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Rio Day 14: Bolt and Felix Make History, Other Moments

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Usain Bolt won what he called his final Olympic race, boxer Claressa Shields is trying for a U.S. record, and two women hit aces on the golf course. Memorable moments on Day 14 at the Rio Games — in case you missed them.

Bolt Gets Gold, Again
Usain Bolt won his third Rio gold medal in the 4x100 relay final as part of the Jamaican team Friday -- and his ninth Olympic gold medal overall. Bolt and Jamaica won the relay in Beijing and in London, where the team set the world and Olympic records.

Bolt had already won the gold in the 100 and 200 meters -- and both for the third time. He is the first runner to win those three events three straight times.

The United States team crossed the line third in the 4x100 but was disqualified for an early baton pass. That gave Canada the bronze medal. The USATF filed an appeal following the disqualification. A post on their Twitter account said they expect a decision Saturday. 

American Women Win After Second Chance
The U.S. women's 4x100 relay team was victorious Friday, giving Allyson Felix the fifth gold medal of her Olympic career — the most among women in track and field.

The gold in the relay came a day after the women qualified for the final by racing against the clock on an otherwise empty track. Earlier, Felix was jostled by another runner and had dropped the baton, but an appeal gave the American women another shot. 

U.S. Boxer Tries for a Record 
U.S. middleweight boxer Claressa Shields — in a unanimous decision on Friday — moved a step closer to becoming the United States' first Olympian to win back-to-back boxing gold.

Shields, the Olympic and world champion, defeated Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova in the semifinals to advance.

Shields has already clinched the silver medal.

Sunday's gold medal bout will be a rematch between Shields and the Netherlands’ Nouchka Fontijn, whom Shields defeated in the spring to win her second world title.

Aces on the Golf Course
New Zealand's Lydia Ko rocketed up the women's golf leaderboard Friday after making her first hole-in-one.

She made the ace at par-3 8th hole at the 140-year in the third round.

It was the second ace made at the hole that day. China's Xi Yu Lin made a hole-in-one at the 8th earlier that round.

Germany Takes Soccer Gold
Germany's women's soccer team defeated Sweden 2-1 to win an Olympic gold medal for the first time.

A two-time World Cup champion, Germany had previously won three bronze medals.

The silver medal was also a first for Sweden.

When the United States was knocked out of the competition by Sweden last week, goalkeeper Hope Solo called the team "a bunch of cowards," in reference to its conservative play. Her comment immediately drew criticism.

"That's not our team," responded Solo's teammate Megan Rapinoe. The U.S. women needed to handle defeat graciously and humbly, she said.

Another teammate, Alex Morgan, said she did not share Solo's opinion.

Lochte Apologizes for His Behavior
U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte on Friday said he was sorry for his behavior in Rio de Janeiro last weekend when he and three teammates lied about having been robbed at gunpoint while returning to the Olympic Village from an early morning party.

In a posting on Instagram, Lochte said he wanted to apologize "for not being more careful and candid" in describing what happened after he and the others stopped a gas station to use a bathroom — and for taking the focus away from the athletes competing in the Olympics. He had returned to the United States before authorities said publicly that the men were lying.

But his apology was not without reservation. He said it was traumatic to have been out late with his friends in a foreign country — with a language barrier — and to have had a stranger point a gun at him and demand money to allow him to leave.

"But regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that am sorry," he said.

Brazilian authorities say that a gun was pointed at Lochte during a confrontation with security guards after the men vandalized a gas station and were told to pay for the damage. In a statement to police released on Friday, one of the others, Jack Conger, said that he and Lochte urinated behind the gas station, and that Lochte ripped a board from the side of the building.

Conger and Gunnar Bentz were taken off a plane and detained briefly in Brazil but have since returned to the United States. The fourth swimmer, James Feigen, was ordered to pay $10,800 to a charity before leaving Brazil.

Everyone in the Pool
The U.S. women’s water polo team won its second consecutive Olympic gold medal on Friday, crushing Italy 12-5.

And as has become its custom, the team celebrated with a dunking — of the coach that is.

The victory was likely especially sweet for the coach, Adam Kirkorian, who had to leave the Rio Games before the opening ceremony when his brother, Blake, died suddenly. He returned the day before the tournament began.



Photo Credit: Getty Images
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Syrian Boy Omran Daqneesh's Brother Dies

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The brother of Omran Daqneesh — the boy who became an international symbol of the devastation in Aleppo — died from his wounds, NBC News reports. 

Ali Daqneesh died Saturday from injuries he sustained when his family’s apartment was hit in a blast from airstrikes on Wednesday. Ali was 10 years old, according to the Aleppo Media Center. 

The haunting photos of 5-year-old Omran were released by Syrian opposition activists earlier this week. The dust-caked, bloodied Omran sits in an orange chair in an ambulance, his legs too short to reach the floor. Omran appears shell-shocked and weary. 

A doctor who identified him in the photos said Omran was brought to the hospital with head wounds, but didn't suffer any brain injuries, and was later discharged.



Photo Credit: Aleppo Media Center via AP

Body Found on Hwy. Believed to Be of Missing Motorcyclist

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A body found off a Montana highway Friday is believed to be that of a missing South Dakota father and husband, NBC News reported. 

Police believe the body is of Zackary Baldwin, whose motorcycle and wallet were also found nearby. Authorities believe Baldwin went off the road and crashed. A cause and manner of death have not yet been determined. 

Officials with the Williams County Sheriff's Office said construction workers discovered the body along Highway 2 near Bainville, Montana, several miles from the North Dakota border. 

Baldwin disappeared on June 26, 2016, after leaving for a late-afternoon motorcycle ride.



Photo Credit: Baldwin Family

Olympic Artist In Residence Wows Rio Visitors

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French artist JR wowed Rio visitors during the Olympics with his larger-than-life art installations throughout the city. JR is one of three artists in residence for the Rio Games, a first in Olympic history.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

6 in a Row! Look Back at Team USA's Gold Rush Since 1996

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That's six gold medals in a row for the Americans, including the most recent win Saturday in Rio over Spain, 101-72. Here's a look back at Team USA's dominance on the hardwood the past two decades.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Valet Companies Monopolizing Street Parking, Violating Code

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Some San Diego valet companies, paid for convenience, are taking advantage of loose regulations, monopolizing street parking and violating city traffic codes, an NBC 7 Investigates undercover investigation found.

Most nights, it's stiff competition for free street parking downtown. Using undercover cameras, NBC 7 Investigates followed valets in downtown hotspots, where parking is at a premium.

The investigation found it's not just the visitors in the Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy vying for the spots. Valets are too. Something a City of San Diego spokesman confirms is a violation of city traffic code.

Bunnie Rambo is a frequent visitor to Little Italy. She said she never self-parks. Instead, she always pays a $9 valet fee to the Little Italy Association to have them park her car.

“I feel safer when I just get my car from the valet and then also it is easier to find parking,” Rambo said.

With NBC 7 Investigates cameras rolling, Rambo's Toyota was tracked to a metered parking space, directly across the street from the Little Italy valet stand where she left it. A violation, according to the city’s valet permit requirements, which prohibits valet companies from storing cars in the public right of way.

“So, I paid them and they just parked across the street? Wow! I could have done that for free,” Rambo said.

Rambo's experience is not unique. For six weekends NBC 7 Investigates documented valet municipal code violations apparently going unchecked.

By using free public spaces, spaces the public would otherwise be using, valet companies can hold down their costs associated with paying for lots and garages.

NBC 7 Investigates' undercover video shows Parkway Valet, located in the Gaslamp Quarter, doing just that.

According to its permit application, company owner, Joshua Baker is renting parking spaces from Ace Parking's Broadway garage.

After handing over the keys to an NBC news car, NBC 7 Investigates used GPS to track where the Parkway Valet attendant took the vehicle.

Identified by the number “81” on the bumper, the news car was driven in the opposite direction of the Broadway garage. It was found parked on 2nd Avenue just south of Market Street. It did not have a valet tag on the window and it was parked in a red zone, meaning it could have been towed at the owner's expense.

The valet attendant tried to retrieve the car twice. The first time, he denied he parked the car there and ran away. The attendant returned less than 10 minutes later using his uniform to cover his face. He ignored NBC 7 Investigates' questions.

NBC 7 Investigates attempted to speak with Baker multiple times. He agreed to an interview but then didn’t show up. A visit to the address listed on Parkway Valet’s city permit found a vacant lot. In a phone conversation, Baker said he is between offices and was planning on getting out of the valet business.

In an email, Anthony Santacroce, a public information officer for the City of San Diego said, the city is asking Parkway Valet for "a valid Business Tax Certificate as a condition of maintaining its permit with the City...Should the company fail to provide that proof as requested, its permit will be suspended and the Police Department will be notified that the company must cease operations."

In Little Italy, NBC 7 Investigates parked cars twice using the Little Italy Association valet service.

The first time, the news car was parked for 45 minutes in a metered space marked with a “Free after 6pm” sign. The parking spot was directly across the street from one of three off-street parking lots the Little Italy Association designates for valet, according to its city permit.

Little Italy Association District Manager Christopher Gomez oversees the company's valet service. He said he couldn't be more disappointed with the undercover video NBC 7 Investigates showed him.

“The intent with the valet program, is to pull vehicles off the street,” he said. “It's not to relocate them to a public space number one, it's part of the agreement. That's what we sign off on.”

Valet attendants store another news car for just under 15 minutes in the valet's designated drop-off zone. A violation of city code, the city confirms, which prohibits valet companies from parking cars in drop-off zones for more than three minutes.

Gabriella Merchant lives directly across from where the car was parked. So frustrated with losing spaces to valet attendants on weekends she says she now travels only on foot.

“It's not fair especially when you are paying rent to live here and we don't have a designated spot,” Merchant said.

There appears to be no sacred space on Merchant's street.

NBC 7 Investigates cameras recorded attendants parking cars in the loading zone two doors up.

One time it took two valets to squeeze a vehicle in the spot.

“There is definitely a break in communication where staff is not following protocol and that is something we cannot stand for,” Gomez said.

Parking in public spaces didn't happen one night but every night NBC 7 Investigates was watching. Tiny Little Italy Association valet stubs could be found tucked under the wipers of cars parked in places their permits and the city code says they’re not supposed to be.

“They're taking a public parking space and making you pay for it, “Rambo said.

San Diego traffic patrols are responsible for policing the parking in these downtown neighborhoods. Breaking the rules, can mean a ticket.

Not for valets. City of San Diego spokesman Bill Harris confirmed that, to date, valets have never been cited.

Harris declined a request for an on-camera interview but in an email confirmed the descriptions of what NBC 7 Investigates found would be violations of city code.

After viewing the undercover video, a Little Italy Association representative sent an email to NBC 7 Investigates and said, the association “called a valet employee meeting to reiterate all parking and street regulations of employee's original contracts.”

The association also “created an additional agreement stating valet employees will be terminated if they violate any parking and street regulations - all agreements have been signed by valet employees. Whenever a problem is brought to the Little Italy Association's attention it is our number one priority to resolve it as quickly as possible.”



Photo Credit: NBC7

Shooting Victim Dies on Porch in Oceanside

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A man was shot to death in Oceanside early Saturday morning, collapsing on the porch of an apartment, police confirmed.

Officers with the Oceanside Police Department (OPD) were called to the 800 block of Langford Street at around 2 a.m. after multiple reports of shots fired in the area.

When officers arrived in the neighborhood, a man in his 20s led police to a man on the porch of an upstairs apartment who was suffering from gunshot wounds.

Police said the victim – an Oceanside resident in his late 20s – had been shot at a nearby location and somehow managed to make his way to the porch of the apartment before collapsing. The man succumbed to his injuries at the scene, the OPD said.

As of 12:40 p.m. Saturday, police said the suspect in this deadly shooting remained at large. Several police cars remained at Langford Street. Family members and friends of the victim were grieving at the scene.

The investigation is ongoing and detectives are asking anyone with information on this case to call the OPD at (760) 435-4911. At this point, it is unclear if the shooting is gang-related.

No further details, including the name of the victim or the motive for the shooting, were immediately released.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Local Volleyball Athletes Vie for Bronze in Rio

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On Saturday, the women of the U.S. indoor volleyball team -- including two local athletes -- competed for their chance at bronze at the 2016 Rio Games.

Bonsall native Carli Lloyd (yes, the volleyball Carli Lloyd, not the soccer Carli Lloyd -- there are two athletes by the same name in Rio) and Rancho Santa Fe native Karsta Lowe competed with Team USA against The Netherlands in a final match to determine who would bring home bronze.

In the end, Team USA captured the bronze, winning 3-1 against The Netherlands to make it to that Olympic podium.

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Lloyd is a 2007 Fallbrook High School graduate who joined the U.S. Women's National Team in January 2011. She played volleyball through high school and as a student at University of California-Berkeley. Most recently, she's been competing on a professional level in Italy.

Lowe joined the U.S. women's national team in May 2015 after graduating from UC Los Angeles. Lowe competed in tennis when she attended La Costa Canyon High School. She currently plays in Italy with Futura Volley.

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On Sunday, there will be more volleyball action from Rio 2016 as the U.S. men's volleyball team competes for bronze against Russia. The match goes down at 5:30 a.m. PT.

The U.S. team includes 6-foot-8 Alpine resident David Lee.

The 34-year-old athlete joined the U.S. men’s national team in 2005. In 2015, the middle blocker served as team captain at the FIVB World Cup where the U.S. men won gold and secured a ticket to Rio. This is Lee's second time at the Olympics; he competed in the 2008 Beijing Games, too.

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 updates from Brazil as the 2016 Olympic Summer Games come to a close.



Photo Credit: Getty Images
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An Interesting Nugget on Usain Bolt's Gold-Medal Meal

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After devouring the competition in the final leg of the 4x100m relay final Friday night in Rio, Usain Bolt decided to devour some food.

His meal of choice: Chicken McNuggets.

An AP reporter snapped a pic of the fastest man in the world chowing down on some nuggets post-gold medal race.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Bolt would choose Ronald’s chunks of chicken to celebrate his ninth gold medal. Bolt, you see, is no nugget newbie.

In his memoir, Bolt described how he wasn’t a big fan of Chinese food at the Beijing Olympics, so he sought out McDonald’s, which just happened to have an endless supply of his favorite food.

And it’s a good thing the restaurant was well-stocked. Bolt estimated that he ate about 1,000 nuggets while in Beijing, which worked out to about 100 nuggets per day.

“At first I ate a box of 20 for lunch, then another for dinner,” he said in his memoir, “Faster Than Lightning.” 

"The next day I had two boxes for breakfast, one for lunch and then another couple in the evening,” he continued. "I even grabbed some fries and an apple pie to go with it."



Photo Credit: Getty Images
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Modern Pentathlon Event Brings the Pain

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The modern pentathlon is one of the most unusual Olympic events, and one of the most painful if you don't get a good horse.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Man Jaywalking in Vista Killed in Collision

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A man was struck by a car and killed while jaywalking in Vista late Friday, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) said.

The deadly incident happened just before 9 p.m. in the 1700 block of East Vista Way. SDSO officials said a man was jaywalking on the street when he was hit by a driver in a 1996 Toyota Corolla.

The pedestrian died from injuries suffered in the collision. The driver remained at the scene.

The investigation is ongoing and the man’s name has not been released. The SDSO said alcohol on part of the driver was not a factor in this deadly accident.

7 to Watch: Closing Ceremony

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NBC 7 looks over the schedule of events from the 2016 Rio Olympics for Sunday, August 21 and brings you seven moments to watch:

1. CLOSING CEREMONY

The first Olympics in South America will come to an end at Maracanã Stadium for the Closing Ceremony. The Mayor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, will receive the Olympic flag symbolizing the conclusion of the Rio Olympics and the start to the 2020 Summer Games. Many details are being kept under wraps but look for five-time gymnastics medalist Simone Biles to carry the U.S. flag at the ceremony for Team USA. Norwegian electronic musical Kygo is expected to perform. Brazilian soccer legend Pele, who had hoped to attend the Opening Ceremony before he was sidelined for ill health, could potentially make an appearance on Sunday.

HOW TO SEE IT: NBC will air coverage of the Closing Ceremony from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. A one-hour special looking back at the defining moments of the game will air at 7 p.m.

2. US MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM LOOKS GOLDEN

The U.S. men’s basketball team has had to answer questions about being a disappointment in Olympic competition. But as the U.S. heads into a gold medal showdown with Serbia, who the U.S. defeated 94-91 earlier in the Games, they are the only undefeated team in the tournament at 5-0.

HOW TO SEE IT: You can see Team USA go for gold live on NBC's daytime coverage or live online at 11:45 a.m. PT.

3. US VOLLEYBALL MEN AIM FOR BRONZE

A little less than 48 hours removed from a shocking loss to Italy in the semifinals, can a young American team rebound to take the bronze from a Russian squad that lost in three sets to Brazil?

HOW TO SEE IT: Catch Team USA take on Russia live on USA Network or live online at 5:30 a.m. PT.

4. CLARESSA SHIELDS FIGHTS FOR BACK-TO-BACK OLYMPIC GOLD

Can Claressa Shields make history again? Don’t bet against her. The reigning Olympic gold medalist in the women’s middleweight division has run through her competition in Rio, leaving the Netherlands’ Nouchka Fontijn as the only fighter who could end Shields’ dreams for a repeat.

HOW TO SEE IT: You can see Shields go for the gold on NBCSN or live online when boxing coverage begins at 10 a.m. PT.

5. MEN’S MARATHON

Guor Marial, 32, may not appear at the podium but he's one to watch. South Sudan's flag bearer is competing in his second Olympics but for the first time representing his country, which gained independence in 2011. Marial reportedly lost 28 members of his family during Sudan's civil war and escaped slavery before being taken into the U.S. as a refugee.

San Diegans will be rooting for local Olympian Meb Keflezighi when the race kicks off at 5:30 a.m. PT.

HOW TO SEE IT: Watch live coverage on NBC or online.

6. MEN’S 65 KG FREESTYLE WRESTLING

Frank Molinaro is America’s best chance at medaling in the freestyle wrestling final. Raised in New Jersey and the 2012 NCAA Champion at Penn State, Molinaro is ranked first in the United States at 65 kilograms.

HOW TO SEE IT: Catch Molinaro try to pin down a medal live online when coverage begins at 8:45 a.m. PT. NBCSN will also air coverage.

7. MEN’S BASKETBALL BRONZE MEDAL GAME

Australia and Spain were supposed to challenge Team USA for the gold medal. But both find themselves in the Bronze medal game. Australia was routed, 87-61, in the semifinals by Serbia, while Spain -- the two-time reigning Olympic silver medalists -- dropped a 82-76 decision to the Americans.

HOW TO SEE IT: See Australian Andrew Bogut go one-on-one with Spaniard Pau Gasol live on NBCSN or online at 7:30 a.m. PT.



Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
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U.S. 5000m Silver Medalist Disqualified, Then Reinstated

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A day after the U.S. 4x100m men’s relay team was disqualified in Rio due to a bad baton exchange, it looked like another runner would lose a medal due to an infraction.

Paul Chelimo finished second Saturday in the 5000m race, but Olympic officials disqualified him, only to reinstate his finish about an hour later.

Race officials initially said Chelimo had a lane infringement, i.e. he stepped over the out-of-bounds line. A replay showed that he did. But according to the IAAF, Chelimo was reinstated after the U.S. federation officially protested the DQ.

His time of 13:03.90 is a personal best.

When Chelimo was initially told about the disqualification by NBC during its live broadcast, it was thought that officials flagged him for impeding another runner when he cut to the outside. He disagreed.

“I was trying to get to the outside,” Chelimo told NBC. “I was trying to save myself from all of the pushing.”

Chelimo is Kenyan-born but joined Team USA through the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program, according to the Associated Press. He was a runner at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro before enlisting in the Army, earning U.S. citizenship and joining the athlete program. He’s currently a water treatment specialist for the Army.

Because of Chelimo's disqualification, fellow U.S. runner Bernard Lagat moved up in the standings and was on the verge of receiving a bronze medal until the ruling was overturned. Two other runners also were disqualified after the race won by Great Britain's Mo Farah.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Sig Alert Issued on SR-67 After Fatal Crash

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A deadly accident in Ramona involving at least three cars prompted a Sig Alert in both north and southbound State Route 67 at Cloudy Moon Drive, California Highway Patrol confirmed.

One of the cars drifted into oncoming traffic just after 7 p.m. Saturday night, and at least one person was killed.

The Sig Alert, issued from Archie Moore to Poway Road, is expected to last from eight to 10 hours.

At least one of the vehicles caught on fire.

There is no word on the conditions of other passengers involved.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 



Photo Credit: Getty Images/File

1 Burned in Boat Fire Off of Shelter Island

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One person in the water has been burned in a fully engulfed boat fire about 100 yards off Shelter Island in San Diego Bay Saturday night, San Diego lifeguards confirmed.

The fire started around 8:45 p.m., and crews are trying to put the fire out before they can determine if anyone was on board.

There is no word on the victim’s condition.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Park View Little League Beats Texas

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Chula Vista’s Park View Little League team, who made it to the World Series last weekend, beat a team from San Antonio, Texas in an elimination game 5-0 Saturday night.

The team, playing in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, lost 5-1 to a team from Iowa in the first round on Friday, but that didn't deter loyal fans from sticking by their team. 

People at a watch party at Buffalo Wild Wings at Otay Ranch Mall cheered and high-fived as the team knocked out run after run Saturday. 

"It's awesome," fan Sarah Camacho said. "It's a great experience, and it's basically for our kids to look up to, to dream about."

"I like seeing them because it's fun to watch them, and to see how they play so I can get better so one day I could be like them," Milan Gallardo said. 

The team will play another elimination game on Monday. 



Photo Credit: NBC 7

VP Candidate Senator Tim Kaine Visits San Diego

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Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator Tim Kaine visited San Diego Saturday for a private fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Just before noon, the Virginia senator stopped at a luncheon in Point Loma hosted by local Democratic donor Marcy Krinsk and her husband Jeffrey.

According the San Diego-Union Tribune, the price to attend the Clinton campaign fundraiser was $1,000 per person.

Parts of the road were closed off during the event. There were no protesters or large crowds gathered outside.

NBC 7 spoke with San Diego County Supervisor Dave Roberts outside the event as he was walking in. He told NBC 7 he was happy to be there.

Roberts said he has followed Kaine's career for years because they are both from Virginia.

Roberts said Kaine will understand the military needs of San Diego because Virginia is also home to a large military community.

Kaine left the fundraiser at around 1:15 p.m.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton named Kaine as her VP pick on July 22, just days before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Kaine served as governor of Virginia before his election in 2012.



Photo Credit: AP

Driver Flees After Deadly City Heights Hit-and-Run

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A driver who struck a pedestrian early Saturday morning in City Heights fled the scene of the crash, leaving the badly injured victim to die.

According to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) a 40 to 50-year-old man was walking north, crossing the 4900 block of El Cajon Boulevard at around 4:50 a.m., when a driver traveling east hit him.

The driver fled the scene.

Police said the victim was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. He died a short time later.

The driver in the deadly hit-and-run has not yet been arrested. The SDPD said the suspect’s vehicle is described as a 2009 to 2011 Honda Civic, possibly a two-door. The vehicle likely sustained front-end and windshield damage in the collision, police said.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. The name of the victim has not been released.

Butt Spray, Chalk and Gelatin Improve Olympic Outcomes

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Hair gelatin and butt spray and speed glue. Oh my.

From the bizarre to the edible, and everything in between, Olympic athletes are willing to employ any trick that will help perfect their performance.

After watching the Olympics competition in synchronized swimming, some spectators walked away wondering how they managed to keep their cap-free hair and makeup immaculate throughout the routine in the water.

"It's unflavored Jell-O — we mix it with water, and it turns into a gooey mixture," Team USA members told Vogue. "When it dries, it gets really hard and your hair doesn't fall out when you swim. We like to add glitter and other decorations to it — it's easy." 

And how are gymnasts able to defy ill-fated wedgies during tumbles and leaps?

"You're not allow to [pick a wedgie] or else you get deducted. So a lot of people use like sticky spray for your butt so your leotard doesn't move," 2008 Olympic individual all-around gold medalist Nastia Liukin told People.

While butt spray helps the female gymnasts, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team brings their own chalk to competition. 

The chalk provides the perfect grip for competing in the parallel bars and the horizontal bar, also known as the high bar. The chalk can be the tool that prevents slippage. 

“They (athletes) always rechalk the bar the way they want it. That’s why a lot of these athletes travel with their own chalk — just to stay in their own comfort zones,” said Jonathan Horton, an American who competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Horton served as a gymnastics analyst for NBC during the Rio Olympics. 

Team USA's Sam Mikulak noted to NBC Olympics after a trip to Rio earlier this year that the chalk in South America is magnesium carbonate, which he described as feeling more like baking powder than chalk. 

For swimmers, it's not so much bringing in a new piece of equipment, it's using two of what you've got that may improve performance.

Many swimmers compete with two caps reportedly to lessen the drag felt in the pool. With six medals in Rio, Michael Phelps was the most dominate swimmer to sport two caps in the pool. 

The reason why Phelps wore two caps? To make himself aerodynamic, according to NBC News

Glue and tape also have a place in Olympic competition. 

Some table tennis players apply speed glue between the wood of their paddle and the striking surface. It's a technique that aids extra elasticity. Volatire organic compound (VOC) based glues were banned after the Beijing Olympics because of concerns regarding that type of glue on the health of competitors.

American Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings has been seen sporting kinesio tape in action playing beach volleyball.

Olympic silver medalist Haley Anderson used kinesio tape at the 2012 Olympics in London. 

"Not only does it look cool, but it actually serves a purpose," Anderson said. 

Dr. Heather Linden of United States Olympic Committee Sports Medicine says kinesio tape helps with an athlete's posture and circulation, but also admits there is no science to back up those claims yet. 



Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Ryan Lochte to NBC's Matt Lauer: 'I Over-Exaggerated'

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American swim star Ryan Lochte finally spoke out about the incident in Rio that landed him and his teammates in hot water this week, repeatedly telling NBC's Matt Lauer Saturday he "over-exaggerated" his initial account of a robbery in Rio and taking full responsibility for what happened to his teammates.

"I over-exaggerated that story and if I hadn't done that, we wouldn't be in this mess," Lochte said in the exclusive interview, a portion of which aired on NBC Saturday night.

At times emotional, Lochte offered an on-camera apology one day after apologizing on social media. The 12-time Olympic medalist said he's embarrassed over his "stupid" and "immature" mistake — embellishing a late-night encounter at a gas station to make him and his American teammates sound like victims of an armed robbery — and doesn't want to be remembered for it.

But in the 14 minutes of footage aired Saturday, Lochte did not admit to lying about the incident, as local police accused him of when they released damning surveillance footage. The remaining seven minutes of the interview will air on the "Today" Show Monday.

According to Rio de Janeiro police, Lochte and three other American swimmers vandalized a gas station bathroom after a night of partying last Sunday. The three were confronted by security guards, but initially told the media that the group was robbed at gunpoint, a story that capitalized on reports of spreading crime in the Olympic host city.

As police investigated discrepancies in the story, a judge ordered the passports of Lochte and a teammate be seized, though Lochte was already out of the country. The two other swimmers involved were pulled from a plane to the U.S. and held for questioning overnight before flying back.

Lochte now admits he left out or exaggerated details — like a gun being held to his head — in his initial accounts of the incident to NBC's Billy Bush and Matt Lauer. 

Lauer asked Lochte why he embellished.

"I don't know why. It was still hours after the incident happened, I was still intoxicated," Lochte said. "I was still under that influence, and I'm not making being intoxicated an excuse ... I shouldn't have said that."

The NBC interview comes a day after he posted an apology on his Instagram account about the incident.

In it, Lochte said he should have been “more careful and candid” when he claimed to be the victim of a robbery during the Rio Olympics. He said it was traumatic to have been out late with his friends in a foreign country — with a language barrier — and to have had a stranger point a gun at him and demand money to allow him to leave.

"Regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that am sorry," Lochte said on Instagram. 

Police said that fellow swimmer Gunnar Bentz told them Lochte pulled a framed metal advertisement that was hanging on a brick wall and became belligerent after the guards drew their weapons. 

Bentz, who was pulled off his plane with teammate Jack Conger, outlined his account to police in a statement issued Friday. The two returned to the United States Friday morning. 

"After Jack and I both tugged at him in an attempt to get him to sit back down, Ryan and the security guards had a heated verbal exchange, but no physical contact was made," Bentz said in his statement.  

Calling it an "unsettling, humbling and frightening experience," Conger reiterated Bentz's account in a statement he released Saturday, according to NBC News

"Four of us took a taxi back to the Olympic Village, and on the way we pulled into a gas station to use the restroom, but ultimately relieved ourselves outside, for which I apologize. Ryan Lochte removed a poster from a nearby wall, which apparently alerted the gas station employees, leading to our being confronted by two armed security men," he said.

In exchange for his passport, James Feigen paid almost $11,000 for falsely reporting a crime. Bentz and Conger both returned to the United States Friday morning after being pulled off their plane the day before. 

Lauer asked what Lochte felt about the police investigation's conclusion that the swimmers had vandalized the gas station they said they were robbed at. 

"Whether you call it a robbery, whether you call it extortion or just paying for the damages, we don't know. All we know is there was a gun pointed in our direction and we were demanded to give money," Lochte said.

But Lochte told Lauer that seeing his teammates stuck in Rio for something he did made him feel like he let his team down. 

"I don't want them to think that I left and left them dry, because they were my teammates, and I wanted to definitely be there," Lochte said.

The executive director of USA Swimming said this week that the organization does not condone the athletes' behavior and that it will look into the incident. 

The United States Olympic Committee called the incident a "distracting ordeal in the midst of what should rightly be a celebration of excellence."

"The behavior of these athletes is not acceptable, nor does it represent the values of Team USA or the conduct of the vast majority of its members," said the statement from USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. "We will further review the matter, and any potential consequences for the athletes, when we return to the United States."

Lochte, contrite for distracting viewers in the U.S. and around the world from the Rio Games, said he can make it right at the 2020 Olympics in Toyko, should he be selected to represent the nation. But that's up to the USOC and USA Swimming, he said. 

"I learned my lesson from this, I definitely did. I know these kind of shenanigans or whatever you call it will never happen again," he told Lauer.

He seemed particularly perturbed that little kids would think of him as the athlete who drunkenly vandalized a Brazilian gas station one night. 

"I don't want them to look at me (like) 'He was a drunk frat boy' or anything like that. I don't want that. I want to be a role model for those little kids. And I know that I can change that," he said.



Photo Credit: NBC
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