Proceedings in the double murder trial of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez continued Friday morning with the judge discussing the defense team's motion for a mistrial.

The defense claimed prosecutors elicited testimony from witness Raychides Sanches earlier this week that was not allowed. Sanches testified Wednesday that he was riding in a vehicle with the two victims when they were shot and killed.

Hernandez is accused of gunning down Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado after one of them bumped into him at a Boston nightclub in July 2012, spilling his drink. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty.

The defense team claimed Sanches' description was tainted by media coverage of the Odin Lloyd murder trial. Hernandez is already serving a life sentence without parole after he was convicted two years ago of killing Lloyd in 2013.

Prosecutors said Friday that the defense allegations are "not only inaccurate but disingenuous and offensive." 

In court on Thursday, Judge Jeffrey Locke prevented defense attorneys from claiming in front of jurors that Hernandez's alleged victims were killed as a result of gang activity.

Jose Baez, Hernandez's lawyer, used the social media activity of a man who survived the South End shooting in an effort to connect him and the victims to gangs instead of his client, but Locke would not allow it.

"You can't just throw things out there to simply smear a witness," Locke said.

This calls for a milkshake and twistin’ to the oldies: San Diego’s quirky retro eatery, Corvette Diner, turns 30 this month, celebrating the milestone anniversary with an all-day bash – beehives and poodle skirts, to boot.

The restaurant, which spent 22 years in Hillcrest before relocating to Historic Decatur Road in Liberty Station in 2009, will mark three decades in business with a special anniversary party Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Festivities on deck include live entertainment and a throwback menu offering classics of a bygone era, including select menu favorites like the "Rory Burger" (topped with peanut butter, bacon, lettuce and mayo) at old-school prices ($5 a pop) and 75-cent sodas from the fountain. The birthday bash will also boast 25 to 50-cent arcade games and free photos in the eatery’s photo booth. At 7 p.m., there’s a 1950s costume contest for kids ages 12 and under.

For a little blast from the past, the party will also include some special guests, including longtime Corvette Diner magician, “Magic Mike” Stilwell, and Southern California radio and TV personality, "Shotgun Tom" Kelly.

When Corvette Diner launched in Hillcrest in 1987, Kelly was invited by the eatery’s owners, David and Lesley Cohn, to broadcast his radio show, "Shotgun Tom's Jukebox Radio" out of the restaurant.

“I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be neat to have me do my radio show from there? It’d be perfect,'" "Shotgun Tom" Kelly recounted in an interview with NBC 7 at the diner Thursday. “So David said, ‘Yea, I’ll blow out a couple of tables.’ And he actually built me a studio for me. We equipped it with vintage equipment.”

The broadcaster and San Diego native spent seven years in that custom booth, playing oldie after oldie, chatting with patrons day after day.

“I get people saying, ‘You know, I came to the Corvette Diner when I was a little girl, and I still remember you today,’” he said, smiling.

Corvette Diner was one of the first eateries launched by the Cohns, owners of San Diego’s famed Cohn Restaurant Group (CRG). At the time, the couple only had two other businesses under their belt. They were turned down for a loan to start the 1950s diner. Determined to make it happen, they pulled their money together and opened Corvette Diner in the heart of Hillcrest.

It was the catalyst to their restaurant empire, which now boasts nearly two dozen eateries around San Diego including The Prado at Balboa Park, Coasterra and Bo-beau Kitchen + Tap, to name a few.

“It’s a tremendously iconic place,” said "Shotgun Tom" Kelly.

San Diego resident Dante Jones started bartending at Corvette Diner in 1988. He worked at the Hillcrest location for 10 years.

“It’s just happy times,” Jones told NBC 7, fondly remembering being part of the staff, also known as the “Corvette Cast.”

Jones wore many hats in his decade with the diner, pouring drinks, dancing and singing. The restaurant even named a hamburger on the menu after him: “Dante’s Inferno,” a spicy number topped with jalapeno mayo, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and jalapenos.

To this day, Jones often drops into Corvette Diner for lunch – ordering his namesake dish.

"I ate that today!" Jones said on Thursday. "It was good."

Jones believes Corvette Diner has stood the test of time because it’s a fun, entertaining place for the whole family, bursting with good vibes.

"If you want to escape for a little bit, you come here," he added.

In his days behind the bar, he saw many celebrations take place at the restaurant, from birthdays to anniversaries -- and even weddings.

“A lot of people got married here; a lot of relationships have started here. Just happy and wonderful memories,” Jones told NBC 7.

Jones will head back to his roots at Corvette Diner on Friday. He was invited to be a guest bartender during the anniversary celebration, and will also be performing all of the classic dances with the cast.

“You’re probably going to see me doing ‘The Roach’ [dance]. And the ‘Chicken Polka,’” he said, with a laugh. "I'm known for that one."

For the past eight years, Corvette Diner’s home has been on Historic Decatur Road at Liberty Station, in a 13,300-square-foot site that boasts several colorful dining rooms and party rooms, plus a large arcade game room. As always, it remains a popular dining destination for families and kids celebrating birthdays. 

The staff, in retro uniforms, still cut a rug. The servers still decorate patrons' hair with big, red straws. And, of course, the oldies still play from the DJ booth.

“I think when people come here and hear good sounds of the past – even if they’re not familiar with them – they just get that wonderful energy,” said “Shotgun” Tom Kelly. “Even if you didn’t grow up with 50s and 60s music – it’s just happy music.”

Corvette Diner plans to keep its 30th anniversary celebration rolling all month: the throwback menu is being offered March 10 through March 31. More goodies include a $1 brownie sundae and a $1.25 vanilla, chocolate or cherry Coke.

More than 1,400 pink slips will be delivered to employees of San Diego Unified School District on Friday.

The $124 million in cuts are needed to balance the budget, district officials said. The amount accounts for 10 percent of the district’s budget.

According to the district, 1,476 pink slips will be delivered to employees. But the district said that does not mean this will be the number of people losing their jobs nor the number of positions being eliminated.

Among those expected to be given pink slips are nurses, counselors, district police, and senior management.

Every department will be impacted in some way due to these cuts. There is hope some jobs will be spared.

When it comes to teachers, nurses and counselors, 473 full time positions will be eliminated but lay off notices will be sent to 891 certificated employees by March 10.

When it comes to classified employees, 404 full time positions will be eliminated but 585 people will get the pink slip.

One hundred senior administrators will also be eliminated.

District officials said some receiving pink slips this week qualify for early retirement. The district is offering early retirement packages to more than 1,500 teachers, who are of retirement age to save jobs.

Oceanside police have made an arrest in the death of man whose body was found Thursday at a construction site near The Strand.

Jacob Laughlin Bravo was found dead just after 5 a.m. Thursday on a Windward Way lot where million-dollar homes are being built.

An employee discovered Bravo's body inside the trailer on the construction site.

Detectives said they found a thin trail of blood inside and outside the trailer. The death is considered a homicide.

Hours later, investigators announced the arrest of Mikhail Schmidt, 30, of Oceanside. Officers said they received information leading to Schmidt's arrest but did not reveal the details. He was taken into custody at 5 p.m. just two blocks north of the crime scene, near The Blue Whale on The Strand.

Detectives said the motive for the killing was under investigation however they did say the incident was not gang related.

Usually there's a security guard who stays on the property to make sure nothing is damaged or stolen.  NBC 7 spoke to the security guard, Rick Wood who said he noticed the front gate was unlocked, which he considered unusual.

"The door was open on the trailer," he told NBC 7. "I thought they opened the door to see if I was opening the gate. So, I figured since the door was open they must have checked everything so I went ahead and checked out."

Check back for updates to this developing story.

Figures in camouflage and ski masks gather at a fishing lodge. Many are armed with long knives, bayonets and hatchets, NBC News reported.

The 35 men and women are on the hunt in Strandzha Massif, a forested mountain range on Bulgaria's border with Turkey. Migrants trying to cross into Europe are their prey.

Patches on their irregular uniforms — a coat of arms bearing a snarling wolf's head framed by Cyrillic text — proclaim them to be members of the Bulgarian National Movement Shipka, abbreviated in Bulgarian as "BNO Shipka."

Conspiracy theories abound among BNO Shipka members, some of whom make a point of speaking Russian. 

Krassimir Kanev, a founder of the human rights group Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, sees BNO Shipka and similar groups as xenophobic nationalists at best, or at worst, violent and racist extremists.

A number of police officers have converged on a neighborhood in Escondido.

Police have crime scene tape blocking traffic to James Street, near Valley Parkway.

Officials have not yet released information on what prompted police presence but an NBC 7 news crew has confirmed medics were dispatched to the location just before 8 a.m.

Orange Glen Elementary School is less than a mile from the scene. 

Escondido School District officials tell NBC 7 they have been in contact with the police but have no reason for a lockdown.

Principal Rick Ausby said he was aware of an incident outside of the school and spoke with two officers who told him it involved a medical emergency.

There is no danger to the school at this time, he said.

The community has been on edge since Tuesday, when a driver was caught in the crossfire of a gang shooting.

Cathy Kennedy, 55, was shot in the head while driving east on Grand Avenue around 9 p.m. Police said Kennedy was returning home from church function when she was struck by a stray bullet, causing her to lose control of the car and crash into a parked vehicle.

The suspects have not been identified yet. Escondido police have asked the public for help to solve the crime.

Escondido Police say they have talked to City staff and they are cracking down on registered gang members.

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

An argument between an 87-year-old San Diego father and his adult son led to a violent late-night attack in Clairemont when the son allegedly used a crowbar to choke his dad.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said Charles Duval, 62, called police just before midnight Thursday to report that he had attacked his father while the victim was sleeping at their home in the 5500 block of Diane Avenue.

According to investigators, the father and son had gotten into an argument. After Duval’s father went to sleep, Duval allegedly grabbed a crowbar and used it to choke the elderly victim.

As the father struggled to fight back, Duval allegedly beat him with his fists.

The victim told police he believes Duval was trying to kill him. Investigators said the victim was not able to call for help because Duval had allegedly disabled the telephone.

The victim suffered injuries to his upper body; he is expected to recover, according to authorities.

Duval was arrested and booked into San Diego Central Jail on two counts: attempted murder and elder abuse. He's scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

About 39 million people from eastern Ohio to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, were under a winter weather alert on Friday, NBC News reported.

New York City was set to get up to three inches, while the Cape Cod area faced up to eight inches.

Possible record low temperatures could follow into the weekend. Saturday morning's wind chill could make it feel like 7 degrees in New York, 12 degrees in Washington, D.C., and minus 3 degrees in Boston, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Ari Sarsalari.

In his first 50 days as President of the United States, Donald Trump has never skipped a day communicating with the country via @RealDonaldTrump, NBC News reported.

He's tweeted more than 260 times since Inauguration Day, for an average of 36 tweets per week. By contrast, Barack Obama tweeted 352 times total from his now-archived @POTUS account.

NBC News took a look at every tweet sent from @RealDonaldTrump since Jan. 20, and found some surprises. His average morning tweet comes at 8:22 a.m. ET, and stormy mornings have brought as many as seven tweets in a row.

The switch from Android to iPhone — his staff reportedly use the latter to tweet on Trump's behalf — takes place at an average time of 1:22 p.m., and tweets from the two kinds of phones have much different common words: "fake news" leads Android tweets while "jobs" trumps all others on iPhone.

San Diego police are searching for a driver who struck and killed a teenager in Tierrasanta Thursday.

Two teenagers, both 16, were walking along Santo Road near Antigua Boulevard just before midnight. Police say the teens were not crossing the street at a crosswalk but were walking in the road.

One boy was able to jump onto the median and out of the way of the oncoming car.

The second teenager was struck and killed, police said.

The driver failed to stop at the scene, continuing to travel southbound on Santo Road.

Resident Cindy Matrai said it's inexcusable for the driver not to stop and render aid to the teenager.

"I understand it's tragic and it's shocking," she said. "But at the same time, stop."

The suspect's vehicle is described as a dark colored Ford Taurus with front-end damage to the passenger side, San Diego police said.

The neighborhood is located south of State Route 52 and east of Interstate 15.

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

Memories are still raw for neighbors shocked by a tragic pedestrian accident that happened two years ago in a crosswalk in Point Loma.

The victims, struck in the 4000 block of Canon Street, near Catalina Boulevard, were a baby girl -- just seven months old -- and her father.

New information uncovered by NBC 7 Investigates shows the City of San Diego was aware of dangerous conditions at that intersection at least five years before the driver of an SUV accidently killed baby Juniper Aavang and seriously injured her father, John Aavang.

Despite some improvements made at and near the crosswalk in recent years, residents and a pedestrian safety expert insists the intersection is still too dangerous for safe pedestrian crossings.

“Here is a perfect example of where safe street design really needed to be put in place, much, much earlier than waiting until someone died,” said Kathleen Ferrier, a pedestrian advocate with Circulate San Diego.

On March 2, 2015, John Aavang was pushing his infant daughter, Juniper, in a stroller through the pedestrian crossing, when they were hit by the SUV. Police traffic investigators concluded neither the victims nor the motorist were at fault.

According to the police report, obtained by NBC 7 Investigates, an overgrown palm tree and a street-side utility box obstructed views from both sides of the curve leading to the pedestrian crossing.

“If the foliage and palm trees had not been at the location and all other factors remained the same, the line-of-sight issues that directly aided in this collision would have been greatly reduced,” an investigator said in the report.

Other documents obtained by NBC 7 Investigates show the city had been repeatedly warned about potential dangers at this intersection, years before Juniper was killed.

In 2009, in a complaint to the City, one homeowner asked traffic engineers to "evaluate visibility of the crosswalk on Catalina Boulevard north of Jennings Street." In 2010, another neighbor complained the intersection was "dangerous since it is a complete blind spot for families with kids trying to cross." That resident also warned city engineers traffic “is like a freeway during rush hour, and people [are] going entirely too fast since there are NO lights or speed controls in this corridor.”

In response to those complaints, City of San Diego traffic engineers said they would install pedestrian warning signs and ask police to more strictly enforce the speed limit.

In the documents, engineers also noted: "...vegetation near the crosswalk has been recently trimmed and the visibility has been significantly improved."

Still, complaints continued.

Three years later, in 2013, another resident asked traffic engineers to “evaluate [the] visibility of the crosswalk” and noted, “...vehicles  do not stop/yield for pedestrians.”

After Juniper’s death, more improvements were made by the city. The palm tree and utility box, referred to in the police report as obstructing views of motorists and pedestrians, were removed and, in July 2015, a stoplight was installed at the pedestrian crossing.

Juniper’s family is suing the City of San Diego for negligence, dangerous condition of public property and wrongful death.

Citing the pending lawsuit, neither city traffic engineers nor the city attorney’s office will answer questions about the intersection or any additional improvements that might be planned for the area.

In court documents, the city argues John Aavang was “negligent,” and at least partly responsible for the accident. The city also argues it exercised reasonable care in keeping the intersection safe.

Despite the improvements, Ferrier and others told NBC 7 Investigates they feel the intersection is still dangerous.

"We [are] just scared,” said Nayra Cordero. She works near the intersection and frequently walks in the area with her friend, Gabriela Mendoza. “We actually [just] crossed, and we were both scared, looking around just to make sure,” she said. “Even if we saw it's green for us to cross, it's safe for us to cross, we still were careful."

Both Cordero and Mendoza said the 40 mph speed limit at the intersection is too high.

“You can’t even see the light until you’ve hit the curve,” Mendoza said.

Ferrier agrees that some motorists disregard even the 40 mph speed limit.

"The design of the street may be 40 miles an hour, but cars are going much faster because they can," said Ferrier.

"Oh, yeah, I would say between 45 and 65," Mendoza added.

Ferrier said the stop light has improved safety at the intersection, but also says other improvements should be made. Along with better signage, a lower speed limit, and more enforcement, Ferrier said a round-about like those along La Jolla Boulevard would calm the traffic flow.

“It forces cars to slow down, so as the pedestrian is crossing, the car is absolutely going to see that person crossing and has enough time to react,” she said.

Whatever improvements are made, Ferrier said she hopes they happen soon and, in her words, "certainly to do it before someone is killed again.”

A man was arrested early Friday morning after driving a car into a ditch in the Torrey Preserve area, police said. 

The crash happened just before 4:30 a.m. at Sorrento Valley and Carmel Mountain roads – an intersection before the train tracks. A tow truck was called to the scene to help pull the car out of the ditch.

Officers with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) evaluated the driver at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence. Ultimately, the driver was taken into custody.

No one was hurt in the crash. No further details were released.

By the time she decided to run, Harriet Tubman knew the forests and marshes of Maryland's Eastern Shore like the back of her hand. 

She ran through the night, gravitating toward the peninsula's cold, still water. She could move quietly through it. Her father taught her how. 

But after completing the perilous journey to freedom, Tubman realized she was alone. 

"I had crossed the line. I was free, but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land," Tubman would later say. 

Desperate to be reunited with her family, Tubman quickly got a job and saved money so she could rescue her friends and family personally. She returned to the Eastern Shore 13 times, bringing 70 slaves to freedom. 

On Saturday, you can see a list of those names at the new Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, Maryland.

The visitor center is just one of 36 stops on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, a 125-mile, self-guided driving tour through Tubman's native land. 

'It Was Guerrilla Warfare'
As you wander through the 10,000-square-foot visitor center, bronze-colored statues depicting scenes from Tubman's life are positioned throughout the exhibition space. 

All are inspiring, but a piece recreating the Combahee River raid may stop you in your tracks. 

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On the night of June 2, 1863, Tubman became the first and only woman to lead an armed assault during the Civil War. Working as a wartime spy, she helped guide three steamboats around Confederate mines. 

Once the boats reached the shore, they sounded their whistles and attacked. 

"It was guerrilla warfare, basically," said assistant park manager Angela Crenshaw. "They were flooding rice fields, they were blowing up plantations and they were emancipating people."  

Hundreds of slaves ran for the shore when they heard the steamboats' whistles. Tubman later said she had never seen "such a sight."

Tubman and the Union troops rescued 720 to 800 people that day, Crenshaw said. 

The statue in the visitor center depicts that rescue, with Tubman leaning over the bow of a small boat to pull fleeing slaves out of the water. The scene is one you don't often hear about in the retelling of Tubman's life. 

Despite her heroic efforts, Tubman didn't receive any payment for her service for years. 

'I Had No Bed, No Place to Lie Down'
Before she was known as the Moses of her people, Tubman was Araminta "Minty" Ross.

As a child, Tubman was often loaned out to other slave owners and suffered unimaginable cruelties at their hands. At the Bucktown Village Store, she committed her first act of defiance and suffered a blow that nearly killed her. 

While working for a nearby farmer, Tubman went to the store with the farm's cook to purchase some items. At the same time, a young slave who left his home without permission entered the store with an overseer in hot pursuit. The overseer ordered Tubman to hold the slave, but she refused.

Angered, the overseer threw a 2-pound counterweight at the slave, but he missed and struck Tubman. The weight fractured her skull.

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“They carried me to the house all bleeding an’ fainting. I had no bed, no place to lie down on at all, and they lay me on the seat of the loom, and I stayed there all that day and next,” Tubman later recalled, according to the byway's website.

The injury plagued her for the rest of her life, causing symptoms similar to epilepsy. But that same injury gave her the "potent dreams and visions she claimed foretold the future," author Kate Larsen said in Tubman's biography "Bound for the Promised Land."

"The sleeping disease is actually what made her very successful in her life, because she said when she would fall asleep God would speak to her," said Susan Meredith, who owns and operates the Bucktown Village Store with her husband, Jay.

The Bucktown Village store is one of the stops on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. The store was once owned by Jay Meredith's great-great-grandfather, but Susan and Jay Meredith purchased it years later, renovating it and opening it as a museum. 

"When we bought it, we made Maryland Life magazine as one of the top 10 places in Maryland in danger of falling down," Susan Meredith said, laughing. 

Once the visitor center opens, the Merediths plan to open the store to guests Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

'We Tell the Story'
After stopping by the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, guests are encouraged to immerse themselves in Tubman's story by driving along the byway and visiting sites like the Bucktown Village Store.  

"We tell the story, and then people go out and explore," Crenshaw said. 

This weekend, re-enactor Millicent Sparks will embody Tubman while historian Tony Cohen leads a simulated Underground Railroad journey. Park rangers will also teach the games enslaved children plays. 

“Harriet Tubman is a true Maryland treasure,” said Maryland Park Service Manager Dana Paterra. “Her path to freedom was wrought with peril but she persevered and overcame many struggles to become an American icon.”

Welcome to your weekend, San Diego. From gorgeous spring blooms to musicals, the circus and a country music superstar, there’s a lot to do this weekend in America’s Finest City.

Thursday, March 9

FIRST Robotics Competition
8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Del Mar Fairgrounds
Robotics. It’s been called the “varsity sport for the mind.” On Thursday, check out robotics in action at the San Diego FIRST Robotics Competition at the Del Mar Arena at the fairgrounds. The event showcases teams of professionals and young people brought together to solve engineering design problems in a competitive, exciting way. Under strict rules and time limits, teams of 25+ students must raise funds, design a team brand, work together and build and program a robot to perform tasks. The event is free; parking is $13. The competition continues Friday and Saturday, same time, same place.

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (season runs through May 14), Carlsbad Ranch
It’s here! The famous Flower Fields in Carlsbad Ranch officially opened for the season on March 1, offering visitors spectacular views of bright blooms in all of their gorgeous glory. The fields are open daily, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., through May 14. Patrons will enjoy nearly 50 acres of colorful displays of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers, which are in bloom for six to eight weeks. The famous fields also include roses, orchids, sweet pea blossoms, petunias and poinsettias. Keep checking the Flower Fields website, too, because the venue hosts special events throughout the bloom season.

ZD Wine Dinner
6 p.m., Hotel Del Coronado’s 1500 OCEAN
Winos, treat yourself. Part of the 2017 Winemaker Dinner Series at the Hotel Del Coronado comes the ZD Wine Dinner Thursday night, an intimate, multi-course dinner at the Del’s 1500 OCEAN restaurant. Each course on the special, seasonal menu will be expertly paired with limited release wines from around the world, and patrons will have a chance to mix and mingle with winemakers, this time from ZD Wines. Tickets are $150 per person. The evening begins with a 6 p.m. reception, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Kinky Boots
7:30 p.m.(Thursday through Sunday), San Diego Civic Theatre
Broadway hit “Kinky Boots” makes its way to San Diego this weekend, running through Sunday. The joyous musical includes songs by Grammy and Tony award-winning artist, Cyndi Lauper. The storyline is inspired by true events – from a gentlemen’s shoe factory in Northampton to the catwalks of Milan. Tickets to opening night on Thursday start at $22.50 per person. The musical hits the stage again Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Circus Vargas
7 p.m., Westfield North County
Circus Vargas continues its San Diego run at Westfield North County in Escondido, bringing the big top’s newest show, “Steam Cirque,” inspired by the worlds of steampunk and science-fiction. The show runs at this venue through March 13 before packing up and heading to Promenade Temecula (March 16-27). Tickets start at $22; arrive 45 minutes before show time and the kids can partake in an interactive pre-show where they can practice hands-on circus skills like juggling and balancing alongside the pros.

Friday, March 10

San Diego Gulls vs. Tucson Roadrunners
7 p.m., Valley View Casino Center
The San Diego Gulls bring the heat to the ice Friday as they take on the Tucson Roadrunners at the Valley View Casino Center. Tickets start at $19.

Stars at Mission Trails
7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Mission Trails Regional Park
The San Diego Astronomy Association, totes its telescopes to Mission Trails Regional Park for its monthly, free stargazing session Friday night. Weather permitting, the group plans to gather at the east end of the Kumeyaay Lake Campground’s day use parking lot. From there, it’s a 3-hour escape, viewing the stars and planets of space.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
7:30 p.m. (Friday through Sunday), California Center for the Arts Escondido
This is THE year for Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” The California Center for the Arts in Escondido will present a stage production of the beloved tale (as old as time) based on the animated film, as told by youth theatre group, Center Stage Productions. The musical’s opening night is Friday, with a 7:30 p.m. show. There will be two performances on Saturday (2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.) and another on Sunday (2 p.m.). Tickets are $20.

Finesse Mitchell
7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., The American Comedy Co.
“Saturday Night Live” alum Finesse Mitchell will perform his stand-up act this weekend The American Comedy Co. The actor and funnyman takes the stage for two shows Friday night, two on Saturday, and a final performance Sunday. Pre-sale tickets start at $9.

Around the World Whiskey & Chocolate Tasting
8 p.m. to 9 p.m., Vin de Syrah
Downtown San Diego’s Vin de Syrah will partner with local chocolatier Sweet Petite Confections for this tasting event, which goes down at a communal table at the center of the dining room. Patrons will sip on four distinct whiskeys – from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ireland and Scotland – each paired with chocolates, as the experts guide each tasting. Tickets are $45 per person; reserve your spot in advance by calling (858) 437-3985.

Saturday, March 11

Yoga in the Rotunda
8:30 a.m., San Diego Museum of Man
Start your morning off with a peaceful, all-levels flow class at the San Diego Museum of Man this Saturday, courtesy of Yoga One. The class will have modifications so everyone can go at their own pace. Participants are asked to bring their own mat, water and towel to class. The event is $5 to $10.

International Mariachi Festival
11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Pepper Park in National City
National City will host its 5th annual International Mariachi Festival at Pepper Park (3299 Tidelands Ave.), a community event celebrating Mexican music and heritage in San Diego. The fest includes performances from mariachi groups from both Mexico and the U.S., plus traditional ballet folklorico dancing and other arts. There will be activities for the kids, too, and a beverage garden for the 21+ crowd. When you get hungry, check out the food booths which will be serving everything from Mexican street tacos to sushi burritos. Entry to the festival is free; parking is $10. 

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22nd Annual Youth Fitness Expo and Family Fun Day
12:30 p.m., Balboa Park: Spreckels Organ Pavilion
Join Calrifornia Fitness Fun and Heartlight San Diego for the 22nd fun day. Browse through education exhibits, participate in fitness activities, play in carnival games and more. Plus, more than 100 San Diego County elementary schools will perform. The event is free.

Best Coast Beer Fest
1 p.m., Embarcadero Marina Park South
More than 100 of the best breweries on the West Coast will come together at this extensive beer festival, where every ticket sold will benefit the charity Cancer for College, which helps a cancer survivor realize their dream of going to college. There’s more than just extensive beer tastings here, though – there will also be live music and a food truck alley. Tickets start at $35.

Taste of Bressi
2 p.m., Boys and Girls Club of Carlsbad
Beer fans, winos and foodies will love this annual Taste of Bressi festival, where craft beer, premium wines, live music and food come together for an afternoon of tasting and sipping. Dozens of restaurants, breweries and wineries will participate. Local bands Fetchez La Vache and Naked Saturdays Band will play at the event. Al all-access pass costs $48. The event is for those 21 years and older.

HerStory
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Mosaic San Diego
Divas Dance Company will perform Saturday night at Mosaic San Diego (205 16th St.), in “HerStory,” a show that celebrates the stories of three brave women. It’s produced by Fusion D. and features a mix of rhythms and styles. Tickets range from $15 to $20. 

Old Town Showdown: Improv Comedy Show
7 p.m., Old Town Improv Co.
Spend your Saturday night laughing and laughing and laughing at the Old Town Showdown. At this interactive, past-paced show, an ensemble of improvisers will perform short-form comedy based off the audience’s suggestions. All ages welcome. Tickets start at $7.

Blake Shelton
7:30 p.m., Valley View Casino Center
Country music star and NBC’s “The Voice” coach Blake Shelton takes the stage in San Diego Saturday night, playing the Valley View Casino Center. Tickets start at $42.50; the opening act is Raelynn. Now, the real question is, will Gwen Stefani be in the audience cheering on her man?

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Sunday, March 12

Salk Science and Music Series
4 p.m., Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla
Come see the merge of music and science at the Salk Institute this weekend. One of China’s most celebrated artists, Chen, will play for the first time in San Diego; she will be performing preludes from Claude Debussy and Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B minor. Additionally, Salk neurobiologist Greg Lemke will give a talk. The Salk Science and Music Series merges music and science in a beautiful mix. Tickets start at $55 for individual performances, or $275 for the full series. Proceeds support the institute’s research.

Festa Della Donna
4 p.m., Cucina Enoteca
Celebrate Italy’s iteration of International Woman’s Day with eight of San Diego’s most celebrated female chefs as they collaborate with winemakers, brewers and distillers. This one-of-a-kind night blends woman’s empowerment with eight different pairing stations and mixed drinks. Tickets start at $68.

Disney’s Freaky Friday The Musical
2 p.m. or 7 p.m., La Jolla Playhouse
Don’t miss the West Coast premiere of Disney’s "Freaky Friday”, based on the hit Disney movie. With a book by Bridget Carpenter ("Parenthood", "Friday Night Lights") and music by Tom Kitt ("Next to Normal", "If/Then") and lyrics by Brian Yorkey ("Next to Normal", "If/Then"), recipients of multiple Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, the show promises to be a delightful and polished production with two close friends playing the lead mother-daughter duo. It runs through March 19. You can buy tickets here.

Free or Cheap Things to Do in San Diego
Times and locations vary
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Is your wallet hurting from the holidays? In San Diego, there are still plenty of activities to enjoy for free or on the cheap. Go for a hike at Torrey Pines State Park or Cowles Mountain, stroll Balboa Park, try a new craft brewery, admire the murals of Chicano Park or read a book at a downtown park. Get out there and explore America’s Finest City.

Picasso At The Lapin Agile
2 p.m. or 7 p.m., The Old Globe
Don't miss the third piece in comedian and playwright Steve Martin's collaboration with San Diego's iconic Old Globe Theatre - on its final Sunday! The play, written by Martin and directed by Barry Edelstein, opens on The Lapin Agile in Paris 1904, where struggling artists (Pablo Picasso, for one) and one-day geniuses (picture: young Albert Einstein) come together for an extraordinary, witty night. If you’re looking for other theater shows in San Diego this year, check out this roundup of new and upcoming local productions. 

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was apparently distressed during Friday's briefing with the press. Or at least that's what many on social media joked he was signaling after taking to the podium with an upside down American flag pin on his lapel. 

An upside down American flag is a universal symbol for distress. 

"The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property," U.S. code says.

The faux pas wasn't lost on the Twitterverse.

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About 10 minutes into the briefing and before he began fielding press questions, former "Apprentice" contestant and current director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison Omarosa Manigault came to Spicer's rescue, informing him up the lapel mishap.

To be fair Spicer isn't the first high profile figure to have a mishap with a lapel pin. Last year then democratic Vice President hopeful Tim Kaine took fire for wearing a lapel pin depicting a flag that wasn't the American Flag. Instead it was a mini Service Flag, or blue star flag, honoring his son’s service in the United States Marine Corps.

Eater San Diego shares the top stories of the week from San Diego’s food and drink scene, including the upcoming expansion of a popular eatery headed to Liberty Station, plus the debut of a new distillery. 

Buona Forchetta Sets Opening Date in Liberty Station
After a long wait, the beloved South Park restaurant will officially open its new Liberty Station location on March 15. Open for lunch and dinner, the Italian eatery centers around two wood-fired pizza ovens, but the menu also features homemade pasta and Northern Italian specialties.

SoCal's First Female-Owned Distillery Opens in East Village
Take a peek inside You & Yours Distilling Co., Southern California's first female-led distillery which just uncorked in East Village. Co-founder and head distiller Laura Johnson has created a stylish tasting room and bar to showcase her flagship vodka and gin through sample flights and cocktails.

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1920s Cuba & Mexico Inspires New Gaslamp Eateries
Pairing up with downtown's Prohibition speakeasy are two new 5th Avenue restaurants influenced by the 1920s. Opening later this month, El Chingon will have a traditional Mexican taco shop menu, agave spirits and late-night DJs while the adjacent Havana 1920 will feature Cuban specialties and classic cocktails of the region. 

Popular Japanese Eatery Expands in Kearny Mesa
Wa Dining Okan, the Convoy Street eatery which specializes in Japanese home cooking and small plates, will open a second location later this month on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. Called Okan Diner, the much-larger eatery will serve a similar menu, including udon noodle dishes and Japanese rice pots. 

Karina's Launches New Fast-Casual Mexican Seafood Concept
Locally-owned Karina's Mexican Seafood, which runs several full-service restaurants in the South Bay, will open a fresh fast-casual version of the eatery on restaurant's row on India Street. Primarily a takeout spot, Karina's Ceviches and more will offer ceviche, seafood cocktails, tacos and burritos. 

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Two women walked into the Encinitas WalMart on a recent Saturday evening and walked out with two 55-inch televisions without paying for them, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

The brazen theft was captured on store surveillance video and now deputies are sharing the images in the hopes of someone providing information leading to arrests.

The two women walked into the WalMart on Leucadia Boulevard just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 25.

Eight minutes later, one of them walked out pushing a shopping cart with two 55-inch Samsung televisions worth approximately $1,600. Deputies said the women failed to stop and pay for the items.

Anyone with information on the suspects or the incident can call the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station at (760) 966-3500 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this case. Anonymous email and text messages can be sent in via www.sdcrimestoppers.org .

Returning fans of San Diego Comic-Con International, we hope The Force is with you tomorrow: Comic-Con badge sales for those who attended the pop culture and comic book expo in 2016 and want to go again this summer begin Saturday morning.

This round of "Returning Registration" badge sales opens online, on the Comic-Con website, at 9 a.m. sharp on March 11. As usual, a virtual waiting room will be open at 8 a.m., where people looking to buy badges can authorize their registration codes.

Again, this Comic-Con badge sale is only open to fans who purchased a badge for last year's event. During this Returning Registration event, fans can buy badges for up to three people, according to Comic-Con's website -- themselves included. Each person included in those badge purchases must have their own Comic-Con Member ID and must be eligible to participate in Returning Registration, too.

Now, if you can't partake in Saturday's sale, don't fret. You'll have another chance to snag one of those coveted passes next month.

Comic-Con says Open Registration -- open to all fans with a valid and confirmed Comic-Con Member ID -- will go down in early-to-mid April; the exact date has yet to be announced. Children ages 12 and under are free with a paying adult and do not need a Comic-Con member ID to receive a badge.

Once again, ticket to the popular, four-day event are expected to sell out.

This year, Comic-Con run from July 20 through July 23 at the San Diego Convention Center. Preview night is on July 22.

For more information on how to register and purchase badges, visit the Comic-Con International website.

Comic-Con was born in 1970 in the basement of the U.S. Grant Hotel in the heart of San Diego. Over the decades, the “little event that could” has grown into a behemoth, taking over the Convention Center, neighboring hotels and downtown San Diego for a long summer weekend every year.

Comic-Con’s fervent fans typically attend the convention in elaborate costumes, transforming the city into a metropolis straight out of the pages of fantasy and science fiction. The event has also become famous for celebrity sightings.

WikiLeaks surprised friends and foes of the U.S. government this week by releasing classified information that allegedly describes tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency to hack devices outside of the American border.

The site’s news release called the leaks -- codenamed Vault 7 -- “the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency.”

“They were highly classified, and I think that their release did cause damage to U.S. national security,” said Nate Jones, director of the Freedom of Information Act Project at the National Security Archive at George Washington University.

The whistleblower who shared Vault 7 “wishes to initiate a public debate about the security, creation, use, proliferation and democratic control of cyberweapons,” according to WikiLeaks. 

Classified documents tend to relate to military action or intelligence. There are three types: confidential, secret, and top secret, each of which would cause “damage to the national security” of the United States on an escalating scale if released, according to Executive Order 13526, which details government classifications and was signed by Barack Obama in December 2009. When information is especially delicate, it may be assigned to a Special Access Program that limits its distribution even further.

Jones noted that pretty much anything can be classified -- officials joke that they could classify a ham sandwich if they wanted. Something as benign as a diplomat’s private opinion on the day’s news could be confidential, he said.

Even secret or top secret documents aren’t always hard-hitting.

 “A wiretap could be very, very, very highly classified, but it could just be a guy talking about his cat,” Jones said, because the method of collecting information is sensitive even if the intel is not.

Though some of the WikiLeaks cache is classified, Joel R. Reidenberg, law professor at Fordham University and visiting professor at Princeton University, said its content shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who follows the news.

When the FBI gained access to the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone last year, it was clear the American intelligence community had developed the ability to circumvent cellphone security measures.

But he believes that Vault 7 will still prove detrimental to American national security.

“It reveals the scope of tools that the U.S. government has,” Reidenberg said. “In doing that, it’s providing information to adversaries about what we can and can’t do.”

The WikiLeaks documents were misrepresented by the media at first, experts say. Some articles originally implied that the CIA had found ways to get into encrypted messaging apps, like WhatsApp and Signal. Instead, the documents show the CIA has been hacking into individual devices, from iPhones to smart TVs, according to the New York Times. 

Such a slow and tedious process assumes the United States still lacks the technology to get into protected messaging systems, which enemies of the state now know.

The leak also gives tech companies like Apple and Android the ability to fix their devices’ security loopholes so the CIA can no longer use the tools it’s developed. 

Jones said that he wanted to know what companies like Apple and Android are doing to close the backdoors that had allowed the CIA to hack into their products.

The agency has not authenticated the documents, and a spokesperson was unwilling to comment on the record.

In a press release, a CIA representative wrote, “The American public should be deeply troubled by any Wikileaks disclosure designed to damage the Intelligence Community’s ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries. Such disclosures not only jeopardize U.S. personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm.”

The statement noted that the “CIA is legally prohibited from conducting electronic surveillance targeting individuals here at home, including our fellow Americans, and CIA does not do so.” 

Reidenberg said that unlike the Edward Snowden leaks about the National Security Agency, from what he had seen and heard about Vault 7, there is no indication the CIA spied on U.S. citizens.

Also unlike Snowden, WikiLeaks' Julian Assange is not an American, but an Australian who has actively sought to disseminate classified information about a government that is not his.

“It is certainly an aggressive, hostile act against the United States because it’s designed to compromise the CIA’s ability to do its job,” Reidenberg said. 

Jones took a more moderate tone.

“I think that every disclosure has some harm and has some benefits, and you can’t just say that everything is wholly good or wholly bad,” he said.

There is a room in La Jolla few people ever get a chance to see.  It's not open to the public, which means the two million dead fish carefully stored inside are mostly for an audience of two.

Ben Frable is the collection's manager. Dr. Phil Hastings is the currator of the marine invertebrate collection at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

"It's really quite a fascinating job," said Hastings. "I have one of the best jobs in the world."

Strolling through the room, it looks more like a library than a morgue.

Two million fish representing 6,000 species, are carefully preserved in jars and catalogued, some of them dating back more than 100 years.

Frable pointed out a rock fish originally purchased at a Japanese fish market in 1884.

"Some of these are quite scary looking," Frable explained, as he walked down, pointing out fish along the way.

He calls out names that would sound made up to most non-scientists, like the Cookie Cutter shark, Goblin Shark, or the Sarcastic fringehead.

The collection includes a baby whale shark, the largest fish in the world. That jar sits a few feet away from a stone fish, which Frable noted is the most venomous in the world.

He also showed NBC 7 a deep sea angler fish recognizeable from a scene in the movie, "Finding Nemo," where the fish dangles a glowing lure to attract its pray. The real-life version is much smaller than Pixar's.

A total of 250 species in the collection come from just offshore in La Jolla, but Hastings said less than a quarter of those would be seen by divers. A lot of the fish come from depths that humans rarely venture. 

It's a fascinating room with one obvious question. Why?

For one, the collection is used to help identify and name newly discovered fish. The collection can also tell us a lot about how fish and the ocean have changed over the past century.

"So, as things become overfished, or the environment degrades, species that are still present don't get as large as they used to, and that's because they don't survive as long," said Hastings.

And he said studies on the reproductive lives of fish are showing that the largest fish generally reproduce the best. So, this type of information can help support different types of size limits in fishing, where the largest fish are the ones that may need to be protected most.

The changes observed in the collection's fish involve more than just their size.

Frable talked about a study on fish diets that took some of the collection's tuna from the early 20th century and compared it to more modern samples.  

"There was a rapid acceleration in mercury in the 1940s during World War II with the rise in Global Shipping," Frable explained.

The collection was founded in 1944, and has become one of the largest deep sea fish collections in the world. It's growing as quickly as the ocean is changing.

In other words, there actually is a lot of life in this room full of dead fish.

"Kinda think of it as a library," said Frable. "You can just go up to any shelf and find something interesting."