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Truck Full of Bananas Catches Fire

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A tractor-trailer hauling bananas caught fire Friday afternoon on Interstate 35E near Lewisville Lake, police say, leaving many drivers in the ensuing backup late into the night Friday.

The fire was reported at about 4:30 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-35E at Garden Ridge Boulevard.

Lewisville police and fire officials advised drivers to find another route while crews cleaned up the mess.

Police confirmed that the roads were finally cleared and all lanes were reopened at about 1 a.m. on Saturday.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News
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Decobike Stands Anger PB Business Owners, Homeowners

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A Decobike station installed on the Pacific Beach boardwalk has angered a number of residents, who say the area is too busy for them and they crowd a prime real estate area.

Home and business owners told NBC 7 that they were told the Decobikes wouldn’t be implemented on the boardwalk and described the installation of them as an “11th hour stab in the back.”

The company is installing a network of docking stations across San Diego as part of the mayor’s vision to increase biking between communities.

A Decobikes spokesperson said that in order to incorporate bike sharing into the region’s transportation plan, organizers must move forward with installation at the Pacific Beach boardwalk.

PB residents said they’ve worked for the past year to point out other ideal locations for the Decobike stands, but less than a month ago, they were blindsided by three stations on the boardwalk. Despite appeals to the mayor, the first one was installed, anyway.

Local business owners pointed out about 20 other bike rental places in the same area.

“This is going to attract people to rent bikes from a kiosk versus a local business,” said Pacific Beach homeowner Julia Boueres.

In response to the residents’ anger, a spokesman for San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said “we will continue to conduct performance reviews of the bike dock locations and make adjustments accordingly.”

“It is the City’s hope that this program will provide a convenient and easy-to-use way for residents and visitors alike to have a healthy and fun ways to get around San Diego,” city spokesman Jose Ysea wrote in a news release.

Canyon Catches Fire on Palomar Mountain

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Air resources will be working through the night to fight a canyon fire, inaccessible by ground, burning on Palomar Mountain, the U.S. Forest Service told NBC 7 Friday.

The Cutca Fire has burned about 200 acres near Cutca Trail and High Point Truck Trail, sparking at about 4:20 p.m. Firefighters have no containment on it at this point.

Five engines, a water tender and hot shot crews were on scene, but they had trouble accessing it, the Forest Service says.

Instead, helicopters flew handcrews in to strategic areas to fight the fire on the ground. Firefighters also positioned themselves around the border in case it spreads toward them.

One night-flying helicopter and ground crews will be working overnight to contain the blaze. A crew from Los Angeles is heading to the area for backup.

The fire is burning in heavy fuels at a moderate rate of spread, the Forest Services says. Palomar Observatory is not currently threatened, but crews are staging there in case the fire shifts in that direction. No other homes are in the area.

According to NBC 7's Dagmar Midcap, there is virtually no wind on Palomar Mountain Friday to spread the fire, with slight breezes registering at 2 to 3 miles per hour.

At the base of the mountain, humidity is at 70 percent -- good news for firefighters. But toward the top of the mountain, conditions get drier, and humidity drops to 20 percent.

"So varying stages of relative humidity, from good to not so good, but the winds are cooperating," Midcap said.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Man Loses Wife in Crash Hours After Mother Dies

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Within just hours, Danny Sheaf lost two of the most important women in his life.

“Double whammy,” he told NBC 7 Friday. The first death had been some time coming.

His mother had been ill for a long time and was in the hospital this week, with Sheaf’s wife, Enid Mayer-Sheaf, keeping vigil at her bedside. Enid was there Wednesday when her mother-in-law passed away.

“That was more planned,” Sheaf said. “We were preparing for that, not preparing for this.”

Enid left the hospital Wednesday evening to go to a relative’s house when her car was hit by a Fiat 500 driving in the wrong lane on Carmel Valley Road.

San Diego police say Anthony Perez Rodriquez, the 30-year-old Fiat driver, had crossed the center divide and into Enid’s path.

She died in the collision. Rodriquez was arrested on suspicion of DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter.

“Don’t drink and drive,” said Sheaf. “It is stupid. It hurts like hell.

Now, two days later, Sheaf said he is still in shock, not sure what to think. He was careful about what he said in the case, telling NBC 7 not all the facts are known yet.

All he knows is he wants his wife back.

“It was hard waking up without her this morning,” he said.

Mayer-Sheaf also leaves behind a 22-year-old son, Chris. He also told NBC 7 that his grandmother’s death came as little surprise, for she had “lived a nice life.”

His mother’s death was a different story.

“I’m going to remember her as a great lady who gave her last taking care of others,” said Chris.

“She was a wonderful wife. I’m going to miss… I’m not going to miss her. I do miss her,” said Sheaf.



Photo Credit: Sheaf Family

Fur Activists Accused of Cross-Country 'Domestic Terrorism'

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Two California animal rights activists were arrested Friday for allegedly terrorizing the fur industry during cross-country road trips, releasing thousands of minks and vandalizing property, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s office.

A federal grand jury indictment alleges Joseph Buddenberg, 31, and Nicole Kissane, 28, caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage during their 2013 spree.

In one incident, the Oakland residents allegedly traveled from Oregon to San Diego on July 15, 2013, to target local merchant Furs by Graf. The indictment says they used paint, paint stripper, super glue, muriatic acid and butyric acid to vandalize the furrier, as well as the Spring Valley and La Mesa homes of the business’s owners and their parents.

“It wasn’t just throwing a rock through a window,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parmley. “It was the use of some pretty horrific smelling acids, some glass etchant, causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage.”

Buddenberg and Kissane are accused of publicizing their crimes by posting “communiqués” on websites associated with animal rights extremists.

The trail of destruction in the summer of 2013 stretched across the country, as the two suspects allegedly sneaked onto farms and freed minks in Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, destroying breeding records along the way, the indictment says. They allegedly released a bobcat from a Montana farm as well.

In San Francisco, they’re accused of slashing a meat distributor’s tires. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, they allegedly smashed windows and glued door locks at a furrier business. In Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, they are suspects in the vandalism and attempted flooding of a home belonging to a North American Fur Auction employee.

Living without jobs, the defendants are said to have sold items online to pay for their trips, according to the indictment. To stay off the grid, they would alllegedly use large sums of cash — withdrawn before their journeys — and avoid using phones, known online accounts and email. Instead, prosecutors said they would use public computers and encrypted email.

Buddenberg and Kissane are being charged in San Diego with conspiracy to violate the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, and the FBI took them into custody in Oakland on Friday. Officials plan to extradite them back to Southern California for prosecution.

“Whatever your feelings about the fur industry, there are legal ways to make your opinions known,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy in a statement. “The conduct alleged here, sneaking around at night, stealing property and vandalizing homes and businesses with acid, glue, and chemicals, is a form of domestic terrorism and can’t be permitted to continue.”

It’s unclear if either suspect has obtained an attorney.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Padres Pitch Tailgate Park for Events, Concerts

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A big stretch of asphalt east of Petco Park figures to see a lot more action than it gets on game days.

The San Diego Padres team is now applying for city permits to hold concerts, festivals, farmers markets and other events in its Tailgate Park.

Besides blowout gigs such as the Rolling Stones, the Padres hold dozens of concerts and community events each year in the ballpark and "Park at the Park,” some of which might not warrant the overhead costs of staging them there.

So for the smaller occasions, Petco Park has a potential "relief" venue in the bullpen: Tailgate Park.

"I'm an enthusiast of local musicians and local artists, so to have another venue for them to showcase their talents, I think, is a wonderful idea,” said Kim May, a Mission Valley resident.

Just two blocks away, the Tailgate Park is an empty wasteland most of the time, given over mostly to transients and the trash they leave there.

So the Padres want to put it to better use. Most of the people who spoke with NBC 7 Friday applauded the idea.

"You know, people that tend to move downtown and live downtown, they're often into the stuff that's going on and the 'busyness' factor. The rest of us, as businesses, it's great,” said John Egan, the operations manager at Mission Brewery.

"I do think that there's a big enough community down here and over in Barrio Logan,” said Coronado resident Patty Flores-Charter. “I think they would come over. So the more activities, the better."

The Padres declined to be interviewed for this story. Civic San Diego, which oversees the area, says the permit requests will go before the Downtown Planning Council late next month.

Any issues that may arise would be reviewed by an agency hearing officer.
 



Photo Credit: NBC 7

After Misconduct, SDPD Chief to Report to City

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After several high-profile misconduct cases plagued the San Diego Police Department in 2014, a police research nonprofit moved in to see how the department can fix incidents and prevent future ones.

Since that time, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) has identified 40 recommendations in which SDPD policies and practices can be improved.

SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman is expected to present her responses to the policy change recommendations on July 29 to the city’s Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee.

The initial report was presented in May, when 15 of the 40 recommendations were implemented. Zimmerman will provide an update on the remaining 25 recommendations.

For instance, recommendation 14 states “SDPD needs more training on accountability…” In response, Zimmerman wrote “Implementation is in process” and “all lieutenants and captains” are going through extra human resources and legal training, according to her report.

There’s also recommendation 33 where “SDPD should work to rebuild trust in the community.” The chief responded “a working group has been developing a model,” which includes an Assistant Chief, a police psychologist and a community leader/activist.

For all the recommendations and responses, click here.

2014 rattled the police department. Ex-SDPD officer Anthony Arevalos was convicted of demanding sexual favors from women. Another, Christopher Hays, pleaded guilty to assault, battery and illegally detaining women while on duty, and a husband and wife on the force, Jennifer and Bryce Charpentier, admitted to illegal activity to feed their own drug habits.

According to city documents, the presentation on July 29 is an “information item only,” meaning no action is required by the committee or city council.

NBC 7 reached out to the police department regarding the upcoming presentation and has not heard back.
 

Drought-Hit Hops Crop Could Hurt Beer Prices: Brewers

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Despite the craft beer boom, a worsening drought and unseasonably hot weather are causing pain for agriculture in Washington's Yakima Valley and could result in shortages for some popular varieties of hops used in beer, NBC News reported.

Each hops plant requires up to 3 gallons of water per day, and water restrictions that many farmers now face mean it will be a rough summer until harvest.

Michael Butler, chairman and CEO of Seattle-based Cascadia Capital, predicted that there could be a hops shortage starting in 2016.

"You have a shortage of water. You're going to have more demand from the craft breweries."



Photo Credit: File

Haggen Market Laying Off Hundreds of Employees

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Haggen Market, a Northwest-based grocer that opened 25 stores in San Diego County just last March, will be laying off more than 700 workers in the coming months and cut back workers’ hours.

"To ensure we’re operating as efficiently as possible, we have made the very difficult decision to temporarily cut back on staff hours at our stores, with specific reductions varying by store.We value the contributions these employees have made, and are committed to treating all employees respectfully and professionally through this transition," Haggen Southwest CEO Bill Shaner said in a statement this week.

A temporary glitch during the opening in March caused a firestorm on social media after around 1000 items were priced too high.

The grocer is also suffering legal issues. Albertsons is suing the chain for $36 million worth of inventory it says Haggen did not pay after an agreement when the store was bought out.

The FTA forced Albertsons and Safeway (Vons) to sell 168 of their stores after they merged.

The staff reductions will be implemented in South California, Nevada, and Arizona stores.
 



Photo Credit: NBC 7

New Restaurant to Open at Andaz Hotel

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New York-based The ONE Group Hospitality Inc. plans to open a new location of its upscale STK Rebel restaurant in 2016 at downtown’s Andaz San Diego hotel.

Hotel and ONE Group officials said the “cutting-edge” STK Rebel will occupy 4,200 square feet of indoor and outdoor space at Andaz, located at 600 F St. in the Gaslamp Quarter. It will be the first STK Rebel in San Diego and the fourth in the U.S., following previously announced openings in Denver, Miami and Austin.

Operators said STK Rebel is a “more accessibly priced” extension of the hospitality company’s flagship STK chain of high-end steakhouse restaurants, which has 11 locations in cities including New York, Las Vegas, London and Milan.

The 159-room Andaz San Diego is a boutique hotel operated by an affiliate of Hyatt Hotels and currently owned by Xenia Hotels & Resorts Inc. The six-story building, dating back to 1914 and once known as the Maryland Hotel, became The Ivy in 2007 and was converted in 2010 to Hyatt’s Andaz brand
 



Photo Credit: Courtesy of Andaz San Diego

SD Judge to Dismiss Right-to-Die Lawsuit

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A San Diego judge indicated he will throw out a lawsuit filed by three patients and a doctor claiming that California law authorizes the medical practice of aid in dying.

The hearing Friday was to establish whether the lawsuit filed on behalf of Christy Lynne Donorovich-O’Donnell and Elizabeth Wallner merits a trial.

O'Donnell, who turned 47 on Friday, is battling lung, brain, spine, rib, and liver cancer. The civil rights attorney and former sergeant in the LAPD, lives in Santa Clarita with her 21-year-old daughter, Bailey.

In a clip posted to YouTube, O'Donnell said she spends time fearing the pain she's going to endure when she dies.

"All of that time that my mind spends thinking about that, I am not living," she said.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Gregory Pollack said it's not the court's decision to change the state constitution and said "maybe legislation should fix this. Not the court."

He added that he will issue his ruling on Monday and that he expected the ruling to be appealed, according to the Associated Press.

Wallner, 51, of Sacramento has stage IV colon cancer that has metastasized to her liver and lungs.

Outside court, she said she was disappointed in the ruling but hoped to see the issue move forward.

“If we shed some light on it, it actually makes it easier for the patients, easier for the families and a lot less likely for abuse,” said Wallner.

“The change the plaintiffs seek is something that the legislature needs to address,” said attorney Darin Wessel, who represents the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

A bill stalled in an Assembly committee earlier this month, due in large part to opposition from religious organizations that say allowing doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs is assisted suicide and goes against God's will.

The Assembly Health Committee includes multiple Democratic lawmakers from heavily Catholic districts in the Los Angeles area, where the archdiocese actively opposed the legislation.

The issue garnered national attention when 29-year-old Brittany Maynard moved from California to Oregon to legally end her life following a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer.

Her mother, Deborah Ziegler, lives in Carlsbad and recently told NBC 7 she is committed more than ever to fight for an individual's right to die.

O’Donnell’s attorney said they intend to appeal.

Ex-Teacher Sentenced to Life in Molestation Case

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A San Diego man who once worked as an elementary school teacher was sentenced on Friday to 120 years to life in prison for molesting four boys.

John Kinloch, 33, was convicted by a jury of 33 charges last month, including felony child molestation, attempted child molestation and child pornography.

Kinloch molested three boys he met over the Internet and another boy who was a former student.

The former elementary school teacher posed as a teenage girl online to lure boys to send him nude photos. The crimes occurred from 1996 to the time of Kinloch’s arrest in November 2012 as part of a nationwide child porn investigation.

In a video shown in court during his trial, Kinloch admitted to posing as a 13-year old girl in online chat rooms to get boys to send him nude pictures.

Investigators testified they found 2,000 photos and more than 250 child pornography videos on his hard drive.

A former teacher at Wolf Canyon Elementary School in Chula Vista, Kinloch was arrested in November 2012.

The mother of one of the victims, the boy who was in Kinloch's class, said she trusted her son's former teacher and he even became part of their family.

"From this point on, we pray that closure begins. Healing begins, " she said. "Justice will be served and all of this will be put behind us forever."



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Obama in Kenya: 'Africa Is on the Move'

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President Barack Obama struck a personal note as he returned to his father's homeland Kenya this weekend, openly embracing his extended family during his first visit as commander and chief, NBC News reported.

 

"There's a reason why my name is Barack Hussein Obama," he said on Saturday at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi on Saturday. "My father came from these parts and I have family and relatives here, and in my visits over the years walking the streets of Nairobi I've come to know the warmth and spirit of the Kenyan people."

Obama fulfilled the hopes of millions of Kenyans when he visited Kenya Friday. It is the first such visit by a sitting president, and a long sought visit by a country that considers him a local son.

He also spoke about the importance of cultivating entrepreneurship, and heralded Africa as a continent "on the move."

"Africa is one of the fastest growing regions of the world," Obama said. "People are being lifted out of poverty."



Photo Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Campground Evacuated in Wildfire

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Cal Fire crews are battling a wildfire that's grown to 30 acres near Lake Morena County Park Friday afternoon.

As a precaution, campers have been evacuated from the area, officials said.

Officials say the blaze, dubbed the Park Fire, started burning in medium amounts of fuel at a moderate rate at 12:40 p.m.

No structures are threatened, and no injuries have been reported.

By 7:50 p.m., Cal Fire said it had gotten 40 percent containment on the blaze.

Lake Morena County Park is in eastern San Diego County, north of Campo.

Voluntary evacuations have been put into place for the surrounding area. All residents can evacuate to Mt Empire High School at 3305 Buckman Springs Rd. If you need emergency assistance in evacuation, call 911.

 

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Photo Credit: @ErroneousWords on Twitter

No Speech from Seau's Family at HOF: Report

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Junior Seau's family will not be invited to speak when the linebacker is inducted into the NFL's Professional Football Hall of Fame in August, according to several published reports.

Seau, considered by many to be the greatest linebacker in NFL history, will enter the HOF August 8 with Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Charles Haley, Bill Polian, Will Shields, Mick Tingelhoff and Ron Wolf.

Unlike the others, Seau will be honored with only a video presentation, according to a report published Friday in the New York Times.

On May 2, 2012, Seau was found dead of a self-inflicted shotgun wound in his Oceanside home right along the shore. His death occurred less than three years after his retirement from football.

Seau's family filed a wrongful death suit claiming his death was the result of brain disease caused by violent hits during football.

Then, his relatives opted out of a settlement in a federal class-action lawsuit and are still fighting with the NFL in court over what they say was a decades-long deception about concussions and brain injuries.

His former wife, Gina, and his four children want more information to emerge about the debilitating effects of head injuries, according to their lawyer, Steven M. Strauss, a partner with the Cooley law firm in San Diego.

Before his death, Seau told family members that if he ever made it into the HOF, he wanted his daughter Sydney to to introduce him, the NY Times reports.

“I just want to give the speech he would have given. It wasn’t going to be about this mess. My speech was solely about him,” she told the paper.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Woman Sentenced to Life After Hit Man Kills Wrong Person

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A South Carolina woman whose teenage lover shot and killed her brother-in-law instead of her husband who was the intended target, will serve life in prison, Reuters reported

Karlita Phillips, 41, was sentenced on Thursday after being convicted of soliciting a minor to commit a felony and accessory before the fact to murder.

She wanted to obtain more than $500,000 in life insurance money by having her husband, Dale Phillips Jr., killed, said Greenwood County Solicitor David Stumbo, who prosecuted the case.

But the teenager she hired to kill Phillips, Tavirous Settles, who was 16 years old at the time of the 2013 murder, allegedly mistook Phillips' brother, Jamil, for the target and shot him dead on the front porch of his parents' Abbeville, South Carolina, home. Both Jamil and Dale Phillips were living with their parents at the time.

Settles testified against Karlita Phillips at trial, telling a jury that she promised to pay him $13,000 out of the life insurance money if he killed her husband. He also testified he and Karlita Phillips were involved in a sexual relationship.

Donald Trump Campaigns in Iowa

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GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is set to make an appearance at the "Make America Great Again Rally & Family Picnic" in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

WATCH: Daredevil Teen's Jump Off London Bridge Goes Wrong

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A daredevil teen has apologized after he was filmed jumping off an iconic London bridge into the Thames River and had to be rescued by emergency services, NBC News reported.

The video shows 17-year-old Shah Faisal Shinwari, who goes by "Carnage," leaping off Tower Bridge and into the fast-moving waters. He is then seen lying on a dock, spitting up and receiving first aid.

The teen expressed regret over the stunt on Twitter.

The stunt was swiftly condemned by London police and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

"We are extremely disappointed that this young man chose to risk his life in this way. He was very lucky that the outcome wasn't more serious," RNLI spokesman Tony Wafer told NBC News. "We are glad that this young man regrets his actions, however we would strongly discourage anyone from doing anything like this."

For his stunt-gone-wrong, Shinwari promised to donate any money earned from ads on the video to the RNLI.



Photo Credit: SHAH FAISAL SHINWARI VIA YOUTUBE
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Hillary Clinton Campaigns in Iowa

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is set to attend the Organizing House Party at a private home in Des Moines, Iowa.



Photo Credit: AP

Woman Hit by Motorcycle in East Village

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A woman crossing the street against a posted “Do Not Walk” sign in East Village suffered several fractures when she was struck by an oncoming motorcyclist, San Diego police said.

The collision happened just before 3 a.m. at the intersection of 11th Avenue and Broadway in downtown San Diego.

Police said the 55-year-old woman ignored a red traffic light and a “Do Not Walk” signal and illegally crossed 11th Avenue. At the same time, a motorcycle driven by a 22-year-old man was traveling northbound on the street and could not avoid hitting the woman, police said.

The impact left the pedestrian unconscious and with fractures to her left forearm, left leg and pelvis. She was taken to UCSD Medical Center for treatment.

At the scene, her belongings were left strewn about the street – including her purse and shoes, which flew off upon impact with the motorcycle. The motorcyclist was questioned by police and was visibly upset and shaken. He was not injured.

The collision is under investigation, but police said alcohol was not involved.
 



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego
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