Gaming restaurant Dave & Busters will soon open up shop in Carlsbad and, starting Monday, will seek to fill more than 275 jobs at its new location.

The sports bar and eatery chain – known for its arcade-style games – will open its second local outpost on Jan. 30, this time in San Diego’s North County, at The Shoppes at Carlsbad. On Monday, managers will begin accepting applications for more than 275 open positions at the business.

The new restaurant will fill a large, 40,000-square-foot space at the Carlsbad shopping center, which is currently undergoing a major, multi-phase renovation scheduled to be completed in early 2017.

This location will serve the chain’s American cuisine, including the Buffalo Wing Burger, as well as quirky cocktails like the Adult Snow Cone, which combines watermelon pucker with coconut rum, cherry vodka, blue curacao, Sprite and pomegranate syrup for a colorful result.

The new location will also boast hundreds of games, including a larger-than-life version of “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.”

Dave & Busters is one of the biggest projects included inthe overhaul of The Shoppes at Carlsbad. The renovation project also includes three other new tenants, announced earlier this month: The Cheesecake Factory, The Yard House and Zara, which are all slated to open by the end of 2017. The Shoppes at Carlsbad currently houses more than 100 retail options and is anchored by a Macy’s and Regal Cinemas.

This marks Dave & Buster’s second location in San Diego. The other is in Mission Valley, highly visible off Interstate 8.

Permits to sell alcohol in stores and restaurants are worth a lot, which can sometimes cause predatory business practices and contentious political battles between tenants and landlords.

In Pacific Beach, a limit on the number of permits allowed in the area has made them extremely valuable. Existing liquor licenses in the beach community can sell for between $100,000 and up to $1 million.

Applications for new licenses face a lot of neighborhood push back, so they’re difficult to get. This squeeze on the supply of licenses in Pacific Beach is causing tensions between tenants who own the licenses and landlords who want them.

Political battles over liquor permits have played out in City Heights and National City, too.

In this week’s San Diego Explained, NBC 7 San Diego’s Monica Dean and Voice of San Diego’s Maya Srikrishnan dig in to the drama behind alcohol permits.

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A mother and her young daughter, whose Twitter updates from besieged Aleppo have captured the world's attention, appealed to first lady Michelle Obama as the Syrian crisis continued to unfold Friday without intervention from the West.

"I talk to you as a mother," Fatemah Bana al-Abed said in a video message sent to NBC News. "I implore you to help us ... because we are so afraid."

The message ends with a plea from her 7-year-old daughter, Bana: "Hello, Mrs. Obama. Please help us."

Syria's President Bashar Assad has called their Twitter account propaganda promoted by terrorists or their supporters.

Speaking with NBC News via Skype late Thursday, Fatemah confirmed that she and Bana remain in the shrinking rebel-held pocket of devastated eastern Aleppo. The evacuation of civilians to the relative safety of opposition areas in Idlib and the Aleppo countryside stalled Friday after pro-government militias opened fire on buses carrying civilians, rebel sources told Reuters.

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One day into harbor seal pupping season, the City of San Diego announced the beach at the Children's Pool in La Jolla would be closed -- despite a court ruling to keep it open to the public.

Earlier this week, city officials said the Children's Pool would be open during seal pupping season in order to comply with a ruling handed down by a Southern California judge.

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The city is in the process of appealing that ruling and had filed a motion in the Court of Appeal so that the beach closure could be implemented during the pupping season while the appeal process is ongoing.

On Friday, the city announced that legal permission had been granted, and said the Children's Pool would be closed, effective immediately, during seal pupping season, which is from Dec. 15 to May 15.

A rope line, which the city said “serves as a guide and reminder for the public to keep a safe distance from any seals,” will remain in place at the Children's Pool. It's meant to deter people from harassing or disturbing the seals, which is illegal, and to keep people safe from the animals.

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This marks the latest back-and-forth in the ongoing controversy to open or close the beach area in La Jolla where harbor seals rest and give birth to their young. The area is known as a prime spot to observe seals in San Diego.

On May 18, 2014, the San Diego City Council approved a decision to close the pool to the public during pupping season.The closure had been in effect since that approval in 2014.

In May of 2016, an Orange County Superior Court ruling decided it was illegal for the Children’s Pool beach area to be closed to the public during pupping season.

Now, the City of San Diego's appeal process against this ruling will continue as both sides try to resolve the longtime legal issues surrounding the Children’s Pool.

Seal Conservancy advocates believe it should stay closed during pupping season to protect the animals and their pups from possible harassment by spectators who get too close in order to pose for photos. Opponents of the closure believe public access to the beach should be available all year.

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Eater San Diego shares the top stories of the week from San Diego’s food and drink scene, like the scoop on two fried chicken concepts, including the newest Crack Shack.

Peep Inside the Crack Shack's New North County Home
Scheduled to launch in early 2017 is The Crack Shack's new location in Encinitas. The casual fried chicken-centric eatery, with celebrity chef Richard Blais behind it, was an instant hit when it first opened in Little Italy last year. The family-friendly space in the North County will feature a cocktail bar, bocce ball court, and picnic-style dining, and is hoping for an equally warm reception from this community. 

Where to Dine Out on New Year's Eve & New Year's Day
Eater's guide shares over 20 recommended spots for ringing in New Year's Eve in San Diego. From early celebrations to multi-course feasts, champagne-pairing dinners, there's something for everyone, including New Year's Day hangover brunches. 

Global Fried Chicken Concept Comes to Chula Vista
Max's Restaurants, a beloved fried chicken chain that was founded in the Philippines and now has over 200 outposts around the world, will open its first of three San Diego-area locations next year, starting with Chula Vista. Other franchises are planned for Mira Mesa and the Escondido/San Marcos neighborhoods. 

El Zarape Opens Fast-Casual Mexican Eatery on Adams
A popular fixture on uptown’s Park Boulevard, El Zarape has expanded with a fresh new eatery on Adams Avenue. The counter service-style spot features El Zarape's signature authentic and affordable Mexican dishes ranging from street tacos to burritos, all with a colorful, modern design. 

Organic Juice Company Taps Miramar Tasting Room
Solti, which specializes in organic cold-pressed juices and teas, has launched a tasting room at its new production facility in the Miramar area. Its eight-tap bar will be stocked with a rotating array of beverages that will be available as tasters, glasses, and 64-ounce growlers. 

FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper agree with a CIA assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election in part to help Donald Trump win the presidency, two U.S. intelligence officials confirmed to NBC News.

But the officials noted electing Trump was only "one part" of what Moscow was trying to accomplish. The larger goal, they said, was to undermine confidence in America's election system.

The confirmation that major intelligence agencies agree on the nature and intent of the Russian operation may put additional pressure on the president-elect and his supporters, who have sought to portray the government as divided about what happened.

An armed man who entered an adult-themed store Wednesday and demanded cash was chased off by two employees who lobbed sex toys at him in a bizarre confrontation that was caught on camera.

The man can be seen pacing around outside Lotions and Lace, which bills itself as San Bernardino's "One Stop Sex Shop," before pulling a hood over his head and entering the store. He marched toward the cashier's counter with gun drawn, but two women working the late shift refused to back down.

Instead, they began yelling at the man and throwing sex toys at him.

"It blew me away," said store owner Janel Hargreaves. "I initially walked in and see all these toys all over the store, and I say, 'Did you throw these at him?' They're launching them all the way from the cash register all the way up to the front door. It just blew me away that they took it into their own hands."

Hargreaves said the employees thought the gun might be fake, but added employees are encouraged to avoid any type of confrontation.

The man demanded cash, but left with nothing under the barrage of adult merchandise. One of the sex toys appeared to sail just over his head, but a second struck him in the upper body.

Cameras showed the robber walking out with his back turned to employees, but not before they tossed a third toy that rolled on the floor near the robber's feet as he left.

"I told the girls it was not a good idea," she said. "But nope, they took it one step further.

"I think they felt violated. Away from home, this is their home. The message is get out, we're not going to stand for it."

No arrests were reported. 

A suspect accused of opening fire on San Diego police, punching two officers in the face and attempting to choke a police dog in a SWAT standoff appeared in court Thursday.

Hayden Gerson wore a jail uniform and appeared to have a number of bruises on his head when he faced a judge at the San Diego County Courthouse.

Gerson was scheduled to be formally charged with three counts of attempted murder of a police officer, according to Lt. Mike Holden with the SDPD Homicide Unit.

However, the judge postponed the arraignment until next week so no plea was entered.

Gerson was arrested Monday after a standoff in Clairemont that began with a domestic-violence call and quickly escalated.

“At some point, he started to become agitated and make delusional statements towards the officers,” SDPD Capt. Brian Ahearn said of the defendant.

Police said two SDPD officers were punched and choked by the suspect, as bomb squad and swat members were positioned outside Gerson’s house. Officers then called for backup, leading to an hours long standoff where rounds of gunfire were exchanged.

Dozens of homes were evacuated from the neighborhood. Officers had previously attempted to use a taser and other non-lethal weapons which proved ineffective. After they deployed a K-9 to take Gerson into custody, the suspect allegedly started to bite and choke the dog.

Following the SWAT standoff, Gerson was hospitalized for injuries from the police dog. Two police officers were also taken to local hospitals for treatment of scrapes and bruises.

San Diego’s Imperial Beach Pier was closed and evacuated for several hours Friday while law enforcement officials investigated a device thought, at first, to be suspicious.

Just before 8 a.m., the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) Imperial Beach Substation received a call about a suspicious device left behind in the 900 block of Ocean Lane, near the IB Pie.

SDSO officials said the odd-looking item was described as a black cylinder, about 8 to 10-inches long, on top of a cinder block. There were wires coming out of the cinder block.

SDSO Bomb and Arson officials, County Hazardous Materials crews and officials with the Imperial Beach Fire Department surrounded the pier and shut down access. A part of Seacoast Drive was also closed to traffic, as a precaution. Visitors and locals were evacuated from the pier.

About three hours later, the SDSO confirmed their investigation was complete and that the device turned out to be harmless. Investigators said they believe the item is some type of weather device, possible placed there to collect data from Friday’s storm.

“There is no threat to the public,” officials added.

No further details were released, including who may have placed the item near the pier.

An employee at an Escondido business was cited for selling alcohol to a minor during an undercover operation.

Escondido Police detectives conducted a “Minor Decoy” operation on Thursday. As part of the operation, under the direction of police, a minor was sent to seven different businesses to attempt to purchase alcohol.

Out of the seven businesses, a store clerk at Jimbo’s on Centre City Parkway sold alcohol to the minor.

Police say the employee was given a misdemeanor citation.

The operation is part of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Education and Teen Alcohol Enforcement Program Grant.

This holiday season, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll either get or give a gift that will end up in the to-be-returned pile. But store policies vary widely so returning stuff might not be so easy.

Consumer Reports checked out a number of major retailer's’ return policies.

Here are the five best and the five worst.

Nordstrom and LL Bean allow returns of all their merchandise with no time limit and no receipt required. LL Bean will even accept well-used items if you’re not satisfied and give you a store credit or exchange. Bed Bath and Beyond, Costco and JC Penney also have no time limit on returns and no receipt required.

But not all merchandise qualifies. Check out the exceptions online.

Some stores have really restrictive return policies. You may only have 30 days or less to return the item and they likely insist on a receipt. Among the most restrictive return policies? They’re at Kmart, Sears, Forever 21, GameStop and Barnes and Noble. Keep in mind Barnes and Noble won’t take back anything that has been opened. Kmart also will refuse to take back opened movies, video games and music.

Many of the retailers with restrictive policies relax them for gift returns during the holidays.

To get details on any particular store’s return policy, check out its website. The policy, including holiday exceptions is spelled out there.

Michael and Rachel Joseph Live in Carmel Valley with their two teenagers. Rachel has a knee brace, back and neck problems -- lasting effects from a bad car accident 10 years ago.

“I was up all night and I do have an issue with it, but the stress makes it much worse,” Joseph said, speaking of pain she had been having in her neck.

The family has been living off Michael's consultant work and savings since July of 2015 but Rachel told NBC 7, she is stressed over insurance.

They use Cobra for coverage but that with the policy ending soon, they're trying to decide between Covered California and Medi-Cal.

“The math part of it is a big decision," Michael said.

While the children's doctors are in both plans, the physician that's treated Michael and his wife for the last 20 years is only covered through a Covered California PPO.

But with Michael's consultant work, his family may not meet the Covered California income requirement.

The deadline to enroll for Covered California is Sat. Dec. 17. 

“When you have coverage through your employer, I know people complain about the rates going up, but you recognize when you don't have that option how much more complex it gets,” he said.

The Department of Health Care Services for California says all of the plans under Medi-Cal are HMOs.

A family is calling for change in the way school districts handle allegations of sexual abuse.

Maria Leon and Del Fino Vallee say their son's high school teacher texted sexually explicit pictures and videos of herself to him but little was done about the issue.

The family's lawyer, Fernando Tafoya showed NBC 7 pictures he says the teacher texted a then 17-year old student at Southwest High School. The pictures include the teacher posing on the bed and in front of the mirror, wearing only her undergarments.

There was a sexually explicit text sent to the student as well.

The parents say their son was up late texting. When they looked into it in May, 2016, they realized what was happening.

“Sad, disillusioned and very angry that the students like my son are under these kinds of people,” said Leon, the student’s mother.

Even though their son was scared of possible repercussions at school, they reported the incident to the San Diego Police Department.

Tafoya said the parents were told no criminal charges would be filed “under the theory that because a male was involved, there would not be a jury that would convict the offending teacher.”

Lieutenant Scott Wahl from the San Diego Police Department issued the following statement:

“The San Diego Police Department takes allegations of sexual abuse very seriously. We thoroughly investigate every reported case and consult with our District Attorney’s Office for potential prosecution. The evidence we have at this time, while highly inappropriate, doesn’t contain the necessary criminal elements for issuance. If at any time new information becomes available, we will re-evaluate this case.”

A claim is the first step before a lawsuit can be filed against a school district.

But a claim by the family against the Sweetwater Union High School District was rejected.

“All this was done without even a conversation with the family about what had happened to their son and the impact [this] had on their own family. The family has no choice but to file suit in court in order to bring justice and attention to parents about what is going on in their high schools, and what is happening with administrators who choose to bury their heads when their teachers are engaging in this kind of misconduct," Tafoya said.

The school district did not make a comment because the case is in litigation.

But the student’s parents told us the teacher is no longer at Southwest High School.  They told NBC 7, the district had promised them the teacher would lose her credential, but when they checked, she still had one.

The parents said the district did report the incident as required to the Commission for teacher credentialing.

The parents want the police and the District attorney to take another look at the case.

Tafoya said the students parents want changes to be made to the policy regarding the issue.

"[They are] asking the legislature to examine this issue and to make a determination whether or not there needs to be different policy, whereby school districts are required to engage in mediation, or some kind of alternative dispute resolution, when these claims are raised," he said.

Michelle Obama says the White House needs a "grown-up" and the nation will come to appreciate President Barack Obama.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey set to air Monday night on CBS, the first lady says the election has reinforced her view that her husband's administration was able to inspire hope "because we feel the difference now."

"Now we're feeling what not having hope feels like," she says. "You know? Hope is necessary. It's a necessary concept. And Barack didn't just talk about hope because he thought it was just a nice slogan to get votes. I mean, he and I and so many believe that if you ... what else do you have if you don't have hope?"

"What do you give your kids if you can't give them hope?" she added. 

Mrs. Obama sat for the interview five weeks after the election of Donald Trump to the White House. The Obamas campaigned aggressively against Trump and argued that the New York businessman is unfit to be president.

CBS released an excerpt of the interview on Friday. In it, Mrs. Obama does not mention the incoming president by name.

While Obama has refused since the Nov. 8 election to repeat his criticisms of Trump, Mrs. Obama comes off as less accepting of the outcome.

In the interview, which was taped Wednesday in the White House residence, she said the public will eventually appreciate what a reassuring presence her husband was during the past eight years. She compared him to the person who doesn't freak out when a toddler bumps his head, causing the child to start crying.

"I feel that Barack has been that for the nation in ways that people will come to appreciate," she said. "Having a grown-up in the White House who can say to you in times of crisis and turmoil, 'Hey, it's gonna be OK. Let's remember the good things that we have. Let's look at the future. Let's look at all the things that we're building.'"

"All of this is important for our kids to stay focused and to feel like their work isn't in vain. That their lives aren't in vain," Mrs. Obama added. "What do we do if we don't have hope, Oprah?"

A white-tailed buck who was granted a last-minute reprieve from euthanasia after being captured in Harlem has died.

The one-antlered buck died while state officials from the Department of Environmental Conservation were arranging transportation to relocate the deer upstate. It was kept in a caged area outside the animal shelter.

The city blamed the state for the animal's death.

"Because of the length of time we had to wait to pick up the deer, the deer has died," Parks Department spokesman Sam Biederman said. 

The state says that's not true. 

"We offered yesterday to take possession of the deer and transport it to a suitable habitat," DEC spokesman Sean Mahar said in a statement. "The city did not accept our offer until just before noon today, and while we were arriving on scene the deer died in the city's possession."

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The buck was captured at the Polo Grounds Towers on West 155th Street and taken to an animal shelter early Thursday. He drew crowds for about two weeks at Jackie Robinson Park, where curious passersby snapped photos of "J.R.," a nickname given to him by residents.

Outpourings of sadness immediately followed the news of the four-legged viral sensation's death.

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Mayor de Blasio had said the deer would be put down Thursday evening after the state Environmental Conservation officials initially said they wouldn't be able to relocate the buck in the city.

"It's going to be a quick and merciful death versus a long and painful process," de Blasio said on WNYC Radio Friday. "That's the governing philosophy as best I understand it." 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo made efforts to rescue the buck in its 11th hour. He said the state would "find a new habitat for it immediately," just an hour after the mayor ordered the deer to be euthanized. 

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The city Parks Department said euthanasia would be more humane because travel causes stress and relocated deer have low survival rates. However, city officials said they "defer to the state as the regulatory authority on wildlife."

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J.R. wasn't the only deer in the news Friday. Officials were trying to rescue a deer that fell through the ice in South Amboy, New Jersey.

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Father Joe’s Villages opened its doors Friday night to house dozens of people who are part of San Diego's homeless community.

They offered a meal and an overnight stay for people in the community to have a warm, dry space to rest.

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NBC 7 spoke to Sgt. Joshua Butler, a former Marine who served from 1998 to 2002. Butler says he cannot give up in life, regardless of his situation.

“As a marine, the reason why I love you guys is because I’d rather put my life on the line out there instead of you,” he said. “Why give up? Why give up now, when you're already here?”

Butler said he was in El Cajon and walked about twenty miles to get to Father Joe’s Village in downtown San Diego because they offer more resources and food.

Father Joe’s Villages works with more than 1,800 people a day. They open their services whenever there is at least a 40 percent chance of rain and temperatures are below 50 degrees.

A powerful storm caused the death of one driver in East County Friday and may have caused a second fatal single-car near MCAS Miramar, investigators said.

In the East County, a vehicle struck a sign and rolled down an embankment along westbound Interstate 8 near State Route 79, California Highway Patrol officers said.

The driver has not yet been identified.

Earlier in the day, San Diego Police Officers were investigating a single-car crash near MCAS Miramar. A driver was ejected from a car after he collided with a tree on Kearny Villa Road at approximately 8:30 a.m. The 64-year-old man behind the wheel of a 2013 black Chevy Corvette died in the crash. Officers say rain and speed may have been factors in the collision.

Steady rain generated by a storm out of the Gulf of Alaska drenched San Diego County throughout the day Friday.

By noon, Palomar Mountain received almost four inches of rain with Fallbrook reporting 1.8 inches of rain. Carlsbad received 1.16 inches rain with less than an inch reported at Lindbergh Field and San Ysidro.

A low ceiling caused some delays for flights arriving and departing San Diego International Airport. At one point today, there were delays between 16 and 30 minutes according to airport officials.

Several hours of rain produced some minor flooding on San Diego roadways. Drivers encountered flooding in the following areas according to San Diego Police:

• San Diego Mission Road at the San Diego River
• Sorrento Valley Road at Carmel Mountain
• Santa Fe Street north of Balboa Avenue
• Cass Street at Garnet Avenue

In Pacific Beach, a large tree fell near Cass and Loring streets. No one was injured.

There was a high wind warning issued by the National Weather Service in effect for the mountains and deserts until 8pm Friday. Gust into the 60 and 70 mph range were possible.

There was also a wind advisory in effect for the coastal communities, 3 p.m. until 2 a.m. Saturday. Gusts to 35 mph were possible.

"For the most part it's the wind everyone will be talking about," NBC 7 Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh said Friday.

There were fears of flash flooding and mud flows down fire-stripped slopes, as treacherous travel conditions developed in the mountains in Northern California.

Strong winds, icy roadways and dangerous wind chill could bring the potential of treacherous driving conditions on Interstate 5 near the Grapevine.

The threat of flash flooding targeted the so-called burn areas of L.A.County -- in the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains and the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys, as well as in areas of Ventura County, the NWS said.