The USNS Mercy will not be going to the Philippines after all.
The San Diego-based hospital ship was getting prepped to make a voyage to deliver aid to the country in the aftermath of the recent Typhoon Haiyan. But it was placed on Reduced Operating status on Monday, meaning it will not be deploying to the storm-ravaged country.
More than 1,000 pallets of materials were loaded on the ship over the past two weeks and it was ready for a month-long voyage.
It’s the dog version of county jail: a back wing at the San Diego County Animal Service Building, where more than a dozen dogs are serving a 10-day “time out” for biting.
The quarantine is typically part of a warning for first-time offenders. However, if they bite a human again in the next four years, they’ll be classified as a “dangerous dog” for life.
Orange County supervisors have been considering a website to alert community members about “dangerous dogs”. It would be like Meganslaw.com, which tracks sex offenders, except it would list the addresses of dogs classified as dangerous.
The idea is something San Diego County animal officials have considered in the past, but they say it isn’t practical.
“The recidivism rate of people who have a declared dog that then go on to bite or attack is so minuscule compared to the number of actual dog bites we get in the county that it wouldn’t be the best use of those statistics,” said Lt. Kalani Hudson.
Hudson says almost all of the bites are from first time offenders, so the site wouldn’t do much good.
The department does track dog bites closely and provided NBC 7 with a list of zip codes within their jurisdiction where the most dog bites occurred between July 1, 2012 and June 30 of this year.
The 92113 zip code-- which encompasses areas like downtown, Barrio Logan and Logan Heights-- had the most dog bites in San Diego with 113 reported incidents.
A crowd of more than 100 people pelted Border Patrol agents with rocks and bottles as they tried to cross into the U.S. illegally, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The incident happened Sunday in the Tijuana River channel, near the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
According to CBP, a Border Patrol agent ordered the Mexican nationals to stop, but they continued walking into the U.S.
Officials said the agent fired a PepperBall Launcher, but it did not deter the crowd.
More agents responded as the crowd became “unruly,” even hitting one agent in the head with a full water bottle, officials said.
According to CBP, the agents used “intermediate use-of-force” devices, and the group retreated back to the Mexican side of the border.
No one was arrested.
Fierce winds expected to exceed 35 mph on Thanksgiving Day are threatening to ground the beloved cartoon balloons that float through Manhattan in the Macy's parade.
Parade organizers from Macy's say 16 giant balloons, some of which fly as high as five stories, might not be able to go if sustained winds reach 23 mph, with gusts of at least 34 mph.
Sustained winds on Thursday are forecast at 15 to 22 mph, with gusts between 35 and 40 mph.
The larger balloons this year include Hello Kitty, Spider-Man, Toothless the Dragon, Greg from "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," the Pillsbury Doughboy, SpongeBob Squarepants and Buzz Lightyear.
Organizers say 36 smaller balloons, including a pair of pumpkins, a candy cane and a football, would still likely be able to go up even if the larger ones were grounded.
A commission set the wind speed limits in 1998 after a serious accident amid high winds the year before. Two people were seriously hurt when a Cat in the Hat balloon slammed into a metal pole.
Depending on the conditions, some giant balloons, which are about three times as big as the smaller ones, could fly at lower heights. Each balloon has different limits, depending on its dimensions.
The larger balloons each have between 70 and 100 handlers, plus a "flight management team" of 12 people, Macy's says. They are each anchored by two vehicles and monitored by an NYPD sergeant.
Macy's says organizers and the NYPD will look at "real-time" conditions, not forecasts, and will decide Thursday morning which balloons can fly, and how high.
The 2.5-mile parade starts at 77th Street and Central Park West and ends in Herald Square.
President Obama is scheduled to officially pardon a turkey Wednesday, in keeping with a tradition started in 1963 by John F. Kennedy.
But for the second year in a row, the public was allowed to decide which bird would win the title of America's National Thanksgiving Turkey. This time around "Caramel" took on "Popcorn."
Voting ended Tuesday night, but each bird's profile is still on Whitehouse.gov/turkey. Their profiles include recordings of their gobbles, stats about weight and "favorite songs" to help voters choose which bird they think is the most pardon-worthy.
"Caramel is a steady and deliberate bird that enjoys soybean meal and rocking out to Lady Gaga," a statement on the White House blog said. "When Popcorn is feeling peckish, he can't stop snacking on his namesake, corn, and has been known to strut around to Beyonce's 'Halo.'"
Last year was the first time the American public was given a vote on which of two turkeys would get the honor of a presidential pardon. People were invited to cast their votes on the White House Facebook page and choose between two birds: Gobbler and Cobbler.
While Cobbler was named the official National Turkey, both birds were sent to live out their lives at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens.
This year, voters shared their votes on Facebook or used the hashtags #TeamCaramel or #TeamPopcorn on Instagram and Twitter to cast their votes.
While voters were encouraged to cast their votes, the White House website claims the tradition is "all gravy" and that both turkeys will live out their lives at Morven Park's Turkey Hill in Leesburg, Va.
Even so, only one bird can be given the honor of being the National Thanksgiving Turkey.
The pardon is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. ET.
Seven men were shot on an East Oakland street early Monday evening, causing the police chief of the city to decry the violence and ask for the public's help in finding the shooters.
"This is really kind of outrageous," Oakland police Chief Sean Whent told the Oakland Tribune after arriving at the scene. "Six o'clock at night isn't that late at night. (There were) a fair number of rounds fired out here, so (this is) really pretty brazen stuff on the street corner at that time of day."
Whent told the newspaper he was unsure at this point if all were the intended targets, or if some of the victims - all men between the ages of 23 and 31 - were innocent bystanders.
As of Tuesday morning, one of the men was still in critical condition and six were in stable condition at both Highland Hospital in Oakland and Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. They all were expected to live.
MORE: Aerial View of Shooting Scene in East Oakland
Still, the number of gunshots fired - and right about dinnertime - had many people on edge.
Police Officer Johnna Watson said the city's ShotSpotter system and multiple phone calls of shots fired near the corner of 96th Avenue and Olive Street sent police scrambling to the intersection just after 6:08 p.m.
Officers found multiple victims in the sidewalk area there, and more victims turned up at a hospital a short time later.
No motive has been established and no suspects have been arrested.
Watson said police believe that people in the area witnessed the shooting and are urging anyone with information to contact Oakland police by texting TIP OAKLANDPD to 888777 from your cell phone or call the toll-free tip hotline at 855-TIPS-247 (855-847-7247).
Hundreds of leopard sharks swam alongside kayakers and paddleboard surfers off the California coast Tuesday.
NBC 7 news helicopter captured video of the interaction between humans and sharks.
The sharks, named after spots on their backs that resemble those of a leopard, are a common sight in La Jolla where the shallow waters are often calm and hold plenty of food.
Normally the sight of a shark in the water would be frightening to surfers or kayakers but not so with these creatures.
Leopard sharks pose no danger to humans unless provoked and can grow up to 6 feet when fully matured.
Experts at the Birch Aquarium with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said it's not unusual to see leopard sharks off the coast in the fall and winter months. The only difference is there are fewer in number than in the summer.
The former head of the Republican Party in Montgomery County, who resigned from his post earlier this month amid sexual assault accusations, has been charged with rape and assault.
Robert J. Kerns faces 19 charges including counts of rape of an unconscious victim, sexual assault, indecent assault and simple assault, according to court documents filed on Tuesday.
Three of the charges are related to drugs -- possession of a controlled substance, possession with the intent to deliver and rape of a substantially impaired person.
The 66-year-old attorney allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old woman, who worked part-time at his law firm, following an after-work party on Oct. 25 at a restaurant in Blue Bell, Pa., according to court documents.
The woman was unable to drive home from the party, so Kerns offered to drop her off at the King of Prussia Mall, while he attended a political event, court documents state. He said he'd pick her back up afterwards and by then she should be sober enough to drive.
However, prosecutors say that plan was never carried out. According to court documents, Kerns bought a $68 bottle of Chardonnay before leaving the bar. The victim told officials she remembered drinking the wine in the car before passing out.
Kerns allegedly drove the woman to her home, brought her inside and then raped her, the criminal complaint says.
Prosecutors say he drugged the woman with the sleeping pill Ambien and then sexually assaulted her multiple times.
The woman also told investigators she had leg injuries from the attack and that she photographed the wounds. She quit her job the following Monday and reported the alleged assault several days later, officials said.
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said the woman went to the hospital the day after the attack and that "critical forensic evidence" was recovered. Kerns' DNA was also recovered on the woman's clothing, officials said.
"I don't think there's going to be any testimony in this case whatsoever that my client raped anybody or that he ever gave anybody any drugs," said Brian McMonicle, Kerns' attorney.
NBC10 was first to bring the allegations to light on Nov. 13 -- a day after the case went to a grand jury. That day, our crews witnessed several Montgomery County investigators visiting Kerns' Upper Gwynedd law office. Sources also said investigators visited the man's home.
Kerns formally resigned from his post as the head of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, one of the region's largest political organizations, on Nov. 14. He was involved in Montgomery County politics for more than 30 years, according to his former online profile on the party's website.
Kerns was arrested and arraigned on Tuesday. He is being held on $1 million bail, which he is expected to post. However, there are bail conditions.
He's ordered to stay away from the victim, not allowed to enter any establishment that serves alcohol, not consume alcohol and is subject to random alcohol screenings. Kerns will also be required to wear a GPS monitoring device.
Even though the police chief in Oceanside, Calif. recently retired, documents show he's still making $93/hr as a part-time employee on top of a generous pension.
Former Oceanside Police Chief Frank McCoy retired in October but he’s staying on with the city in a part-time role earning $92.90 an hour.
Oceanside's Human Resources Director told NBC 7 Monday that McCoy worked about 71 hours during his first pay period since retiring on Oct. 27, earning an additional $6,600 on top of his pension.
McCoy receives a $16,000/month pension, according to CalPERS.
Under California law, there is typically a 180-day waiting period for turn-around hires but there is an exception to that rule for public safety employees or if the agency can make a case to CALPERS that it would be devastating to lose the experience of the employee.
Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood told the San Diego Union-Tribune that McCoy is providing valuable leadership for the department until a new chief is named.
The City of Oceanside cannot begin recruiting for a new police chief until a new city manager is in place. That process will begin Monday, December 2.
A domestic violence situation in Lincoln Park led in a shooting between neighbors Tuesday night, according to police.
The shooting happened just after 7 p.m. in the 5000-block of La Paz Drive.
Police say the victim was a 30-year-old man. His injuries are described as non-life threatening.
The 47-year-old alleged shooter is in police custody. Police have not released the names of the shooter or the victim.
According to officials, it all started Monday during a domestic violence incident between a couple whose families live next door to each other.
Police say on Tuesday night, family of the female victim got into a fight with her boyfriend’s brothers. During the altercation, the woman’s uncle shot one of the men in the back, according to officials.
Police say others could be arrested in connection to the domestic violence incident and the brawl leading up to the shooting.
San Diego police continue to investigate.
Check back for updates.
The Roman Catholic Church has settled a case involving a priest accused of sexually abusing a young boy at a Chicago parish.
The archdiocese has agreed to pay the now 20-year-old man $2.3 million in the case involving former priest Daniel McCormack, which was scheduled to go to trial in the spring.
The church also agreed to release their records in the case, along with the records of 30 other cases involving Catholic priests.
"There is no closure for this community and the safety of the kids until all the secrets of the past are revealed," attorney Jeff Anderson said.
McCormack is currently behind bars and listed as a sexually violent predator after pleading guilty in 2007 to sexually abusing boys at St. Agatha Parish where he was the pastor.
A year later the archdiocese reached a $12.6 million settlement with 16 survivors of clergy sexual abuse, two of whom claim to have been molested by McCormack.
In 2011, the archdiocese agreed to pay $3.2 million to another man, who was abused by McCormack between the ages of 10 and 12.
More victims could still come forward.
"He, and all the other men and woman who have broken the silence and have the courage to take on the Archdiocese, expose their offenders and do something to protect other kids in the community," attorney Jeff Freeman said.
When the records in the cases against McCormack and the others are released, attorneys say it's possible that criminal cases could be brought against those who knowingly hid abusive priests within the Catholic Church.
"We are going to do everything in our power to honor these survivors in these settlements, that the Archdiocese has pledged when we made these settlements. If not, we will sue them again," Freeman said.
The Chicago Archdiocese released a statement Tuesday confirming that is has reached multiple victims of sexual abuse over the past two years. Officials say most of the cases discussed Tuesday are several decades old, and that no priest with even one credible allegation of abuse is in active ministry.
Church officials say they are cooperating with the attorneys on preparing the records for not only the 30 agreed-upon cases, but also another 30 cases as well.
The records are expected to be released in January.
Cape May Police Officer Scott Krissinger admits that he had “a million things going” through his head Monday night when he pulled up next to a burning truck on Sunset Boulevard in West Cape May. But fortunately for the man trapped inside the vehicle, Krissinger didn’t dwell on those thoughts and acted immediately.
“I just remember the smoke coming out,” Krissinger said. “I couldn’t see anything.’
Krissinger sprinted towards the vehicle, pulled the unconscious driver out to safety and then ran back to check if there were any other passengers inside.
“When I went to the passenger seat, again, I couldn’t see anything,” Krissinger said.
The incredible rescue was captured on the dashboard cam of Krissinger’s patrol vehicle.
“He didn’t hesitate,” said Cape May Police Captain Rob Sheehan. “He’s a hero in every sense of the word and we’re very happy to have him as a member of our department.”
Krissinger, a seven-year veteran, insists however that he was merely doing his job.
“I think any of the officers at the Cape May Police Department would’ve done the same thing,” Krissinger said. “I truly do. It just happened to me.”
The driver, identified as 61-year-old Gerald Ferrill of Mays Landing, was taken to the hospital where he is in critical, but stable condition. Witnesses told police that he was driving his truck with a flat tire and strange sounds were coming from the engine area prior to the fire.
“I would have to think the driver didn’t have much longer to stay in that situation without facing serious bodily injury,” Captain Sheehan said. “We’re very proud of him, obviously. He’s a credit to law enforcement as a whole.”
Despite being hailed a hero, Krissinger remains humble.
“I think there are heroes every day,” he said. “I just happened to be caught on camera doing it.”
A man is facing fraud charges after police say he staged a fall on a banana peel he placed on the ground of a D.C. Metro station.
Investigators say Maurice Owens filed a $15,000 lawsuit against WMATA, claiming he injured his left leg and hip after slipping on a banana peel left inside an elevator at the Potomac Avenue Metro station back in August.
But a surveillance camera mounted inside the elevator told a different story.
The video show Owens as he enters the empty elevator at 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 8, investigators said. The man in the video pivots and looks directly into the camera as he drops what "was later identified as a banana peel" by the door of the elevator. The man looks into the camera two more times before slipping on the peel on his way out.
He reported his injury and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
During an interview held after the incident, Owens reportedly asked why a station custodian had not cleaned up the banana peel and requested $15,000 to settle his claim.
Owens was arrested and charged earlier this month with second degree fraud, a felony. His lawsuit was also dismissed.
Owens is scheduled to appear in court next week.
Reigning Olympic downhill champion Lindsey Vonn said Wednesday she is “feeling good” about her rehabilitation progress since suffering a knee injury during a training mishap last week.
She still hopes to compete in the Sochi Winter Games less than three months away and left the door open to a return to the slopes next week.
"The fall caused my knee to give out,'' Vonn told Matt Lauer on Wednesday's “Today” show. "If I hadn't had my brace on, I definitely would not have had anything left in my knee. It was one of those fluke-y things that sometimes happens. Unfortunately, it was really bad timing for me, but I'm still confident. I still feel like I have a lot left to achieve this season. I just have to kind of take it day by day right now, but I still have time before Sochi."
Vonn fell during a training run at Copper Mountain in Colorado, partially tearing one of her reconstructed ligaments in her surgically-repaired right knee. She also bruised her right shoulder blade and sustained minor abrasions on her face.
"I was training downhill, (and) it was kind of a tricky course,'' said Vonn, who was supposed to make her return this week from a serious right knee injury she suffered in a crash last February. "There was a compression turn. It was breaking up because there was a lot of guys training on the course with me, and my ski just kind of tracked out. I caught my edge and flipped over my skis and went headfirst into the fence."
In the earlier accident at the Alpine skiing world championships in Schlamding, Austria, on Feb. 5, Vonn tore her anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in her right knee and fractured her tibia.
The latest crash kept Vonn from competing at this week’s World Cup races in Beaver Creek, Colo. But there’s a chance she’ll be at the starting gate at the World Cup event at Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada, on Dec. 6, she said.
Even though her knee feels stable during rehab "squat" exercises, the real test will come when she starts getting on snow, Vonn told Lauer.
"It's one thing to feel stable while you're doing squats, it's another thing to feel stable while you're actually racing at 90 miles an hour,” Vonn explained. “There definitely is a long ways to go there, but I'm confident that it's going to be okay. At this point, that's all I can do — is stay positive. I'm kind of out of options at this point. I'm hoping that it's going to be stable and I'm hoping that I continue racing."
Vonn, the most accomplished female skier in U.S. history, is three wins shy of tying the women's record of 62 World Cup race victories set by Austria's Annemarie Moser-Proell.
"I'm working as hard as I can, so I'm just fingers crossed that I can be racing next week because I've worked so hard all summer to get back to this point," Vonn told Lauer. "I just want to get back in the starting gate."
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge approved the recent settlement with the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday, clearing the way for American Airlines to merge with US Airways.
Attorneys for the two airlines told the court Monday that the settlement does not change the approved reorganization plan. Judge Sean Lane was fully expected to agree.
Lane ruled against a group that filed a separate lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order to stall the merger.
Favorable rulings allow AA to emerge from bankruptcy and close the deal with US Airways early next month and form American Airlines Group.
Now the real work begins, as the two airlines begin the process of becoming the world’s largest airline.
"That’s where the real challenge is at, is putting these two airlines together and rebuilding it into an airline that can compete with United and Delta," Tom Hoban with the Allied Pilots Association said Tuesday.
The judge's ruling Wednesday morning comes two days shy of the two-year anniversary of when AA filed for bankruptcy.
The children of Mexico's most notorious outlaws seem to be posting photos on social media of their lavish and illegal lifestyles.
Some of the pictures include bundles of cartel cash, luxury cars, pet cheetahs and tigers and even a human body.
One of the Twitter pages appears to be of 23-year-old Serafin Zambada-Ortiz, who was arrested on November 20 at the Nogales, Ariz. Port of Entry while attempting to enter the United States.
Zambada is the son of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael Zambada-Garcia, aka Mayo. The Sinaloa Cartel is known as one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.
On the Twitter page, there are pictures of bags of marijuana and piles of gifts on luxury cars. One picture of gold and silver-plated assault rifles has a caption that reads, "Partying as always...taking care of us."
Alfredo Guzmán appears to be one of Zambada's Twitter followers. Guzmán is one of the sons of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, aka "El Chapo." El Chapo is the head of the Sinaloa Cartel and is considered by Forbes magazine to be the “biggest drug lord of all time.”
To more than 19,000 followers, it seems Guzmán posted a threat. It is a picture of a body with the message, "They sent me the picture of the guy trying to pass as my friend."
Criminal Defense Attorney Knut Johnson said although over-the-top, these kinds of actions cut across all sorts of cases and conduct.
"You see people getting in fights, beating someone up, and they post the video online. That's no different really," Johnson explained.
Johnson said, for prosecutors, pictures like the ones posted aren't necessarily smoking guns.
"They have to do a fair amount of work to show that it's not another person using the same name or imitating them or a parody page," he said.
If these Twitter pages are legitimate, it appears the children of some of the world's most wanted and most secretive are being, at best, indiscreet.
