Social media users are abuzz following a gaffe in which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro reworked a biblical miracle to include the multiplication of penises.

During a speech on education Wednesday, the South American leader misspoke while referencing the passage where Jesus multiplies loaves of bread and fish, using the Spanish word for "penises" (penes) instead of the Spanish word for "fish" (peces).

The slip-up was made as Maduro outlined plans to expand education, saying in Spanish that his government would "go in school by school, child by child, high school by high school, community by community — to embed ourselves in there. To multiply ourselves like Christ multiplied the penises — sorry, the fish — and the bread."

Twitter users spread the word using hashtags such as #EpicFail and posting memes quoting the botched phrase (see below).

The speech was made Wednesday morning from Miranda state, and it marks the second time Maduro has made a mistake during a speech, according to the Latin Times. On Aug. 10, Maduro incorrectly pronounced the Spanish word for "millions," making it a feminine noun instead of a masculine noun, the online publication reported. In Spanish, all nouns are assigned a gender.

Maduro was elected president of Venezuela on April 14 following the death of President Hugo Chavez. As vice president and Chavez's hand-picked successor, Maduro had been appointed acting president following the announcement of Chavez's death on March 5.

Below are some of the reactions on Twitter:

Panes + Peces = PENES #EpicFail @NicolasMaduro

— LayNg (@LayNg) August 28, 2013

#Frases @NicolasMaduro pic.twitter.com/eBFfdOKJD9

— Emmanuel Alejandro (@eavprrra) August 28, 2013

Hahaha so I just read about Nicolas Maduro's speech and Christ did what?!?!? He multiplied "penises"?!?!? God bless!

— Sofy Cortez (@WileeBaggins) August 30, 2013

See video of Maduro's gaffe below:

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Jannia Robinson doesn't have a problem giving her six-year-old daughter a cell phone.

"I think my daughter is mature enough for it," said Robinson.

The mother of three is not alone, more and more parents are putting wireless phones into the hands of  their elementary-age children.

"We're seeing in some of my stores parents with kids seven and eight-years-old coming in and looking for handsets," said Saul Rodriguez with Cricket Wireless.  He said both the child and the parent agree to the deal.

"Parents want to be in touch with their kids," said Rodriguez.

That is one reason Julio Arevalo wants his child to get a phone.

"I say within the range of eight or nine-year-old, once he becomes a little more responsible," said Arevalo. But Kari Inniss wants her child to be older.

"About 12, just because they start doing more stuff outside the home," said Inniss.

Cricket Wireless encourages parents to talk to their children before giving them a phone. Cricket and other phone carriers offer "contracts" that can be created between parents and their children that sets standards and guidelines over their phone use.  It is also a time to talk.

"Get some commitments," said Saul Rodriguez, "this is a privilege to have a phone."

But Mark Belanger doesn't see giving his children a phone any time soon.

"I think they can have a cell phone when they can have a job and afford their own."

The biggest name in San Diego's mayoral race so far is now off to a blazing start, racking up endorsements from influential city labor unions.

Could Nathan Fletcher wind up ensuring himself at least a runoff-election spot?

As a newly-minted Democrat, the former Republican assemblyman is starting to sell his credentials to organized labor.

On Thursday, Fletcher was endorsed by the 850-member Firefighters Local 14, and 4,000-member Municipal Employees Assn., giving him an aura of potential front-runner status.

Comprising white-collar and clerical workers, MEA is city government's largest union.

Will more unions jump on his bandwagon?

And to what extent will that impress voters?

"I think the voters are concerned about having a mayor that's going to restore faith and confidence in the office of mayor,” Fletcher told a news media scrum of reporters and cameras outside Fire Station 11 in Golden Hill. “I think the city workers need to know they'll have a mayor who will not embarrass them, will honor their service. And then I think San Diegans are ready to move forward."

Fletcher, the top corporate development executive at Qualcomm, is courting Democratic leaders with the premise that he can win with them.

He’s told them, in practical terms, that he can raise $2 million dollars in two months' time -- and that he can appeal to both labor and business interests, as well as the electorate.

"You know, I think people don't want to spend the next ninety days talking about the past ninety days,” Fletcher said at his Station 11 event. “I think they want to starting talking about where we want to go the in the future. And that's the type of campaign we're going to run."

But there’s unease among the Democrats – especially old-school progressives and other labor groups -- over Fletcher's having joined the party recently, after a spell of political independence since leaving the GOP last year.

Shedding his Republican skin during the mayoral primary, in which he was endorsed by the Police Officers Assn., didn’t get him into the runoff.

GOP leaders scoff at Fletcher’s conversion, warning voters that he's just following Bob Filner's political playbook.

"Look, these people (labor) are the groups that opposed pension reform, oppose managed competition,” says Ron Nehring, former chairman of the California Republican Party. “They oppose everything Jerry Sanders and the reform-minded City Council wanted in order to protect taxpayers and reduce costs. These are the groups that are lining up behind Nathan Fletcher today."

And Nehring, in a Thursday interview with NBC 7, warned Democrats that Fletcher will tell them whatever he thinks they want to hear.

"Nathan Fletcher seem to evolve minute by minute,” Nehring said. "The problem is that people like that are very difficult to rely on. And it becomes very difficult to work with them going forward.”

Fletcher, asked about that issue during his news conference, addressed it this way: “"You know, in politics it's easy to stay in a position that you think is wrong because it's convenient, or because you don't want to be criticized. I think we need a mayor that's going to be honest. That's always going to look at new information, that's going to listen to people they may not have listened to before. And then be willing to admit when circumstances changed."

For their part, the fire fighters have reconciled Fletcher's change of 'heart and mind' -- politically speaking.

"He's moved on, like so many of us have,” said Local 145’s president, Frank De Clercq. “I don't think the Republican Party represented his values and what he believes. And we see many people doing that."

If Democratic leadership harbors serious doubts about Fletcher’s ideological sincerity, it figures to need "viable" alternatives.

Four other 'name' Democrats -- former Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, Council President Todd Gloria, and Councilmembers David Alvarez and Marti Emerald – are said to be thinking of running.

How long can they put off joining the race – which has now attracted a field of 14 candidates, none of them a real household name?

Will Fletcher’s fast start scare them off?

Whatever their calculations, Team Fletcher seems to be sending his potential rivals an intimidating 'market signal'.
 

A Philadelphia Police officer from the city's mounted unit was rear-ended at a red light at Rising Sun Avenue and North 9th Street in North Philadelphia.

"He was actually stopped at the red light when he was rear ended, him and his horse, by a 1996 BMW," said Chief Inspector Scott Small.

The impact caused the officer to fall off the horse and land on the street.

"He appeared to be a little groggy, a little disoriented," said Small, who said the officer also suffered minor injuries to his legs and arms.

The officer, a 17-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police department, was wearing a helmet. He was taken to Temple University Hospital be to checked out.

The horse also suffered injuries his legs, but was standing as police drove him away from the scene of the crash.

The driver of that BMW, a 60-year-old man, stayed on the scene. Police say he did not appear to be impaired and he's currently being questioned by officers.

Witnesses who saw the unusual accident are also talking with police. "It's just unusual where a police officer in uniform on a horse, doing his job, gets rear-ended and struck by a vehicle," said Small.

The horse was taken to Northeast Police Stables, where a veterinarian will be called in to check out the horse and provide any necessary treatment.

Philadelphia's mounted police unit was disbanded in 2004 for budget reasons after 32 years.

The program was revived in 2011 after the police department launched a campaign to raise $2 million dollars.

"They patrol on the streets, they patrol on the sidewalks, they patrol off road and they are assigned pretty much everywhere in the city, especially in the high crime areas," said Small.

Contact Lauren DiSanto at 610.668.5705, lauren.disanto@nbcuni.com or follow @LaurenNBC10 on Twitter.

Police are investigating whether alcohol may have played a factor in the death of an 18-year-old Villanova University student.

Kinara Patel, a sophomore business student from North Jersey, was discovered around 10 a.m. Thursday morning inside Sullivan Hall on the university's main campus in Radnor Township, Pa., according to officials.

"You're done with a class. You see people everyday. Then all of a sudden something like this happens," said Tim Leyden, a friend and classmate of Patel.

Radnor Township Police Lt. Andy Block says investigators believe Patel died overnight after spending a night out with friends in Bryn Mawr, Pa. Her body was discovered by a friend.

Police are investigating whether alcohol played a role in Patel's death. When asked if police believed she was drinking in a bar Wednesday night, Lt. Block said that was one possibility police were looking into.

There were no signs of foul play, indications of suicide or any underlying health problems that could have contributed to the teen's death, police said.

An autopsy will be performed by the Delaware County Medical Examiner on Friday morning.

In an email message to the Villanova University community, Vice President for Student Life Fr. John Stack called Patel's death "tragic."

"All of us here at Villanova are saddened to learn of this tragedy and extend our deepest sympathy and prayers to family and friends of this student," Fr. Stack said in the short message.

Nearly 100 people gathered at St. Thomas of Villanova Church Thursday night to pray for Patel and her family.

Patel's death comes just three days after undergraduate classes for the Fall 2013 semester began.

Sullivan Hall is a residence building reserved for 400 sophomore students on the school's Quad section, according to the university's website. The dorm is co-ed and sexes are split by floors.

Founded in 1842, Villanova University is a Catholic university with an undergraduate and graduate enrollment of more than 10,000 students.

Its campus stretches into two townships -- Lower Merion and Radnor -- in both Montgomery and Delaware Counties, respectively.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

San Diego County has thousands of dollars in unclaimed money it’s trying to give away.

The county has at least $300,000 in refunds from deposits, overpaid property taxes or other fees.

After the county sent the refund check in the mail, that check was returned to sender. Now, they're looking for the rightful owners.

“We have tried diligently over the course of the last three years in the case of the permits and the county fees and four years in the case of the overpayment of property taxes, to make sure that we try to reach out and contact the people,” said County Treasurer and Tax Collector Dan McAllister.

The lowest refund check is $10.01 and the highest is $9,100, McAllister said.

“If they would just step forward and offer proof that they are who they say they are and they are the rightful owner of the money, we’ll be happy to cut them a check,” McAllister said.

If you believe you may be due for a refund, go to the web and check the list for your name or call the county at 877-829-4739.

The deadline to retrieve your refunds is Sept. 23. Any money left over will be turned over to the county’s general fund.

Big changes for the San Diego mayoral staff were announced by City Council President Todd Gloria as he prepares to take charge of the office until mid-November.

Gloria is promoting members of his own team to serve in the mayor’s office. Irene McCormack Jackson, who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against disgraced Mayor Bob Filner, will also work in Gloria’s office as the director of communications.

Some personnel who worked under Filner were informed by the city’s human resources department that they can continue working until job duties are determined. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith is overseeing this process alongside human resources.

It's unclear if Filner staffers Lee Burdick and Lena Lewis will stay on during the transition period.

Gloria’s office said more staffing decisions will be announced next week.

“The Office of the Mayor will be staffed by experienced, responsible, and responsive individuals who share my goal of moving the City forward in a transparent, collaborative way,” said Gloria in a prepared statement.

Filner is officially stripped of his title after Friday, Aug. 30. Gloria will serve as interim mayor until shortly after the special election on Nov. 19. 

A small group of people gathered on a downtown corner in San Diego to demand a higher wage for fast-food restaurant workers as part of a national day of protest.

Holding signs and chanting “poverty wage has got to go,” a handful of workers from the restaurant chains McDonald's, Wendy's, Subway, Chipotle and Taco Bell joined the effort to ask for better wages.

Among the demands: for workers to make $15 an hour and be given the right to unionize without interference from their employers.

Debra Flores, 20, earns $8 an hour as a cashier at Wendy's to supplement another part-time position she holds earning her $10 an hour.

She walked out on her 4-hour shift Thursday at the restaurant located inside the Spreckels Building.

Even though the wage is low, she said it’s not easy to get a better-paying job.

“It’s hard getting another job because people are not hiring or they don’t make that much,” Flores said.

Flores and her two-year-old daughter live with her mother who receives federal assistance. She said their rent is currently $400/month but that could triple once her mother no longer receives that federal assistance.

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, which works out to about $15,000 a year for full-time employees. California minimum wage is $8 an hour.

“There’s nothing they can do with $8 an hour to support themselves,” Flores said of fast-food workers.

San Diego City Councilmember David Alvarez joined the rally held on the same day as others in cities all across the country including in Los Angeles and Oakland.

“We really got to correct this wrong,” Alvarez told the crowd. “It’s time for us to do what’s right for all people to give them some justice for the work that they do. Standing up for 8 hours a day is not easy.”

Several restaurant chain addressed protestors saying their companies offer entry-level positions for people without much work experience.

McDonald's: “McDonald's aims to offer competitive pay and benefits to our employees. We provide training and professional development for all of those who wish to take advantage of those opportunities. Our history is full of examples of individuals who worked their first job with McDonald's and went on to successful careers both within and outside of McDonald's."

Wendy's: “We are proud to provide a place where thousands of people, who come to us asking for a job, can enter the workforce at a starting wage, gain skills and advance with us or move on to something else."

Burger King: “Over 99% of all Burger King restaurants in the United States are independently owned and operated by third party franchisees. As a corporation, we respect the rights of all workers; however, Burger King Corp. does not make hiring, firing or other employment-related decisions for our franchisees.”

The restaurant industry has said sharply higher wages would lead to steeper prices for customers.

The White House, some members of Congress and economists are proposing an increase to the federal minimum wage but most proposals are for a more modest increase, with President Barack Obama suggesting $9 an hour.

Starbucks spokesman Zack Huston said the strikes have not affected the company's stores. He noted that Starbucks employees earn "competitive wages" and affordable health care that other retailers do not provide for part-time workers.

Subway and Yum Brands Inc., which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, did not respond to a request for comment.

First Lady and style icon Michelle Obama has come a long way from her preppy school girl look.

The White House tweeted on Thursday a photo of Michelle Obama as a fresh-faced 14-year-old in 1978. The black and white portrait shows her sporting a collared shirt under a sweater and what is perhaps her best fashion accessory: her beaming smile.

The tweet was accompanied by a link to a White House blog post about the First Lady's call to arms for young people to be the "next agents of change" as she hosted a viewing of a new documentary about civil rights leader Whitney Young.

"How are you going to be the agents of change for the next generation?" the First Lady asked. "We’re counting on you all to be ready to take the helm and be the next agents of change, because there is still a lot of work to do."

The post noted Obama's personal connection to Young: She graduated from the Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in 1981. Check out the blog post to see a GIF of the First Lady through her high school years.

Scroll down to see the tweet.

Back to school, circa 1978: http://t.co/HWj6vwrFma #TBT #ThrowbackThursday, pic.twitter.com/hyFWl3yhe3

— The White House (@whitehouse) August 29, 2013

For most NFL starters, the fourth and final preseason game is spent standing on the sidelines, spitting sunflower seeds and not breaking a sweat until halftime (that run to the locker room is a doozy).

Special Section: San Diego Chargers

But for the backups, it's one final plea to make a roster. Here are the takeaways from Thursday's Chargers-49ers game:

**It seems highly unlikely left tackle Max Starks will make this roster. Starks, a two-time Super Bowl Champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was expected to be the starter this season. He was lapped by former Philadelphia Eagle King Dunlap and found himself in a competition for the backup spot with second-year tackle Mike Harris. On Thursday, Starks allowed three sacks on backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and was benched by halftime.

**Although third-string quarterback Brad Sorensen fought through the second half, he had a tough night, connecting on just 7 of 18 passes for 44 yards. Sorenson also threw two interceptions. The Chargers haven't carried a third quarterback on their roster since 2010, but head coach Mike McCoy seems favorable of keeping Sorensen.

**Tight end Ladarius Green had a strong game, connecting with Whitehurst for five receptions and 49 yards.

**Safety Jahleel Addae, who's been making a strong case for himself this preseason, finished the game with four tackles, but also allowed a blocked punt -- his second of the preseason.

**Veteran wide receiver Robert Meachem (a sore spot amongst Chargers fans) was listed third on the depth chart going into this final preseason game. Meachem hasn't seen starting time this preseason, igniting rumors that he might be cut from the team despite $5 million in guaranteed money this season. He left the game with a concussion in the third quarter after catching five passes for 49 yards.

**Linebacker Manti Te'o finishes the preseason with zero tackles and nine snaps, all obtained in the first preseason game. He's been in a walking boot since August 8th with a foot sprain.

**The final score, not that it matters: 41-6, San Francisco. (Still hurts to read, huh?)

The Padres head to Dodger Stadium for their final series in L.A. this season. Eric Stults (8-11, 3.72 ERA) faces off against Dodgers rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-5, 3.08 ERA) Friday night.  Stults hasn't thrived on the road going 3-8 with an earned run average of 4.93.  The Padres will look to capitalize on the Dodgers struggles at home where they average only 3.4 runs per game.  Fun Eric Stults fact: he was drafted by the Dodgers in 2002 and made 35 appearances with L.A. from 2006-2009. 

San Diego hopes to have third baseman Chase Headley back in the lineup Friday night after leaving Tuesday's game early and sitting out Wednesday's finale in Arizona due to back stiffness.

First pitch on Friday is at 7:10.

Thursday night at Qualcomm Stadium, the San Diego Chargers lost to the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 in both teams' final preseason game. But, no matter how bad an exhibition game is, NFL head coaches are always looking for that silver lining.

Not this time.

Special Section: San Diego Chargers

"From watching the game, I don't think there were a whole lot of positives," said Chargers head coach Mike McCoy.

Another way of saying that is, the Chargers' performance was only slightly less depressing than the end of Old Yeller.

The only regular players who played were punter Mike Scifres (who had to make eight kicks, one of which was blocked when rookie Joseph Addae missed a block for the second time this preseason), kicker Nick Novak (who accounted for the only 6 points of the game with a pair of field goals), and long-snapper Mike Windt (because you can't have the other two without him).

Not a single offensive starter played against San Francisco. Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst played the first half and was sacked four times, almost all of them because backup left tackle Max Starks was almost invisible.

"It was probably one of the worst games in my entire career," said Starks, the veteran with two Super Bowl rings from his time in Pittsburgh who was supposed to battle for the starting left tackle job but is now is danger of being cut when rosters are reduced from 75 to 53 players on Saturday.

In the second half, rookie QB Brad Sorensen was able to stay upright. But, he was also intercepted twice. Sorensen made the tackle on his 2nd pick, giving him more tackles this preseason than linebacker Manti Te'o, the Chargers 2nd rounder who was supposed to be a starter at middle linebacker, but played on two series in the first exhibition game and has been on the sidelines since with a foot injury.

Te'o was wearing his walking boot again on Thursday night. It's unknown if he'll be able to play by the season-opener on September 9 against Houston.

Now, a lot of folks will take solace in the fact the Chargers did not play most of their best players. However, when backups are only one injury away from being starters, the performance the Bolts put on Thursday night shows us just how bare former general manager A.J. Smith left the cupboard.

San Francisco's 3rd-team players, guys who likely won't even make the team, often outperformed San Diego's 2nd-teamers. The Niners are deep everywhere. The Chargers are deep nowhere.

The Bolts held the ball four and a half minutes longer than the 49ers, yet managed to run five fewer plays and only gain 219 total yards.

It was a night where nothing went right (or even well). With a mere 10 days until their regular season opener, on Monday Night Football against the Texans, it would appear the key to the Chargers season is clear.

Nobody is allowed to get hurt, because while no team has Pro Bowlers sitting on the bench, the Bolts would seem to have a lot harder time filling holes than most playoff contenders.

A Brooklyn woman allegedly tried to pay for a hit man to kill her husband with a $60,000 stamp collection, police say.

Elena Adams, 57, was arrested Thursday and is charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal solicitation. Police say she gave a rare stamp collection and jewelry to an undercover NYPD investigator as payment in a plan to kill her husband.

The woman allegedly planned to have her husband killed after they had lunch Sunday at a restaurant in Sheepshead Bay. She wanted her husband to be hit by a car while the couple was crossing the street, police said. 

Adams was arrested Thursday as soon as she got out of the car where she allegedly planned the hit.

It wasn't immediately clear if Adams had an attorney.

A Michigan man has been found guilty of stalking a San Diego woman whose photograph was unknowingly used in a “catfish”-style online dating hoax.

According to the office of U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy, a San Diego federal jury has found Brian Curtis Hile, 29, of Fremont, Mich., guilty of interstate stalking.

FBI officials and investigators from the Computer and Technology Crime Hi-Tech Response Team (CATCH) say Hile traveled to San Diego from Michigan in August 2011 with the intent to kill a woman he only knew from online photographs.

Evidence at trial showed that Hile engaged in an online relationship for years with someone he believed to be a woman seen in photographs. Over time, Hile exchanged romantic communications and explicit photographs with his online love.

However, the woman on the other end of those romantic cyber exchanges wasn’t a woman at all.

Investigators say Hile’s online love was actually a man living in South Africa, pretending to be this woman. The relationship was nothing more than a “catfishing” hoax, much like the fabricated online romances often depicted on the hit MTV show, “Catfish.”

When Hile learned the true identity of his online love, investigators say he became enraged and initiated his own “investigation” to find the woman in the photos used in the hoax.

Officials say the woman, essentially, had nothing to do with the dating scam and didn't know anything about Hile. Years earlier her online Photo Bucket account had been compromised, resulting in her photographs being stolen and spread over the internet.

Evidence revealed that Hile conducted an extensive online search to identify the San Diego woman in the photos, sifting through chat rooms and online gaming blogs to track her down.

After a diligent search, investigators say Hile identified the woman and also obtained her personal information, as well as information on her boyfriend, family and friends.

He then set off for San Diego in search of the victim.

In August 2011, Hile was arrested in San Diego, within miles of the woman’s home. Investigators say that at the time of his arrest, Hile was in possession of the victim’s address, phone numbers, email addresses, telephone contacts and the names and addresses for schools she had previously attended. Hile even had the contact information for the victim’s favorite restaurant.

Hile had obtained these personal details on the victim by hacking into her email account.

Hile was also in possession of duct tape, zip-ties and a “To Do” list that included additional supplies he needed to get in order to carry out his plan to kill the unsuspecting woman and her boyfriend.
Those supplies on the list included a trench coat, knife and chloroform.

Ultimately, Hile’s plan was foiled by authorities. He arrested and charged with two counts of interstate stalking, and was found guilty this week.

His sentencing is now scheduled for Nov. 22.

A deadly head-on crash killed a 74-year-old driver in Ramona Thursday night, officials confirmed.

A teenager faces charges of vehicular manslaughter for his role in the fatal accident that occurred in the 21000-block of San Vicente Road around 7:45 p.m.

The victim, a 74-year-old driver of a red Ford Ranger was killed on impact officials said.

The 19-year-old suspect was handcuffed and put in a patrol car.

The Lakeside teenager was driving northbound on San Vincente Road when his pickup drifted across the center line.

Officials say the teenager was reaching for a box that had fallen on the floor of his truck moments before the crash.

The vehicles collided head on at a speed of around 55 miles per hour according to CHP officers.

Neighbor Matt Ford said he saw the impact as he was pulling out of his own driveway.

He saw a bunch of debris and dust flying up in the air and a vehicle that looked like it had rolled over several times.

Ford said the driver was pinned inside the truck until paramedics arrived.

CHP officer Brian Kattke says distracted driving intentional or not can have serious consequences and penalties.

"If we take our eyes off the road for a couple of seconds, we're endangering ourselves and the public around us," said Kattke.

Ford said the twisty road is the only route into the San Diego Estates housing area and he feels it should be widened.

Some residents agree and would like to see the road straightened to make it safer. Others would rather preserve the natural beauty and scenic drive. 

"I'd give a tree for a life," Ford said.

Friday marks embattled San Diego Mayor Bob Filner’s last official day in office and some of his accusers, as well as high-profile attorney Gloria Allred, plan to host a press conference as a farewell to Filner.

According to a press release from Allred, the news conference to “celebrate Mayor Filner’s last day” will be held at 10 a.m. at the Westin on West Broadway in downtown San Diego.

TIMELINE: Mayor Under Fire

Allred will be joined by some of Filner’s accusers, including 67-year-old great-grandmother Peggy Shannon, nurse Michelle Tyler and Marine vet Katherine Ragazzino. The women will offer their reactions to Filner’s last day as mayor of San Diego.

The release says Allred will also display some “parting gifts” from her to Filner for his “going away party.”

By 5 p.m. Friday, Filner will no longer be mayor. San Diego City Council president Todd Gloria will step in immediately as interim mayor. A special election to determine a new mayor is slated for Nov. 19.

Meanwhile, sources close to Filner tell NBC 7 he’s attending continued, intensive therapy on a weekly basis to help with his undisclosed behavioral issues.

One person was killed and three others were injured when two cars collided on Escondido’s E. Grand Avenue early Friday.

An SUV and a Z28 collided head-on along the main thoroughfare through the city of Escondido between Ash Street and Rose Street.

Officials said one person died and three people were transported to nearby Palomar Medical Center with minor injuries.

Escondido police said the street would be closed for an unknown period of time while they investigate the cause of the collision.
 

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for mutilating a puppy, cutting off his ears before abandoning him in a dumpster.

The spaniel-blend puppy – named “Pongo” – is now living at the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Sante Fe, awaiting adoption.

Caregivers at the Helen Woodward Animal Center say Pongo is recovering from malnourishment and mutilation. Back in May, he was left for dead with his ears cut off inside a dumpster in Chula Vista along with his three canine siblings.

The puppies – who were no more than five weeks old at the time of their abandonment – were left behind in a closed cardboard box.

Over the past three months, all four pups have been nursed back to health and placed into foster care. Pongo is the first of the siblings to pass medical approval and become officially eligible for adoption.

Meanwhile, the Helen Woodward Animal Center still hopes to track down the person responsible for the mistreatment of the dogs. The center is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information leading to an arrest in the case.

Anyone with information should contact Rita Truderung at (858) 756-4117, ext. 303, or via email at ritat@animalcenter.org.

Lizbeth Luna, a Helen Woodward Animal Center transfer partner who works with Animal Advocates of the United States, says she’s never seen a case quite like the one involving Pongo.

Luna believes Pongo and his siblings may have been the product of inexperienced breeders who didn’t exactly get the results they wanted. Luna says the breeders may have attempted an ear removal process called “cropping” in order to make the puppies cuter and more valuable.

Luna suspects that when the breeders realized the process was crudely executed, they simply decided to throw the puppies away.

Luckily, Pongo and his siblings survived and are now ready to begin new lives under the care of loving pet parents.

Those interested in adopting Pongo can contact the Adoptions Department at (858) 756-4117, ext. 1 or visit this website.

“There is a better world out there for this sweet puppy and we can’t wait for him to experience it,” said Helen Woodward Animal Center President and CEO Mike Arms.

Pongo’s siblings are expected to become available for adoption as well, in the coming weeks.