A California street artist took inspiration from surfer Mick Fanning’s close encounter with a shark last weekend.

Fanning fought off two sharks in South Africa during a surfing competition televised live on Sunday.

The street mural recently popped up in Cardiff showing Fanning in a wet suit taking a bite out of the shark’s fin.

The art is titled “Fin Bitin’ Mick Tyson,” also drawing inspiration from boxer Mike Tyson’s ear-biting episode in 1997.

The anonymous street artist who goes by "BERT" created the mural, which you can find near the Cardiff Kook on South Coast Highway 101.

BERT art posted the photo on the artist's Instagram account, with the caption: “One of the sketchiest moments in sports history, stoked you came out on top, mate!”

The Instagram feed also shows several folks taking pictures next to the street art.

A Chula Vista woman killed by a suspected DUI driver was on her way to care for her mother-in-law before the fatal crash, neighbors told NBC 7 Thursday.

The death of Enid Diane Mayer-Sheaf, 61, has devastated those who knew and loved her.

“She was a quiet person, very family-oriented person, very loving, very kind,” said her neighbor Sheri. “She would do anything for anyone.”

Mayer-Sheaf died Wednesday after a Fiat 500 crossed the center divider and slammed into the Chevrolet Nova she was driving on Carmel Valley Road. The Fiat’s driver, Anthony Rodriguez, is accused of DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter in the crash.

Neighbors told NBC 7 that evening, Mayer-Sheaf was on her way to Carmel Valley to visit her mother-in-law, a trip she made multiple times a week.

In a strange coincidence, the victim had just witnessed another DUI crash three weeks ago. Neighbor Krys Rodrigues said her husband was hit by a driver suspected of being under the influence, and Mayer-Sheaf and her husband were there to comfort her.

“They were on their daily walk and saw us out here and gave me a hug and said they couldn’t believe it happened,” said Rodrigues. “To hear about this is just shocking to me. I can’t believe it. It breaks my heart.”

Mayer-Sheaf leaves behind her husband, who had health problems and for whom she also cared, as well as a 22-year-old son, who attends Southwestern College, according to neighbors.
 

Murrieta's mayor is the focus of a civil claim filed Wednesday against the city and himself where a woman accuses him of allegedly molesting her in public at a work function earlier this year.

In a tort claim filed by the victim's attorney, Mayor Harry Ramos, 38, is accused of sexually assaulting an employee of a local radio station during a Chamber of Commerce mixer on Jan. 22 at the Murrieta Spectrum Mall.

Ramos allegedly "repeated verbal advances, kissing," grabbing and squeezing Kathleen Smith's buttocks and inner thighs without her consent while "acting in the course and scope of his position."

"He did proceed to go up by backside and insisted he walk me out to my car afterward," said Smith, who lives in San Diego County. "He then proceeded to lean over and kiss me and I mean very forcefully kiss me and put his hand up my skirt and I just recall being frozen like a deer in the headlights and there was nothing I could do."

According to the claim, she chose to stay quiet about the alleged assault until an investigator hired by the city to probe the mayor informed her the alleged molestation was witnessed by people who were interviewed as part of an on-going investigation. Three witnesses were listed in the claim.

During a council meeting on June 16, several speakers accused Ramos of violating the council's code of conduct. With Ramos' agreement, an investigation was launched into the accusations and several people were interviewed, including the alleged witnesses. The investigator then contacted Smith.

The claim has been referred to the city's joint power agency and Murrieta has 45 days to take action by either accepting it, rejecting it or come up with a compromise, according to Jeff Morris, the city's attorney.

Smith said the shame the alleged molestation caused her forced her to quit her job.

She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

Ramos strongly denies the allegations saying the "accusations are ridiculous attacks against his character and part of a campaign by his political enemies to get him removed as mayor."

According to Morris, Ramos still holds his position as Murrieta's mayor.

Ramos was elected to the Murrieta City Council in 2012. His current position is part of a rotation the city practices, where each member serves as mayor for one year. Ramos replaced Alan Long, who stepped down in October 2014 after allegedly causing a crash that injured four teen cheerleaders while driving under the influence.

Ramos has been married to his wife for 10 years, they have three children, according to his bio.

Before serving on the council, he joined the United States Marine Corps in 2003 as an Intelligence Analyst and was honorably discharged in November 2012.

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said Thursday that "Black Lives Matter" is a "slogan" and that Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley should not have had to apologize to activists for using the words "all lives matter" instead, NBC News reported.

"We're so uptight and so politically correct now that you apologize for saying lives matter? " he told a reporter in New Hampshire. "Life is precious. It's a gift from God. I frankly think that it's one of the most important values that we have. I know in the political context, it's a slogan, I guess."

O'Malley apologized over the weekend after being booed at a progressive conference for saying "Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter."

Some progressive activists argue that using the phrase "all lives matter" ignores the specific injustices faced by African-Americans.

A gunman sat in a Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater for 20 minutes before killing two people and wounding nine others with a handgun, witnesses and police said early Friday, NBC News reported. 

The lone 58-year-old man was seated in the theater "just like everybody else" before opening fire, Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft told reporters.

About 100 people were watching the 7:10 pm. (8:10 p.m. ET) showing of "Trainwreck" at the Grand Theatre 16 when they heard a popping sound 20 minutes into the movie." 

Police said Thursday evening that the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

Some of the wounded were in "very critical" condition with life-threatening injuries, Lafayette Chief Administrative Officer Dee Stanley told MSNBC. Reports of the number of wounded varied as officials released more information.

Katie Domingue told The Daily Advertiser newspaper that "an older white man" began shooting about 20 minutes into the movie. "He wasn't saying anything," Domingue said. "I didn't hear anybody screaming, either."

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal spoke in Lafayette, aksing for prayers for the victims.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story.

A newly released study shows San Diego’s roads are the eighth roughest in the nation, and they cost drivers more than $800 annually.

TRIP, a transportation research nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., took a look at pavement conditions in the U.S.’s large and mid-sized cities and calculated how much the average driver spends in additional operating costs caused by deteriorated roads.

The nonprofit’s report, “Bumpy Roads Ahead,” said 51 percent of San Diego’s streets and freeways were poor and they are costing drivers an average of $843 a year.

“These roads, potholes everywhere,” said local David Alfekri, “and in the past month and a half, I’ve had about five flat tires, and it’s costly.” He said he can’t afford the extra wear and tear expenses.

According to the report, the problem may get worse because a critical source of road repair funding, the federal surface transpiration program, is set to expire at the end of the month.

But in San Diego, Mayor Kevin Faulconer recently announced his plan to fix 1,000 miles of the city’s worst streets over the next five years. For drivers, the fixes couldn’t come too soon.

“Daily, cars come through with damage from potholes, needing alignments, tire replacements or repairs and services that were pretty much caused by roads,” said Colin Smith, the owner of Top Value Tire. “And I think we’re all in the same kettle of fish; everybody’s got the same roads to drive on.”

And the consequences of bad roads extend beyond the steering wheel. Two-wheeled vehicles take just as big a hit.

Cyclist Andy Hanshaw got a flat tire Wednesday after hitting a pothole.

“The impact of an unsafe street and a surface that’s unsafe or in disrepair can be far greater on a bicyclist than a driver,” said Hanshaw. “We want safe streets, period.”

The San Francisco-Oakland area ranked No. 1 in the TRIP report, with 74 percent of its roads rated "poor." The Los Angeles area was No. 2, with 73 percent.

Authorities say a cyclist will be fined and could have to pay the full cost of extinguishing a 73-acre fire he inadvertently set in the foothills of Boise, Idaho, when he tried to burn his toilet paper after relieving himself in a ravine Wednesday, NBC News reported.

The cyclist, who wasn't identified, thought he was doing the right thing by disposing of the soiled paper so he wouldn't be littering, the Boise Fire Dispatch Center said Thursday. But an ember flew into some dry grass and quickly spread out of control.

"I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go," Carrie Bilbao, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Land Management, told NBC station KTVB of Boise.

You can swap a propane tank almost anywhere these days. Exchange cages are in front of supermarkets, hardware and convenient stores. But while they are clearly popular, they are also the most expensive way to get a full tank.

In this summer barbecue season, people trying to save money are having their tanks filled the old fashion way — by hand.

"Because it is a lot cheaper," said Serge Libiolle. "I cut my propane costs by half."

Libiolle cooks Belgian waffles at San Diego farmers markets. He stopped at the Expo Propane refueling station on Kettner Boulevard where he filled five tanks. If he swapped the tanks, it would cost him around $20 each to exchange. At the Expo Propane, he paid $1.85 a gallon, so a full tank costs less than $9.

"It's easy," said Libiolle. "You drive in, they fill it up and then you go on."

Elvira Moore spent $17.39 to fill up two tanks. "So I'm basically getting two full tanks for the price of one," she said.

So why are exchange stations so popular? They are convenient and people get a new or reconditioned tank for their old tank. But there are still clear advantages to having your tank filled.

At a refueling station, you only pay for the gas you need, while at an exchange station, you don't get credit if there is propane still in the tank.

"So if you are half full, you only pay for half that cylinder fill," said Steve Moore with Expo Propane. He said tanks they see usually have fuel inside because people did not want to run out.  

"We only charge for what they get," said Moore.

Refueling stations also fill up tanks to 20 pounds, which is often about 4.7 gallons of propane. Some exchanges only fill the tanks to 15 or 18 pounds and not the full amount.

"I do watch the pennies and I kind of hate to waste stuff," Elvira Moore.

One thing to know, however, is that people who fill tanks don't charge the same amount of money for their propane. So the same way you'd shop around for gas to fill your car, you should shop for propane gas.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal called for prayers for the victims' families in the deadly movie theater shooting in his state Thursday night, NBC News reported.

Three people were killed, including the gunman, and seven injured in the shooting in Lafayette, police said.

"This is an awful night for Lafayette. This is an awful night for Louisiana. This is an awful night for the United States. But we will get through this," Jindal said at a late-night news conference.

Jindal told a local news station that two of the patrons in the theater were schoolteacher friends, one of whom may have shielded the other from a bullet "in an act of braveness," and that the other pulled a fire alarm and helped save other lives.

The ocean around Coronado is safe to swim in again after sewage contaminated the water there during last weekend’s storms.

The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) lifted the beach closure Thursday from the south end of Coronado to Avenida Lunar north.

However, the shoreline from the north end of the Silver Strand to the U.S.-Mexico border is still closed until samples show the water is safe.

The Tijuana River dumped sewage contamination into the ocean off the South Bay beaches, closing the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Border Field State Park on Sunday.

By Monday, that closure had expanded to Imperial Beach, Silver Strand and Coronado. Health officials say because storms wash bacteria and urban runoff into the ocean, you should stay out of the water at any beach for at least 72 hours to avoid getting sick.

Rainfall over the weekend broke records in at least 11 local locations and prompted a state of emergency declaration in six California counties, including San Diego.

The Justice Department has received a referral to open a criminal investigation into whether government information was mishandled in connection with the personal email account that Hillary Clinton used as Secretary of State, NBC News confirms.

The request, first reported by the New York Times, was made by inspectors general for the State Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence combing through Clinton's private emails.

They made the request after finding potentially hundreds of classified emails among a small sample of some 55,000 pages of emails contained on Clinton's private email server, which was located inside her New York home.

The Justice Department has not yet decided whether it would open an investigation, the source said.

In a statement early Friday, Clinton campaign spokesman Nick Merrill said she "followed appropriate practices in dealing with classified materials."

A witness to the deadly shooting inside a Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater describes the minutes after a gunman opened fire as moments of chaos and terror.

Josh Doggett was on a date with his fiancee to see the new Amy Schumer film “Trainwreck,” when he heard a loud noise and pushed her to the floor.

“We were just sitting there in the theater watching a movie and heard a bang,” Doggett told NBC Los Angeles. “I knew right away it was a gunshot.”

The alleged shooter, identified publicly only as a 58-year-old white man who was armed with a handgun, killed himself inside the theater, but not before leaving two others dead and nine wounded. Among those shot were two teachers.

“A lot of the people thought it was part of the film. There was a pause but then when the second happened, everyone started climbing over the seats,” he said. “In the top left of the theater was a man shooting.”

Doggett said he saw the shooter in the back of the theater.

“He was kind of a middle-aged gentleman in a polo shirt,” he said.

He also described him as a silent shooter.

“He wasn’t erratic or nervous. Just walking down the aisle randomly firing,” he recalled.

There were about 100 people inside the theater at the time of the shooting. Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said that some of the wounded are in “very critical” condition with life-threatening injuries.

Officials said they called in the bomb squad after seeing “suspicious” items inside the gunman’s parked car.

A new, large-scale, indoor-outdoor marketplace is set to open this fall in San Diego’s Liberty Station and the first round of local merchants who will set up shop at the market were unveiled Thursday.

From cheese and meats to cold-pressed juice and quality coffee, the vendors showcased at Liberty Public Market will offer unique, locally-sourced goods in the space slated for an October opening.

The 22,000-square-foot venue – a historic, warehouse-style building originally built as the Naval Training Center’s commissary in 1921 – has the capacity to house more than 30 purveyors.

The first 10 artisans joining the marketplace include: Liberty Meat Shop; The WestBean Coffee Roasters; Fully Loaded Micro Juicery; Venissimo Cheese; Pho Realz; Wicked Maine Lobster; MooTime Creamery; Mastiff Sausage Company; Cane Patch Pies; and Cecilia’s Taqueria.

For some of the small, local merchants, this will be their first-ever brick-and-mortar establishment after building a fan base at local farmers markets and other similar ventures.

Such is the case for Jacob Bartlett, co-owner of Mastiff Sausage Company, a well-known San Diego food truck that specializes in handcrafted sausage sandwiches and subs using ingredients grown in the company’s own garden.

“We’re very excited for this opportunity to get out there,” Bartlett told NBC 7 at the marketplace Thursday.

As a food truck business, Bartlett said he’s used to hitting the pavement and setting up shop all over San Diego. This new venture at the marketplace, however, won’t require wheels.

He said this will be the first storefront for his company, which he co-founded in 2011 with his childhood friend, Chef Eric Gallerstein.

Bartlett told NBC 7 they are still perfecting the menu they will feature at Liberty Public Market, but, at this point, he thinks it will be a condensed version of what Mastiff Sausage Company offers on its food truck, with an emphasis on fan favorites.

“It’s a work in progress,” he said. “We’re excited for this.”

Meanwhile, Coronado-based MooTime Creamery also plans to offer a smaller version of its cool menu, bringing its old-fashioned ice cream parlor style to the marketplace.

At Liberty Meat Shop, San Diego native Tommy Battaglia (aka “Tommy the Butcher”), will also bring an old-fashioned feel to Liberty Public Market offering quality meats at his storefront.

Battaglia told NBC 7 his prime focus will be on high-quality cuts of meat, freshly butchered. Battaglia began working in his family’s butcher shop as a child and has also worked for decades as a meat wholesaler.

He said he’s looking forward to bringing back a brick-and-mortar shop that will pay tribute to his family’s roots and provide a personal experience for patrons.

Kaz Murphy, owner of the Encinitas-based Fully Loaded Micro Juicery, said he’s also looking forward to expanding his business to central San Diego.

His health-conscious company offers 100 percent raw, organic, cold-pressed juices bottled fresh daily.
The juicery sources as many of the ingredients as possible from local farmers.

Murphy said he’s hoping to educate customers on the health benefits of his drinks in this new market.

Liberty Public Market organizers say another round of local merchants and vendors will be announced at a later time.

The marketplace – a $3 million collaboration between operating group Blue Bridge Hospitality and developer The McMillin Companies – will be located adjacent to Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens at 2816 Historic Decatur Rd.

It 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.

The Chinese zoo now home to a panda that briefly lived at the San Diego Zoo in 1987 is inviting San Diegans to China in November for the panda’s 35th birthday.

Fuzhou Zoo has launched a video showing images of folks who came to see the panda, Basi, while the panda was on loan from China for 200 days back in 1987.

An estimated 2.5 million people came to see Basi, but the Chinese zoo is limiting its invitations to the panda’s birthday bash to 35 people.

So do you see yourself from 28 years ago in these photos?

The zoo promises to pay room and board for the visitors identified in the photos if they cover their own transportation costs.

So if you see yourself in any of these photos or this video, submit the image to this site or email it to cyz@pandafz.cn.

Here's the full video:

San Diego County’s newest casino welcomed visitors during a grand opening ceremony Thursday in Chula Vista, drawing praise from city leaders while causing some nearby homeowners to raise their eyebrows.

The Seven Mile Casino, at 285 Bay Boulevard, replaces the Village Club Card Room which opened in 1946. The casino’s second generation owner, Harvey Souza, called the new upscale location a dream.

“I worked at it for a long time and hopefully it will be beneficial to the whole community,” said Souza.

At a time when California has stopped licensing new card rooms, and cities like San Diego work to close them, Chula Vista leaders championed the project and showed up in force for Thursday’s grand opening. Click here to read the city of Chula Vista’s gaming memo.

“I just have a long history and track record with the city and I grew up here, I lived here, I always participated with the city and over my lifetime,” said Souza. “I think I’ve built a reputation and they trusted in me and that’s how we were able to expand the business.”

The Seven Mile Casino is one of only four in San Diego County, with one in Oceanside and two in San Diego.

A San Diego city ordinance says when the owners of its last two card rooms pass away, their businesses will have to close up shop too. Click here to read the city of San Diego’s policy on card room operations.

Critics of casinos associate them with trouble.

“I guess for me, I’d say I’d rather not have temptation around for young people that should have healthier alternatives,” said Keri Miller, a Chula Vista teacher.

Others worry about the addiction aspect of gambling.

“I go to o a church where we deal with a lot of people who deal with addictions. Gambling, I’ve heard from the people that get caught up in it, it’s harder to let go of the gambling than the drugs,” said Chula Vista homeowner Francis Espericueta.

Patrons of the newly opened casino point to its commercial location on the west side of Interstate 5 as being convenient for locals who want to partake, but not in a neighborhood impacting those with concerns.

“As long as it’s not next to a school, next to a church, I think it would be fine for everybody. Free enterprise,” said Saul Nass, who traveled from Tierrasanta for the opening. Nass said he enjoys the smoke-free atmosphere, which is different from casinos on tribal land.

Unlike tribal casinos, the Seven Mile doesn’t have slot machines, but with blackjack, baccarat, pai-gow and poker, there are plenty of options for gamblers.

“It’s a nice new place. Food is really good and it’s nice to have a casino closer to home compared to Sycuan or Viejas, or someplace like that,” said Barry Ohara who lives in Imperial Beach.

Supporters told NBC 7 it gives older individuals, who may not be able to participate in physical activities, a social outlet in a fun environment.

The casino will definitely help Chula Vista’s bottom line with the highest licensing fee in the city. As a “privileged business,” Souza said he pays a license fee of more than $500,000 annually.

“It does help other businesses in the sense that the people who come here buy gas, go to the store, and stop on their way to and from and stuff like that,” said Souza. The longtime owner is known for being active in the community and says he plans to share the fruits of his labor with local nonprofits.

Deputies have arrested a man who they say sexually assaulted a woman in her Lemon Grove home and then stole from her.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the suspect confronted the victim on June 17 outside her home on Berry Street.

Forcing her into the building, the man sexually assaulted her, took some of her property and escaped, officials say.

The subsequent investigation led detectives to identify the suspect as Roberto Ricardo Ortega, 22, of San Diego.

The detectives got an arrest warrant for the suspect, and on July 22, Ortega was arrested near Fairmont and University avenues in the City Heights area.

Deputies booked him into the Central Jail on charges including rape by force, sodomy, burglary and petty theft. Ortega is being held on a $1 million bond until his arraignment, scheduled for July 24.

The shooting deaths of a 19-year-old San Diego State University student and a 21-year-old man in a Northern California home Tuesday morning appear to be the result of a murder-suicide, police said.

The Contra Costa County coroner's office identified the people who died as Walnut Creek resident Clare Orton, who attended SDSU, and Lafayette resident Scott Bertics. Police said Bertics, who had a previous relationship with Orton, allegedly shot her and then took his own life.

Officers responded at 6:50 a.m. to a home in the north Homestead neighborhood on a report of shots fired.

Walnut Creek police Lt. Lanny Edwards declined to give a specific street where the incident occurred but said it was between Ygnacio Valley Road and Danforth Lane.

Officers arrived and found the pair dead from apparent gunshot wounds. The shooting occurred at the house where Orton lived with her family, police said.

Although the investigation is ongoing, police said the evidence so far indicates it was a murder-suicide.

Orton graduated last year from Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek. She was on break after her freshman year studying environmental engineering at San Diego State University.

The university posted this statement from Eric Rivera, the vice president of student affairs, on Orton's death:

"The entire university community is saddened by the passing of Clare, a bright and promising student who had already made an impact on the SDSU campus in her first year of being an Aztec. The loss of any young life is heartbreaking and we send our heartfelt thoughts to her family during this difficult time."

Bertics was a member of Acalanes High School track and field team in Lafayette. He graduated high school in 2012 and was enrolled at Stanford University.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Walnut Creek police at 925-943-5844.

NBC Bay Area's Cheryl Hurd contributed to this report.

One person was rescued from what officials described as a near drowning at a popular North County water park.

Vista Firefighters were called to the Vista Wave Water Park at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

No details were provided regarding how the victim was injured or where the victim was found by emergency personnel.

The unidentified victim was rushed to Rady Children's Hospital by helicopter.

The water park has six water features ranging from slides to pools where swimmers can float on tubes. The floating river is 3-feet deep and two pools are as deep as six feet. 

Barack Obama first set foot in Kenya 28 years ago as a young man seeking a connection to the homeland of a father he barely knew. He now returns there as president of the United States.

Obama long ago addressed the coming-of-age questions of racial and cultural identity he wrote about in his memoir, "Dreams From My Father," but black studies and foreign policy experts say questions remain on how his administration's African policies fit in with his personal narrative and, ultimately, presidential legacy.

African policy experts say Obama is a beloved figure in Kenya, but he's also a president whose policies on Africa have been criticized as lacking the scope and impact of his predecessors, former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.