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NBC 7's Steven Luke Arrives in Rio for Olympics

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NBC 7’s Steven Luke has arrived in Rio De Janeiro ahead of the Summer Olympics and will be there for the entire 16-day span of the games, reporting on local athletes.

Luke has covered a number of Olympic Games for KNSD; most recently, he reported from Sochi during the 2014 Winter Games.

Already, Luke is sharing his adventures from Rio on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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On Monday, he toured the Christ the Redeemer statue and captured the moment on a NBC 7 Facebook Live video.

In the video, he tells viewers of the mood and challenges in Rio in the week ahead of the Games.

About the concerns of contracting Zika via mosquitoes, Luke said: “There really haven’t been that many mosquitoes out. It’s just not a concern.”

He also said that water quality concerns are confined to the bay and small bodies of water, not the ocean.

You can follow Luke’s time in Rio by liking his Facebook page or following him on Twitter or Instagram. He’ll also be sharing some highlights on NBC 7’s social media accounts over the course of the Games.

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Photo Credit: Steven Luke
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San Diego 4th Most-Expensive City in California for Renters

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San Diego rents shrank 0.2 percent in July, but year-over-year growth remained in positive territory at 1.8 percent, according to an analysis by Apartment List.

Based on the site’s listings, the median price of a one-bedroom unit in San Diego last month was $1,530. Two-bedroom units were going for a median price of $2,010.

In July, Apartment List had 1,475 listings in San Diego, said Andrew Woo, who authors the company’s monthly rent reports.

San Diego was the state’s fourth most-expensive city for renters in July.

Statewide, year-over-year rent growth in Long Beach outpaced all other California cities, with a 7 percent increase.

In San Francisco, however, costs have fallen by 2.6 percent since June 2015.

The Apartment List data showed month-over-month rent growth in San Francisco was down 0.1 percent, while Long Beach slowed by 0.2 percent.

Other major Southern California cities saw increases in month-over-month rental prices, according to the report, with a 0.4. percent bump in Los Angeles and 0.5 percent and 0.4 percent increases in Orange County’s most populous cities, Santa Ana and Anaheim.

Rents in San Francisco remained the highest statewide, with the median price to rent a one-bedroom unit in the city in July at $3,520 – more than double the cost of renting in San Diego, according to the report.

Year-over-year rent growth statewide and nationwide was 2 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively.

Across the country, rents increased 0.3 percent in July, bouncing back after a slowdown in June. The median rent was $1,120 for a one-bedroom unit and $1,300 for a two-bedroom unit nationwide, according to the Apartment List report.

It’s a good bet that many New Yorkers would be thrilled to find an apartment going for double or triple that rate: New York City boasted the highest rent rates nationwide, with a median price of $3,510 for a one-bedroom and $5,130 for two bedrooms, beating out previous list-topper San Francisco.

 

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Photo Credit: influx productions
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Local Olympians Trek to 2016 Rio Games

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With the 2016 Rio Games around the corner, San Diego-based Olympic athletes have started hopping on airplanes and heading to Brazil as they prepare to represent the United States in the competition of a lifetime.

Jesse Smith, Men’s Water Polo athlete and Coronado High School alum, is among the local Olympians sharing his road to Rio on social media. On Tuesday, he posted a photo on Twitter of his teammates along a picturesque backdrop with the inspiring caption: “Teamwork is dream work.” Smith’s competitive run in the 2016 Rio Games starts this Saturday.

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Bonsall resident and racewalker John Nunn has also been tweeting his trek to the Rio Games. On Monday, Nunn tweeted from a USA Basketball event, grateful for a “little pre-show” before the trip to Rio De Janeiro.

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Nunn – a Palomar College graduate and track and field coach for Bonsall High School – also posted to his Twitter feed Tuesday, saying he was catching a flight to Rio soon. Nunn is scheduled to compete on Aug. 19.

Meanwhile, the NBC Olympics Twitter page posted a photo Tuesday of Men’s Volleyball Olympian David Lee, a native of San Diego’s Alpine community. The 6-foot-8 athlete is seen standing back-to-back with 4-foot-8 Team USA gymnast Simone Biles with the caption: “Athletes come in all shapes and sizes.”

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Team USA gymnast Alexandra Raisman also posted a similar photo back-to-back with the tall volleyball player. Lee, whose parents still reside in Alpine, is scheduled to compete with Team USA Volleyball this Sunday.

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Meanwhile Beach Volleyball Olympian Lauren Fendrick was pictured in a Twitter post by Team USA rooting on her team. Fendrick, a native of Carlsbad, is set to compete with her team this Sunday as well.

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Shalene Flanagan, the winner of the 2016 Suja Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon and Half Marathon, has also been posting to her Twitter page, including a snapshot of herself and other athletes wearing their sharp, Ralph Lauren-designed Team USA uniforms:

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She also posted a short video of some behind-the-scenes fun captioned: “Running form on point.” Flanagan will compete on Aug. 14.

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BMX athlete Connor Fields, who trains on and off at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center, posted a GIF to his Twitter page Monday showing off the new Team USA uniforms, which light up. Fields’ clip shows the flag bearer jacket that will be worn in Friday’s Opening Ceremony. Fields is set to compete in the Rio Games Aug. 17 through Aug. 19.

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Another BMX Olympian – San Diego resident Alise Post – also snapped a photo during processing for Team USA, posting to Instragram: “Wait, what?! Things just got real.” Post will also compete Aug. 17 through Aug. 19.

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Meanwhile, the NBC Olympics website reported that all 15 of U.S. Sailing’s Olympic athletes are now in Rio De Janeiro. The United States Sailing Association hosted a send-off party for the team at the Houston Yacht Club last week.

The sailing team includes Coronado High School graduate Paris Henken and Caleb Paine – a San Diego native who attended La Mesa’s Murray Manor Elementary School and Parkway Middle School, then Point Loma High School. Also on the team: Point Loma High School graduate Briana Provancha. The sailing team will compete in Rio starting Aug. 8.

For updates from the 2016 Rio Games, including profiles of San Diego athletes, visit our Olympics section here.

NBC 7’s Steven Luke is reporting from Rio during the 2016 Olympic Summer Games; follow him on Twitter and Facebook for exciting updates from Brazil over the next few weeks.

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Photo Credit: Jesse Smith/Twitter
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5 Dead in Calif. Tour Bus Crash

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At least five people died early Tuesday morning after a tour bus crashed into a sign on the highway in central California on its way up from Mexico, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Fifteen people suffered serious to critical injuries, some of whom were trapped in the bus for hours, and a dozen had less serious injuries, according to CHP spokesman Stephen Weeke, who said only four people were not hurt.

Fifteen people suffered serious to critical injuries, some of whom were trapped in the bus for hours, and a dozen had less serious injuries, according to CHP spokesman Stephen Weeke, who said only four on the bus were not hurt.

The Van Hool bus slammed into the highway "Hammatt Avenue" sign on Highway 99 in Atwater, Merced County, at 3:25 a.m. with 30 people on board, according to CHP Officer Moises Onsurez. Atwater is a city of 28,000 people, about 65 miles northwest of Fresno.

Onsurez said the pole sheared through the center of the white bus, with a California license plate, at an unknown speed.

"The bus was heading north on Highway 99 when it made an unsafe turning motion and collided with the poll," he said. The highway was closed for nearly 12 hours after the deadly crash.

The bus originated in Mexico, Onsurez said, and was headed to Washington state with stops in Los Angeles, Livingston in Merced County and Sacramento along the way.

There were no brake marks at the scene, meaning the bus hit the pole at full-speed, Weeke said.

Onsurez identified the driver as Mario David Vasquez, 57, Los Angeles, who suffered "major injuries." Six passengers were also airlifted to various hospitals, he said.

Sgt. Luis Lara later said that about 10 "walking wounded" passengers were outside the bus when officers arrived.

"It was a mess," Lara said. Some passengers were trapped inside, and firefighters cut them out. "We have every type of injury in that bus."

Onsurez also said that the charter bus had no name on its side and he didn't immediately know who was operating the vehicle. "With this sort of tragedy there is a lot of triage involved," he said.

According to Onsurez, people who were able to walk away from the crash site were taken to CHP headquarters. "We also got them a chaplin ... so they could process what happened today with this collision," he said.

Jennifer Rivera, 12, told NBC's sister station Telemundo that she was asleep when the bus crashed. She was thrown under the seats and was unable to see anything because her vision was blocked, she said.

Waking to people crying, Jennifer recalled being stuck and getting scraped up as she "got out through a hole." The young girl, who was traveling with two uncles, had been living in Nayarit and was returning to the United States to study, she said.

Meanwhile, Xiomara Huezo, the driver’s daughter in law, became emotional while Telemundo that the family had barely any information about Vasquez's condition. Initially, they thought Vasquez was dead and then were informed that he was, in fact, hospitalized with grave injuries.

Vasquez is a good driver and a good man, who is grieving the loss of his wife, who recently died of cancer, Huezo said. He doesn’t drink or smoke, she stressed, and has never had problems or been involved in accidents.

The driver's granddaughter Vanessa also told reporters in Los Angeles that she and her family are hoping he is able to come home soon.

"He's always been there for me — ever since I was a little kid, never left my side," she said.

There has also been no word on if the driver or mechanical issues are to blame for the crash. The names of the victims were also not released.

DMV records indicate the 1998 bus is registered to Auto Buses Coordinados USA. No one answered the phone at the Los Angeles office Tuesday. 

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the bus company, which also lists locations in Oceanside and Fresno, has a "satisfactory" service record. But, the FMCSA does show that 30 percent of its bus inspections prompted the government to pull its vehicles out of service over the last two years — above the national average of 20 percent.

Federal records showed the company had more than 23 vehicle maintenance violations since 2014. At least eight of those were severe enough to force inspectors to pull the company's buses off the road, records show.

Of those eight, three were for brake issues, federal records show. The latest inspection for the bus that was involved in Tuesday's crash occurred on April 28, when the federal safety agency found the VanHool had "no or defective brake warning device."

Also, on Feb. 5, 2015, a driver in a vehicle with the same license plate was pulled out of service in Oregon for driving a commercial vehicle with a suspended license.

California Secretary of State business records show that Marisela Castaneda is the "agent of service" for the company. A man who answered the phone number provided to federal inspectors associated with the company said Castaneda was not available to speak, but would pass the message along.

While the cause of the crash is under investigation, the deadly scene quickly turned into a political talking point for the driver's union, the Amalgamated Transit Union AFL-CIO.

Larry Hanley, president of the ATU in Washington, D.C., had no direct knowledge of Tuesday's accident. But he said driver fatigue is the No. 1 cause of motor coach bus accidents and is an issue that is "plaguing our nation's bus companies."

According to a report called "Sudden Death Overtime," the National Transportation Safety Board estimated that 36 percent of motor coach crash fatalities over the past decade have been due to driver fatigue, compared to road conditions (two percent) or inattention (six percent). There was no fog blanketing the highway at that time in the morning, weather radar shows.

The union has been calling on Congress to pass the Driver Fatigue Prevention Act, introduced by Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, which would extend the overtime protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act to these bus drivers, who often work second jobs during their "rest periods." Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, introduced the same thing in the House last month.

Under the legislation, drivers would be paid time and a half for the work they put in above 40 hours a week, making them less inclined to work other jobs and push "their bodies to the limit," Hanley said in a statement.

Since 1990, the ATU has documented 250 tour bus crashes in the United States.

NBC affiliate KSEE in Merced contributed to this report.


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Clinton Support Spikes After Convention: Poll

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Hillary Clinton now leads Donald Trump by 8 points — 50 percent to 42 percent — in the wake of the Democratic National Convention, according to the latest NBC NewsSurveyMonkey poll.

That's up from a single-point difference last week. Trump did not receive a similar bump after the Republican National Convention.

Clinton's gain also comes after Trump's comments about the family of a fallen American soldier and Trump's suggestion that Russian hackers should seek out deleted Clinton emails.

In a four-way match-up that includes Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Clinton now leads Trump by 4 points — 42 percent to 38 percent. This is a lead-reversal from last week, when Trump was beating the Democratic nominee by 2 points.

The NBC NewsSurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking poll was conducted online from July 25 through July 31 among 12,742 adults who say they are registered to vote.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Firefighter Injured in Recycling Center Fire

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A fire burning at a recycling center in the Spring Valley area threatened nearby homes and prompted evacuations Tuesday.

Flames sent thick smoke into the area over the paper recycling company located on Bancroft Drive, southeast of the State Route 125 and 94 interchange.

Cal Fire crews were called just before 7 a.m. and said the fire was threatening surrounding homes.

Elizabeth Nolasco saw flames shooting high into the air and went to her neighbors to alert them.

"Got out as soon as possible. We saw everybody else, started banging on their doors, 'Hey get up, there's a fire,'" Nolasco said. "Nobody was aware of it."

San Diego County Sheriff's Department evacuated four homes.

One firefighter was carried to an ambulance with injuries to his shoulder and leg. He was conscious but clearly in pain.

Cal Fire used a bulldozer and hand crews to come in and break up bales of paper.

Bancroft Drive was closed to traffic between SR-94 and Kenwood Drive, officials said.

Firefighters believe it may be hours before the fire is extinguished.

Suspect in Killing of SDPD Officer Shot Point-Blank: DDA

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The man accused of shooting two San Diego police officers – killing one and seriously wounding the other – allegedly fired at the officers point-blank, shooting one officer in the throat and the other in the torso.

Jesse Michael Gomez, 52, was arraigned on a first-degree murder charge, a felon with a firearm charge, with a special circumstance that carries the potential for the death penalty. The decision on whether the death penalty will be sought will not be made until after the preliminary hearings, according to a District Attorney spokesperson. 

Gomez was arraigned from his hospital bed, where he is receiving treatment for a gunshot wound he received during the Thursday shootout with the San Diego police officers. He pleaded not guilty through an attorney and bail was set at $5 million. 

In a news conference after the arraignment, officials released further details into what happened the night one SDPD officer died and another was wounded. 

Deputy District Attorney Michael Runyon said the shooting happened when SDPD officers Wade Irwin and Jonathan DeGuzman initiated a pedestrian stop late Thursday night. Officer Irwin got out and asked Gomez if he lived in the area, Runyon said. 

Gomez allegedly turned around and shot Irwin with a handgun, striking him in the throat. 

He then made his way to the patrol car where DeGuzman was seated in the driver's seat, Runyon said. Gomez shot DeGuzman point-blank in the car multiple times before he ever raised his service weapon, Runyon said.

Officer DeGuzman was struck in the right torso; the bullet punctured both lungs, severed his spine and punctured his pulmonary artery. He suffered four additional bullet wounds. 

Runyon said Officer Irwin could see his partner being shot at and, despite his wounds, raised his service weapon and fired at the suspect. He was unsure if he had struck the suspect, Runyon said. 

At that point, Gomez fled the scene. At this point, Irwin activated his body-worn camera. 

"At that time according to Officer Irwin, Officer DeGuzman was not saying anything and all he could hear from OD was moaning sounds," Runyon said.

Authorities followed a trail of blood to a nearby ravine, where they found Gomez unconscious, Runyon said. A firearm, magazine and matching ammunition were found in a nearby ravine, Runyon said. 

At the scene of the shooting, police recovered 13 shell casings. Twelve casings were in the street, and one was found in the passenger seat, indicating he had been shooting at Officer DeGuzman from a "very close range," Runyon said. 

Police have not yet said whether the shooting was an “ambush-style” attack, like the ones that have taken the lives of officers across the nation in recent weeks and months.

Irwin, who is recovering at a local hospital, later helped police identify Gomez from a line up of photos. 

Reached at their family home Thursday, Gomez’ son and brother said no one in the family can believe Gomez was involved.

“He’s a good guy,” his son, Danny said.

Court records paint a much different picture, showing Gomez has an extensive criminal history: he has previous convictions of carrying a concealed firearm, carrying a firearm while under the influence of methamphetamine and being a convicted felon while having a firearm. He also has a 1983 joyriding conviction.

Bail for Gomez was set at $5 million. He is set to appear in court next on Sept. 1. 

The investigation is ongoing. 

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 



Photo Credit: NBC 7

French President Calls Trump Statements 'Sickening'

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French President François Hollande on Tuesday reprimanded the "excesses" of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, calling his statements "sickening."

"His excesses make you want to retch, even in the United States, especially when — as was Donald Trump's case — he speaks ill of a soldier, of the memory of a soldier," Hollande told journalists at a gathering in Paris, according to the AFP.

Hollande's comments follow Trump's attacks on Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of an American soldier killed in Iraq, NBC News reported.

"Democracy is also as stake, as we see more and more people tempted by authoritarianism," Hollande said. "Should the American people choose Trump, there will be consequences because a U.S. election is a global election."

Hollande expressed his concern for how a Trump presidency could swing international politics.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Republican Hewlett Packard CEO Will Vote for Clinton

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Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman has come out in support of Hillary Clinton, saying that even as a Republican she could not support "demagogue" Donald Trump, CNBC reported.

Whitman said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday night that, "Donald Trump's demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character."

"As a proud Republican, casting my vote for president has usually been a simple matter," Whitman wrote. "This year is different. To vote Republican out of party loyalty alone would be to endorse a candidacy that I believe has exploited anger, grievance, xenophobia and racial division."

Whitman, a billionaire who waged an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in California in 2010, said that the GOP presidential nominee's "reckless and uninformed positions on critical issues - from immigration to our economy to foreign policy - have made it abundantly clear that he lack both the policy depth and sound judgment required as president."



Photo Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Couple Killed on Third Anniversary

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Family members said a North Texas couple celebrating their third wedding anniversary were among 16 people killed Saturday in a hot air balloon disaster in Central Texas.

John and Stacee Gore had four children and were members of Calvary Baptist Church, said their pastor Marc Alcorn.

The couple from Mineral Wells, about 35 miles west of Fort Worth, were especially active with church youth groups and the tragedy is pulling the community together, Alcorn said.

"If you're on Facebook, and you look at all the comments from all the community, I mean all you see is, of course, prayer, concern, just the love the community pours out," he said.

The hot air balloon the Gores were in hit high-voltage power lines and crashed near Lockhart, authorities have said. All 16 people on board were killed.

John Gore, 33, the son of a long-time Mineral Wells doctor, worked at a plastics plant in nearby Weatherford.

Stacee Gore, 31, worked as a custodian at the church, the pastor said.

The couple each had two children — three boys and one girl — when they got married in 2013.

A memorial service will be held Saturday at First Baptist Church in Mineral Wells. Funeral services will be announced after the bodies are released.



Photo Credit: AP
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'Blash From The Past' Not Enough To Beat Brewers

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Padres manager Andy Green plans to give the younger players on his squad ample playing time the rest of the season. 

This includes outfielders like Travis Jankowski and Poway’s Alex Dickerson, as well as shortstop Jose Rondon – who Green said he plans to start in place of veteran Alexei Ramirez for the foreseeable future.

In Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Milwaukee, it was Jabari Blash’s turn to shine. 

The enigmatic outfielder recorded his first career RBI and stolen base against the Brewers. 

Blash had spent the past few months in Triple-A El Paso working on his swing and was called up a couple days ago after Matt Kemp was traded to Atlanta. 

He originally opened the year on the Padres Opening Day roster but struggled in limited action earlier this season as a Rule-5 pickup from Seattle.

San Diego managed only six hits and two runs against Milwaukee starter Zach Davies Tuesday. 

All three relievers from the Brewers bullpen that entered also worked quickly to retire the Padres and none of them allowed a single hit.

Padres starting pitcher Luis Perdomo pitched well into the 6th inning but that was when Milwaukee jumped in front. 

Ryan Braun returned from a five-game absence to smash a solo homer and Chris Carter later knocked in another run to make it 3-1 Brew Crew.

Blash knocked in Wil Myers in the bottom half of the 6th when he smashed a line drive off the glove of Milwaukee third baseman Jonathan Villar. 

Blash is still batting a paltry .176 in the bigs but Green and general manager AJ Preller hope the rightfielder will become more consistent with more at-bats. 

When Blash was pinch-hitting earlier in the year it was tough for him to get comfortable against big-league pitching and now the plan is to see if he can figure it out with a larger sample size at the big league level.

The rubber match between the two teams is set for Wednesday afternoon at 12:40 p.m. 

Edwin Jackson takes the mound for San Diego while Milwaukee counters with Junior Guerra.  

The Friars will then enjoy an off-day Thursday before hosting Philadelphia this weekend.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

1,700-Acre Fire Ravaging NoCal

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A fire burning just east of Lake Berryessa in Northern California has grown to 1,700 acres, Cal Fire officials said.

The blaze, dubbed the Cold Fire, has prompted mandatory evacuations in nearby Canyon Creek Resort and Golden Bear Estates. The fire started around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Cal Fire said late Tuesday the fire was at zero percent containment. Highway 128 has been closed from the Monticello Dam to Pleasants Valley Road.

There were about 500 personnel from multiple agencies battling the blaze. Most of the firefight was taking place on the ground in terrain that was difficult to access, Cal Fire said. But earlier Tuesday, a DC-10 tanker was aiding the fight from the air, dropping large amounts of fire retardant.

Ground resources, which included firefighters and sheriff's deputies from eight agencies as well as officers from the California Highway Patrol, continued to battle the fire through the night.

Cal Fire did not provide an estimated number of evacuees. An evacuation center was set up at the Winters Public Safety Center at 700 Main St. in Winters.

For more details on the latest evacuations and road closures, visit the Cal Fire website.

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Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area
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James O'Neill Is Next NYPD Top Boss

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The architect of the NYPD’s “community policing” program, Chief of Department James P. O’Neill, will succeed Bill Bratton as NYPD commissioner after he vacates his post in September, Mayor de Blasio announced Tuesday.

“Jimmy O’Neill has built a national model for bringing police and the community together to fight crime,” de Blasio said. “As the top-ranking uniformed member of the NYPD, Jimmy has spent each day ensuring that New York City remains the safest big city in America."

O'Neill has served in the NYPD for more than 30 years, de Blasio said, beginning in the New York City Transit Police in 1983.

He was appointed to chief of patrol in 2014. He then became chief of department later that year, when Philip Banks resigned his post.

As chief of department, O'Neill implemented community policing in precincts across the city. Under the program, officers were assigned to precincts with the goal of engaging the community to create trust between police and residents. The "neighborhood coordination officers" were assigned to precincts in every borough of the city.

Bratton, de Blasio and O'Neill all credit the neighborhood policing initiative with lowering crime across the city.

"Few understand the human side of policing better than Jim O'Neill," Bratton said. "As chief, his innovative NCO program is not only making communities safer, it has brought police and the people together."

O'Neill said the strategy lowers "crime, but not at the expense of losing the vital support of the people we are sworn to protect and serve."

O'Neill is a New York native, born and raised in Brooklyn's East Flatbush neighborhood. He holds a master's degree in criminal justice from John Jay College and has taught criminal justice at CUNY Rockland.

His rise to the NYPD’s top position includes serving as commanding officer of the 25, 44 and Central Park Precincts, the NYPD's website says. He also served as the commanding officer of the Firearms Training Section, the Police Academy, Warrant Section and the Fugitive Enforcement Division.

This is what some people were tweeting about the change at the head of the NYPD: 


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Emirates Jet Crash-Lands in Dubai; Firefighter Killed

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An Emirates jet with 300 people on board crash landed at Dubai International Airport on Wednesday, skidding down a runway and bursting into flames, NBC News reported. A firefighter died battling the blaze, the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority said.

An engine was torn from the Boeing 777's right wing as it scraped to a halt, forcing passengers and crew to evacuate before flames consumed the aircraft.

All 282 passengers and 18 crew members escaped using inflatable slides. Ten people were hospitalized, according to the chairman and CEO of Emirates airline.

"On behalf of the General Civil Aviation Authority, I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to the family of deceased. I salute his ultimate sacrifice that kept many from harm’s way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family," said the director general of GCAA.



Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of @kbhagava

Trump U. Video Depositions Won't Be Made Public

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A San Diego judge has ruled video depositions of Donald Trump associated with lawsuits against him and the now-closed Trump University will not be made public.

In his ruling released Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel wrote that the released depositions would have negatively impacted a potential juror's view of the GOP candidate and his testimony.

Given the context of the case and timing of the request for the videos to be made public, Curiel wrote it would be nearly “inevitable that ‘cut’ and ‘spliced’ segments of defendant’s (Trump’s) deposition videos would appear in both media reports and in political advertisements aired nationwide prior to the trial.”

Curiel said that would increase “the likelihood that prospective jurors would be exposed to information about the case, as well as to evidence that could be introduced at trial to impeach defendant’s (Trump’s) testimony.”

Click here to read the complete ruling. 

In June, the Washington Post, ABC, NBC, CBS, The New York Times, CNN, the Tribune Company and Fox News joined together to file a request to unseal complete transcripts and videotapes of depositions of Trump taken on Dec. 10, 2015 and Jan. 21, 2016. 

The Trump University lawsuits filed in San Diego federal court allege the former university, which took in over $40 million, was fraudulent and deceptive.

Trump denies the allegations in the lawsuits. Throughout the case his attorney, Daniel Petrocelli has said, “the case is unwarranted; (Trump) will defend himself fully."

In their request for the release of the videos, attorneys for the media companies argued there is strong public interest in the lawsuit, "which involves serious allegations of fraud that have become a prominent issue in the 2016 presidential campaign weighs in favor of public disclosure."

Judge Curiel agreed and in his ruling said, “there is a degree of legitimate public interest in the content of the deposition videos.” Trump has a “diminished privacy interest as someone who is a ‘public figure experienced in dealing with the media.”

Siding with Trump and his attorneys, Curiel said, “ultimately, video depositions are permitted to facilitate the presentation of evidence to juries; they are not intended to provide ‘a vehicle for generating content for broadcast and other media,’” he said.

Several factors Curiel outlined as weighing into his decision include:

The presumption of public access is “substantially weaker” since the depositions were generated during discovery and not evidence or exhibits attached to “dispositive motions or introduced at trial.”

“There is a greater potential for harm to result” from release of the videos because the media scrutiny will be on-going and there is “no reason to believe that ‘memories will fade,’” even with the trial being three months away.

The public’s interest in viewing the videos does not outweigh the possible “impairment to judicial efficiency likely to result.”

Earlier this year, the Washington Post asked Judge Curiel to intervene in the Trump University lawsuit in order to ask for thousands of pages of documents to be unsealed in this lawsuit. In May, he agreed and issued an unsealing.

Click here to read more about the documents released in that request. 

Two class-action lawsuits against the now-closed Trump University are being heard in San Diego courtrooms; another lawsuit is based in a New York court. The San Diego cases include: Cohen v. Trump, a nationwide class action lawsuit and Low v. Trump, a class action in California, Florida and New York.

A trial in the Low v. Trump case has been set for Nov. 28. On Tuesday, Judge Curiel formerly denied Trump’s attorney request for summary judgement in the Cohen case. His attorney’s were asking for it to be dismissed but Curiel disagreed.

“The court finds that plaintiff has raised a genuine issue of material fact as to whether defendant (Trump) knowingly participated in the scheme to defraud,” Curiel said in his ruling.

Click here to read the summary judgement denial.



Photo Credit: AP, File

DC Transit Officer Tried to Help ISIS: Feds

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A police officer with the Washington, D.C. Metro transit system has been arrested for trying to support ISIS, according to federal prosecutors.

Nicholas Young, of Fairfax, Virginia, is accused of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He was arrested at Metro headquarters Wednesday morning, NBC News reported. 

It's the first time a law enforcement officer has been accused of aiding the terrorist organization, authorities told NBC News national security reporter Ken Dilanian. 

Young, 36, met on 20 separate occasions with an FBI informant whom he believed was a man being radicalized, prosecutors said. He sent the man 22 digital gift card codes to be used with mobile messaging accounts that ISIS uses in recruiting, according to prosecutors. 

ISIS fighters and supporters communicate using encrypted apps, some of which charge fees, NBC News and Newsweek have reported. The FBI redeemed the gift card codes for $245.

Young appeared in federal court Wednesday afternoon for a brief hearing. The bearded man with chin-length hair and tattoos was expressionless as he stood in shackles. His pants appeared to be part of his Metro Transit Police uniform.

He received a court-appointed lawyer. Information on that lawyer was not available immediately.

A woman with tattoos and blonde hair in a braid appeared upset in the courtroom. Fighting tears, she refused to say what, if any, relationship she has with Young.

Law enforcement officials searched Young's home near Lee Highway and Fairfax County Parkway on Wednesday morning. Police tape blocked the street.

Young told an FBI informant that he was stockpiling weapons in his home, prosecutors say.

Young posed no credible threat to the Metro system, Joshua Stueve, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, told NBC News. 

According to court records, Young has been under scrutiny since as far back as 2009, when Metro officials reported suspicious behavior to the FBI, NBC News reported.

Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld called the charges "profoundly disturbing." 

"[Metro Transit Police Department] Chief [Ronald] Pavlik and I have worked hand-in-glove with the FBI in the interest of public safety and to ensure that this individual would be brought to justice," Wiedefeld said in a statement.

Young's employment with Metro was terminated Wednesday morning after his arrest, Wiedefeld said. He began working for the agency in 2003.

Young has been a longtime supporter of Islamic extremism and also has Nazi sympathies, prosecutors allege. He traveled to Libya in 2011 and told the FBI he fought with rebels seeking to oust dictator Moammar Gadhafi, NBC News reported.

Law enforcement officials first interviewed Young in September 2010, in connection with his acquaintance Zachary Chesser.

Chesser, of Bristow, Virginia, pleaded guilty to providing material support to the terrorist group al-Shabab. The Muslim convert also told the creators of the television show "South Park" they risked death for mocking the Prophet Muhammad in an episode.

Neighbors of Young's said they often saw him fixing his car and that he rarely acknowledged them. 

"It's just scary. You never know who your neighbors are," neighbor Dina Ahmad said. 

Young is due to appear in court again Thursday afternoon.

Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story. 



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Georgia Teens Shot in Head, Found Dead Behind Publix Store

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A boy and a girl were found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head behind a Publix grocery store in Roswell, Georgia, NBC News reported.

Natalie Henderson, of Roswell, Georgia, and Cater Davis, of Woodstock, Georgia, both 17, were discovered by a delivery driver in the parking lot of the store early Monday. Both died from a single gunshot wound to the head, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner. 

"The manner of death in both cases is homicide," the medical examiner said in a statement Tuesday. "Further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths is to be done by the Roswell Police Department."

Tributes were paid Tuesday to the teens, who attended different high schools in the area.



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Trump Campaign Raised $80M in July

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Donald Trump's campaign grew its fundraising in July to a total of $80 million raised, including joint fundraising efforts with the Republican National Committee. The campaign also reported having $37 million cash on hand, CNBC reported.

The numbers are up from June when the campaign raised $51 million. Trump still trails his rival Hillary Clinton for July.

On Tuesday, Clinton reported raising nearly $90 million in July, ending the month with a $58 million war chest.



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Sorrento Therapeutics Launches Another Joint Venture

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San Diego drugmaker Sorrento Therapeutics is launching a joint venture with South Korea’s CHA Biotech to develop an anti-cancer therapy. This is the latest in a string of joint ventures Sorrento has created in the last few months.

The joint venture will be working with a technology that takes natural killer cells from patient blood and uses them to develop “highly activated” natural killer cells. The resulting activated killer cells (called AKCs) can be cryopreserved, and more than 1,000 AKC batches have already been produced and are in clinical testing in Japan, according to Sorrento.

"In the rapidly growing field of natural killer cell-based therapies, CHA Biotech’s activated killer cell technology stands out as one of the most promising and advanced platforms," said Henry Ji, president and CEO of Sorrento, in a statement.

The duo believes that Sorrento’s chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology will enhance AKC’s anti-cancer activity.

Both CHA Biotech and Sorrento will pitch in $2 million to the joint venture, with CHA Biotech holding 51 percent while Sorrento will hold the remaining 49 percent of the company. Sorrento will also get a license to develop and market CHA Biotech’s AKC technology in territories including the U.S., Europe, and China.

The joint venture will be headquartered in South Korea, at CHA Bio Complex, Korea’s largest biomedical research center, according to CHA Biotech CEO Jong-soo Choi.

San Diego’s Sorrento is stacking up partnerships and joint ventures in recent years. In July, the company announced a partnership with French pharma Servier. Before that, it announced a joint venture with 3SBio in June.

Sorrento also raised $150 million in a June private placement led by Hong Kong investor Ally Bridge Group, an impressive feat considering that its market cap is only $264 million.



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Nurse Falls Into Md. River While Trying to Help Crash Victims

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A nurse who stopped to help the victims of a serious crash in Maryland early Wednesday was hurt after she plunged more than 75 feet into a river, officials said. 

The woman fell into the Monocacy River in Frederick County after she tried to cross from the eastbound lanes to the westbound lanes of a bridge and apparently was unaware there is no median between the lanes, Maryland State Police said in a statement. 

The woman, a 47-year-old trauma nurse, and her husband were traveling eastbound on I-70 about 4:45 a.m. when they saw that a semitractor-trailer and dump truck had crashed on the westbound lanes of the bridge, police said.

The semitractor-trailer, which was loaded with asphalt, slammed into the back of the dump truck, which was loaded with concrete.

The semitractor-trailer hit the right concrete wall of the bridge, jackknifed and caught fire. The dump truck crashed onto its side and spilled some of its load of concrete onto the bridge, dramatic photos taken from Chopper4 show. 

The good Samaritan ran to help the two drivers and plunged into the river.

Her husband called for help immediately, and a trooper pulled her to shore. 

Chopper4 flew over the scene as rescue crews secured the woman to a gurney. 

The nurse and the dump truck driver, a 53-year-old Baltimore man, were rushed to University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center by helicopter. The semitractor-trailer driver, a 58-year-old man from Sparrows Point, Maryland, was taken to Meritus Medical Center. 

Before the crash, a motorist reported that a commercial truck driver was traveling westbound without the truck's lights on. The crash occurred moments later, as troopers tried to find that truck. 

The interstate was closed in the aftermath of the crash. 

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