The submission phase of Listen to Our Veterns will end on Monday, July 4. If you are a Veteran, or the family member of a Veteran, you can still submit your responses here.

A consortium of leading media, business, technology and veterans organizations joined to create a first-of-its-kind digital campaign designed to allow veterans to quickly share their experiences, and aggregate their feedback into large-scale usable insights that can be used for good.

The Listen to Our Veterans project launched on Memorial Day with partners including NBC7, Donovan’s Steak and Chop House, and HundredX’s Expresit, as well as veterans' organizations across San Diego County, including Support the Enlisted Project and the Armed Forces YMCA.

The goal of the Listen to Our Veterans project is to allow veterans and other interested parties an opportunity to share their experiences in as fast as one minute.

Starting next week, the results will be aggregated and published with an objective to provide content and useful insights surrounding veteran’s services.

With regard to key categories such as medical care, civilian transition, and other veteran’s benefits, respondents will be asked what is good, not so good, or both.

The Listen to Our Veterans project will run through the Fourth of July weekend.

To provide your Express Feedback, click or tap HERE. Please share with any friends or family who may be interested in participating. Thank you in advance for your contribution.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) welcomed America’s newest citizens at USS Midway on Friday, July 1.

During the special naturalization ceremony, USCIS welcomed 61 citizenship candidates that originated from 28 countries, including Canada, India, China, Mexico, Sierra Leone, South Korea, and Vietnam.

U.S. Naval Commander Dustin Wallace, Executive Officer, Regional Legal Service Office and USCIS San Diego Field Office Director Melissa Maxim were two honored guests and speakers that attended this ceremony which was part of USCIS’ annual Independence Day celebration.

USCIS is celebrating the 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by welcoming nearly 7,000 new U.S. citizens in over 100 naturalization ceremonies across the country this weekend.

To view a list of 2016 Independence Day naturalization ceremonies, you can visit the USCIS website.

USCIS is asking new citizens and their families and friends to share their experience and photos from their ceremonies via social media using the hashtag #newUScitizen.

Millions of Americans are currently living with hip and knee replacements. While replacement surgery can be a good option, it is not without risk. There can be serious complications. Consumer Reports has advice to help you improve the odds of a successful outcome.

Consumer Reports took a close look at hospitals in the San Diego area to see how well patients did following replacement surgery. It looked at hospitals’ infection rates, complication rates and readmission rates and found it really matters which hospital you go to.

For example: Sharp Grossmont Hospital had zero infections for knee surgeries while Pomerado Hospital—­just 24 miles away—was one of the hospitals that got Consumer Reports’ bottom rating, 268 percent worse than the national average.

Consumer Reports reached out to Pomerado Hospital for a comment about its low rating, which is based on publicly available data from the State of California. 

A spokesperson said: “We recognize the importance of preventing surgical site infections after knee replacement surgery and because we take this issue seriously, Pomerado Hospital uses stringent procedures to minimize the risk of infection."

Since this report based on 2014 rates, a physician-led multidisciplinary team at Pomerado Hospital has worked together to reduce post-surgical infection rate after knee replacements to only 1% by the end of 2015, which is consistent with the national average. The work of this team has been recognized by being awarded designation as an Orthopedic Center of Excellence. Pomerado Hospital’s Orthopedic Center of Excellence team continues their work with a goal of zero percent infection rate after these procedures and is in the top 1% nationally for its pain management program.”

Consumer Reports and the California Department of Insurance have created an online tool to help people check out hospitals. Just enter San Diego and you’ll see ratings on a scale of one to five. You can find the tool here.

The website also has other helpful information. You can find out how much your surgery is likely to cost and look up hospital ratings for childbirth, as well as search doctor groups for their ratings for cancer screening, and treating diabetes and back pain. 

Twenty people, including a U.S. citizen, were killed and 13 others were rescued in an attack by suspected Islamist militants at an upscale cafe in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, NBC News reported.

Six of the attackers who stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery late Friday, shouting "Allah Akbar," were also killed and one was arrested after the hours-long siege, Army Brigadier General Naim Asraf Chowdhury said at news conference Saturday.

Abinta Kabir, a sophomore at Emory University's Oxford, Georgia, campus, died in the attack, the school said in a statement. Kabir, who lived in Miami, was in Dhaka visiting family and friends. The State Department confirmed Saturday that an American citizen was among the dead but did not say whether it was Kabir. 

A graduate of Emory's Oxford College, Faraaz Hossain, from Dhaka, was also killed. 

Tarushi Jain, a 19-year-old Indian student attending the University of California, Berkeley, was also among the hostages killed.

A man in his 30s was fatally shot near San Diego's Skyline area Friday afternoon, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) confirmed.

The shooting happened just after 2 p.m. in the 8500 block of Encinitas Way.

Neighbors told NBC 7 they called 911 after hearing four to five gunshots in quick succession that sounded like fireworks.  

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the man, who was shot several times, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

An acquaintance of the victim got into an altercation with police, and was detained. Police are not calling him a suspect, but are questioning him to see if he can help with the investigation.

SDPD homicide detectives will be taking over the investigation, SDPD Lt. Scott Wahl said.

At this time the motive or what led up to the shooting is not known.

Neighbors in the area told NBC 7 they were startled by the commotion outside in the moment leading to the gunfire.

"I was shocked that this [was] taking place right at our front door. I've never experienced this in my 91 years," neighbor Inez Nunez said.

Nunez said she heard four to five shots that sounded like someone was banging on her car.

"It made me nervous; I'm not [nervous] anymore. After I thought about it, I got really shaky but this was after. At the time being, I just thought 'what's going on,'" she said.

Police said several witnesses noticed a grey car drive away right after the shooting, but they don't know if it's linked to the crime.

No further details were immediately released, including the name of the man killed in the shooting.

A family is mourning to loss of a mother and an 8-year old son killed in a crash on Thursday in Escondido.

NBC 7 spoke to the family of 39-year old Enedina Dominguez who say the mother of four had always put her children first. Now, her daughters say they are trying to stay strong after the heartbreaking tragedy.

“Once I found out that the car crashed, my world stopped,” Dominguez’s 17-year old daughter Lene Tome said. “I knew that she was with me, so is my brother. I knew that they were going to watch me because they were going to help me be strong for my daughter.”

Dominguez was a stay-at home mom and took care of her 14-year old daughter who has Cystic Fibrosis. She had three other children, including 17-year old Lene Tome and a 21-year old daughter and 8-year old Alex, who was also killed in the crash.

“Whenever we were sad, she was very positive. She made sure that we were always happy. She didn’t just say ‘oh it’s going to be ok,’ she gave us a reason to be happy,” Tome said.

Both the mother and son died Thursday when Dominguez’s car was hit by another car as she turning left onto East Washington Street in Escondido.

Escondido police say the impact was enough to fold her car in half.

Dominguez and her son Alex was taken to Palomar Medical Center where they later died of their injuries.

“Together they were a team. They died together as a team. So I am glad that he wasn't alone and she wasn't alone. Because I know my mom loved my little brother,” Tome said.

She says her 8-year old brother was a blessing and a joy in her life and they both shared a special bond.

“I helped raise him, with my mom. So, as he grew up, I was with my mom helping changing him, feeding him, seeing him grow up. His first word was my name,” Tome said.

Tome, who has a 6-month old daughter, says her mom had always been there to help her with her baby. The family had all lived together with Dominguez’s long-time boyfriend who is Alex’s dad.

They say they lost so much in an instant but are turning to their faith to make it through each moment.

“Every time I lost a relative or a dog, she would say ‘Okay Lene, you need to be strong.’ Yeah, they are gone but Jesus has them now,” Tome said.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.

Bangladeshi security forces on Saturday stormed a restaurant where gunmen took what was feared to be dozens of hostages the night before. Police said all the attackers were killed in the raid, NBC News reported.

Local media reported that gunfire and explosions were heard at around 7:40 a.m. local time (9:40 p.m. Friday ET) in the diplomatic district of the nation's capital of Dhaka, where the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery occurred Friday night.

Police near the scene confirmed to NBC News Saturday morning the operation was over, and according to police Rapid Action Battalion personnel on the scene all the attackers have been killed.

Seven or eight attackers with guns and bombs attacked the bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan district, described as popular with foreigners, at around 9:20 p.m. Friday local time (11:20 a.m. ET), a senior police official had said earlier.

The ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency reported that ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the terror research firms Flashpoint Intelligence and Site Intelligence Group. The claim has not been confirmed.

A new park planned for Santee will be dedicated to a beloved deputy tragically killed on duty in 2010 as he tried to stop a drunk driver traveling the wrong way on State Route 52.

The City of Santee held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday at the future site of Deputy Ken Collier Neighborhood Park, a half-acre park that will be built at the northwestern corner of the intersection of Via De Christina and Via De Victoria off Prospect Avenue on the southern end of Santee.

The park will be named after San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) Deputy Kenneth James Collier who was killed on duty on February 28, 2010. His patrol car went off the side of SR-52 while trying to stop a drunk driver traveling on the wrong side of the highway.

Santee Vice Mayor Jack Dale and County Supervisor Dianne Jacob spoke at Friday's groundbreaking ceremony attended by Collier's family, SDSO deputies and members of the community.

The Santee Park and Recreation Committee proposed the name for the park in May and it was approved by the City Council in June. Construction of the park will begin this month and is expected to finish by the end of October.

The park will feature a playground structure, benches, a covered picnic area, interactive bikeway, a half basketball court and outdoor fitness equipment.

The city has also incorporated several environmentally-friendly features into the park’s design like drought tolerant plants, a low-evaporation watering system, and a solar-powered overhead light.

The city was able to partially offset the park’s $1.2 million budget with state and local grants totaling $321,000, and a County Neighborhood Reinvestment Program Grant of $64,413 that paid for the basketball court and exercise equipment.

In the month of June Padres 1st baseman Wil Myers hit .327 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI. He even scored 25 runs. It appears that kind of production was not confined the calendar.

Myers went deep again on the first day of July, a 2-run shot over the right-centerfield wall to help the Padres take game one of a 3-game series against the Yankees 7-6 at Petco Park.  Wil also lined a single to left field and walked to bolster his All-Star resume.

The long ball was the 19th homer of the season for Myers. He was joined on the “touch ‘em all” team by rookie infielder Ryan Schimpf, who smacked the first home run of his big league career in the 2nd inning off Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi.

It helped give Padres starter Colin Rea the breathing room he needed after a shaky start. Rea needed 27 pitches to get through the first inning but didn’t allow a run to score. After that Colin, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Friday, settled in and threw just 63 pitches over the next 5.0 innings to earn the win.

San Diego led 7-2 at the start of the 9th inning. After trading closer Fernando Rodney to the Marlins the Padres had to find somebody new to handle the final three outs. They settled on Brandon Maurer, who had his work cut out for him in his first chance.

Matt Thornton came in and walked Brian McCann before hitting Starlin Castro with a pitch and giving up an RBI single to the pinch-hitting Alex Rodriguez. With two runners on and nobody out Maurer came in and immediately gave up a double to Didi Gregorius that cut the Padres lead to 7-4. An RBI groundout and a wild pitch brought in two more runs before Carlos Beltran laced a double to left-centerfield to put the tying run in scoring position.

But Maurer was able to get Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner to ground out for the final two outs, stranding Beltran and giving Maurer his first save of 2016. The Padres can win the series with a win Saturday night. Drew Pomeranz takes the mound against Ivan Nova.

For the Padres, 2016 has not gone according to plan. But help might be on the way. In, like, eight years.

On Saturday, July 2nd, Major League Baseball’s International signing period opens and the Padres are expected to go crazy. They’re rumored to be the favorites to land three of the top six players on the market (according to Baseball America rankings), two of them from the Dominican Republic and one from Venezuela.

The Friars are also said to be on the frontrunners on a few highly regarded Cuban prospects, although it’s not certain when (or if) they’ll be cleared and made available by MLB. The kicker here is how much cash the Padres are willing to spend to do this.

MLB gives you a certain amount of money based on your finish from the year before. You’re allowed to go over your pool allotment but there’s a tax for doing so. The Padres have a pool allotment of about $3.3 million.

If they land all the players they've been linked to it will cost them about $30 million, and that’s just for the players themselves. The tax for going over your allotment is one dollar for every dollar you go over. So if the Padres really go $27 million over their pool they’ll have to pay a $27 million tax.

That is astonishing for a franchise that has a well-earned reputation of frugality. The ownership group led by Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler has put its faith in General Manager A.J. Preller, who came to San Diego with the reputation of being a wizard with Latin American players.

Keep in mind, all this cash will be to lock up a bunch of 16-and-17-year-old kids, which would appear to be a huge gamble. But is it really? That is among the questions I asked A.J. about what could be a defining moment in Padres franchise history.

The most famous runner on earth might not be on the track for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, winner of the last two 100-meter and 200-meter Olympic gold medals and the current world record holder in both events, withdrew from the Jamaican Olympic trials with a hamstring injury. His availability for Rio is now very much in doubt.

Bolt won his 100m semi-final heat on Friday night but complained of tightness in the back of his leg. He described the situation on his Twitter account:

“After feeling discomfort in my hamstring after the first round last night and then again in the semi-final tonight I was examined by the Chief Doctor of the National Championships and diagnosed with a Grade 1 tear. I have submitted a medical exemption to be excused from the 100m final and the remainder of the National Championships. I will seek treatment immediately and hope to show fitness at the London Anniversary Games on July 22 to earn selection for the Olympic Games in Rio.”

A Grade 1 injury is generally considered a mild strain and can heal relatively quickly for most people. But most people do not make their living running 27 miles per hour so his recovery could be more problematic.

If Bolt is not able to run American Justin Gatlin becomes the betting favorite to take away the title of “Fastest Man Alive.”

A man allegedly stole a car approximately 30 seconds in a Clairemont neighborhood and the entire theft was caught on video.

Clairemont resident Kimberly King spoke exclusively to NBC 7 about the bizarre theft that left her rattled.

On Friday morning around 8:40 a.m., a man walked up to Kings’ 1996 Honda Accord parked on the street in the 3900 block of Mount Albertine Avenue in Clairemont. Surveillance video shows the man jiggling with the lock of the car, opening the door and then driving off down the street.

“Almost like he picked my car and in less than 30 seconds, it was gone,” King said.

She told NBC 7, she is confident she locked her car, which is why she is so shocked at how fast the man was able to break in and drive off.

“It just freaks me out. Someone is walking the streets and just picking cars out,” she said.

King said she’s a mobile hairdresser and kept all of her equipment inside her car. At the very least, she said she wants her stuff back.

NBC 7 contacted the San Diego Police Department about the incident but has not heard back yet.

But according to the California Highway Patrol, the 1996 Honda Accord was the most targeted in car thefts in 2014 and 2015.

Hillary Clinton gave a voluntary interview to the FBI Saturday morning as part of the investigation into her use of a private email server for official emails while serving as secretary of state, a campaign aide confirmed.

"She is pleased to have had the opportunity to assist the Department of Justice in bringing this review to a conclusion," campaign spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement. "Out of respect for the investigative process, she will not comment further on her interview."

The long-awaited interview on whether Clinton mishandled classifed information submitted on her private email system took place at the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., and lasted approximately three and half hours, a source told NBC News.

Though the interview was not unexpected, it came as Attorney General Loretta Lynch faces criticism that the investigation is politically tainted after an encounter with former president Bill Clinton earlier this week on a tarmac at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport. 

Speaking at a summit in Aspen, Colo., Friday, Lynch acknowledged the impromtu meeting with Bill Clinton "casts a shadow" over the public perception of the neutrality of the investigation. But, Lynch added, she will fully accept the recommendations of career prosecutors, investigators and FBI Director James Comey on whether to bring criminal charges in the investigation.

"This case will be resolved by the team that has been working on it from the beginning,'' Lynch said.

Construction began on a new housing development in Santee recently but it’s not making some residents happy.

The Castlerock housing development will be located just north of Highway 52, off of Mast Boulevard and across the street from West Hills High School. After years of planning, and an environmental lawsuit, 415 homes will soon go up in the area.

The development will also include 90-acres of open space and a public trail to Mission Trails Park nearby. The project is being headed by Pardee Homes.

However, some residents say they are unhappy because they believe the development will bring the traffic congestion and noise to the area.

“They took away my serenity, my quietness, my feeling, I just really enjoyed it over here. Now, I know it's gonna be way different,” Santee resident Bonnie Tucker said.

The 28-year old lives right next to the development. She said she’s expecting a lot of traffic, noise and chaos once the project picks up.

Another resident told NBC 7, once the housing development is complete, traffic in the area will be a nightmare.

“It's already bad for us, leaving Mast to go to 52, sometimes I get stopped up at my stoplight and I have to wait two or three turns before I can turn onto Mast,” long-time resident Brad Herring said.

Herring says he plans to make sure crews follow construction times and guidelines.

Pardee Homes is aware of the concerns about traffic and plans to add two additional stoplights to help. But residents believe that will add to the traffic in the area, especially during the school year. The housing development company has scheduled an open house to hear from residents on July 19 at West Hills High School.

The development company also released a statement saying that it's looking forward to being a good neighbor and committed to minimizing impacts to the surrounding area.

The houses are expected to be ready for move-in by late 2017.

A man accused of battering his girlfriend inside their Carlsbad home was found hiding in the attic of the residence after an overnight standoff, police confirmed.

Officers with the Carlsbad Police Department were called to a home in the 100 block of Juniper Avenue between Carlsbad Boulevard and Garfield Street Friday around 7:30 p.m. to investigate reports of a domestic disturbance involving suspect Gabriel Navarro, who had allegedly slammed his girlfriend’s head into the hardwood floor inside their home.

When officers arrived in the area they found the victim, who had fled to a neighbor’s home. She told police she had suffered a wound to her forehead at the hands of Navarro.

The victim said Navarro had armed himself with a shotgun and was holed up somewhere inside their home.

SWAT officials and a Crisis Negotiations Team were called to the scene and a standoff with Navarro ensued. As the situation unfolded, officials made several attempts to call Navarro on his phone. They also used a bullhorn to order him to come out of the residence.

Navarro did not respond, and the standoff pressed on.

Eventually, Carlsbad Police SWAT officers and a K-9 entered the home. They discovered Navarro hiding in the attic.

He was arrested without further incident and take to a local hospital for evaluation. The Carlsbad Police Department said he will be booked into Vista Jail on domestic battery charges.

His girlfriend was taken to a local hospital where she was treated for her wounds and released.

Two separate shootings were reported in Oceanside overnight, the Oceanside Police Department (OPD) said Saturday morning.

The first report of gunfire was called into police around 11:10 p.m. Friday in the 1000 block of Canyon Drive. The OPD said witnesses reported hearing the sound of shots being fired in a parking lot.

Officers discovered a 22-year-old man had suffered a gunshot wound to his arm. He was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive. Police said two suspects were arrested in connection with this shooting, though it is still unclear if the suspects knew the victim.

Two hours later – around 1:30 a.m. – another shooting was reported in the 400 block of Pier View in Oceanside. The OPD said that, in this case, no one was injured and no arrests were made. When officers arrived at Pier View, all they found were shell casings in the street.

In the last few years, raising chickens in San Diego’s urban areas has become more popular and, according to farming experts, the trend is expected to last.

“People are more conscious of where their food is coming from,” said Sam Tall, whose family has owned the City Farmers Nursery in City Heights since 1972.

Mike Handford and his wife, Lisa, live in City Heights, a densely populated neighborhood in central San Diego.

They've been raising chickens for the last four years. Right now, they have four hens living in their approximately 500-square-foot yard. Mike said that's plenty of space for the hens to roam around.

Each hen typically lays one egg per day and produces droppings with a lot of nutrients.

Mike collects the droppings from the coop and spreads it around the plants to use as fertilizer.

The Handfords' four chickens live harmoniously with their two rescue dogs, Daisy and Jimbo.

But that took a little time and training.

“[Daisy] will protect them like they're a part of her pack,” Lisa told NBC 7. “Jimbo, our other dog, grew up on a ranch. He wasn't used to it. He thought they might be dinner.”

“Daisy actually helped teach Jimbo not to eat chickens,” she added. “That they’re part of the family. So he's great with them now.”

Mike and Lisa didn't expect the hens to have such distinct personalities.

“One is very timid and very shy. We have one that's very grumpy. We have an adventurer that will go into our neighbor's yard,” said Mike. “We have one that's a lap chicken that just loves attention and loves to hang out with you.”

With those personalities in place, the couple has also named their hens and said they’ve also become attached to them.

“Probably the two best byproducts of having the hens are eggs and fertilizer," said Mike. “Entertainment is the third bonus.”

The Handfords learned how to care for back yard chickens from the staff at City Farmers nursery.

Tall said anyone who is interested in raising their own chickens – even in urban neighborhoods – can easily learn to do the same.

“Having chickens in your back yard is really simple,” explained Tall. “You usually need a hen house for them, something where they're going to lay their eggs, and [a place where they will] sleep at night, to protect them from predators."

Tall said a lot of the nursery’s customers are families with children.

“It's good for kids to go out in the morning, to pick out eggs, and see where they come from,” he added. “[The hens] don't fly away. They'll stick in your back yard.”

“They're great for keeping your bugs under control, eating weeds,” Tall continued. “You don't really get a lot of diseases or issues, if you keep things clean.”

Tall said hens usually produce about an egg a day for two four years. In their later years, a hen’s egg production usually slows down.

“The only time they'll make noise is when they're laying an egg. Most chickens are pretty quiet,” said Tall.

Still, Tall suggests letting your neighbors know you're raising chickens in your back yard, out of consideration.

“Because we are in a relatively small space, we have to think about our neighbors and make sure the chickens aren't jumping off into their yards,” Lisa agreed.

Every city has its own ordinance for keeping chickens. In San Diego, a coop must have at least six square feet of space for each chicken. The city's ordinance for housing chickens is detailed on its website. Enforcement falls under Development Services.

Thousands demonstrated in central London on Saturday against last week’s referendum to leave the European Union, NBC News reported. 

Most of the protesters were young adults, many of whom were draped in EU flags, while others waved banners bearing slogans such as “I’m with EU” or “Wrexit.” Many who took part said they were taken aback by the result of the vote. 

The demonstration ended peacefully with a rally outside parliament. One organizer put it at 50,000, but no police estimate of the turnout was available. 

London voted 60 percent of remaining in the EU in last Thursday’s vote. Younger voters widely favored of staying, but the overall result was 51.9 percent in favor of leaving.

Five people were killed and 20 other people were injured when a man entered a café in northern Serbia early Saturday, NBC News reported. 

The suspect was arrested after the attack, which occurred in the village of Zitiste, close to the town of Zrenjanin about 50 miles north of Belgrade. 

According to the country’s Interior Ministry, a man identified only as Z.S. first killed his wife and another woman, and then “continued to shoot at other citizens who were in the cafe."

No motive was given for the shooting, which was still under investigation.