More than 2,000 Marines were welcomed home by family, friends and loved ones after seven months of deployment.

Approximately 2,200 Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit returned home to Camp Pendleton and Miramar after spending seven months in the Western Pacific, Middle East and Horn of Africa regions. The unit deployed with the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group on July 25.

The marines came to shore on helicopters and landing craft. A small number will return on Feb. 25 by ship.

During their deployment, marines participated in various training exercises from Malaysia to Kuwait, where they gained fundamental skills and worked alongside armed forces from foreign nations.

A huge fire engulfed a home in Oceanside, spreading to the building's attic.

Oceanside fire officials say the fire started in the 1200 block of Holly Street at 6 p.m.

Oceanside police found someone who they thought was burn victim in the front yard, but the person refused treatment. A mother and daughter were at home at the time.

Firefighters found heavy fire through the house, so they cut three vents in the roof to let some of the heat and smoke escape. They then attacked it from inside.

Investigators believe the fire was an accident, started in a bedroom.

Deputies are searching for men who they say tried to kidnap a 13-year-old student Monday Morning in Spring Valley.

At about 8:50 a.m., the La Presa Middle School student was walking near Orville and Maclay streets when a van pulled up alongside the teen.

Two men wearing masks sat in the back with the side door open, trying to entice the student to get into the van, investigators say.

The 13-year-old ran from the suspects and reached the school safely. The van sped away from the area, heading east on Orville Street, according to officials.

Deputies searched the area for the van but were unable to find it. It is described as a newer model matte-black van, possibly a Ford, with black side windows.

Investigators say the men may have been in their late 20s.

If you know anything about this case, call the San Diego County Sheriff's Department at 858-565-5200 or call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

An American Airlines plane taxiing to Terminal C at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport slid off the taxiway and got stuck in the grass Monday night.

Lynn Lunsford, with the Federal Aviation Administration, confirmed to NBC 5 the front nose gear slipped off the taxiway as the airplane turned a corner and became stuck in the grass.

Airline officials said there were 63 passengers and a crew of five onboard Flight 296 from San Antonio. All of the passengers were deplaned safely and taken by bus to the terminal.  The plane, an MD-80, as to then be dislodged and towed.

No injuries have been reported.

"As soon as we hit the ground, we slid to the left," said passenger Danelle Canales, of Dallas.

Canales said she was reading a book and didn't at first realize what had happened. Then the pilot came on over the public address speaker, explained the situation and said, "We tested the brakes and they were fine, but when we landed, we had no control over the brakes."

Canales said another passengers told her they could see the front wheel turned to the side.

Airline officials have not confirmed what caused the plane to slip off the taxiway, however up to an inch of sleet fell on North Texas overnight Monday covering much of the Metroplex in ice.  Since that time, DFW Airport's Airfield Operations crew has been working to keep runways open and taxiways clear of ice.

The airline canceled more than 1,000 flights Monday due to weather.

A man who said his friend was a passsnger on the flight tweeted a photo of passengers exiting the aircraft through the emergency exit at the back of the plane.

We will update this story with more information as soon as it's available. As this story is developing, elements may change.

A caravan rolled up to an Encinitas shelter on Monday, filled with wiggly, barking, adorable beagles.

The beagles, more than 35 of them, were taken in by the Rancho Coastal Humane Society and many of them will be available for adoption once they’ve been checked out by a vet.

The owner of the beagles contacted shelter workers because she was overwhelmed by the sheer number of pets; she had more than 40 beagles and pugs.

The beagles that showed up at Rancho Coastal are in good condition, said John Van Zante, spokesman for Rancho Coastal Humane Society. Some of them may have an inner ear infection, but will get checked out by a veterinarian.

“The dogs are really in good condition,” Van Zante said. “These animals: they are friendly. They are social.”

Van Zante said the shelter expects to have puppies available over the next few months, as some of the dogs are pregnant.

Not all of the 35 beagles will stay at the shelter, Van Zante said. Some will find homes in foster care and some will go up to a dog day care in the LA area.

The shelter planned to have dogs available for viewing on Monday afternoon, and you can learn more about the adoption process here.

It is one of the most iconic images from World War II.

Seventy years ago Monday, Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal captured the Pulitzer-winning photograph of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima.

“Rosenthal got one, one exposure and he didn’t know for some time whether he got a picture or not,” said retired Colonel Dave Severance.

At 26, Severance was on the island that day as a Marine Captain with the 5th Marine Division.

"Within the first three days I had 30 percent casualties in my company,” Severance said.

He also remembers that flag, and the first flag to be raised on Iwo Jima.

Talking to NBC 7 from his home in La Jolla, here’s how he recalls the events of Feb. 23, 1945.

He and his company wanted to recognize the achievement of the Marines reaching the top of Mount Suribachi.

One of his fellow Marines suggested champagne, another came up with this idea.

“The Marine Corps manual states that the adjunct on every combat mission will carry a flag, so he said if we get to the top we can put the flag up, so they forgot about the champagne.”

Severance helped select the Marines to go and they made the climb with them a photographer from Leatherneck Magazine, making it to the summit and putting up that small Marine flag around 10:20 in the morning.

“There’s no picture of the flag going up with the first flag, because the photographer ran out of film just before they were going to raise the flag.”

But photographer Lou Lowery reloaded and got the shot, before dodging a grenade.

Severance has a signed copy hanging in his study. And while he didn’t see it go up, he could hear it from below on his radio somebody said they made it to the top. “All the ships at sea, so to speak, started their sirens going, and troops were yelling and cheering definitely could see the flag was an American flag.”

But that flag would not be the one captured in the famous photograph.

Severance says a couple hours later the Secretary of the Navy arrived, saw the Marine flag and said he wanted it for a memento of his visit.

“When my battalion commander hung up he said, 'Hell no he can’t have our flag. We put it up there we’re going to keep it,'“ Severance said.

So, a Navy flag was brought as a replacement and it was that flag that Joe Rosenthal photographed after joining a second group of Marines up the mountain.

There was no cheering from the military when the second flag was raised, but the picture of the heroic Marines moved the nation.

It is that flag that is cemented in the memory of generations of Americans.

But not in the memory of a Marine who was there, Retired Colonel Dave Severance.

His strongest memories are of sacrifices of his fellow Marines during the 36 day battle, only in its first few days when the iconic image was taken.

Sacrifices that have stayed with him 70 years later.

Now that San Diego's mayor and the owner of the Chargers have met face-to-face, what are the odds they'll see eye-to-eye on the what the city's stadium advisers come up with?

Conventional wisdom says the Chargers have the upper hand in bargaining because the city dares not lose them. But there's also risk for the team in leaving town.

It's one thing to know each other’s breaking point, and the city can't afford not to know its own.

Veteran political strategist Jon Elliott offers this view of the stadium standoff: “What we've got is they (the Chargers) think they're in charge. I don't think they're in charge. They're a tenant, and we're the landlord – we, the citizens of San Diego.

“And the problem with the politicians here is, nobody wants to be the guy who says 'adios' to the Chargers."

Mayor Faulconer, just after his private meeting with the Chargers’ Dean Spanos, was cast as a villain Sunday by Gulls fans who booed him at the city’s welcoming rally for the minor-league hockey club.

His comeback?

"I don't think we can hear you,” Faulconer shouted, on-mic, at the turnout of several thousand. “Are we gonna keep the Chargers here in San Diego?"

"Yeeaahhh!" came a response that more or less drowned out the boos and catcalls.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" the mayor tossed back defiantly.

The Chargers are talking about a fallback stadium plan with the Oakland Raiders in Carson that would pick just private pockets and not soak taxpayers who can't afford -- or don't care about -- "the game-day experience.”

But it would be a while before the teams could take up residence there if they leave their current venues.

"Let them be called the Rose Bowl Chargers,” said Elliott. “Let them be the LA Coliseum Chargers -- although they probably won't draw as well as USC does there. And they'll have to work out scheduling conflicts."

There's no shortage of economic issues dividing the two sides.

Complicating that during last week’s dustup over the parallel track in Carson was a clash of egos over "power plays" and feelings of betrayal.

The mayor's stadium advisers got a hurry-up prod from the Chargers, which the team's critics think was a blatantly rude, crude move.

"(The Chargers) put a stab in our mayor's back that said you were going to call the shots -- and you had already done it,” Elliott told NBC 7. “And he was the one mayor that consistently said, 'I'll get this done,' and he was going to get it done. He was going to run roughshod."

Spanos isn't as flush as most of his NFL competitors, but he's shrewdly played a cash-strapped city.

"These people own these football teams because they're excellent business people,” said George Belch, sports marketing professor at San Diego State University’s school of business administration.

“They haven't made the money to own these teams by not being good business people,” Belch said in an interview Monday.

But given the city's fragile finances, will San Diego voters see saving pro football as more of a luxury than a basic civic need?

“We're not Pittsburgh, we're not Green Bay, not Denver where we're just head over heels in love with our team," said Belch. "I do think there's a great fan base here, but we're not willing to fund this at any cost because I think we just know we have too many issues here that we're dealing with as a city."

Belch’s level of optimism for a win-win resolution is relatively low: "Every time you look at this, it's great theater. Fascinating to watch. But you really are left scratching your head and wondering how it could really by resolved -- unless someone makes a major concession."

Failing that, it may take a "White Knight" or two with a ton of gold to step in.

Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani has said the team would consider new part owner/investors if it made sense and would help expedite a deal.

On Tuesday the mayor's stadium advisers will hear from County Supervisor Ron Roberts and SDSU officials.

In a statement to NBC 7 Monday, chairman Adam Day said their goal is to come up with an "economic engine" that has "something for everyone."

Day shared a sense of optimism about the task ahead: “We said all along we would beat the fall deadline (for a stadium proposal), so we felt comfortable announcing the May deadline. All of us want the Chargers to remain in San Diego, and that’s our focus – finding a solution that works for everyone. We’re going to put the best plan forward.”
 

In front of a packed house, the San Diego City Council approved a controversial mixed-use project in Carmel Valley after hours of public comments.

The One Paseo Project includes the construction of stores and eateries, the expansion of a movie theater and the addition of more than 600 family apartments and a parking structure in Carmel Valley.

The San Diego Planning Commission approved the proposal for the $750 million, 1.4 million square-foot, mixed-use village slated for the corner of Del Mar Heights Road and El Camino Real. The panel agreed to the plan on the condition that developer Kilroy Realty agreed to make 11 changes to the master plan.

On Monday night, the San Diego City Council approved the plan 7-2, though they did say Kilroy must add 60 affordable housing units and a sychronized traffic system. Council President Sherri Lightner and Council President Pro Tem Marti Emerald were the dissenting votes.

Hundreds showed up Monday to hear the debate at council chambers -- so many that Golden Hall had to be used as an overflow area. About 600 people signed up to speak on the issue, many wearing red shirts to show their opposition to One Paseo.

The Carmel Valley Planning Board voted against the current proposal but its members have said they support a smaller version of the plan.

Opponents say the project is too big and would create a traffic nightmare.

"The community is not trying to kill the development," said Ken Farinsky with "What Price Main Street," a group organized to oppose the project. "We're trying to come up with an acceptable compromise tht fits within the community and provides us with all the same amenities. We want a mixed use project, we want the city of villages, we just want a village that fits in Carmel Valley."

However, supporters say the development would be a positive addition to the area, bringing 1,600 new jobs, 600 news homes and $630 million to the local economy.

The developer said there has been plenty of compromise. Plus, they plan to pay for $6 million in road improvements and projects that aim to improve travel times.

"It's basically a complete neighborhood, and it's a town center for Carmel Valley, something they don't have right now," said Rachel Laing, a Kilroy Realty spokeswoman. "They don't have anywhere to go and hang out, and we're offering all of those benefits."

Resident Ken May is not opposed to the idea.

“I think the area can support it I know there's concerns about traffic," said May, "but I think we could use more retail and other restaurants another movie theater.”

The Chargers claim they are only pursuing a new stadium in Los Angeles because it makes fiscal sense for the franchise. But, given San Diego’s sudden outpouring of support to keep the team here and L.A.’s history of not batting an eye when a football team leaves, one basic but overlooked question has to be asked:

Is Los Angeles a better financial option for an NFL franchise than San Diego is?

The answer to that is not as simple as it seems.

“A big premise for this has to be the number of corporations that might be available up there to sell luxury boxes and do all your marketing,” says George Belch, Professor of Sports Advertising and Marketing at San Diego State University.

“If you look at the size of the market, you have more companies up there, and you have the potential for more eyeballs. That’s what marketers pay for; eyeballs to have their messages or signage seen.”

A simple look at the size of the populations shows Los Angeles has a much larger pond to fish in. Add to that the presence of several more Fortune 500 companies in the L.A. area and it seems like a given that an NFL team would thrive there. But, there is a flip side to that.

“While it’s a big market, it hasn’t proved, necessarily, to be the best market for the NFL,” says Belch. “If the Chargers went in there, it would possibly be as second-fiddle to the Raiders. There may be more brand equity for the Raiders. We don’t know that exactly but there seems to be more support for the Raiders up there than the Chargers.”

While the Chargers claim 25-percent of their business comes from the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, there is zero doubt they have less of a brand name there than the Raiders do (just watch the video of the pep rally in Carson and count the difference in Raiders and Chargers jerseys). And don’t be so sure the sheer volume of available funds will overcome the lack of a community love connection.

“You have a lot of companies in L.A., but I don’t know that L.A. has proven to be a mecca for sponsorships. I don’t really see it.”

Plus, there is an awful lot of competition in Los Angeles. The Dodgers and Lakers are traditional mainstays. The Clippers, Kings and Ducks are in the middle of successful runs. USC and UCLA are Top-25 football programs with strong traditions. Even though the NFL is king in America, it’s unwise to think corporations will abandon something good to throw cash at the new kids in town.

“Companies have a finite amount of resources that they’re going to spend. We know the NFL is the most popular sport out there, but you still need to get people to connect to your team. If you walk in there with two teams, it becomes very challenging to win over the fans.”

None of this even takes in to account the possibility of a Rams move to L.A.

Aside from money, fan loyalty is another major factor to consider.

To identify the best places for football fans, WalletHub analyzed 142 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional football team based on 11 key metrics, ranging from the number of NFL and college football teams to average ticket prices. Here’s what Wallethub found out about being a football fan in San Diego.

Being a Football Fan in San Diego (1=Best, 71=Avg.): 
•    3rd – Number of NFL & College Football (FBS) Teams
•    43rd – Performance Quality of Teams
•    17th – Average Ticket Price for an NFL Game
•    11th – Minimum Season Ticket Price for College Football Game
•    23rd – Number of Championships Won
•    10th – Number of Division Championships Won
•    64th – Fan Friendliness & Engagement on Social Media
•    25th – Franchise Value of NFL Teams

Overall that means San Diego came in 18th on the list, just behind Baltimore, MD, and just ahead of Kansas City, MO. Know where L.A. ranked on the list?

Tied for 97th with Salt Lake City, UT. Los Angeles was able to edge out Toledo, OH but finished one spot behind Muncie, IN.

This interactive map from WalletHub shows where all 142 cities rank:

Now, you’d have to imagine the city would climb on the list if it added an NFL team or two to its resume, but findings like this should give the Chargers pause.

They might not be getting the deal they want in San Diego right now; but, they might not find the grass any greener up north on a toxic waste dump in Carson.

A Karate instructor convicted of oral copulation with a minor will spend the maximum amount of time in prison, a judge ruled Monday.

Juan Melesio Flores, 39, will spend three years in prison and no chance for probation for oral copulation with a minor. The popular former karate instructor will also have to be registered as a lifetime sex offender.

Flores was accused of molesting two young male students at Z-Ultimate Studio in Tierrasanta in 2013. A jury in November found he was guilty on one charge of oral copulation with a minor and deadlocked on the remaining 16 charges, and the judge declared a mistrial on those counts.

A group of parents in court for the sentencing were furious with the former Karate instructor and said he was a father figure that abused his role.

One victim's mother said her autistic son used to love karate and thought of Flores as a father figure, but since the incident has lost 20 pounds and refuses to do karate again.

A statement from a 16-year-old victim read in court asked the judge to make Flores register as a sex offender for life. The victim said he used to be on the honor role but is now flunking classes and is taking medication for anxiety, depression and sleep.

A mother whose son attended classes at Flores' studio said when the 7th grader started Karate, it helped build his self-esteem. In an email to NBC 7, the mother said she thought Flores was a good influence on her son who gave him good advice.

She said she was shocked to hear of his arrest.

"After finding out more, I felt betrayed and angry but mostly so desperately sad for the boys that were victims of his web of deceit," her email said. "Thank god, he did not violate my son, but he stole from him what were wonderful memories of five years of his life in martial arts."

She told NBC 7 her son wanted to throw away his karate gi, the belts he had earned and everything else that reminded him of his sensei.

The son was furious that Flores was only charged on one count.

"Thank goodness the judge, commenting on his lack of remorse and lengthy grooming that took place with these boys, gave him the maximum sentence. I guess that's the only satisfaction we can get at this point," the email read.

Flores originally faced more than a dozen felony charges, including committing a lewd act on a minor and oral copulation. A jury was deadlocked on the other counts, so the prosecution announced Monday that those additional charges have been dropped.

Prosecutors said the abuse, which allegedly involved two teenage boys, took place between 2012 and Dec. 2013 at the studio, or dojo.

Flores said in court that he would massage students and some would massage his lower back, though he denied anything sexual ever happened.

Police released dashcam video of a gas explosion that leveled an Ocean County, New Jersey, home, injured 15 people, and shook homes in every direction Tuesday morning, including one of a young mother.

"My windows blew out of my house, and I dropped, and I covered my daughter, because she was next to me," said Stafford Township resident Melissa Lewis. "I stood up, and I heard them screaming outside, and there were people being taken to the ambulance."

• What to do if you smell gas

Police received the initial call for an odor inspection in the Cedar Run neighborhood of the township near U.S. Route 9 around 8:55 a.m., about an hour and a half before the blast occurred, according to Stafford Twp. Police Captain Tom Dellane.

Officers, firefighters and emergency crews who were dispatched to the neighborhood, quickly confirmed a gas leak, called in the New Jersey Natural Gas Company and evacuated 75 nearby home.

Gas company employees were working on finding the source of the leak diagonally across from Lewis' home on Oak Ave. when the blast occurred, completely destroying one home and damaging many others. Dashcam video from a Stafford Township police cruiser shows the blast as it happened as workers and firefighters were next to the house.

"The house has been disintegrated," said Stafford Township Mayor John Spodofora.

Seven gas workers were injured in the explosion, said NJ Natural Gas Spokesperson Mike Kinney. One suffered extremely critical injuries and required CPR at the scene. That man and another gas worker were medivaced to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center's Trauma Unit, said Kinney. They are both in critical condition.

Six firefighters also suffered minor injuries, most experiencing concussion-like symptoms. They were transported to Southern Ocean Medical Center. All but one were treated and released, said Stafford Twp. Volunteer Fire Chief Jack Johnson

Two EMTs were also taken to Southern with minor injuries and have been released.

As SkyForce10 hovered over the scene, debris could be seen scattered all over the place as some trees in the area burned. Only the home's foundation remained.

"I saw pieces of house floating all over my yard," Lewis said. "The insulation was all over the place and you could see the ambulances and people running around and there were big flames coming from the house."

The blast could be felt up to one mile away, said officials.

Gas and electricity to nearly 300 homes were turned off and police urged people to avoid the area.

"We're working on a plan to restore that service, but that plan will take time," said Kinney.

How much time is unknown.

Spodofora urged residents who smelled gas in their homes to open all their windows, report it to police and leave the area immediately.

"The gas is kind of hanging in there," said Spodofora.

The Marlton Area Office of OSHA headed to the scene Tuesday to investigate exactly what caused the blast.

Officials announced NJ Natural Gas Company workers would restore gas to the homes on Oak Avenue around midnight. They also said however that the residents must be inside their home in order to get restored.

Stafford Police officers will remain in the area throughout the night.

Two men in dark clothing, ski masks and ski goggles bound a New Britain bank manager and his mother in their Bristol home overnight Monday, then forced the man to wear what looked like a bomb and empty his bank vault, police said.

Police released more information about the case Tuesday and said two men with distinct accents confronted Matthew Yussman, 46, when he arrived home at 133 Lufkin Lane in Bristol early Monday morning and bound him and his 70-year-old mother.

When daylight broke, the two men forced Yussman to wear what appeared to be an explosive device and sent him to the Achieve Financial Credit Union in New Britain to take out money, police said in a news release Tuesday. Law enforcement sources previously identified him as the bank manager.

Police said they were alerted to the incident Monday morning when Yussman contacted an Achieve Financial official. The official, in turn, called 911.

Emergency responders arrived at the bank before Yussman and kept his car at the edge of the parking lot, according to New Britain police. Yussman never entered the building and did not take out any money.

Police worked to "render the device safe," then seized Yussman's car and brought him in handcuffs to the hospital for treatment of exposure.

Yussman's mother, Valarie, did not need medical assistance, and New Britain police said the FBI brought the device to a lab for analysis.

Investigators with a search warrant collected evidence from Yussman's home Monday night.

Police are now calling him a victim but said he is still being questioned and has not yet been ruled out as a suspect.

"Certainly, we're identifying any person that could be potentially involved in this, any and all, and we are very actively pursuing all leads," New Britain Police Chief James Wardwell explained Tuesday night.

He added that the incident was "very focused, very targeted" but said there is nothing to indicate Yussman and the suspects knew each other beforehand.

The New Britain States Attorney is overseeing the investigation of a joint New Britain-Bristol Task Force, which released information Tuesday about two suspects linked to the plot.

Police said one has a medium build and both speak with accents that indicate they are not Connecticut natives.

They were wearing dark clothing, ski masks and ski goggles and might have been in an older model white four-door Mazda, which police believe was in the area of Tunxis Mead and Route 10 in Farmington on Monday morning, police said.

Although suspects are still on the run, police said the public is not in any danger.

"It was a very personal connection there, we are finding through our investigation, and there is just nothing that we have uncovered that would lead us to believe the public is in any jeopardy," said Bristol Police Capt. Brain Gould.

The investigation prompted lockdowns at multiple schools in Avon, Bristol, Farmington and Plainville.

Avon Supt. Gary Mala wrote in a letter to parents that the lockdown was issued as a precaution because "the perpetrator of the Bristol incident was identified as traveling in Farmington at the time."

Law enforcement officials said they couldn't elaborate on the Farmington link.

"We are investigating information that there was some connection to Farmington, but that is still part of the investigation," said Gould.

The Achieve Financial Credit Union issued a statement Tuesday expressing relief over the fact that Yussman and his mother were not hurt.

"The Credit Union is fully cooperating with the police while they investigate the incident. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience this situation has caused our members and note that all of our credit union locations are back to full operation," bank officials said.

Police are asking anyone who spotted the Mazda or who lives in the area and has security cameras facing the road to contact authorities.

Residents can call New Britain police at 860-826-3131, the New Britain Police Tip Line at 860-826-3199, submit a tip online at newbritainpolice.org.

You can reach the Bristol Police Department at 860-314-4570. 

An airborne SUV that landed on top of several other cars in a Main Line car dealership parking lot Tuesday morning caused approximately $80,000 in damage, according to investigators. .

An elderly woman lost control of her Jeep SUV, crashed through a guardrail and landed on top of three unoccupied cars in the Acura dealership parking lot on the 100 block of Lancaster Ave. around 9:30 a.m., said officials on the scene.

The woman was pulled from the passenger's side of the white SUV and rushed to a nearby hospital in unknown condition.

No one else was hurt in the accident.

The SUV and two Acuras were totaled bringing the damage to around $80,000, said police

Multiple African American contractors rallied at a construction site to ask for more representation and jobs for African American workers.

Approximately 17 people walked onto the Bycor job site off Federal Boulevard and Euclid Avenue Tuesday morning. The National Black Contractors Association said the federally-funded site, where a Family Health Services building is going up, has hired no African Americans and excluded the workers for employment.

The Superintendent at the site said he knows of three black workers and has told the leader to send people to apply for open positions with Bycor.

One man was arrested for trespassing during the rally.

The ralliers said they have been shut out of the industry and African Americans have been excluded in the employment process.

A statement from Bycor CEO Scott Kaats said, in part, that Bycor is an equal opportunity employer and reached out to the 92105 community for bids.

“Bycor also reached to women owned business enterprises and minority owned business enterprises, as well as the disabled veteran community from the broader San Diego community,” the statement read.

“We honor the low qualified bids in every category. Period," the statement said. "It is unfortunate that the BCA has departed from the facts on this project. Every opportunity was available to provide qualified bids on this project and we are satisfied that the right team was selected to build this Family Health Center.”

In the statement, Bycor also said the company has numerous African American employees as well as employees of other minorities.

A driver whose truck sailed off the upper roadway of Interstate 93 and landed on the one below told NECN that while he escaped the harrowing caught-on-camera crash relatively unscathed, he's just relieved nobody else was hurt. 

"I'm just glad I didn't hurt anybody else, you know," Vannak Sao, 33, of East Boston, told NECN. "Me, I'm fine — broken bones, bruised up, fractures, whatever — but if it happened to somebody else and I was the cause of it, that would be something else."

Sao, 33, is facing drunk driving charges after he careened off the upper roadway of I-93 northbound in Boston and landed on the lower deck early Sunday morning. The dramatic crash was caught on breathtaking surveillance video footage.

He said that before the crash, he had just left a friend's house, had had a little bit to drink and was tired. He told NECN he has been tired from working the third shift at his job and taking on extra hours shoveling.

In the crash, Sao took out a light pole, an exit sign and several lengths of a chain link fence before he launched off the upper deck of I-93 around 6:25 a.m. Sunday, state police said. His truck came to a rest on the lower deck, the southbound side of Interstate 93.

Sao was rescued from his truck and transported to Massachusetts General Hospital. He was summonsed to court on charges of operating under the influence and negligent operation of a motor vehicle following a brief investigation.

State records show that Sao has had issues on the roads before, including speeding infractions and accidents. His license was revoked due Monday's crash.

"Would I consider myself an irresponsible driver? No. Was I irresponsible the other night? Yeah," he acknowledged.

It's unclear if slick road conditions contributed to the crash, police said. Sao said the roads were slick in spots but said he took responsibility for the crash and wouldn't blame it on the roads.

An unusual battle is brewing between the San Diego-area Border Patrol union and the San Diego County Parks and Recreation Department over vehicle barriers to the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park trails.

At issue is whether park improvements are actually interfering with border protection enforcement.

In 2006 the county parks department approved an enhancement plan which includes posting signs and maps at trailheads, observation perches and closed areas to preserve native foliage. But in 2013, the county added wooden bollards, which look like tree stumps, that prevent cars from driving into the park.

They present a problem for agents patrolling the area, which used to be a popular place for undocumented immigrants to cross from Mexico into the U.S.

“It looks to me the design is there in the middle of the roads to keep the Border Patrol agents off those roads where we ordinarily patrol,” said Border Patrol Union Representative Gabe Pacheco.

He told NBC 7 the bollards and some fencing are positioned in such a way they slow pursuit and could be dangerous to agents riding off-road vehicles after dark.

Pacheco fears the park -- now used for hiking, biking and some of the best birdwatching in the country – could revert to its state 15 years ago, when agents would not go there at night because of “bandit activity,” he said.

“[Immigrants] use the terrain to cross the border,” Pacheco said. “They use the obstacles that are there, and they are going to take advantage of the obstacles here.”

But the park’s department spokeswoman Shannon Singler said plans for the park’s redevelopment were shared with Border Patrol throughout the planning and construction process.

“Bollards are used for 2 main reasons: (1) Public Safety- Protect trail users from vehicular traffic; (2) Stewardship of Public Lands- Protect areas that are environmentally or culturally sensitive,” she said in a statement.

According to Singler, on Feb. 15, Border Patrol officials told the parks department that the bollards were hard to see at night, so the county ordered the contractor to add reflectors to them.

Pacheco is not satisfied. He understands the value of this land to park visitors but said it should not cost them their safety or the safety of agents.

“If we do not have that access it's going to compromise the safety and security and the habitat of this area,” Pacheco said.

A spokesperson for County Supervisor Greg Cox told NBC 7 Border Patrol reached out to their office over the weekend. Cox's chief of staff contacted county officials to arrange a meeting Tuesday between the Border Patrol and county parks staff.

NBC 7 emailed the Border Patrol administrators to see if they agree with Pacheco's view. They have not responded.

Three Los Angeles police officers who shot an unarmed disabled man dead on live television after a car chase will not be prosecuted.

Prosecutors wrote there is insufficient evidence to prove Officers Armando Corral, Leonardo Ortiz and Michael Ayala did not act in self-defense or the defense of others when they killed 51-year-old Brian Beaird on Dec. 13, 2013. The letter was obtained by The Associated Press in a public records request.

Police officers are only justified in shooting a suspect when they have an objective and reasonable belief that the suspect represents an imminent threat. The LA Police Commission's review of Beaird's shooting found the LAPD officers could not believe they were in danger when they shot an unarmed civilian.

Chief Charlie Beck determined two months ago that the officers violated department rules for deadly force and their actions were not reasonable. The City Council approved payment of $5 million to Beaird's family to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit. 

The officers attended retraining and could face further discipline.

The many hats of Dr. Seuss will be on display in the Geisel Library in time for the writer’s birthday.
Hats Off to Dr. Seuss! Opens at the Geisel Library on the UC San Diego campus Tuesday, Feb. 24 and goes to March 22.

The exhibition features a selection of 26 original hats from Theodor Seuss Geisel’s personal collection on a “hat closet.”

The exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours on March 2, the day of Dr. Seuss’ annual birthday celebration at noon. On March 2, the exhibition will open at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.

Dr. Seuss’ love of hats dates back to his childhood. Throughout the years, he was known to put on a hat to help him solve a problem or to stimulate creativity. His collection of hats swelled to more than 200 hats over his lifetime.

"We are thrilled that some of Ted Geisel's amazing hats will be here for members of the campus and local communities to see, especially during the campus' annual Dr. Seuss birthday celebration on March 2," said Lynda Claassen, director of UC San Diego Library's Special Collections & Archives, in a statement. "It is only fitting to have the Hats Off to Dr. Seuss exhibit here, in the Library that was named for Ted Geisel and houses his personal papers, original art, photographs, and other materials."

For more information on the exhibit, visit the website.

A landmark in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Forum Restaurant will be closing its doors on March 1, its owners confirmed.

Boston Nightlife Ventures, the company that owns the restaurant among others, cites rising rent at the 755 Boylston St. location as the reason it's closing Forum.

Forum rents space from building owner 755 Boylston LLC. We reached out to that company's manager, Paul Roff, through his office at Heath Properties in Boston, but we did not get a response before this story went online.

"Very welcoming. Great food, great spirits. So, it's disappointing," Paul Kamisky, of Middleton, Massachusetts, carved a recent memory at Forum. "It's one of the reasons we chose to come here. And be in this area when we do team events, we think about those things and we actually reminisce about it, as well," he said.

For worse, Forum is indelibly tied to the day that darkened Boston. For better, only as an inspiration of rising up in the months that followed that second blast on April 15, 2013. Now a year and a half after renovations, the owners have made the decision to close the Back Bay restaurant down.

"It's sad, but sad to see no one in there. Tough, tough winter," said Daniel Fitzpatrick, of Somerville, Massachusetts.

"I don't think it's right. I think they should keep it open. Lower the rent," said Zack Elrhoul, of Somerville, Massachusetts.

Emily Holland of Londonderry, New Hampshire, whose aunts have run the Boston Marathon, said, "I think it's sad, because it's obviously like a big part of the history of Boston now."

Nancy Socol, who lives a few blocks away from the Forum on Huntington Avenue, said, "I hate to see something like that happen after they went through what they went through with the bombings ... It took them a long time to come back. They were one of the last places that opened after the horror. So it's sad. I don't know how else to characterize it. I feel bad for them."

The group that owns Forum also owns the Tap Trailhouse near Faneuil Hall, Wink & Nod in the South End, and Griddlers Burgers & Dogs on Cambridge Street at the foot of Beacon Hill.

One of two bombs in the April 2013 attack exploded in front of the restaurant. Three people were killed in the explosions, and more than 260 others were injured. The trial of the surviving suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is currently undergoing voir dire in jury selection.