Kimberly Williams was artistic and creative.

Her two daughters told NBC 7 Friday about the strong bond they shared with their mother and a project they're working on to preserve her legacy.

Williams and her brother were killed last week in a double-murder suicide at their Vista home by her ex-boyfriend.

Her daughters said their mother found inspiration from The Ulta Vista Botanical Garden for planting exotic species of plants in her own back yard. 

It is just one location where the Williams sisters are negotiating a memorial garden space to plant their mother's legacy.

"She was absolutely 100 percent fearless,” Kimberly’s daughter Candace said.

To daughters Candace and Victoria, their home, 100 years in the family, was once the safest, most comfortable place they ever knew. It has always been a gathering place for friends.

"You would come with your problems or come with your joy and she would be there right there sharing in it with you,” Candace said.

Here Kimberly practiced her passion. She grew peculiar plant species.

"It was bringing new life into the world, it was another challenge to make something grow nobody else could,” Kimberly’s daughter Victoria said.

Kimberly was gunned down with her brother Travis Whit last week. Investigating Sheriff's detectives say, ex-boyfriend, Richard Contreras shot both of them then turned the gun on himself.

“I didn't want it to be real. It didn't feel real. It still doesn't feel real,” Victoria said.

The Williams sisters are meeting the challenge of a future without their mother head on. They are raising money to create a memorial garden for Kimberly.

It is a way to commemorate a life as beautiful as the seeds she sowed.

"A piece of property where you could just be. A spot where you could sit and remember, sit and enjoy the beauty,” Candace said.

The memorial service for Travis Whitt was Friday afternoon. Family and friends are gathering in Oceanside to commemorate the life of Kimberly Williams with a paddle out Saturday.

If you would like to contribute to the Williams Memorial Garden fund you can do so at this gofundme page.

The menorah that stands on the lawn outside of San Diego State University’s (SDSU) Chabad House was damaged Friday morning by a group of men using one of its lower arms as a pull up bar, multiple witnesses tell NBC 7.

Chalom Boujnah, the resident rabbi at the Chabad House, says the group showed up to the house, located on the corner of Montezuma Road and Rockford Drive, shortly after midnight and began doing pull ups on the lower left arm of the menorah.

“I could hear three people egging the one person on and he was doing pull ups on the menorah. They were saying you know it is sacrilege, it is sacrilege. As they were leaving, they were saying the Jews are coming,” explains Omer Zalmanowitz.

Omer’s roommate was upstairs capturing it all on his cell phone. He said he could hear the group talking about a scavenger hunt, and asking people to take pictures of them in front of the menorah as proof they were there.

“We have a feeling that it is more like fraternity initiation or some sort of organization that have this type of mission”, said Adam Lavie, who witnessed the entire event.

Lavie said the group returned a total of three times within an hour. It was the third time the left arm of the menorah was broken.

Now the residents of the Chabad House are left with the task of replacing the menorah at a time when they aren’t easy to find. The menorah is usually used during Hanukkah celebrations in December.

A police report was filed. San Diego Police said at this time the incident is being investigated as ana ct of vandalism, not as a hate crime.

Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) hosted a public town hall meeting Saturday morning to discuss the state of health care after the GOP’s decision to withdraw the American Health Care Act on Friday.

Attendees heard from Gloria, Congresswoman Susan Davis, Senator Ed Hernandez and Senator Toni Atkins on campus at the University of California San Diego about the future of the Affordable Health Care Act and how future changes may impact citizens.

"I think from California’s perspective, we have so much to lose if the affordable care act is repealed that we can’t get complacent," Assemblyman Gloria said. "What we’ve seen since the election is an outpouring of civic-minded people taking to the streets, occupying airports, doing the things that keep elected officials like myself on notice, and it's working."

President Trump has made it clear that he still plans to repeal Obamacare at some point, and local democratic lawmakers want to inform the community about future efforts from the GOP.

"Without the Affordable Care Act, I probably would have been here and there and may not even have health care," cancer patient Haviland Franck said. "We were all kind of holding out breath. I think we're all still holding our breath until we really get a straight answer on what can be done to keep the affordable care act where it is now, because its’a wonderful thing."

Franck said she's been battling cancer for ten years and, in the proccess, has has heart surgery and has done chemotherapy.

"It affected our lives in so many ways," Franck said. "So many people were covered. It was a massive movement for our nation, and to repeal it would be a huge step backwards."

Two weeks ago, U.S. Rep. Darell Issa and Duncan Hunter held separate town halls of their own in Oceanside and Ramona, respectively. Demonstrators gathered outside of both Issa and Hunter’s offices in the weeks leading up to their town halls.

After the GOP announced it would withdraw its health care bill on Friday, Issa issued this statement:

"We will go back to the drawing board and get this right for each and every American concerned with high costs in their health care and ever-dwindling choices and access to care," Issa said.

Saturday’s town hall is taking place in the West Ballroom of UCSD’s Price Center.

A 40-year-old man was taken to the hospital after being stabbed in the stomach in what appears to be a road rage incident, according to Chula Vista police.

The suspect, a male teenager, was seen getting into a vehicle and going southbound on 2nd Avenue.

The incident happened at 2nd Avenue and J Street in Chula Vista around 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Police set up a perimeter, but were unable to find the suspect. Police are now gathering evidence from neighbors and surveillance video.

The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

It was a Saturday filled with fun for kids, families, and aviators at the San Diego Jet Center who shared their love for all things flight.

The nonprofit organization, Challenge Air for Kids & Friends, Inc. (Challenge Air), hosted the “Fly-Day” event for children and young adults with special needs. The event was created in the hopes giving special needs children an unforgettable experience through the gift of flight.

Fly Days is a community-driven program that brings together special needs children, ground crew volunteers and volunteer pilots to provide them with the gift of flight and share their love of aviation.

Kids were escorted one by one down a red carpet and greeted by a plane. After taking some pictures in the cockpit with their co-pilots, it was time for takeoff.

San Diego Jet Center pilot and local air traffic controller Ian Lewis is a frequent flyer and often takes his family on rides through the clouds. Lewis said it's his pleasure to give back whenever he can.

"Anytime you can give an opportunity to kids that otherwise wouldn't get that opportunity, to come up and have the experience of a lifetime is memorable," Lewis said.

"A lot of what we do here in aviation, and in life in general, is based on assimilation," Lewis added. "Kids have to be able to see themselves doing something. If they can see themselves doing it, it's that much easier for them to accomplish that task when faced with the opportunity."

Challenge Air Co-Pilots agree.

One of Lewis' many passengers at the event were Michelle and her dad. More excited than afraid, Michelle didn't bat an eye when Lewis asked if she was ready to fly the plane herself.

At the end of their run, kids received a Fly Day Co-Pilot Certificate congratulating them on their freedom flight completion.

Fly Day events are hosted in 10 different cities throughout the United States. Challenge Air says their mission is to to change the attitudes of children with disabilities into attitudes of kids with capabilities.

Fly-Day is happening Saturday, March 25, at Brown Field from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event is open to the public and is free for children and young adults with special needs.

Nearly 150 cyclists set out on a miles-long ride through San Diego County Saturday to raise awareness for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and combat-related injuries.

Civilian riders and more than 60 Healing Heroes, or veterans dealing with PTSD and other physical and mental barriers, took on 20, 40 and 60-mile courses spanning through San Diego County.

Project Hero organizes about 15 Honor Rides in major cities across the country every year, and chose to start and finish it’s first ever Honor Ride San Diego at Balboa Park.

“It’s our first time in San Diego,” Honor Ride National Director Jack Shepard said. “It’s obviously a huge military town. We’ve gotten a lot of support out here.”

For the first time in Honor Ride history, Project Hero allowed members of the public to pedal alongside our nation’s Healing Heroes. Together, the riders have raised about $15,000.

Once on their bikes, men and women that sacrificed for our country get to forget about outside noise for a while and focus on the course.

“We’ve found that when you’re on a bike you have to focus on that ride,” Shepard said. “It takes people out of that pit of PTSD for a short time and then they realize, ‘Wow, that’s probably the first relief I’ve had from my PTSD in-‘ they can’t remember how long.”

Continued riding brings a sense of relief few non-veterans can understand or relate to. Shepard gets it. He joined Project Hero, then Ride to Recovery, after breaking his knee cap as a soldier with the U.S. Army.

“That feeling of focus on regular things becomes the norm and the PTSD becomes the background,” he said. “It never quite goes away, but the cycling makes all the difference in the world.”

He says the non-profit recently rebranded under the name Project Hero to make it less about the bike rides and more about the veteran services provided at Project Hero hubs across the country.

The hubs help our Healing Heroes with things like job coaching and resume writing, and bring further awareness to veteran issues like homeless and joblessness. Shepard says there are nearly 60 hubs in the United States.

Project Hero also builds custom adaptive bikes for disabled veterans.

The next Honor Ride will get into gear in May in Sacramento. Shepard says Project Hero is expecting somewhere between 500 and 600 riders.

The National City Police Department (NCPD) hosted a Use of Force Community Workshop on Saturday morning.

The unique and interactive Community Outreach Program (COP) is designed to inform members of the community on law enforcement’s use of force options and the effects they have on communities.

The workshop allows members of the community to test their responses to situations police officers are often called out to. 

Officers trained the students before putting them through the life-like scenarios.

They armed students with tasers, batons, and air soft guns. 

Students went through simulated calls including domestic violence fights and traffic stops, and students had to decide what level of force to use and found out how quickly things can turn. 

“I really respect the duty and the description of an officer because at the end of the day they're human just like I am," said participant Lakeysha Sowummi.

Participants had an opportunity to role-play in different scenarios as responding officers, as well as listen to and talk about use of force options.

National City Police say the workshop also helps officers open up a dialogue about policing between officers and the community. 

The workshop took place at the National City Police Department from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A truck was partially swallowed by a large sinkhole in Otay Mesa West Saturday morning, San Diego Police confirmed.

The sinkhole opened up on the 1300 block of Del Sol Lane just after 11 a.m. due to the failure of an 8-inch diameter underground metal pipe, according to Arian Collins with the City of San Diego.

A nearby gas line and power line were also damaged. San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has to shut off the gas line before repair work can start on the water pipe, Collins said.

Once the gas line is turned off, fixing the water main could take seven to eight hours. Collins says that 20 customers were without water as of 3:45 p.m.

Police say the driver of the truck was able to get his vehicle out of the sinkhole and was uninjured in the incident.

A nearby fire hydrant was seen shooting water into the air after the main broke before city crews shut off the water.

Attorney Michael Aguirre calls the upcoming court hearing on the disposition of the nuclear waste at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station the “most consequential legal issue in San Diego history.”

The central question of the hearing, the former San Diego City Attorney said, is: “Should the court allow burial of 3.6 million pounds of nuclear waste, expected to last thousands of years, on a San Diego beach?”

Both sides of the argument have filed numerous documents in preparation for the April 14 hearing before San Diego Superior Court Judge Judith Hayes.

Aguirre is asking the court to order the California Coastal Commission to revoke the permit they issued Southern California Edison (SCE), one of the nuclear plant’s owners, to bury the waste on the property of the now-shuttered plant.

In the latest court filings on the case, Aguirre argues the Commission’s original hearing was unfair and its approval has created a dangerous situation in regards to the location of where the waste will be buried and how it will be buried.

Both the Commission and SCE have said they are employing sound planning and the best science to ensure the radioactive waste is safely buried.

To learn more about the storage plans, click here.

In October of 2015, the Coastal Commission approved a twenty year permit for the storage of 3.6 million pounds of radioactive waste above San Onofre State Beach. The Commission says the “concrete monolith” the materials will be buried in provides the best possible solution.

Aguirre and others are critical of the plan.

Specifically, Aguirre questions SCE’s plan to remove the remaining nuclear waste out of the cooling pools and place it in 100 stainless steel dry casks in a cement pad, just north of the two domes on the closed nuclear power plants property.  

Critics have said there will be no monitoring of temperature and humidity that could influence corrosion and degradation of the canisters. Most experts agree though that the radioactive materials have to be moved out the pools where the material is far more susceptible to outside forces like earthquakes, tsunamis and or a terrorist attack.

According to SCE, if all goes as planned, the radioactive fuel will be coming out of the pools in January 2018. This was originally scheduled to take place next month but has been pushed back.

SCE, which owns the plant along with San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), has said the waste will be safely stored in what’s called the Holtec HI-STORM UMAX system, otherwise known as an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation. The power company assumes the Department of Energy will take custody of all the spent nuclear fuel in 2049.

Aguirre told NBC 7 “Just like the steam generators, they are charging ahead without considering the consequences.” He is referring to the steam generators that failed and eventually led to the closure of the plant.

Hours after the GOP pulled their bill to replace Obamacare Friday, an ad asking constituents to “thank Congressman Darrell Issa for keeping his promise and replacing the Affordable Care Act with a better health care you deserve,” began airing.

The ad was paid for by the conservative American Action Network, and similar ads were run for 11 Republican congressmembers.

The House was Representatives was supposed to vote on the Republican’s American Health Care Act, which would replace the Affordable care Act put signed into law by President Obama in 2010, but the bill lacked support among the GOP, and House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Trump agreed to scrap the vote.

NBC 7 reached out to Congressman Issa about the ads, but we have not heard back at this time.

Ads also ran for congressmembers in Fresno and Iowa.

Application and acceptance season is underway at America's colleges and universities. But this year, some institutions of higher learning may see a noticeable dip in attendance from one group purposely choosing to stay home: foreign students.

Applications from international students from countries such as China, India and in particular, the Middle East, are down this year at nearly 40 percent of schools that answered a recent survey by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

The number of foreign students topped 1 million for the first time in 2016. They generated some $32 billion dollars in revenue, which supported more than 400,000 jobs, according to the Association of International Educators.

Some education professionals warn a drop in international students could lead to faculty cuts, higher tuition and the loss of programs.

Gunfire erupted inside a crowded nightclub in Cincinnati early Sunday, killing one person and wounding more than a dozen others.

Just after 1 a.m., officers responded to calls of shots fired at Cameo NightLife, located in the 4600 block of Kellogg Avenue, according to police.

Sixteen people were shot, one fatally, officials said at a news conference Sunday morning.

Authorities identified the victim who died as 27-year-old Obryan Spikes. The other 15 victims were taken by ambulance or drove themselves to area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious, police said.

One victim remained in "extremely critical condition," according to Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac.

Cincinnati Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate initially tweeted at 5:21 a.m. that only one shooter had been reported, though authorities later said they believed multiple people opened fire in what started as an argument.

“Several local men got into a dispute inside the bar and it escalated into shots being fired,” Isaac explained, adding that the club does “wand individuals and pat them down, however, what we know at this point, several firearms were able to be brought inside the bar.”

“The conflict is believed to have begun between specific groups of individuals earlier in the day, escalating to the nightclub tragedy,” the City of Cincinnati’s official account tweeted.

No one was in custody as authorities continued to investigate.

Police said there was no indication that the shooting was terrorism related, though Mayor John Cranley said that did not make the incident any less devastating.

"There is no evidence that this was a terrorist attack," Cranley said, "However, to the victims, what difference does it make?"

"This is a country where you should be able to go out and have a good time and not be in fear of getting shot," he added. "This is a tragedy that has struck other cities and now has hit Cincinnati."

Hundreds of people were in the nightclub when the shooting occurred, authorities said, many of whom fled the scene, making it difficult for investigators to identify witnesses.

"The biggest problem when you have a large crowd like this and the shots ring out, a lot of the witnesses disappear," Capt. Kim Williams said, adding that the scene became "just a lot of chaos, obviously, when shots were fired.”

"Saturday night, it is a very young crowd. We have had incidents here in the past, but this is by far the worst," she said.

Cameo's Facebook page says it caters to college students on Friday nights, when anyone over 18 is allowed in, while Saturdays are "grown and sexy night" for ages 21 and older.

Full parking lots added to the mayhem, Sgt. Eric Franz told the Cincinnati Enquirer, as first responders had problems initially reaching the victims.

Several off-duty officers were working security at the club; some performed first aid and tried to revive the person who died, police said.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said on Twitter that he was "saddened to learn about last night's shooting" and offered assistance from the state.

Authorities asked anyone with information on the incident to contact police, while Cincinnati restaurateur Jeff Ruby offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person responsible.

“We need to identify the shooter or shooters in this case,” Cranley said. “We must bring the shooters to justice.”

The lights of the Empire State Building went dim Saturday for Earth Hour. 

New York City's iconic skyscraper went dark from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. to bring attention to climate change. 

Landmarks across the globe, including the Eiffel Tower and the Acropolis, are dimmed at 8:30 p.m. local time. 

Earth Hour began in Syndey in 2007 and spread worldwide under WWF. 

This year, people are also encouraged to "go dark" on their Facebook page. 

The unpopular health care proposal supported by President Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan could not get enough Republican votes to pass through the House this week, but Mick Mulvaney, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget on Sunday chalked it up to Washington being "broken" — and questioned the GOP's ability to govern, NBC News reported.

Xochitl Garcia is a modest girl, but what she did at her home Saturday evening deserves praise.

Garcia, who was watching internet videos from the second-floor of her house, heard some crashing sounds and saw flames from her window.

“I just started screaming ‘Mom, there’s fire!’ and then I told my dad too and then we just got out,” Garcia recalls without hesitation.

The fire burned the exterior walls of Garcia’s home and garage in the 3800 block of 26th Street around 8:30 p.m.

“I made sure that my mom and dad - we just got out … we just ran and just screamed for help and everyone was just calling 911,” she says.

When told she ‘did a very brave thing’ the slightly shaken 13-year-old smiles slightly and says “Mmkay.”

There is no cause for the fire yet, and there have been no reported injuries.

“I’m really happy I got my family out and that we’re safe,” she says.

The U.S. Department of Justice is officially investigating Congressman Duncan Hunter to see if he violated campaign finance rules.

Last week the DOJ asked the House Ethics Committee to suspend its investigation and let them take over.

Shawn Van Diver of the Truman National Security Project believes that move by the DOJ could signal bad news for Hunter.

“They wouldn't be doing this if there was nothing to investigate right? This doesn't just happen,” he explains to NBC 7.

The Department is investigating the legality of about $60,000 of Congressman Hunter's campaign committee that went toward personal expenses.

Hunter spent the money over a nearly two-year period on hotels overseas, jewelry, airfare and even dental services among other expenses.

By Van Diver’s count, the Justice Department has done this five times since 2010.

“Other times we've seen that happen are in cases like Jesse Jackson Jr. and Aaron Shock and Michael Grimm,” he says.

Grimm, a former New York Congressman, was sentenced to eight months for tax fraud in 2015.

Shock was a former Illinois congressman indicted on 24 counts for misuse of campaign funds.

“Two of them have gone to jail, one of them is on trial right now, one that's about to go to trial they're at the grand jury and the other is Duncan Hunter,” Van Diver says ominously.

Duncan’s people cited sloppy records and bookkeeping, and his lawyers issued a statement saying that he "maintains that, to the extent any mistakes were made, they were strictly inadvertent and unintentional."

The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is asking for the community’s input on over 60 proposed route and schedule changes.

In fall 2016, MTS launched its Transit Optimization Plan (TOP), to evaluate the bus and trolley services and ensure it meets the public’s needs.

Before the changes are implemented, MTS wants feedback from the public. To learn more about specific proposed changes, click here. 

To voice your opinion, there are more than 20 open house events over the next two weeks. Find find an open house near you, click here. 

There is also a survey online that is open until April 10th. To fill out the survey, click here.

In recent years, ridership on the MTS has dipped. 

If you hear loud noises Monday and Tuesday in Coronado, do not be alarmed.

The U.S. Navy is conducting training exercises near Naval Amphibious Base Pier 6 and San Diego Bay from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

During the training exercise, residents may hear weapons firing (blank munitions) and simulated grenades.

A New York City man is in custody after Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, police thwarted his plan to meet and rape an 11-year-old girl for the third time in Lehigh Valley, according to investigators.

Sandro Zhinin was arrested in Hanover Township Saturday. Police say they received a tip that the 33-year-old was traveling to Pennsylvania Saturday to meet the child before taking her to a hotel. Investigators then set up surveillance at the playground and Zhinin was taken into custody once he arrived, police said.

According to police, Zhinin had executed this plan twice before.

Police say that after Zhinin connected with the girl online, he met her at a playground on March 4, drove her to a hotel and sexually assaulted her. He then sexually assaulted her again one week later on March 11, police said.

Zhinin is being held on $500,000 bond. He will be charged with rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of a minor, and criminal use of a cellphone, according to state police.

The County of San Diego is reaching out to small businesses in the South Bay that have been hurt by the recent Tijuana River sewage spill.

The spill, which began in early February, triggered an estimated 143 million gallons of raw sewage to flow from Mexico into the Tijuana River. The pollution led to beach closures from Tijuana to Coronado.

As a result of the sewage spill damage building up for over a month, the County encourages small businesses to apply for an economic injury disaster loan.

If the local business qualifies, they could receive low interest federal disaster loans to help offset economic loss.

Businesses affected by the pollution may be eligible, but must report damage to the County by April 21. 

For more information about the application or to report damage, visit the County Office of Emergency’s Recovery website.