An Eastlake family is searching for their pet, Baby, after the dog ran off while in the groomer's care.

Ivan Esquivel’s wife dropped off their 7 year-old Pomeranian at the local groomer Monday just like she had many times before, but this time it never came home.

“I have a 14 month-old daughter, she knows four words, and one is ‘doggie’ and ever since she came home last night it’s ‘doggie, doggie’, she’s looking for her dog” said Esquivel.

The retired U.S. Marine bought “Baby” for his wife just before his last tour of duty in Iraq. Baby has become part of the family.

“That dog is like our son, there is no other way to describe it. It’s not a dog to her, it’s family” said Esquivel.

Esquivel says they usually get a call from Rolling Hills Pet Hospital within five hours of dropping the dog off for grooming services, but this time it wasn’t until after 6 p.m. when they were told to come pick up the dog. Nothing prepared them for what happened next.

Staffers told Esquivel that the dog escaped a four-point harness on a walk.

“I don’t see that dog slipping out of the harness” said Esquivel who called Chula Vista Police to investigate.

The groomers say they put Baby in the harness that was given to them by the owners. At 6:28 p.m. the dog flipped over and managed to get out of his harness.

At the same time, around 6:30 p.m., the wife came to pick up the dog.

“I can’t believe they had my wife go down there, pay for the services, and then tell her after the fact ‘we lost your dog’, but hey thanks for paying us,” Esquivel told NBC 7.

Keith Hilinski, D.V.M. with Rolling Hills explains that while nurses and staff were searching for the dog, the receptionist had started the checkout process with Esquivel's wife.

“[We] feel terrible and we are trying to remedy a bad situation. We are not trying to hide anything. The wife knew the dog ran away as soon as the receptionist did,” Hilinski told NBC 7 adding that since the business opened in 1984, it has never lost a dog.

The vet called Ivan Wednesday morning and told him the family will not be charged.

Esquivel claims a staff member admitted to the officer they didn’t call him right away.

“When he is around here I whistle and he’ll come right away, so I know if they’d called me I could’ve shown up and driven around and would’ve found the dog” said Esquivel.

Hilinski said Baby has been a client since 2010 when the dog was hit by a car. He said the dog is prone to running away.

Baby has been to the clinic before for vet visits, grooming, etc.

Both the family and the hospital say they are working to find the dog by posting flyers and missing posters. The family is also putting ads on craigslist, and offering a reward for the safe return of Baby.

Hilinski said the clinic is also offering $100 reward as well as contacting shelters looking for Baby. 

Noah ended Jacob's 14-year reign as the top baby name for boys in 2013, according to the Social Security Administration. Sophia remained on top as the most popular name for girls for the third straight year.

Noah unseated Jacob, which occupied the top spot from 1999 to 2012. Before that, parents favored the name Michael for nearly four decades from 1960 to 1998. Jacob fell to No. 3 in 2013, while Liam was the second most popular boys name last year.

The Social Security Administration compiles the baby names list each year from all the Social Security applications received from parents. There were approximately 4 million births in 2013, acting commissioner Carolyn W. Colvin told Today.com.

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Top names for boys in 2013:

1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Jacob
4. Mason
5. William
6. Ethan
7. Michael
8. Alexander
9. Jayden
10. Daniel

• Look: Famous Moms and Moms of the Famous

Top names for girls in 2013:

1. Sophia
2. Emma
3. Olivia
4. Isabella
5. Ava
6. Mia
7. Emily
8. Abigail
9. Madison
10. Elizabeth

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President Barack Obama announced new executive actions to reduce carbon pollution and global climate change in remarks Friday at a Walmart in Silicon Valley, as labor unions protested outside.

Obama touted the retail chain for its renewable energy efforts in the last decade and spotlighted his own administration's commitment to solar energy, saying that new jobs to cut carbon pollution would help boost employment.

• Full Video: Watch President Obama's Mountain View Speech

Obama specifically lauded the specific Walmart store on Showers Drive in Mountain View for replacing lightbulbs with LEDs, providiing charging stations for electrical vehicles and installing solar panels on its roof.

But he did not choose Walmart to pick up a pair of cheap sweats after his speech, where the backdrop to his podium boasted signs offering "low prices of $4.77."

He addressed the crowd with a friendly "Hello, Mountain View," mentioning that he's been in California the last few days, attending fundraisers and wrapping up visits in Los Angeles and San Diego. He quipped he needed to return home to Washington by Sunday — Mother's Day — or Michelle Obama would not be a happy woman.

Obama said his new executive actions will lead to an additional $2 billion in energy efficiency investments, better buildings and smarter appliances and will cut carbon pollution by more than 380 million metric tons — equivalent to taking 80 million cars off the road for one year.

• Read: Obama's Action Plan on Climate Change

They will also save businesses nearly $26 billion on their energy bills and support training programs at community colleges nationwide to help 50,000 workers enter the solar industry by 2020, he said.

The site Obama chose to talk about his renewable energy efforts drew swift criticism from labor unions who are arguing that the retailer isn't kind to its workers.

Walmart employee Pam Marley said she hoped to hand Obama a letter she wrote about what it's like living paycheck to paycheck in the Silicon Valley. Marley said Walmart's low wages, inadequate benefits and unreliable work hours make it tough to get by.

• Labor Unions Demand Higher Pay as Obama Speaks at Walmart

Outside the store, protesters from Raise the Wage Mountain View Coalition and OUR Walmart held signs to protest his Walmart visit. It doesn't make sense for a president who is supporting an effort to raise the minimum wage to speak at Walmart, they said.

.@Walmart workers march to protest Pres @BarackObama's appearance at the Mt View store. pic.twitter.com/YJ0zUeNWPT

— Nannette Miranda (@NannetteNewz) May 9, 2014

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is on Walmart's board of directors, and she also is hosting Obama on this trip, his 17th visit to the Bay Area during his presidency.

While Walmart stores across the country have gained a dubious reputation for selling cheap products and paying non-union workers low wages, the chain is also credited for its more recent renewable energy efforts.  

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The company's first solar project took off in 2005, and last year, Walmart had more than 335 renewable energy projects in operation or under development across the world, according to its website.

 NBC Bay Area's Nannette Miranda and Mark Matthews contributed to this report.

Otay Mesa resident Helby Patron lets her children play on the same street where National City police arrested a man Wednesday on charges of rape.

“It’s scary,” she exclaims after she learns that suspect Isaac Acuna was taken down by officers right in front of her home.

“He was our neighbor we want to make sure we have safe neighbor around here. We sleep here. We want to sleep good,” Patron said.

The 33 year-old handyman is accused of raping the National City woman who hired him to paint her home, officials said.

A family man had recommended Acuna for the job, investigators said.

On May 6, the worker allegedly made unwanted advances toward the woman, which she rejected.

He then forcibly raped her before leaving her home, according to National City Police Sgt. Alejandro Hernandez.

Acuna -- who has no prior arrests-- was released from jail Thursday on a $75,000 bail. He is expected to appear in court Monday.

Sherly Reichert heads the San Diego Better Business Bureau.

“We always encourage someone when they get a handyman to get at least three bids. When you're talking to three different people and two are on their game and one seems shady, listen to the voice in back of your head,” Reichert said.

Handymen typically perform work that costs $500 or less and aren't regulated by the city or state.

Since 2005, contractors seeking a state license have been required to submit fingerprints and a background check.

Last year according to the Contractors State Licensing Board, of the more than 18,000 state applicants, nearly 3,700 had a criminal history.

Fifty-eight were denied licenses because of criminal convictions. Seventy-nine received probationary licenses.

“Use a company that you know. One that checks their employees out before you hire them and has those strong hiring practices to do the background checks on your behalf.”

That’s important advice because officials say the state’s background check only covers the person applying for the license. Not all employees in the company.
 

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) were in San Diego Thursday demanding accountability from President Obama on allegations of mismanagement and a cover-up at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In front of the War Memorial Building at Balboa Park, the veterans turned up the heat on the VA after allegations that 40 veterans died in Phoenix waiting for medical care and accusations of cover-ups at medical centers nationwide.

“The question we have is, what's next? Are there other VA facilities that are having this problem where people are allegedly cooking the books?” asked IAVA Founder and CEO Paul Rieckhoff. He wants accountability at the highest level in the administration.

David Curry, a member of the San Diego Chapter, said the alleged problems at the VA were in large part uncovered by his fellow Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, “because others wouldn't come forward.” With 22 veterans committing suicide a day, the system needs to be accountable for care.

• Read: Local Marines Leave Deadly Afghan Region

Rieckhoff said the VA San Diego Healthcare system is one of the best, but one veteran told NBC 7 the wait is still too long, one and a half months.

The San Diego VA Health System said in a statement:

"We have mechanisms in place to ensure all new patients are seen within 90 days of the day they enroll or sooner with most being seen within 14 days of enrollment. Urgent care is available 24/7, and we expedite follow-up care from the emergency department for any patient who needs it. If they (employees) become aware of unethical scheduling activity in their area, they are compelled to inform their manager."

• Report: VA Backlog Efforts 'Stalled'

This is a step in the right direction for retired Marine Aaron Mankin, who was injured in by an IED while overseas. Still, he says what is happening nationwide is unacceptable.

“It's evil that we would have to fight and be in combat and come home and have to continue to fight and struggle just to receive these services,” Mankin said.

A mother and her 1-month-old daughter survived the collapse of their mobile home as it was buffeted by straight-line winds during Thursday's storms in North Texas.

The strong storms that swept through Johnson County destroyed Kelsey White-Fryer's home on Jan Lane in Joshua, ripping off its entire back side and causing its roof to cave in on her and her 1-month-old Alexis.

The baby suffered only minor injuries, including a cut on her nose. White-Fryer was not hurt and said was more concerned for her daughter's safety than about the damage to the home.

"It scared me worse that something flew off and hit her," she said. "It scared me more about that than it did about the house blown over."

Deputies attributed the damage to straight-line winds. The home was the only one significantly damaged in the neighborhood.

White-Fryer and her daughter are staying with family while they recover.

Two Virginia children, ages 8 and 10, fought off their next door neighbor who was attacking their mom with a metal baseball bat, police said.

The melee Tuesday in Arlington left their mother with a black eye and their neighbor in custody.

Police documents say that 27-year-old Kendra Owens repeatedly struck Jennifer Robinson with a baseball bat. The attack didn't stop until Robinson's children wrestled Owens to the ground, took the bat and then struck her with it, police said.

When authorities arrived on the scene just after 6 p.m. Tuesday, the two women were on the ground, and the kids were holding the bat.

• 14-Year-Old Zoo Shooting Suspect Had 100+ School Absences

Robinson spoke through her lawyer, Deborah Kane, to News4's Pat Collins Thursday.

“She's extremely traumatized. She was attacked," Kane said. "She just underwent eye surgery [Wednesday]. She currently has a tube in her eye."

Kane credited two of Robinson's children with coming to her rescue.

"They were there while the attack was going on, and her son, particularly, tried to get in the way to try to defend her and help her," Kane said.

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Police said they are aware of a dispute between the two women, who live in the 2400 block of S. Lowell Street in Arlington.

"This is a long-standing feud between neighbors," Dustin Sternbeck with Arlington County Police said."We’ve been called out to that area before for disputes, issues amongst them, but it never escalated to this type of physical confrontation."

Both women were transported to a local hospital after the fight.

Owens is facing malicious wounding charges. She remained in police custody as of Thursday night. It is not yet known if she has a lawyer.

People who live in the area say this kind of neighbor-on-neighbor violence is not typical.

"It makes no sense," said neighbor Brenda Garner. "I mean, this is a very family-oriented community, and usually, if there is an altercation or disagreement, everyone usually tries to talk it out and work everything out."

Police in Bridgeport are looking for the thieves who stole a wheelchair ramp from the home of a 10-year-old boy who cannot get to school in his wheelchair without it.

"I lost my independence, my freedom," Isaiah McLaughlin said.

The family has had the ramp for five years, but it was stolen on the Saturday before Easter.

Isaiah’s mother, Gloria Ramirez, said she went to work that Saturday and it was gone when she came home.

“Whoever it was really needed it, because who would do that on a holy weekend?" Ramirez asked.

Ramirez searched around her block, but has not been able to find it. 

Isaiah, who has a rare congenital joint condition called arthrogryposis, was forced to stay home for days because he had no way to get his 450-pound mechanical wheelchair to school.

That changed when a security employee at Isaiah's school decided something had to be done.

Kelly Mason called a tow truck driver to get the wheelchair to school and reached out to a local motorcycle club to volunteer the manpower to build a new chair.

“When I saw Isaiah, he just didn't look like himself. He's usually happy go lucky and cheerful. He brightens up everybody's day," Mason said.

"You know what it was? A blessing, because it showed me how the building I work in came together as a school," Mason said.

The ramp is still missing. Ramirez wants to know who stole the ramp, but she is not letting it dampen her spirits.

"I just keep smiling because of this little guy," she said of her son.

Police are investigating, and the family believes the thieves stole the ramp to sell as scrap metal.

If you'd like to help, you can make a donation on the GoFundMe page set up for the wheelchair ramp fund.

The San Francisco 49ers' Chris Culliver has been sued by an SUV driver accusing the cornerback of threatening a 15-year-old with brass knuckles and using a racial slur, in the midst of trying to flee the scene of a crash.

Culliver, 25, has already been arrested and pleaded not guilty to hit-and-run and weapons charges in connection with that March 28 collision in San Jose, in which police say he hit a cyclist and then, in trying to flee, the SUV as well.

The SUV driver Marc Santos' family's suit accuses Culliver of assault, battery, intentionally inflicting emotional distress and negligently using his car and brass knuckles. It demands damages and punitive damages.

• READ: Lawsuit vs. Chris Culliver

Attempts to locate a lawyer for Culliver were not immediately successful. A lawyer for Marc Santos and his family, Braid Pezzaglia, told NBC Bay Area he is not yet aware of a defense lawyer in the suit he filed for the Santos family.

A 49ers spokesman declined to comment on the litigation to NBC Bay Area on Friday. Culliver's public relations company, Creative Edge, emailed NBC Bay Area on Friday that "we are not at liberty to have any comment at this time."

• 49ers' Culliver Apologizes for Anti-Gay Comments

The Santos family filed its lawsuit April 15 in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

According to the suit, Culliver was near the Santa Clara County fairgrounds on March 28 when he got into his white Ford Mustang and started doing doughnuts and racing around.

Soon after, he hit a bicyclist near Tully Road and South 7th Street, according to police and to the suit. The cyclist suffered minor injuries.

Culliver tried to flee, the suit claims — striking the Santos family's SUV in the process, their suit says. Santos and his wife Angelica Cortez were in the car with their three children, a 15-year-old, a 4-year-old and a 2-month-old.

Santos called 911 and then followed Culliver to Mekler Drive and Senter Road, where he blocked Culliver's car in a cul-de-sac until police arrived, according to the suit.

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According to the suit, that prompted Culliver to lunge in his Mustang toward Santos' family, "holding his hand inside a bag" and pointing it at them "in a manner that suggested he was holding a gun" while shouting "profane and hostile epithets," including a racial slur.

Culliver also took out brass knuckles, the suit claims, and said he would hurt the Santos family if they didn't get out of his way. Police have also said Culliver threatened the witnesses with brass knuckles.

The Santos family, its suit says, fell victim to "violent, reckless, oppressive, malicious, depraved, despicable and morally reprehensible crimes" by Culliver, who by "way of self-centered arrogance, fueled the conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others."

The lawsuit takes personal aim at Culliver's behavior and moralizes about societal values, decrying the "hostile" environment of football where "injury-producing behavior is condoned."

"We live in a civilized society... governed by rules" that demand the "respect for the inherent dignity of mankind," the suit says. "Thus, we do not strike a man down and leave him for dead. Nor do we brandish brass knuckles upon 15-year-old children."

An Amber Alert has been canceled for 2-month-old Addalie Grace Christensen. She has been found safe in Dublin, about 15 miles away from where she was kidnapped. She is back with her parents.

Police arrested 38-year-old Latonya Suzette McClain. She will be charged with aggravated kidnapping.

McClain snatched the infant directly from her car seat as her mother unloaded the car in front of their Stephenville home on the 1200 block of North Kight Street Friday, police said.

Officers told NBC 5 that when McClain confronted the child's mother, she demanded cash. When the mother told her she didn't have any, McClain grabbed the baby and ran.

The infant was found at about 5 p.m. Friday with McClain and her parents, who may also face charges.

Stephenville Police Chief Pat Bridges said he's never seen this kind of abduction before.

NBC 5's Randy McIlwain, Christina Miralla and Holley Ford contributed to this story.

A Fort Worth couple filed a $1 million lawsuit against the vet who secretly kept their dog alive for six months after he was supposed to have been euthanized due to a diagnosed congenital spine defect; a defect another vet says the dog never suffered from.

In their lawsuit, Jamie and Marian Harris allege their vet, Millard Lucien "Lou" Tierce III, DVM, said he had discovered in an X-ray that the dog had a birth defect that could not be fixed. The couple, after consulting with the vet at his Camp Bowie Animal Clinic, determined the best course of action for their 170-pound Leonberger was euthanasia.

Six months later, the couple was tipped off by a vet tech at Tierce's clinic that Sid was being kept alive, caged in deplorable conditions and being used for blood donations.

• Fort Worth Vet Accused of Keeping Dog Alive for Transfusions

The Harrises rushed to the clinic and retrieved their dog. As they left, they said Tierce tried to explain why he had kept the dog alive.

In the lawsuit, the family said they immediately took Sid to another clinic where they learned he had been "abusively kenneled," "had stressed-induced mange," and "had atrophy in his leg muscles, due to gross inactivity and the abusive kenneling," "had veins consistent with him having been used as a regular blood donor," and "definitively had no congenital spine defect."

The family said, as a result of his kenneling and abuse, Sid now requires surgery for bulging discs and is suffering from a degree of paralysis yet to be fully determined.

• Read the family's lawsuit here

After placing their dog in the care of another veterinarian, the Harrises alerted law enforcement and the media to the conditions at the Camp Bowie Animal Clinic.

Tierce admitted during an investigation by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners that he had kept five dogs alive that should have been euthanized, including his own personal pet. The board temporarily suspended the doctor's veterinary license.

• Fort Worth Veterinarian's 'Decrepit' Dog Among Those in Need of Euthanasia: State Officials

Tierce was also arrested and currently faces an animal cruelty charge stemming from the lack of care given to his own dog, a border collie.

• Fort Worth Vet at Center of Cruelty Case Arrested and Charged
• (Warning: Disturbing Content) Arrest Warrant for Dr. Millard Tierce

The Harris family is suing Tierce for $1 million in monetary relief for Sid's care and their family's pain and suffering.

A Ramona senior citizen who spent up to two days on his bathroom floor is alive thanks to one astute pharmacist.

Just two days after meeting a new customer at the Ramona Albertsons, pharmacist John Robertson became worried when the man never picked up his prescription.

So Robertson decided to go the man’s house and check on him.

“He didn't come to the door, so I got really nervous for him thinking something may have happened,” Robertson said.

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With the help of San Diego County sheriff's deputies, Robertson found the man lying on his bathroom floor, where he had been for up to two days.

“It worked out, I guess a bit of intuition and a bit of worrying about my friend,” Robertson said.

“I was glad that we were able to help him out.”

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On Thursday, Robertson was honored with the “Real Hometown Hero” award.

“I think it's unnecessary, and I'm pretty embarrassed about it,” Robertson said.

But the director of the Ramona Senior Center disagrees.

“To have someone else backing us up checking on our seniors, it's a great thing,” Ray Cordona said.

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Robertson admits it’s not in his job description to make house calls.

“That's not standard protocol, I know. But sometimes, you just have a deep-seeded feeling inside of you that something's not right,” he said.

“I guess you can call it intuition or God was telling me, ‘you need to check on this guy.’ Everything's o.k.”

The senior citizen remains in the hospital. There is no word yet when he will be released.

Clumps of pot were found scattered on the street in Lakeside Friday after someone broke into a nearby medical marijuana dispensary.

One man was arrested following the break-in at Aurora Green's Dispensary.

San Diego County sheriff's deputies were called to Los Coches Road around 4 a.m. after a nearby resident heard what sounded like a group of people near the business.

Deputies set up a perimeter and discovered a hole in the shop's back door. They say they also found a pile of pot down the street and a man hiding in the bushes on Snow White Drive.

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The suspect was later identified as Wendell Coleman, 37, deputies said.

Investigators say Coleman had about four pounds of marijuana along with baked marijuana goods on him. The owner of the dispensary told deputies the products belonged to the store.

The amount stolen was estimated at $45,000. No one was injured.

According to the property manager, Aurora Green's Dispensary had just opened on Monday, and sheriff's officials said it was operating illegally. 

Deputies were granted a search warrant for the business and for the home of the owner Blanca Estela Chavez. 

Inside the dispensary, deputies confiscated 1-1/2 pounds of processed marijuana and an unspecified amount of concentrated cannabis wax. 

Chavez, 47, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana for sales and possession of concentrated cannabis. 

A cease and desist order was also delivered to Chavez. 

 A rare technical glitch that officials say hasn’t happened in two decades hit San Diego Wednesday, causing the police and fire departments to lose communication.

The mayor’s office admitted the radio communications system went down for about five minutes around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday as their current analog system was being shifted to a new digital one.

A spokesperson said ordinarily an outage would not have had such a widespread effect, but the backup system was also offline because it needed a replacement control board.

According to San Diego Police spokesman Kevin Mayer, technicians were on the scene to address the problem quickly.

“All phone and computer systems continued to work during this time and there was no interruption in service to the public,” Mayer said in an emailed statement.

Communications workers can reportedly switch between different talk groups to communicate through their radios during problems like this one.

The city also overnighted a new control board to get the backup system working again.

Another issue -- according to some members of the police department -- was they did not even notice, raising concerns about response times and safety if a significant emergency had occurred.

During the glitch, the NBC 7 police scanner showed the normal frequency entering “failsoft” mode.

Jeff Jordon, vice president of the Police Officers Association, explained in a tweet that “failsoft means total system failure, incredibly dangerous to my fellow officers.”

President of the San Diego Association of Public Safety Dispatchers Jeffrey Hebert had a different definition, saying failsoft is a fallback mode reducing maximum communication, but it still allows minimized communication if everyone is aware of the situation.

The mayor’s office said officials are working to identify the root of the problem and prevent it from happening again.

A former top executive with Time Warner and Citicorp was appointed Friday by the NBA as interim chief executive officer to supervise the Los Angeles Clippers, after the league announced a move to ban owner Donald Sterling after he made racist comments during a recorded conversation.

Richard Parsons will be hired as the new CEO, Clippers officials confirmed to NBC4. An official announcement followed with a statement from the NBA, indicating the Parson's supervision is effective immediately.

"I believe the hiring of Dick Parsons will bring extraordinary leadership and immediate stability to the Clippers organization," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. "Dick's credentials as a proven chief executive speak for themselves and I am extremely grateful he accepted this responsibility."

Parsons, who played basketball at the University of Hawaii, is currently a senior advisor at Providence Equity Partners. He sits on the board of directors for the Commission on Presidential Debates.

At a mid-day practice, Clippers J.J. Redick and Darren Collison said they are not concerned with the front-office move as they are with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The teams are tied at a game apiece in their best-of-seven playoffs series.

"It's a secondary issue for us," Redick said. "Our main focus is figuring out how to stop Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook."

Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night in Los Angeles.

The league announced the transitional plan involving a CEO last weekend, just days after the Sterling recording was posted on TMZ.com. The supervisory position is "the best way to ensure the stability of the team during this difficult situation," league officials said in a statement.

"Like most Americans, I have been deeply troubled by the pain the Clippers' team, fans and partners have endured," said Parsons in a statement released by the league. "A lifelong fan of the NBA, I am firmly committed to the values and principles it is defending, and I completely support Adam's leadership in navigating the challenges facing the team and the league.

"The Clippers are a resilient organization with a brilliant coach and equally talented and dedicated athletes and staff who have demonstrated great strength of character during a time of adversity. I am honored to be asked to work with them, build on their values and accomplishments, and help them open a new, inspiring era for their team." 

Clippers co-owner Rochelle Sterling, Donald Sterling's estranged wife, said she supports the decision to install a CEO. Rochelle Sterling also said this week that she plans to fight for her part of the team.

• Sterling Firestorm: Key Players, Timeline

Silver banned Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million April 29 for making racist comments. Sterling, the NBA's longest-tenured owner, can have no association with the league or the team.

The comments were part of a recorded conversation involving Sterling and companion V. Stiviano. On the recording, a man can be heard criticizing the woman for posting online about bringing black friends to games. The man is also heard chastising the woman for posting a photo on Instagram with Lakers great and Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson.

The recording, which an attorney for Stiviano said was leaked by a third party, led to public outcry across the country and the NBA. Some sponsors dropped the Clippers and others re-evaluated their relationship with the NBA.

• Read: NBA Constitution Guides Termination Process
  

Parson's appointment marks the second major personnel move since Silver announced Sterling's ban. Clippers President Andy Roeser announced he will take a leave of absence.

As for the process of ousting Sterling, a 10-member NBA finance/advisory committee has met twice to discuss the timeline and steps required to remove the 80-year-old Sterling, who has owned the team for three decades. The committee is scheduled to meet against next week as part of a process that might eventually come to a vote by other NBA team owners regarding Sterling's termination.

Sterling has not commented publicly about the ban.

How would you describe your mom?

In honor of Mother’s Day, Twitter published a list on its blog of the top 10 words and phrases people have tweeted this year about their mothers.

"Happy" topped the list, which was ranked by the number of times a word or phrase has been used in a tweet since Jan. 1. Here's the full list:

1. Happy
2. The best
3. My life
4. My everything
5. Beautiful
6. Proud
7. Pretty
8. Amazing
9. My world
10. Strong

Twitter also shared an interactive map to show the popularity of tweets about mothers in countries around the world. The geotagged tweets were based on Mother's Day mentions in 10 languages.

Mother’s Day is Sunday in the U.S. Other countries celebrate their own version of the holiday at different times from February through March.

In other Mother's Day social news, the hashtag #MomQuotes began trending on Twitter on Wednesday after “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon asked viewers to send in tweets of “funny, weird or embarrassing” things that their moms have said.

Check out the best ones that he featured on Thursday's show here.

The 14-year-old who police say shot two people outside the National Zoo had more than 100 absences this school year.

The shooting happened April 21, which was Easter Monday. Shots were fired into a large crowd that had gathered outside the Smithsonian National Zoo in Woodley Park. Two 18-year-old men were wounded, one in the arm, one in the hand. Both are expected to be okay.

Police say the shooting stemmed from a neighborhood dispute between a group from D.C. and another from Prince George's County, Maryland.

The suspect — who is not being named by police because he's a juvenile — is facing 14 charges, including two counts of attempted murder in connection with the attack. He's pleaded not guilty, and his trial is set to begin in mid-June.

Last week, News4 learned the teen had been arrested twice — once for an armed robbery and another time for making felony threats.

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In court Thursday, it was revealed the teen had been chronically absent from school, missing months of classes. Testimony revealed he had 3 suspensions for fights and threats, 35 unexcused absences and 108 excused absences. 

D.C. schools are required to report students who have more than 10 unexcused absences to the city's social services department. It's unknown if that notification was ever made.

His mother testified Thursday, saying she "pleaded with the system for help and they failed him."

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Communication between city schools and social service workers has recently come under fire, following the disappearance of 8-year-old Relisha Rudd.

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Marine biologists are trying to figure out what caused the death of a giant sea turtle that washed ashore in Ocean Beach.

Lifeguards said a “fairly good sized” turtle was found around 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the foot of Santa Cruz Avenue in Sunset Cliffs.

Lifeguards monitored the location until NOAA biologists arrived.

It is not clear how long the turtle had been there.

• Pharmacist's Intuition Saves Customer's Life

"The National Marine Fisheries, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has an interest in the animal and is sending someone to pick it up,” said Sgt. Jon Vipond with San Diego Lifeguards.

Experts will take tissue samples, to help determine the turtle's cause of death.