President Donald Trump's allegation that former President Barack Obama ordered illegal surveillance of Trump Tower may be libelous, but proving libel is difficult for public figures to do, NBC News reported. 

Trump tweeted out on Saturday — without evidence — that Obama ordered illegal surveillance of Trump Tower during the 2016 election, which Obama denied.

The law's protection of political speech is not all encompassing, and the unsubstantiated claim may be libelous. But most courts rule against public figures' libel cases due to the assumption that they have chosen to make their lives an open book.

"What the plaintiff has to show is that the defendant has said, written or tweeted something that is a false statement of fact that harms the reputation of the defendant, and because Obama is a public official, you have to show that it was done with some sort of intent to harm," said Jay Wexler, a professor of constitutional law at Boston University Law School.

As tens of millions of fans across the globe await the most-anticipated giraffe birth in recent memory -- or ever -- the upstate New York zoo home to the now-famous April says her adorers may not have to wait much longer. 

"What many are calling an omen of the impending birth; the face and neck of a young giraffe appeared in the bedding this afternoon," the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville wrote in its Facebook update Sunday night. "Pretty neat if you ask us!"

The keepers said there's been a "significant amount of belly movement and tail raising" lately from April but that her appetite is "notably strong" and she is still in good health as the birth approaches. 

Watch the live stream below:

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"April continues to be a very much pregnant giraffe!" the zoo wrote in its daily update on Facebook. "She was reported as being a little 'spooky' last evening, which was likely due to the many intense baby kicks observed by keepers."

A vet could be seen checking April on the live stream again Sunday night. 

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The mom-to-be still has a huge appetite and has grown significantly, visible in comparative photos from a week ago show. Wax caps are still present, though her back left teat appears to be shedding.

A photo posted to the zoo's facebook page Saturday showed April's rotund belly curving out and downward, a sign that she's nearing the home stretch of her pregnancy, says owner Jordan Patch.

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"She's progressing well in her pregnancy," he said. "She's not in any pain, things are good."

More than 50,000 people tuned in to watch the gentle giant Monday morning as she peered over the dividing fence to catch a glimpse of her mate, Oliver, who paced around his pen. The long-necked lovers were seen interacting over his pen for a few moments.

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April has captivated tens of millions of people across the world who have been checking in on her via the live stream in anticipation of the birth of her fourth calf. Patch says the natural curiosity surrounding giraffes and their birthing process has been a huge factor in drawing crowds.

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"I think the fact that she's a giraffe and she's a neat species that people are interested in, that's fostered a lot of the attention," he said. "The fact that you're gonna get to witness the miracle of birth from an animal that you really don't get to see give birth — that's neat."

He added that April's pregnancy is not just live entertainment, but a teachable moment and source for education.

April's pregnancy was catapulted into global headlines late last month after YouTube briefly yanked the zoo's live stream following complaints by animal activists that it violated the site's policies concerning "nudity and sexual content." Thousands upon thousands of commenters voiced their frustration on Facebook and YouTube, and the stream was restored within an hour or so. 

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Giraffe pregnancies last for 15 months. Labor lasts anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Once April goes into active labor, zookeepers will go in to help her the rest of the way. The calf will be about 150 pounds and 6 feet tall at birth and up and walking in about an hour.

The zoo said it will hold an online competition to name the baby giraffe once it's born.

The U.S. Post Office in the Eastlake community of Chula Vista, California will be named in honor of Jonathan “JD” DeGuzman, the San Diego police officer killed last year in the line of duty.

DeGuzman was shot and killed in July 2016 during the stop of a gang member in Southeast San Diego.

He had dedicated his life to law enforcement and protecting the community.

Joining the force in 2000, he patrolled neighborhoods, worked on the SWAT team and on the elite gang suppression unit.

There will be a dedication ceremony at the building on the corner of Kuhn Drive and Miller Drive in Eastlake beginning at 10:30 a.m. NBC 7 will bring you video on our midday news beginning at 11 a.m.

U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D – District) and San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman and Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy will attend.

Former Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva was arrested Sunday at the San Francisco International Airport, where he arrived from a vacation in South America, his attorney said.

The former mayor was arrested Sunday as he returned from Colombia, his attorney, Allen Sawyer, told Sacramento television station KCRA.

An arrest warrant was issued for Silva on Thursday on charges of profiteering, embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds and grand theft, among other charges. He will face the charges in San Joaquin County.

Silva left for his vacation on Wednesday, a day before FBI agents and investigators from the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office served search warrants at Silva's home and the Stockton Kids Club, which Silva used to run when it was known as the Boys and Girls Club.

Sawyer said Silva's arrest is not related to the charges he faced in Amador County last year for allegedly eavesdropping during a strip poker party at a youth camp he ran. Silva was charged with four misdemeanor counts for secretly recording portions of a teen counselor strip poker game and providing alcohol to minors. He denied the charges.

Officials say a 21-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree at Half Dome Village in Yosemite National Park.

Park spokesman Scott Gediman tells Sacramento television station KCRA the accident happened Sunday in the area formerly known as Curry Village. No other information about the victim was made public.

A windy, cold storm was sweeping through Northern California and dumped hail. Scattered showers are forecast for the region through Sunday.

Gediman says rangers closed the village and had visitors leave the area after the accident. Weather conditions were improving Sunday afternoon and rangers expected to reopen the area later in the day.

Park officials also closed Upper Pines and Camp 4 because of the weather conditions. Those areas are expected to reopen Monday.

In December and January, at least two people in California were killed by falling trees. In January, one woman who struck and killed by a tree while walking on a Northern California golf course. In December, a woman posing for photographs as part of a wedding party was killed and five others were injured by a falling eucalyptus tree in Southern California.

As tens of millions of people across the world wait with baited breath for the birth of April the giraffe's fourth calf, some are taking their fandom to the next level. 

A 39-week pregnant South Carolina woman posted a nearly 8-minute-long video of herself prancing around in a giraffe mask, hands on hips, belly displayed in all its glory, to Facebook late Sunday. More than 12 million people have watched Erin Dietrich's clip since then. 

Dietrich said she had ordered the mask from Amazon a few days ago and created the now-viral Facebook video once it arrived Sunday. 

"Omg I did not think this many people would get a kick out of this," Dietrich responded to one commenter. "All our friends have been making fun of me and my obsession with April so we just thought, 'Hey we should order a giraffe mask.'" 

According to Dietrich's Facebook page, she owns her own photography company and lives in Myrtle Beach, though is originally from Middletown, New York. Her own bundle of joy is due March 14. It'll be Dietrich's fourth child.

Meanwhile, the world has been waiting for April to have her fourth for weeks. 

April lives at the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York, and the zoo has been live streaming her pen in anticipation of the birth. 

Watch the stream below.

April's pregnancy was catapulted into global headlines late last month after YouTube briefly yanked the zoo's live stream following complaints by animal activists that it violated the site's policies concerning "nudity and sexual content." Thousands upon thousands of commenters voiced their frustration on Facebook and YouTube, and the stream was restored within an hour or so. 

Giraffe pregnancies last for 15 months. Labor lasts anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Once April goes into active labor, zookeepers will go in to help her the rest of the way. The calf will be about 150 pounds and 6 feet tall at birth and up and walking in about an hour.

The zoo said it will hold an online competition to name the baby giraffe once it's born.

An online petition is demanding SeaWorld San Diego not separate polar bears as part of a global breeding program.

A Care2 petition has received almost 45,000 signatures asking the theme park to stop plans to transport Snowflake, a female polar bear, to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for breeding.

The petition demands that SeaWorld not separate Snowflake from her “best friend” Szenja, another polar bear who has lived with Snowflake for 20 years.

The park sent Snowflake, a 21-year-old bear, to Pennsylvania to breed with a male bear named Koda. It's not the first time the bear has made the trip.

SeaWorld San Diego issued a statement explaining how the trip is necessary because the animal is listed as "threatened" on the endangered species list.

"The knowledge gained from breeding visits like this will not only advance the ability to diversify and conserve zoological polar bear populations, but also help researchers, scientists and veterinarians learn more about how to save polar bears in the wild," the company said. Read the full statement below.

“Most polar bears are solitary, but there are exceptions,” explains Sharanya Prasad, Care2’s Manager of Campaigns Strategies. “Sometimes, wild polar bears form relationships that can last for years. The state of captivity may have created an even stronger bond between Snowflake and Szenja."

Those who have signed the petition are opposed to the breeding of animals in captivity.

“SeaWorld's plan to transport Snowflake across the country for its own benefit of acquiring new polar bears is both cruel and irresponsible,” writes Care2 petition author Julie Stankiewicz. “It is unfortunate that Snowflake and Szenja have lived their entire lives in captivity, and inhumane that SeaWorld would attempt to separate them after a 20-year friendship.”

According to the petition’s website, the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the organization that sets standards and policies for animal welfare in the United States.

Entire statement from SeaWorld San Diego:

Snowflake, one of our polar bears, was transported to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium last Sunday (Feb. 26) on a breeding visit with a male polar bear there named Koda. The transport was flawless and Snowflake has quickly adjusted to the exhibit in Pittsburgh. This breeding effort is part of the Association of Zoo & Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP is a program developed in 1981 by the AZA to help ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered in the wild. The polar bear population in the wild is continuing to dwindle, and since 2008, the polar bear has been listed as “threatened” on the Endangered Species List by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. This polar bear breeding effort keeps SeaWorld and the Pittsburgh Zoo at the forefront of wildlife conservation and education, and further demonstrates our commitment to conserve species in peril. SeaWorld and other zoos, aquariums and marine parks routinely work together to ensure animal populations in their care are appropriately managed, genetically diverse, and sustainable. The knowledge gained from breeding visits like this will not only advance the ability to diversify and conserve zoological polar bear populations, but also help researchers, scientists and veterinarians learn more about how to save polar bears in the wild. Over the past 4 years both our polar bears, Snowflake and Szenja, have visited the Pittsburgh Zoo for breeding. While, pregnancies did not result from those previous visits, we are hopeful that this visit will result in a pregnancy and will do whatever we can to ensure the survival of this important species.

In January, the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund also awarded Polar Bears International $15,000 to support research to collect baseline information for long-term population monitoring - https://polarbearsinternational.org/news/article-research/seaworld-funds-polar-bear-study

Snowflake participated in a polar bear hearing study a number of years ago. This study was conducted by the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research under funding from Polar Bear International. It was the first step in developing science-based standards for preventing human-made noise effects on polar bears in the wild. This research was published in the International Journal of Comparative Psychology in 2011 and has been disseminated to resource agencies in both the United States and Canada.

While Snowflake is in Pittsburgh, Szenja will continue to live at her Wild Arctic habitat at SeaWorld where she will continue to be cared for and enriched by her dedicated and passionate animal care team. Polar bears are typically solitary animals in the wild.

A military flyover at the Miramar National Cemetery will honor the funeral of a WWII bomber pilot Monday afternoon.

The 419 Flight Test Squadron will send a B-1 Lancer military aircraft to flyover the area, in remembrance of former Air Force Lt. Col. William Brooks, according to the Marine Corps Air Station.

Brooks served the 572nd Bomb Squadron, 391st Bomb Group of the nineth Air Force, said Marine Corps officials. During his combat, he served in 54 missions across Europe from February to August in 1944.

That included bombing enemy artillery positions for D-Day landing and the Battle for Normandy.

Some residents in the surrounding areas around Miramar may see the military aircraft perform a low-level flyover, said Marine Corps officials.

In an effort to combat fake or biased news stories, Facebook is introducing a "disputed news" flag to stories disproved by third party groups, NBC News reported.

Once a story is marked, a group of researchers at Facebook sift through the stories and determine which ones should be sent to fact-checking organizations, including Snopes, Politifact and Factcheck.org. Stories determined to be fake will remain on Facebook, but will be flagged as disputed, and will include a link with an explanation.

The tag was originally announced in December, but its gaining traction in the United States as Facebook continues to roll it out. The tag is part of new tools that allow users to tag any items they consider "disputed."

On many San Diego freeways and highways Monday morning, local drivers were greeted by signs saying, “Be Alert Pedestrians Don’t Have Armor.”

The electronic signs above many of San Diego’s busiest commuter paths are the result of a safety partnership between the California Department of Transportation, the state Office of Traffic Safety and California Highway Patrol.

The goal of the campaign is to make drivers think more about the vulnerability of pedestrians.

Chris Cochran of the state Office of Traffic Safety said, “Fault in crashes involving pedestrians is reasonably split between drivers and pedestrians, but no matter who is at fault, pedestrians always lose.”

According to the Office of Traffic Safety, pedestrians make up 25% of all fatalities on California roadways, and those numbers are on the rise. In 2009, there were 570 pedestrian fatalities in California, in 2015, there were 813 pedestrian fatalities.

In addition to the spike in pedestrian fatalities, safety officials launched the campaign after noting that both car drivers and pedestrians are increasingly distracted, often because of smart phones. More pedestrians wear ear buds to listen to music or podcasts, taking their attention away from the streets around them.

Cochran says drivers should be ready for pedestrians at all time.

The “Be Alert Pedestrians Don’t Have Armor” signs debuted in San Diego last weekend, and stretch from  San Ysidro to Oceanside, and as far east as Lakeside.

Law enforcement officers in Mexico are investigating why a 5-year-old girl was left alone for hours over the weekend.

The child called 911 Sunday saying that her mother had left her alone on Saturday and had not returned.

The girl told dispatchers she was hungry and didn't have any food.

She gave law enforcement officials the name of the neighborhood. Officers responded and searched the area where they located the girl inside a locked apartment.

Because the front door was locked, officers removed the child through a window.

The girl told Tijuana authorities that she had been alone for more than a day.

At this time no arrests have been made.

A man convicted of attempted murder after firing a gun inside an Oceanside Target store was sentenced to the maximum sentence in state prison. 

Dennis Lam was sentenced to 25 years in state prison Monday for attempted murder in connection with the 2015 shooting inside the store, according to prosecutor Keith Watanabe. Lam will serve 85 percent parole following the sentence. 

In 2015, Lam walked into a Target in the Camino Town and Country Shopping Center, 2555 El Camino Real.

Surveillance video shows the moment a scuffle inside an Oceanside Target turned into a shooting Thursday, sending people scrambling to the floor.

Oceanside Police say the security video, obtained by NBC 7, shows a loss prevention officer leading suspect Dennis Lam to the front of the store, along with someone who appears to be his alleged accomplice Ana Molina. The officer is on the radio.

The scuffle between a second Target employee and Lam begins off camera. It lasts only 10 seconds before witnesses say Lam reached into his bag, pulled out a gun and fired at the floor.

Later in the video, a revolver is shown in his right hand. The second shot comes almost on top of the other.

The shots scatter everyone for a time. It is just long enough for the suspect to return and grab the phone he had dropped, the video shows.

Police say both Lam and Molina to escaped in a 7-series BMW, which California Highway Patrol chased before the couple bailed out of it and stole a truck from another man. They were arrested a short time later.

Watanabe said the incident could have very well have led to a murder charge. 

"This was a serious case. It's about as serious robbery case as can be," Watanabe said. "The individual had several times to prove himself to society...which he failed to do. For the protection of the public, we asked he be locked up for the maximum time."

When he fired two shots, Watanabe said, the bullets could have struck an innocent shopper, but "by the grace of God," no one was seriously injured.

A 10-by-15-by-60 foot wooden structure on the south side of the San Elijo Lagoon in Solana Beach is drawing lots of interest and questions. 

What is it? What will it be used for? Is it permanent?

According to San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the huge wooden structure is being constructed to help build a pedestrian tunnel that will eventually go under the railroad tracks. The tunnel is part of the North Coast Corridor Program’s community enhancements.

The wooden frame is expected to be installed this weekend during a planned work window, when rail traffic is shut down on the coastal rail corridor to accommodate construction.

The pedestrian tunnel is scheduled to open in two years upon completion of the San Elijo Lagoon Double Track Project. The new undercrossing will connect trails being planned by the City of Solana Beach and the San Elijo Lagoon Consrvancy.

 The North Coast Corridor Program, a $6 billion multi-agency effort that will include wider freeway bridges, new carpool lanes, double-tracked railroad bridges, 10 miles of new bike paths, multiple pedestrian walkways and crossings, and the complete restoration of the San Elijo Lagoon.

SANDAG is working in collaboration with NCTD, Caltrans, and the FTA to design and construct the San Elijo Lagoon Double Track Project, a planned rail improvement project that extends between the cities of Encinitas and Solana Beach.

The project has two main elements. It will add 1.5 miles of second main track from Cardiff-by-the-Sea to the southern border of the San Elijo Lagoon, and replace the more than 60-year-old wooden trestle San Elijo Lagoon rail bridge with a modern, double-track, concrete bridge.

The new double track will create more than four miles of continuous double track on the LOSSAN coastal rail corridor, eliminating the need for meeting or passing trains to take turns using the single track.

Other improvements include:

• Adding a new pedestrian undercrossing at the south end of the lagoon
• Upgrading signaling and safety at the Chesterfield Drive grade crossing
• Reconfiguring a rail switch
• Constructing a low retaining wall north of the lagoon to keep the rail tracks separated from the lagoon inlet, which will be below the height of the railroad

Students and staff at Steele Canyon High School received the national grand prize from the Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) Monday for standing up against gun violence, cyberbullying and teen suicide.

School officials say this was for the second annual Say Something Call-to-Action Week. The school won first place in a national challenge

Nicole Hockley, co-founder and managing director of SHP and the mother of six-year-old Dylan Hockley who was killed in the Sandy Hook tragedy in Newton, Connecticut in December 2012, hosted the private assembly at the school at 11:15 a.m., according to the school.

"Today is about awarding Steel Canyon High School with a fantastic honor. They are the number one winners of our Say Something program across the country," said Hockley.

When Hockley spoke about her slain son at the school assembly, students listened in enthralled silence. Later she said working with the students is one of the most rewarding experiences for her.

"That is incredibly rewarding and I truly believe that this generation of middle and high schoolers that we have right now are going to create a new culture of empathy and kindness and looking out for each other that we really need," said Hockley.

As part of the grand prize, the school will receive $2,500 of Promise Club Seed Money, a Say Something plaque and appreciation from SHP's social media channels. 

"It's important because it does save lives in my opinion," said Trevor Kantz, another student at the school who was an active participant in the events. "Our motto here at Steele Canyon is take care of each other, take care of yourself and take care of this place."

English teachers Jennifer Serban and Jillian West lead the program along with 80 student ambassadors, who took charge of planning the events from Oct. 24 to 28, said school officials.

For the SHP challenge, students and staff promoted the Say Something Call-to-Action week by organizing a variety of activities and educational events. School officials say they created posters, decorated the campus, ran lunchtime activities, created and produced videos for school-wide broadcasts which encouraged critical dialogue in the classrooms and planned dress-up days.

"We're pretty much just teaching people how to be open minded and see things they normally wouldn't look out for," said Kasandra Marzec, a student at the school who created an Instagram account for Say Something week.

Staff also sent a letter to parents explaining the program and promoting conversation within the family. Moreover, the school launched an Instagram campaign and competition to engage students via social media.

"It creates more comfort within our school to have students reach out to teachers and reach out to other people instead of hiding the truth," said Marzec.

All students were required to participate in at least one Say Something activity throughout the week, according to the school.

Four hundred students and local community leaders were expected to attend the ceremony. School officials say the high school also received an honorable mention in last year's call-to-action week, maintaining the Say Something program throughout the year.

"I think that it's definitely made a difference here," said Krantz.

A San Diego County doctor who pleaded guilty to illegally and fraudulently prescribing painkillers to some patients who did not have a medical need for them has been sentenced. 

Naga Raja Thota, M.D., 62, previously pleaded guilty to seven counts three months after he was arrested at the Pain Management Center located at 2732 Navajo Rd. in El Cajon during a raid by federal authorities. He has since given up his medical license and practice, according to his attorney.

Thota was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Orlando Gutierrez. As part of the conditions of standard term of supervised release, he cannot dispense or prescribe medicine, own a medical clinic and more after release, Guttierez said. 

“Pain pill addiction has become a serious public health problem that is causing an increasing number of fatal overdoses nationwide. To make matters worse, in this instance prescription opiate addiction led, as is often the case, straight to a dangerous heroin habit,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson in a statement. “We will continue to vigorously enforce the law against doctors who abuse the prescribing privilege and exploit desperate addicts for their own purposes.”

According to the criminal complaint filed after Thota's arrest in August, the doctor was accused of writing prescriptions for 1,460 Oxycodone pills and 660 tablets of Hydrocodone over a six-week period in 2013.

In a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Thota admitted to writing seven fraudulent prescriptions to three different people several years ago, according to his attorney Robert Schlein.

“Dr. Thota has never denied any of the actions he did with regard to those seven prescriptions or that he had a personal relationship with one of the patients,” Schlein said.

Thota’s relationship with the patient lasted several months, Schlein said.

According to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy’s office, Thota pleaded guilty to seven counts of “superseding information.” He admitted to illegally prescribing patients with oxycodone and hydrocodone tablets, sometimes writing the prescription under the names of a brother and father of one patient.

Federal agents served search warrants on Thota's medical practice on Navajo Road on May 27, 2015. The doctor was interviewed by investigators at the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego on June 4, 2015, mainly about prescriptions he wrote for patients mentioned in the complaint. He met again with the feds on Dec. 15, 2015, while in the presence of his defense attorney, the complaint says.

Search warrants were then served on Thota's medical practice on Navajo Road on March 16, 2016.

After Thota’s August 31 arrest, more than two dozen people accused him of prescribing painkillers to them in exchange for sex, according to Amy Roderick with the DEA, who spoke with NBC 7 in September.

Schlein said the charges have to be put into context. His client began practicing medicine in 1979 and moved his practice to California in 1995.

“The government has decided to go after doctors who have had prescribing problems,” the attorney said.

The result of Thota’s arrest has been “catastrophic”, according to Schlein.

“He has paid a heavy price for it but he’s accepted responsibility for it,” he said.

Thota's maximum exposure for the seven counts was 20 years in prison, $1 million fine and life-term of supervised release.

With the sun returning, many San Diegans are itching to get outside and hike but county officials are warning hikers about an even itchier situation -- the beginning of tick season.

San Diego County officials warn residents that they should protect themselves and their pets whenever they're about to roam around brushy, grassy areas.

Several important precautions can help prevent these little critters from infesting people and their pets, said County officials.

The most important precaution is to use insect repellent, that preferably contains DEET, and use similar flea and tick control products for animals, said County officials. After spending time outdoors, frequently check your clothes, gear and pets. Ticks can easily hitchhike into your home through clothes and pets.

Don't forget to shower after exposure to chapparal-covered areas, according to County officials. Ticks are often found in high grasses, yards, trees and shrubs. 

Parents should check children under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind knees, between the legs, around the waist and in the hair, according to an article by the CDC. Also be sure to inspect pets, packs and gear before bringing them into the home, said County officials.

Stay in the designated pathways when hiking in open space or canyon areas. County officials say it's also best to stay on wide trails if possible and walk in the center.

Light-colored, long-sleeved clothing is best to avoid attracting ticks, said County officials. It's also helpful to tuck shirts into pants and pants into socks. The less bare skin exposed, the better.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends showering within two hours of being outdoors, conducting a full-body inspection and checking children for ticks.

Leave pets at home, or if you decide to bring them keep pets on a leash, said County officials. Take advantage of insecticide powders or tick-control sprays, if your pets haven't already been treated with a tick and flea regimen.

If a tick bite is found, don't panic. Fine-tipped tweezers are recommended to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible, and pulling upward with steady, even pressure, according to the CDC.

Avoid jerking or twisting the tick, as this can cause parts of the tick to remain in the skin. Clean bite area and hands thoroughly after tick removal.

Ticks often 'quest' to find hosts by crawling on grass or brush and then thrusting their hook-like front legs up into the air, said County officials. When someone brushes against the tick, it latches on and bites.

It is important to watch out for ticks. Athough tick-borne illnesses are rare in San Diego County, they can carry dangerous diseases including Lyme disease, tularemia aka rabbit fever and spotted fever.

The two deputies involved in a fatal shooting in a gated San Marcos community were identified by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) on Monday.

Deputies Brian Bloomberg and Matthew Shull had been responding to a report of an intruder inside a home on Edgewater Drive after 3 a.m. Wednesday when the incident occurred.

Isidro Bazan Jr., 34, a transient, was killed in the confrontation after he was struck in the torso.

Bloomberg had been with the department for 10 years and Shull for 2 years, SDSO said. Bloomberg fired a handgun at Bazan while Shull fired a less lethal shotgun.

According to SDSO, the homeowner reported he was upstairs in a room with his family and the suspect, identified to be Bazan, was downstairs carrying a baseball bat.

When deputies arrived on scene, Bazan ran into the garage. During a confrontation, he threatened to kill the deputies and himself, saying he was armed with a Glock 40.

When Bazan ran out of the garage, Shull fired a less-lethal weapon at him. According to the Sheriff's department, Bloomberg believed Bazan was going to use his weapon and fired two rounds from his handgun, striking Bazan once in the torso.

On Friday, SDSO identified the object Bazan had been holding was a dark colored butane torch.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (888)580-8477.

For years, Ismael, a Somali refugee whom was granted citizenship, has been living in City Heights.

After he received political asylum in 2008, Ismael said his main goal was to bring his 68-year-old mother from Somalia to live with him.

“He said as an American citizen he applied for his mother to come here,” said Ismahan Abdullahi, who translated for Ismael. She works with the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), an organization that offers services for refugees.

Through the Family Refugee Resettlement Program, Ismael’s mother had been granted permission to live in San Diego.

But President Trump’s revised travel ban prohibits his mother from entering the country. Her travel date had been set for February 15th, but her ticket was canceled.

President Trump’s new order restricts refugees from six countries known with terrorist cells from entering the country. These include Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The revised executive order was designed to replace the one stopped by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in January. Iraq is no longer included after they have promised to add more visa vetting measures.

Abdullahi said Ismael has hoped for years to be reunited with his family.

“All he can think about is the situation and how [she’s] feeling,” said Abdullahi.

Abdullahi explained the hardest part for Ismael has been accepting the deception that comes with revised executive order.

“You are thinking that now you have this opportunity to live a better life and then suddenly carpet is taken from underneath,” said Abdullahi.

Current visa holders and green-card holders should not be affected like they were in the previous order.

A man accused of hoarding more than a hundred small dogs at his North County home plead not guilty at his first court appearance Monday.

San Diego couple Matt Vattimo, 73, and Christine Calvert, 62, each face 10 felony counts of animal abuse and neglect. Vattimo also faces one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.

Deputy District Attorney Karra Reedy said each defendant faces a maximum prison sentence of nine years if convicted of all counts consecutively.

"The dogs were in a main room. There was a mattress on the floor. There were mice running across the floor. Feces and urine soaked the mattress -- they were on that and most of the walls," said Reedy.

At the arraignment, Vattimo was ordered not to have any animals in his possession, in his home or to be in contact with any animals.

Initially, Vattimo did not comply with having his properties searched but several days later he complied, said Reedy. The San Diego Humane Society went to the house, after receiving a complaint from a concerned veterinarian.

There were 29 dogs turned over within the first couple hours. Later, 46 dogs were located in Nevada, that were taken from San Diego by Vattimo's wife Calvert. She will return to San Diego for her arraignment.

There were a total of 169 yorkshire terriors seized by the authorities from each defendant. All of the animals had a variety of health conditions and problems.

“All of the dogs that were removed from the home and their care had some type of problem -- there were genetic problems, there were health problems, there was dental disease. There was eye problems and a variety of health conditions," said Reedy.

It was not immediately clear whether either of the defendants suffered from a mental health disorder that would have lead to the hoarding. The Deputy District Attorney Reedy said this would become apparent later in the case.

All of Vattimo's properties may be searched for animals, which may include a restaurant that he owns.

After the dogs were rescued, the Humane Society received more than 1,500 applications for their adoption. The couple was arrested in late February.

San Diego police have found a missing 8-year-old girl last seen walking near her home in Logan Heights. 

The girl was reportedly missing from Logan Heights, just north of Interstate 5 and Barrio Logan. 

She was found safe and is home, police said. 

No other information was available.