San Diego Police searched Rancho Bernardo after a report of a man threatening someone with a gun near two schools Tuesday morning, but the claim turned out to be unfounded.

The report came in just before 8:30 a.m. on Paseo Lucido near Calle Saucillo.

The location is near Bernardo Heights Middle School and Rancho Bernardo High School. The schools were not in regular session, but some faculty and summer school students may have still been on campus.

Officers were searching for a man reported to be driving recklessly and threatening others with a gun.

By 9:25 a.m., police confirmed the area was safe and began clearing the scene.

A fire that started in a palm tree has spread to a nearby house in Paradise Hills Tuesday, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue officials.

The blaze caught at a home near Rancho Drive and Patomac Street at about 1:40 p.m.

The flames briefly spread to the home, but firefighters were able to extinguish it quickly. They are now mopping up hot spots.

There is a downed power line in the area, but it's unclear if that contributed to the fire, officials say.

A San Diego pastor is calling for an end to senseless violence after a series of murders in the Lincoln Park and Valencia Park neighborhoods.

Since Memorial Day, there have been three high-profile murders in the communities. On Tuesday, Pastor Ray Smith spoke publicly about his plan to end the violence, addressing the topic at the Tubman Chavez Center on Euclid Avenue.

"It's spreading through our whole city," said Smith. "And if we don't stop it here, there's no stopping it any place else. Certainly it affects all of us, those inland, outside. It affects churches, it affects businesses."

The pastor’s proposal is titled “Project Safe Streets Summer Pre-Employment Project,” a three and a half week training program that would teach workforce skills during the day and put teens to work cleaning up the community in the afternoon.

On May 25, a double-murder in Valencia Park took the lives of residents Joel Branch, 47, and his cousin, Gerald Morris, 48. The men were shot and killed on Branch’s patio during a holiday weekend celebration near 53rd and Groveland. Branch left behind seven children.

Police said the victims were hanging out with family members and friends when two men walked up to the group and started shooting.

That deadly shooting, along with the third murder of victim Clarence Edward Carllel III at a taco shop earlier this month, had led Pastor Smith and members of his congregation to call for change in the communities, including no more guns and more jobs.

Branch's brother, Johnnie, told NBC 7 the shooter took away a good part of the community in killing his brother. He agreed with the goal of the new program.

"I think it's a great opportunity to get youth off the streets so they don't get involved in crime and gangs and drugs and stuff like that," Johnnie said.

San Diego City Councilwoman Myrtle Cole, who represents the area, is making jobs and employment opportunities a focus of her administration, her office said.

A former San Diego man noticed something familiar in a Facebook post asking for help in identifying a woman with amnesia and Stage 3 ovarian cancer, though his theory ended up being unfounded.

The woman was found barely conscious on February 1 in Carlsbad, north of San Diego. She is now searching for anyone who knows her name or her family.

"Sam," as she calls herself, couldn’t tell emergency responders her name or any personal details. Doctors think her amnesia is the result of the antibodies of a malignant tumor.

When Dennis Schreiber of Richmond, Virginia saw an image of Sam in his Facebook feed Tuesday morning, he noticed something familiar.

He looked through his El Cajon Valley High School yearbook and compared Sam's photo to that of a former classmate.

"I went to my annual '72 and there was her picture," said Schreiber.

"You know, the eyes. You can always look at somebody's eyes. They don't change," he said. "It just looked to me like it was the same person."

However, the woman in the photo later called NBC 7, telling us she is not the mystery woman.

When Sam spoke with NBC 7 on Monday, she spoke with an Australian accent.

“I can’t remember anything. How I got here? I didn’t have anything on me, no jewelry, no purse, nothing,” she said.

She uses words like “bloke” for man and “loo” for bathroom, said she feels a connection with the Australian city of Perth.

The link to Sam's story has been shared thousands of times from NBC 7's Facebook page  - by people living all over the United States, Australia and even Ireland.

Australian news outlets have picked up the story and tips from down under have begun to pour in.

“I’m hoping that someone sees me, or this (referring to the NBC story), or something on the Internet and my family immediately says ‘there she is!, there she is!’” Sam told NBC 7 on Monday.

The FBI has taken her finger prints and used facial recognition software in an effort to locate her family. A page has also been created for her on the international police information sharing website Interpol. Her case has also gained traction on social media. A Facebook page created by hospital friends has helped gain the attention of the Australian Consulate.

Editor's note: Schreiber provided NBC 7 with a high school yearbook photo of the woman he believed was tied to the case. However, the actual woman in the picture asked we not use it, so it has since been removed. 

City workers earning hourly pay in San Diego will begin earning paid sick leave.

The San Diego City Council approved the implementation of the state law earlier this year. 

State law AB 1522, written by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), would allow individuals working in the state of California for 30 days or longer to earn paid sick leave for one hour of every 30 worked. 

"Providing earned sick leave is the right thing to do as a responsible employer; the city respects our employees and the people we serve," said Councilmember Todd Gloria in a statement. "Allowing city employees to earn sick leave is a good investment that help ensure their continued ability to serve the public in a healthy and productive way."

Most city employees earn an annual leave for vacation or sick time. However over 1,300 city employees, including lifeguards, recreation leaders, and library staff are not eligible for annual leave and would benefit from sick leave through the implementation of A.B. 1522 in San Diego.

City council member Todd Gloria advocated to provide the policy for employees who regularly interact with the public.

Giving hourly city workers up to 24 hours of paid sick leave would have a financial impact of $471,284 per fiscal year, the Department of Financial Management estimates.

Several small spot fires broke out on the side of State Route 94 Tuesday in the Grant Hill area, officials said.

The fires began just before 10:40 a.m. on the roadside off eastbound SR-94 between 28th Street and Interstate 15. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) said no homes were threatened.

The fires impacted traffic and a SigAlert was issued for eastbound SR-94 after officials shut down two lanes. The lanes had reopened by noon, officials said.

It was about 75 degrees in Grant Hill at the time of the fires. The cause is under investigation.

About an hour earlier, firefighters battled multiple other brush fires off State Route 67 in Lakeside.

Two food employees working at the Del Mar Fairgrounds have been diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and may have exposed other employees, San Diego County Health and Human Services officials said.

The patients, who work for Premier Food Service, may have infected others between Feb. 5 and June 23, though the potentially contaminated facilities are not accessible to the general public.

Health officials say they are working with Premier management to notify those working at the company’s fairgrounds area.

There is no indication anyone from the general public is at risk, according to officials.

“Safety is always our number one priority,” said Linda Zweig with the Del Mar Fairgrounds. “The public is not at risk.”

County Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten said it takes more than casual contact, like shaking someone’s hand or sharing food, to spread TB.

“TB usually requires many hours of close, sustained indoor contact to spread to others, so most people who are exposed do not develop the disease,” said county public health officer Wilma Wooten.

The county has offered Premier staff TB testing if they believe they have been exposed, and both confirmed cases are undergoing further tests to see if they are related.

Symptoms of active TB include cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss, Wooten said.

“Most people who are exposed to TB do not develop the disease,” she said, “but when it does occur, it can be treated and cured with medication; that’s why it’s important to identify those who have been exposed.”

According to health officials, TB has been decreasing in San Diego County, though it is not uncommon. In 2015, there have been 89 reported cases, while 2014 saw 220 cases.

Call the County TB Control Program at 619-692-8621 for more information about the potential exposure.

DNA and fingerprint evidence links a man to a string of North Park attacks last summer, experts testified Tuesday.

As the preliminary hearing for David Angelo Drake II, 23, entered its second day, DNA experts and the last of seven alleged victims took the stand for the prosecution.

One witness testified that fingerprints matching Drake’s were found on the hood and side mirror of a car parked right where one alleged victim, who NBC 7 is identifying as A.D., was attacked on Aug. 12, 2014.

Other experts said Drake’s DNA is linked to at least two other victims. Each victim recounts a similar story; all were attacked from behind and punched repeatedly in the face.

“I remember getting hit, and not really sure what had happened. Just heard a hollow sound in my head when I was hit, and then I tried to look up, and when I looked up I got hit again in the face,” A.D. testified.

A.D. said she got lost around 2:15 a.m. on Lincoln Avenue after moving her then-boyfriend’s car so he would not get a parking ticket. Her boyfriend’s cellphone was out of batteries, and she couldn’t find her way back to her car.

As she walked down the sidewalk, she was attacked from behind, punched in the head several times and knocked to the ground, she testified.

“I was trying to look up and I saw a dark figure standing above me, but before I could focus, I got hit again,” she said.

Her story is mirrors those of other six victims.

One woman, whom NBC 7 is calling K.S., remembers seeing a tall man jogging toward her in the alley near her house on Idaho Street on April 30, 2014. K.S. tried moving out of the way but was attacked from behind, she said.

She was put in a chokehold and punched, and her glasses were knocked off her face.

“I was picked up, off my feet, and he walked about 20 feet or so up, and then hit me in the face with his right hand,” K.S. recalled.

None of the seven victims remember seeing who attacked them or remember ever seeing the defendant Drake before.

Drake’s preliminary hearing should finish Wednesday, when a judge will decide if there’s enough evidence for him to stand trial.

Drake faces 19 charges, stemming from incident between April and August 2014: 

April 30, 2014: Defendant is charged with assault with intent to commit a specific felony and assault by means to likely produce great bodily injury.

June 11: A woman told police she was thrown to the ground by one attacker on 33rd Street. Defendant is charged with sexual penetration (use of force), assault with intent to commit a specific felony and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury.

June 21: A woman was walking along Lincoln Avenue at 9:20 p.m. when she said two men attempted to attack her. Defendant is charged with assault to commit a specific felony and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury.

June 24: A woman was walking along Lincoln Avenue near Oregon Street and was knocked unconscious in an attack from behind, police said. Defendant is charged with sexual penetration (use of force), assault with intent to commit a specific felony and assault with intent to commit a specific felony.

July 20: A woman was knocked out while walking near the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Kansas Street around 1:20 a.m. Defendant is charged with assault with intent to commit a specific felony and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury.

Aug. 12: Defendant is charged with sexual penetration (use of force), robbery and assault with intent to commit a specific felony.

Aug. 28: The victim was attacked from behind, punched in the face and knocked out. She screamed for help and the suspect ran away, avoiding capture. Defendant is charged with assault with intent to commit a specific felony and assault by means to produce great bodily injury.

Investigators arrested Drake after receiving a tip from a police officer's wife who saw something unique about the suspect in surveillance video.

Drake has no criminal history and his defense attorney Dan Greene, has said that none of the women identified his client in a lineup.

If convicted on all the charges against him, Drake could face 100 years to life in prison.

Blame the leap second.

Several major sites went down around around after the scheduled leap second on Tuesday evening, including Instagram, Pinterest, Netflix and Amazon.com.

Those sites all rely on Amazon Web Services for their Internet infrastructure. AWS, which powers several other major sites and social media platforms, suffered a connectivity issue between 8:25 p.m. to 9:07 p.m. ET (5:25 p.m. and 6:07 p.m. PT).

The culprit: "We have seen with these reported issues that this has been caused by a leap second bug within the instance operating system," AWS said.

Call it the new Y2K bug — except this one actually did some damage.

"We experienced an Internet connectivity issue with a provider outside of our network," Amazon Web Services said in an announcement on its Service Health Dashboard. "The issue has been resolved and the service is operating normally."

Several other sites were crippled around the same time. Apple's newly launched music streaming service, Beats 1, apparently suffered an outage for nearly 40 minutes, as did task management sites like Asana, Slack and SocialFlow. It wasn't immediately obvious what caused those outages, although a similar "leap second" problem may have been the cause as well.

The leap second, as it's known, is a minute adjustment for the tiny inconsistencies in the length of a day.

Donald Trump spoke in New Hampshire Tuesday night- just one day after getting dumped by NBC Universal and Univision due to his comments about Mexican immigrants.

"They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists," Trump said during his presidential run kick-off speech.

If you thought Trump would apologize for his comments at his first public appearance at a pool-side reception in Bedford, New Hampshire, since the controversy, you'd be wrong. He brought research he said he had done to support his earlier statements.

"I mentioned the word 'rape.' I felt oh, maybe, you know, maybe there's never been a rape. Maybe there's never been a problem. Maybe there's never been a crime," Trump began. "To me, it's impossible to almost believe — 80 percent of Central American women and girls are raped crossing into the United States."

In addition, Trump stirred it up on the topics of Univision and NBC. He announced that he is suing Univision for $500 million for dropping the Miss Universe Pageant that Trump runs.

"What NBC and Univision did to these young women is disgraceful," he said.

Trump spoke for more than an hour, at one point defending himself against critics who say he's not nice.

"I don't think it matters if I'm nice or not, because I really believe this is going to be an election that's based on competence."

On the word that Trump weighs in at number two to Jeb Bush in the latest New Hampshire poll, Trump was stumped.

"It's hard to believe I'm second to Bush," Trump said. "Because Bush is not going to get us to the promised land, folks."

The Republican presidential candidate has made 14 stops in New Hampshire so far ahead of the 2016 primary. 

A whole new round of turf replacement rebates is available through the city of San Diego starting Wednesday.

The flood of $1.2 million in rebates comes as the city implements new water restrictions to reach its state-mandated goal of 16 percent savings. Residents can apply to get $1.50 per square foot of lawn they replace with native or drought-resistant plants.

While the city hopes the funds will last, the previous round of grass rebates – a reserve of $750,000 launched in April – ran dry within a week. Officials admitted they were inundated with applications beyond expectations.

Outdoor watering makes up more than 50 percent of residential water use, city officials say, so they are taking a number of steps to cut down that usage.

The first is replenishing the turf replacement program; the second is cutting outdoor irrigation for residents and businesses to two days a week, five minutes per station.

Beginning on July 1, residents living at odd numbered addresses can water only on Sunday and Thursday, while even numbered addresses are limited to Saturday and Wednesday. Apartments, condos and businesses can water only on Monday and Friday.

The city also plans to significantly reduce its potable water use within the Parks and Recreation Department by reducing irrigation to two times a week for passive grass areas, like turf around picnic tables and fields.

Cres will be planning drought-tolerant landscaping in new parks, and they will stop using potable water for dog off-lease areas and turf medians – except when it’s needed to save trees.

For more on how to apply for a turf rebate, click here.

U.S. service members and their families are invited to attend a 4th of July beach party hosted by Camp Pendleton in the North County, the base said.

Camp Pendleton will host its 25th annual Beach Bash at the Del Mar Beach Resort on Saturday in honor of Independence Day.

The family-friendly shindig runs from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will feature live entertainment, activities, a family fun zone, games, food and drinks. There will also be cash-prize giveaways and a chance to win a Ford Focus ST. The fun culminates with a fireworks show at 9 p.m.

It’s open to all Department of Defense identification card holders, Marines, sailors and their families, Camp Pendleton said. Organizers expect about 35,000 patrons to attend the celebration. For more info on the patriotic party, click here.
 

A series of fires along State Route 67 near Lakeside created a large cloud of smoke across San Diego's East County Tuesday.

Six small fires burned just after 9 a.m. within a few feet of each other along the highway near Slaughterhouse Canyon Road.

One of the fires, named the Sycamore Fire by Cal Fire officials, was stopped at three acres.

When firefighters arrived, they found about a quarter acre brush fire in rocky terrain on the east side of the highway.

CAL FIRE, Lakeside Fire sent an update via Twitter, suggesting the fire was moving at a medium rate of spread (ROS) with no structures threatened.

Officials later confirmed that there were several fires within a small area. They have not determined a cause.

A large cloud of white smoke filled the sky as firefighters put out the flames.

Crews parked at least a dozen engines along the road as they walked through the charred area putting out hot spots.

On SR-67, between Lakeside and Poway, temperatures were in the mid 70’s, according to NBC 7's Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh.

She said conditions for firefighters were favorable.

Humidity was up 55 percent and winds were down - out of the East at 3 mph. Hopefully they get a jump on it, before things really heat up, after about 11 a.m. Today will be mostly sunny and top out in the low 90s. There was a 20 percent chance of a pop up thunderstorm for that area.

Check back for updates on this developing story. Get updates by downloading the free NBC 7 mobile app. 

Officers pursued a sport utility vehicle driver who reached speeds well above 100 mph on at least four different freeways Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles and Orange counties before he surrendered in San Diego County.

The pursuit began after a traffic violation in the East Los Angeles area just before 1 p.m. The Volvo sport utility vehicle driver, weaving in and out of lanes and reaching speeds of 100 mph, continued on the 60, 710, 605 and 5 freeways with California Highway Patrol vehicles in pursuit.

At about 1:30 p.m., at least three CHP sport utility vehicles were trailing the SUV on the southbound 5 Freeway in southern Orange County. The pursuit entered San Diego County about 15 minutes later and reached an estimated 120 mph as the driver squeezed between other vehicles and a concrete freeway divider in the Carlsbad area.

"Because he was using all lanes, (it was) extremely difficult to predict where he's going to be at the time that we are deploying the spike strip," CHP Officer Pete Kim said. "There were several attempts at it, however they were unsuccessful."

The driver pulled to the side of the 5 Freeway and surrendered at about 2 p.m. Officers said he ran out of gas.

No weapons were found inside the car, officers said.

The driver faces felony evation charges, officers said. NBC4 is attempting to confirm reports that the occupant was wanted for a drug-related offense.

Vikki Vargas contributed to this report.

A Flex Alert has been issued by the agency managing the bulk of California’s energy grid, asking residents to reduce their power use Tuesday and Wednesday as temperatures climb.

The California Independent System Operator is asking residents to use less power between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. both days because of anticipated high demand on the system as a result of the heat.

Temperatures are expected to reach into the high 70s for downtown San Diego and the low 90s for inland San Diego County Tuesday and Wednesday.

To help save energy, residents can turn off central air conditioning, use fans, power down and unplug equipment, turn off unnecessary lights or close blinds to block the heat.

For additional tips, go to the San Diego Gas & Electric website.

SDG&E previously said they would have enough power to meet summer’s demand but said they would likely ask residents to conserve during certain periods of time.

The beaches are open and the thunderstorms have passed after several hours of severe weather warnings, heavy rainfall and lightning poured down across San Diego County. 

The "multi-cell cluster of pulse thunderstorms," as NBC7's Dagmar Midcap said, head out of the county by 3 p.m. Tuesday.

"We will enjoy a dryer and clearer evening and overnight with only very slight chances for a shower or storm to form mostly over the mountains," Midcap said. "It will stay warm and humid overnight and we’ll start the process all over again tomorrow."

A severe thunderstorm warning for San Diego and Riverside Counties went into effect at 1:30 p.m. and lifeguards temporarily cleared beaches for several hours, asking residents to stay out of the water and off the coast as lightening struck off the coast. A beach hazard warning put into place was lifted shortly before 5 p.m. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a coastal hazard message and said lightning was possible at the beaches but later lifted it. An aviation weather warning was in effect for San Diego International Airport for cloud to ground lightning from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. moving in from the southeast. 

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for San Diego and Riverside Counties that lasted until 3 p.m. for damaging winds moving faster than 60 miles per hour. Hail, lightning and very heavy rain are all possible in these conditions, the NWS said. 

Lifeguards began evacuating beaches around 1:30 p.m. Imperial Beach lifeguards asked beachgoers to get out of the water as a matter of policy due to lightning. Coronado Lifeguards asked beachgoers to get out of the water after reported lightning strikes off the beach. Beaches across San Diego County were being cleared out as heavy rain and possible thunderstorms approached. 

In the middle of the storm, lifeguards had to rescue a group of young swimmers about a mile north of Mission Beach caught in a rip current. There were no injuries, they said, but it could not have happened at a worse time. 

The California Highway Patrol said they believe lightning struck at least three powerpoles around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, knocking them down and into the road way. CHP officials initially issued a Sig Alert for Dye Road at Ramona Street in Ramona but later changed it to a hard closure as SDG&E crews worked to repair the damage throughout the night. 

The San Diego County Water Authority is reminding residents and businesses to turn off their sprinklers and other irrigation systems for at least two days following heavy rain. After heavy rain, irrigation systems can be left off for up to two weeks. 

Cal Fire said they have had lots of reports of lightning, but not confirmed fires. 

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 

A New York mother was arrested on a child endangerment charge after neighbors reported seeing a 4-year-old boy left alone on a sidewalk, his toddler leash tied to a bush, police say. 

The single mother didn't want to miss a day of work at her babysitting job Tuesday morning, but also had no one to watch her own son, her sister told NBC 4 New York. 

So Mery Quinde-Castro, of Rockland County, brought her son to work at the Blueberry Hill apartment complex in Spring Valley, her sister Rosa said. When she went to take out the trash, she took the boy along with her but he refused to come back into the building. 

Police said that's when she tied his plush backpack toddler leash to a bush and went back in to tend to the baby. She left him her phone so he could watch cartoons, police said.

"I don't think she understood the gravity of what had taken place," said Spring Valley Police Chief Paul Modica. "It could have been bad."

A neighbor called police after reportedly seeing the boy unattended for 45 minutes. The boy's mother said it was 10 minutes, police said. Either way, she was arrested and charged with misdemeanor child endangerment. 

Her sister Rosa Quinde-Castro, who frequently watches her nephew, said the boy is hyperactive and he needs the soft leash to stop him from running into traffic. 

"She did nothing wrong. She is a good mother," said Rosa Quinde-Castro. 

Police said the boy was well cared-for and happy, and there were no signs of abuse. They called it a case of bad judgment. 

"The kid could have disappeared, gotten hurt. It's not the proper thing to do," said Modica. 

Rosa said her sister is working to support herself and her son after the boy's father abandoned the family. She said Mery, who's visibly upset in her mugshot photo, would never do anything to hurt her son.

Mery Quinde-Castro was released on $2,500 cash bail. She left the courthouse to pick up her son afterward, relatives said. 

Housing developer KB Home of Los Angeles has acquired a 5.47-acre land parcel in El Cajon for $6.43 million, according to commercial brokerage company Colliers International.

The seller of the parcel at 103 E. Chase Ave., which is approved for development of a 44-lot residential subdivision, was recorded as Sam El Cajon 55 LLC. Colliers’ Ciara Trujillo, David Santistevan and Gunder Creager represented the seller, and KB Homes represented itself.

Brokers said plans for a new residential development, called Magnolia Trails, include single-family homes ranging in size from 1,768 to 2,732 square feet, with an average lot size of approximately 4,000 square feet.

Trujillo said in a statement that infill subdivisions with more than 20 lots are now “extremely hard to find” in San Diego County, putting them in high demand among public and private homebuilders.
 

An accused drug dealer specially ordered a license plate for his BMW that read “Keep Kids Drug Free” and bore the letters “LIFTD,” slang for getting high, prosecutors said.

Eric Gomez, 29, was charged along with Brian Poole, 27, in a scheme to bring potent, high-grade strains of California-grown marijuana to Long Island, according to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors allege Poole was the ring leader of the operation and Gomez was his chief reseller. Poole allegedly arranged for the monthly delivery of about 80 pounds of marijuana from California to Suffolk County.

He made $500 to $800 per pound, depending on the strain of marijuana he chose to import. The 11 strains of marijuana he imported were marketed with names like “Girl Scout Cookies,” “Chem Dawg,” “OG Kush,” “Death Star,” “Jedi,” “Grand Daddy Purples,” “Hash Train,” “Jack the Ripper,” “Cheese,” and “Green Crack,” officials allege.

Investigators seized several weapons from the men, including a defaced, loaded handgun and an electronic stun gun, prosecutors said. Police also recovered $200,000 in cash from the pot sales, including tens of thousands of dollars in cash that detectives found in a child’s backpack in the trunk of Gomez’s Camaro.

Officials also found the anti-drug license plate with the ironic lettering that Gomez specially ordered for his BMW.

Poole, a prior violent felony offender, is being held on $1 million cash bail and a parole hold and Gomez was released on his own recognizance, prosecutors said. Attorney information was not immediately available.

A Washington state Girl Scouts chapter says it returned a $100,000 pledge from a donor who asked that the money not be used to help any transgender girls in the program.

Megan Ferland, council head of Girl Scouts of Western Washington, said the request from the donor, who she did not identify publicly, came in May, after news of Caitlyn Jenner's transition made headlines.  

"Please guarantee that our gift will not be used to support transgender girls," the note read, according to a report in Seattle Metropolitan magazine. "If you can't, please return the money."

Girl Scouts of America has allowed transgender girls in their program over the years, with the belief that every girl should be allowed to serve. That stance was cited when the organization announced the would not be accepting the money.

"Girl Scouts is for every girl," Ferland told Seattle Metropolitan. "And every girl should have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout if she wants to."

The donation would have covered nearly a quarter of the council's annual fundraising goal — enough to send 500 girls to summer camp. An Indiegogo online fundraiser set up to recoup the lost cash, called Girl Scouts is #ForEveryGirl," has generated more than $250,000 in donations from 5,000 people.  

The Girl Scouts made headlines four years ago when the organization took to explicitly stating its stance on transgender scouts on its website,saying if the parents and community recognize the child as a girl and she is treated as one, she is allowed to have a spot in Girl Scouts.

That belief drew outrage from religious-centered organizations, with responses ranging from boycots of Girl Scout cookies to demands that Girl Scouts only allow “biological” girls in the program.

"Luckily, we don't serve our critics," Andrea Bastiani Archibald, the Girl Scouts USA's chief girl expert told CNN. "We are proud to serve all girls."