In an emotional interview, the driver of the limousine where nine women were on their way to a Bay Area bridal shower on Saturday, described how fast the flames engulfed the white Lincoln Town Car he was driving when five women died.

"There were too many flames," Orville Brown, 46, of Oakland and a driver for Limo Stop, said on Monday in an interview with NBC Bay Area. "The flames were just bursting. When the (women) opened the door, it oxygenated the fire, and it spread so fast."

Brown was picking up nine women on Saturday before 10 p.m. in Alameda and heading toward Foster City for a bachelorette party, when his limo caught fire for unknown reasons on Saturday, and claimed the lives of five women, including the bride. The victim's sister-in-law, Lovela Nicolas, identified the bride as Neriza Fojas.A family member told NBC Bay Area she was recently married here in the United States, but she was also planning a wedding in the Philippines on June 19.

As of Monday morning, Valley Medical Center in San Jose said that Jasmine Desguia, 34, of San Jose and Amalia Loyola, 48, of San Leandro were still in critical condition. Stanford Medical Center would not discuss the details of  Mary G. Guardiano, 42, of Alameda.

Neila Arrellano, 36, who was released from Stanford Medical Center, and who is a nurse who works at the Fruitvale Health Center in Oakland, described through tears that she was yelling at Brown to pull over.

"Stop the car, stop the car," she recalled telling Brown. "I told you, there is smoke."

She said her friends were heading to the Crowne Plaza in Foster City for a "wedding celebration," because it was supposed to be a night of "fun."

Arrellano, a nurse who works at the Fruitvale Health Center in Oakland, described through tears that she was yelling at Brown to pull over.

"Stop the car, stop the car," she recalled telling Brown. "I told you, there is smoke."

Arrellano told NBC the driver wasn't paying attention because he was on the phone. “Open the door. Open the door. But he didn’t do anything. He was on the phone,” Arrellano said.

Brown's brother, Lewis Brown, responded to that claim. He told NBC Bay Area they think she was confused. "The partition was solid. He [Orville Brown] was not on the phone. He added that the partition wasn't made of see-through glass.

The driver said he initially thought the women were asking him to pull the vehicle over so that they could get out and smoke a cigarette. Then he realized that they were complaining of smoke in the back.

The San Mateo County Coroner has not yet released the names of the other victims, but Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno released the name of a second victim on Monday. They said a nurse named Michelle Estrera also died in the fire. Estrera and Fojas were both nurses.

Brown called all the women "beautiful," and that when he went to go pick them up, he was honored and excited for them to have a wonderful night.

"Everything was fine," he said. "The music was on, they were having fun."

At some point, one of the women told him there was "smoke," but he didn't realize the car was on fire. He thought she wanted a cigarette, and he didn't immediately respond to the emergency.

RAW AUDIO: Limo Driver Says Women in the Car Said to "Pull Over"

Then he saw the panic and "grief" on her face and he started dialing 911, but had trouble because his hands were shaking so badly.

"It was horrific," he said. "The flames were so high. I didn't know how to explain it. It was a weird situation. I've never been in one like that before."

He said the flames started spewing odors, such as plastic, rubber and wood. "It was a nasty, toxic smell," he said.

He added that he wished there was a law that required fire departments to have substations on bridges. It seemed to take forever for firefighters to arrive because they had to circle back on the San Mateo Bridge to help.

The California Highway Patrol said Monday that the limousine where five women died on Saturday was authorized to carry eight passengers, not nine.

Capt. Mike Maskarich said that Brown, however, was properly licensed to operate the white stretch car, considered a "chartered party vehicle," despite the fact that there was one more passenger than allowed.

Limo Stop Owner Kultar Singh deferred all comment to his lawyer, Doug Sears, of Sacramento, who was not immediately available for comment.

In a separate interview on Monday, Brown told NBC Bay Area that he thought "a limo could hold more than that, to be honest with you."

He added: "I don't make the rules I'm just a driver."

Below, survivors Neila Arrellano describes through tears how events surrounding a limo fire that killed five of her friends unfolded.

• CHP: Limo Authorized to Carry 8 Passengers, Not 9
• New Bride Among Five Killed in Limo Fire on Bridge

Here is a look at the legal battles, voter initiatives, federal government policy announcements and ordinances passed on the local level as a result of the passage of Prop 215 making it legal to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes in the state of California. The information and dates were pulled from the NBC 7 San Diego archives.

Nov. 5, 1996
Prop 215 was passed in California making it legal to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes.

July 1997
The San Diego Cannabis Care Givers Club set up shop in Ocean Beach, growing cannabis on the premises.

January 1998
During a law enforcement raid at the Valley Center Cannabis Club, officers admitted even they were confused about what was legal and illegal after the passage of Prop 215. Club founder Steve McWilliams was arrested for possession but the DA declined to press charges stating they did not have enough information.

March 1998
Steve McWilliams was arraigned on charges of growing, transporting and selling marijuana. The case proved to be the county’s first legal test of the state’s medical marijuana law.

January 1999
A government advisory panel looked into the use of medical marijuana and found it can offer quick relief to people suffering from diseases such as AIDS and cancer. The panel found it can also treat symptoms of anxiety, pain, nausea and vomiting.

August 29, 2000
The Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) was established at UC San Diego under a state grant to assess the use of cannabis as an alternative for treating specific medical conditions.

May 14, 2001
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled there was no medical exception to federal marijuana laws meaning that it was still illegal to sell or distribute the drug even when state laws, like those in California, allow it.

August 2001
New Drug Enforcement Administration Chief Asa Hutchinson vowed to enforce the federal ban on medical marijuana.

A Gallup poll showed support for legalizing marijuana at its highest level in 30 years.

October 2002
The San Diego City Marijuana Tax Force recommended that people authorized to use marijuana be allowed to grow or possess a maximum of 3 pounds of the plant. Caregivers would be allowed to grow or possess 90 plants and 9 pounds of the herb.

San Diego County Board of Supervisors votes against the San Diego City Marijuana Tax Force recommendation.

October 29, 2002
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the government cannot revoke the prescription licenses of doctors who recommend marijuana to sick patients.

February 2003
San Diego City Council voted 6-3 directing the City Attorney to draw up ordinances as part of a two-year pilot program allowing patients to possess up to 1-pound of pot. Caregivers can possess up to 2-pounds.

June 2003
California lawmakers approved identity cards to protect medical marijuana users from arrest.

September 2003
San Diego City Councilmembers adopted new guidelines for use of medical marijuana including city-issued identification cards to qualified patients and caregivers.

November 29, 2004
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether states or the federal government has the final word on which drugs should be outlawed.

June 6, 2005
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that federal authorities can prosecute sick people whose doctors prescribed marijuana to ease pain. The court found that state laws don’t protect users from a federal ban on the drug.

July 11, 2005
Local medical marijuana activist Steve McWilliams committed suicide.

November 3, 2005
The County Board of Supervisors decided to face legal action rather than set up a state-ordered medical identification card and registry program.

December 12, 2005
Federal agents raided more than a dozen medical marijuana businesses in San Diego and San Marcos. Agents said the businesses were selling marijuana to customers who did not have written prescriptions from doctors.

December 2005
San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to file a lawsuit seeking to overturn Prop 215, California’s medical marijuana law.

April 2006
The Food and Drug Administration publically spoke out against medical marijuana saying that smoked marijuana not only has not been proven effective as a medicine, it’s also not safe.

November 2006
The county’s legal challenge to Prop 215 was rejected in a ruling that stated California can decriminalize a drug even though it’s illegal under federal law.

January 24, 2008
The California Supreme Court ruled employers can fire workers for using medical marijuana on or off the clock.

October 2008
The California Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal from San Diego County in the legal battle over issuing medical marijuana identification cards. The county has until January to petition the U.S. Supreme Court.

March 18, 2009
The Obama Administration said it has no plans to prosecute California stores that legally dispense marijuana for medical use.

May 2009
The Oceanside City Council approved a temporary ban on medical marijuana dispensaries.

May 19, 2009
The U.S. Supreme Court denied San Diego County’s last attempt at challenging Prop 215. The high court refused to hear the suit brought by San Diego and San Bernardino Counties.

July 6, 2009
The San Diego County Health Department began accepting applications for medical marijuana identification cards.

August 5, 2009
San Diego County Supervisors approved a 45-day moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries saying they need time for staff to develop land-use regulations. Similar moratoriums existed in Chula Vista and National City.

September 8, 2009
San Diego City Council voted to create a Medical Marijuana Task Force to develop recommendations on how to regulate marijuana dispensaries within city limits.

September 16, 2009
San Diego County Supervisors extended the temporary moratorium on dispensaries for an additional 10 months.

October 30, 2009
The San Diego District Attorney’s Office reported there were 58 active medical marijuana dispensaries in the City of San Diego, 13 more in the county and 65 delivery services.

June 30, 2010
Supervisors approved rules for marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas putting them in industrial zones, at least 1,000 feet from homes, schools, churches and playgrounds.

July 2010
A new policy was enacted stating that patients of the Veterans Administration cannot be denied any care or be forced to enter a drug rehab program if they’re using medical marijuana.

Sept. 13, 2010
San Diego City Council voted 6-1 on a measure to create zones for medical marijuana sales that was similar to those restrictions approved by the county.

March 28, 2011
San Diego City Council voted 5-2 to confine dispensaries to light industrial and commercial area keeping them at least 600 feet from homes and other sensitive areas such as schools, churches, parks and playgrounds.

July 8, 2011
The DEA ruled marijuana has “no accepted medical use” and is considered illegal under federal law regardless of conflicting state legislation.

July 25, 2011
After opponents to the new dispensary guidelines collected enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot, San Diego’s City Council voted to not enforce the new law limiting the number and location of marijuana cooperatives.

September 2011
It is estimated that approximately 1 million Californians hold a medical marijuana card. 

October 13, 2011
Federal prosecutors have launched a crackdown on pot dispensaries in California, warning the stores that they must shut down in 45 days or face criminal charges and confiscation of their property even if they are operating legally under the state's 15-year-old medical marijuana law.

October 17, 2011

The California Medical Association called for the legalization of marijuana, saying such a move will allow doctors to better study the drug and counsel their patients about its use. 

January 17, 2012
Poway passed a permanent ban on medical marijuana dispensaries.

July and August 2012
Del Mar, Encinitas and Solana Beach city leaders approve voter ballot initiatives to decide whether marijuana dispensaries should operate within city limits.

November 7, 2012
Voters in Solana Beach rejected Measure W. Del Mar voters defeated Measure H. Lemon Grove voters rejected Measure T. Imperial Beach residents defeated Measure S. Encinitas failed to get its initiative on the ballot.

January 10, 2013
Newly-elected San Diego Mayor Bob Filner asked the Neighborhood Code Compliance Department and Police Department to temporarily halt prosecution of city zoning code violations when it comes to medical marijuana dispensaries.

February 27, 2013
A new Field Poll reveals 54 percent of polled voters favor marijuana legalization – the highest approval number for the issue in the poll’s history.

April 12, 2013
The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act was introduced in Congress. The bill would protect individual marijuana consumers, as well as businesses operating in states where they are legal from federal prosecution.

April 23, 2013
San Diego city leaders mull permits for marijuana dispensaries within city limits. Under the proposal, dispensaries could operate in commercial and industrial areas for a $5,000 yearly permit fee and a 2-percent city tax on sales. 

May 6, 2013
The California Supreme Court said neither the state's voter-approved law legalizing medical marijuana nor a companion measure adopted by the Legislature prevent local governments from using their land use and zoning powers to prohibit storefront dispensaries.

The Sycuan Tribe is offering a hefty reward to solve the murder of one of its members.

Xusha Brown, Jr., 22, of El Cajon was killed in a highway shooting Sunday.

La Mesa Police hosted a news conference Monday to update the public and announce the reward. The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation is providing $50,000. $10,000 will be given through Crime Stoppers, and $40,000 will come from the tribe directly.

"The entire tribe is grief-stricken," said tribe spokesperson Adam Day.

A family friend tells NBC 7 the victim's father shocked and distraught over his son's death. The father is a prominent tribal member who has been on the gaming commission for years.

La Mesa Police Chief Ed Aceves says he hopes the reward will be incentive for someone to come forward with information. Police say they don't have any suspects, but are looking for a silver sedan. They think the crime could be gang related.

Brown and Malcolm Hune, 21, were traveling eastbound on Interstate 8 in La Mesa early Sunday morning. Officials say another car opened fire, shooting Brown in the head. Hune was hit in the arm. Police say other people were also in the car, and one of them drove the victims to Grossmont Hospital.

Brown was transferred to Sharp Memorial Hospital where he later died.

The California Highway Patrol received a call around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, saying a car was blocking eastbound I-8 near State Route 125. They also received reports of a person on the side of the road. On Monday, police confirmed that person was Brown.

Part of the highway was shut down for more than five hours as officers investigated.

Brown, known as “Lil Shu,” is receiving an outpouring of support on Twitter.

The reward will be given for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

Dozens of volunteers are searching the San Bernardino Mountains for three men who were expected to return Sunday from a weekend hiking trip.

The hikers include Ryan Shankles and David Yoder of Oceanside and Miguel De la Torre of Carlsbad according to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Jodi Miller.

Miller said Shankles, Yoder and De la Torre were with a fourth man at the Heart Bar campground Saturday.

The men left in the morning for Fish Creek Trail to hike San Gorgonio Peak. One of the men felt sick during the hike and returned to camp.

When the three others didn’t return by Sunday, he reported them missing. A search was launched Sunday on the 10-mile trail, but then halted overnight.

Nine teams, a total of 60 searchers, were on the ground Monday looking for the three still missing. Fog has suspended the search on the Big Bear side but they're trying to gain entry on the eastern side of the mountain Miller said.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for the mountains through 11 a.m. Tuesday with snow in the forecast.

Miller said they are experienced hikers with food, water and at least sweatshirts if not more cold weather gear.

San Gorgonio is the highest peak between the Sierra Nevada mountain range and the Mexico border located about 27 miles east of San Bernardino.

Searches do not expect foul play and are currently treating this as a rescue, not recovery.

Check back for updates on this developing story. 

Water has been turned off to four blocks in North Park after a pipe broke Monday.

The break happened around 5 p.m. Water poured down Georgia Street and Florida Court near Balboa Park.

North Park resident TJ Linnard saw the break happen. He described it as a geyser shooting 20 feet in the air.

“We just didn’t believe it was happening,” Linnard said. “Walked over here and saw the ground crack.”

City water crews turned off the water before 6 p.m. The road was badly damaged, and several apartments flooded.

Crews are working to replace the six-inch concrete pipe, according to public utility officials. They expect to turn the water back on and reopen the road by 2 a.m. Tuesday.

View Water Main Break in a larger map

More than a dozen farm workers in Southern California were out of a job after walking out of the fields last week, forced indoors because of heavy smoke from a massive wildfire burning nearby.

“Oh, yeah, the smoke was very bad. That’s no doubt about that,” said Lauro Barrajas, of the United Farm Workers.

As the blaze, dubbed the Springs Fire, continued to grow in Camarillo May 2, farm workers 11 miles south in Oxnard said they started to feel the effects of the smoke in the strawberry fields.

The ashes were falling on top of us, one of them explained, adding “it was hard to breathe.”

Air quality in the region was at dangerously poor levels and 15 workers at Crisalida Farms decided they could not handle it any longer. They left, even though their foreman warned them they would not have a job when they returned.

When they went back to the fields May 3, the farm fired them.

Barrajas, who is a representative of the UFW, said the workers contacted him for help, even though they were not members of the union.

Union representatives met with the farm’s upper management and applied a union rule.

“No worker shall work under conditions where they feel his life or health is in danger,” Barrajas said.

In a statement to Telemundo, the farm representative said the workers left without permission while orders still needed to be filled. The company offered to pay them for the hours they’d worked.

Later, the company settled with the union and offered to rehire all 15 workers. But only one worker returned.

The others took jobs on other farms.

One worker said while it hurts to lose work, one's health is more important.

The LAPD has launched investigations into several complaints of excessive force and racial profiling against officers involved in a weekend confrontation with mostly black and Latino students in an incident captured on YouTube.

The cases are being launched in connection with a confrontation that happened overnight Friday at a party hosted by black USC students celebrating the end of finals week.

"We will investigate those complaints vigorously," said Los Angeles Police Lt. Andy Neiman, a department spokesman. "If there is a perception that something was done out of the ordinary or a perception of biased policing, we certainly want to address those concerns right away."

Meanwhile, students are participating in a public forum Tuesday night with representatives from the Los Angeles Police Department and campus police in hopes of coming up with solutions.

Nate Howard, a USC senior, one of the party hosts, said he was handcuffed, pushed against the wall and put into the back of a squad car after he asked officers what was going on.

“There was no reason for me to be handcuffed, pushed the way I was,” he said. “We were just having a good time."

Ola Bayode said as many as six officers grabbed him, threw him to the floor and cuffed him.

"Yeah, I resisted a little bit," he said. "I was just taken aback by their aggressive manner."

Michael Jackson, the vice president of student affairs at USC, said many students are upset and that the college is working with them to "ensure respectful treatment of students at peaceful social gatherings."

John Thomas, the chief of USC's Department of Public Safety, said university police were working with the LAPD to "ensure that the response of LAPD to complaints about student parties is properly calibrated."

Police were called out to the house party at 23rd and Hoover streets, seven blocks north of USC, due to complaints in the community about noise, Neiman said.

The party, which Howard said had a permit, featured a battle of DJs in the backyard.

Police broke up the party about 2 a.m., Howard said.

A YouTube video shows a line of up to 80 officers, some wearing helmets and holding batons, dispersing students in the street.

Some in the crowd threw objects at officers, Neiman said. One officer suffered an injury to his shoulder during a fight with a person who he was arresting, Neiman said.

Six people were arrested, Neiman said.

A second video captured on a cellphone showed turmoil in the backyard of the home as officers ordered people to leave.

Howard said that police had responded that night to another party hosted by white students across the street, but that the students there were ordered to stay “inside the house and stay safe” while officers responded to the party hosted by black students.

The party initially closed down and then started back up while police were shutting down the second party, Neiman said.

Both parties were shut down, Neiman said.

The incident prompted several dozen students to conduct a sit-in at Tommy Trojan at noon on Monday. A community meeting was expected to be held on Tuesday to address the incident.

A teenager, recently reported missing, was found unconscious near Upper Otay Lakes Dam and now San Diego County sheriff's deputies have launched an investigation to determine what killed her.

The 16-year-old girl was found just before 6 p.m. Monday along the base of the dam after someone called deputies.

She was found unconscious, but breathing, officials said.

Emergency personnel airlifted the teenager to Scripps Mercy Hospital. She was pronounced dead at the hospital hours later.

The family of the teen has identified her as Reyna Genel (pictured below), a Mater Dei Catholic High School student.

Her older sister said Reyna had gone running alone, when hours later she was found at the bottom of the reservoir.

Around 6 p.m. on Monday, her father got worried and called police. Around that same time, the sheriff's department was responding to a call at Otay Dam.

Officials say the teen may have fallen off a concrete wall and landed in the lake bed.

Sheriff's homicide is now investigating this incident due to its circumstances and the fact that the victim is a minor.

Anyone with information about this incident can call investigators at (858) 974-2321/after hours at (858) 565-5200.

School officials at Mater Dei said they're planning a vigil in the teen's honor some time this week.

One of the survivors of the tragic limousine fire on California's San Mateo-Hayward Bridge is telling a heartbreaking story of loss.

Speaking with great difficulty, as if she were shell-shocked, Neila Arrellano, 36, of Oakland, said she lost five of her friends Saturday night after they were trapped by flames inside a stretch limousine on the bridge over the San Francisco Bay.

Watching the interview is painful. Arrellano utters words through tears and gasps. English is not her first language and it is also a bit of a challenge to understand everything that  she is saying.

But she did recount what she remembered, most of all, that there was smoke in the back of the limousine.

"I saw smoke in the back of the car," she said. "There is a smoke, there is smoke... Stop the car, stop the car. I told you, there is smoke...I said, 'Open the door.' But he didn't do anything. He was on the phone."

She also said none of her friends smoked cigarettes, and the fire came from under her seat in the back of the car.

In a separate interview, the limo driver, Orville Brown, told NBC Bay Area that at first he thought when he heard the word "smoke," he thought one of the nine women in the back of the limo wanted a cigarette. It wasn't until a short time later that he realized that smoke meant fire.

That's when he jumped into action, and started to dial 911, which was why he was on the phone. But at that point, he said, the limo was fully engulfed in flames.

Limousine Driver Described Fiery, Fatal Accident

Arrellano was part of a bachelorette party on their way to a Foster City hotel to celebrate their friend's wedding. The bride is among those who died.

Five of the nine women on board were unable to escape from the limo and died when flames and smoke spread through the rear of the passenger compartment.

Only four passengers were able to get out alive.  Three remained in the hospital Monday night suffering from smoke inhalation and burns.Arrellano, a nurse who works at the Fruitvale Health Center in Oakland, said she got out by sliding her body through the partitian in the front of the limo. She was the first one who got out safely.

She said she thought all of the women tried to get to the front of the vehicle because the flames were in the back. She wasn't sure if any of them tried to get out either of the back doors.

In three video clips posted below, Arrellano describes through tears how the events surrounding the fire unfolded.

It took the Padres just over a month, but they are no longer the doormats of the National League West. The Padres shutout win over Miami coupled with the Dodgers loss to Arizona moved the Friars a half game ahead of Los Angeles into 4th place in the division.

Jedd Gyorko homered for the second consecutive game and Andrew Cashner pitched a gem. Cashner went a career high seven-plus innings to notch his second win of the season.

The Padres improved to 8-8 at Petco Park.

An exciting rematch will take place this summer when the Tijuana Xolos play Club América in the San Diego Clásico.

The announcement was made last week at the home plate of Petco Park, where the game will take place on July 6th.

This match will follow the 1-1 draw at last year’s Clásico match at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Tijuana Xolos are the current champions of Mexico’s top soccer division, Liga MX. This will be their fourth time at the Clásico. The team has a strong San Diego connection with SDSU alum, Joe Corona, who was present at the press conference Saturday.

América is one of the oldest clubs in Mexican soccer history with ten domestic national titles and eight FIFA club trophies. The team is led by the top scorer in the league, Christian Benitez.

With a turnout of over 30,000 fans at Petco Park’s first soccer event in 2005, this game is expected to draw a large crowd. Information for San Diego soccer fans on ticket sales will be released soon.
 

Thousands of tourists poured into downtown San Diego in the span of just a few hours when three cruise ships docked along the Embarcadero.

The Celebrity Solstice, Holland America's Zuiderdam and Oceania Cruises' Regatta were all docked in San Diego Tuesday.

The Solstice’s arrival marked a milestone as it’s the longest cruise ship ever to berth at the B Street Pier.

Local businesses at Seaport Village, which is just a stone's throw from where cruisers disembark, were hoping businesses can double or even triple.

Tristan Evert with San Diego Surf Company said the “California Love” shirt is extremely popular with European tourists.

“They always come in and, they want a San Diego shirt. A big trend lately is California pride so there’s just ton of Californian stuff out there,” Evert said.

One couple visiting California for the first time from the UK said they planned to stop at the San Diego Zoo and the Midway Museum during their sightseeing.

Claire Slee and her husband were also excited about having American food with the infamous large portions.

“Food and lots of it,” said Henry Slee. “Just the big portions and quality of service is what we like.”

Traffic on Harbor Drive was expected to back up from all this increased activity between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday.

A divided state Senate voted Tuesday to make Delaware the 11th state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage, after hearing hours of passionate testimony from supporters and opponents.

Less than an hour after the Senate's 12-9 vote, Democratic Gov. Jack Markell signed the measure into law.

"I do not intend to make any of you wait one moment longer," a smiling Markell told about 200 jubilant supporters who erupted in cheers and applause following the Senate vote.

"I am elated," said Scott Forrest, 50, of Newark, who entered into a same-sex civil union last year with his partner of almost 21 years, Kevin.

Delaware's same-sex marriage bill was introduced in the Democrat-controlled legislature barely a year after the state began recognizing same-sex civil unions. The bill won passage two weeks ago in the state House on a 23-18 vote.

While it doesn't give same-sex couples any more rights or benefits under Delaware law than those they have in civil unions, supporters argued same-sex couples deserve the dignity and respect of married couples. They also noted that if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars married gay couples from receiving federal benefits, civil unions would not provide protections or tax benefits under federal law to same-sex couples in Delaware.

"All couples under the law should be treated equally by their government," Lisa Goodman told lawmakers near the end of Tuesday's three-hour debate. Goodman is president of Equality Delaware, a gay rights group that drafted the legislation and led the effort to get it passed.

Opponents, including scores of conservative religious leaders from across the state, argued that same-sex marriage redefines and destroys a centuries-old institution that is a building block of society.

"Let's be careful about the concept of social evolution," said the Rev. Leonard Klein, a Roman Catholic priest speaking on behalf of the bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, which serves more than 200,000 Catholics in Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.

"When you remove male and female from the definition of marriage, all bets are off," added Klein, who urged lawmakers to show an "appropriate humility" for thousands of years of human experience.

Under the bill, no new civil unions will be performed in Delaware after July 1, and existing civil unions will be converted to marriages over the next year. The legislation also states that same-sex unions established in other states will be treated the same as marriages under Delaware law.

The bill does not force clerics to perform same-sex marriages that conflict with their religious beliefs. But under an existing Delaware law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, business owners who refuse to provide marriage-related services to same-sex couples for reasons of conscience could be subject to discrimination claims.

Delaware joins neighboring Maryland and the nearby District of Columbia as jurisdictions that have approved gay marriage. Last week, Rhode Island became the 10th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed, with independent Gov. Lincoln Chafee signing the bill an hour after its final passage.

Minnesota appeared poised to legalize gay marriage after the Democratic speaker of the state House said Tuesday that a gay marriage bill endorsed by the governor and likely to pass in the state Senate also now has enough backing in his chamber. The House will vote on the measure Thursday, and if it passes, the Democratic-led Senate could vote on it as soon as Saturday.

The San Diego Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has closed Imperial Beach because of sewage runoff.

Contaminated water from the Tijuana River has entered the nearby estuary, and as a result the department suspects it has contaminated IB ocean water. The water is flowing north and because of rainfall could continue to flow throughout the day, according to the DEH.

DEH will monitor the levels and will determine when the ocean water is safe for recreational use.

One person died in a mobile home fire in San Luis Rey early Tuesday officials confirmed.

NBC 7 Newschopper spotted flames burning in the front room of the home at 76 Hummingbird Lane.

Nearly 25 firefighters were called to the mobile home around 5:35 a.m. for a “fully involved” fire.

Firefighters discovered the body of one person inside the home after they had knocked down the flames.

Neighbors told Oceanside police that an elderly man lived in the mobile home.

No cause has been determined. Officials say that as of 8:30 a.m. the area was too hot for fire investigators to look for evidence.

San Diego County has launched a new campaign to get foster children into permanent homes.

Board of Supervisors Director Greg Cox and Supervisor Dave Roberts are leading the initiative and announced details at a news conference Tuesday.

About 400 children in San Diego are placed in permanent homes each year, according to officials. However, there are usually 45-50 kids who still need families.

“These children, for various reasons, require more attention, more care and more support,” Cox said.

These children are often older, have medical issues or have siblings, officials say. Roberts has five adopted foster children, three of whom are biological siblings.

“We’re really pleased we could keep our exceptional children together,” Roberts said.

Cox says the county usually targets young married couples as prospective adoptive parents. But for this campaign, officials will look to less traditional families, including single parents and people with grown children.

Sandra Bilbrey and her husband were “empty nesters” for about a year and half when they decided to adopt four sisters, ages 9-14.

“We have gone back into kids and school and girl scouts…” Bilbrey said. “We have a lot of fun.”

Bilbrey, a nurse, says anyone can become an adoptive parent.

“It’s an easy process,” she said. “It just takes time and love.”

For more information, call San Diego County Adoptions at 877-423-6788 or visit Iadoptu.org.

From those so-called love handles to the double chin, there are frustrating areas on your body that hold the last bit of fat - and no matter how much you sweat and diet, they just won’t go away.

But a new drug being tested in the Bay Area may be the first-of-its-kind to get rid of that unwanted fat without any surgery.
 
ATX-101 developed by Bayer and Kythera Biopharmaceuticals is a fat-dissolving injectable that is wrapping up its third and final phase of testing by the Food and Drug Administration after three years of clinical trials.
 
Patients at the University of California at San Francisco have taken part in those trials. Dr. Sarah Arron with UCSF’s dermatology department, said the drug would be the first fat-dissolving injectable approved by the FDA in the United States.
 
“Any drug that gets approved in the U.S. has to get through rigorous testing by the FDA,” Arron said. “This includes both safety testing and efficacy testing of whether it actually works.”

Kythera Biophamaceuticals said there’ve been 14 international clinical trials involving more than 2,000 patients or subjects. So far, the negative side effects reported include bruising and pain. And some wonder if would-be patients would substitute healthy lifestyle choices for the easy out of surgery.
 
ATX-101 is designed to reduce what’s known as "submental" chin fat, more commonly referred to as the double chin. The drug’s main active ingredient is sodium deoxycholate, the same ingredient used in many laundry detergents. That is what helps break down the fatty tissue to get the oil and grease stains out of clothes. Arron described sodium deoxycholate as a biosalt, the same kind of salt that intestines make to digest the fat that people consume.
 
“Some patients call it the ‘wattle,’ some patients say it’s the last five pounds, and really, it’s something that many women are troubled by,” Arron said. She said ATX-101 would essentially melt or dissolve the fat away. “The idea is that the compound breaks down the fat cell and then your own body gathers it and excretes it naturally.”
 
Arron also performs the only other FDA-approved instant fat-burning method: liposuction. The surgery involves doctors making incisions by the ears and sometimes under the chin, sticking a needle in and sucking the fat out. Liposuction, she said, is an invasive surgical procedure that may carry potential complications.
 
“Many women don’t want to go through the downtime of the surgical procedure, it can be a two-week or more recovery period,” Arron said. “And it can be really uncomfortable afterwards. There can be pain and bruising afterward. Then there are rarer risks like nerve damage or damaged muscles of the neck.”
 
Any other injectable out on the market that claims to burn or melt away fat through a non-invasive procedure has not undergone rigorous FDA safety tests, and therefore are not and have not been regulated.
 
“There have been many reports of similar drugs for melting fat and they’ve gone by names like mesotherapy or subcutaneous injectables,” Arron said. “We’ve heard horror stories of patients being injected at salons or spas by non-physicians who have wound up with paraffin lumps under their chin, needing surgery to remove or very bad allergic reactions.”
 
Lisa Richardson, dietician, personal trainer and owner of Fitness Clinic of Los Gatos, said the new drug sounds promising, but she is concerned about people trying to take shortcuts over the age-old advice of eating healthy and working out. Richardson said fat cells removed through procedures like liposuction would come back in another part of the body.
 
“It will come back somewhere else, so I worry sometimes will your cheeks get really big, would you gain fat around your Adam’s apple?” asked Richardson. “The fat will go somewhere if you’re geared to producing a certain amount of fat cells and you don’t change your lifestyle, you will still continue to put on fat.”
 
While the FDA clinical trials have focused on injecting in the chin area, Arron said it could potentially be used in other places. The catch? Doctors must tell their patients the drug was not studied for other parts other than the submental chin fat.
 
“I think our consumer demand for something like this is very high and that’s why people are taking those risks with non-approved medications,” Arron said. “So I’m really hoping for something safer and better for our patients in the future.”
 
ATX-101 is wrapping up the final phase of FDA testing in coming weeks. If approved by the FDA, it could take months for the drug to hit the market.
 

The bulk of the approximately $1 million reward offered during the Southern California manhunt for a murderous ex-police officer will go to a couple held captive by Christopher Dorner in the hours before he died in a fiery exchange with law enforcement, the LAPD announced Tuesday.

Two other parties – a tow-truck driver who spotted the fugitive at a gas station, and a ski resort worker who found Dorner’s burned-out truck in a ski resort area – will also receive a portion of the reward.

Twelve parties filed claims on the reward.

Among the rejected claimants are a man who claims to have predicted Dorner’s demise in detail, a woman who had a “vision” of a storage facility that may have belonged to Dorner but did not tell police, and a man who let officers use his cellphone after a deadly shootout with Dorner in Riverside, Calif.

Tuesday's ruling eliminates Rick Heltebrake, who was carjacked by Dorner, from receiving any reward money because although his phone call tipped agents to Dorner, law enforcement had already spotted and engaged in gunfire with the fugitive in Heltebrake's pickup truck, the memorandum notes.

Heltebrake in April said he intended to sue the city to get the money.

Held captive by Dorner in their Big Bear area cabin, Karen and James Reynolds will receive 80 percent of the reward.

The couple stumbled upon Dorner on Feb. 12. A former Navy reservist who served tours overseas, Dorner methodically tied up the pair, telling them he knew they had seen him on the news and that he did not want to hurt them.

He then left the cabin and, according to law enforcement, commandeered the couple’s Nissan sport utility vehicle. Dorner later crashed the Nissan and carjacked a white pickup truck, authorities said. A shootout, standoff and inferno inside a separate cabin followed the double car thefts.

After about 15 minutes in captivity, Karen Reynolds was able to roll onto her knees, scoot over to the bed and get onto her feet. She hopped into the living room, where she noticed her cellphone was on the coffee table, which she used to call 911. Agents found Dorner 30 minutes later.

Unlike the other parties who laid claim to the reward, the Reynolds were deemed “instrumental” in finding Dorner.

Daniel McGowan, who will receive 15 percent of the reward pot, was driving to work along an unpaved fire road in Big Bear Lake on Feb. 7 when he came across Dorner’s burning truck.

That discovery, the memorandum notes, gave law enforcement vital information that pinpointed Dorner’s location in the mountain community, where they zeroed in.

“Had Mr. McGowan failed to contact authorities in a timely fashion, Dorner would have had a chance to flee the area,” the memorandum reads.

A tow-truck driver whose sighting of Dorner resulted in a police pursuit and two police shootouts with the fugitive will receive the remaining 5 percent of the reward money.

R. Lee McDaniel spotted Dorner at an AM/PM gas station in Corona early in the morning on Feb. 7.

Remembering a news article describing Dorner’s truck as a gray Nissan Titan, McDaniel returned to his tow truck and used its scanners to read the license plate on a similar truck parked in the lot.

The men made eye contact before McDaniel drove away, followed by Dorner. As McDaniel started to call police, he saw an LAPD squad car pull into the gas station he just left. McDaniel drove across the median to tell officers who he had just seen.

A subsequent police pursuit of Dorner led to two shootouts, one of which left Riverside Police Officer Michael Crain dead and his partner critically hurt.

McDaniel’s role in the manhunt, although minimal, “confirmed Dorner’s presence in Southern California … specifically, his presence east of Los Angeles in the Inland Empire,” making his worthy of a portion of the reward, the memorandum noted.

A panel of three judges doled out the reward money based on whether the claimant contacted police with information that helped the investigation and whether that information led to Dorner’s capture.

The City of Riverside and the Peace Officers Research Association of California pulled their portions of the reward money — $100,000 and $50,000 respectively — saying their pledges were contingent on the capture and conviction of Dorner, who died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a burning cabin.

For the purpose of determining the reward recipients, “there is no requirement that a conviction have resulted, which of course would be impossible in view of the fact that Dorner is dead,” the memorandum stated.

The panel deemed Dorner was “constructively arrested or captured” when agents surrounded the cabin in which he was hiding on Feb. 12.

Dorner killed a newly engaged couple, including the daughter of a former LAPD captain, on Feb. 3 before slaying a Riverside police officer on Feb. 10, and a San Bernardino County Sheriff's detective on Feb. 13.

In a manifesto posted on online, Dorner said his ramapage would end when the LAPD cleared his name after he was fired from the force in 2008. He was accused of falsely accusing  fellow officer of kicking a suspect.