A former special education teacher accused of sex acts on a child will be headed to trial next year.

Loren McDonald, 37, appeared in San Diego County Court Wednesday morning for his preliminary hearing. A judge ordered that he be bound over for trial, now set to begin February 3, 2014.

McDonald, who once taught at Olympian High School in Chula Vista, faces 44 years and eight months to life in prison if convicted of the eight counts against him.

Charges include committing a sex crime with a child 10 and under and lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. McDonald is being held on $2 million bail.

On May 6, McDonald was arrested at his work place on multiple charges. The school immediately placed McDonald on leave.

Sweetwater Union High School District officials say McDonald's victim was not a student at Olympian High School.

Before his trial begins, McDonald will be in court once more for a readiness conference scheduled for January 10, 2014.

Carrying a sawed-off shotgun etched with haunting phrases about his emotional misery — including the belief that his mind was under the influence of electromagnetic waves — Washington Navy Yard gunman Aaron Alexis picked his victims at random in the hallways and stairwells of Building 197 before law enforcement officers shot him dead, authorities said Tuesday.

Alexis, 34, a government contractor from Ft. Worth, Texas, who'd started an assignment at the Navy Yard only a week earlier, didn't appear to be motivated by any kind of workplace dispute, the officials said in their fullest account of the Sept. 16 massacre. Rather, Alexis "held a delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by extremely low frequency, or ELF, electromagnetic waves," Valerie Parlave, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field division, said in a news conference outside her office.

The FBI also released chilling video that showed Alexis pulling into the Navy Yard parking garage in a rented blue Toyota Prius and moving through the cavernous Building 197, crouching around corners and through doorways with a shotgun wrapped with purple duct tape. Authorities have described their chase of him through the building as a “tactical nightmare.”

Scrawled onto the shotgun, purchased legally at a Northern Virginia gun shop two days earlier, were several phrases, including, "End to the torment," "My ELF weapon," and "Better off this way," Parlave said.

In documents recovered after the attack, Alexis indicated that the electromagnetic waves drove him to commit the hourlong morning assault, in which a dozen workers died and several more were injured.

"Ultra-low frequency attack is what I've been subject to for the last three months," Alexis wrote in a document obtained by authorities, Parlave said. "That is what has driven me to this."

Those clues represent a significant part of the picture that authorities are trying to assemble in an attempt to explain how and why Alexis committed one of the deadliest attacks on a U.S. military installation. Many clues came from belongings Alexis left behind in a Washington hotel and in a backpack recovered in a bathroom on the fourth floor of Buliding 197, according to court documents and authorities. Those items included a cell phone, laptop and thumb drives.

The clues indicated that Alexis had planned the attack for days, and expected to die in it, but told no one, Parlave said.

Alexis, a contractor for a private information technology firm called Experts IT, arrived in the Washington D.C. area on Aug. 25 for an assignment at the Navy Yard. He stayed in hotels and began work on Monday, Sept. 9, Parlave said.

That Friday, Alexis was the subject of an employee review in which a “routine performance-related issue” was discussed, Parlave said. But there is no indication that the results of that review motivated him to carry out the attack, or that he targeted people he worked for or with, she said.

Nevertheless, the day after the review, Alexis went to a Northern Virginia gun shop and bought a Remington 870 shotgun and ammunition, Parlave said. He also went to a home improvement store and bought a hacksaw.

The following Monday, at a few minutes before 8 a.m., Alexis drove a rented 2013 Toyota Prius into a Navy Yard parking garage. Using a security pass, he entered Building 197 at 8:08 a.m. Video footage released Tuesday showed him walking calmly through the entrance, a bag over his shoulder.

Moments later, he began his assault. The FBI video does not show Alexis shooting anyone. But it captures him at various moments in between — moving down a long, white-paneled hallway, looking into rooms, bounding down steps and through a doorway.

At one point — authorities did not say when, or how — Alexis obtained a Beretta pistol, possibly from one of his victims; many workers at the Navy Yard are permitted to carry handguns.

When he was finally killed on the building’s third floor, the pistol beside him, 12 of his victims were dead and four were injured, including a Washington D.C. police officer who was hit in the legs during a volley between Alexis and law enforcement agents. A Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent carried the wounded officer to safety.

Alexis' shotgun and identification badge were later recovered on the first floor, according to court documents.

In the chaos, there were initial suspicions that there was more than one gunman. That turned out to not be the case. Parlave confirmed that fact on Tuesday, saying Alexis acted alone and warned no one he knew.

“There are indicators…that he was prepared to die during the attack and accepted death as the inevitable consequence of his actions,” Parlave added.

She would not comment on Alexis’ mental health, beyond his references to the electromagnetic waves.

Extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves are used for naval communications, but are also a popular subject for conspiracy theorists who suspect the government uses them for mind control and to manipulate “unsuspecting citizens,” Parlave said.

Ronald C. Machen, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, called Alexis “a mentally unstable individual” who was nevertheless able to buy a gun.

Neither Machen nor Parlave commented on whether there were any breakdowns in the way various government agencies handled troubling episodes involving Alexis in the weeks and years before the Navy Yard attack.

Alexis, a Navy reservist, had once been arrested in Seattle for shooting out a neighbor’s tires, and was questioned for shooting through the ceiling of his apartment in Fort Worth. While in Rhode Island last summer, he created a stir at a hotel when he claimed to be hearing voices.

Police have identified a man killed in a shooting in San Diego’s Bay Park area.

According to officials, Robert Howard Colegrove, 45, died Tuesday after being shot in the backyard of a home in the 2200-block of Denver Street.

Investigators believe acquaintance Jeret Needham, 42, shot Colegrove. Needham was arrested Tuesday evening in Clairemont in connection with the homicide.

Police were called to the deadly shooting in Bay Park around 2:30 p.m. When officers arrived at the home on Denver Street, they discovered Colegrove lying in the backyard, suffering from at least one gunshot wound to his upper torso.

Despite life-saving efforts, paramedics confirmed Colegrove’s death at the scene.

Needham fled the scene immediately after the shooting and made his way to a home in the 4600-block of Firestone Street in Clairemont. Dozens of officers surrounded the home, and about three hours later, Needham surrendered to police.

He was arrested and booked into jail in connection with the murder and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Police have not yet released information regarding the motive behind the shooting.

On Wednesday, NBC 7 San Diego spoke to both the suspect’s and victim’s friends and neighbors.

Paul Schmidt told NBC 7 he’s known Needham for 10 to 15 years and said the suspect is married and has children. Schmidt called Needham a “nice, good guy” and said Needham is passionate about teaching children.

NBC 7 has learned from multiple sources, including a student, that Needham coaches wrestling at Madison High School. Police have not confirmed that detail, but the school’s website does list Needham as its wrestling coach.

Charleen Coleman told NBC 7 she also knows Needham. She said she was shocked to learn that he’s a suspect in the deadly shooting.

NBC 7 also spoke with one of Colegrove’s co-workers, who asked to only be identified by her first name, Marianne. The woman said she worked with Colegrove at a local entertainment company that builds stages.

Marianne said a vigil would be held for Colegrove outside his home on Denver Street later this week.

She said Colegrove’s girlfriend was home at the time of the shooting and tried to help save him. Marianne said Needham allegedly hopped the backyard fence and shot Colegrove in the yard, though those details have yet to be confirmed by police.

Marianne said Colegrove was a good person with a lot of good ideas and a bright future.

“He was a go-getter. He was really hard-working and tried to do his job really well. He was a good guy. I think that he’s up there somewhere trying to put those ideas to work, still,” she added.

Marianne said she personally met Needham once. She called him a “bad guy,” but would not elaborate.

On Wednesday, another co-worker posted a note to the front door of Colegrove’s home that read, in part:

“I heard what happened and I'm already missing Rob. Please if you need any help with anything call me. I'm so sorry, Rob didn't deserve this.”

The note was addressed to Colegrove’s girlfriend. Flowers were also left on the front step.

Meanwhile, witnesses and neighbors in Bay Park told NBC 7 that they typically saw a lot of different people going in and out of the Denver Street home.

One neighbor said she could often hear yelling and screaming coming from the home and got the impression that drugs may have been kept inside. She also said police have visited the residence in the past.

A judge ruled Thursday that Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's move to halt state lawmakers' paychecks is unconstitutional and they must be paid right away.

Cook County Judge Neil Cohen said the state Constitution makes it clear that lawmakers' pay can't be changed while they serve their terms. Cohen ordered Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka to pay the lawmakers immediately.

“Today the circuit court vindicated the Illinois Constitution as Judge Cohen ruled to protect and preserve the separation of powers," Senate President John Cullerton said. "Now that the governor’s actions have been answered by a court, I trust that we can put aside all distractions and focus on the goal of pension reform."

Quinn used his line-item veto this summer to stop lawmakers' checks until they submit a solution to the state pension crisis. He warned of circumstances if they missed his deadline and described the pay halt as a wake-up call for those who have failed for two years to take action.

"This is an emergency," Quinn said at the time. "This is a crisis. This requires the full attention of those who were elected to the General Assembly."

A bipartisan committee has since been created to work through the pension issue, but it has not yet reached a recommendation.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and Cullerton filed a lawsuit against Quinn, alleging the veto power he used to suspend paychecks was unconstitutional. The lawsuit also named state Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, who issues the paychecks.

The lawsuit cites part of the constitution that Judge Cohen pointed to Thursday which says you can't change a lawmaker's salary mid-term.

"Just as the Illinois Constitution of 1970 protects the right of each judge to receive a salary and not have their salary reduced during their term of office, the Constitution also requires that each legislator receive a salary and prohibits "changes" in the salaries of legislators during their terms of office," Madigan and Cullerton said in a lawsuit, filed in Cook County Court.

Quinn has stood by his decision.

When Quinn first announced the suspension, we asked readers in a flash survey whether the governor was right to suspend lawmakers' pay. Eighty-eight percent said yes, while 11 percent said no.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The new and improved Big Tex was supposed to make his big debut on the State Fair of Texas' opening day, but Mother Nature had other ideas.

"Unfortunately, the wind has picked up speed and is negatively impacting the curtain that has been hoisted in place to shield him from public view," fair spokeswoman Sue Gooding wrote in a news release.

His reveal came as a surprise to those working at Fair Park.

"We were surprised," said D.J. Thomas, an electrician. "We were trying to figure out when they [were] going to unveil him. The helicopters kept swirling, and we were working over in automobile building."

"I'm elated," said Karla Ward, who will be working at a concession booth. "I'm fascinated, I'm excited, I can't explain it -- I can't believe we're seeing it."

Chopper 5 had already caught a sneak peek of Big Tex when it flew over Fair Park earlier Thursday. His cowboy hat, part of his face and his red, white and blue shirt could be seen.

Big Tex is bigger and better than ever. He weighs 19,000 pounds more, bringing him to 25,000 pounds. He's 3 feet taller and now stands 55 feet tall. Big Tex can also withstand 100 mph winds, making him ready for any Texas weather.

His new duds created by Dickies and a smart pair of boots from Lucchese instantly drew attention. The boots are decorated with artwork, including designs of the Texas and American flags, the State Capitol, bluebonnets, longhorns and other Lone Star State-inspired icons seen on the sides.

But not everyone was excited about his new look.

"He looks awful," Thomas said. "Three chins, evil brows, he looks confused, like, 'Huh?' That's what I think."

Now the big question remains: What will Big Tex sound like? State Fair fans will have to wait until Friday to find that out.

Bill Bragg, the longtime voice for Big Tex, was let go by the fair earlier this year. Bragg stopped by Big Tex Circle to see what the rebuilt version on Thursday.

"For me the worst part of [not being here] is missing you guys, all you guys out here on the midway," Bragg said to two women who approached him. "Because I love you with all my heart and soul and I'm gonna be missing you and thinking about you every day during the fair."

Bragg told NBC 5 he does not know who his replacement will be, but that he wishes them luck.  He said he'd be willing to give some pointers to whomever the fair has chosen.

A fire destroyed the old Big Tex near the end of the 2012 State Fair of Texas, while the fair was celebrating the iconic cowboy's 60th birthday.

Big Tex's 75-gallon hat, 50-pound belt buckle and slow drawl -- "Howdy, folks!" -- had been greeting fair visitors since 1952.

NBC DFW's Ray Villeda and Ben Russell contributed to this report.

Two Miami-Dade teens are being held on charges of aggravated battery after a video of a fight was posted on Facebook, officials said.

The video shows Alexander Baztan, 18, and Eduardo Rodriguez, 19, punching and kicking 21-year-old Adriano Boniche, according to Miami-Dade arrest reports. Police said the fight began after a verbal confrontation among the men.

• Miami's Facebook Photo Murder: New Details Emerge

Boniche sustained a shattered cheek bone, which required surgery, and a laceration to the right side of his head, which required multiple stitches, the reports said. He also had multiple bruises on his body, according to police.

Officials said the suspects admitted to beating the victim.

When Baztan appeared before Judge Rodney Smith in Miami-Dade bond court Thursday, his attorney asked if Baztan could be referred to a transitional program to help him get back into school instead of being given jail time.

Smith denied the request, saying, "I mean, you were bragging about this on Facebook? Are you serious?"

Baztan is being held on $7,500 bond and Rodriguez is being held without bond for violating probation.

More Local Stories:

• Man Convicted in Gold Chain Murder Gets 2 Life Sentences
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Ocean Beach leaders want to see an end to the California city's annual July 4th marshmallow fight.

A resolution was passed at a town council meeting Wednesday night.

Legally, the town council does not have the authority to cancel the fight, but they hope the resolution will encourage people to stop supporting the event.

On July 5, business owners and volunteers helped the city clean up an estimated 2,300 pounds of trash left on the beach after this year's fight.

Soon after, some neighbors and business owners say the event has gotten out of hand and needs to stop.

In previous years, most of the sticky mess generated by the annual event was limited to the beach.

But, as more people continue to participate, the Marshmallow Fight has spilled out onto the streets and sidewalks.

A San Diegan considered an amazing advocate for those living with lung cancer has died.

On Wednesday, the California chapter of the Lung Cancer Alliance shared the news about the death of founding member Mike Stevens.

Stevens was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer in June 2005. He was told his type of cancer had a 5-percent survival rate. An oncologist expected Stevens to live a few months. He went on to live more than eight years.

The La Jolla resident sold his business and traveled on safaris, fishing and hunting trips. He called cancer the worst thing that ever happened to him and the best thing that ever happened to him.

“I never would’ve taken the time off and never have spent the money if I hadn’t been diagnosed with cancer,” Stevens told NBC 7 in May 2013.

He also worked as a full-time advocate for lung-cancer research and funding.

Never a smoker, Stevens wanted to educate people that lung cancer is not always connected to the habit.

He believed the research dollars were not there because of the stigma attached to lung cancer.

"The No. 1 question everybody asks me is, ‘Did you smoke?’" Stevens once said. “Everybody thinks that because you have lung cancer, you're a smoker."

He lobbied in Sacramento and in Washington, D.C. for legislation. In fact, the Lung Cancer Alliance credits Steven’s “never take no for an answer attitude” with helping pass the Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act.

The legislation required the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop research plans for the most lethal cancers – those with a five-year survival rate of less than 50-percent – with lung and pancreatic cancers getting priority.

“A true mover and shaker who told it like it is. Great Man,” Andrew Santamaria posted on the group’s Facebook page.

Stevens co-founded the Breath of Hope walk that has raised more than $600,000 in its first five years.

NBC 7's Whitney Southwick often emceed the event as he did in 2011 when Stevens (pictured right) spoke to the crowd.

"He was the bravest man I've ever met," Southwick said of Stevens. "He's impacted so many San Diegans with his courage and zest for life."

Information on funeral services have not been made public.

Despite receiving threats from people he calls animal rights extremists, a San Diego-area pet store owner said he will stand his ground against cities trying to ban pet stores from selling dogs.

The City of San Diego recently banned pet stores that sell dogs from so-called puppy mills and now the City of Oceanside is considering following suit.

The ordinance, proposed by Councilmember Esther Sanchez, would exempt stores that sell animals from a humane society or rescue organization.

Dozens of speakers offered their opinions on the issue at the Oceanside City Council meeting Wednesday night.

David Salinas, the owner of Oceanside Puppy and San Diego Puppy, said his store is doing a good thing and sells dogs from federally and state-licensed breeders.

“We're just trying to protect our business and trying to protect the consumer's right to choose. We have nothing against adoption, but you should have the ability to choose,” Salinas said.

While Salinas said it would penalize his business, proponents of the ordinance offered images of abused dogs and spoke of inhumane kennel conditions.

Oceanside resident Rebekah Snyder said she’s been working with animal rescue organizations for more than 15 years and was involved in seeing the San Diego ordinance adopted in August.

“I really think once you’re educated and you’re informed, you are enlightened about it,” Snyder said.

“To have these animals shipped in from the Midwest where they’re under USDA conditions, living in those conditions and sold for $2,000 to $4,000 in our city while the shelter gives you a spayed or neutered animal, micro-chipped, vaccinated, everything for $35 to $75, it makes absolutely no sense to me,” she said.

At times the discussion grew heated and the mayor had to warn the audience several times to calm down and keep their opinions silent during public comment.

The Oceanside City Council will now have to decide on the language of the ordinance and then the voting process will go from there.

“I want it to be written in a way that sticks and that doesn’t attack reputable breeders it only attacks dogs specifically from puppy mills,” Snyder said.

Outside the meeting, Salinas told NBC 7 the efforts are animal rights extremism and admitted that he's received threats.

He also wanted to point out that San Diego Puppy has not been issued a citation or a violation by the City of San Diego.

“I’m going to fight for every legitimate pet store out there,” Salinas said. “For every federally and state-licensed breeder, I’m going to stand my ground.”

The discovery of enriched flour near a San Diego elementary school led to a hazmat call Thursday morning, according to officials with San Diego Fire-Rescue.

The incident began at around 9:15 a.m. when San Diego Fire-Rescue and its hazardous materials team were called to Sunset View Elementary at 4365 Hill Street in the Sunset Cliffs area of San Diego.

The call claimed that a white, powdery substance was spotted on trails leading up to the school.

NBC 7 has learned that there were reports a custodian got a sample of the substance and it began to burn him.

After about an hour-long investigation, authorities at the scene determined the substance was enriched flour and hazmat crews began removing it from the area, an SDFRD official said.

No medical personnel were called and there were no transports from the scene, according to officials.

Ed. Note: Officials initially gave the incorrect location as Sunset Hills Elementary in the Poway Unified School District. We regret the error.

A reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest of a man wanted in connection with an attempted sexual assault of a 23-year-old woman in Downtown San Diego.

The incident occurred Sunday as the victim walked home in the Gaslamp area, according to San Diego police.

As the woman walked, she reportedly saw a man following her for several blocks.

When she approached the 400 block of 13th street, police said the male suspect tackled the woman from behind, forcing her to the ground.

The victim screamed and fought with the suspect as he tried to pin her to the ground, according to police.

As she fought with the suspect, a nearby security guard heard the victim scream and approached the woman.

The guard pulled the suspect off the victim and then the man fought with the guard before fleeing the scene on foot, police said.

Surveillance cameras in the area captured the man who is described as being 20 to 25-years-old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a medium build, and brown hair.

A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously online, or call the San Diego police at (619) 744-9500.
 

More than a dozen San Diego police patrol cars responded to a combination elementary and middle school Thursday afternoon after a report of shots fired from a nearby vehicle.

Officers stood on the campus of Audubon K-8 School at 8111 San Vicente Street just before 2 p.m.

There were students in the school at the time of the incident.

The school is located in Lomita, north of State Route 54 and east of State Route 125.

San Diego police said a pickup truck driver fired two shots into the air in front of a home across the street from the school according to witnesses at the scene.

The suspect then drove off headed north on Bonsall Street, officials told NBC 7.

The school was on lockdown until San Diego police officers were able to clear the rooms.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

A North Texas police officer didn't expect to deliver a baby when he was called to a home on Wednesday morning -- and neither did the mother.

Dispatch had simply told Officer Gene Kimpton that there was a 911 caller inside the Carrollton home with an unknown emergency.

"I totally did not expect to be delivering a baby," he said with a laugh.

"I was expecting something like a burglary in progress or something like that at the house," he said. "When I first approached the house, I had my gun out."

But he quickly put his gun away after he entered the home in the 1700 block of Pleasant Run Drive and found a young child in the living room. He asked the boy where his mother was, and the child pointed to the bathroom.

Kimpton found a woman on the bathroom floor who was in the process of giving birth.

When she had called 911, she had simply told the operator, "Help me, please." With the help of a Spanish translator, she requested an ambulance. But she did not know what was wrong -- and she didn't know she was pregnant.

A next-door neighbor recalled asking the woman if she was pregnant months before, but she said she was dealing with other medical issues.

The woman told the 911 translator that she was having liver problems and that doctors had given her medication.

The baby was also a shock to the woman's husband, who arrived home shortly after his wife and newborn were taken by ambulance to Baylor Medical Center.

"I told him, 'Congratulations, you're a dad of a little boy,'" Kimpton said. "He was stunned. He had no idea this was coming."

Kimpton had never delivered a baby before. His police training had taught him to deal with cuts and wounds, but nothing like delivering a child. But instinct kicked in for the father of two, and he went to work.

"I realized what was happening, and I had to act. I had to help the baby out," he said. "Once we got the baby out, he was crying. We wrapped the baby in a towel, and I held it until the paramedics got there."

Kimpton even held the baby boy while the paramedics cut the umbilical cord.

While it was one of the more unexpected calls he's ever had, Kimpton said he is glad he could help.

"I wasn't expecting to deliver a baby that day, mom and dad apparently weren't expecting to be new parents that day, either -- it took everybody by surprise," he said. "[It was] pretty incredible, helping a new life into the world unexpectedly."

Despite the surprise birth, the baby is healthy, police say. He and his mother were resting comfortably at the hospital Thursday.

The family declined to comment, saying it would like to remain private.

Recordings of 911 calls from the blaze that devastated a Jersey Shore boardwalk portray frantic attempts by civilians to douse the flames when the fire was still small, before it spread and destroyed more than 50 businesses.

"Uh there's a fire on the boardwalk in Seaside ... underneath the boardwalk, you can't see the flames, but there's smoke," a caller says in one conversation with a dispatcher obtained by NBC 4 New York.

"We got the hose on there ... Oh my God, you guys gotta come quick! It's going from nothing to something," the caller says.

"Hurry guys, hurry hurry hurry."

The fire that started under an ice cream shop and candy store quickly consumed a huge swath of boardwalk and burned for more than eight hours. Authorities said it was caused by the electrical failure of aging equipment damaged by Sandy.

The wiring, officials said, was flooded and submerged in saltwater, and then was further irritated by sand and waves. Exposed wires somehow came into contact with each other, causing an electrical arc that is believed to have started the fire, which began in an inaccessible area under those boardwalk stores.

"We can see all the smoke rising out of the boardwalk and everybody's like trying to throw water on it," says another caller.

As callers told dispatchers that civilians were trying to put out the flames, they were told that firefighters were on their way and were warned to stay away.

San Diego's Fire-Rescue Department is especially on edge right now, as this week’s change of seasons brings the prospect of hot, windy, fire-prone Santa Ana conditions through the fall months.

That's because the city's reserve fleet of engines is at a dangerously low level.

It’s a situation just brought to light in the latest edition of San Diego CityBeat, and tied to unintended consequences stemming from the city's voter-approved "managed competition" process.

"We don't have enough mechanics to maintain these vehicles,” said Frank De Clercq, president of San Diego Firefighters Local 145, during a Thursday walking tour of Fire-Rescue’s fleet servicing facility in Kearny Mesa.

“Some of them -- in fact, newer ones that are here -- they've actually fallen out of warranty,” De Clercq noted, pointing out rows of parked rigs awaiting repairs and other automotive work. “In which case the city ends up having to pay the repair these."

Of the department’s 32 ready-reserve engines that backfill Fire-Rescue's 60 day-to-day front-liners, only seven were available for duty as of Thursday.

The rest haven't been worked on, due to short-staffing in the city's force of vehicle mechanics.

Five of 17 positions assigned to Fire-Rescue are vacant.

The same scenario is playing out among the city's other vehicle fleets, because employees vastly underbid private outfits in "managed competition" two years ago, with an approach now on track to reduce Fleet Maintenance Services staffing by 37 percent since then.

Overtime has been ordered in Fire-Rescue to bring down the backlog of 25 un-serviced reserve rigs, to prepare for potential catastrophes on the order of the county’s deadly 2003 and 2007 firestorms.

“If we have these fires,” De Clercq said, “fires in the East County have an effect on the county fire departments. They are basically a bare-bones volunteer group. They depend on us as well. If we don't have the vehicles, we can't even help them out, let alone ourselves."

As it turns out, the seven reserve engines now available are a cause for minor celebration, since the department has had to get by with fewer since the managed competition process began unfolding.

"When we see these levels get down to one-to-two rigs available, we start getting nervous about providing the resources we need to the citizens,” Asst. Fire-Rescue Chief Ken Barnes said in an interview Thursday, "It's happened in the last six to eight months. It's happened on a more frequent basis.”

For the folks at City Hall, there seems to be a lesson learned the hard way.

"My understanding from the fire chief, in terms of his comfort level, all 25 aren't necessarily needed to be ready today,” Interim Mayor Todd Gloria reassured news media outlets during a Thursday morning briefing. “There's a certain level, and we're working our way to that. And we're going to continue to be aggressive, because obviously public safety is our first priority."

Gloria said the situation calls for a careful re-evaluation of future "managed competitions" for other municipal functions and services.

"In terms of my orientation to managed competition, because it's a new process and one we're trying to explore and trying to perfect,” Gloria told the gathering of journalists, “ I still believe that what we should do are some of the smaller functions. So if we do end up making mistakes, those don't affect the direct service delivery to the public."

As a precaution, the city has set up an emergency contracting process, to bring in outside mechanics as needed.

The $4 million projected annual savings from managed competition figure to take a 'hit’ if private help is needed, on top of in-house overtime and other costs.
 

An unbelievable fall and rescue were caught on video Wednesday night when a 33-year-old man fell onto the tracks of Boston's "T" subway system, New England Cable News reported.

The man apparently hit his head and was knocked unconscious. The video shows him falling onto the tracks of the outbound Orange Line at Boston's North Station, with several people coming to his rescue and carrying him off the tracks.

"I thought it was a fight, but then again I seen the dude's shoes on the ground, I was over there and I had to run, I didn't care if I died at least I did something tried to save somebody's life instead of watching somebody die and get hit by a train," said 16-year-old Duncan Ketter, who ran across two sets of tracks from the inbound side to help the fallen man.

Two other good Samaritans also jumped onto the tracks to aid the man and lifted him back onto the platform. Duncan then ran across back to the other side, where his girlfriend was waiting and continued onto her house.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials said the fallen man and his rescuers were never in real danger since another quick-thinking rider notified a dispatcher of the fall and all trains were stopped in the area.

Officials said the man was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with a minor head injury.

MBTA officials said the man who fell told them that he had two drinks after celebrating passing the medical boards and was on his way home waiting for the train.

But he doesn't remember falling onto the subway tracks.