The greater San Diego region is the second-fastest growing economy in the state, the California Employment Development Department said Wednesday, with the area expected to add 206,000 jobs by 2022.

The state labor department said the Southern Border region, anchored by San Diego, has seen 3.6 percent growth in nonfarm payroll in the year since July 2014, close behind the San Francisco area’s 4 percent.

San Diego’s expected job growth included jobs added since 2012. The largest contributions were anticipated to come from hospitality and tourism, at 38,000 jobs.

The EDD said the entire state added 494,000 nonfarm jobs in the past year, nearly double the next best state, Florida, which added 271,500 jobs. Texas came in third with 260,500. California should add another 732,000 jobs by the second quarter of 2016, according to the agency.

More than 270,000 people have flocked to San Diego’s beaches this holiday weekend and lifeguards expect another busy day on Labor Day.

Lifeguards are warning beach goers about strong rip currents and high surf conditions. The National Weather Service issued a high surf advisory for San Diego County through Tuesday evening.

The advisory calls for the high surf, with waves estimated at 7 or 8 feet, to peak on Monday and then slowly subside Tuesday.

The strong waves are in connection to a storm in New Zealand that's bringing high surf along Southern California's coast.

So far this weekend, lifeguards have made 363 water rescues, 104 medical aids and assisted in nearly 5,000 preventative actions for swimmers, said Lee Swanson, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Early Monday morning, folks were already staking out their spot at the area’s beaches. Lifeguards are cautioning swimmers that if they do get pulled out while swimming to swim parallel and wave their hands so a lifeguard can rescue them.

Residents are on edge Monday morning after a series of suspicious fires reported throughout the Barrio Logan area.

At least five fires were reported; the first one broke at about 2:30 a.m., police said. Police responded to a report of a car fire in the area of Commercial Street and Imperial Avenue.

Then, another fire was reported on Beardsley Street just before 3 a.m. Minutes later, another blaze broke out on Imperial Avenue.

The fourth fire, which torched a car, happened 45 minutes later at Commercial Street and Harrison Avenue, police said.

Residents said they woke to a loud boom and came outside to find an Audi sedan burning.

One of the victims of the car fires said he was “in shock.”

“I hear my aunt screaming, so I wake up and see my car on fire,” Angel Romero said.

Police said the final fire burned vegetation on Harrison Avenue.

All the fires either torched vehicles or vegetation and police are looking into whether they were intentionally set.

The family of a California man killed in a midair collision has filed a claim against the estates of two pilots involved and a flying club, alleging they were responsible for his death.

Carlos Palos of Tehachapi, California, was a passenger on a twin-engine Sabreliner when it collided with a single-engine Cessna 172 near Brown Field in Otay Mesa on Aug. 16. Palos died with the three other men on board, and the Cessna’s pilot, Michael Copeland, was also killed.

Last week, a Newport Beach law firm filed a wrongful death claim in San Diego County Court on behalf of Palos’ wife and only child, who is still a minor.

The complaint seeks damage from the estates of Copeland and James Hale — the Sabreliner’s pilot — as well as Plus One Flyers, Inc., the nonprofit flying club that owns the Cessna, according to the claim.

Palos’ family alleges that the defendants were negligent that day because they failed to take “the responsible standard of care required of them.”

“As a direct and proximate result of each Defendant’s negligent, careless and unlawful conduct, Plaintiffs’ husband and father suffered a premature and wrongful death,” the document states.

The Palos family is seeking an undisclosed amount of economic and emotional damages from the defendants.

The attorneys for Plus One Flyers, Inc. said they have no comment on the claim at this time.

John Kovach and Jeff Percy were killed with Palos, Hale and Copeland in the fiery crash.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board suggested that the pilots did not see each other in the skies above Otay Mesa before they crashed. According to a witness, the Cessna broke apart in the air, while the Sabreliner banked left and exploded when it hit the ground.

NTSB investigators said the wing of the Sabreliner was found in the debris field of the Cessna, though the two crash sites were at least a mile apart. The Sabreliner’s pilot had filed a flight plan with Brown Field, and the Cessna’s pilot had not, as he was just practicing “touch and go’s.”

An adorable Bengal-Siberian tiger cub discovered roaming on Southern California streets now has a permanent home in San Diego County, and his rescuers say his story is becoming all too common.

The tiger is safely living at the Alpine nonprofit Lions, Tigers & Bears (LBT), which rescues exotic animals and brings them to live on a 94-acre property.

But why the cub with a cute face came to the facility is anything but charming. He was found abandoned on Sept. 3 in Hemet, northeast of Temecula. A woman turned him into the humane society in San Jacinto County, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials decided to send him to Alpine.

"He has a hard time supporting his hips,” said Bobbi Brink, the founder and director of LBT. “He's really weak in the back. His tail is really limp. He gets tired easily."

The 25-pound unnamed cub had been declawed, a procedure that could cause him complications like joint stiffness, chronic pain and arthritis later in life, the rescue said. He will also need surgery to remove a hernia from his abdomen.

To help him recover, his caretakers are planning on regular bottle feedings, a meat-rich diet and a lot of room to run.

Brink told NBC 7 Monday that the tiger is just the latest to come her way. Another named Maverick showed up two years ago after being confiscated by the government from an illegal owner.

“These cubs are bred only for profit,” Brink said. “They’re yanked from their mother. They're used for the photo op.”

She explained that several states allow people to use tiger cubs for photos until the animal reaches 12 weeks old, though that’s not allowed in California.

According to Brinks, when cubs reach that age, they become disposable. For that reason, LBT asks people not to take pictures with baby lions or tigers.

"It just keeps happening over and over,” she said. ”And we can't take all the animals. It has to stop. This unnecessary breeding, it has to stop."

Taking in a tiger costs about $10,000 year for food and basic medical costs at LBT. Caretakers then have to tack on more expenses for its habitat and more serious medical needs, Brinks said.

The rescue now takes care of 69 animals — 17 different species.

As the new cub settles in to his new life, now comes the challenge of naming him. LBT officials said they may want to hold a contest to determine his name, getting input from the public.
 

San Diego State linebacker Calvin Munson single-handedly outscored the University of San Diego Saturday with two interceptions returned for a touchdown.

On Sunday, the Aztecs playmaker was named the Walter Camp National FBS Defensive Player of the Week.

Monday his conference also honored him by crowning him the first 2015 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week.

The pair of Pick-Sixes tied an NCAA single-game record for a linebacker and set the school mark for San Diego State.

Munson returned his first interception 19 yards for a score early in the first quarter and then rumbled 67 yards to the house after pilfering his second pick in the third quarter.

In addition to those two demoralizing plays, the junior standout collected a team-high 11 tackles, a sack, and recovered a fumble in the 37-3 blowout victory over the Toreros. Sources could neither confirm nor deny that he also found a partridge in a pear tree.

SDSU teammate Damontae Kazee also had 3 interceptions against the Toreros in the season opener.

Munson has totaled six interceptions for his career as he settles in to his junior campaign.

The Aztecs visit the California Bears from the Pac-12 this Saturday at 2p.m. PT.

The discovery of a suspicious device prompted temporary evacuations in Mission Hills Monday night, according to San Diego police.

At about 8:20 p.m., officers got a report of a gas can with wires sticking out of it on Presidio Drive at Alta Merano.

San Diego Fire-Rescue's bomb squad was called in to investigate the situation. Meanwhile, some residents in the area were ordered to stay away from their homes. 

By 10:15 p.m., the scene was cleared, and people were allowed to go to their houses.

A San Diego woman called 911 twice and received a visit from officers just minutes before she died in a house fire, according to a medical examiner’s report.

Maria Lopez, 62, died of smoke inhalation and burns on July 16 when the converted garage she lived in caught fire.

According to the report, Lopez called San Diego Police just an hour before the blaze started to report someone was on her property with a gun. SDPD dispatchers had received several similar calls from Lopez in the weeks leading up to her death, officials said.

When police did not immediately respond to her Ocean View Boulevard home on July 16, Lopez called again and said there was “someone in her couch,” the medical examiner’s report states.

Officers responded, checked her home and found nothing. Police said Lopez did not meet the criteria to be transported to the hospital for psychiatric reasons, so the officers left at 10:16 p.m.

Just five minutes later, the SDPD got an anonymous call about a fire at Lopez’s home. Though firefighters were able to put it out within five minutes of arriving, they soon found the victim’s body inside.

As officials investigated Lopez’s death, her sons revealed that she suffered from paranoid schizophrenia but had no known history of depression or suicide attempts. One of her sons said she had “suicidal ideations,” which her second son disputed, the report says.

An autopsy revealed Lopez had methamphetamine in her system when she died.

An arson investigation did not determine the cause of the fire, but there were two cigarette lighters found near Lopez’s body.

“It appears that the fire was either caused by the decedent herself with her lighters, whether using their flames for light to look for the person that she was hallucinating in her sofa, or to cause the person’s removal, or accidentally while using methamphetamine; or caused by the decedent’s electrical appliances,” the medical examiner’s report reads.

Because there is no evidence that Lopez meant to set the fire, her death has been ruled an accident.

In July, the victim’s son Paul Lopez told NBC 7 he believed his mother’s death was suspicious. A smashed window indicated she tried to escape her home, but the back door was nailed shut and the sofa was pushed up against the front door, Paul said.
 

 Thousands of workers rallied at Petco Park on Labor Day to support the labor movement. 

The rally, which started at 11:30 a.m. Monday, was one of the largest Labor Day events in the country.

Democratic leaders gathered to honor a crowd of union members and supporters at the rally.

Labor Council leaders Mickey Kasparian and Richard Barrera, California Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, Assemblymembers Marty Block and Lorena Gonzalez, Representative Juan Vargas and City Councilmember Todd Gloria all spoke at the rally. 

Raising the minimum wage remained a popular discussion topic among speakers and those in attendance.  Speakers also spoke about wage theft, equal pay for women and other pro-labor issues.

"What I really like is to see all the kids here," said Roberts. "You know, we have six kids here now and it's great to see all these kids learning the value of work and how we really have to respect all our workers."

Atkins talked to the crowd about proposed legislation to close loopholes that allow businesses to get away with wage theft, a topic NBC 7 Investigates has previously covered. 

More than 280 San Diego companies have failed to pay at least $800,000 in wages, overtime and meal breaks, according to state records reviewed by NBC 7 Investigates.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez advocated for equal pay for women and asked people to thank those working today.

"It's an important day to thank workers to thank the labor movement for all that they've done but coming from labor and representing so many workers in the state capitol, it's twice as special," said Gonzalez.

Exhausted migrants hoping to begin a new life in the European Union waited patiently at a train station in Vienna, Austria, on Monday to continue their journey into the mainland Europe, NBC News reported.

Nineteen-year-old Mohammed from Syria said he and his family traveled for 20 days through Greece, Macedonia, and Hungary before reaching Austria where they were greeted with food and clothes. 

“There is food, there are people helping each other,” Mohammed told NBC News. “It shows me there’s a chance for a better world.”

Mohammed said they were treated better in Austria than in Hungary where, he said, authorities put them in holding camps "like sheep."

A second intelligence review of two emails that Hillary Rodham Clinton received on her personal email account as secretary of state has found that they included highly classified information, The New York Times reported.

The Times, citing unnamed senior intelligence officials, reported late Monday that the review concluded the emails were "Top Secret" when they were sent to Clinton in 2009 and 2011. One concerned North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the newspaper said.

The review, by the CIA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, endorsed a finding by the inspector general for the intelligence agencies, The Times reported.

Clinton aides did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News on Tuesday.

A male pit bull mix rescued from a New York City shelter by a Long Island family attacked the teenage daughter when he was brought home, biting into her face, throat and elbow, and was later euthanized, according to a published report. 

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Stephen Neira, 40, of Patchogue, told Newsday he found the 2-year-old pit bull, named Alex, on a website to rescue dogs from "death row" and had 22 minutes to save it before Alex was scheduled to be euthanized at the Animal Care Centers of New York City. 

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He, his wife and their three children picked up the dog Sunday at the city's Harlem shelter, where Alex passed behavioral tests and was deemed "sociable," according to Newsday.

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When the family brought Alex home, Neira took him out for a walk and let him run laps in the backyard to tire him out, then opened the door to the kitchen, Neira told Newsday.

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"He ran inside, slid across the floor, turned around, saw my daughter and jumped for her throat," Neira said. 

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Neira said he grabbed the pit bull from behind and put it in a choke hold, taking the battle into the backyard.

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"I had to get it off my daughter," he said. "I had to end it." 

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Neira said he thought his tight grip rendered the dog unconscious and flung him a few feet away in the backyard, but the dog attacked again. A neighbor who heard the screams rushed over and held the back gate open for Neira, who ran out to escape the dog. 

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Neira's 16-year-old daughter, Briana, was taken to Stony Brook Hospital where she had plastic surgery on her mauled lip, he said. 

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Alex was tranquilized by Suffolk police and taken by the Brookhaven animal shelter. The dog's remains will be tested for rabies, a Suffolk County health spokeswoman told Newsday. 

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Just before he was tranquilized, he was rolling in the grass and responding when called -- as if the attack never happened, Neira said. 

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"It was supposed to be a beautiful, beautiful day," Neira told Newsday. "Instead my wife can't stop crying. We were giving the dog a new life." 

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A spokeswoman for the city shelter said in a statement to Newsday, "Our thoughts go out to the family. In the meantime, we are investigating this case for further details." 

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A Minnesota woman has filed a lawsuit against a San Diego-based produce company that recalled garden cucumbers believed to be the source of a salmonella outbreak. One Southern California woman has died in the outbreak, and nearly 300 people from 27 states have been sickened.

Kathleen R. Dvergsten, of Farmington, MN, 71, ate a salad allegedly made with the salmonella-tainted cucumbers at a Red Lobster near her home on Aug. 12., according to the lawsuit filed Monday by Seattle-based food safety law firm Marler Clark, on Dvergsten's behalf.

The cucumbers named in the lawsuit were imported from Mexico and distributed by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The lawsuit names the California produce company as a defendent. A company spokesman told NBC 7 they are taking steps to assist in the investigation and are not aware of the lawsuit. 

The lawsuit, the first filed in the wake of the outbreak, alleges that after Dvergsten ate at the Red Lobster, she went to the doctor and was treated for symptoms consistent with the stomach flu.

Her symptoms worsened in the following days, the lawsuit alleges. Dvergsten claims she experienced severe stomach cramps, vomiting and near-constant diarrhea.

She was taken to the hospital two days after the meal where her symptoms worsened further, according to the lawsuit. She developed nausea, a fever, muscle pain and weakness.

At the hospital, she tested positive for the cucumber-related strain of salmonella, the lawsuit alleges.

"My client was hospitalized for five days and then in a rehab center for another six days before she was able to even go home," an attorney for Dvergsten told NBC7.

She was treated at the hospital for a week before moving to a local center for rehabilitation. On Aug. 28, she returned home to finish her recovery.

"While it's good there's a recall now underway, it didn't come nearly soon enough," said Bill Marler, food safety advocate and managing partner at Marler Clark, in a statement. "One person has died eating what is usually a healthy food and hundreds have been sickened so far. As these cucumbers were sold to restaurants and home cooks, it's possible the number of illnesses will rise."

In a news release Friday, CDPH said 53 people have been hospitalized with salmonella serotype Poona. Of those reports, the agency said more than 50 people from California were reporting symptoms of salmonella exposure. 54 percent of those ill are children younger than 18 years old. 

"We issued a voluntary recall, working with federal and state authorities, we contacted all of our customers all harvest and packing operations at this facility have been stopped," David Murray, a partner with the produce company, told NBC7. "We are taking every precaution to remove this product from the market and if consumers are concerned, they should dispose of the product or bring the product back to the store where it was purchased."

San Diego County Health Officials say a 99-year-old San Diego woman died August 17 in the outbreak.

Grown and packed by Rancho Don Juanito in Mexico, the cucumbers were distributed between August 1 and September 3.

"We've had a long time exclusive relationship with a Rancho Don Juanito in Baja California they are also a family business and are just as committed to food safety as we are," Murray said. "In fact, they a leader in making positive improvements in farming and food activities in Mexico."

State officials could not identify the stores where the cucumbers were sold in San Diego. Anderson & Williamson Fresh Produce would not release the names of the retail stores that sold the cucumbers.

The cucumbers arrived in boxes marked as "Limited Edition" brand pole-grown cucumbers but state officials say it's unlikely the cucumbers would have any identifying brand information on the shelf.

State officials advise consumers to talk with their local grocer to ask if the cucumbers in their refrigerator may be those involved in the recall.

Seventeen California counties have had reports of illnesses.

The cucumbers were shipped to 22 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

 A Sig alert was issued for a stretch of State Route 78 in Julian after heavy rains caused a mudslide. 

Rocks and mud pummeled onto SR-78 at approximately 4:40 p.m. Monday as heavy rains coated the area. The rain made driving the stretch of road near Great Southern Overland Stage difficult. 

California Highway Patrol officials are asking drivers to avoid the area. 

By 8 p.m., crews had cleared enough mud to make the road passable, but the Sig alert was still in effect. 

The highway was fully cleared just before 9 p.m.

A man who was crossing the street in Imperial Beach early Saturday morning when he was killed by a drunk driver was an avid surfer who left behind four grown children.

Carl Youney's four children were in town to say goodbye to their dying grandma whom Youney was the primary caretaker for, family members said. He was out having drinks at the Salty Frog with some friends and planned to take a taxi home.

The 57-year-old San Diego resident was killed early Saturday morning in Imperial Beach by a suspected drunk driver just one block away from a DUI checkpoint.

His daughter, Chantal Aguiar, said the family was grief stricken by the news, which they learned as they were on the way here to see their grandmother.

Youney was a member of the Coronado Yacht Club, attended Coronado High School and had lived in Imperial Beach most of his life.

"There's nowhere he wanted to be besides on the water, if it was surfing or sailing a boat," she said. "So coming here now, it just brings a lot of peace to our family. We feel that he's out there and we feel close to him."

Youney was crossing the street in the 900 block of Palm Avenue at about 12:40 a.m. when he was hit by a passing Honda Civic.

Officials said the driver, Jonathan Rojas, failed to see him when was driving westbound on Palm Avenue.

Rojas, 24, was arrested on DUI charges and gross vehicular manslaughter.

A block-and-a-half away, deputies were working a DUI checkpoint. The sheriff’s department said those deputies actually heard the screeches of the collision and rushed to the scene immediately.

Though deputies attempted aggressive lifesaving efforts on the pedestrian, Youney died at the scene.

Aguiar described him as a very supportive father.

"He was definitely someone who was open and you could talk to," she said. "He was a character. If you knew him, he would make you laugh and smile."

Rojas was taken into custody and booked into San Diego Central Jail. He’s scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

Youney's family has a message for anyone contemplating driving while drunk.

"There are so many options for people who are out, whether if you go with all your friends," Aguiar said. "There's taxi, Uber, Lyft. IB is a small town. You can walk."

Vice President Joe Biden, who is seriously considering a late entry into the 2016 Democratic presidential campaign, has edged past Bernie Sanders in a new national poll of Democratic voters, while Hillary Clinton continues to lead the Democratic field but has lost ground since last month.

The new Monmouth University poll shows that 42 percent of Democrats back Clinton, 22 percent support Biden and 20 percent favor Sanders.

Clinton's support has dropped from 52 percent in August to 42 percent now.

It has been a significant boost for Biden, who has yet to make a decision about whether he'll seek the presidency. Biden secured 12 percent support when Monmouth polled Democrats last month.

After being trapped in Cancun after losing her leg in a motorcycle accident, 20-year-old Zaphire Alonso-Duarte is back in San Diego. The San Diego City College and former Monarch School student lost her right leg, but told NBC 7 in an exclusive interview she’s determined to overcome this most recent obstacle in her life.

“I feel good. I feel really strong. I’m just so happy to be back with my family and friends,” said Alonso as she made it to UCSD Medical Center Monday.

Alonso is the only member of her family in the U.S. Her mother and brother live in Mexico. She battled homelessness as a teenager and attended the Monarch School in San Diego, which exclusively serves local children impacted by homelessness. That’s where she found new family members.

“I don’t have family. This is my family. My friends,” said Alonso.

Despite her hardships, Alonso graduated as valedictorian of her high school class. Recently, she got straight A’s in her summer classes at San Diego City College. As a gift to herself for working so hard for so long, she decided to take her first vacation ever in Cancun.

In Cancun, Alonso was a passenger on a motorcycle. A car came out of nowhere and the crash took her right leg. For weeks, doctors did not allow her to travel back to the U.S. fearing she was too weak from her injuries. Weeks passed, and her family and friends gathered enough money to fly Alonso to Tijuana for someone to drive her back to San Diego.

“I lost my leg, but the best thing is I have my family, and I’m alive,” Alonso told NBC 7. She said she didn’t have a problem with the doctors taking her leg. All she wanted was to be alive.

“I know I’ve been through a lot. I just want to be more,” she said.

Alonso is studying to become a social worker.

A Gofundme page has been set up to help Alonso pay for medical costs. To find out more on how you can help click here.

Three people questioned during the investigation into the fatal shooting of a veteran Fox Lake, Illinois, police officer have been ruled out as suspects, officials said Tuesday.

"The [people questioned] established their whereabouts during that time frame," said Commander George Filenko with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. 

Officials last week said they recovered a piece of "important" evidence and noted that the FBI was putting several videos into chronological order. The videos showed three people matching the vague description of the suspects believed to have killed Fox Lake Lieutenant Charles "Joe" Gliniewicz, authorities said.

Filenko said those three people were identified and questioned and have since been ruled out as suspects.

"At this point we don't have any video relevant to that investigation," he said. 

Officials did reveal Tuesday that DNA not belonging to Gliniewicz was found at the crime scene and is being analyzed at a crime lab. 

"We are continuing this investigation based on the information that was provided to us from day one -- that Lieutenant Gliniewicz identified three individuals that he pursued in a heavily wooded area," Filenko said. "Officers responded to back him up, and found him murdered, or, I'm sorry, killed."

Police are re-canvassing the Fox Lake area and interviewing residents and any potential witnesses.

The update comes just one day after Gliniewicz was laid to rest. 

Gliniewicz, a 30-year veteran of the force, was fatally shot last week while investigating three "suspicious" people. The gunmen are described as two white men and one black man, but further details on their descriptions have not been made available. 

Filenko said last week, and again on Tuesday, the three suspects are believed to still be in the area, about 60 miles north of Chicago, and authorities say they've made "significant progress" in their search. Authorities believe the suspects are "local individuals."

"Obviously we have a lot of transportation means in this area — trains, cars, buses — we’re still working off the fact that we’re presuming there’s a good probability that they are still somewhere in the area," Filenko said. "Now whether they're in Fox Lake or any of the surrounding border communities that remains to be seen."

Filenko confirmed Friday that the officer’s gun was recovered at the scene but could not confirm how many times, if any, it had been fired. Gliniewicz's squad car did not have a dash camera, he said. 

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspects. A tip line and website has also been set up for residents looking to report any information surrounding the case.