San Diego Zoo Global has joined forces with several conservation groups to help maintain an orphaned elephant sanctuary in northern Kenya.

Last month, The Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy opened the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya’s Samburu County. The sanctuary rests in the Mathews Range which is home to the country’s second largest elephant population.

The Reteti preserve, which is the first community owned and managed elephant orphanage in Africa, facilitates reconnection between orphaned elephants and adult herds in efforts to avoid hand raising young elephants into adulthood. The orphanage only takes elephants into care as a last resort.

"San Diego Zoo Global is delighted to be part of a new approach to caring for the orphaned elephant youngsters that come into the Reteti preserve," said Douglas G. Myers, president and CEO of San Diego Zoo Global. "This facility will work to ensure that elephants will maintain bonds to other elephants, rather than humans— an approach that we expect will allow earlier reintroduction back into the herd."

According to San Diego Zoo Global, community-driven elephant conservation is an expanding grassroots movement in Kenya that is encouraging economic growth and the conservation of other natural resources.

San Diego Zoo Global has partnered with the Namunyak Conservancy and other groups to help guide the orphanage’s operational procedures, and to help train keepers and mobile rescue teams. Other conservation groups involved include the Samburu County Government, Kenya Wildlife Service, Northern Rangelands Trust, Conservation International, Tusk Trust, The Nature Conservancy and Save the Elephants

Keepers Mary Lengees and Naomi Lechongoro, both hired from within the Namunyak Conservancy, have together returned five abandoned elephants to their family herds and have yet to resort to hand raising any elephants.

Other conservation groups involved include the Samburu County Government, Kenya Wildlife Service, Northern Rangelands Trust, Conservation International, Tusk Trust, The Nature Conservancy and Save the Elephants.

According to the Great Elephant Census, illegal elephant killings in northern Kenya’s community conservancies have fallen 53 percent since 2012.

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen is out for the season with a torn ACL, according to several media reports.

Allen was placed on injured reserve following the injury suffered in Sunday's game against Kansas City.

Allen went down in the 2nd quarter with a right knee injury.

It happened away from the play with very little contact which usually means a torn ACL.

Coach Mike McCoy confirmed as much Monday adding that the injury is season-ending, NBC Sports reported.

“I know how bad he wanted to play this year,” Chargers tight end Antonio Gates told NBC 7 Sports Wrap Sunday night.

“I expected him to be the best receiver in the NFL this year. Unfortunately it’s got to wait until next year,” Gates added.

A woman died Sunday after she was struck by three cars in Linda Vista. Now investigators are searching for the three drivers who failed to stop.

The woman, identified as 48 years old, was crossing Linda Vista Road and Mesa College Drive at approximately 10:30 p.m.

She was not using the crosswalk and chose a dark part of the street to cross, San Diego Police (SDPD) said.

The woman was struck first by a dark-colored sedan traveling south. When she was on the ground, she was hit by a full-sized pickup truck with a camper shell. A third vehicle, described only as a red sedan, also hit the woman.

None of the drivers of the cars stopped, police said.

Witnesses tried to help the woman. Emergency medical personnel arrived to the scene and attempted to care for the victim. However, paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

SDPD Sgt. Leonard Flake said investigators will interview witnesses and check area businesses for surveillance footage in an attempt to identify the drivers involved.

The drivers could face charges ranging from manslaughter to leaving the scene of an accident.

He urged anyone who has information about this hit-and-run to call SDPD. The non-emergency phone number is (619) 531-2000.

A North County woman and a man, allegedly involved in a murder-for-hire plot, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and conspiracy charges on Monday in a Vista court.

Diana Lovejoy, 43, and Weldon McDavid Jr., 49, are being held on $2 million bail, accused of shooting Lovejoy’s estranged husband.

Lovejoy and her husband had been involved in an ugly two year divorce battle. She had won custody of their son, who turned 4-years old on Monday. She had a current restraining order against her husband.

On Monday, NBC 7 learned that Lovejoy’s husband had also filed a restraining order against her.

According to police, Lovejoy and McDavid allegedly lured her estranged husband to an isolated access road off Avenida Soledad in Carlsbad on Sept. 2., where he was shot once in the side. The shooting prompted a lock down of the neighborhood while authorities searched the area.

Police say McDavid, an employee at a shooting range in Oceanside, had been teaching Lovejoy how to shoot.

The victim did survive the shooting.

If convicted, McDavid is facing 50 years to life in prison while Lovejoy faces 25 years to life. According to the prosecutor in the case, Lovejoy is facing the lesser term because she did not pull the trigger, but was ‘vicariously armed with a firearm’ and was aware and participated in the shooting.

Lovejoy and McDavid are scheduled to be back in court on September 21.

San Diego’s largest service provider for the homeless has created new permanent housing programs throughout the region.

Father Joe’s Village announced Monday the opening of four new scattered-site housing programs at existing properties as a result of increased investment into its permanent housing initiative.

Permanent housing for single adults will be added at the organization’s property at Commercial Street and 15th Street in East Village. Young adults age 18 to 24 will be offered additional housing space at the Toussaint Center at 5th Street and Ash Street in Cortez Hill.

The organization will continue to serve homeless teens at the St. Vincent de Paul Village campus in East Village, and additional individuals will be served in scattered-site housing throughout San Diego County.

According to Father Joe’s Village, the agency is also re-focusing existing programs based on its most effective services, including repurposing transitional housing resources.

“These modifications are part of our long-term vision to invest in diverse strategies that most effectively, and permanently, get people off the streets,” says Deacon Jim. “With increased permanent housing options, Father Joe’s Villages will be better able to utilize housing and supportive services to help individuals and families secure a stable future.”

Approximately 400,000 residents across San Diego County do not have regular access to healthy food, according to public health experts who spoke at a panel on food insecurity in Chula Vista on Monday.

The South Bay Hunger Relief Forum I was held at the Chula Vista Civic Center Library on Monday morning. Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Sallas attended the forum, along with representatives from schools and non-profit organizations, as well as health representatives from a local hospital.

According to the panelists, there are a higher percentage of children who don’t regularly have access to healthy food in Chula Vista. In some neighborhoods, nearly all kids are on federal meal assistance. The lack of access to nutritional food causes the individuals to be more inflicted with obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other nutrition-related ailments.

"It is important we bring together practitioners and organizations to identify how we can collaborate to address food insecurity, hunger and access to healthy food in Chula Vista and the South Bay," said Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas.

More than 68,000 local children are among those that deal with food insecurity and hunger, health experts said.

“There is a very direct link between hunger and health and SuperFood Drive is actively working toward a vision where every distribution site, every food pantry and every food bank are distributing healthy food for those in need,” said Cindy Knapp, Associate Director at SuperFood Drive.

The number of individuals affected by hunger and food insecurity came as a surprise to many who attended the forum.

“I was an Assisting Ability minor in college so I do know about food insecurity but not specifically here in Chula Vista,” said Jaenna Wessling, a volunteer for Living Coast. “So the numbers and data they provided really surprised me of how much it was a prevalence here in Chula Vista.

During Monday’s forum, panelists also discussed that families often prioritize things like rent, medicine, and emergencies over buying food.

California also has the highest rate of children that do not have regular access to food, experts said.

Monday’s forum was one of many that will take place in the coming months. For more information about the upcoming forums, click here. 

Just as Donald Trump on Monday was decrying Hillary Clinton for having called called "half" of his supporters "a basket of deplorables," an altercation broke out in the stands above him, NBC News reported.

Protesters are nothing new at Trump rallies, but before a group could be escorted out of U.S. Cellular Center Monday evening, a man from the crowd went over to violently confront them.

NBC News video of the incident shows the man with his hands on a protester's neck. Moments later, his hands furled into fists, the man lobbed a blow at the protester.

Clinton has used the deplorable phrase in reference to any "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic [or] Islamophobic" Trump supporters.

Authorities were responding to a hit and run in Vista on Monday night, according to the North Comm Fire Department.

At least one person was transported to Palomar Hospital.

The incident happened around 7:57 p.m. on Santa Fe Avenue and Santa Anita Plaza in Vista.

The extent of injuries to the victim is unknown. 

No other information was immediately available.

A woman was bitten by a bobcat in Carmel Valley Monday night after stopping the help the animal, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).

Police say the woman was driving northbound on El Camino road, just south of Derby Downs Road when she saw an injured animal on the street. She got out of her car to help the animal but the the bobcat lunged at her and bit her in the upper arm.

The incident happened at approximately 8:50 p.m.

Police say the woman was treated at the scene and was able to drive herself home.

According to the San Diego County Department of Animal Services, the bobcat was euthanized at the scene due to its injuries. The animal will be transported to the County's epidemiology lab to be tested for rabies.

No other information was immediately available.

A woman who was killed on Sunday after she was hit by three cars in Linda Vista was identified on Monday. 

Wynona Mitchell, 48, was crossing the northbound lanes of Linda Vista Road when she was hit by a dark-colored sedan going southbound.

The incident happened on Linda Vista Road and Mesa College Drive at approximately 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Mitchell was also struck by a pick-up truck with a camper shell and then a red sedan. All three vehicles did not stop.

Police said she had been crossing the street outside of the crosswalk, in a dark part of the street. She was declared dead at the scene.

According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office, the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.

The drivers involved in the hit-and-run could face charges ranging from manslaughter to leaving the scene of an accident.

Anyone who has information is asked to call the San Diego Police Department at (619) 531-2000.

One burn victim was transported to the hospital after a fire inside a City Heights building Monday night, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) confirmed.

The fire started at approximately 10:54 p.m. on the 3600 block of Altadena Avenue near Sterling Court.

SDFD says when crews arrived on scene, thick black smoke could be seen coming from the building. One burn victim was found and tranported to UCSD Hospital. 

The victim's condition is unknown.

The fire was knocked down in about 15 minutes but crews are still on scene, conducting a search of the building.

It is unclear if this is a home or a commercial building.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 

Hector Sanchez Circled The Bases in his Old Stomping Grounds

Beating your former team is a pretty satisfying accomplishment.

Hitting a home run against your former franchise – at the exact park where you used to play – is like the cherry on top of the sundae.

Padres catcher Hector Sanchez was able to do both against the Giants Monday evening as his current squad beat his old ‘mates, 4-0.

San Diego led 2-0 in the sixth inning when Sanchez crushed a hanging pitch from Jeff Samardzija over the wall in the right field corner. The ball just barely made it over the yellow line into a fan’s glove and gave the Padres a 4-0 lead.

Starting pitcher Paul Clemens overcame flu-like symptoms to help the Friars earn the win and improve to 3-5 on the year.

Clemens lasted five shutout innings and held the Giants to just three measly hits to become eligible for a victory. He turned in a solid performance despite not feeling well.

Andy Green called upon five different relievers to help finish what Clemens started.

Brandon Morrow pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning and then Jose Dominguez and Brad Hand combined to shut the door in the seventh.

Ryan Buchter and Brandon Maurer did not allow a hit the rest of the contest to complete a true team effort that silenced the Giants offense.

San Diego tries to make it two in a row Tuesday night when Clayton Richard takes the hill against Giants pitcher Albert Suarez.

At the Rio Paralympic Games, USA swimmer Bradley Snyder sped to victory in the S11 50-meter freestyle.

Snyder, a Naval Academy Alum, lost his eyesight while fighting in Afghanistan five years ago.

Four years ago in London, Snyder won two gold medals and also a silver.

Del Mar native Roy Perkins won bronze in the 50-meter freestyle. That's his 3rd medal in Rio.

Perkins also won two medals back in 2008 in Beijing.

Another American, 17-year-old Hunter Woodhall won silver in the 200 meter dash.

Woodhall trained in Chula Vista. He also was part of the men’s 4x100 relay race.

Woodhall still wound up finishing the 200 T44 with a personal best time of 21.50 seconds.

UCSD junior Reilly Boyt finishes 5th in two different swimming events and just missed advancing to the next heat in both.

Boyt still has two more chances to medal later this week in Rio.

USA men's wheelchair basketball team improves to 5-0 in pool play with a 65-48 win over Great Britain.

A new poll found that Hillary Clinton's lead over Donald Trump continues to narrow, with 48 percent to 44 percent, a decline of 2 points since last week, NBC News reported.

The latest NBC NewsSurveyMonkey poll was conducted online from Sept. 5 through Sept. 11 among 16,220 registered voters.

About five weeks ago, just after the Democratic convention, Clinton saw a sizable 10-point lead over Trump. In several battleground states, and nationally overall, the race has tightened considerably. One notable area where Trump has made up ground is among independents who do not lean toward the Democratic or Republican Party.

San Diego police have recovered a car they believe was used in a Pacific Beach hit-and-run that left three men seriously injured. 

The hit-and-run happened on Aug. 5 at 1:09 a.m. when a silver four-door sedan traveling eastbound in the 900 block of Garnet Avenue struck three men who were crossing the busy street, SDPD officers said. 

The driver fled the scene.

SDPD Lieutenant Scott Wahl said police have recovered the car they believe was involved in the crash, and the crime lab is processing evidence recovered from the vehicle. 

“The Pacific Beach Hit and Run case continues to be an active investigation with the highest priority for the San Diego Police Department," Wahl said in a statement.

Earlier, investigators released a short surveillance video of the suspect’s vehicle fleeing the scene of the crash.

Additionally, the man and woman considered persons of interest in the crash have been identified, but no arrests have been made, Wahl said. 

Police said all three pedestrians were hospitalized with various injuries ranging from lacerations and fractures to brain injuries.

One of the victims injured in the hit-and-run was J’Ron Erby, 23, a recent college graduate and intern for the San Diego Chargers. Erby was out that night celebrating a friend’s birthday. The hit-and-run landed him in the hospital with skull fractures and brain trauma, his father told NBC 7.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can call the SDPD’s Traffic Division at (858) 495-7813 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Crime stoppers is offering a $1000 reward for anyone with information.

A man who was working as a tutor at Mar Vista High School and was arrested for having a relationship with an underage student has entered a guilty plea in the case.

Alejandro Rodriguez, 20, originally faced four felony counts and five years in prison in connection with a relationship he developed with a 16-year-old Mar Vista HS student.

NBC 7 has learned Rodriguez entered a guilty plea Monday to an amended charge - one felony count of statutory rape.

His arrest on March 9 was the third sex crimes arrest in three days involving adults with ties to the Imperial Beach-area high school.

After a previous court hearing, Rodriguez' defense attorney said his client was contacted through Facebook by a young man who was a freshman at the school when his client was a senior.

Rodriguez was not the freshman's tutor, his attorney told NBC 7 in a previous interview.

The relationship lasted about one week when the student told a cousin about the defendant. It was then that the student's father contacted police.

Rodriguez was an employee of South Bay Community Services and was a tutor at Mar Vista High School.

He will be sentenced October 11.

A local Iraq War veteran is among more than 6,800 GI beneficiaries who enrolled at ITT Technical Institute -- only to be out of education when the school system abruptly shut down.

And Ted Lindley, along with the thousands of others, are wondering what to do next and are unsure whether other schools will accept their college credits.

Ted Lindley served in the US Marine Corps for seven years. He was first deployed to Iraq in 2004, and again in 2005. It was during his last stint, when he received a Purple Heart during a convoy operation.

“I was inside the vehicle. I took shrapnel to the side of the head in my left temple,” Ted told NBC 7.

Ted still has consistent headaches and a chronic numbness in his hand from his injury. 

When Ted came home in 2005 he wanted to start a new life for his family. He first enrolled at Palomar College, but found the class schedule to be inconvenient and confusing. Then he met a recruiter at ITT Technical Institute and decided to enroll there because the school made the process easy and simple, he said.

“There was never a question of what course am I taking next, what class am I going to take next, what do I have to do to pay for this,” Ted said.

Ted estimates about 70 percent of his classmates were either active duty or former military members. He said ITT Tech classes were available at night and that appealed to him and his classmates.

For the first three-and-a-half years, things at ITT Tech were going well for Ted. He graduated with an associates degree with honors and began working on his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

“He would stay up at night and do his homework all night long, so he wouldn’t have to miss the time he had with us,” Ted’s wife Tammy said.

That’s why the news of ITT Tech shutting down was so devastating for the Lindley family. After more than three years of studying, and just three semesters shy of graduating with a degree, Ted may have to retake most, if not all of his courses, because ITT Tech was not a regionally accredited school.

“I’m just defeated, discouraged, scared what our future is going to be,” Tammy said. 

NBC7 reached out to several schools on Monday to find out which schools will accept ITT credits.

Coleman University told NBC 7 they will accept some credits from ITT students, but not all. Cal State San Marcos will not accept any ITT credits, saying ITT Tech was not a regionally accredited school. The San Diego Community Colleges may offer students the chance to test out of courses and receive credits, but they haven’t finalized a method yet.

Congressman Scott Peters has agreed to cosponsor the Education Recovery and Restoration Act (HR 3991) which would:

1. Restore entitlement for individuals who pursued a program of education with VA educational assistance and failed to receive credit, or lost training time, toward completion of the individual’s educational, professional, or vocational objective as a result of the closure of their educational institution.

2. Continue monthly educational assistance payments, including monthly housing allowance, through the end of the term, quarter, or semester in which the school closes, or for up to four months from the date of the school closure.

Rep. Peters is hoping to see this legislation move, but in the meantime veterans can reach out to resources through the VA and the Department of Education to determine the best options for them moving forward, including transferring and getting their federal student loans discharged if they have any.

NBC7 also reached out to the VA. Here is their response: We regret the sudden inconvenience and disruption of studies for the more than 6,800 GI Bill beneficiaries recently identified as pursuing programs at ITT Technical Institute or planning to embark on studies there. VA has resources available to help such students relocate their academic pursuits, including VA’s Comparison Tool and its web page providing a Choosing a School guide. Students with concerns about the status of their benefits can consult with VA staff at VA’s education toll-free line, 888-442-4551.

Additional information for students, as available, will be posted here.

A five-year-old girl injured in a highway collision that killed her grandmother and 2-year-old sister is on the path to recovery, a family spokesman said Monday.

Lina Nebrida, 64, and Keira Magat, 2, died when a suspected drunk driver hit their vehicle from behind Saturday morning on Interstate 15 near Scripps Poway Parkway and Mercy Road.

Their vehicle stalled in the middle of the I-15 while the driver that struck their vehicle fled the scene, according to California Highway Patrol officers.

A few minutes later, another vehicle slammed into the family's car.

Nebrida and Magat were killed.

Magat's older sister, who was taken to the hospital after the crash, has been moved out of ICU and into a private room. Mejica would not elaborate on the extent of the young girl’s injuries. 

Her mother's condition has also improved and she is at her daughter's side as she recovers, he said. 

“They are grieving but at the same time thankful for the life that has been saved but of course going through the difficult times of the tragedy and the injuries that was acquired during this ordeal,” said Mejica, with Harbor Light Ministries.

The suspect in the case, Grant Thoren was arrested and booked on multiple charges, include first degree murder. He was arrested at a home in San Marcos after being turned in by a tow truck driver, who had towed his car from a gas station near the crash site.

The family is requesting privacy during this difficult time. They have set up a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses. To donate, click here.

Escondido police officers used their own money to help repair a school garden tended to by elementary school children, found vandalized on Sept. 11. 

Officers were first called to Conway Elementary School on Sunday after school staff members found the small garden on school property vandalized. 

An unknown suspect had smashed potted plants with the children's painted hand prints on them, broke branches off some trees and threw a shopping cart into the garden. 

The garden is tended to by the school children, and staff members told officers how upset the children would be if they found the garden vandalized on Monday morning.

A group of unidentified Escondido Police officers said they knew they had to do something when they heard how upset the children would be.  

Officers went to Home Depot and bought a $50 gift card with their own money and gave it to the school, hoping it could be used to make the necessary repairs before the kids returned to school. 

"It angers me that someone would vandalize a garden for young children," said Police Chief Craig Carter in a statement. "I am proud of my officer's selfless gesture to right this wrong."

The incident is under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call the department's Anonymous Tip Line at (760) 743-8477.

Donald Trump and his attorneys have requested the trial date in one of the Trump University class-action lawsuits be moved to a later date, according to federal court documents filed Monday.

A San Diego federal judge scheduled the Low v. Trump case to begin November 28. Trump and his attorneys are asking the date to be moved to either to January 2, 2017 or December 12, 2016 “in order to resolve a scheduling conflict,” the court document details.

According to the court document, Daniel Petrocelli, one of Trump’s attorneys, is the lead trial attorney in another case involving Sirius Radio. That trial is set to begin on November 15 and “is estimated to last seven court days.” The current schedule would “prevent Mr. Petrocelli from conducting the necessary pretrial work and preparation in this case,” and “defendants will suffer substantial prejudice,” the documents detail.

Click here to read the complete court document. 

The plaintiffs and their attorneys said they intend to oppose the request and will file their opposition and reasoning with the court by Wednesday.

The Trump University lawsuits allege the former university, which took in over $40 million, was fraudulent and deceptive. Two class-action lawsuits against the now-closed Trump University are being heard in San Diego courtrooms; another lawsuit is based in a New York court.

The San Diego cases include: Cohen v. Trump, a nationwide class action lawsuit and Low v. Trump, a class action in California, Florida and New York. Trump denies the allegations in the lawsuits.