South Bay Community Services in Chula Vista is receiving a $27.8 million, five-year federal grant to help crack the cycle of inter-generational poverty in the Castle Park neighborhood.

The nonprofit agency is one of seven recipients nationwide to receive the funding from the U.S. Secretary of Education, and the Promise Neighborhoods program.

Castle Park in Chula Vista is nestled between Naples and Palomar streets along Third Avenue and next to Lauderbach Park.

The grant funding is aimed at a comprehensive community approach to fostering academic success and raising college-bound children. 

"Children must be safe, healthy and supported by adults across an entire community to reach their fullest potential," said U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, in a news release today. "Against all odds, Promise Neighborhoods work to provide families and children with support they need to help break the cycle of poverty that threatens too many of our nation's communities." 

An additional 28 local governement agencies, non-profits, and businesses, including Manpower, United Way and Parker Foundation have agreed to provide matching dollars, making a total investment of $60 million in the small neighborhood over the next five years, according to Shirley Horton, the community relations and development director at South Bay Community Services.

"The community really came together and worked so hard to get this grant," said SBCS Kathryn Lembo, the organization's president and CEO. "What makes it so special is knowing how much the schools, parents, and kids are going to benefit. This will give our young people an incredible opportunity to be healthier and more successful in school and life." 

The population density in Castle Park is 10,122 people per square mile, according to city-data.com. That rate is more than double the citywide average of about 3,551 people per square mile, according to the website.

The median household income was about $41,390 in 2009, compared to a citywide median household income of about $59,045 a year, according to city-data.com.

The target area is the catchment for Castle Park Elementary Schoool. Funds will be used to create dramatic improvements at Castle Park middle and high schools and Hilltop middle and high schools, which are aging facilities in the Sweetwater Union High School District.

Information was not immediately available if the grant funding allows for facility upgrades.

The South Bay Community Services is a nonprofit provider of domestic violence resources, social services, homeless outreach, education and community development programs for families.

Promise Neighborhoods is one of the signature programs of the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative.

Specifically, local South Bay schools, city and county departments, local hospitals, universities, businesses and nonprofits came together to develop a "cradle to career" plan for Castle Park children.

The plan is comprised of early education for young children from birth; funding to improve schools; college and career readiness support and a safety net of community services.

During a pilot program at Castle Park Middle School started in the beginning of 2012, attendance went from 97 percent to 98.9 percent and API scores increased from 750 to 794, Horton said.

"We started this year and are getting incredible results," Horton said.

With about 3,734 people living in the small area, the funds amount to around $13,000 per resident.

A suspect has been arrested in the case of a man who was shot at while sitting in a car in Chula Vista Sunday morning, Chula Vista Police said.

At about 9:15 a.m., police went to the hospital where a man was being treated for gunshot wounds. His girlfriend was outside the trauma center in his SUV, which had multiple bullet holes.

She told police she was driving near the 400 block of Orsett Street and stopped when a man approached the car and fired at her boyfriend in the passenger’s seat.

She was able to drive away as the suspect continued firing shots at the car. The victim’s girlfriend was not injured, but the man sustained non-life threatening wounds.

The suspect took off after the shooing. After a lengthy foot-pursuit, officers were able to locate the suspect inside a Mt. Helix residence. They took him into custody. 

Police identified the suspect as 45-year-old David Acero. He now faces charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and numerous other gun charges.

A man paralyzed by a fallen palm tree will be awarded $7.6 million in a lawsuit filed against the City of San Diego.

Michael Burke suffered serious injuries when a Queen Palm tree along Lark Street fell on his legs in January 2010. He lost the use of his legs and blames the city for improper inspections. 

On Monday, the jury in the civil suit agreed with Burke that the city was liable for his injuries. He has undergone 14 surgeries since the tree fell, and will likely undergo amputations due to the severity of his injuries, according to his attorneys.

The city is now responsible for $7.6 million in damages to Burke.

Defense attorneys argued that a homeowner -- not the city -- owned the property and the tree that fell on Burke. The City Attorney's office also pointed out more than 400 trees fell in three days of a major storm.

Burke’s attorney Browne Greene said the city "walked away from its responsibility" of caring for the trees amid budget cuts.

However, the defense said city workers only cut down trees if someone tells them there's a problem and in this case, nobody did.

City attorneys also told jurors when the city does trim palm trees, it’s not to keep them healthy but to simply remove berries before they fall.

Burke told reporters he filed the lawsuit because he’d like to see the city take steps to bring back trimming and inspection of palm trees

“I’m concerned for my family, for my wife, for my special-needs son but I’m also concerned for others. The danger still exists for people in the community of Mission Hills,” Burke said. 

Law enforcement agencies around San Diego were handling several rumors surrounding school safety on Friday including one department that announced an arrest.

Alex Paul Rodriquez, 61, of Oceanside was arrested Friday after officials said he left a threatening message for staff at Laurel Elementary School.

The message, left at 4:15 a.m. Thursday, said there would be a shooting at the school later that morning according to police. Officers claim the phone ended with "maniacal laughter." 

As a result, the school was placed on lockdown and increased police presence was on the school campus.

Investigators say they traced the call to Rodriguez' cell phone and arrested him at his College Boulevard home. No firearms were found at the suspect's home.

In Fallbrook, school administrators confirmed that there have been rumors of a possible school shooting at Fallbrook High School in the past two days.

After investigating the rumors school officials did not determine there was a credible threat.

San Diego County sheriff's deputies patrolled the area around the school Friday.

Fallbrook resident, Chuck Cerulli, told NBC 7 San Diego that talk of a possible shooting has been the topic of discussion on the Facebook pages of local residents.

Also, San Diego Unified School District sent an email Thursday night to parents of San Diego High School students discussing rumors circulating among the student body.

School police have followed up on reports of "something bad" happening on the school campus school officials said.

The email told parents "We can assure that these are all rumors."

In the South Bay, a perceived threat against Sweetwater High School was investigated by law enforcement officials and discovered to be unfounded.

A former Sweetwater student posted the message “IM SCARED ABOUT THE SHOOTING THAT WILL HAPPEN TODAY” on Facebook officials told NBC 7 San Diego.

Another student reported the post to officials. The Sweetwater HS assistant principal told officials the post involved schools in San Diego that have been notified.

Two motorcycles were involved in a collision along Highland Valley Road and Pomerado Road in Rancho Bernardo Friday afternoon.

The crash occurred at about 3 p.m. Friday when the motorcycles collided, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Both motorists were transported to the hospital. 

Traffic was shut down on Highland Valley Road while police investigate the crash. 

A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in Pacific Beach Friday evening, police said.

The collision happened around 5:30 p.m. at Garnet Avenue and Fogg Street.

Medics were called for one patient, though there’s no word on the extent of the patient’s injuries just yet.

Police officers are providing traffic control at the scene. Traffic at Garnet Avenue is being temporarily diverted as police investigate the site of the collision.

Check back for updates on this developing story.
 

A local teen who had been missing since Dec. 13 was found safe in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Friday night, officials confirmed.

Brianna "Bri" Pieper, 16, disappeared last Thursday in the middle of the school day, right after fourth period, her mother Heather Britt said. She had last been seen on Santo Road, across the street from Serra High School.

On Friday morning, almost 100 people gathered near Serra High School to help search for Pieper, who hadn't been seen on heard from since her disappearance. A large group of family members, friends and local residents searched the hills and canyons around the school for clues.

Britt told NBC 7 that Pieper (pictured below) has no history of running away from home.

For Britt, her daughter’s disappearance has been a complete nightmare.

“It’s horrible. It’s probably the worst thing that a parent can go through – not knowing where their child is or if their child is okay,” Britt told NBC 7. “At the same time, God is good and he proves it every day with all of the support that people show.”

Britt says her daughter did cut school once and disappeared, but she was in contact with her mother within an hour of being gone that time. Britt says it doesn’t make sense that Pieper wouldn’t tell anyone where she was going.

Team Amber Rescue – a local search and rescue organization founded by Carrie McGonicle in honor of her slain daughter, Amber Dubois – was set to join in the search for Pieper Saturday, but fortunately, the teenager was found safely Friday night.

No further information was released as to what Pieper was doing in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

It’s the last weekend before Christmas and there are plenty of jolly, festive things happening around San Diego. So, finish your shopping, wrap your gifts and hit the town for some last-minute holiday happenings:

Cider and Fruit Cake at the Lodge at Torrey Pines – Saturday, Dec. 22:
Enjoy a cup of hot spiced apple cider and fruit cake in the AR Valentien Lounge at the Lodge at Torrey Pines from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. As you’re noshing on the winter treats, holiday carolers will sing from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. It doesn’t get more festive than that.

Chesnut Roasting on the Aria Lawn – Saturday, Dec. 22:
Nothing says Christmas quite like chesnuts roasting on an open fire. Take the family to The Grand Del Mar on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for chesnut roasting at the resort’s decked out Aria Lawn ($5 per ½ dozen chesnuts; $9 per dozen)

Coronado Holiday Bike Tour – Saturday, Dec. 22:
Need to work off some those holiday treats? Take a 30-minute holiday bike tour around Hotel del Coronado and the surrounding area, which is all decorated for the season. Guests even get to ride on holiday-themed surrey bikes. The tour is available on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. and 7p.m. ($10 per person).

Skating by the Sea – Through January 1:
Looking for a unique San Diego ice skating experience? Hit the “Skating by the Sea” rink at the Hotel del Coronado, an outdoor rink overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This weekend, the rink is open for “matinee” skating from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Prices range from $15 for kids, $20 for adults during the two-hour matinee session to $20 for kids, $25 for adults during the three hour afternoon and night sessions).

Garden of Lights – Dec. 22 & 23:
Visit the San Diego Botanic Garden’s dazzling winter wonderland this weekend from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The garden boasts more than 100,000 sparkling holiday lights and live music from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday will feature Jazz musician Jimmer Bolden and on Sunday, Raggle Taggle will perform a Celtic holiday tribute. Kiddies can roast marshmallows at the Lawn Garden Campfire and chat with Santa Claus. (Admission: $6 for members, $12 for non-members, $4 for kids 3-12, children 2 and under free).

Twelve Days of Christmas at Old Town San Diego – Dec. 22 & 23:
Old Town San Diego’s “Twelve Days of Christmas” celebration wraps up this weekend with two live performances at the Mormon Battalion Historical Site at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the SD Stake Spanish Choir and singers Matt and Heather Young will take the stage. On Sunday, Sister Riggs & Missionary Ensembles will perform.

Story Time with Santa -- Sunday, Dec. 23:
Grab the kids and head to The Grand Del Mar on Sunday at 4 p.m. for special story time with Santa Claus. Jolly Ol' St. Nick will be reading the Christmas classic, "The Night Before Christmas," by the festive tree at the Aria Pavilion.

A female employee at a hotel in the Midway District was sexually assaulted Friday, police confirmed.

The assault happened at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in the 3700 block of Sports Arena Blvd. at around 1:20 p.m.

According to police, a female hotel employee was attacked while cleaning a vacant hotel room. Her unknown assailant hit her in the face and sexually assaulted her.

Investigators said the suspect fled the scene on foot, leaving the injured victim behind inside the vacated hotel room. Once he left, the victim called police.

The woman – whose name was not released -- was transported to a local hospital.

Police describe the assault suspect as a black male in his 40s. He’s tall and muscular, with a short, afro-style haircut. Police said he was wearing blue jeans, a white or beige stripped shirt and a black baseball cap with a logo on it during the attack. The suspect speaks some Spanish.

Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact the SDPD at (619) 531-2900.

Norv Turner knows the end is likely near for him with the San Diego Chargers.

General manager A.J. Smith might be out soon, too.

There are two games left to play before an offseason of uncertainty begins. And, the New York Jets' Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum know the feeling.

Regular playoff participants a few years ago, both franchises are struggling to the finish line. And a winter of big changes could be in store.

"It's been difficult, in terms of offensively, and I can only speak for my side of the ball and what I'm able to contribute," Chargers tight end Antonio Gates said. "Not playing up to our expectations and not playing up to the level that we've set and the standard of what we set for ourselves, sometimes it's frustrating because you do everything the right way. You prepare and you work hard. ... Not being able to capitalize on the season, it's been tough."

Both the Chargers (5-9) and Jets (6-8) are out of the playoff race, and the two will play Sunday at MetLife Stadium, hoping to end the season on a positive note.

Mark Sanchez has been benched by Ryan, who is turning to third-stringer Greg McElroy to make his first NFL start Sunday. McElroy stepped in for Sanchez three weeks ago to rally New York to a 7-6 win over Arizona, and has leapfrogged Tim Tebow on the depth chart.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," McElroy said. "This is a great moment and a great milestone in my career. Obviously, this is something I've looked forward to and I've dreamed about my entire life. I'm thrilled to have this opportunity."

McElroy, a seventh-round pick out of Alabama in 2011, could be auditioning for a job beyond the next two weeks. The Jets are considering all of their options, including trades, regarding Sanchez and Tebow, so McElroy could very well be in position next season to compete for the starting job with good showings against the Chargers and Buffalo Bills.

"I'm taking it one step at a time, and that's the only way you can look at it," McElroy said. "You can't get caught up in next week against Buffalo. You can't get caught up in the offseason. You can't get caught up in next year. Just enjoy this game and the fact that I'm able to step out there on the field against San Diego. Enjoy it, make the most of it and have fun out there."

As of Thursday, Ryan hadn't decided whether McElroy's backup will be Sanchez or Tebow -- or both. Tebow was expected to be a major part of the offense, but instead has been just a minor role player. The wildcat-style offense didn't produce as expected, and Tebow hasn't gotten many opportunities to remind everyone why he was one of the most dynamic and exciting players in the NFL last season while leading the Denver Broncos to a playoff victory.

"Every opportunity you get, you want to make the most of and I'd have loved to have more of an opportunity to just play quarterback," said a clearly disappointed Tebow, speaking in a low tone. "And obviously, that's my goal. I'll just make the most of these last two weeks and see what happens after that."

There could be plenty, and Tannenbaum and Ryan aren't even certain to stick around. They helped turn the franchise around in 2009, when the Jets went to the first of their two straight AFC title games. But there's been a lot of disappointment since then with New York missing out on the playoffs two years in a row.

"Right now, I'm not looking further than this game against San Diego and then we have one more game," Ryan said. "We'll see what happens. My focus has to be with those two games and that's it."

Turner is taking a similar approach despite recent reports that the Chargers will make a move to replace him after the season. San Diego has dealt with several key injuries this season, including to wide receiver Vincent Brown, tackle Jared Gaither and running back Ryan Mathews, who broke his left collarbone in the Chargers' 31-7 loss to Carolina last Sunday.

Turner said regardless of what happens, he would like to continue coaching in the NFL next season, even if it means as an offensive coordinator elsewhere. The Jets could potentially be in the market for one after their offense struggled mightily -- ranked 30th overall -- in Tony Sparano's first season as the coordinator in New York.

"I think people that know me know that I'm a coach," Turner said. "I like coaching. I want to coach. I think you get to a point where there are things that are important to you. If I continue to coach, I want to be in a good situation, a place where you have an opportunity to win and be in a situation that there are coaches I've worked with and been around."

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has had his share of troubles this season, just like Sanchez, and has 47 turnovers in the last two years. Despite all that, he needs 210 yards passing to become the first Chargers player with five straight seasons of 3,500 or more yards passing.

San Diego still looks at Rivers as a franchise-type quarterback, and sitting him the last two weeks -- as the Jets might do with Sanchez -- wasn't in Turner's game plan.

"For our team and for our situation, a change was never a consideration because the things that were keeping us from getting done what we needed to get done had a lot more to do with other spots," Turner said. "I know ultimately the quarterback gets a lot of the credit or blame, but it just wasn't the issue with our team as we went through our season."
 

The 70-year-old woman who was arrested -- then cleared -- in her husband’s death said on Friday that she can’t wait to resume her previous life as an umpire with the United States Tennis Association.

Lois Goodman reacted to the news that the USTA, of which she has officiated some of the greatest players in her more than 35 years in the job, was reinstating her in 2013.

“It’s a great holiday gift,” said Goodman as she stood alongside her attorney, Robert Sheahen, in Sherman Oaks on Friday. “I’m thankful.

“I get my old life back. I appreciate my life so much more now seeing what I went through.”

Goodman drew national headlines when she was arrested in the death of her husband, Alan, in August during the U.S. Open in New York where she was set to begin officiating. Authorities accused her of using a coffee mug to bludgeon her husband to death in their San Fernando Valley home. Upon her arrest, she was suspended from her job.

Alan Goodman's bloodied body was found in the couple's Woodland Hills home on April 17. Officers initially ruled the death suspicious because they couldn’t determine if foul play was involved, according to an LAPD press release.

But after launching a full homicide investigation and working closely with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, detectives said on Aug. 2 that the case was a homicide and named Lois Goodman the prime suspect, the LAPD said.

On Nov. 30, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office dropped charges, saying they had received additional information and were unable to proceed because of insufficient evidence.

The announcement came after Goodman’s attorneys said that her DNA was not found on the coffee mug and that she had passed a lie detector test.

Shortly after the charges were dropped, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck announced that detectives would continue to investigate the case.

On Friday, Goodman said she didn’t know she had the strength to withstand being arrested, and temporarily housed at Riker’s Island, before being charged with killing her husband who she was married to for over 50 years.

“I knew one day that I’d be cleared,” she said.

When asked by a reporter what she’d tell her husband if he were alive, she said, “He knew I loved him very much.

“He’d be very proud to know that everything turned out all right.”

Southern California -- home of the high-speed freeway chase -- was the scene of a different kind of pursuit Friday afternoon: one that reached speeds of 0 mph.

Thanks to "some type of tracking device" hidden in a bag of stolen money, authorities were able to locate bank robbers on the northbound 110 Freeway, halt traffic and conduct a car-to-car search, said Deputy Albert Martinez of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"The trackers out there are pretty accurate," said Martinez.

Hundreds of cars were backed up in the Hawthorne area around 1 p.m. as police officers on foot waded through a sea of vehicles.

Aerial video showed at least two people being taken into custody (pictured, below), and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed a third person was also arrested.

By 1:20 p.m., the freeway was reopened and traffic was returning to normal levels.

The search was believed to be linked to an armed bank robbery in Moreno Valley earlier in the day, Martinez said. At least three masked men robbed the Altura Credit Union around 9:20 a.m., according to police.

A Ramona mobile home park will be without gas for at least a full day after crews discovered a propane leak.

The leak came from a 30,000 gallon propane tank in the 1200 block of H Street, located in the Terrace Mobile Home Park. 

Cal Fire said the gas in the area would have to be shut off for at least 24 hours -- if not three or four days, beginning at about 1:30 p.m. when crews discovered the leak.

The gas leak is now controlled with no injuries or property damage to the community.

However, a total of 10 homes have been evacuated and approximately 220 residents will be without gas for at least the next 24 hours.

Temperatures in the area are expected to reach freezing levels early Friday morning. 

The American Red Cross was assisting with any needs the community may have during the incident. The organization has opened a shelter for displaced residents at Ramona High School, located at 1401 Hanson Lane and at Olive Pierce Middle School. The shelters will remain open until all residents can return to their homes. 

Deputies arrested a man on Friday suspected of exposing himself to several women in Fallbrook.

According to officials, the Sheriff’s Fallbrook Substation began getting reports of a white male adult between the ages of 18 and 25 allegedly following and flashing women walking through Fallbrook’s Los Jilgueros Preserve in the 2100 block of South Mission Road.

Deputies said five separate incidents were reported. The alleged indecent exposure cases happened between December 7 and December 15.

Detectives have been working to identify and locate the suspect involved in these incidents, questioning several persons of interest in the process.

On Friday, one of the people previously questioned by deputies was arrested on an unrelated trespassing offense.

During an interview with officials, suspect Austin Harper, 20, made several statements and provided written evidence suggesting he was the person involved in the Fallbrook flashing offenses. He told deputies things only the flashing suspect would have knowledge of, investigators said.

Detectives also identified an additional case allegedly involving Harper that occurred about a week ago in the 1800 block of Gum Tree Lane. Investigators say Harper rode a bicycle up to a young woman and grabbed her arm.

She screamed and Harper rode off.

None of the women who reported the indecent exposure were injured.

Harper was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on two counts of sexual battery, four counts of indecent exposure and one charge of molesting and annoying a child.

He’s scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
 

The safety of San Diego’s schools was thrown into question by the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the seemingly endless threats reported at local schools in the week that followed.

On Friday, the National Rifle Association’s CEO Wayne La Pierre said putting a police officer in every school in America might make those schools safer.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," he said.

Whether or not La Pierre is right is up for debate across the country – but on Friday, school and safety leaders evaluated whether that solution could be attained any time soon.

“Using a broad brush to paint every school as being a school that needs a police officer is not always something that is reasonable or even doable from a financial standpoint -- nor is it recommended,” said San Diego Unified School District Police Chief Rueben Littlejohn at a press conference Friday.

“We don’t want schools to become prisons and have students think they’re not even safe at school,” he added.

The issue of security is familiar to San Diego, where even before the devastating shootings in Connecticut, schools experienced a number of shootings.

In 2001, 15-year-old Santana High student Charles Andrew Williams began shooting at the school, killing two and wounding thirteen. Less than three weeks later, Jason Hoffman, 18, shot and wounded three students and two teachers at Granite Hills High School. In 2010, Brendan O’Rourke shot several bullets onto the playground of the Kelly Elementary School.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: We asked parents on Facebook if they agreed with the NRA’s suggestion to assign an armed officer to every school. Read the responses here.

The San Diego County Office of Education could not say exactly how many officers are currently available to the 658 grade schools in the county. When asked if the schools were anywhere near having what the NRA suggested, SDCOE’s communications officer Music Watson said it’s not likely.

“I don’t think that is the case,” she said, adding that San Diego Unified is the only school district in the county with its own police department.

“As best as I can tell,” Watson added in an email, “the only districts with armed officers are community college districts. K-12 [schools] have resources officers who are police officers, but they're not on campus all the time.”

The San Diego Police Department services five school districts in San Diego County: Sweetwater Unified, San Ysidro Unified, San Diego Unified, Poway Unified and San Dieguito Unified.

Juvenile Service Officers make “frequent contact” with the schools they’re assigned responsibility for, but the officers are not on site all day, said SDPD spokesperson Andra Brown. 

SDUSD is the county’s largest school district and the only one with its own police force. The police force responsible for the district employs 37 officers for 223 schools. More officers are typically assigned to areas more prone to violence, Littlejohn said.

Here’s a sample of school districts and the number of officers they have on campuses:

• Friday, Chula Vista Police Department has assigned a total of 27 officers to both the Sweetwater Union High School District, which oversees 30 schools, and the Chula Vista Elementary School District, which oversees 45 schools.
• Oceanside Unified School District oversees 23 schools and has four officers. Additionally the school employs 34 Campus Security Assistants, but they aren’t armed.
• Grossmont Union High School District which has experienced two school shootings has full-time officers at nine of its 11 schools.
• Santee School District has 10 schools. Since last Friday, deputies visit schools on their regular patrol duties.
• Vista Unified School District has two deputies assigned to two of its 34 schools. 

Additionally, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department has between one and three school resource officers at substations across the county. These officers check in with the schools as part of their patrol duties.

However, even if districts such as SDUSD considered placing an officer on every campus, they would not have enough money to do so, said Lisa Berlanga Executive Director for UP for ED, a parent advocacy group in San Diego.

“Would every school have in their budget enough to pay for an officer on every campus? No. If they prioritized that, they would have to cut something else from the general fund,” she said, emphasizing the cuts already made to school nursing and teaching staff.

Locally, leaders have suggested a variety of changes that should happen to prevent acts of gun violence. SDPD Police Chief Bill Lansdowne said during a meeting with San Diego Mayor Bob Filner that he is in support of an assault weapons ban. Local federal judge Larry Burns, who presided over the hearing of Tucson gunman Jared Lee Loughner wrote in a Los Angeles Times editorial that as a conservative gun-owner, he also supports such a ban.

Filner himself weighed in on the NRA’s suggestion Friday.

“The question that came up after the [shooting at Sandy Hook ] – should we have armed officers on elementary school campuses? But you have to balance the security versus the anxiety. If they see a police officer I think they would feel less safe.”

Others feel a conversation about mental health care would be more valuable. California schools had one counselor for every 810 students in the 2009-10 school year. Nationally, there were almost twice as many, according to a survey by the American School Counselor Association.

“With respect to the discussion on guns, I think we need to have that discussion, we need to talk about that, about how much we want to go and how much is enough,” said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis in a press conference Friday.

Yet Dumanis said the real issue is mental health.

“There are mental health issues that permeate through most of the violence that we see,” she said. “It’s really important that we as a community step up together and say ‘we need more mental health access in our community’.”

A Pew Research study surveying public opinion on gun control after the Sandy Hook shooting showed only modest change, with 49 percent of respondents saying it is more important to control gun ownership and 42 percent saying it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns.

A street sweeping vehicle overturned on southbound Interstate 15 Saturday morning, San Diego Fire officials said.

The accident happened just after 8 a.m. on the I-15 at Camino Del Norte in Rancho Bernardo. It is unclear how the street sweeper overturned.

Officials said the driver was able to remove himself safely from the vehicle. He’s expected to be alright.

According to officials, the street sweeper was leaking chemicals and oil onto the roadway following the accident.

The two fast lanes were temporarily shut down while the materials were cleaned up. A SigAlert was issued around 8:40 a.m.

Officials said a tow truck was being requested to haul away the large vehicle.

The accident is under investigation. Check back for updates.

A water main break near the Midway District caused some flooding, traffic delays and a big scare for one driver Saturday morning.

According to SDPD Lt. David Rohowits, officials responded to reports of a water main break on Sports Arena Boulevard near the Interstate 8 intersection right around 4 a.m.

Arian Collins of the San Diego Water Department said a 16-inch diameter cast iron water main had broken for unknown reasons, causing water to spill onto the road. Collins said mud and debris followed, creating a large mess in the area.

The water was shut off by 5:45 a.m., Collins confirmed. He said a lot of clean-up had to be done in the affected area, so the northbound lanes would likely be closed for much of the day. The amount of water spilled during the incident has not yet been calculated.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found a car stuck in the water. Lt. Rohowits said the vehicle – carrying several occupants – had driven into the water and became stuck.

The driver of that car, Jonathan Marks, said he didn’t think the flooding was all that deep until his car stopped right in the middle of the water.

“At first I thought, ‘Oh man, it’s the end of the world,’ said Marks. “I didn’t think the flood was that big and then the car just stopped. I guess this stuff happens.”

Marks was especially concerned because the car he was driving is his father’s vehicle.

Lt. Rohowits said the “fairly deep river of water” in the northbound lanes of Sports Arena Boulevard would likely cause some traffic delays throughout Saturday morning. He said some roads between West Point Loma Boulevard, the I-8 and Sports Arena Boulevard would be blocked off while officials cleaned up the flooding and checked for possible sinkholes.

The cause of the water main break is under investigation. Check back for updates.
 

Police and bomb squad officials responded to reports of a suspicious device at the University of San Diego Saturday.

The device was reported on campus at around 1:40 p.m. in the 5900 block of Linda Vista Road.

SDPD Lt. Joe Ramos told NBC 7 the device resembles a pipe bomb and was found inside an empty dorm room by a USD security officer.

The security officer then contacted police, who requested assistance from bomb squad officials.

By 2:45 p.m., Lt. Ramos said the crews had not yet detonated the device but were in the process of sending in a robot to examine it. Officials had not yet determined exactly what the device was or if it posed a threat.

A fire crew, ambulance and officials from USD's department of public safety were also at the scene along with police and bomb squad crews.

Check back for updates on this developing story.