A case of tuberculosis has been reported at San Diego’s Lincoln High School and health officials say others may have been exposed.

Health officials say folks may have been exposed sometime between March 12 and June 12.

Students can be tested for tuberculosis on Tuesday at the school at 4777 Imperial Ave.

Symptoms of tuberculosis include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss, said County Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten.

At 112 cases so far this year, the number of tuberculosis cases in San Diego County is down compared to last year’s 206 reported cases.

If you have questions about this potential exposure, call the county’s TB control program at 619-692-8621.

Robin Williams killed himself by hanging himself with a belt, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday, as it announced the results of a preliminary investigation into the beloved actor's suicide.

Williams' personal assistant found him with a belt around his neck Monday in a chair near a closet door in his Tiburon home around 11:45 a.m., Lt. Keith Boyd told a bank of reporters Tuesday.

The iconic actor and comedian had "been seeking treatment for depression," Boyd said, confirming what Williams' publicist had said Monday. Boyd declined to say more, citing federal privacy laws.

Boyd stressed the findings by Marin County Chief Forensic Pathologist Joseph Cohen were preliminary, and he would not discuss whether the 63-year-old had left behind a message for anyone.

"We are not discussing the note, or a note, at this time," Boyd said.

Boyd also did not know if Williams had taken any drugs or consumed alcohol before he committed "suicide by asphyxia." That information will not be available until a toxicology report is returned.

Boyd recounted a brief timeline of events that led to the shocking discovery.

Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, last saw her husband Sunday at about 10:30 p.m. She retired to one room to go to sleep, and her husband went into another, Boyd said. That was the last time anyone saw him alive.

It wasn't until the next morning at 11:45 a.m. that Williams' personal assistant knocked on a bedroom door. There was no response, Boyd said. When the assistant went in, Williams' body was seated in a chair and "cool to the touch."  The "distraught" assistant called 911 at 11:55 a.m., Boyd said.

Boyd said it's unknown at this point exactly what time Williams killed himself, but the actor was pronounced dead on Monday at 12:02 p.m. when firefighters arrived.

The Marin County Sheriff's office received some negative feedback from Internet users who thought the department's divulgence of graphic details was unnecessary. Lt. Boyd declined to comment on the department's decision when contacted by NBC Bay Area.

"We will address this in any future press conference we conduct," Boyd said in an email.

Williams was open about his persistent battles with substance abuse, as he often made light of his cocaine use during his 1980s standup routines and discussed his alcoholism openly.

Williams returned to rehab last month. He said he had not relapsed, but was working on maintaining his sobriety.

SUICIDE PREVENTION: If you know someone who needs help, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

A 3-year-old girl was fatally shot after a man opened fire on a Maryland house following an altercation over clothing, police said.

The little girl's killer is still at large, and police are urging the suspect, 25-year-old Davon Antwan Wallace, to turn himself in. Family members say they want justice for the death of young Knijah Amore Bibb.

"I hope he burns in hell because he took an innocent child's life," the girl's grandmother Brenda Bibb said. "She was so loving. Everybody loved her."

Police say Wallace was dating someone who lives at a home in the 6900 block of Forest Terrace in Landover, Maryland. While at the home Sunday, Wallace accused an acquaintance of wearing some of his clothing, then left. 

Wallace later returned and fired gunshots into the home, said Prince George’s County Police. News4's Darcy Spencer counted at least six bullet holes on the exterior of the home.

Knijah, of Northwest D.C., was hit by the gunfire while she was in an upstairs bedroom of the home, where she had been visiting her cousins. She was transported to a hospital, where she died.

"We all got a scar that will never heal, that we have to live with the rest of our lives," Bibb said. "My daughter had three boys and she tried so hard for a girl, and she got one and he just took her away from her." 

Wallace was identified as a suspect late Sunday. Police said the "intended target" of the gunfire, a boy in his late teens, had not been in the house at the time of the shooting.

"I feel terrible; I feel helpless," said Knijah's mother Shadon Bibb. 

Wallace, of the 7000 block of E. Kilmer Street in Landover, has been charged with first-degree murder after a preliminary investigation.

Police said anyone harboring the suspect will also face charges.

Pgpd: squad of investigators on child murder have not gone home, have not slept. They have "sense of moral outrage"

— Darcy Spencer (@darcyspencer) August 11, 2014

The little girl's death stunned the neighborhood and even the police who continue to investigate, Spencer reported.

The investigators had not yet slept or gone home by Monday afternoon, citing a "sense of moral outrage" over the little girl's death, authorities said.

In 2007, 21 surveillance cameras were installed in the county to help deter crime -- including one right across the street from the house where Knijah was shot and killed.

"Unfortunately that camera is not operational so there was no useful video from that camera," Lt. William Alexander with Prince George's County Police said. 

Police maintain they did not need the surveillance video to help identify Wallace, though the cameras haven't been working for at least two years.

Robert Boddie, who lives next door to the scene of the crime, said that he and his two young sons had just moved into the neighborhood a few weeks ago.

"These are my next-door neighbors. It's not like it's down the street or down the block. I really don't feel like it's OK to feel OK right now," Boddie said.

He said his father was watching his children Sunday afternoon when his neighbor's home was sprayed with bullets.

"He heard the gunshots, grabbed my children, threw themselves to the floor and kind of crawled to the back of the house," Boddie said. 

Tonisia Carter, who lives across the street, said the neighborhood had changed for the better over time.

"It had a horrible reputation, just the surrounding area, a lot of violence. But over the years, it has calmed down a whole lot," she said.

Warrant obtained for suspect in murder of young girl. Detectives searching for Davon Wallace. http://t.co/BA5L30Ury2 pic.twitter.com/zZSyAC20bF

— PGPDNEWS (@PGPDNews) August 11, 2014

Anyone with information that could lead to his arrest should call Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS or 301-772-4925.

California could soon be the first state in the nation to separate investigations and prosecutions from the chain of command in the state's military departments.

National Guard members in trouble for sexual assault could soon be investigated by local police or district attorney staffers under a proposed bill in the California legislature.

State Senator Alex Padilla authored a bill that he hopes will set the standard for the U.S. Armed Forces.

The bill would make it law that sex assaults involving California's Military Departments or CMDs be adjudicated by local, civilian authorities.

“If we can be example for other states to follow and for our nation to follow then California will be a leader when it comes protecting and respecting the men and women of the military," Padilla said Monday.

Part of Padilla's rationale-- the military's insular culture doesn't allow victims to be heard.

According to the Department of Defense, the number of reported sexual assaults in the military rose 50 percent last year over 2012.

Military criminal defense attorney and retired Marine Colonel Jane Siegel has been involved in a lot of sexual assault cases.

Seigel applauds the bill saying its good in theory but notes California has no jurisdiction over the U.S. Armed Forces.

“Right now it’s a paper tiger,” she said. “They're doing the right thing for the right reasons but it doesn’t have the legs.”

CMD's don't have dedicated judicial departments to adjudicate sexual assaults so policy dictates the cases get farmed out to local authorities. Padilla's bill would make it a law not just policy.

The bill could make it to the governor’s desk later this week.

The sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is complete, NBA officials said Tuesday after months of legal battles involving long-time Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his wife.

The finalization of the $2 billion transaction already approved by NBA owners marks the end of Donald Sterling's run as the league's longest-tenured owner and the beginning of a new era for the Clippers and their fans, who remained loyal during what Ballmer described as "some extraordinary times."

In a statement issued Tuesday, the NBA said: "The transaction in which Steve Ballmer purchased the Los Angeles Clippers closed today following the entry of an order by a California court confirming the authority of Shelly Sterling, on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust, to sell the team. The NBA Board of Governors previously approved the sale and Ballmer is now the Clippers Governor."

"I'm really, really happy that it was sold today. I hate losing the team, but it’s going to a wonderful person who's going to make us all proud," Shelly Sterling said during an afternoon press conference. "I know he’s going to bring a championship to this city."

Shelly Sterling negotiated the $2 billion deal with Ballmer and signed an agreement May 29. Shelly Sterling said she was initially given her husband's blessing to sell the team, but Donald Sterling later refused to sign the deal and challenged in court her right to negotiate the sale.

The path to approval appeared clear after a judge in the case ruled against him last month. During an interview earlier this month, Ballmer was cautious about calling the team his own -- despite the court ruling --  but issued a statement Tuesday in which he praised Clippers fans for their patience and expressed excitement about the future of one of the league's most-promising franchises.

"I am humbled and honored to be the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers," Ballmer said in a statement. "Clipper fans are so amazing. They have remained fiercely loyal to our franchise through some extraordinary times. I will be hard core in giving the team, our great coach, staff and players the support they need to do their best work on the court. And we will do whatever necessary to provide our fans and their families with the best game-night experience in the NBA."

Ballmer plans to meet with fans Aug. 18 when the team has scheduled a Fan Festival at Staples Center.

Shelly Sterling said she is "thrilled that the Clippers now have such a wonderful new owner."

Attorneys for Sterling and Ballmer said the deal was finalized at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Shelly Sterling's attorney, Pierce O’Donnell, said at the news conference that Donald Sterling had filed a petition opposing the sale. O'Donnell called it a "desperate act" and said he was confident the court of appeals would not take the case.

The legal quarrel continued until late last week when Donald Sterling's petition with a state appeals court requesting an order blocking the proposed sale was denied. An attorney for Ballmer said the sale was completed after the court order was signed.

"Judge (Michael) Levanas signed his court order authorizing the sale even if Donald Sterling filed an appeal and we were ready," attorney Adam Streisand said in a statement Tuesday. "Within minutes, the deal was signed, sealed and delivered."

Donald Sterling, who purchased the Clippers in 1981 for $12.5 million, has been under pressure since April to sell the team since the release of recorded conversations with companion V. Stiviano that included racist comments. The wealthy real estate mogul chastised Stiviano for bringing black men to Clippers games.

The NBA commissioner moved to oust the 80-year-old Sterling in the days after the recording's release as fans, current and former players and others called for action.

The league put those efforts on hold pending a decision on Shelly Sterling's ability to sell the franchise. The transfer to Ballmer hit a stumbling block when Donald Sterling contended he had been duped by his wife into submitting to medical tests as part of a plot to have him ousted from the trust so the sale could move forward.

Two doctors examined Donald Sterling and determined him to be mentally incapacitated. At issue during the trial of Sterling v. Sterling was whether Shelly Sterling acted within guidelines established by the Sterling Family Trust when she negotiated the deal, which the judge refused to block.

The trial included several outbursts from Donald Sterling, who lashed out at his wife, her attorneys and his attorneys. He also vowed to sue the league until the day he dies.

An attorney for Donald Sterling, Maxwell M. Blecher, said Tuesday his client will not be issuing a statement regarding the NBA's announcement.
 

A fraternity and two sororities have been banned from the University of Connecticut amid hazing allegations and student code violations, according to a spokesperson for the university.

It comes just months after two other Greek organizations were removed from campus for similar allegations, bringing the number of recently banned fraternities and sororities to five.

The state university notified the Sigma Chi fraternity and sororities Delta Gamma and Delta Zeta on Monday that "they will lose their chapter registrations, recognition and on-campus housing at UConn as a result of hazing and other behaviors" that violated UConn's Student Code, according to spokesperson Stephanie Reitz.

A school investigation found Sigma Chi and Delta Gamma responsible for three student code violations in connection with a Feb. 28 incident. Letters sent to both organizations say men affiliated with Sigma Chi where forced to bob for "nips" in a toilet and eat cat food. Some were also allegedly struck with wooden paddles.

The allegations against Delta Zeta came to light shortly thereafter. Members were accused of feeding dog treats to fraternity men and forcing them to drink and paint their bodies, according to a letter from the UConn associate director of community standards sent to the chapter.

"UConn takes a zero-tolerance approach to hazing and harmful treatment of students by anyone, under any circumstances. Our mission is to provide a first-rate learning environment, and we take this duty really seriously," UConn officials said in a statement obtained Tuesday. "Greek Life has played a vital role in the life of this university for decades and will continue to do so. UConn values the commitment of the many students who promote philanthropy, community service and responsible citizenry through their participation in these groups."

The sanctions are effective immediately, lasting three years for Sigma Chi, two years for Delta Zeta and one year for Delta Gamma, pending appeals.

Delta Zeta and Delta Gamma will be banned from housing in Husky Village from Jan. 1, 2015 through Aug. 15, 2017. Sigma Chi will be banned until Aug. 15, 2018, according to the university.

Students in the banned organizations assigned to housing in Husky Village will be permitted to stay there in the fall and will be reassigned in the spring.

The groups will also be banned from "interest housing" in the Towers residence halls, which places sorority and fraternity members on the same floor.

A spokesperson for the national Delta Gamma Fraternity says the UConn chapter plans to appeal the university's ruling. All three organizations can submit appeals by the end of the day Friday.

"Delta Gamma Fraternity values the heritage of our Epsilon Pi chapter, but knows there must be a desire and commitment from our current collegians to promote and live by the values of our Fraternity," said Delta Gamma national president Stacia Rudge Skook, in a statement Monday. "We believe the current collegiate members in our Epsilon Pi chapter understand Delta Gamma Fraternity's values and are ready and willing to lead the change. Our members do not condone this behavior and are sorrowed that the actions of a few have impacted so many."

Delta Zeta also released a statement in response to the decision, which reads, in part:

"The Sorority fosters the respect and worth of self and of others, and does not condone hazing. Delta Zeta is committed to its eradication. Delta Zeta Sorority members are expected to conduct themselves in alignment with the Sorority values that exemplify integrity, good citizenship and leadership."

It's not clear if Delta Zeta or Sigma Chi plan to appeal the ruling.

The university's actions come just months after sanctioning Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

UConn will have 2,300 students participating in 34 recognized fraternities and sororities at the start of the school year in the fall, including the three recently sanctioned.

Two additional Greek organizations are colonizing at UConn as well, including Sigma Phi Epsilon, a fraternity that lost its recognition in 2008, and new sorority, Alpha Chi Omega.

Online petitioners are calling on organizers to halt plans for an upcoming event that would bring a 1,000-foot-long water slide to downtown Los Angeles during one of the worst droughts in state history.

The event, called Slide the City, would set up the vinyl slide on Olive Street from 3rd to 6th streets, using 12,000 to 16,000 gallons of water, according to the company.

An online petition seeking 5,000 signatures was started last week in opposition of the event, calling the water attraction "extremely irresponsible." As of 8 p.m. Monday, more than 2,700 signatures had been collected.

"I love California, and I refuse to see our precious resources be wasted on such a careless thing," said petition creator Karina Soto on her Facebook page.

Slide the City tours the nations setting up the slide in various cities. Company cofounder John Malfatto said that the first event in Salt Lake City was well-received, and he is surprised by the backlash in Los Angeles.

"I wasn't expecting it all," Malfatto said. "I'm a little surprised by it."

Malfatto said that his company intends to respect the local laws and has the option of trucking in the water needed to run the slide.

But some Southern Californians, well aware of the restrictions from the state to conserve water or face steep fines, find the event to be a waste of water and unnecessary.

"This sounds like fun, but not when we are in a drought," a petition signer said. "Perhaps when our state isn't in dire need of water, this would be a grand idea."

The event has yet to be approved by the city and the company is holding off on selling tickets until they are given the green light to go.

"We definitely don't want to cause any problems," Malfatto said. "We just want to put on a fun event."

On its Facebook page, Slide the City posted, "In our effort to preserve water, we recycle water used on the slide throughout the day, treat it with pool chemicals, and dispose of it properly #waterconservation."

The San Francisco owner of the "Mrs. Doubtfire" house says it's appropriate he lives in the home where the late Robin Williams' face was transformed on-screen from that of a divorced father to one of an elderly female nanny.

That's because Dr. Douglas K. Ousterhout, considered among the nation's top craniofacial surgeons, transforms the faces of transgender men and women to better match their gender identity.

"I turn boys' faces into girls' faces," Ousterhout said on Tuesday morning, outside the Steiner Street home in Pacific Heights. "It seemed only natural."

One of the 1993 hit movie's most memorable scenes shows Williams' co-star Harvey Fierstein, who played Williams' character's brother, transforming his face with a thick, gooey layer of makeup.

In the film, Williams portrayed a divorced father who crossdresses, fashioning himself as an elderly English woman, to become closer with his children. His character is not transgender.

Ousterhout said he wanted to buy the home shortly after the 1993 movie, but didn't because there were lawsuits filed stemming from the damage the home sustained during the filming of the movie.

He ended up buying it in 1997, describing it as "convenient" to his work in the Castro, a "nice bachelor pad," albeit "small."

The two decades that have passed since the film's release haven't discouraged the onlookers, though. "It's not a problem," Ousterhout said, though tourists stop by "all the time."

Ousterhout knew Williams briefly: He said one of his children went to school with one of Williams' children at San Francisco University High School.

Williams took his own life on Monday at his Tiburon home. He had been battling depression, his publicist said.

"He was just a great person," Ousterhout said. "It's very unfortunate for the world, but particularly his family." 

Students in a North Texas school district have new options after a huge uproar over the dress code.

Back in May, about 170 students were suspended for dress code violations and that led to disruptions in the school cafeteria at Duncanville High School.

Monday night, school leaders tweaked the school dress code.

• CLICK HERE to view the new Duncanville ISD dress code

Under the new changes, students will no longer be required to wear belts and they can wear shirts without a collar and untucked. However, shirts must still cover their stomachs and pants cannot sag.

Still some parents don't agree with even the slightest changes.

"I personally think the new policy gives too much leeway for the children without the belts and the shirts not being tucked in," said parent Ronchelle Chaffin. "I think they're going to go overboard with that because they're going to come in sagging, they're going to say you need a belt, but if you refer back to the dress code, you don't need a belt."

Under the old policy students were only allowed to wear certain colors. Chaffin said a change so close to the new school year isn't fair to some. 

• CLICK HERE to view the old Duncanville ISD dress code

"Some parents have already bought their children uniforms and you'll have some kids straightened in their uniforms and some kids just now getting that information, they'll get to wear their jeans and different color shirts so it's unfair to the parents as well," she said.

San Francisco is ready for a flood of unaccompanied immigrant children.

There's a "surge" in children from Central American countries crossing the border into the United States of late, and school officials told the San Francisco Examiner that they're ready.

San Francisco is a "sanctuary city," which means that people who are not legally in the United States can live and work there without fear of deportation in most cases.

There has been nearly 50,000 children exiting war-torn countries in Central America in favor of the United States, according to federal officials. About 175 children have arrived in San Francisco, and overall, 1,029 "newcomer" students -- very-recent immigrants -- have enrolled in school for the 2014-2015 year.

In San Francisco, the school district will likely hire "several" new teachers, the newspaper reported.

Robin Williams' brilliant irreverence and unparalleled talent for improvisation and impersonation shone on NBC over the years — spanning more than a dozen visits to "The Tonight Show" alongside Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, jokes with Jimmy Fallon on "Late Night," hosting duties on "Saturday Night Live" and mornings with the "Today" show family.

Williams, then 30, made his first appearance on "The Tonight Show" on Oct. 14, 1981, promoting the fourth season of "Mork & Mindy" and his upcoming film "The World According to Garp." 

A decade later, hardly anything could keep Williams sitting in his seat, as he preferred to jump up every other minute with one impersonation after another, before discussing his transition into a more serious role for the film "Awakenings," which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a drama.

A temporarily blonde Williams appeared on Carson's final night hosting "The Tonight Show," on May 21, 1992, talking about the political gaffes of the day and jokingly urging Carson to run for political office.

Williams dropped by "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on May 25, 2011, and discussed his affinity for video games — especially "Call of Duty."

Williams joined Jay Leno on August 9, 2013, to talk about returning to television after 32 years to star in CBS' "The Crazy Ones," reminiscing about the early days of "Mork & Mindy" and trying to make a name for himself in television.

Throughout his prolific career in film and television, Williams never left his roots in stand-up comedy. The monologue he gave during his first time hosting "Saturday Night Live" in 1984 showed his proclivity for the art form.

On Tuesday, "Today" aired a special collection of clips from Williams' many appearances on "Today," and the kindness he showed every member of the crew and fans outside Rockefeller Center.

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After actor Christopher Reeve was paralyzed in a fall from a horse, Robin Williams arrived at his hospital room dressed as a doctor and announced that he was a proctologist, there to examine his friend immediately.

“For the first time since the accident, I laughed,” Reeve later wrote in his autobiography.

On Tuesday, following Williams’ suicide at age 63, Reeve’s family recalled that act of friendship as well as Williams’ later commitment to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, dedicated to curing spinal cord injury and one of many charitable organizations to which Williams gave his time.

He supported scholarships at The Juilliard School in New York City, raised money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and hosted Comic Relief with Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, television specials to benefit homeless people.

Reeve told his family that Williams had helped him know that, somehow, he would be okay, Reeve’s family said in a statement.

“Robin's unparalleled legacy on screen will last through the ages,” the family said. “But beyond the gift of laughter, he gave our family and the Reeve Foundation the gift of his simple, steadfast friendship. It's a gift we'll treasure forever.”

Williams was Reeve's roommate while studying at The Juilliard School. He attended the school in the 1970s until withdrawing in 1976, was awarded an honorary doctor of fine arts degree in 1991, and provided tuition for a drama student each year through the Robin Williams Scholarship.

“His caring ways and effervescent personality will be missed by all who were touched by this special person,” the school said in a statement.

One of the recepients was actress Jessica Chastain, who posted on Facebook: "Robin Williams changed my life. He was a great actor and a generous person. Through a scholarship, he made it possible for me to graduate college. His generous spirit will forever inspire me to support others as he supported me."

For St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Williams appeared in movie theater trailers and national television spots for the hospital’s Thanks and Giving campaign, among the celebrities asking people shopping during the annual holiday season to donate to the hospital. This year’s spot was scheduled to be shot on Aug. 27 by Tony Thomas, a producer of Dead Poets Society, in which Williams’ starred, and a son of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas.

“The only thing that surpassed Robin's brilliance was his overflowing generosity,” Tony Thomas said in a statement.

Last year, Williams appeared with a 10-year-old girl named Darcy Cassidy, a patient at St Jude. She and other children from communities across America are benefitting from the hospital’s lifesaving research and treatment, he said then.

“I’m a cowgirl,” she says in the movie trailer, holding on to a horse’s rope.

“A tough cowgirl battling a rare and inoperable brain tumor,” he says and leaves her in giggles as he makes a face and jokes about his wearing sandals on a farm.

St. Jude said that Williams’ humor made its patients laugh and his generosity touched their hearts.

“The world has lost a comedic genius and the children of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital  have lost an angel in their corner,” Danny Thomas' daughter, Marlo Thomas, said in a statement. “Robin comforted them, made them laugh and gave generously for many years of his time and talent to raise funds needed for their care and their cure.”

In California, where he lived, Williams was a friend of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, cheering competitors on at the finish line of the San Diego Triathlon Challenge. He was expected this weekend at a race in Northern California.

The executive director, Virginia Tinley, said that Williams gave his time to the group, which added to the reputation of the event, she told NBC Bay Area.

Williams also supported the San Francisco Zoo, which named a monkey after the comedian in June. Williams' namesake was appropriately a Howler monkey,

An appreciation for Williams' humor shaped a statement from Peter Wilderotter, the president of the Reeve Foundation.

“While our hearts ache with the loss of our friend, it is unlikely Robin would want us to mourn his passing with silence, but to celebrate his life through laughter,” he said. “Together, let's remember Robin for the man who made the world laugh.”
 

More than a dozen current and former Carlsbad High School students have found themselves in the middle of the long-running vaccination debate after they produced the film Invisible Threat.

The film debuted online August 1, more than a year after it was completed.

Students tell NBC 7 that’s largely due to the backlash they’ve faced, even during the production stage.

Brad Streicher worked on the film his junior year. The current USC student and NBC 7 intern said the idea came from the San Diego Rotary Club.

People there were impressed by two previous films they’d worked on and wanted the high school broadcast journalism class to do one on the immune system and immunizations.

“We ended up telling Rotary we'll do the film but only on our terms, which means we were going to approach the film from a journalistic standpoint,” said Streicher. “We wanted to make sure whatever story we were telling, it would be unbiased and we would attack it from both sides of the argument.”

The Rotary gave the students $60,000 for the project with that understanding, according to Streicher.

Months into the film’s production, students say they started to received e-mails and online comments harshly criticizing their work.

People called the project “pro-vaccine” and “propaganda.” At one point the teacher and director of the film, Douglas Green, proposed the students stop the project. The students refuse.

“No matter what kind of obstacles we were going to go through, we were going to tell the story that we were assigned to tell,” Streicher told NBC 7.
NBC 7 reached out to one of the people in San Diego with concerns about the film. Vaccine safety advocate Rebecca Estepp said she supports the students and their hard work, but is concerned about who may be influencing the project.

“Those kids had to have flown around the country and knowing it was screened on Capitol Hill with a huge advocacy push with a way to have people contact every member of Congress…it kind of makes you wonder who's really behind this? Because that's a huge effort one that I don’t think Carlsbad High School can take on,” Estepp said.

Estepp said she was also disappointed with how her side was portrayed. She said she, and many people who share her views, are not “anti-vaccinations,” but rather concerned with the safety of vaccines. She said she was particularly offended when the film compared those with her viewpoints with white supremacists and the Taliban.

“One doctor calls us evil. If you question anything about the vaccine schedule he puts you into the evil compartment. I don’t think that's fair,” she told NBC 7.

Streicher said he and the other students did everything possible to tell all sides of the debate.

“I do not regret the decision that we made. I am confident that we're doing the right thing,” he said.

The NYPD says it is looking into the claims of two German artists who said they installed the two white American flags on top of the Brooklyn Bridge last month in an overnight operation that set off worries about bridge security.  

The artists, Mischa Leinkauf and Matthias Wermke, first provided video and photos to the New York Times that they claim prove they were the ones who raised the white flags. 

They said the installation was an art project in part to celebrate John Augustus Roebling, the German engineer who designed the bridge and that it wasn't meant to embarrass police. 

The artists said in a statement that the so-called "White American Flags" exhibit "abandons the museum and returns art to the real world." 

Their website states they do art projects in public places that are meant to "temporarily override limitations and constraints without permission or invitation."

An NYPD official told NBC 4 New York investigators are taking a very close look at the artists' claims.

Police said last week they'd identified persons of interest in the case but declined to say when arrests could be executed. 

"We believe we know who a number of the people are that engaged in that action and that investigation is moving forward and is consuming a lot of investigatory resources as it should," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told NBC 4 New York. "That event should not have happened."

The commissioner also said the investigation indicated there was "no terrorist threat" involved.

The artists told the Times they'd planned to come forward and that they "always face the consequences." They are planning to return the original American flags from the bridge, they said in the statement. 

"This is part of the work, to have an open discussion," said Leinkauf. "We just needed a little time to decide how to respond to the reaction."

On Tuesday, the Marin County Sheriff's Department shared what millions around the world wanted to know - what happened in the final moments of life for actor and comedian Robin Williams.

Speaking to a bank of reporters, Lt. Keith Boyd said Williams' body was found a day earlier in his Tiburon home about 11:45 a.m. by his personal assistant.

Evidence at the scene indicated that Williams had hung himself although his left wrist had several lacerations and a pocketknife was found in a bedroom nearby, officials said.

Boyd stressed the findings were preliminary, and he would not discuss whether the 63-year-old actor who battled depression had left a note. He also did not know if Williams had taken any drugs or alcohol before he committed "suicide by asphyxia." That information won't be known until a toxicology report is returned.

Boyd recounted a brief timeline of events that led to the shocking discovery.

Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, last saw her husband Sunday about 10:30 p.m. She retired to one room to go to sleep, and he went into another, Boyd said. That was the last time anyone saw him alive.

It wasn't until the next morning at 11:45 a.m., that Williams' personal assistant tried knocking on a bedroom door. There was no response, Boyd said. When the assistant went in, she discovered Williams' body, which Boyd described as "cold to the touch" as rigamortis had set in. She called 911 at 11:55 a.m. and was "distraught," Boyd said.

Boyd said it's unknown at this point exactly what time Williams killed himself, but the actor was pronounced dead on Monday at 12:02 p.m.
 

Williams' publicist issued a statement Monday saying her client had been battling depression lately. It was well known that he had persistent battles with drug addiction, as he often made light of his cocaine use during his 1980s standup routines.

Williams returned to rehab last month, not because he relapsed. But because, he said, he wanted to make sure his recovery stuck.

A former city employee who played a pivotal role in the lawsuit involving a controversial real estate development has accepted a position as vice president with the private company.

Former Deputy City Attorney Andrea Contreras left her job with the city this summer and went to work for Sunroad Enterprises.

Contreras previously defended the city, and by extension, Sunroad, in an ongoing lawsuit brought by San Diegans for Open Government that questions the legality of two nine-foot easements granted by the City Council in 2013 to Sunroad Enterprises.

"The lawsuit is a sham," wrote Contreras on behalf of the city, according to The Reader, in an August 2013 court document.

Court papers she wrote argue against San Diegans for Open Government’s position that the 18-feet of easements were illegally granted after Sunroad made $100,000 in donations in exchange for the land.

City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, Contreras’ then-boss, originally raised the alarm about the land giveaway, pointing out the land-grant could be viewed as a “quid-pro-quo” arrangement made at the behest former Mayor Bob Filner. Then, Goldsmith evidently changed his mind about the legality of giving away public park space to Sunroad because Contreras argued in subsequent court records that granting the easements was legal after all.

After the lawsuit was filed, the nonprofit organizations that received the donations returned the money.

"The project obviously is not a sale of City property," wrote Contreras, while she was still working for the city, in the August 2013 court document.

Contreras became Vice President of Sunroad Enterprises in June 2014, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Reached at her new office, she declined to comment on when she was offered her new position with Sunroad.

NBC7 Investigates asked the City Attorney’s office if there is a “revolving door” policy that prevents city employees from immediately going to work for a company for which they had the opportunity to influence city decisions.

A spokesman for the City Attorney’s office said there are rules in place preventing former city employees from lobbying current officials on behalf of their new employers within a certain time period after they leave the city.

“There are legal restrictions as discussed above, but we cannot ban employees from obtaining other employment,” City Attorney Spokesman Michael S. Giorgino said.

Contreras is not the first city “talent” snagged by Sunroad.

Former chief of staff to Mayor Dick Murphy, Tom Story, also left the city in 2005 to go work for Sunroad.

Bomb squad officials were called out to Mission Beach Tuesday to investigate reports of a suspicious device near Belmont Park that later proved to be harmless.

According to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, a suspicious device was found in the 3200 block of Mission Boulevard at around 11:30 a.m. Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST) arrived on scene and, with the help of police, closed the area off to traffic at Mission Boulevard and West Mission Bay Drive.

At 12:35 p.m., police issued a SigAlert for the area. The streets were closed for about an hour as the scene remained active and investigators worked to determine if the suspicious device on the street posed a threat.

No evacuations were ordered and no injuries were reported.

By 1:25 p.m., fire officials said the device was harmeless and investigators began clearing the area. The roads will reopen to traffic shortly, officials said.

The death of beloved actor Robin Williams is shining a light on the issue of suicide.

The “Mrs. Doubtfire” star was found dead in his Northern California home Monday. He had apparently hanged himself, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.

San Diego-area psychiatrist Clark Smith, M.D. said the average person may not get help for depression because of the time and resources needed to treat it.

But Williams’ death begs the question, how could someone with fame and fortune commit suicide?

“Particularly a person who’s powerful and in control of their lives, seems to have it all together -- it’s very hard to tell that person, ‘no, you don’t have it all together,’” Smith said.

Williams spoke openly about his struggle with alcoholism. He was suffering from depression in recent months, according to a statement from his spokesperson.

Dr. Smith said depression can be hard to diagnose, especially when drugs and alcohol are involved.

“It looks like an addiction problem, and you miss the depression,” he explained.

In the past 24 hours, millions of people have shared sympathy for Williams on social media. One popular post shows the blue genie from "Aladdin," voiced by Williams, with the caption, “Genie, you’re free.”

Depicting suicide as liberating or uplifting sends the wrong message, said Bonnie Bear with the group Survivors of Suicide Loss. Bear’s husband committed suicide 12 years ago.

“When you have something like this happening to a public figure who is so well loved, we can think of it as romanticizing suicide. [Suicide] is a way for him to get rid of his pain,” Bear said.

Both Bear and Clark talked about suicide contagion, the idea that a highly publicized suicide will push someone with suicidal ideations over the edge.

“Especially for young people, it gives them the idea that this is a great thing to do,” Bear said.

“They’re not even thinking about the fact that they won’t come back to life,” she said.

Still, both of these advocates hope the attention around Williams’ death will help change public attitudes toward suicide. Many people don’t seek treatment because of the stigma attached to it.

“Talk about suicide like we talk about heart attacks. A heart attack can kill us, a suicide or severe depression can kill us. Both are treatable, and there’s no reason to keep it a secret,” Clark said.

“Keeping it a secret is what kills people when it comes to depression,” he added.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

San Diego Crisis Hotline: 1-888-724-7240

How to Recognize Suicide Warning Signs

Survivors of Suicide Loss San Diego

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel visited Camp Pendleton Tuesday to speak with Marines about the violence in Iraq and revealed that U.S. military assessment teams would soon be headed to the region.

After thanking the troops for their honor and service, Hagel discussed the U.S.’s involvement in Iraq and what comes next in efforts against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS.

Hagel said U.S. military are “focused once again on assisting the Iraqis” as the country forms a new government.

He said he and President Barack Obama have approved sending approximately 130 new U.S. military assessment teams to northern Iraq to take a closer look at the situation and give an accurate update of where and how the U.S. can continue to help the Iraqi people.

Hagel said many Marines are part of those assessment teams headed to Erbil.

“The country of Iraq is now under threat from some of the most brutal, barbaric forces we’ve seen in the world today,” said the Secretary of Defense. “[ISIS] is a force and dimension the world has never seen before.”

For now, Hagel said the U.S. will continue to assist the Iraqi government at their request with humanitarian efforts.

Still, he reassured, as President Obama has also stated, there will be no U.S. boots on the ground in this mission.

“As the president has made very clear, we are not going back into Iraq in any of the same combat mission dimensions that we once were in. This is not a combat boots on the ground operation,” said Hagel.

During a question and answer session with Camp Pendleton Marines, Hagel reiterated this message, saying the combat mission for the U.S. is over in Iraq and the involvement there now “is at the request of the Iraqi government.”

A plan just pitched to Poway Unified School District that promises to reduce its impending $1 billion debt was met with lukewarm reaction.

San Francisco financial consultant Dale Scott thinks he can save future homeowners in San Diego  25 percent of that debt, but it will cost existing district residents a property tax increase now.

Poway Unified made renovations and repairs to its 24 aging schools, starting in 2001 under Proposition U.

To finish the job, Poway taxpayers passed Proposition C in 2008, and in 2011, as part of that bond, the district borrowed $105 million.

It won’t begin paying it back until 20 years from now.

That decision received national attention and criticism.

The latest financial consultant plan estimates a 25 percent reduction in that future debt. How it would work would be that the district would have to buy back the capital appreciation bonds and purchase current interest bonds.

The transaction would increase property taxes right away.

“The key question now: What does our community want to do? Do they want to pay taxes now? Increase taxes or do they want to defer those taxes to a future point in time? We need to hear from them,” Board President Todd Gutschow said.

Scott will return to Poway's regular school board meeting Aug.19 to go over the plan a second time.

The public is encouraged to attend to ask questions and give their input.