A man with family ties to a top government official in New Zealand, arrested last year after an attempted bank robbery in Chula Vista using a hammer and flare gun, has now been charged with murdering a fellow inmate in a San Diego jail, NBC 7 has learned.

Aspiring rapper Clinton Thinn, 29, is charged with murdering Lyle Woodward. 

Deputies said the attack happened in Dec. 2016, while the two inmates were locked up at San Diego Central Jail downtown.

Woodward died days later from his injuries, prompting Sheriff’s officials to declare the death a homicide and submit the case to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.

Thinn pleaded not guilty to first degree murder charges in court Feb. 6, a DA spokesperson said.

No details have been given as to why Thinn was in the United States.

On Wednesday, NBC 7 learned that Thinn is the step brother to Nikki Kaye, who serves as the Minister for Youth and Associate Minister of Education in New Zealand.

Her office issued the following statement:

"This is a difficult and sad time for all those affected by what has happened. As this is before the Courts, I will not be commenting any further."

According to Chula Vista police, in June 2016, Thinn entered the Bank of America on E Street and Third Avenue with a hammer and a flare gun and began to threaten employees. 

He demanded money, and at one point, fired a flare toward a guard. Fortunately, none of the employees were hurt.

Thinn was arrested and booked into San Diego Central jail on several felony charges. 

After the December incident, Thinn was transferred to George Bailey Detention Facility. Thinn declined an interview request when NBC7 reached out to him on Wednesday.

If convicted, he could face 25 years to life in prison.

An 83-year-old Korean War veteran received his high school diploma on Wednesday, 60 years after serving in the U.S. Air Force.

Norm Johnson joined left San Diego High School in 1950 to join the Air Force. He came back three years later, got his GED and went straight to a junior college.

He is a publicist for celebrities like Mary Wilson of The Supremes and The Laugh Factory in Las Vegas.

But despite his accomplishments, he always wished he could have done one thing--to graduate high school.

“I never got to walk across the stage, never got the applause, never got to take my hat off and throw it in the air, and never got to shake hands with the principal," Johnson told NBC 7.

On Wednesday, Johnson received his high school diploma through the Operation Recognition program. It was presented to him by the San Diego County Board of Education in Linda Vista.

Johnson told NBC 7, he's met three U.S. presidents, hung out with Elvis Presley and James Dean and even met the Queen of England.

But getting his honorary high school diploma was a big accomplishment for him.

“It’s not just a piece of paper. It justifies my life," he said.

A pedestrian was killed after being hit by a car in Escondido Wednesday night, according to the Escondido Police Department.

The crash occurred at 10:21 p.m. on E Vermont Avenue and S Juniper Street.

The woman suffered major injuries and died at the scene.

Police said initially the incident was reported to be a hit-and-run but they located the vehicle at the scene of the crash

Traffic on Vermont Avenue was shut down between Juniper and Naranja streets.

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

The family of a man, hit and killed on a busy Spring Valley street, said he had been dropped off by his stepdaughter moments before the crash.

James Martinez, 75, was crossing Sweetwater Road late Tuesday night when he was hit.

His family told NBC 7, his stepdaughter dropped him off across the street after visiting her mother in the nursing home. They said Martinez didn't want his stepdaughter in any danger, so he wanted to get dropped off in the easiest spot possible for her.

“He was like ‘just drop me off right here, you keep on going and I'm just going to walk one block to [my] house’. All he was trying to do was to get home on a street that he crossed all the time thinking that he was safe, and obviously he wasn't," said Martinez’ daughter-in-law, Tia Martinez.

His family knows him as Sunny, a man that would do just about anything for anyone. He was born in Colorado but spent most of his life in San Diego and is a graduate of San Diego High School.

He was also a veteran, and served four years in the military as a Paratrooper, his family said.

Martinez comes from a big family; four sons and one daughter, as well as a stepdaughter.

He was coming back from visiting his long-time companion and step-daughter's mother, whom he went to go see almost every day since she moved into a nearby nursing home.

Martinez' grandson, Cameron, reflected on the tragedy, adding that this comes as such a shock and it really puts things into perspective.

“This situation just really goes to show you can't take life for granted. For example, last night I went to the taco shop, came back with a burrito and then found out my Grandpa got hit by a car, within five minutes. You can't take life for granted because anything could happen," he said.

Andrew Thazen, 18, was arrested a few blocks from the crash scene. He's set to face a judge on Friday for felony hit and run causing death.

It's been just over a month since the City of San Diego increased its minimum wage to $11.50 an hour.

It's an adjustment period for thousands of local business owners like Juan Pablo Sanchez. He supports the $1 increase that went into effect on Jan. 1 but he admits that costs are adding up and his profits are taking a hit.

Sanchez owns the Super Cocina restaurant in City Heights.

"If you're a small business owner, you're feeling the pinch right now," he said. "This is what small business owners are talking about right now."

Sanchez has not increased the prices at his Mexican Food Restaurant but soon enough, he said he will have to in order to make ends meet.

"When wages go up, everything else goes up," Sanchez said. "It's a double edged sword. My employees tell me whenever their wages increase, so does their rent. A lot of them are being pushed out of their neighborhoods."

Super Cocina has 12 employees, including Ruby. She told NBC 7, the extra cash has been great.

"I was able to buy more food and pay off my phone bill a lot faster," she said.

Sanchez hopes the minimum wage increase takes place throughout the county and not just in San Diego. He said he feels that small San Diego shops can't compete fairly with nearby cities like Chula Vista or National City, which has a lower minimum wage.

"We are two exits away from a different city that pays a different minimum wage," he said. "It makes it a little unfair for us. I would love for this to be county wide."

In the Gaslamp area, some restaurants issued a surcharge to offset the higher wages employers have to pay.

San Diego resident Joe Wilson doesn't agree with the surcharge or the hike wages.

"Businesses can't afford it," Wilson argued. "The competition is fierce right now. Minimum wage isn't good for everybody. If that were the case, why not make it $15, or $20 or $40? Where do you draw the line?"

But customers like Kristena Kirk disagreed.

"If I had to pay workers more for the same level of service because the minimum wage went up, I may actually be okay with the surcharge," Kirk said. "People think of minimum wage and they relate it to big box stores. They think 'oh they can afford it.' But they forget about all the mom and pop businesses out there."

Several minimum wage increases are scheduled in San Diego and throughout California over the next five years. By the year 2022, the minimum wage in California will be $15.

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A grand jury has indicted more than 100 Inauguration Day protesters on rioting charges in Washington, D.C. In total, 209 people have now been indicted, NBC News reported.

The indictment, handed up D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday, charged 146 additional protesters with felony rioting — meaning they face a fine of up to $25,000 and a maximum of 10 years in prison.

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On Inauguration Day — Jan. 20 — 230 people were arrested and charged with felony rioting. Twelve cases have been dismissed.

Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies provided 3,000 officers and were supported by 5,000 National Guard members and police officers in patrolling the streets during President Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Mexico's foreign minister on Wednesday and will visit Mexico City, the White House announced.

As NBC News reported, the meeting with Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray in Washington, D.C., which came one week after Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon Mobil, was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in. 

"They had a constructive conversation on a range of U.S.-Mexico collaboration including law enforcement, migration, and security," acting State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said in a statement, which did not include a date for Tillerson's trip to Mexico City.

Trump's executive order on construction of a wall on the U.S. southern border with Mexico, and the president's claim that Mexico would pay for it, has inflamed tensions between the two nations.

Mike Tirico is taking over for Bob Costas as prime time host of the Olympics on NBC, the network announced Thursday, exactly a year before the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

NBC's longest-tenured sports announcer, Costas has hosted NBC's prime time Olympics coverage for all 11 games since 1992, and his 27 Emmy awards are the most of any sports broadcaster, NBC said.

"It has been both a privilege and an incredible personal and professional experience to have been part of NBC's Olympic coverage all these years," Costas said in a statement. "It's been a wonderful run, but I just felt now was the right time to step away and I'm grateful that NBC left that decision to me."

Tirico joined NBC in July and served as daytime host for the 2016 Games in Rio.

"The level and longevity of Bob's tenure have left an indelible mark on American television and the Olympic Games," Tirico said in a statement. "I am honored to call him a friend, humbled by this opportunity, and thankful to the many people who have helped make this possible."

Tirico worked for ESPN for joining NBC, and has been hosting "Football Night in America" and handled play-by-play duties at "Sunday Night Football."

Costas will continue in multiple roles with NBC Sports and NBC News, NBC said.

"For a quarter-century, Bob expertly piloted NBC’s prime time coverage of the Olympics," said Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Broadcasting and Sports. "It is with a tremendous amount of pride that I can simultaneously express our appreciation for Bob's stellar, record-setting run, while also feeling very lucky that we have someone as talented as Mike to take over as our new prime time host."

The Northeast is getting slammed with a powerful, fast-moving snowstorm that's expected to create blizzard conditions and dump more than a foot of snow in some areas on Thursday. 

Take a look at live shots of snow falling in New York, Philadelphia, Connecticut and New England. 

New York City:

New England:

Philadelphia:

Connecticut:

With a snowstorm bringing more than a foot of snow to parts of the East Coast Thursday, here's a reminder that the best thing to do with white stuff on the road is to stay home. Winter storms contribute to more than 2,000 road deaths every winter and nearly half a million crashes, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

But if you do have to drive in possibly treacherous conditions, here are some tips for remaining safe on the road from the AAA and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

BEFORE THE SNOW

• Be prepared: Have an emergency kit in your car that includes a bag of cat litter, sand or other abrasive materials to get traction on ice, a shovel, flashlight and extra batteries, gloves or mittens, boots, ice scraper and snow brush, jumper cables, blanket, warning flares or triangles, food and water, first-aid items, extra windshield-washer fluid and antifreeze and a piece of bright cloth.
• Take your cell: Charge your mobile phone and bring a charger with you. If you do charge your phone in the car, make sure your tailpipe is clear to avoid the danger from carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Fill it up: Fill your gas tank and check wiper blades, windshield-washer fluid, oil and antifreeze.

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DURING THE SNOW

• Drive slowly: Accelerate and stop slowly to avoid skids.
• Hang back: Increase the distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. The extra space will provide the longer distance you will need if you have to stop.
• Easy on the brake: Brake early by applying firm, steady pressure on the pedal. Don’t stop if you can avoid it. If you can roll slowly until a traffic light changes, do it. It is much easier to get moving while rolling than from a full stop.
• Taking hills: Don’t power up hills  — your wheels may just begin to spin. Instead get momentum before you reach the hill, and slow down when you reach the top.
• Careful on the bridge: Be especially cautious on bridges, which freeze first, and on highway exit ramps, which might have gotten less anti-icing material.
• Avoid cruise control: Don’t use cruise control in wintry conditions because even roads that appear clear can have slippery spots. The slightest tap on your brakes to deactivate the cruise control could cause you to lose control.
• If you get stranded: Stay in your vehicle, avoid over-exertion, let fresh air in, run the engine every 10 minutes, but make sure your exhaust pipe is free of snow. Turn on the dome light at night when the engine is running. Change your position often, move your hands and legs, rub your hands together or put them under your armpits or between your legs and remove your shoes occasionally and rub your feet.

AFTER THE SNOW

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• Clear your car: Do not try what this driver did — and if clearing the snow and ice is too difficult for you, ask for help.
• Shovel with care: Here is some advice from the "Today" show on how to stay safe while shoveling. 

Even as California residents debate whether we are free from the drought, local water agencies are looking for ways to increase their water supply.

The Otay Water District is working on a project that would involve desalinated water from a new plant being built in Rosarito, Mexico.

The district wants to build a 3.5 mile pipeline from the U.S-Mexico border to its 36.7 million gallon reservoir in Otay Mesa. The pipeline would transport some of that desalinated water to customers in Spring Valley, La Presa, Rancho San Diego, Jamul and eastern Chula Vista.

The district's plan is outlined here.

Right now, all of the drinking water in the Otay Water District is purchased through the San Diego County Water Authority.

If approved, the cross-border pipeline project would be first of its kind in San Diego County.

"If we can bring desalinated water across, that gives us a very reliable supply," said Mark Watton, general manager for the Otay Mesa Water District. "And we're looking to do that at a price that's comparable to the water that we're purchasing today."

The pipeline to Otay Mesa is projected to cost about $30 million. The price tag includes a disinfection system, a monitoring station, a pump station and other components.

The expense would be later included in customers' water bills, as part of expenses for the district's capital improvement program.

Before construction can begin, the Otay Water District must get two permits: a Presidential Permit from the U.S. Department of State, and a permit from the California Division of Drinking Water.

The Presidential Permit would allow the pipeline to cross the international border.

The district expects to hear if the Presidential Permit is granted, within the next few weeks.

A permit from the California Division of Drinking Water would allow the Otay Water District to put the desalinated water into its water supply.

The state is expected to make a decision on whether to approve the project, within the next year.

"The California Department of Drinking Water certified the water from the desal plant in Carlsbad," said Watton. "They're going to use the exact same criteria for this water coming across the border. No shortcuts. It has to meet every state of California standard."

In the process of qualifying for the Presidential Permit, the Otay Water District held public hearings and went through environmental reviews.

"In Mexico there was public hearings, all the stuff we have here. Nobody showed up," said Watton. "We had all the same public hearings on our project here, the presidential permit, the environmental on the pipeline. We had some comments. I don't think anybody showed up."

Some local environmentalists expressed concern that raw sewage could get into the water being used for the desalination plant.

Watton says the sewer flows in the Imperial Beach area isn't related to the desalination plant.

"The desal plant takes ocean water which is 9 miles away from the discharge that they're worried about," said Watton. "The process of the desal in and of itself is very selective, just like the pure water in the City of San Diego. It's the same process."

Two San Diego environmental groups have expressed concern about the pipeline project.

“Unless the State of Baja California cleans up the more than 50 million gallons a day of raw sewage discharged into the surf zone around the proposed desal project, San Diego County residents should not be guinea pigs for the first-ever potable water reuse project in Mexican history,” WILDCOAST Conservation Director Zachary Plopper said in a written statement.

Plopper said the project would never be allowed to be built in California if a similar volume of sewage were being discharged in the ocean around it.

Watton said the sewage problem is completely separate from Otay Water District’s Conveyance and Disinfection System project. He added, there will be checks to make sure the water meets California standards.

“This new water supply, just as any other potable source including surface water from lakes, rivers, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, and various Pure Water Programs, will need to meet the same high-quality standards required by the California State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water,” Watton said. “We stand strongly in our mission to distribute high-quality potable water to all of our customers.”

According to San Diego County Policy Manager Julia Chunn-Heer, the Surfrider organization is also critical of the project.

Chunn-Heer said that the project should have to meet U.S. environmental laws.

“Basically water agencies should not be able to skirt our regulations by heading south of the border with projects designed for our benefit,” she said.

She went on to say the process of desalination produces significant green house gases.

Watton said environmental impact studies are being prepared for local, state and federal regulatory agencies in Mexico.

“Unfortunately, certain U.S.-based groups do not appreciate, do not understand or mischaracterize Mexican environmental regulations, which regulate and address issues in many ways that are similar to the U.S. process,” he said.

If both the state and federal permits clear, construction on the pipeline from the border to the Otay Water District's reservoir could begin in three years.

"Once we get the two critical permits, then we have negotiations. We need to make sure the water is of a price and quality that work," said Watton. "And after all that is done, we can actually commence construction."

If that happens, the desalinated water from Rosarito could go into the Otay water supply in about six years.

Watton says the goal is to be 60 percent dependent on the San Diego County Water Authority for its drinking water supply, instead of 100 percent.

The Otay Water District serves about 222,000 customers.

The more we learn about the cosmos, the more it seems possible that we are not alone. The entire galaxy is teeming with worlds, and we're getting better at listening, so the question, "Is there anybody out there?" is one we may be able to answer soon, NBC News reported.

But do we really want to know? If aliens are indeed out there, would they be friendly explorers, or destroyers of worlds?

This is a serious question no longer confined to science fiction, because astronomers are doing more than listening. Some are advocating for a beacon that would sweep across the galaxy, letting E.T. know we're home, to see if anyone comes calling. Others argue we would be wise to keep Earth to ourselves.

"There's a possibility that if we actively message, with the intention of getting the attention of an intelligent civilization, that the civilization we contact would not necessarily have our best interests in mind," says Lucianne Walkowicz, an astrophysicist at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. "On the other hand, there might be great benefits. It could be something that ends life on Earth, and it might be something that accelerates the ability to live quality lives on Earth. We have no way of knowing."

Kayla Linton was a healthy, all-around athlete, but being fit did not protect her from the flu, NBC News reported.

Linton, who died last week in Baltimore, is among the dozens of often perfectly healthy children who die from influenza every year in the U.S.

It's shaping up to be an average flu season so far in the U.S., but even an average flu season is deadly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The CDC says 15 children under 18 have died in the 2016-2017 flu season. It's probably more than that — it takes a few weeks for CDC to gather the information, and not all states report flu deaths quickly or in the same way. In the last flu season, 89 children died.

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The Taylor Swift fan who jumped on stage during the pop star’s concert in San Diego and injuring a security team member pleaded guilty to criminal charges Wednesday.

Christian Ewing was arrested at Swift’s Petco Park concert on Aug. 29, 2015. He jumped a fence and got just steps away from the singer in the incident which was captured on video by concertgoers.

When Ewing appeared in court just days after the incident, he was asked why he went on stage. “I love that girl,” he said, referring to Swift.

Eventually, he was dragged off the stage.

On Thursday, Ewing pleaded guilty to assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury and violently resisting an officer in the performance of his duties.

Prosecutors said one of Swift’s security guards suffered rib injuries in the altercation from which he had eight weeks of recovery.

Ewing faces a maximum of 4 years behind bars when he's sentenced March 9.

The man shot and killed in a Lemon Grove home invasion has not been identified, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

The man, described as 18 to 25 years old, was shot and killed Tuesday just after 2 a.m. when he and another man entered a home on Edding Drive.

Sheriff's homicide investigators said the homeowner used one of the intruders guns to shoot the man in the torso, killing him.

The homeowner's son was also shot in the incident. He was transported to  Scripps Mercy Hospital for treatment.

David Marquez, an uncle of the man shot and injured, told NBC 7 he is angry and frustrated over the violence thrust upon his family.

"A person has the right to defend his family, his house, regardless of who it is,” Marquez said.

Investigators said the two armed men targeted the home.

“The suspects intentionally came to this home but we don't believe the victims knew the suspects," SDSO Homicide Detective Kenn Nelson said.

At this point of the investigation, detectives believe the homeowner was protecting his son when he took one of the suspects' guns and used it. He was questioned by investigators but is not in custody.

Multiple home security cameras in the area, including a door bell camera, appeared to show that a second suspect fled in a car parked near the house.

Sheriff's investigators said they do not have a description of the suspect or the car he was driving. But he is considered to be armed and dangerous.

Homicide detectives plan to release images of clothing worn by the man killed in the incident in an attempt to identify him.

Anyone with information about this incident can call the Homicide Detail at (858) 974-2321/after hours at (858) 565-5200 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

The Trump administration faced continued criticism over possible ethics violations Thursday after a White House official promoted Ivanka Trump's clothing line in a television interview, NBC News reported.

"Go buy Ivanka's stuff," Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, told Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy.

Ivanka Trump has a "wonderful line," Conway added. "I own some of it. I fully, I'm gonna just going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today everybody. You can find it online."

The government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said in a statement Thursday it had filed a complaint with the Office of Government Ethics and the White House Counsel’s Office over Conway's statements.

“The law is clear that public officials should not use their offices for their own private gain or the private gain of others,” the executive director of the watchdog group said in a statement. “It’s hard to find a clearer case of that kind of misuse of office than we saw today.”

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More than 21 million stems are processed through the U.S.- Mexico border south of San Diego each year, making it the third busiest port of entry for cut flowers after Miami and Los Angeles.

If a bouquet of flowers is on your Valentine’s Day shopping list, chances are those flowers were shipped from Mexico.

Agriculture imports go through the Otay Mesa Commercial Inspection Facility.

On Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees were seeing an influx in flowers in anticipation for the upcoming holiday.

The entire inspection process takes about an hour from the unloading of the truck to an inspection of each flower bunch.

Agriculture specialists are looking for certain pests and diseases on flowers.

Out of millions of flowers, officials say there are very few instances where pests are found.

Good communication with importers on what is required helps avoid any unwanted insects from being shipped into the U.S.

The inspection cost is put on the producer of the flowers...before the flowers are brought into our stores, officials said.

Eastbound traffic on Scripps Poway Parkway near Springbrook Drive in Scripps Ranch will be closed for two hours as crews investigate a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian that happened Thursday morning.

The pedestrian, a female in her 30s, was struck by a 4-door Toyota at around 8:30 a.m., according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).

She was transported to an area hospital where she is being treated for serious injuries.

Further detail about victim’s condition is unknown at this time.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

A wrong way driver collided with multiple vehicles along northbound Interstate 5 in Chula Vista Thursday.

Chula Vista and San Diego firefighters were called to I-5 just south of Palomar Street where three lanes were blocked by debris from the collision that occurred just before 11:30 a.m.

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.