White Rascal, Bonobos, Brainfood and Sweedway Stout, the names are as unique as the brewers and those who drink these beers.

San Diego craft brewers and their customers are raising their glasses to a City Council vote that will result in expanding downtown business.

City Council signed off on zoning changes Tuesday that would allow craft brewers to expand their businesses.

NBC 7: Restaurant Changes Coming to San Diego

Craft brew bars are now permitted to open full service tasting rooms and restaurants.

The combination has been very successful at the Monkey Paw Pub and Brewery. Bartender Mark Wright says the downtown can only benefit from council’s decision.

San Diego is nationally recognized for its craft brewing industry.

City Council apparently listened to the complaints about past restrictions. Some Microbrewers were actually considering moving to other cities because of them.

Police responding to a noise complaint in Baraboo, Wis., found that the loud noises were actually the loud sounds of frogs fornicating.

It was the second time this month that a neighbor called police to complain about "loud music" coming from Debbie and Jeff Alsip's backyard, Baraboo's News Republic reported.

"Every spring, this happens," Debbi Alsip told the News Republic. "It has woke us up before, if we have our windows open."

Officer Mike Pichler told the News Republic that when he arrived he found about a dozen frogs in the Alsip's backyard koi pond mating and emitting their load, shrill mating calls.

The paper reported the Alsips have had the pond since 1994 and that each spring female frogs lay their eggs in the area outside Madison and look for Mr. Right.

Two people were killed and 11 others injured in gun violence overnight across Chicago, hours before the city is set to graduate its largest class of new police recruits in years in an effort to tackle the spike in violence.

Graduating rookies already have been tapped to patrol hot zones where the most crime takes place, but it will be months before they hit the streets to battle the city's epidemic of gun violence.

It's part of the Chicago Police Department's plan to beef up forces on the street via a targeted effort called "Operation Impact" that police leadership say is already working. Supt. Garry McCarthy last month touted a 43 percent decrease in April murders and said the city saw 84 fewer murders in the past seven months.

Still, he said, "we're going to have good days, we're going to have bad days."

Veterans out in high-crime zones had a very busy Tuesday night. At West 63rd and South May streets in Englewood, police said two men were shot and one was killed. A 36-year-old was shot in the shoulder and a 22-year-old was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital.

Police said the men were in a car driving down the street when a gunman came out of a gangway and opened fire. Police were still looking for that shooter Wednesday morning.

In a separate incident, police say a 21-year-old man was driving in the area of South Damen Avenue and West 78th Street on the city's West Side when he was shot in the neck.

The man made it a few more blocks to 74th Street where he was pronounced dead. Police are still looking for the shooter in this incident as well.

After Wednesday's police graduation, the largest since 2005, the department said it will have 105 more officers to join foot patrols. Before they can hit city streets, though, they must undergo 12 weeks of training. That means Chicago won't see them until late this summer.

Tuesday night's wave of shootings wasn't the first of the spring season.

Ronald Baskin, a relative of long-time Chicago peace activist Hal Baskin, was one of two people killed last weekend. Seven others were wounded in weekend gun violence. Police said Baskin was gunned down after visiting his great-grandmother's home in the Englewood neighborhood for Mother's Day.

Less than two weeks ago, as temperatures reached the 80s, three people were killed and 20 others were wounded in shootings across the city. About a dozen were shot in 12 hours, police said.

Tuesday temperatures reached 88 degrees, but McCarthy this week downplayed weather's effect on crime.

"Weather is an influencer on crime. It's not a cause, nor does it prevent crime," McCarthy said at a 9th District news conference held to showcase the latest stash of illegal guns confiscated by police officers.

"Obviously there's more crime in the summertime, and that's because of a number of things. Kids aren't in school, there's more people in the street, and sometimes we have to realize that that's not weather -- that's seasonal," McCarthy said.

The National Weather Service did a good job forecasting the approach and impact of Hurricane Sandy but did not give enough warning about massive storm surges that did much of the damage, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report released Wednesday.

NOAA, the government agency that oversees the weather service, said that officials in New York and New Jersey didn't get storm-surge forecasts early enough, or in formats that were easy to use.

"We found that …forecasters performed well predicting the track of this extremely large and complex storm, which undoubtedly saved lives," NOAA official Peyton Robertson said in a statement. "But we also found problems with NOAA's ability to communicate the impacts associated with storm surge, one of the most significant hazards associated with Sandy."

The 66-page "service assessment" details the development of the October 2012 storm, and how the weather service tracked its approach and communicated that information to authorities along the Atlantic coast.

At nearly 1,000 feet across, Sandy was one of the biggest storms ever to hit the United States, affecting 24 states in some way. In the most hard-hit areas, such as New York and New Jersey, storm surges rose above eight feet. Further inland, it dumped more than three feet of snow.

In the end, 72 people died as a direct result of the storm. The damage has been estimated at more than $50 billion.

The NOAA report recommended nearly two-dozen changes at the National Weather Service, starting with a revamp of its storm-surge forecasting system to include better maps and warnings that provide local details on projected impacts.

The weather service said it is already moving on many of the report's suggestions in time for the 2013 hurricane season, which begins June 1. The National Hurricane Center, for example, has agreed to issue forecasts and warnings for storms that are dangerous but don't maintain all the technical aspects of hurricanes. That was the case with Sandy, which was downgraded to post-tropical cyclone just before it made landfall.

National Weather Service Director Dr. Louis Uccellini said in a statement that his agency hadn't been thoroughly modernized in two decades. Most of its communications systems date to the 1980s, he said.

The agency will get help from a newly passed bill that provides NOAA with $48 million to supplement its "response and recovery capability," including better computers and higher-resolution forecasting models.

"I'm committed to implementing these recommendations to give America a National Weather Service that is second to none," Uccellini said.

The San Diego City Council voted Tuesday to change two major restaurant rules involving craft breweries and outdoor dining.

Council members approved zoning changes that will let craft breweries open full-service tasting rooms and restaurants. They also approved a new sidewalk café ordinance that will make it easier for restaurants to have outdoor dining.

Currently breweries in the city of San Diego are unable to have restaurants attached to their tasting rooms and restrictions had some micro-brewers look at other cities for their business. The changes could benefit dozens of establishments.

Brewery zoning alterations still needs to be approved by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Board of Directors this summer.

Also a sidewalk café ordinance passed unanimously, clearing the way for more curbside dining in San Diego.

Previously, permits for outdoor dining could cost more than $10,000 and would take months of approval. Now restaurants will face permit fees around a few hundred dollars, according to council member Lorie Zapf’s office.

Opponents of the ordinance have said that it will create noise in residential areas and walkability would be compromised.

Sidewalk dining will keep a single row of tables within 4-feet-6-inches of the building, while keeping an open path on the sidewalk for pedestrians.

Local community regulations will still be in effect, which means some neighborhoods may have a curfew for outdoor dining. Music will also not be allowed at sidewalk cafes.

An abandoned boat washed ashore Wednesday at Windansea Beach in La Jolla.

San Diego Lifeguards say the 19 foot Bayliner was spotted at the end of Nautilus Street around 5:45 a.m.

There were six life jackets spotted in the area a few yards away from the boat but no one is in the area officials said.

U.S. Border Patrol agents responded and found no people.

Lifeguards say the boat will need to be towed away by another boat because of the rocky conditions along the beach.

The vessel had no sign of narcotics officials said.

A man died of multiple gunshot wounds after a shooting in Escondido Tuesday. 

Escondido police are looking for a man described as in his 20s who pulled out a gun and opened fire on another man in the driveway of a home in the 800-block of South Orange Street.

The victim was shot at least once in the neck and in other areas of the body.

Investigators say the suspect walked up to three men around 7 p.m. and had a conversation before the shooting began.

“From our understanding at this point, it did not appear to be a heated conversation,” said Lt. Neal Griffin.

One victim was transported to Palomar Medical Center, but was pronounced dead shortly after.

Investigators had trouble identifying the victim because he wasn’t carrying identification at the time of the shooting.

The suspect was described by police as a Hispanic man in his 20s wearing blue shorts, a white shirt and blue ball cap running in the area of 13th and Broadway.

“We have taken at least one person back to the station for a detailed statement,” said Griffin.

Investigators said there has been gang violence in this section of Escondido but they were not ready to consider the shooting gang-related.

Parents of Scripps Ranch High School are hiring attorneys after the school board chose not to overturn punishments for a controversial “twerking” video.

Parents spoke at Tuesday’s meeting of the San Diego Unified School Board to intervene but the trustees refused to act.

Two weeks after the video clip showing students dancing suggestively led to 31 students being suspended from the North County school, the board considered whether to step in and remove the punishment from the students’ records.

However, the board president came out of a closed session and read a statement saying basically it's not their place to overturn suspensions handed down by SRHS administrators.

Board members said it's not within their jurisdiction to overturn suspensions per California Education code. School discipline is left up to the principal.

Many parents worry that having to disclose a "sexual harassment" citation on applications will hinder their chances of admission into top schools.

Attorney Ruth Hargrove represents one of the juniors who appear in the “twerking” video.

“What I think my client wants is an apology. I mean it'd be a great lawsuit… we're suing you to demand you apologize,” Hargrove said.

Another parent who didn't want to be identified says now she's forced to hire an attorney to try and get her daughter's record wiped clean.

“It could be $20-30,000. That's money we were supposed to put towards college,” the parent told NBC 7 San Diego.

First, parents will file an appeal.

“Absolutely. We will. There's nobody that's not going to appeal. Everybody is moving forward with that,” the suspended student's mother said.

“My client wants to go to college. She wants to go to Stanford. She wants this off her record so that she can go there and stop thinking about this and she can move on,” Hargrove said.

As for the seniors involved all are able to go to prom and walk in the graduation ceremony. Initially, the school threatened to take those privileges away.
 

San Diego police were involved in a high-speed pursuit through residential streets in City Heights early Wednesday.

About 5 a.m. SDPD officers were called to the area of 4300 El Cajon Boulevard for a report of a vehicle traveling at high speeds.

Officers tried to stop the vehicle along Polk Avenue but they say the driver refused to pull over.

They were able to use spike strips to deflate two of the tires on the suspect’s vehicle at Olive Street and Fairmount Avenue.

After the driver refused to get out of the car, officers prepared to use a K-9, bean bags or pepper ball but the man eventually complied with officers and was taken into custody.

The chase lasted 12 minutes and filled the neighborhood with the sounds of sirens and police activity.

“The nice thing about this part of the morning, there was almost no traffic or pedestrian movement on the roadway,” said Lt. Darryl Hoover.

“At this point in time there was no hazard for people in the residential areas.

 

Federal Judge Amy St. Eve on Wednesday had enough of "the Donald" in court, scolding both the billionaire and the plaintiff's lawyer in a Chicago courtroom.

"This is not a boxing ring," she said, accusing Donald Trump of "dancing around the questions" and attorney Shelly Kulwin of rolling his eyes.

Trump returned to the stand for the second day during a trial involving the sale of two units inside his downtown Chicago high-rise building. Trump is fighting allegations he conned 87-year-old Jacqueline Goldberg into buying condos at Trump Tower by promising her a cut of the profit and then backing out of the deal.

Trump's testimony was prickly as he and Kulwin battled to speak. Trump continued making comments out of the line of questioning, noting "the hotel is doing very well" and "the people are extremely happy who have their units."

At one point Kulwin, who spent the morning asking questions about Trump's involvement in marketing, told him to slow down.

Judge St. Eve put a stop to it during a 10-minute break. "Do you think the jury likes this?" she asked.

"You're wasting their time," she told Trump. "Listen to the questions asked."

She told Kulwin "to control yourself" and said he was making the situation worse by rolling his eyes and asking compound questions.

A day earlier Trump testified he was pretty hands off when it came to the development of the tower and just delegated responsibilities to his employees. Kulwin suggested Trump is too detailed-oriented to not have known the finer details of the property.

During part of the hour-long testimony, Trump boasted about the tower and how he raised funding for it in a down economy, as well as what he called his good reputation.

"I don't want to be braggadocios," he said, "I build great buildings."

Goldberg says she bought the two condos in exchange for a cut of hotel profits. The properties were supposed to be a part of a revenue-sharing opportunity offered by Trump Tower, she said, but the her lawsuit claims the terms of the agreement were changed by the time the tower opened in 2008 and she was denied a deposit refund.

Trump's lawyers have called the situation buyer's remorse.

Kulwin shot back Tuesday during the real estate mogul's testimony, scoffing as Trump went on about his track record in business. At one point attorney Shelly Kulwin accused him of working infomercials into testimony and not answering questions.

Goldberg's lawsuit seeks the $500,000 deposit for the condos.

Two African clawed frogs found in San Diego tested positive for a deadly disease, according to researchers at Stanford University.

Each frog harbored a “deadly amphibian pathogen,” according to Stanford University School of Medicine scientists. The pathogen, called batrachochytrium dendrobatis, is transmitted by water and turns into a fungus which can infect other amphibians, which can kill them.

The African clawed frog is a non-native species that live in San Diego now, according to Dr. Sherril Green at Stanford, who researched the issue. The San Diego frogs that were tested for the disease were collected for scientific research in 2001, but Green said it is highly likely the African clawed frogs still live here.

“The San Diego community has a very healthy and well established population of the African frogs,” she said. “San Diego has those large drainage ditches, which is an ideal habitat for them.”

But what does that mean for San Diegans? The disease does not affect humans or other animals, though birds are known to carry the pathogen, said Green.

But the disease could prove deadly for amphibian populations. The disease could possibly eradicate native frog species, which could have an effect on the local ecosystem.

“We’ve lost about 200 different species of frogs with habitat loss, pollution and the spread of this fungus,” Green said. “It has decimated many populations.”

These frogs were introduced to the U.S. because of their use to biomedical research, according to Stanford researchers. Their first contribution to modern medicine? Pregnancy testing.

In the 1920s the frogs were used to help determine if a woman was having a baby. It turns out that injecting the frogs with urine from pregnant women would encourage egg production in the frog.

But now the frogs are known to be an invasive species and their use and transport are highly regulated in California and 11 other states.

Green warned that African clawed frogs can out-compete other species as they are reproductive year-round, so people should not interfere with their activity.

“This species of frog is restricted in California, you need to have a permit for research scientist and they cannot be owned as pets,” she said. “What we’ve learned from this is that releasing these animals into the wild it can have a negative impact on the environment.”

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings last month, a number of security policies will be in effect at Saturday's Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, raceway officials said.

Security agents will be wanding all attendees, with all camera bags, purses and containers entering Pimlico Race Course grounds to be searched upon entry.

Backpacks, duffel bags, coolers and or thermoses will be prohibited.

For the fifth year in a row, attendees are prohibited from bringing their own alcoholic beverages to the infield. Faced with dangerous drunkenness in the past, Pimlico now controls all alcohol sales.

Those in the grandstands will be allowed to bring beverages in clear plastic containers, no larger than 18" by 18". Food must also be in clear containers or clear plastic bags no larger than 12" by 12".

Other items banned from the grandstand, clubhouse and infield include:

• Laser lights or pointers, cameras with lenses more than 6" long, cameras over 35mm, camcorders, tripods, tents, balloons or balls, fireworks, mace or pepper spray, grills,
  umbrellas, weapons, wagons, non-folding or folding metal chairs, ladders, scaffolding or other raised devices

Items allowed on the grandstand, clubhouse or infield include:

• Beach blankets (infield only), suntan lotion, beach tote bags, cell phones, tablets, cameras, binoculars, purses and lightweight aluminum or plastic lawn chairs (infield only)

The Preakness Stakes — the second leg of the Triple Crown — will be held May 18 at 4:30 p.m.

It’s graduation season, which means San Diego State University is getting ready to hold their 2013 commencement ceremonies.

From Thursday through Sunday, nearly 9,100 SDSU students will partake in graduation ceremonies.

On Thursday at 7 p.m., students from the Imperial Valley Campus will have their commencement ceremony at the Rollie Carrillo Quad. On Friday, students from the College of Health and Human Services and College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts will attend their ceremonies at the Viejas Arena at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

On Saturday, three commencement ceremonies will be held at the Viejas Arena at 8 a.m., 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. for students from the College of Business Administration, College of Education and the Division of Undergraduate Studies and the College of Sciences.

Finally, on Sunday, SDSU will confer degrees upon students from the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Letters at the Viejas Arena at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.

According to SDSU, of the 9,100 students graduating this year, 6,794 will earn bachelor’s degrees from one of the university’s eight colleges, while 2,109 graduate students will receive master’s degrees.

A total of 135 students will receive doctorate degrees.

This year’s graduation numbers also include 262 bachelor’s degree candidates and 10 master’s degree candidates from SDSU’s Imperial Valley campus.

Representatives from SDSU say the College of Engineering will have the most intimate commencement ceremony this year, with 541 students graduating at Sunday’s 9 a.m. ceremony.

The largest commencement ceremony will honor 1,976 students from the College of Arts and Letters on Sunday at 1 p.m.

SDSU President Elliot Hirshman and Provost Nancy Marlin will confer the degrees upon the students during the ceremonies.

In addition, SDSU will be giving honorary doctorate degrees to two distinguished San Diegans – former San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and Linda Lang, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Jack in the Box, Inc. They will be honored during the Friday and Saturday ceremonies.

For more information about SDSU’s 2013 commencement ceremonies, visit this website.
 

A fire is burning near the Helix plant in El Cajon, according to officials.

The blaze started around 2:20 p.m. near Lake Jennings Park Road and Jack Oak Road, across from Bass Drive.

Four fire engines, a water tender, and two units were sent to the scene and were able to extinguish it.

The world’s tallest man, who stands at 8-foot-3 , visited San Diego on Wednesday morning.

Sultan Kösen, 31, is the Guinness Book of World Records holder since 2009, and decided to swing by San Diego during his trip to Southern California. The Turkish native is attending the Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival in Orange County tomorrow.

The festival is dedicated to celebrating all things Turkish, and Kösen will greet attendees at the entrance. Filner said he is also going to the festival on Saturday.

Filner and Kösen communicated through a translator, as he only speaks Turkish, and talked about Kösen’s childhood.

It wasn’t the first visit to SoCal for Kösen. Four years ago, a California family hosted him and donated funds for a dental procedure.

Since being deemed the world’s tallest man, Kösen said he has visited more than 80 countries.

Students at Sweetwater High School were taught a lesson about driving under the influence on Wednesday during a staged car crash.

Students at Sweetwater High School were initially unaware of the event, and were led outside to witness the staged incident.

A program called “Every 15 Minutes” simulated a collision outside the school in National City. The scene portrayed a student driver behind the wheel after drinking, which results in the fake death of a teacher.

“The idea behind ‘Every 15 Minutes’ is that every 15 minutes somebody dies of an alcohol-related accident,” said National City police Sgt. Alex Hernandez.

Firefighters and law enforcement officials also participated in the event to show students what happens following a serious car accident.

Hernandez said the program’s goal is to educate teens about the potentially deadly effects of drinking alcohol and driving, especially before the summer months when teenagers are out driving more often.

A rough and risky ocean rescue off Ocean Beach early Wednesday morning has San Diego lifeguards warning that they're dangerously understaffed.
           
Especially from sunset to sunrise.

Around 1 a.m., according to authorities, a drunken man weighing well over 300 pounds jumped off the Ocean Beach pier near the cafe and wound up unconscious in the water.
           
It took four lifeguards to save him -- the only two available from Mission Bay, and the only two on duty in La Jolla, who arrived as backup 20 minutes into the rescue.

"Even with the four lifeguards, we couldn't lift the guy over the rail,” says Lifeguard Sgt. Ed Harris, who piloted a 22-foot Boston Whaler from the Lifeguard Service’s Mission Bay compound to the offshore rescue scene north of the Ocean Beach pier.   

“We just couldn't get him into the boat,” Harris said of the man, whose brother and friends made emergency calls after he leaped off the pier.  “He was slippery, we had no grip, he was just too heavy.  We had to turn the boat off, the motor, and bring him in through the lower part next to the motor, the transom --  and use a mat to get him back there, get him slid in on his stomach. 

“He's a complete dead weight. He's unconscious at this point. And it took everything we had to bring that body into the boat."

Harris, with his lifeguard partner in the water, and the two lifeguards from La Jolla who jumped off the pier on their arrival were the only rescue coverage available along San Diego's stretch of coast from sunset to 8 a.m.
           
Each of the two-man night crews, according to Harris, worries about being overwhelmed by big emergencies before "call-back" lifeguards arrive from home. 

"If you take that as a scenario and you put it as a sailboat on the rocks -- which we've all had -- with multiple victims,” Harris added, “we would've lost some of the people, because we have only one guard that's able to get into the water."

Harris serves off-duty as spokesman for the San Diego Lifeguards Assn., a city-recognized employee bargaining unit affiliated with the Teamsters Union.

He says the Fire-Rescue Department’s Lifeguard Service, with seven positions left vacant since November, badly needs a budget boost in next fiscal year's funding cycle at City Hall.

"We are seeing a degradation of our ability to protect the public, across the entire city or the entire coastline,” Harris warned.  “What we want the public to know is that these beaches aren't as safe as they have been, and we're concerned about that."

So far, no formal responses have been forthcoming to NBC 7’s requests made to various offices at City Hall for comment.

One official indicated, on a ‘background’ basis, that there’s grumbling because the incident may offer the Lifeguards Association "leverage" at budget time.

Harris says he's personally shared his concerns with Mayor Filner, and gotten a good reception.