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Human Bones Found in Bankers Hill Canyon Area: SDPD

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Authorities are investigating after human skeleton remains were found in a canyon in Bankers Hill on Tuesday, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).

The bones and clothes were discovered by a homeless person on the 2600 block of Front Street near W Maple Street.

SDPD says the remains appear to have been out in the canyon for some time.

The grisly discovery is leaving some neighbors in the area on edge.

"That's very disturbing," said Bankers Hill resident Suzzane Richardson. "Can't even imagine."

“It sure changes where I’m going to walk these guys for sure and at what time,” said Barbara Daly, speaking of her two dogs.

Police said a homeless man had been looking for a place to sleep Tuesday night when he found the skeletal remains.

“Seems sinister to me, but maybe I'm watching too many CSI programs," said Richardson. "I can’t imagine coming to any other conclusions.”

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's officer is looking into the cause of death. DNA from the bones will be sent to the missing persons database, according to SDPD.

No other information was immediately available.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Kaine: Trump 'Choked' in Meeting With Mexican President

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Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine slammed Donald Trump for "choking" during his Wednesday meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, calling the trip across the southern U.S. border "diplomatic amateur hour."

The Virginia senator questioned the odds that Trump would have avoided saying anything about who would pay for the border wall while mocking the conflicting accounts over whether the wall came up during the sit-down.

The Republican presidential nominee has made the wall — and Mexico paying for it — a core element in his campaign. Trump said it didn't come up in his meeting Wednesday with Peña Nieto. But Pena Nieto tweeted that he had told Trump that Mexico wouldn't pay for the wall.

"I find that kind of ridiculous," Kaine said Thursday on NBC's "Today" show. "Even if it didn't come up, he choked and forgot to say that to the president of Mexico after he's been saying it every day for the last many months?"

Kaine told Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie that even if Trump's account is accurate, it showed he "folded under pressure" and "didn't have the backbone" to discuss the issue with the Mexican president.

"When he's looking the leader of Mexico in the eye, he can't bring himself to say it," Kaine said.

Lauer challenged Kaine's notion that the meeting was amateur diplomacy, noting that a "toned down" Trump appeared presidential alongside the Mexican leader.

"You know, I think the important thing about leadership is you got to be consistent. You can't say different things to different audiences," Kaine said. "And so, you know, he came back across the border and then it was all about Mexico is going to build a wall. Mexico is going to pay for it. He was divisive. He basically says America is going to be deportation nation. But when he's looking the leader of Mexico in the eye, he can't bring himself to say it."

Ask by Guthrie whether Trump prevailed in the war for optics by traveling to Mexico while Clinton spent the greater part of the last week fundraising in the Hamptons, Kaine challenged that assumption.

"I don't think so. Again, just do the contrast, the 24 hours of yesterday," Kaine said. "Donald Trump choked on the fundamental promise that he's making in this campaign when he had the opportunity to talk to the foreign leader about it by his words he didn't bring it up, by the leader's words, yeah, no did come up and I told Trump we're not paying for your wall. So that just shows that I think kind of not ready for prime-time but then back over on this side of the border, he just doubles down on this divisive deportation nation strategy."

Kaine also addressed recent polls that show a tightening race between the two White House hopefuls. Although Clinton maintains a lead over Trump, her favorability rates are decreasing. 

"I've always assumed this race would be hard," he said. "We’re feeling good about our position in a number of the true battleground states, but we do not feel any sense of complacency."



Photo Credit: 'Today'
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RV Bursts into Flame, Burns Owner

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A motorhome burst into flame in a Chula Vista parking lot Wednesday, seriously injuring one man.

The owner of the RV was injured as he attempted to start the vehicle just before midnight, according to officials with the Chula Vista Fire Department.

The RV fire caused serious injuries to the man’s back. He was transported to the UC San Diego Burn Center.

A second man and a dog escaped injury.

Chula Vista Police did not identify the victim but described him as a 56-year-old man who had been using the RV as his home.

The RV was illegally parked in the parking lot of a storage facility on Main Street just east of Interstate 5, police said.

The fire spread and damaged a van parked nearby.

Firefighters say the fire does not appear to be suspicious but the exact cause is still under investigation.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Salk Institute Co-Leads $15.4M Research Efforts

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San Diego research facility Salk Institute for Biological Studies is co-leading a $15.4 million stem cell-based effort to find drugs that work against schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

The effort, co-led with The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will be taken on by a consortium of individuals from academic and nonprofit institutions, along with industry partners from Janssen Research & Development and stem cell manufacturer Cellular Dynamics International.

The group will be led by professors Rusty Gage of Salk and Hongjun Song of Johns Hopkins, according to a Salk news release.

The consortium plans to build a testing platform from induced pluripotent stem cells, which are cells typically taken from people's skin or blood and made to behave like embryonic stem cells. They can grow into any type of cell from there.

Once a solid platform is developed, the scientists will be able to screen existing libraries of drugs to see which are effective in treating the disorders. Johns Hopkins already maintains such a library.

"There has been a bottleneck in stem cell research," Song said in a statement "Every lab uses different protocols and cells from different patients, so it's really hard to compare results. This collaboration gathers the resources needed to create robust, reproducible tests that can be used to develop new drugs for mental health disorders."

In addition to Hopkins and Salk, the collaboration includes the University of Michigan and San Diego’s Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.

 



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Clinton Emailed State Dept. Via Private Server After Exit

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Within months after leaving her post as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton sent through her private server an email to state officials and diplomats that referenced a nuclear energy deal with the United Arab Emirates, NBC News reported. The email was heavily redacted to secure information that has been classified in the years since it was sent in May 2013.

A spokesperson for the State Department, John Kirby, explained that while the email was not classified when it was sent, “our FOIA process is focused on whether information needs to be protected today, not on whether an email was classified at the time it was sent.”

In the email, sent out to various high-level officials and staff, including top aide Huma Abedin, Clinton referenced a 2009 pact between the U.S. and UAE: “remember how after US signed 123 deal (with) UAE and we were in Abu Dhabi,” the email reads.

The National Republican Committee filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents Clinton sent in years directly following her tenure as secretary of state. More than 800 pages of emails have been provided so far.



Photo Credit: AP

49ers' Kaepernick Wears Socks Depicting Cops as Pigs

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The quarterback at the center of a firestorm because he says he will sit on the bench during the national anthem to stand up for the rights of people of color, has sparked a new discussion — this time over his socks.

Photos of San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick at an Aug. 10 training session at Kezar Stadium and other practices are now surfacing, showing him wearing black socks with pigs wearing police hats — an obvious dig at police officers.

"I wore these socks, in the past," Kaepernick wrote on Instagram Thursday, "because the rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments, not only put the community in danger, but also put the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust. I have two uncles and friends who are police officers and work to protect and serve ALL people. So before the socks, which were worn before I took my public stance, are used to distract from the real issues, I wanted to address this immediately."

In the 16th century, the term pig was derogatory for all people, and then years later, became a popular and unflattering nickname for police officers, according to the Dictionary of Bucking Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence published in 1811.

For its part, the San Francisco police officers union has demanded an apology from Kaepernick for not standing during the national anthem. President Martin Halloran invited Kaepernick to a training academy to see what a police officer's daily life is like.

There was no immediate comment from the union on the socks. But the tweets and the digs flew as far away as Vermont, where the Burlington Police Department tweeted: "Wearing 'pig socks' cannot be compared to protesting oppression in broad, powerful messages like Ali, Smith & Carlos. Inspiring vs. crass."

The socks saga followedwhat Kaepernick told reporters in the locker room on Sunday, when he talked about his disdain for the practices of many in law enforcement, reported CSN Bay Area.

“There is police brutality,” Kaepernick said. “People of color have been targeted by police. So that’s a large part of it and they’re government officials. They are put in place by the government. So that’s something that this country has to change.

"There are things we can do to hold them more accountable. Make those standards higher. You have people that practice law and are lawyers and go to school for eight years, but you can become a cop in six months and don’t have to have the same amount of training as a cosmetologist. That’s insane. Someone that’s holding a curling iron has more education and more training than people that have a gun and are going out on the street to protect us.”

Amid the criticism over his protest, many veterans this week used the Twitter hashtag #VeteransforKaepernick, saying that they are behind the player's right to express himself. 

Kaepernick has said that he has "great respect for the men and women who have fought for this country" and his protest is not anti-military.

A test of how football fans will respond could come Thursday night. Kaepernick is set to be in San Diego when the 49ers play the Chargers in an annual Salute to the Military game.

The idea behind the salute is to pay "tribute to the hundreds of thousands of current and retired military personnel who live and work in San Diego," the Chargers said in a news release this week.

In San Diego, the national anthem will be performed by Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Powell from the U.S. Navy while 240 sailors, marines and soldiers present a U.S. Super Flag and service emblems from all branches of service. Color guards from the Navy, Marine Corps and Army will present the flag, the Chargers said.



Photo Credit: Ben Margot/AP
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Obesity Rates Fall in Four States

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Obesity rates in Minnesota, Montana, New York and Ohio fell — the first time that any state has seen a decrease in the past decade, according to a report released Thursday, NBC News reported.

For the majority of U.S. states, obesity rates for American adults remained stable between 2014 and 2015, according to the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation annual report.

Meanwhile Kansas and Kentucky saw increases in their rates of obesity.

"Obesity remains one of the most significant epidemics our country has faced, contributing to millions of preventable illnesses and billions of dollars in avoidable health care costs," said Richard Hamburg, interim president of the Trust for America's Health.

People are considered overweight when their BMI hits 25, and they are obese when it gets to 30.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Brush Fire Burns in Jamul

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A brush fire sparked suddenly in San Diego's East County Thursday, threatening homes with flames towering 30 to 40 feet in the air according to residents.

The 10-acre Lyons Fire started at 11:30 a.m. on Lyons Creek Lane. Cal Fire officials said the fire was threatening structures along Skyline Truck Trail and burning at a moderate rate of spread.

As of about 5:30 p.m., Cal Fire San Diego said the fire was 9.4 acres and 60 percent contained. 

Shawn Rhoads just bought a home in the neighborhood a few months ago. When he heard the first chopper go overhead, he jumped in his vehicle and drove up to see the progress of the fire.

Flames “were huge, over 30-40 feet high and really blowing up the canyon,” he added. “The wind was just blowing it up the side of the mountain.”

The location was north of Lyons Valley Road and south of Skyline Truck Trail, east of State Route 94.

No injuries or evacuations were reported.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department sent an advisory to residents in the area, telling them there was a concern the fire may spread to homes.

"Be prepared to evacuate if a notification is made in your area," SDSO said in its alert.

People living in the area told NBC 7 they were grateful for Cal Fire's quick response. They also attribute the crews' success to the fast response of aircraft.

Tim Graves lives in a nearby RV park and he has been evacuated several times in the past.

“We've been through a few fires out here,” Graves said “Our family lost our house at Lake Cuyamaca in a fire so it always gets emotional when it when the fires come.”

“It just all comes back on you. So anybody that's been through it, even when you see on TV you know somewhere else that people are losing their houses,” he said. “You can relate to it and you just feel so bad for them.”

NBC 7's Whitney Southwick said the current temperature in the area of the brush fire is 83 degrees, just shy of today's expected high of 86.

Winds are light, Southwick added, peaking mid-afternoon around 10 mph out of the west.

Hilltops and valleys could see higher gusts at times.

Humidity was 60 percent.

Approximately 5,000 people live in Jamul and its communities of Steel Canyon, Dulzura, and Barrett Junction.

California Highway Patrol officers redirected vehicles from traveling along Skyline Truck Trail and rerouting them back to SR-94.

No other information was immediately available.

You can sign up to receive AlertSanDiego messages before something happens in your neighborhood at the county's emergency website.

Download the free NBC7 app for updates on local breaking news.


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LIVE: Dave Matthews Band

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Dave Matthews Band crashed through Sleep Train Amphitheatre on Aug. 26 with a 21-song set list.

Photo Credit: Alex Matthews

Pig Out: San Diego Bacon Fest 2016

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San Diego will celebrate International Bacon Day this weekend with a sizzling shindig: an all-day Bacon Fest featuring beer, spirits, music and, of course, pork-centric feasting.

The 4th Annual San Diego Bacon Fest goes down Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Preble Field at NTC Park at Liberty Station.

There, attendees can pig out (it’s okay, it’s the weekend) on unlimited samples of bacon-filled dishes from some top-notch San Diego eateries, including Slater’s 50/50, Taste & Thirst, The Promiscuous Fork, Crazee Burger, Moto Deli and The Smok’d Hog – just to name a few participating restaurants.

Beer samples from dozens of craft breweries will also be poured at the 21+ pork party, including suds from Alpine Beer Company, Bay City Brewing Co., Duck Foot Brewing Co., Green Flash Brewing Co., Mission Brewery and 3 Punk Ales Brewing Co., also just to name a few.

On the spirits side, Henebery Celebrated Whiskey and Liberty Call Distilling Co. are among the companies serving sips at Saturday’s fest.

General admission tickets cost $60 per person if purchased in advance; $65 the day of the event. An entry gets you 2 p.m. entry, plus unlimited samples of food and drinks and free parking.

VIP tickets are available for $100 a pop. Those tickets include everything included in general admission, plus entry into San Diego Bacon Fest an hour early, exclusive beer tastings, a jar of bacon-flavored fat to take home from Sausage & Meat, and a “Brew Caddy” – a lanyard that holds your beer sample cup while you eat.

For more info on Bacon Fest, visit the event website.



Photo Credit: San Diego Bacon Fest/Facebook
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Dallas PD Chief Dallas PD Chief

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After more than three decades with the Dallas Police Department, Chief of Police David O. Brown announced his retirement Thursday, ending a six-year tenure leading the nation's seventh-largest municipal police force.

Brown, who focused on community policing and transparency while battling with police unions during his tumultuous tenure as chief, earned nationwide praise in July when he led the city's response to a deadly ambush where five officers were slain.

"After much prayer, I am announcing my retirement from the Dallas Police Department after 33 years as a Dallas police officer," Brown said in a statement on DPDBeat.com. "Serving the citizens of Dallas in this noble profession has been both a true honor and a humbling experience."

In the statement, Brown went on to thank his family as well as mayors, city managers and members of the city council, past and present, for allowing him to serve.

"This is a difficult decision. I pray for your understanding and well wishes," Brown said.

Brown, who did not give a reason for the abrupt retirement, said it will become effective Oct. 22. He said he'll be unavailable until Sept. 8, at which time he'll hold a press conference to discuss his retirement.

Dallas City Manager A.C. Gonzalez credited Brown Thursday for creating a diverse police force that brought some of the lowest crime rates to Dallas since the 1930s and for outfitting 1,000 officers with body cameras while reducing the use of deadly force by a record number.

"The world learned what a superstar David is in the aftermath of one of the most painful tragedies our city has ever experienced - but we’ve known about his strengths for some time," Gonzalez said. "David is a person of high integrity, character and an unrelenting resolve to serve the citizens of Dallas in the most professional manner possible. It’s been a pleasure to work with David. We will miss his leadership."

Brown said he joined the force in 1983 because of the crack cocaine epidemic's impact on his neighborhood in Oak Cliff.

"I wanted to be part of the solution. Since that time I have taken great pride in knowing that we have always been part of the solution and helped to make Dallas the world class city it is today," Brown said.

During his career with the department, Brown lived through the murders of his former police partner, Walter Williams, and his younger brother who was shot and killed by drug dealers.

Months after being sworn in as chief, Brown's son was shot and killed in a shootout with Lancaster police after he killed a 23-year old man and a police officer.

In his six years, Brown has been a fierce supporter of his officers while facing backlash from unions over the city's low pay. While supporting the rank-and-file, he's fought tirelessly to reduce officer-involved shootings and reports of police brutality.

Following the ambush in July that killed five police officers, four from Dallas and one from DART, Brown defended the plan to kill the gunman using an explosive device on a robot, saying it was the only way to protect officers from further harm since the gunman, claimed to have planted bombs around the area and threatened to hurt more people. Brown said that he would make the same decision again.

Brown has historically been quick to credit his officers for 11 straight years of a declining crime rate. When the trend in violent crime was reversed earlier this year, friction developed between Brown and officers on how to staff and combat the issue. Meanwhile, violent crime remains up 10.4 percent year to date, despite an eight-week partnership with state and county officers earlier in 2016 to help round-up suspects. Homicide is up 24.7 percent so far in 2016. Overall crime is up 2.5 percent.

Another recent report shows the Dallas police force is shrinking. The Dallas police authorized force of 3,520 was just 3,375 as of Aug. 9. Officers leaving the force outpaced hiring by 116 so far this year. The number of police civilian employees has also declined, leaving more work for sworn officers.

The tragedy in July resulted in big support for the department and a huge increase in applications to join the force — especially after Brown's call to the community to support the police, join the department and be a force for change. The department hoped to hire 549 officers in 2017 making up for those who leave while also increasing current strength by 200; that plan may now be spread out over three years.

Union leaders were quick to say meeting those hiring numbers would be difficult with the low pay offered by the department.

As chief, Brown commanded a department of more than 4,000 employees with an annual budget of $426 million.

There are 25 deputy chiefs or assistant chiefs in the Dallas Police Department who could be likely candidates to replace Brown. The city will undoubtedly also look outside of the department for his replacement. Meantime, Gonzalez has named Assistant Chief David Pughes as interim Police Chief upon Brown's retirement.

Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change.



Photo Credit: AP
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Chicago's Deadliest Month Since '97

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The month of August ended as the deadliest Chicago has seen in nearly two decades, and while Chicago's top cop claims "the solution is right in front of our faces," he said it isn't the national guard.

The last 31 days saw 384 shooting incidents with 472 shooting victims and 90 homicides, the most killings in one month since October 1997.

"I'm sick and tired of it and everybody in Chicago should be sick and tired of it," Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said before repeating his claims that the violence in the city is perpetuated by repeat gun offenders. 

"I have to keep going back to the fact that the entire city of Chicago is not at risk for these types of things," he said. 

Johnson, who is working with local officials to draft a bill that would encourage higher sentencings for repeat gun offenders, said just 15 percent of the victims of violence so far this year were "the good people of Chicago." 

The remaining 85 percent were "the same group of people that choose that lifestyle."

The spiking violence numbers have prompted calls for city officials to bring in the national guard.

"We have the fire of violence and gunfire, we have the flood of blood in our streets and we have communities that look like third world countries, look like it must have had a tornado that hit it or a hurricane," outspoken priest Father Michael Pfleger said during a rally at his South Side church Wednesday. "You can’t tell people to take pride in your neighborhood when your neighborhood looks like it's been abandoned and it’s not part of the United States of America."

But Johnson, along with Gov. Bruce Rauner, have denied that the national guard will help the situation in Chicago. 

"They’re not trained to deal with domestic issues like this," Johnson said. "They don’t have arrest powers, there’s just too much that could go into that that I don’t think would benefit us."

Rauner said the idea "wouldn't make sense," adding that "no thoughtful leader thinks that's a good idea or would really provide a solution."

He said his team has analyzed and discussed the idea, but, "in fact, it may exacerbate the other problems. So, nobody thinks that's a good idea."

According to Chicago police statistics, there have been 2,346 shooting incidents and more than 470 homicides so far this year. That's more killings than New York City and Los Angeles combined.

Authorities have blamed access to illegal guns, repeat offenders and not enough penalties for gun offenses for the city’s rising number of shootings.

"The solution is right in front of our faces, we just have to make a choice to deal with it," Johnson said, noting that several cities have stricter penalties for gun offenders than Chicago.

"All I’m asking for is to hold the repeat gun offenders. I’m not trying to cast a net over the city of Chicago but the guys that continually show us that they don’t respect the rules those are the ones we should go after," he added. 

The city’s violence has been spotlighted nationwide, with comments from celebrities including Donald TrumpKanye West and Jabari Parker.

Over the weekend, Chicago Bulls star Dwyane Wade spoke out about the city’s crime after his cousin, Nykea Aldridge, was fatally shot while pushing a stroller on the city’s South Side.

"The city of Chicago is hurting. We need more help& more hands on deck. Not for me and my family but for the future of our world. The YOUTH!" Wade tweeted Saturday morning.

Aldridge was among 10 people killed over the weekend. More than 50 others were wounded in shootings across the city.

But while Johnson said legislation is "one part of the solution," he noted it isn't the only answer.

"Let’s face it, the violence in Chicago is not a police issue it’s societal ills that are driving a lot of this, but unfortunately law enforcement has nothing to do with that," he said. 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Fact-Checking Trump's Immigration Speech

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In a speech focusing on immigration Wednesday in Arizona, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump lambasted the media for not reporting "the facts" he felt were relevant to the national conversation on immigration.

But many of Trump's own facts were misleading and inaccurate, obscuring truth in a debate both parties agree is necessary.

NBC News took a look at what Trump said about legal and illegal immigration.

WHAT TRUMP SAID: "Mexico will pay for the wall."

THE FACTS: Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has said he reiterated to Trump that his nation would not pay for the wall.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Missing Child, Grandmother Found Safe Outside Big Lots

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An 11-month-old boy, whose disappearance prompted the California Highway Patrol to issue an Amber Alert, was found safe outside a Big Lots in San Mateo County on Thursday afternoon.

William Brown was reportedly abducted by his grandmother, Phoebe Haynes, from San Francisco around 8 p.m. Wednesday, police said. The 44-year-old woman was also located in the Redwood City store's parking lot and taken into custody.

The incident began when Haynes' daughter left William with her while shopping at a Bayview supermarket. When the woman emerged from the shop, Haynes and William were gone.

Earlier Thursday, police had provided physical descriptions of the pair and reported that Haynes was driving a white 2004 Acura TL. Someone who saw the Amber Alert called 911 after spotting Haynes and William at a liquor store in San Mateo. 

"The great news is that the Amber Alert works," said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the San Francisco District Attorney's office, whose investigators are handling the case. 

Officers from Redwood City and San Francisco's Bayview station responded to the scene, where William was checked and cleared by paramedics. Officials will now determine where the child should live.

The process is meant to "determine what’s best for the baby" and ensure "that everything is OK" with William, according to Bastian.

The Amber Alert was in effect in San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa, Solano, Santa Clara and Alameda counties. The District Attorney's office will now determine what charges Haynes will face.



Photo Credit: San Francisco Police

Metal Discovered in Rhino at SD Zoo Shows Poaching Attempt

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A metal detector from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department found metal fragments inside a Southern White Rhino at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, according to San Diego Zoo Global officials.

The metal pieces suggest that Wallis, a 5-year-old female rhino, was the target of a failed poaching attempt while in South Africa. Officials said she has a suspected bullet wound on her left side that has been slowly healing. However, the metal detector shows there’s also a possible bullet, made of brass or lead, lodged in her body underneath the wound.

The Zoo’s X-Ray equipment was not powerful enough to detect metal by penetrating the rhino's thick body, explained Jim Oosterhuis, DVM, at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

“We are grateful to the San Diego Fire Department Bomb Squad for providing their expertise and the type of equipment needed to do this,” Oosterhuis said, in a statement.

The animal care team at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park preferred to use the most noninvasive type of diagnostic techniques available. Officials said they will most likely proceed to anesthetize the animal and do more X-rays to pinpoint the exact location of the metal fragments.

“The bomb technicians are trained in X-raying animals, and people, for that matter,” said bomb squad commander Captain John Wood, in a statement. “It’s a skill that’s rarely used, but we were happy to be able to help the Safari Park.”

Wallis’ condition is not considered life-threatening, said officials. The rhino is currently expected to survive. Despite having metal fragments lodged in her body, she is continuing to eat well and be active. She is one of six female rhinos that were taken to the Safari Park from private reserves in South Africa.



Photo Credit: San Diego Zoo Global © 2015

Hiker Suffering Back Spasm Airlifted From Iron Mountain

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Poway Fire and Heartland Fire rescued a hiker who was suffering a back spasm at Iron Mountain on Thursday afternoon.

At about 11:05 a.m., officials received a call about a woman in her mid-thirties with minor injuries, Scott Post said, Battalion Chief of Poway Fire.

A medic dropped down from a SDPD helicopter to assist the woman who was hiking in Poway with a group.

She was airlifted into the helicopter and then taken by an ambulance to a hospital.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Boy Hit by Car in Chollas View

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A boy suffered a broken leg after he was hit by a car Thursday evening in Chollas View.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) says the incident happened around 3:15 p.m. on 46th Street and Hilltop Drive. The boy appears to have suffered a broken leg.

Police say a 40-year-old woman driving a Toyota Camry hit the boy with her car as he ran out between two motorhomes that were parked alongside the roadway and then into traffic.

The boy was taken to the hospital with an open fracture and his injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

Police say the driver of the vehicle did stay on the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 888-580-8477.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/File

Woman Overcharged By WalMart Gets Money Back

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An 83-year-old Escondido woman called NBC 7 Responds after she says she overpaid for a new pair of glasses and couldn’t get her money back. 

“First time in my life I have ever had glasses,” Shirley Lasagna said. 

Shirley went to the San Marcos Walmart Vision Center to pick out a new pair of glasses. After her insurance was taken into account, the Walmart Vision Center told Shirley she owed $190 which she paid on the spot. 

But there was a problem. It turns out Shirley’s insurance plan actually covered more than the Vision Center had accounted for, making Shirley’s share of the cost a much smaller amount. 

According to Shirley’s figures, the Vision Center owed her $125. 

Shirley went back to the Walmart Vision Center with her insurance papers in hand and asked for her money back. But, the Walmart Vision Center manager said they couldn’t do it. Instead, the Vision Center wanted Shirley to return the glasses and start the process over again. 

According to Shirley, the Vision Center told her to bring in her glasses so they could refund her for the purchase and start the process over again. 

“I liked my glasses,” Shirley said. “I said no.” 

Frustrated, Shirley turned to NBC 7 Responds. Within 48 hours of NBC 7 Responds contacting Walmart, a representative called Shirley to apologize. The store offered her the $125 refund. 

In a statement, Molly Blakeman with Walmart’s media relations said, “our team was able to reach Ms. Lasagna and talked through what happened with the charges associated with her eyeglasses. We apologize for the trouble this caused her, but I understand that she was very pleased with the outcome.”

Drones Zoom Into Hurricane Hermine

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With Hermine bearing down on the United States, new, high-flying technology is providing critical information to those in the storm’s path.

On Thursday, an unmanned drone flew through Hermine, sampling the storm and measuring its every move. Earlier this week, another drone flew into what’s now Hermine as well, and video provided by NOAA and NASA shows that Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft landing in Virginia after its mission.

Time-lapse videos, also provided by NASA, show the view from the unmanned plane as it zig zags through the storm, measuring things like wind speed and air pressure.

“The benefit of this aircraft is, because it flies so high — it flies at 60,000 feet which is well above the top of the storm. And it’s carrying sensors that can look down through the storm so it’s just like doing an X-ray of that storm,” said Robbie Hood, director of NOAA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems program.

Hurricane Hunters have flown through storms for decades, and still do. But after Sandy, the federal government funded these drones to collect even more information.

“A Global Hawk can fly much farther and stay in the air much longer than a traditional manned aircraft, so it can actually stay with the storm for 16-20 hours. Our normal manned aircraft is 8-12 hours,” Hood said.

The drones provide key information that can make forecasts better.

On Tuesday, a Global Hawk with a 40-meter wingspan dropped a record 90 instruments while investigating two tropical depressions, one off the Carolinas and the one that became Hermine, according to a NOAA news release. The flight took nearly 24 hours, and helped track the two storms. 

On Saturday, one of the drones sampled Gaston in the middle of the Atlantic, dropping more than 80 instruments into the storm. It detected hurricane-force winds that otherwise would have gone unnoticed by meteorologists — another flight marked the first time that data gathered by the NASA Global Hawk was used to upgrade a storm from tropical storm to hurricane.

“We’re always looking at how can we improve our forecast and expand the warning time that people have to prepare for dangerous storms,” Hood said.



Photo Credit: NASA

5th Ave. Gaslamp Parking Changed to Loading Zone

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Parking along downtown San Diego’s busy Fifth Avenue will shift this Friday, converting into a “3-Minute Loading Zone” rather than a place to park your wheels for a while.

The Gaslamp Quarter Association, along with San Diego City Councilman Todd Gloria and San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Capt. Charles Kaye, outlined the parking changes during a news conference Thursday morning.

The changes are aimed at improving traffic flow, easing congestion and improving pedestrian safety and accessibility in the bustling downtown area.

The plan is to convert street parking on Fifth Avenue – from Broadway to Harbor Drive – into a 3-minute “Passenger Loading Zone” area every Friday and Saturday, from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m., similar to the loading zones currently in place at the San Diego International Airport.

Before this change, there was metered parking in the area from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and free, open parking every night from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m.

The two-year-long pilot parking program – approved by the San Diego City Council this past June – will go into effect this Friday night, running through Aug. 30, 2018.

The Gaslamp Quarter Association says this “traffic management plan” has been implemented for the past several years in the heart of downtown San Diego during major events and holidays, including Halloween and New Year’s Eve.

In a press release, Gloria said the removal of longer term parking along Fifth Avenue during weekend evenings is expected to “significantly increase pedestrian safety and improve emergency vehicle access in the Gaslamp Quarter.”

“Anyone who has been in the Gaslamp on a Saturday night knows that the current configuration of backed up traffic and patrons being dropped off is untenable, so I applaud the community for working on this creative solution to improve access to San Diego’s premier entertainment district,” Gloria added.

Those behind the program also said the change will allow “increased visibility” in the busy area for law enforcement. The San Diego Police Department backs the plan.

With no parking option on Fifth Avenue on those nights, supporters believe less vehicles will circulate the street, too.

The Gaslamp Quarter Association also said the change will promote alternate modes of transportation into downtown, including public transit, rideshare services, taxis and the new Free Ride Everywhere Downtown Shuttle, also known as FRED.

The association hopes this means more business for small shops and eateries in the area, too.

Signs installed throughout the Gaslamp Quarter will notify drivers to the changes in parking. Those signs may be seen on smart meters or posts along Fifth Avenue.

The association and Gloria said a “grace period” will be in effect through Sept. 30, while people learn about the new loading zone area. During this period, cars that park on Fifth Avenue after 8 p.m. will receive a notice of violation with details about the changes rather than a citation.

After Sept. 30, violators of the new rule will be towed.

“We also know this is a big change and don’t want anyone to be caught off guard, so the City will be issuing notices to vehicles for the first three weeks of the program to phase in its enforcement,” Gloria explained.

The Gaslamp Quarter Association said existing valet stands and taxis along Fifth Avenue will not be affected by the change.

If the two-year pilot parking program works out, the City and association will re-evaluate to see if the changes will be made permanent.

For more info about parking in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, click here.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego
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