If there was ever a time to play the Colorado Rockies, this is it.

The Padres' opponent this week at Petco Park has the worst record in baseball, is missing superstars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez and will start two rookies in the series.

They have also lost eight of 10 and are the worst road team in the league (18-41).

Meanwhile, the Friars stay hot with wins in six of their last eight games. They have lost just one series since the All-Star break and have the fourth-most runs in the National League during that time. Of course, they still have the worst overall batting average in the league and are last in baseball in runs scored by a wide margin on the season.

But we’re not here to talk about the past. It’s time to look to the future, a glimpse of which arrives this week as outfield prospect Rhymer Liriano is expected to join the team.

The 23-year-old hit .292 with 14 homers and 20 stolen bases in the minors this year, spending time with both Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso. He’s considered the No. 6 prospect in the Padres system.

An otherwise dreary season is starting to look up. This is a good reminder that things could be worse for the Padres: They could be the Rockies.

Here’s how the series stacks up.

Matchups:
Monday, 7:10 p.m.: Jesse Hahn (R, 7-3, 2.28) vs. Jordan Lyles (6-1, 3.72)
Tuesday’s loss to the Twins (5 2/3 IP, 3 ER) snapped Hahn’s streak of three straight starts allowing just one run. Lyles made his first start in two months last week after breaking his hand, beating the Cubs.

Tuesday, 7:10 p.m.: Odrisamer Despaigne (R, 2-3, 3.10) vs. Yohan Flande (L, 0-4, 5.77)
Despaigne has seen his ERA rise more than 2 points (0.92 to 3.10) in his three-game losing streak. The rookie Flande is still looking for his first big-league win in six starts.

Wednesday, 3:40 p.m.: Ian Kennedy (R, 8-10, 3.51) vs. Matzek (R, 2-7, 5.32)
In his start against the Rockies last month, Kennedy allowed just one run and struck out nine in the win. He has two straights starts allowing just one run. Matzek, another rookies, has just one win in his last 10 starts.

Who to watch:
Padres: Hot-hitting Tommy Medica should be back in the lineup after getting hit in the head on Saturday. He is hitting .396 since the All-Star break. Outfielder Seth Smith was the hero on Sunday, putting the Pirates away with a three-run triple in the fifth inning. He has six RBIs in his last three games. First baseman Yonder Alonso is 10 for his last 20 with three doubles. Shortstop Everth Cabrera may miss some time with a hamstring injury.

Rockies: With Tulo and CarGo out, it’s hard to find a recognizable name in this lineup. Outfielder Corey Dickerson has impressed with 14 homers, 46 RBIs and a .319 average. He also has a five-game hitting streak. Third baseman Nolan Arenado has five long balls and 16 RBIs since the All-Star break.

Coming up: This is your last chance to see the Friars at home for a while, as they embark on a 10-game road trip starting Thursday. It includes trips to St. Louis, Los Angeles and Arizona.

A weekend does the body good. From a morning of yoga to a day at the spa, here are some ways to rejuvenate this weekend in San Diego.

Thursday, Aug. 14

Adventure Run San Diego
5 p.m. – 8 p.m. in Kearny Mesa
Howdy, partner! Mosey on down to Road Runner Sports for this free, Wild West-themed race. As you trot along the trail, you’ll collect raffle tickets to win free running gear. After the race, cool your heels at the saloon, serving up beer from Stone Brewery.

Sorrento Soirée en Blanc
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Eco Chateau Sorrento Valley
After a long work week, you’re probably ready to let loose or just relax. You can do both at this spa soirée. Come dressed in head-to-toe white and enjoy wine, appetizers and mini spa treatments. It’s the best of both worlds.

Friday, Aug. 15

Julia Child’s Celebration Dinner
5:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. in Carlsbad
Want to enjoy a fine French dinner? Put down “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and come to Chandler’s Restaurant & Lounge instead. (Trust us.) Chef Pascal Vignau has created a prefix menu in honor of what would have been Julia Child’s 102nd birthday, featuring baked escargot, beef bourguignon and more. Bon appétit!

Cirque de la Symphonie
7:30 p.m. at Embarcadero Marina Park South
How could acrobats and aerialists be any more breathtaking? Pair them with the explosive sounds of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. This unforgettable performance takes place on the backdrop of the San Diego Bay.

SoundDiego Suggestion: Deep Purple
8 p.m. at Harrah's Resort Southern California
If the opening riff to "Smoke on the Water" doesn't immediately get your heart pumping, you may, in fact, be dead. If you're a fan of the electric guitar (or maybe a player yourself) you owe it to yourself to see their virtuoso six-stringer Steve Morse (who replaced original shredder Ritchie Blackmore in 1994) in person. In 1975, this band was listed in the "Guinness Book of World Records" as "the world's loudest band" -- so bring your earplugs.

SoundDiego Suggestion: The Helio Sequence
8:30 p.m. at the Casbah
From the moment we heard "Lately" from their 2008 album "Keep Your Eyes Ahead," we knew this Beaverton, Oregon indie rock duo were the real deal. For a two-piece, they cover a ton of ground and sound much bigger than they should. We'll be there, with bells on.

• More from SoundDiego

Saturday, Aug. 16

Yogathon
8:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. in Balboa Park
Join your fellow yogis for a morning of serenity at Balboa Park. Your $25 entrance fee benefits Care for Children, an organization that provides education in India and other underdeveloped countries. Namaste.

ArtWalk
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Liberty Station
NTC Park transforms into an outdoor art gallery for the 9th Annual ArtWalk. The event features more than 175 artisans, including a dozen from Baja California, and hands-on activities for futures Picassos at KidsWalk.

SoundDiego Suggestion: The Sonics
7 p.m. at the Irenic
The Sonics are the most influential band in the world. (Or so the entire genre of indie rock would have you believe.) It seems nearly every psych/punk rock band on the planet lists this legendary Tacoma, Washington quintet as an influence -- and with good reason: One listen to their 1965 cover of "Have Love, Will Travel" will make you forget all about the bands that made entire careers out of aping their sound. (One of their local disciples, Mrs. Magician, opens the show.) Bring the whole family to this all-ages show and get a lesson in rock history.

Sunday, Aug. 17

Wienermobile Visit
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Vons in Rancho Bernardo
Want the ultimate Instagram picture? The legendary Oscar Mayer Wienermobile will be available for photo opts.

SoundDiego Suggestion: Grouplove, Portugal the Man, Tokyo Police Club
7 p.m. at SDSU's Open Air Theatre
You've probably heard Grouplove all over the place; these days, you can't walk down the street without the LA-based dance rock group blaring out of a car stereo. Their addictive singles, "Tongue Tied" and "Colours," have them poised as the next breakout music superstars. With psych rockers Portugal the Man and indie dance pop band Tokyo Police Club joining them under the stars at SDSU's Open Air Theatre, it'll be a night you won't forget any time soon.

Puerto Rico's economic crisis has forced residents to leave the troubled island for greener pastures in the U.S. mainland in numbers unseen since the Great Migration after World War II.

Census data shows that from 2010 to 2013, about 144,000 more people left Puerto Rico for the mainland than those headed for the island. As the island's population shrinks, the stateside Puerto Rican population has grown to a record 4.9 million in 2013, surpassing the island's population of 3.5 million since 2006, according to a Pew Research report released Monday.

"The Census Bureau has projected that through 2050, unless something changes, the population decline is going to continue and that would make Puerto Rico one of the few places in the United States that actually has a decline in its population," said Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Hispanic research at the Pew Research Center.

The reason behind the island's mass exodus stems from the lack of job opportunities, according to the report. The island's economic dire straights was fueled both by the U.S. recession and issues unique to the island, like the end of corporate tax breaks that led to business shutdowns and government layoffs. The unemployment rate in June was 13,1 percent, compared to the mainland's 6.1 percent.

"The recession has led to the first sustained population decline for the island in its history as a U.S. territory," Lopez said. Puerto Rico is a U.S. Commonwealth and its residents are U.S. citizens. Puerto Ricans living on the mainland are the second largest Hispanic group after Mexicans.

About 23 percent of mainland-born Puerto Ricans live in New York, while Florida is home to 25 percent of those born on the island. The Northeast retains the largest share of Puerto Ricans--both mainland and island born--but other regions, especially the South, have become popular destinations, the report said. From 1980 to 2012, the South's Puerto Rican population rose by nearly 700 percent.

Recent arrivals from the commonwealth are also less well off and more likely to live in poverty than their predecessors, the report said.

"This current wave of migration, which is the largest migration wave that we've seen since the 1950s from the island, is one that is not necessarily one made up of the top end of the educational distribution," Lopez said. "It's not college grads that are coming. It's people that have some college education.

Mainland-born Puerto Ricans are younger and make more money, with poverty less likely to affect their children and the elderly. They are more likely to attend college than their island counterparts, the report said.

A 13-year-old New Jersey boy gravely injured in a tornado that killed his parents at a Virginia campsite last month has died, NBC affiliate WAVY confirmed with officials at the hospital that had cared for him.

The hospital said Lheandrew Balatbat died Saturday. He had been in a coma since the July 23 tornado devastated the area near his family's campsite at Cherrystone Campground along the Chesapeake Bay.

The boy's parents, Lord Balatbat and Lolibeth Ortega, both 38, were killed when a tree fell on their tent as they slept. Lheandrew Balatbat's 11- and 6-year-old sisters were injured, but not critically. 

The family went camping every year and had been to that campsite in the past, friends told NBC 4 New York. 

Aerial footage from an NBC affiliate showed a swath of destruction as trees were toppled, tents and cabins crumpled and RV campers were blown on their sides when the tornado roared through. Thirty-one people were hospitalized. About 1,300 were staying at the campground.

Lord Balatbat was a manager at a Walgreens drugstore in Jersey City, and Ortega was a lab technician. 

A San Diego County man’s death highlights what one former addict considers a growing problem - more grandparents using meth.

Diana Julian, program manager for an East County regional recovery center is seeing an uptick in older meth users.

“A lot of grandmas and grandpas are using meth and have been using for many, many years,” Julian said.

Julian has been clean for more than 14 years and runs the McAlister Institute in El Cajon.  She was not surprised to learn methamphetamine abuse was the cause of a Ramona man’s death.

Carl Salayer’s disappearance on June 16 triggered an all-out search and rescue effort. More than a week later, San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputies found Salayer’s body in a field full of thick brush.

The County Medical Examiner report listed the 67-year-old man’s official cause of death as acute methamphetamine intoxication. The autopsy report lists Parkinson’s Disease among other contributing conditions.

San Diego County officials said the meth found in Salayer’s system was not a byproduct of any other medication.

In 2012, county health records show the majority of deaths attributed to methamphetamine were among Baby Boomers. Sixty-nine people age 50 to 59 died from meth intoxication. Thirteen deaths were among those 60 or older.

In 2013, meth intoxication was listed as the cause of death for 80 people age 45 to 54, 48 people age 55 to 64 and four people 65 or older.

Julian said an older person may resort to meth use because of declining health and may lack the support system to kick the habit. 

“For people that are using and they're older, their support has become smaller and smaller throughout the years,” she said.

A former nanny has admitted to stealing more than $430,000 from a Montgomery County family she worked for and using it to buy a house and to visit a casino.

Prosecutors say Kadiatu Sahid Kamara, 50, of Gaithersburg, wrote herself about 118 checks from the couple's money market account over about two years while she was caring for their children. 

Kamara pleaded guilty Monday to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft in the case.

She had never been authorized to write checks from the account, but between May 2011 and May 2013, she forged the signature of an account holder on the checks and then deposited them into her own bank account, prosecutors said.

The amount stolen was about $431,542.

Kamara used some of it to buy a house in Africa, to send money transfers and to play games at a casino in Charles Town, West Virginia, authorities said.

The victims discovered the theft and fired Kamara in May 2013. Shortly after, they received a handwritten letter from her, according to the criminal complaint against her.

"I ask your forgiveness. You can take me to court, send me in jail and throw the keys into the sea, your actions will be justified," the letter from Kamara read in part. "I stole your money to build my house in Africa."

However, in the letter, she disputed the amount of money stolen.

Kamara faces up to 20 years in prison for mail fraud and a mandatory minimum of two years consecutive to any other sentence imposed. She will be sentenced Oct. 14.

She has also agreed to pay restitution of $431,542.

Stabbing suspect Odie Miller Jr. randomly stabbed a Bio Tech executive 40 times as the man was walking to a lunchtime meeting near University Town Center, a deputy district attorney said Monday.

In arguing for high bail, Deputy District Attorney Geoff Allard provided these disturbing new details at the suspect’s arraignment.

“It does appear to be a random attack,” Allard said.

The judge set bail for Miller at $550,000. His next court date is Aug. 20.

Miller, 20, was charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors filed an enhancement on the charge because the act inflicted “great bodily injury.” He could face up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

Miller was taken into custody just before 11 a.m. Aug. 7 at Broadway and Park Boulevard, just two blocks from the San Diego Police Headquarters downtown – the day after the random stabbing.

The stabbing led to a search by SWAT team members to apprehend Miller. Helicopters were hovering overhead as officers in heavy gear waited outside the home. The SWAT team was called to the Rolando location.

The victim is recovering at home, Allard said.

Miller's father has told NBC 7 that his son suffers from bipolar disorder and depression and has been involved in a violent incident with family members in the past. He said he sought help for his son, but because he's older than 18, there's nothing legally he can do.

That's a common battle parents of mentally ill children face and, sadly, there's not much they can do, said psychologist George Pratt.

"People who are severely mentally ill don't recognize typically that they need help," Pratt said. "They don't like medications and they act out and create major problems for themselves, other individuals and their families."

A group of Escondido residents launched a campaign Monday in hopes of swaying voters against a new housing development.

Members of the Escondido Country Club Homeowners Association believe they were retaliated against in April. They claim the developer who purchased the old Escondido Golf Course used potent chicken manure on the property to prove a point.

“There's no excuse [for the chicken manure] other than harassment and being a bully, said longtime Escondido resident Paul DeLaurentis.

“We tried to stop the developer from building a housing development, and it all comes back to that,” he added.

DeLaurentis suffers from mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer. He says the smell of chicken manure made it hard to breathe, especially because he was undergoing chemotherapy during April.

On Monday, San Diego County officials told NBC 7 they are continuing to review three citations the county issued to developer Michael Schlesinger and his company Stuck in the Rough LLC.

Beth Binger, a spokeswoman for the developer, says they have complied with the county since they were notified back in April. She says the homeowner's association is trying to exploit the manure situation so voters will take their side and vote against the proposal to build 430 homes on the old golf course property.

“It’s a lot of contention from a small group of individuals,” Binger said.

“We sent a letter out to all of the homeowners apologizing for this smell, assuring them that that product would never be used again and letting them know that we apologize,” Binger said.

The company also says that it offered to compensate anyone who had to leave their home during that period.

Meanwhile, county continues to investigate. Jon Adams, Assistant Director for the San Diego County Air Quality Control Department, says based on the information they have so far, the developer will most likely face a fine.
 

As they process the shocking news about Robin Williams' death, leaders at one San Diego nonprofit who worked closely with the Oscar-winning actor are sharing stories of his energy and philanthropy.

Virginia Tinley, executive director of the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), met Williams in 1998, when he attended his first San Diego Triathlon Challenge.

“He was just blown away by the challenged athletes,” Tinley told NBC 7.

For 11 years, Williams helped athletes facing physical challenge to achieve success in sports through the CAF, taking part in the triathlon and other cycling events. He stayed an avid supporter of the foundation for 20 years.

The prolific actor brought valuable credibility – as well as media attention – to the organization, Tinley said.

“He truly found joy in participating side-by-side with our challenged athletes, and we cannot thank him enough for the support and energy he brought to our organization,” said CAF’s Senior Marketing Manager Jenna Novotny in a statement.

Tinley expected to see Williams again this weekend at the Back to Back Century Challenge NorCal bike ride in Sausalito. He has attended the event in the past and told others he’s see them there.

“I felt extremely sad, and a tragic loss. He was a very big-hearted, kind, generous person. He supported the Challenged Athletes Foundation as well as many other charities,” said Tinley.

The Comedy Store in La Jolla is paying tribute to "our dear friend Robin Williams" by posting rare footage of the actor during an early appearance at the venue.

It shows a young, bearded Williams running through his veritable encyclopedia of impersonations, peppered with expletives.

Williams was found dead in his Marin County, Calif. home Monday morning after a 911 call from that house reported a man not breathing.

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office says they suspect his death was due to suicide by asphyxia. A spokesperson for the actor said he had been suffering from severe depression in recent months.

The sheriff’s office is still investigating his death, and toxicology tests are pending.

A Los Angeles man is suing his doctor and a Southern California healthcare network, saying they ignored his request to remove a notation describing "homosexual behavior" as a "chronic problem" on his medical records.

Matthew Moore, 46, who is openly gay, said he was shocked to see his sexual orientation still described as a chronic condition more than a year after he complained about the use of the archaic medical classification.

"It was infuriating. It was painful," he said of his decision to sue. "It was another attempt by this doctor and this medical group to impose their agenda of discrimination and hate onto a gay patient."

As reported in September by NBC4, Moore discovered the description in his medical records after undergoing a routine physical in April 2013 by Dr. Elaine Jones of the Torrance Health Association.

The diagnosis was coded as 302.0, an archaic classification from The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (commonly known as the ICD). Code 302.0 "homosexual behavior" was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1973.

Moore said when he confronted Jones in May 2013, she defended the description by saying that the medical community goes "back and forth" on whether or not homosexuality is considered a chronic condition.

Moore wrote a letter complaining about the designation to the Torrance Memorial Health Association and received a prompt apology:

"We would like to unequivocally state that the Torrance Memorial Physician Network does not view homosexuality as a disease or a chronic condition, and we do not endorse or approve of the use of Code 302.0 as a diagnosis for homosexuality," Torrance Health Association Senior Director Heidi Assigal wrote to Moore.

The association also issued a media statement saying the designation had been used as a result of "human error" and claiming that "upon notification by the patient the record was corrected."

Moore said he let the issue go, thinking the problem had been solved. But when he obtained a copy of his medical records in May, he said he was stunned to see that while the 302.0 code had been removed, "homosexual behavior" was still listed under "chronic problems."

He said he later was given a second copy of his records on a CD, which did not contain the entry.

That prompted him to file suit in July against Dr. Jones, the Torrance Health Association Inc. and the related Torrance Memorial Physician Network, alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress and libel.

That suit also alleges that the defendants "engaged in a pattern of deceit and medical record doctoring in an attempt to establish that they had earlier removed and retracted the defamatory content, when in fact they had not removed and retracted the defamatory content until the latter part of May 2014."

It seeks both punitive and compensatory damages.

In a "motion to strike" filed Aug. 6, attorneys for the defendants argued that Moore’s complaint was both "vague and ambiguous" and urged the court to dismiss parts of the lawsuit.

In a statement provided to NBC News on Monday, the Torrance Memorial Physicians Network said that employees unsuccessfully made "every effort" to remove the information from Moore’s records.

"Due to the highly complex software used in creating an electronic medical record, the incorrect code continued to exist in an electronic table only," it said. "As a result, this incorrect diagnosis code was included on a paper copy of the record, which was provided only to the patient."

Moore said he felt he had to sue after finding the entry a second time.

"I gave them chance after chance and this time I’m not going to be silent. My silence would condone this activity," he said.

Jones declined to comment through a spokeswoman for the Torrance Memorial Health Association.
Shane Snowdon, who heads the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's health and aging program, said that Moore’s case is not an aberration.

"Unfortunately, this kind of ignorance and bias is still all too common among health professionals," she said. "This incident underlines the importance of our ongoing efforts to educate healthcare providers about knowledgeable, respectful treatment of LGBT Americans. When we consult a physician, we have a right to expect care uncontaminated by personal prejudice."

But Moore said he hopes it can be a teaching moment.

"I don’t want any gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual ever to hear from a doctor that their normal and healthy sexuality is anything other than that," said Moore, noting that suicides among LGBT youth is higher than other groups. "Maybe we all just saved a life today."

Monica Alba contributed to this report.

San Diegan Juan Calavario Hernandez spends a lot of time on the road. His delivery business has him driving 600 miles a week.

When gas prices go up, he feels every expensive drop.

“Because I put $80 to $100 of gas, you better shop around,” said Hernandez.

The prices at the pump have been dropping over the past few weeks, but it’s hard to call gas prices averaging $3.87 in San Diego "cheap."

“I’d be happy with $2.75 per gallon, at least so everybody can drive,” said Hernandez.

He’s not alone. Drivers say while it is nice to see prices drop below $4, it is hard to consider prices a good deal until they drop below $3.

Gladys Valdez says as a senior citizen, she can’t afford higher gas prices.

“Maybe $3 a gallon,” said Valdez.

But is $3 cheap? Not according to Eddie Hice.

“Give me $1.19 and I’ll be happy,” Hice declared.

Mary Parisi agrees with most drivers that cheap gas starts under $3.

“It would be nice if it was $2.50 or $2.75,” Parisi said. "That would be reasonable.” 

A person is dead after being hit by a Sprinter train in the Vista area Monday evening -- the third fatal pedestrian incident on San Diego County's rail system in the past week.

The crash happened around 8 p.m. near the intersection of Santa Fe Avenue and Woodland Drive.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department confirmed the victim has died, and  the Sprinter service was delayed about one hour between Buena Creek and Civic Center Vista, according to the North County Transit District.

A Sig Alert was also issued on Santa Fe Avenue for 90 minutes as sheriff's detectives investigated the crash.

Early Saturday morning, a 40-year-old man died after being hit by a freight train in Encinitas. That incident was nearly 24 hours after a 22-year-old man was struck and killed by the same type of train in Carlsbad.

Check back here for details on this breaking news story.

With fins in hand, a deep breath and inhibitions fully in check, junior lifeguards proved how much they want their job Monday as they made a stomach-dropping jump off the Ocean Beach Pier.

The 30-foot leap allowed students to show off their “water proofing” skills that could potentially saves lives out on the open ocean.

But they did not jump alone. Celebrating 100 years patrolling our coast, the San Diego Lifeguards invited community members and parents willing to donate $75 to make a leap alongside the students. The event is one of the San Diego Junior Lifeguard Foundation’s largest fundraisers.

Among the daring swimmers: Mayor Kevin Faulconer, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman and other city leaders.

Both the chief and the mayor have made the jump before, but when faced with the prospect of doing it again? “It’s still high,” said Faulconer.

“This is a long fall right here, a long first step,” said Zimmerman, “and then I’m actually looking forward to the swim part. The first part – taking that step off the pier – is I think going to be a little more challenging.”

But once they raised their fins overhead and took that step, it was nothing but smiles.

Lifeguards patrolled the waters below on surfboards to make sure all jumpers made the 500- to 1,000-yard swim back to shore safely.

The pier jump funds programs that teach young San Diegans about aquatic safety, give free swim lessons and allow underserved youth to learn about the ocean.
 

Authorities searched for the driver of a deadly hit-and-run Monday in National City.

Witnesses say a man walked into oncoming traffic on northbound Interstate 805 at East Plaza Boulevard just after midnight.

He was struck by a car in the number one lane and propelled into the HOV lane where he was struck by a second vehicle.

Only the second driver stopped and called 911.

The California Highway Patrol blocked off all lanes. They're trying to determine why the first driver didn't stop.

The victim, identified only as male, was killed in the incident.

Check back for updates on this developing story.
 

San Diego’s perfect weather and beautiful scenery make it ideal for marathons, triathlons and every race in between, and as it turns out, those events provide more than a good workout for participants, a new study finds.

Endurance competitions brought $64.1 million in total economic output to San Diego County last year, according to the National University System Institute for Policy Research (NUSIPR).

Looking at participant data from 66 marathons, swims, cycling events, 5Ks, mud runs and swims in 2013, the institute found 134,000 people signed up to compete, with 34 percent traveling in from outside the county. The races drew attendees from all 50 states and more than 22 countries.

The NUSIPR says the events also led to $21.3 million in wages and 583 direct, indirect and induced jobs in the local endurance sports field.

The San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon was the only endurance event to receive San Diego Tourism Marketing District (TMD) funding through the district’s application process, the NUSIPR found. The county’s biggest race was given $300,000 – about 1 percent of TMD’s investments.

The institute says the city’s tourism industry could be doing more to get bigger crowds to run to San Diego.

“As the endurance event industry has changed, stronger partnerships between the hospitality industry and event organizers could generate even more visits to San Diego and further boost attendance,” study authors wrote.

They also say few events were hosted in the East County and South Bay -- a missed opportunity because both could offer different sights and amenities for visitors.

In 2013, these five races were the top across the finish line: the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon (24,642 participants), the World Famous Mud Run (20,000 participants), Father Joe’s Villages Thanksgiving Day 5K (10,000 participants), the Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad Marathon (8,472 participants) and America’s Finest City 5K and Half Marathon (7,604 participants).

The woman allegedly attacked by a man wearing a Barbie costume told a judge that she was terrified of being raped.

During a preliminary hearing Monday, the judge ruled there is enough evidence to take Gregory Philip Schwartz, 40, to trial.

Schwartz is accused of attempting to sexually assault a woman while wearing a stolen Barbie costume at the Big Lots store in Clairemont on Feb. 28.

The victim testified that she was in a restroom stall when she noticed a man’s bare feet. The man peered at her from over top the stall; he then dropped to the ground and climbed underneath the partition.

“He got right in. He made his hand into a C-clamp. He put his hand on my neck and pushed me against the wall,” she testified.

The victim said she was screaming, but the suspect covered her mouth.

“I just told myself, I’d rather die than be raped by this man,” she said with her voice shaking.

“So I thought my best option was to at least fight.”

The victim managed to escape from the man’s grip, ran out of the restroom and told store employees what happened.

Surveillance video of the incident was made public for the first time on Monday. The video shows the suspect sneak into the men’s restroom and emerge wearing a hot pink kids-sized dress.

Detective Carmelin Rivera with the San Diego Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit testified that other people had run-ins with the defendant in the same plaza that day.

An employee at a nearby hair salon said she was sitting in her car when the suspect opened the passenger door and asked if she wanted to do meth, Rivera testified.

After the incident at Big Lots, the defendant approached a Clairemont Town Square security guard.

“The defendant dropped a pair of women’s underwear on the ground,” Rivera said. “Then, he removed some paper that was rolled up in his hand and in the paper was a shiny object, which the security guard wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but he thought it might have been a screwdriver.”

Officers arrested four days later near Clairemont Mesa Blvd. and Diane Ave. He had been living out of his car, according to investigators.

Schwartz’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 25.
 

Robin Williams stood in the eye of his own humor hurricane, a human perpetual motion machine of comedy who unleashed manic streams of pop-cultural consciousness with the improv intensity of a be-bop great and the deceivingly tight timing of a master drummer who always marched to his own off-beat.

At his best, riff-machine Williams launched mad races with his audiences to see who would run out of breath first – him from spraying jokes like a Gatling gun or us from side-splitting laughter.

News of Williams' tragic death at age 63 took away the breath of fans across the globe in a starkly different way Monday, with the reported circumstances of his demise belying the joy spread by one of our greatest comic geniuses.

We can take some comfort in recalling an often brilliant and always versatile performer who, over the last four decades, created and shared indelible characters from TV to the movies to the stage.

He gave twisted life to hilarious human cartoons ("Mork & Mindy" and "Popeye") and to cartoon characters ("Aladdin" and "Happy Feet"). In more serious turns, Williams played doctors, real and otherwise, who healed with humanity ("Awakenings" and "Good Will Hunting," which earned him an Oscar). He excelled as rebels with a cause ("Good Morning, Vietnam" and “Dead Poets Society”). He lent bittersweet dignity – and unabashed craziness – to characters on society’s fringes ("The Survivors" and Terry Gilliam's brilliant, “The Fisher King”).

It's hard to imagine anyone but Williams in those parts, and in many others.

Only Robin Williams could do justice to the greatest work of our off-kilter modern Dickens (John Irvings' "The World According to Garp"). Only Robin Williams could turn the underlying grim story of a sad dad into a  screwball, cross-dressing comedy ("Mrs. Doubtfire"). Only Robin Williams could turn a voracious, man-eating beast into a sympathetic character – and a walking, talking, wisecracking metaphor (Broadway's “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo”).

Only Robin Williams could turn the stage of the Metropolitan Opera into an improv playpen, delivering a stand-up performance of operatic proportions in 1986.

Although Williams’ strongest roles widely varied, they brimmed with humor and humanity. Those qualities were borne out in real life through his devotion to the "Comic Relief" benefits for the homeless.

When his own demons played out in public, he responded with unflinching honesty – and jokes. Cocaine, he once noted, is "God's way of telling you you make too much money."

He delivered that line during his classic gig at The Met. Those of us lucky enough to have been there experienced how Williams could jolt a theater to full-blaze life, as he shape-shifted from Minnie Pearl to Pavarotti to a football coach to a flamboyant choreographer in a priceless display of free-association. He fed on our laughter, and responded by giving us more and more to laugh at.

Which makes news of his death all the more heartbreaking. All fans can do is wish his family some peace and remember the laughter, which is all we have left from a performer who gave us everything he had.

Jere Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is also the author of "Raising a Beatle Baby: How John, Paul, George and Ringo Helped us Come Together as a Family." Follow him on Twitter.