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Nuclear Regulatory Commission Faults Training at San Onofre

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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) found “operator error” and insufficient training as the cause of a near-catastrophic accident at the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant earlier this year. 

NBC 7 Investigates previously reported the incident, which took place on August 3 and involved a 45-ton stainless steel canister filled with radioactive materials nearly dropping as it was lower into the ground. 

When the canister was lowered 18-feet into the vault, the NRC said for 53 minutes the canister was caught on a small ledge and dangled feet in the air as workers tried to figure out why it wasn’t moving. 

On Thursday, the NRC held a public webinar about the incident and while a final special investigation report isn’t completed, the agency did report some preliminary findings. 

This interim update reveals the NRC plans to provide additional oversight at the facility while the process continues to “bury” the canisters in the vault on the plant premises near the Pacific Ocean. 

One of the problems the NRC found was worker training for lowering the canisters was “insufficient”. 

The crews had trained on smaller canisters with a larger clearance then the ones they actually ended up having to lower into the ground. 

The NRC panel also noted the worker who was responsible for lowering the canister had limited experience and there should have been a supervisor with the worker. 

The NRC also said resources are needed to make this process safer. There were no cameras or alarms monitoring the canister as it was lowered so thats on the NRC shopping list. They are also requiring additional training for the workers. 

Bottomline for the agency? The mishap could have been prevented with stronger management oversight. 

One of those managers, the chief nuclear engineer at the plant Tom Palmisano, has just been moved out as the Edison employee responsible for the decommissioning of the plant. Douglas Bauder, who used to work at the plant, has been named to replace him in that role.


Clinical Psychologist Explains How to Cope with Trauma

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The mass shooting in Thousand Oaks could be the latest incident adding to feelings of angst and helplessness in the United States.

“I don’t think we’ve gone a month without hearing about a mass shooting,” said clinical psychologist Dr. Shiva Ghaed.

It’s a sad statistic for Dr. Ghaed and anyone keeping track of all the tragedies.

“This is really scary, even for people who have not experienced mass violence,” she said.

Ghaed has experienced mass violence first hand. She was one of the dozens of San Diegans who survived the Las Vegas shootings last year. Dr. Ghaed hosted weekly meetings at a local country bar to help survivors cope with the trauma.

She said she was flooded with messages Thursday morning as word of the latest shooting spread.

“Every time you wake up and you hear news of another mass shooting, it’s very triggering,” she said.

She said it’s also a trigger-mechanism for people who simply watch the news unfold. She said there can be a sense of helplessness from witnessing mass shootings, disasters, or crimes.

“Or any other kind of trauma, the best kind of guidance I can offer is: get help and start talking about it,” she said. “It’s really important to reach out for help immediately. That’s the only way to get through this. There is no shortcut when it comes to recovering from trauma.”

Dr. Ghaed wrote a book about healing from mass violence and trauma. She put in online for people to read it for free.



Photo Credit: Jeremy Berg

County Office of Education Approves Sweetwater UHSD Budget

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The Sweetwater Union High School District made cuts to fill a $30 million budget gap Thursday thanks to labor unions willing to work with the district to avoid sweeping administration changes.

The County Office of Education, which is in charge of making sure school districts can pay their bills, approved the district’s revised budget that was submitted last month.

The approval comes with conditions, including sending a financial adviser to help the district.

“I think it’s an excellent idea,” said south bay resident Gary Steele. “The only reason we are in this spot right now is it’s not been managed well to begin with. So that would be a logical approach.”

The district also wants more information about how big the financial hole really is and what really needs to be done to fill

The changes include offering eligible teachers, counselors, school bus drivers, custodians, maintenance workers and management incentives to retire early. It also includes two work furlough days for employees.

NBC 7 asked the president of the teachers union, Gene Chavera, why six unions are agreeing to take cuts even though they have existing contracts.

“We felt not only teachers but all five other unions that it was in our best interest to work with the district to maintain the present administration we have as opposed to being taken over the by County Office of Education or the state,” Chavera said.

Teacher Anna Rosa Munoz said the school learning environment is going to be affected and that students will feel the brunt of it.

In an email, the district said it is grateful to all the labor unions who have been working to find budgetary solutions

The tentative agreements, which include furlough days and early retirement incentives, still have to be officially approved by union members.



Photo Credit: NBC Washington

SDPD Needs Help Identifying 'Baby Doe' Discovered in 2004

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The San Diego Police Department is asking for the public's help in finding out what happened to a baby whose body was discovered along a Rancho Bernardo hiking trail in 2004.

The department released a composite sketch of "Baby Doe" on Thursday along with pictures of the clothes the child was wearing, and said forensic testing indicates Baby Doe was between 2 and 4 years old at the time of their death.

Baby Doe was discovered by hikers on May 4, 2004. The baby's features are consistent with being mostly Caucasian and is believed to have light to medium-brown hair, SDPD said.

Investigators say, according to testing, it is likely that Baby Doe's mother was born on the mainland United States and likely resided in the southeastern region of the country.

Baby Doe may have spent the first year of their life in that region before migrating west toward California, SDPD said.

Anyone with information can call the SDPD Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers online or by calling (888) 580-8477.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

No other information was available.

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

Pa. Dioceses Outline Child Sex Abuse Victim Funds

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The Archdiocese of Philadelphia said Thursday that it would pay financial reparations to victims of clergy sex abuse, even from years ago.

The Independent Reconciliation and Reparations effort will be funded by the archdiocese, which said it was not sure how much money would be required but that the financial commitment was "significant."

The archdiocese also announced the creation of an independent commission to review church policies, led by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell.

Archbishop Charles Chaput made the announcement in his weekly column Thursday. The dioceses of Harrisburg, Scranton and Allentown also announced similar programs Thursday; the Erie Diocese said it would set up a fund, but it didn't disclose any details.

"The damage done to innocent young people and their families by sexual abuse in the past is profound," Chaput wrote. "It can’t be erased by apologies, no matter how sincere. And money can’t buy back a wounded person’s wholeness. But what compensation can do is acknowledge the evil done and meaningfully assist survivors as they work to find greater peace in their lives."

Chaput stressed that money for the reparations would not come from donations to Catholic Charities, seminaries or donations made to parishes, ministries, and schools.

The money may come from selling off church properties, Chaput said.

The abuse survivor's group SNAP said that other dioceses, including New York City, "feeling the heat" have started similar compensation programs.

But a spokesman questioned whether the program would be transparent.

Instead, the goal of some reparation programs is "to keep the secrets, secrets” and to "help stall legislative reform," said David G. Clohessy, director of the St. Louis chapter of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priest. 

“Victims deserve the opportunity for relatively faster settlements, if they want it, but victims also deserve the right to go to court,” Clohessy said.

The Independent Reconciliation and Reparations program is also independent from survivor assistance efforts of the archdiocese’s Office of Child and Youth Protection, which has already paid out $18 million to victims. And it's separate from any legal settlements that the church may be ordered to make.

The confidential compensation will be determined by independent claim administrators, Chaput said. Lynn Shiner, who has served as director of the Pennsylvania Office of Victims’ Services, will represent victims as the program's victim support facilitator.

"The program is designed to help survivors come forward in an atmosphere where they are secure and respected, without the uncertainty, conflict and stress of litigation,” Chaput said.

The archdiocese consulted with violent crime survivors and advocates to form the program, Chaput said.

The announcement comes months after a scathing Pennsylvania grand jury report exposed hundreds of instances of clergy abuse across the rest of Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia’s church had already been the focus of a 2005 grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse, which found former cardinals John Krol and Anthony Bevilacqua were involved in the cover-up of a sex scandal against accused priests throughout the archdiocese.

Another grand jury report in 2011 made new charges against priests still serving in the archdiocese.

In 2012, Philadelphia Monsignor William Lynn became the first Catholic church official to be convicted in the country of covering up sex abuse among priests in his charge.

Back in September, Chaput pledged to compensate sexual abuse survivors, he noted in his latest column.

“I deeply regret the pain that so many victims carry from the experience of sex abuse,” he said. “I hope this program will bring them a measure of peace.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

will come from our Catholic Charities Appeal, Seminary Appeal, other donor-designated funds or donations made to parishes, ministries, and schools.



Photo Credit: NBC10

NBC 7's Audra Stafford Reports from Huge LA-Area Brush Fire

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75,000 homes and been forced to evacuate due to two large fires burning northwest of Los Angeles. NBC 7's Audra Stafford is live from Thousand Oaks with more.

Sheena Parveen Explains Fire Whirls

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 NBC 7's Meteorologist Sheena Parveen explains the science behind what many call "fire tornadoes" or "dirt devils." 

Certona Moves Into New Sorrento Valley HQ

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San Diego e-commerce software company Certona moved into a new headquarters in Sorrento Valley on Nov. 8. The company works with big retailers such as Pier 1 Imports Inc. and GameStop Corp. to help identify products their consumers might want to buy.

The fast-growing software company raised $30 million in 2016, which it planned to use for sales and marketing, product development and customer support. After signing 154 new contracts and growing its headcount in the last year, Certona needed a bigger space.

Certona’s new headquarters features many of the classic tech company perks. It includes access to an on-site gym, a free bike share program, and a break room stocked with free snacks.

“This is another exciting step forward for Certona,” Certona CEO and Co-Founder Meyar Sheik said in a news release. “Our new location has been designed from the ground up to promote open communication, creativity, and collaboration among our team members. The investment in our work environment has helped our employees work together more effectively to better support our growing client base.”



Photo Credit: Certona.com
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Man Who Survived Vegas Massacre Killed in Calif. Bar Attack

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A 27-year-old man who survived last year's deadly Las Vegas massacre was among those killed in Wednesday night’s Borderline Bar & Grill shooting, his family confirmed.

It was College Country Night, a weekly event at Borderline, where students from local colleges such as Pepperdine, Cal Lutheran, Moorpark and Cal State Channel Islands were regulars.

Telemachus Orfanos loved to go to the popular Western-style bar and go line dancing. He was among more than 100 people inside the venue when a gunman dressed all in black opened fire around 11:15 p.m., killing 12 people and injuring a dozen others. 

Orfanos, who went by Tel and served in the Navy from 2011-2014, moved back in with his parents after his time in the service. He was working at the Infiniti car dealership in Thousand Oaks.

On Oct. 1, 2017, the Navy veteran made it out alive of the Route 91 Harvest music festival where 58 people were killed and hundreds of others were wounded.

Tel didn’t make it home from the Wednesday night shooting.

His mother made an emotional plea to reporters after learning of her son's death, calling for gun control.

"I don't want prayers. I don't want thoughts," Susan Schmidt-Orfanos said, according to The Associated Press. "I want those bastards in Congress — they need to pass gun control so no one else has a child that doesn't come home."

Tel's father Mark said the shooter — a former military machine gunner who mental health specialists interviewed earlier this year — "was probably as much of a victim as anybody else."

"I’m not gonna vilify this kid because he's got parents that are grieving, too," Mark Orfanos said. "And I feel sorry for them as well. Until I find out particularly what the specifics are with this kid who did the shooting I’m not gonna be vilifying him."

Mark Orfanos said he holds "gun culture" responsible for his son's death.

"How ironic that my son should be killed this way," he said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: Facebook
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Massive Wildfire North of LA Spreads Toward Malibu

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Firefighters worked to protect homes in the path of a fast-moving wildfire that tore through hillside brush in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, riding strong wind gusts through neighborhoods and across a major Southern California freeway. 

The Woolsey fire forced evacuations in communities northwest of Los Angeles after it began Thursday afternoon amid warm, dry and windy conditions. The fire is threatening tens of thousands of homes Friday as strong winds cast embers that ignited smaller spot fires and pushed the fire across the 101 Freeway in the Agoura Hills area.

Acting Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Friday due to the destructive Woolsey Fire and nearby Hill Fire. A state of emergency was declared Thursday for the monster Camp Fire in Northern California.

Evacuations were ordered Friday morning for parts of Malibu south of the 101 Freeway. By late Friday, evacuations had been expanded by the Simi Valley Police Department.

"The wind-whipped conditions ... this is ripe conditions for explosive fire behavior," said LAFD Capt. Erik Scott. "This is the new normal. When we have conditions like this, when it's such incredible wind, that brings us in to a different caliber, so it's become a much more challenging condition."

A Los Angeles County Fire Department battalion chief told NBC4 the flames could burn "for days."

Late Friday morning, the Woolsey fire burned 35,000 acres, was zero percent contained and damaged multiple structures. Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Dave Richardson said 45,000 people in Ventura County and 43,000 more in Los Angeles County were ordered to evacuate overnight.

The number grew to 200,000 by late Friday afternoon. 

Many homes have been destroyed, but firefighters did not have a firm number Friday morning as wind continued to push flames toward the south.

"The winds haven't died down, and that's unfortunate," said NBC4 forecaster Shanna Mendiola. "Winds are gusting anywhere between 40 to 50 mph, strong enough to carry theses embers. We do expect these winds to die down, but not completely go away."

Dominic Oliveri fled from his home in the Decker Canyon area with his wife. They were stopped along Mulholland Hwy near Little Sycamore Canyon Road.

"We waited as long as we could and the flames were coming down the hill opposite of us, and we just aid we had to go," he said. "I've been here 40 years, and I've seen it all," This is the first time I had to leave my house ever.

He also said the winds the night before shook his house, blowing at 70 mph according to his gauge.

Calabasas residents were also experiencing power cuts due to the wind and fire. SoCal Edison said the earliest possible restoration would be around 6 p.m.

The fires burned in a community that was already reeling from a mass shooting that left 12 victims dead Wednesday night at a Thousand Oaks bar. The Thousand Oaks Teen Center was a family unification center Thursday, a place where families anxiously waited for updates on loved ones who were at the Borderline Bar. On Friday, the center was an evacuation center for people fleeing the fire. 

"I think a lot of people should realize this is what your valuable life leads to," said a man from Ventura County as he pointed at his truck. "Plastic bags on the back of your pick-up truck."

Along with assisting the growth of the fire, the high winds also deterred air support in battling the flames.

The Woolsey Fire was first reported around 3:30 p.m. and by 4:45 p.m. It started east of Chatsworth near a former Rocketdyne facility.

The Hill Fire burned just five miles away in Newbury Park, forcing more than 1,200 homes to evacuate and prompting the closure of the 101 Freeway. For coverage of that fire, click here

Fall is historically one of the most dangerous times of the year for wildfires in California. Seven of the state's 10-most destructive wildfires occurred in October -- many fueled by monster winds, including Santa Ana gusts.

Through Nov. 4, Cal Fire has reported about 5,600 fires that burned more than 621,700 acres. During that same period last year, the agency reported 5,800 fire that burned 316,600 acres. Over the last five years, California has averaged 5,293 fires that burned 231,400 acres during that interval.

NBC4's Jonathan Lloyd and Heather Navarro contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: AP

Exhibit Explores Wreckage of Sunken WWI Ship USS San Diego

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A new exhibit to explore how USS San Diego sank — the only World War I vessel to sink during the war — has opened at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy in Washington, D.C.

The lives of six Navy sailors were lost when WWI cruiser USS San Diego exploded and sank within 30 minutes off the coast of Long Island on July 19, 1918, according to Naval History and Heritage Command.

The 503-foot vessel may have struck a German mine or been hit by a torpedo, according to NHCC, but a team of research divers has been exploring the ship's wreckage in order to determine exactly what happened on that fateful day. 

"We are still looking at reviewing the data for how it actually went down. Also, the artifacts are still in the process of being researched," NHHC Archeological Conservator Shanna Daniel said.

The exhibit examines what is known to the team so far and includes a three-dimensional rendering of USS San Diego in its current state on the ocean floor and features hundreds of artifacts recovered from the wreckage site.

Researchers used underwater drones and sonar technology to reach and excavate the sunken ship, finding items from inside, including a military bugle. 

The Museum of the U.S. Navy chose to open the exhibit this weekend in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, which falls on Sunday, Nov. 11.

When the exhibit opened on Thursday, in the 100th year since the USS San Diego tragedy, a bell rang to honor not only the lives of the six who died on the sinking ship but all lives lost during WWI.

Formerly USS California, the ship was assigned to U.S. Pacific Fleet and conducted training exercises and drills along the west coast before being renamed USS San Diego in 1914 and being designated the fleet's flagship. 

The ship was reassigned to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet in July 1917, where she conducted dangerous escort missions through the North Atlantic.  

The current USS San Diego, homeported in its namesake, is the fourth U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name. 

Life in Prison for Man Convicted in Santee Woman's Slaying

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A man convicted of shooting and killing a woman in her Santee home two years ago during a home invasion robbery will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Jose Nunez-Torres, 23, was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole for the slaying of Leticia Arroyo, 34. A judge also added 49 years and eight months to Nunez-Torres’ life sentence, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office confirmed.

Arroyo was found dead on Oct. 4, 2016, in the living room of her townhome on Mission Greens Road. Her roommate made the disturbing discovery, finding Arroyo unconscious between a couch and an ottoman.

Deputies said they found blood evidence in the street near Arroyo’s townhome and investigators determined she had been the victim of a robbery.

Twelve days after the killing, Nunez-Torres was arrested as the suspect in the murder. At the time of his arrest, he was in custody for an unrelated crime.

On Aug. 15, 2018, a second suspect, Jaen Soto-Avila, 23, was arrested in connection with the crime, accused of driving the getaway car after the robbery and killing. Soto-Avila was also sentenced Friday, receiving probation for being an accessory to the crime.

At Nunez-Torres' pretrial hearing in August 2017, Arroyo's family members described her as a beloved daughter, sister and aunt who had an infectious smile and was always making people laugh.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Trump Asked National Enquirer CEO to Silence Women

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President Donald Trump personally asked the publisher of the National Enquirer, his longtime friend David Pecker, to help his presidential campaign by silencing women who might come forward with details of his sexual relationships with them, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

According to the Journal, then-candidate Trump asked Pecker during an August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower, "What can you do to help my campaign?"

Pecker responded by offering to use his tabloid to buy off women who might attempt to go public with their past sexual experiences with Trump by acquiring the exclusive rights to the stories but never publishing them, a practice known as "catch and kill."



Photo Credit: AP, File

Challenger Defeats Controversial 'Birther' Judge

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A controversial San Diego Superior Court judge has been defeated in his effort to seek a second term on the bench.

Judge Gary Kreep received just 41 percent of the vote as of late Thursday. His challenger, deputy district attorney Matt Brower, has 59 percent. There are 465,000 ballots that still need to be tallied, the Registrar of Voters Office said.

Kreep has in the past made headlines for his stridently anti-abortion and "birther" views. The San Diego County Bar Association recently rated Kreep as "lacking qualifications" for a judgeship.

Kreep was also censured last year by the state Commission on Judicial Performance, which reported that he committed 29 acts of misconduct and improper action from 2012 to 2015.

Brower, who is also a Judge Advocate General in the Marine Corps Reserve, was rated "qualified" by the local Bar Association.

Brower will now replace Kreep in January.

"I thank the voters so much for standing by their values and selecting somebody who is a very human person, and who is also dedicated to trying to uphold their values, restore ethics, treat people professionally, and restore dignity (to the bench)," Brower told NBC 7 on election night.



Photo Credit: NBC7

Vets Jailed Together Less Likely to be Re-Convicted: Study

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Military veteran inmates detained with other veterans are less likely than veterans housed with other detainees to be convicted of a crime within a year of release, according to a study conducted in San Diego County. 

The three-year study compared two groups of veterans — one group of 144 members lived in a Veterans-only housing unit and the other was held at a detention facility with other detainees, according to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).

Researchers found that group housed in Veterans Moving Forward (VMF), an incentive-based housing unit at the Vista Detention Facility, were less likely to be convicted for a new crime within a year of being released from custody, according to SANDAG. 

Nearly three-quarters of participants had been in jail previously and 32 percent were convicted most recently on drug charges, the most serious offense within the group, according to SANDAG. 

While in custody, rule violations were drastically lower among veterans housed together. Only 1 percent of the group had rule violations while 43 percent of the comparison group had rule violations.

Seventy-six percent of homeless veterans in the program also said they had more stable living six months after being released from custody, the study said. 

Dr. Cindy Burke, the Director of SANDAG's research division and the study's lead, said the housing unit was effective because the shared connection gave veterans a level of respect for their fellow inmates and deputies, many chosen because of their military background.

The inmates used their time together to work on underlying issues and obtain tools that could be used upon release, Burke said. 

"The goal of VMF was to structure an environment for convicted veterans to draw upon the positive aspects of their shared military culture, create a safe place for healing and rehabilitation, and foster positive peer connections," the study said. 

Veteran detainees lived in a less-restrictive and more open environment, which allowed for open doors, no segregation based on race or ethnicity, the use of a microwave and coffee machine and other incentives. 

The group worked with VA staff regularly and were also required to participate in rehabilitation programs, according to SANDAG. 

A 2015 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the most recently released data, said 8 percent of inmates served in the military. The researchers behind the study said this is why they chose to focus their research on veterans. 

The group partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs to open the housing unit in 2013 and received funding for the study from the National Institute of Justice a year later. 


Mayor Proposes to Ditch Parking Proviso for Some Housing Projects

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Future developers may not need to ensure there’s adequate parking for residents if the development is located near a transit stop, under a proposal released Friday by the mayor’s office.

Reforms proposed by Mayor Kevin Faulconer would eliminate parking space requirements for some multifamily housing developments.

By eliminating the need to provide parking spaces, developers could save between $35,000 and $90,000 in construction costs per unit, according to the mayor’s office.

It could also allow builders to construct more units, the mayor’s office said.

“We know that more and more people are choosing to live without a car and are demanding quality housing near transit,” Faulconer said in a written release.

The proposal would only involve housing being built within a “transit priority area” or an area within a half of a mile of an existing or planned transit stop. A “planned transit stop” is defined as one that will be operational by 2050, according to the San Diego Association of Governments' 2050 Regional Transportation Plan.

Under current regulations, developers must provide parking ranging from one to two spaces, depending on the size of the unit being built.

The mayor's office intends to send the proposed plan to the City Council's Smart Growth and Land Use Committee in early 2019.



Photo Credit: Steven Luke

Shark Sighting Prompted Closure of Oceanside Pier, Beach

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A shark sighting near the Oceanside Pier prompted lifeguards to close down the beach Friday as a precaution.

A shark breached in front of an Oceanside lifeguard around 12:35 p.m., Oceanside police Sgt. Tom Bussey said.

The shark was proximately 12 feet long and swimming approximately 100 yards offshore on the south side of the pier, lifeguard Lt. Gregory Trebbe said.

A one-mile stretch on each side of the pier was shut down, he said.

Oceanside lifeguards launched a drone to search for the shark but weren’t able to find it, the lieutenant said.

Lifeguards were making announcements warning beachgoers about the shark sighting.

It was unknown what kind of shark it was, he said.

Adjacent lifeguard agencies have been notified, Trebbe said.

Shark sightings are rare along the Southern California shoreline and sharks typically are just passing through, he said.

Last month, a 13-year-old boy was attacked by a great white shark while lobster diving off the coast of Encinitas, approximately 13 miles from the Oceanside Pier.

Doctor Chris Lowe with the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach said while shark attacks are extremely rare, locals should be aware that fall is a time where more sharks may be along the Southern California coastline. 

University of San Diego researchers said while shark sightings are becoming more frequent off the California coast, it is extremely rare for anyone in the world to be bitten. 

In April 2017, a woman was attacked by a shark in the waters off San Onofre State Beach near Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The last time a shark attack has been deadly in San Diego County was in Solana Beach in 2008. 

Sheriff’s Department Phone Scam Targets Poway Residents

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The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is warning the public of a scam involving phone calls from suspects falsely claiming to be members of the department, asking for money.

The SDSO said scammers have recently been targeting residents of Poway and surrounding communities.

Here’s how the scam plays out: an unknown person will call a potential victim, claiming the person they have called has a warrant for their arrest and owes money to the SDSO.

The impersonators try to cover their bases to look legitimate, sometimes giving the victim a real phone number belonging to the SDSO. At times, they have also used names of real employees that work for the department.

The SDSO said the scammers sometimes even try to arrange a meeting in the parking lot of a government building of sheriff’s station to add to the ruse.

The department said Friday that these calls are never the real deal. The SDSO, the County of San Diego, or any of its employees will never contact the public via telephone to solicit money in the manner.

“Nor would any employees ever try to arrange a meeting to allow the ‘payment’ to be made,” the SDSO said.

The scam calls are under investigation. Anyone who gets a phone call like this should immediately hang up and report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission by clicking here.

The SDSO said victims who suffer a financial loss due to one of these scam calls can call the Sheriff’s Communication Center at (858) 565-5200 or the law enforcement agency that oversees their community.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Trump Criticized After Berating Black Female Journalists

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President Donald Trump continued to berate journalists on Friday, zeroing in on two black women with comments that drew a letter of condemnation from the National Association of Black Journalists.

When Abby D. Phillip of CNN asked whether Trump wanted acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to rein in special counsel Robert Mueller, he responded: “What a stupid question that is. What a stupid question. But I watch you a lot. You ask a lot of stupid questions.”

Mueller is investigating whether there was collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election — a probe Trump has decried as a witch hunt and which the new acting attorney general criticized before his appointment. Trump did not answer Phillip’s question.

Of April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks, one of his most frequent targets, Trump said: “You talk about somebody that’s a loser; she doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing. She gets publicity and then she gets a pay raise or she gets a contract with, I think, CNN. But she’s very nasty. And she shouldn’t be. She shouldn’t be. You’ve got to treat the White House and the office of the presidency with respect.”

Earlier in the week, he tried to cut off Yamiche Alcindor of PBS NewsHour as she asked about his use of the word “nationalist” to describe himself and whether that empowered white nationalists.

“I don’t know why you would say that. That’s such a racist question,” he said while she continued to ask whether the Republican party was now seen as racist because of his rhetoric.

“I don’t believe that,” he said, as he juxtaposed “nationalist” with “globalist.” “I don’t believe that. I don’t believe that. Why do I have my highest poll numbers ever with African Americans. Why do I have among the highest poll numbers with African Americans. That’s such a racist question…Excuse me, but to say that, what you said, is so insulting to me. It’s a very terrible thing that you said.”

Trump has a history of denigrating black people and denigrating women so it is no surprise that he would dial up the animosity for black women, said Sherri Williams, an assistant professor of race, media and communication at American University. Trump’s disdain shows that they are doing their job, as they question him not only about race, which he is particularly sensitive about, but also about how his administration is operating, she said.

“They’re challenging the powerful and they’re demanding truth and they’re resisting this lack of transparency,” she said.

He will face more of the same when the newly elected women take their seats in the House of Representatives next year, she said.

“The kinds of questions that he is facing from these black women reporters are the kinds of challenges that he is going to have to face from legislators in the coming months, so he might as well get used to it,” Williams said.

Trump’s latest attacks followed his party’s loss of control of the House. Recounts and runoffs loom in other races Republicans are anxious to win in Florida, where results in the governor’s and Senate races have narrowed, and in Georgia, where former state Rep. Stacey Abrams, another black woman, has refused to concede the governor's race to former Secretary of State Brian Kemp. With ballots still being counted, Trump and other Republicans started making unsubstantiated charges of voter fraud.

During the campaign, Trump said Abrams, a graduate of Yale Law School and the minority leader in the Georgia State House of Representatives, was “not qualified” for the job.

According to the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University, at least 102 women will serve in the U.S. House, and at least 43 women of color — 42 of them Democrats and one Republican. Another nine women, six Democrats and three Republicans, will serve as governors. Abrams, if she wins, would be the first black woman governor.

Adding to his difficulties with women on Friday, The Wall Street Journal published an account of what it said was Trump’s direct intervention to suppress stories about alleged sexual encounters with women. The article said interviews refuted denials from Trump and others that he was involved in payoffs to a former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, and a former adult-firm actress, Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied any sexual relationship with the women.

Trump has made some famously misogynistic comments, including one about “grabbing” women he was attracted to, and he has repeatedly denigrated black people, from Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California, whom he has mocked as “an extraordinarily low IQ person,” to NBA superstar LeBron James (and CNN journalist Don Lemon) about whom Trump tweeted: “LeBron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do.” He called former White House official, Omarosa Manigault Newman, “that dog” and a “crazy, crying lowlife” after she accused him of racism.

The use of the word “dog” is “wonderfully dehumanizing, which is part of what I think he’s doing,” said Linda-Susan Beard, an associate professor of English and director of Africana Studies at Bryn Mawr College. “He’s undercutting the professionalism of these individuals. He’s suggesting that no black person in America of either gender is intellectually respectable.”

In a statement from the National Association of Black Journalists, the group’s president, Sarah Glover, who also is the social media editor for NBC Owned Television Stations, said, "The most powerful man in the free world is verbally abusing journalists. The past two years have been filled with assaults on the media and Donald Trump's comments this week have reached an all-time low with attacks on three black female journalists. His dismissive comments toward journalists April Ryan, Abby Phillip and Yamiche Alcindor are appalling, irresponsible, and should be denounced."

The association, which noted that Phillip is a former Washington Post reporter and a graduate of Harvard University, called on the president to stop his verbal assault not only on black women journalists but on all journalists.

The White House press office did not respond immediately when asked in an email if the president was singling out black women for criticism.

This week the White House suspended CNN’s Jim Acosta’s credentials, accusing him of “placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern.”

Video of the press conference on Wednesday does not appear to back up that claim. Acosta was engaged in a tense exchange with the president during a press conference on Wednesday when his arm seems to have brushed against the intern’s as she repeatedly tried to grab the microphone from him. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later released video meant to back the White House’s version of events, but which was widely dismissed as doctored.

Even as journalists condemned the action against Acosta, Trump on Friday threatened other reporters’ press passes if they did not treat the White House with respect.



Photo Credit: AP, Getty

Army and Navy Academy Faces Another Sexual Assault Lawsuit

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The family of a 12-year-old boy has filed a lawsuit against the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad alleging a group of cadets sexually assaulted the boy in July.

The lawsuit, filed in San Diego Superior Court, comes months after the academy settled the third lawsuit by victims of sexual abuse by two Army and Navy Academy administrators.

One of the administrators was former headmaster, Jeffrey Barton, who is now serving a life term in prison for six felony counts of having sex with a minor. 

The settlements have so far cost the academy more than $3.6 million. 

The new lawsuit from the unnamed minor and his mother claims other cadets grabbed the boy’s genitals and harassed him at a “leadership camp” held by the academy in July.

In addition, the lawsuit alleges there were inappropriate sexual acts occurring between the cadets during the camp as well as unsanitary conditions. The lawsuit also claims that administrators were aware of the alleged assault and did not report it as required by state law.

A spokesperson for the Army and Navy Academy told NBC 7 that the academy would not comment about the specific allegations in the lawsuit but denied any wrongdoing.

“We fully deny all the allegations in the lawsuit. However, we believe it should be settled in a court of law, not in the news media and therefore have no further comment,” a spokesperson said.

Earlier this year after the settlements were reached in the previous assault cases, academy adminstrators stated they had placed new measures to address sexual assaults on campus. Attorneys for the cadet question whether that has happened.

Los Angeles-based attorney Eric Rudin is one of the attorneys for the cadet and his family. He said the academy’s past needs to be factored in when looking at the case.

"Sexual abuse, and more specifically, sexual hazing is a systemic problem and far more prevalent than anyone realizes,” Rudin said.

Added Rudin, “One of the places where children are supposed to be safe from such horrors is in a military boarding academy such as the Army and Navy Academy. Unfortunately, this isn't the Army and Navy Academy's first go around when it comes to protecting its cadets from abuse. The status quo is unacceptable and must change."

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