A man who had been injured and trapped for 10 days in his home was rescued by his mail carrier after she noticed that the mail had gone unchecked, according to NBC News.

Cissy Cartwright, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Postal Service in Hope Hull, Alabama, thought it was unlike Tommy Hope, 66, to not check his mailbox for several days, Post Master Sherry Hughes said. 

Cartwright discovered Hope's front door open; knowing he suffers from back problems, she yelled for the man and he responded. Hope had been on the floor, dehydrated and injured for 10 days after falling in his home on July 4, NBC station WSFA reported.

A man who broke into a New Jersey home stayed under a bed in a spare bedroom for three days before he was found, police said.

Jason Hubbard broke into the home on Ellenel Boulevard in Spotswood by walking through an open door as the homeowner was taking out the garbage, according to police.

Authorities say he walked into a spare bedroom where he stayed under the bed for three days. While he was there, he charged his four cell phones using an electrical outlet under the bed.

Three days later, on May 10, the homeowner heard a noise in the bedroom and found Hubbard.

Hubbard was charged with criminal trespass, burglary and theft of services. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

A 23-year-old tourist suffered fatal injuries while bungee jumping from a bridge in southern Spain, local police told NBC News on Wednesday.

The British woman's aunt was watching as the victim struck an older, stone bridge below, officials said.

Salvador Sifuentes, spokesman for the local police in Granada, said officials were investigating whether there was an error in calculating the length of the bungee rope.

"The girl's body was left hanging … she did not hit the ground," he added.

A massive, five-alarm fire engulfed an auto dealership and body shop early Wednesday morning in New Jersey, displacing residents from six nearby apartment buildings and shutting down roadways in the area.

The fire that would become an inferno at the 85-year-old warehouse sparked just before 2 a.m. on the 1600 block of Livingston Avenue in North Brunswick, officials said. The warehouse is part of an auto dealership complex. 

The blaze affected traffic on Route 1, closing the ramp from northbound Route 1 to Livingston Avenue. Route 1 remained open, but delays are expected. Parts of Livingston Avenue were also closed.

Chopper 4 footage showed flames tearing through several warehouse buildings hours after the fire started.

A large plume of smoke could be seen from at least 20 miles away, billowing east over nearby neighborhoods. Observers could see the plumes of smoke from as far as 15 miles away.

Officials said some residential buildings caught fire, but no injuries were immediately reported.

Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including the Red Cross.

A new, large-scale public market is set to open in San Diego’s Liberty Station and this week, organizers will unveil the lineup of merchants and vendors that will set up shop in the new space.

Liberty Public Market – a 22,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor marketplace – is slated to open at 2816 Historic Decatur Rd. this October.

The $3 million project – a partnership between operating group Blue Bridge Hospitality and developer The McMillin Companies – will transform a historic 1920s-era warehouse-style building adjacent to Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens into a vibrant marketplace housing more than 30 merchants selling everything from locally-sourced food to handcrafted goods.

Organizers say this marketplace concept will allow brick & mortar opportunities for small businesses and locally-owned wholesale distributors, while providing patrons with a community gathering place boasting quality artisan goods that are unique to San Diego.

The marketplace aims to be reminiscent of public markets in other cities, such as Napa’s Oxbow Public Market or Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market.

Organizers say the venue will feature a daily farmers market with year-round fresh produce sourced from regional farms, plus merchants offering locally-procured seafood, old-fashioned butcher services, homemade tortillas, artisanal breads and pastries, fine wine, locally-roasted coffee, specialty handcrafted goods and more.

The market will also boast quick-service counters, allowing patrons to grab a bite on site, too.

David Spatafore, of Blue Bridge Hospitality, is helping to spearhead the project. In the past, he’s helped develop Coronado restaurant concepts such as Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge and Stake Chophouse + Bar.

Heading into this undertaking, Spatafore believes it’s time San Diego had a marketplace like this.

“Liberty Public Market presents small businesses the chance to sell their good on a much larger scale,” he said. “This project allows the little guys to be part of a very big business opportunity.”

By the way, the warehouse-style space for the marketplace was originally built as the Naval Training Center’s commissary in 1921. In its new incarnation, organizers say the space will pay homage to its historic roots.

The indoor area boasts high ceilings in a communal setting that also includes a large outdoor patio, perfect for socializing. Parking at the marketplace will be free, as it always is at Liberty Station.

Check back Thursday on NBC7.com for the lineup of merchants and the latest updates on Liberty Station Marketplace.
 

The storms and wild weather in San Diego over the weekend delayed the launch of a massive replica ship under construction for the past four years, the San Diego Maritime Museum confirmed Tuesday.

The ship – a replica of Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo’s flagship, San Salvador – will likely now launch
early Wednesday morning, when the tide is high enough for a safe departure, Robyn Gallant, a representative from the Maritime Museum, told NBC 7.

Built in a parking lot easily viewed by wandering tourists and not in a traditional shipyard, the San Salvador can only be launched during specific tides and with the assistance of special equipment.

Currently, the ship is being slowly inched down a ramp into the harbor so she can then be attached to a barge and tugged down to the Chula Vista Marine Group. There, the ship will be inspected for safety.
Gallant said a major part of the launch of this ship aims to educate the public about American history, and in particular about the origins of California.

Cabrillo was the first European explorer to make contact with the West Coast of North America and to establish a relationship with the indigenous populations. Just like the Mayflower is a symbol for early colonial development on the East Coast, so the San Salvador is for the West.

Alongside the Department of Education and the National Parks Service, the San Salvador will be used to develop curriculum for students and serve as a floating classroom to educate them about this slice of history, the museum spokesperson said.

The ship will aim to host tens of thousands of young students each year, and the educational components of the museum will focus on engaging students in the cultural, political and economic underpinnings of Cabrillo’s era of exploration.

Within the first five to 10 years of her life at sea, the San Salvador will travel to various ports up the California coast such as Oceanside, Monterey, Morro Bay and Sacramento to bring this unique classroom experience to other cities.

However, she will first be docked in the San Diego Harbor for several months before her journey to those other ports begins.

Gallant confirmed that if the proper permits can be acquired, the planned date of her public debut will be Sept. 4 at the annual San Diego Festival of Sail. The Maritime Museum hopes San Salvador will kick off the festival by leading the parade into the harbor, and will then be ready to take her first visitors on board.

The addition of the San Salvador to the Maritime Museum will teach the public about the origins of their beloved communities and will give people an opportunity to engage with a ship that appears to be straight out of the 1500s.

Not only does the San Salvador look like the original ship, the materials and tools used to build her were true to the time period as well. Although she is fitted with modern appliances like electricity and a GPS, the majority of the ship was built with resources available to the original Cabrillo expedition, Gallant explained.

A sprinkler seen spraying the lawn of Morley Field during Saturday’s record rainfall has prompted outrage among several passersby, who say the city isn’t being held to the same drought restrictions.

During Saturday’s rainstorm, Josh Wert was walking his dog by Morley Field and saw the sprinkler system watering the already-soaked lawn.

Miffed, Wert snapped a few photos to share with NBC 7.

The active sprinklers were a direct violation of the state’s water restrictions banning watering lawns within 48 hours of measurable rain.

A Parks and Recreation official told NBC 7 lawn watering wasn’t intentional – rather, the problem was caused by a broken automated control system with the sprinklers.

The system isn’t scheduled to run on weekends, so officials believe some type of electrical malfunction caused the spraying.

“It seems like a logical explanation, but it seems as if the city never acts unless the citizens actually speak out and bring stories like this to light,” Wert said.

Further, Wert said he saw a City of San Diego water truck drive by the park when the sprinklers had been running for an hour.

“There’s definitely no excuse for the guy to be sitting in his truck and no taking care of the issue,” Wert said.

Just like with private citizens, the city was issued a warning and could only be fined upon violating the law multiple times.

California State University presidents and other executives will receive an across-the-board 2 percent pay increase, a raise faculty union leaders brandished as part of a trend of "misplaced priorities."

CSU trustees approved the pay hike at their meeting Tuesday in Long Beach. The salary increase will cover chancellors, presidents and vice chancellors serving 460,000 students enrolled in 23 campuses across the state.

According to the university system, CSU executive pay lags about 25 percent behind when compared to other markets. Executives received no pay increase during four of the last five years.

"These increases are at or below what has been provided to other employee groups," the university and faculty personnel committee wrote in its presentation to the board.

The raise will make San Diego State University president Elliot Hirshman CSU's highest paid campus president -- his annual base pay will rise to $420,240. CSU system Chancellor Timothy White's pay will increase to $430,746.

The University of California's governing board on Wednesday will consider raising the pay of campus chancellors and other senior leaders by 3 percent, system spokeswoman Dianne Klein said. The chancellors of four campuses received salary increases ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent last fall under a three-year plan to bring their earnings in line with those of their counterparts at other major research institutions.

Several speakers at the meeting spoke against the executive pay raise, saying faculty salaries have languished and the CSU board's priorities are misplaced. Jennifer Egan, a professor at CSU East Bay and president of the California Faculty Association, urged the board of trustees to focus on teachers and student services instead.

"It's about funding priorities," Egan said. "Whether the state budget goes up or down, faculty salaries remain flat."

Faculty salaries are currently being negotiated. CSU has proposed a 2 percent raise, which union leaders Tuesday said is negligible when compared to a 2 percent increase for executives.

The average CSU faculty salary has increased 8 percent since 2004, rising from $46,362 to $50,179 in 2014, while the average pay for a campus president has risen 44 percent, from $218,871 in 2004 to $314,357 in 2014, according to the union.
 

Officials are looking into alleged edits to a 52-minute dashcam video of the traffic stop and arrest of Sandra Bland, the woman found dead in her Texas jail cell three days after the arrest, Texas Department of Public Safety authorities said late Tuesday, NBC News reported. 

Bland's death has raised suspicions of her family and supporters after police say Bland had committed suicide. Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis said Monday that prosecutors would handle the case as thoroughly "as it would be in a murder investigation." 

In the video, a clip of a person walking and another of a car driving by are cut and repeat themselves as the audio continues uninterrupted.

DPS spokesman Tom Vinger told NBC News that he could not speculate on whether the video was edited. "I will have to check in the morning. I can't speculate without looking at the CD," he said, referring to the original recording of the video."

The apparent edits to the video were first reported by documentarian and writer Ben Norton. 

In February, NBC 7 reported that Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus sent career-ending letters of censure to three naval officers for wrongdoing in a widespread bribery scandal.

On Tuesday, Navy Times reported details from those letters received through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Commander of Carrier Strike Group 7 on USS Ronald Reagan Rear Admiral Michael Miller received a letter of censure along with Rear Admiral Terry Kraft, who was commanding officer on the same ship, and Rear Admiral David Pimpo, who once served as supply officer of the aircraft carrier, a Navy statement said.

The three showed "poor judgment and a failure of leadership" by improperly accepting gifts from a "prohibited source" while they were deployed in 2006-2007, the Navy said at the time.

Months later, we learn the officers paid $50 a head for lavish dinners and expensive cigars and got a discount on ship models that cost in the hundreds of dollars.

Leonard Glenn Francis, known as "Fat Leonard," the President and Chief Executive Officer of GDMA, pleaded guilty to federal charges of bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery for his role in a widespread scandal that has infiltrated the highest ranks of the U.S. Navy.

Federal prosecutors say Francis obtained classified information that allowed his firm to overbill the Navy at least $20 million for port services such as food, fuel and garbage disposal when they visited his ports in Asia.

Francis and his co-conspirators exchanged luxury travel, prostitutes, lavish meals, top-shelf alcohol, designer handbags, fountain pens, Kobe beef, Spanish suckling pigs and Cuban cigars for ship assignments and other confidential military information.

Navy investigators and attorneys with the Department of Justice have said there are more targets involved in the bribery ring.

Among them are two admirals who have had their access to classified information suspended but who have not been charged.

In November 2013, Rear Admiral Bruce Loveless and Vice Admiral Ted Branch were being investigated for "illegal and improper relations."

Miller, Kraft and Pimpo will not face criminal charges.

After 41 years in the Navy, Miller retires as a vice admiral, Navy Times reported Tuesday. Kraft spent 34 years in the Navy and retires as a two-star admiral and Pimpo retires as a captain at 30 years, according to the report. 

After more than 25 years of lawsuits and court rulings about the cross on San Diego’s Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial, the recent sale of a plot of land under the cross may be the final solution to the quarter-century church-and-state conflict.

Documents confirm the title for the half-acre plot of land beneath the Mount Soledad cross was transferred from the federal Department of Defense to the Mount Soledad Memorial Association on July 17 for $1.4 million. Bruce Bailey, president of the Mount Soledad Memorial Association, also confirmed the deal is in escrow. The Association said that money came from donations.

The giant cross – and topic of much debate over the decades – has stood on government-owned land overlooking Mission Bay and La Jolla and has been at the center of a legal battle that reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

Back in December, Congress approved a bill authored by Congressman Duncan Hunter proposing the transfer of the property from the federal government over to the Mount Soledad Memorial Association in an effort to eliminate the concern by opponents that a cross on public property violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

In December 2013, a federal judge ordered the cross to come down, saying it violates the establishment clause of the Constitution by unlawfully endorsing one religion over others.

In July 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to review the decades-long legal dispute.

James McElroy is a San Diego-based attorney whose clients have battled the cross for the past 20 years. On Tuesday, he told NBC 7 he is considering challenging the sale of the land at Mount Soledad, so the litigation on this ongoing controversy may not be over just yet.

Litigation challenging the cross on federal property is pending in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is being advised of the ownership change. There’s a chance the Ninth Circuit could reach out to the District Court for additional proceedings or take some other action.

So, although the property transfer is a done deal, it doesn’t necessarily mean the court battle has been put to rest. According to both sides of the issue, there are still legal hoops to jump through and this may not be resolved.

“The issue may be mute because there is no law that says that the memorial walls, including the cross, can’t be on private property,” Bailey told NBC 7.

“If this deal – this remedy phase – is put together in a way that perpetuates the government showing a preference than we have a problem with it,” McElroy said.

The Mount Soledad Memorial Association has overseen the maintenance of the memorial since its establishment in 1954 when the 43-foot-tall cross was first erected on public land in San Diego.

In 1992, the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association purchased the land and in 2006, the memorial was officially transferred to the Department of Defense.

The memorial site is home to more than 3,700 plaques honoring U.S. military veterans of all religions who served in various wars.

A fire sparked at a house in Oceanside Wednesday morning, sending heavy smoke billowing into a neighborhood.

The blaze broke out just after 6 a.m. at a home in the 3200 block of Buena Hills Drive. Crews arrived on scene quickly and began tackling fire, which investigators believe started in the garage.

No further details were immediately released, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
 

San Diego Lifeguards rescued three people aboard a sinking boat near the Mission Bay Channel Wednesday. 

The rescue happened around 11:30 a.m. nearly four miles out west from the Mission Bay Channel where lifeguards received a report of a vessel in distress. 

The boat was taking on water, lifeguards said, and by the time they arrived, they found the 24-foot rear deck completely submerged. 

Officials started to remove the water. 

All three people that were aboard are safe. 

A big gridiron match-up is coming to San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium: The United States Naval Academy Midshipmen versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The San Diego Bowl Game Association (SDBGA) announced Wednesday that Navy will take on Notre Dame in a regular-season college football game at the stadium in Mission Valley on Oct. 27, 2018.

Navy and Notre Dame have met on the field 88 times since 1927. In 2014, the Fighting Irish defeated the Midshipmen 49-39. The last time Navy won was in 2010. Overall, Notre Dame leads the series 75-12-1, according to the SDBGA.

The October 2018 game will be the first meeting between these two teams west of the Mississippi and the first time Notre Dame has ever played in San Diego. The Naval Academy has played in the SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl four times in San Diego.

The SDBGA said a timetable for ticket sales will be announced at a later time. Holiday Bowl and SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl ticket members will have first priority to purchase tickets, but other football fans can also be placed on a waiting list. For info on bowl game tickets, call (619) 283-5808 or visit this website.

SDBGA President Kimberley Layton believes the match-up will be highly-anticipated by sports fans.

“When we had the opportunity to host a traditional matchup with two football programs of such legendary status, we jumped at the chance,” said Layton. “We expect thousands of supporters from both teams to travel to our region to support their team which means an economic boost to our region.”
 

The University of Cincinnati police officer who fatally shot a man after a traffic stop was described in an annual review this year as being "extremely proactive" with traffic enforcement, NBC News reported.

It wasn’t clear whether the comment was meant positively or negatively, though a supervisor also said the officer, Ray Tensing, "only meets the standards when it comes to community service," according to records released by the university.

On Sunday night, Tensing shot and killed motorist Samuel Dubose, who was unarmed and in his car, allegedly after a brief struggle, according to university and city police.

Tensing had pulled Dubose over for a missing front license plate. Moments later, Dubose, 43, had been shot in the head and was dead at the scene, NBC affiliate WLWT reported.

After the weekend’s record-breaking rainfall, San Diego County health officials are reminding people of the dangers of standing water in the fight against West Nile virus.

To make sure residents do not have potential breeding grounds in their house, officials recommend dumping out standing water in buckets, rain gutters, garbage cans or outdoor toys and cover up any collected rain water to use for lawns or landscaping. If the container is large, the county provides free mosquito-eating fish.

“These are simple things people can do to protect themselves and their families,” said Environmental Health Director Elizabeth Pozzebon in a statement. “They should also remember to wear insect repellent and report dead birds by calling or emailing our vector control program.”

Mosquitos, which can transmit the virus, breed easier in warmer temperatures. Still water gives the animals more places to breed as well.

Since the beginning of the year, vector control inspectors have picked up six infected batches of mosquitoes – the same amount collected for the whole of 2014.

The rise in mosquitoes with West Nile accompanies a May spike in the number of infected dead birds, which continues to grow.

“Mosquitoes are the main way people get exposed to West Nile virus,” said Department of Environmental Health Director Elizabeth Pozzebon in a statement, “so remember to get rid of standing water around your homes so mosquitoes can’t breed, wear insect repellent and report dead birds.”

So far, there have been no reported cases of West Nile in humans. Last year, 11 people in San Diego were diagnosed with the virus, which is the largest number since 2009. Two people were killed by the illness.

The county recommends doing three things when you want to avoid West Nile: Prevent, protect and report.

Officials say you should prevent mosquito breeding by dumping out anything around your home that can hold water. If you have ponds, the county offers free mosquito fish to help get rid of the pests.

Protect yourself from mosquito bites by using insect repellent with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535. You could also wear long sleeves and pants, and make sure your doors and windows are secure enough to keep the insects out.

Finally, report any dead birds or green swimming pools you see to the vector control program by calling 858-694-2888, emailing vector@sdcounty.ca.gov or downloading the county’s app “Fight the Bite.”

Lindsey Graham won't be receiving any unwanted phone calls for the time being.

A day after Donald Trump implored a campaign crowd to call a phone number belonging to the GOP presidential candidate and South Carolina senator, Graham responded with a tongue-in-cheek video showing him destroying his flip phone.

Graham teamed up with conservative news website Independent Journal Review for the aptly named video "How to Destroy Your Cell Phone With Sen. Lindsey Graham."

The video shows Graham wrecking his phone in a multitude of ways, including with a blender, a sledge hammer, and a toaster oven.

After throwing his phone off a building, Graham faces the camera and says, "Or if all else fails, you can always give your number to The Donald."

"This is for all the veterans," Graham says before a final toss of the phone.  

Trump had given out Graham's phone number during a televised campaign stop in South Carolina Tuesday where the real estate mogul brushed off criticism over comments he made about Sen. John McCain.

"He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured," Trump had said about the former Naval pilot held prisoner for nearly six years during the Vietnam War. 

Graham had called Trump a "jackass" over the McCain remarks. 

McCain, meanwhile, promoted Graham's new video with a tweet that read, "This is why Lindsey Graham hasn't been answering my calls!"

Trump has yet to respond to the video. 

Audrey Geisel donated $3 million to the University of California, San Diego to renovate the Geisel Library, named after her and her husband, popular children's book author Theodor Seuss Geisel, the university announced Monday.

The 285,000 square-foot library, built in 1970, has become dated, UCSD said. As the school digitizes its collections, space that once held books and journals is needed for more collaborative research. Geisel’s gift will be used to update the entry level of the library, on the second floor, with a redesigned lobby entrance, a new Research Commons and new technologies.

“This will ensure that Geisel Library, a campus and architectural landmark, continues to provide the outstanding services and spaces needed to support today’s students and scholars, as well as members of the local community,” Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla said.

The library was named after the Geisels in 1995, following a $20 million donation from Audrey Geisel. Theodor Geisel died in 1991.

The renovations will also include upgrades to the library’s learning commons and a new café and lounge.

The school hopes to update two additional floors through private donations to the Geisel Library Revitalization Initiative.
 

A fire ripped through a home in Jamul overnight, completely destroying the residence, but a family was able to escape the flames thanks to their dog’s barking, officials said.

The blaze began around 1:45 a.m. at a home in a rural area in the 17000 block of Lion Valley Road.

Cal Fire spokesman Kendal Bortisser said the fire quickly spread through the entire house, plus a garage, destroying everything in its path. Two cars parked at the property were also a total loss.

Bortisser said two residents were able to safely escape without injuries. A neighbor said the resident’s pit bull began barking during the fire, alerting the residents to wake up and get out of the burning home.

Bortisser said a quarter-acre of vegetation around house was also scorched in the blaze. A neighbor’s home nearby also sustained some minor damage.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The residents were displaced by the devastating fire and Red Cross is assisting them with temporary housing and supplies. On Wednesday morning, all that remained was the burnt, hollowed-out skeleton of the home.
 

The South Bay Detention Facility and courthouse in Chula Vista were investigated Wednesday morning due to an alleged bomb threat, stalling operations at both sites for hours.

The investigation began around 6 a.m. after the Chula Vista Police Department received a call of a bomb threat to the jail in the 500 block of 3rd Avenue. Police notified the sheriff’s department, and deputies began checking the jail and courtrooms.

As a precaution, the jail, which is housed in the courthouse complex, was placed on lockdown, officials said. Employees at the courthouse were also asked to evacuate.

As of 7:15 a.m., officials had not found anything suspicious, but said they were taking all precautionary measures. Police assisted with traffic control in the area. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said no evacuations had been ordered at the jail.

By 7:40 a.m., officials had blocked off all entrances to the courthouse and were not allowing anyone inside. A deputy told NBC 7 the building doesn't open until 7:30 a.m., so there were very few employees inside at the time of the bomb threat.

Police dogs were on scene scouring the courthouse building as of 8:20 a.m. Meanwhile, more than 100 court staffers, attorneys and visitors were left standing outside in the parking lot while officials continued the investigation.

NBC 7 spoke with an employee and supervising judge who expected it to be at least one more hour before people would be allowed back inside the building. Later, that judge said the doors wouldn't open until at least 1 p.m.

The buildings remained on lockdown as of 9:50 a.m., and bomb squad officials had arrived on scene. Deputies said they would not move any inmates unless investigators found something and determined there was an actual threat.

An SDPD lieutenant said K-9s were sniffing out one particular area in the building. Fire crews and medics were also placed on standby, just in case.

By 10:20 a.m., deputies had deemed the building safe and began the process of clearing the scene. The courthouse was set to reopen at 1 p.m., officials said.
 
"After a thorough search of the South County Courthouse, no bomb was found. Normal business operations at the complex will resume by this afternoon," the sheriff's department added.

No further details about the unfounded threat were immediately released.