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Off-Leash Dogs a Growing Problem: Animal Services

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Ben White’s nightly routine includes a game of fetch with his dog “Wally” at Little Italy’s Amici Park. On any given night, he is joined by dozens of other dog lovers and their four-legged companions, but despite future plans to make it a sanctioned dog park, Amici Park is not yet approved for off-leash activity.

“I know it’s technically a leashed park, but it’s just like the speed limit. I mean, nobody goes 65,” said White.

But not everyone shares his nonchalant attitude. San Diego County’s Department of Animal Services considers off-leash dogs at parks a growing problem, and the department’s records reflect their concern.

NBC 7 analyzed data provided by the county and found citations for off-leash dogs reached a two-year high in March 2015 with 42 violations.

See the map below to find out how many citations were given in your zip code from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2015, as well as the location of the county’s dog parks.

According to Animal Services Deputy Director Dan SeSousa, the officers will target parks with heavy enforcement when they receive complaints about specific locations, but it is a hard rule to enforce.

“The people move to different parks or just come back,” said Desousa. He told NBC 7 dog owners at Kate Sessions Park on Mount Soledad even had a system: Someone would keep a lookout for officers and blow a whistle to alert off-leash dog owners if an officer showed up.

San Diegans who have been going “off leash” for years say they’ve noticed increased enforcement.

“We see animal control show up a little more often than not, and we sometimes drop the leash. It’s like ‘Oh, sorry they’re off the leash. They ran away from me,’” said Jerine Rosato who takes her dog to Pioneer Park in Mission Hills.

Pioneer Park, like many of the parks in question, has no barrier between the fields where dogs play and the playground where kids play, creating tension.

Bormaey Sinkovic said he sees the need to protect kids from unfamiliar dogs. He recalled a particularly heated exchange between a parent and dog owner after an off-leash dog licked a toddler.

“That’s a big no no with some parents, and it just gets ugly from there,” said Sinkovic.

Animal Services estimates there are at least a half million dogs in San Diego County, and dog owners complain about the number of available dog parks.

In the city of San Diego, there isn’t a single park east of Interstate 15. In downtown San Diego, where condo towers continue to rise and new parks for people get built, the only approved dog park is in Balboa Park.

Some people think more neighborhood parks should have areas fenced off specifically for dogs.

“It would be so nice if they could just enclose some small area where they could be off-leash because that’s when they’re the happiest you know, when they’re off-leash,” said Gloria Hardcastle-Taylor, who lives near Pantoja Park in downtown San Diego.

She has noticed that animal services officers have started citing people for letting go of their dogs.

Efforts to coexist are controversial too. The city of Poway is looking into allowing dogs to use the enclosed softball field at Silverset Park during weekday mornings, but neighbors worry about health concerns.

“As a parent I would never let my kids play where dogs have been defecating and urinating,” said Dianna Garcia.
 


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Vigil for Quake Victims Planned at UCSD

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People will gather for a candlelight vigil and fundraiser Tuesday for the victims of the powerful earthquake that struck Nepal.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the county Saturday left thousands dead and many unaccounted for. It triggered a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest that left several dead and others stranded.

Hundreds will gather for a candlelight vigil and fundraiser for the victims of the powerful earthquake in Nepal at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

UC San Diego students a part of the Nepalese Student Association will be holding a candlelight vigil at the UCSD Geisel Library for the victims and will be collecting funds for the victims.

According to the event posting, the fund collected will go to benefit local nonprofits such as One Step (501(c)3) through Compassion for African Villages, Trek to Teach (501(c)3) and Shikshya Nepal to provide humanitarian assistance to the quake victims.

The student association said they planned to partner with organizations like the Nepal Red Cross Society and Shelterbox USA to provide relief to the victims.



Photo Credit: AP

20-Acre Fire Spreads on Camp Pendleton

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A fire on Camp Pendleton has grown to about 20 acres Monday afternoon, according to the base officials.

The blaze is burning near Range 108, a rifle and demo range and x-ray impact area.

However, there is no threat to buildings or people, and no evacuations are being ordered.

The Camp Pendleton Fire Department will continue to monitor the fire as Cal Fire responds with an engine and a dozer.

They plan to let it burn out as long as it does not get out of control.



Photo Credit: Enrique Lopez

Local Couple Missing in Nepal

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A Carlsbad, California, woman has been waiting by the phone for any news on her daughter, who she reported missing after Saturday’s deadly earthquake in Nepal.

Dawn Lightfoot, 30, has been teaching in South Korea for two years and planned to travel around South East Asia with her boyfriend, Matt Schiavon. Schiavon is now also among the missing.

“I want to say I know she's okay and I feel she's okay," said Lightfoot’s mother Cindy Barrows. "If anyone would know anything to please let us know."

According to her itinerary, Lightfoot planned to arrive in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 15, which would put her in the area of the powerful quakes that have rocked the country.

The death toll from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal soared past 4,000 and aid agencies warned that it could skyrocket higher once rescuers make it to rural communities that thus far have been inaccessible, NBC news reported.

Vast tent cities have sprung up in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, for those displaced or afraid to return to their homes as strong aftershocks continued through Sunday.

Barrows said she’s concerned her daughter doesn’t have shelter or water.

“It’s hard not knowing, you know, as a mom and feeling all these horrible things I won't want to think help them and I just can’t,” said Barrows. “My biggest fear is that she is dead.”

On Sunday night, a friend helped Barrows register Dawn's information as a missing person through the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Barrows said over the past two years she’s been communicating with her daughter via Facebook and photos. Now she’s hoping to get a call, text or Facebook message.

Schiavon’s older sister, Joanna, lives in Santa Barbara. She and her parents are trying to stay positive but it’s not easy.

The last time the family heard from the couple was a Skype call on April 13. Schiavon and Lightfoot talked about their upcoming 18-day trek in Nepal. On April 15, they received an email saying the pair had arrived safely in Kathmandu and haven’t heard from them since.

Joanna said the couple was scheduled to finish the trip on May 2.

The Schiavon family has reached out to the company Earthbound Expeditions to try and contact Lightfoot and Schiavon. They were told the two hikers should be okay but the representative didn’t have any specific information. Since then, they’ve gotten no updates.

They're trying to fill out forms through the website for the U.S. Embassy in Nepal but many of the links are not working.

Barrows keeps checking her daughter's itinerary. Lightfoot has been set to fly into Los Angeles International Airport on May 27.

“If she has Matt, and her and Matt are together, they’re like a rock,” Barrows said, adding that it would be likely her daughter and her boyfriend are helping those affected by the quake.

Lightfoot and Schiavon have traveled the world. This was their big last vacation before settling down to become teachers, according to Barrows.

Both went to Cardiff School and San Dieguito High School Academy in San Diego County.

Friends say Schiavon graduated from La Costa Canyon in 2002.

High school friend Mackenzie Foote said she is praying for his safe return.

“Matt is an exceptional human being with the kindest heart,” Foote said.

Lightfoot graduated from San Diego State University with a business degree before moving to San Francisco with Schiavon.

The couple lived in the Bay Area for four years and got their teaching credentials at San Francisco State University.



Photo Credit: Family photo
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San Diegan Among Those Waiting to Hear SCOTUS Arguments

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San Diegans are among those that made the journey to Washington D.C., waiting in line to get the chance to hear arguments in the landmark gay marriage case.

Tuesday, nine justices sitting on the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The line outside the court to hear those arguments has been growing since Thursday.

San Diegan Eddie Reynoso has been waiting in line since Friday, camping for his opportunity to watch history unfold.

“The opponents are constantly saying that they’re marching for freedom, they’re marching for marriage, they’re marching for truth,” Reynoso said. “That’s exactly the same thing we’re asking for. We’re asking for marriage, we’re asking for truth and we’re asking for freedom.”

He said the cause is important to him because he one day wants to share his life with someone and believes marriage is an equal right that everyone deserves to have.

When Reynoso spoke with some of the original plaintiffs in San Francisco years ago, they told him and others it would be important to share their stories so they movement could grow.

“The more that we share our story, the more that people will understand that gay people and lesbian people are friends our neighbors our mothers, fathers and sisters,” Reynoso said. “The more we share our story, the more support we gain for our cause.”

Reynoso flew in Friday morning and has been waiting in line since Friday afternoon. He said he has been following the rulings and the developments since 2008.

Blood-Covered Man to Sitter: I "Slayed the Beast"

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A babysitter hired to watch two children at an Oceanside home Friday night was met by a man covered in blood who said he had just “slayed the beast,” police said.

It took five Oceanside Police officers to subdue David Anthony Strouth, 34, who was found inside an open garage on Santa Rosa Street at approximately 9:30 p.m.

The babysitter had just arrived to the home when she saw Strouth standing near another man lying on the floor of the garage, police said.

The man on the floor was identified as 49-year-old Bradley Thomas Garner. Garner suffered numerous stab wounds to his neck and chest, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman told officers that when Strouth saw her, he got up and walked toward her. She ran to her car and called neighbors for help.

Oceanside police said the neighbors grabbed a knife and a handgun and went to the home to get the children to safety.

They found Strouth in the garage stabbing himself in the arms and neck, according to officials.

Strouth was airlifted to a Scripps Hospital La Jolla with non-life threatening injuries. He was later booked on homicide charges.

The babysitter and the children, ages two and four years, were not injured.
 



Photo Credit: NBC 7

4 San Diego Hikers Stranded in Nepal

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Four San Diegan hikers are trapped in a Nepalese village, living among those grappling to escape the country’s earthquake devastation as food supplies run low.

Just days ago, Kathleen “Kat” Heldman, her husband Kevin Krough and her friends Oscar Olea and Brigida Martinez thought they were setting off on the trip of a lifetime: a hiking adventure through Asia to celebrate Martinez's 40th birthday.

But as they reached Nepal’s Langtang region, so did the magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

Heldman’s sister, Sarah, said they experienced an agonizing few days after hearing about the earthquake. Finally, they were able to contact the hikers via satellite phone.

Sarah told NBC 7 there are no major injuries in the group.

“What that means, we don't know,” she said. “There might be broken bones and that's not considered major injuries. We just don't really know. The big worry is getting rescued soon and getting rescued before another aftershock hits.”

According to her family, ten of the most critically hurt have been airlifted out, but others are now stranded, struggling to help the injured.

Martinez, who works as an intensive care nurse, reportedly helped rescue a baby with two broken legs when the quake hit. Sarah said the San Diegans are basically managing a rescue camp where about 30 people are still living.

For those left behind, spirits are low. Another big concern is food, said Martinez’s friend Jill Salmon

At last report, the hikers have about a day’s worth of meals left.

“I'm worried at this point that she's running out of food and supplies and she's trying to help people,” said Salmon. “We just got word now that they are asking for help, at least for supplies to be air dropped there.”

A Go Fund Me page has been set up in Kat Heldman’s name, and all money will go to relief efforts, her family said.

Saturday's earthquake in Nepal has left more than 4,000 dead and thousands more injured. The temblor shook up an avalanche on Mount Everest, which killed at least 17 people.



Photo Credit: Sarah Heldman

New Downtown San Diego Visitor Center

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An April 30 grand opening is planned for a new waterfront San Diego Visitor Information Center, being operated by locally based Old Town Trolley Tours. The center is at 996 N. Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego.

Officials said the new center replaces a facility that operated on the Embarcadero for the past 30 years, overseen by the Port of San Diego and staffed by the San Diego Tourism Authority.

Company officials at Old Town Trolley Tours said the new center is located in an artistically designed building called South Pavilion near Broadway Pier, constructed as part of the port district’s recently completed first phase of improvements to the North Embarcadero.

The new center will operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. between June and October, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from November through May. The center will have a staffed desk and displays, and will distribute information for local activities, events, restaurants, hotels and transportation services.

Old Town Trolley was chosen by the port district as part of a competitive bidding process. According to port officials, Old Town Trolley will pay rent of $6,000 a month and a percentage of ticket sales to the port district.

Old Town Trolley Tours is part of Florida-based Historic Tours of America, which also operates SEAL sea and land tours in the local market. A soft opening for the local center was held April 27, with company and government leaders planning a public ceremonial opening for 11 a.m. April 30.



Photo Credit: Monica Garske
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Mom Made Up Story About Baby Attacked With Baseball Bat on NY Street: Police

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Police say the mother of a 2-month-old boy who suffered a severe brain injury after she told authorities the infant was hit in the head with a baseball bat on a Bronx street during an attack on his father dropped the child on the ground and made up the dramatic tale to cover it up.

Authorities say the boy's 22-year-old mother dropped him in her apartment but didn't report it because she had a run-in with the Administration for Children's Services in the past.

Instead, police say, the mother made up a story about leaving a building on Noble Avenue in Soundview around 12:15 a.m. Tuesday with the infant, his 1-year-old sister and the children's 22-year-old father to go to an ATM at a Rite Aid.

The mother told police two men in a silver Toyota Camry got out of their vehicle near Lafayette Avenue and hit the father, who was holding the 2-month-old boy in his arms, with a bat. The father tried to defend himself and the baby, but the baby was hit, the mother alleged, officials said.

The 1-year-old daughter was unharmed; the father fractured his arm as he tried to protect his son and the mother's glasses broke when she tried to stop the attack, according to the story the woman told detectives, a law enforcement source said. A heavy police presence was visible outside the Rite Aid throughout the day as authorities investigated.

Authorities now say none of the saga is true, and a law enforcement source tells NBC 4 New York the father wasn't home when the child was hurt. The revelation comes about an hour after the baby boy's condition was upgraded to critical but stable; earlier Tuesday, authorities had said he likely would not survive his injuries, though the extent of any brain damage remains unknown.

It's not clear what consequences the mother may face. The investigation is ongoing. A law enforcement source tells NBC 4 New York the mother's earlier run-in with ACS involved her 1-year-old daughter last year. The source said the mother brought the child to a doctor for a checkup and the doctor noticed bruising on the baby's face. ACS investigated and found no apparent abuse.

In a statement, the agency said it was "deeply saddened by this tragic incident" and has launched a thorough investigation. Privacy laws preclude ACS from commenting on any case history.



Photo Credit: NBC 4 New York
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Judge to Rule on Taxi Permits Debate

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A judge will soon decide whether the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) can begin issuing new taxi permits now that a cap on the number of available permits has been lifted.

Late last year, the San Diego City Council approved lifting a cap on the number of taxi permits. That lift has now led to a Superior Court hearing because not everyone is on board with the decision.

Over the last 30 years, there has been a cap on the number of taxi permits available in San Diego.

In March, a group of local cab companies filed a lawsuit to stop the MTS from processing new taxi permits, arguing that having no limit on the number of permits issued would cause those permits to lose value.

Opponents argue that the end of the cap could lead to more taxi cabs on the roads and to more pollution, which they claim the city council failed to take into consideration.

On the other side, supporters of lifting the cap on taxi permits argue it will allow cab drivers to grow as small business owners, rather than to have to lease permits and cars from cab companies, or buy an existing permit for more than $100,000.

Local cab driver Umer Sheka said he supports the lift and has already applied for his permit.
“We’re not making money, you know. We have to pay gas. [This] is helping drivers a lot,” said Sheka.

He hopes the MTS will be able to process his permit next month. Of course, that all depends on the ruling Tuesday from Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Prager.

A group called the San Diego Taxi Drivers will hold a media briefing after the hearing in front of Superior Court in downtown San Diego to discuss why they want their own permits and why they oppose the cab companies’ lawsuit.

The intervening drivers are represented by the Institute for Justice

"We hope the judge will see the cab companies' lawsuit for what it is: a baseless attempt to preserve their monopoly and deny their drivers' right to earn an honest living," said Wesley Hottot, an attorney at the Institute for Justice (IJ) in a media release.



Photo Credit:

Baltimore Riots Follow Freddie Gray's Death, Years of Complaints About Police Brutality

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A week after 25-year-old Freddie Gray died from the spinal cord injuries he suffered while in the custody of Baltimore police, the city erupted in riots.

Gray ran from officers on bicycles at Baltimore’s Gilmor Homes on April 12 near where he lived. He surrendered without a struggle when officers caught up with him, police said. His arrest was recorded on a cell phone video, which showed him limp as he was dragged into a police van. 

Gray died a week later, the latest black man to be fatally injured while under arrest.

Police said they put leg cuffs on him when he became irate inside the van. Gray asked for medical help several times, and police have since acknowledged that he should have received assistance immediately. He also was not restrained by a seat belt in the van. Six officers have since been suspended amid an investigation.

Gray's autopsy showed that he died of injuries from a spinal injury. Gray’s family said that his larynx was crushed and 80 percent of his spinal cord was severed.

Authorities have not explained how he was injured. Police said in a charging document that Gray had a switchblade on him, clipped to the inside of his pocket.

His death follows years of complaints about police brutality in the city, according to the Baltimore Sun. An investigation by the newspaper last year found that the city had paid nearly $6 million since 2011 to settle 102 lawsuits alleging brutality. State legislation sought by the mayor to deal with the complaints failed at the beginning of the month.

Gray’s funeral was held on Monday, as tension was building through the city and demonstrations were held almost daily. Saturday night groups of protesters marched to the Camden Yards baseball stadium from City Hall. Later smaller groups looted a convenience store, threw tables through storefront windows, smashed police cars windows, and fought with baseball fans outside a bar.

After school was let out Monday afternoon, the disturbances grew. A flier circulated among students on social media alerted them to a "purge" would begin at 3 p.m. at the Mondawmin Mall, a reference to the movie "The Purge," about what would happen if all laws were suspended, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Groups began roaming through the neighborhood where the funeral was held. A CVS pharmacy was looted and set on fire; stores in the mall where were vandalized and Baltimore police later tweeted that a fire hose had been cut to prevent firefighters from extinguished a fire.

The Orioles postponed their home game against the Chicago White Sox Monday and again on Tuesday.

In the midst of the violence, some people tried to stop it. Young men in black shirts from an anti-violence group urged people to go inside, The New York Times reported. A woman was seen on video smacking a young man, reported by Baltimore TV station WMAR to be her son, and pulling him from the crowd. Gray's family especially condemned the riots and called for calm.

"To see that it turned into all this violence and destruction, I am really appalled," Gray's stepfather Richard Shipley said.

His mother, Gloria Darden, said: "Don't tear up the whole city just for him. That's wrong."

By Monday night, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had requested help from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to control the rioting and arson. The National Guard was called in and a state of emergency was declared.

Hogan said that although he wanted answers to what had happened to Gray, the rioting was inexcusable and he promised an overwhelming presence of law enforcement to prevent additional clashes.

Sox-Orioles Game Postponed

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The White Sox and Orioles must wait at least another day to play as Baltimore cleans up from overnight riots and fires.

For the second day in a row, the teams' game was postponed.

"After consultation with MLB & state & local officials, tonight’s game between the Orioles & the White Sox at Oriole Park has been postponed," the Baltimore Orioles tweeted Tuesday.

The Orioles asked fans to keep their tickets and parking passes until more information is made available.

A makeup date will be announced as soon as possible, the team said.

About 1,000 fans were inside the stadium when Monday's game was called off, and many gates already had been closed.

At least eight police officers were confirmed to be injured Monday in protests that heated up in the Liberty Heights area and near a shopping mall in Baltimore on the day of Freddie Gray's funeral.

Gray died a week ago of an unexplained injury while in police custody. 



Photo Credit: AP

San Diegans Heading to Nepal to Help Orphanage

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A San Diego organization is putting out an open call for volunteers, asking everyone to join them in helping the millions affected by the devastating Nepal earthquake.

Deborah Eriksson, the executive director of Restore International, is trying to get a group together to travel to Nepal next week.

Last fall, the Point Loma-based organization built an orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, where the quake killed nearly 4,400 people and caused severe damage to religious sites and city infrastructure.

Eriksson said six young girls and their caretakers live in the orphanage. For 24 hours after the quake, she and the founder didn’t know if they were OK.

“Over in Nepal, there’s only electricity about two hours a day, and Sunday that’s all they had,” she said. “[We were on the phone], but I could barely hear him saying ‘The girls are OK. Everybody’s fine,’ so a sigh of relief at that.”

Eriksson hopes her trip helps the community as a whole, not just the orphanage, and she wants other San Diegans to join her.

“We’d love to work with different people and maximize our impact over there,” she said.

Everyone is welcoming to join her effort, Eriksson said, especially people with specific aid-related experience like doctors and nurses. If you can’t travel to Nepal, Eriksson said the group is also accepting money donations.

To find out more on how you can help this local group, visit their website.
 

Family Cautiously Optimistic About Missing Couple

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Southern California families are cautiously optomistic that a Cardiff couple missing in Nepal is OK after the destructive earthquake, though they are still waiting to hear from them.

Matt Schiavon and Dawn Lightfoot are expected back in Kathmandu within the next couple of days, according to the president of Earthbound Expeditions, the group with whom they were traveling.

Schiavon’s sister Joanna got an email from the organization Tuesday morning. In it, the president explained the group’s phone is not working.

“But for sure they are safe as we [heard] from guide on last Sat. after big earthquake,” the email read.

However, the family has not actually spoken to the two, so they are concerned they may have been injured in subsequent aftershocks.

Lightfoot and her boyfriend, Schiavon, set off on a trip around Southeast Asia after she wrapped up two years of teaching in South Korea.

Joanna, who lives in Santa Barbara, last heard from the couple through a Skype call on April 13, when they discussed an 18-day trek in Nepal.

Their itinerary put them in the path of the powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that leveled buildings and killed more than 4,400 people around Kathmandu.

Lightfoot and Schiavon are scheduled to finish the trip on May 2, but the devastation surrounding them is sure to upend their adventure, which was to be the last big vacation before settling down to become teachers, according to Lightfoot’s mother Cindy Barrows.

“If she has Matt, and her and Matt are together, they’re like a rock,” Barrows told NBC 7 Monday. She said it’s likely the couple is helping those affected by the quake.

Both teachers attended Cardiff School and San Dieguito High School Academy. Schiavon graduated from La Costa Canyon in 2002, according to friends, while Lightfoot got her business degree through San Diego State University.

The two lived in the Bay Area for four years, earning their teaching credentials through San Francisco State University.



Photo Credit: Facebook

San Diego Father and Son Stuck in Nepal

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A San Diego father and son are stuck in Nepal after the region’s deadly earthquake and are working to raise money to help their tour guides whose villages and homes were destroyed in the devastating disaster.

Andi Neugarten told NBC 7 that her son, Jesse Neugarten, and his father, Larry Neugarten, are stranded in Lukla in northeastern Nepal. She said Jesse’s girlfriend, Ellie Huizenga and her father, who are from Atlanta, are also there.

Andi said Jesse and Larry left for their trip on April 20. They were hiking to base camp when the 7.8-magnitude quake struck the region. Luckily, they were unharmed as their tour guides rushed them to safety.

However, Andi said their tour guides lost everything in the earthquake – including some of family members and homes. Jesse and Larry created this fundraising page to collect donations for their guides.

Larry posted this message to his Facebook page following the earthquake:

"Hi everyone, thank you so much for your concerns. Yesterday we managed to climb to what we think is the safest place to be. We are in Lukla at about 11,000 ft. Many casualties being flown off the mountain to here. All flights out of Lukla have been medical only and limited. We are fine for now and are sleeping in a tent behind the airfield."

He also posted a note a his pgae about their efforts to help their tour guide:

"Our guides who both lost their homes, their entire villages and beloved family members whilst keeping us safe from the horror will still not leave our sides until we are safely off the mountain. We have started a fund to try and get their homes re built and bring them some form of shelter and safety. Each house would cost around $5,000."

As of Tuesday morning, Andi said they were "desperately working on flights" to get Jesse and Larry out of the disaster-stricken region.

“Desperation is setting in. Families at home [are] all worried,” she said. “My priority right now is getting them out.”

She was eventually able to book flights for both Jesse and Larry and said they would be returning home Thursday.

Andi said her son is a graduate of Torrey Pines High School. He is graduating from Oberlin College in Ohio next month.

Other locals linked to the Nepal quake include Carlsbad couple Matt Schiavon and Dawn Lightfoot. They were reported missing after the earthquake but have since been found safe and are expected back in Kathmandu within the next few days.

Four San Diegan hikers are also trapped in a Nepalese village in the aftermath of the quake, living among those grappling to escape the country's devastation as aid runs low.

Meanwhile, San Diego-based organization Restore International has put out an open call for volunteers to join their upcoming trip to Nepal next week when the group plans to travel to the region to help an orphanage and others impacted by the earthquake.
 



Photo Credit: Facebook

183 Traffic Cones Honor Fallen Caltrans Workers

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A traffic cone memorial paid tribute to the Caltrans workers who lost their lives in the line of duty, as the agency honors the 2015 Highway Workers Memorial Day on Tuesday.

At the Caltrans district office, organizers displayed 183 cones, one for each worker killed in California since 1921. Out of those 183 cones, 18 represented workers who died while working on a roadside.

An additional plaque commemorates the 18 people who died in District 11, which covers San Diego and Imperial counties.

Multiple members and officials of Caltrans attended the ceremony, including Caltrans District 11 Director Laurie Berman and California Highway Patrol Chief Jim Abele.

“We will remember them as being more than names on a symbolic orange cone,” said Berman. “We will remember them as co-workers, friends, husbands, wives, grandparents, sons, daughters, uncles and aunts. Their impacts as human beings cannot be measured.”

A banner revealed at the ceremony showed children asking drivers to “Be Work Zone Alert” to prevent roadside worker fatalities.

Berman said moving forward, workers need to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings as drivers become more and more distracted on freeways.



Photo Credit: Caltrans/Facebook

Man Dies in Bonsall Motorcycle Crash

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A motorcyclist has died after he crashed into a mailbox and a tree in Bonsall Monday evening.

Just after 7:30 p.m., the 45 year-old man was riding his 2010 Victory Cross Country motorcycle when he lost control of his motorcycle near the intersection of Camino Del Rey and Camino Del Cielo.

According to witnesses, the motorcyclist was speeding and passing other motorists over the double yellow lines. When he approached the intersection, he lost control and was thrown from his motorcycle, hitting the mailbox and palm tree.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is unclear if drugs or alcohol were a cause of the fatality. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.
 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Off-Duty Officer Pleads Guilty in Teen Chokehold

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A Chula Vista police officer accused of putting his girlfriend’s son in a chokehold pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge.

Roman Granados, 47, admitted to willful injury to a child, a misdemeanor, and fighting in public, an infraction.

He will be sentenced Aug. 12. He faces anywhere from probation time to six months in jail. And if granted probation, Granados must be under supervision for four years and would also have to take part in a parenting/child abuse class.

Last June, Granados was off duty and involved in an altercation with his girlfriend’s 16-year-old son at a Chula Vista Hills Elementary School event.

Family members said Granados hit and slapped the teen as well as performed a police-like chokehold on him during the elementary school graduation.

The teen’s father said the attack was unprovoked; an official motive was never released by officials.

Granados had been placed on administrative leave following the June 5 disturbance. Granados has since returned to work at the Chula Vista Police Department, but "in a duty that doesn't involve the public," said Chula Vista police Lt. Fritz Reber.

It wasn't immediately known whether his employment status and duties would change.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Love Your Lines: Stretch Marks Go Viral

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Karly Vedan was 9 when she first noticed stretch marks popping on her legs.

"I grew pretty tall really fast," she said. "They looked really creepy, like something scratched my knees."

Well, fast forward more than a decade and her lines have lots of company. Before giving birth a year ago to an adorable son, at 35 weeks into her pregnancy, lines had taken over her tummy.

"At first I was just kind of scared," said the 21-year-old Canadian student in Edmonton, Alberta. "It looked so weird, like I had a bunch of spider veins all over my stomach.... I asked my doctor about it and they said those are just stretch marks, don't worry about it."

She heeded that advice and was overjoyed a few months back when she stumbled on an Instagram campaign urging other women to do the same.

The effort that has resonated with Vedan and hundreds of other women was started about seven months ago by moms Alex Elle, a writer, and Erika Layne Salazar, a photographer. Aptly dubbed Love Your Lines, they put up an Instagram account of that name and spread the word for one and all to email them photos of their stretch marks and how they feel about them, especially in relation to today's idealized standards of skinny, unmarred perfection.

Swamped with images, they're still going strong, giving birth to the popular hashtag LoveYourLines used by posters showing off their own marks on Instagram, Tumblr and elsewhere across social media.

Setting the effort apart from other woman power and esteem-boosting campaigns is the fact that Elle and Salazar transform each image into high-art black and white as a way to avoid distraction from the marks themselves and the stories behind them.

"For me, Love Your Lines was a way to make women feel safe about their bodies," said Elle, in Rockville, Maryland. "We wanted a platform where women could be themselves. Initially it was just going to be a fine art photography collection where I would be interviewing the women and Erika would be taking the photos. Then it just kind of went crazy."

With the promise of anonymity to all who want it, women from around the world are pouring out their seemingly sincerest joys, anxieties and despair over their marks, loose postpartum bellies and battle wounds from valiant fights against cancer.

Some, like Vedan, have allowed themselves to be identified by the posting of their traceable Instagram handles. Others, like a recent nameless submission, have spoken of suicide.

"No man will love me or choose me when there are so many beautiful & lovely women out there," wrote one who submitted a close up of her belly and identified herself as a childless 24-year-old. "I will never be at peace with my lines. My body issues consume me at every waking moment."

Nearly 300 people, at the urging of Elle and Salazar in an accompanying comment, have offered her comments of love and encouragement.

"Women are absolutely beautiful the way that they are and they don't have to be airbrushed to be beautiful," Elle said in a recent phone interview with Salazar. "I feel like we're coming into a time where women are starting to accept that they're beautiful, flaws and all. We're so much more alike than we think."

Some of the participants are pictured with their little ones. Others show off the splendor of their pregnant bellies. Most of the photos are in extreme close-up.

"Mother of 2 at the age of 28 and each day I become more in touch with my new body," said a poster celebrating her lines and saggy tummy skin. "Even though it took me years to accept them, I can now say I wear them with pride."

Salazar, who lives near Elle in Silver Spring, Maryland, considers support an important part of the project.

"We're all opening the door for each other," she said.

But it's also more personal for her. Salazar's 4-year-old daughter required open heart surgery at birth. "She has a huge scar down her chest. I never want her to think twice about whether she's beautiful or not."

Arianne Klarisse is an aspiring 17-year-old model in London. She submitted a photo of the stretch marks she has on her bum. She said by phone that her lines began at puberty and she also has them on the backs of her legs, on her hips and on her thighs.

"I've tried a lot of creams, moisturizers, oils," she said. "There's nothing I can do. I just have to live with it."

Rachel Hollis, a mother of three boys in Los Angeles, had not heard of Love Your Lines when she posted a photo of herself on Instagram rocking a bikini on vacation in Cancun, Mexico -- stomach pooch and all.

"I have stretch marks and I wear a bikini," she wrote in part under the March photo on her feed, (at)msrachelhollis. "I have a belly that's permanently flabby from carrying three giant babies and I wear a bikini. My belly button is saggy ... (which is something I didn't even know was possible before!!) and I wear a bikini. I wear a bikini because I'm proud of this body and every mark on it."

Her on-the-beach declaration earned her viral status across her social streams, and an outpouring from people of all shapes motivated to share their lined, marked bodies and stories, too.

In an interview, the 32-year-old Hollis said it had been a decade since she had worn a bikini before taking off with her hubby without the kids, ages 8, 6 and 2. She really liked her orange bathing suit top that day and asked him to snap a picture.

"It's crazy. Almost immediately women started posting their own photos in the comment section," said Hollis, who runs a lifestyle blog called Thechicsite.com. "Women just lifting up their shirts and posting their stretch marks. It wasn't just women and it wasn't just moms. It was men who had lost weight. It was veterans who had lost limbs. People who had scars from burns or chemotherapy."

She's even more proud now of her body knowing she has inspired others.

"They took the torch and they ran with it and I'm so humbled," Hollis said. "It's awesome that it was my photo but it makes me think that it's something people want to see: the reality instead of constantly looking at perfection."



Photo Credit: LoveYourLines Instagram photo

Fire Damages Spring Valley Home

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Fire damaged a detached garage and spread to the home in Spring Valley, officials said.

Cal Fire, San Diego County Sheriff's Deputies and California Highway Patrol officers were on the scene of a garage fire on Lamar Street at approximately 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The smoke could be seen in the area south of State Route 94 and east of State Route 125.

From NBC 7 Newschopper, it appears two buildings were damaged and a detached garage was destroyed.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

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