A man accused of killing three San Diegans, two on Christmas Eve 2013, had entered the term “R.I.P.” into his calendar on his cellphone on the date of the slayings, a computer media investigator testified Wednesday.

Carlo Mercado, 29, is accused of killing brothers Salvatore Belvedere, 22, and Gianni Belvedere, 24, and Gianni’s fiancée, Ilona Flint, 22, in a triple homicide mystery that has saddened and captivated San Diegans for the past eight months.

At the second day of Mercado’s preliminary hearing Wednesday, a judge ruled there was enough evidence to bind the suspect over for trial on the three counts of first-degree murder.

Shackled, with his head hung low, Mercado slowly shuffled into the courtroom for the second part of testimony in the afternoon. Once seated beside his attorney, the suspect remained quiet and looked straight ahead.

Mark Luque, of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), took the stand, testifying that he had examined a cell phone belonging to Mercado in June 2014.

Using a tool called the “Universal Forensic Extraction Device” (UFED), Luque was able to read data from the phone – a Samsung device – including call logs, text messages and other usage statistics.

Luque said that in this case, the phone was used “very little” on a monthly basis, but he did find some noteworthy information stored on it.

Luque looked at the calendar entries on the device – specifically the listings for Dec. 24, 2013, the date Flint and Salvatore were mortally shot.

“On that date, there was a single entry: R.I.P.," Luque told the court.

He said he also ran a data search for terms searched on the phone on Dec. 24, 2013. The investigator said he was able to find searches specific to terms such as “San Diego Mall Shootings,” “Mission Valley Mall” and “Mall Shooting San Diego.”

All three searches had been manually deleted from the phone.

Mercado is accused of fatally shooting Flint and Salvatore on Dec. 24, 2013, at Mission Valley Mall, and also killing Gianni, leaving his body stuffed into the trunk of Gianni's car in a parking lot in Riverside, California.

Luque testified that some addresses had also been entered into the cell phone belonging to Mercado. This included a search near the 19500-block of Van Buren Boulevard in Riverside – the area where Gianni’s body was found on Jan. 17, 2014.

The investigator said a search had been done on the phone for “San Bernardino National Forest Shooting Area” and “1640 Camino del Rio North,” near Mission Valley Mall. A search for a Home Depot store in Riverside, about eight miles from Van Buren Boulevard, was also found on the phone, according to Luque.

During cross-examination, Mercado’s attorney asked Luque if any of the 358 contacts found on the suspect’s phone were linked to the names associated with the triple homicide case. Luque said no.

The defense asked if Luque could determine when the "R.I.P." entry was made in the calendar. Again, Luque replied no.

Angela Rozsa, a computer forensic examiner with the San Diego Police Department, also took the stand Wednesday. She said she examined three computers belonging to Mercado.

Using a tool called “Text Screen Search,” which indexes every word and character searched on a computer, Rozsa looked for any searches of the names of the victims involved in the case, plus search terms linked to weapons and guns.

Rozsa said she found four smartphones synced to one of the computers, including the Samsung device belonging to Mercado that Luque referenced on the stand.

She said one of three iPhones linked to the computer had the user and display name “Assassin.” Another was titled “Carlo’s Phone,” and a third was “Rachelle’s Phone.”

On a computer, the investigator said she also found a bookmark for an Internet Movie Database (IMDB) web page, specifically to a list of the “best assassin movies,” which included about 50 titles.

“They all had to do with hit men or assassin-type characters. ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ was on there, ‘Pulp Fiction,’ ‘No Country for Old Men,’ ‘The Killer’ were some of the titles," said Rozsa. 

The investigator said she also found a photo on the phone of a computer screen showing a receipt for a pre-paid Samsung phone like the one Luque testified about.

She also examined the “favorites” on Mercado’s computers, which included 282 bookmarked pages, many of which were linked to anime movie torrent files. 

"About 10 percent of them had to deal with weapons and suppressors and 'are threaded barrels legal in California?' -- laws regarding firearms in California," Rozsa said. She testified those favorites spanned a timeframe between April 1, 2013, and May 1, 2014.

During cross-examination, Rozsa confirmed she did not find any searches on the computers of the terms “Mission Valley Mall Shooting.” She said no names associated with this case turned up on the computer, either.

Earlier in the day, prosecutors questioned witnesses about the gruesome scene where Gianni’s body was discovered in Riverside.

Carlton Fuller, the manager of the Riverside Police Department’s forensic lab, testified that a foul odor tipped investigators off as to what they may find inside the locked, green Toyota.

On Jan. 17, officers called a tow truck worker to unlock the vehicle and pop the trunk. Once inside, they found a deceased Gianni.

“He was laying on his – I wanna say – right side. His upper clothing was up above his head and tangled in his arms,” said Fuller. “There was some pants…his lower clothing was entangled around the lower parts of his legs. His torso was exposed, and he was very decomposed.”

In the trunk, investigators also discovered one of the most important pieces of evidence: a spray canister of Febreze. The bottle’s trigger was held down with a piece of duct tape so all of its contents sprayed into the car.

Fuller said whoever placed the Febreze and two boxes of Arm and Hammer air freshener in the car wanted to mask the smell of the body.

SDPD Forensic Analyst David Comaccia told the court he pulled Mercado’s DNA from the Febreze bottle, as well as from a piece of rolled duct tape attached to the car’s license plate and the gas cap.

As the pretrial concluded, the prosecutor recounted key evidence, including that the gun used to kill the three victims was registered to Mercado and was found in his possession on Jan. 18, 2014 – one day after Gianni’s body was discovered by police in Riverside.

He also brought up the Febreze deodorizing spray can.

Finally, the prosecutor reminded the court of the digital evidence, including the “R.I.P.” calendar listing and search terms found on Mercado’s cellphone.

The defense, however, argued that the exhaustive investigation on this case still leaves too many questions unresolved.

“What we don’t know says more about the case than what we do know,” Mercado’s attorney stated. “We are left with more questions than answers.”

The attorney said that while DNA evidence may tie his client to Gianni’s body and vehicle, DNA evidence does not tie him to the Mission Valley shootings of Flint and Salvatore.

He argued that one can’t assume Mercado is responsible for all three slayings “on the thinnest of circumstances” without that DNA evidence.

In the end, Judge Eugenia Eyherabide of the Superior Court of San Diego County ruled that Mercado will stand trial for the killings. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 17.

For hours, a main resource needed in medical care - water - was not available to several San Diego-area hospitals, cut off by a water main break.

An 18-inch cast iron water pipe burst and caused street flooding waist-deep in parts in the Birdland community, located between State Route 163 and Interstate 805.

At Rady Children's hospital, it happened during a critical moment.

"We did have one surgery that was underway at the time. We were able to finish that up using bottled water and other infection control measures," said Rady Children's Hospital spokesperson Ben Metcalf.

They were the lucky ones, nearly an hour and half later, water was back on.

But at three major Sharp Hospitals had low water pressure.

However, a hospital spokeswoman says it didn't disrupt service.

"Currently we are operating as normal. We are accepting patients thru our emergency rooms, both walk ins and ambulance arrivals,"said spokesperson Paula Berberick.

The hospitals say they have stockpiles of water in case of emergencies like these.

At Juvenile Hall, the building closest to the water main break, there was no water.

Portable toilets were brought in and there were talks of transferring the inmates.

Roughly 2,600 customers including four hospitals had water service disrupted in San Diego Wednesday when a pipe burst and caused flooding that was waist-deep in some spots.

Eight garages were flooded by the rising water including one owned by Jack Horaniuk.

"My head is spinning," Horaniuk said while surveying the damage. "I'm not sure, not sure, frustrated it's going on."

While families sifted through mementos from decades, including wedding and baby photos, city crews worked to replace the broken 18-inch cast iron water main and restore water service to the area including Sharp Memorial, Sharp Mary Birch and Sharp Mesa Vista.

Water service was turned back on for most around 6 a.m. but pressure was low.

More workers were expected around 7 a.m. to do street repairs including replacing the asphalt and repairing a damaged sidewalk.

The break happened before 4 p.m. in the 2600 block of Meadow Lark Drive in the Birdland community, located between State Route 163 and Interstate 805, according to Arian Collins with the San Diego Public Utilities Department.

At Rady Children's Hospital, the outage in water service happened while one surgery was underway.  Surgical staff used bottled water and the patient was never in danger, spokesperson Ben Metcalf told NBC 7.

Elsewhere in the hospital, bottled water and hand sanitizer were used until water was restored approximately 90 minutes later.

The Sharp hospitals used emergency water storage during the outage.

Water was also out at Juvenile Hall. Portable toilets were delivered. Officials considered moving kids to another detention center until the water can be restored but decided against it, according to county operations. Court officials say juvenile court will be open on Thursday.

Meadow Lark Drive is closed between Nightingale Way and Hummingbird Drive because of flooding.

Streets have been pumped dry, but the mess and damage left behind for residents is going to take a while to sift through.

Customers living on the 2800 block of Meadow Lark Drive and 7900 block of Nightingale Lane were without water.

Aerial pictures showed residents putting up sandbags and trying to clear storm drains as water rushed through the streets. Others were seen floating down the street on rafts and boogie boards. Some cars parked on the road had water up to their bumpers.

The water department shut off the water just before 6:30 p.m.

“Usually, it takes on average an hour to shut down a main. If this is a large water main, we have to shut it down slowly. It could erupt in different places,” Collins said.

City crews used trucks with large hoses to suck up the water and cleared storm drains of debris. However, that did not stop garages and homes from flooding.

Residents with property damage from this water main break can file claims with the city but it was a nightmare for many in the area.

There have been no other water main breaks in the immediate area in the past few years.

Since 2010, the city has paid at least $3.9 million for issues related to water main breaks, according to the city’s risk management department. In 2013 alone, taxpayers also shelled out $33,459 just for the cost of water that spilled into the street as a result of main breaks.

The city estimates 6.6 million gallons gushed from ruptured mains in 2013. By comparison, that’s enough water for a San Diegan to use an average amount of water for 205 years, according to the city’s estimated average daily use of 88 gallons per day.

The public utilities department is working on a $5.85 million program to replace and fix its water infrastructure. Officials hope to have all cast iron water mains replaced by 2017.
 

The San Diego rap artist known as "Mitchy Slick" was taken into custody on a variety of felonies including the kidnap of a woman who was staying in a Marin County home, after a judge issued a $1.5 million warrant for his arrest.

A spokeswoman for the Marin County Jail on Thursday said that Charles LaSean Mitchell, professionally known as "Mitchy Slick," was being held on kidnapping, human trafficking, pimping, pandering and porn charges. She said he was also booked on charges of being in a criminal street gang, exhibiting a firearm and making terrorist threats.

He self-surrendered on Tuesday, according to Marin County Sheriff's Lt. Doug Pittman.

"We can't disclose too much more because there is a major safety concern for the victim," Pittman said on Thursday. "There's a lot of sensitivity about this case."

Marin County Chief Deputy District Attorney Barry Borden said on Thursday that Mitchell had not been formally arraigned and the "case is under review," meaning that prosecutors are looking over police reports to determine what, if any, charges would be filed.

Reaching Mitchell's defense attorney was not immediately successful. Borden said he did not know who was representing the rapper.

Pittman said the 40-year-old  is suspected of being an active member of the Lincoln Park Bloods gang in San Diego. The gang, Pittman said, has a history of drugs and weapons violations, pimping, as well as assaulting and trying to kill police officers.

Armed with a search warrant for his arrest, Pittman said that a special response team went to an Oak Knoll Drive address in a neighborhood called "Sleepy Hollow" on Aug. 22, looking for Mitchell. But he wasn't there. And authorities had been looking for him, until he decided to turn himself in.

Pittman said Mitchell took the woman from Southern California and allegedly held her captive in San Anselmo, a small town about 20 miles north of San Francisco. But Pittman would not release the age of the woman, her connection to the rapper, the length of time she was allegedly held or how investigators became aware of the alleged kidnapping.

Pittman also added that "how Mitchell is associated with the Sleepy Hollow residence or its legal owners" is still under investigation."

Former SoundDiego blogger Quan Vu called Slick the "San Diego rap godfather" and wrote in San Diego City Beat that the city's "most famous rap export" had a gang injunction issued against him in 1999 by the San Diego City Attorney’s office.

Slick release a self-titled debut in 2001, then began an eight-year hiatus from solo projects in 2005. He was still creating music during that period, however, including the album "Stereotype," by his group Strong Arm Steady, which came out in 2011. Last year, Slick ended the drought, dropping multiple releases, including "Feet Match the Paint" and "Won't Stop," which was originally titled "Won't Stop Being a Blood." He has been nominated for a 2014 San Diego Music Awards as Best Hip-Hop Artist and for Best Hip-Hop Album, for "Call of Duty (South East Edition),"  and its songs like "Coulda Been You" and "Get Away" that reflect his gangster roots and stories of urban survival.

Little, powerful magnets of the kind that are found in desk toys and that killed a 19-month-old girl after she swallowed seven of them last year would be banned under proposed federal safety regulations.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is to vote on the prohibition later this month.

Its staff estimates that there were 2,900 emergency room visits from 2009 through 2013 for treatment after magnets were swallowed. Surgery is often required to remove magnets from the digestive system, the staff’s report says.

"It's like a gunshot wound to the gut but with no sign of entry or exit," a commission spokesman, Scott Wolfson, said.

The magnets were made popular in Buckyballs and other desk toys, which companies said were meant for adults but which safety advocates said posed a threat to children.

The little girl who died, Annaka Chaffin, was found unresponsive, bleeding from her mouth and nose, a day after she was diagnosed as likely having a virus, according to the report. The cause of death was found to be ischemic bowel due to the magnets.

She had swallowed magnets that made up a necklace her brothers brought home from school.

Her mother, Amber, has said she does not now how the infant got ahold of the magnets.

"Hopefully, it saves somebody who does have these and potentially could have small children around," said the child's aunt, Lisa Chaffin-Murphy of Columbus, Ohio.

She said her sister had no idea how dangerous the magnets could be.

CPSC staff is recommending that if a set of magnets contains one small enough to fit through a cylinder used to test for choking hazards, all of the magnets must fall below a certain strength. The danger is that the attraction of powerful magnets can cause them to perforate bowels or result in other damage.

Last October, pediatric gastroenterologists and consumer advocates urged the ban.

“High-powered magnets are not like other small foreign objects that children typically swallow,” said a 2013 statement from the Consumer Federation of America.

Endoscopic or surgical intervention was necessary nearly 80 percent of the time such a magnet was swallowed, the federation said. Typically endoscopic removal is needed in only 10 to 20 percent of the cases; surgery less than 1 percent, the federation said.

Magnet sets from Buckyballs and Star Networks were eventually recalled. Craig Zucker, a founder of the former distributor of Buckyballs, Maxfield and Oberton Holdings, initially fought the Consumer Product Safety Commission, but this year settled for $375,000.

Refunds are available for the Buckyballs and Buckycubes and for Magnicubes.

The Massachusetts doctor who contracted Ebola while working in West Africa is in good spirits as he heads to Nebraska for treatment, his wife said Thursday.

Dr. Rick Sacra, 51, the third American to be sickened with Ebola, is being flown to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, the aid group he worked with in Liberia said Thursday. He is expected to arrive Friday and begin treatment in the hospital's biocontainment patient care unit.

His wife, Debbie Sacra, said that despite being clearly sick, he was in very good spirits as he boarded the plane heading for the United States.

Speaking to the public at UMass Medical School in Worcester where her husband worked, Debbie Sacra said the trips to Liberia were part of their family's life. Her husband knew the risks and felt he needed to be with the Liberian people, she said.

Sacra, from Holden, Massachusetts, was in Liberia with SIM, an aid group at the forefront of the fight against Ebola in West Africa. Sacra was reportedly delivering babies in the SIM hospital's obstetrics unit in Liberia and not treating Ebola patients. He also headed up a residency program there.

He had returned to Liberia about a month ago, after two other Americans — Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol — became ill with Ebola, SIM President Bruce Johnson said at a news conference Wednesday.

Both have recovered after being treated in an Atlanta hospital, and both learned that Sacra had been infected on Tuesday.

"My heart sank. I just didn't have any other words but 'Oh, no,'" Writebol told NBC News. "They are part of the family. To hear the news is very sad, (knowing) the whole cycle of the progression of the disease and how that story might end."

Sacra was treated in isolation in Liberia, where he was able to email, before he prepared to head to Nebraska on Thursday.

His brother, Doug Sacra, said his brother went to Liberia because he wanted to make sure the Ebola patients were receiving the necessary treatments, and that others in the area had medical attention.

"Rick has a real heart for the people in Liberia, and he said, 'You know, I'm a doctor. No hospital is open. I'm going to go reopen the hospital so kids with Malaria and women needing emergency C-sections can get care.' And that's why he went," Doug Sacra said.
 

With all the offensive weapons Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has at his disposal, which will be his primary target this season?

He may know, but he sure isn’t telling.

“I think it’s a score and move the ball by committee, as anywhere,” said the ever-diplomatic quarterback as he gets his squad ready for Monday’s season-opening matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

With an offense this loaded with playmakers, why should he have to choose?
An offense that finished in the top five in the league in passing and total yards returns almost all of its offensive options.

“You think about the three backs. You think about all four tight ends. You think about the wide receivers,” Rivers said. “They’re all gonna get it.”

That includes running back Ryan Mathews, who ran for 1,255 yards in his first fully healthy season. Also back is Danny Woodhead, with his 1,034 combined rushing and receiving yards and eight total touchdowns.

Then there’s Hall of Fame shoo-in Antonio Gates at tight end, who will pass the torch on to impressive second-year big man Ladarius Green – but not quite yet. That duo caught a combined 94 balls for more than 1,100 yards.

And you can’t forget reigning Rookie of the Year in Keenan Allen, the team leader with 1,046 receiving yards and co-leader with Eddie Royal in receiving touchdowns with eight.

Rivers knows the defensive focus will be on Allen, but has faith in his new burner on the outside.

“It’s gonna take speed off the ball and sound fundamentals to create separation,” Rivers said. “I imagine Gates can tell him a tip or two about that. He went from that (his rookie year) to guys following him around all the time. (But) Keenan’s up for it and he’ll be ready to go.”

One of the few changes in the offensive personnel is one Brown for another – Donald Brown comes in as the third running back option, but should have no problem matching the departed Ronnie Brown’s 157 yards and lone touchdown from last year.

With all of those options, maybe the best thing Rivers can do is spread the ball around as much as possible. That seems to be his plan.

“You never know which game, which guy is going to be the leading receiver. You really don’t,” he said. “And I think that’s what’s what can make it really hard on defenses that we don’t have one guy we can push the ball to. They’re competitive, they want the ball, but they just want to win.”

California’s extreme drought is impacting agriculture statewide and the San Diego Food Bank is feeling the ripple effect, with less fresh, healthy produce available to feed hungry families.

Feeding America San Diego held a media briefing Thursday to discuss local findings of the “Hunger in America 2014” study.

Leaders said drought conditions have created hardship for the San Diego Food Bank and the 370,000 people it serves each month, particularly families in agricultural communities facing unemployment.

The drought has also caused a hike in produce prices, making it more difficult for the San Diego Food Bank to obtain produce. Last year, the food bank distributed 22 million pounds of food in San Diego County, including 8 million pounds of fresh produce.

Now, amid the severe drought, that task is much harder.

Aubrey Bettencourt, executive director of the California Water Alliance, said the effects of the drought have trickled throughout the economy and state, including San Diego.

“Five billion dollars of that is right here San Diego. San Diego is the number one producer of avocados and unfortunately there isn't enough water to keep those avocado trees going,” she explained.

Bettencourt said food banks are having trouble keeping up with the increased demands of those impacted by the drought.

To help, at least for now, a large donation of fresh produce was given to the San Diego Food Bank on Thursday.

“This is a bandage on the bleed and effect of this crisis that’s affecting our state. To truly heal our state from this crisis, it’s going to require restoring the reliable water supply throughout the state,” Bettencourt said. “That is how we will fight hunger. That is how we will make healthy and nutritious food more affordable and available to the vast majority of the population.”
 

A loose albino monocled cobra that attacked a dog in Thousand Oaks was captured Thursday after it was spotted a short time earlier.

The snake was spotted Thursday around 2 p.m. by a mother who was driving to pick up her daughter from school.

The cobra was able to slither through a wrought iron fence and disappeared again. Ventura County fire crews responded to the area and the snake was found shortly after 3 p.m.

A dog named Teko was attacked by the cobra while on his owner's property about 6:30 p.m. Monday, the owner told NBC4. Initial reports said Teko had been bitten by the snake, but a veterinarian who treated Teko told NBC4 that his injuries stemmed from when the pooch tried to escape during the attack.

On Thursday, animal control workers said it was unknown whether the cobra was defanged or had had its venom glands removed.

“Public safety is our main concern,” said Brandon Bowling of the LA County Animal Care & Control. “We want to operate under the assumption that this snake is still venomous and still dangerous.”

The search was halted Thursday afternoon because the snake was unlikely to be out in the heat, officials said.

An overwhelming majority of teachers in the Chula Vista Union Elementary School District were paid more in 2013 than they were in 2012, despite the union’s consistent claim that teachers haven’t received a raise since 2007.

Chula Vista teachers are on the brink of strike after months of labor negotiations about salaries, health care benefits and class sizes.

NBC7 Investigates requested data from the school district on salaries and benefits of teachers and found that at least 86 percent of Chula Vista teachers made more in 2013 than 2012 in total pay and benefits, according to the latest salary data available.

“Teachers have received nothing in the last 7 years,” wrote Manuel Yvellez, head of the teacher’s union, in an Aug. 15 e-mail. The phrase or a version of it has been repeated at rallies, school board meetings, on the union’s website and in media interviews.

The Chula Vista Educators (the teachers’ union) says the salary schedule is the main sticking point in contentious labor negotiations that have led the district and teachers to the cusp of a strike. The district is offering a 6 percent increase to pay.

“Inflation has basically increased over 10 percent since our last salary schedule increase in 2007,” said Yvellez.

Since 2007, Yvellez has in fact seen a 17.19 percent increase to his base pay from $68,801 to $80,631, according to district data.

The explanation for some of the unrecognized increases in pay is automatic raises given to teachers called “step and column.” The “step” refers to the number of years the employee has worked. The “column” refers to the amount of education the employee has.

The 2 to 3 percent automatic increases in teachers’ pay don’t necessarily happen every single year, but they do come at regular intervals.

“It is only now that the district is losing the PR campaign that they are introducing this argument that we’ve received raises in these step increases,” Yvellez said.

Yvellez said the teachers are arguing for a salary schedule increase to fight inflation and to be competitive with other districts. He added the step increases do nothing to address increased costs in health care and are basically wiped out by health care increases teachers have had to absorb.

“This is their desperate attempt to say, ‘Oh you’ve gotten raises,’ and essentially that’s disrespecting teachers even more,” Yvellez said.

A spokesman for the Chula Vista Elementary School District sent this statement in response to NBC7 Investigates questions about the data:

“Teaching is rightfully a well-paying profession,” said Anthony Millican, Director of Communications for the school district. “For Yvellez, a classroom teacher until last year, the 17 percent salary growth reflects the full extent of automatic raises over the last seven years and outpaces 12 percent inflation that the union cites in its own social media posts.”

All but one member of the seven-member bargaining unit had a base pay increase since 2007. The one teacher who didn’t is capped-out for her education level at $87,533 a year in base pay. Four of the seven bargaining unit members had more than a 10 percent bump in base pay, and three of those had more than 17 percent increases in base pay since 2007.

Contractually, Chula Vista teachers are required to work 185 days a year and seven hours a day, according to the district. In 2013, 67 percent of Chula Vista teachers made more than $70,000 in total pay and benefits – which works out to $54 an hour, if you divide total pay and benefits by days and hours required. However, many teachers work longer hours than contractually required and even grade papers and tests at home, according to district officials.

NBC7 Investigates compared median salaries for teachers at elementary school districts across the county, based on data provided by Transparent California, a taxpayer advocacy group. NBC7 Investigates examined the data and found pay for Chula Vista Elementary School District teachers fall about in the middle when compared with median salaries for teachers at other elementary school districts.

Median Salaries for the Elementary School Districts in the County:
(Based on 2013 total pay and benefits from Transparent California) 

Solana Beach Elementary: $97,671.9
Cardiff Elementary: $90,936.78
Del Mar Union: $87,372.82
Santee School District: $83,412.82
Julian Union Elementary: $81,216.28
San Ysidro School District: $80,259.825
Chula Vista Elementary: $79,591.79
Fallbrook Union Elementary: $79,287.49
Lakeside Union Elementary: $77,511.51
San Pasqual Union: $76,931.975
Rancho Santa Fe: $73,323.75
Dehesa Elementary: $62,196.57
Jamul-Dulzura: $49,588.71

“Without going over your figures and seeing how you calculated it, I think you’ve made our argument for us,” Yvellez said. “If we are in the middle and you combine that with us being essentially dead last in health care benefits, we would, by your calculations, be below average in the county, which is not the way to attract the highest caliber teachers in the county.”

In 2013, the latest data available, 21 Chula Vista school district teachers made more than $100,000 in total pay and benefits, according to school district data.

By comparison, Superintendent Francisco Escobedo made $266,716.46 in total pay and benefits in 2013.

It's like a video game but not nearly as fun.

Shahin Pirani watched on her iPhone as her car reached speeds up to 100 miles an hour in a police chase through San Diego Wednesday night.

Pirani was leaving a friend's house when she noticed her $90,000 Tesla was gone.

"Of course we panicked, not thinking what to do," Pirani said.

That's when she remembered the Tesla Model S App. The app enables its users to track where the car is, how fast it is going and disable the car if it is stopped.

"Sure enough it showed us that the car was within half a mile from where we were," she said.

So she and her friend went to the location while they called authorities.

When police arrived, the suspect, along with one passenger, fled in the car and led police on a 20-minute chase.

"The car was actually running at 100 mph so we figured the car was being chased by the cops," she said.

Using the Tesla app, Pirani was able to follow the pursuit as it weaved through Pacific Beach and La Jolla until it was came to a stop on Mission Bay Drive. She could even watch the speeds of the car.

After officers used a second spike strip, the car stopped and the two suspects took off on foot.

The driver was arrested immediately, and the passenger was eventually captured and taken to the hospital.

"The car is here and all the cops are here, the helicopter is here; so the navigation definitely did an amazing job,” Pirani said.

Pirani said she's owned the Tesla for about a year and this experience has her sold on the brand.

"After this, I'm not going to get any other car for sure," she said.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

As North Park residents remain on edge after a series of violent assaults in the community, one Uptown resident says she may have come face-to-face with the suspect wanted in the attacks, right in her own alleyway.

Andrea Gibson told NBC 7 she encountered a strange man in the alley by her City Heights home on Aug. 31 – just three days after a sixth assault was reported in North Park.

The interaction, she said, was extremely odd and gave her chills.

Gibson said she left home around 9 p.m. to go out with some friends, walking through her front gate and out to an alley where she always parks her car.

As she locked her gate, a strange feeling came over her.

“I was very much on edge with all of the news about the attacks in the neighborhoods,” she explained. “I felt a sense of uneasiness. I stopped, listened, shut the door.”

“I get into the vehicle – one foot in, one foot out – take my purse and put it in the seat. I look up and there is a guy standing right there,” Gibson explained, pointing to an area near her car.

As she got in the car, Gibson said the man started walking toward her, with his hands reaching toward the vehicle.

She said nothing, while he asked her whose car was parked next to hers.

She said they stared at one another for a moment and then the man bolted from the alley.

“It alarmed me,” she said. “I don’t know where he came from; there’s no reason why he should’ve been there.”

After the man ran away, Gibson called 911. She figured it was her duty to report the incident, given the recent assaults in the Uptown area.

Gibson said the man she saw in the alley looked young. He appeared clean-cut, wearing a blue shirt and khaki shorts. His hair was cut short.

After giving the man’s description to police, Gibson went back and read up on the assaults in North Park. She said her description of the man in the alley was “chillingly similar” to a sketch released by the San Diego Police Department and descriptions given by victims of the attacks.

Though Gibson said that doesn’t necessarily mean it was the suspect in her alley, she said the encounter was enough to leave her concerned for her safety and that of her children and neighbors.

She said police sent extra patrols to her area to keep an eye on anything potentially suspicious, but she still thinks it’s important for Uptown residents to report any odd activity in their neighborhoods.

“We should all have awareness for this, keep our wits about us and talk to each other,” Gibson told NBC 7.

According to San Diego police, there have been six assaults reported on women in the North Park area since June 11.

The latest attack happened on Aug. 28 near Lincoln Avenue and Idaho Street. The victim was attacked from behind, punched in the face and knocked out. She screamed for help and the suspect ran away, avoiding capture.

Police have released photos of a possible person of interest in that sixth assault.

However, to date, no one has been arrested.

Three people have been arrested in connection with the 2012 shooting death of an Imperial Beach man, the San Diego County Sheriff Department announced Thursday.

On Jan. 28, 2012, Hector Arce, 36, was discovered lying on the ground with several gunshot wounds. His dead body was in an alley off the 1300 block of Imperial Beach Boulevard.

After an extensive, two-year investigation that ended this month, sheriff’s homicide detectives arrested three people Wednesday.

Imperial Beach resident Shelly Villalobos, 26, was arrested near 9th Street and Holly Avenue, and Chula Vista resident Reyez Cruz, 25, was taken into custody at the South Bay Superior Court House.

Another Chula Vista resident, Adrian Lopez, 20, was already in custody for an unrelated case, so he was charged while in jail.

All face one count of first-degree murder, sheriff's officials say.

The case has been turned over to the District Attorney’s office to decide whether to pursue charges.

If you know about Arce’s death, call the homicide unit at 858-974-2321 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is suffering from an aggressive form of cancer.

Bishop Cirilo Flores, 66, is currently receiving treatment at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles hospital. He will be transferred to the Nazareth House senior care facility in Mission Valley on Friday, according to a statement from Monsignor Steven Callahan.

Cirilo will receive palliative care at Nazareth House. Callahan said the bishop is too weak for chemotherapy.

It is unclear what kind of cancer the bishop has, but Callahan said the cancer is mainly in his bones and is in the advanced stages.

Flores was ordained in 1991 and became Bishop of San Diego in September 2013.

In April, he suffered a stroke inside the diocese office.

It may have taken more than a decade but residents in one San Diego community can now say they built a bridge.

The pedestrian bridge over Ted Williams Parkway at Shoal Creek Drive opened Thursday after years of negotiation and planning.

In the time it has taken to get the $4.5 million project approved and completed, there have been three principals at Shoal Creek Elementary School.

Assemblymember Brian Maienschein joined San Diego City Councilmember Mark Kersey to celebrate the realization of something he first started when he held Kersey’s seat almost 14 years ago.

“That road is far too dangerous for an adult to cross much less a child,” Maienschein said.

The new bridge is now open to all pedestrians and bicyclists as a safe route across the six-lane Ted Williams Parkway where the average speed is 55 mph.
 

Convicted former Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger has been moved to a Florida prison.

The 85-year-old former gangster has been moved to U.S. Penitentiary Coleman-2 in Sumter County, Florida, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons' website.

The high-security facility holds nearly 1,500 male inmates. Bulger was previously being held at a prison in Tucson, Arizona.

Bulger was the head of Boston's Irish mob and an FBI informant. He was convicted of gangland crimes in the 1970s and '80s and sentenced to life.

His case became an embarrassment for the FBI as corrupt agents accepted bribes and protected him. Bulger was a fugitive for 16 years until his 2011 arrest in California.

The NCAA has found Geno Auriemma violated an NCAA rule when he called Little League pitching prodigy Mo'ne Davis during the Little League World Series, UConn announced Thursday.

UConn had been working with the NCAA and the American Athletic Conference since Wednesday afternoon to determine whether Auriemma's two-minute phone call with the 13-year-old constituted a violation of recruiting rules, after an unnamed school reported it to the AAC.

"While UConn accepts this decision, we do not agree with it," UConn Athletic Director Warde Manuel said of the decision Thursday, after the NCAA notified the school of its determination.

Mo'ne was launched into the spotlight earlier this month when her 70-mile-per-hour fastballs helped the Taney Dragons, of Philadelphia, reach the semifinals of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Mo'ne has said she would like to play basketball for Auriemma at UConn one day. Auriemma grew up in Philadelphia.

Auriemma said someone from the Philadelphia '76ers contacted a friend of Auriemma's and suggested the UConn head coach give Mo'ne a call to congratulate her.  

On Wednesday, Auriemma said he called the Little League offices. Mo'ne happened to be there, and he asked to have someone put Davis on the phone.

"The conversation lasted like two minutes, and we hung up," Auriemma said. "And then I was told a school turned us in for a recruiting violation, because we are not allowed contact of July 1 before her junior year of high school.

"That's the world that we live in," he added.

Manuel said Auriemma checked with the UConn compliance department before making the call and was told it would not be a violation, since Davis is not considered a prospective student athlete.

"The nature of Coach Auriemma’s two-minute conversation with Mo’ne had nothing to do with recruiting and instead had everything to do with congratulating and encouraging Mo’ne to continued success," Manuel said.

The bylaw Auriemma is found to have violated bars schools from making phone calls to students before the July 1 after their junior year of high school. An exception to the bylaw for women's basketball allows schools to call students after Sept. 1 of the beginning of her junior year.

It was not clear what type of punishment, if any, could be handed down.

NBC Connecticut has not reached Auriemma for reaction to the NCAA's ruling, but he was in disbelief over the controversy when he spoke about it on Wednesday.

"So what does this mean? If a kid wins a swimming contest somewhere and is wearing a [UConn] sweatshirt and I call to congratulate her in seventh grade, is someone now going to say you are not allowed to do that? Well, why not? Isn't that unbelievable?" he asked.

"There are guys playing college basketball driving around in cars worth more than my house, and we're worried about a phone call to a little girl?"

California community colleges could offer four-year degrees as soon as next January if the governor approves, according to officials.

San Diego political, education and business leaders gathered Thursday to urge Gov. Jerry Brown to sign Senate Bill 850. SB 850 has already passed in the state senate and assembly.

The Golden State will need one million more people with four-year degrees by 2025, according to State Sen. Marty Block of San Diego who wrote the bill. Block said SB 850 aims to fill skill gaps in the California workforce.

“One of our biggest issues of the moment is finding skilled people to support the ongoing growth of our business,” said Rick Timm, President of SeaBotix, which hosted Thursday’s news conference. SeaBotix manufactures remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for law enforcement, Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal and more.

If the bill is approved, community colleges would offer a variety of four-year degrees, including Respiratory Therapy, Radiologic Technology, Health Information Management, Automotive Technology Management, Veterinary Technology and Public Safety Administration.

“None of the degrees will duplicate degrees offered by the UC or CSU,” Block said.

The new measure isn’t meant to turn community colleges into four-year institutions, but rather adapt to increased job requirements, according to San Diego Community College District Chancellor Constance Carroll, Ph.D.

Carroll cited dental hygiene as an example. The job used to require a two-year associate’s degree, but now calls for a bachelor’s degree.

“No public university in California offers a four-year bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene. You would have to go to a very high cost, for-profit institution,” she said.

In the first year, 15 community colleges across California would each offer a different four-year degree based on regional workforce needs. Mesa College in San Diego would be part of the pilot program.

Block said community colleges could offer four-year degrees for about $10,000.

SB 850 also targets military members. About 15,000 troops transition from the military to civilian life each year in San Diego, according to San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC) Executive Director Larry Blumberg.

“We hope that once these curriculums are established that our veterans will be given priority for admission,” Blumberg said.

Gov. Brown received the bill on Aug. 28. He has 30 days to sign it into law.