California's amnesty program for residents who can't afford to pay off spiraling traffic fines and court fees will end next month, authorities announced. 

The program, which began in October 2015 as part of Gov. Jerry Brown's annual budget, was scheduled to run through March 31. The last day to apply for the program before it expires is April 3. 

“We are getting the word out about the upcoming deadline. This is an important law that was designed to allow those who have been unable to pay their fines get right with the law and clear their record. We want to ensure, one more time, that people who are eligible for this program know it will be ending soon so they don’t miss out,” said Michael Roddy, Executive Officer of the Superior Court in a statement.

The traffic fines and court fees have led to millions of driver's licenses being suspended.

Under the plan, drivers with lesser infractions would pay either 50 or 80 percent of what they owe, depending on income. Certain drivers would also be able to apply for installment payments for outstanding tickets. Drunken-driving and reckless-riving violations are not eligible.

Civil assessment fees would be waived for some tickets. Residents who have had their licenses revoked would be able to apply to have them reinstated.

Only violations due to be paid before Jan. 1, 2013, are eligible for discounts.

Since 2006, the state has suspended 4.8 million driver's licenses after motorists failed to pay or appear in court, the Department of Motor Vehicles said earlier this year. Of those, only about 83,000 licenses were reinstated.

When he announced the program in 2015, Brown called the traffic court system a "hellhole of desperation" for the poor.

The push by the Democratic governor highlighted concern among lawmakers and court administrators that California's justice system is profiting off minorities and low-income residents.

Traffic fines have been skyrocketing in the state, and courts have grown reliant on fees as a result of budget cuts during the recession.

Twenty years ago, the fine for running a red light was $103. Today, it costs as much as $490 as the state has established add-on fees to support everything from court construction to emergency medical air transportation. The cost can jump to over $800 once a person fails to pay or misses a traffic court appearance.

To learn more about the program, click here.

As light rain swept the county Wednesday morning, a school bus hydroplaned on Interstate 8 in La Mesa, overturning and crashing on its side. No one was hurt, officials confirmed. 

The bus, which belongs to the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, crashed at around 9:20 a.m. on the connector between westbound I-8 and southbound State Route 125. There were no students on board.

An official with the school district told NBC 7 the driver and a bus attendant were the only people inside the bus at the time of the crash. The driver was not hurt; the attendant suffered minor shoulder pain.

The school district said the staffers on the bus had just finished their final school drop-off of the day and were headed back to their base in Spring Valley. They were traveling down the bridge connector onto southbound SR-125 from I-8 when the bus hydroplaned on the roadway slick from the morning rain.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials shut down traffic to the freeway connector, saying the closure would remain in place until the crash could be safely cleared. Heartland Fire & Rescue crews responded to the scene.

At 10:10 a.m., crews were in the process of trying to flip the overturned bus so it could be towed away.

A British foreign minister bloodied his hands attempting to save the life of a police officer who was stabbed on the grounds of Britain's Parliament in what was described Wednesday as a "terrorist incident."

After an individual drove a 4x4 through a crowd outside the Palace of Westminster, shots were fired and a police officer was stabbed. Tobias Ellwood, a conservative member of Parliament and former soldier who was close to the incident, rushed to the officer's side.

The officer later died of his wounds.

Ellwood served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Kuwait, Germany, Gibraltar and Bosnia while in the military. He's currently an active Army reservist.

Dale Lamphier, 97, never married and her closest living relatives―three nephews―live across the country. About two years ago, she moved to a senior housing complex in Westwood, New Jersey, a town she has lived in her whole life. She has been using the meal delivery service Meals on Wheels since her brother died about three years ago.

"Meals on Wheels is important because I can't do much shopping―very little," she said. "And I can't carry things. There are a lot of people here that can't."

There is a Trader Joe's about a block from her complex, which she walks to, but not often. She relies on her daily meal delivery.

North Jersey is just one of the thousands of Meals on Wheels branches that could see cuts to its funding under President Donald Trump's proposed budget plan. Jeanne Martin, the executive director of Meals on Wheels North Jersey, said her program reaches about 220 senior citizens across 30 towns in northern Bergen County. If Trump's budget plan passes, her branch will lose about $32,000―10 percent of her annual budget―and potentially more money from other Department of Health and Human Services grants.

As a whole, the national Meals on Wheels organization receives about 35 percent of its funding from the federal government. Trump is proposing to end the Community Development Block Grants, one of many federal grants that fund the program. Other cuts to Health and Human Services, the parent agency for Meals on Wheels, also could affect the program negatively, but the magnitude of those cuts is unknown. 

Martin has been the executive director of Meals on Wheels in North Jersey for 12 years. She said she has never seen a federal cut this large.

"I don't see any room for us in that budget," she said. "I haven't seen any positive things coming from [the Trump administration] in the social services or the senior service so far."

"It is going to impact our program," she said. "We're not going to be able to offer the subsidies to our clients that they really need."

Andre Sitbon, a Holocaust survivor in his early 90s, has been using Meals on Wheels for more than five years out of the Westwood seniors complex. Around three years ago Sitbon's wife died and he started having severe eye problems, which interfered with his love of cooking. He said the program "receives you with arms open," with extremely friendly staff and good food. On Monday he received meatloaf, mashed potatoes and mixed greens.

Another senior, a 65-year old mentally disabled man, had virtually nothing in his fridge except the two meals―one hot, one cold―that Martin delivered to him Monday morning. The only other parcels were an apple and a small carton of milk, which were given to him by Meals on Wheels the day before.

Martin estimated that about 30 percent of the seniors in her program are no longer visited by family and, like Lamphier, are isolated. Martin said the 550 local volunteer drivers who deliver the meals are often the ones who report health problems and find fallen or sick seniors. Meals on Wheels, she said, is "more than just a meal."

"We're helping people stay in their homes, which is where they want to stay," she said. "It's keeping people out of nursing homes. And they want to spend the rest of the time they have on this world in their homes and we're doing the best we can to give them that."

When Martin became director there were about 100 seniors in the program. The number has more than doubled during her tenure, though she thinks that there are hundreds more seniors who need assistance but are too isolated or too worried about appearing needy to receive help.

If Martin loses funding she would have to make changes to the program's model. The food is now prepared by four local nursing homes to meet federal guidelines. But if the program no longer receives federal funds, it would be free to receive donated meals from volunteers.

"It seems to me that all of the programs that support our most needy, vulnerable populations are the ones that are being jeopardized," said John Birkner Jr., the mayor of Westwood. He also said that recent comments made by Trump administration officials "trivialize" the importance of programs like Meals on Wheels.

Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s budget director, called Meals on Wheels a program that is "just not showing any results." 

"We can’t spend money on programs just because they sound good," he said at a news conference last Thursday. "Meals on Wheels sounds great. Again, that's a state decision to fund that particular portion, to take the federal money and give it to the states, and say look, we want to give you money for programs that don't work."

Martin called Mulvaney’s comments "insulting" and said he "couldn’t be more wrong."

Supporters have cited studies to back their case. A University of Illinois review in 2013 of home-delivery programs for seniors found that they "significantly improve" the nutritional quality of diets, as well as increased chances for socialization and an overall "higher quality of life."

Another study in 2015 by Brown University researchers found multiple benefits of Meals on Wheels for senior citizens, including reduced feelings of isolation and loneliness, an increased feeling of security and fewer falls and hospitalizations.

Martin said the cost of a year's worth of meals from her program was $1,500. She compared that to the cost of a one-day hospitalization. 

"So, if we're keeping someone well-nourished and doing a well-check on them, we're saving the government money by keeping them out of the hospital," Martin said. 

Meals on Wheels has about 5,000 local and state delivery programs that supply food to isolated, disabled or poor seniors. In 2016, they served about 2.4 million people, including more than 500,000 veterans.

National Meals on Wheels spokeswoman Jenny Bertolette confirmed to NBC that the program has seen a significant spike in donations since Mulvaney’s comments last Thursday. On a typical day, the nonprofit receives about $1,000 in individual online donations.

Three days after the preliminary budget was released, Meals on Wheels had received about $140,000 in donations. On Tuesday, the nonprofit told The Associated Press that it had received an additional $50,000 donation from NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. 

Bertolette said the organization was "thrilled about the public’s passionate support" but also said the additional donations could not replace what it gets from the federal government.

The portion of Meals on Wheels' budget that comes from the federal government is part of the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program, which falls under Health and Human Services. Trump is calling for an 18 percent cut to the department.

Each state uses Community Block Development Grants differently, so the amount that funds Meals on Wheels per branch varies widely. For example, one program in the suburbs of Detroit could lose 30 percent of its budget; on the other end, New York City's Meals on Wheels is funded through other grants, so it is not affected by the potential loss of Community Block Development Grants.

The program is also funded by private money.

"Cuts of any kind to these highly successful and leveraged programs would be a devastating blow to our ability to provide much-needed care for millions of vulnerable seniors in America," Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels America, said in a statement.

The cuts are no sure thing. Congress must pass the budget that Trump has outlined and there has already been support from both sides of the aisle for Meals on Wheels.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., tweeted that cuts to programs like Meals on Wheels "jeopardizes the health and safety of the poor."

Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., told CNN he would "never vote to cut even one dollar" of Meals on Wheels.

Since Mulvaney's comments last week, Martin has gained three more volunteers and an additional donor. 

Even if the budget doesn't cut as much as the 10 percent that is currently threatened, to Martin "a cut is a cut." 

The Jamul Indian Village Tribal Council has handed over the keys for two brand new fire trucks to the San Diego Fire Authority. 

At a ceremony Wednesday, the tribal council delivered a $1 million ladder truck and $500,000 pumper truck to the fire authority. 

The new equipment is part of a multi-million dollar Fire and Life Services Agreement between the Jamul Indian Tribe and the County of San Diego.

"This presentation of the new fire trucks is part of our longstanding commitment to the Jamul community,” said Jamul Indian Village Chairwoman Erica Pinto, head of the Tribe’s government. “Our ancestors have lived on these lands for thousands of years and we're proud we've found a way to work together to promote the health, safety and prosperity of our Tribe and our neighbors.

The Fire and Life Services Agreement is part of the Tribe’s compact with the state of California, which began in 2016. The agreement also allows them to own a casino.

"These fire trucks will enhance the equipment our dedicated fire fighters use to defend our lives and property in San Diego County," Pinto said. "It is a good day for San Diego County fire protection."

Each year, the Jamul Indian Village contributes $2.5 million to the County of San Diego for fire services, said a Jamul Indian Village representative. The agreement will last for 25 years.

The presentation of the truck keys took place at the Tribe’s Hollywood Casino Jamul-San Diego.

“The Hollywood Casino is the largest open area in the village, but the location was also very apropos, considering the agreement allows us to have a casino in the first place,” said the Jamul Indian Village representative.

The Hollywood Casino Jamul-San Diego opened last year as part of the Tribe’s $400 million economic development project, according to a statement.

Acting as if he had a gun in his waistband, an unknown man stole iPhones from stores in Vista earlier this month – and deputies want the public’s help identifying him.

On Wednesday, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) released photos and details of two March 6 robberies linked to a single suspect.

That day, at around 6:10 p.m., the unknown man walked into a Metro PCS store at 988 Civic Center Dr. Somehow, he managed to remove two phones – and iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus – from their security cords on a display counter. After nabbing the phones, he fled.

One hour later, the suspect was back at it, this time hitting a Radio Shack located at 732 E. Vista Way. Again, he managed to remove an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus from a display counter.

According to deputies, when an employee confronted the suspect, he indicated he had a gun in his waistband and backed out of the door. He fled in a newer model Nissan Altima, which had paper plates instead of license plates.

The SDSO said the suspect is still outstanding.

He’s described as being between 25 and 35 years old, standing at 5-foot-11, weighing about 200 pounds. He has brown eyes, long, black, curly hair and a mustache. Deputies said the man had a couple of tattoos: a red lightning bolt on his neck, near the back of his ear, and three dots tattooed on his left hand. The suspect was last seen wearing a black baseball cap with an “LA” logo on it, a black T-shirt, gray jeans and black shoes.

The investigation is ongoing; anyone with information on this case can reach out to the Vista Sheriff’s Station at (760) 940-4551 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Metro PCS stores – which provide prepaid wireless phone services – have been heavily targeted by robbers in San Diego this year.

Last month, Justin Wayne Caldwell and Carlos Adolfo Soto were arrested in connection with at least 10 robberies at different Metro PCS stores in San Diego County. The robberies in their case spanned between Jan. 25 and Feb. 21. Investigators said the duo stole about $50,000 worth of merchandise from those stores. Both Caldwell and Soto have pleaded not guilty.

A new rule banning some electronics on United States-bound flights from certain airports in Muslim-majority countries is a result of fears that ISIS could plant explosive devices in electronic devices, officials told NBC News.

Officials did not confirm or deny a recent New York Times report that ISIS was developing an explosive that could be hidden in laptop batteries.

But law enforcement sources said that longstanding concerns about al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an affiliate that has sought to hide bombs in aircraft for a long time, was a factor in the development of the new rule.

A senior law enforcement source also said that intelligence suggests that a Qaeda could be helping ISIS develop smaller explosives.

A woman said she panicked and quickly became frightened during an odd encounter with a man accused of attempting to kidnap at least nine young women in San Diego’s North County – including her.

On Monday night, Escondido resident Totis Rodriguez, 27, was walking on Broadway near a Del Taco when Spicer Van Allen Conant, 46, approached her. He was parked in the lot near the eatery and Rodriguez said he blocked her in with his red convertible.

He asked her for directions, then asked where she was headed.

“I walked away from him and he said, ‘Do you need a ride?’ I said, ‘No, thank you,’” Rodriguez recalled. “He said, ‘Hop in, I’ll take you.’”

The stranger’s persistence didn’t sit well with Rodriguez.

“[I said], ‘No, no, no, no, thank you,’ and I panicked,” she added. “I was frightened, I was. I was frightened.”

Rodriguez said Conant “seemed like a normal guy” at first, but things turned.

“At the beginning, I thought it was okay. He was very vulnerable, nice – needs help. But, then his tone of voice changed and he wouldn’t let me walk through where I needed to walk through,” she said.

Thinking fast, Rodriguez grabbed her phone from her back pocket and snapped two photos of Conant. She memorized his license plate.

Rodriguez said a friend had warned her about this man in the area earlier on. That same friend encouraged her to call police to report her strange encounter with him.

She did just that.

One day later, Conant was arrested in Escondido.

After identifying him as a suspect in the attempted kidnapping of Rodriguez and other young women in the area, investigators placed Conant under surveillance.

On Tuesday, officers followed him as he drove to Escondido. Conant approached a group of five young women, most of them minors. Again, he asked for directions.

One woman, an 18-year-old, got into his car. At that point, fearing for the young woman’s safety, police officers pulled Conant over on 13th Avenue and Escondido Boulevard and arrested him on suspicion of attempted kidnapping.

While searching Conant’s red car, police found an illegal assault-style rifle and 1,000 rounds of ammunition in the trunk.

Rodriguez told NBC 7 on Wednesday that she’s still shaken from her encounter with Conant.

“I have not been sleeping lately, these past few days,” she said. “I haven’t been focusing on school.”

Rodriguez said that she was carrying a backpack and had her hair around her face during her Monday encounter with the suspect, so he may have thought she was younger that she is.

She’s grateful she got away from him, as she imagines his intentions were not good.

“I feel blessed that nothing happened to these other women,” she added.

The Escondido Police Department (EPD) announced Conant’s arrest Tuesday. Investigators said he’s linked to at least nine cases spanning the course of about 10 months – starting last spring. In each case, Conant asked young girls for directions and even offered them money to get into his car.

Another victim, Escondido mom Kirstin Rangel, told NBC 7 Conant approached her on Mission Avenue last spring to ask her for directions. She also described feeling “scared” during her encounter with him.

The EPD said Conant also allegedly approached a 15-year-old girl on Fig Street and Washington Avenue on May 9, 2016. She got away. Later that same day, he tried to offer a 16-year-old girl $10 for directions to the freeway. That girl got into his car but after driving with Conant for a few blocks, she got nervous and began texting someone. Conant dropped her off and drove away.

On March 15, Conant allegedly approached an 11-year-old girl as she walked to Mission Middle School, again asking for directions. She ignored him and walked away.

The EPD said investigators have reached out to other law enforcement agencies across San Diego County to determine if Conant targeted any other young victims in this manner. Police were in the process Wednesday of executing a search warrant on Conant’s home.

The investigation is ongoing.

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

The suspect has been booked into the Vista Detention Facility on 10 felony counts of kidnapping and nine misdemeanor counts, including annoying children. 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, although no further details of his employment were released.

Authorities from Great Britain to the U.S. are scrambling to unravel the mysteries behind deadly chaos that’s been declared a terrorist attack in London on Wednesday.

Five people are dead, including one police officer and the attacker who was gunned down outside of Parliament after ramming his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.

Using a large knife, he had just killed a uniformed police officer who guarded the government compound.

Another 40 people are being treated for injuries -- some of the cases described as "catastrophic".

Britain's prime minister was hustled out of Parliament by a plainclothes security detail.

The rampage unfolded at 2:40 p.m. local time at the crossroads of national politics in Britain.

After accelerating into crowds of people on the bridge sidewalk, the driver kept going toward Westminster Yard and smashed into a fence.

Witnesses say the driver climbed out of the car, went inside Parliament's gates, and tried to enter the building.

A police officer was in his way, and wound up being repeatedly stabbed and killed.

A gunshot from a team of other officers reaching the scene brought the attacker down.

The curiosity of passersby quickly turned to shock, horror and sadness.

"I started to realize there were a lot more people roaming around and security,” said bicyclist Matt Haikin, “and (I was) just thinking maybe this is more than just a car accident."

It was, by then, a case of lockdown and national security.

Plainclothes officers rushed Prime Minister Theresa May out Parliament, and safety-bundled her into a car that took May to her office at 10 Downing Street.

Some members of Parliament hit the floor and crawled for cover, as tourists visiting the area were evacuated until police secured the scene.

A British foreign minister who was outside Parliament at the time tried to stop the stabbed officer's bleeding before paramedics arrived.

A woman in the path of the attacker's car avoided being hit by jumping over a bridge railing, into the River Thames.

So far, no radical group has claimed responsibility for the attack -- but some have encouraged supporters to use "any weapons at hand", including cars.

Law enforcement agencies around the country are warning iPhone users about a potentially deadly prank involving the Apple iPhone's "virtual assistant" Siri.

According to police, social media posts have been encouraging users to ask Siri about the number "108 if you want laugh." 

"The Harris County Sheriff's Office, along with Texas NENA, are encouraging iPhone users NOT to test the '108' command," the Texas department urged in a Facebook post. "The command, in fact, will instruct Siri to call emergency services, which could potentially tie up emergency lines."

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That's because the Apple designed Siri to recognize emergency service numbers from anywhere in the world. In India, the number 108 is the equivalent of dialing 9-1-1, so saying it will connect a caller to the nearest 911 dispatch center.

Sheriff officials warned that these pranks tie up emergency lines and delay response time — which could mean the difference between life or death — for people who are in actually need of help.

Other numbers officials said users should avoid are 112, 110, 999, and 000.

"The 9-1-1 Communications Division tested these numbers and can confirm that dialing or asking Siri about any of these numbers will result in a call being placed to the emergency communications center," an Oregon sheriff's department said in a statement.

Officials say the prank is very dangerous and even criminal in some states.

"Help us spread the word and make our community safe by ensuring those who need the life or death assistance of police, fire or EMS have access to them quickly when they call for help," the Douglas County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook.

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San Diego's Cabrillo National Monument is inviting public input on the park’s big plans to expand its trails.

Cabrillo National Monument staff hosted two open houses Tuesday to collect public feedback to aid in the development of Cabrillo’s proposed Trails Management Plan.

"The scope of the project is what we’re trying to define right now. We’re just beginning to develop ideas and capture concepts for what we might do with trail management in the future,” Andrea Compton, Cabrillo National Monument Supervisor, told NBC 7.

Compton said any plans will be a delicate balance between visitor experience and environmental resource protection.
 
What types of opportunities should be included in the trail system? What kinds of experiences are you looking while hiking on Cabrillo’s trails? What do you think of the proposed changes in trails at Cabrillo National Monument?  These are examples of some feedback that park officials are hoping to receive.

Among the ideas people presented Tuesday: more benches, picnic tables, clear markings on trails to prevent people from making their own trail and adding a trail that would connect the main park area with the tide pools.

Cabrillo National Monument contains an existing network of roads and recreation trails. The development of a trails plan is critical for protecting the special natural and cultural features of the park and providing quality recreational experiences for park visitors. The Trails Management Plan will help guide the future development and management of roads and trails within the park.  

A public comment period will be open now through April 16. To review the plan or to submit comments online, visit this website.

The official trail development plan is expected to released in spring of 2018.

A vaquita porpoise - a critically endangered species of porpoise - was found dead in the waters off Baja California on Sunday, according to Sea Shepherd, the organization known for battling illegal fishing and poaching in the oceans.

The carcass was found by one of the Sea Shepherd's anti-poaching ships, the Farley Mowat, in the Gulf of California. The crew then notified Mexican authorities to retrieve the body.

The frozen carcass is in San Felipe, where it will be examined to determine its cause of death.

The discovery comes a week after the organization found another vaquita dead in the Bay.  The body of the vaquita, believed to be a newborn, was found floating in the Gulf of California just south of San Felipe on Sunday, March 12.

More than half of the population has been lost in the last three years, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Now, with only 30 vaquita porpoises left in the world, Rep. Todd Gloria (D-78th District) has introduced a bill in California to help save the rare sea mammal from extinction. The bill would make it illegal to possess or sell fish products caught in the northern Gulf of California with a gillnet.

More often than not, vaquitas get entangled in nets meant for a fish known as the totoaba, which inhabits the same territory. The vaquitas are unable to surface to breathe and drown as a result.

The gillnets have led to a 90 percent decline in the vaquitas' numbers over the last five years, according a study by an international committee of experts.

In 2016, 31 illegal fishing nets for the totoaba were pulled from the Gulf of California.

Mexico has temporarily banned the use of gillnets for fishing of shrimp and other sea creatures in an effort to protect the vaquita.

However, there is a loophole that allows for the use of gillnets for fishing of Gulf corvina, a practice used to capture the totoaba fish.

Considered "aquatic cocaine," the fishing for totoaba is highly lucrative. Sea Shepherd estimates the fish is worth $20,000 per kilo.

Parrotheads, break out those pocketbooks: Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band are playing a surprise show on Tuesday, March 28, at the Belly Up in Solana Beach.

Tickets went sale at noon on Wednesday and sold out just minutes later. Individual tickets started at $95, and were -- surprise! -- a hot commodity. The show is 21-plus, doors are at 6:30 p.m., with the show starting at 8 p.m.

Buffett, of course, is familiar with San Diego County, returning to our version of tropical paradise just last year to play Humphrey’s show in October, as well as headlining Friday night at Kaaboo 2016 in Del Mar, also having played a slew of others shows over the years.

It’s not hard to speculate that the beach boy is in town to check in on the progress of "Escape to Margaritaville," a musical slated for a May 9 premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse.

The singer/songwriter is well-loved by his hardcore fans for such hits as "Margaritaville" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise," a late-'70s single that ended up giving birth to a restaurant chain of the same name.

San Diegans woke up to scattered showers and slick roadways Wednesday as the first storm of the spring season hit the county.

Light showers rolled in overnight, with the rain expected to intensify Wednesday, possibly bringing a chance of thunderstorms.

NBC 7 meteorologist Jodi Kodesh said more rain is expected to hit around 11 a.m., lasting into the evening hours. 

“Overnight Wednesday into Thursday, we still have a chance of showers,” Jodesh added. "This afternoon and evening, we do have a chance of thunderstorms."

While it'll certainly be a wet Wednesday, Kodesh said that, overall, this storm system is not nearly as strong as other recent storms that have swept our county. Kodesh said it's more of a "light spring rain" expected to last about a day or so.

"Much of the rainfall associated with this will be very light," she explained. "It will be a cool day, so grab a jacket."

Kodesh forecasted that the rain should dry out by Thursday afternoon, with some sunshine on the horizon. Friday is expected to be dry, but cool. Another chance of rain returns Saturday.

Some San Diego residents were preparing for the storm Tuesday morning by conserving water. A few locals told NBC 7 they planned to turn off their sprinklers and collect the rainfall in buckets to later reuse the water.

NBC 7’s exclusive mobile radar truck, StormRanger 7, will be tracking the storm in San Diego Wednesday. The one-of-a-kind vehicle has a live, high-powered radar that enables StormRanger 7 to track storms wherever they are with a higher degree of accuracy and more details than ever before.

Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee disclosed Wednesday that intelligence reports show American surveillance "incidentally collected" the conversations of some members of President Donald Trump’s transition team.

"Incidental collection" happens when a foreigner under surveillance calls, emails or discusses an American, and the conversation is picked up. 

Nunes' reveal raised questions, but the fact that Americans involved in Trump’s transition may have been picked up in surveillance of foreigners "in and of itself, doesn't mean a thing. All it means is that a person on watch is talking to a U.S. person," Robert Deitz, a former top lawyer for the CIA and the NSA, told NBC News. 

Any surveillance on American soil has to be approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which is made up of 11 federal judges. Congress has repeatedly asked the NSA and other intelligence agencies how many American each year are captured in incidental collection, but the government has said that it cannot disclose that information.

Londoners were greeted by messages of unity written on dry erase boards in Underground stations, one day after Wednesday’s deadly terrorist attack.

Among the messages in the Tube, London’s underground transportation system, have been quotes encouraging strength and a consistent message of not backing down to fear.

Photos of the messages were posted on Twitter Thursday morning.

A British-born man on Wednesday attacked pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge in London and fatally stabbed a police office on the British Parliament’s grounds, authorities said. Four people, including the attacker, were killed, while 29 people were hospitalized.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who delivered a message of strength and unity to the British House of Commons Thursday, said that the man was known to intelligence services in Britain.

New charges have been filed against the Chicago police officer who fatally shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014, according to court documents released Thursday. 

Officer Jason Van Dyke is now facing 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, one charge for each shot fired at the teenager. 

Van Dyke has already been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of McDonald, which sparked nationwide protests after dashcam video appeared to show the teen walking away from authorities when he was killed. 

Attorneys for Van Dyke have previously filed motions to dismiss murder charges against the officer, saying a grand jury "hastily" indicted him based on false information and that the shooting was in fact "justified."

Van Dyke’s partner, Joseph Walsh, and Detective David March, whose account of McDonald’s shooting conflicted with the graphic dashcam video, were placed on “administrative status” in mid-December.

The case has lead to the suspension of numerous Chicago officers and the firing of Chicago's former police Supt. Garry McCarthy. 

Wildlife researchers studying black bears in southern Vermont had a surprising encounter with an animal and caught it on camera.

Biologists with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and students from the University of Vermont were recently on a field project in Searsburg, in the southern part of the state.

They were looking into whether a proposed wind farm in the Green Mountain National Forest would affect the animals’ habitat.

A Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department biologist said the researchers needed to check a radio collar worn by a sleeping bear, but discovered when they arrived to the animal’s location that he had just woken up.

The video shows a male bear appearing to grab a backpack from a researcher and pull it into his den, then engaging in a brief tug-of-war with the man.

The bear then suddenly emerges from its den, toward the field researcher, and tries to get away.

The animal stumbles down a hill, perhaps because he was stiff and groggy from his winter slumber, the department said.

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department said the team was able to safely tranquilize the bear and complete their work.

The department said there were no injuries to the animal or the humans involved in the study.

The multi-year research project into bear habitat is ongoing.

Investigators combed through the home of a cyber security specialist suspected in nine attempted kidnapping cases on Wednesday evening, serving a search warrant and confiscating several electronic devices. 

Spicer Van Allen Conant's home, located in the gated community of Savona, in San Marcos, was swarmed with authorities seen carrying out boxes of electronics and papers. 

The Escondido Police Department (EPD) announced Conant’s arrest Tuesday. Investigators said he’s linked to at least nine cases spanning the course of about 10 months – starting last spring. In each case, Conant asked young girls for directions and even offered them money to get into his car.

The EPD said the first reported incident happened when Conant allegedly approached a 15-year-old girl on Fig Street and Washington Avenue on May 9, 2016. She got away.

Later that same day, he tried to offer a 16-year-old girl $10 for directions to the freeway. That girl got into his car but after driving with Conant for a few blocks, she got nervous and began texting someone. Conant dropped her off and drove away.

On March 15, Conant allegedly approached an 11-year-old girl as she walked to Mission Middle School, again asking for directions. She ignored him and walked away. Since then, there have been other reported victims.

The EPD said investigators have reached out to other law enforcement agencies across San Diego County to determine if Conant targeted any other young victims in this manner. 

Since his arrest, authorities with the Escondido Police Family Protection Unit have been working to interview potential victims and search the suspect's house for clues. 

Conant's expertise in cyber security has Escondido police wanting a peek at his digital media.

"We've been working all night, all day yesterday and all night then into today,” Sgt. Rhett Gann said.

Armed with a search warrant, detectives from the Family Protection Unit did a careful four-hour sweep of Conant's home.

NBC 7 learned that Conant's laptop and desktop computers, and at least one phone were confiscated.

Investigators said they are looking for pictures, text conversations and other digital communication that could support the charges against him.

"I can tell you there isn't anything that stood out that we didn't expect or have a reason to believe was in there," Gann said. 

If the confiscated electronics are encrypted or passcode protected, investigators said results could take weeks.

The Escondido Police Family Protection Unit does have two trained code breakers on staff.

The investigation is ongoing.

Conant worked at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego from 1993 to 1996, a spokesperson for Scripps Institution confirmed Wednesday.

The suspect has been booked into the Vista Detention Facility on 10 felony counts of kidnapping and nine misdemeanor counts, including annoying children. He's scheduled to appear in court Thursday.