A proposed tram linking the San Diego International Airport to downtown may appear like an amusement park ride but one local official said the idea isn’t so farfetched. 

Visitors to San Diego Zoo can ride the tram above the park and a similar system was proposed in 2015 to link the airport with the San Diego Convention Center. 

When it was initially proposed, the Skyway would be constructed in the 6th Avenue corridor from the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego to Balboa Park.

Now, it's suggested the aerial skyway system with its 12-person capsules hovering 90 feet in the air could solve airport traffic congestion. 

“It’s something I think would be ideal for San Diego,” District 4 County Supervisor Ron Roberts said. 

A feasibility study Roberts commissioned was completed in September. 

The capital cost for the project estimated between $230 and $300 million. 

“I feel like we would have a very good opportunity for getting a major part of the funding from the federal government,” Roberts said. 

This study only addressed if it was feasible that a skyway to enhance transportation between the airport and parts of downtown but did not determine the skyway system was the best option. 

In a statement, airport officials said they are open to all ideas that would improve access to the airport. 

Once all regional partners agree on an approach, the Airport Authority would begin to work to make it happen. 

The Trump Administration plans to pull out of the United Nations agency that regulates international postal rates, White House officials said Wednesday, claiming the system is unfairly hurting the U.S.

The Universal Postal Union imposes shipping rates on its 192 member countries, and the U.S. says the system unfairly benefits China and some other nations by allowing them to send packages to the U.S. at cheaper rates than domestic shippers.

Senior White House officials said the system prevents the U.S. from competing with China on an even playing field.

The U.S. is notifying the UPU of its intention to withdraw on Wednesday, the officials said in a conference call with reporters.

The withdrawal process for a country to leave the UPU takes one year, and the White House said the U.S. plans to renegotiate better rates during that time. Rates wouldn't change for at least six months, the officials said.

Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Ireland and Sweden expressed interest in America's efforts to negotiate new terms, according to the officials.

The White House said the withdrawal from the UPU is separate from the ongoing trade dispute with China.

Now we know when, where and which teams the San Diego Fleet will be playing in their inaugural season in the Alliance of American Football (AAF).

The AAF season kicks off on Feb. 9, 2019, one week after the Super Bowl.

The first game for the San Diego Fleet will be at the Alamodome against the San Antonio Commanders.

The Fleet are coached by former St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz, while the Commanders are coached by former San Diego Chargers coach Mike Riley.

Professional football returns to San Diego in week 2, as the Fleet host the Atlanta Legends at San Diego County Credit Union Stadium on Feb. 16.

Here is the full regular season schedule for the San Diego Fleet.

Week 1, Feb. 9, 2019

San Diego Fleet at San Antonio Commanders

Week 2, Feb. 16, 2019

Atlanta Legends  at San Diego Fleet

Week 3, Feb. 24, 2019

San Antonio at San Diego

Week 4, Mar. 2, 2019

San Diego Fleet at Memphis Express

Week 5, Mar. 9, 2019

Salt Lake City Stallions at San Diego Fleet

Week 6, Mar. 17, 2019
Birmingham Iron at San Diego Fleet

Week 7, Mar. 24, 2019

San Diego Fleet at Arizona Hotshots

Week 8, Mar. 30. 2019

San Diego Fleet at Salt Lake Stallions

Week 9, Apr. 6, 2019

San Diego Fleet at Orlando Apollos

Week 10, Apr. 14, 2019

Arizona Hotshots at San Diego Fleet

The AAF will feature 8 teams with 50 player rosters, playing a 10-week regular season, followed by two playoff rounds, then the championship game the weekend of April 26-28, 2019.

Twitter on Wednesday released a massive trove of data associated with foreign influence and misinformation campaigns spanning nearly a decade — just three weeks before the U.S. midterm elections, NBC News reported.

The social media company said in a Wednesday blog post that the data comes from 3,841 accounts affiliated with the Russian-backed Internet Research Agency and 770 other accounts potentially originating in Iran.

The data release includes the content of tweets from these accounts and date back to 2009, which provides a richer look at how these accounts operated.

Twitter said the goal of the release was to make the data available for researchers and academics for investigation. As a result of its investigation into Russian interference around the 2016 presidential election, Twitter said back in January that it had notified around 1.4 million people that they had directly engaged with Russia-linked accounts during the election or had actively followed those accounts at the time they were suspended.

Thousands were briefly without power after a power pole went down and sparked a small fire in Escondido. 

More than 2,100 San Diego Gas & Electric customers were affected by the outage at 4:30 a.m. but within a half-hour, power had been restored had been restored to all but 455 homes and businesses. 

At 5:30 a.m., 182 customers remained without electricity. SDG&E said full power should be restored by 11 a.m.

The downed power pole sparked a small fire near the intersection of E. Fifth Avenue and S. Juniper Street. Flames were quickly put out by firefighters, the Escondido Police Department said.

It was not clear what caused the power pole to go down in the first place.

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

Authorities were investigating a shooting in Vista Wednesday morning. 

A man was shot in the back on N. Santa Fe Avenue, near the Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, just after midnight, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said. 

The 29-year-old man was taken to a Palomar Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening wounds. His condition was not known. 

Investigators were collecting evidence a few blocks from where the man was found, at N. Santa Fe and Connecticut avenues. 

The roadway was expected to re-open before it could affect the morning commute, SDSO said. 

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

Dozens of homes and businesses remain without power nearly a day after a building went up in flames along the Mission Beach boardwalk, injuring one person.

The fire produced a large column of thick, black smoke into the air that was visible for miles when it erupted Tuesday at a second-story residence on Ventura Place, above popular Mission Beach eateries.

More than half a dozen SDG&E work trucks are parked out here as crews worked through the night to restore power to about 75 customers.

The utility company said the large fire, across from Belmont Park, damaged some wooden power poles and wiring, which would need to be replaced before power could be fully restored. 

SDG&E hoped to have electricity restored by 6 a.m. Tuesday but a spokesperson said it would likely not be restored until 10:30 a.m., more than a day after firefighters were first called. 

One man was rescued from the fire and rushed to UC San Diego Medical Center. A second person was injured in the fire but elected not to go to the hospital in an ambulance.

Five people were in the apartment when the fire broke out. 

The fire produced a large column of thick, black smoke into the air that was visible for miles. Video shows flames pouring from the second-story windows as crews arrived on scene. 

Mo Pope lives nearby and said she was terrified when she heard an unusual number of sirens.

“There was a giant smoke coming out of the top of the building,” Pope said. “It was just pouring out of the side of the windows.”

Investigators still don't have an exact cause but said the blaze started on a rooftop storage area.

Firefighters were met with challenges when they arrived. A metal stairwall was energized from nearby electrical lines so crews put up ladders to get to the roof from the street level, Battalion Chief Ed Kinnamon said. 

The age of the building also created a challenge for firefighters.

“These old buildings are made out of plaster so it’s not the easy drywall. So it’s physically intense to pull the stuff just to confirm the fire is out,” Kinnamon said.

The multiple-story building is home to Dreyer's Ice Cream and Kojack's restaurant on the first floor.

Residences on the second floor sustained fire and water damage, fire officials said, while the businesses below suffered water damage only.

The San Diego Sheriff's Department is responding to a report of a plane crash at an airport in Borrego Springs.

Deputies were called just after 8:40 a.m. to the Ocotillo Wells Airport, a small runway off State Route 78 east of the Anza-Borrego Desert. 

Crews with the Borrego Springs Fire Protection District and the Ocotillo Fire Department were also responding. 

Units were still in route and were not been able to confirm if a plane had crashed or if anyone was injured. 

The Ocotillo Wells Airport is 90 miles east of Downtown San Diego. 

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

America’s Finest City is also the “Greenist,” according to a new WalletHub report.

The study looked at 26 indicators of environmental friendliness and sustainability and found San Diego narrowly beat San Francisco for the number one spot.

Many people around the county are doing their part to help keep San Diego on top.

Over the last six years, one homeowner in Bonita transformed her half-acre yard, ripping out most of the grass and replacing it with drought-tolerant plants and other water-saving features, as well as two butterfly gardens.

Homeowner Barbara Whelan also found creative ways to reuse items. She made a walkway out of chunks of concrete from a friend’s old patio and used old bathtubs and wheelbarrows from estate sales as plant pots.

Reused items were actually used to build a home in Lakeside.

It is made from three 20-foot shipping containers and other recycled construction materials.

“We tried to reuse materials that would normally go to waste, instead of buying new,” said homeowner Michael McConkey.

The home also features radiant heating in the floors and a “cool roof” that reflects the sunlight and helps to reduce cooling costs.

Straw is another great way to keep heating and cooling costs down, and a home in Campo is built from strawbales covered with an adobe plaster.

Builder Rebecca Tasker, co-founder of Simple Construct, said straw is a great insulator.

“One of the most amazing things about this house is how stable it is thermally. We can have huge spikes in heat or cold outside, and it just doesn’t get through those walls. This house stays about 72 degrees all the time, no matter what,” Tasker said.

Strawbale homes are also extremely fire-safe.

“This house, the way it is built, can achieve a 2-hour fire rating. That means that it takes two-hours to destroy that wall. The average house has about a 30- minute fire rating,” Tasker said.

You can learn more about all three of these properties and nine others during the San Diego Green Homes Tour.

It’s taking place this Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults. Kids 16 and under get in free.

For more information, visit the tour's website. 

An Escondido man will spend at least 26 years in prison for killing his mother with a claw hammer in their shared home, a judge ruled Wednesday. 

David McGee, 25, was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of 55-year-old Rebecca Apodaca, who was found on Feb. 1 inside a home on North Hickory Street, between E Washington Avenue and Valley Parkway.

His sister, Rebecca Apodaca-Smith, and grandmother urged the court to take McGee's mental status into consideration when sentencing him.

"It was a very selfish act that my brother did. But when you are in the midst of something so desperate that you think that you need to kill yourself, things that might seem absolutely unthinkable before, people think of doing," Apodaca-Smith said. 

One of the first responders, Thomas Hankins, a Fire Captain with the Escondido Fire Department, said they questioned McGee's mental condition.

"He didn't seem all there," said Hankins. "His eyes were bugged out. He was talking incoherently and didn't make much sense."

Police found Apodaca with major trauma to her head and a hammer on the table next to her bed. McGee was lying naked, half in and half out, of the bathroom when first responders arrived.

Apodaca-Smith believed her mother would have forgiven McGee. 

"My brother needs to pay for what he did. He needs to have absolute, adequate consequences. But the fact that I know my mother, my mother would forgive him; I forgive him; I know that my grandmother forgives him, my grandfather, my family."

McGee sobbed as he apologized. 

"Nothing can ever bring her back. Nothing. And I’m so sorry for what I’ve done," McGee said. "I'm not asking for you to let me go. Just at least let me see freedom one day so I can make up for what I’ve done."

The judge told McGee his apology doesn't change the "finality of the decision you made." 

McGee was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for first-degree murder and one year in prison for the use of a hammer. 

"You devastated your entire family. It pains me to see your sister and your grandmother sitting here today now without a mother and a daughter," the judge said.

McGee was given a hug by his grandmother before he was taken away. 

The Ozzman cometh after all: Ozzy Osbourne, who was forced to postpone -- and then ultimately cancel -- his October San Diego tour date, has officially announced a 2019 make-up show. Heavy metal's legendary "Prince of Darkness" will now headline Mattress Firm Amphitheatre on July 23, 2019.

Osbourne, who has recently been battling an infection and complications from hand surgery, was originally due to perform at the Chula Vista venue on Oct. 9. That show was pushed back to Oct. 18 before the singer announced on Oct. 11 that he was scrapping it altogether, along with three other West Coast shows.

Tickets for the July 23, 2019 show are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com, while tickets for the original Oct. 9 show will be honored at the new date. According to Live Nation San Diego: "If you are unable to attend the new date, refunds are available at the point of purchase."

The show is part of Osbourne's "No More Tours 2," a trek billed as the singer's official farewell to more than five decades of touring.

Ozzy, who has sold more than 100 million records since getting his start in the 1960s, is, of course, known for fronting both Black Sabbath and one of the more unforgettable MTV reality-TV series of all time, "The Osbournes."

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee has played in San Diego in the past, including a solo show in 2007 at Sports Arena, as well as an appearance at the same venue with Black Sabbath on the "Never Say Die! Tour" in 1978 -- Osbourne's last full tour prior to the band's reunion nearly a decade later.

As NFL owners met this week, they expressed concern about the future of the Chargers franchise in Los Angeles, according to published reports.

The Fall League Meeting in New York ended Wednesday.

A senior writer for ESPN, citing sources, said the topic of the Chargers' executives revising their annual revenue goal for Inglewood from $400 million to $150 million is being discussed among the owners. 

According to a tweet by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, the Chargers are reportedly struggling to sell personal seat licenses for the new Inglewood stadium they'll call home, which has caused the league's owners to be worried about the team's viability in the market.

This matters to San Diego Chargers fans who were devastated in January 2017 when the Spanos family announced they were relocating the team to Los Angeles after 55 years. 

The owners wanted a new, multi-use stadium in downtown San Diego and when, after years of negotiating, they failed to get the deal they wanted, the team's owners packed up and moved north to LA.

However, fan reaction has been tepid. 

NBC 7 spoke with a former San Diego Chargers executive, who called the move to Los Angeles “a bad decision from the word go.” The executive did not stay with the team when it moved to Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is seeing progress in its attempt to expand fan interest in the LA market, according to the NFL. 

"Frankly, we were out of the [L.A.] market for a long time, and we have to earn our way back with our fans," Goodell said. "We have to build that relationship back with our fans, and make sure we do it right. And I think both teams are committed to that. It will be something that we have to work at over a period of time."

He believes the stadium will help attract fans. However, there is some sticker shock.

The LA Stadium at Hollywood Park will seat 70,240 when the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers begin playing there in 2020.

The stadium is being built by Rams' owner Stan Kroenke and the Chargers will pay Kroenke rent to play in the stadium.

The Chargers announced their season ticket membership prices in March. Premium seats range from $10,000 for club seats to $75,000 for all-access seats. Each seat also carries a $350 per game ticket price fixed through the 2022 season.  

In October, the team announced general seating prices for more than 26,000 seats will be priced between $50 and $90 per seat, per game with a one-time stadium seat license payment of $100 per seat. 

Seats starting at $70 will have an SSL of $500 with prices increasing to the $150 seat price (with a $3,000 SSL). 

Current Chargers season ticket holders will have a shot at general seating beginning the week of Oct. 22. 

A driver was trapped for hours inside a vehicle that had crashed down an embankment along a North County highway Wednesday.

The person was found inside the car that went 20 feet over the side of State Route 76 in Pauma Valley, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Isaac Sanchez.

San Diego County sheriff's deputies searched for the vehicle using their helicopter after learning the driver was trapped.

The vehicle was spotted just before 11 a.m.

California Highway Patrol officers, who say the person fell asleep at the wheel earlier in the morning, shut down the highway in both directions for the rescue. 

Sanchez said the person was expected to survive with only minor injuries. 

Día de los Muertos, one of the most important holidays in Mexico and many South American countries, has become an annual tradition here in San Diego.

It's one of many traditions that have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and is practiced by families throughout the Southwest.

Also known as "Day of the Dead," the holiday is marked by a multi-day festival celebrated primarily in Mexico or by persons of Mexican heritage to honor loved ones who have passed on to the afterworld.

In Old Town San Diego, there will be a three-day festival beginning Nov. 1.

Altars created in honor of the departed are decorated in Aztec Marigolds, the favorite foods and music.

There are a number of local events planned to mark the holiday.

La Vista Historical Foundation is hosting its 10th annual Día de los Muertos Celebration on Sat., Oct. 20 from 2 p.m.- 10 p.m. This event draws about 10,000 visitors to La Vista Memorial Park in National City.

The Día de los Muertos event will be filled with performances, artisan demonstrations, face painting, traditional rituals and more.

They will have Aztec dancers, Mariachi and ballet folklorico performances. In addition, a performance by the Colombian music group La Sonora Dinamita.

La Vista Historical Foundation will host dozens of artists and artisans who’ve traveled from various countries to showcase their one of a kind works to sell at the art walk.

David Linares, nephew of the Linares family in the book Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art, will be visiting from Mexico City to showcase his art of alebrijes.

Alebrijes are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures that often adorn altars.

International visual artist Antonio Escalante will unveil this year’s community altar, named the Tree of Life, where guests are welcomed to decorate it with a picture of their loved ones who have passed away.

“For all those people that are not able to go to their hometown Mexico or those who have never traveled to Mexico this is an opportunity to see culture at its highest level of art, and respect,” Luisa McCarthy, CEO of La Vista Historical Foundation said.

“It's going to be a mosaic of art for anyone who attends.”

There are other Día de los Muertos events planned around San Diego. Here's our list: 

Saturday, Oct. 27

Día de los Muertos Celebration

The 24th Annual Sherman Heights Day of the Dead Celebration will be held at the Sherman Heights Community Center. They will have altars, vendors, food and workshops for the whole family. Admission is free.

Encinitas Día de los Muertos Celebration

Come and celebrate life up north at the Encinitas Día de los Muertos celebration. With live performances, art-making workshops, a student, artist demos, live mariachi and more. This free event is for the whole family.

Day of the Dead Festival- North Park

An array of Mexican themed artisanal crafts from throughout the US will be on display along Ray Street in the heart of North Park. This free family event will have sugar skull decorating, face painting, a community altar and more.

Sunday, Oct. 28

Día de los Muertos, Oceanside

Mission San Luis Rey will have an all-day community event with diverse cultural traditions from Mexico. It will be their 17th annual Día de los Muertos with food, shopping and entertainment. Plus, enter to win a stay at the Mission for you and a guest by completing a survey with one of their teams in purple shirts. This event is free for the whole family.

Nov. 1-4

Old Town San Diego’s Dia de los Muertos

The annual Día de los Muertos event held at Old Town draws over 75,000 visitors. There will be face painting, live entertainment, artists, vendors, kid's area and more. This family event will be free for the whole family to enjoy.

For more information on the National City event, 

In addition, the Foundation will host their annual altar contest and Catrina contest. The altars will be judged in three categories, $1,000 to the most traditional, $500 to the most original and $250 to the most creative. The Catrina contest winner will receive $500. Click here to enter the contests. 

Tickets start at $5 for general admission and $50 for VIP. Tickets can be purchased online, at Westfield Plaza Bonita or at La Vista Memorial Park. Admission is free to children five and under and to seniors 65 and up. They will have a free shuttle service at Westfield Plaza Bonita near Broken Yolk Café from 2 p.m.-11 p.m. 

To view more information or to buy tickets visit their website.

The Oceanside Fire Department set a record with 17 babies born to wives of firefighters from July 2017 to July 2018. 

"This is the most babies at one time we've ever had," said Fire Captain Tim Scott of the Oceanside Fire Department on Wednesday.

Scott said after a different fire department posted about the number of babies born to them that year, Oceanside decided to count their numbers. 

The 17 babies are from 17 mothers, with no twins in the mix. The families are thrilled their children will be able to grow up together. 

Oceanside Fire Department has 8 stations. When the department is fully staffed, there are about 100 members. 

Scott adds they have not been fully staffed lately and have about 90 members at the department right now. 

"That's nearly 20 percent of our workforce with babies," Scott added. 

The families got together in October to take a group photo and celebrate the births. 

City Councilman Scott Sherman wants significant changes at the San Diego Water Department.

Sherman’s call for action came Oct. 16, during a city council discussion of an independent audit of the problem-plagued department.

That audit, along with reporting by the NBC 7 Responds team, uncovered significant delays in the department’s effort to replace broken water meter boxes and lids.

Auditors also discovered that some department employees were working less than four hours of their eight-hour workday.

“When it takes 11 months just to replace a lid on a water meter box, or 1.7 years to replace the entire box, that is entirely too long and should not be acceptable to the taxpayers,” Sherman told NBC 7.

He was referring to the auditor’s finding that the average water department crew has time to replace 12 water meter boxes and 20-meter lids in a workday.

But the audit revealed that crews on average replaced just four boxes and 15 lids per day.

Cracked and broken boxes and lids can cause a trip hazard on city sidewalks, which exposes taxpayers to significant liability for injuries.

In recent years, the City of San Diego has paid more than $500,000 to pedestrians who injured themselves on broken boxes and lids, according to documents obtained by NBC 7 Responds.

Those settlements include a $100,000 payment to a Normal Heights woman whose leg was crushed in an accident involving a sub-standard water meter installation.

Taxpayers also face unresolved legal claims of at least 50 thousand dollars.

In addition, auditors uncovered a backlog of approximately 25,000-meter boxes and lids that should be replaced.

Councilman Sherman said those needed repairs should be contracted out, so they can be finished quickly.

He also expects management to make big changes in the department’s work ethic.

"It's going to take some leadership from the top, but we have a new director over there and he assures us that he's working as diligently as possible to try and change the culture and get people to actually start moving on the process."

Sherman’s office said the water department will update the city council on its efforts, early next year. 

An earthquake centered near Hemet struck Wednesday afternoon. 

The quake measured a preliminary 3.5 magnitude according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 

The event at 3:09 p.m. PT was likely felt in Idyllwild, according to the USGS Shakemap but may have been felt as far away as Temecula and Lake Elsinore. 

Officials expected very light damage if any from the quake.

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

A South Bay teenager who was run over by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent four years ago is suing the federal government for damages, saying the accident changed his life forever. 

“The last thing I remember before impact was pushing my friend out of the way,” said 23-year-old Ali Mendoza. “My mind was coming in and out, it was such a blur.” 

It was July 12, 2014, around 9:00 p.m. when Mendoza was crossing D Street in National City with a friend. The teens said they were in the crosswalk, and figured they were safe. 

ICE Agent Thomas Malandris was driving a government vehicle and according to a National City Police report, the car’s sirens and emergency lights were not on. 

In a pre-trial interview, on videotape, Malandris described what happened next. 

“From the time I saw them, to braking, you are talking about a second or so.” Malandris continued, “his body portion hit the passenger side windshield.” 

According to the lawsuit, filed in 2015, Malandris moved Mendoza onto the curb, before paramedics arrived. 

“He was in the middle of a roadway, I am going to help him get out of a roadway,” said Malandris. “He (Mendoza) seemed to be fine. He told me he was good. He said his leg hurt. He was conscious, he was alert.” 

But, Mendoza's attorney said Malandris should have waited for help.

Mendoza’s attorney believes Malandris tried to cover up a crime and was "tampering with the scene" by moving Mendoza's body before accident investigators arrived. 

At the hospital, Mendoza had surgery for a leg fracture.

His parents by his side, wanting answers. Mendoza’s father said, “No letters, no phone calls, no nothing. There have not been any apologies, from anybody.” 

In an email to an ICE supervisor, written the day after the accident, Maladris said police found Mendoza was "at fault for crossing the street in unsafe conditions while under the influence of a controlled substance." 

To read that email, click here. 

Mendoza did admit to smoking marijuana on the day of the crash. But, the police report actually found Agent Malandris, not Mendoza, was at fault. 

More than four years after the crash, Mendoza's father says his son will never be the same. “When I talk to him it is like actually talking to a person that I didn't know.” 

Mendoza says as a result of the accident he suffers from frequent headaches, memory loss and has nerve damage in his hands. 

“I don’t think as like clearly as I used to, I used to be sharp as a tack.” 

That's why Mendoza’s family filed a lawsuit, seeking payment from the government for medical costs, lost wages, and future earnings. 

A spokesperson for ICE would not comment on the accident, citing pending litigation. No one from the U-S Attorney's office would comment either. 

A trial date has been set for February 26, 2019. 

There is a separate lawsuit against a National City Police Officer who responded on the night of the accident. 

In that lawsuit, Mendoza claims his blood was illegally drawn under the direction of Officer Benjamin Peck at the hospital. 

Peck's attorney told NBC7 Investigates he hopes to get that case dismissed.

An email sent to parents by a school principal that was meant to provoke caution instead stirred outrage by some in the community who felt the message was racist.

La Jolla Elementary School Principal Donna Tripi sent an email to parents Monday detailing an incident at a local business reported to her by a parent. On Wednesday she called the message a mistake and apologized.

Tripi’s email said the mother was at a store with her two children when “an African American male about 30 years old, about 6’ 1” – 6’ 12”, dressed in all black and a hooded sweatshirt” stared at her daughter.

The mother left the store and was followed across the street by the man, according to Tripi.

Tripi ended the letter with a bullet point list of safety recommendation while in public with children.

“While nothing happened due to the vigilance of the parent, I am communicating the incident so that you can take appropriate steps to keep your children safe,” the email said.

Some parents were angered by the email and said it was racially motivated because there was no proof of criminal activity.

“So now we the La Jolla Elementary School Community has been warned to be careful of black men that are 6 feet tall and wearing hoodies. That's inappropriate"

Not all parents took it the same way.

“No, I didn't take it that way,” Galen Cathalinat said. “I thought that maybe they didn't think or get all their facts straight before sending it but I didn't think it was racially motivated at all," education reform advocate Sally Smith said.

The School District did not comment but Tripi sent a follow-up email Wednesday apologizing for her wording.

"African American males continue to face discrimination in our society every day. The taught that I unintentionally contributed to that climate with a vague email is something for which I owe our community an apology,” her email said.

The school has planned a community meeting regarding the incident for Monday at 6 p.m. in the library. Attorney and former County Supervisor candidate Omar Passons will facilitate the meeting.

The "last piece" from missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was published late Wednesday by The Washington Post, his editor announced in a note.

Khashoggi has not been seen since visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2. The New York Times reported that Turkey has recorded audio that indicates he was killed inside the consulate, and NBC News reported Wednesday that President Trump said he has asked Turkish authorities for this recording, "if it exists."

Post global opinions editor Karen Attiah is convinced her colleague met a untimely end, writing, "The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together. Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post."

The journalist's piece addresses the lack of a free press in all but a few corners of the Arab world.