Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa is being rebranded and will officially operate as Cape Rey as of April 30.

Operators said Cape Rey was inspired by the resort’s physical location within the San Luis Rey River Valley, with “Rey” Spanish for “king” and providing a sense of prominence. “Cape” ties in the hotel’s sweeping coastal vistas and seaside locale.

A new adventure-oriented theme, focused on “experiential aspects” of each guest’s stay, will include creative itineraries, excursions and partnerships. A new “leisure services team” will introduce guests to tastes, places, products and personalities tied to the local culture.

The 215-room, Craftsman-style hotel opened in June 2012 at 1 Ponto Road, across from Carlsbad State Beach. The $80 million resort was developed by Wave Crest Oceanfront LLC of Encinitas.

A NASA satellite designed to measure Earth's soil moisture sent back its first global map images this month as part of a mission that could help scientists better predict natural hazards like floods and drought.

The array of bright colors displayed in the images released this week show low soil moisture or lack of vegetation with blue colors. Red colors indicate dense vegetation and higher soil moisture levels, such as those seen in the Amazon and Congo rain forests.

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory also acquires data over ocean and sea ice, but uses a different color scale to depict temperature variations and the effects of wind.

The images are part of a test of SMAP's instruments before full operations begin in May. The imagery  comes nearly three months after launch from Vandenberg Air Base northwest of Santa Barbara.

SMAP works by bouncing microwave pulses off Earth, then measuring the strength of those signals. Water in soil responds differently to the microwaves than dry soil, allowing scientists to provide the data visualizations with vibrant colors.

The mission, based at Southern California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will help scientists understand links between Earth's energy and carbon cycles and reduce uncertainties when it comes to weather and climate forecasting, according to a statement from JPL. The data also will help researchers monitor and predict floods and droughts.

Currently, drought maps and flash flood guidance issued by the federal government are based on computer modeling. SMAP will take real-time measurements that can be incorporated into forecasts.

California is in a fourth year of drought with water reservoirs at critically low levels. The governor has proposed state-mandated water-use cutbacks to combat the dry spell.

The mission is designed to take about three years.

An environmental activist swam part of the highly polluted Gowanus Canal for Earth Day, covered from head to toe in protective gear that shielded his skin, mouth, eyes and ears from the notorious toxic muck in the federal Superfund site.

Christopher Swain, 47, plunged into the water near Degraw street shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday and swam just under a mile -- spending about 20 minutes in the contaminated water -- before NYPD officers asked him to cut the dip short due to approaching thunderstorms. He said he was doing the swim to call attention to the federal government's slow-moving cleaning efforts.

"If we can land a man on the moon we can clean up the Gowanus Canal," Swain said.

Swain had planned to swim the length of the 1.8-mile canal and said he'd be back to finish the job.

"You can't clean up the canal in a day and I guess I can't swim it in a day," he said, adding he'd work with the city to find an appropriate, safe time to do the swim.

About 100 people lined up on several of the eight bridges the canal runs under to cheer Swain on as he swam, monitored by a woman in a kayak paddling a few feet away. Some of his fans shouted sarcastic commentary, wondering why he would take such a risk, but cheered him on all the same.

The 19th-century waterway was once a major transportation route; factories and fuel refineries operated there for years. It's now so polluted with industrial and sewer discharges that it must, by law, be cleaned up. The federal Environmental Protection Agency says contaminates include PCBs, which were banned in the U.S. in 1979. The regional EPA tweeted a warning against swimming in the canal, which runs through a narrow industrial zone near some of Brooklyn's wealthiest neighborhoods, a day before Swain took his dip.

Swain's dip was delayed a bit by NYPD security concerns and he almost didn't get into the water at all. Police said there's nothing illegal about swimming in the canal, although it's ill-advised, but anyone who does so risks contaminating other people when he or she gets out and needs to be thoroughly disinfected.

Swain was gargling hydrogen peroxide in his mouth as he approached reporters after the swim and assured everyone he was fine; police didn't give him trouble and Swain planned to take a bleach wash later Wednesday.

A dolphin that became stranded in the canal two years ago died after getting stuck, although biologists say it was likely due to the Dolphin’s age and declining health. 

You're not a horse racing expert, but you can act like one for the Kentucky Derby.

Amid all the hats, the mint juleps and the gambling, the real focus May 2 will be on the potential for something historic, as a narrowing field of elite young racehorses aims for the first Triple Crown victory in 37 years.

Don't know the first thing about horse racing? It doesn't matter. These seven tricks will help you get in on the spectacle as though you do.

1. Learn the lingo, and use it liberally.

You'll actually get to know something about racing later. For now, just pepper your comments with some jargon.

Before the race, check out race handicappers' predictions, check the tote board for the odds and watch the horses head from the paddock to their posts. Once the race begins, listen to the call, or the horses' running positions — but don't expect to have the foggiest idea what the caller is saying. (Don't worry, the race will only take a few minutes.)

A horse that's a closer runs his best later in a race, a stayer or router is good at running distances and a front-runner runs best at the head of the field. A horse is pinched back if it's held in close quarters, and if it's boxed in it's shut off or pocketed.

Horses' distances from each other in the stretch, or the last straight section of track, are measured by a head, e.g., the length of a horse's head. At the finish line, a photo finish is so close the finish-line camera has to figure out who won, and a dead heat is an exact tie. A horse finishes on the board if he's one of the first four to finish.

2. Know what's at stake, and tell everybody else.

You probably already know that only 11 horses have ever pulled off the feat of winning all three legs of the Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. The last to manage it was Affirmed, back in 1978.

You might also know that since 1978, 11 have won the the first two legs only to flame out at Belmont. That was the case last year, when California Chrome fell short in the 1.5-mile, tough-to-handicap race that's often called the "Test of the Champion," with good reason.

There's plenty that can go wrong for a would-be Triple Crown winner: A great horse can get pocketed or pinched back, especially in the Derby's and the Preakness' crowded fields.

Or, in the Belmont, it can be overcome by better-rested rivals that ran in Louisville, then skipped the Preakness. Other horses have had their hopes dashed by jockey error at Belmont, where jockeys' tactics play a bigger role and riders may be tempted to accelerate too early in the comparatively long race.

3. Handicap the race yourself. (Remember that term?)

You can't feign some authority on horse racing without concocting a fervently held opinion on which horse will win.

Which horse has home-track advantage? What's its breeding like — geared for speed, or distance, or something else? What sort of races has it been running lately? Has it had any injuries? Who trains it?

The field for the Kentucky Derby is still shaping up. But more than a week out from the race, American Pharoah looks like a probable favorite, and Dortmund remains undefeated.

4. Bet on it.

Nothing screams "I know what I'm doing!" like advising your friends on how to spend their money, right? Right — well, as long as your friends aren't big gamblers. In that case, pay close attention.

Use Colin Bertram's primer to get a handle on what horses' odds mean and what they don't. Remember, a horse's odds reflect not how likely it is to win but how heavily other people are betting or expected to bet on it to win.

Once you've picked your favorites from the field of contenders and decided what kind of bet you want to make, examine the morning-line odds, which predict what people will probably bet on each horse. (The odds will change once betting actually has begun.)

The first number tells you how much profit your bet will get you should you win, and the second tells you how much you must bet to get it. If the horse you pick has 3-5 odds at the time of writing, that means you have to bet $5 in order to win $3 profit, so if you bet $10 and your horse wins, you'll get back $16.

5. Trot down Memory Lane.

Recall those halcyon days of horse racing — you know, when the only other sports worth their salt were baseball and boxing, and when your parents hadn't even met yet.

The mechanics of horse racing have changed plenty over the decades. Wealthy dynastic families ruled breeding, not commercial breeders, and as a result, horses were bred for stamina. Today, they're bred for speed.

But most fundamentally, horse racing doesn't have nearly the fan base it did in its heyday, back before pro football, pro basketball, casinos and, well, the internet horned in on its popularity. At racing's zenith, the track was the automatic mecca for gamblers.

6. Honor the greats.

Now you get to the really fun part of exercising your newfound authority: Breathlessly regaling your friends with tales of great races of yore as though you were there.

Bloviate about Secretariat's astounding 1973 Triple Crown, which he won by an unheard-of margin of 31 lengths. As the victor crossed the finish, the runner-up couldn't even fit on the television screen.

Wonder what would have happened if Man o' War, ranked the 20th century's best by Blood-Horse magazine and The Associated Press, had ever run for the Triple Crown. It wasn't around yet when Man o' War raced in the early 20th century, though he did sire some Triple Crown horses.

Reminisce about Kelso, who ran in the early '60s until he was 9 years old. Now all the Belmont contenders are 3-year-olds, and most horses are retired soon after that age to stud duty, which is far more lucrative than racing. (That was impossible for Kelso, who was a gelding, or castrated horse.)

Wax poetic about legendary filly Ruffian — even Secretariat's trainer said she might be better than his most famous horse — whose career was cut tragically short by a broken leg at Belmont in 1975. (You can still pay your respects at her grave at Belmont.)

7. Get ambitious.

If you really want to boost your expert cred, do your homework, and stake out a controversial stance or two. Read up, and weigh in, on hot-button topics like horse breeding habits, nasal strips and the sport's undeniable decline in recent decades, and what could reverse it.

Steve Coburn, the co-owner of last year's Triple Crown contender California Chrome, has grumbled that the growing numbers of Derby contenders that sit out the Preakness before returning for the Belmont have made Triple Crown wins all but impossible. He wants the rules tweaked so that only colts that run the Preakness can compete at Belmont.

He said last year that if his horse didn't win the Triple Crown — which it didn't — he doubted he'd ever see another winner. "There are people out there trying to upset the apple cart," he said. "They don't want a Triple Crown winner. They want a paycheck."

Indeed, the decades-long Triple Crown drought, and the sport's waning popularity, have encouraged talk of tinkering with the format and timing of the three key races, and not just among figures who have, quite literally, a horse in the race. Weigh in on what you think should be done, too.

But don't limit your expressions of your newfound expertise to such existential hand-wringing.

Try picking an underdog to root for Saturday. When you place your bet, try a superfecta, naming the top four horses in the order you expect them to place.

And whatever other stories you tell your friends, make sure to leave room for one still in the making: the first time you bluffed your way through the Triple Crown.

Just wait until the next big race to tell it. By then, you might actually be an expert.

This story has been updated from an earlier version.

San Diego Councilwoman Marti Emerald elaborated on her decision to retire from City Council at a press conference.

In her announcement Wednesday morning at the Ridgeview Community Gardens, Emerald said she came to the realization after she returned to work after a series of chemotherapy treatments for cancer.

She got back to her office, she said, and looked at all the younger people around her and realized it was time to retire.

"Eight years is really enough," Emerald said. "I've never been a fan of term limits, but I can understand that after eight years, it's easy to get cynical or take things for granted and I never want that to happen."

At her press conference, she announced that her Chief of Staff, Ricardo Flores, would be running for the District 9 seat she has held for nearly seven years once vacated.

She said she wanted to announce her retirement early so as to encourage others to run without having to race against an incumbent.

"But I wanted to make this decision early enough to give Ricardo [Flores] and or anybody else who is running an opportunity to know I'm not in the race so if they're thinking about doing it, they don't have to consider running against me," Emerald said. 

Last September Emerald, who represents Council District 9, confirmed she was battling breast cancer with a message posted to her Facebook page.

The councilwoman said her doctors told her she had an “excellent prognosis for full recovery.” She has remained active in her leadership role since her cancer diagnosis.

Emerald, a former broadcast journalist of 30 years, joined the San Diego City Council in 2008. She represented District 7 until 2012 and has since led District 9.

The College Area resident is currently serving her seventh year as the Chair of the Public Safety & Livable Neighborhoods Committee.

The Carlsbad City Council's effort to license, tax and restrict short-term vacation rentals in the community is getting a thumb’s down from many residents.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, several homeowners poked holes in the new ordinance up for a first reading.

Carlsbad council's plan is to identify and standardize the more than 400 short-term vacation rentals already illegally operating in the community.

They hope the views, natural spaces, peace and quiet that drew residents to buy in the city will be the same trappings that lure tourists each year.

It would be better to control such commerce then have rentals operate underground, Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hail said.

San Diego Police Officer Mark Bua disagreed: “I can tell you first hand it is virtually impossible to enforce limits on the number of occupants and parking.”

Under the proposed ordinance, enforcement would be complaint driven. Policing rowdy vacation rentals would fall on the shoulders of residents.

Homeowner Tracy Teregis told NBC she wonders if it is wise to pit neighbor against neighbor.

Teregis and husband Greg have been fighting with their neighbor over the rental next door for a year. They live outside the coastal community and in a residentially zoned neighborhood.

“What gives them the right to disturb peaceful safe neighborhoods? Where are my rights as a homeowner?” Greg said.

The city council members were moved to change the proposed ordinance to prohibit rentals
east of Interstate 5 -- a win for residents.

Visitors still have some 6,000 hotel rooms and time shares to choose from.

“I recognize Carlsbad needs a thriving commerce to thrive itself but not in our family neighborhoods,” homeowner Dick Miller said.

The modified proposal will be up for a vote of the full council next month. If approved, it will take effect 30 days later.

As for vacation rentals illegally operating outside the coastal area, it is considered a code violation punishable by fines and possibly criminal charges.

The 2015 San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU) Poinsettia Bowl will go down two days before Christmas – and will be followed by a big, post-game fireworks show, organizers revealed Wednesday.

The Poinsettia Bowl will kick off at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 23. The game will feature a bowl-eligible Army taking on a team from the Mountain West Conference. It’ll be televised on ESPN.

After the game, the fireworks will fly with an elaborate pyrotechnics show dubbed “Stadium Spectacular 2015,” produced by Pyro Spectaculars by Souza.

“What SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl fans will see will be bigger, more powerful and more creative than any show they have ever seen,” said Pyro Spectaculars President and Chief Creative Director James Souza in a media release.

The fireworks show will be sponsored by KyXy 96.5/Energy 103.7 and San Diego 6 the CW.

San Diego Bowl Game Association President Kimberley Layton said the fireworks extravaganza will be unlike any other.

“Football fans will be in for a memorable day on December 23rd,” said Layton. “Stadium Spectacular 2015 will set a new standard for fireworks entertainment in the United States. It doesn’t get any better than exciting college football two days before Christmas followed by a post-game show you will have to see to believe.”

View level seats to the game are $20, while other seats range from $35 to $70. Family four-packs are also available for a better deal. Pre-sale tickets are available now by calling the Bowl office at (619) 285-5061. The general public ticket sale begins online on Nov. 1.
 

A special grand jury will examine whether a Fairfax County, Virginia, police officer should be criminally charged for fatally shooting an unarmed man in 2013.

Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Morrogh said he has been given permission from the chief judge of Fairfax County Circuit to convene the grand jury, which will likely begin work by mid-summer. The work may take several weeks.

John Geer was shot by Fairfax County Police Officer Adam Torres Aug. 29, 2013, after officers responded to a domestic dispute. Tuesday, the county agreed to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the Geer family for $2.95 million.

The shooting led to protests against Fairfax County police. It also led to the creation of a county commission to review police department policies and the release of information to the public.

Torres told investigators he had seen Geer's hands go toward his waist, as if reaching for a weapon. However, Geer's father and other police officers said Geer's hands were held up.

Police initially refused to release information about the shooting and refused to turn over records to Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Morrogh. For more than a year, police would not say which officer had shot Geer.

The officer's name was only released after Maura Harrington filed a suit, initially seeking $12 million. Harrington lived with Geer and their two children.

"It was a tragedy that should not have happened," said Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. "It was tragic for John Geer, his loved ones and his family, and, frankly, tragic for Fairfax County."

The shooting "remains under a police administrative review process and criminal investigation at both the federal and state levels," Fairfax County officials said in a statement.

The operators at Porter’s Pub -- which programs hip-hop, rap, electronic and indie-rock shows-- have received a letter instructing the venue to vacate on June 30. Technically, the pub’s lease is up on May 31, but the venue was given an extra 30 days to remove its property.

In November, news broke via the UCSD Guardian that the University Centers Advisory Board (UCAB) was not renewing the lease with the business' current owner, Stephen Lawler. UCAB is a student-run committee that controls on-campus services, facilities and centers that are funded by student fees.

It was a surprising announcement, coming as it did in the wake of similar news at the nearby Che Café, and since Porter's routinely hosts much bigger shows venue, including KRS-One, Too Short, Unwritten Law and Run the Jewels, among others. The issues at hand, as announced by the UCAB, were the pub's lack of student-run events and lack of food sales, which are required to consistently outpace alcohol sales. While alcohol sales may have outstripped those of food at concerts, that was not the general case, said a Porter's Pub spokesman.

Lawler, who told SoundDiego he invested between $150,000 and $200,000 installing a new bar and kitchen when he took over the club eight years ago, said on Wednesday that he has not given up hope on saving Porter’s Pub.

“Just trying to figure it out,” Lawler said. “Still a chance we can stay.”

Lawler stressed that the letter is not an eviction letter, and that dialogue with the University Centers had not ended. At a minimum, supporters of the pub hope the club will stay open until a new tenant has been selected for the site. At a minimum, they’re hoping for month-to-month lease until the location changes hands.

The Che Café is also facing closure. After a year of legal wrangling between the co-op, the UCSD administration and student advisory boards, the school officially served the Che Cafe a five-day eviction notice on March 17. The order mandated that the 73-year-old building, located at 1000 Scholars Drive, be vacated by March 24. However, the site was still operating in May. Sheriff’s deputies said in March that they have 180 days to enforce an eviction once the notice is served. While discussions have taken place between Vice Chancellor Juan Gonzalez and Che representatives since late March, nothing has altered the situation, Che spokeswoman Aditi Gautum told SoundDiego.

The news that Porter’s Pub lease was not being renewed came as a shock to Lawler, who purchased the pub from Robert Porter, the original operator who opened the club 22 years ago.

Lawler said on Wednesday that he is developing other projects, including an arts festival in Vista in the fall, and Porter’s Pub continues to book shows, including appearances by People Under the Stairs on May 2, Nipsy Hussle on May 14 and Slick Rick on May 24.

Officers are attempting to take a felony warrant suspect into custody in La Mesa, police said.

The La Mesa Police Department said they tried to take the suspect into custody around 10 a.m. Wednesday on the 8100 block of High Street.

The suspect fled on foot and officers are searching the area.

The Sheriff’s ASTREA helicopter is assisting.

The 2015 NFL draft isn’t officially until next week, but the Bolts gave a sneak peek of their game plan on Wednesday and, of course, fielded questions about who is going to be their quarterback in 2015 (and beyond).

San Diego Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco spoke at 11 a.m., previewing the NFL Draft. Though he couldn't talk about any specific players by name, Telesco did give some information about the Bolts' draft philosophy. The Chargers streamed the media conference live here.

First and foremost, Telesco repeatedly said Rivers is the Chargers quarterback and will continue in the leadership role.

“It’s the same thing I’ve said for the last four months. Phillip is our quarterback and it’s our plan and intent that he’s our quarterback for the future,” said Telesco. “He’s really excited about this season – as are we.”

"We're thrilled we have him here and hope he's here for many, many years," he added.

Telesco said he could not discuss Rivers' contract.

As for the 2015 NFL Draft, Telesco said the team is looking forward to it.

"We think we have a pretty good plan heading into this draft," said Telesco.

According to the team, the Bolts have six selections in this year’s NFL Draft, including the 17th overall choice in Round 1. The team will also have one pick each in Rounds 2-6. The team traded its 7th Round selection to Dallas in 2013 in exchange for defensive lineman Sean Lissemore.

The 2015 NFL Draft is happening April 30 through May 2 at the Auditorium Theater of Roosevelt University in Chicago. Round 1 kicks off at 5 p.m. PT. Rounds 2-3 will take place on May 1 and the draft will conclude on May 2 with Rounds 2-7. It will be broadcast live on ESPN and the NFL Network.

The Chargers website will be updating throughout the draft with the Bolts picks.

Telesco and Head Coach Mike McCoy will brief the media at Chargers Park after Round 1, Round 3 and Round 7, next week, the team confirmed.

It was a packed house Wednesday morning as a San Diego City Council committee met to discuss potential regulation of short-term vacation rentals.

The City Council’s Smart Growth and Land Use Committee started its meeting at 8:30 a.m. The meeting – headed by Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, Councilman Todd Gloria and Councilman Scott Sherman – was expected to include extensive public comment from residents regarding regulations on vacation rental properties. The meeting would go on until noon, with the possibility of being continued.

One side argues short-term vacation rentals are destroying communities with rowdy temporary tenants. The other side argues that vacation rentals bring new business to different neighborhoods in San Diego and give homeowners another source of income.

Ultimately, the discussion on the topic will lead City staff to develop an ordinance that will outline a future for short-term vacation rentals within city limits.

Many vacation rentals – especially in San Diego’s beach communities – are on streets where permanent residents live too. Some neighbors complain that the rentals are filled above capacity, leading to noise and parking issues.

"We're at a tipping point, in Pacific Beach, where neighborhoods are being dotted with these short-term rentals and people are leaving, and this is exactly what we want to prevent," said Larry Emlaw, speaking against vacation rentals.

"For me, it's about people who don't want to stay at a hotel, who want to stay at a community in San Diego. It brings money and people and connects them to communities that otherwise wouldn't have that," said Jeffrey McGurn, speaking in favor of rentals.

Currently, if a homeowner wants to rent out a property as a vacation rental, the homeowner needs to obtain a certificate to pay a monthly room tax and an annual rental business fee.

A Pacific Beach planning group voted in a meeting last month to prohibit vacation rentals in single-family residential areas that are for less than 30 days.

At a meeting Tuesday night, the Carlsbad City Council's effort to license, tax and restrict short-term vacation rentals in the community got a thumb’s down from many residents.

The Carlsbad council's plan is to identify and standardize the more than 400 short-term vacation rentals already illegally operating in the community.

The city council members were moved to change the proposed ordinance to prohibit rentals
east of Interstate 5. Visitors still have some 6,000 hotel rooms and time shares to choose from.

A motorcyclist was killed in Escondido Wednesday morning after he rear-ended a pickup truck and was thrown off his motorcycle into oncoming traffic, officials said.

The deadly accident happened around 7:20 a.m., just before rush hour, in the 1600 block of East El Norte Parkway.

Investigators said the motorcyclist failed to stop for traffic slowing for the light at the intersection of Rose Street and El Norte Parkway and crashed into a truck in front of him.

The impact caused him to fly off his motorcycle into traffic. A semi-truck then rolled over the motorcyclist with its rear wheel, Escondido police said.

The motorcyclist died at the scene.

The driver of the truck, unaware that he was involved in the fatal crash, drove away, according to police. Investigators searched nearby businesses where they knew tractor trailers came often and found the truck. They discovered evidence that linked it to the crash scene, they said.

Because the driver did not realize he hit someone, no charges will be filed in this case.

Police shut down traffic in both directions on El Norte Parkway following the accident. The road was closed for several hours. All traffic lanes had reopened by 10:30 a.m.

The victim’s name was not immediately released. No one else was injured in the incident.

The investigation is ongoing. Police do not believe alcohol or distracted driving contributed to the collision. Anyone with information should contact the Escondido Police Department at (760) 743-8477.

A group of local firefighters is getting ready to do something most of us could not imagine: running a marathon in their firefighting gear.

The firefighters at Station 61 on Miramar have banded together to run the race for one they consider their own, a 10-year-old son of a fellow firefighter.

Once they learned that firefighter Adam Martinez’s son, Isaac, had leukemia for the second time, they were heartbroken.

"Isaac is almost like a son to all of us,” said firefighter James Stark.

Isaac is undergoing chemotherapy that will have him in and out of the hospital in the coming months.

"So, it was immediately, OK, what are we going to do,” Stark said. “What can we do to help Adam."

What they decided to do was the opposite of waiting around. The group plans to run the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon in full firefighter gear.

"Oh, it means a lot,” Adam Martinez said. “Family goes beyond your blood. It's more than blood. It's loyalty to me."

The running is their way of raising money and awareness.

"Even though my legs might be tired, Isaac's in a bed right now,” his father said. “He's got true heart. So, what he's doing stands for something. And so if he can do that, we can do this."

The GoFundMe page for Isaac has raised almost $8,000 so far. Everything beyond the family’s costs, they say they will donate to pediatric cancer research.

To donate, click here.

A Queens travel agency owner has been indicted on charges of stealing more than $80,000 in payments for trips that were never booked and using customers’ credit card information to pay for other customers’ trips, prosecutors say.

Adriana Olivar-Munoz, who owns Expertravel Travel Agency in Jackson Heights, is named in a 20-count indictment that includes charges of grand larceny, identity theft, falsifying business records, scheming to defraud and petit larceny, according to the Queens district attorney’s office. It was not immediately known if she had an attorney.

Prosecutors say the 46-year-old business owner would print out itinerary confirmations and give them to customers who later discovered at the airport that their tickets had not been paid for and canceled. In some cases, victims of Olivar-Munoz’s scheme would fly to their travel destinations before realizing a return ticket had never been purchased, according to prosecutors.

The indictment lists ten or more victims, including two wholesale travel agencies, for the scheme that allegedly took place between December 2012 and December 2014, according to the DA.

Prosecutors say the scam was discovered when Olivar-Munoz was arrested last September for defrauding two customers who had purchased tickets to Colombia and later realized they had been charged $1,311.40 for airline tickets for other passengers. Investigators later received complaints from several more customers who said they had also been defrauded.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim to this travel agency fraud scheme is asked to call the Queens District Attorney’s Economic Crimes Bureau at 718-286-6673. 

A former chief of staff for San Diego County Supervisor Dave Roberts claims the supervisor created a "hostile, politicized work environment" in his office.

Roberts is at the center of a political firestorm; at least seven of his 11 staffers have quit in just four months.

Several top county officials told NBC 7 one of those former staffers, Chief of Staff Glynnis Vaughan, was expected to receive a $75,000 settlement. A public document, obtained by NBC 7 Investigates, confirms that payment would have helped the county avoid a possible lawsuit Vaughan could file against the county.

The county’s five supervisors have met twice in closed sessions to discuss the proposed payment to Vaughan, who has hired an attorney. But the supervisors did not approve the payment at their second meeting on April 14, and the negotiations are now on hold.

Vaughan had been on paid administrative leave during those negotiations but resigned from the county after that April 14 meeting.

NBC 7 Investigates obtained a copy of her two-page resignation letter, in which Vaughan claims she learned of “alleged misuse of government resources and other questionable behavior, including alleged staff intimidation, coercion, and the creation of a hostile work environment" in Roberts’ office.

She said a county employee brought the allegations to her and had supporting documentation, which included text messages and emails.

Her letter also refers to warnings she received via emails that “…the Supervisor intended to lie publically about the concerns raised, and who otherwise used language that appeared to be an attempt to intimidate me if I held my ground.”

Vaughn writes that she has “been told that the Supervisor has asked others to be untruthful about what was reported and about me.”

Vaughn has not returned our requests for an interview.

Roberts' current chief of staff, Mel Millstein, said in an email that the supervisor cannot comment on the resignation because it is a personnel matter.

Millstein continued with the following statement:

"However, as his Chief of Staff, I can tell you that it is the Chief of Staff who sets the tone in the office of an elected official. Supervisor Roberts is extremely hardworking and dedicated to all his constituents. He is a fair and thoughtful leader who provides strong support to allow me to be successful as he does for all his staff. He has given me the full authority to manage the day-to-day operations of our staff and he expects a collegial office environment that promotes strong teamwork in order for him to do the people’s business for which he was elected."

In a Tuesday interview, Roberts told NBC 7 Investigates there is not much he can say about the settlement and high turnover.

“There is nothing I can share on this,” Roberts said. “It's just one of those allegations that is floating out there."

In the last three weeks, Roberts has had three different people in his chief of staff position: Vaughan, Lindsey Masukawa and Millstein.

According to a memo obtained from the county, Millstein will receive an annual salary of $151,008 and began serving as Roberts' chief of staff on April 15.

“I think he (Millstein) will be a great chief of staff,” Roberts said. “All my staff is doing a phenomenal job, and I’m just really pleased they’re doing a phenomenal job.”

The supervisors’ meetings are closed to the public because they involve “exposure to significant liability” to the county and taxpayers. The county’s five supervisors, county attorney and CAO are allowed to be present at the closed-door meetings. The public learns about the results only if action is taken, which usually consists of an agreement to pay money to settle an existing or threatened lawsuit.

County spokesman Michael Workman said the county will not be commenting because it is a personnel matter. It has been responding to and answering our requests for documents, emails and other records through state open record requests.

A crash involving at least three vehicles prompted California Highway Patrol to issue a Sig Alert for Interstate 5 Wednesday night.

Six people were taken to the hospital after the crash, which started in the southbound lanes near Clairemont Drive at 8:10 p.m. 

Their injuries are not life-threatening, according to San Diego fire officials.

The Sig Alert was lifted and the crash cleared at about 9:20 p.m.

Three passengers lost consciousness on a SkyWest flight from Chicago to Connecticut that made an emergency landing in Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday, the airline said in a statement Wednesday evening.

A registered nurse on board said the crew enlisted her help when the first passenger grew faint just an hour into the flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut.

"They told me someone was passed out. The passenger was lethargic. Pretty much, she was responding, but her coloring was awful; she didn't look good. We got her some oxygen and she was much more alert after getting oxygen," said Niantic resident Mary Cunningham, a registered nurse. "I went back to my seat after she was feeling better, and all of a sudden, the woman sitting behind her passed out unresponsive."

It wasn't long before Cunningham, too, began to feel lightheaded and short of breath.

"I felt very nervous. I realized something was very wrong, and it was really scary," said Cunningham. "That was terrifying."

It's not clear what caused the passengers to fall ill. An aviation source said earlier that the main cabin door may have opened mid-air due to a mechanical issue, causing rapid decompression.

Officials from SkyWest later told NBC News there was no problem with the cabin door, but before the pilot knew, he descended to 10,000 feet, where the air is breathable. According to NBC News, the plane dropped more than 20,000 feet in a matter of minutes.

"One of the flight attendants was kind of in a panic. She ran up front, talked to the captain about something," said another passenger, Dave Barkley, of South Bend, Indiana. "They had a couple passengers not feeling well; one passed out, and so they took a rapid descent because the captain had said all the symptoms led him to believe it was a lack of cabin pressure."

Passengers called it a nose dive and said they could hear the engines rattling.

"It was scary," said Larry Johnson, of Fort Meyers, Florida. "There was a lot of people with their heads down, praying."

The crew declared an emergency. The Embraer 170 landed safely at Buffalo International Airport at 11:40 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Authority. The passengers were ushered off the aircraft and checked by medical personnel.

"SkyWest Airlines Flight 5622, operating as United Express arrived in Hartford, Connecticut after making an unscheduled landing in Buffalo, New York in response to a passenger losing consciousness while en route. Updated information from medical personnel confirms that a total of three passengers reported a loss of consciousness while on the flight," the airline said in a statement Wednesday night. "The passengers were evaluated by medical responders on the ground in Buffalo and were released; none were transported to the hospital. After examination by maintenance personnel and local authorities, there have been no indications of a pressurization problem or other issues with the aircraft. Our investigation is ongoing."

Chicopee, Massachusetts resident Steven Marcil said he was one of about 30 passengers to receive oxygen on the ground before boarding a second plane.

"It was very traumatizing, very scary when you're actually in your seat and the seat goes into a nose dive. It was a close call, really a close call," Marcil said.

Passengers said they were asked to get get off the second aircraft after boarding in Buffalo so law enforcement dogs could sniff them and sweep the plane.

"When we were in Buffalo, they had a dog go through everybody when we were sitting in the terminal, like they were looking for something, but that might have been standard procedure," said Barkley. "Fire department and dogs and policemen went onto that second plane."

Despite the fear and uncertainty, passengers commended the pilot and crew members for their quick thinking and immediate action.

"I'm grateful that they care enough about safety and security," Barkley said. "I'd rather have that than trouble otherwise."

The plane departed Buffalo around 5 p.m. and arrived in Connecticut shortly after 6 p.m.

Officials with the FAA said they plan to investigate.

Two top San Ysidro School District administrators have been placed on paid leave after a review found the district is not meeting requirements on how they spend federal funds.

Gloria Madera, assistant superintendent of educational services and former district interim superintendent, and Matthew Paredes, the director of state and federal projects, are part of an internal investigation prompted by the state review.

State education officials monitor how schools spend federal Title 1 money, aimed at helping children who are failing or at risk of failing.

According to the monitoring review from early January, the San Ysidro School District did not meet its requirements 29 times.

Paredes is listed in the report as the coordinator.

The district is being very tight lipped about what Interim Superintendent Edward Velasquez described as an internal investigation that does not involve any law enforcement agency.

“It’s a personnel matter, and that’s really all I can say at this point,” said Velasquez. He would not address questions about the report either, saying the investigation is ongoing.

But NBC 7 has learned he is upset the district was not in compliance, everything from not having a policy to involve parents to not keeping track of where the money is spent.

Sources say the information was not brought to the school board, and the district did not respond to the state about the report by the March 9 deadline, leaving the district open to possible penalties.

The superintendent promised to have most of the issues in the report fixed in two weeks’ time; others may take longer.

Meantime, Velasquez said he will work with the state to see what can be done to avoid penalties for non-compliance.
 

As schools grapple with a rash of recent lockdowns, some parents are fighting the cellphone policy at La Jolla Elementary School, which asks teachers to take phones from students each day.

When students come into the classroom, they are supposed to give their cellphones to their teacher, who secures them in a cabinet and returns them at the end of the day. Students may only use phones when they step off the campus.

A few parents who spoke to NBC 7 Wednesday want their kids to have phones close at hand in case of emergencies. They want to be able to find out what’s happening during a lockdown.

"I think that the kids should have access to their phones,” said parent Doug Littlemore. “The parents are giving them to them for an emergency or to keep in contact, then they should have access to the phones.”

Other parents said they were comfortable with the school's stricter stance. For many, it wasn't an issue because few students have phones.

“I think taking them away is appropriate. Why do the kids need them in class? It's disrupting other kids,” said mother Natalie Hall.

The school’s policy differs from the San Diego Unified School District’s, which says devices must be kept out of sight, turned off and not used during school hours.

A district spokesperson said schools have the ability to adjust policy from site to site.

The district released the following statement about the issue:

“San Diego Unified is committed to providing an effective means for parents to voice concerns and complaints. We believe that concerns should be addressed at the level closest to which the complaint originated. A concern about a school, such as its cell phone policy, should be addressed first by the principal. If there are still concerns after speaking with the principal, parents should contact the district’s Quality Assurance Office, which was established to serve as a resource and outlet for parent concerns. The contact information for the Quality Assurance Office is 619-725-7211 or www.sandi.net/qualityassurance.”