A brand-new Barons Market in Alpine is hosting a job fair in hopes of filling some positions before the grocery store opens for business this summer.

The family-owned grocery store is looking to hire more than 30 Alpine residents to fill those jobs. Interested applicants should apply in person at the Barons Market located at 1347 Tavern Rd. this Friday and Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Following the job fair, Barons Market plans to hire its employees within the next two or three weeks so there’s enough time to train the new hires before the store’s grand opening.

The new location will bring about three dozen new, local jobs to the neighborhood, as management has said they plann to prioritize hiring residents from Alpine.

The small grocery store chain – which focuses on all-natural, healthy, fresh and affordable food – announced their newest location back in January. This store will be the fifth Barons Market location to open in Southern California, joining the company’s list of existing stores in Point Loma, Rancho Bernardo, Temecula and Wildomar, Calif.

Company reps planned to transform the 15,000-square-foot space with the help of architect Dan Mortorana and interior designer Julie Dugas – the same duo behind the company’s four existing markets.

Like Barons Markets before it, this location will feature a large selection of organic, natural and specialty foods and fresh produce from local farms. The store will also boast more than 500 gluten-free items, a hot soup bar, fresh salad bar and antipasto bar and more than 400 microbrews showcasing San Diego’s craft beer culture.

To get the latest details on this new Barons Market, visit the company Facebook page, which is frequently updated with announcements and information.

Electric car maker Tesla Motors is sharing its technological brainpower with the world and will open up all of its patents in an effort to boost electric car production.

"Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a blog post announcing the decision Thursday.

Musk said he hopes encouraging other electric car manufacturers to use Tesla's technology will help make cars less reliant on gasoline.

"Given that annual new vehicle production is approaching 100 million per year and the global fleet is approximately 2 billion cars, it is impossible for Tesla to build electric cars fast enough to address the carbon crisis," Musk wrote in his blog post.

"Our true competition is not the small trickle of non-Tesla electric cars being produced, but rather the enormous flood of gasoline cars pouring out of the world’s factories every day," he added.

Musk said his new business strategy was based on open source philosophy, which encourages the free and open development of technology, and said sharing Tesla's technology "will strengthen rather than diminish Tesla’s position in this regard."

The announcement came the heels of Monday's reveal that Tesla also planned to encourage standardized electric car specifications by opening Tesla's Supercharger system to other auto makers, Engadget first reported. The Supercharger lets Tesla drivers charge half the car's battery life in about 20 minutes.

A North County man accused of shooting and killing his neighbor took the stand in his own defense Thursday, describing how he was always armed while working on his property because he feared a deadly confrontation.

John Upton was shot and killed in March 2013 outside his home on Lone Jack Road. His neighbor Michael Vilkin was arrested and charged with murder.

Vilkin, who has said he shot Upton in self-defense, said the problems between him and the man living in the rental property near his home began with the trimming of a tree a year before the shooting.

Upton came out of his home and told him not to cut the trees near his home, Vilkin testified.

“He was a big man. He had a deep voice and he when he was talking to me angrily it was like ‘Argh,’” he explained letting out a growl.

He said Upton’s body language was threatening. From that point on the two men were no longer cordial, Vilkin said.

Vilkin described a night in October 2012 when he was shoveling dirt on his property to smooth out the road in preparation for the work to be done on the driveway.

He said Upton pointed at him and told him to stop the work and get a permit.

After Upton turned around, Vilking testified, “even though it was dark I saw a short, black pistol” in Upton’s left hand.

Vilkin said he didn’t call law enforcement because he said Upton had a right to carry a gun on his property.

When he said the situation was growing worse, he researched purchasing a gun.

“I decided to buy a weapon that could stop a big guy like John Upton,” Vilkin testified.

“I was afraid that one day it would be a deadly confrontation.”

A large home built on a limestone cliff overlooking Lake Whitney in Texas will be intentionally set ablaze and destroyed Friday morning, hopefully before another landslide drops the home into the water.

Bales of hay saturated with diesel fuel will be placed inside the home and lit on fire at 10 a.m. Friday, the White Bluff Fire Department confirmed to NBC 5.

Randy Cephus, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, confirmed to NBC 5 that the homeowner had three options for removing the vacant home from the site before it falls into the lake.

• House Built Along Cliff Falling into Lake Whitney

The first option was to wrap the home with a large net and then pull it away from the edge of the cliff, so that the debris could be safely removed from the site.

That option was determined not to be feasible, leading engineers to consider the second option — burning the home to the ground.

Officials did consider a third option: Letting Mother Nature eventually claim the home through landslides.

No matter which course of action was chosen, the homeowner will be responsible for the financial cost of the cleanup and removal of the debris.

The last option, which would likely include removing debris from Lake Whitney, is also the most expensive option.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was invited to Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco to speak about biofuel, solar and wind energy, as well as take a trip down memory lane on being a Republican candidate during the 2012 presidential campaign.

So it was an unwelcome surprise to many in the liberal-leaning city when Perry ended up comparing homosexuality to alcoholism - in a story that took a life of its own on social media across the country hours after he spoke.

For example, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who married the first same-sex couples in San Francisco when he was mayor in 2004, tweeted that Perry "must apologize for (his) ignorant and hateful remarks," noting also that it is Gay Pride month.

• Texas GOP Endorses "Reparative Therapy" for Gays

The "remarks" in question came while Perry was taking questions after his speech on Wednesday evening.

Perry was asked about the Texas Republican Party's adoption this month of supporting access to "reparative therapy" for gays and lesbians - a disproven process intended to change sexual orientation.

Perry's answer, according to the San Francisco Business Journal: "I don't know. I'm not a psychologist. I'm not a doctor."

Commonwealth Club interviewer Greg Dalton then asked him whether he believed homosexuality is a disorder.

• Toyota Moving U.S. Headquarters From California to Texas

"Whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle or not, you have the ability to decide not to do that," Perry said.  "I may have the genetic coding that I'm inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that, and I look at the homosexual issue the same way."

Audio Podcast of Rick Perry at Commonwealth Club

Perry's office sent out a standard email on Thursday, not specifically adressing his views on being gay and having a drinking problem.

"The governor supports traditional marriage and believes that marriage is between one man and one woman," Perry spokeswoman Lucy Nashed wrote. "He has been clear on his position that each state has the right to define marriage to reflect the views of its citizens."

Perry's views include his 2005 support for the Texas Marriage Amendment, defining marriage as the "union of one man and one woman." And when the Boy Scouts admitted openly gay Boy Scouts in May 2013, Perry stated: "I am greatly disappointed" with the decision.

Though the crowd at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins hotel on Nob Hill was full of Perry supporters, Perry's responsel drew a "murmur of disbelief," the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The Business Journal said members of the audience actually hissed.

By contrast, Perry didn't mention the controversy on his Twitter feed. He felt the event prompted "great discussion."

Thank you @cwclub for hosting a great discussion and to all those who attended tonight. pic.twitter.com/GG0rp1UaAO

— Rick Perry (@GovernorPerry) June 12, 2014

But critics quickly began chiming in.

Robbie Sherwood, a former political reporter for the Arizona Republic and the executive director of ProgressiveNow in Arizona tweeted: "Dumbassery is a choice, Rick, homosexuality is not." In a phone interview, Sherwood added: "Please keep going, tell us more what you think, because that will just accelerate Texas turning blue."

The national group, Human Rights Campaign, also took grave offense to Perry's remarks. On its website, spokesman Fred Sainz said: "Although he may not have the 'genetic coding' to think before he speaks, Rick Perry, M.D. should have a real conversation with actual doctors before voicing his expertise on these issues. Every major mental health and medical organization in the country has condemned practices aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation.”

• Anti-Semitic Insult Slips Past Cupertino High School's Yearbook Editors

In an interview on Thursday morning, George Dobbins, vice president for programming at the Commonwealth Club, said that Perry would "of course" be invited back to speak.

But Dobbins wouldn't state whether the Texas governor had the most controversial statements in the history of the club.

"Controversy," Dobbins said, "is in the eye of the beholder."

.@GovernorPerry is here with @climateone's Greg Dalton to talk #energy tonight! http://t.co/HBLPYT8HUm pic.twitter.com/Y67M1bAZCl

— Commonwealth Club (@cwclub) June 12, 2014

Watch the raw video here:

NBC Bay Area's Mark Matthews and Stephanie Chuang contributed to this report.

Fallbrook residents are angry to learn a convicted serial rapist moved into their community without any public notice.

Barrett Littleton served time in prison for attacks on seven women beginning in 1986. He’s now living on Daily Road right down the road from TJ and Gabrielle Lynas.

The couple says their family was not notified by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department that Littleton would be living there.

“I'm paying you to protect my family and again there is zero accountability,” TJ Lynas told NBC 7.

So the couple did some homework and read past news articles on Littleton's conviction and charges.

“If the judge had an opinion that this guy should never see the light of day then why is he seeing the light of day in my backyard,” Gabrielle said.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Littleton did notify sheriff's deputies of his release and current address when he reported it to them on May 5 at the Fallbrook station.

“It is the responsibility of the local law enforcement to then send the information to the California Attorney General's office,” CDCR spokesperson Luis Patino said, explaining the process for updating the state’s sex offender registry.

However, Lt. Jeff Duckworth, Sheriff’s Department’s Sexual Offender Management Unit told NBC 7 that no one in his office personally knew about Littleton. He admitted though that it appears Littleton did follow the proper notification procedure.

Notification to the public about sexual offenders is done on a case by case basis based on the threat to the community, Duckworth said.

TJ Lynas said he's called the governor's office and is planning a community meeting at his home to try and find a way they can remove Littleton from the neighborhood.

Gabrielle Lynas warns others to go to the Megan's Law website. “You should be checking on a regular basis because your authorities may not be warning you,” she said.
 

The FIFA World Cup 2014 kicks off Thursday in Brazil and in San Diego, many pubs will celebrate the ultimate soccer event with special activities and, of course, futbol on their many televisions.

Shakespeare Pub & Grill at 3701 India Street, for instance, will show every game, every day, live for the next month, through July 13. The local British pub has a full list of times and dates for all of the World Cup games on its website.

Meanwhile, down the street at Princess Pub in Little Italy, the many televisions will be filled with World Cup soccer all day, every day, too. Bartenders expect the pub to be packed to the brim with futbol fans, especially this Thursday and on weekends. One bartender told NBC 7 that many patrons often take the day off work to watch the first day of the World Cup.

Over in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood, dozens of bars and restaurants will showcase the World Cup, too, including 30th Street hot spots such as Caffe Calabria, Bar Pink, The Office, Coin-Op, Toronado and True North.

Other businesses partaking in the community’s month-long “World Cup North Park Soccer Fan Zone” (WCNP) event include End Zone Sports Bar & Grill on University Avenue and Hess Brewing Company on Grim Avenue. For a full list of North Park businesses celebrating the soccer event, click here.

Fans visiting North Park during the World Cup are encouraged to post about their adventures on social media using the hashtag #WCNP2014.

In the Mission Valley area, McGregor’s Grill & Ale House will kick off the World Cup Thursday at 1 p.m. sharp will an all-day event. Sports Radio 1090 will be at McGregor’s to get the party started.

As soccer takes the stage, Puesto at 789 W. Harbor Dr. in downtown San Diego will also air the games on their TVs, plus offer patrons a solid special: the restaurant will honor Taco Tuesday pricing to any customer who wears the national jersey of their favorite team while watching their team play at Puesto.

San Diego’s Cohn Restaurants will also get into the soccer spirit with “World Cup Wine Flights” at 100 Wines, Island Prime/C-Level, Vintana and Sea 180 Coastal Tavern. From June 12 through July 13, these four restaurants will pour wines of the world flights inspired by a World Cup match and featuring wines from the competing countries.

At $10 per flight, the rival wine matches include:

• “Klose Call for Ronaldo”: Germans (Riesling) vs. Portugal (Vinho Verde)
• “Gracias & Obrigado”: Mexico (Cabernet Sauvignon) vs. Brazil (Merlot)
• “Baby Blues”: Italy (Tuscan Red) vs. Uruguay (Tannat)
• “The Conquest”: Spain (Tempranillo) vs. Chile (Carmenere)

Meanwhile, O’Brien’s Pub on Convoy Street will also host some World Cup watching events and Miller’s Field on Mission Boulevard in Pacific Beach will also air every match-up, with sound, Thursday through July 13.

Where do you plan to watch the World Cup action? Tell us in the comments section below.
 

A Chula Vista police officer is under investigation, accused of using a “police choke hold” in a confrontation with his girlfriend’s son at an elementary school event.

“He hit him and choked him. He slapped him. He shoved him up against the wall,” the father of the 16-year-old who claims he was attacked unprovoked by the off-duty cop.

“He abused my boy.”

Afraid of further retribution, the father asked NBC 7 to disguise his identity and that of his son as they recounted what happened one week ago after a graduation ceremony at Chula Vista Hills Elementary School.

They say the officer caught the teenager off guard as he was seated next to his father and “slugged him.”

The 120-pound teen said he couldn’t breathe while in the choke hold and suffered scratches on his face and his stomach.

Two fathers in the audience ran after the officer and tried to subdue him. The principal intervened and the officer left the event with his family.

Police confirmed the disturbance outside the school at 980 Buena Vista Way around 6:45 p.m. on June 5 and said it involved an off-duty officer and the son of the officer’s girlfriend.

Chula Vista officials won't confirm the officer's name in the alleged attack. However, he was identified in a restraining order filed by the teenager late Wednesday as Officer Roman Granados, 46.

The father explained that his son and his ex-wife had some type of argument hours earlier but that his son did nothing to provoke the physical confrontation with Granados.

Lon Turner, a spokesperson for the Chula Vista Police Department, told NBC 7 the department is looking into the incident that they say took place in the parking lot outside the school.

“We take allegations of misconduct seriously. All of them are investigated. At this point, we’re still in the investigative stage,” Turner said.

The officer was placed on leave, officials said.

NBC 7 obtained divorce records that include an allegation made by Granado's estranged wife, calling him a heavy drinker who often used his position as a policeman to intimidate her family.

The father and teenager in the most recent incident are now hoping top brass strips Granados of his police powers.

“He does not belong representing us as a policeman, representing our community,” the teen’s father said.

NBC 7 tried to contact Officer Granados at several phone numbers we have for him but there was no answer.

He is scheduled to be in court for the restraining order in two weeks.
 

A man identified as the brother of a former NBA player was shot and killed when someone opened his apartment door and fired inside, witnesses told Chula Vista police.

Jamel McGuire, known as “Mel Mel,” was playing basketball for a league that played in Mexico and had dreams to follow in his brother’s footsteps and play in the NBA, his mother told NBC 7.

“I’m in shock right now. This is a nightmare. It’s a nightmare,” said Desiree McGuire.

San Diego’s Dominic McGuire, 28, has played professional basketball for seven years – most recently for the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors in 2013.

• Read: Man Accused of Posing as "Twilight" Actor, Luring Girls

Jamel McGuire was living in an apartment with his girlfriend on East H Street in Chula Vista, his mother said.

That apartment was the scene of a violent shooting just after midnight Thursday.

Chula Vista homicide investigators say a 27-year-old man was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head.

Two witnesses told police the door of the apartment moved, and someone opened fire into the unit.

Investigators say Jamel was playing video games on the couch in front of the front door to the apartment while his two friends were playing cards on a table nearby.

The two friends managed to escape injury by running to a back bedroom and jumping out of a window.

• Read: Woman Tweeted "2 Drunk 2 Care" Before Deadly Crash: Police

A 5-year-old girl was found sleeping inside the apartment, officers said.

McGuire’s mother said the child belongs to her son’s girlfriend.

Desiree McGuire stopped by the apartment complex when she heard about the shooting on the morning television newscasts.

“That’s too descriptive. That sounded like Jamel,” she said. “I thought I swing by and Lord no, that’s not my child.”

"He was my baby, he was my youngest child," she said adding that her son was a person who was trying to beat all the odds and should not have died at such a young age.

• See: Images of Jamel McGuire

She said she couldn’t understand why someone would do this. He could have enemies in the world she said, but she did know he had a lot of friends.

Jamel graduated from City and played there, his mother said. He also attended Cal State Fullerton and Cal State San Marcos and played basketball there.

She said he also was trying to pursue a rap music career.

Chula Vista police were awaiting a search warrant before entering the apartment.

No suspect description or motive has been released.

Want to get updates on this story? Download the free NBC 7 mobile app.

A woman was shot in the shoulder after a would-be robber asked her for directions near her North Park home Thursday afternoon, San Diego Police say. 

The Korean woman had parked her vehicle and was walking to her apartment in the west alley of 4000 Illinois Street when a man and woman drove up to her around 1:30 p.m.

The man got out of the SUV and asked the 62-year-old woman for directions. 

After she told him where to go, he demanded her purse, police say. 

Refusing to give it up, the victim instead turned and ran. The suspect responded by pulling out a gun and shooting her through the back of her right shoulder. The bullet went all the way through, exiting out the front of her body. 

The man then drove off northbound through the alley.

The injured woman was found conscious and breathing, so paramedics took her to Scripps Mercy Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. 

Police say the suspect is a dark-skinned man in his 40s with a heavy build, clean shaven face and dark brown hair. He was wearing a white t-shirt at the time. 

The woman with him is described as a light-skinned woman in her 40s, and the suspect's vehicle was a white, mid-size SUV, police say. 

Twitter’s chief operating officer resigned on Thursday, the New York Times reported.

Twitter said in a securities filing that it did not intend to appoint anyone else to that position held by Ali Rowghani.

Rowghani, who joined Twitter in 2010 as chief financial officer and quickly rose to spot No. 2, had not been successful in growing the micromessaging service with new users, the Times reported.

Rowghani, a former Pixar executive, had overseen Twitter’s successful efforts to expand nearly everywhere, but as the Times noted, much of the growth in that area came from the advertising side of the company.

• EXCLUSIVE: Twitter CEO Dick Costolo Reveals Who He Wishes He Was on Twitter

In CEO Dick Costolo’s eyes, according to the Times, that left Rowghani with little to do.

In a parting Twitter message,  Rowghani wrote, “Goodbye Twitter. It’s been an amazing ride, and I will cherish the memories.”

Goodbye Twitter. It's been an amazing ride, and I will cherish the memories.

— Ali Rowghani (@ROWGHANI) June 12, 2014

In true Twitter fashion, Costolo responded on Twitter: “Thank you for being an incredible executive & partner. Twitter could not have succeeded without you.”

Through a spokesman, both declined further comment.

The company told the Times, Rowghani would remain an employee and strategic adviser.

Officials have proposed placing a convicted sexually violent predator in southeastern San Diego County and are giving residents an opportunity to voice their opinions.

Allen Fields may soon find a new home at 1138 Custer Road in Campo, a more than five-acre piece of private property, according to the Department of State Hospitals (DSH).

Fields, 58, is a diagnosed pedophile who was convicted of molesting four boys between the ages of 10 and 13, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s website.

Starting in 1983, Fields established relationships with his victims as a caregiver or Boy Scout leader and began sexually abusing them over a five-year period, according to the DA.

• READ: Ex-NBA Player's Brother Shot, Killed in Strange Shooting

Fields was committed to a state hospital as a sexually violent predator in 2000 after serving 25 years in prison.

Three years later, he voluntarily submitted to surgical castration, according to the DA’s office, and he has since been in sex offender treatment.

The court granted Fields’ request for outpatient placement with continued treatment and supervision last December.

The proposed location for Fields’ home is 2.2 miles from Campo Elementary, 8.3 miles from Mountain Meadow High School and Portero Elementary School, a half mile from the Mountain Empire Community Center and 0.4 miles from the Pacific Southwest Railroad Museum.

Already, opposition has been expressed to Fields’ new home, namely by San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob.

• READ: Verdict in Brutal Concert Beating

"Here we go again -- the state is trying to unload yet another monster on a peaceful, family-oriented community,” Jacob said in a statement Thursday. “Although this convicted pedophile may have been castrated, residents lose serious quality of life each time one of these predators is dumped in our communities."

A public hearing on Fields’ placement will be held on July 23 at 9 a.m. at San Diego Superior Court, Department 35. The court is located at 220 West Broadway.

In the meantime, the San Diego Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement will be accepting public comments, which you can submit by email to sdsafe@sdsheriff.org, by phone at 858-495-3619 and by mail to:

SVP Release/SAFE Task Force
9425 Chesapeake Drive
San Diego, CA 92123

Whether you’re frolicking at the fair, enjoying good food and wine or celebrating Father’s Day, there’s plenty to do this weekend in America’s Finest City. Here are some ideas to help you make the most of your days off. Enjoy!

Thursday, June 12

Fire Siege Victim’s Benefit at Stone Brewery
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Escondido Stone Brewery
The Stone Escondido location will collect donated items all day long for local families impacted by San Diego’s devastating May Firestorm. Firefighters and first responders will be on-hand to accept donations and load them into trucks. Click here for a list of the types of items that are needed. A silent auction and raffle will benefit the 2014 San Diego Wildfires Fund, and Stone will donate 50 percent of proceeds from the day’s sales as well. Cash donations are also accepted.

Oceanside’s Sunset Market
5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Pier View Way at Coast Highway
Shop for locally-grown produce and foods from around the world at this evening farmers market, which also includes an international food court, live entertainment and an arts and crafts fair with more than 100 vendors.

Balboa Park History Stroll
1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at San Diego History Center in Balboa Park
Ever wonder how Balboa Park was named or what structures stood where in 1915? Learn everything you ever wanted to know about San Diego’s iconic cultural park in this one-hour walking tour along the park’s main street. It’s led by guides from the San Diego History Center (SDHC), which acts as the starting point for the tour. The price is $12 per person, or $10 for SDHC members. Reservations are requested, but walk-ups are also welcome. Call (619) 232-6203, ext. 129 for details.

San Diego County Fair
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Del Mar Fairgrounds
This Thursday, the San Diego County Fair will host several special events and shows, including the Charity Fair Horse Show and musical performances by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (1 p.m. at the Showcase Stage) and BritBeat, a Beatles tribute band that hits the San Diego County Ford Dealers Paddock Stage at 9 p.m. The band will celebrate the music of the Fab Four, which is perfect since this year’s fair theme is “Fab Fair,” celebrating the Beatles and the British Invasion. Both concerts are free with paid admission into the fair.

SoundDiego Suggestion: Pelican
8:30 p.m. at the Casbah
Fans of instrumental post-metal can breathe easy on Thursday – one of the best in the biz comes through one of the most intimate venues in town.

Friday, June 13

Foodie Friday at the La Jolla Playhouse
6 p.m. at La Jolla Playhouse
Theatergoers with a love for beer and delicious eats can attend Foodie Friday with purchase of a ticket to the Playhouse performance of “Chasing the Song.” The foodie event includes access to some of San Diego’s finest food trucks, plus a complimentary microbrew tasting. This week, God Save the Cuisine and Farm. Fish. Fork. will provide the food.

Rita’s Of Encinitas: Grand Opening Celebration
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 578 Santa Fe Dr. in Encinitas
Serving cool treats perfect for a warm summer day, the Rita’s of Encinitas location will celebrate its grand opening Friday by giving away free regular-sized Italian Ice to customers all day long. The first 50 patrons to line up by the 10 a.m. opening will receive free Italian Ice from Rita’s for an entire year.

Surf Coolture @ Grant Grill
6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Grant Grill at 326 Broadway in downtown San Diego
Interested in California surf culture? This mixer at the Grant Grill will feature contemporary and antique surfboard displays from the Mingei International Museum – an exclusive preview of “Surf Craft,” a new exhibit coming to the museum at Balboa Park. Attendees will be treated to music, surf film projections and craft cocktails from the Grant Grill’s menu. From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., complimentary bites will be offered as well as hosted cocktails covered by “Pacific Magazine” and frozen treats from The Baked Bear. Drink specials begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission to this VIP sneak peak party costs $20 per person, with proceeds going toward the Mingei International Museum.

SoundDiego Suggestion: Darius Rucker at the San Diego County Fair
7:30 p.m. at the Del Mar Fairgrounds
Hootie & the Blowfish seem to be just a speck in Rucker’s cracked rear view mirror these days, as the instantly recognizable singer has become a bona fide country music star. Still, we hope he plays “Let Her Cry.”

Saturday, June 14

Open Cockpit Days
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at MCAS Miramar
Take your kids or family to MCAS Miramar for a real treat: a chance to sit in the cockpit of an aircraft and feel like a real military pilot! This month, this opportunity is available on June 14-15 and June 28-29.

Taste of Gaslamp
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego
Foodies will enjoy the 21st annual Taste of Gaslamp self-guided walking food tour in downtown San Diego, which includes more than 30 participating restaurants serving samples of their finest fare. Tickets cost $30 to $40 per person. Check-in is at the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter. Participating restaurants include barleymash, Henry’s Pub, Hard Rock Café, Royal India, The Field and many more.

2nd Annual LaDainian Tomlinson 5K & Inaugural One-Mile Kids Fun Run
7 a.m. at NTC Park at Liberty Station in Point Loma
The legendary San Diego Chargers alum will host his 2nd annual 5K run, which begins at 8:15 a.m. sharp (registration is at 7 a.m.). Each participant will receive a commemorative “LT” event finisher medal, plus a T-shirt. Kids can get in on the fitness fun too with a special one-mile Kids Fun Run that begins at 9 a.m. After the run, participants can meet LT and other current or former Chargers players at a special autograph booth, including 1st Round NFL Draft pick Jason Verrett. Post-run food and refreshments will also be provided, plus a kids’ fun zone and awards presentation.

Toast of the Coast Wine Competition & Festival
12 p.m.to 7 p.m. at the San Diego County Fair
Toast of the Coast will feature the finest wines from licensed wineries in California and Baja California. Each ticket ($58, including fair admission) gets you unlimited 1-ounce samples of wines entered in the 2014 Toast of the Coast Wine Competition. Upgraded tickets are also available, such as the Winemakers’ Tasting which includes half-hour early admission to the festival and five food pairings with five of the top-performing wines.

SoundDiego Suggestion: The Burning of Rome
7 p.m. at UCSD’s Che Café
This all-ages show is going to be a San Diego rock powerhouse – with the gypsy punk quartet (and winner of the 2013 San Diego Music Award for Album of the Year) being joined on the bill by recently reunited garage rockers, the New Kinetics. Get ready to mosh and sweat!

Sunday, June 15 (Father’s Day)

San Diego Wooden Boat Festival
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2302 Shelter Island Drive
Every Father’s Day weekend, wooden boat owners display their maritime masterpieces at the Koehler Kraft Boat Yard. This year, more than 80 wooden craft, ranging from row boats to regal schooners, will be on-hand for viewing at The San Diego Wooden Boat Festival. Tickets to the event are $5 for adults, $2 for kids ages 6 to 12 and free for kids 5 and under.

James Hubbell’s Annual Father’s Day Open House
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4470 Hwy. 78 in Julian
Is your dad an art-lover? If so, he might enjoy this event out in Julian. Ilan-Lael is the hand-built home of San Diego artist James Hubbell and his wife. For more than 50 years, the couple has been building their mountain retreat and creating art. Once a year they open their historically-designated and architecturally significant home to the public. This is the chance to tour the grounds, meet the artist and his family and be artistically inspired. Tickets cost between $30 and $75 per person.

Heart Healthy and Dad Friendly
12 p.m. at Cooking 4 Life at 9145 Chesapeake Dr.
Cook with dad at this all ages culinary class at Cooking 4 Life. Learn to cook easy, healthy and satisfying favorites including high-protein oat waffles and maple “bacon” with strawberries and cream, oven-roasted potatoes with spicy nacho cheese sauce, a tofu veggie scramble and a chocolate banana shake. Pre-registration is required, and the cost is $45 per person or $80 per two people when registering together.

SoundDiego Suggestion: Failure
6:30 p.m. at the House of Blues
Many Failure fans thought they’d never see the seminal ‘90s alt-rock icons play live again after they split in 1997. But the band headlines the House of Blues on Sunday night to prove that every once in a while, dreams do come true. Don’t miss out on this all-ages show.

Hours after a San Diego woman complained about a district policy demanding full payment for a lost textbook in order for her son to participate in his 8th grade graduation, donations came pouring in from people who wanted to help.

Keri Park’s son, a student at Taft Middle School in Serra Mesa, checked out some textbooks in September 2013.

When he went to return his books last week, he had unknowingly lost one of them.

Park says she didn't find out she owed $143.34 until just days before her son’s graduation.

"I'm willing to pay the money. I've said that from the very second I found out about it. I just need some time to pay it,” the single mom told NBC 7.

Her plight was posted to NBC 7's Facebook page and created an exchange of comments from hundreds of our followers.

Some criticized the mother and the student but then there were those who wanted to step in and help.

Park tells NBC 7 that "dozens of people" called the school with donations to cover the textbook.

Her son was told by school officials that he will be able to participate in the graduation/promotion ceremony on Friday.

An NBC 7 user who was identified only as "EA" wrote to us, "The history book was paid for in full this morning around 1030. The young man will graduate with his class. Semper Fidelis."

Attorneys announced that they filed an amended lawsuit Thursday against the Rock Church, ABC Sober Living, David Powers and Tina Powers.

Seven additional victims have been added to a previous lawsuit filed claiming women were sexually harassed or assaulted at the Rock Church-affiliated recovery program.

The complaint claims the women were subjected to groping, sexual comments and intimidation - charges David Powers has denied.

“The first comment he made to me was that I had a nice ass,” said a plaintiff introduced as M.C. at a news conference Thursday but identified in court documents as Mary Catherine Grayson.

Grayson said David and Tina Powers came to her house in February and handed her the heroin and needles she had turned in upon entering the program.

“They gave it back to me and told me to do what I do best and to end the misery for everyone and that I was dead to them,” she said.

She claims they were angry about her decision to speak publicly against the program.

Program participant Alexis Esparza went out to dinner with Powers alone according to court documents. She said when they were alone, he would put his hand on her thigh and squeeze it.

She claims Powers would ask her if she ever had sex for money and when she complained he told her program participants were like a family and shared everything.

“I’m here today to make sure they are held accountable and that this never happens to another woman seeking treatment and hoping for a new life,” Esparza said.

“I felt betrayed by the very people who were promising to protect me,” said plaintiff Brienna Hartz who claimed she was sexually harassed at AA meetings and a Rock Recovery bible study. It was on the way to a mandatory bonfire that she claims Powers pulled her face first into his lap while they were riding in a golf cart.

Court documents say Hartz was able to take part in the recovery program because of a scholarship from the Rock Church.

"While these accusations are very concerning, none of the alleged misconduct took place on property owned or managed by the Rock Church or was committed by anyone under the authority and control of the Rock Church," the organization said in a written statement.

"They were allegedly committed at a recovery center owned and operated by ABC Sober Living. Since the Rock was made aware of this situation, it immediately stopped referring people to ABC Sober Living until these claims are resolved.

Civil attorney Irwin Zalkin said his firm spent five months investigating the case before they filed a lawsuit.

“We have screen shots of the Rock Church website where they promote him, David Powers, as their minister for their Rock Recovery Program,” Zalkin said. “He was their guy. For them to say they had no control, no authority is absolute nonsense.”

Last month, Taylor Peyton, Andria Donovan and Jaycee Peacock described their experiences with Soledad House. Two other plaintiffs - Hannah Paul and a woman identified as Jane Roe  - allege similar experiences in the court documents filed.

A South Bay jury returned a guilty verdict against a Marine who badly beat a man outside a country music concert in Chula Vista two years ago.

After a week-long trial, Sgt. Raymond Sharkey was found guilty of two felony counts of assault and battery in the beating of Zachary Zander.

In September 2012, Zander and his friends were tailgating in the parking lot of a Jason Aldean concert at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre when they encountered a group of Marines nearby.

At Sharkey’s preliminary hearing last October, Zander testified that the Marines were bothering several women in his group, so he intervened. That testimony was supported by witness Anna Jean Wienberger last week when she took the stand.

• READ: Ex-NBA Player's Brother Shot, Killed in Strange Shooting

“Zach stood up and said, ‘That’s not right. You don’t hit a girl,’” Wienberger told the court.

She said while a friend tried to hold him back, Zander – who had a blood alcohol content of at least 1.03 – was charged by a group of six or seven Marines.

The first to throw a punch was Sharkey, who then pushed Zander to the ground, according to the witness’s testimony.

“About six of the Marines started hitting him and kicking him, and it was at that point I started to run and go get cops because they were still not there,” Wienberger testified.

Zander was left brutally injured with several broken bones in his face. Doctors had to perform reconstructive surgery on him, using more than 20 screws, plates and a bone graft to heal him.

• READ: Man Accused of Posing as "Twilight" Actor, Luring Girls

His grandfather Frank Coleman told NBC 7 the victim is still in the process of recovery and will have lingering effects from the beating for a long time.

For Coleman, this guilty verdict does not go far enough to punish Sharkey. He said he is asking the military to kick Sharkey out of the Marine Corps.

“We train our Marines like trained assassins to go out and maim and kill the enemy, and they do a great job, but then they turn them loose on the weekend, and they get plied with alcohol and go out picking fights with the people they are supposed to support. That’s my grandson,” said Coleman.

The grandfather also wants charges brought against the other assailants who attacked Zander.

Sharkey is scheduled to be back in court on July 18 for his sentencing. 

Mexican officials have released new details about the U.S. Marine who is accused of weapons charges.

Andrew Tahmooressi, 25, is being held in a Mexican jail after he drove his black Ford pickup through the San Ysidro Port of Entry into Tijuana.

The Office of Mexico’s Attorney General said Wednesday that Tahmooressi did not identify himself as an active member of the U.S. armed forces when he was arrested on Apri 1. 

Police at the border entry seized a 12-gauge loaded shotgun, a 5.56-caliber rifle loaded with a 30 round clip and with two additional clips, a 45-caliber loaded pistol, loaded with ten 45-caliber rounds and with two additional clips from the Marine's pickup truck, the statement reads.

Tahmooressi also carried two boxes of 12-gauge ammo and 300 rounds for the rifle.

Family members said Tahmooressi got lost near the border after dark and took a wrong turn into Mexico.

However, Mexican officials say they have information provided by U.S. authorities showing that Tahmooressi had entered through the same border crossing on three prior occasions.

Tahmooressi, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, was in the San Diego area to receive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Two married San Diego Police Department officers busted in a drug investigation were officially charged Thursday with unlawfully selling and administering hydrocodone, according to a criminal complaint filed in court.

SDPD officers Bryce Charpentier, 32, and Jennifer Charpentier, 41, were charged with two felonies each, one for selling and furnishing a controlled narcotic substance and another for possession of firearm by a felon or addict.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges, and deny the accusations.

The complaint accused Bryce of selling, furnishing, administering or giving away hydrocodone on or around June 5. Prosecutors also alleged that at the time of that drug transaction, he was armed with a Sig Sauer P229, which added to his charge.

It is unclear whether that firearm were a department-issued weapon.

The complaint charged Jennifer with the same, alleging she sold hydrocodone on or around June 4.

The complaint alleges that the defendants are addicted to opiates, and Deputy District Attorney Matthew Tag said he expects evidence in this case to support that accusation.

Tag said the husband and wife had a substantial amount of hydrocodone in their possession and completed at least two transactions within a matter of hours.

“[They had] enough hydrocodone to sell or market – it’s not a couple pills,” said Tag. “They were being handed over to other people. They were furnishing – providing the medication to others in San Diego County.”

The prosecutor would not discuss further specifics of the case but said he was confident he could prove his arguments beyond a reasonable doubt.

Tag said the district attorney's office will treat the Charpentiers "just like anyone charged with these crimes," no matter their high-profile professions or the publicity surrounding this case.

"Lady Justice is blind," he added.

If convicted, Bryce faces a maximum of six years and eight months behind bars, while Jennifer faces a maximum of five years and eight months in prison.

The husband and wife are set to appear in court again for a readiness hearing on July 24 and on August 14 for a preliminary hearing.

Bryce, a six-year veteran of the department who works with the Mid-City Division, and Jennifer, an 18-year SDPD veteran, were arrested on June 5 in 4S Ranch and in the East County as part of a narcotics investigation led by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. They both bailed out of jail that same night.

• Special Section: Trouble Behind the Badge

In two exclusive interviews with NBC 7 on June 6, Jennifer said she and her husband were completely “caught off guard” by the drug allegations and insisted there is nothing illegal in their 4S Ranch home.

She said the deputies who arrested her and Bryce gave them very little information about what was going on or what their case was all about.

“I don't know why then we were able to be charged and arrested," she told NBC 7. "I don't understand that, 18 years of law enforcement and I can't understand that."

Jennifer said she had faith in the justice system and believed their case would “be worked out.”

“I’m thankful that in our justice system you’re innocent until proven guilty,” she said. “I want people to know that there are two sides to every story. We are definitely innocent until proven guilty."

Jennifer told NBC 7 that there’s a lot of “competition” between the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and SDPD, and she wasn’t sure if that had something to do with her arrest and her husband’s arrest.

She also said that in divorce documents, both her ex-husband and Bryce’s ex-wife accused them of abusing prescription drugs. Jennifer showed NBC 7 a doctor's letter from 2012, which explained that Bryce had been prescribed the painkiller Norco for back pain and other issues, but to the doctor's knowledge, he never abused it.

• READ – Accused Officer: "This Will All be Worked Out"

Jennifer said at one point, her husband had become sick from stopping painkillers after he had been taking them for an extended period of time. That, she believes, is why his ex-wife said he was dependent on painkillers and went through a detox.

Jennifer also denied the accusation by her ex-husband. She showed NBC 7 documents from a child custody hearing that said there were no allegations of drug abuse. Jennifer insisted there are no illegal drugs in her or her husband's home, cars or any other locations.

On Monday in family court, Jennifer lost shared custody of her two children from her previous marriage, ages 16 and 18, after a judge ruled that she is now allowed just 32 hours a week of supervised visitation, pending legal proceedings on her drug arrest.

Her ex-husband filed an emergency court order to determine temporary custody of the kids following her arrest.

“I feel terrible about it. I feel awful,” Jennifer told NBC 7. “I want the kids to be in our home. I want the kids to be in the dad’s home. I want us to have shared custody. I want us to be able to co-parent and raise the kids together.”

This case is just one of several very public scandals that have plagued the San Diego Police Department in recent months.

SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman took over the top position in the department amid these cases, which included police officers accused of sexual misconduct on the job.

On June 6, despite this latest snag for SDPD, Zimmerman insisted she’s continuing to instill a culture of excellence in the department. She said the community of San Diego deserves this, and the department demands it.

Zimmerman said the Charpentiers had been placed on leave from the department from now. Jennifer confirmed they were on paid leave.

Zimmerman said she and the department are “disheartened and disappointed” and said SDPD will launch an internal investigation into the case.

"We will conduct a thorough investigation," Zimmerman said. "If it shows that any member of our department has made the terrible decision to discredit the badge, dishonor our noble profession, we
don't want them working here."

Jennifer told NBC 7 last week that she feels bad these allegations have once again shined a negative spotlight on the police department, but insisted the case has nothing to do with SDPD, other than the fact that she and her husband are both officers.

“I very much apologize that anything was brought to light in reference to the police department, because there is no connection in this case, as there was in all the other cases. There’s no connection whatsoever," she said. "Nothing that I’m accused of doing or that my husband is accused of doing was ever done on duty or is in any way connected with the police department."
 

It's graduation season — a time for inspiring commencement speeches, proud parents and diplomas.

While graduation is a proud moment for any student, five young men and women had a particularly special day. Here are their stories.

Homeless Valedictorian Goes to Georgetown

A homeless high school valedictorian will be moving out of a Washington, D.C., shelter to pursue her collegiate career at Georgetown University with a full scholarship. Outgoing 18-year-old Rashema Melson faced struggles her whole life: Her father was murdered before her first birthday, and she moved from state to state throughout her childhood.

"For the longest time, I was in the struggle, trying my best, but I started to think it would never be over. I started to give up," she admitted in her commencement speech.

Melson told NBC reporters that the shelter is not her home, but is a stepping stone to the next chapter of her life. With the help of teachers and school faculty, Melson was able to persevere and was accepted to Georgetown, where she will study pre-med. She will start classes in July.

"God gave me a sign. He wasn't putting me through this to punish me but to show others how to be resilient and persistent," she said.

10-Year-Old Graduates From High School

Tanishq Abraham of Sacramento is graduating from high school with a 4.0 GPA, at an age when most kids are still in elementary school.

Tanishq was inducted into Mensa International, a group for people whose IQ is the top 2 percent of the population, when he was just 4.

His favorite thing to do is learn about everything he can, as his astronomy professor Paulo Alfonso can attest. "How many people do you know at the age of 7 or 8 that can discuss the expansion of the universe?" Alfonso asked.

The ambitious Tanishq has a long list of accomplishments he'd like to complete upon graduating — one being "to create a rocket that goes faster that the speed of light." That's not all: Tanishq's Twitter profile describes himself as an aspiring doctor, scientist and U.S. president, NBC Bay Area reported.

For now, his post-grad plan is to attend medical school at the University of California, Davis.

High School Senior Accepted to All 8 Ivies

It's a rare and extraordinary feat for graduating high school seniors to be accepted into any of the eight Ivy League schools: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.

It's even more extraordinary to be accepted to all eight, as 17-year-old Kwasi Enin was in April.

Enin, a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Ghana, scored 2,250 out of 2,400 on the SAT, according to USA Today, placing him in the 99th percentile. His parents admit to always having been strict with their children's academics.

"I told him, 'Look, your worst grade in school should be a 95,'" his father said at a press conference at Enin's high school on Long Island in New York.

Enin is grateful for his parents' push and said with a smile, "Without their assistance, I would not be in this position. I would not have had the initial drive to strive for excellence."

In May, Enin announced that he will be attending Yale University in the fall, citing its musical focus and financial aid offerings.

Teen Gets a Personal Graduation in the ICU

A Texas high school student spent the last three weeks of his senior year hospitalized in the intensive care unit, after a freak accident in which a car crashed into the McDonald's in which he was sitting.

Amid as many as nine surgeries he had to undergo within that time, Josh Farmer feared he'd miss one of the most important days of his life so far: graduation.

But officials at Lakeview Centennal High School in Garland decided if Farmer couldn't go to the graduation ceremony, graduation would come to him in the hospital.

Principal Angel Rivera, along with Farmer's parents, relatives and friends, filled the ICU to give the high graduate special recognition that was taped by and shown at the commencement ceremony the following day.

Redditors Help Dad Attend Son's Graduation

Relying on the kindness of strangers was the only way one Floridian man was able to see his son graduate from high school.

Earlier this Spring, Troy Branch of Tallahassee was frustrated with the idea that we wouldn't see his son graduate, three hours away in Tavares, because of financial restrictions and an ill-functioning car. Branch had been a Reddit user for over a year when he decided to post on a forum about bucket lists.

"I just threw that out there, that I'd like to see my son graduate," he told TODAY.com.

Branch was shocked at the responses he received. One Reddit user sent Branch a link to MegaBus that had tickets from Tallahassee to Orlando for an affordable $7.50. After he'd booked his trip, a different Redditor gave Branch Holiday Inn points for him to stay at the hotel for free.

The missing piece was getting a ride from Orlando to Tavares, but Reddit users saved the day again. A Redditor who happened to be in the area picked Branch up and drove him just in time for his son's graduation.

"It was amazing to see all these perfect strangers reach out and help," Branch said.

Other users gave Branch up to $300 via PayPal so he could take his two sons out for a celebratory dinner and movie.