After a year of contentious back-and-forth, legal wrangling and advisory board votes, University of California, San Diego's administration served the Che Café Collective an official eviction notice on Tuesday, March 17.

The order mandates that the co-op vacate its building -- the iconic, 73-year-old Che Café building -- within five days of the notice’s posting. After March 22, the administration can and may bring in law enforcement agents to enact a lock out and/or remove anyone opting not to vacate voluntarily.

The Che Café/UCSD battle has raged on since May 2014, when the University Center Advisory Board (UCAB) -- a student-run committee -- voted to cut funding for the partially student-fee funded club. The school cited safety hazards and imminent, extensive repairs ordered by the campus fire marshal and an overall lack of current student interest in the club as primary reasons for putting the collective under the gun. [Read the original SoundDiego story on the vote here.]

On May 19, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) voted (9-4) to de-certify the co-op. On June 2, the GSA voted again (24-2) to terminate the Che Café’s month-to-month lease. The school did just that on June 13.

In July, the co-op went on the offensive and sued the school for the "unlawful" termination of its lease and alleged collusion between the GSA and UCSD to decertify the club [read the SoundDiego report here].

San Diego Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal ruled on Oct. 21 in favor of UCSD, arguing that the co-op had not requested the proper dispute resolution procedure it was required to make per the terms of its lease -- which ultimately meant the university was then free to terminate the lease at any time. The Che Cafe immediately appealed the ruling. [Read the SoundDiego report here.]

According to a Che Café Collective spokesman, Monty Reed Kroopkin, the March 17 eviction notice has been unjustly served: “The appeal the Collective filed of the eviction lawsuit ruling is still pending a ruling from the appellate court.”

The eviction, the latest development in a series of intense back-and-forth between the two parties, follows on the heels of a joint proposal issued Feb. 9, 2015 by Associated Students (AS) and GSA ad hoc committees -- which recommended the Che Café be shut down for a period of 18 months and requested the collective to program outside the building until the end of spring 2016, "at which time metrics regarding student involvement in programming (sign-in sheets, ticket sales, etc.) can be evaluated for further action." [Read the proposal in full here.]

The proposal also requested that the co-op enter into an interim re-integration program starting this fall -- which means the club would be required to host several events elsewhere on campus, at Porter's Pub, the Loft, the Sun God lawn, Revelle Plaza and other locations. Starting at the end the 2015-16 school year, it was proposed that the collective would possibly be allowed to program at the Che Cafe building, "provided that: (1) financial stability and sustainability has been achieved, (2) student involvement has improved, (3) funding has been secured to repair the Che Cafe and (4) renovations and repairs have been completed."

The presidents of the AS and GSA issued a joint statement on March 2 asking the collective to embrace the proposal and work with them on demonstrating "that they can serve as a student-centered organization." They also requested that the co-op vacate the building so that "safety concerns with the building can be addressed." [Read the statement in full here.]

Representatives for the Che Cafe balked at the proposal and issued the following response on Feb. 25.

"The C.H.E. Cafe Collective is opposed to any solution that includes the collective leaving the C.H.E. Cafe Building. To leave the building would be tantamount to forfeiting the property. The UC San Diego administration has a history of refusing to allow organizations, such as the Craft Center, to reclaim buildings after they have left. We also feel the reasoning behind the request to leave the building is problematic. There is not a need to vacate. No safety issues with the building have been properly demonstrated, and student support of the C.H.E. Cafe Collective is strong and continues to grow with each meeting and event that is being held at the C.H.E. Cafe building."

The press release went on to say that the co-op would continue to work with AS and GSA to halt the eviction process. However, according to a March 3 post on the group's official Facebook page, university administration had asked that they "voluntarily vacate the building by March 14, 2015. Failure to comply with this notice will result in a posting of the court-ordered eviction."

That eviction came Tuesday, after the collective hosted Che Fest 2015, a 19-band all-day/night benefit show, at the club on March 14. A post on the collective’s Facebook page on March 17 confirmed the news that they had received an eviction notice.

The co-op went on to say, “If you want to get involved on how we are taking steps to move forward, please join us at a meeting at The Che at 7 this Friday [March 20].”

SoundDiego will continue to provide updates on any further developments.

Dustin Lothspeich plays in Old Tiger, Diamond Lakes and Boy King. Follow his updates on Twitter or contact him directly.

Parents in Washington D.C. charged with leaving their toddlers locked in a freezing car for an hour while they went to a wine tasting at a bar pleaded guilty Thursday.

Christophe Lucas and his wife, Jennie Chang, were both charged with two counts each of attempted second degree cruelty to children.

As a condition of their plea deal, both must take parenting classes and comply with other probation conditions.

Last month, a pedestrian called 911 after she heard a little girl crying hysterically as she walked by a vehicle in Foggy Bottom, according to police. Upon arrival, police found a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old strapped into their car seats in the locked car, with the windows all the way up.

The parents told police they left an iPhone in the car to monitor the children while they attended a wine tasting at Ris, located at L and 23rd streets. According to police, the restaurant manager said the couple was inside for more than an hour. 

If Lucas and Chang follow all the conditions of their probation over a nine-month period, the government will not oppose a defense motion to withdraw the plea and will move to dismiss the case. 

The names of the sergeant and two officers who fired their weapons in the March 1 Skid Row shooting that killed a homeless man were released on Thursday.

Sgt. Chand Syed, an eight-year veteran of the force; Officer Francisco Martinez, a 12-year veteran; and Officer Daniel Torres, who has six years on the force, fired their weapons, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed.

Before this incident, none of them had ever fired their weapons on duty.

A rookie officer, who did not fire his weapon, will not be named.

Police said the suspect, Carly Keunang, 43, tried to grab that officer’s holstered pistol.

Keunang’s identity has been unknown since it emerged that he came to the United States more than 15 years ago using the stolen identity of a French citizen.

He was known on Skid Row as "Africa."

Keunang was fatally shot by LAPD officers on Skid Row, in an incident caught on cellphone video that prompted community outrage.

Keunang was a Cameroon national, according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He served 15 years in federal prison under his assumed name for bank robbery before being paroled in April 2013.

He was initially to be deported, but France rejected travel papers after he was found to have false documentation. Cameroon reportedly ignored requests for travel papers to that country.

A 49-year-old Bronx man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for lacing his children's pizza with rat poison after he discovered that his ex-wife was seeing another man.

Prosecutors say Leonardo Espinal was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty last month to the 2012 murder of his 5-year-old son and the attempted murder of his 7-year-old daughter.

Prosecutors say Espinal penned a suicide note and then fed his children the poisoned pizza. The daughter threw up and Espinal then locked himself and the little boy in the bathroom. When he refused to come out, Espinal's stepmother called 911.

Police knocked the door down and discovered Espinal dazed and the little boy dead in the tub from a combination of the poison and being submerged in water. 

The U.S. Navy identified the Coronado-based SEAL killed Wednesday in a parachute jump accident in Southern California.

Special Warfare Operator 3rd Class Jason Kortz, 29, died while training in Perris, about 20 miles southeast of Riverside, though officials did not release details about the accident.

Kortz has been assigned to the West Coast-based SEAL Team since October 2014 after he completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL and SEAL Qualification Training in Coronado. He graduated as the Honor Man of Class 303.

As he served, Kortz was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

“Jason distinguished himself consistently throughout his career. He was the epitome of the quiet professional in all facets of his life, and he leaves an inspiring legacy of natural tenacity and focused commitment for posterity,” said Capt. Todd Seniff, Commodore of Naval Special Warfare Group One, in a statement. “Losing such a promising special operator is a tragedy, not just for his family and the Naval Special Warfare community, but also for this Nation who needs men of such uncompromising character in these uncertain times.”

Hailing from Highlands Ranch in Colorado, Kortz got a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver.

Navy officials say he exemplified the SEAL ethos and embodied a true, silent professional.

After the training accident, people draped a U.S. flag over Kortz’s remains as they carried him away from the Perris scene.

The original, $4.7 billion deal for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) cleanup may have been manipulated by insiders, according to an eye-opening letter sent to the head California Public Utilities Commission.

Anthony Rendon, chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities, sent the letter to the commission’s new President Michael Picker, asking for an investigation into the “dark clouds of the SONGS settlement,” which left ratepayers on the hook for $3.3 billion for the plant’s closure.

The letter, obtained by NBC 7 Thursday, is responding to Picker’s appearance before the committee last Monday.

“I believe it is imperative to investigate and scrutinize the entire settlement process in order to ensure that the settlement process was legitimate and uncorrupted,” Rendon wrote in the letter.

Rendon suggested Picker should order Southern California Edison – the utility in charge of SONGS -- to give the CPUC all internal and external emails that relate to the nuclear plant problems, including the new steam generators’ failures which eventually led to the plant’s closing.

The chairman also said the commission should get all correspondence dealing with how the massive cleanup would be paid for and who would foot the bill. Once obtained, Rendon said Picker should turn the emails over to the Assembly committee at once.

Additionally, Rendon alleges the previous president of the CPUC, Michael Peevy, may have met secretly with power insiders from Southern California Edison in advance of any public hearings.

CPUC critics say the first secret meeting took place in a Warsaw hotel in Poland and 35 closed-door meetings followed. Picker told the committee on Monday that no secrecy went into the settlement. "It looked to me like it was built out of discussion and public testimony, and that’s all I can really offer you,” he said.

Still, Rendon said anything short of total transparency would be viewed by the public and the committee as a failure by the CPUC to do their job properly.

“It is my solemn belief that your efforts to reform the commission and restore the public’s trust cannot be completed until the dark clouds of the SONGS settlement and the specter of process manipulation by your predecessor are fully and completely removed,” Rendon wrote.

The letter closes with a warning, telling Picker that the committee may call him back for another public hearing to give additional testimony.

Attorney Michael Aguirre told NBC 7 the letter confirms what he has been saying for months --that the original decision by the commission should be tossed out and new hearings be held to determine exactly who should pay for the cleanup.

A pedestrian was killed Thursday night after being hit by multiple vehicles, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officials believe just before 8:30 p.m., a transient man was trying to cross the southbound Interstate 5 near 28th Street in Logan Heights.

However, he was hit by several cars, some of which had children in them. The Traumatic Intervention Program is sending out counselors if people request them.

The CHP closed down three lanes of the southbound I-5 as they investigate the crash. Those lanes should reopen at about 10:15 p.m.

No drivers have been cited or arrested in this incident.

When a car theft victim spotted his stolen truck at a San Diego mall, he made sure the suspect was arrested Thursday evening.

The man was with a friend near Fashion Valley Mall at 6:30 p.m. when he saw a stranger driving his black Ford pickup truck. As he tried to yell at the suspect, the man behind the wheel took off.

However, he soon crashed into a white Infiniti SUV under the trolley station on the mall’s property, allowing the victim to catch up to him.

The suspect got out and ran into the mall with the victim hot on his heels.

The truck’s rightful owner tackled the suspect to the ground. The victim was able to hold him there until police arrived and arrested him.

Police are not sure how much damage the crash caused to the two vehicles.

Students found a man's body in the swimming pool at Piedmont Hills High School in San Jose on Friday morning, shutting the campus down early because of the investigation.

The students found the body during their first-period swim class, and police got a call at 8:47 a.m., Officer Albert Morales said. He confirmed that the body did not belong to a student.

Homicide detectives were sent to the scene at 1377 Piedmont Road, but said it's too early to determine if foul play is suspected or not, Morales said.

Still, a source told NBC Bay Area the body was weighted down and was covered by the pool tarp when it was discovered, making the scene appear suspicious.

East Side Union High School District Supt. Chris Funk said school closed early at 11 a.m. because of the investigation.

The swimming pool at SJ Peidmont Hills HS where a "weighted" body was found this morning at the bottom of deep end pic.twitter.com/SWfZKMk1Kh

— Damian Trujillo (@newsdamian) March 20, 2015

San Diego-based hospitality management company Eat.Drink.Sleep plans an April 1 reopening of its Cannonball restaurant, following a $3.5 million renovation of the building at 3105 Ocean Front Walk in Mission Beach.

Operators said the upscale restaurant has a large new rooftop bar, and its menu has been updated as part of a new Pacific Rim and sushi concept led by Executive Chef Brad Wise. A glass-enclosed, 42-seat dining area called the “sushi cube” will have ocean views and feature sushi and other traditional Japanese offerings from chef Hugo Arreguin.

The restaurant will have a 9,400-square-foot, 420-seat space above the Mission Beach boardwalk at Belmont Park, designed to create the experience of dining at a swim-up bar. The design is by Colkitt & Co and Hollis Brand Culture.

Eat.Drink.Sleep also operates Belmont Park, as well as local hospitality properties including Draft South Mission Beach, Tower23 Hotel and The Lakehouse Hotel & Resort.
 

Three men have sued Chicago police over its controversial Homan Square facility, saying police took them there, handcuffed them to cell walls for hours, denied them access to lawyers and refused their requests for food, water and bathroom access.

Their federal civil rights lawsuit filed Thursday — which names three Chicago police officers, other unknown officers and the city as defendants — says police "blatantly violated" the plaintiffs' civil rights.

Police have not responded to the lawsuit, but a police spokesman last month denied similar allegations about the facility, saying that it was not off-the-books, that suspects were allowed access to their lawyers and that the building is considered sensitive because officers there are often working undercover.

In their lawsuit, John Vergara, Jose Garcia and Carlos Ruiz say armed, masked police officers seized them from a Chicago restaurant in 2011 and took them to what they call an "off the books detainment center" on the city's West Side.

"I felt as if I was kidnapped from this restaurant," said Vergara. "Nobody knew where we were, where we were taken — my family, friends, nobody."

"I was so afraid that I try to remember some things, but I prefer not to," Ruiz added. "For me, it was like going to hell."

Blake Horwitz, a lawyer for the three plaintiffs, said the men were chained to a bench for up to nine hours, despite numerous requests for attorneys.

"Four of the men had done nothing wrong at all. They were merely customers at a restaurant," he said.

The men said officers, some still masked, came in and interrogated them, threatening to charge them with a crime unless they gave officers information. 

"The officers say, 'We found these drugs, we are going to pin them on you unless you give us information,'" Horwitz said.

Horwitz said that his clients were told they couldn't report the incident after their release.

"I just think that we deserved due process. We just didn’t get that," Garcia said.

Horwitz said the tactics used by police paint a pattern at the Homan Square site. 

"It seems that there’s something particular about Homan Square where [suspects are] taken off the grid and that kind of thing," Horwitz said.

Chicago police said in a statement that "arrests and interview procedures are "matters of people's most basic rights, and CPD abides by all laws, rules and guideline pertaining to any interviews of suspects or witnesses at Homan Square or any other CPD facility."

The Homan Square department has become a target in recent months following reports comparing the center to the terrorist detention facility in Guantanamo Bay.

Last month, police denied allegations that suspects taken to the facility were beaten and denied access to their legal representation.

“If lawyers have a client detained at Homan Square, just like any other facility, they are allowed to speak to and visit them," police spokesman Martin Maloney said.

He refuted the suggestion that the facility was off-the-books, saying that there's always a record of anyone who is arrested by police officers.

He said the building is considered "sensitive" because officers who work there are often involved in undercover assignments. Other units housed at the facility include the Bureau of Organized Crime, SWAT Unit Evidence Technicians, and the CPD ballistics lab, he said.

"The allegation that physical violence is a part of interviews with suspects is unequivocally false, it is offensive, and it is not supported by any facts whatsoever," he said.

Earlier this month, about 200 people protested outside the building, calling for it to be shut down, after The Guardian reported on what it called an "off-the-books interrogation compound" and "the domestic equivalent of a CIA black site." 

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A Southern California doughnut shop has come up with yet another guilty pleasure gone viral: a gigantic doughnut stuffed with a Pop Tart filling.

Donut Bar, with outlets in Fountain Valley and San Diego, calls the 1-pound creation the "Big Poppa Tart Donut."

It's appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "the Steve Harvey Show," BuzzFeed and TV news.

The 2-inch-thick square is stuffed with strawberry jam and a strawberry Pop Tart, then topped with diced Pop Tart, sprinkles and drizzled jam.

There's also a second flavor: S'mores.

Donut Bar sells about 150 of the doughnuts daily, at $4 each.

Owner-baker Santiago Campa tells the Orange County Register that the doughnut was supposed to be a one-week special, but it's become so popular he couldn't pull it off the menu.
 

A 15-year-old boy surrendered to Philadelphia Police in the robbery and shooting death of a man who police say was targeted because he appeared old, police told NBC10. The boy was the third suspect sought in the deadly encounter.

Tyfine Hamilton's father helped negotiate the arrest, sources said. He is now being interviewed by homicide detectives at Philadelphia Police Headquarters in Center City.

Hamilton was wanted for the murder of 51-year-old James Patrick Stuhlman. Last Thursday, Stuhlman was walking his dog, Molly, along the 6400 block of Woodcrest Avenue in the Overbrook section of the city when he was approached by three teenage boys, police said.

Homicide investigators said the teens planned to rob the man after playing a game of basketball. They chose him, investigators said, because he looked old and his dog was "weak." Stuhlman pleaded for his life before he was shot once in the chest, police said. He died on the street with his dog at his side.

Hamilton's alleged co-conspirator, 15-year-old Brandon Smith, was arrested Thursday and charged with murder after police spotted him in Overbook, police said. A 14-year-old was also arrested and charged with robbery, as well.

Stuhlman was shot over nothing, police said, as not one item was taken from him.

Hamilton has not yet been charged in the case.

Juan Rivera, an Illinois man who spent nearly 20 years in prison for a rape and murder he didn’t commit, will receive a $20 million settlement for his years behind bars, setting a new U.S. record for an individual case of wrongful conviction, his attorneys announced Friday.

The settlement equates to about a million dollars for each year he spent behind bars and brings Rivera's case to a close. 

Rivera was convicted in the rape and fatal stabbing of 11-year-old Holly Staker in 1992 and served almost 20 years of a life sentence at Stateville Prison in Joliet, Illinois.

During his last trial, in 2009, advancements in technology allowed investigators to test DNA recovered from Staker's body. The genetic profile recovered from the fingerprints, hair and other evidence collected at the scene of the crime could not be traced back to Rivera, nor was it a complete match of any other profile already in the national database.

The majority of the case prosecutors built against Rivera revolved around a confession he signed. Though he admits to initially lying to investigators about where he was the night of the crime, Rivera argues the confession he signed after a four-day police interrogation was coerced.

In December, 2011 the 2nd District Appellate Court north of Chicago overturned the conviction saying the evidence against Rivera does not go beyond a reasonable doubt. His attorneys filed a motion for expedited release.

When he was released on Jan. 6, 2012 Rivera said he considers the date his new birthday.

"It's the beginning of a new life. All I know is prison life and now there's no longer a prison life but a family life. That's what I look forward to," he said shortly after walking out of Stateville Correctional Center on Friday afternoon.

Rivera's conviction had been appealed three times, and each time a jury has found him guilty, but Rivera says he has no resentment and said his focus is now on his loved-ones and making sure Staker's real killer is found.

"It's not just one family that had a tragedy, it was two of us. They need closure as well as we just got closure," he said.

It’s going to be a full house at Petco Park next month when the San Diego Padres host the 2015 FanFest.

On Friday, the team announced that pre-registration for the free annual event – set for 9 a.m. on April 4 – had reached capacity. In order to enter, fans had to obtain a free FanFest voucher available on the Padres website.

The event includes an exhibition game against the Mexico City Red Devils, which begins at 2 p.m. Each FanFest voucher includes an assigned seat for that game, which is why attendees were asked to pre-register for the free baseball event.

The Padres said that fans who didn’t pre-register may still have a chance to attend because a limited number of passes may be released on site the day of the event.

To that end, a standby line will be in place at the main ticket windows on Park Boulevard on April 4 for that purpose. Due to the overwhelming demand for FanFest passes, organizers said re-entry will not be permitted. As fans leave the ballpark, those in the standby line will be granted entry in their place, organizers said.

As always, FanFest will be the first opportunity for fans to see this season’s Padres squad at Petco Park. Players and coaches will host autograph sessions.

Attendees will also have a chance to play catch in the outfield and check out this season’s ballpark updates.

Fans can park for free in Padres-owned lots around the ballpark, but those are expected to fill up before 9 a.m. Three points of entry into FanFest will be set up at the Home Plate Gate on Park Boulevard, the Gaslamp Gate on 7th Avenue and the East Village Gate on 10th Avenue.
 

A Staten Island man has pleaded guilty to illegally killing a deer in what may be New York City’s first-ever poaching case.

David G. Oakes was ordered to pay $3,000 in fines after entering guilty pleas to several charges including illegal taking of a deer without a license and trespassing.

Oakes was arrested by state environmental conservation officers at Schmul Playground, in the Travis-Chelsea neighborhood on the west side of the island, on Nov. 11.

He declined comment to NBC 4 New York on Friday.

The Staten Island Advance reports that the man was nabbed after officers caught him dressed in camouflage, carrying a bow. He allegedly set up cans and bait piles to lure the deer into his sights, and had no hunting license.

The man hadn’t actually killed a deer when he was arrested, the Advance reports, but told police he had taken down an eight-point buck in the same spot a year before.

Oakes’ conviction comes as the city’s least populous borough sees an explosion in poaching instances, the Advance reports. The paper reports that at least one poacher killed a deer with a shotgun, but most illegal hunters have used crossbows and composite bows.

Hunting is illegal on Staten Island and in New York City’s other four boroughs. Westchester and Suffolk counties permit deer hunting, but only with a bow.

Deer populations have risen exponentially on Staten Island in recent years. 

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? From beer, to art, to science -- there's a lot happening around town.

Thursday, March 19

Growlers & Growls: A Painting Party for Beer Lovers 
Belching Beaver Brewery, Vista
Craft beer and art are the focus of this event happening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Belching Beaver Brewery in Vista. Attendees get to sip on some suds while painting on a canvas truly fit for a beer lover: a growler. Entry to this painting party costs $35 per person which includes a 32-ounce growler, a free fill of that growler with a craft beer of your choosing and all painting supplies. Dogs are welcome to attend the event, too.

ArtStop: Spirit House
12 p.m., San Diego Museum of Art
At 12 p.m., the San Diego Museum of Art will host an ArtStop – a 15-minute, staff-led tour of a few works on display. This time, Spirit Houses will take the spotlight in an ArtStop led by museum educator Rogelio Casas. These short, informative talks take place every Thursday and third Tuesday afternoon and are free with paid admission into the museum.

SoundDiego Suggestion:

Trampled by Turtles
8 p.m., Observatory North Park
Beware the hare: alt-country’s Trampled by Turtles step lively at Observatory North Park on Thursday. These guys -- whose hit song “Where Is My Mind?” you definitely remember – add a little folk step into their high-energy shows, and while this one is sold out, it’s worth scouting tickets.
 

Friday, March 20

Winemaking Demonstration
1 p.m., Curds and Wine
Have you ever wanted to learn how to make your own wine? Well, here’s your chance with a winemaking demonstration at Curds and Wine on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. Join the experts from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to learn all of the basic steps to great vino, from start to bottle. Attendees can start up to three wine kits at their first demo session for a $50 vintning fee.

Animals of Spring
9 a.m., Helen Woodward Animal Center
This 90-minute tour at the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe includes meeting and petting four baby and/or spring time animals while learning about their life cycles. The tour starts at 9 a.m. and is perfect for school groups and scout groups. The cost is $12 per child.

SoundDiego Suggestion:

Blink-182
7:30 p.m., Soma
Another sold-out-but-worth-it show comes to you by way of San Diego’s own pop-punk outfit Blink-182. The guys are down Tom DeLonge after a very public fallout (which SoundDiego reported on here and here) and are playing with Matt Skiba in his place.

Saturday, March 21

EXPO Day at Petco Park
10 a.m., Petco Park
The San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering has been going on all week and culminates Saturday with EXPO Day at Petco Park in downtown San Diego. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. more than 130 local businesses, corporations and organizations will provide interactive, hands-on activities showcasing STEM from all parts of Southern California. More than 55,000 kids, parents, scientists, educators and community members participate in annual Festival events.

The New Children’s Museum March Museum Madness
5 p.m., The New Children’s Museum
Bring your children out to this first-ever event featuring family games and prizes. Families can dress up in the same color clothing and spend the evening working on fun challenges and games. Admission to this event includes dinner, dessert, two drink tickets for the adults and complimentary parking in the museum’s garage on a first-come, first-serve basis. The cost is $25 per child without a membership and $35 per adult without a membership.

San Diego Latin American Art Festival
10 a.m., NTC at Liberty Station
Latin American artists will showcase and sell their work at this two-day festival featuring 100 tents of work. International chefs will also be offering Latin American cuisine and there will be a performing arts stage. Admission is free.
 

Sunday, Mar. 22

The 22nd Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival
All day, AMC Fashion Valley
The San Diego Latino Film Festival wraps up Sunday with several movies running throughout the day. Whether it be immigrants in an Argentine desert or a shy Spanish doctor on a business trip, catch these emerging filmmakers and their films for the last time Sunday. You can get discounted tickets for the festival from The Goods. 

BabyFest 2015
10 a.m., QLN
Expectant mothers and mothers can find the latest products, services and general information at this Oceanside festival. The event includes more than 60 booths for families to look at as well as speakers, demonstrations and expert panel discussions. The event costs $5 to $8 for general admission.

SoundDiego Suggestion:

John Doe and Exene Cervenka
8 p.m., Belly Up
The duo who front X, the classic ’80s punk outfit from L.A., bring their smooth side to Belly Up with a special all-acoustic performance. The poetry of John Doe and Exene Cervenka is sure to coo wildly on Sunday at this seated show.

A brand-new ice cream shop is celebrating its grand opening in San Diego by offering free sweet treats all day Friday.

CREAM – a San Francisco-based dessert franchise known for its delectable ice cream sandwiches – has just opened its first San Diego location at 5157 College Ave. near San Diego State University.

To celebrate, the shop is giving away free ice cream sandwiches from noon to midnight.

Long lines are expected for the cool confections. Thousands of CREAM fans recently waited in line for their free ice cream sandwiches at the openings of new stores in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

The menu at CREAM includes fresh baked cookies in 20 flavors such as red velvet, double chocolate chip and lemon heaven. Ice cream flavors – also 20 on the list – include banana walnut fudge, pistachio delight and royal caramel swirl, just to name a few. The menu also includes lots of sweet toppings, plus “The CREAM Taco,” a taco shell-shaped cone stuffed with three flavors of ice cream and two toppings of your choice.

CREAM is headquartered in Millbrae, California. The name of the company is an acronym for “Cookies Rule Everything Around Me.” Currently, there are 11 CREAM locations operating throughout California and Nevada.
 

Deputies arrested a man in Vista Thursday after discovering the makings of a honey oil lab plus several pounds of marijuana inside his home, officials said.

Vista Gang Enforcement Deputies and probation officers arrested Justin Curtis, 24, at his home on Sunrise Drive at around 2:45 p.m. There, they uncovered evidence related to a honey oil lab, as well as several pounds of pot and several thousand dollars in cash.

Curtis was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on multiple charges including possession of marijuana for sales, manufacturing a controlled substance, resisting arrest and for a probation violation. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

The deputies and officers that busted Curtis are assigned to check in on known gang members and high-risk probationers in the City of Vista, the sheriff’s department said.