A Redlands, Calif., high school teacher accused of having a baby allegedly fathered by a teen student was charged Monday with 41 counts of sex and oral copulation with a minor.

Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, 28, was arrested a week ago after the mother of a Citrus Valley High student contacted school officials about the suspected relationship between her son and the English teacher.

Authorities said Whitehurst had given birth June 18 to a baby fathered by the student with whom she alleged began having an affair when he was 16. The boy attended the baby’s birth, according to court documents.

After Whitehurst and the boy confirmed details of the relationship to a Redlands police detective, authorities made the accusations public. Then, at least two other men came forward and said they had had sexual relations with Whitehurst in 2007 and 2008.

One of the alleged victims spoke to NBC4 Southern California, saying he never felt victimized but wanted to share his story so that others might come forward to tell police about their experiences with Whitehurst.

Officials with the Redlands Unified School District had interviewed Whitehurst and her alleged victim about their relationship in May, but police were not contacted until the boy's mother made a complaint, according to a police detective's affidavit.

The charges filed by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office against the teacher reflect alleged relationships with the three teen students. Whitehurst is charged with 30 counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, and 11 counts of oral copulation of a person under 18.

She is set to be arraigned via video on Tuesday afternoon, according to a tweet from the District Attorney's Office.

If convicted as charged, Whitehurst could face up to 29 years in state prison, the District's Attorney's Office said.

Whitehurst was released July 1 after posting $25,000 bail. She was again arrested Monday without incident, the District's Attorney's Office said.

She is now being held on $750,000 bail.

The District Attorney’s Office is still seeking to identify potential additional victims of Whitehurst. Anyone with information should contact Redlands police Detective Natasha Crawford at (909) 798-7623 or the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office at (909) 382-3660.

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City leaders in Encinitas are proposing stricter alcohol rules for the city in hopes of decreasing alcohol related incidents.

On Wednesday, the Encinitas City Council will consider putting a moratorium on new liquor licenses for 45 days. Another idea being proposed is closing the bars earlier, from 2 a.m. to midnight.

Changes to existing licenses would not be allowed, but it would give city staff a chance to review its current laws and the legality of any permanent changes.

The Sheriff's Department stated from 2008 to 2012, deputies responded to 13 percent more service calls at Encinitas Bars.

Karen Henderson, who's had her business in Encinitas for almost 35 years, is among a group of business owners who've had it with the growing amount of unruly, late night behavior tied to drinking.

“Property damage, vandalism, we're hearing a lot of things on the street now, in terms of noises and phrases and utterances that are maybe not what everyone wants to hear,” she said. “I think maybe we have to some experimental planning, or I think we have to try some different things and see what does work.”

But bars and restaurant owners are crying foul, and say they're not responsible for underage beach drinking and vagrancy connected to the issue. The issue is dividing business owners in Encinitas.
“Who's responsible for those problems? If it's the restaurants, then what restaurants are responsible for them,” said the owner of D Street Bar and Grille. “What bars? Let’s focus on the people that are actually the problem, not generalizing it into a lump sum.”

He also said the plan could impact the livelihood of the 29 business that sell alcohol in Encinitas.

“Its a slippery slope,” he said. “Closing bars at midnight. Closing restaurants at midnight. Maybe next year we start closing at 11, or closing at 10.”

The issue will be voted on Wednesday, with people from both sides of the issue stating their case.

A New York paraplegic man who lost the use of his legs after a car crash 20 years ago has completed a cross-country journey in his wheelchair.

Gabriel Cordell, 42, ended his 99-day odyssey Monday night at his alma mater, West Hempstead High School, on Long Island.

The actor started the journey last April at the Pacific Ocean in California. He and a team of six traveled more than 3,100 miles.

"He made it!" shouted hundreds of family members and supporters who gathered at the school.

Cordell used a conventional wheelchair for the entire journey, rather than a high-tech racing chair. According to his crew, he is the first to ever cross the country in such a wheelchair.

"This represents the everyday person," Cordell said, pointing at his wheelchair. "When they see me, they see themselves."

The trip was made, Cordell said, to both inspire others to be better and to test himself.

Cordell battled drug and alcohol addictions for six years, "checking out on the real world," he said.

What brought him back, Cordell said, was a promise to himself, as a teen, to do something "extraordinary" by age 45.

"I was running out of time," Cordell said.

Cordell's team stayed with him for every mile, riding bicycles alongside his wheelchair or ferrying an RV behind him.

The group is producing a documentary of the journey.

Cordell's nephew, Chris Kawas, served as his uncle's direct caregiver. Though he himself is battling drug issues, Kawas has remained sober the entire trip.

"I am not the same man as when we started," Kawas said.

Cordell's team has drawn inspiration, cheers, tears and generosity from a supportive public during the cross-country trek.

On Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, one man moved by Cordell's effort bought lunch for the group at a local McDonald's restaurant.

"To see the country like that and to see Chris go through this, it changed my life," said crew member Chris Yanke.

During one part of the trip, Cordell's team barely escaped deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma.

The group later stopped to help a family whose home was destroyed.

Investigators walked a stretch of Interstate 8 in Mission Valley Monday looking for evidence in an overnight highway shooting.

According to California Highway Patrol officers, two people were driving eastbound on I-8 around 2 a.m. when a car pulled up behind them and fired three shots.

The driver called 911 after pulling into the center median with a flat right front tire. The 22-year-old woman told 911 dispatcher she was driving her red 2010 Chevy Cobalt near Texas Street when someone opened fire on her and her passenger.

The vehicle had damage that was consistent with a shooting officers said.

The passenger, a 27-year-old man, was transferred Scripps Mercy Hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound to his right arm.

The stretch of eastbound Interstate 8 from Highway 163 to Texas Street was closed from 3:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. No evidence was found on I-8 said CHP Sgt. Jake Sanchez.

Officials said they have no suspect description and no vehicle description.

Investigators say they are processing the victim’s car looking for any evidence that may link to the suspect.

“At this point there is no evidence of any altercation with the victim or the possible suspects,” said Sanchez. “At this point there is nothing towards any relation to each other.”

CHP is requesting anyone who has any information on the suspects to contact Investigator K. Jackman at (619) 220-5492.

The Chinese Consul General showed up at a San Jose hotel this afternoon, to offer comfort to 26 Chinese teenagers who survived the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash on Saturday.

The teens from Zhejiang Province listened, tired and dazed, as Yuan Nansheng praised them for their courage and for their unity in the face of such a devastating disaster. The two victims of the fatal crash – Ye Menguyan and Wang Lianjia, both 16-years-old – were their classmates. Two other classmates remain in critical condition.

The Consul General handed out small cloth bags with basic necessities, like toothbrushes and other toiletries. He also arranged for workers from the consulate’s visa department to visit the hotel this afternoon to help any student whose travel documents were lost or damaged in the crash.

“It’s up to them to decide whether they want to stay or go home,” said Nansheng. The paperwork will take at least a few days. The students are being escorted by four teachers who are working with the Los Angeles-based tour group Golden International Travel. Staff member Danny Chan says the company booked the San Jose hotel where all the students could stay together, shopped for clothing for them and is transporting them to doctor’s appointments.

“They’re doing better today,” Chan said. “Yesterday, if you just asked them how they were doing, some of them would start to cry.”

Some of the students will reunite with family members, expected to arrive this evening at San Francisco International. It’s likely they’ll see the Asiana Airlines wreckage and debris field that remains on runway 28-left.

Adam Yu’s company, Bo Yu, had been working with the students’ school in China to coordinate their activities in California. Now, he’s doing more comforting.

“The families and the students, they’re missing each other” Yu said. “I think it’s too hard for them to talk, they are very, very, sad.”

• FULL COVERAGE: Asiana Airlines Crash

The body of a missing 7-year-old boy with autism was recovered from a car behind his Washington, D.C. home.

Michael Kingsbury's body was found in the back of a car parked in an alley, yards away from his home in the 1700 block of West Virginia Avenue.

Police had launched an intense search of the Trinidad neighborhood after Michael was last seen walking in an alley close to his home between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

At the time, he was believed to be wearing a pull-up diaper, and possibly a red shirt.

After 6 p.m. Monday, a sudden rush of police officers converged on the car in the alley. Sources told News4's Pat Collins that a police officer assigned to the search had happened on the car and noticed something.

The reaction at the scene was immediate, reported Jackie Bensen. People were heard screaming and crying, and police quickly increased their perimeter around the event. He was recovered from a car without tags, parked on private property, just two doors down from his home.

Officers told Bensen the car and the alley it was in were examined by at least two sets of search teams. Even the family said they looked inside of the car because Michael had once before hid inside of a parked car.

Police had to break a window of the car to get in and recover Michael's body.

"We need to figure out when exactly [Michael] got in the car," Assistant D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said. "It's too early to see if someone missed something."

Homicide detectives were among those who responded to the scene, Bensen reported. However, it is not unusual to have homicide respond to a death investigation.

Michael's mother Katrina Kingsbury spoke with Bensen Monday night.

"I'd like to thank everyone who came out to look for my son," Kingsbury said.

The family had been distraught throughout the search for Michael, as police searched abandoned buildings and sheds Sunday and Monday. Kingsbury said it's not like him to wander away.

"It's unusual for him to leave. It's never happened," she said. "As many times as he's been out here and played, he's never left the backyard. He knows not to go in to the street."

San Diego Police say at least three computers were stolen from an elementary school in the south end of Carmel Valley early Monday.

Officers say they were alerted by a sounding alarm just after 2 a.m. at Ocean Air Elementary School.

Two suspects used a rock to smash a window to get into the building, police said.

The rock was used again to smash through the glass door of a classroom investigators said.

No word from school officials if anything else was taken.

No suspects are in custody.

 

A convict who hid from authorities for nearly six months is back in the U.S., according to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.

60-year-old Wanda Podgurski was arraigned Monday. She pleaded not guilty to failing to appear in court while on bail.

Back in January, a jury found Podgurski guilty on 29 felony counts relating to insurance fraud. But Podgurski, who was free on bail, didn’t show up to court that day.

U.S. Marshals had been searching for Podgurski since her missed court appearance. She was finally arrested July 4 in Mexico, nearly six months later, according to the DA’s office.

While Podgurski was on the run, a Twitter account was created in her name. On June 5, the account tweeted, “Catch me if you can." 

The DA’s office turned over the tweet to the computer technology task force. It's unclear if the tweet helped lead to her arrest.

Podgurski faked a disability in 2006 and scammed six insurance companies out of nearly $700,000, according to prosecutors. A judge sentenced Podgurski to 20 years in prison in her absence.

If convicted for failing to appear in court, Podgurski faces an additional 2 years and 8 months in prison. A readiness hearing is scheduled for July 17.

Looks like San Diego has a new eligible bachelor: Mayor Bob Filner’s fiancé Bronwyn Ingram has ended their relationship.

Ingram, who stood by Filner’s side throughout his campaign, wrote an email to a large group of people stating she had broken off their engagement. She confirmed the breakup to NBC 7 in an email.

The 48-year-old also stated she will no longer work on her efforts on behalf of San Diego’s homeless population.

“I have struggled with this decision as I really wanted to see the community projects we had initiated with such enthusiasm come to fruition,” she wrote. “I am extremely disappointed and heartbroken, both for what Team First Lady could have accomplished, and for me, personally; however, this is the only action I can take given the devolvement of our personal relationship.”

Read the full letter here

Ingram and Filner were 22 years apart, and had been together for more than three years. The couple was planning for an October wedding.

Before living in San Diego, Ingram worked in Los Angeles as a disability analyst for the Social Security Administration. She said she met Filner when her office was working on a disability policy and Filner was “the only congressman who actually cared.”

Ingram continued her work for them at the local office once Filner was elected mayor and she moved to San Diego full time. Filner said shortly after he was elected that Ingram would not receive a salary from the city.

“My heart is in San Diego now,” she said in her December Politically Speaking interview.

Ingram wished Filner the best in her letter, and said she hopes the volunteers that worked with her will continue their work throughout San Diego.

The brush fire burning near Mount Laguna that has been threatening more than 100 structures has jumped Sunrise Highway Cal Fire confirmed.

Officials have announced mandatory evacuations for residents from Laguna Mountain Lodge south to Interstate 8.

Cal Fire spokesperson Mike Mohler said the "Chariot Fire" jumped to the west side of the highway at Mount Laguna Campground.

Watch: Latest from Sunrise Highway

There was a sense of urgency in the area as residents told NBC 7 the fire exploded in strength and size in a matter of minutes.

Mohler said around 4:30 p.m. that winds have calmed down a bit and it is expected to shift back toward the desert floor.

Deputies went door-to-door to alert residents it's time to evacuate. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said evacuations were conducted along Sunrise Highway between Milemarker 17-29. Deputies also sent out an "Alert San Diego" to residents within that area.

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The Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) was participating in air drops to help control the fire officials said.

As of 6:45 p.m. Monday, the "Chariot Fire" had burned 4,700 acres and was 15 percent surrounded. Eight buildings have been damaged or destroyed, according to Cal Fire. Check Cal Fire incident page

Fire broke out around 1 p.m. Saturday at Chariot Canyon Road and Oriflamme Canyon Road, about nine to 10 miles southeast of Julian, just east of Sunrise Highway.

The fast-moving wildfire in the remote location proved difficult for firefighters to get a handle on.

"We have contrasting air influences from the desert and the ocean that causes just erratic winds," Cal Fire spokesperson Rosanne Grier said.

As of 7:00 a.m. Monday, San Diego County sheriff's deputies were ordering anyone along Sunrise Highway from State Route 79 to Monument Peak to leave the area, according to the San Diego Office of Emergency Services.

"Overnight some of the fire went toward the desert floor then the wind pushed it toward Sunrise Highway south and that's where we had the additional evacuations," Mohler told NBC 7 at the time.

El Prado, Horse Heaven and Laguna Campgrounds have already been evacuated as well as the Al Bahr Shrine Camp and the Foster Lodge.

Cal Fire reports more than 1,100 crew members battling the fire.

Accessibility was an issue and crews worked hard to tackle the flames both on the ground and by air.

Defending the highway is a main priority, Grier said. "That gives the engines a great access point for the fire and gives our crews the best chance at stopping the fire," she added.

There have been four injuries in connection with the Chariot Fire, but the extent of those injuries is unknown.

San Diego County Office of Emergency Services

The evacuation order encompasses roughly 160 homes that Cal Fire says are mainly seasonal homes. Only 35 people have had to leave their homes so far.

“If you live in that area and you see smoke, be ready and have that plan,” said Mohler. “We ask you to leave if you so early not only for public safety but for the first responders at that area."

An evacuation center has been established at the Joan McQueen Middle School at 2001 Tavern Rd. in Alpine by the San Diego chapter of the American Red Cross. It will be open overnight to anyone in need of shelter, foot or clothing.

While not wanting to excite residents, Mohler told NBC 7 the next areas of concern would be communities near Julian, Cuyamaca and Alpine. He said that even though there is plenty of acreage between the fire and those communities, they will be bringing in additional resources to protect residents from the fire.

Mohler said the weather is definitely a factor in the changing direction of the fire. NBC 7 Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh said current temperature averages 93-degrees, 14-percent humidity, and 13 mph wind.

He told NBC 7 the large smoke column looks like it is capping at 10000 ft. and holds the possibility of causing thunderstorm.

Family Disaster Plan Checklist

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

View Chariot Fire in a larger map

The NYPD released harmless gases into the subway system during the morning rush beginning Tuesday to study how chemical weapons could be dispersed through the air. 

Police, working with Long Island's Brookhaven National Laboratory, placed air-sampling devices on the street and within the subway system across the five boroughs. 

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A freshly laundered shirt, covered in plastic, flaps in the wind as it takes flight from in front of Manayunk Cleaners in Philadelphia.

It wasn’t picked up by a breeze, though, rather a remote-controlled drone, which ferries the shirt across the sky on a delivery run to a nearby customer.

“I’m all about technology and I see a lot of these cleaners, it’s so old school. You come in…and you just pick it up. I needed to spice things up,” says Manayunk Cleaners owner Harout Vartanian.

The 24-year-old, who’s trying to attract a young clientele at his Main Street shop that opened last September, converted a four-bladed DJI Phantom quadracopter, designed for taking aerial photography, into a dry cleaning delivery machine.

“We fly it to your house, it makes a noise, you pick it up and that’s that,” Vartanian says. “We posted a video to YouTube and it went viral. And ever since then, people have been asking ‘Hey, can you deliver my clothes by drone?’”

It takes two people -- a spotter and pilot -- to complete a delivery. The drone is launched from the sidewalk and once airborne, the clothes are attached to a makeshift hanging clip. Then, with clothes securely attached, the drone heads for its destination. But since the drone is small, it’s limited in how far it can go and much can be delivered in one trip.

“Right now, this particular model can only carry one to two pounds,” Vartanian said. He says that equates to a shirt or two. “There’s a higher-end model that we haven’t purchased yet, but obviously in the future that’s what we’re going to use. It carries around 5-10 pounds.”

So far they’ve focused the drone deliveries on customers from nearby businesses to log some flight hours, according to Vartanian.

Tim Nedzwecky had clean towels for his dog grooming business, The Groom Room, flown over. He calls the service “awesome.” Asked whether he’s concerned the towels might get dirty on their flight, Nedzwecky says no.

“I think that if something happens, they’ll fix it,” Nedzwecky said.

Next, Vartanian says they’ll randomly select one customer a month to have their clothes delivered by air for free. Then he hopes to expand the program and deploy a fleet of drones to deliver clothes to all customers.

While the drone deliveries are not exactly practical, they do get attention.

People often stop to look at the device flying high over Main Street, sometimes nearly a dozen at a time.

“It’s pretty crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it. I was wondering what the hell that was, to be honest,” said Trish Pasquarello. The 24-year-old said she’d try drone delivery because it would be easier than having to carry her clothes.

“It’s just something fun to watch,” says Bruce Cook. The contractor, who’s working on a project across the street from the cleaners, said he’s been watching the drone test flights for some time.

“It’s a novelty, it’s pretty cool, it’s cute, all that, but it’s not practical,” he said. “What would have been better, would have been if there had been a tractor-trailer coming down and met it.”

The use of drones in the American skies has been a hot topic of debate, as of late. Currently, drone use by commercial operators falls into a grey area. The Federal Aviation Administration bars people or businesses for operating a drone – or as they call them, Unmanned Aircraft Systems -- for compensation or hire.

The FAA also requires operators to obtain an airworthiness certificate to operate a drone. But that  may change. Congress has required the FAA to develop guidelines for commercial drone use by 2015. The guidelines would give businesses a way to use drones for profit.

Vartanian doesn't think his drone falls under the FAA guidelines. He insists it's “just a toy” and is being used as a way to promote his business.

“It’s amazing. It’s something new, it’s definitely a step towards the future," he said. "[Customers] have never seen anything like this and hopefully they’ll get used to it because that's what we’ll plan on doing.”

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

Some of the youngest survivors of the Asiana Airlines crash were reunited with their parents Tuesday morning. Family members arrived overnight and were shuttled to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Burlingame where the students are staying.

Some family members took a connecting flight from Los Angeles to SFO overnight and then boarded a shuttle bus where they were escorted to the hotel.

A passenger who was on the flight described how the situation was handled. “Rather than let everyone off the plane as they would normally do, they said they were letting off a few different people earlier so everyone stayed on the plane for a few extra minutes and few people got off some stairway or ladder,” passenger Matt Greenwood said. “I didn’t really know what was going on at the time.”

The parents of the two teen girls who were killed in the crash are expected to meet the coroner today in San Mateo County. The coroner said he probably will not release autopsy results for at least two to three weeks. He also stated he wants to wait until an investigation is complete.

The results of the autopsy could shed light on whether one of the girls died as a result of being hit by a fire rig on scene.

The center of Tropical Storm Chantal was passing south of Puerto Rico late Tuesday night and had increased its speed to 28 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

As of 11 p.m., Chantal had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph – down from 65 mph several hours before – as it moved west-northwest at 28 mph. It was about 215 miles south-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico and about 330 miles southeast of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

After passing south of Puerto Rico overnight, the storm was expected to be near or over Hispaniola by Wednesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said.

The National Hurricane Center had said earlier that Chantal would be near hurricane strength before it reached Hispaniola, but in its latest advisory it said that little change in strength was now expected before the storm reached the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Weakening was forecast for after that.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Currently, the official forecast never calls for Chantal to reach hurricane strength. But a hurricane watch was in effect for Barahona to Samana in the Dominican Republic.

The storm was expected to be near eastern Cuba early Thursday and over the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Thursday.

The forecast cone shifted slightly to the east early Tuesday, removing most of South Florida from Chantal’s path.

By Thursday Chantal could potentially bring tropical storm conditions to the southeastern Bahamas, parts of the central Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos, the National Hurricane Center said.

There are still many variables that would ultimately dictate the location and intensity of Chantal three to five days from now and South Florida residents should continue to monitor the storm.

Chantal is expected to continue moving to the west-northwest over the next day or so, with a gradual decrease in speed. A turn toward the northwest was expected by Thursday.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for the entire coasts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as well as Puerto Rico, the Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas.

A tropical storm watch was in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Vieques and Culebra and the central Bahamas.

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Tropical storm conditions were expected across portions of Puerto Rico overnight and early Wednesday, and in the Dominican Republic Wednesday morning. Tropical storm conditions are expected in Haiti by late Wednesday.

Chantal is expected to produce between 3-6 inches of rain over Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the southeastern Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Maximum amounts of 10 inches are possible over Hispaniola.

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The U.S. Department of Justice has found the City of Miami Police Department has engaged in a pattern of excessive force in police-involved shootings.

In a report released Tuesday, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division found that several police department practices, including "deficient tactics, improper actions by specialized units, as well as egregious delays and substantive deficiencies in deadly force investigations, contributed to the pattern or practice of excessive force."

The investigation began in November 2011 following the deaths of seven black men in officer-involved shootings. According to the Justice Department, between 2008 and 2011, officers shot at individuals on 33 separate occasions, three of which were found unjustified by Miami Police.

Mayor Wants Feds to Investigate Miami Police Department

"At the time of the investigation in November, there were particular shootings in a very short time span that led individuals in the community concerned and that is what sparked the investigation," Wifredo Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

About two years ago, Sheila McNeil's son Travis, who was unarmed, was shot and killed by a Miami Police officer. She said of Tuesday's report, "I was overjoyed. It was kind of a mixed emotion."

Though the findings came as little surprise to McNeil, they don't do much to lessen her pain.

“My child should not have died that night on a simple traffic stop. It was very much mishandled,” she said.

Manuel Orosa, the Miami Police chief, issued an email statement about the report.

"We are thankful to the D.O.J. for their acknowledgment, in writing, of a significant decrease in police-involved shootings in 2012. Success in this area comes as a result of reforms established under my direction," the statement said."The D.O.J.’s findings have reached us one year after the Miami Police Department’s efforts to address all concerns regarding the shootings via a comprehensive report to D.O.J. highlighting numerous corrective actions taken by Chief Manuel Orosa and his administration."

The Justice Department findings found that a small number of officers were involved in a disproportionate number of shootings, while the investigations into the shootings were "egregiously delayed."

The Miami Police Department didn't provide close supervision or hold officers accountable for their actions by failing to complete thorough, objective and timely investigations into the shootings.

Emotional Meeting Over Miami Police Shootings

It was the second such investigation into the department in recent years, following a 2002 probe that found similar deficiencies, the Justice Department noted.

The shootings that were looked at under the most recent probe happened under the leadership of former Chief Miguel Exposito, who was fired in September 2011 for insubordination. Exposito had said the shootings were justified, though some of the victims were found to be unarmed.

For a significant number of the shootings, including one that happened in 2008, the Miami Police Department hasn't reached a conclusion internally as to whether the shooting was lawful and within policy, the Justice Department said.

Marchers Protest Miami Police Shootings

Roy Austin, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, commended the progress made by the department under Chief Manuel Orosa, who replaced Exposito in 2011.

"The Justice Department provided feedback to the Miami Police Department during the investigation and commends Chief Orosa for taking steps to address some of the deficiencies identified since the investigation began," Austin said during the conference call.

Austin said Orosa has made significant changes, including how specialized units within the department operate. He added that proper training needs to take place before the next shooting.

Sharpton Wants Feds to Investigate Miami Police Shootings

"Like all officers, Miami Police Department officers have difficult jobs. There are times when deadly force will have to be used but we have to make sure that officers know when to use it and how to use it properly," Austin said.

Austin said the probe was a civil pattern or practice investigation, which is different from a criminal investigation. Whether an individual officer violated the law is a separate determination that would be made by a separate unit of the Justice Department along with the U.S. Attorney's Office and local prosecutors.

The goal of the investigation will be to come to a court-enforceable agreement with the city and police department that will lay out changes in policies, procedures and training, Austin said.

"For a police department to be effective, its officers must have the trust of those whom they serve," Ferrer said. "It's my hope that the findings of this investigation, together with the city's and Chief Orosa's commitment, will help strengthen and invigorate the public's confidence in our police department."

"There is clearly a disconnect between the USDOJ and the reality of what our Miami Police Officers confront on a daily basis," Javier Ortiz, president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, said in an email statement. "While there are many portions that we disagree with, the most troubling area of this report was the summary dealing with some shootings that the Miami Police Department found unjustified."
 

The Illinois House and Senate both voted Tuesday to override Gov. Pat Quinn's revised gun bill, making Illinois the final state to allow firearms to be carried in public.

The Senate voted 41-17 after the House's 77-31 vote to override Quinn's amendatory veto that wanted to keep guns out of places that serve alcohol and impose a one-gun limit.

The votes came just before a midnight federal appeals court's deadline to allowed Illinois residents to carry concealed guns.

The Illinois State Police must be ready to accept applications in six months. Officials expect 300,000 to apply in the first year.

Quinn used his amendatory veto last week to make changes to the compromise concealed carry bill already passed by the legislature.

"Do not genuflect before the National Rifle Association," Quinn said Monday in a message to lawmakers. "They do not understand public safety in the land of Lincoln, and we're going to fight hard for public safety."

Quinn said at the time he thinks the people of Illinois will stand with him and support his version of the concealed carry bill becoming law. At least one lawmaker, though, said there are enough votes to override the governor's veto because not passing a concealed carry bill would be dire.

"For the life of me I can't believe that the governor would want to put Illinois into public safety risk to go over the cliff," Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) said.

It's not the only special session that's been called to talk about guns. Mayor Rahm Emanuel called a special session of the Chicago City Council next week. Emanuel wants to strengthen the city's assault weapons ban and impose harsher punishments for gun crimes committed near schools.

That vote will take place next Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The annual Over-The-Line Tournament, sponsored by the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club, will be celebrating 60 years of politically incorrect team names and raunchy play this year on Fiesta Island.

A bat-and-ball game that started because three guys couldn’t snag a volleyball court, OTL has grown exponentially from its start in the 1950s.

OTL is planning special presentations from volunteers in honor of the group’s 60th birthday, but OMBAC Vice President John Tefft isn’t giving away many details.

“Every venue of guys has their own little skit,” John Tefft said. “We are all keeping it from each other.”

The tournament is expecting around 1,300 teams, each squad name more taboo than the last.

“Not everything has to be G-rated in society,” Tefft said. He explained that the tournament has become a cross between a sporting event and Mardi Gras, attracting visitors from across the nation to this beach side party.

“We want to bring back the fun stuff that we used to do. A part of OMBAC is the old men behaving as children,” Tefft said.

Competitors and spectators alike can enjoy OMBAC-themed food like OM-dogs and sand-dogs, as well as a college throwback, “jungle juice” in which bartenders throw in, as Tefft describes it, “whatever they have.”

Besides the free admission both weekends, the event is unique from others in San Diego. Despite what may have been up in the air last month, guests can still bring their own booze, just as long as it is not stored in a bottle or glass container.

OTL play starts each day at 7:30 a.m. and runs two weekends, July 13-14 and 20-21. Organizers suggest attendees leave the kids at home.

Free buses will again be running from South Mission Beach and Linda Vista Trolley Station to Fiesta Island beginning at 7 a.m., with the last bus leaving at 3 p.m.