Several San Diego County school districts are keeping students at home Tuesday following San Diego Gas & Electric's decision to shut off power service to customers in fire-prone areas.

The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) said that campuses would be at the following school districts:

• Julian Union School District
• Julian Union High School District
• Mountain Empire Unified School District
• Spencer Valley School District

SDG&E suspended service for customers living in Warner Springs, Dulzura, Potrero, Campo, Jamul, Lyons Valley, Barrett Lake, Dehesa, Alpine, Japatul Valley, Buckman Springs, Morena Village, Otay Lake, Otay Mesa, Viejas, Boulder Creek, Pine Valley, Mount Laguna, Valley Center, Pauma Valley, Santa Ysabel, Lake Henshaw, Ramona, San Diego Country Estates, Wynola, Live Oak Springs, Boulevard, and Julian/Kentwood in the Pines areas as a safety precaution.

The utility company dispatched a large, one megawatt generated to the Julian community to help serve the businesses in the downtown area, D’Agostino said.

The SDCOE said that Warner Unified School District campuses would be closed Tuesday due to a scheduled teacher work day.

The sheriff's department announced Monday the arrest of a teenager suspected of making online threats to El Capitan High School in Lakeside.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said it was made aware of the threats on Sunday and their investigation led them to a 14-year-old suspect.

The teenager was arrested at his home and booked into Juvenile Hall, deputies said.

The SDSO said patrols would be increased Tuesday at El Capitan and the surrounding area, though investigators have not discovered any other threats.

No other information was available.

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

Four men filed a lawsuit in federal court against the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, accusing a code compliance officer of assault on separate occasions.

“I was scared for my life,” said Prather Johnson. “I thought I was going to actually die.”

Johnson said he was drinking his coffee while waiting for the trolley at the Euclid Avenue station on the morning of April 26.

The San Diego man said two MTS code compliance officers, identified as “Rivas” and “Mora” in the lawsuit, approached him and asked to see his trolley pass.

Johnson said he showed the officers his pass, but they still told him to leave the trolley station anyway.

Johnson then walked off MTS property onto a ramp to the adjacent parking lot for the nearby Jacobs Center, he told NBC 7.

However, the officers asked him once again for his trolley pass even though he was off MTS property, according to Johnson. He said he showed them once again, but they told him to keep moving.

“I proceeded to walk off right here, and he [Rivas] grabbed me right here like this and just slammed me right here,” Johnson said pointing to a metal railing.

Johnson said he hit his head on the railing.

“Once he hit his head on that rail, I ran from here to there,” said Chula Vista Private Security Captain Clarence Courtney.

Courtney said he has patrolled the neighboring mall and parking lot for two years. He said he saw the MTS code compliance officers throw Johnson down.

“When I was on the ground I heard somebody say, ‘Hey, this is our property. You need to get off,’” said Johnson. “I looked up, and that’s when I see him trying to intervene.”

“They were trying to choke hold him, and so I intervened again, and I was like, ‘Hey, look, you’re not going to do this on my property. I won’t allow that on my property,’” said Courtney. “I kind of got in between them and they grabbed me and kind of threw me around.”

“‘You’ll be arrested.’ And I told them, ‘You don’t have the power to arrest me on my property,’” Courtney told NBC 7.

Courtney said the MTS officers had no jurisdiction on the property he was hired to guard.

“These situations are outrageous,” said attorney Doug Gilliland.

Gilliland filed the lawsuit on behalf of Johnson, Courtney, and two other men who claim Rivas and Mora assaulted them at trolley stations in similar fashions.

The lawsuit obtained by NBC 7 said Rivas asked Keith Stewart to leave the Euclid Avenue trolley station on February 17, 2018, even though Stewart said he had a trolley pass.

The lawsuit said Stewart walked off the property onto the neighboring property. It said Rivas grabbed Stewart and took him to the ground.

The lawsuit said a colostomy bag worn by Stewart ruptured when he was thrown to the ground.

Felipe Vedoy encountered Rivas and Mora at the Grossmont Trolley Station on Fletcher Parkway on June 20, according to the documents.

The lawsuit said Rivas and Mora took Vedoy to the ground even though he had a trolley pass.

“I was pretty surprised when I had four clients come through my door in a period of 90 days all saying that it was the exact same officer,” said Gilliland.

An MTS spokesman said the transit system would not comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit listed MTS, the MTS Director of Security Manny Guaderrama, Universal Protection Service, MTS Code Compliance Officer Rivas, and Universal Protection Service Officer Mora as defendants.

The lawsuit accused the officers of excessive force, civil rights violations, and assault and battery.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Monday it would close multiple northbound traffic lanes at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa Ports of Entry while "port hardening" infrastructure is installed in preparation for the arrival of the migrant caravan.

CBP said at least three lanes in San Ysidro and one lane in Otay Mesa would be closed "in preparation for the migrant caravan and the potential safety and security risk that it could cause."

“CBP has been and will continue to prepare for the potential arrival of thousands of people migrating in a caravan heading towards the border of the United States,” Pete Flores, Director of Field Operations for CBP in San Diego, said in a statement. “These preparations include training exercises, deploying additional CBP personnel, and partnering with the U.S. military to harden our ports of entry and the border area between those legal crossings into the U.S.”

More than 1,00 Marines were deployed to the border last Thursday to begin their work with Operation Secure Line in support of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

CBP said their specific duties include installing barbed wire to make walls less scaleable, and reinforcing construction areas so that people could not cross into them.

A renovation project is currently underway at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, which is the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere.

The Department of Defense insisted last week that the troops were sent there to help CBP and nothing else.

In October, President Donald Trump threatened to close the southern border to address the caravan if the situation worsened, and CBP acknowledged Friday that option is still on the table.

CBP said it will provide an update when the lanes are reopened, and said it doesn't expect that to come until after the caravan arrives at the border.

Officials said the military’s involvement in the operation will be temporary. The end date for assisting at the border is Dec. 15.

Travelers headed north from Mexico into the United States should anticipate longer wait times due to the lane closures, CBP said.

In the mid-1950s Willie O'Ree was an up-and-coming hockey player with immense talent but two things going against him:

He was blind in one eye ... and he was black.

Nobody knew about the first one. O'Ree was hit by a puck at the age of 19 and lost 95 percent of the vision in his right eye. Still he was able to overcome that and become a player worthy of a chance in the NHL.

Everyone could see the second one, and at that time it was even more difficult to deal with prejudice than it was not being able to see. But Willie O'Ree was not going to let anything, be it injury or bigotry, get in the way of his dream.

"At the age of 14 I had set two goals for myself," said O'Ree on Monday night in Toronto. "Play professional hockey and one day play in the National Hockey League. All I wanted was to be a hockey player. All I needed was the opportunity."

In 1958 he got it, skating with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens and breaking hockey's color barrier 11 years after Jackie Robinson did the same thing for Major League Baseball. O'Ree played 45 games and scored four goals with 10 assists for the Bruins. That was the entirety of his National Hockey League career.

But he played professionally for 24 years, with eight of them coming in San Diego (seven for the Gulls and one for the Mariners, when he scored 21 goals in 53 games at the age of 43 in his final professional season). O'Ree opened the door for players like P.K. Subban, Grant Fuhr, Jarome Iginla, and countless others.

For his impact, on Monday night, O'Ree was finally inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He received his plaque from Fuhr, the goalie who won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and was the first black player inducted to the Hockey Hall.

At the end of his speech O'Ree said the game has grown significantly but the NHL still has issues with inclusion. Then he reminded us all of the opportunity that he received and asked us all a simple favor.

"I leave this with you," said O'Ree. "When you return to your communities take a look around. Find a young boy or girl who needs the opportunity to play hockey and give it to them. You never know; they may make history."

Willie O'Ree, at the age of 83, is a hockey luminary who has dedicated his life to the game he loves -- the game he changed for the better and the game that finally recognized his impact by giving him its highest honor.

Jerome Corsi, an associate of Roger Stone, says he expects to be indicted for perjury as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian election meddling, NBC News reported. 

Corsi, who has been questioned over his knowledge of WikiLeaks obtaining hacked emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, said Mueller's team delivered the news at a meeting about a week ago.

"They told me they were going to indict me," he told NBC News in a phone interview Monday.

Mueller's spokesman, Peter Carr, declined to comment. 

Nearly a dozen associates of Stone's have been summoned to appear before Mueller's grand jury in Washington, according to people familiar with the investigation.

As residents look for ways to help Southern California firefighters by donating water, energy drinks, blankets, and more, resulting in an extra 5,000 pounds of goods for the fire department to handle, the Los Angeles Fire Department is giving the public a big thank you -- but no thanks.

"There are rumors that Los Angeles Firefighters are in need of donated food or supplies, such as blankets, wipes, water, energy beverages, snack bars, toothpaste or eyedrops during current wildfires. Nothing could be further from the truth," LAFD said Sunday in a Facebook post.

While LA City firefighters said they were touched, the extra goods had provided an extra challenge for firefighters. 

"We're touched to the point of tears by your kindness, but truly are not in need of anything more than a wave or a smile," the post reads.

Some of the confusion may have been further perpetuated by a tweet from reality TV mom Kris Jenner, who said her daughter Kylie Jenner was imploring the public to help by donating Chapstick, face wipes, beef jerky, granola bars, sunscreen and more. 

While LAFD did not credit the Jenners specifically with the outpouring of support, the post clarified that stations do not need donated goods at this time. 

At one time, firefighters returned from a long firefight to find "600 unsolicited gallons of bottled water (that's a 5,000 lbs surprise we have to move and cannot safely store on site)" or "200 cubic feet of perishable food we can't refrigerate."

They did make it very clear that the donated goods touched their hearts, and were overwhelmed to know how much the community cares. 

"We deeply sense your appreciation, and want you to know that nothing could mean more to us than seeing you and your family safely in front of your undamaged home. Your smile, a friendly wave or a simple hand-scrawled 'Thank You' sign means more than words could ever describe," the post said. 

They also noted that if you must donate, they have a page set up to accept donations here. 

LAFD also said the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation needed help to fund hydration backpacks, which can be found here. Anyone who wants to donate to the Red Cross to help fire victims can text "CAWILDFIRES" to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

They also advised that giving to the following organiztions:

Widows, Orphans, and Disabled Firemen's Fund

Fire Family Foundation

See more information on how to help here. 

See how to avoid firefighter charity scams here.

A descendant of one of Southern California’s largest landowners, a homicide and one family’s search for justice. That is at the center of a story that will be told in San Diego Superior Court after two wrongful death lawsuits were filed by the family of a man that was allegedly beaten to death inside his front doorstep.

The fiancé of George Sloss and his two daughters have filed two wrongful death lawsuits against the alleged assailant, L Byron Culver III. The family hopes the civil lawsuits will compel the District Attorney to press criminal charges against Culver.

The alleged assault happened on Mother’s Day, May 13, 2018.

On that evening, Solana Beach resident George Sloss’s fiance, Mendy Cox said he had delivered Mother’s Day dinner to her as she sat on the couch in front of their fireplace inside their Solana Beach townhouse.

That’s when Cox told NBC 7 Investigates and investigators for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department that she and Sloss heard a knock on their front door. Sloss got up from the couch to answer the door while Cox sat ten feet away in the couple’s living room.

The man on the other side of the door was L. Byron Culver III, a descendant of the Culver family, known to have farmed much of what is present-day Irvine, California. The family name and their contribution to the City of Irvine and Orange County resulted in naming one of the city’s main thoroughfares, Culver Drive, after them.

Cox said she heard Sloss open the door and allow Culver inside. She says Culver had lent Sloss $62,000 five years back and Sloss and she had been paying it off monthly.

“George says, ‘Hey buddy, how are you?’” Cox tells NBC 7 Investigates. “And, he says, ‘Not good.’ I could literally hear [Culver] breathing heavy, like really hard. George told him to calm down, everything will be ok.”

She heard Culver say to Sloss, “No, no, it’s not ok. I just want to hit you in your [expletive] face.”

Cox said she sat on the couch, unsure what to do. She looked over at Sloss who had been rifling through a green folder to find proof that he had made the last payment.

Cox says she turned around for a second.

“That’s when I heard papers flying,” she said. “I heard this thud and I felt the back of the couch move.”

Cox says she got up, ran around the couch and found her fiance unconscious on the floor, blood streaming from the back of his head. She said Culver had hit Sloss and Sloss fell backward, his head striking the corner of a wooden table which was against the back of the sofa where Cox had been sitting.

She said Culver spread Sloss’ legs open and began to kick him in his groin.

Cox jumped on Culver. She kicked him and hit him. She said he kicked her to get her off of him.

Culver declined NBC 7 Investigates' request for an interview, nor did he answer questions about the incident.

“Somehow, whether it was me screaming and pushing him but he finally backed up and stepped out of the house,” Cox said. “I grabbed the door and slammed it shut.”

Cox said she turned back around and saw Sloss laying there unconscious.

“There was just this large pool of blood,” Cox said. “I’ve seen a lot but never, ever in my life have I felt this way. I slid down on my knees to try and stop the bleeding. I feel the back of his head and that’s when I get sick.”

Cox says Culver had already left. She called 911. Paramedics showed and took Sloss to Scripps Hospital in La Jolla.

Doctors put Sloss into a medically induced coma to try and prevent his brain from swelling.

Cox says Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at the hospital. They took Cox’s report. Cox said she later pressed assault charges against Culver.

The following day deputies arrested Culver on felony assault charges. Culver, according to court documents filed in the wrongful death lawsuit, immediately posted bail.

Meanwhile, Sloss’ condition worsened. Cox said that doctors informed her and his family that Sloss had suffered major brain damage. Four days later, Cox said she got a call in the middle of the night from the hospital.

“The doctor told me,” Cox said, “that [Sloss] had a turn for the worse and that he was not likely to make it through the day.”

When she arrived at the hospital she said she wanted to say goodbye to her fiance. “The one thing I wanted,” she said, “ was to just put my ear on his chest and hear his heartbeat. Because that’s how every night when we were together I would go to sleep.”

Sloss died a few minutes later.

NBC 7 obtained a copy of the Medical Examiner’s report. The report found that Sloss died as a result of “blunt head trauma” as a result of the punch and the subsequent fall. The office ruled the manner of death as a homicide.

“He was my best friend,” Cox told NBC 7 Investigates. “We talked every day. We did things together. I just miss not seeing his smile and just having him hold me at night.”

She said in the first days after Sloss’ death she did not think much about the criminal investigation. She was too busy grieving for her fiance. But Cox said she soon learned more “disturbing news” in the days to come.

She learned that the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office had decided not to press any charges against Culver, this despite the fact that she says she was an eyewitness and police had arrested Culver following the alleged assault.

In a statement to NBC 7 Investigates, a spokesperson for the San Diego County District Attorney said the office did not have enough to pursue filing criminal charges.

“We can only file criminal charges when we believe we can prove them beyond a reasonable doubt,” Steve Walker, communications director for the District Attorney’s Office told NBC 7 Investigates.

Cox’s account was included in a preliminary report by San Diego County Sheriff’s Department's Investigators, obtained by NBC 7 Investigates. As was the case in the reports and her interview, Cox admits that she did not see Culver throw the punch but her back was turned when she heard the two thuds. Also, Sloss’ home had no surveillance cameras installed, so the incident was not recorded. 

While Culver would not agree to an interview, Attorney Richard Layon who is representing Culver, told NBC 7 Investigates by email, “Of significant import is the fact that--after an extremely thorough investigation and review of all the underlying facts in this matter--the District Attorney's office has declined to file any charges against my client in this case.”

Added Layon, “We believe the aforementioned speaks volumes as to the culpability of Mr. Culver and the viability of the Plaintiffs’ claims for monetary damages.”

The absence of criminal charges prompted Sloss’ daughters and Cox to file civil lawsuits against Culver in hopes that the evidence found in the trials will force the District Attorney to act.   

“It’s bizarre that the Sheriff’s Department knows a crime occurred but the District Attorney’s Office not only dropped the felony assault charges but refused to prosecute for murder,” Reza Sena, Cox's attorney told NBC 7 Investigates. “We will get justice for this family.”

There will be an extra police presence on campus at Scripps Ranch High School on Tuesday after rumors of a shooting at the school were circulated on social media.

The San Diego Unified School District Police Department said it was working with the San Diego Police Department on the investigation.

The SDUSDPD said extra officers would be there out of an abundance of caution.

No other information was available.

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

The state of Maryland plans to ask a federal judge on Tuesday for an order declaring that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is the acting attorney general, not Matt Whitaker, who was appointed to that position last week after the forced resignation of Jeff Sessions, NBC News reported.

Ruling that Whitaker cannot serve as attorney general would be a blow to President Donald Trump, who bypassed Rosenstein in favor of someone who has repeatedly criticized Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian election meddling. 

The Justice Department would immediately appeal any such ruling, and the case could be on a fast track to the Supreme Court.

A photo has gone viral showing about 50 students, most of them white, from a Wisconsin high school appearing to give a Nazi salute, prompting their school district to investigate, NBC News reported.

The photo is from last spring and was not taken on Baraboo High School property or at an event sponsored by the school, according to the superintendent of the Baraboo School District. It originally appeared on a photographer's website along with photos from the school's junior prom.

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"If the gesture is what it appears to be, the District will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address the issue," superintendent Lori Mueller told parents in a letter Monday.

The apparent Sieg Heil gesture brought condemnation from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, which said on Twitter that the concentration camp "with its gas chambers was at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred."

Powerful Santa Ana winds gave San Diego County's humidity levels little chance to recover overnight Tuesday as the National Weather Service extended a red flag warning for another day.

Already-low humidity was expected to drop to critical levels that when combined with gusty winds have the potential to spread quickly and dangerously with any fire spark, NBC 7's Meteorologist Sheena Parveen said.

"It's another day where we have some very dangerous Santa Ana winds," Parveen said. "Do not burn anything. Don’t use anything that can cause a spark because that could easily ignite some fires across the area."

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Meanwhile, the red flag warning in effect from San Diego's mountains to the coast was extended until 5 p.m. Wednesday. 

Persistent winds averaged 60 miles per hour in the mountains and in the 40s for the inland valleys overnight. Even coastal areas like Del Mar were experiencing 25 mph wind gusts, Parveen said.

The strongest gusts recorded overnight were at Sill Hill (south of Julian) and Boulder Creek (west of Lake Cuyamaca) at 86 and 69 mph respectively, according to the NWS. Descanso, Boulevard and Campo saw winds in the mid-50s.

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Winds would become more widespread at sunrise and be strongest through the afternoon, the NWS said. A high wind warning was set to expire at 5 p.m.

San Diego Gas & Electric cut power to more than 10,000 customers in fire-prone areas Monday and Tuesday as a precaution due to the severe wind conditions, the agency said.

Customers were without power in Warner Springs, Dulzura, Potrero, Campo, Jamul, Lyons Valley, Barrett Lake, Dehesa, Alpine, Japatul Valley, Buckman Springs, Morena Village, Otay Lake, Otay Mesa, Viejas, Boulder Creek, Pine Valley, Mount Laguna, Valley Center, Pauma Valley, Santa Ysabel, Lake Henshaw, Ramona, San Diego Country Estates, Wynola, Live Oak Springs, Boulevard, and Julian/Kentwood in the Pines.

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SDG&E dispatched a large, one megawatt generated to the Julian community to help serve the businesses in the downtown area, said Brian D’Agostino, Director of Fire Science and Climate Adaptation with SDG&E.

Several San Diego County school districts are keeping students at home Tuesday in response to the utility's power shutoff. 

D’Agostino said the agency is using 177 weather stations to closely monitor the winds, which he described as "hurricane-force." 

NBC 7 Meteorologist Dagmar Midcap said the county was experiencing something called a Mountain Wave, which involves wind interacting with a layer of warm air above a cooler surface layer, making the wind stronger and more erratic. 

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Midcap said those erratic winds should be expected into at least Tuesday afternoon. 

Residents in fire-scarred Alpine, where a devastating vegetation fire tore through the foothill community of Alpine on July 5, were prepping for the fire weather conditions on Monday. 

"Anytime there’s winds now we are definitely more on alert than we were before the fire we had," said Aaron Silver, whose home survived the West Fire. 

The red flag warning is in effect until 5 p.m. Wednesday but Parveen said Santa Ana conditions would continue through the work week. 

"Those very high winds, gusts over 70, that’s what’s really expiring. We’re still going to windy conditions so don’t think the winds are going to die down tremendously when this expires." 

Warnings are also in effect in the Los Angeles-area where gusty winds could spread the massive 93,000-acre Woolsey Fire that forced about 75,000 people to evacuate.

Read details about the red flag warning here.

A fire inside the offices of a community organizing group damaged equipment and furniture, staff told NBC 7.

“What happened here was not an attack on ACCE, it was an attack on the social justice movement,” said Christina Livingston, Executive Director, ACCE Institute.

Livingston spoke Monday regarding a fire that broke out inside the organization's San Diego office on Friday, Nov. 9 after 11:40 p.m. 

Livingston said someone kicked in the office door and used a fire accelerant near banners promoting Prop 10 and Measure W signs hanging inside the office. 

The group said computers melted in the fire and other equipment and furniture was burned. 

No one was injured in the fire.

NBC 7 reached out to the Chula Vista Fire Department for more information. Officials said the cause of the fire had not been determined as of Monday evening. 

Paola Martinez-Montes, Director of Alliance San Diego said the organization believes the office was targeted because of the group's work on the ballot measure regarding rent control.

“We’re devastated in some ways by the hate against our movement and against the work that we’ve been fighting for. But if this was an act of intimidation, we will not be stopped,” said Paola Martinez-Montes, Director of Alliance San Diego.

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action is a multi-racial, democratic, non-profit community organization.

San Diego Fire-Rescue crews were called to 901 Park Boulevard for a two-alarm fire at 8 a.m. 

Crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the roof of a commercial building, according to a social media post made by the department's communications team. 

No other information was available.

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

White House chief of staff John Kelly may soon depart the Trump administration amid an array of conflicts, seven people familiar with the discussions told NBC News.

Among those being considered to replace Kelly is Nick Ayers, chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence, three of the people said. Kelly is Trump's second chief of staff, joining the White House after serving as secretary of Homeland Security.

Kelly's tenure has been clouded in controversy and disagreements with Trump and aides. He recently clashed with national security adviser John Bolton and has gotten into disputes with first lady Melania Trump over staffing issues and travel requests.

The first lady raised concerns about Kelly denying her staff promotions with her husband during the height of the controversy over his alleged affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels, according to two White House officials.

The White House declined to comment for this story.

A 93-year-old woman who was stranded in her Magalia, California, home as a raging wildfire spread through the county was rescued by her longtime sanitation worker on the last stop of his shift.

NBC affiliate KCRA reports Margaret Newsum feared for her life after hearing news on TV Thursday morning about the Camp Fire threatening the town of Paradise, about 180 miles northeast of San Francisco. Magalia is a suburb of Paradise.

Residents in the area were ordered to evacuate on Thursday as the wildfire quickly turned into an inferno, setting off a desperate exodus in which many motorists got stuck in gridlocked traffic and abandoned their vehicles to flee on foot.

With no family in the area and her caregiver gone for the day, Newsum stepped out on her front porch hoping someone would drive by and see her. That’s when her garbageman Dane Ray Cummings arrived.

"I went out and was standing on the front porch when this great, big, green monster drove up, and my dear friend was emptying the garbage," Newsum recalled to the station. "He said, 'You’re not staying here. You've got to get out of here. Why are you still here?'"

The Waste Management driver told KCRA his supervisor had earlier advised him to cut his route short and go home because of the fast-moving fire. But Cummings said he wanted to check on Newsum’s neighborhood in Magalia where “dozens of older residents” live.

"I been on that route eight years, and I just picked the people that I knew were older, and I tried to stop and help them and let them know that they were coming and make sure they were getting out," he said. "She was my last stop. I probably went to 45 or 50 people to see if I could help them."

In the five-hour drive down the hill to safety, Cummings learned his "friend"had lived quite the life. Newsum survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and overcame cancer three times. She was also a one-time backup singer for the Rat Pack.

"Wonderful, wonderful men," Newsum said. "The singers did the picking out. So, the next thing I know, I was in an interviewing room, and here sits Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. All three of them were sitting there, and they said, 'We are so thrilled to have you working for us.'"

According to KCRA, the fire never reached Newsum’s home, but it did help establish a stronger bond between the soon-to-be 94-year-old and Cummings.

"Today" reports Newsum is staying with Cummings' childhood best friend, Brian Harrison, who is a mechanic at North Valley Waste Management — where Cummings also works.

"I have felt so welcome in this house," Newsum told "Today." "Things may not work in the way you want, but you have to have faith, and get good friends. They're such wonderful people."

A senior from Scripps Ranch High School – who, turns out, can solve the Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded – is holding his own in a “Jeopardy!” tournament against other brilliant young minds from across America.

Jack Izzo is among 15 teenagers competing in the 2018 “Jeopardy! Teen Tournament,” airing through Nov. 20 on NBC. There will only be one winner as the teens vie for a $100,000 prize.

On Monday, it was Izzo’s turn to compete on the TV trivia stage in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

As host Alex Trebek was getting to know Izzo, the teen shared that, for fun, he is able to solve the challenging Rubik’s Cube puzzle while blindfolded.

“Aw, come on!” Trebek quipped, as the audience laughed.

“It’s a different method,” said Izzo, smiling. “The blindfolded time involves solving the cube and memorizing the cube beforehand, so it obviously takes a lot longer because you have to figure out which pieces need to swap where, but it’s something that I really enjoy doing.”

“That’s amazing,” Trebek added.

Back home in Scripps Ranch, fans held a viewing party at Yanni’s Bar & Grill in support of the standout hometown student.

Izzo was up against Tim Cho, of Champaign, Illinois, and Rhea Sinha, of Chatham, New Jersey. The competition was fast and fierce, and Izzo fared well.

In the category of “Classic Literature,” Izzo won $2,000 answering this: “This 1958 Chinua Achebe novel depicts the struggles of the Igbo people in Nigeria before independence.”

“What is 'Things Fall Apart,'” said Izzo.

About half-way through the episode, Izzo took the lead with $9,600 in his bank by knowing that the rupee is “the main currency unit of India.”

He also won $1,600 in the “Theme Parks” category.

“'Harley Quinn Spinsanity' is the newest ride at this park 'over Texas,'” Trebek said.

“What is Six Flags,” Izzo answered correctly. 

After a half-hour of rapid-fire trivia, it was time for “Final Jeopardy!” in the category of "International Groups."

Izzo was in second place as he went into the final round with a bank of $16,800. Cho, holding onto first place, had earned $17,400, while Sinha had earned $11,800.

“The 'economic bloc' known as the G8 became the G7 in 2014 upon the expulsion of this country,” the trivia statement read.

The teenagers had 30 seconds to answer. Sinha was knocked out of the game with a wrong answer.

Izza answered correctly, “What is Russia.”

He wagered a conservative sum of $1,200, which left him with $18,000.

Cho also answered correctly but risked far more of his earnings, $16,201, plumping his bank up to $33,601 and securing his spot as a semi-finalist.

Still, with a solid second place, Izzo’s turn in the “Jeopardy!” spotlight isn’t over just yet.

For now, the high school senior is in the running to advance to the semi-finals as a wildcard contestant, one of four non-game winners with the highest money totals. Fans can keep an eye on the “Wildcard Watch” on the Jeopardy! website. 

Izzo appears to be enjoying the friendly competition and time spent with like-minded teenagers.

“All of the other contestants were really, really awesome and it was just really fun to sit and talk about literally anything,” Izzo said in a video previewing the show.

Four family members were arrested Wednesday in the execution-style killings of eight people, members of another family, on an Ohio pot farm in April 2016, NBC News reported.

The Pike County Sheriff's Office, which has been investigating the massacre, announced the arrests of George "Billy" Wagner III, Angela Wagner, George Wagner IV and Edward "Jake" Wagner.

The Rhodens were found dead from gunshot wounds in four separate homes on the farm. They ranged from 16 years old to 44; two infants and a toddler survived.

Authorities have yet to explain what they suspect was the motive for the killings. It wasn't immediately clear if the suspects had attorneys.

Strong, gusty Santa Ana winds swept San Diego County Tuesday, toppling trees in some communities, including parts of the North County.

In San Marcos, gusts knocked down a large tree in a residential area along West Lake Drive. The tree fell on top of an unoccupied parked car.

In Rancho Bernardo, just west of Interstate 15 on Rancho Bernardo Road, another tree toppled amid the unrelenting winds. Crews worked throughout the morning to remove the fallen tree and clean up the debris from the roadway.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), San Diego County is under a high wind warning until 5 p.m. Tuesday impacting the valleys, mountains and cities like Escondido, Poway, Julian and Pine Valley.

The NWS said areas could experience east to northeast winds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 55 mph and isolated gusts around 80 mph near the ridge tops of the mountains. The strongest winds were expected through the early afternoon, gradually weakening through the afternoon.

A red flag warning for high winds and low humidity is in effect through 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The weather – a perfect storm of fire-prone conditions – also led San Diego Gas & Electric to shut off power to some customers as a safety precaution.

As of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, SDG&E said approximately 31,000 customers were impacted by power outages, primarily in the East County and backcountry communities of Ramona, Dulzura, Potreto and Jamul. Other areas reporting outages included San Marcos, Escondido, Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Penasquitos and Rancho Bernardo.

Of that figure, SDG&E said high wind had caused power outages to about 7,300 customers. SDG&E said the power outages would likely remain in effect until the red flag warning is lifted.

In 4S Ranch, at the 4S Commons Town Center, power was shut off at major stores like a Ralph’s supermarket and a Bed Bath & Beyond, likely until Wednesday.

In Encinitas, the Rancho Coastal Humane Society said it also was without power until at least 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Joe Britton, communications manager for SDG&E, said the company has opened six Community Resource Centers to help customers impacted by the outages. The locations are: 

• The gymnasium at Mountain Empire High School (3305 Buckman Springs Rd., in Campo)
• Golden Acorn Casino & Travel Center (1800 Golden Acorn Way, also in Campo)
• Potrero Resource Center (24550 Hwy. 94, in Potrero)
• Camp Oliver Lodge (8761 Riverside Drive A, in Descanso)
• Whispering Winds Catholic Camp (17606 Harrison Park Rd., in Julian)
• Dulzura Community Center (1136 Community Building Rd., in Julian)

Britton said, for now, the centers will be open until 6 p.m. Tuesday and can serve as places where residents can go to get water and snacks, charge their phones, and get up-to-date information on power outages.

A convoy of nine trucks filled with hundreds of Central American migrants arrived on Tuesday in Tijuana, Mexico, at the same time Customs and Border Protection shut down port of entry lanes due to their expected arrival. 

The group of about 350 Central Americans who would be asking for asylum from the U.S. first reached the border south of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, where NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20, spoke with them.

People aboard one bus on the road to Tijuana, Mexico chanted "Mexico, Mexico, Mexico," "Viva Honduras," and "Let's see Donald Trump."

David, a 31- year-old paramedic from Honduras, said he left home 20 days ago to join the caravan and upon his arrival in Tijuana feels, "more motivated than ever."

Religious organizations in Tijuana would be taking in migrants and have been preparing for their arrival. 

Despite their fatigue, the latest group to arrive was relieved to reach their next stop and thankful to the country that welcomed them for several weeks of their journey. 

"Mexico is a country of good heart," one person shouted as their bus arrived in Tecate.

The trip from the outskirts of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico to the city of Tijuana took the group of 350 people two days. 

The migrant caravan, previously comprised of thousands of migrants slowly moving to the southern U.S. border, has splintered along its journey when smaller groups are able to find transportation.

Nearly 80 migrants arrived in Tijuana, Mexico on Sunday, the first of the caravan members to arrive.

Many say they are fleeing rampant poverty, gang violence and political instability primarily in the Central American countries of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

According to the Associated Press, the majority of the thousands-large caravan departed from Guadalajara Tuesday morning to catch transportation to their next destinations.

Other members of the caravan had arrived in Mexico City and more than 1,000 people had set up camp at a sports complex there on Tuesday. A third group was close behind, AP reported. 

Mexico has offered refuge, asylum or work visas, and its government said Monday that 2,697 temporary visas had been issued to individuals and families to cover them during the 45-day application process for more permanent status. Some 533 migrants had requested a voluntary return to their countries, the government reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.