporated, has been on more than 8,000 dives but hadn’t seen a sevengill shark until a few years ago.

"Seems like every season we start to see more and more and more,” he said. "And this season I've videotaped more sevengill sharks than I’ve ever videotaped… they're the biggest breathing attraction in this ecological reserve."

The sharks are native to the West Coast, but disappeared locally 70 years ago - now underwater encounters are growing.

"You’re quite clear you’re in the presence of an apex predator and when one swims close to you it definitely gets your adrenaline going,” said diver Michael Bear.

Bear is so captivated by the mystery of their return - he set up a website where Watkins and others can log encounters. So far, the website has more than 50 high definition videos and 200 photos of the rare sharks.

With pattern recognition software used on whale sharks, he hopes to identify the individual sevengill sharks - and provide the data to researchers in effort to explain their local resurgence.

Bear said no one is really sure why there is an uptick in sightings, but he had a couple guesses.

"I’m thinking with this huge population of pinnipeds here now both inside the cove and over at Children’s Pool the supermarket is open 24/7 here,” he said.

As Watkins puts it - the sharks “have the equipment to cause some damage,” but are not usually aggressive toward humans.

"We haven’t had any reports of them being aggressive recently,” he said. “There were a couple reports a couple years ago of divers being bumped at La Jolla cove, but that's about it."


Photo courtesy of Scuba San Diego

Two teenagers were injured when a driver hit them with a vehicle in Manchester, Conn. on Thursday and fled, authorities said, but them he came back and taunted the victims, the witnesses said.

Two boys, ages 15 and 16, were crossing an intersection in Manchester at 6:48 p.m., when an SUV hit them.

Police said the driver sped off, but then came back, looked at the victims on the ground, laughed and yelled at them.

“Then stopped right there, showed us his middle finger and started laughing and took off,” said Zulma DeJesus, who tried helping the teens until paramedics arrived.

The two teens were transported to Hartford Hospital and both are suffering serious injuries, according to police. One has broken bones and a head injury, according to officials.

Responding officers found the suspected driver a block away and arrested Robert Tupper, 55, of Rockville.

Police said Tupper passed sobriety tests and denied being involved.

He is facing several charges, including breach of peace, first-degree reckless endangerment and evading responsibility with serious physical injury.

Tupper is being held on $100,000 bond and is due in court on Friday.

The accident is under investigation.

Anyone with information or who witnessed the crash is urged to contact Officer Steven Koss at 860-645-5560.



 

A local rabbi is coming out of retirement to start a new business venture -- one that's catching a lot of people by surprise. Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn is getting ready to open one of D.C.'s first legal medical marijuana dispensaries, the Takoma Wellness Center, next week.

"We're very excited. It's been a long time in the making," Kahn said. "...For me, it's a chance to really do something else that's important to me, and I guess for my wife and I both, it was a mid-life change of careers."

Kahn retired from his duties as a rabbi in 2007, but is still active at local synagogues. He says he's honoring his father-in-law by opening the medical marijuana dispensary with his wife, Stephanie.

Stephanie Kahn says medical marijuana helped her father when he was suffering from multiple sclerosis in the '70s.

"When he finally tried it, it made a huge difference," she said.

In addition to three kinds of marijuana, the Takoma Wellness Center will sell vaporizers, a machine that makes marijuana butter for brownies and cookies, and books about pot politics.

Only people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis can get doctors' recommendations in the District. They will have to display a Department of Health-issued medical marijuana card to even be able to enter the facility.

"The people who are coming to this dispensary are people who are really sick," Kahn said.

But not all religious leaders approve of the rabbi's new venture. Some believe marijuana is immoral. Kahn disputes that charge.

"Morality is not part of the issue," Kahn said. "And what we're dealing with here is getting sick people medicine. We're talking about easing suffering."

Police have charged a New Jersey mother who allegedly lied and said her son was suffering with cancer in order to deceive friends and loved ones out of thousands of dollars.

Investigators say Susan Stillwagon, 35, stole as much as $3,500 through cupcake and bracelet fundraisers by claiming that her 9-year-old son had a type of lymphoma and needed medical care.

"You tell people your son has cancer and they want to help," said Pennsauken Police Lieutenant Michael Probasco.

Police got a tip earlier this week that Stillwagon’s story about her son wasn’t adding up. Investigators subpoenaed medical records and discovered Stillwagon had been lying.

Probasco says Stillwagon even convinced her son he was sick to carry out the scheme.

The suspect’s mother, who did not tell NBC10.com her name, says that her daughter is being treated at a local hospital.

“I will just tell you my daughter is sick and something snapped in her head. That’s why she is where she is so that we can find out what’s wrong with her,” said Stillwagon’s mother. “I am very concerned for my daughter, very concerned. We will get through this but people have to leave us alone or we will never get through it.”

New Jersey’s Division of Youth and Families checked on Stillwagon's four children Tuesday.

“They came to make sure the house is livable, food in fridge and that the kids aren't being mistreated and they didn’t find any of that,” said Lieutenant Michael Probasco.

Tamara Disalvo, a neighbor, says her thoughts are with the little boy.

“Just as a friend and neighbor you do feel deceived by this. He must be pretty confused because of he was deceived this way by his mother, that’s got to feel awful,” said Disalvo.

Stillwagon was charged with theft by deception and using her own son to commit a crime.

Arson investigators were sifting on Friday through the rubble of a church in South Los Angeles for clues into what started a fire that gutted the building.

The House of Worship Arson Task Force, made up of local, state and federal authorities, was looking into what might have caused the fire that broke out at 2 a.m. at the Bethesda Temple Apostolic Church at 4939 Crenshaw Blvd., said Katherine Main of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

No injuries have been reported.

A special task force was investigating the fir, trying to pinpoint its origin.

“When I got here I couldn’t believe it,” said Pastor Ernest Alexander, who founded the church 25 years ago.

“I was shocked ... It was difficult to handle.”

Marilyn Alexander, the choir director and the pastor's daughter in law, said churchgoers had been practicing for Sunday service on Thursday night and were devastated.

Despite the loss, though, she remained upbeat.

“As a congregation we’ll go on,” she said.

Parishoners were trying to salvage musical instruments and furniture on Friday afternoon.

A restaurant down the street had offered its banquet hall for Sunday services.

It was not a secret the Chargers needed an offensive lineman or four. They got one in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but not the one most Chargers fans were hoping for.

San Diego selected D.J. Fluker, a massive tackle from Alabama, with the 11th overall pick. I can say "hulking" because he's 6'4", 339 pounds.

He played right tackle at Alabama, and probably best fits there in the NFL, and that's where the Chargers plan to put him.

“We thought, as far as a tackle, he can be one of our cornerstones moving forward on the offensive line," said Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco. "We were looking to add some help there.  D.J. is going to be a great fit for us both in the run game and pass game.”

The Chargers do need help at both tackle spots, but most people thought they'd take one of the three marquis left tackles if one was available.

That idea was squashed quickly, when Eric Fisher went first to the Chiefs, Luke Joeckel went second to the Jaguars, and Lane Johnson went 4th to the Eagles.

Then both the top offensive guards flew off the board, so the Chargers were facing a decision. Do they stretch and take a guy who's the 6th-best offensive lineman on the board? Or do they take a player ranked as one of the best at his position?

Both Sharrif Floyd, a defensive tackle from Florida, and Star Lotulelei, a defensive tackle from Utah, were both projected as top-10 talents, and both were still on the board. The Chargers do have a need on the interior defensive line.

The loss of Antonio Garay and Aubrayo Franklin have left Cam Thomas as the only defensive tackle on the roster with any substantial NFL game experience.

So the Chargers ended up with D.J. Fluker. He is known as a dominating run blocker, but has trouble with pass protection. The Chargers need help on both fronts, so Fluker should be able to help in some capacity.

The Chargers think it wasn't a reach; it was more of a coups.

“Number one other than his rare size, the thing that jumps out the most about him is the energy he plays with on the football field," said Telesco. "He just loves to play the game. He loves to practice. He loves to play. It’s very rare to see big men – big tackles – have as much energy and passion on the field as he does. That jumps out at you. He’s going to help us both obviously in the run game and pass game. He’s an outstanding run blocker. He’s powerful. He’s also got good feet to move in space and to block in space. We think he can protect our right side pretty well in pass protection.”

A 6-year-old boy was hit by a car at a high rate of speed after running into traffic in Vista, according to officials.

The accident happened around 6:15 p.m. at North Melrose Drive and Spires Street, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Traffic speeds in the area average 40 to 45 miles-per-hour.

The boy sustained massive injuries and was flown to Rady Children’s Hospital by helicopter. He was pronounced dead at around 10 p.m.

Deputies say a child that small, hit at that rate of speed, would have little chance at survival.

The driver stayed at the scene and complied with investigators, according to officials. He was not charged with a crime.
 

A drag show on University of San Diego's campus went on as scheduled Thursday night, despite protests and prayers.

It's the second year the Catholic university has hosted the "Supreme Drag Superstar 2" show and this year, it drew an even bigger crowd.

Security officials said about 600 people packed into the theatre, compared to last year’s crowd of approximately 200.

“There's been an increase. People are talking about it. People want this to happen,” said attendee, Sergio Velasquez.

Not everyone is on the same page.

“Not just to the students, but it's a slap in the face of the church,” said USD student, Jerry Urbanek.

Some Catholic students strongly believe that this type of show shouldn't be held on campus.

“There are a lot of Catholic students on campus who specifically came to this school with the intention of attending a Catholic university, so to a big extent, it feels like a betrayal almost,” said Urbanek.

Still, some drag show supporters say the controversy needs to be put in perspective.

“I think it's unfortunate that someone has to tell them they can't wear what they're wearing because it represents something that seems to be a lot bigger, but in reality it's just an entertainment show,” said attendee "Sister Amanda."

USD says they allow the show to go on because they support dignity and equality.

It might be time for this Texas couple to seal up their doggy door. 

A 25-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly getting naked then breaking into a Weatherford family's home through the doggy door, The Ada News reported. Sara Elizabeth Soto told police she had done nothing wrong and was just trying to use the phone.

The couple living in the house heard a noise early Tuesday morning and called police around 1:45 a.m., according to the Ada News. The man told officers he doesn’t have a dog and assumed an animal entered after he found the doggy door damaged.

Arresting officers said they found Soto sitting inside the bathtub naked and reportedly discovered a black dress on the porch that Soto had been wearing before she entered the home, according to The Ada News.

Soto was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass and criminal mischief and remained in the Parker County Jail on $4,000 bond.

She's not the only alleged naked doggy door trespasser. Earlier this month, a naked California man went through his neighbor's doggy door in an apparent attempt to have sex with the man's wife, according to The Weekly Vice.

The 90 minutes from hell started with a tap on the window. Danny, a 26-year-old Chinese engineer, was pulled over in his Mercedes-Benz ML 350 late last Thursday night when he heard the tap, according to the Boston Globe. He rolled down the window, and before he knew it, one of the most wanted men in the country — Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the two suspected Boston Marathon bombers — was sitting in the passenger seat, pointing a gun at him.

• READ: Boston Bombing Suspect Moved to Prison

Danny gave an exclusive interview to the Boston Globe, detailing the riveting story of his car-jacking and escape. He agreed to the interview with the Globe on the condition that the paper use his American nickname and not reveal his Chinese name.

From the Globe:

The story of that night unfolds like a Tarantino movie, bursts of harrowing action laced with dark humor and dialogue absurd for its ordinariness, reminders of just how young the men in the car were. Girls, credit limits for students, the marvels of the Mercedes-Benz ML 350 and the iPhone­ 5, whether anyone still listens to CDs — all were discussed by the two 26-year-olds and the 19-year-old driving around on a Thursday night.

Danny eventually escaped at a gas station, when bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev went inside to pay for gas, and Tamerlan put down the gun to use the car's navigation system.

"In that moment," Danny told the Globe, "I prayed."

As expected, the House Friday passed a bill that will allow the FAA to end sequester-forced furloughs that have been causing flight delays around the country this week.

The bill, which will use money from an FAA infrastructure improvement account to pay the salaries of furloughed air traffic controllers, sailed through the House 361 to 41. The previous night it passed unopposed in the Senate, over objections from some Democrats who didn't see why the airline industry, over all the other industries affected by the federal sequester, should receive special treatment.

"We ought not to be mitigating the sequester's effect on just one segment, when children, the sick, our military and many other groups who will be impacted by this irresponsible policy will be left unhealed," House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said, according to The Hill.

White House press secretary Jay Carney likened the $253 million money shift to a "band-aid" in a Thursday press conference, but still cast the bill as "good news for America's traveling public." FAA officials could not predict when staffing, and therefore service, would return to normal.

"But ultimately," Carney added, the bill "fails to address the overarching threat to our economy posed by the sequester's mindless across-the-board cuts."

So why did so many Democrats end up voting for bill? And how did cuts to the FAA inspire action from legislators in Washington when cuts to other agencies and programs, from Meals on Wheels to Head Start, have gone on unaddressed?

To some observers, it's all about the impact this particular agency has on the lives of lawmakers.

An Atlantic headline put it this way: "Politicians Will Only Roll Back Parts of the Sequester That Hurt Them, Naturally."

"Unlike previous sequester effects which mostly hurt the already economically, socially, or geographically marginalized in American society, these cuts were going to get serious, because they were hitting Northeast Corridor elites where it hurt: on the DCA-LGA shuttle," the article said, referring to delays at New York and Washington airports "frequented by politicians and the national media."

A Salon piece made the same point, arguing that the people who fly between Washington and New York are "people Congress listens to" and "people Congress is."

NBC News' First Read team echoed the point, boiling the lesson down to this: "Congress will act, but only if it and its friends are hurt or simply inconvenienced. That's a devastating indictment on how Washington works."

Others pointed out that airline delays were the most visible effect yet of the across-the-board spending cuts triggered last month after Congress failed to strike a deal on reducing the country's deficit.

On Sunday the FAA began furloughing all 47,000 of its employees, including 15,000 controllers who would have to stay home one extra day per week to save the administration salary money.

While the first day of furloughs appeared to go relatively smoothly, their effects were soon felt and seen in airports around the country. The agency attributed more than 850 flight delays Wednesday to staffing reductions and warned that if unaddressed the upcoming travel season could present big challenges to travelers.

The airlines too campaigned aggressively against the FAA cuts, encouraging passengers to voice their opposition to the agency's "unnecessary and reckless action."

An airline trade group, Airlines for America, filed a motion with the U.S. Appellate Court for the District of Columbia last week to stop the furloughs, citing safety concerns. Meanwhile, other business and travel groups argued that this furlough in particular could harm the economy, at a time when the country's just beginning to feel all the other sequester effects.

Tobias Summers, the main suspect in the kidnapping of a 10-year-old Northridge girl, spoke softly and kept his head down during a court appearance Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles.

The arraignment was the first court appearance for the 32-year-old since his arrest in Mexico on Wednesday.

Summers confirmed his identity but did not enter a plea. The arraignment was postponed until May 2.

Prosecutors had planned to ask that bail be set at $19 million, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

He's being charged with 37 felony counts -- one of kidnapping a child, one of burglary, one of kidnapping to commit another crime, and 34 counts related to sexual assault, according to a court record (PDF).

Summers faces multiple life terms if convicted.

He was found at a drug and alcohol rehab clinic in the remote village of Las Missiones, south of Rosarito near Ensenada. Baja police took him into custody Wednesday morning at a nearby beach, where he was working with a woman selling coconuts to tourists.

Police were able to identify the suspect because of a "Superman" tattoo on his chest (pictured, below).

Summers allegedly broke into a Northridge home on the night of March 27 and abducted the girl. A second suspect, 29-year-old Daniel Martinez, allegedly drove the pair's getaway car. Martinez was arrested March 31, and charged with kidnapping and burglary.

On Thursday, the family of the victim released a statement thanking authorities for arresting both suspects:

"Throughout this ordeal, they've been working around the clock hunting this man – not only for justice for our daughter, but to make sure he's unable to hurt anyone again," wrote the family.

More: Read the Family's Full Statement

Summers, released in July 2012 as part of California's initiative to ease prison overcrowding, previously served three prison terms and was allegedly active in a white supremacist gang in the San Fernando Valley.

Four Rancho Bernardo homes have been burglarized through their garage this week.

Rancho Bernardo resident Ray Castanon says he now puts a dead bolt on his garage to secure the door. He is one of at least four homeowners affected in his community.

According to San Diego police, the thief is likely getting into the garages by using a wire coat hangar to detach the safety latches of power door openers. The garage doors can then be opened manually. 

Castanon says he had $2,000 worth of power tools stolen from his garage. He says his neighbor was also burglarized of electronics items that were stored in his garage.

Check back for updates on this story.

An 18-year-old man was arrested for setting his mother's home on fire following an argument with family members in a Washington, D.C. suburb Friday morning, authorities said.

The local Fire and EMS Department is not releasing the suspect's name, but he is facing multiple charges.

After a dispute with family inside the home at in Oxon Hill, Md., the suspect removed his grandfather from the home, went back inside and lit a fire, according to authorities.

Police officers — who had been sent to the address on a domestic call — arrived to find the home in flames. They tried to put out the blaze with fire extinguishers from their cruisers while they waited for firefighters.

At one point, the suspect appeared on the roof and threw what authorities are calling "an unknown type of product" at the officers, causing them to retreat.

As the flames and smoke became more intense, the suspect jumped off the roof and was taken into custody.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze in 15 to 20 minutes. Damage is estimated at $80,000, and the suspect's mother will be displaced.

The suspect has been charged with first-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning, first-degree destruction of property and 10 counts of first-degree assault on a police officer.

Firefighters responded to a house fire in La Mesa on Friday afternoon, according to Heartland Friday.

The fire started a little before 3:30 p.m. at 9100 Dillon Dr.

At least three fire trucks responded to the scene and were able to extinguish the blaze. A few firefighters remained at the residence to clean up the area.

Smoke could be seen from miles away as the crew worked to put out the fire.

Check back for updates on this story.