The Sochi Winter Games have officially begun.

The Opening Ceremony was held Friday, a lavish celebration of Russian history and an extravagant welcome to athletes from around the world. But to keep the competition schedule on track, several events have already begun. Organizers are also still working out kinks, both on playing surfaces and in the Olympic Village.

Here are some of the day’s key developments.

Bode tests Rosa Khutor

A day after turning in the fastest time on the first set of men’s downhill training runs, American Bode Miller went experimental on Friday, taking an unconventional approach on the Rosa Khutor course. Testing a new line of attack on his second training run, Miller lost speed and came in sixth. It’s not necessarily a sign that the defending gold medalist, skiing in his fifth Olympics, is losing his edge. He is probably just plotting his next move.

On the women’s side, the U.S. team looked good on Friday, with Julia Mancuso, Stacey Cook and Jacqueline Wiles all finishing in the top 12 on day two training.

The downhill racers have another day of training runs before competition begins Sunday.

A bit of drama on the Nordic tracks

A couple days before the start of biathlon competition, organizers discovered that the track at Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center was too short. So it was lengthened by 130 feet. The discovery surprised coaches and athletes, but it isn’t expected to create any problems once racing begins there on Sunday.

Just as one problem at the center was being corrected, another emerged. Stray dogs have apparently been encroaching on the cross-country track. A Russian website and a Swedish journalist both reported seeing a stay dog barking at skiers and walking along the track, according to the Associated Press. No athletes said they were worried — some have to deal with bigger beasts than dogs while training back home. But the report raises new questions about Olympic officials’ ability to control the population of stray dogs in Sochi.

The missing ring

No Opening Ceremony is perfect. Torch lightings alone are prone to malfunctions (see Vancouver, Sydney and Seoul). Sochi’s big glitch did not involve fire, but lights.

During the start of the ceremony at Fisht Stadium, five huge, glowing snowflakes began to morph into Olympic rings. But one snowflake didn’t make the transformation.

It was the only major hiccup of the ceremony, if you don’t count the American teams’ official uniforms, which included gaudy Ralph Lauren-designed sweaters that looked like the Olympic versions of a grandma-knitted Christmas gift.

Friday’s ceremony ended with Russian hockey legend Vladislav Tretiak and gymnast Irina Rodnina lighting the Olympic flame.

Yogurt becomes scarce

U.S. athletes who were expecting to be able to eat Greek yogurt will have to alter their plans, and some are not happy.

About 5,000 individual cups of American-made Chobani yogurt have been held at port in a customs dispute with Russia.

U.S. freestyle skier Aaron Blunk told the Associated Press that the absence of yogurt could throw off athletes’ routines. “And having the yogurt there, that helps you, gives you protein, gives you nutrition," he said.

Some of his teammates, however, said it wasn’t that big of a deal. “We’ll be able to adapt,” Lyman Currier said.

We shall see.

Shaun White: a sure bet?

You probably don’t want to bet against American snowboarder Shaun White, reigning halfpipe gold medalist. But you also probably don’t want to bother betting on him, either.

As first reported by the AP, White is considered so far ahead of his competition at Sochi that the Ladbrokes betting house listed him as a 1-2 favorite.

The closest competition, according to Ladbrokes, is Iouri Podladtchikov of Switzerland and American Danny Davis.

The family of a woman who disappeared in Panama in 2011 and was later found dead attended a federal court hearing in San Diego Friday for the man suspected of killing their loved one and covering up her death, calling him an “arrogant” and deceptive “monster.”

“Today, I saw a monster come into the [court] room, chained like an animal. That is a monster – they do exist. It was horrible to see him,” said Lauren Beyer, niece of murder victim Yvonne Baldelli.

Beyer was referring to Brian Brimager, 38, a San Diego man accused of killing Baldelli in Panama and engaging in an elaborate scheme to cover up her death.

Brimager was indicted by a federal grand jury in San Diego in June 2013 on charges of obstructing justice and making false statements to law enforcement. He was arrested by the FBI in San Diego's Vista area on Jun. 26, 2013, in connection with Baldelli’s case.

According to investigators, Brimager and Baldelli were in a romantic relationship and traveled together to Bocas Del Toro, Panama, in September 2011. Once they arrived, the pair rented a room inside a hostel on Isla Carenero, a small island near Bocas Del Toro accessible only by boat.

In Brimager’s indictment, the U.S. Attorney’s office alleged that Brimager physically abused Baldelli. She was last seen with him at a restaurant in Panama on Nov. 26, 2011.

After that, she was considered a missing person, with officials and Baldelli’s family desperately searching for clues in her disappearance.

At some point, Brimager allegedly killed Baldelli. Investigators said he then attempted to cover up her death by allegedly sending emails posing as Baldelli to friends and family to make is appear as if she was still alive. Investigators alleged that Brimager sent those emails from Baldelli’s laptop. The messages said she was traveling to Costa Rica with another man.

Additionally, investigators said Brimager allegedly used Baldelli’s ATM card in Costa Rica and in San Jose to make it appear as though she was alive.

He’s also accused of giving false information to law enforcement regarding her disappearance and of disposing of key evidence – a bloody mattress – from their room at the hostel on Isla Carenero.

Investigators believe he dumped the mattress in the ocean. The indictment released last summer also said Brimager had conducted two internet searches on Baldelli’s computer seeking instructions on how to wash a blood stain from a mattress.

Court documents also alleged that Brimager got rid Baldelli’s belongings by packing the items into 10 large garbage bags and leaving them on the dock outside the hostel for disposal.

He then allegedly lied to investigators, saying she took her laptop to travel. That same laptop was found in Brimager’s possession in 2012, which he then allegedly tried to cover up by saying the laptop never went to Panama and he never sent emails from that device.

Following the June 2013 indictment, Brimager faced 10 counts of obstruction of justice and one count of making a false statement to a federal officer. The charges carried a maximum sentence of 205 years in prison and a $2.5 million fine, if convicted of all charges.

In August 2013 – nearly two years after vanishing – Baldelli’s body was discovered on an island off the coastline of Panama’s Isla Carenero.

The FBI said her remains were found zipped up inside a bag on the coastline. Forensic scientists in Panama used DNA analysis on the skull and bones to positively identify the remains as Baldelli.

Currently, Brimager faces 13 charges in connection with Baldelli’s death.

In federal court on Friday, Brimager pleaded not guilty to all charges. His wife attended the hearing but she and the family’s attorney declined to speak with NBC 7.

Baldelli’s father, James Faust, niece and other family members also attended the hearing.

Afterwards, Faust and Beyer expressed their disgust toward Brimager and crusade for justice for Baldelli.

“This is the first time I’m seeing the man responsible for my daughter’s death and dismemberment,” Faust told NBC 7. “The family wants justice for Yvonne. We know if she were here, she’d want justice.”

Though Faust said he never personally met Brimager while he was involved with Baldelli, he said the suspect’s actions following Baldelli’s death say a lot about his character.

After seeing Brimager in court Friday, Faust had this to say: “He seemed to be very arrogant to me. His attitude [toward my daughter’s death] was so aloof, as if he had no realization of what he did. He was just very arrogant.”

The father said other family members had met Brimager before he took off to Panama with Baldelli, and said those relatives had an uneasy, “uncomfortable” feeling about him.

Now, he wants to see Brimager convicted in this case, given the “stiffest penalty” possible in both the United States and Panama, where Faust said Brimager also faces charges. The family is currently working with an attorney in Panama to bring Brimager to trial there, too, on murder charges.

Though Brimager now has a wife and children, Faust said he doesn’t deserve time with his family.

“He doesn’t deserve to have that chance to be with his daughters,” said Faust. “He deprived me and the family of being with our daughter, Yvonne.”

Beyer agreed, saying her family has been hurting for years over the death of Baldelli.

“It’s very difficult. We’ve gone through this for years now. We have to live this every single day,” she said.

Beyer said her aunt will forever be remembered for her kindness and charisma.

“She was so beautiful – so full of life. Just an amazing gift from God; we all miss her very much. It’s terrible that she’s gone. Terrible,” she added.

Brimager’s next court hearing in San Diego is slated for Mar. 28.

Izaiah Wallis is recovering and doing well after he was hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Rady Children’s Hospital on Wednesday for an emergency surgical procedure.

The child, known as Baby Izaiah, was awake and doing so well on Friday that doctors took him off strong medications. His parents said he smiled almost instantly after waking up.

Baby Izaiah captured the hearts of San Diegans after getting hit by a drunk driver in 2010.

He was being pushed by his grandfather in a stroller when an SUV plowed into them on a sidewalk in Oceanside. The 17-year-old driver was drunk, and the accident left Izaiah blind and paralyzed.

Besides this latest medical hurdle, the family’s wheelchair van has broken down and needs to be replaced. Passion for K.I.D.S. is raising money to buy them a new van.

Multiple suspects barricaded themselves inside a house on South 33rd Street Friday night after police arrived to serve a felony warrant, the San Diego Police Department said.

At around 10:40 p.m., officers surrounded the home at 743 S. 33rd St. after the suspects refused to come out. Police said the felony warrant they were trying to serve at the home was for a suspect wanted for multiple crimes, including assault with a deadly weapon on an officer earlier this week.

Despite the standoff situation, SWAT was not called to the scene.

By 3:45 a.m., police confirmed everyone barricaded inside the home was in custody, including the suspect wanted on the felony warrant, who eventually surrendered peacefully to police.

No further details were immediately released.

American snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg advanced to the first medal round of the Sochi Games after a clean run at the slopestyle semi-finals Saturday morning.

He will be the only American at the finals, which kick off at 3:45 a.m. ET here. Fellow teammates Charles Guldemond and Ryan Strassel both nearly made the cut but were bumped out of the top four after their runs.

Great Britain's Billy Morgan, who notched the top score of the morning — 90.75 of 100 — advanced, along with Japan's Yuki Kadono and Canadian Mark McMorris, who competed with a broken rib. Kotsenburg scored 90.50 on his second run, for a No. 2 spot on the leaderboard heading into the final.

He later tweeted his surprise at the results.

"Whoa how random is this I made finals at the Olympics!!!"

— sage kotsenburg (@sagekotsenburg) February 8, 2014

The man to beat later this morning is Canadian Max Parrot, whose nearly flawless qualifier performance earned him a 97.50. Other high scorers included Roope Tonteri from Finland, Talle Sandberch representing Norway and Sven Thorgren from Sweden, all topping 94.

American star Shaun White was supposed to compete in the event, but pulled out at the last minute, citing his desire to focus exclusively on defending his Olympic halfpipe title. 

Shoppers at a New York mall, particularly those at an AT&T store and a Best Buy, were possibly exposed to measles, a county health department warned Friday.

A case of measles has been identified in Rockland County, and anyone at the Palisades Center Mall on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. could have been exposed, the county Department of Health said. 

The health department said people who shopped on the first floor of the mall and at those two electronics stores are at the greatest risk of exposure.

It's a painful, contagious disease that many people mistake for the common cold. 

Despite news of the measles case, the parking lot at Palisades Mall was packed Friday night. One shopper who contracted it 25 years ago called it "scary."

"No one should have to go through it," said Leanne O'Brien of Newburgh.

Bruce Pratt of Munsie also had the measles decades ago and still remembers the pain it caused. 

"I had a cold, rash on my stomach and little spots, and you cough a lot," he said. 

Babies under 6 months old, pregnant women and those with immune system problems may be at risk. Anyone who has not had a measles vaccination and who was shopping at the mall during those times should also contact a doctor, the health department said.

People who have had two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are not at risk of contracting measles, authorities said. Most New Yorkers have been vaccinated, the health department said.

Symptoms of measles include fever and rash but many people who contract it may think it may dismiss the warning signs. 

"They may just think they have a cold, so they may have not broken out with the rash, and they don't know they have it and can expose a lot of people," said Dr. Len Horovitz at Lenox Hill Hospital. 

Anyone who suspects they may have been exposed and have symptoms should call their physician before seeking care so that others are not exposed in a waiting room, the health department said.

- Brynn Gingras contributed to this report. 

Police have released a composite sketch of the suspect wanted for killing one woman and shooting another in Alexandria, Va., Thursday. 

The suspect knocked on 59-year-old Ruthanne Lodato's door in the 2400 block of Ridge Road Drive just after 11:30 a.m. Thursday and opened fire. Lodato and another woman were shot.

Lodato was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead. The surviving woman, who worked as a caregiver for Lodato's elderly mother, was shot in the arm and hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

• Alexandria Residents Increase Security After Double Shooting

Lodato's mother was also inside the home during the shooting, but was not injured. 

• Search Continues for Alexandria Shooter

Stay with NBCWashington.com and News4 for the latest on this developing story.

Police say a 70-year-old nurse at Brooklyn's Brookdale Hospital was beaten to the point of unconsciousness Friday when she tried to prepare a patient for discharge.

According to officials, hospital staff saw the 40-year-old suspect, who was naked, beating the nurse at around 4:30 p.m. The nurse suffered fractures to the face, hemorrhaging and chest contusions as a result of the beating, police said.

Hospital staff told investigators the man became angry when the nurse went into his room to try to prepare him to be discharged.

"He hit her with an IV pole," said a nurse who saw the vicious beating but did not want her name used. "He stomped on her, there was so much blood."

He stopped assaulting the nurse when other nurses told him to stop and then he went into a bathroom, where hospital security kept him until police arrived.

The suspect was taken into custody and charges against him are pending, officials said.



 

At least four people were injured after part of the ceiling of a Chicago music hall came crashing down on concertgoers early Saturday morning.

The incident happened around 2 a.m. at the Concord Music Hall in the 2000 block of North Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square, police said.

The performer, Los Angeles-based DJ Datsik, had just begun his set when witnesses say the ceiling began to shake.

“The sound system inside the venue was so intense, it had so much bass, that it literally shook the ceiling down,” said witness Ryan Chun.

Cell phone footage of the collapse shows a piece of the ceiling swinging down as dust and debris flies into the air.

Police said four people suffered minor injuries in the collapse. One person refused to be transported, two people were transported to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center and one person was taken to Stroger Hospital.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse, according to authorities, but fans said the show was canceled following the incident.

“Datsik, who was the performer tonight, did have to cancel the show early, about only 15 minutes into his probably what would be a one-hour set originally,” Chun said.
 

The Americans got what they needed Saturday from Meryl Davis and Charlie White: a commanding performance in the ice dance portion of the team figure skating competition that pushed them into medal contention.

But the U.S. has no chance of catching the Russians, who have dominated the inaugural team competition on their home ice in Sochi. They lead in overall points, with 47. The Canadians follow at 41, with the Americans fighting for either bronze or silver, at 34.

The final group of five also includes Italy, with 31 points, and Japan, with 30.

The team competition concludes Sunday, with the men's,  ladies' and ice dancing free skates.

The U.S. entered the day in 7th place after a disappointing first-round performance by Jeremy Abbott in the men's short skate. To advance, they needed a strong performance by Davis and White, the favorites to win gold in the individual ice dance later in the Winter Games.

The pair delivered, coming up with the kind of smooth, charismatic and mistake-free routine that has come to be expected of them. They scored 75.98, three full points ahead of their closest rivals, and friends, Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. 

Ashley Wagner, seeking redemption after a disappointing finish in the U.S. championships, also skated well enough in the ladies’ short program to maintain the Americans’ momentum.

“I think it was really important for everybody, myself included, to get out on the ice and give a solid performance,” said Wagner, who once ranked fourth in the world. “I’m really pleased with what I accomplished out there.”

But she admitted she has a ways to go to return to medal contention in the individual competition.

In the pairs free skate, Russians Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov performed last, but ended far ahead in first place, with 135.09 points. The reigning national champions capped their routine with a stunning triple Salchow throw that brought the home crowd to its feet. They exchanged high fives, and when the score was delivered, Stobova did a little jig.

The Canadian pair Kirsten Moore Towers and Dylan Moscovitch came in second, at 129.74, followed by Italians Stefania Berton and Ondrej Hotarek at 120.82.

Americans Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, who also performed in Friday's pairs short program, came in fourth, at 117.94.

The team figure skating competition is one of 12 events added to the Winter Games this year. The free skate round begins Saturday and concludes on Sunday. 

The team competition features 10 countries, who put forth representatives in men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and ice dance. After the short skate round, the top five countries move on for a round of free skates.

Each individual score counts toward the team’s total, with the highest total winning gold.

Several passengers were injured in a suspected DUI crash in Oceanside Friday night, including one passenger whose foot was severed in the wreck, according to police.

The Oceanside Police Department said the crash happened around 10:30 p.m. on State Route 76 and Canyon Drive. It involved a single SUV carrying four people, including a driver suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Police said the vehicle was traveling a high rate of speed when the driver lost control and plowed into a telephone pole. The occupants became stuck inside the car and had to be extricated from the wreckage by emergency crews. Police said the process took about an hour to complete.

Three people were transported to local hospitals, two by helicopter and one by ambulance. Police said one of the passengers suffered a severed foot in the crash, among other injuries.

The driver was treated on scene for minor injuries and was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

The current conditions of the passengers are unknown. The DUI suspect’s name was not immediately released.
 

A man was arrested and charged with stealing more than $20,000 in tips from valets who parked cars at a Long Island mall over the course of a year, the Nassau County District Attorney's office said.

John Benevento, 32, was arrested and arraigned on charges of grand larceny for allegedly requiring that valets who parked cars at Roosevelt Field Mall turn over a certain amount of their tips to him or lose their job.

The D.A.'s office said Benevento, who was a manager for a valet company, stole a total of $23,541 in tip money from other employees, and that the scheme was discovered when workers complained to the D.A.'s office.

According to the D.A.'s office, Benevento had been requiring $400 from all the valets combined every week since January 2013, and he was arrested Friday when he showed up at the mall for his weekly visit.

Attempts to reach a lawyer for Benevento were unsuccessful.

Deputies arrested 17 people in connection with a narcotics investigation in El Cajon Friday, including a suspect accused of supplying methamphetamine to transients in exchange for stolen property, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.

The drug bust happened around 2:30 p.m. when law enforcement officials served a search warrant at a house in the 1200-block of Peach Avenue.

Detectives had been investigating the resident of the home, 41-year-old Peter Dann, who’s suspected of supplying meth to transients in the Santee riverbed in exchange for stolen goods.

Dann was arrested at the home and booked into San Diego Central Jail on various charges, including sales of methamphetamine, possession of psilocybin, possession of marijuana and the manufacturing of concentrated cannabis, or honey oil. He’s scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

The search warrant also yielded the arrests of 16 other adults inside the home who were taken into custody for a slew of charges ranging from being under the influence of a controlled substance and drug possession to arrest warrants, officials said.

A teenager was in the home at the time of the bust. Child Protective Services took the teen into protective custody, while the teen’s mother was arrested for child endangerment.

Inside the home, deputies and detectives discovered and seized unspecified quantities of meth, pot and psilocybin. Items related to drug distribution and manufacturing of concentrated cannabis were also seized at the scene, according to officials.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said the residence was in such poor condition, an official from El Cajon Code Enforcement was called to the scene to inspect the home and determine if it’s in compliance with city codes or if it falls under the guidelines of an abatement process.

The investigation into Dann and the other adults arrested in this bust is ongoing. Anyone with information on this case should contact the sheriff’s department non-emergency line at (858) 565-5200 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

This drug bust comes days after county health officials and leaders released figures in San Diego’s annual “Meth Report Card.”

Though no longer considered the “meth capital of the U.S.,” local officials made it clear this week that methamphetamine continues to be a major problem locally, with a 55 percent increase in meth-related deaths in the county since 2008.
 

Candidates in the race for San Diego’s next mayor spent the final weekend before Tuesday’s election hitting the streets.

City Councilmembers David Alvarez and Kevin Faulconer spread across San Diego with their respective teams to convince voters of their qualifications.

Faulconer began the weekend at a "Get Out the Vote" rally at his campaign headquarters near Bay Park and later met with contractors at Johnson Maintenance in Encanto. Saturday evening, he is slated to attend the People’s Ball Coronation XLII in University Heights.

Meanwhile, Alvarez spent Saturday at a precinct walk launch at the Parkside Neighborhood Park, a similar event in San Ysidro, a Chinese New Year celebration in the Gaslamp Quarter and a volunteer "thank you" event in Encanto. He wrapped up the day at the University Heights Open Aire Market.

While meeting with voters, both candidates touted their share of endorsements from local and national figures.

“We are hitting our stride at the right time, and people are seeing that San Diego needs leadership that reflects the values of everybody, not just a few,” said Alvarez.

“My opponent's had a lot of politicians from out of state come in. I have San Diegans that are supporting my campaign,” said Faulconer.

Just days away from the election, the candidates are going grassroots, calculating their strategies down to the last minute.

Faulconer emphasized the importance of making a personal connection.

“When you talk to voters at their home or when you talk to them over the phone, that's what makes the difference; that's where our focus has been,” Faulconer said.

Alvarez is depending on the same strategy as they get down to the wire.

“We have several volunteers we're fanning out across the whole city -- very positive, a lot of energy -- and we're gonna be knocking on thousands of doors today,” said Alvarez.

Both Alvarez and Faulconer earned their way into San Diego’s runoff election by garnering the most votes in the initial special election in November, following the resignation of disgraced former Mayor Bob Filner. However, neither was able to get a voting majority and seal a victory.

The runoff election will be Feb. 11.

Hundreds of locals turned out for NBC 7’s Olympic Opening Ceremony viewing party on the USS Midway Friday night, sharing their thoughts on the Sochi Games – and trying their hand at a few winter sports.

“It’s really inspiring to see all these people out here,” said Alex Grassi, a member of the national USA Field Hockey team since 2012. “To watch the Opening Ceremony – it gets me really excited to try to be in the next Olympics myself.”

The viewing party boasted lots of sporty activities, including ice skating and curling.

San Diego resident Isabelle Diliberti and her friends (pictured above), who play on a local hockey team, gave curling a whirl and enjoyed the sport.

Still, Diliberti told NBC 7 that hockey is her very favorite winter Olympics sport, following by snowboarding, then curling.

“I play hockey. It’s a nice and quick sport, and it’s interesting,” she said. “I’ve always liked skating too.”

Diliberti said celebrating the 2014 Sochi Games on the USS Midway gave her a glimpse into what it might be like to be an Olympic athlete herself, something she could possibly accomplish someday.

“If I keep on practicing, I think I will one day make it to the Olympics. It’s going to be a huge commitment – so, maybe!” she told NBC 7.

Meanwhile, Kelley Hartmann said the excitement and Team USA spirit was palpable on the USS Midway Friday night, and she was happy to be a part of the event.

“I’m here for the team spirit, for the United States – to root with everybody. The atmosphere on the USS Midway, well, you can’t get any more American than that,” she said.

Hartmann said the sport she’s most looking forward to following during the Sochi Games is figure skating.

“I used to figure skate back in the day, so it’s my favorite sport. Go USA!” said Hartmann.

Though field hockey is his passion, Grassi admitted he too enjoys watching figure skating during the winter Olympics, mostly because he likes watching sports he knows very little about.

“I like to watch curling or figure skating. I like to watch people master something where I would have no idea what to do,” he explained.

Finally, local Gloria Bautista said her top sports to watch during the Sochi Games will definitely be figure skating and snowboarding, mainly because of the famous local connection to the latter.

“I love the ice skating and the snowboarding,” she said. “You have to go for the hometown boy, Shaun White.”

In true Sochi spirit, manmade snow covered the USS Midway flight deck for all to play. When the Opening Ceremony began, attendees watched all of the action on huge television screens. Special giveaways and special guests, including the NBC 7 11 p.m. news team, rounded out the golden gathering.
 

Every day NBC 7 will provide a quick look at the key events of the day as well as the local athletes who will be competing. Here’s our “San Diego Athletes to Watch” for Sunday, Feb. 9:

Special Section: Sochi 2014

Sunday’s events start off at the Rosa Khotur Alpine Resort with the women’s snowboarding slopestyle event.

American Jamie Anderson is and has been the most dominant woman to ride a slopestyle course for the past six years.

However, don’t count out Karly Shorr of Mammoth, Calif. She's never competed in X Games, yet Shorr advanced straight to the finals.

Semifinals begin at 10:30 p.m. PT Saturday with finals at 1:15 a.m. PT.  Get results here.

In alpine skiing, Olympic gold medalist Bode Miller will compete in the finals for the men’s downhill beginning at 11 p.m. PT Saturday. He once called San Diego home and lived on his boat in San Diego Bay.

Miller recorded the fastest time during the third and final day of training. He could have skipped out on Saturday's session. Instead, he decided he should ski. Watch the training run here.

Olympic Training Center athlete and two-time World Cup silver medalist Chris Mazdzer will attempt to be the first American to medal in the luge singles.

The closest the U.S. lugers have gotten to the medal stand in the event is fourth place.

Mazdzer will hope to change things with Run 3 at 6:30 a.m. PT and then the fourth and final run at 8:30 a.m. PT. The competition will be broadcast on the NBCSports cable channel.

Video: Why Luge Athletes Stop in San Diego

Ski jumpers prepare for finals in the individual normal hill scheduled for Sunday.

Anders Johnson Tweeted out an image of his preparation the night before his jump.

Johnson spent some time with the athletes and staff at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center before heading to Sochi, Russia.

Teammate Peter Frenette, who also spent some time training here, said he’s ready for what he called “miracle on ice pt 2.” Get results here

In figure skating, ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White kept the U.S. in the medal hunt in the team figure skating competition with a flawless performance. Competition concludes Sunday.

Men’s free skate kicks off at 7 a.m. PT followed by ladies’ free skate with the final event - ice dance free dance - at 9:15 a.m. PT.

Watch the highlights on NBC 7 daytime Olympic programming beginning at 2 p.m. PT with the team event part of the prime time coverage starting at 8 p.m. PT.

Other final events include the women’s biathlon and the men’s cross-country skiathlon.

One group of San Diegans is celebrating real hearts – and the people who help heal them – this pre-Valentine’s Day weekend.

A suspect arrested for a weapons violation made a quick escape while police were processing him Saturday evening. 

Harbor Police said a 30-year-old man was taken into custody on weapons and warrant charges at 5:30 p.m.

As officers were booking him at Harbor Police headquarters at 3380 N. Harbor Drive, he managed to escape, though it's unclear how he did it.

However, he did not get far. The suspect was re-arrested not far away without incident.

He has been transferred to the San Diego County jail. 

No one was injured, and an investigation is underway to determine just how the man gave officers the slip, even if it was for a short time.

Authorities are investigating after a security issue arose on a Jet Blue flight from Providence to Orlando on Saturday evening.

Jet Blue officials originally said the flight originated in Hartford but later said it departed from Providence.

According to a Jet Blue spokesperson, a flight crew found a note containing a bomb threat while cleaning the plane at the gate in Orlando. All passengers had left the plane when the note was discovered.

Orlando police responded to a bomb threat at the airport shortly after 8 p.m., according to NBC station WESH in Orlando.

Jet Blue said there are currently no security-related issues with the plane and that the incident did not affect other flights at the airport.

The airline said it notified authorities.

Officials at Bradley Airport said they were not aware of any problems, and Orlando Airport personnel have not returned a request for comment.

More than 8.7 million pounds of meat is being recalled by a processor in Northern California.

Rancho Feeding Corportation, a company in Petaluma, released the recall because it processed diseased and unsound animals without a federal inspection, according to the USDA’s Food and Safety Inspection Service.

The recall is a Class I, which means there is a reasonable probability that the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death. So far, no illnesses have been reported.

All the products were produced between Jan. 1 and 7, 2014. They’ve been shipped to distribution centers and stores in California, Florida , Illinois and Texas.

Rancho Feeding issued a smaller recall – more than 41,000 pounds of meat – last month.

The following products are part of the most recent recall:

• "Beef carcasses” (wholesale and custom sales only)
• 2 per box "beef (market) heads" (retail only)
• 4-gallons per box "beef blood" (wholesale only)
• 20-lb. boxes of “beef oxtail”
• 30-lb. boxes of “beef cheeks”
• 30-lb. boxes of "beef lips"
• 30-lb. boxes of "beef omasum"
• 30-lb. boxes of "beef tripas" 30-lb. boxes of "mountain oysters"
• 30-lb. boxes of "sweet breads”
• 30- and 60-lb. boxes of “beef liver”
• 30- and 60-lb. boxes of “beef tripe”
• 30- and 60-lb. boxes of “beef tongue”
• 30- and 60-lb. boxes of "veal cuts"
• 40-lb. boxes of "veal bones"
• 50-lb. boxes of “beef feet”
• 50-lb. boxes of “beef hearts”
• 60-lb. boxes of "veal trim"

A total of 8,742,700 pounds of meat is being recalled.

The beef carcasses and boxes have the establishment number “EST. 527” inside the USDA mark of inspection, and every box has a case code number ending in 3 or 4.

If you have questions about food safety, the FSIS recommends logging onto the agency’s virtual representative, askkaren.gov, 24 hours a day.

You can also call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 from 1 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.