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Van Crashes into OB Skate Park

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A driver will face charges after crashing his vehicle into the middle of a popular Ocean Beach skate park.

A van vaulted over a protective jersey wall at the end of westbound Interstate 8 and crashed into Robb Field Skate Park just before 4 a.m. Tuesday.

The vehicle leaped over fences before skating around one of the park’s basins and landing in an 8-foot deep concrete bowl that resembles an empty swimming pool.

“Most of the time the jersey wall prevents [accidents] however there are those freak occasions when a car can climb the jersey wall and it turned it into essentially a ramp that launched it over those two fences,” said San Diego police said Lt. David Rohowits.

The 62-year-old man behind the wheel of the van was transported to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. He will face charges of driving under the influence officials said.

A dog was trapped in the car for an hour and a half. Despite being cold, scared and covered in motor oil, officials said the German Shepherd mix appeared to be uninjured.

Medical staff at an emergency veterinary center bathed the dog to remove the motor oil and other fluids.

She will be watched carefully over the next 48 hours by workers at the county's animal care center on Gaines Street.

A crane will be brought in to remove the wrecked vehicle from the basin later in the morning.
 


Zuckerberg Unveils "Graph Search" on Facebook

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday unveiled a new type of search that allows users to easily find information from within their friends' news feeds.

The new feature, called "graph search," will allow users to easily find things like which of their friends like a particular TV show, restaurant or band — or combinations of both. So you can find out which of your friends lives in San Jose and likes "Downton Abbey." Or find photos of your friends hiking.

The search finds information from within Facebook's "open graph," meaning it searches the Facebook news feeds of your friends and others who have their settings set to public. It doesn't search the broader web like Google. But near the end of the media-only event in Menlo Park, Zuckerberg did say that Facebook is partnering with Microsoft's Bing to bring in web search results.

During a question and answer period, Zuckerberg was asked about why Facebook isn't partnering with Google on this project.

"We would love to work with Google," he said. "We just wanted to incorporate search, and as long as the companies are willing to honor the privacy of folks sharing content on Facebook, we'll work with them. We just haven't gotten it worked out with Google yet."

He added: "We don't think people will be coming to us exclusively for web search. But we wanted to provide good search results in graph search."

The new search method, Zuckerberg said, is designed to give you the answer, "not give you links that lead to the answer."

He also said that Facebook is working with Microsoft to incorporate "social signals" into the search. And he added that at this point there wasn't any business model out there to make money off this venture.

Facebook shares went down 2.6 percent , or 50 cents, on Tuesday, to $30.45.

Several analysts, however, seemed to like the new function. Danny Sullivan, considered the "search engine guru," told NBC Bay Area that this was something that Facebook had long been missing. He liked the idea that you could search for things among your friends and people you know, and theoretically, trust.

Zuckerberg kicked off the mysterious event by telling reporters: "Our mission is to make the world more open and connected."

The event was not open to cameras, but several media outlets, including the Mercury News and  engadget.com, liveblogged the affair, held at Facebook headquarters.

Zuckerberg talked about the "three pillars" to the Facebook system, the news feed, the timeline and the "Graph Search." It's not a web search, but a graph search, he said, which already has 1 billion people, 240 billion photos and 1 trillion connections.

The rollout began on Tuesday, perhaps to hundreds or thousands of users, but getting everyone on board will depend on the beta testing.

"You really need to just ask, 'Who are my friends in San Francisco?'" Zuckerberg said, "And get the answer quickly." Then Zuckerberg gave a demonstration, by searching for a "small Dothraki party," by searching for friends in Palo Alto who also like "Game of Thrones."

The search technique has very real implications, according to the Facebook folks.

Facebook’s Lars Rasmussen had a toothache a few months ago and needed to find a dentist. He typed "Dentists liked by my friends" in Graph Search and said he immediately found a dentist who was liked by 17 of his friends, including one friend who does not like pain.

As to privacy issues, if a person shares a profile with friends, that wouldn't show up in a search — unless you are a friend.

New Facebook privacy settings allow users to see all of their activity in one place, including photos on friends’ Facebook pages users are tagged in. The new settings allow Facebook users to see all non-public photos of themselves, untag themselves and then send their friends’ messages asking them to take the photos down.

Zuckerberg showed the crowd how he hid three photos of himself in a sumo fat suit, and then he gave a demonstration on how to remove those pictures. The pictures were taken by another user, and the system sends a note requesting them to remove the photos.

 

The creators of graph search, Rasmussen and Tom Stocky, wrote a piece on how "Graph Search" and web search is very different. Web search, for example, will take the key word "hip-hop" and provide the best possible result. In graph search, users can type in "my friends in New York who like Jay-Z," to get that set of people, places, photos or other content that's been shared on Facebook. For now, the search, which is in beta form, is focusing on four main areas: people, photos, places and interests.

Here they are: 

  • People: “friends who live in my city,” “people from my hometown who like hiking,” “friends of friends who have been to Yosemite National Park,” “software engineers who live in San Francisco and like skiing," "people who like things I like," "people who like tennis and live nearby"
  • Photos: “photos I like,” “photos of my family,” “photos of my friends before 1999,” "photos of my friends taken in New York," “photos of the Eiffel Tower” 
  • Places: “restaurants in San Francisco,” “cities visited by my family,” "Indian restaurants liked by my friends from India," “tourist attractions in Italy visited by my friends,” “restaurants in New York liked by chefs," "countries my friends have visited"
  • Interests: “music my friends like,” “movies liked by people who like movies I like,” "languages my friends speak," “strategy games played by friends of my friends,” "movies liked by people who are film directors," "books read by CEOs"

NBC Bay Area's Scott Budman contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Mayor to Increase Police Force

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San Diego police officers have high expectations, as Bob Filner assumes his role as chief executive of the city.

Filner mentioned in a recent press conference that he would dedicate money from an unrelated legal settlement and give a boost to public safety and many believe it is long overdue.

“This mayor had told them he's going address them in this budget,” said Jeff Jordon from the San Diego Police Officer’s Association. “[Filner’s] signaled that public safety is the highest priority it's welcome news, it's something that these officers have long waited for.”

San Diego's budget problems and the great recession have meant limited funding to the police force for years. The department's staffing levels are well below the national average, 1.5 officers for every 1,000 residents compared to the 2.4 officer-resident national average.

While officers are retiring from the force, the department's been slow to fill the positions. Of the 148 sworn officer positions left unfilled across the County, San Diego accounts for 75 percent of them.

Violent crime has also seen resurgence in San Diego, up 9.5 percent in the first half of 2012 compared to the previous year.

Officers say the news of more funding couldn't have come at a better time.   

“They're burnt out, they've been understaffed, and overwhelmed by the demands of the community for so long now,” said Jordon. “They've been waiting for some bright light to get back in there and give them some hope that they're going to get the resources, other officers and equipment that they need.”

JPL's "Mohawk Guy" Plans New Look at Inauguration Parade

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The distinctively coiffed NASA flight director who became known as "Mohawk Guy" when he and his colleagues guided rover Curiosity to a successful touchdown on Mars will be part of the presidential inauguration parade Monday in Washington, D.C.

Bobak Ferdowsi, of JPL in La Canada-Flintridge, will walk with fellow NASA scientists next to a full-scale model of the SUV-sized rover Curiosity.

"The things we do, the exploration we do, is not just about learning about other planets. It's about understanding our own," Ferdowsi said in a statement issued by the inauguration committee. "NASA gives us a chance to travel outside our world as a way to look back and learn about ourselves as a species -- as people. There's nowhere else in the world where you get to do that."

As Curiosity touched down Aug. 6 on Mars, Ferdowsi's popularity took off. There were tumblr pages, marriage proposals, memes and a lot more followers of @tweetsoutloud.

He became known as "Mohawk Guy" by viewers who watched the live feed of Curiosity's landing, the resulting celebration at mission control and Ferdowsi's impossible-to-miss cut with star-shape accents. But Ferdowsi plans to have a "slightly different" haircut during the parade.

"It’ll be something fun for the parade," he said. "It’s a bit of a surprise."

President Barack Obama's second-term inauguration comes about one week after scientists announced that Curiosity is on the way to a rock outcrop where it will drill into the Martian surface. The drilling marks the most complex engineering task since Curiosity landed in Gale crater.

The rover is part of an effort to determine whether environmental conditions on Mars could have been favorable to microbes. The journey to the drilling spot should take about two weeks.

More Local Stories:



Photo Credit: AP

Crash Blocks Lanes on I-5 in Solana Beach

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A traffic accident in Solana Beach blocked two lanes on the northbound I-5 Tuesday evening during rush-hour.

The crash happened on the interstate near Lomas Santa Fe Drive just before 5 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

At least two vehicles are involved. Firefighters and medics have responded to assist, but the extent of the injuries is not known at this time.  

Traffic appears backed up along the northbound I-5. Check traffic conditions here. 

Flu Kills 4 San Diegans

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Four San Diego residents died from influenza last week, according to the County Health and Human Services Agency.

The ages of the victims ranges from 49 to 91. All of the patients had underlying medical conditions.

A total of 6 people have died this flu season in San Diego. The county also saw twice the amount of influenza cases last week than before, with more than 300 reported cases. Roughly 6 percent of emergency visits to hospitals were also flu related last week, according to HHSA.

Vaccinations are available at local pharmacies and doctors’ offices. County public health centers also have flu shots for children and adults with no medical insurance. The Center for Disease Control recommends people 6 months and older receive a vaccination.

Broncos' Mike McCoy Takes Chargers Job

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The San Diego Chargers have a new head coach. 

Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy landed in San Diego Tuesday afternoon and appeared at a news conference at Chargers Park to make his official appearance as the team's new Head Coach. 

McCoy was considered by some -- including NBC 7 San Diego’s Sports Director Jim Laslavic -- to be the front runner in the job search.

Almost as soon as he landed, McCoy signed a contract with the Spanos family and the team's just-hired Chargers GM Tom Telesco.

“The [Chargers] were looking for someone to fix Philip Rivers and it seems like they think Mike McCoy is the guy to do that," said NFL.com reporter Ian Rapoport.

At 40, McCoy is the same age as Telesco and is the youngest of the Chargers coaching candidates. In a statement, Spanos said McCoy has a "structured vision about how to build and run a football team." 

Spanos characterized McCoy as an innovative team builder -- a quality that will likely complement Telesco's own ambitions to focus on the draft in the coming years.

"He’s going to build a team culture and do it with passion on and off the field," Telesco said in a statement. "It was very clear he was the one we wanted to lead the San Diego Chargers in a new era."

While with the Broncos for four seasons, McCoy got the most out of quarterback Kyle Orton, then Tim Tebow, and worked well this season with Peyton Manning.

3 Reasons McCoy Is a Good Choice

He was quoted on the Chargers website as saying he loved Qualcomm Stadium and the basic values of the organization.

"The great thing is it’s a family run business. I’m big into family," McCoy told the team's website. "There’s an open door policy for everyone to feel welcome and open to come enjoy the environment that we’re all in this together.”

When Telesco was hired Jan. 9, Spanos showered the former Colts VP of Operations with praise saying, "He knows how to build a winning football team."

Bruce Arians was scheduled to meet with the Chargers on Wednesday.

Former head coach Norv Turner and ex-GM A.J. Smith were fired after the team ended the season with a 7-9 record.

Spanos said one of the reasons for hiring McCoy is his structured vision on how to build the team.

“Bottom line: He’s a true leader,” said Spanos during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

McCoy said he is going to analyze the current Chargers roster and looks forward to adding to it during the draft.

“There are some great players here, and we’re going to build off these great players,” he said. “We’re going to build this organization to be a champion on the football field and in the community.”

He described his coaching style as laid back, saying he’s not a “big yeller or screamer.” But when it comes to shouting later in the season, he joked anything could happen.

“As coaches we all snap sooner or later,” he chuckled.

McCoy said he is going to have a detailed plan when it comes to this season and wants to go into every game believing the Chargers can win.

“We’re going to lead this team to a championship sometime in the future,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Cold Snap Prompts Plea for Energy Conservation

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In the midst of record low temperatures in San Diego over the past few days, SDG&E is asking its customers to tone down their energy usage.

The company said their natural gas usage has increased to an all-time high level over the last three nights.

As a result, they are now concerned that they won't have enough gas to get customers through the unusually cold winter

SDG&E issued the following requests to customers as ways to conserve their natural gas supply:

• Lower your furnace thermostat by three to five degrees (health permitting), this can save up to 30 percent on heating costs
• Limit use of gas fireplaces
• Turn off unnecessary lights, hold off on doing laundry, running your dishwasher, etc.

Along with the request for conservation, the company also urged caution in regard to carbon monoxide levels. On Monday, a family of four was transported to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning. According to Imperial Beach's fire inspector, the source of the carbon monoxide was a  tankless water heater.

Find out the forecast in your area on our weather page

The cold snap in San Diego has persisted for about a week now. Temperatures in many regions dipped to freezing levels, and high winds made the chilly weather feel even colder. 

Crops such as avocados in San Diego's more rural areas were threatened by the freezing temperatures. Even some of the animals at the San Diego Zoo required extra attention to stay warm, the Associated Press reported. 
 



Photo Credit: AP

Even At 100, Man Continues to Stay Fit

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Ernie Fowler turned 100 years old on Tuesday, and celebrated with a workout and a birthday party at the Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas.

"Salute" to Huell Howser at Griffith Observatory

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A public salute to Huell Howser, the affable host of public broadcasting's long-running "California's Gold" series, was held Tuesday at the Griffith Observatory, hosted by City Councilman Tom La Bonge.

Watch: Aerial Video of Huell Howser "Sunset Salute"

Howser, an intensely private man whose chronicles of California locales earned him a warm spot in the hearts of many in the state, died Jan. 6 after a two-year battle with cancer.

He had told friends he did not want a memorial or funeral service.

LaBonge's event was scheduled to conclude with what the councilman called a "sunset salute" to Howser at 5:07 p.m.

More: TV Personality Huell Howser Dead at 67 | Howser Didn't Want Memorial, Died of Cancer

A note on LaBonge's website invited the public to gather at 3:30 p.m. on the steps of the observatory. A shuttle was offered at the Greek Theater.

"Huell had a tremendous enthusiasm for California landmarks like the Griffith Observatory," LaBonge said in the online invitation. "And now we must say goodbye to our own California landmark, Huell Howser."

Howser was 67 when he died.

Man Who Kept Sandy Hook Students Safe Getting Harassed: Report

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The Newtown man who took six survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting into his home on the tragic morning of Dec. 14 is being harassed by conspiracy theorists, according to Salon.com.

Gene Rosen, a 69-year-old retired psychologist who lives across the street from Sandy Hook Elementary School, told Salon that he is getting phone calls and emails accusing him of lying when he shared his story of taking four girls and two boys into his home after the shooting.

As he was leaving his house on the morning of Dec. 14, he saw the children from Victoria Soto’s class sitting at the end of his driveway. They had just run from the school to escape Adam Lanza, who shot and killed 20 first graders and six staff members, including their teacher. 

He took them in, gave them toys, listened to their stories and called their frantic parents, using cellphone numbers obtained from the school bus company.

He said he decided to talk to the media in the days after the shooting to tell stories of the children’s bravery and to help himself get through the tragedy, he told Salon.

After those interviews, conspiracy theorists began harassing him and setting up fake accounts in his name, according to Salon.

"I don’t know what to do," Rosen told Salon. "I’m getting hang up calls, I’m getting some calls, I’m getting emails with, not direct threats, but accusations that I’m lying, that I’m a crisis actor, ‘how much am I being paid?’"

Rosen told Salon he is not sure what recourse he has, but there is a sense of rage when he hears the allegations of lies or hears someone mention a conspiracy.

But then there are the well-wishers who praise what he did for the children, and he hopes that they "continue to be the majority."

 



Photo Credit: AP

FBI Arrests Dozens of Alleged Mobsters in Extortion Probe

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More than two dozen alleged mobsters associated with three of New York's five organized crime families were rounded up by the FBI Wednesday morning in connection with an ongoing investigation into the carting industry, authorities said.

A total of 32 people were charged in 3 indictments unsealed today, including several members and associates of the Genovese, Gambino and Luchese crime families. They are accused of  racketeering, extortion and other crimes as part of organized crime’s alleged continuing effort to control segments of the commercial waste hauling industry in the New York City metropolitan area, prosecutors said.

Thirty defendants were arrested early today by the FBI and Westchester County Police Department and two others are expected to surrender this week.

According to the three indictments, the defendants allegedly operated a racketeering enterprise that exerted control over several legitimate waste disposal businesses and enforced “property rights” over trash pick-up routes that the hauling companies could use.  

They also allegedly extorted payments from the waste disposal companies in exchange for protection by individuals associated with organized crime.  By enforcing the “property rights” the defendants excluded competitors that might offer lower prices or better service.  

One of the waste hauling companies extorted by the defendants was owned by a person who cooperated with investigators, prosecutors said.

“The indictments show the ongoing threat posed by mob families and their criminal associates," FBI Assistant Director George Venizelos said.  "In addition to the violence that often accompanies their schemes, the economic impact amounts to a mob tax on goods and services." 

The suspects were expected to appear in federal court later Wednesday.

 



Photo Credit: AP Image

Passengers Treated After "Severe Turbulence" On Flight

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Passengers aboard an American Eagle flight to Chicago were treated Wednesday for injuries sustained during the flight, officials said. The Chicago Fire Department confirmed several people aboard Flight 3720 were treated after "severe turbulence."

Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride said the flight left from New Orleans just before 7:30 a.m. and landed safely at O'Hare International Airport at 9:30 a.m.

Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said head injuries were minor and two people declined hospitalization. One person was transported to a local hospital. The turbulence occurred on descent while the plane traveled from 31,000 to 29,000 feet.

American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan confirmed the flight hit turbulence en route to Chicago and said the fire department met the plane at O'Hare. She said 26 passengers and four crew members were on board.

The incident follows issues at the airline last fall because of a loose-seat problem that airline officials said was bigger than previously thought. According to flightstats.com, American had the most cancellations in September of all the airlines at O'Hare International Airports and 37 percent of the departures were delayed.

Chula Vista Council Passes Gun Control Resolution

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The Chula Vista City Council approved a measure on Tuesday that supports tougher gun control on a national level.

The council passed the resolution unanimously in an effort to send a strong message to federal officials.

The federal "Fix Gun Checks Act" was recommended by Mayor Cheryl Cox. It is designed to reduce gun violence by limiting the types of guns for sale. The resolution will keep military-style weapons and high capacity magazines off the streets.

It's also supposed to strengthen background checks for every gun purchase.

One loophole that the measure will close is preventing people with certain mental illnesses from owning firearms.

“The city of Chula Vista is a strong advocate for common-sense policies that keep guns out of dangerous hands while respecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners,” said Cox in a statement.

The city is one of the first in the county to pass such a resolution.

 



Photo Credit: NBC10 Philadelphia - Catherine Brown

Cops Nab Driver in 100 MPH North County Chase

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A dramatic police chase in the North County ended with officers finding a loaded gun in the suspect’s car.

The suspect, believed to be under the influence of alcohol and meth, led police on a pursuit that began in Carlsbad around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

When officers spotted the car, the driver sped away, traveling to nearby railroad tracks along North Coast Highway in Encinitas.

“Reached in excess of 100 miles per hour on the Coast Highway down into Encinitas and eventually the suspect drove onto the railroad property and onto the tracks, tried to evade us on foot,” said Carlsbad police Sgt. Jeff Chapman.

A loaded shotgun was found in the cab of the vehicle Chapman said.

The suspect was taken into custody. There were no injuries. 


A Sister's Love Leads to Hit-and-Run Arrest

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Barbara Yarborough wouldn't stop until she found the person who ran over and killed her 41-year-old brother.

When the case reached a dead end, the Santee woman took over and hired her own investigators to give her family closure.

Every day Yarborough goes into her garage, she sees a grim reminder of the worst moment in her life. It’s the broken and banged up motorcycle that her older brother Frank Yarborough was riding when he was killed by a hit-and-run driver.

“This was the last thing my brother touched before his life was taken from him,” Yarborough said in an exclusive interview.

The motorcycle has been a symbol of her heart and determination to find the man who killed Frank.

The Riverside County man was a father of two boys when he died on January 7, 2011. He was driving home to Thousand Palms on Varner Road when a tractor trailer hung a U-turn and ran him over.

“I still mourn every day,” Yarborough said.

“I cry going to sleep, I cry waking up," she said. "It’s hard to heal when the wounds stay fresh.”

Yarborough says two witnesses pointed out two different tractor trailers as possible suspect vehicles. But she says investigators focused their attention only on one because that witness seemed more credible.

Months went by and the investigation stalled. Yarborough decided to conduct her own investigation.

“I just knew I had to get the motorcycle,” she said.

Yarborough bought her brother’s motorcycle from a salvage yard and hired two former San Diego Police officers to investigate Frank’s hit and run.

Larry Ingraham and Donovan Jacobs interviewed the other witness who claimed to see a different tractor trailer hit Frank.

“Our effort in the case was to refocus on what that one witness was saying who identified the driver of a Ralph's truck for being responsible for the accident,” Jacobs said.

On the night of the crash, CHP investigators interviewed 39-year-old Dixon Russell Dixon.

He was Ralph's truck driver who was eating inside his tractor trailer near the crime scene.

“Police questioned him, to see if he knew anything he said, 'No, I was in Del Taco getting lunch,' so they let him go,” Barbara said.

But Yarborough says her private investigators found compelling evidence implicating Dixon.

They can't reveal that evidence because it's now part of the criminal case.

On January 9, exactly two years and two days since her brother's death, CHP investigators arrested Dixon for felony hit and run at his San Bernardino County home.

“How could he run over my brother and see his dead body on the road and not take responsibility for what he’s done,” Yarborough said.

Yarborough's private investigator Donovan Jacobs is also representing family members in a civil lawsuit against Ralphs.

NBC 7 called the company's public relations representative for comment, but the call has not been returned.

Dixon posted a $50,000 bond. His next court appearance has been set for March.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Wounded Warriors Help Vet Repair Home

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A group of wounded warriors assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego volunteered their time to do home repairs for a Pearl Harbor veteran.

Students to Paint Mural at Horton Plaza

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The park next to Horton Plaza is getting a major facelift right now, but the barrier surrounding it is about to become much more appealing.

Students at the Monarch School found out today they'll help to paint a mural on temporary walls surrounding that construction. The school serves kids whose families have been impacted by homelessness.

This mural is the collaborative vision and effort of NBC 7 San Diego, Westfield Horton Plaza, artist Stephen Fishwick’s team at Launch Live Art and The Monarch School. Frazee Paint will donate all the supplies for this project.

The mural, of 20 individual panels, will ultimately be auctioned off section by section to benefit The Monarch School.

The students will be working with an artist who did a special live art exhibition for them Wednesday.

One staff member said allowing these kids to paint something that will be seen by so many people makes them feel like they belong somewhere.

“Oh, it's great because it shows the students that they are part of the community,” said Chuy Nunez from Monarch School. “It shows the students that they have a lot to offer to the community, that their talents are being noticed, that their talents are special, and that they can do something that is going to be long lasting."

The students will be working on the mural project after school, three days a week.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Victim Assaulted with 'Practice Sword' in PB: Cops

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Police responded to Pacific Beach Wednesday upon hearing reports of a sword assault.

According to the San Diego Police Department, a fight broke out between two individuals near the corner of Garnet Avenue and Bayard Street just after noon Wednesday. 

Police believe the two individuals in the fight were homeless, and one of them had a sword. The victim told police the sword was a "practice sword" used for martial arts.   

The victim of the assault suffered a cut to the left arm and a possible broken leg. 

The suspect is still at large. 

'Dream Home' Prize Unveiled

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The Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego unveiled its grand prize for this year's raffle.
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