Muslim foodies are celebrating the end of the fast with California's first Halal Fest, where nearly two dozen vendors are selling everything from halal hot dogs to cake pops. All the goodies have been prepared according to Islamic dietary law.

Halal Fest is being held today at New Park Mall in Newark, Calif. The free festival comes on the heels of other halal-focused events elsewhere, including in New Jersey, Chicago and Toronto.

“I got the idea after I visited New York City,” said Irfan Rydhan of San Jose, 38, a self-described “halal foodie” and Muslim activist who is one of eight key California Halal Fest organizers. “I saw all these halal food carts, and I wondered why we couldn’t do that here.” 

So he started talking to friends last summer and began planning the festival, which will boast not only food but also Moroccan jazz and skateboard, fitness, chess and hip-hop demonstrations. Rydhan said he hopes at least 2,000 people will attend.  As of this week, his group’s Facebook page has more than 1,200 “likes.”

The California festival follows what Sameer Sarmast of  Sameer's Eats started last summer in New Brunswick, N.J., where about 3,000 halal-lovers came to what was dubbed as the country's first halal food fest.

"It was pretty successful," Sarmast, the online host of the Muslim equivalent to Guy Fieri, told NBC Bay Area on Tuesday.

PHOTOS: Halal Snow Ice, Kebobs and Southern Fried Chicken 

It appears the halal craze is catching on.

"It’s crazy how much interest there is in this," said Aysha Mohsin, 28, of Milpitas, another Halal Fest organizer. "Food is at the center of bringing so many people together. And food trucks are so trendy right now. We just thought, 'Why not host a festival?'"

Halal means “permissible” in Arabic and is similar to kosher food for Jews. Muslims who keep halal don’t eat pork or drink alcohol. Animals must be slaughtered in a particular way and God’s name must be invoked during the act.

And it’s not just kabobs and falafel that are considered halal. Just take a look at this festival’s menu to see the wide array of halal offerings: Brisket soft tacos by King’s BBQ and Grill in Fremont, southern fried chicken by New Africa Kitchen prepared at the Masjid Waritheen mosque in Oakland, chocolate-dipped bananas by Livermore Donut Wheel, organic cupcakes by RajaBelle’s in San Jose, bean and carrot pies by Raoof’s in San Jose and mango orange piña coladas (virgin, of course) from Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffee and Smoothies.

For the Halal Fest organizers, the event means more than just having a calorie-rich day eating chicken tikka masala and sipping New Africa sweet tea. It’s about embracing a rich, religious tradition and showcasing the diversity of the culture to the rest of the world. It’s also, organizers believe, a way to become closer to God.

“This is going to be a historic event for California,” Rydhan said. “We believe in the spiritual benefits on halal food. We believe if you put good things in your body, then good things will happen to you in your life.”

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED: To learn more about Halal Fest, click on halalfest.com. The event is free. Food tokens are available at the festival and online. Please bring a canned item of food, no pork please, to  donate. The festival runs from noon to 7 p.m. Parking is free.

To see a promotional video about the Halal Fest on Youtube, click here:

A former Fort Hood police officer confronted mass shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Hasan in court Friday, nearly four years after the last confrontation between the two.

Sergeant Kimberley Munley's squad car dash cam video was played for the jury, showing her high-speed trip to the Soldier Readiness Processing Center building on November 5, 2009.

People could be seen running toward the parking lot and taking cover behind other cars as Munley exited her cruiser in the video.

“I think it’s fair to say that a lot of people were on the edge of their seats,” said reporter Manny Fernandez, who is covering the trial for the New York Times.  “The jury was sitting up at attention when they were watching that video in the screens in front of them.”

Soon after Munley left her car, rapid gunshots could be heard on the recording.

Munley said a red laser sight crossed her eyes as she fired toward the gunman.

"I go into a laying down prone position and try to use the building as cover and locate the shooter," she said.

Munley said the gunman continued shooting and ran toward her so she stood to take better aim, but was wounded three times as she continued trying to shoot back.

Then she said her gun malfunctioned.

"I see him standing over me trying to fire his weapon, as well," she said.

At that moment, Munley said Fort Hood police Sgt. Mark Todd fired the bullets that finally took the assailant down.

Asked to identify the man who shot her, Munley pointed to Hasan in the courtroom.

“He did meet her gaze and they just sort of looked at each other for a moment and then he looked down. But she kept glancing over at him,” said reporter Jeniffer Hlad with the newspaper Stars and Stripes.

Representing himself in the trial, Hasan asked Munley no questions and her testimony was over.

“She was ready for this,” said Fernandez.  “Her demeanor was pretty matter of fact and straight forward. I didn’t get any sense that she was nervous at all,” he said.

Munley is no longer a police officer and she now lives in North Carolina.

She said she has undergone surgery three times after the wounds she suffered to her right hand, left knee and left thigh.

Bullet fragments removed from Munley in those surgeries were admitted as evidence at the trial. Sergeant Todd is expected to testify later.

Prosecutors have called 76 witnesses in the first two weeks of Hasan’s US Army Court Martial.

They told Judge Tara Osborn they could present as many as 25 more to finish the guilt or innocence phase of the trial.

Osborn said she would decide over the weekend how many to allow.

Hasan is accused of 13 counts of capital murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. He admitted committing the shootings in an opening trial statement but he will get to present a defense.

Hasan could face the death penalty if convicted.  Additional testimony from victims and family members would come in a sentencing phase of the trial.

Friday Osborn also denied a motion filed by an attorney representing Munley and several other witnesses in the trial.

The motion sought to change instructions the judge has given to all witnesses not to discuss their testimony outside the trial.

Attorney Neal Sher claimed the orders have restricted witnesses from doing media interviews about their experiences after the shooting.

Osborn said her instruction to witnesses is standard and only a temporary restriction that expires at the end of the trial.

Ikea is recalling two kinds of junior beds after reports of faulty guard rails.

According to Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection, 65-inch Kritter and Sniglar brand beds are being recalled after the furniture store received reports that a metal rod connecting the guard rail to the bed frame can break.

So far, two incidents have been reported, and there are no known injuries.

The pinewood Kritter beds have animal cut-outs on the headboard.

The model number is 600.904.70, and the serial number is 15361.

Singlar beds being recalled are beech wood and have a white fiberboard insert on the headboard and footboard.

The affected model number is 500.871.66, and the supplier numbers are 19740 and 18157.

Ikea sold about 22,000 beds for $60 to $90 between July 2005 and May 2013, according to the Department of Consumer Protection.

The furniture store is offering free repair kits. Call 888-966-4532 or visit the Ikea website for more information.

The California Department of Public Health on Thursday issued 10 penalties to California hospitals, along with fines totaling $675,000, after investigations found the facilities’ noncompliance with licensing requirements caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury or death to patients.

In one case, St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton was fined $100,000 for removing the wrong kidney from a patient.

In San Diego, a surgeon cutting a man's wrong testicle resulted in the state Department of Public Health issuing a $75,000 fine to Sharp Healthcare on Thursday, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The hospitals can appeal the penalties.

Calls to each of the hospitals were not immediately returned, but two in the Bay Area did respond. Neither the state nor the hospital detailed what exactly happened in each case.
 

• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Oakland, Alameda County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow established policies and procedures for the safe administration of parenteral nutrition. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s second administrative penalty. In a statement, Alta Bates acknowledged that it was penalized for an "isolated" incident in September 2011, which it self reported to the state. Without disclosing too many more details, Dr. Steve O'Brien stated: “This was a tragic accident. The lives of a family and a nurse have been forever changed. Our hospital immediately initiated an exhaustive investigation and review process into this event and aggressively instituted necessary steps to prevent a similar occurrence. We did not wait for an anticipated state visit, but promptly reviewed and revised our current protocols and procedures.”
• Marin General Hospital, Greenbrae, Marin County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow established policies and procedures relating to respiratory care. The penalty is $100,000. This is the hospital’s fourth administrative penalty. In a statement, the hospital responded that this took place in June 2011 and that "we deeply regret the incident and are committed to improving patient safety. This was a tragic event and we have since re-engineered our processes and put more checks and balances in place to ensure that accidents of this kind never happen again."
• Barlow Respiratory Hospital, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow established policies and procedures related to telemetry monitoring. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s first administrative penalty.
•  Desert Valley Hospital, Victorville, San Bernardino County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow established policies and procedures related to cardiac catheterization. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s first administrative penalty.
• Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow established policies and procedures related to patient safety. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s second administrative penalty.
• Memorial Medical Center, Modesto, Stanislaus County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow established policies and procedures related to patient care. The penalty is $100,000. This is the hospital’s third administrative penalty.
• Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow surgical policies and procedures. This resulted in a patient having to undergo a second surgery to remove a retained foreign object. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s first administrative penalty.
• Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, San Diego County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow surgical policies and procedures. The penalty is $75,000. This is the hospital’s third administrative penalty.
• St. Jude Medical Center, Fullerton, Orange County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow surgical policies and procedures. The penalty is $100,000. This is the hospital’s fifth administrative penalty.
• University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, Sacramento County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of patients when it did not follow established policies and procedures related to patient care. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s first administrative penalty.
   

At least in the case of Alta Bates, O'Brien said:  “We welcome regulatory reviews and surveys. They assist us in maintaining our constant vigilance to improve patient care."

For more information, click on www.cdph.ca.gov
           

NBC Bay Area's Lisa Fernandez contributed to this report.

New information from the San Diego City Attorney's office suggests it may not take a recall to remove embattled Mayor Bob Filner from office.

Jan Goldsmith told NBC 7 San Diego that since January, when the Filner administration really got under way, the mayor began playing fast and loose with city money.

Now, Goldsmith said Filner's "brazen" character and conduct figure to cost him his office.

"It's not a matter of 'if.' It is a matter of 'when,’ Goldsmith said. “At this point, we're going to give him an out. It's his choice. If he wants to resign, he's going to have some opportunity. I can't go into everything -- because I won't."

In response to a request about whether the City Charter allows for any other avenue other than a recall effort to remove an elected mayor, Goldsmith issued a memo Thursday explaining a potential loophole.

According to Goldsmith, Section 108 states that “every City officer who willfully approves or allows unauthorized payments from the City treasury is subject to removal from office.”

Goldsmith says Filner "intentionally, consciously" began leaving the city attorney's office out of the loop for legal reviews of his spending of taxpayer dollars.

Amid the allegations of sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances, there have been reports of questionable financial dealings tied to the mayor's office.

Checks from a developer to the City totalling $100,000 were returned by the mayor after a federal investigation was launched.

Mayor Filner said he would pay for a trip to Paris in June after the travel drew questions about whether state limits on gifts were violated.

City Councilmember Kevin Faulconer, the Audit Committee Chairman, has been questioning the $21,000 charged to city-issued credit cards for the trip. Faulconer has asked the City’s COO to release all credit card invoices associated with the Mayor’s trip by Aug. 28.

Also, NBC 7 Investigates has learned Mayor Bob Filner charged $511 at the Westgate Hotel on a city-issued credit card.

The credit card statements show eight charges over a five-month period between January and May to the luxury hotel across the street from City Hall.

A member of the mayor's security detail told NBC7 Investigates that a woman sometimes accompanied the mayor to the Westgate hotel during the work day, but would not provide further details on the purpose of those meetings.

The charges range from $29 to $111. The hotel has two restaurants. The lowest room rate with a government discount is more than any of the individual charges: $133.

In a statement released Thursday, Faulconer said the mayor’s office did not pay its credit card bill for several months beginning in January 2013. He also said the mayor’s account was suspended at one point for non-payment and was terminated on July 31.

Faulconer also claims there is $975.08 in personal expenditures on the account that the mayor must reimburse to the city.

Faulconer said he’s going to broaden the investigation into the Paris expenses to investigate “how Mayor Filner was able to circumvent credit card rules.”

The City Council will be presented the case for Filner's removal -- under any one, or all of those transactions -- in closed session on August 28 and if they sign off, it'll go to a "due process" hearing before the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court.

Search warrant documents obtained Thursday by NBC 7 San Diego reveal that explosive devices, a map of Yosemite and assault weapon-style ammunition were among the items investigators found at the burned-out property of kidnap and murder suspect James Lee DiMaggio, 40.

According to the court documents, investigators searching DiMaggio’s property in the community of Boulevard near San Diego also discovered camping equipment, a gas can and a handwritten note.

Items were also removed from inside the burned-out vehicle belonging to DiMaggio's longtime friend, Christina Anderson, whose remains were found inside DiMaggio's burned-out property.

Arson wire, two boxes with red stains on them, a tarp and a map of Yosemite were also seized during the search – the latter being a possible clue as to where DiMaggio intended to take 16-year-old Hannah Anderson.

The searches also turned up a handcuff box, a red dog leash and a swatch of hair among the remaining rubble of DiMaggio's property. Also, military assault weapon-style ammunition was recovered.

There could, of course, be an innocent explanation for all those items, and the court documents do not specifically connect any of those objects to Dimaggio's crimes.

In the application for the search warrant, the law enforcement officer told the judge he was specifically looking for objects and weapons that can inflict blunt force trauma.

Other search warrants unsealed on Wednesday revealed that a crowbar was found near Christina Anderson's head. Investigators were likely searching for more evidence of this kind in the rubble of DiMaggio's home and garage.

READ the full search warrant here

DiMaggio’s log cabin-style home was found burnt to the ground on Aug. 4 – the same day Hannah went missing.

The charred bodies of Hannah’s mother and brother – Christina Anderson, 44, and Ethan Anderson, 8 – were found inside DiMaggio’s scorched property, as well as the body of the Anderson family’s dog.

Other search warrants unsealed Wednesday revealed investigators believed DiMaggio had “tortured and killed” Christina and Ethan, and then burned down his house.

Investigators suspected DiMaggio had then abducted Hannah and believed the teen was in “grave danger and being held against her will by DiMaggio.”

TIMELINE: The Search for Hannah Anderson

DiMaggio fled San Diego with Hannah, and they became the subject of an Amber Alert spanning six states.

Ultimately, in a search led by more than 200 federal, state and local law enforcement, the pair was found by an FBI tactical team in the Idaho backcountry near Morehead Lake on Aug. 10.

Hannah was rescued by agents at the scene.

DiMaggio was shot at least five times by authorities, the Idaho coroner said.

Officials say DiMaggio fired at least one shot himself from his own weapon during the confrontation in the wilderness, though further details have not yet been released pending the ongoing investigation.

Hannah has since reunited with her family and returned home to San Diego.

Ed. note: NBC 7 News initially reported on a DNA test kit listed among the evidence removed from Christina Anderson's vehicle on the search warrant documents. A sheriff's department spokesperson clarified the contents of the list explaining the DNA test kit was used by investigators and not found in the vehicle.

A great-grandmother claims San Diego Mayor Bob Filner kissed her on her lips, repeatedly asked her out and called her "his girl" while she worked at City Hall.

Special Section: Mayor Under Fire

Peggy Shannon, 67, appeared Thursday with attorney Gloria Allred in downtown San Diego to announce she has filed a sexual harassment claim with the state against Mayor Filner.

After Mayor Filner was elected but before he was inaugurated, Shannon claims Filner would stop by the Senior Citizens Service Desk in the lobby of San Diego City Hall.

In January, she said his behavior became worse, stopping by several times a day to ask her out. 

"My co-workers and I would laugh about it at first," she said. "But when it kept happening and it got more and more inappropriate, it was not funny any more."

The mayor would routinely stop at her desk and ask her to feel his hands. When she refused, he’d grab them: “See, my hands are smooth” she claims he would say.

Shannon worked 3 to 4 days a week at the desk and admitted she would sometimes consider hiding to avoid the mayor.

The day Filner allegedly grabbed her and kissed her on the lips, Shannon said she went home and cried.

"I was not sure how to take this contact but it was very disturbing to me," Shannon said, adding that he was the mayor and she was just a part-time employee. She said she felt trapped and powerless.

Once the mayor allegedly asked her, “Do you think I can go 8 hours straight,” implying his sexual prowess.

She replied, "Are you kidding?" to which he said "No I can go eight hours," Allred claimed. Shannon told her co-worker and supervisor what the mayor had said, according to her attorney.

Watch Video: Great-Grandma Claims Mayor Harassed Her

"Every day I went to work I had butterflies in my stomach because I did not know what was going to happen the next time the mayor came by my desk,” Shannon said.

On July 18, Shannon filed with Equal Employment Investigations Office, claiming that Mayor Filner had sexually harassed her. She received a response that her allegations would be reviewed. She has yet to receive a letter of apology from Mayor Filner, Allred said.

Allred has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit on behalf of the mayor's former communications director Irene McCormack Jackson.

After the media coverage of that lawsuit, Shannon claimed Filner walked by her desk, put his finger up to his lips and motioned for her to be quiet.

“I was blown away,” she said.

Shannon said she believes the mayor should resign immediately.

"It is long overdue for you to do the right thing and the right thing now is for you to go," she said.

Allred said Shannon would be meeting with San Diego County sheriff's investigators later Thursday.

“Apparently the mayor is no respecter of age, he is no respecter of marital status is no respecter of whether a person is an employee or not an employee. Women appear to be considered his sexual playthings. Is City Hall his sexual playground, is that what it’s supposed to be?” Allred asked.

Mayor Under Fire: Interactive Timeline

Filner has refused to resign despite a growing number of local, state and federal officials demanding he step down. He is currently facing a federal and state investigation, an investigation by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the civil lawsuit brought by McCormack Jackson.

The growing list of additional victims who have come forward with claims of inappropriate behavior involving Filner include Laura Fink, Morgan Rose, Joyce Gattas, Patti Roscoe, Ronne Froman, Sharon Bernie-Cloward, Lisa Curtin, Michelle Tyler and Katherine Ragazzino.

Allred forwarded a complaint from Tyler, a Veterans Affairs vocational nurse who claimed Filner wanted her to agree to date him in exchange for helping a wounded Marine get help with the VA.

Shannon's claim is significant because of when and where it occurred, her attorney said.

“It happened in the workplace, in City Hall, while he was mayor, while he was mayor-elect,” Allred said, adding she believes Filner has an arrogance of power and a sense of entitlement.  

Allred also claimed more women have contacted her about the mayor but have not spoken out in public for a variety of reasons.

Seven people, four of them children, were killed late Thursday when the Jeep they were in was crushed between two tractor trailers on Interstate 65 in Indiana.

An Indiana State Police official said the crash, which happened at about 10 p.m. near Roselawn, Ind., offers a reminder to all drivers to be extra cautious near work or construction zones.

Officials said the Jeep and one tractor trailer were northbound on the I-65 when they slowed near a work zone. Another tractor trailer came up behind them, failed to slow, and sandwiched the Jeep between the two larger vehicles. The Jeep burst into flames, officials said.

"The first responding officer indicated the flames were at least 30 feet into the air, so the Jeep was fully engulfed," said Sgt. Tony Slocum. "There's no indication at the scene that the driver that rear-ended the Jeep ever braked. There are no skid marks. We believe the Jeep was rear-ended at Interstate speeds."

First responders initially said just two people were inside the Jeep. Hours later, however, five more bodies were found inside. The victims were identified as Lindsey Williams, 27, Arielle Goldman, 3, Yazmin Goldman, 5, and Amado Mangual, 49, all from Merrillville; as well as Jamin Osborne, 5,  Jasmin Osborne, 7, and Yvette Williams, 35, all from Atlanta, Ga.

Yvette Williams was driving the Jeep, state police said.

The driver of the first tractor trailer was not injured. The driver of the tractor trailer that struck the Jeep was taken to Franciscan St. Anthony Hospital in Crown Point, Ind.

Indiana State Police were still investigating the crash Friday afternoon.

The women's rights crusader's who's providing much of the momentum toward efforts to oust Mayor Bob Filner is weekending in San Diego.

On Sunday, attorney Gloria Allred will headline a march on City Hall to launch a recall petition campaign.

A legal nightmare for powerful men she believes have trampled on women’s rights, Allred shared her thoughts on ‘All Things Filner’ during a Friday recording session for the Sunday edition of NBC 7’s “Politically Speaking” public affairs program.

"I don't like what the mayor of San Diego has been doing to employees and other women -- sexually harassing them,” the Los Angeles-based Allred said of her newfound high-profile in San Diego. “So it's my honor and privilege to come down here and do whatever I can to stop the mayor from hurting women."

During a downtown news conference Thursday, Allred introduced a third Filner she’s representing.

Peggy Shannon, 67, a great-grandmother and part-time city worker, claims the mayor offended her with kisses on the lips, hand-holding, and boasts about to his sexual stamina – later telling her not to talk about all that.

"He needs to be accountable, because the main point is that we need to protect women, and we also need to prevent harm to other women in the future,” Allred said, “I think that women are at great risk around Bob Filner. Especially if they're employees at City Hall."

Joining Allred in in the discussion, to be televised at 9 a.m. Sunday following NBC’s “Meet the Press,” was San Diego City attorney Jan Goldsmith.

“We’re seeking justice too,” Goldsmith said. “The city of San Diego stands with our employees, and we’re going to protect them and make sure they have an environment in the city that is pleasant to work with, but certainly not hostile.”

Goldsmith is targeting Filner for removal under a Charter section barring "misuse of city funds".

If the Council green-lights his case, it'll go to a judge for a "due process" hearing.

The city attorney also is offering the mayor "a way out" of his predicament in exchange for his resignation.

Goldsmith would not specify a drop-dead date for Filner to accept it, but indications are that the offer would be off the table once a removal case goes to court.

Allred – who represents former Filner communications director Irene McCormack Jackson in a sexual harassment suit – said it’s too early to talk about whether she and her client would take part in any so-called “global settlement” of Filner’s legal problems, by Goldsmith and other authorities investigating the mayor on criminal-law fronts.

She scoffs at Filner's bid to transfer the McCormack Jackson case against him to Imperial County.

"He is the mayor of San Diego,” she said. “ He committed those acts of sexual harassment -- we allege, against my client Irene -- in City Hall in the city of San Diego. And we have confidence that a San Diego jury can be fair and impartial."

She also took issue with Filner defenders who say resignation demands and recall efforts should have waited until he gets "due process”: "He can have his due process if he wants to fight the lawsuit. It's going to cost him a lot of money. It's going to cost him a lot of time. But most of all, it's going to hurt the people of San Diego because if he continues in office, then they're at risk.”

Nearly three weeks after he purportedly enrolled in behavior therapy, Filner is still off the news media's radar.

Skeptics wonder if the therapy had a remedial effect on his personality -- and whether has undiagnosed neurological or psychiatric problems.

"With all due respect, I don't care what problems he has,” Allred said in a follow-up, on-camera interview in NBC 7’s newsroom once the “Politically Speaking” recording session wrapped up. “ I do care about the problems of my clients, the women that he's hurt. And they need to have justice.”

Allred then turned to address the camera directly, and delivered this message to Filner: "Mayor Filner, you can run. But you can't hide from the people of San Diego. They will win justice. I'm confident of that. Help them. The sooner, the better."

For the record, Filner was extended an invitation to appear in a separate segment on "Politically Speaking" as well.

There was no response from aides in the mayor’s office, nor private attorneys representing himself in the sexual harassment suit – to whom Filner aides have been referring media inquiries and requests.
 

Rick Moore prayed out loud as he pulled a 20-year-old who was bitten by a shark onto a shore this week in Maui.

The female snorkeler, who was bleeding from a severed shoulder, kept saying she was going to die.

But Moore, a 57-year-old teacher and pastor from the Orange County city of Laguna Niguel, wouldn’t have any of it.

"All she had hanging out on her right arm was her bone, and she was in and out of saying these words, 'I'm dying, I'm going to die,'" Moore said. "I kept saying to her, 'No, you're not. We are going to get you to shore. We're going to save you.'"

Moore said he swam through choppy waters with poor visibility after spotting the woman who was screaming for help, blood surrounding her.

"We heard this scream -- this blood-curdling scream -- out in the water, about 75 yards out, and somebody said it's a shark attack and then I just got my fins ran in," Moore told NBC4 Friday.

Moore jumped into the water, not knowing if danger was still lurking.

"I started thinking to myself, if the shark's around here, what's going to happen now -- I'm going to be the next person, so I kept going as fast as I can," he said.

He pulled the victim in and onto shore where he and others put her into a kayak and called paramedics.

“She was fading away,” Moore said. “She was going to die.”

Jana Witteropp, a German tourist, was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition. Moore said Witteropp was stable Friday afternoon, and making movement with her eyes.

Her right arm was severed below the shoulder, Lee Mainaga, fire services chief at the Maui Fire Department, told the Associated Press. The limb wasn’t recovered.

Moore will return to Laguna Niguel -- where he is a pastor and a physical education teacher -- next week. His wife said he'll be welcomed back a hero.

"I'll never be so happy to see somebody as much as I will to see him come home and be safe," Diane Moore said.

Through tears, Moore told NBC4 he'll appreciate his family "more, more" when he returns home.

It wasn’t clear what type of shark bit Witteropp. Witnesses interviewed didn’t see the animal, said Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman Deborah Ward.

It was the sixth such attack in Hawaii this year through the end of July, including three on Maui, according to a state database. There were 11 shark attacks in the state in 2012.

The last time anyone in Hawaii died from a shark attack was in 2004, when a tiger shark bit a surfer 100 yards off Maui. Prior to that, there was a fatal attack in 1992.

Tiger sharks are the species most often blamed for attacks, but it’s not known why they sometimes bite humans. They may be trying to figure out whether a person could be prey.

To protect against attacks, authorities recommend swimming, snorkeling and surfing with other people. They also say people should avoid the water at dawn and dusk, as this is when some shark species move inshore to eat.

More Southern California Stories:

• Family Stabbing Leaves 1 Killed, 2 Wounded
• "Bridge Bash" Fwy Project Shutdown
• Police Fatally Shoot Knife-Wielding Man
• Gas Main Break Closes Fwy Stretch
• Man in Custody After SWAT Standoff in Sylmar
• Skateboarding Pup Finds Her New Home in OC
• LACMA Remodel At Odds With La Brea Tar Pits

An Amber Alert issued Saturday for two Nevada children across several counties, including San Diego County, was deactivated after the kids were recovered safely in Sacramento, Calif.

There were no details about whether their parents were in custody, the alert simply said it was cancelled refering people to Elko police.

Police said Friday the parents took them against court order.

The Amber Alert was in effect in San Diego County, as well as the following California Counties:

Sierra, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, El Dorado, Amador, San Joaquin, Calaveras, Alpine, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Mono, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, Monterey, Madera, Fresno, Inyo, Tulare, Kings, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside and Imperial.

The children were last believed to be in Sacramento, and investigators believed their parents were attempting to enter Mexico with the children. Again, the children were found in Sacramento, according to authorities.

The children were in the custody of a district court in Nevada. A court order stated that the children were in “danger of serious physical harm or death.”

Police said Martin Cisneras Rosales, a 33-year-old man, is the child’s father. He has an alias of Martin Cisneros. He was last seen with Amber Schenck, a 29-year-old white female and the mother of the two kids.

The alert comes in the wake of a high-profile kidnapping case in San Diego that prompted California to issue its first statewide Amber Alert to cellphones.

Some NBC San Diego viewers were asking on Facebook why they did not receive a notification on their cellphones, like when San Diego teen Hannah Anderson went missing last week.

Authorites said Friday's Amber Alert is a regional one and that the cellphone alerts are only deployed statewide.

The children involved in this case were Lillianna Ramirez, a 9-year-old Hispanic female, and Martin Angel Rosales II, a 3-year-old Hispanic male (pictured above).

Martin Rosales has violent tendencies when dealing with police, the Amber Alert read.

There is also a restraining order keeping him away from his son issued July 26, 2013.

Please call 911 if you have any any information.

The Fort Worth Zoo is celebrating a birthday party for one of its newest residents.

Asha, a greater one-horned rhino, turned one year old on August 16.

The zoo treated the young rhino and her mother, Shanti, to a birthday cake made of ice blocks filled with fruits and vegetables.

Watch video of the rhinos chowing down below, and stay to see footage of Asha from a few days after she was born at the end of the embedded clip.

The rhino isn't the only youngster at the zoo. A baby elephant was born on July 7. The public helped name that female elephant Belle.

Previous Coverage:

• Zoo Reveals Baby Rhino's Name
• Baby Rhino Needs a Name
• VIDEO Fort Worth's Rare Baby Rhino Needs a Name
• VIDEO Fort Worth Zoo Welcomes Baby Rhino
• PHOTOS Baby Rhino Born at Fort Worth Zoo

An Amber Alert that was issued throughout California for two children, allegedly abducted by their parents in Nevada, was deactivated when the children were recovered safely in Sacramento, police announced early Saturday.

Lillyanna Ramirez, 9, and Martin Angel Rosales, 3, went missing Wednesday from Elko, Nev., a city of about 19,000 in the northeast corner of the state (map). Both were in custody of child welfare services at the time of the abduction.

The children were with their non-custodial mother, Amber Schenck, 29, when police located them in Sacramento about 2 a.m., Elko Police Capt. Will Lehmann said.

California’s Child Protective Services took custody of the children, and they will be transported back to Nevada, where civil proceedings will determine whether criminal charges should be filed against Schenck, Lehmann said.

Police were still looking for the biological father of the 3-year-old boy, Martin Cisneras Rosales, 33, who is said to have "violent tendencies when dealing with police," officials said. A restraining order keeping him away from his son was issued July 26, 2013, according to an Amber Alert published online.

Nevada authorities said Friday they believed the children were "in danger of serious bodily injury or death."

Anyone who sees Rosales was told not to approach him, but instead call 911. Police believe he may be in the Sacramento area.

Rosales may be driving a 1980s- or 1990s-model blue Ford Mustang that may have a Nebraska license plate or paper plates.

Details regarding exactly where the children were found were not immediately available, and no arrests had been made as of Saturday morning.

The Amber Alert spanned California from Sacramento, where the family was last seen before the alert, to Mexico, where authorities thought the parents were taking their children.

It came in the wake of a high-profile kidnapping case in San Diego that prompted California to issue its first statewide Amber Alert to cellphones.

NBC4 viewers reported seeing an alert about Lillyanna and Martin on their televisions Friday evening, but did not receive a notification on their cellphones, like when a 16-year-old girl from San Diego went missing last week.

Authorites told NBC4 that Friday's Amber Alert is a regional one and that the cellphone alerts are only deployed statewide.

More Top Stories:

• Group Says Investment Was Fool's Gold
• CA Man Rescues Shark Attack Victim
• Covered California Reaches Out to Uninsured
• Summer DUI Crackdown Starts Friday
• "Bridge Bash" Fwy Project Shutdown
• Ikea Recalls Kritter and Sniglar Junior Beds

A Southern California church has joined 18 other organizations in filing a lawsuit against the National Security Agency, claiming its electronic surveillance program violates the First Amendment right of association.

"The argument is not necessarily that we have been spied upon, but simply the fact the government might be spying on us is creating a chilling effect," said Reverend Rick Hoyt, with the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles.

A former NSA worker Edward Snowden in May leaked information about the agency's surveillance programs to British publication The Guardian, sparking a nationwide scandal and debate that has citizens asking where to draw the link between security and personal freedom.

"We have drawn the line far too close to the side of paranoia and security and willingness to lose fundamental freedoms I think are important to us," Hoyt said.

The reverend said this type of surveillance was first felt by this church during the McCarthy era in the 1950s. When the church supported blacklisted Hollywood writers and actors, the FBI took notice.

"The FBI began to send agents to our members' houses and they would send plain clothes agents to our worship services," Hoyt said.

The church continues to take stands on issues, which Hoyt says could make it, and any other outspoken organizations, targets for surveillance and thus make worshippers afraid to join.

President Barack Obama's administration again on Friday promised transparency and defended the NSA's program, despite a report by the Washington Post that said the agency violated several privacy laws thousands of times and went beyond its legal authority.

"These programs are done with the goal of keeping the American people safe and keeping people around the world safe," said Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department.

Hoyt doesn't disagree with that goal, but believes the American public needs to be part of the discussion about balancing security and personal freedoms.

More Southern California Stories:

• CA Pastor Rescues Shark Bite Victim
• More Alleged Victims of Church Usher Sought
• Body Found on Hiking Trail
• Jackie Robinson Stadium May Have to Move
• Parental Abduction Sparks CA Amber Alert
• Covered California Reaches Out to Uninsured
• Group Says Investment Was Fool's Gold
• AB 109 Targeted for Reform by Police Chiefs

Workers have completed work on the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial in time for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Scaffolding was taken down Saturday morning after preservationists from the Historic Preservation Training Center removed a controversial quote from the side of the statue. The quote, “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness,” was paraphrased from the civil rights leader’s “Drum Major” speech.

Critics said the quote made King sound arrogant.

Work began in July to remove the quote, but problems arose when sandblasting work was left out of the contract. Various materials were tried, including walnut shells, until a fine powder was used that would not mar the statue.

The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington is scheduled for August 28.
 

NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” host Nick Cannon – who also happens to be a San Diego native – returned to his hometown Friday morning to donate school supplies to local children.

Cannon visited the Office Depot store on Rio San Diego Drive in Mission Valley to hand out 3,500 “sackpacks” filled with school supplies to kids, just in time for back-to-school season.

Cannon partnered with the Office Depot Foundation on the effort, dubbed the "National Backpack Program."

The program, now in its 13th year, will donate 300,000 drawstring bags filled with school supplies to children across the country this year. Locally, over the past six years, more than 20,000 San Diego children have benefitted from the program.

On Friday, Cannon said the program was about more than just school supplies.

“I’m a product of this community. I was born and raised in San Diego. To be able to come back home and see young faces – and see young people here today – and knowing that we’re hoping to inspire you in a way that [you know] that your future is ahead of you,” said Cannon.

The actor and host also said he was thrilled to be back in San Diego.

Cannon is an alumnus of Monte Vista High School and graduated from the school in 1998. He now lives in Hollywood with wife Mariah Carey and their two children.
 

Eastlake Little League All-Stars won their first game of the Little League World Series, beating Michigan 3-0.

Eastlake’s Grant Holman pitched a no hitter – the first for California in the competition since 1993 according to ESPN.

After a scoreless game, catcher Patrick Archer hit a line drive in the 7th inning to bring in two runs.

"I thought if he throws another fast ball I'll just hit it hard and I did," Archer told ESPN after the game.

Archer's hit was followed by an RBI single from Micah Wiggs.

Before the runs scored in the 7th, it was a pitcher’s duel with just one hit allowed by Michigan.

Holman (pictured right) told ESPN it wasn't his first no-hitter but he said the defense helped him secure the win.

"Knowing that we're still in the winner's bracket just feels really good," Holman said.

Fans of the little league team shared their excitement on social media including hometown celebs actor/television host Mario Lopez and singer Jessica Sanchez.

"So proud of my hometown," Sanchez posted to Twitter.

Lopez posted, "So proud.. On a roll boys! Bring it home...#619"

The Western Regional Championship team roster includes Holman, Archer, Wiggs, Jake Espinoza, Michael Gaines, Kevin Bateman, Rennard Williams, Dominic Haley, Charly Peterson, Giancarlo Cortez, Nick Mora and Ricky Tibbett. 

The team will face the winner of the Newark vs. Urbandale game Sunday at 2 p.m. PT

The University of California San Diego has just been named one of the top universities in the world, according to the 2013 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

The ARWU – compiled by the Center of World-Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University – has been released annually for the last decade, ranking the top 500 universities across the globe.

This year, UC San Diego was ranked No. 14 among 500 universities worldwide – the only local university to make a major mark within the list.

The universities listed on the ARWU are ranked by several criteria, including alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, highly-cited researchers in 21 broad subject categories, papers published in Nature and Science, papers indexed in major citation indices and the per capita academic performance of an institution.

As aforementioned, on a global level, UC San Diego ranked 14th. On a national level the university came in at No. 12, according to the ARWU.

UC San Diego is certainly in good company.

The No. 1 academic institution on the list is Harvard University, followed by Stanford University and University of California Berkeley.

Other top-notch universities that made the ARWU cut this year (at least within the top 15) include: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); University of Cambridge; California Institute of Technology; Princeton University; Columbia University; University of Chicago; University of Oxford; Yale University; University of California Los Angeles; Cornell University; University of Pennsylvania.

For the full list of the top 500 universities in the world, visit this website.

Arrangements are set for the funeral services for Lakeside residents Christina Anderson, 44, and her son, Ethan Anderson, 8, NBC 7 confirmed Friday.

According to a spokesperson from the Guardian Angel Roman Catholic Church in Santee (see photo below), funeral services for Christina and Ethan will be held at the church on Saturday, August 24 at 11 a.m.

Church spokesperson Patti Myers says she has been in contact with the Anderson family and, as of right now, the service will be open to the public. That could, however, change based on family wishes, Myers told NBC 7.

The family was not available for comment regarding the services. A handwritten note placed of the door of the home of Hanna Anderson’s grandparents on Friday asked for privacy.

The charred bodies of Christina and Ethan Anderson were discovered by officials on Aug. 4 at the burned out property of kidnap and murder suspect James Lee DiMaggio in the community of Boulevard, near San Diego.

According to search warrants, investigators believe DiMaggio – a longtime friend of the Anderson family – “tortured and killed” Christina and Ethan on Aug. 4 before allegedly kidnapping Christina’s 16-year-old daughter, Hannah Anderson.

DiMaggio then fled San Diego with Hannah, sparking an Amber Alert that spanned across six states.

TIMELINE: The Search for Hannah Anderson

The pair ended up in the rugged Idaho backcountry near Cascade and Morehead Lake, where they were spotted by a group of horseback riders on Aug. 7.

After seeing the Amber Alert, the riders reported the sighting to authorities, leading more than 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officials to the rural community in Idaho in search of Hannah and DiMaggio.

The pair was ultimately found by an FBI tactical team near Morehead Lake on Aug. 10.

Hannah was rescued safely by officials. DiMaggio was shot at least five times and killed at the scene.

Hannah has since reunited with her family, including father Brett Anderson, and returned home to San Diego.

Days after her rescue, the teen was fielding questions about her kidnapping on social media. On Thursday, she made her first public appearance since her rescue at a fundraiser held for her family at a restaurant in hometown of Lakeside, Calif.

There, Hannah's father briefly spoke to the media saying his daughter was "doing good, day by day."

Meanwhile, another fundraiser is planned for Hannah’s family on Saturday, also in Lakeside.

The event will be a car wash fundraiser hosted by Living Hope Church in Lakeside, according to the church's Facebook page. The fundraiser will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"Give a little hope to a family in need," reads a post on the page.

As for Hannah's immediate future, NBC 7 has also been in contact with the Grossmont Union High School District. Hannah attends El Capitan High School in Lakeside, which is in the district.

Spokesperson Catherine Martin says the district is working behind the scenes to make Hannah's possible return -- and return for all fellow students -- as "normal" as possible. The school has a family resource center and will be prepared to help students who may need counseling.

The school year starts on Sept. 3.

Much of Mexico is off limits to service members, and they are being warned to be careful in many of the areas where they are allowed to go.

These restrictions and warnings are in the form of an "official use only" U.S. Northern Command directive to all service members.

It's a quick and easy trip from San Diego to our neighboring Mexico, but in recent years, there has been an increase in violence.

A NORTHCOM official tells NBC7 that’s one of several reasons service members are restricted in their travel there.

The latest NORTHCOM directive issued in July brought the number of prohibited Mexican states to 12.

This means more than a third of Mexico's states are off limits to U.S. service members, unless they're on official business.

Six more states are being called "areas of concern."

Roberto Hernandez is a professor of Chicano studies at SDSU. He says most of the violence in Mexico is actually very targeted, but that it makes sense for the military to limit travel there.

“This latest warning issued in July has to do with escalated violence in very targeted ways particularly around the drug cartels, never the less sometimes service members are seen as targets - as a way to get at the U.S.A.”, said Hernandez.

A NORTHCOM official tells NBC7 they've been largely mirroring State Department warnings pertaining to Mexico when issuing these directives. Service members are still allowed to travel to many of the popular tourist locations in Mexico.