San Diego City Council voted unanimously to ban the retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores throughout the city on Tuesday.

Local animal welfare groups partnered with Council Member Lori Zapf for the ordinance that bans the commercial sale of specific animals in San Diego.

The measure requires pet retailers to get their puppies, kittens and rabbits from city or county animal shelters, human societies and nonprofit rescue groups. The ban goes into effect in 30 days.

It was a packed house at the council meeting — and when the decision was reached there was a lot of applause from the crowd, and disappointment too.

The San Diego Humane Society and the SPCA are legal sources for pet retailer shops, and they say they're being targeted unfairly by this measure.

Retailers said it would only penalize well-run, regulated shops that sell properly registered animals, and end up benefiting those on the black market.

"This has got to stop. This movement of accusing every single breeder having pet stores as puppy mills is absolutely ridiculous," said David Salinas of San Diego Puppy Inc.

But residents concerned about so called puppy mills that they say simply mass produce animals --- and use them as a money making commodity.

"These animals live their entire lives in small cages. They never touch the ground, they never have a name never have a toy," said Sydney Cicourel of the Companion Animal Protection Society.

Similar measures have been adopted in Los Angeles and a number of other Southern California cities including Chula Vista.

This was no ordinary tip.

After a slow night at Pequod’s Pizza in Chicago's Lincoln Park Thursday, a waitress was given a shocking surprise when a man handed her a $500 tip, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“She was shocked, she was shaking,” said Sean Asbra, general manager at Pequod’s Pizza. “It was a total surprise.”

Asbra said the Lincoln Park pizza restaurant was nearly as surprised as the server to learn of the tip.

“You try to take care of everybody when they come in no matter who they are,” he said. “Out of all the places they could have gone they picked us.”

But Vanessa Goldschmidt wasn’t the only waitress to be graced with the random act. In fact, she’s the latest in a string of servers being given the $500 tip in honor of Aaron Collins.

Aaron Collins reportedly committed suicide on July 7, 2012, but not before leaving behind a will requesting that his family go out to eat and leave an “awesome tip” like $500 for a pizza.

“The small things people did for [Aaron] are what touched him the most,” a website for Aaron’s Last Wish reads. “He was generous with the limited means he had, and his last wishes were that any money he had be given freely in ways that would impact those who received it.”

The first tip given was recorded by Collins’ brother Seth Collins and went viral on YouTube . The post resulted in a stream of donations to continue completing “Aaron’s Last Wish.”

The flood of support led Seth Collins to embark on a road trip, offering $500 tips across the country.

“That first video created a tidal wave of giving,” Seth Collins wrote on his indiegogo fundraising page. “Now I want to spread those $500 tips to every state in the country.”

The next stops scheduled in the midwest are Milwaukee, St. Paul and Des Moines.

“I want to make as many people as possible part of this journey,” Seth Collins wrote on the fundraising page.

Donate to Aaron's Last Wish here.

Thinking about moving in with your girlfriend or boyfriend? Think again.

Unmarried young adult couples living together are not necessarily committed to each other in the long run, a new study by the Rand Corporation found.

The study found that unmarried couples who live together had lower levels of commitment to each other than married couples living together do and are less sure of the permanence of their relationships.

The new study comes after one Rand released in 2006 found that couples who "slide" into relationship and living situations, instead of making their decisions together, were at a higher risk for stress in their relationships and for divorce.

Living with partners led to a 40 percent increase in the likelihood of divorce for unmarried women, The Atlantic reported.

Previous Rand research found that out of the 2,068 cohabiting men and women, 52 percent of men compared to 39 percent of women said they were uncertain of their relationship's long-term stability.

Forty-one percent of men, compared to 26 percent of women, said they were not "completely committed," according to RAND charts obtained by The Atlantic.

A teenager was shot and killed when he tried to chase after two robbers who allegedly stole his brother's cell phone in Jersey City early Friday morning, his family says. 

Muhammed Choudhry, 18, was inside his Virginia Avenue home with his family preparing food for the Ramadan holiday at about 3 a.m. Friday, according to his family. His older brother, Yassir, was sitting on the front stoop when two men approached him and demanded his cell phone. 

"He say 'Give me your phone.' I say 'no,'" said Yassir Choudhry. 

The robbers took the phone anyway, and Yassir called up to his brother, Muhammed, on the balcony. Muhammed saw the commotion and rushed downstairs to help.

The two ran after the robbers, and two blocks into the chase, one of the men pulled out a gun, according to family. He fired one shot, killing Muhammed. 

Prosecutors announced Friday night that 18-year-old Heru Amun'Tehu of Jersey City was arrested in the killing, charged with murder and robbery. His bail was set at $250,000. 

Attorney information wasn't immediately available. 

Choudhry had just graduated high school and was looking forward to college. Friends said his family had just moved from Pakistan to pursue their American dream.

"It's outrageous. Just for a cell phone, you can just go ahead and kill someone — it's really sad," said family friend Saeed Mohammed. 

"Ramadan tells us to to be patient and feel for other people who are hungry, who are suffering out there," he added. "I can't tell how the family's feeling. Definitely they're devastated." 

Proseuctors are continuing to investigate; it's not clear if the other suspect has been identified. 

The three former allies of San Diego Mayor Bob Filner say they still want him to resign from office as a result of allegations of sexual harassment, despite his public apology.

Special Section: Mayor Under Fire

In a statement posted via Twitter Friday, San Diego environmental attorney Marco Gonzalez said the call for Filner's resignation has not been rescinded.

Gonzalez appeared Thursday alongside former City Councilmember Donna Frye and attorney Cory Briggs and explained their recent pleas to Filner to step down from the mayor's seat.

"Frye, Gonzalez, and Briggs stand by original demand, video notwithstanding. Additional information to be provided next week."

Mayor Filner released a statement on Thursday afternoon apologizing to city residents, hours after he was accused of sexually harassing numerous female employees.

"I begin today by apologizing to you. I have diminished the office to which you elected me. I have reached into my heart and soul and realize I must and will change my behavior," he said in the DVD.

Read Mayor's Full Statement Here

Filner was responding to an early news conference held by Frye, Gonzalez and Briggs in which they claimed “numerous” female employees of the mayor were subjected to “unfortunate and reprehensible circumstances.”

Gonzalez has said he will not reveal victim identities or details of the alleged behavior.

The Department of Defense will not allow military flight demonstrations at the 2013 Miramar Air Show.

This means there will be no military planes featured in the annual tradition that draws thousands of people to the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar every year.

The decision was based on department-wide budget cuts as a result of sequestration according to a news release issued Friday.

"Air show or not, I want to thank the San Diego community for always supporting us and making us feel at home," said Col. John P. Farnam, MCAS Miramar commanding officer in a prepared statement.

As for whether this spells doom for the entire event, the base will look at options on hosting the community at the base despite the DOD decision.
 

A dog that became trapped on a window ledge in Brooklyn was rescued by a firefighter who won the pup's trust with treats and brought him down in a bucket truck.

Witnesses said the dog appeared to have climbed out of the second-story open window, which had a window guard required by law in New York City apartments where children live. Once on the 6-inch ledge, the dog didn't seem able to get back in, past the window guard. 

"He must have wiggled through and couldn't figure out how to get back in," said James Morgan, a witness who lives in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood and caught the Thursday evening rescue on video.

A crowd began to gather on the busy Court Street sidewalk below, and an FDNY truck arrived. The firefighter cleared the sidewalk and backed up the truck to the building.

The dog continued to stand on the narrow ledge, losing its footing several times as nervous onlookers watched from below.

"It was pretty nerve-wracking," Morgan said.

The firefighter slowly approached the dog in the bucket, retreating to ground level at times to accept a leash, a bowl of water and some treats.

He offered the treats to the dog, and eventually was able to pet the animal and clip on the leash.

At last, the firefighter picked up the dog, as the crowd cheered and children cried "yay!"

Morgan said the firefighter immediately went into the building with the dog, and it wasn't clear whether the owner was in the area at the time.

A man convicted of randomly shooting at cars along State Route 163 was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in prison, plus an additional 11 years and four months.

Stephen Dragasits, 60, was convicted in May of two counts of shooting at an occupied car and assault with a firearm. However, jurors were undecided on an attempted murder charge.

In April 2011, Dragasits fired shots at cars on southbound SR-163 just north of Balboa Avenue.

He shot a 21-year-old University of San Diego student in the abdomen as she was driving on the highway. Another vehicle was also damaged by the bullets he fired.

At Friday’s sentencing, the woman shot by Dragasits said she still lives with constant pain from the shooting more than two years later.

Dragasits was arrested in 2011, about two weeks after the shooting. He was identified as a transient who lived in a motorhome often parked on Kearny Villa Road.

In April 2012, jurors could not come to an agreement in Dragasits’ case. At that time, he faced six counts including attempted murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle and assault with a firearm.

The case then went to retrial. He was convicted in May 2013, followed by Friday’s sentencing.
 

A 6-year-old boy who spent more than three hours in an Indiana sinkhole was pulled out alive Friday evening.

Emergency officials told NBC News that the boy was flown to a Chicago hospital for treatment, and NBC News has learned that he's in "critical condition."

John Easton, a spokesperson at Comer Children's Hospital, said the boy is currently on a ventilator in critical condition but is responding well.

A statement released from the hospital read:

"The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital does have the 6-year-old boy from the Michigan incident. He is listed in critical condition, but when he arrived he was able to respond to simple commands and he has responded well to mechanical ventilation.

"His parents want to extend their deepest thanks to the Michigan City fire and police departments and all the authorities, private companies and individuals who contributed to the rescue effort. They also ask that people include this little boy in their prayers."

The boy fell inside the hole sometime after 4 p.m. at Mt. Baldy in Michigan City, Ind.

Officials say he was found 11 feet down in the sand. Michigan City Fire Chief Ronnie Martin said his crews used heavy machinery to locate the boy. 

A park spokesman said the boy's family did not see him fall inside the hole, but saw him inside and tried to dig him out.

Officials said the incident occurred in a restoration area that is blocked off from traffic.

The family is believed to be from Illinois.

Portions of the park will remain closed until Sunday while police continue to investigate the incident.

Embattled Mayor Bob Filner remained mum Friday as more local leaders demanded his resignation, but the mayor did say one thing to the public: he’s not attending this weekend’s big Pride celebration in Hillcrest.

Filner’s office released the following statement Friday:

“A message to my brothers and sisters at Pride: It is with great regret, but utmost respect for the tradition of Pride, that I have decided not to participate this year. Although I have participated proudly many years in the past, I am concerned that the current controversy surrounding me could distract from the importance of what the whole Pride movement stands for. I have no intention of allowing such a distraction. Please know that I am there with you in spirit, cheering you on and celebrating the extraordinary progress, especially recently, made for the gay community. I’m PROUD of you all!!”

Filner’s sole statement Friday came amid a very busy day in the scandal surrounding the mayor, who’s accused of sexually harassing several women that have yet to be identified.

In the afternoon, Democratic leaders Toni Atkins and Lorena Gonzalez held a news conference in which they called for Filner to resign immediately.

Gonzalez said she had personally heard from victims that had been physically and verbally harassed by Filner, but did not name names.

Minutes after the conference, Filner’s chief of staff, Vince Hall, resigned.

Hall posted this update on his Twitter page: “As a lifelong activist for women’s rights and equality, I feel I must resign effective today.”

As for San Diego Pride, the show will go on without the mayor.

This year’s celebration is slated to be the biggest ever, given recent historic marriage-equality victories that have brought same-sex marriage back to California.

The National Transportation Safety Board apologized Friday evening for its erroneous confirmation of "inaccurate and offensive" names of pilots on the Asiana Airlines jet that crashed at the San Francisco airport on Saturday.

The NTSB said that a summer intern, acting outside of the scope of his authority, had erroneously confirmed those names in response to an inquiry from a media outlet.

The board does not generally release or confirm names of such crew members to the media, it added.

"We work hard to ensure that only appropriate factual information regarding an investigation is released and deeply regret today's incident," the board said in its statement.

Read the full statement here.

The NTSB's apology and explanation came after San Francisco Bay Area station KTVU reported the fake racist names on the air earlier in the day on its noon broadcast.

The station apologized thereafter, noting that the NTSB had confirmed the names. The segment on KTVU's broadcast, however, had gone viral online.

"Nothing is more important to us than having the highest level of accuracy and integrity, and we are reviewing our procedures to ensure this type of error does not happen again," the station said.

It was unclear where the list of names came from originally.

Check back for updates.

A Florida woman who was taken to jail for drug possession is facing additional drug charges after police found her trying to smuggle two crack pipes into jail through her genitals.

Cynthia Scholes, 41, was a passenger in a car that was stopped for speeding by Gainesville Police on Wednesday night. The driver told police that they could search his car, according to a police report.

Police found a cigar wrapper with about three grams of cannabis in the passenger seat occupied by Scholes, the report said.

Scholes was searched, and she was found with a crack pipe in her purse, the report said.

She was arrested, and on the way to jail, police asked her three times if she had narcotics on her, which she denied, according to the report.

When Scholes passed through the X-ray machine at the jail, police found contraband inside her genitals, the report said.

Police found two crack pipes on her, one that had about .01 grams of crack cocaine in it.

Scholes was arrested for an additional charge of smuggling contraband in a detention facility. As of Friday morning, she was still being held in jail on a $10,000 bond, according to online jail records. It was not immediately known if she had an attorney.

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• VIDEO: Police Hunting for the "I'm Sorry" Robber
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• Man Posed as Woman on Chat Site to Lure, Rob Men: Sunrise Police

A Westchester County high school teacher was arrested in the alleged rape of a 16-year-old student on what was supposed to be his wedding day Friday, authorities said. 

John M. Azabache, a 31-year-old math teacher at Ossining High School, turned himself in to police and was arraigned on a charge of third-degree rape in town court, police said.

Azabache, of Port Chester, allegedly had sexual relations with the student between March and July 1 of this year. The girl's family contacted police, who conducted an investigation.

The alleged incident did not occur on school property or during school hours, police said.

The Journal News reports Azabache was scheduled to be married Friday to a White Plains woman. 

Azabache was jailed on $50,000 bail and ordered not to contact the student as well as his fiancee and two of her family members because they were "witnesses to events after the fact," according to the judge. 

Azabache has been reassigned from teaching and barred from school grounds pending the outcome of the case, according to a statement from the school district. He had no prior criminal record. 

Students at the school said Azabache was well-liked and were stunned by the allegations. 

"I never thought that he would do something like that," said one student.

"It's really the biggest mistake a teacher can do. He's going to lose all the respect he had from all the kids." 

His lawyer Tony Castro told reporters his client has a "stellar record as a school teacher, adding, "I just want to note that what he’s being charged with does not involve any forceable compulsion. It involves an alleged incident with a minor, someone who is just under 17 years old.”

Asked about the wedding, Castro said, “I assumed it was called off. Frankly, that is nothing I discussed with him.”

Azabache is due back in court July 23.

A new kind of parade set sail in Chicago Saturday.

Ashore Thing, presented by Michigan Avenue Magazine and the Chicago Yacht Club, celebrated the start of the famous Race to Mackinac Island boat race with a parade of sailboat sensations. The event took place from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. at Navy Pier.

A wave of prestigious sailboats preparing to embark on the 105th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac sailed through the shores of Chicago Saturday, offering seaside admirers a close-up view of their “floats.”

The open-to-the-public viewing party offered a chic viewing lounge outfitted with cabanas, café tables, and a DJ. It will also provide a gourmet lunch menu for lakeside picnics, a cigar bar and a photo booth.

The Race to Mackinac, also known as “The Mac,” is a 333-mile race to Michigan’s Mackinac Island and hosts 350 boats annually with nearly 3,500 sailors competing.

Two women are dead, a man is in critical condition and a suspect is in police custody following a Friday afternoon jewelry store shooting in downtown San Francisco.

Late Friday, none of the victims nor the suspect had been identified.

San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said his officers encountered the suspect, covered in blood, as they responded to a report of shots fired just after 2 p.m. at Victoga, a store in the Jewelry Mart at 888 Brannan near 7th Street in the South of Market area.

Suhr said as the officers approached the man he fired multiple shots at them. The suspect then ran into a restaurant. More officers arrived and entered the restaurant where the man fire more shots, according to police.

Suhr said the suspect ran out of bullets and then laid on the ground to surrender. The firearm, a revolver, and the edged weapon, a knife, were both recovered.

Surh said officers never returned fire.

The suspect was taken into police custody and is being treated for superficial wounds to his hands.

Suhr did not talk about a motive but said it was not the first time the suspect was in the Jewelry Mart building.

• SLIDESHOW: Images from the scene

Suhr said officers evacuated the Jewelry Mart and put nearby buildings under lock down out of an abundance of caution as they conducted a search with SWAT and K-9 teams.

Some well-known tech companies are located in the area and were under the lock down. Pinterest and Zynga were among the companies that were shut down during the investigation.

Suhr said police do not believe there is an additional suspect at large, despite their continued search of the building.  By 6:30 police declared the area clear and said the gunman had acted alone.

Suhr said his officers did not return fire because their guns were in their holsters. He said protocol is to take cover first in that situation, adding that his officers did not have a clean line of fire to hit the suspect.

Police said two female victims were pronounced deceased at the jewelry store. A third male victim was located with multiple injuries and transported to San Francisco General Hospital with life threatening injuries.

Police said one of the female victim suffered gun shot wounds. The second female victim suffered wounds from some type of edged weapon. The male victim suffered both gun shot wounds and wounds from an edged weapon, police said.

The Jewelry Mart is a multi-story wholesale retail complex in the South of Market District. It is not open to the public. Customers need to be on a list in order to get into the store area and are checked through by a security guard.

Once you have access through the guard you have access to all of the stores through a hallway that loops around in a circular pattern.Most of the stores sell jewelry.

According to its website, Victoga has been in the jewelry business over 26 years and specializes in gold chains, gold earrings, gold pendants, and gold bracelets. It said it also offers gold buying for customers who want to sell their unwanted, old, or broken gold jewelry.

The chief of staff for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner resigned on Friday afternoon.

Vince Hall, who has worked for the mayor since shortly after the election, tweeted on Friday afternoon that he has resigned.

Filner has been under fire this week after he was accused of sexually harassing female employees.

Special Secton: Mayor Under Fire

"As a lifelong activist for women’s rights and equality, I feel I must resign effective today," Hall posted.

The now-former chief of staff made this announcement minutes after local democratic leaders publicly asked for Filner's resignation.

Check back for updates on this story.

A Chula Vista woman has been arrested for allegedly robbing and attempting to kill an acquaintance, police confirmed.

According to police, 29-year-old Lymarie Rodriguez allegedly got into a fight with a man at a home in the 1600 block of Buckeye Drive in El Cajon early Thursday morning.

When police arrived to investigate the disturbance, they found both Rodriguez and the man suffering from stab wounds.

Detectives say Rodriguez allegedly tried to rob the man at his El Cajon home, and an altercation ensued.

The male victim sustained a life-threatening injury in the struggle, and was taken to a local hospital. He is currently recovering.

Rodriguez suffered non-life threatening injuries, and was later arrested for attempted murder, police said.

According to detectives, Rodriguez and the man are acquaintances, and are not romantically involved. They were the only two people involved in the stabbings Thursday morning.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on this case should call the El Cajon Police Department at (619) 579-3311.
 

A man was slashed in the face by an unknown, knife-wielding suspect in La Mesa Friday night, police said.

At around 7:40 p.m., a witness called 911 to report that a suspect had attacked a 50-year-old man in the 7400 block of Colony Drive, cutting the victim’s face with a knife.

When police arrived at the scene, they found the victim on the ground with cuts to his nose and face. He was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The slashing suspect had fled the scene, and was last seen running through a nearby residential complex.

Police officers searched the area with help from the San Diego Sheriff’s Department’s helicopter and El Cajon police K-9 units, but were not able to locate the suspect.

He remains at large, and is described by police as a white male adult in his 40s to 50s. He’s between 5-foot-4 and 5-foot-6, 160-pounds with graying “salt and pepper” hair.

He was wearing a T-shirt, brown shorts and was carrying a large black trash bag when he fled the scene.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the La Mesa Police Department or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-TIPS.