The second of two women struck by lightning Sept. 6 near Crane Beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts, has died, police say.

Marianne Mellnick, 69, of Concord has died from her injuries, officials said Monday, after earlier announcing that Marguerite Tomany, 61, of Thompson, Connecticut, had also died.

"This is a terrible tragedy that has struck our community," Ipswich's acting police chief Jonathan Hubbard said in a release, offering condolences on behalf of the police and fire departments and the town.

The women were walking up the street when they were struck, police said Monday, after initially reporting that the women had been swimming at the time. 

Neither victim had a heartbeat when responders arrived. Lifeguards and first responders performed CPR for about 20 minutes, and both women had pulses by the time they arrived at Beverly Hospital.

The victims were later transported to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Police are searching for a suspect in San Diego’s Southcrest neighborhood.

Officers tried to pull over a vehicle around 11:30 a.m. Monday in the area of South 44th Street and Mayberry Street. The vehicle drove a short distance, but the driver soon stopped and fled on foot, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Aerial pictures showed police vehicles surrounding the neighborhood and the SDPD helicopter circling overhead. No lockdowns have been issued at this time, and no injuries have been reported.

There is no word why police tried to stop the vehicle in the first place.

Check back for updates.
 

San Diego police are looking for a Mercedes driver who fled a fatal street racing crash in Mission Bay Sunday.

A silver Corvette and a black Mercedes were racing westbound on SeaWorld Drive just after 5 p.m., according to San Diego police.

The Corvette lost control near Friars Road and slammed into a tree.

The driver was killed instantly, police said. The female passenger was rushed to a local trauma unit with serious injuries.

The victim has not been identified.

It appears the Mercedes was not physically involved in the crash. However, police said they are treating the incident as a hit and run because the Mercedes left the crash site.

The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig Alert for SeaWorld Drive between Friars Road and South Shores Road. The road was reopened before 11 p.m.

Investigators are asking the driver or passenger of the Mercedes to call police at 619-531-2000.

Police do not know if alcohol or drugs were factors in the fatal crash.

A big Chargers win on Sunday should have been even more impressive.

The NFL admitted it missed a call when it allowed Seattle Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin’s 51-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to stand, even though Harvin stepped out of bounds at the Chargers 21.

Fortunately for the Bolts, it didn’t affect the outcome, as the defeated the defending Super Bowl champs, 30-21.

"All scoring plays are reviewed by the instant replay official, in conjunction with the NFL officiating staff in New York, and are not subject to a coach's challenge," NFL spokesman Michael Signora said in a statement. "Following the first quarter touchdown run by Percy Harvin, the game should have been stopped for a replay review, either by the replay official or by the officiating staff in New York.”

Following the play, the Seahawks quickly lined up and kicked the extra point before officials could stop it, and the game went on without incident. The score put the Seahawks up 7-3. From there, it was all Chargers, as they scored 17 straight points in the second quarter and never trailed again.

The Bolts kept Harvin contained for most of the game. He had one other run that went for minus-6 yards and just one catch for 5 yards.

Even with the phantom touchdown, the Chargers handled Seattle with ease. It was the largest loss for the Seahawks since a 10-point defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 6, 2011.

The Chargers beat the heat and held on to defeat the defending NFL champs on Sunday.

Antonio Gates caught all three touchdowns in a 30-21 win over the Seattle Seahawks at a sweltering Qualcomm Stadium.

The tight end finished with seven catches for 96 yards and caught two touchdowns in the first half for the ninth time in his career.

Philip Rivers completed 28 of 37 passes for 284 yards as the Chargers controlled much of the game. They had 26 first downs to Seattle's 14 and dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for more than 42 minutes.

In a game where field the temperature topped 100 degrees, the Chargers kept cool and didn't turn the ball over to even their season record at 1-1.

The Chargers got some bad news with the injury of running back Ryan Mathews, who sprained his MCL and could be out for a month. Mathews had 11 carries for 31 yards before the injury. Danny Woodhead led the team with 32 rushing yards.

Flames shot more than 10 feet into the air early Monday as fire spread from behind a Vista business to nearby trees and brush.

The fire started on the dock behind Prudential Overall Supply on Ash Street, a laundering business located east of Sycamore Avenue and southwest of State Route 78.

Vista, San Marcos and Carlsbad firefighters were called to the business just after midnight and found flames shooting into the air behind the business and threatening to spread among a few eucalyptus trees behind the dock.

The fire did make its way into the grass and brush but firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within 20 minutes, officials said.

No one was injured.

Fire officials said the solvents used in the cleaning process were contained within 50 gallon drums so there was no chemical runoff or threat of a hazmat situation.

Firefighters contained the damage from the fire to the exterior of the building where there were bins filled with rags, uniforms and rugs.
 

Construction of the Carlsbad Desalination Plant is ahead of schedule and may be available to help supply San Diego County with drinking water from ocean water by the end of next year.

On this week’s “Politically Speaking” program, Jason Foster with the San Diego County Water Authority said the plant could be up and online by late 2015.

“That will be a big help if this drought continues,” Foster said. “The desalination plant will be a core water supply for our region. It’s going to run 24 hours a day, 365.”

Once the plant is up and running, it’s expected to turn 50 million gallons of sea water into fresh drinking water daily for use across the county.

It will deliver roughly seven percent of the region’s water supply but at a cost to ratepayers.

Water bills will increase approximately $5 a month, Foster said.

A recent report showed San Diego’s water use in August was six percent lower than the same time last year. That’s about 1.2 billion gallons or enough to serve about 20,000 residents for a year, according to the report.

Foster said San Diegans have been actively seeking out ways to conserve water. For example, the San Diego County Water Authority has seen applications to the turf replacement rebate program increase 1,000% in 2014.

The program offers $1.50 per square foot for homeowners to replace grass with other landscaping.

A fatal accident involving a car and a semi is slowing the morning community out of the South Bay.

A gold Infinity and a tractor trailer collided along northbound I-805 at H Street in Chula Vista just before 8 a.m. Monday.

California Highway Patrol officers and firefighters had the crash scene surrounded on the right shoulder.

Officers said the crash had broken the rear axle of the semi.

Truck driver Clarence Jones, 49, had parked along the shoulder when the semi lost air pressure. He was sitting in the cab with his two children when they heard a loud noise.

He looked out, saw a car on fire beneath the back of the trailor. Jones grabbed a fire extinguisher to put the flames out.

That's when he noticed the driver's lifeless body in the vehicle.

Jones said he believes the driver may have been using the shoulder to bypass traffic.

A SigAlert was issued at 8:25 a.m.

Possible alternate routes would be surface streets to northbound I-805 beyond the crash site. Interstate 5 if you can or State Route 54 via the South Bay Expressway.
 

Chargers' running back Ryan Mathews will be out for four to five weeks, NFL sources reported on Monday.

Mathews suffered a sprained MCL in Sunday’s sweltering game against the Seattle Seahawks. According to the NFL Network, he underwent an MRI on Monday. Still, he hopes to return sooner than a month, the source said.

Mathews was carted off the field in the fourth quarter of the game with the knee injury.

Sunday’s home opener upset the defending Super Bowl champions with a win over the Hawks, 30 to 21.

The deficit, however, could have been larger. The NFL now admits it should have reversed a touchdown made by Seattle Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin.

The last time a team has beat the Seahawks by more than 7 points was Nov. 6, 2011, when the Dallas Cowboys beat the team by 10 points.

A surfer says he had to swim for his life after a 15-foot great white shark took a bite out of his surf board at a popular beach near Watsonville, California.

Beau Browning was surfing about 50 yards from shore at Manresa State Beach Saturday evening when he says the shark knocked him off his surfboard, mid-wave. The shark came out of the water and landed on his board, splitting it in two, then took a bite out of the board.

"I caught my second wave and barely got into it, and out of nowhere, I was popped into the air by probably like 10 feet, looked down, and saw a shark," Browning said.

Browning said he was still tethered to the board, so when the shark began to swim deeper, it pulled him underwater for 5 seconds. When the shark finally let go, Browning was able to get up to the surface.

Browning was not hurt in the attack, but his board is no longer usable. Browning said, the board's maker, Pearson Arrow, has offered him a replacement.

Browning told local NBC affiliate KSBW-TV he doesn't blame the shark.

"They were just doing what they're designed to do," Browning said. "And they thought I was something else. And that's all it is. I got no hard feelings against sharks."

Shark warning signs were posted Monday by state park rangers at multiple beaches in Santa Cruz County, the station reported. California State Parks Supervising Ranger Joe Connors says a shark was spotted attacking a seal in the waters off Seabright State Beach on Sunday.

Shark experts told KSBW great whites don’t have sharp eyesight and can't tell the difference between a surfer's body and board.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

A famous fictional San Diegan once said, “San Diego, drink it in. It always goes down smooth.” No matter what your drink of choice, there are plenty of events where you can enjoy some libations this weekend.

Thursday, Sept. 18

10th Annual Chef Showdown
6 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Harley Davidson on Morena Boulevard
Come hungry as San Diego’s top chefs go head-to-head in an “Iron Chef”-style competition. The event is aiming to raise $100,000 for the Center for Community Solutions, a San Diego nonprofit that provides services for victims of domestic violence.

Friday, Sept. 19

Taste of Thrillist
7 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the Hard Rock Hotel downtown
Thrillist is your go-to source for what’s hot in San Diego. So you can be sure this rooftop pool party will be nothing short of amazing. About a dozen chefs from San Diego’s best restaurants will cook up creations not normally on the menu.

Best Whiskeys of the World
6:30 p.m. at the Westgate Hotel
You’ve heard of wine pairing, but did you know certain whiskeys go best with certain foods? Whiskey connoisseur Ed Adams will lead you through a delicious five-course dinner at the award-winning Le Fontainebleau Room inside the Westgate Hotel. Cheers!

Saturday, Sept. 20

17th Annual Fleet Week Coronado Speed Festival
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Naval Station North Island
The “Race at the Base” will transform Naval Station North Island into the world’s coolest racetrack. Automobile enthusiasts will enjoy races, classic cars, test drives and more. Plus, the public will get the rare chance to tour Navy warships.

Rancho Bernardo Dog Park 10th Anniversary Celebration
9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Rancho Bernardo Dog Park
Celebrate 10 years of canine companionship at this pooch party. Besides vendors and demonstrations, there will be treats (for both dogs and humans) and a pre-Halloween costume contest with prizes.

San Diego Sriracha Festival
3 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Liberty Station
This is San Diego’s first festival dedicated to the beloved sauce in the red and green bottle. Chefs will use the condiment in ways you never thought possible, even in desserts. The event is a can’t-miss for any sirarcha super fan.

Sunday, Sept. 21

San Diego Restaurant Week
Various locations across the county
Sunday is the first day of San Diego Restaurant Week, a showcase of San Diego’s top-notch dining scene. You can savor a two-course lunch for $10 to $20 and a three-course dinner for $25-$45 at more than 180 local eateries. Click here to see which restaurants are participating and to choose your culinary adventure. Restaurant Week runs through Sept. 26.

Paddle for Clean Water
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. in Ocean Beach
Calling all surfers, standup paddleboards, kayakers and boogie boarders. Join hundreds of other ocean enthusiasts for a paddle around the Ocean Beach Pier, all in the name of clean water and healthy coastlines. The event also features a yoga class, free breakfast for participants, live reggae music and one killer after-party. Learn more about the Surfrider Foundation here.
 

A bear used a Sierra Madre homeowner's backyard pool Sunday to cool off during a Southern California heat wave that included triple-digit temperatures during the weekend.

The bear arrived late Sunday afternoon at the home, where it explored the backyard patio before splashing into the pool. The bear stayed in the water for about 15 minutes, resting on steps at both ends, before climbing out.

Resident Thomas See said this was the first time he has seen a bear swimming around in the pool. Bears in search of an easy snack often appear in the San Gabriel Valley community on trash days, he added.

The bear appeared to head south after the swim, See said.

California's black bear population is at about 25,000 to 30,000, with most living in mountain areas above 3,000 feet, according to what the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife calls conservative estimates. In 1982, the statewide bear population was estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000.

Less than 10 percent of the state's black bear population lives in the central western and southwestern California region, according to agency estimates. About half of the population resides in an area north and west of the Sierra Nevada.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife has recorded 12 "bear attacks" since 1980. An attack is defined as "physical contact, injury or death."

The last reported attack in Los Angeles County occurred in July 2003 when a hiker was knocked down by a bear at a campsite on Pacific Crest Trail in Angeles National Forest. The hiker suffered minor injuries.
 

A man accused of stealing $100 in birthday money from an autistic man will appear in court next week. 

Police said Steven St. Jacques, 27, of Stamford, approached the victim, a 27-year-old autistic man, near Veterans Park last Tuesday afternoon, tricked him into handing over his money, then pretended to put it back into the victim's pocket

Instead, he ran away with the cash, police said.

When police were not able to find him, they released surveillance footage that showed a man running from the scene in the hopes that someone could identify the perpetrator.

That was on Thursday.

Over the weekend, St. Jacques was identified as the suspect. They obtained a search warrant and found an article of clothing at his house that matched what they say he was wearing when the video was shot.

St. Jacques was charged with second-degree larceny and appeared in court on Tuesday, where a new court date was set for Sept. 24. Bond has been set at $50,000 and he remains in police custody.

He has had prior arrests for alleged assault and robbery, police said.

As Stamford police investigated, police officers, members of the local police union and community members banded together to collect money for the victim and presented him with $1,300 on Monday. 

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

Thuy Ly no longer uses her air conditioner during the day even when it is more than 90 degrees outside.

"I just looked at the bill last week," said Ly. "I cannot use this much."

Ly and her husband have three children, but to save money, they are not turning on the air conditioning until 7:30 at night and turning it off early in the morning. Then Ly locks up the house.

"I keep the shades closed, I keep the lights off," said Ly, "I use mostly fans because I think it costs less."

Room and ceiling fans use a fraction of the energy required by a central air conditioner.

According to a room-by-room guide from San Diego Gas and Electric, central air costs between $1 to $2 an hour to cool a home.

That means for people who are running their air conditioners five and ten hours longer than usual, they could see a jump of hundreds of dollars on their bill.

SDG&E recommends mixing fans and air conditioners to keep cool.

The company suggests raising the thermostat from 72 to 78 degrees and running major appliances during off-peak hours.

As for tracking usage, Erin Coller with SDG&E said customers can sign up for My Account on the SDG&E website.

"You can actually track your energy use by the hour," said Coller. "You will see projections for how much your bill is expected to be at the end of the month."

As for Thuy Ly, she is drinking more water and adjusting to a house without air conditioning during the day.

"I do miss it, but I try," said Ly.

How do you stay cool on a budget? Share your favorite tips, experiences and gripes in the comment section below.

The Veterans Affairs of San Diego is preparing for a surge of veterans in need, the agency's top official said while touring the facility Monday.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald wants to get the VA on track as quickly as possible.

The agency is spending $11.3 million to hire more medical staff and increase facility space in San Diego.

“We have to be forward looking, recognizing that many of our veterans who are leaving military service are settling in San Diego and we have to build up capacity to get ahead of that curve,” McDonald said.

The so-called "Road to Veterans Day" is the new secretary’s plan to recommit the agency to its mission – to serve and care for veterans.

Hundreds of VA medical centers across the country are under review following an investigation into practices at the Phoenix facility.

A whistleblower alleged that as many as 40 veterans died while waiting for appointments there.

No longer will incentives be tied to standards of care. The medical inspector's office will be restructured.

In one month alone in the VA, McDonald and his staff have removed 250,000 veterans from lists and gotten them into clinics.

That includes 5,600 in San Diego, where access to care the secretary realizes will only continue to get more difficult as more Iraq and Afghanistan veterans return.

VA officials will also outsource care when needed, but say that is not the solution.

Saying private care won’t replace veterans care, McDonald supports important research when it comes to treatment for PTSD and other illnesses.

He also feels best practices from VA Medical Centers like San Diego should be shared with other VA centers across the country.

The last blackjack hand dealt before the Trump Plaza casino closed its doors in Atlantic City Tuesday morning was a 21, for the house.

That luck came too late for the casino, which shut for good just before 6 a.m.

The floor was mostly empty, the chandeliers lighting vacant gaming tables and workers clustered together. Only a handful of players were left, loyal customers and determined gamblers to the end.

Ruth Hardrick’s last shift had ended at 4 a.m. but she returned a few hours later for the final moments. For 26 years, the casino had been her second home, she said.

“You see it coming but you never think it’s going to get to this point because you always try to stay optimistic that it would come out of the slump somewhat,” said Hardrick, who lives nearby in Mays Landing, New Jersey. “I had a good run here.”

The two men playing blackjack left as security guards escorted people from the building at 5:59 a.m.

Ruth Modrell set her alarm for 4:30 a.m. to play the slot machines one last time.

“This is a great place,” said Modrell of Bridgewater, New Jersey. “I feel like I’m a favorite daughter in the family and so does everybody else. The people here are just wonderful. You can’t win but that’s true at all casinos.”

The retired communications engineer had been visiting Trump Plaza for about 10 years, and on this final night, she was trying her hand at one or two more slot machines before heading out.

With no drinks to serve, 30-year-old Marilyn Solis was gathering up empty ash trays as the minutes ticked down. This was her second casino closing, she said. She had worked at the Sands Casino Hotel before it shut in 2006.

“I never thought it was going to happen again,” she said.

She has been filling out applications for another job, but was not optimistic.

“It’s been very hard,” she said. “You have to know somebody now to get in.”

At the front of the casino, 60-year-old Rich Everett complained that the owners had not even tried to make the casino successful. He hopes to work for himself instead by buying a limousine to take customers between the casinos, he said.

“They didn’t promote the place at all,” he said.

Soon after the doors closed, workers could be seen inside the lobby pulling up the fake plants.

The day before Linda Winsett stopped in to say goodbye to the workers she'd come to know over her decades playing the slot machines.

 “I know everyone here,” said Winsett, who was visiting Monday with her husband, Jon, a retired Wildwood, New Jersey, police officer. “They’ve always been good to me. Sad. Everyone’s out of work.”

Winsett had known the casino was failing. It had become run-down, and there were fewer employees on the casino floor. Its imminent closure was no surprise to her. “I could see it coming,” she said.

When the Trump Plaza shuttered its doors early Tuesday morning, it became Atlantic City's fourth casino to close this year, following the Atlantic Club in January and Showboat and Revel over the Labor Day weekend. Trump Entertainment Resorts is threatening to shut down a fifth, Trump Taj Mahal, if it cannot cut costs there.

On Tuesday, Donald Trump hinted that he might jump back in the game.

I left Atlantic City years ago, good timing. Now I may buy back in, at much lower price, to save Plaza & Taj. They were run badly by funds!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2014

In August, Trump sued Trump Entertainment Resorts, formed after his casino empire emerged from one of its three bankruptcies and in which he retains a 10 percent stake. In the lawsuit, Trump demanded that his name be removed from the Trump Plaza and the Trump Taj Mahal casinos because the company had allowed them to fall into disrepair.

Still, the march of casino closures comes as New Jersey casinos' revenue lags, and as state leaders scramble to turn the tide. New Jersey casinos' August revenue was down $3.65 million compared with last year, state gambling figures out Friday show. Last week, Gov. Chris Christie held a special summit to help the troubled casino resort community, and issued a directive to let casinos begin sports betting.

“The whole industry is played out,” said Linda Winsett's husband Jon, 59, who does not gamble. “If you put six McDonald’s on one intersection, not all six are going to do good.”

"I'm going to pick up the pieces"

At mid-day Monday, a smattering of gamblers dotted the Trump Plaza's cavernous casino floor, most of them at the slots. As the day wore on, visitors streamed up the escalators to games whose dazzling names — "Dozens of Diamonds," "Invaders from the Planet Moolah" — belied the casino's future.

That future was on casino employees' minds Monday, as nearly 1,000 workers prepared to lose their jobs. Some said they said they would apply for unemployment benefits or maybe return to college, and a dealer was overheard discussing competition from casinos in neighboring states.

Theresa Volpe, 56, a cocktail server who has worked at Trump Plaza for 26 years, is looking for a job in one of the other casinos, and hopes the city can rebound to thrive again. She lives just outside Atlantic City in Northfield with her disabled sister and her mother, who is recovering from a fall. Both rely on her, but Volpe said she wasn't worried.

"I’m going to pick up the pieces," she said. "I’ll be good. We’ll work it out."

The closing of Trump Plaza has also left uncertain the future of its boardwalk restaurant, EVO. Waiter Elgun Alakbarov, 25, is applying for jobs at other restaurants, but he may leave Atlantic City instead.

"It’s time to do something different. But I'm young," he acknowledged. “People who have a family — it’s hard."

The union representing casino employees, Unite Here Local 54, will host a resource center in Boardwalk Hall from Wednesday through Friday where union and non-union workers can learn about unemployment benefits, health care, rent assistance and other resources, said Donna DeCaprio, the secretary treasurer. "It's kind of one-stop shopping," she said.

"There's already enough poverty"

On a sparklingly sunny Monday on the Atlantic City boardwalk, Janice and Malcolm Blalock had their photograph taken in front of the casinos. Retired government workers from Clayton, North Carolina, they were on a motorcycle trip and were on their way to Philadelphia.

“It’s a little bit sad,” Malcolm Blalock said of the casino closures. His wife, who described herself as a small gambler, said the casino closures reflect the ongoing struggles of a still-rebounding economy.

The pair was only briefly stopping in Atlantic City en route to Philadelphia.

Derek Ljongquist, 31, and Jennifer Cote, 33, stopped at the Starbucks in the Trump Plaza, but they had no plans to stay, either. The couple from Naugatuck, Connecticut – he a computer technician, she a health-care administrative assistant – was headed for a swim and then shopping at the Tanger outlet mall, during a visit for Cote’s birthday.
And though not gamblers, they thought the Atlantic City casinos paled in comparison with their home state's Mohegan Sun casino, though they called the Trump Plaza's closure "a shame."

“It's a shame, because there are a lot of jobs to be lost,” Cote said. “There’s already enough poverty in the city.”

"The whole vibe is different"

Like many others, longtime Trump Plaza patrons Ed Heron Jr., 68, and his wife, Marge, 67, had come to their old haunt Monday to say goodbye to longtime employees.

“This used to be our place,” Ed said. “We used to be here at least two or three times a month."

The retired couple, who live in Philadelphia, recalled steak dinners they had eaten and performances they'd seen by Cher and Diana Ross there. But what was once a fabulous casino now looked desolate, Marge said, and the couple blamed its owners for its failure.

“Ten years ago, the place was hopping,” Ed remembered.

That wasn't the case Monday, another worker at the Trump Plaza's restaurant EVO conceded. Andrea Gant, 29, is moving to Boca Raton, Florida, to waitress in another of the owner’s restaurants for the winter. "It’s hard to get a job here in the winter," she said.

It wasn't just during the winter that business had lagged, though, she said. With fewer patrons to serve, she could tell the casinos were suffering.

"You can feel it," she said. "The whole vibe is different."

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

San Diego County Animal Services is looking for the owner of four neglected horses rescued from the Elfin Forest area.

Workers at a horse boarding facility on Detwiler Road noticed the horses wandering around early Sunday morning, according to the county. It is unclear how the horses got there.

Animal Services was called and discovered the two stallions and two mares in rough shape. The horses were severely underweight, covered in cuts and scratches and in need of hoof care, the county said.

County workers talked to neighbors, but no one knew who owned the horses. The horses went to the veterinarian Monday morning and are expected to make a full recovery.

If the owner does not come forward, the two Arabians and two quarter horses will be available for adoption. If the owner does show, that person would pay fees and could face charges.

Last month, Animal Services rescued 31 horses – along with llamas, miniature cattle, geese and a dog – from a property in Valley Center. The county now has 38 horses in its care, an all-time high.

As a sweltering heat wave has gripped Southern California for days, managers of the state's power grid said on Monday they had plenty of electricity available to handle anticipated peaks in power usage, but fear power outages if energy use continues to be consumed at its current rate.

Officials with Southern California Edison and the Department of Water and Power urged residents to conserve power.

"The generation picture, the actual power customers are consuming, looks very good today," Steven Conroy, a Southern California Edison spokesman, said. "So what you're seeing is that our customers are using a lot of energy during the day. That's normal. But they're really, really using a lot at night."

He said from 6 p.m. to midnight, equipment doesn't have enough time to cool off and that's why it's failing. Some 3,000 Southern California Edison customers lost power in Los Angeles and Orange counties from overheated transformers on Sunday afternoon and evening.

As of 11:50 p.m. Monday, the LADWP said about 6,000 customers were without power, most of it split between the Hollywood area and Valley. The bulk of the Valley outages were random and in the Valley Glen, North Hollywood and Sherman Oaks areas.

Meanwhile, Edison said it was working on 126 outages that knocked out power to 15,000 customers. The Los Angeles area had 72 outages, leaving 4,800 customers without power. The largest LA outage was in Pico Rivera with 797 customers and Inglewood with 428 customers. There were 15 outages in the San Bernardino area, leaving about 7,395 customers without power.

Edison's big concern is Tuesday and the rest of the week.

Edison opened its Emergency Activation Center in Irwindale to provide a central coordination center to monitor and respond to outages.

The utility also canceled all planned maintenance outages that could be deferred.

DWP officials said the utility broke its all-time record for energy demand and issued another call for customers to conserve power.

The demand was at 6,196 megawatts, surpassing the previous all-time record of 6,177 megawatts set on September 27, 2010.

The peak demand was nearly double the amount of energy demand experienced on a typical day in the city of Los Angeles.

The DWP currently is forecasting that it will break today’s record again Tuesday and exceed 6,200 megawatts as heat-wave temperatures continue.

"Under these extreme conditions, our system is holding up quite well, but we urge our customers to continue to conserve to reduce strain on the grid," said General Manager Marcie Edwards. "Conserving electricity can help prevent a local power outage if you take simple steps like setting your thermostat to 78 degrees, turning off pool pumps and giving your appliances the day off tomorrow. Days like today are an important reminder that we must continue to plan for and invest in our infrastructure to ensure reliable service for our customers as demand increases and weather gets more erratic and intense."

Officials also encourage residents to conserve energy by closing curtains and blinds and turning off lights.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Brandon Robinson’s death remains a mystery more than five years after his murder.

The 23-year-old was shot and killed on Sept. 6, 2009 while attending a barbecue at Morley Field in Balboa Park. Friends and family claim the bullet was intended for someone.

First responders discovered Robinson lying next to his motorcycle. His family told NBC 7 in 2009 that buying that motorcycle was his childhood dream.

In 2011, a “Who Killed Brandon Robinson” billboard was erected at 30th Street and El Cajon Boulevard to drum up leads. So far, no arrests have been made.

The state is offering $50,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case. Crime Stoppers is offering an additional $1,000 reward.

Do you know what happened that Labor Day weekend? Anyone with information is urged to call the San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.