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Woman Found Guilty of Severing Husband's Penis

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Jurors delivered guilty verdicts Monday in the trial of a Southern California woman accused of drugging her estranged husband and cutting off his penis before throwing it in a garbage disposal.

Catherine Kieu was convicted of aggravated mayhem — maliciously depriving a human of a body part — and torture for the July 2011 attack, which occurred about two months after the husband filed for divorce.

Kieu, who continued living at the man's Garden Grove residence, placed drugs in his dinner, tied him to a bed and cut off his penis with a 10-inch kitchen knife, investigators said.

She then placed the penis in a garbage disposal and turned on the appliance, according to investigators. Kieu called 911 to report a medical emergency, and responding officers found the man still tied to the bed.

Doctors were unable to reattach the penis.

The attack was preceded by an argument over the victim's friends staying at the residence, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office. Prosecutors argued during the trial that Kieu, 50, was angry about the divorce plans.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 28. Kieu faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.



Photo Credit: AP

Plane Part Near WTC Identified as Wing Piece

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A chunk of airplane debris found near the World Trade Center site that is believed to have come from one of the 9/11 hijacked jetliners has been identified as a piece from a 767 wing, officials said Monday.

NBC 4 New York, which first reported the finding in an alley near ground zero last week, has also learned the answer to the mystery of a rope that was found intertwined in the part — according to a law enforcement official, a detective who responded to the original call about the part last week tried to move it with a rope.

Authorities on Friday had said the rope might have indicated the part was lowered into the alley, but have since interviewed everyone who had contact with the part last week and have now answered that question. The official tells NBC 4 New York that the detective found the rope nearby and was trying to move the part to find a serial number or other identifying mark.

The NYPD also said Monday that a Boeing technician has confirmed that the 5-foot part is a trailing edge flap actuation support structure.

"It is believed to be from one of the two aircraft destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, but it could not be determined which one," NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

On Sept. 11, American Airlines flight 11 hit the north tower at 8:46 a.m., and United flight 175 hit the south tower at 9:03 a.m.

Police and officials from the city medical examiner's office were on scene Monday preparing to sift the soil under the part for lost human remains. Officials said the part will be removed later in the week when that process is complete.

The part was found wedged between two buildings in a very narrow alley only about 18 inches wide between the rear of 50 Murray St. and back of 51 Park Place, the site where a mosque and community center has been proposed three blocks from ground zero.

The part bears a "Boeing" stamp, followed by a series of numbers.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly visited the alley Friday evening and viewed the debris from about 30 feet away. 

"It's a manifestation of a horrific terrorist act a block and a half away from where we stand," he said. "It brings back terrible memories to anyone who was here or who was involved in that event, and obviously I think the families could very well be impacted by this finding." 

The NYPD said the landing gear was found after surveyors hired by the property owner inspecting the rear of 51 Park Place called police on Wednesday. See below for a FEMA graphic on other plane parts found in the area.

The rubble from the 9/11 attack was cleared from the 16-acre site by the spring of 2002. Other debris, including human remains, has been found scattered outside the site, including on a rooftop and in a manhole, in years since.

Man Threatened, Spit On Priest: Cops

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Police have charged a Connecticut man with threatening and spitting on a priest who was trying to photograph him riding dangerously on a dirt bike.

According to police, Rev. James Manship, the head of Saint Rose of Lima Church in New Haven, Conn., was out for a drive on April 21 when he heard a dirt bike and then spotted the rider popping wheelies on a sidewalk.

Rev. Manship pulled over and got out of his car to snap photos of the man on the dirt bike. The priest told police the man raced dangerously toward him and spit on him and his car before speeding away.

"I'm personally offended, but it happens to a lot of folks here," Rev. Manship said. "This kind of intimidation fear factor is just ruining the peace and quiet of the neighborhood."

Rev. Manship sent the photos of the rider and evidence of the spitting to officers in the city's Fair Haven section. The officers recognized the man as Leron Stone of New Haven, according to authorities.

After obtaining an arrest warrant, police found Stone in Criscuolo Park and took him into custody.

Stone, 20, was charged with second-degree threatening and second-degree breach of peace. He was also wanted on a second warrant for reckless driving and operating a motor vehicle without a license in connection with an incident on April 7. He was released on $30,000 bond.



Photo Credit: New Haven Police

DNA Collected After Fatal Stabbing of CA Girl, 8

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Authorities continued on Monday to search Valley Springs on Monday for a man they said killed an 8-year-old girl at a house on Rippon Road, in Calaveras County near Sacramento.

At a Sunday news conference, investigators took fingerprints and what they believe to be DNA evidence from the crime scene, according to NBC affiliate KCRA.

On Saturday, police said a 12-year-old boy found an intruder in his home, and when he went to check on his sister, Leila Fowler, he found she had been stabbed. The third-grader was pronounced dead at the hospital. An autopsy is planned for Monday.

The intruder got away.

Several law enforcement agencies are searching the area for a man described as being white or Hispanic with longer gray hair. He is 6 feet tall, with a muscular build and was last seen wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and blue pants.

Police said the man is considered armed and dangerous.

Residents in the area were being warned via reverse 911 and Nixle mass notifications systems to lock their doors and report suspicious activity.

Parents at Leila's school are asking for extra patrols at the bus stops, to keep children safe.

A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Tuesday, with the location and time pending.

People who know the family told KCRA 3 that Leila was one of seven children, and that her parents were very involved with the community and Little League.

If anyone sees a person matching the description, they are asked to call 911 or the Sheriff's Office immediately. Tips can also be provided to the 24-hour tip line at 209-754-6030.

The Calaveras County sheriff and the District Attorney's Office are investigating.

Valley Springs is a town of about 3,500 some 60 miles southeast of Sacramento.

 


 



Photo Credit: KCRA

18 Detained in Panga Discovery

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A Del Mar resident called authorities to report a suspicious boat ashore early Monday.

Eighteen men were taken into custody after a panga was discovered on Torrey Pines State Beach around 2 a.m.

U.S. Border Patrol agents say the men are originally from Mexico. No drugs were found in the boat.

Two of the men were transported to a nearby hospital.

A San Diego Coast Guard helicopter was used in the search.
 



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

"Leisure Olympics" Founders Hoping to Float

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Is San Diego ready to host the "Leisure Olympics"?

Brought to you by FreePB.org, the folks who stuck up for those famous -- or infamous -- "Floatopias"?

Police Chief Bill Lansdowne, citing safety issues, has denied "Leisure Olympics" organizers a special event permit to stage a “family-oriented”, mid-summer gathering at Crown Point Park, on the shores of Mission Bay.
           
They want a BYOB arrangement -- which they say is hardly unprecedented under city permit regulations -- so attendees can roam with adult beverages.

Plans call for accommodating some 200 attendees who will be charged about $40 apiece for a picnic lunch, a kids’ Jumpee structure and a variety of games on the sand.

It’s a non-starter, as far as San Diego Police Department is concerned.

FreePB is now appealing that decision to a higher authority.

To get a city permit, police say organizers need to fence off a so-called "beer garden" area, supervised by licensed security guards who'll check IDs.

And, get insurance protecting the city from any legal liability.
           
The city is still reeling from those rowdy, boozy, trashed-filled, holiday-weekend Floatopias during the summer of 2010 -- using a since-closed loophole in the voter-approved 2008 alcohol ban at beaches and coastal parks.

At the time, FreePB's website offered the revelers moral support and clarification of legal issues.

Now, special event organizers must wade through hundreds of pages of protocols, requirements and restrictions which police have cited in denying FreePB’s permit application.

"I don't agree with it, but unfortunately that is the law, so they have to abide by it,” said East Village resident Sean Krejci, when asked about the issue during a Monday morning game of bocce with family and friends in Crown Point Park.  “I would say, if I were them, get some donations and get some security guards. Unfortunately, you're going to have to get off the couch and get a permit."

In response to that, FreePB co-founder and board member Rob Rynearson offered this observation in a later interview, Monday afternoon: “You know, there are additional expenses with a beer garden that put an undue burden on small event organizers."

Rynearson argues that the city routinely grants BYOB exemptions and permits for events such as Over-the-Line, San Diego Bayfair, and other large beach and coastal-park gatherings.       

"Now what the city's trying to say is, if you're an old-timer connected to the political structure, that you get this special treatment – and individuals and small groups are discriminated against.”

FreePB will press its case to the City Council's Public Safety & Neighborhood Services Committee on Wednesday.

There's no appeal from the committee's decision, except to take the city to court.

The group's attorney, Cory Briggs, is a veteran of litigation with the city and major private interests.

Former CBP Agent Sentenced for Child Porn Possession

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A retired Customs and Border Protection agent will spend 10 years in prison for downloading and sharing child pornography.

Lawson Hardrick, Jr., 64, was sentenced Monday in federal court. Hardrick will also have to register as a sex offender.

Hardrick was the assistant director of the Calexico ports of entry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Federal investigators say Hardrick used peer-to-peer file-sharing programs to exchange child pornography between 2008 and 2010. Investigators say some of the children in the videos were as young as four years old.

Hardrick was found guilty on two felony counts in January. He was indicted last July.



Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Local Reaction to Jason Collins Coming Out

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NBA player Jason Collins’s decision to come out as gay is getting plenty of reaction, and most of it is positive. Although, at times, social media postings have been less than kind.

“I could care less," said Kevin Reed of University City. “I wish nothing but good things for him and his family. It’s none of my business.”

Reed made his comments at Player’s Sports Bar in Kearny Mesa as television monitors mounted on walls broadcast reaction to the story.

“It’s a non-issue,” said Gary Plummer, a former NFL player who played for the Chargers and now lives in San Diego.

“The only thing that really matters to teammates is, can you play on game day? End of story," Plummer said.

While most reaction is overwhelmingly positive, many comments on social media have been negative.

One person wrote a response to a story posted on the NBC 7 Facebook page that read, in part, “we don’t need this gay stuff in our sports.”

San Diego sports psychologist Michael Lardon, MD, called Collins’ decision brave. Because the player is a free agent available to sign with any team, Lardon wonders how it will impact his marketability.

“He has got to know that he’s going to incur all sorts of prejudice. There are going to be a lot of people that support him, but there are going to be a lot of people that are going to be very uncomfortable,” said Lardon.



Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated / Getty Images

1 Dead After Small Planes Collide Mid-Air: FAA

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A pilot died when a small plane collided mid-air with another plane that made an emergency landing on a nearby golf course in Southern California, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The planes, both Cessnas, were flying at altitudes above 3,000 feet when they collided about 8 miles east, northeast of Ventura, Calif., according to FAA radar data.

The first airplane was headed west at 3,500 feet. The second airplane was headed east at 3,100 feet. That plane had just departed Santa Monica for an engine test flight, said Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman with the FAA.

The first plane made an emergency landing after 2 p.m. near the third hole at the Westlake Golf Course in Westlake Village. The second airplane crashed into mountainous terrain in Calabasas, sparking a 1 acre brush fire.

The pilot in that crash died.

All three people aboard the plane that landed on the golf course survived, said Deputy Mark Pope, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. At least one of them was injured.

The plane is registered to AmeriFlyers, a Dallas-based flight school with a Santa Monica location.

The golf course was open at the time the plane made its rough landing, but no one on the ground was injured.

The sound of a low-flying aircraft scared golfers off the driving range and into the shop.

The second plane was found about the same time Monday as firefighters responded to a brush fire sparked by aircraft debris, about 5 miles away from the golf course.


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Police Searching for Sexual Assault Suspect

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Police are searching for a man who tried to sexually assault a woman in Rancho Penasquitos Monday morning.

The incident happened around 1:30 a.m. on Via Del Sud Road. Police said a victim was woken up in her home by an unknown male trying to sexually assault her.

The suspect has a thin build and stands between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-11. He was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, a striped shirt and dark shorts.

Police said the suspect used a cloth to cover his face during the incident.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

Check back for updates on this story.

Fund Created to Pay Young Hit-and-Run Victim's Medical Bills

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For the first time on Monday, the mother of a 5-year-old hit-and-run victim is talking about the crash that nearly killed her daughter just days before the little girl's birthday.

"Carlie is a bright and wonderful little girl," Brittany Rodriguez said. "I love my daughter so much."
Brittany told NBC4 that Carlie has extensive injuries to her head and neck, including broken tendons.

"They pulled two ribs out from her side and they molded them into her neck along with a steel plate and bolts to hold her."

Carlie also has a traumatic brain injury and still needs a tube to drain fluid from her head.

After several surgeries, she is making remarkable progress, including opening her eyes this morning.

"It's just overwhelming happiness, I can't explain it," Carlie's father Aaron Rodriguez said.

Carlie was in a medically induced coma on April 26 as her family, including her two older brothers, celebrated her fifth birthday (pictured below) at Loma Linda Children's Hospital.

"We're just glad she made it through the surgery that morning," Brittany said.

Carlie suffered her injuries when her parents’ car was broadsided near Magnolia Avenue and Nelson Street in Riverside on April 22.

The driver of the black Ford Mustang that struck Carlie's family car left the scene on foot before detectives found him at his Oceanside home three days later. Authorities said someone falsely reported the Mustang stolen soon after the crash in an attempt to hide the driver.

Ricardo Gamez, 20, pleaded not guilty on Monday to felony hit-and-run charges in a Riverside County Courtroom. He also pleaded not guilty to filing a false police report.

Gamez is also accused of driving without a license. It’s the second time he has been cited for the crime, court records show. At age 15, Gamez was charged with driving without a license.

Aaron and Brittany told NBC4 they forgive Gamez, but they also believe he should have stayed at the scene.

The family is asking for help paying for their daughter's rising medical bills. Donations can be made at any Altura Credit Union under the name Carlie Rodriguez Fund, account no. 2382125, routing no. 322281235.

San Ysidro Sinkhole Causes Accident, Traffic Jam

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A sinkhole caused a motorcycle accident and a traffic back-up Monday in San Ysidro.

The ordeal started around 4 p.m on San Ysidro Boulevard and Cottonwood Road. The motorcycle rider hit the sinkhole and flew off his bike, according to officials. Officials say, the man complained about back pain, but wasn’t seriously injured.

The sinkhole grew bigger, shooting more and more water into the street. Police had to block off the area to traffic.

It took crews more than three hours to turn off the water. Officials say, the sinkhole was caused when a 12-inch pipe valve burst.
 



Photo Credit: Steven Luke

Snake Surprises SoCal Driver

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Angie Guerrero was driving on the southbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway in Santa Clarita when an unwelcome passenger slithered around her legs. It took California Highway Patrol officers nearly an hour to wrangle what appeared to a non-venomous kingsnake, which was hiding in the dashboard. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on April 28, 2013.

SDSU Library Evacuated After Bomb Threat

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San Diego State University’s Love Library has been evacuated after the university received a bomb threat, according to campus police.

Around 6:30 p.m. two notes were discovered in different men's bathrooms saying a bomb had been left on site, according to campus police. 

SDSU officers are sweeping the building, and six bomb sniffing dogs are on site. There is no word on when the library will reopen.

This is the last week of classes before finals begin on May 9.

Check back for updates on this developing story. 



Photo Credit: Steven Luke

Former Justice Expresses Regret Over Bush v. Gore

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Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor suggested last week that the high court should have stayed out of the 2000 presidential election dispute between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

"It took the case and decided it at a time when it was still a big election issue," the 83-year-old told the Chicago Tribune editorial board last Friday. "Maybe the court should have said, 'We're not going to take it, goodbye.'"

O'Connor, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was in the majority in the high court's 5-4 decision that stopped the recount and sealed Bush's election. She has long lamented the controversy over the decision that she said gave the court a "less-than-perfect reputation."

But in the past, O'Connor has said the court had no choice but to take on the case. She retired in 2006.

O'Connor was in Chicago to promote "iCivics," an online curriculum set up in a video game format, the Tribune reported.
 



Photo Credit: AP

SF Judge is Proud of Nephew Jason Collins for Coming Out

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The first person Jason Collins confided in was his aunt, a prominent San Francisco judge, who had previously made some history of her own. NBC Bay Area's Jodi Hernandez spoke with her.

Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave

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Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who sparked an uproar and hurt her image as a working mom when she banned telecommuting two months ago, is now offering employees generous new family leave benefits.

Under the new policy, mothers can take 16 weeks of paid leave with benefits, and fathers can take up to eight weeks, each time they have a new child via childbirth. Both parents receive eight weeks of paid leave for new children via adoption, foster child placement or surrogacy.

This change is a significant increase for Yahoo employees, particularly mothers, who will basically get twice as much paid time off. Under the old policy, moms received up to eight weeks paid after pregnancy.

Yahoo will also give new parents $500 to spend on such things as house cleaning, groceries and babysitters, plus Yahoo-branded baby gifts.

Mayer's decision, which brings the Sunnyvale-based Yahoo closer to Silicon Valley titans Google and Facebook, could help repair the damage as she works to turn around the struggling media giant.

But it doesn't only make sense from a public relations standpoint, observers said. The new policy could fit into a broader corporate strategy to attract and retain more talent and ultimately improve Yahoo's financial performance.

"It's a smart move," said Rachel Sklar, a New York-based blogger and founder of The Li.st, an organization dedicated to elevate the status of women in New Media and technology. "It suggests a long-term strategy. This is a great precedent."

Companies who provide "everything" to their employees, such as free lunch and daycare sites at Google, do better financially in the long run because there is nothing to "distract" their workers from working, Sklar said.

"The temptation will be to see this through a gender lens - -that of course she did it because she's a new-mom CEO," Sklar said. "And this certainly would suggest she has a heightened awareness as a working mom, but this will encourage new parents to be engaged with the company and have a financial piece of mind. When companies nickel-and-dime their employees, it just adds to their burden."

From the moment she became Yahoo's new chief executive last year, Mayer, 37, has been seen as a symbol of corporate gender politics. She took the job when she was five months pregnant and worked through a two-week maternity leave that ended in October.

Her decision to return to work so quickly attracted both praise and criticism - praise for showing that a new mother could continue to steer a Fortune 500 company, and criticism for failing to set a realistic expectations for America's working moms.

Mayer drew praise for adding perks such as new iPhones and free food, cutting company bureaucracy and redesigning work spaces. Many of those amenities were standard at her prior employer, Google.

In February, Mayer sparked another debate when she decided to end Yahoo's lenient telecommuting policy. Employees with existing work-from-home arrangements were told they had to start coming into the office or look for another job.

The move reflected Mayer's an all-hands-on-deck approach to turning around Yahoo and make it more competitive. But she was again accused of making it harder on working parents.

But her decision to double family leave for new parents from 8 weeks to 16 weeks puts Yahoo in the same ballpark as her Silicon Valley rivals: Google gives between 18 and 22 weeks off to new mothers, and Facebook told the New York Times that it gives new mothers and fathers four months of paid leave.

A Google spokeswoman said that all the Mountain View-company perks - which include preferred parking for expectant mothers and $500 in "baby bucks" to spend on things such as takeout dinners, like Yahoo is now offering - are so that life can be as smooth as possible for new parents. That's of course, the spokeswoman noted, so that they can come back to work fully rested.

In California, workers are eligible for six weeks of partial pay through the state's disability benefits program.

Mayer's move also comes amid a broader debate in America about the country's commitment to family leave. The United States, which hasn't updated its Family and Medical Leave Act in 20 years, ranks among the worst of all developed countries. Sweden, Denmark and Russian mothers get at least a year off paid and Canadian mothers get 50 weeks off paid.

The U.S. law requires large companies to provide 12 weeks of unpaid leave to employers who need to care for a newborn child or an ill relative. And that relatively stingy benefit covers only workers who have been at a company for at least a year. That leaves millions without access to the benefit. Many more cut their absences short because they can't afford unpaid leave.

 

NBC Bay Area's Scott McGrew contributed to this story



Photo Credit: AP IMAGES FOR IDA IRELAND

Snake Surprises Driver

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Angie Guerrero was driving on the southbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway in Santa Clarita when an unwelcome passenger slithered around her legs. It took California Highway Patrol officers nearly an hour to wrangle what appeared to be a non-venomous kingsnake hiding in the dashboard. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News.

Rise to the Top: What You Need to Know About One World Trade Center

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The monolithic One World Trade Center towers above Manhattan’s skyline and is currently the tallest building in New York City, ousting the Empire State Building’s short-lived spot at the top by 83 feet.

When the final pieces of the so-called Freedom Tower are installed in New York, it will replace Chicago’s Willis Tower and stake its claim as the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at a symbolic 1,776 feet.

Thanks to bad weather, the installation of the pieces that would have made the new skyscraper taller than Willis Tower was delayed, giving the former “Sears Tower” another day in sun.

But for some Chicagoans, there are no hard feelings about losing this distinction.

“People want closure, people want to see this happen, so I don’t know that there is any grumbling,” said Dan Safarik, Editor at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an international arbiter based in Chicago. Safarik said he lost friends on Sept. 11.

Tallest U.S. Buildings

  Under Construction
  Completed

Source: CTBUH

The Council won’t call it the tallest until One World Trade is completed, Safarik says, which means it has to have electricity, water, a building skin and certified as occupiable. From there, members of the Council and stakeholders will submit documents to CTBUH and “as-builts” -- final blueprints that show how the building was built as opposed to how it was designed -- to help determine the structure's status.

The Council, whose measurement standards have been around for over 40 years, uses three different methods to determine the height of a structure: from the entrance to the architectural top, to the highest occupied floor or to the highest tip.

The architectural top measurement is the most commonly used, according to Safarik, and if the Council accepts the new spire as the architectural top, it will be the tallest building in the western hemisphere and third tallest in the world.

So far, here is how One World Trade Center stacks up:

Also Known As: 1WTC, Freedom Tower

Price Tag: $3.8 billion

Location: Adjacent to the World Trade Center Memorial, several blocks east of the Hudson River in the heart of the Financial District

Building Office Area: 3 Million Rental Square Feet

Height: 1,368 to the roof, 1,776 feet after the 408-foot-tall spire is completed

Total Floors: 109

Office Floors: 71 (20-90)

Antenna: A 408-foot mast that includes communications and maintenance equipment.

Sustainability: The building will use 30 percent less water than what is permitted by city codes for this type of building. Rain water that falls on the building site will be reclaimed for landscape irrigation

Elevators: One World Trade will boast the five fastest elevators in the Western Hemisphere, which will reach a top speed of 2,000 feet per minute. A trip to the top of the building will take less than four minutes.

Features: Restaurants, observation deck, 55,000 feet of retail space, connections to 13 subway lines and PATH communter trains to New Jersey.



Photo Credit: AP

New Medical Facility Opens

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A new medical clinic will celebrate its opening in the South Bay Tuesday, making health care easier and more convenient for active duty and U.S. Navy veterans.

Special Section: San Diego Military News

Naval Branch Health Clinic (NBHC) Eastlake officially opens on Boswell Road although the staff has been seeing patients for about a month.

The clinic was designed to be one-stop shopping for those seeking healthcare.

Patients will have access to primary care, but there's a pharmacy and a lab at the facility.

Employees were able to give input on how they wanted the facility to be set up.

The center is open, so doctors and patients can have more interaction.

Inside, doctors work in teams which allows for more efficient communication between specialists.

The design was intended to help offer shorter wait times for thousands of veterans who will use the center in the Chula Vista area.

Click here for more information
 

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