The anticipation of starting life as a college freshman can leave even the most confident student with unanswered questions before move-in day. Here are freshman year survival tips shared by NBC viewers on Facebook and other experts.

Before You Go...

Mary Jo Mason, director of counseling services at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, said that in the coming weeks before college parents can help provide a smooth transition for their students by giving them more responsibilities.  

Get Enough Sleep — Dust Off That Alarm Clock

"If there was only a small bit of advice I could give to students it would be get enough sleep, eat correctly and get some kind of exercise," Mason said.

At-home routines may fall to the wayside, so Mason encourages students to use their phones to stay organized. But use a real alarm clock to wake up for morning classes, she said.

"I know all kids these days use phones as an alarm, but you can turn that off in a heartbeat and never even act like you heard it," she said. 

And for those freshmen prone to pressing snooze, "don't sign up for those 8 a.m. classes" said NBC Bay Area viewer Todd Legate, a graduate of California State University, East Bay. "You're kidding yourself if you think you're going to go."

Time Management is Key

Mason says to use any free time constructively by planning assignments or attending group meetings. Students who can't manage their time may have a harder time adjusting.

"Students who are not very good at managing their time struggle because [they think] 'Oh I’ve got plenty of time to do this,'" and could eventually fall behind or procrastinate with school work.

Organizing and planning for assignments will ease the academic transition. But NBC Bay Area viewer Mollie Pedigo says if a student is struggling in class, "don't be afraid to ask for help."
"Take advantage of your professors' office hours," said the graduate of Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. "They set aside those hours specifically to be there to help their students."

Allison McComb, drector of the First Year Experience at the University of California Los Angeles, said that students not only make new friends by joining clubs, but find a sense of community while acclimating to college life.

"Finding a place where they feel really comfortable is incredibly important to their overall success," McComb said. "It is well known that students that connect have a better sense of themselves and a feeling of community."

NBC Bay Area viewer Noelle Richard Mayor, a graduate of Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, advises students to join as many clubs as possible, even if that means stepping out of a comfort zone.

"It's a great way to meet friends and feel more at home," she said "Clubs like the Hawaiian club, which I joined even though I'm not from Hawaii, allowed me to experience some fun parties and events."

McComb encourages students to be open-minded to the different types of personalities and backgrounds they encounter. No matter how different people think they are, "there is a base level of understanding that everyone's going through an experience, and just trying to figure it out," she explained.
Before leaving home, a student's nerves and first-year jitters may seem to define their personality. Not so by the end of the second semester.

"I think they come in and they still kind of look and sound “high school,” but by the end of the year they’re talking like old pros. They realize how to navigate," she said. 

Telissa Kidwell, University of California, Santa Cruz: "Study abroad for a semester, and take advantage of internships that give college credits!"

Monika Regete Hege, Mission College: "Talk with a school counselor every semester to ensure you are on track. Cultivate the relationship. They should be your advocate if a problem"

Andria Jimenez, Jose City College: "Avoid fast food!! No matter how stressed you are or how cheap it is."

Alison Crowley Short, Dean College, "Meet and hangout with people from outside the town you come from. Some may be friends for life."

Sara Sanger, Sonoma State University, "Don't get those easy credit cards they offer students!"

Amanda Aldama, San Jose State University: "Familiarize yourself with the campus resources (I.e. Career center, counseling, print shop, cultural center, computer labs, writing center, etc.) as soon as possible. Sign up for their e-newsletters if they have them."

Tiffany Orozco Vierra, San Jose State University: "I highly recommend taking a careers/counseling class your first year. Especially if you are not sure of a major."

Mellissia Franklin DeFilippis, University of Phoenix: "Stay focused on the reason you're there."

Dawna Houston, University of Maine: "Be prepared to pay for laundry! Learn how to do laundry before you head to college!"  

A Friday afternoon swim in a Philadelphia city-owned pool ended with a trip to the hospital for three kids after they were shocked by an electrical current.

Witnesses say about 20 people were splashing around in the O'Connor Pool at 26th and South Streets in the Graduate Hospital section of the city around 1:15 p.m. when the children were hit by the electricity.

A mother, who saw the shocking take place, said a boy was using a metal ladder to climb out of the water when the current went through him. A girl was hurt moments later, she said.

The lifeguard on-duty screamed for everyone to rush out of the water after realizing the danger, witnesses said. They added that the whole ordeal was disturbing.

Firefighters were called to the scene and quickly cut electricity to the pool's lights, pumps and surrounding structures, Philadelphia Fire officials tell NBC10.com.

Philadelphia Fire Executive Chief Peter Crespo said three children, who are all under the age of 13, were taken by ambulance to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. They are all listed in stable condition.

Officials from the Departments of Parks & Recreation and Licenses & Inspections and PECO Energy were called to the scene to find the source of the electricity. PECO crews could be seen testing the water with the pool's filtration system turned on.

Susan Slawson, First Deputy Commissioner of Parks & Recreation, said work was also being done to a motor nearby, but that the cause remains unknown.

"The pool will be closed until we figure out exactly what has happened here," Slawson said.

Crews were draining the pool to try and find the source.

The incident remains under investigation.

Chula Vista Police have found a 6-year-old girl who was reported missing from her aunt's apartment Friday morning.

The CVPD says the girl was last seen around 9 a.m. in the apartment complex on Oxford Street.

The girl's mother told police she dropped off her daughter 40 feet from the aunt's home so she could spend the day there.

The mother watched as her daughter walked toward the correct apartment, but she apparently never reached it, for the girl's grandfather, who also lives in the apartment, called her mother around 11:30 a.m. to ask where the child was.

Her mother immediately called the CVPD, which deployed a search and rescue team and an air unit to search for the 6-year-old.

Around 2:20 p.m., the girl was found safe at the Oxford Street address.

The CVPD says it was a case of family miscommunication. The mother and aunt never spoke that day, but the aunt still met the girl at her apartment and took her to a clinic.

However, the grandfather didn't realize the child had arrived safely, which is why he raised the alarm with her mother.

Police were not able to get a hold of the aunt until she arrived with the child at her Oxford Street apartment.

A La Jolla lab is on the front lines of the fight against the Ebola Virus.

The outbreak in West Africa has killed at least 961 people and prompted the World Health Organization to declare an international public health emergency.

On the other side of the world from ground zero, researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla are looking at how the Ebola virus attaches to parts of the body and how it multiplies and replicates.

Dr. Erica Ollmann Saphire is part of the team spanning 25 labs across the globe that is making images of how the virus works.

Their work that has led to a medicine taken by two Americans infected with Ebola. The Sorrento Valley lab Mapp Bio used the images created at Scripps to come up with the experimental medicine called Z-Mapp.

Saphire works as director with the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Consortium, a global partnership with labs at Tulane University, Harvard and on the ground in Sierra Leone. She spoke to NBC 7 Thursday about the virus she’s worked on for 10 years.

Saphire says the cocktail of antibodies and proteins worked in mice and primates but wasn't supposed to be tested on humans until 2015.

"I know exactly what’s in it, how it works. I would take it myself in a heartbeat," she said.

While ZMapp provides hope, the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the federal government is looking "very carefully" at experimental Ebola treatments. It's too early to tell whether they are helpful or even safe.

Even so, Mapp Bio is ramping up production, Saphire said, and they’re working with all the regulatory agencies involved.

“The logistics of making more are straightforward and solvable,” Saphire said.

The antibodies are made using tobacco leaves that are then put into a giant juicer. Scientists then strain the antibodies from the juice.

“That whole process would take about two or three months,” she said, adding that researchers need “time and the funds to do it and are expediting the process. You can believe it’s a priority.”

The antibodies in Z-Mapp were developed by Mapp Bio, the U.S. Army and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Mapp Bio has been operating for 11 years. In all, there are nine employees.

ZMapp is not FDA-approved. Its use was granted under the FDA's "compassionate use" clause, only given in extraordinary circumstances, and there are only a handful of doses of it available.

The two American aid workers who were flown to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and received doses of ZMapp – Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol – are said to be getting a little better every day after their treatment.

The current outbreak in West Africa is the largest and longest ever recorded of Ebola, which has a death rate of about 50 percent and has so far killed at least 961 people.

The WHO declared similar emergencies for the swine flu pandemic in 2009 and for polio in May.

When it comes to distracted teen driving, a new study shows parents play a direct role, with many teens are actually using their cellphones to call their mother or father while behind the wheel.

According to new research presented this week at the American Psychological Association's (APA) 122nd Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., more than half of teenage drivers often take calls from their parents while driving.

Researchers interviewed more than 400 teenage drivers ages 15 to 18 across 31 states and found that, despite warnings about the dangers of distracted driving, many teens answer their phone if it’s their parent on the other end because parents expect to be able to reach them at all times.

“Parents get mad if they don't answer their phone and they have to tell parents where they are," said Noelle LaVoie, PhD, a cognitive psychologist based in Petaluma, Calif., at the presentation.

The teens surveyed also said their parents use cellphones while driving and that “everyone is doing it,” according to the study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

"Parents need to understand that this is not safe and emphasize to their children that it's not normal or acceptable behavior," said LaVoie. "Ask the question, 'Are you driving?' If they are, tell them to call you back or to find a spot to pull over so they can talk."

LaVoie said there are several cellphone applications available that can alert someone that the person they're trying to contact is driving.

In terms of texting while driving, the study found teens were more likely to send text messages to their friends than their parents, with 16 percent of 18-year-old participants saying they had texted mom or dad while 8 percent of 15 to 17 year-old drivers said the same.

Distracted driving among teenagers continues to be a major problem.

A 2013 report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that distracted driving causes 11 percent of fatal crashes among teens, with 21 percent of those deadly crashes involving cellphones.

The NHTSA says 71 percent of teens say they have written and sent a text message while driving, while 78 percent say they’ve read a text while behind the wheel.

In 2012 alone, 3,328 people were killed in distracted driving crashes on America’s roadways. The NHTSA says texting while driving creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted.

Additionally, a 2013 survey by Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions and also presented at the APA convention found that 86 percent of 11th and 12th graders use a phone while driving. In that survey, every teen who admitted to using a cellphone while driving said they talked to parents, while 20 percent talked to friends.

Although we're still months away from the November election, there is controversy over one ballot measure – Proposition 46 or the Patient Safety Act.

Prop 46 would increase the cap on damages in malpractice lawsuits and allow for drug testing of doctors.

“My colleagues all knew something was wrong,” said Dr. Stephen Loyd. “At my worst I was taking 100 pills a day every day and I was working at my job.”

Loyd was practicing medicine in Tennessee and by 2004 his dependence on pain pills to relieve stress had grown to a daily problem.

“I had the possibility of hurting a lot of people,” Loyd said.

Loyd knows he put patients at risk, which is why he supports Prop 46.

Among other things, it would increase the state's cap on damages in malpractice lawsuits, require drug and alcohol testing of doctors, and report positives tests.

Consumer Watchdog released a report Thursday showing that in the past year, 511,000 medical professionals in the country abused or were dependent on drugs or alcohol. That's about 6.8 percent of the total number.

NBC 7 found at least six doctors in the county with drug and alcohol issues.

Former La Jolla sleep medicine expert Bradley Schnierow admitted to smoking meth with his girlfriend and is charged with helping her get dangerous, prescription narcotics.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges, but surrendered his license.

Supporters say if approved, Prop 46 will save lives while opponents argue it will increase your healthcare costs and drive doctors away.

Doctor and Speaker of the California Medical Association House of Delegates, Ted Mazer, said the measure is deceptive.

If passed, healthcare costs will increase and access to care will decrease he said.

“What we're opposed to is how the proposition is written,” Mazer said.

“Behind this proposition are attorneys looking to increase the awards given to non-economic damages in malpractice lawsuits that also means they increase their take home,” he said.

While Mazer agrees there's a problem, he says this proposition isn't the answer.

As for Dr. Loyd, he has been a recovering drug addict for 10 years. 

The father of a man charged in connection to a stabbing on Thursday near University Town Center says he couldn’t get help for his son because of what he describes as a serious gap in the mental health laws.

Odie Miller Senior spoke to NBC 7 on Friday, a day after his 20-year-old son, Odie Miller Jr., was arrested following a random stabbing that took place at a park near the UTC mall.

While he said he doesn’t know if his son was involved in the stabbing, the father said he does know he’s seen his son’s mental health decline over the past year.

“I was actually told that something like this would actually have to happen before he got help,” Odie Miller said.

Miller said his son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression at 12 years old. Before he turned 18, he was routinely seeing doctors and taking medication.

The problem happened, Miller said, when his son turned 18. The law considers him an adult and not a dependent, so Miller can’t intervene to make decisions on behalf of his son.

To have authoritative power over his son, Odie Miller Jr. would have to sign paperwork establishing his father as his legal guardian. Or, his father could seek that designation through the legal system – something Odie Miller Sr. says is too costly.

The father said he ended up having to press charges against his son.

“At the end of last year, he came after me and I ended up having to press charges trying to get him some help,” Miller said.

Miller said there’s a gap in the law, which doesn’t allow him to help his son, such as enrolling him in a mental health program or ensuring he takes his medication.

“The problem is that I can’t step in as a parent and make decisions for him because he’s now of age,” Miller said. “I know it’s important for him to have his rights, but there’s always been a concern that he wouldn’t be able to manage himself and that he wouldn’t be able to make any decisions for himself. And now that he needs help, I can’t help him.”

The death of James Brady -- President Ronald Reagan's press secretary who was wounded in the attempt on Reagan's life in March 1981 -- was a homicide, a medical examiner ruled Friday.

Brady died as a result of the grievous injuries he suffered 33 years ago, the Office of the Medical Examiner for the Northern District of Virginia said. That means gunman John Hinckley Jr. could be charged with Brady's murder.

Brady was 73 when he died at his home earlier this week. He had been partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair since the assassination attempt, and his speech was slurred. Brady used his own experience to launch a campaign against gun violence that led to groundbreaking gun control legislation signed into law in 1993.

The medical examiner's office conducted an autopsy and found the cause of death to be the gunshot wound and its consequences, according to a statement late Friday from police detectives in D.C.

Hinckley had been found not guilty by reason of insanity of attempted assassination of President Reagan and of related charges. Brady, Reagan, police officer Thomas Delahanty and Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy were shot on March 30, 1981, as they left the Washington Hilton Hotel. Shot in the head, Brady suffered the longest lasting injuries.

Now, the medical examiner's ruling has the potential to open the door to federal murder charges against Hinckley, who is a mental patient at St. Elizabeth's hospital in Washington, said NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams on News4.

"There is no statute of limitations on murder in either the federal or state system," Williams said.

But, he added, "We are a long way from knowing what the federal authorities are going to do with this, or whether they are going to do anything with it."

Williams said prosecutors will have to weigh the likelihood of getting a different verdict on murder charges than they did decades ago on the 13 charges that Hinckley faced after the assassination attempt.

While double jeopardy does not apply in this case, noted defense attorney Ted Williams explained to News4's Jackie Bensen why he believes prosecutors would have an uphill battle.

"So all of the evidence that the government would be able to bring forth, would be the evidence that they had in 1981," he said.

Any charges also could complicate the effort of Hinckley's family, who are trying to get him a permanent leave from St. Elizabeth's, Williams said. In December, Hinckley was granted visits to his mother's home in Williamsburg, Virginia, for up to 17 days at a time. Previously they had been capped at 10 days.

At a hearing in January 2012, a Secret Service agent testified Hinckley went into a bookstore on multiple occasions and paused intently before bookshelves bearing titles on presidential assassinations and Reagan's presidency.

“When an attempted assassin looks at a book with the cover of a person he tried to kill, it's of great concern,” the agent said.

D.C.'s Metropolitan Police and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia both issued statements Friday afternoon, saying they are reviewing the ruling.

D.C. police pointed out that Brady's death increases the number of criminal homicides in the District this year to 71.

Brady's wife, Sarah, said the family had not yet been officially notified of the ruling, but had seen the reports. "This isn't a surprise to anybody or to her, given that his health was impacted and he suffered such consequences over the years," a family spokeswoman said. "If that is the case it is in the prosecutors' hands, and it is up to them."

Sarah Brady is comforted by the outpouring of love for her husband since his death Monday, the family spokeswoman added. "She is feeling great about the sendoff that Jim is getting. She is holding up."

A 22-year-old man failed to clear some train tracks in Carlsbad Thursday night and was struck and killed by an oncoming freight train, officials confirmed.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, at around 11:20 p.m., the man -- now identified as Patrick Joseph Terrin -- attempted to cross the tracks at Mile Post Marker 229.1 near Grand Avenue and State Street.

Just then, a northbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) freight train approached and hit Terrin on the tracks. He died at the scene.

Deputies said the deadly accident was witnessed by several people. The grade crossing warning system was activated and working when the train approached.

The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information should contact the sheriff’s department at (858) 565-5200.
 

Mayor Kevin Faulconer vetoed the City of San Diego’s minimum wage ordinance, saying the measure would make it harder to hire and employ San Diegans who need work.

Faulconer appeared with a group of small business owners and employees and said the city needs to work to create more job opportunities instead of increasing the minimum wage.

"We need to build more ladders, not pull them out of reach," Faulconer said.

"That's what I want... to have San Diego moving forward and not put us at a disadvantage compared to other cities around the county and other municipalities,” he said.

The minimum wage ordinance, approved by a 6-to-3 super-majority last month, would make some 200,000 minimum wage earners in San Diego eligible for an increase over the state's new benchmark of $9 an hour to $9.75 on Jan. 1.

Further wage hikes would be phased in to $11.50 an hour by 2017, followed by automatic inflation escalators.

Friday was the 10th and final day Faulconer could veto the measure.

City Council President Todd Gloria called the mayor’s decision “disappointing” and told NBC 7 that councilmembers will consider overriding the mayor’s veto.

Six votes are needed to override the veto. A vote could be scheduled in the next 30 days.

Faulconer said if the council does override his veto, there will likely be a referendum effort.

Critics say one in six businesses in San Diego would be inclined to move elsewhere if the minimum wage increases occur.

Another subway was fumigated Thursday after bedbugs were found, making it the fourth time this week a train had to be pulled out of service because of the creepy critters, the MTA said. 

All of the bugs were found on N trains, including in the most recent case. The MTA fumigated the fourth train Thursday; it had fumigated two on Sunday and another Monday.

MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz wouldn't say where on the trains the bugs were found, nor would he say at which point in the line they were discovered.

The Daily News reported some bugs were spotted in seat cushions in train cabs used by conductors and motormen. The paper also reports one conductor's home was infested. 

Ortiz says this isn't the first time the MTA has had to deal with bedbugs, though he said there have been no recent cases. The spike in sightings has some calling for the MTA to fumigate every car on the N line.

The MTA said there are no plans to fumigate the entire N line, but that it has solicited the help of bedbug-sniffing dogs to check out spots where they have been reported.

Arthur St. John, 94, has worked at Market Basket for 22 years as a part-time employee — but his future is uncertain after his hours were cut by corporate amid the still-unfurling drama between the supermarket chain's employees and management.

"I'm out for a while until they've settled the strike," St. John said.

St. John worked at the Stratham, New Hampshire, location but has been home since his hours were chopped.

Barbara South, another Market Basket employee, calls St. John amazing.

"He gave many hugs, and many customers would see him walking his two dogs," she said.

St. John works three four-hour shifts each week to supplement his Social Security checks.

"I get $125 a week, and everything is taken out. What can you do?" he said.

Although he's out of work, St. John says he's thinking beyond himself and worrying about his coworkers who have to support their families.

"They've got kids, and wife and kids, and out of work. How are they going to support their family? I don't feel right for that," he said.

St. John's attitude about this being more than just a paycheck is the reason behind his coworkers' respect for him.

"This is a man who comes in here — this is his social life, you know, we are his family," South said.

And while it is family drama within the Demoulas clan that sparked the protests, the push for ousted Arthur T. to return to his post as CEO has remained.

"I want him back, because everything was running good then," St. John said.

Workers all say Demoulas was a great boss who helped make Market Basket a great place to work, offering employees profit sharing, good wages and benefits.

They feel he's an irreplaceable leader and refuse to work for anyone else. Demoulas was pushed out of the company by his cousin's allies in June.

Until then, St. John says he'll "sweat it out." 

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is reopening its turf track following a week-long closure aimed at preventing further equine deaths.

Races will resume on the new turf track at 2 p.m. on Saturday, a Del Mar spokesperson has confirmed.

The course was initially closed from July 27 to July 30 in response to seven horse deaths at Del Mar – four of which happened after falls on the turf.

But its reopening on July 30 led to another serious equine injury the next day, prompting a decision by track officials to close it yet again on Aug. 1 and spend the next week adjusting it.

Those adjustments included moving the inner rail from its 12-foot position to the 18-foot position, aerating the course and giving it extra water. Workers hope to soften the turf enough to prevent ruts and more injuries.

Last week, Del Mar also announced plans to hire a track consultant.

However, the spokesperson for Del Mar maintains the track itself is not to blame for the fatal injuries, and Dr. Rick Arthur, the equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board, told NBC last week the track is likely not the reason behind the deaths.

Arthur said 85 to 90 percent of horses have some pre-existing pathology that goes undetected by current veterinarian diagnosis. All race horses must undergo frequent evaluations before racing, on race day and possibly after their runs.

The seven horses that died from race-related injuries, as well as two others that died at the track, will be undergoing a necropsy to determine their causes of death. Those results might not finished for several months. 

Despite the most recent reopening, turf races will still be reduced by a third this season to allow for more aggressive up-keep.

A Bridgeport police officer is facing federal charges after allegedly using excessive force while making an arrest in 2011 and the police department has suspended him without pay.

Bridgeport police officer Clive Higgins, 48, who has been with the department since 2002, appeared in court Friday. He is accused of police brutality in a case that was caught on camera.

Immediately following Higgins' arrest, the Bridgeport Police Department placed him on unpaid suspension, according to police spokesman Bill Kaempffer.

"We expect a lot from our officers and the overwhelming majority of our officers do their job extraordinarily well," said Bridgeport Payor Bill Finch and Chief Joseph Gaudett, in a statement Friday. "But when they violate the public trust, they need to be held accountable."

On May 20, 2011, two other Bridgeport police officers were chasing a man suspected of having a gun when Higgins heard radio transmissions asking for backup, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Higgins responded to the scene as the chase neared Beardsley Park. When he arrived, the person involved – later identified as Orlando Lopez – had left his van and was running from police, with two officers in pursuit.

One officers shot Lopez with a stun gun, knocking him down, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

As Lopez was lying on the ground, Higgins approached the suspect and kicked him in the head and neck area, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Lopez, of Bridgeport, filed a lawsuit against Higgins and two other officers, claiming police brutality, in January 2013. The suit was filed days after a video of the arrest surfaced on YouTube.

Higgins is charged with violating an individual's civil rights by using unreasonable force during an arrest. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

It will be quite the spectacular nature show on Sunday.

The biggest and brightest full moon of the year will light up the sky. Coincidentally, the annual Perseid Meteor Shower is set to peak also on Sunday.

The combination of these astronomical events is both and good, NASA experts say: The good is obvious (two events at the same time). The bad news is that “lunar glare wipes out the black-velvety backdrop required to see faint meteors and sharply reduces counts,” Bill Cooke of Nasa’s Meteroid Environment Office said in a statement on NASA’s site.

NBC 7 Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh said a “super moon” occurs any time the moon is closer than 360,000 km to the Earth.

We had one just a month ago. Experts say the one on Sunday will be the biggest of the year.

As for the Perseids, they will appear from Sunday to Tuesday, shooting across the sky at 140,000 mph.

The meteors come via the Comet Swift-Tuttle, a grouping of dust grains that circle the sun every 133 years and get their name from the ancient Greek hero who slayed Medusa.

In San Diego, watch for the fun to start when the moon rises at 7:34 p.m.

A North County resident is raising concerns about sidewalk power washing in the neighborhoods during California’s drought, while city officials maintain it’s about public health.

A Carlsbad realtor sent NBC 7 a photo of a city parks and recreation worker spraying down sidewalks at the Alga Norte Park.

She said the walkways are not dirty enough to warrant a high-powered wash and queried “How can the city expect homeowners to comply if they are also wasting water?”

However, city of Carlsbad spokeswoman Kristina Ray says the washing is a sanitary issue, not a water wasting problem.

She told NBC 7 people often leave behind food and trash, which could attract rodents and pests at the heavily used Alga Norte Park

Even when Carlsbad moves to Level 2 drought restrictions in the next couple of weeks, parks and rec will still make power washing a sanitation and safety priority.

Carlsbad parks have no set schedule for power washing; workers do it on an as-needed basis, according to Ray. But when more people are out and about in the summer months, the sidewalks get sprayed down more often.

Ray pointed out Alga Norte was recently featured in a Parks and Rec magazine for being a model of water savings since it uses recycled water to keep the grass green.

However, the water in the power washer was not recycled because the health department forbids it, Ray says.

If you see what you believe is an example of agencies wasting water, send us a tip through our website.

A woman who intentionally drove the wrong way onto an east San Diego freeway killing herself and another motorist had long battled with depression and tested positive for drugs, a report from the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office confirms.

On May 30, Trista Stier, 29, drove the wrong way on purpose up an off-ramp on State Route 67 in Lakeside just as Alpine resident Doug Menegos, 49, approached the road in his utility truck.

Stier’s vehicle slammed head-on into Menegos’ truck. Both were killed as a result of the crash. Menegos, a husband and father of two, had been on his way home from work at the time of the collision.

From the beginning, California Highway Patrol investigators said it appeared Stier had driven the wrong way intentionally and was likely suicidal. Officials called the tragic collision an “intentional act-turned-homicide.”

Now, a report compiled by the San Diego ME’s office and obtained by NBC 7 confirms Stier had a long medical history of depression and had even attempted to commit suicide once before. Toxicological testing also detected methamphetamine and marijuana in her system at the time of the fatal collision.

According to the report, Stier’s family told officials that she had been diagnosed with depression for many years and had been on and off various medications. Stier had tried to kill herself two-and-a-half years ago by slitting her wrists, the family said.

The report states that Stier’s roommate told officials Stier had ongoing issues with depression that had recently worsened. The roommate said Stier had been stressed out because she couldn’t get a job and was somewhat estranged from her family.

Stier had sought help for her depression from a psychiatrist. A week before the crash, she had switched medications, the report stated.

The roommate told officials Stier used medical marijuana, but was not known to use alcohol or illicit drugs. She may have had issues abusing medications, the report said.

The document also sheds light into what transpired leading up to the fatal collision.

Stier’s roommate told investigators that Stier and her boyfriend had gotten into an argument the day before the crash.

On May 30, Stier took all of her clothing and belongings, except for her cellphone, and left home early in the morning. Worried, her boyfriend called friends who said they hadn’t seen Stier.

He then called her mother. Stier’s mother called 911 and reported she was concerned for her daughter.

Later that evening, loved ones were notified of Stier’s crash and consequent death. Her autopsy report confirmed her manner of death as suicide.

As for Menegos, the bystander in this tragic incident, his family continues to keep his memory alive through a Facebook memorial page. Loved ones have also established an online memorial fund for Menegos’ wife and two children. So far, more than 350 people have donated more than $54,000 to the family. The page is filled with heartfelt messages for the family.
 

A missing Ramona man found dead in a field was killed by methamphetamine intoxication, according to a medical examiner’s autopsy.

Before his death, Carl Salayer, 67, suffered from Parkinson’s disease and other medical problems from his time working at the San Onofre nuclear plant, the report says, and his medications had caused dementia-type symptoms and paranoia.

So when his wife reported him missing on June 17, search and rescue teams classified him as an at-risk senior and immediately spread out to find him.

However, deputies called off the search after four days and no signs of Salayer.

Eight days after the missing man was last seen, a couple living on Chablis Road reported a foul odor near their home to San Diego County Sheriff’s officials.

Deputies searched the area and found Salayer’s decomposing body in a field full of thick brush.

When medical examiners performed an autopsy on him, they discovered hydromorphone – a prescription drug – and methamphetamine in his system.

Their report states it was acute methamphetamine intoxication that killed him, but environmental exposure, Brugada syndrome and Parkinson’s disease probably contributed to his death, which was classified as an accident.

Salayer had no history of drug use, according to his autopsy.

A popular snack foods and cereal company that once started here in San Diego is returning to its roots.

Kashi, now owned by food giant Kellogg, will move back to La Jolla after spending the past year in Michigan.

Kellogg's CEO John A. Bryant told investors last week that Kashi is not performing as well as the company would have liked.

He said they haven’t kept Kashi focused enough on progressive nutrition, and faced with lower distribution, they have to make dramatic changes.

To remedy the problems, they are moving back to California and reinstating Kashi’s former CEO David Denholm at the helm.

Kellogg has not released a timetable for when Kashi will move back to the area.
 

Cold case investigators with the San Diego Police Department are looking for a man possibly linked to unsolved homicide cases that occurred three decades ago, officials said Friday.

The SDPD said homicide detectives want to track down a man by the name of Ronald Tatro. He’s believed to be a subject of interest in killings that happened during the early to mid-1980s.

Back in 1984, Tatro was known to drive a white and blue Dodge van. Officials said Tatro had an extensive criminal history.

Today, detectives are asking anyone who knew Tatro or his known associates during this time period to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293.



NBC 7 reached out to investigators for comment on which specific homicide cases Tatro may be connected to, but we did not immediately hear back.

According to SDPD cold case records, some high-profile unsolved homicides from this specific time period include the Aug. 24, 1984, killing of 14-year-old Claire Hough and the Aug. 15, 1985, killing of Ray Lucus.

In a grisly scene, Hough was found dead by passersby at Torrey Pines State Beach, within walking distance of her grandparents’ home where she had been staying. The teen had been beaten, strangled and stabbed, and one of her breasts had been severed. Evidence suggested an unknown suspect attacked the teenage girl while she was at the beach overnight.

Meanwhile, Lucus was discovered dead in the rear of his 1975 Chevy Blazer parked on 2000 Bayview Heights Rd. He had been strangled, bound and stuffed into a green duffle bag. Robbery was likely not a motive, as many valuable items remained in plain sight in Lucus’ car.

Though two years before this time period, another high-profile local unsolved homicide is that of 15-year-old Barbara Nantais. Her case could be tied to Hough’s, as similarities in the evidence suggests both may have been committed by the same perpetrator.

Nantais was found dead on Aug. 13, 1978, at Torrey Pines State Beach. She and her boyfriend, 17-year-old Jim Alt, had been sleeping on the beach when they were attacked by an unknown suspect.

Much like Hough’s case would show years later, Nantais had been strangled and beaten to death and one of her breasts had been severed. Alt was also attacked and suffered permanent physical and emotional injuries, including a severe head wound that left him semi-conscious with no recollection of the attack.

Police have not confirmed if any of the aforementioned cold cases are related in any way to Tatro.