In the sweetest possible gesture, San Diego Girl Scouts and supporters gathered Saturday to send thousands of boxes of cookies to U.S. military troops overseas.

The Girl Scouts came together on the flight deck of USS Midway to watch a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter take away the cookies destined for delivery to U.S. service members as part of the 14th Annual Operation Thin Mint celebration.

The Girl Scouts cheered at the sweet send-off, proud of the project that helps send a taste of home to those serving overseas.

Operation Thin Mint is a program that originated in San Diego County in 2002 designed to provide cookies and support to deployed U.S. service men and women.

Girl Scouts accept donations for the program each year from cookie customers and use that money to send boxes of the sweet treats to the troops.

Over the past 13 years, Operation Thin Mint has been able to send more than 2.5 million boxes of cookies to service members serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, Japan, Korea, and the Persian Gulf, Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Thousands of people attended Saturday’s event on the USS Midway in support of the operation. Each Girl Scout in attendance received a star patch and mini U.S. Flag as a token of thanks for their efforts in continuing to make Operation Thin Mint a sweet, sweet success.
 

A plainclothes police officer suffered a gunshot wound to the head by a man who fired into his unmarked police car Saturday in Queens, New York Police Department officials said.

The suspected gunman, whom police identified as Demitrius Blackwell, was apprehended after an intensive 90-minute search of the neighborhood.

The wounded officer, Brian Moore, 25, was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and rushed into surgery. He was said to be in critical, but stable condition, according to police sources

The shooting occurred at about 6:15 p.m. when Moore and his partner, Officer Erik Jansen, approached a "person of interest" near the intersection of 212th Street and 104th Road in the Queens Village neighborhood, investigators said.

Police Commissioner William Bratton said during a news conference that the man the officers approached was "adjusting an object in his waistband." He then turned and fired several times into the unmarked car, he said.

Only Moore was struck by gunfire. Neither officer had time to return fire as the gunman fled on foot, Bratton said. Jansen immediately radioed for assistance, he said.

Police scoured the area and were seen walking on roofs and looking under parked cars.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had rushed to the hospital where the officer was being treated, said during the news conference that he was pleased that members of the community helped police locate the gunman.

"It's a painful day for all of us," he said.

More is a member of a "police family," Bratton said. His father and uncle are retired officers.

Blackwell has an extensive arrest record, the commissioner added. "He also has done time (in prison)," he said.

The shooting comes less than six months after two NYPD officers were shot and killed in the wake of a grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.

The Marine Corps is investigating the death of a Hawaii-based Marine in California.

The Marine Corps said in a statement Saturday Gunnery Sgt. Eugene Jones was found unresponsive in his barracks room at the Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy in Camp Pendleton.

He was found at 8 a.m. Wednesday, two days after checked in at the academy to take a course. Medical responders pronounced him dead at the scene.

Jones is from Montgomery, West Virginia. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Headquarters Company Commander 1st Lt. Nicklas Anthony says Jones was an integral part of the Installation Personnel Administration Center and the Headquarters Battalion team at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Police are looking for a man they say robbed a pizza shop and stole a car minutes apart at knifepoint.

A man described as 5 feet 5 inches, 130 to 150 pounds and approximately 24 years old with a clean shave tried to rob a pizza store and, later, stole a car around 4 p.m. Friday on the 1000 block of Cardiff Street, in the Jamacha and Lomita neighborhoods.

The suspect walked into a Domino’s Pizza and demanded money from the employee, police said. When he did not give the man the money, police said he pulled something silver from his pocket and then put it away.

The manager spotted the man and asked him what he wanted and the suspect left the store without anything. He was last seen running westbound onto Jamacha Road wearing a blue shirt, blue jeans, a dark baseball cap and dark tennis shoes.

Moments later, across the street on the 8400 block of Jamacha Road, it appeared the same suspect ran up to a car with a man sleeping inside and took out what appeared to be a homemade knife, police said.

The suspect demanded the victim start his car and told him to get out. He did, and the man drove off in the car. The car was a 2009 gray four door Toyota Camry.

Police are searching for the suspect.

Anyone with information related to the above incident(s) is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

A 27-year-old teacher at a New Jersey charter school was shot dead in front of her home late Friday in front of a police officer she had flagged over as she argued with the father of her child, authorities said.

Prosecutors say Latrena May, who lived in East Orange and taught at the city's Pride Academy, was arguing with the father of her child, Andre Higgs, in front of her home on Tremont Avenue around 10 p.m. when she saw an officer on patrol and waved the cop over.

When the police officer approached May and Higgs, Higgs allegedly shot May. The officer then shot Higgs.

Higgs was taken to a hospital, where he was arrested and charged with murder and weapons offenses in May's death. The officer was not injured.

The age of May's child wasn't clear, and it wasn't known what she and Higgs were arguing about at the time of the shooting.

It wasn't clear Saturday if Higgs had retained an attorney.  

After a week-long journey from Mount Everest, an Allen,Texas, woman is home.

Danielle Banks, 22, was greeted by family and friends at DFW Airport on Saturday afternoon.

She was with a group climbing to the base camp of the mountain last weekend, when an earthquake triggered an avalanche.

Banks says she was “lucky” to be further down the peak than most climbers, but in seconds, saw the lodge where she was staying covered in snow.

“Once everyone realized what was happening, we just ran for open area and open cover,” she said.

“Not even seconds later, the avalanche fell from the mountains.”

Banks was able to tell her family she was safe by text message, but her mother Sharon says communication was spotty. She spent days wondering if her daughter was alive, eventually arranging for an airlift to take Danielle off the mountain.

After Banks reached the US Embassy, her mother insisted she return home.

“I moved Mount Everest and I got her off that mountain!” said Sharon Banks.

Danielle Banks had been in Nepal for two months doing humanitarian work to prevent human trafficking. She says she would like to return to help rebuild the country, but right now, staying in Nepal would mean taking meals and an available bed away from someone with nowhere else to go.

“I think that’s a lesson I’ll carry close to my heart forever, how privileged we are,” she said.

A San Diego man is suing MillerCoors, claiming the company’s Blue Moon beer is not truly a craft beer.

Evan Parent claims MillerCoors deceived him by advertising their product, Blue Moon, as a craft beer produced in a small brewery when in actuality the product is made in large plants, according to the lawsuit.

The product is marketed as “artfully crafted,” but, Parents says, the product does not qualify as a craft brewery product.

“What this case is really about is people think they're buying craft beer and they're actually buying crafty marketing,” Parent's lawyer told NBC7.

In the lawsuit, Parent says that despite the fact that MillerCoors has been brewing the beer for the past 20 years, “Defendant [MillerCoors] goes to great lengths to disassociate Blue Moon beer from the MillerCoors name. MillerCoors does not appear anywhere on the Blue Moon bottle,” the lawsuit claims.

By misleading the people who buy the beer, the lawsuit claims, they are able to charge up to 50 percent more for the product.

Parent said he cares about it because he is a beer aficionado and home brewer.

“It matters to me because I'm a craft brew fan...I take care in where I spend my money,” Parent said. 

After learning the way the beer was made and marketed in 2012, he stopped purchasing the beer. 

“When someone's deceiving me into giving them my money for the wrong reasons that's upsetting,” Parent told NBC7.

The class-action suit was filed in San Diego Superior Court.

A spokesperson for MillerCoors company says the lawsuit lacks merit.

On NBC7 News at 11, hear from the local man behind the lawsuit. Watch live on desktop, on app or on TV. 

Police in New Jersey broke up a dog-fighting ring and charged four men in connection with its operation, authorities said Saturday.

Paterson police and animal control officers rescued three pit bulls from the dogfight, said the city's Chief Animal Control Officer John DeCando. One dog was severely injured, he said.

Responding to a complaint, officers raided a building at 198 E. 16th Street at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, investigators said.

Occupants fled as police entered the building, but police detained two and found a third hiding in a closet, DeCando said.

Two pit bulls in cages appeared undernourished but uninjured. Syringes and what appeared to be steroids were found near the fighting pen, investigators said.

Michael Coleman, 34, of Paterson, was charged with animal fighting, animal cruelty and maintaining a premise for unlawful conduct, police said.

Michael Rochelin and Jerry Mosquea, whose addresses were unavailable, were charged with animal cruelty, police said.

The owner of a business at the location of the dogfight, Erasmo Rosado, who arrived after the raid, told officers that he rented the space to Coleman to be used as a car wash, investigators said. He was charged with animal fighting, police said. 

Cable providers of one of the biggest television events, the much talked about Mayweather versus Pacquaio boxing match, is having some problems.

Boxing fans went to Twitter to express frustration when they weren't able to get the $100 pay-per-view on their television.

Time Warner Cable and Charter both tweeted that they were addressing the problem immediately.

HBO's Jim Lampley announced that the much anticipated boxing match is being delayed due to an "electronic overload," according to the New York Times.

Two people were killed along Interstate 15 early Saturday morning when a wrong-way suspected DUI driver plowed into a vehicle carrying a family of five near Scripps Ranch.

According to California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials, the deadly crash happened around 3:10 a.m. on southbound I-15 north of Mira Mesa Boulevard.

The CHP said the 21-year-old driver of a black Audi A4 was driving in the wrong direction in the express lanes of the freeway when he collided head-on with a Honda Civic carrying five people.

The Honda Civic changed lanes to avoid the collision with the wrong-way driver, but the wrong-way driver simultaneously did the same maneuver and the vehicles collided head-on.

The CHP said the Honda Civic came to rest in the freeway lane while the Audi was high-sided on the concrete barrier.

The impact was so strong, officials said, both the driver of the Honda Civic – an 84-year-old man – and a 55-year-old female passenger died at the scene.

Officials said at least one person was ejected from one of the mangled cars.

The Audi landed on the center divider along the freeway.

Meanwhile, fire crews had to pry out three young adults – ages 19 and 21 – trapped in the back seat of the wrecked Honda Civic. The driver of the Audi also had to be extricated from his vehicle.

All four survivors were transported to local hospitals with major unspecified injuries. Their conditions were unknown as of 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

CHP officials said they had arrested the driver of the Audi on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The names of the victims killed in the collision were not immediately released, but the family is from Escondido, officials confirmed.

The fatal crash remains under investigation.

The teammates of a West Hills High School (WHHS) student killed in a crash in front of campus say they will forever remember their “brother” for the positivity and kindness he lived by.

“He was the best of us. That’s what we would always say,” WHHS junior Liam Breslian told NBC 7 Friday. “He is just so positive all the time.”

Breslian was referring to his friend, 17-year-old Ryan Willweber.

On Thursday afternoon, Willweber and his brother, Cory, were involved in a deadly crash as they drove in front of their high school on Mast Boulevard in Santee.

As the teens’ sedan tried to make a left-hand turn onto the campus, a gold Ford Explorer T-boned the car at a high rate of speed, officials said. The Explorer struck the sedan with such force it caused the car to back into a truck waiting behind it.

The brothers inside the sedan had to be cut from their crushed vehicle by fire crews. Willweber was critically injured and was airlifted to a local hospital. Sadly, he died shortly thereafter.

On Thursday night, dozens upon dozens of students piled into West Hills High School and held a tearful candlelight vigil in remembrance of Willweber. After the vigil, his peers gathered around the school’s track to watch the track team run in Willweber’s honor.

The student was a standout athlete and ran track for the West Hills Wolf Pack.

Breslian also went to middle school with Willweber and had been running track with him for years.
He said the Wolf Pack track team learned the tragic news of the crash while they were out for a run.

“It was hard to take,” he recalled. “It’s been hard. At first it was really hard to accept that it even happened.”

“I think everyone is mourning in their own way – especially us,” he added.

Breslian said Willweber was a true team player – someone who always asked other teammates how their races went and offered words of encouragement whether a teammate won or lost.

“By far, he is the nicest guy on the team. He was a great, great young man,” said Breslain.
Track teammate and WHHS sophomore Christian Medina agreed, praising Willweber’s dedication to both his sport and his studies.

“He was just a great individual overall,” said Medina.

He said the loss has been incredibly difficult for the track team.

“We see each other as brothers. We see it as a lost brother,” explained Medina. “We always go out there – whether it be cross country or track – and we do it for each other. This accident is really heartbreaking for us.”

Medina and Breslain said the team’s next track meet will surely be tough without Willweber’s presence, but the team will come together and support one another.

“We will run in his honor,” added Medina.

The teammates said the track team is in the process of wrapping up the season and it is sad Willweber won’t be there to close it all out with them.

“He was such a positive guy, and a great influence and impact on all of us. It was great having him there,”said Medina.

Teammate Kiernan Elam said Willweber’s influence on his peers is undeniable.

“It’s really hard seeing just how much Ryan has affected everyone – everyone you pass in the halls,” said Elam. “I can’t imagine a nicer guy and I can’t imagine a worst way for him to go. He had so much ahead of him.”

All three teammates said Willweber comes from a great family who is also just as kind. His father is a pastor at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Allied Gardens.

“He spread his positivity everywhere he went. His smile was radiant,” said Breslain.

Grief counselors were on-hand at West Hills High School Friday to help students cope with the tragedy. Students wore blue to school as a way of honoring Willweber.

Willweber’s brother, Cory, remains hospitalized with broken bones to his shoulder and face, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

The two others involved in the crash – the driver of the Explorer and the driver of the truck – sustained minor injuries.

The fatal accident remains under investigation.

Santee Mayor Randy Voepel and San Diego County Sheriff's Department Capt. James Bovet held a media briefing Friday in front of the school and said Mast Boulevard is a safe street that is not prone to collisions. They said a traffic light is not currently needed at the site of the deadly crash.

However, NBC 7 Investigates obtained data that reveals at least five crashes have taken place in the area -- two with injuries.
 

A self-proclaimed "hellraiser" was arraigned Sunday on charges accusing him of shooting of a New York City police officer as he sat in his unmarked car.

Meanwhile, Brian Moore, the officer who was wounded in the head in Saturday's shooting in Queens, was placed in a medically induced coma. He remains in critical, but stable, condition, officials said.

Demetrius Blackwell, 35, of Queens, appeared in court Sunday in a torn jumpsuit. His hands were cuffed behind his back and his legs were shackled. In addition to first-degree attempted murder, he was charged with first-degree assault and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

The courtroom was packed with NYPD officers, some with tears welling in their eyes.

Blackwell, who did not issue a plea, was ordered held without bail.

He was apprehended after an intensive 90-minute search of the neighborhood after the shooting.

The shooting occurred at about 6:15 p.m. when Moore and his partner, Officer Erik Jansen, slowly drove their car alongside a "person of interest" near the intersection of 212th Street and 104th Road in the Queens Village neighborhood, investigators said.

Police Commissioner William Bratton said during a news conference that the man the officers approached was "adjusting an object in his waistband." He then turned and fired several times into the unmarked car, he said.

Only Moore was struck by gunfire. Neither officer had time to return fire as the gunman fled on foot, Bratton said. Jansen immediately radioed for assistance, he said.

Police scoured the area and were seen walking on roofs and looking under parked cars as helicopters flew overhead.

Blackwell was arrested in a house on the block where he lives, according to officials. Police searched the house, but haven't found a weapon.

Blackwell has an extensive arrest record, which includes a 2001 conviction for attempted murder, according to state records.

Assistant District Attorney Peter McCormack said that Blackwell told a detective that he is known in the area as a "hellraiser on the street."

Moore, 25, is a member of a "police family," Bratton said. His father and uncle are retired officers. He lives on Long Island and joined the NYPD in 2010.

The shooting comes less than six months after two NYPD officers were shot and killed in the wake of a grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.

A missing Loyola Marymount University freshman who was reported missing Friday night after an argument with his father was found safe Saturday night, a school spokeswoman said.

Austin Bruns, 19, was found safe, LMU spokeswoman Celeste Durante said.

Bruns was found in Santa Monica and was in good health, according to a watch commander at LAPD's Pacific Division. It's not clear where he was during the time he was missing.

Bruns was last seen at around 5:30 p.m. Friday night, and left all of his essential belongings, including his wallet and phone, in his dorm room, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said.

His father Scott Bruns said they had argued during a phone conversation Thursday, and after not hearing back from his son, he flew down from their home city of Sacramento.

"I was on the phone talking to him about the year, finals ... internships and summer activities, and I was expressing some frustration with him," Scott Bruns said. "He hung up and hasn't been seen since."

He said his said son had apologized at least once during the conversation before hanging up, and despite attempting to call Bruns back numerous times, he did not pick up. Scott Bruns said his son is "a great kid," and he wants to get in touch with him as soon as possible.

"He's never acted like this before," Scott Bruns added. "He's always called back. I was scared."

Bruns, a keen actor who is a film student at the university, was reported missing at around 11 p.m. Friday, and the search for him was treated as a critical missing persons case.

A critically missing person is one at an elevated risk of danger if not located as soon as possible due to the circumstances surrounding the disappearance.

A 61-year-old bicyclist was left with serious injuries after a car started his left turn too early and hit him, police said.

The incident happened at approximately 10 a.m. Sunday on the 1200 block of Riverwalk Drive in the Mission Valley West neighborhood. The male bicyclist was riding southbound in an exit lane from the southwest Fashion Valley Mall entrance when a 52-year-old man started his left turn too early.

The man, driving eastbound on the 1200 block of Riverwalk Drive, made a left turn into the mall parking lot. He struck the bicyclist and caused serious but non-life threatening injuries.

The bicyclist was taken to a local hospital where it was discovered he had a brain bleed injury, fractured ribs, fractures to his face and abrasions.

Intoxication is not suspected to be a factor.

The San Diego Police Department Traffic Division is investigating.

Dozens poured into an Allied Gardens Sunday for a prayer service at the church where the father of a teen killed in a tragic car crash is a pastor. 

On Thursday afternoon, 17-year-old Ryan Willweber and his brother, Cory, were involved in a deadly crash as they drove in front of their high school on Mast Boulevard in Santee. 

At the morning prayer service, parishioners at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church gathered to say their prayers during the service. Ryan's father Paul was present at the Mass but did not speak or give service. Ryan's father Paul later spoke with NBC7 about his son's death. 

After the service, family friends and parishioners remembered the young teen killed in the crash as a kind, giving young man with a bright future. 

“Wonderful kid, well behaved," said Natividad Worm, a parishioner. "Never did anything wrong. Always attending, always working, always helping other people.”

Worm used to babysit Willweber when he was younger and has been going to the church for more than 25 years. 

“He’s an angel up there," Worm said. "That’s the only reassurance and consolation that we get. That he went somewhere and he’s happy.”

As the teens’ sedan tried to make a left-hand turn onto the campus, a gold Ford Explorer T-boned the car at a high rate of speed, officials said. The Explorer struck the sedan with such force it caused the car to back into a truck waiting behind it.

The brothers inside the sedan had to be cut from their crushed vehicle by fire crews. Willweber was critically injured and was airlifted to a local hospital. Sadly, he died shortly thereafter.

On Sunday, Ryan's name was brought up during the service as parishioners gathered together. 

Erika Wedt, a family friend, said Ryan mentored her kids and other youths at the church. 

“He’s a wonderful guy, a wonderful boy and we’re going to miss him a lot," Wedt said.

She said Ryan never lost patience with kids that could not or were not capable or doing things. 

"He helped me come to church today just so that I know that pastor would help us get through this too…he’s very strong,” Wedt said. 

She said Ryan was a giving teen and "gave from the heart, every day."

“He’s a wonderful guy, a wonderful boy and we’re going to miss him a lot,” Wedt said. 

After the service, Ryan's father stayed and hugged parishioners who offered words of comfort. 

“When people live long and they die, well you think, 'ok well, you know.' But he was just starting his life," said Worm. 

On Thursday night, dozens upon dozens of students piled into West Hills High School and held a tearful candlelight vigil in remembrance of Willweber. After the vigil, his peers gathered around the school’s track to watch the track team run in Willweber’s honor.

Grief counselors were on-hand at West Hills High School Friday to help students cope with the tragedy. Students wore blue to school as a way of honoring Willweber.

Willweber’s brother, Cory, remains hospitalized with broken bones to his shoulder and face, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

The two others involved in the crash – the driver of the Explorer and the driver of the truck – sustained minor injuries.

The fatal accident remains under investigation.

Santee Mayor Randy Voepel and San Diego County Sheriff's Department Capt. James Bovet held a media briefing Friday in front of the school and said Mast Boulevard is a safe street that is not prone to collisions. They said a traffic light is not currently needed at the site of the deadly crash.

However, NBC 7 Investigates obtained data that reveals at least five crashes have taken place in the area -- two with injuries.
 

A San Diego pastor and father is grieving the loss of his son, a 17-year-old student that died in a tragic crash outside his high school Thursday. 

"I am grieving, I am tremendously sad," said Paul Willweber. "I miss my son."

On Thursday afternoon, 17-year-old Ryan Willweber and his brother, Cory, were involved in a deadly crash as they drove in front of their high school on Mast Boulevard in Santee. 

Ryan's father remembered his son his son as a very positive person, a "wonderful person" who "loved life."

"Obviously as a father I thought he was a great kid, but he was he was a great kid," Paul said. "He was a kind person, he loved to help other people; he would actually seek out ways to help people, and the amazing things people are saying about him, I’m just in awe. I kind of feel like, wow, I need to learn from him on how to live."

Paul, a pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, spoke to churchgoers as they poured into the building as again as they came out, speaking with and hugging grieving parishioners. He did not speak at the Mass this Sunday, but he sat and listened during the service. His son Ryan was mentioned during the service.

"We just have this knowledge and this confidence that this is not the end...God is going to get us through this," said Paul.

His other son, Cory, is going to heal fully, Paul said. His jaw is wired shut and will stay that way for six weeks, he said, which has made it difficult to grieve his brother because of the pain.

Cory is lucid, his father said, though he will now have to live with the fact that he lost his brother. Cory, remains hospitalized with broken bones to his shoulder and face, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. His father said he should be out of the hospital within a few days. 

"I think he's doing well with it," Paul said of his son Cory, and the healing has been going well. 

"The one thing that has really gotten me through is knowing that Ryan is in heaven, I know he's in heaven, I know he's going to see me again..without that I don't know I honestly don't know what I would do...I really don't," said Paul.

Paul said he has had moments of grieving and moments when he has cried. When he first heard of the crash Thursday, it was when he was at lunch with his coworkers when his wife called him. 

"My initial thoughts were, 'Okay, let's stay calm, let's get to where we need to go'…so my initial thoughts were telling my wife…to stay calm," Paul said. "And then of course, just shaking, thinking, 'What's going to happen, Dear God, bless them, keep them in your prayers."

Being at the church Sunday morning helped him, he said, because of the "amazing, amazing support" from his family, Ryan's fellow students and parishioners. 

"They do not realize how much of a blessing this is, that they are reaching out to us and offering their support," Paul said. 

Churchgoers - many of whom were family friends and had known Ryan personally - grieved the loss of Ryan, remembering the extraordinary young man he was. When talking about him, they said he was "wonderful," a "well-behaved" young man, a "mentor to my kids," and a giving kid. 

"He's an angel up there," said Natividad Worm, a parishioner and Ryan's old babysitter. "That's the only reassurance and consolation that we get. That he went somewhere and he's happy."

One Thursday, when the teens’ sedan tried to make a left-hand turn onto the campus, a gold Ford Explorer T-boned the car at a high rate of speed, officials said. The Explorer struck the sedan with such force it caused the car to back into a truck waiting behind it.

The brothers inside the sedan had to be cut from their crushed vehicle by fire crews. Willweber was critically injured and was airlifted to a local hospital. Sadly, he died shortly thereafter.

The two others involved in the crash – the driver of the Explorer and the driver of the truck – sustained minor injuries. The fatal accident remains under investigation.

Santee Mayor Randy Voepel and San Diego County Sheriff's Department Capt. James Bovet held a media briefing Friday in front of the school and said Mast Boulevard is a safe street that is not prone to collisions. They said a traffic light is not currently needed at the site of the deadly crash.

However, NBC 7 Investigates obtained data that reveals at least five crashes have taken place in the area -- two with injuries.
 

A well-known Catholic priest in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago has been removed from the ministry following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with an adult woman.

The Rev. Brendan Curran, the pastor of St. Pius V Catholic Church since 2006, issued an apology Sunday for the relationship that he said occurred several years ago, according to the Chicago Tribune, who first reported the story.

"I deeply regret not self-identifying sooner about my immoral behavior: that was a mistake," Curran said in the statement, according to the Tribune. "I failed to remember my ministry and my commitment as a priest."

The Archdiocese found out about the relationship after the woman involved came forward, the Tribune reports.

Curran is known for his role in immigration activism in Chicago as he served a primarily Hispanic community in the Pilsen church.

"It is inherently problematic when clergy have any sexual contact with congregants," officials at SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement following Curran's removal. "There can be no true 'consent' given the power difference between the individuals."

Rosa Salgado proudly walked across the stage Saturday to accept her diploma along with 14,000 other graduates from Miami-Dade College in Florida. For the 80-year-old grandmother, it was the culmination of nearly 20 years of hard work and determination.

"I'm very happy," Salgado said with a big smile as she donned her cap and gown.

She arrived in Miami 20 years ago with her husband and three children.

Salgado learned English, enrolled in school, and got a job as a paraprofessional at Miami-Dade College's child care center.

When the center changed locations, Salgado relied on public transportation, taking five bus routes to class and to work.

Then in 2005, her youngest daughter was involved in an accident that left her in a coma for an extended period of time. So Salgado reduced her class load from full-time to part-time.

But despite the hardships, Salgado finally graduated with honors. She says she is grateful for her family's support along the way.

"Thanks to everybody who helped me," she said.

The ceremony was a family celebration, as her two grandsons graduated alongside her.

David Salgado, who graduated with the same Associate of Arts degree as his grandmother, says she is an inspiration.

"For me and my family, for her to take this one step graduating, it fills my heart," he said.

Rosa Salgado said she plans to go right back to work... this time, writing children's books.

The two people killed along Interstate 15 early Saturday morning when a wrong-way suspected DUI driver plowed into a vehicle carrying a family of five have been identified. 

Teresa Esparza Hernandez, 84, of Escondido, and Rodolfo De la Torre, 55, of Escondido, were both killed in a deadly crash when a wrong-way suspected DUI driver plowed into a vehicle carrying a family of five near Scripps Ranch. Torre was driving the vehicle with five passengers and Hernandez was a passenger. 

According to California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials, the deadly crash happened around 3:10 a.m. on southbound I-15 north of Mira Mesa Boulevard.

The CHP said the 21-year-old driver of a black Audi A4 was driving in the wrong direction in the express lanes of the freeway when he collided head-on with a Honda Civic carrying five people.

The Honda Civic changed lanes to avoid the collision with the wrong-way driver, but the wrong-way driver simultaneously did the same maneuver and the vehicles collided head-on.

The CHP said the Honda Civic came to rest in the freeway lane while the Audi was high-sided on the concrete barrier.

The impact was so strong, officials said, both the driver of the Honda Civic – Torre – and 55-year-old Hernandez died at the scene.

Officials said at least one person was ejected from one of the mangled cars.

The Audi landed on the center divider along the freeway.

Meanwhile, fire crews had to pry out two young adults – ages 19 and 21 – and one other passenger trapped in the back seat of the wrecked Honda Civic. The driver of the Audi also had to be extricated from his vehicle.

All four survivors were transported to local hospitals with major unspecified injuries. Their conditions were unknown as of 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

CHP officials said they had arrested the driver of the Audi on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The names of the remaining victims were not released, but the family was from Escondido. 

The fatal crash remains under investigation.

Two officers pulled a baby boy from the Lehigh River in Pennsylvania Sunday after the child's mother threw him from an Allentown bridge 52-feet above the banks and then jumped into the shallow water, police said.

Witnesses told police the 19-year-old mother was pushing the baby across the Hamilton Street Bridge in a stroller around 1:45 p.m. when she stopped mid-span, took the child from the carriage and tossed him into the water, investigators said.

She then climbed over the rail and jumped in after him, officials said.

Police arrived moments later. They found the mom —conscious —on the river bank, according to reports.

Two officers — identified Joseph Iannetta and John Leonard — spotted the baby about 700 yards downstream, pulled him from the river and performed CPR.

Their efforts revived the boy, who was rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest. The mom was also rushed to the same hospital. Both are in serious condition but expected to survive.

Capt. William Reinik said police are investigating the case as an apparent attempted murder-suicide, but the investigation continues and no charges have been filed.