The latest fallout from Britain's vote to leave the European Union is the looming possibility of Scottish independence, NBC News reported.
Scotland's leader said Monday she is seeking a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom as early as next year, following a failed attempt to withdraw in 2014.
But that was before Britain voted for "Brexit," triggering complicated negotiations over its exit from the trading bloc. Scotland was against Brexit, however, and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she has encountered a "brick wall of intransigence" in dealing with the British government over the terms for withdrawal.
Sturgeon said she will seek the constitutional authority to hold a new referendum by early 2019. U.K. Prime Minster Theresa May replied that Sturgeon's Scottish National Party showed "regrettable" tunnel vision in seeking the vote.
Both the Vista Unified and La Mesa-Spring Valley school districts have completed one round of lead testing on the drinking water at seven schools. The results show the drinking water is safe to drink in the schools tested.
Vista Unified test results can be found here.
The La Mesa-Spring Valley school district is posting water quality results straight to its website. The district was providing students with bottled water pending the test results.
"I'm happy to say that all of the test results show that our water at these seven schools is safe to drink and well within the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency," said Brian Marshall, the superintendent of the La Mesa-Spring Valley school district.
See our coverage on testing of water in San Diego County schools here.
A man fatally struck while walking across South Santa Fe Avenue has been identified Monday, according to the Medical Examiner.
Awet Yosief Habtezghi, age 38, was walking with another pedestrian when he was hit by a 31-year-old driver headed southbound in the 1500 block of Santa Fe Ave. around 7:45 p.m Friday evening.
The area is poorly lit and there is no crosswalk.
"They were jaywalking across the road and it was completely dark," said CHP Officer Jim Bettencourt. "He walked right into the car."
It is currently unknown whether Habtezghi was under the influence of alcohol at the time. CHP is awaiting his toxicology results.
He was killed instantly, officials say. Once fire personnel arrived, Habtezghi was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple blunt force injuries.
His friend went to a nearby business for help and then took off. He has not been located or interviewed as a witness.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with officers. He was interviewed and released. DUI is not a suspected factor in the crash. There are no pending charges on the driver at this time.
The collision remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.
It's the sunshine.
San Diego and Chula Vista were well represented in a list of the happiest places to live in America.
San Diego was ranked No. 7 and Chula Vista came in at No. 11 in WalletHub's "Happiest Places to Live" list.
Not to be outdone, large Golden State cities such as Los Angeles (No. 36) and Sacramento (No. 78) also made the cut.
WalletHub examined a number of factors when putting together its list, including depression rates, suicide rates, separation and divorce rates, income values, and amount of time spent working.
Here are six things that may help keep you and your loved ones safe in a snowstorm.
The suspect in a violent Clairemont SWAT standoff was found mentally competent for trial, according to the San Diego County District Attorney.
Hayden Gerson is accused of opening fire on San Diego police, punching two officers in the face and attempting to choke a police dog.
His bail was set at two million dollars, and the court ordered that if the defendant is released on bail he must be admitted to the Aurora Hospital with a GPS bracelet as a condition of his bond, said the DA's office.
The preliminary examination is set for May 22, 2017, and his readiness examination is set for April 17, 2017.
When he faced a judge at the San Diego County Courthouse, Gerson wore a jail uniform and appeared to have a number of bruises on his head at his Dec. 22 arraignment last year. He pleaded not guilty.
Gerson was formally charged with three counts of attempted murder of a police officer performing his duties, one count of resisting an executive officer and one count of harm to or interference with a police dog causing great bodily injury, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's office. Two of those three charges have allegations of using a firearm in the commission of the crime.
He faces a maximum sentence of 44 years to life.
Gerson was arrested after a standoff in Clairemont that began with a domestic-violence call and quickly escalated in December last year.
Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez was briefly handcuffed after refusing to leave a meeting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Chicago, saying he planned to risk arrest by staying at the agency’s office in The Loop until demands are met.
The Democratic senator led a sit-in starting at 10 a.m. Monday with a delegation of activists that included about 22 advocates, attorneys, community leaders and other local elected officials, according to Gutierrez's spokesman Douglas Rivlin.
“They were asking about specific cases and about the general conduct of ICE and deportations,” Rivlin said at a news conference Monday afternoon. “The congressman has decided that he did not get the answers he was looking for from the ICE regional director and he’s going to be staying inside until he gets answers, even if that means risking arrest.”
Seven others from the meeting refused to leave alongside Gutierrez, who tweeted that he “was arrested, cuffed then cuffs were cut off” around 1:30 p.m. “Waiting for further word on if/when we will be arrested.”
Specific immigration cases discussed in the meeting included the pending deportations of Army veteran Miguel Perez Jr., according to Rivlin, as well as Francisca Lino, whose husband and four of her six children are U.S. citizens.
"The congressman first met with the same ICE regional director in 2008 about this case, about getting a deferral from deportation," Rivlin said. "Ms. Lino came in regularly for meetings with ICE every year as a condition for her deferred deportation, and a couple of weeks ago she was told that she would need to get her bags together and has a specific date for when she is going to be deported in July. The congressman is asking that that deportation be canceled."
"The congressman said this is reprehensible that immigrants are being treated this way, that the rules are changed without any information or notice, that low priorities for deportation are being removed from the country and the congressman wants to get answers from the staff here, and he has not been getting any answers," Rivlin continued. "They need to call Washington, they need to call the White House."
"This is the same situation that we had when there were people arriving at the airports and they couldn’t get information out of CIS and ICE officials about how they were being treated," Rivlin said, referring to the rollout of President Trump's Jan. 27 executive order halting refugee resettlement and suspending entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority nations for 90 days.
That order, which was put on hold by a federal judge, caused immediate chaos and protests at airports in Chicago and around the country as travelers were detained.
"We even had one ICE officer say, 'Well, you should just call the White House to get information,'" Rivlin said of immigration authorities' response to Gutierrez's questions on Trump's controversial order. "Well, maybe they need to call the White House."
Trump signed a new version of the travel ban on March 6 that leaves Iraq off the list of impacted countries and does not apply to those with valid visas or green card holders. That order is scheduled to take effect on March 16, though it already faces legal challenges from states including Hawaii, Washington, New York and more.
"They need to get some answers for the congressman and the congressman is prepared to get arrested if that’s what it takes," Rivlin continued.
Gutierrez was among a group of Hispanic congressmen barred from a meeting with a top federal immigration enforcement official in February.
According to Gutierrez, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus were scheduled to speak with the acting director of ICE on Feb. 14 in a meeting the congressman said was abruptly canceled and rescheduled for two days later.
At that point, Gutierrez said it was transformed into an invitation-only affair, and he was asked to leave by an aide to House Speaker Paul Ryan.
"In 20-plus years, I have never heard of the Republicans controlling what meetings Democrats can have with officials of the Executive Branch and never had a staffer ask me to leave a meeting to which I am entitled to attend," Gutierrez said in a statement following the incident.
A spokeswoman for Ryan told Politico that the speaker’s office organized the event at the request of the Department of Homeland Security, limiting attendance to "members with jurisdictional interests in immigration enforcement."
"There has been no dialogue, no transparency, no consultation, and no accountability – just like every other aspect of how this White House does business," Gutierrez said in a statement about Monday's incident. "It is heavy-handed government in secret all to make the new strongman President look tough and to satisfy the cravings of his coliseum audience for some immigrants to sacrifice."
A spokesperson for ICE did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment on Monday's meeting.
A 4-year-old girl was found abandoned by a group of smugglers early Monday morning near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.
Agents from the El Centro Sector first spotted a group of people illegally crossing into the U.S. near Mt. Signal at approximately 6:20 a.m. Monday, a few miles east of Calexico.
When authorities got closer to the area, they saw one subject returning to Mexico and then enter a car, which quickly left the area.
On the U.S. side, agents saw a small child standing alone.
The child, in good health, was holding her birth certificate and information about the location of her parents, according to CHP agents. Agents said she was not in need of medical attention.
“Who in their right mind abandons a four-year-old little girl in the middle of a vast desert,” said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David S. Kim in a statement. “It sickens me to think that someone would leave a child that young to fend for herself.”
The high for the area is expected to climb into the low 90s Monday.
The young girl was taken to the El Centro station and provided with food.
After interviewing the child, agents verified that she was a citizen of Guatemala.
The child is with Health and Human Services to await her immigration status disposition.
The teenager struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Tierrasanta last Thursday was identified.
Alex M. Funk, age 16, was walking along Santo Road near Antigua Boulevard just before midnight with a friend, when he was hit by an oncoming vehicle.
Funk was a beloved son and brother, cherished by his family and friends, according to his Legacy Funeral Care page. He was born in Sacramento, where he used to volunteer at the local food bank before moving with his family to San Diego last year.
As a sophomore student at Serra High School, he enjoyed spending time with friends and pursuing his many interests. Funk liked playing with his dog T2, riding his bike and scooter, creating poetry and music, drawing and joking around with his family, according to the page.
"Alex's light was bright, a beckon to many," said a statement on the funeral page. "Some of his last words were that his 'heart was happy,' a phrase that he would share with loved ones throughout his life."
Principal Erica Renfree at Serra High School says the school will hold a moment of silence 10 minutes before their period 1 bell on Monday. Staff will talk to students and address their feelings of grief.
"This is a huge loss for not only Serra but for the Tierrasanta community," said Renfree, in a statement. "Our hearts go out to not only the Funk family but also the family of the student who witnessed the accident."
His family is planning his funeral service at the Good Samaritan Church on Mar. 25 at 11 a.m. They would like plants such as lavender, citrus, roses and rosemary to finish the "smells like home (Sacramento) garden" he was working on planting with his mother.
No arrests have been made since the driver failed to stop at the scene, continuing to travel southbound on Santo Road.
The teens were walking in the road, instead of using a crosswalk, according to police. One boy, also age 16, was able to jump onto the median and out of the way.
The suspect's vehicle was 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. Anyone with information on this case can call Crime Stoppers at 1(888)580-8477.
A Chula Vista man missing since September 2016 has been identified as the body found in Glorietta Bay in February, according to Chula Vista police.
Raymond Martino, 61, was last seen by his wife on Sept. 2, 2016 at 10:30 p.m. when they both went to sleep in their bedroom. Upon waking in the morning, his wife discovered that he was gone, said a CVPD official.
The body was found on Feb. 20 when a San Diego police helicopter was flying overhead.
On Monday, authorities confirmed the body found was the body of Martino. His family has been notified.
No foul play is suspected.
President Donald Trump rode to the White House making big promises on health care — pledges that he is now in serious danger of breaking, NBC News reported.
One example: Trump said in his speech announcing his run for president that he would "save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts," and bragged on Twitter that he was the first Republican contender to make that pledge.
But the Congressional Budget Office has found Trump would break his promise — by a mile.
Obamacare expanded Medicaid to cover about 11 million more people, but the House bill would reduce Medicaid spending by $880 billion by 2026, at which point it would spend a full 25 percent less than under current law.
A Calexico woman was sentenced Monday to eight years of prison for smuggling immigrants in a Border Patrol pursuit that ended in a crash, killing two of her customers.
Lydiana Castro, age 31, pleaded guilty to one count of transporting certain immigrants and aiding and abetting in July 2016, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. She faced a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Castro picked up five illegal immigrants at a gas station, in an area known as "Pilot's Knob," a mountainous area near Andrade, said the U.S. Attorney's Office. It happened on Mar. 23, 2016.
About five minutes later, U.S. Border Patrol agents saw Castro picking up the undocumented immigrants and took off in pursuit with sirens blaring.
When she noticed the agents following her, Castro started to slow down but then seemed to change her mind -- suddenly speeding off. In her plea agreement, she admitted to seeing Border Patrol and continuing anyway, said the U.S. Attorney's office.
As she accelerated off Andrade Road freeway, Castro's vehicle fishtailed, skidding toward Interstate 8 and careening down an embankment.
Then Castro drove onto the westbound lane of I-8 and struck a passing semi-truck. Her vehicle was dragged along with the semi-truck, until it came to a stop on the side of the freeway.
Once first responders arrived at the scene, they found one man hanging through the rear window and four other men with varying levels of trauma. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene, said the U.S. Attorney's office.
The other remaining passengers were taken to a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
Of the three survivors, one was pronounced brain dead and taken back to Mexico on life support at the family's request. Another was paralyzed in his legs and the third will live with challenging injuries, said the U.S. Attorney's office.
A family's home caught fire in Vista located on Alessandro Trail Monday.
It happened at about 6:20 p.m. on the 1800 block, according to North Comm Fire. Crews are at the scene of the fire, which has been contained.
It was not yet known what caused the fire. A primary search of the house was clear and the utilities are secure.
North Comm Fire officials could not say whether anyone was home at the time of the fire.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
"Hamilton" star Leslie Odom, Jr., legendary musician Tony Bennett and internationally acclaimed Brazilian artist Sergio Mendes are a few of the artists set to perform at the San Diego Symphony's Bayside Summer Nights 2017 this summer.
The season kicks off on June 30 over the 4th of July weekend with a traditional tribute to music from across America, from Broadway to patriotic favorites. Then, on Independence Day, Wynonna Judd will return to San Diego to perform prior to the Big Bay Boom.
In July, "Hamilton" star Leslie Odom, Jr., who portrayed Aaron Burr in the smash hit Broadway musical, will perform for San Diego crowds. His performance will be followed by fireworks.
On July 12, legend Tony Bennett comes to San Diego. The musician, known for songs like "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", "I Wanna Be Around" and "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)", will perform a special concert on July 12.
The Symphony's popular salute to movie music returns again this year with new film clips and all-time favorite songs from the silver screen, followed by fireworks.
Harry Potter fans will want to save a date in their calendars later this July: aspecial concert on July 29 and 30 will feature a live orchestra to accompany a screening of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
In August, Brazilian Bossa Nova master Sergio Mendes returns to San Diego to play by the Bay. The artist is best known for album Brasil '66 and hits like "Mas Que Nada", "The Fool on the Hill" and "The Look of Love".
The previously announced "La La Land In Concert: A Live-to-Film Celebration", a live concert experience, now has a date: Aug. 12. The show will include a 100-piece symphony orchestra, choir and jazz ensemble, along with the film's original vocal recordings from Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and John Legend. The movie will play along while the musicians perform.
Broadway fans will not want to miss the Symphony's annual salute to the Great White Way on Aug. 18 and 19, featuring songs from the popular show "Fiddler on the Roof." The show will be followed by fireworks.
The series closes out on Labor Day weekend with the 1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular, a brass-blazing and beautiful tribute to the music of Tchaikovsky. Close out the summer with a stunning fireworks display after the concert.
Individual tickets are not yet available, but you can subscribe to the season by clicking here. Find the full line up of artists and more information on the series by clicking here.
A survey, taken last school year by teachers, parents, and students at Serra High School, showed discrimination and bullying were an issue, according to results.
The survey was prompted by an NBC 7 story about former principal Vincent Mays, who left his job at the end of the last school year after it was revealed the doctorate he claimed to have was not real.
After the uproar the story created, in Aug. 2016, the Human Resources office of the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) surveyed the school community.
According to the District, the “information gathering focuses on current attitudes, behaviors, and standards concerning the access for, inclusion of, and levels of respect for individual and group needs and abilities.”
The survey results were outlined in ten pages.
It looks at the learning environment, media coverage, communication, climate, school operations, administration, staff, and diversity.
In the portion about perceptions of the learning environment, a student called the place "a disaster."
"No one respects the staff, the teachers are intimidated and stressed out, it takes a long time to clear an absence, the counselors do the bare minimum required," the student stated.
The survey also said, “parent reports disappointment with the level of instruction.”
According to the report, students felt forced to take advanced placement courses.
NBC 7 spoke to parent Isabel Gonzalez after school on Monday, and she disagreed with the survey.
“My daughter is doing great. There is no stress on her part, her teachers do well communicating via the phone, so I have no issue with the school.”
But another parent, Rola Tannous said she was not pleased with the school.
“They don't return phone calls. I'm very unhappy. It was the worst choice here, really," she said.
The survey also included perceptions of diversity.
Students reported, “they have experienced exclusion, intimidation, offensive bullying or hostile behavior based on age, origin, English learner status, ethnicity/race, immigration status position, gender and sexual orientation.”
NBC 7 asked Serra High senior Cameron George about last year’s survey.
“Diversity is great. I have a friend from Iran, friend from Texas. I’m from New Mexico. It’s great,” George said.
Parents also reported feeling uncomfortable with the lack of diversity awareness at the school. One parent said she felt that the issue still needed work.
“Other parents reported discrimination does exist in our country but it is a mistake to assume the school is a hotbed of racism due to the actions of a few.”
Staff agreed there is not a problem with race at Serra but some said contributions of diverse students and staff are often overlooked.
On August 12, 2016, NBC 7 filed a public records act request with the District asking for the results of the survey. We received the results on March 9.
In a statement, SDUSD explaining why it took so long to get the information to the media.
It read, in part:
“As NBC has reported, we are currently experiencing budget constraints, which prevent us from hiring additional staff to more quickly answer your requests. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Read the survey results here:
The leader of a Mexican-based pharmaceutical drug distribution organization was sentenced to jail on Monday for distributing more than $700,000 worth of oxycodone in the United States.
Eduardo Pena, 43, was sentenced to 121 months behind bars.
In his plea agreement, he admitted to selling the drug to clients without a valid medical prescription. He sold oxycodone to at least 92 drug purchasers between July 2013 to Dec. 2015.
Pena admitted that he conspired with Ana Karen Guiterrez-Anaya and Mayra Elizabeth Rangel Morena to help him launder money from selling the drug.
Guiterrez and Rangel both had bank accounts in San Diego and would handle funds for client purchases.
According to Guiterrez's plea agreement, she laundered approximately $261,702 from Jan. 3, 2014 to June 11, 2014.
Rangel admitted to laundering around $463,251 to Pena.
Both women admitted that they intentionally withdrew less than $10,000 at one time to avoid bank reporting requirements.
Guiterrez was sentenced to a 21-month custodial term and Rangel to a 24-month custodial term.
Food, music and fine art will be available amid the desert wild flowers in Borrego Springs, Mar. 18 and 19.
Over 60 artists and craftsmen will be presenting their work at the Circle of Art Show and Sale, and visitors can view a variety of original art: oil paintings, watercolors, photography, sculptures, pottery, ceramics, jewelry and more, according to a statement from the Circle of Art organizers.
Show hours are Mar. 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Mar. 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Circle of Art show will be located on Christmas Circle in the center of Borrego Springs, and is free and open to the public.
For more information click here.
Notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who twice escaped from prison in his native Mexico, has lodged a complaint about his small, isolated, erratically heated jail cell in Manhattan.
Lawyers for the Sinaloa cartel boss filed a challenge Monday to the conditions under which he's being held. They say Guzman's isolation under solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Correctional Center is far more extreme than what he experienced while in detention in Mexico, leaving him with auditory hallucinations and almost no one to interact with.
"His meals are passed through a slot in the door; he eats alone. The light is always on. With erratic air-conditioning, he has often lacked enough warm clothing to avoid shivering. ... He never goes outside," the complaint reads.
Guzman was extradited from Mexico on Jan. 19 and flown to New York to face drug trafficking, money laundering and other charges in United States federal court. He has pleaded not guilty.
He had already been held under intense surveillance after his second escape from a Mexican prison, which involved a long tunnel and a motorcycle on tracks that whisked him to freedom. He was on the run for about a year before being recaptured.
Today, Guzman is left in his windowless cell at least 23 hours a day, with one hour of exercise in another cell on weekdays, according to the complaint. A small clock he purchased from the commissary was removed without explanation, his defense team said, seeking the lifting of what are called Special Administrative Measures, which restrict the communication inmates can have with the outside world.
Guzman is also unable to speak with his family, can't call his lawyers and, because he speaks no English, must communicate with most guards through gestures, according to the motion.
The complaint cited an Amnesty International report that called for a review of those mesaures, and the six-cell unit where he is being housed, over concerns about the effect of "extreme isolation and solitary confinement" on prisoners.
Last month, his attorneys said Guzman was denied water and that his conditions were too restrictive, NBC News reported. The federal judge deferred to security arrangements set by the Justice Department and jail.
As a powerful nor’easter moved into upstate New York, the zoo live-streaming April the giraffe’s pregnancy said the long-necked beauty has undergone “significant changes” and that her labor appears to be fast approaching.
“Ladies and gentlemen — we are close,” The Animal Adventure Park wrote Monday night in a Facebook post that included a photo of April paying close attention to her backside.
The zoo said April’s “back end has become significantly larger and relaxed” and “motion and pulsing in this area” has been noted and “discharge” observed.
“Are you on the edge of your seat?” the zoo asked millions of fans who have been closely waiting for the birth of April’s fourth calf.
More than 50,000 people were watching the stream at 8 a.m. Tuesday as April chewed on some food and looked directly at the camera.
Watch the live stream below (NOTE: weather conditions are causing intermittent disruptions).
But just as April’s pregnancy appeared to be reaching its crescendo, the live stream went offline Tuesday morning — and then it was back up again. The zoo warned that it could be on and off throughout the day.
It couldn’t be a worse time for technical problems. Keepers and vets have observed “significant changes” in April, who is “larger than ever” this week.
“We are still not confirming active labor, but will state all physical signs are heading in the right direction,” it continued.
On Sunday, the zoo posted a photo showing dark, rough-looking spots, or wax caps, decorating April's underbelly. It said the caps seal the udder to ensure there will be enough milk for the calf’s first nursing.
“Caps are shed just prior or during delivery, or can be removed by the suckle of the baby,” the zoo wrote.
April has had periods of edginess in recent weeks brought on by stretches of cold weather and her active calf, which has been busy kicking away, according to the zoo.
Nevertheless, April is in “great physical and mental condition,” and the vets who have been monitoring her say they’re pleased with her progression.
April's pregnancy was catapulted into global headlines late last month after YouTube briefly yanked the zoo's 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.
Jordan Patch, owner of the Animal Adventure Park, says the natural curiosity surrounding giraffes and their birthing process has been a huge factor in drawing crowds.
"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.
Giraffe pregnancies last up to 15 months. Labor lasts anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The calf, which will be the first born at Animal Adventure Park, 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.
