Quantcast
Channel: NBC 7 San Diego - Top Stories
Viewing all 60603 articles
Browse latest View live

Pablo Escobar's Reputed Beachfront Hideout is Open to Guests

0
0

A posh beachfront resort believed to have been built by Pablo Escobar is open to guests.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Casa Malca

Playwright Mat Smart Comes Home With 'Kill Local'

0
0

For Playwright Mat Smart, having his new play "Kill Local" world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse this fall feels like a homecoming, more than a decade later. 

It's been 13 years since Smart graduated from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)'s graduate theater program. The program helped him find his voice as a playwright, he said, for the first time. 

"I really feel like I found my voice, here, through the tutelage of my professors, and my peers, and doing a play each year," he said.

Now, Smart -- an award-winning playwright -- will premiere his latest play, "Kill Local", at the Playhouse for the first time since leaving the school. 

"Kill Local" follows the lives of a mother and her two daughters running their own family business: assassinations. The play stars Matthew Amendt, Carolyn Braver, Candy Buckley, Amanda Quaid and Zochitl Romero. 

The idea for the piece first came to Smart in the form of an opening scene, he said. 

"Honestly, I just always wanted to start a play with a guy tied to a chair and a woman with a gun," Smart said. "That's where it started, that's where the first scene starts, and then I just ran with it."

Most of his previous work centers around family- or relationship-orientated scenes in quiet, intimate dramas. This time around, with "Kill Local", Smart said, he wanted to try something completely different. 

"I just decided to embrace this idea of a family of assassins and it's really violent and really brutal, but also really funny," Smart said.

The piece was developed at the Playhouse's DNA New Work Series in December, the same process that "Miss You Like Hell," "The Last Tiger in Haiti" and other Playhouse pieces went through. 

When he first workshopped the play at the series, Smart said, he had not changed anything in the play for a year. The process allowed him to come back and re-work the piece. 

"It really allowed me to come back and look at it with fresh eyes, and really just dive deeper into it," Smart explained. "I think to make it more brutal and more dark, but also more funny and also more serious at the same time."

At the heart of the play is a question about identity, and whether an individual's identity can change, Smart said. 

"The thing that really resonates with me about the question the play is asking is, do we have an essential self? Do we have a way that we are that can change, or that doesn't change?" Smart said.

"It's somewhat of a nature versus nurture question, but mostly, if we're doing something with our lives that we stop getting as much joy from, can we change? Can we be happy doing something else, or is there something essential that is unmovable to us?" Smart added. 

The question is answered in different ways for different characters throughout the play, Smart said. He thinks audiences will be surprised in the ways in which they will connect with the play. 

"I think if anyone has ever questioned or doubted what they do, and if they want to make a change, hopefully, they will have a way into the play," Smart said.

Having "Kill Local" world premiere at the Playhouse feels like a unique homecoming, a fun way to return home, Smart said.

"It's just fun to come back and be trying something new but very much in my own voice," Smart said. "This is where I found myself as a writer and so it's exciting to try something new here."

"Kill Local" runs at La Jolla Playhouse from Aug. 1 to 27. The play contained graphic violence and strong language. For tickets, click here or call (858) 550-1010.



Photo Credit: Courtesy of La Jolla Playhouse
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Putin Ordering 755 American Diplomats Out of Russia

0
0

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday the United States would have to cut its embassy and consulate staff in Russia by 755 under new sanctions from Moscow.

Russian's Foreign Ministry on Friday ordered a reduction by Sept. 1 in the number of U.S. diplomats in Russia. It said it is ordering the U.S. Embassy to limit the number of embassy and consular employees in the country to 455 in response to the U.S. Senate's approval of a new package of sanctions.

"We had hoped that the situation will somehow change, but apparently if it changes, it won't be soon," Putin said in an interview televised on Rossiya 1, explaining why Moscow decided to retaliate. "I thought it was the time to show that we're not going to leave it without an answer."

Putin said more than 1,000 people are currently employed at the Moscow embassy and three U.S. consulates in Russia. They include both Americans and Russians hired to work in the diplomatic offices.

Russia is open to cooperating with the U.S. on various issues including terrorism and cybercrime but instead it "only hears unfounded accusations of meddling in U.S. domestic affairs," the Russian leader said.

Asked about the potential for additional sanctions against Washington, Putin described the reduction in diplomatic staff as "painful" and said he currently opposes further measures.

"We certainly have something to respond with and restrict those areas of joint cooperation that will be painful for the American side but I don't think we need to do it," he said, adding that such steps could also harm Russian interests.

Putin mentioned space and energy as the main areas where Russia and the United States have successfully pursued projects together.

Along with the cap on the size of its diplomatic corps in Russia, the Russian foreign ministry on Friday said it also was closing down a U.S. recreational retreat on the outskirts of Moscow as well as warehouse facilities.

The diplomatic tit-for-tat started under former U.S. President Barack Obama. In response to reports of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and shut down two Russian recreational retreats in the U.S.

AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.



Photo Credit: AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky

Police Search for Suspects Wanted in Egger Highlands Robbery

0
0

San Diego police are searching for two suspects who allegedly used pepper spray to rob a woman in Egger Highlands. 

The robbery happened at approximately 3:20 p.m. Sunday near Palm Avenue and Saturn Boulevard, in the parking lot of an IHOP. police said.

A man pepper sprayed a woman and took her iPhone 6, police said. 

The two suspects were seen running northwest toward a trailer park, police said. 

Medics responded to the scene and helped the woman. 

Police are overhead with ABLE, their helicopter, helping search for the suspects. 

No further information is available. 



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Vehicle Strikes Crowd in Mid-Wilshire Area, 6 Injured

0
0

A vehicle plowed into a crowd of people Sunday afternoon in the Mid-Wilshire area, injuring at least six people, Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.

The incident was reported around 3:45 p.m. at 5088 West Pico Blvd.

The extent of their injuries is unknown, but Stewart said that two people were being treated at the scene and four others were being taken to a hospital.

It was not immediately clear if the crash was intentional.

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates. We'll have the latest details live on the NBC4 News at 5.


Mark Hamill Drive in Clairemont Dedicated to ‘Star Wars’ Actor

0
0

“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill will forever be connected to San Diego: there’s now a street named after him in Clairemont – the neighborhood where he lived as a kid.

"To say that I'm grateful and honored would be an understatement," Hamill said to a packed crowd on a hot, sunny Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday, Hamill, best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, visited his old neighborhood for a street dedication ceremony where city leaders renamed the corner of Castleton Drive at Mount Abernathy Avenue into honorary “Mark Hamill Drive.”

The actor, who attended Hale Junior High School in Clairemont in the early 1960s, lived with his family in the 5900 block of Castleton Drive at the time.

The son of a Naval officer, Hamill said he went to nine schools in 12 years. He spent the longest amount of time (four years) in San Diego.  

"Part of me is honored because the community reached out to make me a part of something I've wanted for so long - a sense of place," Hamill told the crowd. "I don't really have a hometown, but if I could pick a hometown it would certainly be San Diego." 

Hamill referred to his teenage self as a "goofy kid" who was always doing puppet shows and magic tricks. 

Last month, the San Diego City Council approved renaming the street after the star.

Hamill said when he first heard a street was being renamed after him he thought he was being pranked.

In a statement to the city, Hamill said he was deeply moved by the gesture.

"I'm humbled and so touched by the kindness of the people from my old neighborhood in Clairemont who approved of it and made it happen,” Hamill said in a statement to the City of San Diego. “I've always loved San Diego and lived some of the happiest years of my life there. To have their support means the world to me.”

Sunday’s ceremony was led by San Diego councilmember Chris Cate. Earlier this week, Cate posted a video on social media asking locals to submit questions for Hamill ahead of the big event.

"The force is strong with all of you!" Hamill shouted to the cheering crowd at the end of his speech. 



Photo Credit: NBC 7
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Residents Evacuated During La Jolla Brush Fire

Mark Hamill Drive in Clairemont Dedicated to 'Star Wars' Actor

0
0

Photos of a dedication ceremony in Clairemont on July 30, where a street was renamed into honorary "Mark Hamill Drive" in honor of the "Star Wars" icon.

Photo Credit: NBC 7

Suspect Crashes in Solana Beach Following 100 MPH Pursuit

0
0

A suspect crashed their vehicle following a more than 100 mph police pursuit that ended in Solana Beach Sunday, California Highway Patrol confirmed.

The driver was traveling northbound on Interstate 5 before taking the Lomas Santa Fe exit. The suspect crashed at Stevens Avenue and S. Nardo Avenue around 10:15 p.m.

It is not clear what the suspect was wanted for, and there is no word on the suspect’s condition.

Teen Shot in Neck After Leaving Mira Mesa House Party

0
0

Shards of glass line the quiet cul de sac in the 7700 block of Embry Point, the place where a teen was shot in the neck during a party Saturday night.

The 19-year–old victim was in the back seat of a car, leaving the party with his friends when he was shot through the window.

For neighbors, rowdy parties from the house happen too often and almost always end in violence. One person who wanted to remain anonymous says some neighbors have even installed cameras because the parties have gotten so out of control.

The shooting happened just before 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Police say the victim's friends drove him to the hospital, and he suffered minor injuries.

Neighbors blame the people who live in the house.

“This is a family neighborhood,” an anonymous neighbor said. “I mean there's blood and glass all over the street. There was a little boy walking by it earlier and was asking about it."

One of the men who lives in the home said he wants to apologize to his neighbors and hopes the victim is okay. He said the people who came to his party had no other intentions but to start trouble and he thinks they need to be put behind bars. He said he and the others who live in the house plan to move out of the neighborhood within the next two days.

Northeastern Division officers are investigating the shooting.

There is no suspect description at this time. Police said witnesses at the scene told them they didn't "see anything."

Anyone with information is urged to contact police.




Photo Credit: NBC 7

Japan Backs Trump's Pressure on China Over N. Korea

0
0

Japan's prime minister said he "fully agreed" with President Donald Trump that China should do more to curb threats from North Korea, NBC News reported.

Japanese leader Shinzo Abe said he spoke "in depth" with Trump and agreed to take "concrete steps to do our utmost in ensuring the public's safety."

Abe's comments come after Trump tweeted early Sunday that he was "very disappointed" in China's response, or lack thereof, to North Korea's missile tests.

North Korea's latest test happened on Friday when Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed in the sea off the coast of Japan. It was the country's second test this month.



Photo Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images, File

Video Shows Burglary of Illinois Home as Girl Hides in Bedroom

0
0

Video of a frightening home burglary in a northwest Chicago suburb shows a man breaking into a home while a child hides inside.

The break-in happened on July 23 in the 300 block of North William Street in Mount Prospect, police said, and was captured on home surveillance cameras.

Video released Sunday shows a man kicking in the door to a home around noon that day, all while a young girl hid inside a bedroom.

The girl told police she heard knocking at the front door while she was upstairs, but when she looked down the stairs and saw a man she didn’t know looking into the window she didn’t answer.

The man knocked several times before he kicked open the front door and went upstairs, footage shows.

The young girl ran into a bedroom and locked the door as the man came up the stairs, authorities said. The man tried to open the door but the girl began screaming, causing him to flee the scene.

The suspect is described as a white man between 55 and 65 years old with white hair. He was wearing a black baseball-style hat, sunglasses, a black T-shirt, black shorts and black shoes.

Police are looking for help identifying the man in the video.

Anyone who recognizes him or has information on the home burglary is asked to call the Mount Prospect Police Department’s Investigations section at (847) 879- 5654. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers of Mount Prospect at (847) 590-7867 or by texting MPPD and a tip to 274637. Tips made through Crime Stoppers of Mount Prospect that lead to the arrest and prosecution of a suspect could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000, police said. 



Photo Credit: Mount Prospect Police

15 Nights of 405 Fwy Closures Near LAX Begin Monday

0
0

Fifteen full nights of partial and full directional closures of the 405 Freeway near Los Angeles International Airport are coming as a result of construction of a bridge for the Crenshaw/LAX Line light rail project.

The closures are set to begin on July 31 and will feature overnight full or partial directional closures from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Friday, although the freeway will be fully open during the weekends.

The scheduled closures include:

  • The northbound lanes will be completely closed between Century and La Tijera boulevards from July 31 to Aug. 4.
  • Partial closure of the northboard and southbound high occupancy vehicle lanes and the 1 and 2 lanes from Aug. 7 to Aug. 11.
  • The southbound lanes will be fully closed between the La Cienega off-ramp and La Tijera on-ramp Aug. 14 to Aug. 18.

For road conditions and alternative routes, check out the NBC4 traffic map.



Photo Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Dewan Emerson's Killer to Be Sentenced

0
0

Three decades after the murder of a teenager in Valencia Park, the man who committed the crime will be sentenced. 

One April evening in 1987, 15-year-old Dewan Emerson told his mother he was stepping outside to speak to someone – a man he said he knew - who had stopped by their home.

That was the last conversation the two ever had.

The following morning, Emerson's body was found in a flood channel behind Naranja Street.

San Diego Police confirmed the teenager he had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death.

SDPD Cold Case Detectives and District Attorney Investigators used new technology to create a suspect DNA profile.

That led them to 56-year-old Russell Taylor, a man serving a 25-year sentence at San Quentin State Prison for a separate crime.

He has since pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Sentencing is set to begin Monday at 2 p.m.




Photo Credit: NBC 7

Trump Vote Fraud Commission Could Not Be More Divided

0
0

The members of President Donald Trump's bipartisan vote fraud commission appear to differ on the issues they believe the group should focus on, according to NBC News.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the commission's vice chairman, said the group needs to investigate claims of widespread voter fraud. Others on the panel, which includes seven Republicans and five Democrats, argue that the commission should focus on issues like updating voter systems and encouraging registration.

Vice President Mike Pence, the group's chairman, said the commission was formed to study voting issues without "preconceived notions or preordained results."



Photo Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

PedWest to Open in Both Directions at San Ysidro Port of Entry

0
0

Pedestrians will soon be able to use the PedWest in both directions at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. 

It’s the final phase of the largest-ever pedestrian expansion to the border entry between the U.S. and Mexico, considered the busiest border crossing in the Western Hemisphere. 

Jason Wells with the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce said right now the transit center only allows people to cross into the U.S. An average of 20,000 people crosses on foot into the U.S. at San Ysidro each day.

However, the crossing will be open in both directions by July 31.

In late September, vehicle lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry will be closed for two days during construction.

He's encouraging people to try the new crossing then.

"People will now have options depending on where they are going," Wells said.

The pedestrian processing facility is on the west side of the port of entry and includes 12 northbound lanes and two reversible lanes.

The San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce plans to hold a "Ped Fest" in September to encourage people to use the entrance.

The nearby Virginia Avenue Transit Center will serve as a terminal connecting people with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System’s blue line trolley and buses, and will also function as a pick-up and drop-off point for pedestrians at PedWest.

The center, located on the west side of the pedestrian bridge, allows for commuter vehicles as well as buses and taxis.




Photo Credit: NBC 7
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

L.T. to Be Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

0
0

The man who said he was and always will be a "San Diego" Charger LaDainian Tomlinson will officially become part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week.

Tomlinson is part of the 2017 class and will be inducted during his first year of eligibility.

He's already a member of the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame. His jersey number 21 has been retired.

L.T. spent nine of his 11 seasons with the Chargers.

He was drafted 5th overall by the Bolts in the 2001 NFL Draft. By the time he was let go after the 2009 season he owned every major rushing and touchdowns record in franchise history.

He owns NFL records for most touchdowns in a single season (31), most rushing touchdowns in a season (28) and most points in a season (186, all set in his 2006 MVP year). He also has more multiple-rushing touchdown games (50), most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (14), most seasons with at least 10 rushing touchdowns (9), and he was the fastest player ever to gain 15,000 yards from scrimmage, doing it in just 121 NFL games.

And those are just a few of his NFL records.

Tomlinson was also a fan favorite. He was the San Diego football version of Tony Gwynn, understanding what he meant to the community he did not grow up in but came to call his home.

NBC 7's Derek Togerson will be in Canton, Ohio for this week's induction ceremony.

The full 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame class looks like this:

RB LaDainian Tomlinson
RB Terrell Davis
QB Kurt Warner
DE Jason Taylor
K Morten Andersen
Owner Jerry Jones
S Kenny Easley



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Actor, Playwright Sam Shepard Dies at 73

0
0

Sam Shepard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Oscar-nominated actor and celebrated author whose plays chronicled the explosive fault lines of family and masculinity in the American West, has died. He was 73.

A family spokesperson said Monday that Shepard died Thursday at his home in Kentucky from complications related to Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The taciturn Shepard, who grew up on a California ranch, was a man of few words who nevertheless produced 44 plays and numerous books, memoirs and short stories. His 1979 play "Buried Child" won the Pulitzer for drama.

His Western drawl and laconic presence made him a reluctant movie star, too. He appeared in dozens of films, and was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 1983's astronaut drama "The Right Stuff."




Photo Credit: Getty Images
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Group Files Complaint Over Google's Tracking of In-Store Purchases

0
0

A watchdog group on Monday is expected to file a legal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against Google over a new program that links customers' web activity to in-store purchases.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center is asking for a full investigation into the tech giant's Store Sales Measurement program, which aims to show advertisers that clicks online do lead to purchases at brick-and-mortar stores.

According to EPIC's complaint, Google’s consumer profiling technology can allegedly track 70 percent of all credit and debit card transactions in the U.S. without revealing how they got the information.

The group alleges Google is also putting shoppers' personal information — including product searches, location searches and payment information — at risk of hacks by not revealing what encryption it's using to protect the data from breaches.

Critics worry that the personal information could end up in the wrong hands. But Google argues that the program helps prove the effectiveness of online ads. The Mountain View-based company adds that it does not share or give a third party company access to customers' information and that customers can opt out of the program.

The complaint accuses Google of failing to provide customers with a reasonable way to opt out, calling the process "burdensome, opaque and misleading."



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Boy With Autism Gets Thousands of Rainbows After Parents Die

0
0

Robbie, a 9-year-old boy with autism from upstate New York, loves rainbows -- and when his parents died weeks apart -- his aunt, now his legal guardian, asked the world for help making him smile.

The world responded. 

Crystal Skawinski has been Robbie's legal guardian since May 25, a day after his father died of an overdose and 23 days after his mother lost a long battle with a gasteoparisis and cystic fibrosis. Skawinski says Robbie has been told his parents went over the rainbow bridge -- and he looks for them eagerly. So on July 24, Skawinski put a post on Facebook soliciting rainbow photos from around the world. 

As of Friday, she had gotten nearly 6,000. And Skawinski says she has been floored by the touching responses. 

"I'm speechless. This doesn't happen to regular people," she wrote on Facebook early Sunday. "Thanks big sis for making your son a part of the world and to touch thousands of hearts. We miss you guys SO much. Hope you are enjoying Heaven!" 

Skawinski also pledged to make her sister and brother-in-law proud as a parent to their little boy.



Photo Credit: Crystal Skawinski
Viewing all 60603 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images