The Trump administration filed a notice with a federal court in Hawaii Thursday that it will appeal the judge's ruling which bars enforcement of the president's revised executive order on immigration and refugees.

The appeal will go to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco -- which upheld the ruling that barred enforcement of the first executive order, NBC News reported.

The administration filed another notice of appeal on the Maryland ruling against the new executive order last week. This appeal is pending before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia.

The Hawaii notice of appeal comes after the federal judge in Hawaii decided Wednesday to extend his order blocking the travel ban.

El Cajon's TJ Leaf, who played his high school basketball at Foothills Christian, has declared for the 2017 NBA Draft.

Leaf just finished his freshman season at UCLA, avering a team high 16.3 points per game and 8.2 rebounds.

Leaf announced his decision on twitter saying "After much thought and discussion with my family, I have decided to declare for the 2017 NBA Draft with the intention to sign with an agent.  I want to thank my UCLA family for a great season and for all their support! #ThankYouBruins."

By signing with an agent, Leaf would not be able to return to college, making him the latest in college basketballs "One and Done" craze.

NBA mock drafts and scouts project Leaf from a late lottery pick to late first round.

Leaf joins UCLA teammate Lonzo Ball as the second Bruin freshman player to leave UCLA after the season.

Michael Flynn, former national security adviser in the Trump administration, told the Senate Intelligence Committee he is willing to be interviewed about the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russia in exchange for immunity, a Congressional official told NBC News.

The committee focused squarely on Russia as it opened a hearing Thursday on attempts at undermining the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

A discussion between Flynn and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees has taken place but Flynn refuses to comment on the details, according to a statement from Flynn's counsel Robert Kelner.

"General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it," the statement said.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the Flynn development.

Escondido police will hold a community meeting Friday evening to discuss gang violence in the city and what they are doing to combat the problem.

The meeting come just weeks after an Escondido woman was killed during a gang shooting.

Catherine Kennedy, 55, was driving east on Grand Avenue on March 7 when she was hit by a stray bullet. She lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a parked vehicle. 

Police said a 24-year-old man opened fire after seeing a rival gang writing graffiti on their "turf". He was accompanied by a 16-year-old male, also arrested in connection to the shooting.

A stray bullet struck Kennedy, killing her.

Following Kennedy's death, residents told NBC 7 that gang violence has been an issue in their city for years.

Now, Escondido Police is hoping to find a solution to the issue.

"I hope that the community can take away information on how to better make Escondido safer," said Laurie Hauf, with the North County Escondido Gang Commission.

Hauf said the meeting also included a portion where the community could offer their feedback as well.

They will meeting with community members at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Del Dios Academy of Art and Science on Ninth Avenue.

Please check back for updates on this story.

A blown, reportedly sparking transformer has prompted a Sig Alert for both lanes of State Route 76, California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Mary Bailey. 

The incident happened shortly after 4 p.m. on Thursday at Camino Del Rey at State Route 76, near Bonsall. 

The transformer is reported to be sparking. 

Approximately 2,600 customers are without power, according to SDG&E, including customers in Pala Mesa, Bonsal, Gopher Canyon, Oceanside, San Luis Rey Heights and other neighboring areas. 

No other information was available.

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

John and Jennifer Dewar cannot buy regular concert tickets because John has Multiple Sclerosis and needs seats where he can see the show from his wheelchair. 

“Normally we try to buy tickets right when they go on sale, on sale day, or through pre-sales,” John said. “They sell tickets that are on the floor but for a concert, people are standing the whole time, you can’t see if you’re in a wheelchair and you’re obviously not able to stand yourself.” 

John said when he tried to get tickets in his favorite handicap accessible section at the Sleep Train, now Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, for a Train concert in May, the seats he wanted were not available. He wanted seats towards the front of the amphitheater but the only handicap accessible seats showing up as available on the Ticketmaster website were in the back. 

The tickets weren’t sold, John said, they were just unavailable for him to select when purchasing. 

“We just didn’t understand why these seats weren’t available during the presale,” he said. 

John said he went online again during the regular sale but encountered the same situation. 

John and Jennifer called Ticketmaster and found out there was a problem with these elusive tickets. 

“We’re down to just wheelchair seats by themselves,” John said. 

John didn’t want to sit alone so he checked the website again. Again, the seats appeared to be there but he still couldn’t order them. So the family turned to NBC 7 Responds for help. 

After NBC 7 Responds reached out to Ticketmaster, a representative contacted the Dewar family to say the seats they wanted were available. 

Ticketmaster told the couple the new seats were a little more expensive than the seats in the back of the venue, but Ticketmaster gave John, Jennifer, and their daughter Hannah the closer tickets for no extra cost. 

NBC 7 Responds asked Ticketmaster why the tickets the Dewar family originally wanted were unavailable during the pre-sale but has yet to hear back.

Welcome to your weekend, San Diego! Art, flowers, cars, craft beer, music and rowing are just a few of the activities you can enjoy on this spring weekend in America’s Finest City. Make your plans.

Thursday, March 30

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

Garden Tapestries Art Show
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., San Diego Botanic Garden
The “Garden Tapestries” art show wraps up its run this weekend in the Ecke Building at the San Diego Botanic Garden. The exhibit includes garden-themed tapestries from the Rameses Wissa Wassef Art Center in Giza, Egypt, which feature vivid flowers of the desert, villages and Nile River. The tapestries are available for purchase. Admission to this show is included with admission to the Botanic Garden. The art show runs through Friday.

A Night With the Lost Boys of Sudan
5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., AleSmith Brewing Company
The California Lost Boys and Girls Foundation (CLBGF) will head to AleSmith Brewing Company’s tasting room for this educational evening focused on the struggles overcome by the group on their journey to America. The evening includes a traditional performance by The Lost Boys & Girls of Sudan, a book signing featuring Mayak Deng Aruei (“Struggle Between Despair and Life”), a silent auction and raffle prizes, and an Ethiopian food vendor. AleSmith plans to pour some specialty brews during the event, including Mokasida Speedway Stout, which was brewed in support of The Lost Boys of Sudan. Also on tap: Rophi Nut Brown, made with Rophi Ethiopian coffee beans.

Wine, Cheese & Chocolate
6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Vom Fass Hillcrest
Sip and savor your way through some of life’s greatest things – wine, cheese and chocolate – at this tasting event at Vom Fass Hillcrest Thursday night. Seating is limited, so reserve your spot in advance by calling (619) 534-5034, or buy your ticket online.

Into the Beautiful North
8 p.m., Lyceum Theatre
Award-winning playwright Kaen Zacarias’ adaptation of the novel of the same name opens Thursday night at the Lyceum Theatre in downtown San Diego. “Into the Beautiful North” is a quest of epic proportions that looks at the dreams shared on both sides of the border, as told through a 1,000-mile road trip from the Pacific Coast of Mexico through Tijuana and to the climactic scene at the Bahia Hotel in Mission Bay, San Diego. Tickets cost between $20 and $48; the play runs through April 23.

Friday, March 31

Goodguys 17th Meguiar’s Del Mar Nationals
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Friday through Sunday), Del Mar Fairgrounds
This indoor car show known by gearheads as the “Best in the West,” returns to the Del Mar Fairgrounds Friday through Sunday, bringing more than 2,500 hot rods, customs, classics, muscle cars and trucks to the showroom floor all vying for the Goodguys 2017 Street Rod D’Elegance Award. The expo will include hundreds of vendors, a vintage dragster exhibition, racing competitions, a swap meet, live music and more. Bring the kids – there’s even an activity zone for them there with free arts, crafts, games and prizes. The car show runs Friday and Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults; $6 for children ages 7 to 12; kids 6 and under get in free. Parking is $13.

Bankers Hill Art & Craft Beer Festival
6 p.m. to 9 p.m., The Abbey
The Bankers Hill Business Group and San Diego Brewers Guild will partner Friday evening for the 5th annual Bankers Hill Art & Craft Beer Festival at The Abbey on Fifth Avenue. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., attendees will enjoy a range of samples from San Diego breweries (Thorn Street Brewery, Pizza Port Brewing Company, Coronado Brewing Co. – to name a few) and bites from Bankers Hill restaurants (Cucina Urbana, Mister A’s, Barrio Star – to name a few). Local artists will be there, too, hosting pop-up galleries and showcasing their work. Tickets are $30 per person; proceeds will benefit the Bankers Hill Business Group in its continued mission to highlight Bankers Hill and everything the vibrant community has to offer.

Vince Gill
7:30 p.m., California Center for the Arts Escondido
Grammy-winning country music superstar Vince Gill takes the stage at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, singing his hits Friday night in this solo acoustic show. Tickets range between $35 and $75; parking is free.

Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime
8 p.m., House of Blues San Diego
An ode to the cool California band, Sublime, comes “Badfish” a tribute band set to bring the house down Friday night at House of Blues San Diego. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the band performs at 8 p.m. Tickets to the 21+ show cost between $20 and $35.

Saturday, April 1

San Diego Crew Classic
6 a.m., Crown Point Shores in Mission Bay
The rowing season begins this weekend with the annual San Diego Crew Classic in Mission Bay (3699 Crown Point Dr.). Gates open for spectators at 6 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Racing begins at 7:20 a.m., ending at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. General admission is $12 per person.

Catfish Opening Weekend
6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Santee Lakes
Santee Lakes will kick off its catfish fishing season this weekend bright and early – at 6 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Approximately 2,000 pounds of catfish have been put into the lakes and prizes will be awarded to the anglers who catch the top five largest catfish. A one-day fishing permit costs $9 per adult and $6 for seniors and children ages 15 and under. Bring a blanket or chair, a picnic and sunscreen and make a whole day of it.

Vibha Galhotra: Studio Series
5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Lux Art Institute
Visiting artist Vibha Galhotra’s exhibit at the Lux Art Institute opens Saturday evening, showcasing her large-scale sculptures overwhelmed by ghungaroos – metal ankle bells that are a markedly feminine symbol within Indian culture. The artist is known for using the symbols as a way to highlight and emphasize ecological issues plaguing India and its water supply. The opening night reception is followed by a discussion of the work with a special guest at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Trek with the Trackers
8:30 a.m., Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor’s Center
The Tracking Team at Mission Trails Regional Park takes you on an adventure this Saturday. Follow tracks, track bedlays and other critter evidence as you track lesser-seen animals in the park. The team recommends you wear long pants to enable you to get up close. The trek is free.

Julian Gold Rush Days
10 a.m., Julian Mining Company
Take a trip back in time to Julian this weekend and visit the Julian Mining Company in Wynola, where an old-fashioned mining camp will have re-enactments, an arts and crafts market, a petting zoo, pony rides, old fashioned laundry and fun for the whole family. Admission is $3 for adults and free for kids under 12 years old.

Adnormal Beer Company’s Anniversary Party
11 a.m., Cork and Craft
Celebrate Abnormal Beer Company’s second anniversary this Saturday at The Cork & Craft. The company will celebrate with a special anniversary list of brews in addition to other guest breweries, plus a DJ and other swag. Admission is free.

First Date: A New Musical Comedy
4 p.m., Horton Grand Theatre
A blind first date transforms into a hilarious dinner when blind date newbie Aaron meets Casey, a serial dater. Watch as the pair - and their friends, restaurant patrons and more - sing and dance their way through a high stakes evening as each takes a chance on finding love. The San Diego Musical Theatre production plays at the Horton Grand until May 7. Tickets start at $40, though discounts are available for seniors, children, students and groups. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/entertainment/the-scene/Spring-Preview-What-to-See-in-San-Diego-Theater-This-Spring--414275853.html

Anza-Borrego State Desert Park: Super Bloom
Daytime, Anza-Borrego
The winter rain has brought forth a historic, gorgeous Desert Bloom season for Southern California - and this may be your last weekend to see the flowers! Make the trek to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park this weekend to see the wildflowers up close; the bloom season doesn't last long so go while the breathtaking sights last. Here's a guide on what to see when you get there.

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

Sunday, March 26

San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum Spring Gala
4 p.m., San Diego Childrens Discovery Museum
Celebrate the culture and cuisine of the Pacific Islands this Sunday at this year’s Oceania Spring Gala. The event features cuisine and cocktails from the Pacific Islands, plus live music, dance performances, a silent auction and more. Tickets start at $95.

Bossa Brazil
6 p.m., Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park
Listen to the romantic and lyrical sounds of Bossa Brazil this Sunday in Balboa Park. The Brazilian music Bossa Nova developed in the mid-1900s and is one of the best-known Brazilian music styles. Musicians Antonio Carlos Jobim, Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento and more will perform at the event. Tickets start at $25.

The Who’s Tommy
2 p.m., OB Playhouse
The Who fans will not want to miss this musical production playing at the OB Playhouse. The five-time Tony Award-winning musical is based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album and shares a story of hope, healing and human spirit. Tickets start at $29.

Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego County’s Annual Sharon’s Ride.Run.Walk for Epilepsy
7:30 a.m., De Anza Cove in Mission Bay
Come out this Sunday to help bring awareness to epilepsy and support San Diegans affected by epilepsy. The day will feature not only a run/ride/walk for epilepsy, but also a free BBQ lunch, live music and activities for kids. Tickets start at $15.

Red Velvet
2 p.m., The Old Globe
Fall back to the turbulent backstage world of London’s Theatre Royal in the early 1800s in “Red Velvet”, a play at The Old Globe until April 30. Lolita Chakrabarti’s award-winning play follows a young American actor who steps into the role of Othello after one of the era’s most treasured actors can’t go on – but the role has never been played by a black man before. Tickets start at $34.

Free or Cheap Things to Do in San Diego
Times and locations vary

Looking to save some, but still enjoy the city? In San Diego, there are still plenty of activities to enjoy for free or on the cheap. Go for a hike at Torrey Pines State Park or Cowles Mountain, stroll Balboa Park, try a new craft brewery, admire the murals of Chicano Park or read a book at a downtown park. Get out there and explore America’s Finest City.

Starting in May, drivers who park in metered spaces in Hillcrest will notice a significant change: enforcement hours of parking meters will be shifting by two hours.

There are more than 700 meters enforced between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. in Hillcrest right now. 

Starting May 1, enforcement times will shift two hours later, moving to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

“This should help businesses, this should create parking availability for those coming, hoping to visit Hillcrest, this should also make it easier for residents to find parking,” said Marc Marconi, with the Uptown Community Parking District.

Signs informing drivers of the change are already up, but enforcement will not start until May 1. There will be a 30-day grace period for the month of April. Drivers who fail to feed the meters after 6 p.m. in April will be issued a warning violation.

The move is being made in hopes of increasing traffic for businesses. The concern is that drivers were putting money in the meter at 4 p.m. and then staying four to six hours. The time change is expected to increase turnover, and the bottom line for business owners.

“We’ve got information that about 20 percent of the traffic on streets of Hillcrest are people looking for parking. So if those 20 percent at that hour could find parking, we could see a pretty dramatic increase. 20 percent wouldn’t be unreasonable,” said Benjamin Nicholls, Director of the Hillcrest Business Association.

Right now, money taken from the meters is split between the City of San Diego and Hillcrest community. After administration fees, the City of San Diego gets 55 percent of the money and Hillcrest gets 45 percent.

Marconi says last year, Hillcrest took in approximately $400,000. The money was re-invested into the community.

But some visitors aren’t real happy about the change.

“If you’re going to charge money for people to park while we’re trying to go to dinner, that takes away from what money we could be spending at the restaurants,” said Steve Stockman.

Marconi played down the notion that the plan is an effort to make more money off the parking meters.

“I, frankly, can’t tell you if this is going to raise or lose us money. What this will do, is help with business turnover, help spur the local economy, and help Hillcrest in general, getting more people in here,” said Marconi.

Those who depend on public transportation in San Diego now have a new way to buy their transit tickets – on-the-go, at any time.

On Thursday, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and the North County Transit District (NCTD) unveiled “Compass Cloud,” a new mobile ticketing option now available across both transit systems.

Compass Cloud is a free app that can be downloaded onto any iPhone or Android smartphone and can be used to buy daily or monthly transit passes, including tickets for the MTS Rapid, MTS bus, MTS trolley, NCTD Coaster, Sprinter and Breeze.

MTS and NCTD said fares will stay the same, but buying those tickets gets much easier.

For instance, the app allows riders to buy their tickets anytime, anywhere, 24/7. It also allows multiple tickets and passes to be stored and activated on one phone, for families or friends traveling together. Future-use passes can be purchased and stored via the app as well, so riders can have their tickets ready to go as soon as they hop on public transit. This way, they can board much more quickly, without worrying about whether they have enough time to buy their ticket at a physical kiosk and still catch their trolley or bus.

MTS CEO Paul Jablonski said Compass Cloud is designed to give passengers “a new level of convenience to ride transit throughout San Diego County.” Matthew Tucker, NCTD executive director, said the app will be convenient for NCTD riders.

MTS said a recent survey showed more than 85 percent of MTS passengers carry a smartphone. Many said they’d use a mobile ticketing option if it was available.

The app’s features will be rolled out in phases. In this first phase, day passes, 30-day passes and Coaster one-way tickets will be available for adult passengers. Future phases will bring the availability for discounted fares for youth, seniors and disabled passengers.

Of course, riders can still purchase tickets or Compass Cards through the ticket kiosks at transit stations but are urged by MTS to try the app.

Currently, MTS runs 95 bus routes and three trolley lines across 53 miles of railway spanning 10 cities and in unincorporated areas of San Diego County. More than 300,000 riders use the system each day. NCTD provides 12 million passenger trips per year throughout San Diego’s North County and into downtown San Diego.

Circulate San Diego, a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance mobility in San Diego via more walkable and bikeable neighborhoods, said the Compass Cloud option is an improvement for public transit in the county, but problems remain.

In a press release, Circulate San Diego said problems remain with the Compass Card -- a smart card needed to board MTS buses and Trolleys.

According to Colin Parent, Policy Counsel for Circulate San Diego, the Compass Card doesn’t have the function of “stored value,” which would allow a transit rider to store funds on a card for future use. Parent said improvement to fix this has been a long time coming. Parent also said the Compass Card does not have the basic level of PCI compliance, which could leave riders vulnerable to fraud.

A pest control worker cleaning junk at an Escondido home apparently fell from the side of the house and died, according to Escondido Police Sergeant Fred Cheatham. 

The incident happened at approximately 1:40 p.m. on the 1400 block of Oak Hill Drive in Escondido at a house for sale by Renovation Realty. 

Dewey Pest Control workers were working at the home at the time of the fatal fall.

One worker was clearing junk in an area and separated from his partner during their work. 

When the worker went to find his partner an hour later, he found him with a gash to the head in a patio area, Cheatham said. 

Though no one witnessed the fall, the worker appeared to have fallen from the house and died. The pest control worker believes his partner must have fallen over 10 feet.  

The man was declared dead at the scene. 

No other information was available.

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

Emails obtained by NBC 7 under the California Public Records Act show that the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) knew seven weeks ago that water at a local elementary school had high levels of contaminants in it.

On Wednesday – and for weeks prior – a spokeswoman told NBC 7 that the school district could not provide the lab results about what contaminants were in the water at Emerson-Bandini Elementary School, nor at what level the water was contaminated, as they were waiting to get the test results from the city.

Now, emails obtained by NBC 7 show the school district was informed of lab results on Feb. 9 and again on Feb. 21 that the water at the school in Southcrest was contaminated with various chemicals.

The lab results show unsafe levels of vinyl chloride, and various other chemicals. Toxic levels of lead have also been discovered in the water there.

Correspondence in an email dated Feb. 21 says there were “reports of blue tinge to water” at the school and that a school nurse “reports that several charter students experienced nausea and vomiting following consumption of water.”

The emails show the lab told the district the results were consistent with what was making students and staff sick with nausea after drinking the water, and recommended the district test other schools on the same water distribution line.

On Wednesday, a SDUSD spokeswoman said “we are at the mercy of the city” to explain why results had not yet been provided to the public and NBC 7.

On March 2, nearly a month after the first lab results were obtained by the district showing contaminated water, NBC 7 visited Emerson-Bandini Elementary School on Newton Avenue. That day, kids were drinking from the water fountain and school staff told NBC 7 bottled water was not being provided to students because, “nothing was wrong with the water there.”

That same day, a SDUSD spokeswoman told NBC 7 that preliminary results of lab tests showed corrective action may need to be taken because bacteria was discovered in the water. That statement said the district received word of a possible odor in the water so they sent samples out for analysis and started providing bottled water.

Now, public records show the actual lab results from the samples had already been received by the district nearly a full month prior.

NBC 7 reached out to the school district Thursday morning regarding the information found in the emails. A spokeswoman said the school district began providing bottled water to Emerson-Bandini Elementary School on Jan. 26.

“The report you speak on was done after that as part of the investigation into what might be the issue there. It’s like your water heater breaking at home – first you mitigate the immediate problem (cut off drinking from the fountains and provide bottled water), and then you start looking into what the source of the problem was (the investigations that followed and that the report refers to),” the spokeswoman explained via email.

She said the nurse’s observation referred to in the emails came after the water issues at the school had been reported, and after the bottled water had been distributed on campus. The testing was not done because children were getting sick; it was done before that, the spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, SDUSD plans to begin testing all schools for lead as of April 4. Results will be posted online.

A 24-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a crash Thursday night in Carlsbad, according to police.

The Carlsbad Police Department said the motorcyclist crashed into a curb at around 9:25 p.m. on Gateway Road and El Fuerte Street.

When officers arrived, they found the badly damaged Harley Davidson resting on its side along the sidewalk. The motorcyclist was on the ground, unresponsive, and had suffered critical injuries. He died at the scene, police said.

Police believe the motorcyclist may have been going too fast, took the turn too wide and hit the curb. His name has not yet been released.

No other vehicles were involved and no one else was injured. Road closures were in effect for several hours following the accident.

A former "Power Rangers" TV actor who pleaded guilty to killing his roommate earlier this month was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison.

Family members of the victim were in court as the sentence was read for thirty-eight-year-old Ricardo Medina, who entered a plea deal on March 16 in Los Angeles County Superior Court to voluntary manslaughter with the use of a sword, the weapon used in the fatal stabbing. Prosecutors said Medina stabbed Joshua Sutter several times in the abdomen two years ago at their house in Green Valley, a mountain town north of Los Angeles.

Several family members, including his mother, father and sister, spoke in court. Medina did not look at them as they spoke about Sutter and the sentence, which they called a slap on the wrist.

"He chose to grab a 3-foot Samurai sword and catapult it into my brother's abdomen, in and out, right to left, making sure to penetrate every vital organ," Sutter's sister said in court. 

The two had argued over Medina's girlfriend, who also was in court for the sentencing.

"You will forever be a violent, sick, disturbed, poor-excuse of a man that no punishment can justify your being," she said.

Medina's attorney said his client never veered from a his claim of self-defense. 

"It would have been better not to have been charged, but given the risks for any criminal trial, in that respect he was indeed very fortunate," said attorney Stanley Friedman.

Medina played the Red Lion Wild Force Ranger on "Power Rangers Wild Force" in 2002. He was the voice of Deker on "Power Rangers Samurai" in 2011 and 2012.

A Chow Chow mix dog was found wandering the streets of Southern California with its snout tightly bound with a rubber band.

A good Samaritan discovered the dog in the 500 block of Pasadena Avenue in the city of Pomona Tuesday. The pup was brought in to the Inland Valley Humane Society and SPCA for treatment.

Vets at the Inland Valley Human Society say the 3-year-old dog, which staff are calling Caleb, appeared to have been muzzled for a long period of time and was in a lot of pain. 

The rubber band was embedded into the dog’s snout and required immediate surgery. 

Caleb had no collar, no identification tag and no microchip when he was found. The Inland Valley Humane Society and SPCA were searching for the owner or person responsible and considering pursuing animal cruelty charges.

Caleb was in stable condition Thursday.

Two Prospect Heights men are accused of sexually abusing at least three teenagers in their suburban Chicago home after one of the alleged victim’s parents found an alarming text message on the boy’s phone, authorities said.

Christopher and Anthony Wheeler are charged with criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Prospect Heights police say they investigated the married couple after a 15-year-old boy sought medical care on March 7 after being sexually abused by the Wheelers in their home. The alleged victim said the men were the parents of another child the victim had come to know at a Chicago church, according to police. 

The 15-year-old said he was invited to visit the Wheeler’s child in Prospect Heights through texts and social media, according to police. Christopher Wheeler paid for the boy to travel in an Uber to the home where they watched pornography and “sexual conduct took place,” Prospect Heights police allege.

During the investigation, police say they became aware of two other juveniles, 14 and 15, who were friends with the Wheeler’s children and had been invited to the home under “various guises.”

“Some were shown pornographic materials and provided alcohol before also engaging in acts of sexual conduct with both Christopher and Anthony Wheeler,” police said in a news release.

The couple was taken into custody on March 28 and a search warrant was executed on the home.

Anthony Wheeler is held in lieu of $3 million and Christopher Wheeler is held in lieu of $4 million, as ordered by Cook County Judge Joseph Cataldo.

Prospect Heights police were assisted in the investigation by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and the Cook County Children’s Advocacy Center, according to the news release.

Additional victims and charges are possible, police said.

Soon the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) will be added to the long list of departments across the country using drones to help better protect their community.

CVPD is in the final stages of research and training before deploying drones in the field. They could be seen as early as July, according to a department release.

The drones, equipped with cameras, will assist officers and the Chula Vista Fire Department in “critical incidents” like searching for missing persons, traffic collisions or wildfires.

“These drones will help make things safer for the community and enhance our response, as well as being a cost saving measure,” said Drone Coordinator, Lt. Chris Kelley.

Drone pilots will be coursed on weather conditions, air traffic control procedures, and safety and maintenance before being tested by the Federal Aviation Administration.

CVPD maintains that its drones will not be used for random surveillance, and the department will be required to obtain consent or a search warrant to use the drones in areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.

A draft of the department's policies and procedures for drone use is available to the public.

The public is urged to offer their feedback on the drone program and can do so on the Frequently Asked Questions page of the CVPD website. You can also email the department.

In his first meeting with NATO Friday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson set a deadline of two months for allies to present a plan to increase their military spending, NBC News reported. 

Tillerson said it was "no longer sustainable" for the United States to pay for a "disproportionate share" of NATO's budget. America's top diplomat said fellow NATO members had until their summit on May 25 to formulate this plan.

NATO advises all its members to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense. But most countries — all except United States, Britain, Estonia, Greece and Poland —fall short of this target.

Tillerson said that by the end of this year they should be meeting this 2 percent target already, or have at least developed a detailed plan to do so.

Two sisters from Colombia who traveled to Massachusetts to visit their mother and stepfather were sent back to their home country Friday after being detained at a Boston airport earlier this week.

A lawyer for Laura and Dayana Gomez told NBC Boston Friday that the two girls have been sent back to Colombia. No reason has been given.

The two sisters had flown from Colombia into Boston's Logan International Airport Wednesday night and were detained by Customs and Border Protection agents and questioned upon their arrival.

The girls' mother, who lives in Lowell, said Thursday that she was extremely worried, and not just because of the lengthy detainment. Laura, who is only 11 years old, was hospitalized Thursday morning with severe stomach pains and then brought back to the airport where questioning continued.

"The detention of this eleven-year-old, who was not healthy, is the perfect example of how this administration's policy of inspecting everyone in search or reasons for deportation can go terribly wrong," immigration attorney Heather Yountz said.

Yountz said she's never seen anything like this case. She said the sisters, who are dual citizens of Colombia and Spain, have valid Spanish passports and had return tickets. She believed U.S. Customs and Border Protection might have been concerned that the girls would stay in the States with their mother and not go back home. Laura and her 20-year-old sister Dayana are both applying to become U.S. citizens.

"Alternative practices were available, and they should have been used," she said. "Deferred inspection, a process by which an individual can be paroled into the United States and allowed to return a few days later for questioning, would have made much more sense given this little girl's age and health situation."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection told NBC Boston it could not comment on a specific case because of privacy laws.

The agency did release a statement that reads in part, "It is important to note that issuance of a visa or a visa waiver does not guarantee entry to the United States. A CBP officer at the port of entry will conduct an inspection to determine if the individual is eligible for admission under U.S. immigration law."

A high school student from Connecticut has won the national Doodle 4 Google competition, earning prime real estate for her design on Google's homepage through 3 a.m. Saturday.

The theme for this year's annual event was "What I see for the future." Sarah Harrison, a sophomore at Bunnell High School in Stratford, depicted her vision of inclusion and acceptance in her artwork titled "A Peaceful Future."

Harrison lives in Stamford. 

“My future is a world where we can all learn to love each other despite our religion, gender, race, ethnicity, or sexuality. I dream of a future where everyone is safe and accepted wherever they go, whoever they are,” Harrison wrote in her Doodle submission.

Sarah will also receive a $30,000 college scholarship and visit Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, to meet with the Doodle team. Her high school will receive a $50,000 Google for Education grant to spend on technology and advance STEM programs.

William Floyd, head of external affairs for Google, said in a statement that this year’s competition was meant to get students thinking about the future they want to create for the world and the submissions were nothing short of inspiring.

“Ultimately, Sarah’s doodle captured the best of everything we saw, representing values like diversity, inclusion, and respect in an inspiring and creative image,” he said.

Harrison said she was thinking about the current state of the world when designing her artwork.

“When I started, I was thinking of how there’s a lot of animosity toward diverse communities of people in the world right now,” Harrison said. “So I wanted to draw something that I hoped would show that we can all get along well, and that it’s possible for us to be happy with each other. I want everyone try to be more open, accepting, and respectful to people. You don’t know what they’ve been through - and they don’t know what you’ve been through - so we all deserve respect from each other.”

The finalists from each of the different age groups between K-12 will receive a $5,000 college scholarship and a Chromebook, as well as a trip to the Googleplex to meet some professional Doodlers at Google.

Doodles are a regular feature on the Google.com search page. Google has often used the artwork to celebrate holidays, spotlight causes and honor people and places.

See the winning Doodle submissions from each state here.