San Diego County sheriff’s detectives are looking for the suspect or suspects responsible for stealing several World War II medals from a veteran's home during a residential burglary in Vista.

According to detectives, the war medals were stolen from a residence in the 1000 block of Prospect Place sometime between November 27 and December 15.

The medals have no real monetary value, detectives said, but they do hold great sentimental value to the owner, a World War II veteran who earned them while fighting in the war.

The vet was wounded in combat and spent almost a year in the hospital recovering from his injuries.

Detectives said both the burglary suspect(s) and the stolen medals are still outstanding.

Detectives are asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating the persons responsible for the burglary. Anyone with information is asked to contact sheriff’s detective Lisa Jenkins at (760) 940-4907 or the Crime Stoppers tip line at (888) 580-8477.
 

Bells across the country will ring 26 times Friday morning—one for each of the victims killed in last week’s Newtown shooting—to mark the one-week anniversary of the elementary school attack.

On Monday, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy requested participation from all houses of worship and buildings equipped to carry out the symbolic gesture. He also requested a statewide moment of silence at 9:30 a.m., “exactly one week after the horror began to unfold.”

Governors from Louisiana to Hawaii to Illinois promptly joined Malloy’s call for a moment to remember the twenty schoolchildren and six faculty members killed in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, as did a group from the technology world, who are planning an Internet-based moment of silence.

For full U.S. news coverage, visit NBCNews.com.

By Thursday evening, more than 150,000 people had signed a pledge to participate in a “five minute pause from all online activity” organized by Nick Grossman, an activist at Union Square Ventures, and the team at the activist site, Causes.com.

A companion website, webmomentofsilence.org, offered instructions on temporarily blacking out websites to “help bring focus to the events at Sandy Hook and the broader issue of gun violence in America.”

The website said that participation did not represent any political agenda and that organizers were hoping to remember the victims and “spark an ongoing productive conversation.”

Huffington Post, ESPN, Foursquare, TechCrunch, AOL, Gilt and Adobe were among the sites participating in the online moment of silence, according to Ad Week.

The National Council of Churches told NBC News that many of its 100,000 congregations were planning to sound their bells Friday morning and those without bells were planning to honor the victims in other ways.

Remembering the Sandy Hook Victims: Portraits of the Fallen.

Susan Marie Smith, a rector at St. Albans Episcopal Church in Bexley, Ohio told NBC News that her church is planning a morning fast and 20 minutes of prayer “to share the burden of our brothers and sisters in Connecticut.”

The federal government is participating as well. President Obama will observe the solemn 9:30 a.m. occasion at the White House, while Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will mark the moment of silence at an elementary school in Washington D.C., where he is scheduled to speak at a school safety forum. His visit to Neval Thomas Elementary School will be his first public appearance since the shooting last week.

Meanwhile, in Newtown funerals will continue for a fifth consecutive day.

On Thursday five children were laid to rest as well as a Sandy Hook teacher and Nancy Lanza, the mother of gunman Adam Lanza who fatally shot her before ambushing Sandy Hook Elementary School and taking his own life.

Oceanside police are searching for an unidentified suspect or suspects wanted in connection with an attempted homicide that happened one week ago.

On Dec. 13 just before 7p.m., police officers were called to an area in the 4800 block of Siesta Drive to check the welfare of a Hispanic male.

The man, now identified by police as 40-year-old Mexican national Humberto Flores Lozano (pictured above), had been the victim of an assault and had sustained a major head injury.

Due to his serious injuries, Lazano has been unable to communicate with investigators or answer questions about his assault. As of Thursday, he remains in critical condition at the hospital.

Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying or locating any suspects involved in this attempted homicide.

Anyone who may know Lazano or the suspects – or anyone who may have witnessed this assault -- is urged to contact Oceanside Police Detective TJ Dunn at (760) 435-4054 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Check back for updates.
 

A housekeeper was handcuffed in an armed home invasion robbery in Rancho Santa Fe Thursday, sheriff's deputies confirmed.

According to officials, two suspects -- one of whom was armed with a handgun -- attempted to enter a home in the 5000 block of El Mirlo at around noon.

A housekeeper was the only person home at the time and she denied the suspects entry. After doing so, deputies said the woman was taken around back by the suspects and handcuffed to something so they could  then ransack the house.

They entered the home and stole jewelry, antique clocks and other expensive items, deputies said.

The suspects fled in a metallic KIA with the stolen items.

The housekeeper was not injured. Deputies said her teenage children discovered her some time later and called 911 to report the crime.

The California Public Utilities Commission was poised to approve a new electricity rate hike that will effectively shift the responsibility of a multi-million dollar settlement from San Diego Gas and Electric shareholders to ratepayers according to a San Diego consumer group.

San Diego's Utility Consumer's Action Network (UCAN) appealed to delay the CPUC’s vote, calling the last-minute recommendation by Commissioner Timonthy Alan Simon “unfair” and a “bait-and-switch.”

“If this decision is adopted your rates go up to pay for the fires caused by SDG&E equipment,” said Donald Kelley, Executive Director of (UCAN).

Then, under pressure from UCAN and several local lawmakers, the commission withdrew the agenda item Thursday afternoon.

The action denied the request by SDG&E to retroactively impose a rate hike of nearly half a billion dollars to cover the cost of power-line caused fires in 2007, plus the cost of future damages.

In response, SDG&E released this statement:

"We believe the Commission today reached a reasonable compromise that gives SDG&E the opportunity to continue to make its case for rate recovery, while also allowing a robust reasonableness review by commissioners in the best interest of its customers."

Click here to read SDG&E's full response. 

SDG&E owes $463 million to firestorm victims after an independent report by Cal-Fire determined its power lines caused the Witch, Rice, and Guejito fires. Two people died and 1,300 homes burned down. Losses have run upwards of $2 billion.

SDG&E had asked that ratepayers cover 95-percent of the losses with Sempra investors on the hook for the rest. The company said this would cost the average customer around $190, payable at the rate of $3 to $4 per month for up to four years.

After initially denying the request to pass along the cost to ratepayers, Commissioner Simon revised his decision just hours before a hearing set to approve the final details of the long-awaited settlement UCAN told NBC 7 San Diego.

“Commissioner Simon found that despite three years of testimony experts and arguments by lawyers and all parties involved that he was persuaded at the very last second because SDG&E came up with a persuasive argument that caused him to do a 180 on his opinion,” said Kelly.

Instead of shareholders paying for the damages, Kelly said the ratepayers of San Diego County will be on the hook for that money.

The commission usually gives parties 20 days to consider revisions and submit comments.

UCAN requested a delay so they can publicize the new decision and ask ratepayers to call their elected officials to ask them to support the delay. Among the lawmaker are Assem.
Ben Hueso, Assem. Toni Atkins, Assem. Shirley Weber and Sen. Marty Block.

Even if the CPUC approves Simon’s recommendation, UCAN said the decision may be appealed through a lawsuit.

A newborn in San Diego is home at last after spending the first three days of his life undergoing a unique but life-saving treatment at a local hospital.

Baby Leo is now a healthy baby boy whose family is looking forward to spending their first Christmas with him.

But just 8 days ago, Leo was in danger of sustaining lifelong brain damage. During labor, his placenta separated early, depriving him of oxygen. He was delivered without a heartbeat.

"There was just no sound. Nothing," said Leo's mother, Annie Keeling. "I could tell instantly just by the mood something wasn't right and didn't hear any crying."

The silence lasted 12 minutes. 

He was taken to the Neurological Intensive Care Unit at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital once his heart started beating. The lack of oxygen left Leo with an 80 percent risk of having severe neurological impairment or death, doctors said. 

"The last I remember hearing was '12 minutes - no heartbeat'," said Keeling, who planned on delivering baby Leo at a birthing center, but was taken to Mary Birch when she began showing signs of a low-grade fever.

Doctors placed him under a cooling blanket. The treatment in the unit’s relatively new nursery slowed down any neurological damage that might have happened due to the lack of oxygen.

Doctors and specialized equipment monitored his brain activity for evidence of injury or seizure in his three days under the cooling blanket.

"We were always expecting bad news to come, and it was just a huge relief to know he was a normal baby," Keeling said.

There is now no evidence of brain injury, and doctors anticipate Leo will be fine. 

His parents took him home Wednesday to meet his big brother and big sister. 

"We're feeling very very blessed," Keeling said outside the hospital Wednesday. 

The man charged in the fatal stabbing of a San Marcos woman and the stabbing of a child 26 times was held on $5 million bail and considered an “extreme danger to society.”

Daniel Hernandez, 28, of Vista, was arrested in the death of Antonia Marie Duran, 41, and the assault on an 8-year-old girl inside Duran’s San Marcos apartment.

San Diego County sheriff’s deputies were called to the complex on North Twin Oaks Valley Road at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday by a man reporting that his mother and sister had been stabbed.

Deputies Hernandez was found at a laundromat hours later washing his bloodied clothes and shoes.

At the arraignment Thursday, prosecutors revealed the brutality of the crime. Duran’s throat was slashed and she was stabbed 22 times according to the prosecutor.

The girl was stabbed 26 times but is expected to survive her injuries officials said. She has not been identified. She’s currently in a medically-induced coma at Rady Children’s Hospital.

Duran (pictured right) and Hernandez met at a gas station two months prior to the attack but the nature of their relationship is unknownaccording to prosecutors.

Hernandez who has a history of assault and burglary, was considered an extreme danger to society by Judge Marshall Hockett.

He was ordered held on $5 million bail.

There is a readiness hearing set for next week with a preliminary hearing scheduled January 7, 2013.

The State Department of Public Health has fined a San Diego hospital $75,000 for removing the wrong kidney from a man in 2010, the department announced Thursday.

According to the department’s report, an 85-year-old man went in for surgery at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Grantville to have his left kidney removed. Doctors had found a cancerous tumor on the kidney prior to the surgery. 

Just before the surgery, the surgeon marked the right kidney area, instead of the left.

He told investigators that he could have accessed a CT image to confirm which kidney was to be removed, but he didn’t feel it was relevant to the case.

The right kidney was then removed and sent to a pathologist at the hospital. Later, the pathologist informed the surgeon there was no cancerous tumor mass in the kidney that was removed.

In subsequent interviews, the department learned the patient pointed to his right side during a physical when he was describing where he felt pain. The patient, referred to in the report as Patient L," then signed a surgical consent form to have his right kidney removed.

However, CT images showed the cancerous mass on the patient’s left kidney. The department found that the mistake could have been prevented if the surgeon had looked at the images.

“During the [surgery], the relevant images related to Patient L were not utilized,” the report states.

A statement obtained by NBC 7 San Diego from the hospital says that staff "immediately reported the matter to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and cooperated fully with their investigation.”

On page 5 of the report, the department wrote that the hospital administration did not provide a report on the error. They found out about the error when the hospital released the patient’s medical records to them, informing them of the surgery.

"The incident occurred on Saturday, December 18th, 2010 and we notified CDPH on Wednesday, December 22, 2010," a separate statement from the hospital reads.

As a result of the error, the patient often experiences fatigue and depression and has additional dietary restrictions, his wife told the department investigators in the report.

When interviewed by the department, the man began to tear up describing how the surgery has changed his lifestyle. He said can’t do many of the things he enjoyed before the erroneous surgery, such as dance and play golf. He also has become dependent on his wife and other family members to assist him with every-day activities such as shopping.

This is the hospital’s second administrative penalty, the department said Thursday.

In response, the hospital issued this statement (in part):

We sincerely regret that this error in 2010 occurred at the Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center. While these types of incidents are very rare, we take the matter extremely seriously.

The statement went on to describe the measures the hospital has taken to make sure errors like this one don’t happen again.

“[The measures include] implementation of a multi-disciplinary surgical safety team that meets weekly to discuss ideas for continuously promoting safe operating practices. This plan was accepted by the CDPH in May of 2011 and was fully implemented at that time.”

In total, 12 California hospitals were penalized, with fines totaling $785,000. Investigations found the hospitals’ errors caused or likely caused serious injury or death to patients.

Research released Wednesday by Johns Hopkins University shows that of all malpractice claims in the U.S., one in four of the claims were of surgeons performing surgeries on the wrong body part – similar to the case at Kaiser in San Diego – the study found.

The U.S. Border Patrol has seen a notable increase in methamphetamine smuggling attempts in San Diego this week, agents said Thursday.

According to the Border Patrol, there have been three separate meth smuggling attempts at three different checkpoints since Sunday.

In one incident, a 21-year-old U.S. citizen tried to smuggle nearly seven pounds of meth hidden inside a fire extinguisher and battery casing.

In a second attempt at SR-94 near Jamul, a male driver attempted to bring nearly 26 pounds of meth across the checkpoint. The drugs were hidden inside the rocker panels of his vehicle.

In the third incident, a Mexican national tried to smuggle nearly 11 pounds of meth hidden inside the seats of his SUV, agents said.

In total, agents said the methamphetamine seized in the three attempts this week had an estimated street value of $873,800.

The suspected smugglers were all taken into custody and turned over to the DEA and Homeland Security.

To scroll through more photos of drug smuggling attempts at San Diego's borders, click here.

A suspect in a Broward County murder was taken into custody in Fort Myers Thursday, a U.S. Marshals Service spokesman said.

Felipe Alex Torrealba, one of the agency's 15 most wanted fugitives, is being transported to the Broward County Jail Thursday night, spokesman Barry Golden said.

Earlier this year the Broward Sheriff's Office called Torrealba a suspect in the murder of Kris Smalls, 42, of Weston, who was found dead in his SUV in March one week after he was reported missing.

Two handguns and about $15,000 in cash as well as a pair of binoculars and a wig were found inside the two-story townhouse where Torrealba was hiding as authorities arrested him, the U.S. Marshals said in a statement.

A rental vehicle with two different Texas license plates, which was parked outside the townhouse, is believed to be the vehicle that Torrealba used to elude law enforcment, the agency said.

Torrealba's attorney, Jim Lewis, said he has not heard from him since February.

“These are some very serious allegations, and when he’s returned here to Broward County I hope to sit down and talk with him, and get to the bottom of them, and find out what the truth is," Lewis said Thursday night.

Torrealba was also wanted in connection with a January incident in which he was shot in the ear by a Sweetwater Police officer as he fled a traffic stop.

“Armed” Suspect Says He Wasn’t Armed

A week after a shooting rampage in a Newtown elementary school left 27 people dead -- including 20 first graders and six teachers -- First Lady Michelle Obama penned an open letter to the residents of Newtown, which ran in the Hartford Courant under the title 'Holding You In Our Hearts.'

In the letter, Obama said she was inspired by the heroism of first responders, teachers and children in the school, and proud of the support the entire nation has shown over the past week. And she promised that President Obama will 'use the powers of his office' to find ways to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Here is the full letter:

6:41 p.m. EST, December 20, 2012

Over the past week, we as Americans have been united in our grief as Newtown has laid to rest so many beautiful, innocent children, along with the heroic educators who worked every day to help them achieve their dreams.

As a mother of two young daughters, my heart aches for you and your families. Like so many Americans, I wish there were something - anything - I could do or say to ease your anguish.

But I know that I cannot begin to imagine the depths of your grief. I know that for many of you, the pain you are enduring right now seems unbearable; and many of you may be asking yourselves, how can we go on - as families and as a community?

Over the past week, I have been awed and inspired by Newtown's heroes: the first responders who risked their lives at a moment's notice; the educators whose devotion to their students shone brightest in one of our nation's darkest hours; the children who comforted each other despite their fear; the families coming together to support each other as they grieve.

And I am so proud of the outpouring of love and support that has come from every corner of America: from first responders from neighboring cities rushing to help however they could; from people in Cleveland and Charlotte and Juneau and so many other communities joining together to honor Newtown with their thoughts and prayers; and in living rooms and houses of worship and the halls of our government, where we are beginning to have those difficult conversations about how we can build a safer, more peaceful tomorrow for all our children.

And I want you to know that this is just the beginning. As my husband has said, in the coming weeks, he will use all the powers of his office to engage citizens from across this country to find ways to prevent tragedies like this one. And please know that every minute of every day, we are thinking of you, and praying for you, and holding you and your families in our hearts as you begin the slow and wrenching work of healing and moving forward.

In the months and years ahead, may the memories of those beautiful children and those heroic adults be a blessing for their families, for your community, and for our country, and may God bless you all.

First Lady Michelle Obama, Washington DC

Air travel this year will be more festive thanks to new TSA standards that allow small snow globes and pies in carry-on luggage.

With 1.8 million travelers and 2.2 million carry-ons passing through security checkpoints every day, according to the Transportation Security Administration, travelers are urged to prep their luggage accordingly to avoid being the Grinch that slows down the security line.

This year, if snow globes appear to hold less than 3.4 ounces of liquid -- about the size of a tennis ball -- and fit in a quart-sized, clear bag, they’re OK.

Solid foods, like pies, fruitcakes, cookies, turkey and ham, are also allowed on the plane. But jams, jellies, curds, sauces and dips still have to abide by the 3.4-ounce rule, travel in a checked bag or be shipped ahead of time.

If "you can spill it, spread it, smear it, squeeze it, spray it, pump it, or pour it," then travelers should check it, TSA's Lisa Farbstein told KPCC.

Travelers are urged to wait ‘til they arrive to wrap gift because while they are allowed in carry-on bags, if an agent needs to take a closer look at a concealed present, travelers will have to rewrap the gift when they land.

Firearms, weapons, sharp objects and these items are still prohibited, no matter the season.

These quintessential holiday items are cleared to fly in travelers’ carry-on luggage:

• Glass ornaments
• Cookies
• Pies, cakes, bread, doughnuts
• Turkey
• Unwrapped presents
• Snow globes about the size of a tennis ball
• Garland
• Lights
• Cookware, crockpots, casserole dishes, etc.
• Candles
• Egg nog (if less than 3.4 ounces)

The following items are not allowed in carry-on luggage:

• Wrapped presents (They’re allowed in carry-ons, but if an agent wants a closer look, you’ll have to rewrap it when you land)
• Jams, jellies, cranberry sauce, maple syrup, dips and spreads (including cheeses and peanut butter)
• Gift baskets with edible items
• Snow globes larger than 3.4 ounces
• Matches
• Knives
• Wine, liquor and beer

If you're not sure if one of your items is allowed in carry-on luggage, the TSA has a search engine on its homepage that allows travelers to type in an item and get an answer. The agency also has a mobile app.

The San Diego State University Aztecs renewed an old rivalry against Brigham Young University Cougars in the Poinsettia Bowl Thursday night.

This one didn't go exactly as Aztecs fans had planned.

“We’ve had a really good season that didn’t end the right way,” said SDSU head coach Rocky Long.

BYU won 23-6, snapping the Aztecs' 7-game win streak.

They forced five turnovers. The one that really broke the Aztecs' back was when Kyle Van Noy intercepted Adam Dingwell and returned it for a touchdown.

After leading 6-3, the Aztecs were outscored 20-0 in the 4th quarter.

“A couple of things happened early in the game that might have changed the momentum the other way. It didn’t,” Long said. “We turned the ball over way too much in the second half. It’s a simple game.”

BYU and San Diego State have played 36 times.The Cougs have now won 28 of them.
 

Local residents remembered the victims of the recent Newtown, Conn. school shooting in a unique way Friday.

Saint Paul's Episcopal Cathedral near Balboa Park was one of many churches around the nation that rang its bells 28 times to mark each of the victims.

Click here for a full list of victims' names

Jacqueline Turner said she thought she was going to be late as she drove to St. Paul’s Cathedral for the 9:30 a.m. PT event.

She taught school for 33 years including 12 years in Poway. With three children of her own she said she can’t imagine the pain being felt by the victims’ families.

“I’m just one person but my heart is with the parents and with the people who are grieving in Newtown,” Turner said.

Hearing the bells was important to her. “The sound, the souls, I hope there’s a Heaven and I believe there is and I hope those babies are up there,” she said.

Ann Hassinger thought it was important to come and said the moment of silence helped her put things in perspective.

“There are a lot more important things going on than buying gifts or making meals,” she said.

More than 100 people took part in a memorial walk along the streets of Escondido despite unusually cold temperatures.

The walk began just before 6:30 a.m. PT. Some walkers wore green ribbons in honor of the colors at Sandy Hook Elementary School. 

Every minute the walkers read the name of a victim in Newtown, Conn.

The walk, planned for 27 minutes around Escondido City Hall and Grape Day Park, was designed to mark a minute for each victim in the Dec. 14 shooting.

After, there was a prayer followed by participants blowing bubbles into the air in honor of the students who were among those killed.

In Connecticut, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy gathered with other officials on the steps of the Newtown town hall as the bell rang 26 times in memory of each life lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The gunman also killed his mother before the massacre, and himself afterward.

Several San Diego-area churches are planning to toll the bells in honor of the Newtown victims.

There are many national campaigns to help the victims' families and residents of Newtown. Click here to find out how you can help.

Several participants of an annual "Guns-For-Gift Cards" exchange said the recent tragedy in Connecticut prompted them to turn in firearms.

Among the guns returned Friday were an automatic Uzi and various other caliber handguns and rifles – no questions asked. Some of the weapons were illegal in the state of California.

The United African American Ministerial Action Council (UAAMAC) has been hosting the gun buy-back program for five years in Southeast San Diego.

This year, the violence that occurred one week earlier was on many minds at the event.

Dennis O’Brien said the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting prompted him to exchange the gun he never uses for a gift card.

“If you’re not using it, then why have it?” he said.

He said he intends to send the money to help the community of Newtown.

Elona Taylor waited in line to turn in guns she had inherited over the years.

“It makes it even more heart-wrenching after hearing what happened back in Connecticut,” Taylor said.  “It’s time just to get ‘em out of here.”

Since its inception, the program has removed 700 guns off the streets according to San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.

“It takes on a special significance of course with what happened in Connecticut,” Dumanis said. “We mourn with those in Connecticut, those innocent victims.”

She said tragedy like what happened on Dec. 14 usually sparks action.

“We’ve had enough," Dumanis said. "We join the president and everybody else who say ‘It’s time to stop the gun violence and to do something.'"

Roy Tyler of Emery Hills missed his walk to wait in line for his daughter.  “Everybody should be out here getting rid of them, getting rid of these guns,” he said.

The District Attorney's Office donated $5,000 in asset forfeiture funds to this year's program.

Gun owners exchanged weapons for gift cards - $50 credit for shotguns and rifles, $100 for pistols and assault weapons. San Diego police officers handled and cataloged the weapons.

They will also destroy those weapons turned in, organizers said.

In the end, gun owners in San Diego traded more than 350 weapons for gift cards and vouchers Friday.