The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC) announced its 2015 summer concert series on Monday morning -- and it's a doozy.

The scenic track situated where the turf meets the surf will be hosting some of music's most-iconic and in-demand artists on the planet come July, August and September.

Even though they're keeping their July 17 kickoff date artist a secret, the DMTC's blockbuster concert season promises to be in full swing by the time reggae legends the Wailers hit the stage July 24. Next up, and always an instant sell-out scenario in San Diego, Orange County punk/rock stalwarts the Offspring are slated to take the stage the following day.

August and September hold even more in store as summer hits full swing. ReggaeFest returns Aug. 1 -- this time with none other than Ziggy Marley -- while Steel Pulse get the positive vibes flowing on Aug. 14. Pepper deliver a one-two reggae/rock punch on Aug. 21 and one of the most beloved (and one of our favorite funny guys ever) Weird Al Yankovic keeps the party goin’ on Aug. 28.

The DMTC closes out the lineup with a huge finale, with EDM superstar DJ Paul Oakenfold manning the decks on Sept. 4 and alt-rock demigods Weezer (of "Beverly Hills" and "Buddy Holly" fame) making a return appearance to the track on Sept. 6.

As of right now, "Special Guests" are listed for July 17, July 31 and Aug. 7. While we can only speculate who will be filling out those nights, if the rest of the lineup is any indication, they'll most likely be booked with some very big names.

The concerts take place after the last races of the day and are always free for patrons of the track. Otherwise, tickets are $20 if fans don't geafter the last race has occurred. For more information, please visit here.

The 2015 Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Summer Concert Series

• July 17: TBA
• July 24: The Wailers
• July 25: The Offspring
• July 31: TBA
• Aug. 1: ReggaeFest, featuring Ziggy Marley
• Aug. 7: TBA
• Aug. 14: Steel Pulse
• Aug. 21: Pepper
• Aug. 28: Weird Al Yankovic
• Sept. 4: Paul Oakenfold
• Sept. 6: Weezer

A congressional intern was arrested Monday by U.S. Capitol Police after he tried to enter the Longworth House Office Building with an unloaded handgun, NBC News reported.  

Joshua Wheeler of Atchison, Kansas, was arrested as he entered the New Jersey & C Street entrance, Lieutenant Kimberly Schneider, the Public Information Officer for the Capitol Police, said. 

Police discovered an unloaded Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun after Wheeler, 25, submitted to an administrative search required for entry into Congressional Office Buildings.

Wheeler was charged with carrying a pistol without a license and unregistered firearm. He is being processed at USCP Headquarters. 

He has been an intern for House Republican Conference Vice Chair Lynn Jenkins since May 18, her office confirmed to NBC News. 

"It is our current understanding this was an accident and we are in full cooperation with Capitol Police to resolve the situation. Mr. Wheeler used poor judgment and was immediately placed on temporary leave as soon as we were informed of the arrest," Jenkins' Communications Director Thomas W. Brandt told NBC News by email.

Police have arrested a Hollis, New Hampshire, man following an investigation into an inflatable bounce house accident that left two young boys injured in October of 2014.

Police say the bounce house that the kids were playing inside, ages 2 and 3, lifted off the ground, flew over an eight-foot fence and came crashing down 50 feet away.

The accident took place at Sullivan Farm in Nashua on October 12, 2014.

Co-owner of the farm Gary C. Bergeron, 61, said the bounce house was inflated so it could dry and wasn't open at the time, The Associated Press reported. According to Bergeron, it wasn't scheduled to be open until Halloween.

The father of one of the toddlers, however, said a farm volunteer led visitors to believe it was open.

Bergeron was arrested and charged with the failure to register the bounce house as required by the Commissioner of Safety. Bergeron has also been charged with the failure to obtain an amusement ride decal and the failure to have the amusement ride properly inspected, both which are required by law. Each infraction is considered a class B misdemeanor.

Bergeron posted bail and was released on $1,000 personal recognizance. He will next appear in court on June 24.

State Fire Marshal William Degnan wishes to reiterate the importance of making sure all inflatable amusement devices are secured at all times. Thirty-one children have been injured in related accidents since 2008.

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is expected to be arraigned Thursday morning in Chicago on federal charges.

The Department of Justice and IRS allege Hastert, 73, withdrew $1.7 million from various banks between 2010 to 2014 and provided the funds to an unnamed person "to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct."

Hastert's arraignment is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Dirksen Federal Building Courthouse. The government will be represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Block. No attorney was listed as of Monday for Hastert.

A federal law enforcement official told NBC News on Friday that Hastert was making payments to a man in order to conceal a sexual relationship they had while the man was a student at Yorkville High School.

Hastert was indicted Thursday with making regular withdrawals from his bank accounts below a limit that would require reporting and then lying to federal officials when asked about those withdrawals.

The indictment accused Hastert of promising a total of $3.5 million to the unnamed person.

The indictment did not specify the alleged misconduct or identify "Individual A" other than saying the person was someone from Yorkville, Illinois, where Hastert was employed as teacher and wrestling coach from 1965 to 1981.

District officials on Friday said they had no knowledge of any alleged misconduct.

Hastert's name was removed Thursday from the Washington, D.C. lobbying and law firm where he worked, and a spokesperson there said Hastert had resigned.

If convicted of the charges against him, Hastert faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A group of San Diego-area firefighters crossed the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon finish line in full firefighting gear Sunday. 

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

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

"Finishing this is about that big to what that kid is going through and for him to come in with high spirits cheering us on it just made it all worth it," said James Stark.

Adam said his firefighting unit wanted to do something for the boy to show the challenges his son was going through. His son received an honorary finisher's medal. 

"I feel really good and excited and honored that they ran for me," Isaac said.

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

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

What they decided to do was the opposite of waiting around. 

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

The running is their way of raising money and awareness.

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

The GoFundMe page for Isaac raised money for the cause. Everything beyond the family’s costs, they say they will donate to pediatric cancer research.

To donate, click here.

Three people were injured, including a 9-year-old girl, when the driver of a Porsche apparently mistook the gas pedal for the brake and plowed into a terminal wall at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, police said.

The car was making its way through the departures level at Terminal 7 just before 5 p.m. when it suddenly "lunged" onto the sidewalk and crashed into a utility room above a stairwell, coming to rest about three-fourths of the way inside, said Sgt. Roy Ceja of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The girl, a pedestrian, was hospitalized in critical condition, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. The 67-year-old driver and his passenger were also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Ceja said officers had not formally interviewed the driver, but said they were investigating the crash only as an "accident." The driver will not face charges, police said Monday morning.

"He was not inebriated in any way from our initial investigation" Ceja said.

Despite the gaping hole in the wall, LAFD Battalion Chief Armando Hogan said there was "no extensive damage" done to the structure.

Operations at the airport were not affected by the crash, Ceja said.

Editor's Note: Police initially reported the injured girl's age as 9, then revised the figure to 7 years old, before correcting her age to 9 for a second time. Previous versions of this article reflected the information given by police.

The last time Florida faced down a hurricane's full wrath was a decade ago.

Since then the state has grown by at least 2.5 million people. Many newcomers may be unprepared for the punishing winds and surges of water that come with a direct hit, and not used to boarding up their windows or evacuating their homes.

That worries professional hurricane watchers.

“There are going to be people who have moved to the state and don’t know what to do, how well to prepare for a hurricane,” said David Nolan, the chairman of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

Others who experienced a hurricane may have forgotten how to prepare for one or become complacent, he said.

The last hurricane to hit Florida was Wilma in 2005.  It killed 25 people, left most of South Florida without power and cut a broad swath of damage in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most destructive for the United States, largely because of Hurricane Katrina two months earlier, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. Katrina alone caused $151 billion in damage and killed 1,833. In all, seven named storms made landfall in the United States during 2005, and eight the year before.

Why was there a flurry of storms in Florida and then none?

“I don’t think anyone can give a specific answer to that,” Nolan said. “Hurricane activity has been reduced a lot in the last 10 years.”

In addition, in the last few years, the jet stream has dipped over the East Coast, bringing cold and stormy winters — a weather pattern that can draw storms such as Sandy up to the Northeast and away from Florida, he said.

Hurricanes are very unusual, so 10 years without one is not that odd, he said. Florida had a long period of little hurricane activity in the 1970s and 1980s until Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992, destroying homes and downing power lines from Fort Lauderdale to the Florida Keys. Five thousand people were left homeless.

Elliott Stares, 42, is among the newcomers to Florida. Originally from the United Kingdom, the public relations consultant with his own firm moved to South Beach 14 years ago. He and his wife are creating a "go bag" for an emergency evacuation from their Miami neighborhood.

"Since I've been here, I've been lucky enough not to experience a direct hit like Andrew," said Stares, who became a citizen in March.

If an evacuation is mandatory and there is enough time, they would try to reach his wife's parents in Dallas, he said.

The condominium complex where he lives has hurricane-proof windows so he feels it is "pretty well battened" for a mild storm.

"But anything from 3 and above, based on the authorities' advice on evacuating, then we would oblige," he said. 

The number of hurricanes predicted for the 2015 Atlantic season, which begins on June 1 and runs until Nov. 30, will likely be below normal, NOAA has said. El Nino, the warming of the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, will be the main factor in suppressing storms.

But officials cautioned that a below-normal season can still be devastating and pointed to 1992, when only seven named storms formed but the first was Andrew, a Category 5 hurricane. Category 5 storms — the most powerful classification — have sustained wind speeds on 157 miles per hour or more and cause catastrophic damage.

Because of Andrew, Miami-Dade County has some of the toughest building codes in the country, particularly for wind, said Brian Haus, professor of Ocean Sciences at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School. But the state’s housing is a mix of old and new, and many of the coastal areas were built before there were strong storm surge codes, he said.

“So many coastal buildings in the older areas are not elevated,” he said. “They need to be.”

Late last year, the school opened a new research complex that includes a hurricane wind-wave tank that can generate Category 5 hurricane-force winds. Researchers are trying to get better data on the effects of wind and water surges, not only on individual buildings but on neighboring structures as well. Driven by intense winds, the seawater exerts extreme force on buildings, he said.

Starting this hurricane season, the National Hurricane Center will introduce a new graphic specifically for storm surges in addition to one for wind speeds. The center will issue separate storm surge watches and warnings separate from the hurricane watches and warnings it has traditionally broadcast. A watch is defined as the possibility of life-threatening flooding within 48 hours; a warning, within 36 hours.

The graphic complements a potential storm surge flooding map, released during Hurricane Arthur last year, which shows where inundation could occur and how high above group the water could potentially reach.

A surge of seawater is often the greatest threat. It can occur at different times and places than a hurricane’s winds and well inland from the coast and might require evacuation.

Hurricane Ike — which devastated the Bolivar Peninsula of Texas and caused widespread damage in other areas of southeastern Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas in 2008 — was the impetus for the emphasis on storm surges, said Jamie Rhome, the leader of the National Hurricane Center’s Storm Surge Unit.

More recently Hurricane Sandy focused the public’s attention on the damage that could result. Though only a Category 1 when it made landfall in southern New Jersey in 2012, with sustained winds of 74 to 95 miles per hour, Sandy was a massive storm that did $67 billion in damage from flooding, according to NOAA. The storm surge — the rising seawater that results from wind and changes in atmospheric pressure — pushed water inland.

Recent research shows that storm surges are the primary killers during hurricanes, but polling indicates that the public believes otherwise, Rhome said.

“People really only think wind when they hear hurricane, they’re primarily focused on wind, yet it’s water that’s resulting in the largest loss of life,” he said. “That disconnect is what we’re really seeking to tackle with these new maps.”

As far as Florida’s hurricane-free streak?

“I guarantee you that remarkable streak is going to end,” said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “And we have to go into 2015 assuming that it’s going to end this year.”

A woman and three children were injured in a vehicle collision in Spring Valley Monday.

Ambulances were called to the intersection of Austin Drive and Ledgeview Avenue just down the street from Sweetwater Springs Elementary School.

Witnesses say a tan truck traveling eastbound rear ended a black Tahoe that had slowed down to turn into a parking lot.

The Tahoe spun and hit a minivan traveling westbound, witnesses said.

Cal Fire officials said the driver of the minivan was sent to Sharp Hospital with what was described as moderate injuries. The three children in the van were sent to Rady Children’s Hospital with moderate injuries as well, officials said.

The driver of the Tahoe was sent to the hospital to be checked out. Two children in the Tahoe were not injured.
 

Witnesses of a road rage incident on a San Diego highway in which a Navy officer was killed last week shared video taken just moments before the crash.

In the video captured on a mobile phone, a dark-colored car can be seen driving closely behind a motorcycle.

William Touch told NBC 7 he was trying to follow the two vehicles and witnessed the vehicle “sideswiping” the motorcycle three times.

“Her front bumper was literally touching the bike itself,” Touch said Sunday. “She stayed right behind him and I guess clips the back tire and I guess shakes a little bit."

California Highway Patrol Officers arrested driver Darla Jackson Friday and charged her with one count of murder for the May 28 collision that killed Zachary Buob, an active duty Chief Petty Officer in the Navy's special operations.

Jackson, 26, was driving a black Nissan Altima northbound on Interstate 5 near E Street in Chula Vista at around 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Jackson and a man on a red Ducati motorcycle got into some type of disagreement on the roadway, officials said.

After the two drivers transitioned from I-5 to eastbound State Route 54 and passed National City Boulevard, Jackson hit the Ducati from behind and ran over the rider, CHP officers said.

The motorcyclist, identified by friends as 39-year-old Zachary Buob, a Santee resident, died about an hour later at a hospital.

“Still can't believe that this happened to such a good guy in such an evil act,” said Donny McCowan. “It happened to such a good individual. He's one of the greatest guys I know at the command and he's really going to be missed."

Buob’s death brought bikers and service members from across the state to ride in honor of their brother.

They rode from Mission Valley mall to the site of the crash where a memorial of flowers and flags grows.

“How he left he didn't deserve it,” said family friend Chad Braun. “He served his country and he was here home doing what he loved and he was free and it's sad he went the way he did.

“It was unexpected and it shouldn't have happened."

Newark officials are warning residents not to catch or eat fish that washed ashore following heavy rainfall that started Sunday across New Jersey, according to a report.

The Department of Health and Community Wellness issued a statement Monday warning residents the fish that washed ashore may have come into contact with sewer drains or other contaminants.

"This is a dangerous practice and residents are urged to refrain from trapping, catching, and eating any fish caught on the streets," said Dr. Hanaa Hamdi, the department’s director.

Hamdi said there had been no reports of residents eating the fish and that the exact danger of eating them was unknown, but said it was a dangerous practice nonetheless.

A developmentally disabled man was gunned down in South Los Angeles over the color of his sneakers, his mother said Monday.

Jennifer Rivers gathered with loved ones Monday to celebrate the life of Tavin Price on what would have been her son's 20th birthday. They brought balloons and sang "Happy Birthday."

Price was slain outside a car wash Friday morning. Rivers said her son was wearing red tennis shoes when he went to a nearby store.

"Some guys, he said, told him to take off his tennis shoes. He told him he wasn't taking off his shoes, he wasn't a gangbanger. He came back to the car and told me. I immediately put the nozzle down and told him let's go because I didn't want no problems," Rivers recalled.

But before they could leave, a gunman rushed him.

"He ran up on my son and shot him in the back and then he shot him twice in the chest," Rivers said.

Los Angeles police said the shooter was an accomplice of the man who demanded Price's shoes.

The person, who was wearing a light-colored hoodie that was pulled up over his head, "approached the victim, shot him multiple times and then fled the location," said Det. Eric Crosson of the Criminal Gang Homicide Division.

Rivers now seeks justice for her son, whose dying words ring in her ears.

"He told me, 'Mommy, please. I don't want to die. Mommy, please,'" Rivers said. "Just took my son's life like that. I want that guy to be caught. Whoever it is, I want him to go to jail."

Police said they took a woman into custody in connection with the crime, but had not caught the gunman.

"How vicious can you be to just kill someone's son right in front of your face?" Rivers said.

City of San Diego residents can now water their lawns only two days a week after 6 p.m. and before 10 a.m. for no more than 5 minutes per day under new water restrictions that took effect June 1.

In May, the State Water Resources Control Board imposed mandatory water-savings targets for the hundreds of local agencies and cities that supply water to California customers.

Because local agencies must save between 12 and 36 percent, new rules have gone in effect for the summer months.

In San Diego, the water schedule is as follows: Sunday and Thursday for homes with addresses ending in an odd number, Saturday and Wednesday for homes with addresses ending in an even number, Monday and Friday for apartments, condos and businesses.

Time-of-day and time-limits do not apply to those property owners who have installed landscape irrigation systems using water-efficient devices, including drip and micro-irrigation systems and stream rotor sprinklers.

San Diego is not alone. In Oceanside, the schedule for lawn watering is Tuesday and Saturday for single family homes. Apartments, condos, businesses and public agencies may water Mondays and Thursdays.

Helix Water District issued restrictions to its customers beginning May 25 and has released information on penalties for those customers who don't conserve.

See a list of all water agencies in San Diego County and look up their specific rules here.

Mayors across San Diego County gathered in El Cajon Monday to discuss water conservation and urge residents to start stepping up their water conservation habits.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer was joined by El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells, Escondido Mayor Sam Abed, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, Lemon Grove Mayor Mary Sessom and Poway Mayor Steve Vaus.

John Bolthouse, Executive Director of The Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon said it’s time to change the way we use water when it comes to maintaining yards.

Depending on the size of the yard, Bolthouse said 5 minutes should be enough time to water.

There are water-wise gardens at the center showing how homeowners can make their property still look good without a grass lawn.

Other restrictions in effect include:

• No watering of lawns when it’s raining or 48 hours after it has rained
• No washing of between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. (Boats and boat engines are permitted to be washed down after use)
• No washing down sidewalks, driveways or patios with a running hose

Moving from military to work in the private sector can be one of the biggest challenges for veterans.

One year ago, the Bob Hope Foundation helped Easter Seals start a pilot program called Work First Military and Veteran Services. The program helps connect local veterans with companies looking for the right employees.

The organization has now placed its 100th veteran on the job.

That veteran is Michael Brotherton, a Navy veteran starting his new job at Delta Airlines at San Diego International Airport.

He will be working as an Airport Ticketing, Gate, Ramp and Customer Service Agent.

“I’m excited I’ll be working around airplanes and that is what I love to do,” says Brotherton.

The Easter Seals Program Work First helped him showcase the skills he developed while in the Navy for 20 years. Brotherton worked as a mechanic on jets like the F-18.

Vincent Martin is Brotherton’s mentor and a Navy veteran himself.

“We’ve been there," Martin said. "We’ve gone through the process and we are aware of the challenges that our veterans face.”

He helped Brotherton maximize the skills he developed in the military on his resume.

The organization also has partnerships with local companies.

Work First’s Operational Manager John Funk is also a Navy veteran. He served as Commanding Officer of USS Bonhomme Richard.

“We spend a lot of time with employers talking about the great benefits that a veteran has,” said Funk.

The program assists veterans who are three months away from separating up to two years out of the service. In San Diego, there are plenty of veterans looking to make that move, says Randy Rutta, CEO and President Easter Seals.

“There are a lot of transitioning service members wondering how they are going to step into the civilian world," Rutta said. 

 For more information, go to EasterSeals.com. 

At least five flights were targeted by phoned-in bomb threats Tuesday, government sources told NBC News. The threats weren't considered credible.

Four of the five flights — among them one from San Diego to Philadelphia, one from Los Angeles to Atlanta and one from San Francisco to Chicago — landed safely Tuesday, while the other was still en route to San Francisco from Seoul, South Korea.

Korean Air Flight 23 from Seoul to San Francisco was still in the air and is scheduled to land Tuesday afternoon.

The flights that landed safely were US Airways Flight 648 from San Diego to Philadelphia, Delta FLight 55 from Los Angeles to Atlanta, United Flight 995 from San Francisco to Chicago and Volare Flight 939 from Portland, Oregon, to Guadelajara, Mexico.

At the Philadelphia airport, police with search dogs boarded the threatened US Airways flight, after a threat indicated there were multiple devices aboard Flight 648.

Airline spokeswoman Victoria Lupica says passengers were taken off the plane and transported to a terminal. They were reunited with their luggage and personal items and were free to go.

San Diego-based Benefunder announced a partnership with Washington D.C.-based Children’s National Health System to boost funding for pediatric research.

Benefunder connects wealth management firms and high-net worth individuals with research causes. Under the collaboration, select Children’s National Health researchers will be profiled on Benefunder’s funding platform, including faculty from the Children’s Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation.

Researchers at the Children’s Research Institute are investigating a wide range of diseases, including brain and spinal cord injuries and protection, obesity, type 2 diabetes, renal disease, and autism. The Sheikh Zayed Institute’s goal is to make pediatric surgery more precise, less invasive, and pain-free.

By joining Benefunder, top researchers can gain access to discretionary funds to further advance important treatments, therapies, devices and other innovative solutions that otherwise would not make it to the market.

“We are excited about the partnership with Children’s National,” said Christian Braemer, Benefunder’s cofounder and CEO. “Our goal is to connect these important causes with the resources they need to create better solutions for children’s health problems.”

Children’s National is Benefunder’s first pediatric partnership. The top ranked health organization joins other leading institutions, such as UC San Diego, Syracuse University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley, Calif., that have partnered with Benefunder to give philanthropists direct access to today’s top researchers.
 

“We are making a little progress.”

That’s the message NFL player Devon Still put on Instagram Monday night as his daughter Leah continues her battle against a rare form of cancer.

Still‘s latest message thanking supporters came on the same day the Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle and his 5-year-old daughter were announced as the Jimmy V Perseverance honorees.

Leah was diagnosed last June with stage-4 neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer in young children. Still said last week that his daughter "hit a pretty serious complication" in the process of getting a stem cell transplant, with her liver affected by chemotherapy.

Still has used social media to share his daughter’s journey, with much of her treatment taking place at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He posted another Instragram message Monday night that updated the public of his daughter’s condition.

Still, who attended Penn State, agreed to a one-year contract to stay with the Bengals in March. The team donated $1.3 million from sales of his jersey to research and treatment of pediatric cancer.

The award is named after the late Jim Valvano, who died of cancer less than two months after receiving the honor at the 1993 ESPYs. Other former recipients include Sacramento Kings coach George Karl and the late ESPN anchor Stuart Scott.

The man accused of killing a Rockville, Maryland, couple on Mother’s Day offered his condolences on Facebook just hours after they were stabbed, prosecutors say.

According to new charging documents, Scott Tomaszewski attacked his neighbors Dick and Jody Vilardo with a knife while the couple was in bed, but the crime continued outside the bedroom. Mrs. Vilardo’s body was found in the kitchen with eight stab wounds, while Mr. Vilardo was found on the patio. He had been stabbed 42 times, a detail prosecutors emphasized.

“I just wanted to make sure the court understood the strength of our case and the brutality of the killing,” said State Attorney John McCarthy.

Prosecutors say Tomaszewski cut a screen window on the couple’s house and crawled in before attacking them. After killing them, he spent time in the home, stealing cash, jewelry, a $7,300 Rolex and Jody Vilardo’s purse.

Hours later, Tomaszewski left for an Alaskan cruise with his parents, where they were celebrating their retirement. After news of the Vilardos’ deaths went public, Tomaszewski expressed sympathy on his Facebook page, saying they were such nice people and how scary it was that such a crime could happen in the neighborhood. Tomaszewski was charged with the Vilardos’ murders while he was still in Alaska with his family. Police say he had blood-soaked money in his wallet at the time of his arrest.

Tomaszewski’s parents said in a statement that they were “devastated by the tragic deaths of their neighbors,” and “the fact that their son Scott has been charged with the commission of these crimes.”

Tomaszewski confessed to having “an altercation” with the Vilardos in their bedroom and eventually led authorities to the murder weapon, prosecutors said.

At the San Diego Cooperative Charter School in Linda Vista, students know all about the change in test taking.

They bubbled in the answers when taking the STAR test to assess their academic growth. This year, when taking the new Smarter Balanced Assessment for common core, they answered questions on-line.

“It was kind of hard because it kept kicking me off, “ said Delilah Cox, a sixth grader at the school, who described the test taking as stressful.

The principal, Doctor Wendy Ranck-Buhr, said it was frustrating for students who want to do their best.

“We could get them back on, which is good, but after you’ve been kicked off five, six, seven times, and your peers are continuing around you, it doesn’t take long for kids to feel discouraged and do their best,” she said.

The Senior Director of Assessments for the County Office of Education says the state is working with schools experiencing problems with the test which she says is designed to give teachers and parents a more authentic picture of what students are able to do.

She says when parents get the results, they should not compare them to the Star Testing results. The tests are different.

Meantime, Doctor Ranck-Buhr questions the validity of the results this first year of testing. She is urging her students’ parents to consider the results may not be an accurate measure of their children’s ability. 

“In this particular case, whether the kids do really well or really poorly, either way, take it with a huge grain of salt.”
 

A suspect trying to escape police drove through the emergency arms surrounding a trolley track before crashing at Naval Base San Diego, San Diego Police say.

The incident started with a large fight in the 900 block of Glendale Avenue just after 9 p.m. in Golden Hill.

When police pulled up, those involved jumped into separate cars and sped off.

One of the suspect vehicles, pursued by police, sped over trolley track as the arms were lowering to block access. The car drove right through the arms and broke them, officers said.

However, the chase came to a sudden end when the car crashed at the front gate of Naval Base San Diego, at 32nd Street and Harbor Drive.

Two people from inside the car have been detained.

The Metropolitan Transit System was called in to repair the broken trolley arms.