The president of the Boy Scouts of America, Robert Gates, said Thursday that the organization's longstanding ban on participation by openly gay adults is no longer sustainable and called for change in order to prevent "the end of us as a national movement."

In a speech in Atlanta to the Scouts' national annual meeting, Gates referred to recent moves by Scout councils in New York City and elsewhere to defy the ban.

"The status quo in our movement's membership standards cannot be sustained," he said.

Gates said no change in the policy would be made at the national meeting. But he raised the possibility of revising the policy at some point soon so that local Scout organizations could decide on their own whether to allow gays as adult volunteers and paid staff.

In 2013, after bitter internal debate, the BSA decided to allow openly gay youth as scouts, but not gay adults as leaders. The change took effect in January 2014.

Gates, who became the BSA's president in May 2014, said at the time that he personally would have favored ending the ban on gay adults, but he opposed any further debate after the Scouts' policymaking body upheld the ban.

On Thursday, however, he said recent events "have confronted us with urgent challenges I did not foresee and which we cannot ignore."

He cited the recent defiant announcement by the BSA's New York City chapter in early April that it had hired the nation's first openly gay Eagle Scout as a summer camp leader. He also cited broader developments related to gay rights.

"I remind you of the recent debates we have seen in places like Indiana and Arkansas over discrimination based on sexual orientation, not to mention the impending U.S. Supreme Court decision this summer on gay marriage," he said. "We must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be."

Gates said the BSA technically had the power to revoke the charters of councils that defied the ban on gay adults, but said this would be harmful to boys in those regions

He also noted that many states have passed laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, raising the possibility of extensive legal battles.

"Thus, between internal challenges and potential legal conflicts, the BSA finds itself in an unsustainable position, a position that makes us vulnerable to the possibility the courts simply will order us at some point to change our membership policy," Gates said.

He expressed concern that an eventual court order might also strike down the BSA's policy of banning atheists.

"Waiting for the courts is a gamble with huge stakes," he said. "Alternatively, we can move at some future date -- but sooner rather than later -- to seize control of our own future, set our own course and change our policy in order to allow charter partners -- unit sponsoring organizations -- to determine the standards for their Scout leaders."

Such an approach, he said, would allow churches, which sponsor about 70 percent of Scout units, to establish leadership standards consistent with their faith.

"I truly fear that any other alternative will be the end of us as a national movement," he said.

But some churches may be alienated nonetheless. Some Southern Baptist churches stopped sponsoring troops after gay scouts were allowed, and letting in gay adults will likely prompt even more departures, said Southern Evangelical Seminary President Richard Land, who formerly led the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

To him, Scouts shouldn't have leaders who are sexually attracted to their gender, whether a heterosexual man leading Girl Scouts or a gay man supervising boys, no matter objections that leaders of any sexuality shouldn't be assumed to be potential pedophiles.

"This seems to me to be sound judgment 101," he said, calling Gates' message a display of "political correctness."

The Utah-based Mormon church is the nation's largest sponsor of Boy Scout units, and in the past has supported the ban on participation by openly gay adults.

In a brief statement Thursday, the church said it would examine any policy changes "very carefully to assess how they might impact our own century-long association with the BSA."

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest U.S. gay-rights group, called Gates' speech "a step in the right direction."

"But, as we have said many times previously, half measures are unacceptable, especially at one of America's most storied institutions," said the campaign's president, Chad Griffin. "It's time for BSA leaders to show true leadership and embrace a full national policy of inclusion."

Until Thursday, there had been no indication how the BSA would respond to the New York Councils, which on April 2 announced the hiring of Pascal Tessier, an 18-year-old Eagle Scout. Tessier, currently finishing his freshman year of college, has been a vocal advocate of opening the 105-year-old organization to gay scouts and leaders.

Tessier had been getting legal advice from prominent lawyer David Boies, whose recent causes include arguing for recognition of same-sex marriage. Boies said it was possible that Tessier's hiring could lead to litigation between the New York chapter and the BSA's national headquarters, but he expressed hope this could be avoided.

After Tessier's hire, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office opened an inquiry into the BSA's membership policies and influence over local councils' hiring decisions. The office, which cited state laws against hiring discrimination based on sexual orientation, was reviewing Gates' remarks Thursday.

One of Tessier's lawyers, Josh Schiller, expressed hope that the BSA's ban would be lifted.

"People will join the Boy Scouts and look at them as an organization that has the principles of equality," he said.

Debate over the BSA policy has coincided with a steady drop in the organization's youth membership, which fell 7.4 percent last year to about 2.4 million.

After the 2013 decision to admit gay youth, some conservatives split from the BSA to form a new group, Trail Life USA, which has created its own ranks, badges and uniforms. The group claims a membership of 23,000 youths and adults.

Trail Life's chairman, John Stemberger, said his organization was "saddened" by Gates' speech.

"It is tragic that the BSA is willing to risk the safety and security of its boys because of peer pressure from activists groups," he said. "Trail Life USA remains committed to timeless Christian values."

A hiker was stung more than 200 times after being attacked by "killer bees" while trekking at Mount Elsinore levee.

The woman was walking with a friend when the swarm attacked her just after 9 a.m, and she was rushed to a local hospital for treatment afterwards. She has since been released.

The area around the levee was closed so exterminator George McDonough of Robbins Pest Management could be called.

He located six hives in the area where the woman was stung, and determined they were Africanized bees, which are known as "killer bees" due to their aggressive swarming behavior. Each hive can house anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 bees.

Three of the hives were house in abandoned truck tires, two were in the ground and another was in an irrigation control box

He laid down pesticide, which McDonough said is harmless to humans, to get rid of the bees.

Despite a 5 percent drop in overall violent crime in San Diego County, reported rapes were up by 14 percent last year compared to 2013, according to SANDAG’s most recent annual report.

According to SANDAG’s findings, the 2014 increase “may reflect the greater inclination by survivors to report the crime and not necessarily an increase in the number of actual offenses.”

The study sites statistics in the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) which shows that 46 percent of overall violent crime was reported to law enforcement in 2013, while only 35 percent of rape and sexual assault cases were reported.

SANDAG’s research says 78 percent of rapes reported to San Diego County law enforcement in 2014 were categorized as “completed” and 22 percent as “attempted.”

SANDAG says that when looking historically at the number of rapes reported to officials, it’s important to note there has been a “greater number of slight fluctuations” in the number of reported rapes, but only a 1 percent decreased from 1980 t0 2014.”

For instance, in 1988 – the most historical year available – the percentages of completed rapes reported to law enforcement and attempted rapes reported were 71 and 29, respectively.

According to the NCVS, the rate of rape and sex assault among women ages 18 to 24 was higher for nonstudents than students. The study says that in approximately 80 percent of the cases, regardless of whether the survivor was in college or not, the offender was known to the survivor.

Nonstudents were also more likely to report a rape to officials compared to those who were students, the study notes. About 26 percent of students and 23 of nonstudents who did not report the crime to law enforcement believed the incident was a “personal matter” and 20 percent didn’t report the rape “out of fear of reprisal.”

SANDAG’s research says that between 1994 and 2013, 16 percent of student survivors and 18 percent of nonstudent survivors of rape and sexual assault received assistance from a service agency after the crime.

The study concludes that the data may dispel some of the myths about rape and sexual assault, “ the chief among them that the offender is typically a stranger, when in fact the offender is someone the survivor known in the majority of incidents.”

“The personal may be one of the reasons many survivors chose not to report,” the study states.

Moving forward, the study says there have been significant changes to what constitutes rape and this is expected to have an impact on the number of rapes reported in 2015, as well as overall violent crime data.

Prior to Jan. 1, 2013, rape was defined by FBI Uniform Crime Reporting standards as “the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.”

The new definition has been broadened to include the victimization of both women and men and now states rape is the “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part of object, or oral penetration by sexual organ to another person, without the consent of the victim.”

San Diego County law enforcement agencies began using the new definition of rape in January 2015.

Survivors of rape or sexual assault can report the crime by calling 911. In San Diego County, survivors can call the Center for Community Solutions 24-hour hotline at (888) 385-4657. The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) also runs a 24-hour hotline on its website.

The man suspected in the brutal murders of a family and their housekeeper in an exclusive Washington, D.C., neighborhood last week may be back in Maryland after New York City authorities said earlier he may be in Brooklyn. 

Law enforcement sources told NBC 4 New York Thursday U.S. Marshals and the NYPD were tracking leads that suspect Daron Dylon Wint, 34, may be in the area. Authorities picked up Wint's girlfriend at her Brooklyn apartment and questioned her; she is not considered a suspect.

NBC Washington, citing law enforcement sources, reported that he may be back in Maryland and the D.C. area by now. 

Police were looking into the possibility that Wint took a bus to New York at some point, stayed with his girlfriend Wednesday night and left in the early-morning hours as the national manhunt for him intensified.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said initial information pointed to Wint having been somewhere in south Brooklyn at some point, though Police Commissioner Bill Bratton emphasized police have not been able to confirm he was in the borough.

"We have a very active investigation underway at this time assisting our colleagues at the Marshal service and the DC metropolitan police," Bratton said. 

Wint is considered armed and dangerous and was last seen wearing blue jeans, a blue hooded sweatshirt and white tennis shoes, authorities said. A U.S. military official says Wint enlisted in the Marine Corps about 15 years ago but never made it through basic training and was kicked out after several days. 

The Marine Corps had no immediate comment.

A law enforcement official says Wint's girlfriend told investigators the suspect told her he was considering turning himself in. 

DNA found on a piece of a pizza delivered to the slain family's home led police to Wint, who is now wanted for first-degree murder while armed in the deaths of Savvas Savopoulos, 46; his wife, Amy Savopoulos, 47; their 10-year-old son, Philip; and housekeeper Veralicia "Vera" Figueroa, 57.

The family had likely been kept bound and threatened overnight May 13, sources close to the investigation told NBC Washington. Police believe the victims were killed the next day, hours after someone delivered $40,000 in cash to the multimillion-dollar house. Some time after the cash arrived, the home was set on fire, leading to the discovery of the bodies, authorities have said.

The cash had been withdrawn from an account at American Iron Works, where one of the victims was the CEO, the sources told NBC Washington. Police said it's believed Wint worked at the company at some point, and they say that the crime was not random. Authorities say they have not ruled out the possibility that multiple suspects were involved in the murders, though they declined to elaborate.

The brutal murders in the 3200 block of Woodland Drive NW in Woodley Park, a neighborhood of security systems and landscaped lawns just blocks from the vice president's home and near the National Cathedral, shocked the local community and drew national attention.

Three of the victims had been beaten and stabbed to death, and some of the bodies smelled of gasoline, police said. The 10-year-old boy was so badly burned that investigators couldn't say if he had been injured before the fire was set, sources close to the investigation told NBC Washington. The boy's body was found in his room; the other three were found on the floor in another bedroom.

The family Porsche was found burning in a church parking lot in suburban Maryland. Police had circulated the grainy image of a person leaving the scene of the car fire, wearing black clothing.

Wint has four previous arrests in New York state in the Oswego area; he has at least two assault and harassment convictions from 2007 and an open arrest warrant for violating an order of protection, a source familiar with the investigation tells NBC 4 New York.

The suspect also has a court record in Maryland's Prince George County that includes charges of assault, carrying concealed weapons and theft. One of those records lists a home address that is less than a half-mile from where the car was found burning. In another case, in 2010, he was arrested near American Iron Works with an open can of beer and a 24-inch machete and a BB gun in a backpack. He pleaded not guilty to charges involving only the alcohol in a plea deal.

The American Iron Works CEO Wint is accused of killing, Savopoulos, and his wife, Amy, were well known in the neighborhood, often hosting parties for neighbors and friends, according to The Washington Post; the family had attended St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the neighborhood.

Their son Philip was a fourth-grader at St. Albans, the private school near St. Sophia and the National Cathedral; two daughters were away at private boarding schools.

Neighbors who have been in the home told NBC Washington the family had an extensive and valuable art collection, which was on display several years ago during the Christmas house tour put on by St. Albans.

The timeline of events that investigators are working from seems to match information from a longtime housekeeper for the Savopoulos family, who said she was a good friend of Veralicia Figueroa.

Nelly, who didn't want her full name used for security reasons, owns her own cleaning company and worked for the family for more than two decades. Nelly allowed Figueroa to work with her at the Savopoulos family's home, NBC Washington reports.

On May 13, Figueroa texted Nelly to say she wanted to work at the home, and planned to finish by 3 p.m., Nelly told NBC Washington. That evening, Nelly missed a call from Savvas Savopoulos, saying Figueroa was spending the night at the family's home. She heard the call on voicemail the next morning.

Nelly said Figueroa's husband went to the home the morning of May 14 to look for her. No one answered the door when he knocked on it, but he told Nelly he had the feeling someone was standing just inside the closed door.

He went around the back of the house to knock again. As he did, Nelly said, Savopoulos called his cellphone. Savopoulos said Figueroa was OK and had spent the night, according to Nelly.
The fire at the home was reported about four hours later.

Nelly said Figueroa was hard-working and loved life. She'd come to the United States from El Salvador to earn money before planning to retire next year. 

As a thank you to service members on Memorial Day, some businesses and restaurants are offering freebies and discounts throughout the day to both military and civilians. Here’s a list of some of those freebies.

Free Memorial Day Admission to State Parks
California State Parks will honor active duty and reserve military personnel and veterans of the Armed Forces on Memorial Day 2015 by offering free admission at participating state park. This includes 133 parks, eight State Vehicular Recreation Areas and the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Vets and military personnel must show a valid military ID or proof of honorable discharge to receive free admission.

24-Hour-Fitness
In appreciation and support for millions of active and retired military personnel this Memorial Day, 24-Hour Fitness is offering free access to all guests – not only military – at 24-Hour Fitness clubs nationwide. This freebie is good from May 22 through May 25.

Boston Market
On May 25, Boston Market restaurants will offer 25 percent off any Family Meal for up to $12 in savings. This includes a Ribs Family Meal for six with six sides.

Home Depot & Lowe's
Both of these home improvement stores will offer a 10 percent military discount on Memorial Day weekend to all vets who served honorably who present valid proof of service. Lowe's also has an Everyday 10% Military Discount program for which service members may also qualify.

Red Robin
Red Robin will offer all veterans, retired, active duty and military spouses who are Red Robin Royalty members a free appetizer with any purchase of at least $10 between May 23 and May 25. Military patrons can select from the following free apps: Baja Dip ‘n’ Chips, The O-Ring Shorty, Pretzel Bites, Guac, Salsa & Chips, Classic Mini Wedge Salad, half-order of Bar Wings ‘n’ Yukon Chips or a half-order of Red’s Bold Boneless Wings.

Blue Star Museums
Blue Star Museums – which includes more than 2,000 museums across the U.S. – offers free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel, including the U.S. National Guard and Reserve and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Balboa Park houses many Blue Star Museums, including the Mingei International Museum, the Museum of Photographic Arts, the San Diego History Center, the San Diego Hall of Champions, the San Diego Museum of Art and the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center.

JcPenney
The department store will offer 20 percent in-store discount this Memorial Day weekend to all current and former military personnel and their families with valid proof of service. This coupon must be printed in order to cash in on this discount.

Knott’s Berry Farm
The Southern California theme park will honor the military by offering free admission to all active, veteran and retired U.S. military personnel during Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25. Bonus: military service members may also buy up to six discounted tickets for family and friends this weekend for both Knott’s Berry Farm and Knott’s Soak City. Valid proof of service is required.

Do you know of any other 2015 Memorial Day freebies? Share them in our comments section below.
 

One of the 177 bikers arrested following a deadly shooting outside of a Waco, Texas, restaurant is free after paying a $1 million bond.

Nine people were killed and another 18 were injured after an altercation led to a shootout outside of the Twin Peaks restaurant on Waco's south side Sunday afternoon.

Afterward, the 177 bikers not killed or injured in the melee were arrested. Hundreds of weapons, motorcycles and other vehicles were seized by police and either impounded or taken into evidence.

Bond for each of the bikers was set at $1 million by McLennan County Justice of the Peace W.H. Peterson, who said the bond amount was appropriate given the level of violence that occurred at the restaurant.

Jeff Battey was among those arrested and charged with engaging in organized crime with relation to a capital murder. He is the first to have paid his $1 million bond and was released from the McLennan County Jail.

Three others, originally charged under a different case number, had been released earlier in the week on bond amounts between $20,000 and $50,000. Their charges were later matched to the Waco incident and new bond amounts were reissued and two of the three men had been re-arrested, police said.

The third man, police said, would be returned to police custody and held on $1 million bond. At this time, it is not known if he is currently in police custody.

The principal of a high school in Encinitas is considering installing gender neutral bathrooms there after a student’s petition amassed more than 16,500 signatures.

“I think it’s a great act,” said Tim Hornig, principal of the San Dieguito Academy. “This is how change is made.”

Milo Spearman, a ninth grader at San Dieguito, launched the Care2 petition as a way to reach out to “kids who are transgender or just don’t quite know who they are,” his petition says.

“This way, people that don’t yet know what they want to be recognized as can go here without feeling awkward in either of the other bathrooms,” Spearman wrote in the petition.

As of Thursday afternoon, the petition had received more than 16,800 signatures.

Hornig said the petition came at a good time for the school, as construction is set to take place next month on new math and science classrooms. He said the school, with input from the district superintendent and facilities team, could consider building a gender-neutral bathroom.

Another option is to remodel existing bathrooms to make them gender neutral, Hornig said.

Overall, Hornig said he is pleased the school is starting this conversation, as a way to be socially inclusive.

“We’re a wonderfully supportive, conducive culture,” he said. “If this is something need to do, we’ll do it.”

In May, a school in Illinois responded to a similar Care2 petition and designated four gender-neutral bathrooms, according to a news release from the online company.

Spearman said he's hoping for something similar at San Dieguito.

“We already have a handful of trans students may want to have this option. It would really help us out as a community and family,” Spearman wrote in the petition.

An Orange County, California, man was sentenced to over 15 years behind bars Thursday after pleading guilty to a Halloween hit-and-run crash that left three teen girls dead.

Jaquinn Bell, 32, pleaded guilty in March to felony charges in the crash that killed twin sisters Lexandra Perez and Lexi Perez, and friend Andrea Gonzalez, all 13 years old.

Bell was sentenced to 13 years and eight months in state prison and six months in jail, as well as an additional year and a half for a probation violation in a separate case. The OC District Attorney's Office previously said Thursday that Bell was given 14 years and eight months behind bars, but corrected the amount to a total of 15 years and eight months.

On Halloween night 2014, the 13-year-old girls were donning costumes and trick-or-treating in Santa Ana when Bell's SUV sped through a crosswalk and struck the girls.

Family and friends described the teens as girls who were "always laughing" and "always had a smile on their face." All three died at the scene.

Bell ditched the SUV about three blocks from the crash and ran away, but police captured him at a Motel 6 in Stanton over a day later.

Santa Ana police said Bell's 17-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter were in the vehicle with him at the time of the crash.

Several witness accounts of the crash with a description of the heavily damaged vehicle led authorities to the motel, where Bell was with two other adults, including his mother, and his two children.

Bell has a lengthy criminal record, including cases involving domestic violence, child abuse and endangerment, driving under the influence of alcohol and hit-and-run with property damage, all misdemeanors, according to court records.

City News Service contributed to this report.

San Diegans can enjoy a series of flicks al fresco this summer as the county’s free movie event, “Summer Movies in the Park,” kicks off this Friday.

The series of free outdoor movie events in local park facilities is a collaborative effort between the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation, the Cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Oceanside, Poway, San Marcos, Vista, USS Midway Museum and the Port of San Diego.

Each event gives local the chance to gather as a community and take in a free movie outdoors during those perfect San Diego summer evenings.

The series kicks off this season on Friday with a screening of “Finding Nemo” at Waterfront Park on Pacific Highway from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and “Big Hero Six” at Robert Egger Sr. South Bay Community Park.

Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy games and activities before the movie starts at dusk and bring a chair, blankets and jackets. Food will be sold by vendors or a food truck on site.

This year, the summer movie lineup features 120 flicks – 31 more than last year. Organizers say four more local parks have been added to the movie venues list: Felicita, Lake Morena, Live Oak and Flinn Springs parks.

The parks where these free, family-friendly screenings take place range from Fallbrook and Oceanside in San Diego’s North County to Campo and Julian in the East County, to Imperial Beach in the south and coastal areas like Mission Bay and Ocean Beach, among many other communities.

The full movie calendar can be seen here and includes both classics like “Back to the Future” (July 3 at USS Midway Museum) and "The Goonies" (June 6 at Sycamore Canyon Preserve), and newer flicks like “The Lego Movie” (June 20 at Tierrasanta Community Park) and "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" (June 13 at Balboa Park/Morley Field Sports Complex).

The Summer Movies at the Park series runs through Sept. 26. The countywide event began back in 2007 as a “take back our parks” initiative, giving locals a reason to visit local parks for a free and safe evening event. Organizers say this event has deterred inappropriate after-hours park use and loitering, and has given residents a renewed interest in our local parks.

San Diego police and homicide investigators are at the scene of a suspicious death in Point Loma.

Several patrol cars have been outside the multi-million home at 747 Rosecrans Avenue, just west of Shelter Island since 5 a.m. Thursday.

The initial report was a suicide at the address but investigators were called in after the death was deemed suspicious.

Officials have confirmed a woman's body was found with "upper body trauma."

Detectives requested a search warrant for the home and were staging outside until the warrant was approved.

However, when the medical examiner arrived, the death was ruled a suicide. The person died from a self-inflicted wound.

Several neighbors spoke with officers and described the residents as well-known and well-liked in the community.
 

One of the victims in a wrong-way collision involving a driver who struck a group of cyclists on Fiesta Island described the scene as “carnage” in testimony Thursday.

San Diego resident Theresa Owens, 50, faces charges of felony DUI and possession of a controlled substance in the chaotic wrong-way crash that took down the cyclists on Aug. 12, 2014.

She listened as victims in the collision described not only how the crash occurred but also her behavior immediately following the crash.

“I got launched over the car,” cyclist Steve Hale testified as he described how the impact of the crash pushed him 10 to 15 feet over Owens’ car.

“I remember hitting the front of the car and then I remember hitting my head a few times on the roadway,” he testified.

Hale had to undergo surgery for a fractured elbow. He said he still can’t completely straighten his arm.

He testified that Owens was immediately on the phone after the crash and seemed to be agitated.

Hale was the second cyclist in line, directly behind Juan Carlos Vinolo.

Vinolo, who was paralyzed from the chest down in the crash, also testified Thursday. He spent a month in intensive care followed by months of rehab. He also lost a kidney in the crash.

"There's not one thing that hasn't been affected in my day-to-day life because of this," he said describing how he needs help with daily tasks.

Under cross-examination, Hale testified the group was riding 2x2 and had just turned a blind corner with an obstructed view moments before the crash.

When Owens was arrested at the crash site, prosecutors allege a bag of methamphetamine was found in her vagina.

Last month, after hearing testimony from psychiatrists, a judge ruled Owens was fit to stand trial.

A psychiatrist who evaluated Owens said she had bipolar disorder marked by persistent delusions about her mother and boyfriend. The psychiatrist said Owens was having a hallucination that her boyfriend “appeared and disappeared” during the crash on Fiesta Island.

NBC 7 will be following testimony and offering updates on NBC 7 News at 4.

The restraint on your child’s booster seat could potentially come loose and pose a fall threat to you child.

OXO recalled about 25,000 Nest Booster Seats sold in the United States and Canada at Buy Buy Baby, Toys”R”Us/Babies”R”Us and other stores from September through April, said the Consumer Product Safety Commission Thursday.

Restrain straps on the seats that come in green, pink, taupe and orange with a white base can separate from the seat, said the CPSC.

The CPSC said that consumers should stop using the boosters immediately and contact OXO for a free repair kit.

Consumers can call OXO at (800) 545-4411 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays of email the company.

California health officials are investigating 31 cases of salmonella, including seven cases in San Diego County, linked to raw tuna commonly found in sushi.

The string of Salmonella Paratyphi B cases are among an outbreak of 53 cases in nine states, according to a news release from the California Department of Public Health.

Most the patients in the outbreak said they had eaten sushi containing raw tuna. Ten people have been hospitalized, though no deaths have been reported, health officials said.

People started getting sick on March 5, with the latest reported illness happening on May 13. Patients range from an infant to 83 years old, officials said.

The outbreak in California includes nine cases in Los Angeles County, six in Orange County, four in Riverside County, one in Santa Barbara County and four in Ventura County in addition to San Diego.

State health workers are investigating along with the FDA and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention to figure out the source of the outbreak.

Salmonella causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after becoming infected. The disease can cause death if not treated promptly, health workers said.

More information about salmonella can be found here.

NBC 7's Gene Cubbison offers this analysis of the latest developments behind the Chargers stadium scramble.

Stadium talks among the Chargers, city and county officials are due to kick off in ten days.

But early indications – according to informed NBC 7 sources close to the run-up to the negotiations – are that the financing plan put on the table earlier this week won't make the playoffs.

This has been the prediction of "conventional wisdom" for weeks, as well as that of unconventionally wise people.

The mayor's stadium advisors were given a hurry-up mission with almost impossibly long odds of selling sell voters on -- much less the Chargers and NFL.

But all is not lost. Yet.

Just don't be quick to believe in miracles.

"This may be dead on arrival; this just may be an exercise in futility,” said Tony Perry, longtime San Diego bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, whose sportswriters are on the cutting edge of nationwide media coverage of NFL stadium relocation developments.

“But it is an exercise that the mayor and others are destined to continue at,” Perry said in an interview Thursday. “Again, a lost cause perhaps. But no reason to throw the towel in. On the other hand, I don't see any good numbers, vibe out there. I just see it as very, very difficult. And that figure is a great big figure."

But let’s not get bogged down by that great big figure and all the dollar signs the stadium advisers attached to it -- even forgetting some -- only to miss the forest for the trees.

For all the rah-rah among the Chargers' fan base here and points north, there's a competing plan in Carson that skeptics may think is a bluff but 'smart money' says looks more like a 'Real McCoy,' so to speak.

"Economists have shown time and again there's not an economic generator to the city. There's no financial benefit to the city to having a stadium here,” said Liam Dillon, who’s extensively covered municipal finances and stadium relocation issues for The Voice of San Diego.

“Sure, there's a civic benefit, and intangible and civic pride of having a football team in your town,” Dillon acknowledges. “But there are lots of other things that this city needs … there's not an unlimited source of money for everything."

Probably the only thing for certain is that whatever 'smart money' knows right now, it could change just as quickly as Thursday’s mottled cloud patterns over Qualcomm Stadium.

Ultimately, the screenplay is being written at 345 Park Avenue in New York -- headquarters of the NFL -- and the league is not in business to make friends.

Just money -- wherever it has to be chased.

"Indeed the NFL is a cartel and in any negotiations, it is thoroughly one-sided,” Perry echoes. “They own the product, they own a very popular product. Football is a game, a wonderful game. The NFL is a business, and we're stuck between the two."

The stadium advisors went in knowing, and warning, that their plan would just be “starting point for discussions” -- not anywhere near a finishing point.

Assuming the Chargers stay at the table for any length of time, and they’ve been decidedly chilly toward local interests, talks could wander all over the map and digital calculators between here and LA.

In any case, there's a reassuring note: NBC 7 sources say the NFL's bluster about stadium relocation decisions by year's end really isn't carved in stone.

The league, they caution, won’t move in haste only to fail – and repent at leisure.

Stan Kroenke’s bold bid in Inglewood may have stampeded two other franchises and gas-lighted the Armani suits at 345 Park Avenue.

But it’s said Kroenke’s being fitted for heavy baggage that’ll tax him big-time, before a maverick move eventually might pay off downstream.

If and/or when he winds up in Inglewood, it’s expected that a locker room for a second team will stay open for quite a while -- to accommodate the Chargers, if need be – or to serve as continuing L.A. leverage for other franchise owners looking to boost their bottom lines.

More than 2,700 customers are without electricity Thursday night after an unexpected power outage.

The outage is affecting homes in Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, MCAS Miramar, Lake Murray and Mission Gorge.

According to the SDG&E website, "a combination of factors has caused a problem in the electric system."

Power should be restored at about 11:30 p.m. By 10:30 p.m., nearly 300 homes were still without power.

Two men were arrested Thursday night, one at LAX and one in Orange County, by a Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI said.

While the sources would not elaborate on specifics, they said the case involved suspects who are trying to travel abroad to join ISIS. The men were expected to be charged Friday.

The unarmed suspects fit a pattern of individuals who had been recruited by ISIS as foreign fighters, particularly through social media propaganda, sources told NBC News.

The task force includes agents from the FBI, Anaheim police and the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Both men are from Anaheim, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. One was arrested at an Inn in the city, she said Friday.

The FBI has served at least two search warrants in connection with the case, according to NBC News.

Law enforcement sources told NBC News that there was no local public safety threat.

Ryan Bougard and Asher Klein contributed to this report.

A second unhappy, former county employee has filed a claim against San Diego County, alleging Supervisor Dave Roberts misappropriated county funds and county officials failed to protect her as a whistleblower.

Glynnis Vaughan, whose resignation led to a series of stories by NBC7 Investigates, said she is owed $475,000 for her treatment while working for Roberts. Her attorney Lynne Lasry filed the claim late Thursday evening.

THE ARIZONA CONSULTANT

Details in the claim reveal allegations that the supervisor’s office attempted to pay for a consultant through nefarious means. Vaughan described how she uncovered a deal Roberts made with an Arizona consulting which had provided services to his office for two years -- a deal, she said, that was “never properly authorized by the County of San Diego.”

The consulting firm said it was owed $28,900 for its work. At first, Roberts denied to Vaughan the deal existed, but she found notes and work product that contradicted the supervisor’s claim.

The project for which the firm was hired was “Advisory Board Development: Strategic Business Consulting,” and the consultant was to help create an “Advisory Board of Directors for the San Diego County Fire Authority,” among other services.

Vaughan’s claim described how the consultant was told by Roberts’ former Chief of Staff, John Weil, the county didn’t have the money to pay him. Instead, Roberts’ office suggested “that the consultant apply for a San Diego County grant” to pay off the bill, according to Vaughan. The consultant was told a staff member would help in drafting the request and would “ensure the grant application would be approved.”

The consultant looked into the grant process and refused the offer because it would “require the consultant to misrepresent the nature of the arrangement.” Vaughan, the claim said, didn’t feel the county should compensate the consultant in the manner requested. Whether this bill was eventually paid is unknown, since Vaughan quit before the issue was resolved.

IMPROPERLY TRAINED STAFF

The claim also described how Vaughan was a “seasoned professional” and an ideal candidate for the chief of staff position. When she took the job in December 2014, Vaughan said she soon discovered the staff was inexperienced, was not familiar with the rules “that govern public officials” and had not received ethics training. It appeared to Vaughan the staff did whatever Roberts’ told them to do in order to stay in his good graces.

As she took over, she realized the staff was already disturbed about the “nature and the relationship between Supervisor Dave Roberts and a young male staffer,” which included favoritism, gifts and “improper use of County resources and public funds,” the claim said.

Vaughan felt she had an ethical and legal duty to tell county counsel and county administrators what she was observing. In every instance, she said, officials told her she was doing the right thing, but her efforts to “curb the improper conduct of Supervisor Dave Roberts” were unsuccessful, according to the claim.

This is the second claim filed against the District 3 Supervisor in two weeks. In the first claim filed former scheduler Diane Porter accuses Roberts of misusing public funds, carrying on an inappropriate relationship with 26-year-old staffer Harold Meza and retaliating against those who objected.

At a Thursday news conference, Roberts’ spokesman Gary Gartner handed out documents that he said prove those allegations are untrue.

"Throughout his entire term, Dave Roberts has held himself to the highest ethical standards, and he has done nothing unethical improper or in appropriate," said Gartner.

NBC 7 Investigates reached out to the county and to Gartner about this recent claim. County Spokesman Michael Workman said the county received the claim but does not have a comment at this time.

Gartner said, "We just received the claim from the County Counsel's office and haven't had time to review it."

ROBERTS' "BODY MAN"

The court document said Roberts had a young male staff member he described as his “Body man—worth his weight in gold.” In political jargon, the term refers to a personal assistant to a politician or political candidate. While it may not be unusual for the President of the United States, the claim said, it isn’t common practice for a county supervisor to have a body man.

While the claim never names the body man, other NBC 7 Investigates interviews and a news conference by Roberts’ spokesman indicate the person in question is staffer Harold Meza. He is the same person that Vaughan had heard complaints about shortly after becoming chief of staff. In the claim, Vaughan said she warned the supervisor it was not appropriate for Meza to pick up and drop off his children, nor should chauffeuring the supervisor be his only job in the office.

Meza's salary was $47,008.00, so Vaughan said expected more work out of the staffer. But “substantive tasks assigned by Ms. Vaughan were generally not completed” by the employee, Vaughan said.

The claim said Vaughan had told the staffer he could not share a hotel room with the supervisor when they traveled, but Roberts would “orchestrate the desired arrangement though another staffer” behind Vaughan’s back.

“Other staff members complained that they could not do their job and/or get access to the Supervisor because the young male staffer was ‘always there,’” she said in the claim.

On Thursday, Gartner read a statement written by Meza, in which he says he "never engaged in any inappropriate conduct, sexual or otherwise, with County Supervisor Dave Roberts."

QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIOR

In another allegation, Vaughan said Roberts practiced gender favoritism demonstrated in how he compensated men who held the same position that Vaughan did. She uses the salaries paid to the previous chief of staff and the new chief of staff – both of whom are men -- to show how there was a double standard when it came to her salary.

Through the California Public Records Act, NBC 7 Investigates learned the former Chief of Staff John Weil received a salary of $159,000. Mel Millstein, Roberts' current Chief of Staff, was earning a salary of $151,000 as of April 15, the same amount Vaughan was earning before she resigned, according to county records, though Vaughan said she had much more experience than Millstein.

The claim also is critical of how the county failed to protect her. Vaughan said she was a whistleblower, pointing out the problems in the office and the behaviors of the supervisor to county counsel and human resources. But the Board of Supervisors “had decided to wash their collective hands as it relates to Dave Roberts” and his conduct toward Vaughan, refusing to pay any settlements between Roberts and his former staffers.

With the claim are a series of exhibits. A number of them reference the first claim filed against the supervisor by former employee Diane Porter, who has been interviewed by NBC 7 Investigates. Other exhibits go into detail about some of the questionable behavior and activities alleged against the supervisor.

Vaughan described how baseball cards with the supervisor’s photo on the front were created. She was not in favor of Roberts’ insistence on creating baseball cards in his likeness, she said, but the supervisor was insistent, telling staff that politician Pete Wilson had successfully used baseball cards when he was an elected official.

Wilson is a political icon for many in San Diego. He served as governor of California from 1991 to 1999, and he held positions as a U.S. Senator, California State Assemblyman and San Diego mayor.

Vaughan went on to say that the staff racked up hours to “create, order and ultimately hide” the baseball cards. Vaughan also spent time with the county’s legal counsel trying to vet the cards until they were considered legal and not campaign materials. In the end, the cards were “watered down” so their use was authorized, the claim said.

However, when some of Roberts’ non-county advisers told him the cards looked too political and were “not a good use of County funds,” the supervisor told Porter to first hide the boxes in his county office and then to "make them disappear," both staffers said.

Roberts' spokesman Gartner disputed that allegation, saying that there was no inappropriate use of county money to make those cards and that Porter decided to take them home on her own.

Roberts was an enthusiastic supporter of the Lion’s Club, becoming a district governor and pressuring his staff to join the club at their own expense, except for one young staffer, Vaughan said.

When staff members complained to Vaughan, she reminded the supervisor that the Lion’s Club was not a county activity, nor was joining a condition of employment. Still, he continued to pressure employees, undermining her authority with staff, according to the claim.

The complaint also details how Vaughan attempted to reign in the supervisor’s prolific fundraising for Teri, Inc. The organization is a nonprofit based in Oceanside that works with children and adults with special needs, according to its website.

Vaughan said county time was spent trying to avoid conflicts of interest involving the supervisor and the many committees and boards he was a member of. Vaughan’s attempts were rejected by the supervisor.

As described in calendars accompanying Vaughan’s claim, Roberts’ time away from the county building was often spent with Meza. In her claim, Vaughan described how this became a series point of contention in the office.

Some examples include:

• Oct. 21, 2014: "Harold to accompany Dave” to an event at the Bernardo Heights County Club
• Oct 22, 23, 26, 27, 29, 30, and 31: "Harold to accompany Dave” during the day to various events

The calendars provided with the lawsuit describe the scheduling of “Harold to accompany Dave” through March 14, 2015.

The lawsuit includes a letter from Vaughan to Susan Brazeau, human resources director for the county of San Diego. In it, she resigns and says she “acted responsibly,” trying to do the best job she could under the circumstances.

It notes “Supervisor Dave Roberts’ unprofessional conduct” was not something unknown to the county; some of the “questionable behavior was not new.” She added “similar behavior had already been the subject of concern” before she had been hired.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Ella has conducted more than 2,800 federal building searches. She’s done more than 435 firearm/explosives search demonstrations and security briefings. She’s also provided security for our federal courthouse and the Patriots vs. Giants Super Bowl in Phoenix.

One of her biggest cases was the 2008 federal court bombing in downtown San Diego. Deputy Ella found pieces of the bomb that proved crucial to the follow up investigation.

“She searched and she alerted on piece after piece after piece of post blast of the bomb,” said Deputy U.S. Marshal Joanne, who could not give her last name for security reasons.

In addition to protecting people and participating in classified missions, Deputy Ellla loves eating treats, chewing on plastic water bottles and chasing her tail.

Yep, Deputy Ella is no ordinary deputy. She is a black lab and an expert at finding hidden firearms and explosives.

“She has found dozen of illegal guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition,” said her handler. “Some of them have been buried in the ground. Some of them have been hidden in walls or ceilings.”

On Thursday, more than 120 gathered on the lawn behind San Diego County’s federal courthouse to celebrate Deputy Ella’s retirement after nine years of service. Some of the attendees were top U.S. Marshals Service officials. Others were court employees, and some were even judges. Chief Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz not only attended the event, he was the driving force behind the retirement party.

“Ella has kept us safe for nine years, and she deserves the recognition,” he said.

Although Deputy Ella will be retired, she’ll still be working in a way. She’ll be training her replacement and keeping folks in the federal courthouse company, in exchange for treats of course.

A 22 hour standoff with an armed 70-year-old woman at a mobile home park in Topanga finally ended peacefully early Friday.

She was taken into custody at around 3:30 a.m. without incident, then transported to a local hospital for treatment, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman said. Neighbors will finally be allowed to return to their homes.

The woman is said to have earlier shot a robot when officials sent it to make contact with her after alleged threats were made against residents at the park on the 4200 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

The standoff was sparked after a call was made at 5:35 a.m. reporting someone in need of medical attention.

Upon arrival, emergency crews found the woman with a gun, a representative with the Woodland Park Mobile Estates said. She also allegedly pointed her weapon at deputies.

The representative said the woman ran through a neighbor’s backyard and threatened residents.

Late Thursday, residents were running out of patience after being shut out of their homes due to the standoff.

"I just want to get back home, this is kind of ridiculous," a neighbor named Theresa said. "I feel if I was in the bushes I would've been shot at about 12 hours ago."

"I've been out of my house since about 8:30 this morning," resident Kendall Childs said. "Fortunately I have a very nice neighbor who let me into her home... everybody's been really great on our street."

After a couple of hours, officials sent a robot to contact the woman, who then shot at it twice, deputies said.

A crisis negotiation team was working to safely defuse the barricade situation. Tear gas was used in an attempt to flush her out, but she remained indoors. Extra deputies and an rescue vehicle equipped with a forklift were also deployed.

The standoff was ongoing as of 1:30 a.m, an LA County Sheriff's Department spokesman said. 

Beverly White contributed to this report

Nine miles of a Southern California state beach are slicked in a major oil spill that California Governor Jerry Brown has declared an emergency.

But residents don't need to head to Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County to help clean up, or at least not yet. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is responding to the April 19 spill and is not requesting assistance from the public to clean up the thousands of gallons of oil that ended up in the water.

"We urge the public to stay out of the affected areas...closed because of health hazards (due to) the crude in the water," Coast Guard Capt. Jennifer Williams said. "Even the volunteers must be trained and wearing proper protective equipment."

Pre-trained volunteers are working with UC Davis's Oiled Wildlife care Network staff to clean and transport animals covered in oil from the spill, according to California's volunteer-organizing website.

Instead, the state says people can best assist by reporting wildlife that's covered in oil to 1-877-UCD-OWCN (1-877-823-6926).

Williams sought to manage the public's expectations of the water being quickly cleaned up -- a popular nearby beach, El Capitán State Beach, was closed indefinitely after the spill.

"Cleanup doesn't occur overnight. It's a long process," Williams said.

Officials say more than 7,700 gallons of oil has been raked, skimmed and vacuumed from the spill, a fraction of the crude that escaped from a broken pipeline.

Coast Guard Lt. Jonathan McCormick said additional crew members and boats will be added to the cleanup effort Thursday along the Santa Barbara coast. And Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Michelle Rogow said Thursday that the cleanup would be moved to a 24/7 operation.

About 21,000 gallons of crude oil were estimated to have made their way from the ruptured pipeline to the ocean, according to a fact sheet provided by the cleanup command. Up to 105,000 gallons of oil in total were released form the ruptured pipeline. Officials could update both estimates.

More than 300 federal, state and local first responders people were taking part in the cleanup at Refugio State Beach as of Thursday, along with environmental cleanup contractors, Williams said.

The U.S. Coast Guard is overseeing cleanup in connection with Plains All-American Pipeline, the company responsible for the pipeline to Southern California that ruptured Tuesday.

"We're going to be here until it's returned back to the way it was," a Plains All-American Pipeline spokesman said Thursday.

More on the oil spill:
PHOTOS: Oil-slicked coast
Plains All-American Pipeline's safety record
State of Emergency Declared

The Associated Press contributed to this report.