An investigation is underway after a decorated U.S. Marine Sergeant Major with ties to San Diego died in a non-combat related incident in South Korea. 

Sgt. Maj. Timonthy J. Rudd, 44, of Texas, died on March 19 as he participated in exercise Key Resolve. Marine authorities did not provide more information on what happened during the exercise and what may have lead to his death. 

Rudd as the sergeant major of Headquarters Regiment, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

He first entered the Marine Corps in 1990 and graduated from recruit training in San Diego that fall, according to a bio on the Marines' website. He was assigned to A Company, Infantry Training Battalion, at Camp Pendleton, where he trained as a 0351 Dragon/Smaw gunner.

"Sgt. Maj. Rudd gave 27 years of dedicated service to the Marine Corps, and it was an honor to work with him. His death is a great loss to Headquarters Regiment and the Corps," said Col. Christopher A. Feyedelem, commanding officer, Headquarters Regiment, 3rd MLG, in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and coworkers."

During Rudd's time with the Marine Corps, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal with one gold star, the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two gold stars, an Army Commendation Medal, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon.

His death is under investigation. 

No further information is available. 

The city of Lemon Grove received its first wave of applications for prospective medicinal marijuana dispensaries Monday.

Some applicants were so eager to file initial paperwork that, according to NBC 7 viewers, they attempted to camp outside of city planning department headquarters on Friday before being told to return at the start of business on Monday.

As of the close of business on Monday, three completed applications were submitted, according to Lemon Grove City Manager Lydia Romero.

Voters passed Measure V last November by just 90 votes, according to the Registrar of Voters certified election results, after shooting down two similar measures in 2012.

According to the text behind Measure V, these businesses will require a Conditional Use Permit and will be “limited to opening only in Heavy Commercial, Limited Commercial, General Commercial and Light Commercial Zones. Residential and Multi-Use.”

Per the Measure V Regulations and Permit Procedures, dispensaries in Lemon Grove must be 1,000 feet from schools, licensed daycares, parks, other dispensaries, and alcohol and substance abuse centers. Hours of operation are limited to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Below is a zoning map distinguishing permitted (blue) and prohibited (pink) areas in the city. 

Measure V allows permitted dispensaries to “grow, process and dispense marijuana to a ‘qualified patient’ or ‘primary caregiver’ on the premises.”

Per regulations and permit procedures, cultivation is limited to 25 percent of a dispensary’s floor area, or 1,500 square feet, whichever is less. You can see all restrictions and standards for dispensaries in Lemon Grove, and other cities within the county, starting on page four.

Meanwhile in La Mesa, 17 total dispensary applications have been submitted since the city began accepting them in February.

According to City Manager Carol Dick, 15 dispensary applications, one cultivator application and one cultivator and manufacturing application are currently under review. Letters will go out to applicants in the next few weeks informing them of initial approval.

Dick says full approval for opening isn’t expected for months.

To see a map of medical marijuana dispensaries, both illegally and legally operating in San Diego County, click here.

Five people with San Diego County ties made this year’s annual list of the world’s billionaires, published by Forbes magazine.

The 2017 ranking, which lists 2,043 billionaires, includes Rancho Santa Fe resident Gwendolyn Sontheim Meyer, at No. 402 with a reported net worth of $4.3 billion as of March 20. She inherited an estimated 7 percent stake in the family-owned food giant Cargill, founded by her great-grandfather in 1865, though she is not currently involved in the company’s management, according to Forbes.

Also on this year’s list is San Diego Chargers owner Alexander Spanos and his family, at No. 867 with a net worth of $2.4 billion. Spanos’ net worth also stems from nationwide real estate investments. The NFL team, which recently relocated to Los Angeles, is now led by Spanos’ son Dean.

The billionaire ranking also includes Osman Kibar, founder and CEO of San Diego-based biopharmaceutical firm Samumed LLC, at No. 1,030 ($2 billion); Qualcomm Inc. co-founder Irwin Jacobs at No. 1,567 ($1.32 billion); and Charles Brandes, founder and chairman of Brandes Investment Partners LP, at No. 1,678 ($1.19 billion).

Forbes reported that Microsoft Inc. co-founder Bill Gates retained the top spot on the global billionaire list for the fourth consecutive year, with a net worth of $86 billion. He was followed in the top five by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. CEO Warren Buffett ($75.6 billion); Amazon Inc. founder and CEO Jeff Bezos ($72.8 billion); Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega, whose stores include the Zara fashion chain ($71.3 billion); and Facebook Inc. founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg ($56 billion).

There are now 140 billionaires in California, the magazine reported.

Prosecutors detailed the horrific early morning events that lead to the mysterious killing and dumping of a young woman for the first time in court Monday, revealing what happened in the final hours before her death. 

Paul Castro, 27, a documented gang member charged with murder and assault in the killing of 23-year-old Antonia Herrera, could face 69 years to life in state prison if convicted. At his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty. A judge ordered him held on $3 million bail. 

Herrera's body was found on Jan. 12 on the side of the road in the 27600 block of Champagne Boulevard, near the Interstate 15, in unincorporated Escondido, authorities said. 

At Castro's arraignment Monday, Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe outlined the events leading up to Herrera's death. 

Watanabe said their investigation led them to Las Vegas. Herrera had gone to the city days before her death and was driving back to San Marcos with her boyfriend, two witnesses and Castro in the hours before her death. 

Castro, who has a history of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and methamphetamine use, said he believed the victim and her driver were trying to kill him, Watanabe said. 

At one point, when the driver was getting off into a wooded area, Castro began getting paranoid, Watanabe said. 

Herrera told Castro not to freak out -- and that's when he snapped, Watanabe said. 

Castro allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Herrera three times. The bullets went through her torso, Watanabe said. Another bullet grazed her boyfriend as he leaned over to try and protect her. 

After the shooting, Castro told the driver to pull over and dump the body. Authorities later found her body on the side of the road in unincorporated Escondido. 

Castro then demanded the driver take him back to Las Vegas. 

Castro was later arrested in Las Vegas and extradited to San Diego on Friday. The two witnesses in the car are expected to testify at a later date. 

Castro will next appear in court on April 3 for a preliminary hearing.

Imagine this: putting a satellite on the moon as an undergraduate student.

It’s a concept that students at UC San Diego are making a reality through a competition with NASA.

NASA will be selecting three student-built satellites to put inside a rocket they are launching at the end of next year.

A group of UC San Diego students are one of five schools that could get a shot at being a part of NASA’s mission to the moon. Forty students are a part of the UC San Diego team.

They have been building their satellite in an area known as ‘The Basement’ on campus for years, putting in 25,000 hours into the project.

‘The Basement’ is a space for students to build their ideas; the university helps student find ways to get funding for their projects.

During the first part of the competition, the team was in second to last place, but after more research, the team bumped themselves up to third place in the second leg of the competition.

“We had produced over a thousand pages of documentation and we placed third right behind MIT and Cornell. So, that was the biggest win I’ve ever had. It was probably the best day I’ve had at college just to know we came from the bottom to the top,” said Darren Charrier, President of UCSD SEDS.

The group used a 3-D printed engine inside their satellite to slow the satellite down once it is launched from the rocket halfway between the moon and the earth.

If the team gets selected to send their satellite to the moon, they say it will be a dream come true for them.

“Waiting for that first initial signal is going to be intense and then confirming with our Astrodynamics team that we have made it into orbit around the moon is going to be the most exciting day of my life. We’re really looking forward to it. It’s going to be an exciting journey and it’s been an exciting journey so far,” said Darren Charrier.

The final leg of the competition is on April 6th.

The team needs more than $100,000 to help them complete their satellite, if you would like to help you can donate here. 

Deputies are searching for a man linked to three separate robberies at stores in San Diego’s East County including a case in which he wielded at hatchet and asked a victim: “Want to get hit with a hatchet?”

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) said Tuesday that the series of robberies began at around 12:40 p.m. on Feb. 28, when the unknown man tried to steal a camera from a Best Buy store located at 8401 Fletcher Parkway.

When a security guard confronted the man about a camera that he was attempting to hide, the suspect pulled out a hatchet and asked the guard if he wanted to get hit with the weapon. Deputies said the suspect fled from the store in a brown, four-door Buick.

Less than two weeks later – on March 12 – the suspect struck again, this time twice in one day.

At 12:10 a.m., he stole several items from a Walmart store located at 13487 Camino Canada in unincorporated El Cajon, including two BB gun rifles. As he left the store, the suspect pulled out what was believed to be a CO2-style BB gun from his waistband.

Deputies said the man pointed the gun at a manager and asked him, “Do you want to do this the hard way or the easy way?"

The suspect walked toward the exit and fired the BB gun several times at the manager. He then fled the scene in an older model silver Buick.

At 11 p.m. that same day, the suspect entered a Walmart at 170 Town Center Parkway in Santee. As he tried to leave the store, an assistant manager confronted him.

Deputies said that’s when the suspect pulled a BB gun out of a backpack and fired multiple rounds at the assistant manager. The BBs missed the manager, but struck another employee in the shoulder. The employee was not hurt. The man fled the store in a car described by witnesses as a brown sedan.

In this most recent incident, investigators said the suspect left behind a wallet in a shopping cart. The wallet was stolen, and belonged to a victim of identity theft. Three credit cards belonging to the ID theft victim were later used at three businesses in San Diego, the SDSO said.

The suspect, wanted for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, remains at large.

On Tuesday, the SDSO released surveillance photos in hopes that someone will recognize the man and help lead investigators to him.

Anyone with information on these cases can call the SDSO’s Santee Sheriff’s Station at (619) 956-4000 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.

The family of a teenager killed after drinking an amber-colored liquid -- which turned out to be liquid methamphetamine - in front of federal agents at the U.S.-Mexico Border will receive $1 million in a settlement, according to court documents. 

The settlement comes three years after the death of Cruz Marcelino Velazquez Acevedo, 16, of Tijuana.

On Nov. 18, 2013, Acevedo was stopped by agents after he entered the U.S. from Mexico on foot at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. 

At the primary checkpoints, agents asked the teen about two containers he was carrying.

When an agent asked what was in the bottles, he called the liquid a juice, according to the lawsuit filed by his family. 

"The agent took a capful and poured it on the counter, because he thought if it was liquid methamphetamine it would instantly evaporate and leave behind crystals," according to the lawsuit. 

When it did not immediately evaporate, agents sent Acevedo to a secondary inspection point. The agent was later told by his supervisor that this was not a proper, safe test for detecting meth in liquid, according to the suit filed by the family. 

At secondary inspection, he was questioned again, according to the lawsuit. Acevedo once again explained the bottles contained juice, but agents believed they contained controlled substances.

The family claims in the lawsuit that agents "coerced and intimidated Cruz into taking a big sip from one of the bottles." A previous Medical Examiner report said Acevedo voluntarily took a sip.

Customs and Border Patrol authorities released the following statement in response to the settlement:

“Although, we are not able to speak about this specific case, training and the evaluation of CBP policies and procedures are consistently reviewed as needed.”

A K-9 then came into the room and "hit on him", according to the lawsuit, alerting agents that Cruz had controlled substances. 

Agents then handcuffed Cruz and took him into custody. 

"Despite the fact that they knew Cruz had ingested drugs, agents did not take Cruz for medical attention," the lawsuit states. 

Shortly after, Cruz began sweating, and then "screaming in pain and clenching his fists," according to the suit. 

In the lawsuit, the family alleges that Cruz began yelling "the chemicals" in Spanish and then, "Mi corazon! Mi corazon!", or "My heart! My heart!" He began to seize uncontrollably, according to the suit. 

Agents called paramedics, who had to sedate the teen before transporting him to the Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital several hours later, according to the ME. The ME ruled his death an accident. 

Agents said they ran tests on the liquid that tested positive for liquid methamphetamine.

When asked about the potency of methamphetamine in a liquid form, a member of the UCSD Poison Control center said the substance can show life-threatening side effects within minutes because it hits the stomach quickly.

In a settlement with the agency, the family received $1 million. 

San Diego Unified School District is feeling the heat from parents who claim one of their teachers is bullying students.

Marcos Salazar is the sixth grade Math and Science teacher at Longfellow School in Clairemont.

On March 7, the San Diego Unified School Board heard emotional testimonies from parents, who said their kids are suffering from anxiety, and falling behind in school.

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, one of the parents is taking their case to court.

Maritza McEvoy’s daughter had Salazar as a teacher three years ago, when she was in the first grade.

"It was the third week and she was crying everyday, and she couldn't tell me why. She was only 6," McEvoy said.

She added that Salazar did not engage the kids enough, and gave them assignments to read and write on their own for 45 minutes at a time. She requested to take her daughter out of his classroom.

Three weeks later she was in a different classroom.

“I just felt like I was that smart and I wasn't going to pass. I didn't feel that great”, said McEvoy’s young daughter.

But some parents told NBC 7 they are confident in the school administration and staff.

"He has always been cordial polite and kind. That is all we know of him," said parent John Clark, of Salazar.

Longfellow School principal Diane Sanchez said this in a statement:

“The issues raised by parents are very serious, and we have moved quickly to answer their concerns. At the start of this calendar year, we added a second teacher to the classroom to ensure students continue to get the maximum level of high quality instruction, which our parent community has come to expect at Longfellow. This disruption is not reflective of the warm and welcoming community we have worked hard to create at Longfellow. For that reason, we will continue working to find a solution that works for all parents, students and professional educators involved.”

A man from San Diego's North County has been arrested for allegedly attempting to kidnap nine females, including minors, in Escondido, police announced Tuesday.

Spicer Van Allen Conant, 46, a resident of San Marcos, is charged with nine counts of attempted kidnapping and several misdemeanor counts of attempted luring of a juvenile over the course of about a year. He is also charged with with a felony possession of an assault rifle.

In each case of attempted kidnapping, police said Conant used the same tactic: approaching young girls and women by asking for directions and then offering them money to get into his car.

He was arrested Tuesday in Escondido, while under police surveillance.

If the police timeline is correct, Escondido mom Kirstin Rangel may have been the first woman approached by Conant in his red convertible Mazda Miata.

Rangel told NBC 7 he stopped her on Mission Avenue last spring to ask her for directions.

"Scary was the first feeling I got," Rangel recalled. "Something just sort of scared me. I kinda got the red flag."

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Rangel said Conant asked if she wanted a ride. Then, he insisted.

"I said no thanks and I kept walking,” Rangel said.

Escondido police said another incident involving Conant was reported at 1 p.m. on May 9, 2016. This time, he approached a 15-year-old girl as she walked along Fig Street and Washington Avenue. He asked the teen for directions to the freeway and offered her money to get into his car.

The girl refused and later reported the incident to police.

That same day, at 1:45 p.m., police said Conant once again approached a girl, a 16-year-old, and offered her $10 if she showed him to the freeway. That victim got inside his car but after Conant drove around for a few blocks, police said the victim became nervous and asked if she could text someone.

Conant then dropped off the girl and drove away. According to police, a witness took a photo of Conant with the victim and reported the incident to police. 

Police identified Conant as the suspect in that case but after an investigation, they came to a conclusion that no crime had been committed at the time. That case was then closed.

Earlier this month, on March 15, police said an 11-year-old girl was approached by Conant, again in his red car, as she walked to Mission Middle School. Conant asked her for directions but the girl ignored him and kept walking.

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This past Monday, at around 8:15 p.m., police said Conant pulled over near a 27-year-old woman walking on Broadway and asked her for directions. He then insisted that she get into his car. The victim refused. When Contant continued to persist, she took out her cellphone and he drove off.

The incident was reported to police, after which investigators realized Conant was, once again, the suspect.

Detectives began surveillance on Conant.

Early Tuesday morning, officers followed him as he drove to Escondido and witnessed him approaching five different females. All but one were under the age of 18, police said.

When the 18-year-old was asked for directions, police said she got into Conant's car.

Fearing for the young woman's safety, officers conducted a stop and pulled Conant over on 13th Avenue and Escondido Boulevard. 

Conant was arrested.

During a search of his vehicle, officers found an illegal assault-style rifle, along with 1,000 rounds of ammunition in the trunk of his car.

Escondido police have reached out to law enforcement across San Diego County to see if there have been any other cases of women or girls targeted by Conant.

Conant was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on 10 felony counts and nine misdemeanor counts. He's scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

Conant worked at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, a spokesperson for Scripps Institution confirmed.

San Diego State University leaders met with Mayor Kevin Faulconer on Tuesday to discuss their interest in purchasing or leasing roughly 47 acres of property at the Qualcomm Stadium site.

The project falls under a multi billion dollar project called SoccerCity SD.

It's a plan spearheaded by FS Investors that would bring a 30,000 to 35,000 seat stadium, hotels, apartments and a 55-acre river park to Mission Valley. Most importantly, the plan includes developing a stadium for Major League Soccer.

Under the current plan, SDSU’s Aztec football team could share the stadium with MLS. But that’s easier said than done.

Developers and the city are willing to give part of the land to SDSU, as long as everyone pays for the upkeep. Under that plan, SDSU would have to pick up the tab for expanding the stadium. The price tag could be a deal breaker, at least at this point in the negotiations.

SDSU and FS Investors have gone back and forth on seating volume, and the school has made it clear that it values the ability to expand the stadium to 40,000 seats and has yet to formally committed to the SoccerCity plan.

“Our goal would be we’d love to partner with somebody if we could on that,” said Athletic Director JD Wicker. “If we have to go it on our own then we’d have to figure out how to go it on our own.”

During Tuesday’s meeting SDSU leaders presented a two-page wish list. The list includes a football stadium on 12 acres and an additional 35 acres worth of property for campus expansion.

“We think the goals that we’ve laid out are certainly great for San Diego State and can be part of a community plan that will be beneficial for San Diego as well, with whom ever that partner might be.” Wicker told NBC 7.

The mayor’s office issued the following statement in regarding the meeting.

"Mayor Faulconer appreciated meeting with San Diego State University to hear their thoughts on Mission Valley. As a proud Aztec, the Mayor plans to keep an open dialogue with SDSU as well as meet with other stakeholders as he continues to review the initiative."

The deadline for the mayor and the city to endorse the SoccerCity plan will come in June.

If Soccercity isn’t approved by then, San Diegans would have to vote on the plan, which could delay the entire process.

The teenager who rushed to help administer CPR after a toddler was pulled from the bottom of a pond in Mission Bay Park is speaking out for the first time after the 19-month-old passed away. 

Mariana Alvarado said she was at Model Yacht Pond with friends when she said she heard screaming and cries for help.

Alvarado said she raced into the crowd of people screaming and saw a mother trying to wake up her lifeless 19-month-old son. 

That's when the 18-year-old San Diego City College student said she cleared a path to the boy, kneeled down and put her newly learned CPR skills to work.

"I put my hand on his forehead and pushed it back," Alvarado demonstrated. "That way the airway opens and you can make sure nothing is in the way. Then I took two breaths and then continued compressions."

Alvarado, an aspiring pediatric surgeon, told NBC 7 that she never imagined she would have to perform CPR so soon after learning the skill to save a drowning child's life.

Once emergency crews arrived, lifeguards performed CPR on the toddler until medics got to the scene just after 6 p.m.

Farhan Salehi has been identified as the toddler who was pulled unresponsive from Model Yacht Pond on March 12.

Salehi was taken to the hospital, where he died on March 15. 

Alvarado just learned about the child's death on Tuesday when she saw news reports surface. 

"I was hoping for the best," she said. "Condolences to the family. It's very unfortunate. I hoped I could do more to help, but I tried my best." 

The ME's office said the cause of death was drowning. His death was ruled an accident. 

The investigation into what happened is ongoing, San Diego Police Officer Billy Hernandez said.

A new 911 dispatch system may have caused confusion on that Sunday when a toddler needed rescue near Mission Bay Park, according to Sgt. Ed Harris, leader of the lifeguards union and former candidate for San Diego mayor.

Harris said a 911 call came in and firefighters were initially dispatched. One minute later, he said, another 911 call came and lifeguards were dispatched. Lifeguards arrived within two minutes, before firefighters according to Harris.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Chief Brian Fennessy has said in the past the new system was put in partly to combat the high volume of unanswered 911 calls.

Authorities have said they are not sure arriving two minutes earlier would have changed anything in this particular case. 

Operators of the Andaz San Diego hotel, in downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter, have completed a $4 million makeover of the property’s guest rooms and meeting spaces.

According to a statement, all 159 rooms and suites received amenity and design upgrades, overseen by design firm Gensler. The property, at 600 F St., now has a new event space called “The Gallery” and other social gathering spaces, adding to its existing 18,000 square feet of meeting areas.

Rooms have new carpet and flooring, luxury mattresses, lighting, and furniture that includes couches that pull out for lounging. New artwork throughout the property includes works by noted local photographer Christine Finkelson, San Diego street artist Kelsey Montague and art gallery owner and artist Alexander Salazar, among others.

A woman convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of her 74-year-old great-aunt has been sentenced to 50 years in prison. 

Tiffany Burney, 23 at the time of the killing, was convicted in the shooting death of her great-aunt Daisy Mae Hayes, a Tierrasanta resident.

After 50 years, Burney will be eligable for parole. 

Hayes was found with a single gunshot wound to the head at her home on Gabacho Drive in 2011, according to San Diego police. 

Court records reveal Burney has had a troubling mental health history in the two years before the shooting. 

She filed a civil lawsuit against the county mental health agency years ago, according to the documents. In her complaint, she claimed she was mistreated in the San Diego County Mental Hospital while being cared for between April and May of 2010.

She states that she has a great paranoia of people, and that "nothing can help."

In April and December of 2010, court investigators petitioned for temporary conservators, or caretakers, for Burney. The investigators claimed she was continuously "paranoid, internally preoccupied and did not believe she had a mental illness," the court record dated April 30, 2010 read. Without a conservator, the investigator said, Burney would not be able to take care of herself.

In the August 16, 2010 complaint she claimed she was placed on temporary conservatorship for crying.

In September of 2011, a county judge terminated Burney's temporary conservatorship, saying that Burney was no longer considered gravely disabled.

Londoners, famous for remaining calm in the face of danger in the blitz of World War II and through a long campaign of IRA bombings, saw the worst terrorist attack on their city a little more than a decade ago when suicide bombers attacked the Underground.

Four assailants detonated backpacks filled with explosives on London’s public transportation in 2005, killing 52 people. Three of the men blew themselves up on the London Underground and one on a double-decker bus during the morning rush hour of July 7. About 700 people were injured.

The four men were linked to al Qaeda and one, Mohammad Sidique Khan, claimed in a videotape released after the attack that the British public's support for governments that "perpetuate atrocities" against the Muslim world was to blame. Osama bin Laden's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, praised the bombings.

The latest attack in the city came Wednesday right in its heart, yards from Big Ben. 

Four people, including a police officer, were killed in an attack when a vehicle struck people on Westminster Bridge and an officer was stabbed at the British Parliament. About 40 were injured, officials said, some with what a doctor told the U.K. Press Association were "catastrophic" injuries.

The Parliament assailant was shot by police and died, and officials said that they believe there was only one attacker. A terrorist investigation is underway, police said.

Four years ago, in an al-Qaeda inspired attack, two men murdered a soldier near a military barracks in London.

Lee Rigby, who had served in Afghanistan, was killed and almost beheaded in broad daylight as he returned to the barracks in May 2013.

The attackers said his death was in retaliation for a foreign policy that was killing Muslims.

The threat level for international terrorism in the United Kingdom on Wednesday was listed at severe, and the city was on alert for the Thursday funeral of Martin McGuinness, the former Irish Republican Army commander turned peacemaking politician.

The IRA conducted a bombing campaign against the British army for more 20 years beginning in the early 1970s, with multiple attacks in London and elsewhere, killing soldiers and civilians until Northern Ireland's 1998 peace accord.

The IRA set off bombs outside the Old Bailey, in pubs, outside Harrods department store and in Hyde Park and Regent’s Park, among other sites.

In 1984, it attacked a conference of the Conservative party, missing the prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, and in 1991 fired three motor shells at No. 10 Downing Street, the British prime minister’s official residence in London. 

British sangfroid was on display during the Blitz, the German air raids that killed 43,000 civilians and lasted for eight months in 1940 and 1941. According to the BBC, when the raids became very frequent, Londoners moved into newly constructed street shelters and even into Tube stations.

The most famous would-be attack on the British Parliament occurred in November 1605, when Roman Catholic conspirators smuggled barrels of gunpowder into a cellar of the House of Lords. The Gunpowder Plot was discovered, and the best known of the plotters, Guy Fawkes — who was to have lit the fuse — was found, sent to the Tower of London and gave up the names of the others. Guy Fawkes Day, Nov. 5, is celebrated with fireworks and bonfires.

Lengthy lockdowns at Fallbrook and Ivy High Schools in the North County have been lifted, officials said Wednesday afternoon.

At around 10:30 a.m., a report of a firearm prompted lockdowns of both campuses, according to a tweet from the San Diego County of Education. 

San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) Lt. Andrea Arreola said authorities were actively investigating. Students and staff were safe, officials said. 

Two hours later, a large group of parents gathered outside of the gates at Fallbrook High School, many of them angry that they couldn’t get to their kids. Parents told NBC 7 they had received an automated phone call from the school informing them of the situation, saying campus was still on lockdown.

Parents told Board members they needed to increase security at the school.

"If we had an officer last year, obviously, there's no reason we shouldn’t be having one this year," said one parent. "I’m not even going to go into all the stuff I know that’s happened on campus this year."

Tammy Pancher, whose daughter is in 11th grade at Fallbrook High School, waited in the car for her daughter to be released Wednesday afternoon. 

"It’s a little scary from what I understand it’s a little different circumstance this time," said Pancher. "And I know a lot of the parents out here are getting really upset, and I understand that. I’m sure Mr. Boone will do what he can do to make the school safer because he feels the parents and the pressure he’s getting."

As of noon, the high schools were still on lockdown, the Fallbrook Union High School District (FUHSD) confirmed. Parents said the campus was still being searched, according to what they heard from the principal.

This is the second time in less than two months that the campus has been placed on lockdown due to reports of a possible threat.

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this breaking story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

California Assemblymen Eric Linder and Mike Gatto requested a Department of Motor Vehicle audit because rampant abuse of the disability parking placard system starts with the DMV, they said.

Gatto said after seeing news stories like the one NBC 7 Investigates aired two years ago, he wanted more to be done. Two years ago, in an undercover investigation, NBC 7 Investigates found state and city employees parking for free in downtown San Diego using disabled placards that did not belong to them.

To see the story, click here. 

“I have been following this issue for quite some time and I’ve seen the reports on your station, where sting operations occur and a lot of drivers who are clearly abusing the system,” Gatto said. “The public is very sick of what’s going on out there, they have seen the stories, they have seen the streets where every single car has a placard displayed, they know there are people abusing the system and taking advantage of it.”

Linder and Gatto requested the audit last year and the results of that audit are expected to be complete in the next few weeks.

Click here to read their letter requesting the audit. 

According to the audit request, the auditor is looking at a variety of issues including:

• If medical providers and doctors are vouching for people who aren't really disabled?
• If some people been issued more than one placard?
• How many placards are still out there even though the owner is deceased?

Gatto said the findings could lead to changes in the way DMV handles placard distribution. He also said he hopes it can provide data to support new laws.

“You have unethical members of the public that are willing to take these spots away from those that need them,” he said. “You probably have doctors that should not be issuing these placards unless they truly are disabled and then you have the government failing. The DMV should be stronger in how they handle the program.”

In an email to NBC 7 Investigates, Jessica Gonzalez, Assistant Deputy Director of Public Affairs with the California DMV said, “At this time, the DMV can’t comment on the audit since we have not seen the final audit and it has not been released publicly. The DMV takes crimes relating to disabled parking placards seriously and reviews every complaint it receives. The DMV Investigations Division attempts to conduct at least one proactive Disabled Person Parking Placard enforcement operation each month. Individual complaints are investigated as they are received. In the past three fiscal years, DMV investigators conducted 270 enforcement operations throughout the state and issued 2,019 misdemeanor citations for disabled parking placard abuse.”

In October 2015, the San Diego City Council approved a new law increasing the penalty for an able-bodied driver who uses a disability placard issued to someone else. The new fine is $740, up from $452.50. The council also approved another ordinance cracking down on disability placard abuse.

That new law classified placard abuse as a parking violation, instead of a criminal misdemeanor. Doing so will allow parking enforcement officers, not just police, to issue citations for placard misuse.

To read more about those changes, click here.

San Diego police are investigating an attempted robbery and another separate robbery at ARCO stations in San Diego County that happened within hours of each other. Police do not believe they are connected. 

The first attempted robbery happened at approximately 11:51 p.m. Tuesday evening on the 12600 block of Sabre Spring Parkway in San Diego's Sabre Springs neighborhood, according to police. 

SDPD Officer Robert Heims said two man walked into the ARCO and approached the clerk. One of the men tapped on a gun in his waistband and demanded money. 

When the employee refused to give them any money, both suspects just walked out of the store, Heims said. Nothing was stolen. 

The first suspect was described as a 5 foot 6 inch man in his 20s with a goatee. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie and jeans. 

The second suspect was described as a 5 foot 6 inch man in his 20s as well, with a goatee. He was last seen wearing a gray hoodie and jeans. 

The second incident - a robbery - happened hours later at approximately 4:34 a.m. Wednesday. 

Police said four men walked into an ARCO on the 6900 block of Linda Vista Road in San Diego's Linda Vista neighborhood and threatened the clerk. One man used a knife to threaten the clerk, while a second hit the clerk in the face with a bottle. 

The employee's manager said the victim was recovering and would be fine. 

The men stole candy and fled. Police do have have clear descriptions of suspects. 

San Diego Police are investigating both incidents. At this time, they do not believe they are related. 

Anyone with information related to the above incident(s) is encouraged to call San Diego Police or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

Coca-Cola has announced it will lay off more than 100 employees at one of their San Diego facilities. 

A statement from the company said Coca-Cola is consolidating its local facilities into a newly upgraded and expanded warehouse in Oceanside. 

As a result, San Diego warehouse operations will be closing and 102 San Diego associates will be impacted. 

"We have informed our associates of the changes and are fully committed to treating every associate with respect and dignity throughout this process," the statement read.

Read the full statement below:

"Coca-Cola Refreshments is committed to investing in our growing business in the San Diego region. We remain focused on providing the highest-quality products and best customer service in San Diego and all of California.

To better serve our expanding customer base and evolving consumer needs, and bring greater efficiency to our business, we are consolidating our San Diego warehouse operations into our newly expanded and upgraded Oceanside facility. This will result in closure of our warehouse operations in San Diego. We have informed our associates of the changes and are fully committed to treating every associate with respect and dignity throughout this process."

A 17-year-old girl who died from influenza is the first pediatric flu death reported this season, health officials said Wednesday.

The teen, who died on Feb. 25 as a result of influenza A/H3, had underlying medical conditions, The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) said. Her death was reported last week. 

In the past week, three others deaths were also reported, bringing the total number of flu deaths this season to 72. 

By this same time last year, 68 people - including a nine-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl - had died from the flu in the county. 

“Influenza deaths are very unfortunate, but a teen dying from the flu is especially tragic,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer, in a statement. “Many people may have spring vacations coming up, and you should get vaccinated at least 2 weeks before your trip.”

The HHSA said influenza activity has reached a new high this season. People aged 17 to 98 years old have died from the flu, though most have been over the age of 65. All but three had underlying medical conditions. 

Wooten said for those with underlying health conditions, influenza can be deadly. This is why health officials recommend getting a flu vaccine, as it is considered the best protection against the illness.

Health officials recommend an annual flu shot; after the vaccination, it takes two weeks for immunity to develop, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The vaccination is especially recommended for those at high-risk of experiencing complications with the flu, including people with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women and people age 65 and older.

The HHSA’s latest “Influenza Watch” report, from the week ending on March 18, says three percent of all emergency department visits in San Diego were patients experiencing flu-like symptoms.

There were 200 lab-confirmed cases of influenza for the week, down from the 277 the week prior.

To date, there have been 4,944 lab-confirmed cases of the flu in San Diego. Last year at this time, there were 5,437.

Flu season in the U.S. occurs between December and May.

For a list of county public health centers where you can get a flu shot, click here or call 211.