The California Air National Guard and U.S. Navy are involved in a complex rescue mission to help a sick baby on a boat off the coast of Mexico.

The one-year-old girl, her 3-year-old sister and her parents from San Diego set sail two weeks ago for the latest leg of their trip around the world.

The family is sailing aboard a 36-foot boat named the "Rebel Heart," blogging and posting pictures online.

• Read: Man Hides in Bushes, Catches Teens Stealing Packages

On Thursday, the Bay Area’s 129th Rescue Wing received a call from the U.S. National Guard about a “seriously ill” girl aboard the boat located about 900 nautical miles off the coast of Mexico.

Two rescue helicopters took off Thursday to join the rescue mission.

After a five-hour flight, a team of four “Guardian Angel” pararescuemen jumped into the open ocean to board the Rebel Heart.

The California Air National Guard unit based out of Moffett Field reported that they had reached the family who were in "good spirits."

After checking the girl’s vitals, the crew determined the girl was in stable condition.

• Read: James Franco Admits to Flirting with 17-Year-Old Girl

Now rescuers have discovered the sailboat has no power and no capability of steering itself. They’re  working on a plan to get the baby and her family members off the boat and to safety.

The 129th Rescue Wing said in an email that its crews will be sending a "Combat Shadow" aircraft Friday morning to complete a "complex, overwater rescue mission" of the child, and bring her to the closest hospital.

NBC 7 has learned the baby may suffer from some type of salmonella and has been given antibiotics.

San Diego-based USS Vandegrift was en route to the area of The Rebel Heart and was expected to be near the family's boat by 4 p.m. Friday.

The family’s latest leg around the world was to take them across the Pacific Ocean towards the South Pacific Islands and eventually New Zealand.

The girl's mother, Charlotte Kaufman, has chronicled her adventures of sailing across the world while pregnant and had them published in San Diego Magazine.

• Read: How to Sail Around the World Pregnant

The couple keep travel blogs showing that they are "working our way around the world."

Eric Kaufman's blog states that he is in his mid 30s and a USCG licensed caption, in addition to his day job for a financial services company.

He is also a scuba diver.

Charlotte said she is a former high school teacher and founder of an Etsy blog called Red Charlotte.

The 129th Rescue Wing will be live tweeting the rescue at @129RQW.

 Tyson Foods is recalling more than 75,000 pounds of frozen, fully cooked chicken nuggets that the company said may be contaminated with “foreign matter.”

Consumers alerted the company to the problem, calling in to report small pieces of plastic inside the chicken.

Some said they got minor injuries to their mouths when they tried to eat the nuggets, according to the USDA.

Tyson Foods traced the issue back to a product scraper inside a blending machine.

The recall includes the 5-pound bags of “Tyson Fully Cooked White Meat Chicken Nuggets -- 16142-928” with a “Best if Used By” date of Jan. 26, 2015 or Feb. 16, 2015. The manufacturer codes on the bags are “0264SDL0315 through 19” and “0474SDL0311 through 14.”

Those frozen nuggets were shipped nationwide to one retail warehouse club chain, though the USDA did not specify which chain it was.

The 20-pound packs of “Spare Time Fully Cooked Nugget-Shaped Chicken Breast Pattie Fritters w/Rib Meat – 16142-861” are also being recalled, and those were shipped for institutional use in Indiana and Arkansas.

The USDA has not received any other reports of injury or illness linked to the plastic particles inside the chicken.

Consumers with questions should call Tyson Foods Consumer Services at 866-328-3156.

Taking the stand for the second day in a row, a San Diego teenager was cross-examined Friday about her parents’ relationship, the events leading up to her mother’s fatal beating and the moments she found her mother’s bloodied body in the family’s home.

Fatima Al-Himidi, 19, testified at the trial of her father, Kassim Al-Himidi, 49, an El Cajon man accused of killing his wife, Shaima Alawadi, 32, in March 2012 after she asked him for a divorce that he did not want.

On Mar. 21, 2012, Fatima found her mother’s brutally beaten body lying in a pool of blood in the family’s dining room at their rented home on Skyview Street in El Cajon. Alawadi had suffered life-threatening head trauma and died a few days later.

The case reverberated across the nation because at first, it was thought to be a hate crime. The family is from Iraq and a disturbing, threatening note was found at the crime scene, which read: “This is my country, go back to yours, terrorist.”

• Read: Teen Angry Over Allegations in Murder Trial

El Cajon police later determined the killing was an isolated incident and not a hate crime, but rather one of domestic violence.

Alawadi’s husband was arrested and charged with her murder.

On Friday – after a week of dramatic court proceedings that have included the playback of a 911 call, uncontrollable waling from the defendant and testimony from the couple’s daughter – Fatima continued her turn on the stand, this time being questioned by the defense.

When asked about her father, Fatima agreed with the defense that her father is a good man who would never harm a woman. Despite tension and arguments at home, Fatima said she never once saw Al-Himidi hit or threaten her mother, herself or any of her four younger siblings.

Fatima said that a few months before her mother’s murder, she began noticing serious arguments between her parents.

Then, her parents stopped talking.

“I saw silence between them,” she recounted, adding that her mother told her that her father wasn’t nice anymore starting around December 2011.

• Read: Listen to 911 Call in Woman's Beating

Fatima said her father did some things around the house, such as driving the kids to school every day. He also did some chores and helped cook sometimes, but the relationship between her parents was still strained.

The defense also brought up a previous statement Fatima allegedly made, saying she would marry a Muslim man if her were like her father, a nice guy who would never hurt anybody. Previously, the teenager has testified that she argued with her parents because they wanted an arranged marriage for her, and she wasn’t interested.

During cross-examination, Fatima was also asked about the note found at the crime scene as well as another threatening note found at the family’s home about a month before her mother’s killing.

That note, according to investigators, was never reported by the family. The defense says it also said: “This is my country, go back to yours, terrorist.”

Fatima said one of her younger siblings found that note and the hateful message “angered” Fatima, who told her mother to call 911. However, her mother didn’t want to bring attention to the family, who had just moved into the neighborhood, and decided to put the note away in a drawer.

Though Fatima testified Friday that she had never been threatened this way in the El Cajon neighborhood before, the defense pressed her, quoting earlier statements she allegedly made, saying ever since they moved into that house they’d gotten racist comments.

• Read: Murder Suspect Sobs as Trial Shifts Focus to Forensics

Fatima said she didn’t remember saying that, only remembered that neighbors would never say hello or reply to the family when they greeted them.

The defense also revealed a transcript of a conversation Fatima allegedly had with a friend in which she said she saw someone other than her dad in the kitchen right after her mother was gravely injured, and that that man was the one who hit her mom.

According to transcript, Fatima also told the friend that this man had hurt her mother before, and that this time he left a note by her head as she lay injured on the kitchen floor of the family's home.

Fatima testified that the translation from the conversation from Arabic to English was wrong.

She also acknowledged telling paramedics that her mother may have argued with someone on the phone right before she was killed.

Also on the stand Friday was an expert in crime scene analysis reconstruction who specializes in forensic science and blood pattern investigation.

The expert – a former Oklahoma City Police law enforcement with 27 years of experience – said he had reviewed hundreds of pages of documents in connection with this case, autopsy notes and more than 1,000 images of the crime scene.

The expert testified that blood pattern analysis suggests Alawadi was sitting at a computer when she was first struck. Her name had been typed into the log-in section of Yahoo! and there were at least three characters typed into the password field.

He said broken glass from a sliding door was found for up to 12 feet out on the patio and three feet inside the home. He believes that the direction of force indicates that glass was broken from the inside outwards.

When cross-examined by the defense, the expert confirmed her was paid between $2,000 and $3,000 by the prosecution to review materials in this case and write a report, and another $3,000 to testify in the trial.

By 12:30 p.m., the trial had called recess until Monday morning.

On Thursday, Fatima’s attorney, Ron Rockwell, spoke exclusively to NBC 7 about his client, saying she had struggled emotionally in the two years since her mother’s death. The attorney said Fatima’s four younger siblings now look to her for support and guidance.

Rockwell said it has also been difficult for Fatima to see her father accused of the murder.

“I’m sure emotionally, it’s been a roller coaster and so I think her feelings about the fact that her father has been accused change regularly,” said Rockwell.

When asked if Fatima believes her father committed the crime, Rockwell refused to answer.

“It’s a very, very sad time,” he said. “Her father is on trial for the murder of her mother. For that reason, she’s devastated.”
 

The mental health of Fort Hood gunman Spc. Ivan Lopez, who killed three fellow soldiers and wounded 16 before killing himself, was not the main factor in his deadly shooting rampage Wednesday, military officials said Friday, although Lopez's family has said he "must not have been in his right mind."

"His underlying medical conditions are not a direct precipitating factor. We believe that the immediate precipitating factor was more likely an escalating argument in his unit area," Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, the commanding general at Fort Hood, said at a news conference Friday afternoon.

• Army Officials Confirm Names of Shooting Victims

He said investigators were still examining Lopez's combat experience but have so far uncovered no specific traumatic events, wounds in action, contact with the enemy or other events.

According to the father of one of the injured soldiers, Army Sgt. Jonathan Westbrook, Lopez opened fire after he tried to pick up a leave form and was told to come back later. NBC News reported that Theodis Westbrook, the victim's father, said his son told him that the gunman was "told to come back the next day to pick it up" and then left, returned with a gun and opened fire.

• NBCNews.com: Victim's Father: Gunman Was Turned Away for Leave Form

Lopez's father has said his son "must not have been in his right mind" and that a number of factors could have led to deadly mass shooting at the Army post Wednesday.

Ivan Lopez Sr., in a statement from his native Puerto Rico, said his son was a calm family man and good son who defended his nation. The family added that Lopez "was under medical treatment and the passing of his mother, his grandfather and the recent changes when transferring to the base surely affected his existing condition."

The gunman's family released the following statement. Below is a translation of the original:

Facing the tragedy that occurred on April 2 in Fort Hood, TX, the family of the Puerto Rican soldier Iván López is concerned and asks for prayers for those affected and deceased by the unfortunate incidents. Iván López, father of the soldier, is still in shock and described his son as a calm family man, a young worker who always looked out for the well-being of his home and a good son.

"This situation has caused great pain. I ask for prayers for the affected families, even more so when there is still an ongoing investigation. My son must not have been in his right mind, he wasn't like that," said Iván López, Sr.

As an active soldier he defended the nation and received medals. He also worked honorably as a policeman on the island. According to his father, the soldier was under medical treatment and the passing of his mother, his grandfather and the recent changes when transferring to the base surely affected his existing condition because of his experiences as a soldier. No more comments shall be made during the investigation conducted by authorities.

-López Family

Army CID Gives Updates on Shooting Investigation

Chris Gray, the spokesperson for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, said Friday that numerous reports of gunfire from several locations led to the confusion and chaos of two gunmen being reported on the post.

Army officials said more than 150 investigators from a variety of military, federal and state agencies are involved in the investigation that encompasses a two-block area. The crime scene includes the interior of three buildings and three outside locations.

Gray said the shooting most likely began following a verbal altercation with soldiers from Lopez's unit and that after the shooting began, Lopez traveled to two other locations and continued firing.

As Lopez approached an MP, Gray said there was a verbal exchange and that the MP fired one round toward Lopez. Officials do not believe this round hit Lopez, though that will ultimately be confirmed by the medical examiner.  After the MP fired, Lopez pulled out his weapon, pointed it toward his head and fired a single round, officials said.

Army investigators believe Lopez acted alone and have found no evidence of any link to any domestic or international terrorist or extremist group.

Six Remain Hospitalized; Discharged Survivors Return to Duty

Ten of the 16 injured have been treated and released from the hospital and are back on duty, Milley said Friday. Of the remaining six, three are being treated at Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood and three in fair condition are being treated at Baylor Scott & White in Temple.

• Four Remain Hospitalized After Deadly Fort Hood Shooting

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, April 9.  The time for the memorial has not yet been determined and further details are to come.

A former school superintendent indicted in a sweeping corruption scandal pleaded guilty to accepting gifts and not reporting them, his attorney confirmed Friday.

Former Sweetwater Superintendent Jesus Gandara pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to accept gifts in excess of the legal limit and one misdemeanor of failing to report the gift.

Gandara was one of several school officials accused of trading votes on multi-million dollar construction contracts for gifts and other favors. 

In the original indictment, Gandara faced allegations of extortion and conspiracy to commit a crime among other charges. 

Defense attorney Paul Pfingst said his client was released on his own recognizance to return to his home in Texas while he awaits sentencing.

"Dr. Gandara accepted responsibility for accepting gifts - generally in the form of meals - in excess of the legal limit," Pfingst said.

Pfingst said the Sweetwater Unified School District prospered under Gandara’s leadership.

“It’s somewhat of a tragedy today that the gift giving and failure to report certain things have led to the end of a career of a man who has helped students for so many years,” Pfingst said.

• Read: School Officials Face Charges in Corruption Case

More than a dozen school officials from the Sweetwater, San Ysidro and Southwestern College school districts face charges including bribery and perjury in the case that involves officials accepting gifts and other favors in exchange for votes on multimillion dollar construction contracts.

More than two weeks ago, Sweetwater trustee Pearl Quinones agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit a crime and one misdemeanor related to filling out paperwork concerning gifts.

In December, former Sweetwater trustee Arlie Ricasa admitted to one misdemeanor count for accepting gifts and not reporting them on state-mandated forms.

Gandara was fired in 2011 after being accused of misusing funds.

In 2006, Sweetwater trustees Jim Cartmill and Arlie Ricasa flew to Texas to interview Gandara for a position at the recommendation of the head-hunting firm Hazard, Young and Attea & Associates.

Gandara's rocky tenure included borrowing bond money to pay off daily general fund expenses; inviting contractors to a "money tree" event for his daughter's bridal shower; hiding PR expenses from the board and a controversial exit strategy that was investigated by state pension regulators.

Prosecutors say he and several other board members spent night after night at expensive meals, sporting events, and trips, funded by contractors seeking work with the district.

A group from a second San Diego strip club has accused San Diego Police officers of acting inappropriately during a permit check last month.

In a claim filed Friday against the City of San Diego, dancers from the Expose Gentlemen’s Club in Kearny Mesa said six SDPD officers detained them against their will for about an hour during a raid on March 6.

The officers were checking the women’s permits – which they legally have to update every year to continue working.

The claim states the police made “arrogant and demeaning comments” during the inspection and ordered the women to pose in various positions and expose body parts so the officers could take pictures of their tattoos.

Attorney Dan Gilleon, who filed the claim on behalf of the women, said the alleged victims suffered emotional distress, humiliation and loss of income from the raid.

Friday’s claim is nearly identical to one filed on March 24 by dancers at Cheetahs Gentlemen’s Club. That club was inspected the same night as Expose.

• READ: Nude Dancers File Civil Rights Claim Against SDPD

In response to the Cheetahs claim, SDPD Lt. Kevin Mayer told NBC 7 that the officers did not stray from standard protocol.

He said adult entertainers know checks like these are coming, and the inspections are vital because work permits can be compromised.

Adult dancers often change their appearances, so documenting tattoos are critical to help them verify a person's identity or prove that they're giving false information, Mayer had said.

The Expose claim is for more than $10,000.

A rescue mission was underway Friday to help a 1-year-old girl who fell seriously ill aboard her parents’ boat 900 miles from the Mexican coast, and family members in San Diego said this is exactly what they feared from this “crazy” trip.

Eric and Charlotte Kaufman of San Diego set sail aboard their 36-foot sailboat with their two daughters, a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old.

But on Thursday, a rescue call went out when the youngest crewmember became sick with salmonella poisoning. To complicate things, their boat started having problems.

Thus began a complex rescue mission between the California Air National Guard and U.S. Navy to get antibiotics to the little girl.

• READ: Calif. National Guard to Rescue San Diego Family With Sick Girl

Concerned family members in San Diego are waiting by the phone for updates on what’s going to happen to their 1-year-old niece.

"I saw this coming. I saw the potential for every bit of it,” said Charlotte’s brother James Moriset. “I'm just glad they're alive and my little niece is being taken care of, which is cool.”

The Kaufmans were two weeks into their around-the-world journey, and they were getting farther and farther away from land every day.

Had the girl fallen ill one week later, James’ wife April said this could be a different – and more tragic -- story.

James told NBC 7 he believes the whole trip was nuts from the beginning.

“I don’t understand what they were thinking to begin with. I’m sorry, I don’t even like to take my kids in a car ride that would be too dangerous, and it’s like taking them out into the big ocean? It’s like – I don’t know,” said James.

James could not even see his sister off because he thought the trip was “too crazy,” he said.

Both James and April are glad the family is OK, and they hope this will be the final event that convinces the Kaufmans to abandon their goal and come home.

“As a mom, I can only imagine that this is the absolute scariest fear, next to losing a child,” said April. “I can only imagine that [Charlotte] is like, ‘Let’s get back on land.’”

The Kaufmans’ boat “Rebel Heart” was returning to Mexico Friday evening, while the Navy’s USS Vandergrift raced toward them.

Assuming the little girl’s condition doesn’t take a turn for the worse, the family may be back in San Diego by Monday.

It was an evening of celebration, laughter, and love. On Friday kids scrambled all over the new purple playground in Elizabeth Park in Hartford dedicated to Ana Grace Marquez-Greene.
 
"It's just a way she lives on, and as a parent who's lost a child so young, you do want your children to live on. And this is a way for us to do that," said Ana's mom Nelba Marquez-Greene.
 
Born in Hartford, Ana spent a lot of time at the park, so it was important her playground stood there. It's all part of the Sandy Ground Project, which is building 26 playgrounds for each of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting.
 
Covered with her artwork, Ana's opened on what would have been her eighth birthday.
 
"Give a little window of joy to these families that have suffered so much is our privilege, our blessing," said Bill Lavin, founder of The Sandy Ground: Where Angels Play Foundation.
 
During the ceremony everyone learned and danced a bit of salsa, something Ana would do. Her mom handed out books from Ana's own collection. She gave Governor Dannel Malloy The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
 
As soon as the ribbon was cut the kids climbed inside to take a look around and play the instruments Ana loved.

Her family hopes kids play there for years to come and that it will be a place of peace and ring with laughter in remembrance of their little girl.
 
"Every time a kid gets on that playscape and plays and touches a note on the piano or touches their hands to the bongos so music will rise into the air, hopefully Ana will be remembered with the beauty and the person that she was," said Ana's dad, Jimmy Greene.
 
The next playground will be built in honor of seven-year-old Grace McDonnell. The project will begin on April 24th in Mystic.


 

A Miami woman, who allegedly engaged in sex acts while killing chickens and rabbits in an animal torture pornographic video, was arrested on Friday.

Sara Zamora, 28, was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty for her role in a video called “SOS Barn,” according to the Miami Herald, which first reported the story.

The video shows her and other pornographic actresses torturing and killing chickens, rabbits and other animals for the “sexual gratification of its viewers,” according to police.

In one clip of “SOS Barn,” police said Zamora is seen groping a man’s genitals with one hand while cutting a chicken’s neck with hedge clippers with her other hand, the Herald reported. She also karate-chopped the necks of several rabbits and admitted to killing them.

Videos that depict animal torture and death is illegal under Florida law.

• Florida Clerk Who Mistook Body for Mannequin Fired

The video was shot at the home of Adam Redford, who is already on probation for a similar animal cruelty case in Lee County last year, according to a police report. Redford has not yet been charged in this recent case as of Friday night.

Police arrested Zamora while she was already in jail for failing a probation drug test, according to the Herald. She was on probation for a laundry list of other offenses including grand theft with a firearm, credit card fraud and cocaine possession. She would have been released Friday had it not been for the “fickle finger of fate,” said defense attorney Theodore Mastos, according to the Herald

As of Friday night, NBC6 could not reach Mastos for comment.

Miami-Dade detectives learned about the video from animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

• Grandmother Dies Trying to Escape Morgue Freezer: Lawsuit
  

A man known as the "Pillowcase Rapist" who terrorized much of California in the 1970s and 1980s was ordered Friday to be released to a location in the unincorporated Palmdale area.

The court order, which will be the subject of an upcoming public hearing, comes months after residents of Lake Los Angeles campaigned to keep Christopher Hubbart out of the nearby area.

• Residents Fight Release of "Pillowcase Rapist" in Their Neighborhood

Hubbart, 62, has admitted to raping 38 women in California between 1971 and 1982 -- about two dozen of which occurred in LA County. He was released to the Bay Area in 1979, where he raped 15 more women. He has been held in mental institutions since his release.

The ruling came down today in Santa Clara Superior Court. Hubbart will have around-the-clock security after his release.

The plan drew a quick response from authorities in Southern California.

"I will continue to oppose Hubbart's release," Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said. "My top priority is to protect our community.

"If Hubbart is housed in Los Angeles County, my office will work with law enforcement to make sure that he is closely monitored at all times and that all terms and conditions of his release are strictly enforced."

• Download the FREE NBC Bay Area News app

The location is the second proposed for Hubbart. In November, the owner of a Lake Los Angeles residence withdrew his property from consideration after protest from neighbors.

A public hearing is scheduled for May 21 in San Jose regarding the new proposal.

Police say an 11-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed in her Mantua home while her mother was just down the hall in the bathroom.

Investigators say 11-year-old Jamara Stevens was killed when she and her three siblings, a 14-year-old boy, 7-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy, were playing with a .357 caliber handgun with an extended barrel in their home on the 3800 block of Wallace Street just before 10 a.m. Saturday.

Tiffany Goldwire and her four children were in her bedroom, when she went to use the bathroom, according to police.

At that point, the kids located the loaded firearm, which was left on top of the refrigerator by a male friend who visited the home earlier that morning, and the eldest child retrieved it, according to reports.

While playing with the weapon, the 2-year-old boy pointed the loaded, cocked gun in the direction of his 11-year-old sister and it discharged, striking her in the arm, according to authorities.

Investigators say the bullet then traveled through her chest, hitting her heart.

The girl was taken to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m.

The surviving children and Goldwire were taken to police headquarters, where the mother was questioned for nearly five hours, according to reports.

Police say this is not the first time they have been to the Mantua home and that Goldwire is not cooperating.

Detectives say they are trying to figure out who owned the handgun, which they found on Goldwire's bed.

After the shooting occurred, neighbors and relatives could be seen visibly upset outside of the Mantua home as members of CeaseFire arrived in the neighborhood to post signs calling for an end to shootings.

No charges have been filed as homicide detectives continue to investigate.

Also on NBC10.com:

• 1 Dead, 1 Hurt After Fight Leads to Shooting
• House Party Brawl Leads to Fatal Shooting

 The retrial of a U.S. Marine who again faces war crimes charges is back to square one, a military judge said Friday.

Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III appeared in a Camp Pendleton court for a pre-trial hearing.

The judge was tasked with determining if Hutchins’ attorneys were tainted – as the defendant claimed – because they work for the U.S. Marine Corps command, which Hutchins said “unduly influenced” the case against him.

However, the judge, Col. Michael Richardson rejected Hutchins’ argument and found no undue influence with regards to his legal representation.

“I find no good cause to sever the relationship of the attorneys,” Richardson said in court.

“You are back to square one,” he added, referring to Hutchins’ retrial.

• READ: Marine Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins to be Retried in August

The defendant did not object to the ruling but declined when asked by the judge to let his council go.

The military’s highest court overturned his previous 11-year prison conviction last year, ruling that his constitutional rights were violated and that a confession Hutchins made while being held in a trailer without access to a lawyer for seven days should not have been admitted as evidence.

Now, he is set to be retried on charges of murder, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, false statements and larceny, stemming from the killing of an Iraqi civilian while he was deployed in April 2006.

• READ: Marine Murder Conviction Overturned

Hutchins is accused of leading an eight-person squad suspected of kidnapping and killing a retired Iraqi policeman.

The sergeant’s court martial is scheduled to start on Aug. 18, and he faces 11 years in prison if convicted, minus the nearly seven years he’s already served.

Hutchins and his wife declined to comment to NBC 7 as they entered into court Friday.

The U.S. Navy’s newest littoral combat ship, USS Coronado, was commissioned in San Diego Saturday morning in a ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island.

Accompanied by the ship’s core crew of 40 officers and enlisted personnel, Cmdr. Shawn Johnston looked on proudly at USS Coronado as Adm. Mark Ferguson, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, delivered the principal address at the ceremony. In a time-honored Navy tradition, a first order was later given to “man our ship and bring her to life!”

For USS Coronado sailor BM2 Ricardo Tovar, Saturday’s commissioning was extra special, and a highlight of his Navy career.

“We’ve been working long hours but it’s all led up to this great day. It’s always good as a crew to see the ship come to life. Before it was just bare metal and now we’re actually a functioning ship on the waterfront,” Tovar told NBC 7.

As a boatswain’s mate, Tovar said he and fellow crewmembers have been primarily responsible for much of the manual labor aboard the vessel, including operating a lot of the machinery on board.

Now, he’s looking forward to seeing what the ship can do.

“I’m ready to get back to work, hit the waterfront. I’m excited for that,” he said.

The San Diego native said he’s also thrilled to be working back in his hometown, near his family, after being deployed overseas for many years.

USS Coronado is homeported in San Diego.

The highly-anticipated warship, underway since late January, arrived last month in San Diego after making stops in Florida, Guantanamo Bay, Colombia, Panama and Mexico.

The 2,790-ton ship was built by Austal USA Shipbuilding in Mobile, Ala., and is the fourth littoral combat ship, or LCS, in the Navy. Littoral combat ships are designed to be fast, maneuverable and flexible with minimal crew, hence USS Coronado’s 40-person crew.

This means sailors do much more than his or her primary job.

Tovar told NBC 7 the workflow on the ship is “nonstop” but is also very rewarding.

According to the Navy, USS Coronado is 417 feet in length. It was a waterline beam of 100 feet, and a navigational draft of 15 feet. The ship uses two gas turbine and two diesel engines to power four steerable water jets to speeds in excess of 40 knots. It’s capable of operating independently or with an associated strike group.

While the ship’s commissioning ceremony was exciting for the crew, it was also a memorable, happy moment for sailors’ loved ones.

“I’m very proud of my son. I’m so happy to be here,” said Trina Gatestraylor, mother of a USS Coronado crewmember.

Navy spouse Deanna Frelis said seeing the ship come to life was a very special moment for her family.

“It’s absolutely amazing. I’m very proud [of my sailor],” she said.

The USS Coronado is the third Navy ship to be named after the Crown City.
 

 Fewer than 4 in 10 California high school students are completing the requirements to be eligible for the state's public universities, fueling worries of a shortage of college-educated workers when the value of a bachelor's degree has never been higher.

To meet entrance requirements, high school students must complete 15 classes with a grade of C or better, including foreign language, lab science, intermediate algebra, and visual or performing arts.

At the current rate, educators and policy experts say, far too few students are finishing high school with the minimum coursework needed even to apply to a University of California or California State University campus.

In 1994, 32 percent of public school graduates met the course and grade prerequisites, known as "A-G requirements" because they cover seven subject areas. For the Class of 2012, it was 38 percent.

"We need young adults to be successful in the future economy of our state, and to be successful, an increasing number of them will need to go to and graduate from college. And the A-G course completion share, while it's going up, is not sufficiently high to meet that economic need," said Public Policy Institute of California Senior Fellow Hans Johnson, who has estimated the state will have 1 million fewer college graduates than it needs in 2025, if current trends continue.

The sobering numbers do not tell the whole story, according to John Rogers, director of UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access. Once students who drop out or do not finish high school in four years are removed from the equation, the proportion of public high school graduates who met the UC and CSU entrance criteria in 2012 drops to 30 percent statewide, 20 percent for Latinos and 18 percent for African-Americans, Rogers said.

"They speak to a huge gap between the expectations that parents and students have, which is that if they complete a rigorous high school curriculum they will be college-eligible, and the sorts of outcomes that are emerging from our K-12 system," he said.

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have made a push in recent years to prepare their students for college by updating their high school graduation requirements to include four years of math and English, the course of study that Achieve, a nonprofit education reform group based in Washington, considers essential to post-secondary success.

California's high school graduation requirements, which have not been substantially revised in more than a decade, only require two years of math, three years of English and no foreign language or science labs. Students hoping to study at one of the state's 32 public universities must opt into the courses that make up the more strenuous A-G sequence and repeat the classes if they do not earn a C.

For families without previous higher education experience or living in communities without enough guidance counselors, chemistry sections or money for private tutors, "that's a big hurdle," said Michele Siqueiros, executive director of Campaign for College Opportunity. She said she often meets parents and students who are devastated to learn, in the child's junior or senior year, that they do not meet the entrance requirements for the state's public universities.

"I always tell folks that not everybody who works at a high school sees it as their responsibility to prepare your kid for college. They see it as their responsibility to get kids to graduate from high school," said Siqueiros, whose group has examined the college achievement gap for blacks and Latinos in California.

With Latino children now a majority of California's public school students, community groups increasingly are framing the problem as a civil rights issue and lobbying local school districts to put more young people on the college track by aligning their own graduation requirements with the A-G requirements.

Students in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and several other districts now are expected to complete the 15-course sequence, although they can still earn a high school diploma even if they earn D's. In Los Angeles Unified School District, the state's largest, this year's 9th graders will be required to pass each of the prescribed classes with at least a C by graduation.

"We are not saying every student will be guaranteed of going into college because there are additional requirements the colleges have, a certain GPA being one, a certain score on the ACT or SAT are another," said Nader Delnavaz, LAUSD's administrative coordinator for college and career education. "What we are saying is we are not having a two-track or three-track high school diploma."

In June, San Francisco Unified School District will graduate its first class that had to meet the minimum college entrance requirement. Jessica Hernandez, 17, a senior at Abraham Lincoln High School, had hoped to attend UC Berkeley but got a D in geometry in 10th grade, had to repeat it, got behind in some classes and saw her grades slide.

Hernandez now plans to attend community college and hopes to go to Berkeley as a junior and become the first in her family to earn a degree. Meantime, she has offered advice to her younger sister who will start at Lincoln next fall.

"I've already been telling her that if she needs help, there is help here," she said. "I've told her it is stressful, but if you keep up with all your work, it will pay off."

Administrators say the switch to college-prep for all involves more than doing away with low-level math and science and is not a magic fix. Before San Jose Unified adopted the A-G course requirements starting in 1998, about 37 percent of its graduates were eligible for admission to a UC or CSU school. By 2012, it had risen only to 44 percent.

Thousands of students throughout the state are missing out on being deemed "A-G eligible" by virtue of one or two D grades, says Linda Murray, who was superintendent in San Jose when it updated its graduation requirements and now helps other districts.

That phenomenon suggests the problem is not standards that are out of reach for some but inadequate "safety nets" for young people, said Murray, now superintendent-in-residence for The Education Trust-West, an advocacy group addressing racial disparities in education.

"The right question isn't: `Should every kid go to college?' The question is: `Who should decide?"' Murray said. "It just seems to me the right thing to do is to make sure the doors are kept open so they have good choices when they are 18 years old."

Finding parking in downtown San Diego can be difficult, but what if there was an app for that?

The nonprofit Civic San Diego has announced plans to scout out a developer that could create a mobile application and website that would provide real-time parking information to those who visit, live and work in downtown San Diego.

Right now, CivicSD is publicly requesting proposals for the “Downtown Parking District Mobile Application” from any and all interested developers, including proposals from local firms and small businesses.

The deadline to submit a response is 4:30 p.m. on Apr. 24. For materials and instructions on submitting a proposal for the app, click here.

According to CivicSD, the mobile app and website must include a map of the downtown area, filtering tools and “real-time data and information related to on and off-street parking, general parking information, graphics and photos.”

Ideally, the app will be compatible with multiple sources of data and provide GPS-enabled navigation to the parking destination.

The website will also include a map and filtering tools, just like the app.

The goal is to have the mobile app and website up and running by this summer.

As a consumer, what would you like to see included in this downtown parking mobile app? Leave your ideas in the comments below.

A U.S. Navy frigate -- a key piece in a complex ocean rescue -- has reached a sailboat stranded hundreds of miles off the Mexican coast to save a sick baby, according to the victims’ family.

USS Vandergrift has made contact with a 36-foot boat called the “Rebel Heart” about 900 miles from Cabo San Lucas.

On board is a seriously ill 1-year-old girl.

San Diego couple Eric and Charlotte Kaufman, along with their 1-year-old and 3-year-old daughters, set sail two weeks ago on an around-the-world journey.

But Thursday, they set out a distress call, saying the youngest girl had become violently sick. On top of that, their boat lost its steering and communication abilities.

In a large coordinated effort, the California National Air Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing worked with the Navy to send four pararescuemen, who jumped from a plane into the ocean and climbed aboard the Rebel Heart to treat the girl.

• READ: Calif. National Guard Rescuing San Diego Family with Sick Girl, 1

By Saturday, they said the baby’s condition had stabilized while they waited for further transportation from the Vandergrift.

According to a Facebook post from Charlotte’s sister, Sariah English, the Navy frigate made contact with the family just after 4 p.m. Saturday.

English talked with her sister shortly after, and Charlotte told her they will be transferred to the Vandergrift Sunday. The family reportedly has one trip to get their things off the boat – as much as they can carry -- before they leave it behind in the ocean.

The Kaufmans should return to San Diego on Monday. English said they requested to stay at a Navy base hotel and then travel to New Mexico, where English lives.

It’s unclear what caused the baby to fall ill. English told NBC 7 that she had diarrhea, fevers, and a large rash and had been vomiting.

In a post on her blog, Charlotte had said on March 11 that both she and her 1-year-old daughter had tested positive for salmonella.

With 10 years running, you could say that a quirky competition known as the “Toilet Paper Wedding Contest” is truly on a roll.

The annual nationwide contest, created by the website Cheap-Chic-Weddings and sponsored by Charmin, is exactly what it sounds like: a battle of the best, most elaborate wedding gowns made entirely out of toilet paper.

That’s a whole lot of white, plushy two-ply.

Besides Charmin Toilet Paper, other materials designers are allowed to use include tape, glue, a needle and thread. That's it. Entries must also include a toilet paper headpiece.

The contest began two weeks ago and participants have until May 13 to submit their masterpieces by sending photos of their design on a model or mannequin to the Cheap-Chic-Weddings website.

From there, contest co-creator Susan Bain said the top 10 wedding dress entries will be chosen and online voting will open to the public. The contest will culminate on Jun. 12 at The Sanctuary Hotel on The Haven Rooftop in New York City where the top 10 designs will be showcased.

There, a winner will be chosen and the victor, quite fittingly, will receive a nice stack of paper – a $10,000 grand prize. Second place will walk away with $5,000 and third place will receive a $2,500 prize for their toilet paper creation.

The winners will be selected by a panel of judges, which includes “Project Runway” contestant Kate Pankoke.

But to take top honors in this year’s contest, designers will need to bring forth their TP A-game.

Bain told NBC 7 that contestants must step it up every year and with the 10th anniversary of the contest, this is especially true this time around.

Bain said details and extra accessories on the dresses get more intricate each year. Also, much like a wedding, competitors tend to use themes.

“Contestants use themes and name their dresses. Last year we had a dress that converted from long to short, a Japanese wedding kimono and a steam punk-inspired dress. The winner used glitter glue to form realistic calla lilies!” said Bain. “Above all of that, the workmanship has gotten better.”

Bain said the gowns are examined carefully by judges who always take into consideration how much the entry looks like a real wedding gown.

“To win this year it will take great photos [of the dress] at the start of the contest, excellent structure to the dress and details we haven't seen before,” she added.

Last year’s winner was an entry dubbed “Beautiful Swan,” pictured above.

For more information on the Toilet Paper Wedding Contest, click here.

Police are searching for a couple that allegedly made off with a whole lot of makeup from a MAC Cosmetics store in Escondido, stealing more than $8,000 worth of merchandise.

According to police, the heist happened on Mar. 22 at a MAC store at the Westfield North County Mall.

Two suspects – a man and woman – entered the business and loitered for about 30 minutes. During their browsing session, they grabbed dozens of cosmetics and hid them in a large shopping bag. They then left the store with the loot.

The couple was captured on surveillance tape and NBC 7 is in the process of obtaining those images.

Police describe the man as having short, dark hair. He wore a long-sleeve white shirt, dark jeans and white shoes. The woman had dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and wore a long-sleeve shirt with horizontal stripes and a hood, dark pants and dark-colored shoes. She had sunglasses on her head.

The suspects remain at large and the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information on this case should contact Det. Mike Martinez at (760) 839-4717.
 

With California’s intense drought and a huge jump in the number of recent fires, dozens of firefighters gathered in the East County Friday to conduct their annual fire preparedness training.

The Viejas Casino parking lot in Alpine served as a good spot or some real-life exercises, including training on communications, structure protection, hose deployments and survival under simulated emergency conditions. Various local emergency service agencies came together for the training event in preparation for fire season and the hot months ahead.

As a helicopter flew overhead spraying down faux flames, fire crews below hustled through the brush with hoses in hand.

The real-life training exercise brought in several fire engines with dozens of firefighters put to the test. They were evaluated on everything from how they pull the hose to how well they were communicating and using their resources.

This year, Cal Fire staffing is already at its peak, so the agency can be ready for the worst this fire season.

At Friday’s session, firefighters told NBC 7 this type of training is key to being successful in a real-life emergency situation.

“I was fortunate enough to have experience with the Harris and Cedar fires years ago, but each fire is different – you can never be prepared enough,” said Capt. Jim Hemphill of Heartland Fire and Rescue.

“So we're getting a chance to practice just like we fight fire – training the exact same way we're fighting fire. So this gives us an opportunity to knock off the cob webs and play with some new technology out there, see how we can use it,” added Fire Chief Don Butz, of the Viejas Fire Department.

That new technology includes a white board application that allows fire authorities to see in a picture what the fire is doing and what resources are being deployed, rather than have to learn about it by word of mouth.

By the time the workshop wraps up on Monday, more than 750 firefighters will have trained.
 

Three victims were attacked by two men in front of Spreckels Theatre in downtown San Diego Saturday morning, officials from the San Diego Police Department confirmed.

The altercation happened just after 10 a.m. in front of Spreckles Theatre located at 220 Broadway Circle.

SDPD Sgt. Ruben Gutierrez told NBC 7 that three Spreckels workers were allegedly assaulted by two men who, according to a Spreckels Threatre security guard, were acting belligerent.

Gutierrez said the suspects may have been intoxicated. They allegedly opened the door to the theatre and when employees inside told them to leave, a fight ensued, spilling into the street.

The victims sustained minor injuries, including cuts and bruises in the scuffle. Gutierrez said one of the victims is in their 60s.

The two assault suspects were arrested by police. Gutierrez said the men face assault charges and will be booked in San Diego Central Jail.

NBC 7 was there when the men were detained and put into the back of an SDPD patrol vehicle. One suspect was sticking his tongue out and making faces through the window of the vehicle and writing things in chapstick on the window (see photo). The other man appeared to be passed out in the backseat.

No further details were released, and no additional injuries were reported in the assault incident.