As we zoom through the final third of the NFL season, the playoff picture is starting to become clear for the Chargers.

At this point, the important thing is to be in the conversation, exactly where the Bolts find themselves. Let’s take a look at what they’ll need to do and who to root for in the upcoming Week 12.

First of all, you hate to get too melodramatic with more than a month left in the season, but the Chargers (6-4) more or less saved their playoff chances by hanging on for an ugly 13-6 victory over the winless Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

A loss there and …  well, we don’t even want to think about that.

Now they face the 4-6 St. Louis Rams at home on Sunday in another one of those win-or-you’re-in-trouble games. Its importance is heightened when you look at the rest of the schedule: Five games against teams with records of 6-4 or better, including both AFC West co-leaders in the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.

Looking at the Chargers’ place in the AFC standings, it’s a big ol’ mess in the hunt for the two wild card spots. Right now the Bolts are in eighth place, but tied in record with three other teams – Miami, Baltimore and Cleveland. The Dolphins lead the Chargers after beating them earlier this season, while the Chargers have the tiebreaker edge over the Ravens and Browns because of a better conference record.

The Chiefs (7-3) are alone in fifth place, but would take over the No. 2 seed if they pass the Broncos for the division lead. The Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4) are alone in sixth place. Here is a look at the wild card standings:

5. Kansas City – 7-3
6. Pittsburgh – 7-4
7. Miami – 6-4
8. Chargers – 6-4
9. Baltimore – 6-4
10. Cleveland – 6-4

So, who should Bolts fans be rooting for this weekend? Here’s a breakdown of games affecting their postseason hopes.

First, the biggest game of the week is the Broncos hosting the Dolphins on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. Since we can’t root for both teams to lose, the best situation would be for a Miami win. In fact, just plan on rooting against the Broncos and Chiefs the rest of the season. But Bolts fans are used to that.

Speaking of, the Chiefs get the aforementioned winless Raiders on Thursday night. Yes, Oakland is 0-10, but they’ve been competitive in a number of games – including both contests with the Chargers. The game is in Oakland, where it’s never easy to play. Don’t hold your breath on a Kansas City loss, but crazier things have happened.

In other important games, the Browns play on the road at the Atlanta Falcons at 10 a.m. while the Ravens head to New Orleans to play the Saints on Monday night. Bolts fans will be rooting hard for the NFC teams in those games.

The Steelers have their bye this week.

A woman who suffered serious burns in a campground explosion met some of the men who helped save her and her husband moments after the blast.

Carmen Ruelas and her husband, James, were cooking in their recreational vehicle at Santee Lakes on Oct. 5 when a propane tank exploded inside the RV.

She said James was thrown from the RV by the force of the blast. He suffered third degree burns on nearly 50 percent of his body and is still hospitalized.

Carmen, who suffered second degree burns from the waist down, took part in a ceremony Wednesday to honor two of the men who came to their rescue.

“It brings back a lot of memories but I’m happy to be here to say thank you in person,” Ruelas said at the meeting of the Padre Dam Municipal Water District.

The board recognized James Wagner, a camper at Santee Lakes, who Ruelas said jumped into action seconds after the explosion shook the campground.

U.S. Navy submarine machinist Dylan Perkins was also honored but he was unable to attend the ceremony due to a family emergency.

Both men were lauded for a “selfless act of courage” by the board.

Ruelas says the men saved their lives.

“They didn't hesitate at all,” she said. “They were there."

“They were definitely heroes.”

Two sailors with USS Albuquerque based at Point Loma were also on the scene when the propane tank exploded.

Wesley Wood and Patrick Igoe attended the ceremony and were applauded by those in attendance.

The two sailors were visiting Perkins when they found themselves in the middle of an emergency. They were driven by an adrenaline rush, they said.

“I saw the explosion it was on the other side of the trees from me,” Wood told NBC 7.

Wood said he and Perkins ran inside the RV and put out any remaining fire.

Meanwhile, Igoe said he put the couple in a shower to cool them off as quickly as possible.

“They were struggling, breathing pretty hard so I just calmed him down,” Igoe said.

As for the Ruelas family, there is an online fundraising page collecting donations to help the couple while they recover.

“It’s a slow process,” Ruelas said. “We’re taking it day by day.”

She said James really wants to come back to the RV lifestyle but she has her doubts.

“I’m not sure yet,” she said.
 

What is historically the time of the year when Californians can expect the most precipitation is "off to an abysmal start" after only light to moderate rainfall since Oct. 1 that did nothing to improve drought conditions.

Precipitation was recorded in central and northern California during the last week, but not nearly enough to provide drought relief, according to this week's U.S. Drought Monitor report. Three years of drought have left the state's water reservoirs at critically low levels and a mild start to the season in the Sierras suggests conditions might not improve during winter.

"The totals still fell short of normal and did nothing to offset the impacts of the ongoing three-year drought," according to the report released Thursday. "The current Water Year has gotten off to an abysmal start."

Rainfall since Oct. 1, the start of the water year, has totaled 10 to 35 percent of normal in areas around San Francisco categorized by the U.S. Drought Monitor as under "exceptional" drought conditions. Rainfall was at 20 percent of normal in exceptional drought areas around Los Angeles.

The Drought Monitor report categorizes drought severity into abnormally Dry (D0), Moderate (D1), Severe (D2), Extreme (D3) and Exceptional (D4). Nearly 80 percent of the state is under extreme to exceptional drought.

In January, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency for California as reservoirs levels dropped and snowpack diminished in the Sierras, a vital source of springtime water runoff shared by 25 million Californians. Farmers in the Central Valley have fallowed fields and mandatory water restrictions are in effect as California faces a fourth-consecutive dry year after a summer of record heat.

Some parts of the state can expect rainfall Thursday into Friday as a storm system develops in the Pacific.

A teenager was hospitalized with burns after an apartment fire in Carlsbad on Wednesday night.

The teen girl was seen with bandages on her arm before being transported to the hospital. Her injuries are not considered severe.

Fire crews said the blaze was out by the time they arrived.

The building was evacuated for the night due to smoke damage.

A man was stabbed outside an East Village restaurant following an argument Wednesday night, according to San Diego Police.

It was just after 10 p.m. when the victim got into an argument with two other men outside the Hives Sushi Bar on C Street. During the argument, the victim was stabbed once in the stomach.

Police say instead of calling for help, the man actually drove himself to the hospital. He was treated for his non-life threatening stabbing.

One of the suspects is described as 5-foot, 6-inches tall. No description on the second suspect was given.

Anyone with information on this case should call SDPD Central Division Detectives at (619) 744-9500 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.
 

The Southern California man accused of murder in the deaths of an entire Fallbrook family is suffering from a potentially deadly health condition, his attorney said Thursday.

Joseph and Summer McStay, 43, and their two young children, Gianni and Joseph Mateo ages 4 and 3,  vanished from their home in February 2010, triggering a widespread search from San Diego County to northern Los Angeles County.

More than three years later, four bodies were found buried in the desert near Victorville and a homicide investigation was launched.

Charles "Chase" Merritt appeared in a San Bernardino County courtroom for what was scheduled to be a pretrial hearing.

The judge continued the hearing to give attorneys time to exchange documents including those from the missing persons case conducted by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Merritt's attorney said Thursday that his client has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure.

His client had previous health problems according to attorney Robert Ponce who speculated the stress of the case may have exacerbated those health issues.

The next hearing will be held Jan. 30 at 8:30 a.m.

McStay, 40, operated a custom decorative water fountain business and was working on a project with Merritt when he and his family disappeared.

Merritt, who has been described as the last person to see the McStay family alive, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Torrey Pines High School was put on lockdown after an online threat on Thursday morning.

San Diego Police confirmed that there was no active shooter on campus, but the school was placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure.

All school activities were either canceled or postponed for the rest of the day.

Police responded to the threat around 10:25 a.m., blocking off entrances to the school. As of 11:30 a.m., dozens of parents reportedly lined up outside the school.

Teachers kept students in their classrooms as police went through each room. The first students were seen leaving classrooms just before 1 p.m.

The threat reportedly came on the website Yik Yak -- a social media site that allows users to anonymously make postings to others within a 1 1/2-mile radius.

School principal David Jaffe sent a letter to parents on Wednesday morning that read:

"We received an anonymous threat to school posted on Yik Yak. We have initiated lockdown procedures and are working directly with law enforcement at this time. This is a precautionary lockdown. As we need law enforcement to have open access to the campus we request you do not drive to campus until you are notified to do so. We will be posting updates on the school website.  Again, this is precautionary."

Just after noon, the school posted a message on its website about the situation:

"On the morning of Thursday, November 20, 2014 Torrey Pines High School administration was made aware of an anonymous threat that was posted online.  In consultation with the San Diego Police Department, the school was placed in lockdown status as a safety precaution. District and school staff are working closely with SDPD to ensure the safety of everyone on campus and to investigate the source and credibility of the threat. TPHS families have been apprised of the situation via email and phone messages and will be updated throughout the day. We ask that parents do not come to or call the campus unless directed to do so as this distracts law enforcement and school staff from ensuring the security of the campus."

The school is located at 3710 Del Mar Heights Rd., just east of Interstate 5.

A man arrested with weapons in his car outside the White House Wednesday afternoon told the Secret Service the president called him directly and asked him to go to the White House, according to the police report.

R.J. Kapheim, 43, pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon to one count of unlawful possession of a rifle. The judge ordered him held until a hearing at 9 a.m. Friday.

Kapheim approached a Secret Service officer just before 1 p.m. Wednesday and said he had an appointment with President Barack Obama, authorities said. The officer checked his ID and determined he did not have an appointment.

Kapheim insisted President Obama had called him and began shaking his head, according to the police report. The officer called for backup to check on Kapheim's welfare. They asked him if they could check his car and he agreed.

As Secret Service walked Kapheim to his car at 16th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, he told them he had a weapon in the car, authorities said. The barrel could be seen sticking up from the backseat, a position from which it could be reached from the front seat.

Officers found the .30-30 rifle was loaded with six rounds of ammunition. Another 36 rounds and a 6-inch fixed blade also were found in the car, according to the police report.

There's no indication Kapheim made any threats.

Kapheim told police he drove to D.C. from Davenport, Iowa, where he reportedly works as an inventor.

Court records from Iowa show Kapheim was charged with several traffic violations over the years, and in 2012, he changed his name from "Rachael" to "R.J." to make it easier to get a job.

The arrest came just as Secret Service Acting Director Joseph Clancy was testifying in Congress about low morale he said has contributed to high-profile oversights by agents recently.

The agency has been under scrutiny since a Texas Army veteran, Omar Gonzalez, leapt over a White House fence on Sept. 19 and charged into the White House. Gonzalez made it way all the way into the East Room before he was tackled, thanks to a string of Secret Service failures detailed in an internal review out last week.

Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the death of a 63-year-old El Cajon woman.

Linda Sue Irwin died Thursday morning at Sharp Memorial Hospital. The night before, deputies were called in to investigate an alleged assault of Irwin, according to a news release from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

During the investigation at the hospital, Irwin died.

Irwin had visible signs of injury, though investigators couldn’t determine whether those injuries were the cause of her death, deputies said.

The alleged assault happened sometime between Monday and Wednesday somewhere in El Cajon, according to the news release.

The cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner’s office.

A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information should call the sheriff’s department’s homicide detail at 858-974-231 or after hours at 858-565-5200.

One of San Diego's oldest civic landmarks is about to get a modern overhaul.

The iconic, domed fountain in Horton Plaza Park has seen better days since it was built in 1910 to honor the founder of downtown Alonzo Horton, a year after Horton died at the age of 96.

Restoration crews say the design by architect Irvin Gill has is first-rate, although the materials and waterworks have eroded over decades of neglect.

It'll get "kid-glove" handling in the process of being dismantled for material upgrades, and retrofitting meant to preserve it for much longer than it's already stood.

"We even retained a conservator for this, because of how important this is to the city of San Diego,” says Troy Parry, project manager for the Pomona-based Spectra Company. “So what we're going is sparing no expense getting after it, and preserving everything we can."

The fountain was built for $10,000 -- a gift from banker Louis Wilde, later to become mayor of San Diego.

The restoration will cost $450,000, part of a $17 million project to create a new urban park on Broadway between Third and Fourth Avenues that'll open late next year.

"It's a fantastic monument,” Parry said in an interview Thursday on the construction site just north of the Westfield Horton Plaza shopping mall. “They spared no expense."

While redevelopment law may be "history" in California, the fountain’s history is secure and its future seems bright.

"The research we've conducted indicates that the fountain is the earliest piece acquired by the city of San Diego for its civic art collection,” said Dana Springs, executive director of the city’s Commission on Arts and Culture. “It provides an iconic image for this area, and that's very valuable not only to our community, but the city of San Diego's art collection."

But it hasn't been an artistic success for a long time, which has tarnished the legacy of Alonzo Horton, memorialized by way of a bronze statue located across Third Avenue, in front of the mall’s main entrance.

Horton came here from San Francisco in 1867, and bought up 900 acres in what was known as "New Town."

He turned it into downtown, a hub of commerce and government.

Across Broadway circle from Horton’s statue is a bronze casting of the late shopping mall developer Ernie Hahn Sr.

Hahn -- with political backing from then-Mayor Pete Wilson, whose statue stands west of Hahn’s and Horton’s on the NBC building’s plaza -- kickstarted downtown redevelopment in the 1980s.

Will Lee Brown, a downtown musician who's strummed guitars for passersby for decades, said the fountain's restoration is long overdue.

It figures to be a gateway photo backdrop for locals and tourists, flocking to the long-envisioned Horton Plaza Park that'll boast a host of events and venues to further promote the area as a destination.

"It's going to be one of the main points of entertainment downtown," Brown told NBC 7 in a lunch-hour interview Thursday. "You're right in the heart of downtown and you're getting, especially, the mall right here, the park right there and it's amazing. So I think they'll get good 'bang for the buck.’”

The California Horse Racing Board has renamed horse whips used by jockeys and unanimously passed new limits on how many times they can be used in races, including those held in Del Mar.

A 45-day discussion at Del Mar's Surfside Race Place took in a wide range of equine issues, and among them was the CHRB Rule 1688, Use of Whips.

The board decided to refer to whips as "riding crops" and limit them to three hits in succession. The new rule is meant to allow more time for horses to respond, according to the members.

The meeting was closed Wednesday night, and the amendment was passed unanimously.

Horses will not be disqualified by the overuse of the crop, but jockeys will be fined.

At the close of the discussion, Chairman Chuck Winner said there had been no prior suggestion of eliminating the crop all together.

"Perhaps in the future things could change, but this is a huge step forward," he said.

The new rules will go into place across the state in the first part of 2015, according to Darrell Haire with the Jockey's Guild.

The social media site Yik Yak is in the local spotlight after an anonymous posting apparently led to a lockdown of Torrey Pines High School on Thursday morning.

So, what exactly is Yik Yak? It works like an anonymous bulletin board, allowing users to post statements that other people in their immediate area can see.

Every post can be voted 'up' or 'down' on the page. The app also has a feature that removes posts deemed offensive by two or more users.

The app and website were intended to be an outlet for college students to anonymously share their thoughts, but some say it has turned into a medium for cyber bullying and threats.

A high school in Manhattan Beach, just south of Los Angeles, was closed for the last two days after online threats.

The Student Government Association at Emory University in Georgia introduced a resolution to disable usage of the app on campus, saying it promotes hate speech and discriminatory sentiments toward individuals.

Other schools districts across the country, including a number in Chicago, have banned the app in schools.

The Atlanta-based company, which was founded last year, wouldn’t do an interview with NBC 7. But a spokesperson in San Diego said the company works closely with law enforcement when it involves serious threats. By using GPS, Yik Yak can track down the device where the threat originated.

"They will be reported to the police, and their real information will be given out," said cyber crime specialist Jim Stickley.

He told NBC  7 Yik Yak was designed for college-age students, not high schoolers.

The company released the following statement:

"Currently, we are finding a best course of action is developing a sincere and responsive dialogue between parents, app creators and the younger generations. An open dialogue allows for the educating of younger generations on the responsible use of social media, while empowering parents to voice their concerns and learn about what safeguards exist, and ultimately enabling app developers to react to parental concerns in a timely and effective manner.

“We recognize that with any social app or network, there is the likelihood for misuse from a small group of users, so we have built specific tools to prevent this from happening. We have geo-fenced all primary and secondary schools and turned the app to 17+ in stores to ensure the user base is age appropriate.”

Parents can prevent their under-17-year-old from downloading apps rated 17+. If they have an iOS device: Go to “Settings,” select “General” and tap “Enable Restrictions.” You can set restrictions for “Installing Apps” and “In-App Purchases” there.

It's easy to sign up for online apps like Uber but canceling is another story.

"They want to keep your information at all costs," said Kim Gough with Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. "So they're not going to make the process necessarily easy for you to do it."

In Uber's case, finding the cancellation policy requires digging through the fine print on the website. You won't find it in Terms and Conditions, but in a second level down navigation in the Privacy Policy.

"You have to click through several links, you have to read through 10 pages so they could do a better job of disclosing that information right up front," said Evan Velasquez with the Identity Theft Resource Center.

But both Velasquez and Gough say practices like this are not unusual. Many apps, websites, memberships and online contracts inundate readers with blocks of legal language. Yet if someone clicks "I Agree" it's as if you signed paper on a lawyer's desk.

Gough said you need to read the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy of companies before you sign up. But she acknowledges that few people do that.

Also, websites and retail businesses alike often create databases on their customers that include names, emails and credit card information. But that information is often difficult to find.

"It would be safe to say that every time you give that number out, it's being retained," said Velasquez.

And while many consumers are not aware of policies like this, Gough said the companies are most likely doing nothing illegal.

A San Diego man was found guilty Thursday of lighting the house fire that killed his mother and sister.

The jury convicted Thongsavath Sphabmixay, 46, of murder, attempted murder and arson, including special circumstance additions of multiple murders and murder by arson.

The special circumstances mean Sphabmixay faces life in prison without parole at his Dec. 19 sentencing.

On April 4, 2013, firefighters discovered Bouakham Sphabmixay, 69, and Pamela Sphabmixay, 48, unconscious in two upstairs rooms after a fire broke out at their Mira Mesa house.

The women were taken to the UCSD burn center, where they died the following day from smoke inhalation.

Fire officials said the fire appeared suspicious from the start, for they found gas containers, lighter fluid and lighters inside the home. Prosecutors say Sphabmixay’s DNA was found on one of the containers.

Sphabmixay maintained his innocence through the court proceedings.

A renter was inside at the time of the fire but escaped by jumping from a window. Police say a witness saw Sphabmixay leaving the home right after the fire started. He showed up on scene again shortly after.

Crowds of protesters swarmed the streets of downtown Los Angeles Thursday night as they marched to the Mexican Consulate-General to call for the removal of Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto and demand justice for a group of missing college students.

Hundreds of marchers could be heard chanting and counting to 43 — the number of Mexican students who were last seen alive Sept. 26 in the city of Iguala, when police reportedly attacked a group of student protesters, killing six people and taking away dozens of students.

One protester on a loudspeaker announced that the Los Angeles Police Department would give the crowds one hour to protest in front of MacArthur Park.

The protest comes after Mexico's Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam recently offered evidence of hundreds of charred fragments of bone and teeth fished from a river but admitted it would be difficult to extract DNA to confirm identities of the victims.

Mass protests were also expected in parts of Mexico Thursday in response to alleged political corruption in the disappearances.

• NFL Relocates Bills Home Game Against Jets

Over a thousand protestors in #LosAngeles counting in honor of 43 students of #Ayotzinapa https://t.co/DT4vWns5SE

— Gadi Schwartz (@GadiNBCLA) November 21, 2014

 

Large protest unfolding at the Mexican Consulate in #LosAngeles - Chants of "Fuera Pena Nieto," As anger is directed at Mexico's President and the Mexican Government. #Ayotzinapa #yamecanse

A photo posted by Gadi Schwartz (@gadinbcla) on Nov 11, 2014 at 5:42pm PST

A mother and her three young children were killed in a mobile home fire in Caribou, Maine on Thursday morning.

The Maine State Fire Marshal's Office said the fire was reported around 7 a.m. at the Westgate Mobile Home Park. A team of fire marshal investigators and inspectors have begun working to determine the cause of the blaze.

Caribou firefighters entered the burning mobile home and removed the victims from a back bedroom. The three children - 3-year-old Trenton Delisle and 2-year-old twins Mason and Madison Delisle - were taken to Cary Medical Center in Caribou, where they were later pronounced dead. Their mother, 28-year-old Norma Skidgel, died at the scene.

Their bodies will be transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Augusta for autopsies, which are expected to be performed on Friday.

Skidgel's sister Amy Bouchard and her two sons also lived in the mobile home. Bouchard and one of her sons left the home a short time before the fire to go to a bus stop, and the dwelling was on fire when she returned. Her other son had spent the night elsewhere. Bouchard is being treated for smoke inhalation, as she attempted to gain entry to to home.

Inspectors found a smoke detector inside the mobile home, but the batteries had been removed. It isn't clear yet if there were other smoke detectors that were working.

Officials said the mobile home park is located on the city's outskirts, about four miles from Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. The small park consists of three rows of trailers in a sparsely populated, rural area.

Public safety officials said this is the deadliest fire in modern times in Caribou. It also comes only a few weeks after six people died at a fire in an apartment building in Portland.

Twenty-five people have died in fires this year in the state, the most in 21 years. Fires killed 27 in 1993.

In light of the recent fire deaths, State Fire Marshal Joe Thomas said Maine residents need to make sure their homes have working smoke detectors, and that families review and practice fire escape plans.

A 23-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly carrying an unregistered 9 mm handgun near the White House late Thursday evening. 

April Debois of Mount Morris, Michigan, is charged with carrying a pistol without a license and will remain in custody until a preliminary hearing Monday morning.

Debois was participating in a demonstration along the north fence line of the White House when a plainclothes Secret Service officer observed the firearm holstered on the front of her hip and informed another Secret Service officer, who was monitoring the demonstration.

A U.S. Park Police officer searched Debois and found several rounds of ammunition in her jacket, according to charging documents.

Debois was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of unregistered ammunition and carrying a pistol without a license.

Debois was in the company of another person who was not arrested, according to a Secret Service official.

Debois has not been cooperative in interviews, that official said.

Her arrest came less than two days after an Iowa man was arrested. R.J. Kapheim, 43, had weapons in his car and claimed that President Obama called him directly and asked him to go to the White House, authorities said. Kapheim has pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession of a rifle.

The Secret Service has been under scrutiny since a Texas Army veteran, Omar Gonzalez, leapt over a White House fence on Sept. 19 and charged into the White House. Gonzalez made it all the way into the East Room before he was tackled, thanks to a string of Secret Service failures detailed in an internal review released last week.

Police have described, Myron May, the gunman who opened fire inside a library at Florida State University Thursday morning as in a “state of crisis.”

Team 6 Investigator Dan Krauth has obtained reports from New Mexico, where May lived, that paint a picture of delusional man on prescription medications and who had been admitted to the hospital a short time ago for a full mental health evaluation.

May, who was born in Dayton, Ohio, moved to Florida as a teenager, police said. He graduated from FSU in 2005 and later from Texas Tech Law School in 2009, police said. He only recently moved back to Florida from New Mexico.

According to Dona Ana County's District Attorney Mark D'Antonio, May was briefly employed at his office as an Associate Trial Attorney after having worked in Las Cruces as an Assistant Public defender. May resigned his position abruptly on October 6, 2014.

"[May] was an effective Prosecutor who was deeply commited to his work and serving the public while employed at our office," D'Antonio said in a statement.

While he worked there, two police reports from the past two months showed that he thought he was being watched.

On October 7, reports showed he went to his ex-girlfriend’s house and told her police placed cameras in his home and car. Police said he handed a piece of his car to her because he thought there was a camera inside.

In a separate report from September 7, May told police he could hear voices “coming through the wall” of his home. Police described May as “in a state of crisis.”

May’s ex-girlfriend told police that his mental condition was getting worse and that he was staying up for four to five days at a time without sleeping.

Police are currently searching for May’s car and cell phone trying to determine what happened in the three weeks since he moved to Florida that led up to the Florida State library shooting.

On his Facebook page, which has since come down, May frequently posted biblical verses and said that he feared the government was watching him. His last post on Tuesday was quoting Matthew 5:3 and read, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

A second San Diego school was placed on lock down Thursday, just a few miles down the street from the first.

At about 2:56 p.m., a secretary from Canyon Crest Academy called 911, reporting a message had been sent out via social media that a person was "on the way with three guns."

Students who saw the message told NBC 7 it was posted to Yik Yak, an app that allows users to post anonymously to a message board seen by those within a 1 1/2-mile radius.

School authorities decided to lock down the academy, which is located at 5951 E. Village Center Loop in Carmel Valley. 

"It kinda freaked me out a little bit," said sophomore Madison Klaire. "I just thought, like, 'Oh, I hope everything is OK.'" 

She and fellow student Cameron Colleran hid underneath their desks in a dark classroom for 45 minutes, waiting for police to give them the all clear.

CCA began releasing students at 3:37 p.m.

Thursday morning, Torrey Pines High School was locked down after another threat through Yik Yak. It's unclear at this point if the two messages were posted by the same person.

Klaire said she used Yik Yak, but now she's having second thoughts.

"Yeah, I liked the app, but now it's weird. I don't want to go on it anymore," she said.

The situations on both campuses prompted nearby Cathedral Catholic High School to close down for the rest of the day.

School officials posted on Facebook that all athletic events and after-school meetings have been canceled, though they say there is no immediate threat to students, faculty or staff there.

Canyon Crest Academy is about three miles from TPHS down Del Mar Heights Road. It has about 1,880 students, grades 9 through 12, that come in from Carmel Valley, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe and La Costa, according to its website.

‘Tis the season…for a hacking cough?

Influenza season is in full swing and with the rise of holiday airline travel, doctors say the chances of catching the flu bug are high.

“You get a big influx of all the family members coming together. You get a big mixing,” said Dr. Stephen Leibham, managing physician of U.S. HealthWorks’ Miramar clinic. “With everyone traveling, you get everyone spreading viruses throughout the area.”

Here are the most common spots to catch the flu, according to Leibham:

• No. 1: Commercial airplanes: This germ hot spot basically traps the viruses indoors since the air is recirculating. The lavatory is by far the most germ-infested. “They’re probably the most contaminated of any restrooms,” he said.
• No. 2: Grocery stores, malls and gas stations: Shopping carts are re-used often and rarely cleaned. The biggest culprit is the child seats in carts, where children cough, touch things and put things in their mouths.
• No. 3: The office: Believe it or not, keyboards often have more bacteria than toilets. Telephones and office kitchen mugs and utensils are also a hot zone for viruses.
• No. 4: The home: Surprisingly, the kitchen usually has the most bacteria, even more than bathrooms. Another germ culprit is the TV remote.
• No. 5: Elevators and escalators: Everyone presses the buttons, but rarely does anyone clean them. Also be aware of handles and seats in taxis, buses and trains.

The good news: There are simple preventative measures you can take, Leibham said. The first and most obvious thing is to get a flu shot. Another common-sense tip is to wash your hands frequently and carry around hand sanitizer.

If you become sick, Leibham encourages you to “be considerate” and stay home.

“The first three days you’re sick you’re shedding the most amount of viruses,” he said.

And, he said, you don't want to ruin anyone else's Thanksgiving or Christmas.