You're not a horse racing expert, but you can act like one for Saturday's historic Belmont Stakes.

All eyes, including many untrained ones, will be on California Chrome on Saturday as he tries to clinch the first Triple Crown victory in 36 years.

Don't know the first thing about horse racing? It doesn't matter. These seven tricks will help you get in on the spectacle as though you do.

1. Learn the lingo, and use it liberally.

You'll actually get to know something about racing later. For now, just pepper your comments with some jargon.

Before the race, check out race handicappers' predictions, check the tote board for the odds and watch the horses head from the paddock to their posts. Once the race begins, listen to the call, or the horses' running positions — but don't expect to have the foggiest idea what the caller is saying. (Don't worry, the race will only take a few minutes.)

A horse that's a closer runs his best later in a race, a stayer or router is good at running distances and a front-runner runs best at the head of the field. A horse is pinched back if it's held in close quarters, and if it's boxed in it's shut off or pocketed.

Horses' distances from each other in the stretch, or the last straight section of track, are measured by a head, e.g., the length of a horse's head. At the finish line, a photo finish is so close the finish-line camera has to figure out who won, and a dead heat is an exact tie. A horse finishes on the board if he's one of the first four to finish.

2. Know what's at stake, and tell everybody else.

You probably already know that only 11 horses have ever pulled off the feat of winning all three legs of the Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.

You might also know that since 1978, 11 have won the the first two legs only to flame out at Belmont. Two years ago, I'll Have Another won the first two legs only to scratch before making it onto track there.

There's a good reason the Belmont Stakes is called the "Test of the Champion." It's tough — very tough. Few competing horses have ever run its 1.5-mile length before, which can make the race hard to handicap, and yield some upsets.

So can rallies by great horses who got pocketed or pinched back in the Derby's more crowded field.

So can rallies by horses that ran in Louisville, then skipped out on the Preakness, giving them a crucial few weeks of rest before the Belmont. Any horse hoping for Triple Crown history must face some better-rested rivals, a fact with which California Chrome's co-owner Steve Coburn is none too pleased.

And plenty of would-be Triple Crown winners have had their hopes dashed by jockey error at Belmont, where jockeys' tactics play a bigger role. California Chrome's 42-year-old jockey Victor Espinoza and thousands of eager fans will hope he avoids the common mistake of moving too soon, or accelerating too early in the race.

3. Handicap the race yourself. (Remember that term?)

You can't feign some authority on horse racing without concocting a fervently held opinion on who will win at Belmont.

California Chrome is the Belmont-bound favorite. But among the handful of horses that could prove his top contenders for Belmont victory, experts say, are Wicked Strong, Commanding Curve, Ride on Curlin and Tonalist.

Wicked Strong was one of the favorites in the Kentucky Derby and finished fourth. As a New York-based horse, he has a home-track advantage — plus, as the Washington Post's Andrew Beyer notes, his lineage is filled with strong distance runners, which could boost his Belmont chances. He's also got the benefit of having skipped the Preakness.

Same goes for Commanding Curve, who will head to Belmont similarly refreshed. He finished second in the Derby after an incredible rally, something analyst and retired jockey Richard Migliore says could boost his Belmont chances.

Ride on Curlin also turned in strong finishes at the Derby as well as at the Preakness, where he came in second. Tonalist hasn’t competed in any of the Triple Crown races, but Migliore says his distance-oriented breeding has made him "the horse that everyone should fear."

4. Bet on it.

Nothing screams "I know what I'm doing!" like advising your friends on how to spend their money, right? Right — well, as long as your friends aren't big gamblers. In that case, pay close attention.

Use Colin Bertram's primer to get a handle on what horses' odds mean and what they don't. Remember, a horse's odds reflect not how likely it is to win but how heavily other people are betting or expected to bet on it to win.

Once you've picked your favorites from the field of Belmont contenders and decided what kind of bet you want to make, examine the morning-line odds, which predict what people will probably bet on each horse. (The odds will change once betting actually has begun.)

The first number tells you how much profit your bet will get you should you win, and the second tells you how much you must bet to get it. California Chrome's 3-5 odds at the time of writing mean you have to bet $5 in order to win $3 profit, so if you bet $10 and California Chrome won, you'd get back $16.

5. Trot down Memory Lane.

Recall those halcyon days of horse racing — you know, when the only other sports worth their salt were baseball and boxing, and when your parents hadn't even met yet.

The mechanics of horse racing have changed plenty over the decades. Wealthy dynastic families ruled breeding, not commercial breeders, and as a result, horses were bred for stamina. Today, they're bred for speed.

But most fundamentally, horse racing doesn't have nearly the fan base it did in its heyday, back before pro football, pro basketball, casinos and, well, the internet horned in on its popularity. At racing's zenith, the track was the automatic mecca for gamblers.

6. Honor the greats.

Now you get to the really fun part of exercising your newfound authority: Breathlessly regaling your friends with tales of great races of yore as though you were there.

Bloviate about Secretariat's astounding 1973 Triple Crown, which he won by an unheard-of margin of 31 lengths. As the victor crossed the finish, the runner-up couldn't even fit on the television screen.

Wonder what would have happened if Man o' War, ranked the 20th century's best by Blood-Horse magazine and The Associated Press, had ever run for the Triple Crown. It wasn't around yet when Man o' War raced in the early 20th century, though he did sire some Triple Crown horses.

Reminisce about Kelso, who ran in the early '60s until he was 9 years old. Now all the Belmont contenders are 3-year-olds, and most horses are retired soon after that age to stud duty, which is far more lucrative than racing. (That was impossible for Kelso, who was a gelding, or castrated horse.)

Wax poetic about legendary filly Ruffian — even Secretariat's trainer said she might be better than his most famous horse — whose career was cut tragically short by a broken leg at Belmont in 1975. (You can still pay your respects at her grave at Belmont.)

7. Get ambitious.

If you really want to boost your expert cred, do your homework, and stake out a controversial stance or two. Read up, and weigh in, on hot-button topics like horse breeding habits, nasal strips and the sport's undeniable decline in recent decades — and what could reverse it.

California Chrome's own co-owner Steve Coburn, for one, has grumbled that the growing numbers of Derby contenders that sit out the Preakness before returning for the Belmont have made Triple Crown wins all but impossible, and he wants the rules tweaked so that only colts that run the Preakness can compete at Belmont.

"I honestly believe that if the Triple Crown is not won this year by California Chrome, I will never see it in my lifetime, because there are people out there trying to upset the apple cart," he said. "They don't want a Triple Crown winner. They want a paycheck."

Indeed, the decades-long Triple Crown drought, and the sport's waning popularity, have encouraged talk of tinkering with the format and timing of the three key races, and not just among figures who have, quite literally, a horse in the race. Weigh in on what you think should be done, too.

But don't limit your expressions of your newfound expertise to such existential hand-wringing.

Try picking an underdog to root for Saturday, deeming California Chrome overrated. When you place your bet, try a superfecta, naming the top four horses in the order you expect them to place.

And whatever other stories you tell your friends, make sure to leave room for one still in the making: the first time you bluffed your way through Belmont.

Just wait until next year to tell it. By then, you might actually be an expert.

This story has been updated from an earlier version.

It’s the weekend some San Diegans have been waiting for all year: the San Diego County Fair opens Saturday at 10 a.m.

While a fun-filled day at the fair can be pricey, there are ways to visit the Del Mar Fairgrounds without breaking the bank. It’s all about scouting out the deals, so here are some ways to save money this year:

• Best Pass Ever: For those planning to hit the fair more than once this season, this pass is your ticket to a pretty good deal. For $24, you get admission to all 24 days of the fair. Normally, a one-day ticket costs $14 per adult, so the math is quite simple here. The Best Pass Ever is on sale now through July 5.

• Albertsons/Sav-on $4 Fair Days: Visit the fair for only $4 per person on either June 7 or June 11 by buying your one-day ticket at San Diego County Albertsons/Sav-on stores. In order to score this deal, you must buy a minimum $10 purchase at Albertsons.

• Passport to Savings: Purchase a Passport to Savings booklet, which has more than $1,000 in promotional savings valid at the fair and around San Diego County. Deals featured in the booklet include a free ticket to return to the fair, discounts on fair food, rides, games and souvenirs. The booklet can be purchased at the fair every day for $5 or online at a discount.

• PennySaver Value Day: Every Friday, fair bargain hunters will receive a PennySaver Value Day booklet full of coupons on food, beverages and other products.

• Read: Del Mar Excited About Triple Crown Prospect

• Midway Game Coupons: For $10, fairgoers can pre-pay for these game sheets and save 50 percent on games at the fair. A $10 sheet includes $20 worth of game coupons.

• Midway Coupons: For $15, fairgoers get 25 ride coupons. Typically, kiddie rides at the fair require 3-4 coupons, while major and super rides range from 4 to 10 coupons.

• Pepsi Pay One-Price-Ride-All-Day Wristbands: Purchase a one-day wristband at the fair for $35, which allows unlimited access to Fun Zone and Kids’ Zone rides all day until 6 p.m.

• Fair Deals from Car Dealers: Visit a San Diego County Ford dealer and get four adult admission tickets for $32, valid for weekdays. Visit a San Diego County Toyota dealer and get a 2-for-1 adult admission coupon.

• Visit on Kids’ Day: Tuesday, June 24 and Tuesday, July 1 is Kids’ Day at the fair and children 12 and under get in free. Admission for kids ages 6-12 is $8 on normal days). Children 5 and under get in free all fair season long.

• Read to Get in Free: Here’s another great reason to get your kids to read this summer. Children 12 and younger who read 10 or more books verified by a teacher or librarian get free admission to any day of the fair. Click here to print out the certificate needed to score this deal.

• Enter a One-Day Contest: Those who enter certain one-day competitive exhibits contest get free admission to the fair.

• Save on Parking: While parking at the fairgrounds costs $10 per car, thrifty fairgoers can park free every day at the Horsepark Equestrian Center on the corner of Via de la Valle and El Camino Real. Free shuttle buses will take visitors straight to the fair and run from 9 a.m. until midnight. On Saturdays, Sundays and on July 4, free parking is available at the MiraCosta College San Elijo campus and at Torrey Pines High School.

• Fair Tripper: Ride the train or bus to the fair and save cash on parking. The Amtrak and COASTER stop at the Solana Beach Station just north of the fair, while the North County Transit District’s route 408 offers direct service between Escondido and the fair. Buy the special “Fair Tripper” combo package for $15 and get round-trip fare on the COASTER and Sprinter trains and Breeze buses, shuttle transportation to the fair gates and adult admission to the fair.

• Save on Snacks: Bring your own lunch or drinks to the fare, with the exception of alcohol, glass containers or knives of any kind, just make sure your beverages are sealed before entering the gates. If you plan to buy food at the fair, opt for a Kids’ meal at Meal Deal vendors, which includes an entrée, side dish, drink and child’s admission to local attractions. Visit on either June 24 or July 1 and enjoy “Taste of the Fair” -- $2 taste-sized portions of some fair favorites, including corn dogs, fudge, fish tacos and cinnamon rolls. Taste of the Fair lasts from opening until 5 p.m.

• Don’t Forget the Free Attractions, Shows, Exhibits and Events with Admission: All of the fair’s competitive exhibits are free with admission. Entertainment is free across nine stages, plus daily animal or motor sports shows in the Del Mar Arena. All entertainment is free with admission, with the exception of a few Grandstand shows.

The San Diego County Fair, or "Fab Fair," as it's called this year, is open through July 6. For more details, visit the fair website.

A major project to reduce traffic at one of San Diego’s busiest freeway connectors is slated to begin next week.

The $24 million project will add a northbound lane and auxiliary lanes to Interstate 5 between Interstate 8 and Sea World Drive, according to Cal Trans. A lane will also be added to westbound I-8 at the northbound I-5 connector.

Where I-5 meets II-8 in the Old Town area often becomes a bottleneck during the morning rush hour.

Caltrans said the expansion will ease access to the downtown area and Mission Valley, and to attractions, such as SeaWorld, Mission Bay Park, Old Town, UC San Diego and USD.

Now, Caltrans officials are asking drivers for their patience.

“There’s going to be a lot of detours as we widen the connector so that we can add an extra lane there. So it’s going to require people to really be alert because the conditions today may be a little different from tomorrow or next week,” said Laurie Berman, District 11 Director for the California Department of Transportation.

The projected is scheduled to be completed in December 2016.
 

One of two people rescued from the ocean by a group of teenagers at Moonlight State Beach has died, officials confirmed. 

The 17-year-old victim was from Guatemala, visiting relatives in the San Diego area according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner.

On May 29th, the teenager was swimming in the ocean at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas when he was carried out by a riptide. 

Freshman students from Santa Fe Christian School, who were also at the beach celebrating the end of school, jumped in and helped rescue the teen and his uncle.

Family members told NBC 7 Wednesday night the uncle's name is Vasilio and he's still in the Intensive Care Unit. They say he has been living in the United States for 20 years and has five children back in Guatemala. 

The teenagers who performed the rescue feel like their good deed can’t stop there. Now, they are trying to raise money for the families of the victims.

"We just really felt like we had to do something because we were put on that beach for a reason.  We had to do more than just help them get to the shore. We felt we should do more,” said Kerryanne North.

"It can be really hard at times like this to feel like no one is really there for them and we want to show that people who don't know you can be there for you,” she said.

On Wednesday, the teens started a Go Fund Me account with the goal of raising $30,000.  They also met with the family.

Through a translator, one family said it was unbelievable that “this group kids would ban together to not only do something scary to rescue my family members, they are doing something beyond that day by helping the families who would otherwise be destitute.”  

The teens are hoping to raise enough money to send the 17-year-old’s body back to Guatemala.

They also want to help support the family of Vasilio (pictured right) as he recovers.

 

Military officials are investigating what caused a military plane to crash into homes in an Imperial Valley neighborhood about two hours southeast of San Diego County Wednesday.

The pilot safely ejected from the plane before it crashed, officials said, and no civilians on the ground were injured. Three homes were destroyed in the crash.

The American Red Cross told NBC News that 5 families have been displaced (a total of 22 people). The emergency organization also said chemicals at the site are being handled by military haz mat crews, who also put in a request with American Red Cross to talk to the affected families.

According to California Highway Patrol El Centro, the plane crashed in a residential area at Cross Road and Fonzie Avenue in Imperial, Calif., near the U.S.-Mexico border, about 115 miles from San Diego. One house caught fire as a result of the crash, and two additional homes were also impacted, CHP officials said.

• WATCH: Exclusive Video of Pilot After Crash

Immediately after the incident, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar also confirmed via Twitter that the Harrier jet crash impacted civilian structures.

Eight homes were evacuated, according to Imperial County officials, MCAS Miramar confirmed. Again, none of those residents were harmed.

MCAS Miramar officials said the Third Marine Aircraft Wing AV-8B Harrier was stationed at MCAS Yuma and crashed around 4:20 p.m. The pilot was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. He sustained minor injuries but is expected to make a full recovery. Early Thursday, MCAS Miramar updated his condition via Twitter saying he had been released from the hospital and was "doing well."

MCAS Miramar 1st Lt. Jose Negrete said authorities were on scene collecting evidence and assessing the damage. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash.

• Read: Navy Super Hornet Crashes Off USS Carl Vinson

Patricia and Nestr Roblas live a few house down from the crash site and said the impact of the plane striking the area caused an explosion.

“I heard a large explosion, and it felt like an earthquake. My dad thought a car hit our house. It was just a loud explosion and I felt a jolt,” Patricia told NBC 7 San Diego. “It smelled really bad, like toxic fumes.”

Patricia said authorities came to their front door after the crash and told them to turn off their air conditioning unit so as not to let the fumes in.

Patricia said the ordeal was extremely frightening, to say the least.

“It was really scary. After they put the fires out, a few minutes later, we saw another huge fire so we didn’t know if there was an explosion because of gas or what,” she explained. “I was scared there would be more explosions and the fires would reach our house.”

• Read: Obama: "No Apologies" for Bergdahl Swap

Nestr said he was watching television when he heard an explosion. As he walked outside, he saw a "big, black wall of smoke" stemming from the crash site.

He said it felt as if he was watching a movie up close.

“If you’re watching a movie, [something like this] doesn’t look that scary but in real life you get freaked out," he said.

Imperial resident Cathie Blackburn lives about one mile from the site of the crash and told NBC 7 she heard a "loud boom" when the aircraft went down. The impact was so strong, Blackburn thought it may have been an earthquake.

Blackburn said some friends who live in the neighborhood saw the pilot eject.

She said the fire was put out quickly. As of 6:45 p.m., Blackburn said authorities were telling residents that streets in the surrounding area would be closed for the rest of the night as officials continue their investigation.

According to NBC News, this is the second crash in less than one month involving a Harrier jet from the MCAS Yuma base. On May 9, another crashed in a remote desert area near the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona during a routine training exercise.

In that case, the jet was destroyed and the pilot ejected safely as well. No one else was injured.

NBC 7 Coverage:

• READ: Jet Pilot "Followed Protocol:" Officials
• WATCH: Witness Describes Fiery Jet Crash into Homes
• EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Jet Pilot Helped by Residents
• WATCH: Raw Footage of Crash Scene
• WATCH: Official Gives Military Jet Crash Update
• PHOTOS: Military Jet Destroys 3 Homes in Imperial Valley

The shooting death of a North County man hangs on the question: was it murder or self-defense?

John Upton, 56, was shot in March 2013 by his neighbor, Michael Vilkin.

Upton was a filmmaker and known for rescuing Romanian orphans in the 1990s.

Neighbors say Upton and his 62-year-old neighbor had been in an ongoing dispute about cutting tres and bushes between their two properties.

Vilkin owned an empty lot next to Upton’s rental home on Lone Jack in the Olivenhain neighborhood of Encinitas.

On Thursday, there were opening statements in the murder trial. Soon after, two men took the witness stand.

They were workers hired to help clear brush on Vilkin’s property.

Both men testified they heard the gunshots.

Through a translator, one man said he didn’t see the shooting. Another said he saw the shooting and saw Upton fall backwards.

“As John Upton approached the defendant calmly, cooly, the defendant shot him,” said prosecutor David Uyer.

The defense argued that Vilkin feared for his life during the encounter that morning. That he had been bullied, harassed and cursed at by Upton in the past because he didn’t like it when Vilkin cut the trees because it blocked his view.

Defense attorney Richard Berkon pointed to his client and said, “Every time this man tried to clear brush, prune a tree, take out a tree, John Upton got mad and it escalated. It turned from voicing a displeasure to cursing, to intimidation.”

Prosecutors say Upton had only a mobile phone on his body when officers arrived on scene.

If convicted, Vilkin could face 35 years to life in prison.

The Redondo Beach man mistakenly shot at during the manhunt for ex-cop Christopher Dorner is close to settling his case with the city of Torrance.

NBC4 has confirmed through the city that David Perdue and the Torrance city attorney have reached a tentative agreement. Neither the city attorney nor Perdue's lawyer would comment until the deal is finalized.

Perdue was on his way to the beach to surf Feb. 7, 2013 when he was stopped by Torrance police officers on the lookout for Christopher Dorner.

He was cleared by those officers, but a second pair of officers rammed his car shortly afterward and opened fire on Perdue.

• Read: LAPD Officers Violated Policy in Shooting on Delivery Women During Dorner Manhunt

Perdue was not hit by gunfire, but his attorney said he suffered injuries from the incident that have prevented him from working.

In January, the two officers involved in the incident were cleared of criminal charges by the Los Angeles District Attorney, who said they were “anxious” and in a state of “panic" at the time of the shooting.

• Download: Download the NBCLA Mobile App

Perdue, who is white, was driving his black Honda pickup when he was stopped by officers looking for Dorner, a black ex-Los Angeles police officer who had promised to bring "warfare" to his former department's officers and their families.

Dorner was thought to be in a gray or dark blue pickup truck.

The same morning, two women delivering newspapers in Torrance were shot at by Los Angeles police officers also looking for Dorner. They settled in April 2013 with the city of Los Angeles for $4.2 million. 

A fed-up Broward judge went off on a defendant in bond court Thursday, after the man told prosecutors not to "bring that s--t up" from his long list of prior cocaine charges.

"You have a pottymouth in this courtroom. You should be ashamed of yourself — especially with your criminal record, you should be ashamed of yourself," Broward Circuit Judge John Hurley said.

"You've got the gall to use profanity like you're disgusted that we're reading off your criminal record. Well, you've got some chutzpah, you've got some real chutzpah!" Hurley finished, capping a tirade against 46-year-old Kevin Banning, who appeared before him on cocaine and drug paraphernalia possession charges.

• Woman Throws Roll of Toilet Paper at Court Camera

The state prosecutor had first read several prior charges from Banning's record, dating back to the 1990s, among them 13 counts of cocaine possession as well as marijuana possession, lewd and lascivious molestation on a victim under 12 years of age and DUI. Prosecutors also said Banning currently has another open cocaine case.

"Don't bring that s--t up. That was a long time ago," Banning said, interrupting as the prosecutor read the charges.

• VIDEO: Man Named Cocaine Appears in Court on Drug Charge

Judge Hurley responded by saying, "Oh, I'm sorry, are we offending you, sir?"

He went on to say Banning seemed like a hardened criminal who's lived a life of crime.

"Reading off someone's criminal record when they're in criminal court again — you know, if it hurts his feelings, I'm sorry, sir," Hurley said. "You keep breaking the law, so I'm sorry if we offend you by reading your criminal record."

Once the prosecutor finished reading the charges, Banning's defense attorney explained that his client's molestation charge had been reduced to child abuse.

"It's not you, Mr. Connor," Hurley responded. "The man standing next to you is rude, he's profane, and he lacks respect for the court. Now I don't care if he has respect for me, I'm just a man in a robe, but he should have more respect for a court room instead of using that profane language."

Banning is being held on $7,600 bond.

A substitute teacher in New Jersey won't be allowed to fill in again at an elementary school after she allegedly taped shut the mouths of several students last week, officials say. 

The teacher was working at the Winfield Scott Elementary School in Elizabeth and placed decorative tape over the mouths of five students during a "quiet game" after lunch, according to parents and officials. 

One of the students, Angelique Correa Henderson, said she felt "pressured and scared" as the teacher taped her mouth "because we were jabbering too much." 

"My heart kept on beating fast," she said.

Angelique's father, Munford Henderson, is outraged. 

"I don't understand what she was thinking," he said. "We're talking about kids. You're sworn to protect and teach, not to hurt them and put them in fear." 

Other parents at the school were equally concerned. 

"You don't do that to anybody, especially kids," said Marie Yacinthe. "You don't do that." 

As police and state officials investigate, Angelique's father wants to make sure the teacher is permanently barred from the classroom.

"She does not need to be teaching and being around kids if she can't control her emotions and the way she presents herself around kids," he said.

The teacher has been taken off the list of substitutes for consideration at the school, officials said. She had no previous record of issues or difficulties.

The Newtown community on Thursday night got a sneak peek at the new Sandy Hook Elementary and what it will look like when it opens in 2016.

Architects unveiled plans for the school, which is being rebuilt after the December 2012 massacre that left 20 children and six adults dead.

Parents shared security concerns during a community forum at Newtown High School on Thursday night and also raised questions about things including energy efficiency.

Architects and town officials addressed those concerns and reassured residents that the new building will be as safe and as welcoming a school as possible.

Plans show a redesign of Dickinson Drive, where the school will be located. A view of the town is visible from the school's main entrance, as well as a depiction of the geographic landscape of  "Sandy Hook" and an explanation of how the Housatonic River carved the hook.

"There's still a lot of sentimental issues here and hopefully the design of the building will rectify some of that stuff, so that's a concern," said Harry Waterbury, who lives in Sandy Hook. "It still is a sacred site and you heard some of the discussion that they're worried about the trees where they're actually going to do the site."

Other renderings created by architects Svigals and Partners show the courtyard and main lobby.

"What we tried to do was to resonate with what experience we had, what talents we have as architects with their aspirations and to realize them as much as possible in the school," Barry Svigals, of Svigals and Partners, said.

They want the school to be welcoming, nourishing and a place where kids can feel safe and at home.

"What we're still reacting to when we're having this conversation is the emotional hurdle of what happened to us a year and a half ago," Pat Llodra, Newtown's First Selectwoman, said.

Town officials hope to have the designs finalized by fall. Actual construction won't begin until the spring 2015.
 

Since the end of World War II many stories have surfaced about the efforts of the United States and Great Britain to deceive the Germans and Japanese about Allied troop movements, invasion plans and atomic research.

But only recently has the world come to know the role that a nondescript, wood-frame house overlooking the Long Island Sound played in that spycraft.

Known as the Benson House, the Wading River home is now used by the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island for meetings and retreats, but from 1942 to 1945 the house was the site of a highly secret FBI counterintelligence operation.

The story of Benson House was discovered by retired FBI agent Raymond Batvinis, who now teaches history at George Washington University, while doing research for a book on wartime counter-intelligence.

Just weeks after the Dec. 7 attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, the FBI began using Benson House as a top-secret radio site transmitting and receiving encoded messages with German intelligence agents in Hamburg, Germany. The Germans believed they were communicating with their espionage agents operating in New York. FBI radio operators transmitted a blend of accurate and false information to the Germans from January 1942 to the end of the war in Europe in May 1945.

As cover for the operation, the FBI moved one of its agents, Donworth Johnson, and his family, into the house. Mrs. Johnson cooked meals for her husband and the other agents who worked on the second and third floors. The other agents working at the house traveled to and from the house at night.

A cover story was developed that Johnson suffered from tuberculosis and was, therefore, deferred from military service. The house was outfitted by FBI technicians with several large shortwave radios and supporting equipment. Antennae were hidden in nearby trees and intruders were discouraged by Clifford, the agent’s large German shepherd, Batvinis says.

The radio equipment drew enormous amounts of electricity and, as Batvinis tells it, not wanting to attract undue attention from the local utility companies, agents powered their equipment using the engine from a Buick which they bolted to the basement floor. The car’s muffler was also used to dampen the sound of the engine.

According to Batvinis, the FBI operation at Benson House played a role in President Roosevelt’s decision in the spring of 1942 to pursue development of the atomic bomb when information received at Benson House indicated that Germany was very interested in developing high explosives from atoms.

In the summer of 1943, FBI transmissions from Benson House gave the Germans bogus information designed to freeze German forces in northwest Europe to prevent their redeployment to strengthen the Italian and Eastern Fronts. In 1944 and 1945, radio transmissions from Benson House fed the Germans a steady stream of truthful and false information to confuse the German military about the size and disposition of Allied forces in Great Britain, along with the time and place of the D-Day invasion.

In addition to misinformation about Allied forces activity in Europe, the radio operators at Benson House also sent to the Germans false information about American military plans and advances in the Pacific.

To commemorate the role Benson House played during World War II the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI and the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island will dedicate a plaque fixed to the outside of the house at a ceremony this Saturday, June 7, the day after the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy.

The president of the Sweetwater Union High School District has learned his punishment for his role in a widespread corruption scandal in the South Bay.

On Wednesday, a judge sentenced Jim Cartmill to three years of probation, a $4,589 fine and 40 hours of community service.

In April, Cartmill pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of accepting gifts above the legal limit. Under California Government Code 91002, no one convicted of a misdemeanor can run for elected office for four years.

Superior Court Judge Ana Espana did not enact this statute for Cartmill, indicating that since the collateral consequence of the plea was his removal from office, she would not impose the 91102, meaning Cartmill could theoretically run for office again in November. However, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office has opposed allowing Cartmill to run for reelection.

Last month, a civil court judge issued a temporary injunction, suspending Cartmill and Sweetwater trustee Bertha Lopez from the board.

A civil hearing scheduled for July 11 will determine whether or not they will be removed for good.

Currently, Cartmill and Lopez are not listed as board members on the Sweetwater Union High School District website.

School board members from Sweetwater, San Ysidro and Southwestern College were accused of trading votes on multi-million dollar construction contracts and bond deals for lavish meals and gifts.

During the course of the case, which began as an investigation about three years ago, the DA’s office has charged 18 school officials and contractors with more than 232 felony and misdemeanor criminal charges. The majority of the defendants have pleaded guilty.
 

An Imperial Valley couple has lost everything after a military jet fell from the sky and landed just a few feet from their front door, sparking an explosion that ripped their home in two.

Marina Mendivel and her husband were inside the family’s home on Fonzie Avenue when she felt the impact of the jet crash just a few feet away.

“I heard this real loud explosion. The house just rumbled. And I saw the laundry room door just flew into the hall. At that moment I didn't know what hit us," she told NBC 7.

A Harrier AV-8B had taken off from the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma and was almost at his destination at Naval Air Facility El Centro when the aircraft crashed Wednesday

Two homes were destroyed and a third was badly damaged.

Mendivel's daughter, normally would have been in the family’s garage at that time of day but for some odd reason, her car would not start.

The family believes it was an absolute miracle nobody got hurt

"This morning I woke up and I was in tears not because everything we lost just by the grace of God that we are alive,” said Mendivel’s daughter, Shady Valenzuela.

The Mendivels said the jet landed on Marina’s car and sparked an explosion that burned their home.

While one side of the home appears to be untouched, the center is gutted with debris from the plane wreckage everywhere.

Neighbor Leonardo Olmeda, 25, was racing remote-controlled cars in a street where children were playing when they saw the pilot eject and the jet ignite.

"Everybody seems relieved and thankful that the outcome of this was not worse,” he said.

On Thursday afternoon, Marine officials had the entire crash site blocked off from public and media access.

Dozens of cars drove past the scene to get a glimpse of the damage and take pictures.

Investigators have been there all day.

Marine Capt. Anton Semelroth said the military was investigating to determine whether human error, a mechanical failure or some other reason caused the jet to crash. The probe could take months to complete.

It was the second crash in a month of a Harrier jet from the Yuma air base. On May 9, a pilot was able to eject safely before his jet crashed in a remote desert area near the Gila River Indian Community, south of Phoenix. No one was injured.
 

The mother of a 14-month-old boy who died Tuesday after regularly being punched in the stomach is now facing charges alongside her boyfriend, records show.

Dallas County jail records show Claudia L. Johnson was being held Friday on a charge of injury to a child by omission.

Police on Wednesday arrested Clezel Montague Mughni on a charge of injury to a child in the boy's death.

Johnson's 2-year-old daughter underwent emergency surgery Tuesday afternoon after police said she too had been punched in the stomach by her mother's boyfriend. Authorities on Thursday charged Johnson plus added another injury to a child charge against Mughni, who remains jailed, for the girl's alleged beating.

• 14-Month-Old Child Dies After Being Regularly Punched in the Stomach

Johnson originally told police her son had been ill, but later changed her story to say she had witnessed Mughni, a large man who stands 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighs about 325 pounds, strike her son with a closed fist at least 30 times over a two-month period when he thought the boy was misbehaving. The woman said her boyfriend always struck her son in his stomach or his side.

In an interview with police, Mughni said the boy had been punched in the stomach and spanked a few times for whining.

The Dallas County medical examiner discovered the boy suffered numerous injuries including a skull fracture, multiple rib fractures, both old and new, liver damage, split intestines, two black eyes and multiple injuries to the legs, buttocks and arms.  The medical examiner said Johnson's injuries are the result of blunt force trauma and were consistent with the reports from Mughni and the witnesses.

No attorney was listed for Johnson, whose bond was set at $25,000 related to the death of her son, Marquis Johnson. An attorney for Mughni didn't immediately return a message Friday.

Six veteran San Diego attorneys tell NBC 7 that District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis’ continued refusal to answer questions about her relationship with an indicted Mexican multi-millionaire indicates that Dumanis has been questioned by the FBI and may have already testified before a federal grand jury.

Dumanis, who was reelected to a fourth term on Tuesday, has declined to explain why she wrote a letter of recommendation to a local college on behalf of Edward Susumo Azano, whose father, Jose Susumo Azano Matsura, is accused of illegally funneling more than $500,000 into local political campaigns, including nearly $200,000 into independent efforts that aided Dumanis’ failed 2012 mayoral bid.

Pressed by reporters Tuesday night for a response to allegations by her main opponent, Bob Brewer, about why she recommended Edward Susumo Azano for admission to the University of San Diego, Dumanis responded, “I don’t comment on ongoing criminal proceedings. This is an ongoing criminal proceeding.”

Reporters continued to push Dumanis for answers and for more information about her relationship with Jose Azano. She declined to answer those questions.

But the attorneys interviewed by NBC 7, who include two former federal prosecutors, all said Dumanis is wise to keep quiet about all aspects of the Azano investigation.

They said any witness or potential witness in a criminal investigation would be asked by FBI agents and federal prosecutors not to taint their inquiry by publicly discussing the case.

They also noted that if Dumanis has testified before a Grand Jury on the Azano case, she would have been legally admonished not to talk about her testimony.

The lawyers, four of whom asked that their names not be used in this story, said that based on their experience, they are also sure that Dumanis has either hired an attorney to advise her in this process or consulted with a trusted colleague from outside the DA’s office.

The lawyers all said any attorney who counseled Dumanis would remind her of the pitfalls of making public statements about her relationship with Azano, because doing so creates a public record that can be contradicted by later statements.

That’s exactly what happened to Dumanis last week, when the existence of the recommendation letter written by Dumanis on District Attorney’s letterhead for Azano’s son was revealed during a federal court hearing.

That letter was reportedly addressed to the President of the University of San Diego, Mary Lyons.
Dumanis’s election opponent, Bob Brewer, said the existence of the letter appears to contradict Dumanis’s public statements in January when she downplayed the extent of her relationship with the accused Mexican multi-millionaire and his family. At that time, Dumanis said she recalled little about meeting him at his luxury home in Coronado and had only a vague recollection of their discussion.

Veteran defense attorney Kerry Armstrong said Dumanis was in a very uncomfortable position on election night when she fielded questions from reporters. “And all these people are saying, 'Look' -- especially when the letter came out, a few days ago -- 'Look, you need to tell us what you know and when you knew it.' Things like that. But she can't because she's still a witness in this case. So she's between a rock and a hard spot there."

Defense attorney Gretchen von Helms said the FBI is obviously investigating how Azano funneled those allegedly illegal contributions to independent expenditure groups working on behalf of Dumanis’s 2012 mayoral bid and to other candidates.

“And the ‘somehow’ part of it is, how did he get that money over to her? And did she know that he was giving her a certain amount of money? So she could definitely be a witness in this case,” Von Helms said.

Von Helms supported Brewer in the DA’s race, but said Dumanis is an “honest, ethical prosecutor” who probably wants to give the public more information about her relationship with Azano.

“And I’m sure she’ll do the right thing,” Von Helms said of the DA. “As much as she can. She just might not be able to do much at this point because there’s an ongoing investigation. So we have to kind of give her the benefit of the doubt, allow the investigation to run its course and then allow her to have her say.”

Moments after impact, flames engulfed the AV-8B Harrier jet as it crashes into homes in Imperial. Minutes later, bystanders came to the rescue of the pilot, who had ejected and survived.

As the U.S. military begins the investigation, the interview with that pilot is critical.

“Sounds like he was dealing with some sort of aircraft mechanical problem, so now he can tell them about what he was dealing with, what indications he had in the cockpit and what he was doing about it until he thought it was about time to eject, ” said Rich Martindell, a former Air Force aviation accident investigator and current air safety consultant.

After the pilot ejected. he was taken to the hospital. Martindell said his medical and training records will be examined. Also, a Field Naval Aviator Evaluation Board or Field Flight Performance Board will look at the actions of the pilot, and it will be determined whether the aviator should continue to fly.

• READ: Family Inside Home at Time of Military Jet Crash

Another investigation, the Aircraft Mishap Safety Investigation, will search for the cause. Martindell said that would also include mechanical records and data collected from communication with air traffic control.

“At some point in time, if something started to happen with the airplane, he would declare an emergency with air traffic control, tell them what his problem is, where he wants to go and what he wants to do,” Martindell said.

A JAGMAN Investigation looks for cause, responsibility and damage assessment. In the case of the Harrier in Imperial, the loss is the homes -- two destroyed, one heavily damaged -- the street, other damages and the plane.

In the case of the FA-18E Super Hornet off the USS Carl Vinson, the $55 million dollar jet was the loss.

This is the second time that a Harrier from MCAS Yuma has crashed in less than a month. In both crashes, the jets were a total loss, but there has been no loss of life. The commanding general of 3rd Air Craft Wing Maj. Gen. Steven Busby said in a statement:

"We are committed to a thorough cleanup of the crash site and will continue our remediation efforts until the area meets standards set forth by the County's Department of Environmental Health. We greatly appreciate the community's patience and understanding during this difficult time."

The fight over a "livable" minimum wage in San Diego has just kicked up to a new level.

Business and industry leaders came out Thursday with a sturdy warning of serious economic consequences to employers and hourly workers alike.

They predict that affected businesses will downsize, reduce worker schedules and suffer losses if customers balk at price hikes to cover the higher employee costs.

Against the backdrop of the state's minimum wage going from $8 to $9 an hour July 1 – and $10 an hour 18 months later -- there's now a move at City Hall to try to raise it to $13.09 an hour.

Critics predict that businesses will have to downsize, reduce employee schedules and suffer losses if customers balk at price hikes.

Small business owners say a 64 percent increase over the current minimum is too much, too soon to absorb.

"It's going to have a big adverse impact on everybody, " says Moe Sadighian, proprietor of Mariscos El Pulpo Cafe in downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter. "A lot of businesses that I spoke to that have six to nine or 10 employees, the restaurants, they're going to close. They can't do it."

"You can't double the price overnight on a menu item and expect everybody to be okay with it, and it's not just $13 an hour,” Sadighian said. “People need to understand you've got workers compensation, you've got taxes, you've got everything else that's coming right behind it."

Sadighian and other business owners who employ hourly workers gathered a nearby Ace Hardware store where leaders of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and Regional Chamber of Commerce held a news conference and issued a report warning against a $13-plus hourly minimum.

"My agency already pays over minimum wage two to three dollars an hour,” said Linnea Goodrich, owner of Firstat Nursing Services, which specializes in home care for the elderly. “So if the minimum wage is increased to $13, my employees obviously are going to expect to get $15 to $16 an hour."

Goodrich worries that her firm’s clients, most on fixed incomes, won’t be able to afford the higher rates that would have to be charged to offset the minimum wage hike.

Said Michael Hormozi, owner of MAK Cleaners: "We raised our prices six percent just to prepare for the state (minimum) going up, and we lost 10 percent of our business."

Patti Conners, human resources director for Phil's BBQ, said her firm is “exploring the possibility of becoming a non-tip restaurant and imposing a mandatory service charge on all sales" – and sharing some the proceeds with employees.

As different speakers took their turns at the podium during the news conference, the pauses were punctuated by minimum wage-hike advocates hoisting signs and banners and shouting slogans such as, "When low-wage workers win, all workers win!"

Said Bo Elder, representing the Coalition for Labor & Community Solidarity: "People will be able to pay for gas, pay for their groceries, and not worry about making rent."

Preston Chipps, a demonstrator who said he has started and owned businesses and corporations, thinks it behooves merchants to elevate employee wages.

“I always treated by employees as well as or better than myself,” Chipps said, “Because it's in my long-range self-interest for them to do well, for them to be able to purchase my goods and services."

Progressive scholars cite studies that show economic upheaval hasn’t followed in other California cities where minimum hourly wages were raised.

"This is going to give an increase in pay to 220,000 working San Diegans," says Robert Nothoff, a research and policy analyst for the progressive think tank Center on Policy Initiatives. "It's going to inject an additional $660 million back into our local economy. The more people who are making good wages, the better it is for our local economy."

The $13.09 hourly minimum will be vetted next week by the City Council's Economic Development Committee.

Council President Todd Gloria proposed it as a ballot measure, but there's talk of the council passing it as an ordinance.

If that happens, opponents would seem likely to launch an referendum campaign against it.

On Wednesday, the Bay Area city of Richmond's council passed hourly wage minimums of $9.60 next year and $13, effective in 2018.

Those measures grant key exemptions to certain businesses that pay wages on fewer than 800 employee hours on a bi-weekly basis and those with more than 50 percent of their revenues emanating from outside the city limits.