All people traveling to the United States from countries with Ebola are being warned as of Wednesday about the potentially deadly virus' symptoms, and how it is spread.

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol will hand out a flyer with information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to all U.S.-bound travelers from those countries. 

That flyer also contains a card that any passenger who starts showing symptoms in the following days can hand their doctors, to alert them of the risk.

The first case of Ebola in the United States has been diagnosed in Dallas, in a patient who had arrived days earlier from Liberia, one of the West African nations at the center of a massive outbreak.

The announcement Tuesday by officials sparked immediate concerns about who may have been exposed and helped shed light on how the potentially deadly virus is, and isn't, spread.

Ebola can only be spread by infected people who have a fever and other Ebola symptoms, the CDC says.

Symptoms appear between two and 21 days of exposure to the virus. If an exposed person does not develop symptoms within 21 days of exposure, the person will not become sick with Ebola, according to the CDC. 

The virus can be spread to other people through direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids, contaminated objects or infected animals, including by eating infected meat.

See the flyer that customs officials are giving travelers below.

Ebola can only be spread by infected people who show symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. If an exposed person does not develop symptoms within 21 days of exposure, the person will not become sick with Ebola, according to the CDC.

Contact tracing is the process health workers use to find everyone who comes into direct contact with a sick Ebola patient. If the contact develops a fever or other Ebola symptoms within 21 days of the last day they came into contact with the Ebola patient, the person is isolated and provided care. All of the new patient’s contacts are then found and watched for 21 days.

The CDC warns that even one contact can keep the outbreak going.

Check out below a graphic the CDC prepared to explain how contact tracing works.

(Info: CDC)

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

Two San Diego men are accused of preying on people visiting one of the nation’s most popular tourist attractions.

The men cased cars parked outside the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, breaking into them and stealing valuables while tourists were inside the park.

In their scheme, Christiano Mendez Straughn, 33, and co-defendant Robert Eugene McCusker, 27, targeted American-made SUVS with luggage clearly visible, prosecutors allege.

Connecticut resident Allison Jelenik was one of the victims in the case. She said her dream family vacation to San Diego in August was ruined when their luggage, all their clothes, her daughter's purse and medication were stolen.

She learned of last Thursday's arrests after San Diego police sent her evidence photos, including her daughter’s books.

“There was a bookmark she'd gotten from a teacher and it had her name on it," Jelenik said.

San Diego police told NBC 7 they are still evaluating the number of break-ins and victims.

Jelenik said she was told the thefts happen often and have even been reported twice in the same day.

“They told us there was a room full of personal belongings just strewn all over the room and there was like 30 pieces of luggage and bags and what not that had just been emptied out," she said.

Earlier in September, the Sylvester family from Atlanta spoke with NBC 7 about their experience. They parked next to a police station in the parking lot figuring their vehicle would be safe.

However, when they returned to their car after visiting the zoo, they found the car emptied with only a pillow left behind.

The white police tower may be labeled as a police presence however there has been no one staffing it so it’s essentially an empty threat.

There is an empty police cruiser parked next to the tower as well.

A San Diego police spokesperson said when visitors to the San Diego Zoo park their cars, they should not leave anything in sight for criminals to steal.

The San Diego District Attorney’s Office said Straughn faces three felony and two misdemeanor charges ranging from attempted burglary to vandalism. McCusker faces a felony charge of receiving stolen property. His criminal record shows previous convictions in 2007 and 2008 are related to burglary charges.
 

The Chula Vista Union Elementary School District has reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract with its teachers union.

Chula Vista teachers were on the brink of strike after months of labor negotiations about salaries, health care benefits and class sizes.

The Chula Vista Elementary School District says the contract calls for retroactive raises for teachers and an increase in health benefits.

The agreement came after a marathon bargaining session that started Monday and ended early Tuesday morning.

Members of the Chula Vista Educators must vote on the agreement.

San Diego County sheriff’s deputies are looking for two men who tried to pick up a girl walking home from school less than two miles from the site of a similar incident reported three weeks earlier.

Deputies say a 12-year-old girl using crutches was walking home from The Heights Charter school on Tuesday, Sept. 30 when she was approached by two men in a black, four-door Ford Escort.

She said they stopped near the intersection of South Grade Road and Sun Haven Road just before 3:30 p.m. and offered her a ride to Grant Street.

The girl said no but the driver was insistent, deputies said, claiming he had just had knee replacement surgery.

After the girl said no several times, the men drove away.

The driver was described as Caucasian, in his 70s with gray hair wearing a white T-shirt, baseball cap, clip-on sunglasses and jean shorts with a scar on his upper lip.

The passenger was described as Caucasian, in his 60s with brown and gray hair and freckles all over his face wearing yellow shirt. Deputies released a sketch of the passenger.

On Sept. 12, a girl was walking home from from the Alpine Youth Center when someone in a gray, four-door car tried to lure her into the car, deputies said. That incident happened on Arnold Way about two miles east of the Sept. 30 incident. Deputies say it does not appear the two attempts are related.

Anyone with information should call Detective Dan Barnes at (619) 659‐2612 or the Sheriff's Department at (858) 565‐5200. You can also remain anonymous and be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580‐8477.

San Diegans are devoted to snacking on artisan cheeses and locally-cured meats, so local restaurants are serving up the chic eats on plates, boards and platters fit for a king. Check out these businesses, highly-rated on Yelp, offering tasty cheese and charcuterie – and don't forget the baguette!

The 3rd Corner (Encinitas)
Make reservations, trust us, as this coastal city favorite gets super busy and once you see the menu, you won’t want to have to wait. Once you get your table, order it all. Start with the Artisan Cheese and Salami Plate served with date jam, pecans, apples, a baguette and dried apricots plus add the Mediterranean Olive sampler, all for under $25. There is also a Baked Humbolt Fog with sautéed mushrooms and toasted brioche that could start an addiction. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Relm (Carlsbad)
A local’s favorite down in the Carlsbad Village, Relm is a wine bar also known for its delicious menu. The selections available change weekly and on-site wine educators can fill you in on what’s available. You can choose from small (two cheeses, $13) or large (four cheeses, $21) and both options come with organic honey, dried fruit, grapes and a fresh baguette. Meat can be added for only $6, too. The baked brie or prosciutto rolls with goat cheese and mint are also nosh-worthy.

The Barrel Room (Ranch Bernardo)
Yelpers are buzzing about this romantic location in Rancho Bernardo, and it’s not just because of the extensive wine selection. For $18 you can get “The Board” and choose three cheeses and three meats from almost 20 daily options, served with a perfectly crusty French baguette. If your mind is reeling from all those choices, just order Momma’s Brie. It’s baked in a golden pastry topped with candied pecans and raspberry preserves.

Blind Lady Ale House (Normal Heights)
Yes, loads of craft beer, but also one of the best deals in town for cheese and charcuterie. For $15, you can choose three cheeses from the board of today’s selections, served with plenty of bread and accompanied with fresh arugula, honeycomb, roasted nuts and local fruit. The charcuterie plate is another steal for only $12 – so why not get both? You’ll find homemade Ciccoli, lamb and pork terrine with apricots and hazelnuts, plus so much more.

Blue Bohème (Kensington)
The Yelp reviews sing the praises of the generous cheese and charcuterie plates purveyed by the proprietors of Blue Bohème. The plates feature a Pâté et Terrine du Chef that is fantastic or the “La Charcuterie” option with garlic sausage, Spanish chorizo, house pickled veggies and more. Plus there’s a fantastic cheese plate with imported French cheese, a lovely honeycomb and fig terrine. You’ll want to stuff your face with this fromage!

Juniper & Ivy (Little Italy)
Chef Richard Bias handles this so-called “left coast cookery” like the pro he is and the chic presentation of the house charcuterie selections mirror the fantastic venue itself. Currently, you’ll find a board of spicy lamb sausage, headcheese and mortadella, a delightful Italian “bologna” packed with the sinful taste of pork fat. Start or finish your meal off right with the perfect flavors and presentation. Note: the menu rotates regularly, so there's always something new to taste here.
 

Trish Sanderson is the community manager and marketing director for Yelp North County San Diego. She leads the local community of Yelp reviewers both online and off.

Fire danger will be heightened as Santa Ana winds arrive Thursday and Cal Fire has extra crews and equipment on standby.

Santa Ana winds arrive when a high pressure in the desert to the east of San Diego forces air to move west, bringing with it hot, dry conditions into the lower pressure found along and offshore the California coastline.

The weather pattern creates prime conditions for a damaging wildfire as San Diego County witnessed with the Cedar Fire and Paradise in October 2003 and the Witch Creek, Harris, Rice Canyon Fires in 2007.

In anticipation for the winds this week, Cal Fire has staffed extra crews on equipment and at stations around the county.

The Emergency Command and Control Center will be staffed with additional personnel, there will be additional Battalion Chief coverage.

Not only will there be an additional air tanker available at Ramona but the agency will have round-the-clock staffing on five water tenders and all fire reserve apparatus and bulldozers

Santa Anas are expected each morning but the weather service says it will be a weak event, with winds of just 15 mph to 25 mph.

A new online tool provided by Cal Fire suggests the risk of a wildfire from this Santa Ana wind event will be marginal in San Diego on Thursday.

The Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index, a classification system that analyzes the fire threat potential of the powerful Santa Ana winds, was rolled out in September to help homeowners and fire officials prepare.

San Diego County officials are also urging residents to download the free emergency smart phone application SDEmergency and follow three key steps.

GET READY: Do your 100-foot defensible space in advance
GET SET: Have an emergency plan. Pack your car when Santa Anas arrive.
GO: When told to leave, leave.

Download NBC 7's free mobile phone and iPad apps to get breaking news alerts on any fires as soon as they are spotted. 

Chargers receiver Keenan Allen may have coined his own nickname.

“Leroy Decoy,” he said with a smile after Sunday’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Why is a guy who just racked up career highs with 10 catches and 135 receiving yards calling himself the decoy? It’s probably because everyone around him is making even bigger plays.

There’s Eddie Royal and his four touchdowns in the last two games. Then you have Malcolm Floyd, who has a pair of TD grabs as he continues resurgence in his 10th year with the team. And don’t forget Antonio Gates almost single-handedly beating the Seattle Seahawks with his trio of scores.

Meanwhile, Allen leads the team with 22 catches on 29 targets for 244 yards. But zero of quarterback Philip Rivers’ touchdown passes has gone his way.

It’s hard out here for a former Rookie of the Year, but Allen isn’t complaining.

“I’ll be that guy all day if we keep winning,” he said.

You won’t find any of them among the leaders in any of the league’s top receiving categories this year. At the same time, you’d be hard pressed to find a more productive – and deeper – group of receivers anywhere in the league than the Chargers have.

“During the week you try to make all the plays work,” Royal said. “And when you draw them up, everyone is scoring a touchdown. So you just never really know who’s going to get it.”

Chargers coach Mike McCoy said there’s no animosity among a group who strives to each other better.

“I think we’ve got a very unselfish bunch of guys,” he said. “I think it’s the whole group. Philip’s got plenty of weapons to go to. You get into third down situations and pick your poison. If you’re going to take one thing away, you gotta cover another guy.”

McCoy’s point can be illustrated in both of Royal’s scores on Sunday. Each was on a big play – 43 and 47 yards – that came after Rivers looked at different receivers on each drive.

“We started getting first downs, got in a rhythm,” Rivers said. “They know to just keep going.”
Another seasoned veteran on the receiving corps, Royal knows touchdowns can be fleeting. So he’s not putting too much stock in his impressive run.

“It happened to be me the last two weeks,” he said. “So next week you don’t know which guy it is, just execute each play the right way and we’ll see.”

Allen credits a solid week of practice for his success on Sunday. And he hasn’t offense to his lack of end zone looks … yet.

“Phil likes to spread the ball around,” he said. “We’re definitely unselfish. I don’t really take it to heart when I don’t get in the end zone. As long as we’re winning games.”

Royal says it will only be a matter of time.

“We’re gonna try to get him in the end zone,” he said. “He’s a playmaker out there. It’s gonna happen sooner or later. And he’s playing great football right now. I’m glad he’s on our team.”

Two vehicles collided on State Route 163, blocking some lanes of traffic on Wednesday afternoon in Mission Valley.

The crash happened just before 3 p.m. near Friars Road. One of the drivers was trapped in a vehicle and had to be extricated by firefighters, officials said.

It wasn’t immediately known the extent of the driver’s injuries.

Two lanes of southbound SR-163 traffic were blocked and traffic was slow in the area.

This is a breaking news story. Check back here for updates.

Less than two weeks after a group of Bay Area drag queens met with Facebook to protest how the social networking giant had suspended their accounts for not using "real names," Facebook's chief product officer Chris Cox apologized for their ordeal, promising change.

And Mark Zuckerberg "liked" it.

“I want to apologize to the affected community of drag queens, drag kings, transgender, and extensive community of our friends, neighbors, and members of the LGBT community for the hardship that we've put you through in dealing with your Facebook accounts over the past few weeks,” Cox said Wednesday in a post on his own Facebook page.

“In the two weeks since the real-name policy issues surfaced, we've had the chance to hear from many of you in these communities and understand the policy more clearly as you experience it,” he added. “We've also come to understand how painful this has been. We owe you a better service and a better experience using Facebook, and we're going to fix the way this policy gets handled so everyone affected here can go back to using Facebook as you were.”

Mark Snyder, a spokesperson for the Transgender Law Center who met with Facebook Wednesday over the real names policy dispute, called the meeting productive. "We are excited to continue working with them on solutions so we can all be our authentic selves online," he said. Local drag queens have turned a protest rally initially scheduled for San Francsico City Hall Thursday into a victory celebration.

Bay Area queer performance art group The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and its supporters first met with Facebook on Sept. 19 after some users received messages saying their account had been “temporarily suspended” because it looks like “you’re not using your real name.”

Facebook's stance is that the "real names" policy is designed to "keep the community safe."

But Bay Area drag queens called the policy discriminatory, saying that by requiring performers to use their legal names, Facebook may be compromising their safety and making them vulnerable to attack.

The group said it would mobilize against Facebook if the social networking giant didn’t address its concerns.

“Facebook is discriminating by basically not allowing a large part of the community access to a public forum because of this policy,” said Lil Miss Hot Mess, who reluctantly had to identify herself as Harris Davis on her Facebook page.

Heklina, a 47-year-old drag queen from San Francisco, said she would boycott Facebook if she could, but “it’s too ingrained in our everyday lives.”

A growing coalition of people who support the Bay Area drag queens — including artists, immigrants, domestic violence survivors, activists and members of the transgender community — delivered a letter to Facebook at Wednesday's meeting, requesting that Facebook update its policy to allow everyone to be their "authentic selves online," end the requirement to show ID and make it easier for users to appeal account suspension.

“Many people need to use a chosen name in order to feel safe or to be able to express their authentic identity online,” the letter said. “While drag queens have experienced a rash of reports of being in violation of the 'real name' policy, many others remain at risk of being reported.”

In his post, Cox explained that it all started when an individual on Facebook decided to report several hundred of these accounts as fake. The reports were among the several hundred thousand fake name reports Facebook processes every week, 99 percent of whom he said are "bad actors doing bad things," including impersonation, bullying, trolling, domestic violence, scams and hate speech.

"So we didn't notice the pattern,” Cox wrote.

Cox wrote that Facebook's "authentic name" policy was put in place to act as a safeguard against impersonators: “Everyone on Facebook uses the authentic name they use in real life.”

“For Sister Roma, that's Sister Roma. For Lil Miss Hot Mess, that's Lil Miss Hot Mess," he added. "Part of what's been so difficult about this conversation is that we support both of these individuals, and so many others affected by this, completely and utterly in how they use Facebook."

Cox said Facebook is working on building better tools for “authenticating the Sister Romas of the world."

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

The driver in a fatal hit-and-run crash appears to have dragged the victim approximately 100 yards, and now, San Diego Police have identified a vehicle of interest in the case.

The body of the unidentified man was found just after 10 p.m. Tuesday in Bay Terraces north of State Route 54, police said. 

The man was found in the middle of the intersection at Appian Drive and Woodman Street, a busy area with homes, apartments and shops.

Someone in the area called 911 to report a hit-and-run accident.

During their investigation authorities say evidence was found showing the man may have been dragged on the roadway about 100 yards before ending up where he was found.

There are few leads on what type of car was involved or what time the incident occurred, police said.

“There was half a body here that got damaged pretty bad, so it couldn’t have happened from a regular car," said resident Deenesh Shrestha who saw the aftermath of the crash.

Crews cleared the intersection just before 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Wednesday evening, investigators released details about a vehicle of interest. They say a tractor trailer with a red cab and silver trailer was seen in the area before the crash.

"Although this is a vehicle of interest, we do not want to limit the public on the type of vehicle that may be involved," said Lt. Kevin Mayer in an email.

If you have any information, you are asked to call the SDPD.
 

Sheriff’s detectives have opened a suspicious death investigation after the body of a recent San Diego State University student was discovered in the Nevada desert.

Two people riding quads found Margay Edwards, 27, dead on a dirt trail near Pahrump, Nevada last Thursday, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.

Edwards’ license was found on her body, but her car and cellphone are still missing. Cal Coast News reports it took investigators four days to confirm the body was Edwards because it was so decomposed.

Authorities said Edwards, a Los Ojos resident, made frequent trips to Las Vegas. She studied business administration and financial services at SDSU but has not graduated. The victim last attended the school in 2013 and did not register for classes this semester, the university says.

NBC 7 traced Edwards to a Vista apartment where she recently lived. The current tenant told us that San Diego County Sheriff's investigators visited there in April to asked her if she knew Edwards.

In the conversation, investigators told the woman that a vehicle registered to Edwards was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Las Vegas and police there were trying to track her down. She said they described the investigation as urgent. However, the woman living there now did not know Edwards.

Although her cause of death has not been determined, detectives are calling it suspicious and are looking into criminal activity. They expect to have more answers after an autopsy.

Sheriff's officials are also looking for a 2014 Blue Hyundai Accent rental car she was last seen driving. It has the California license plate 7ESZ966.

If you have any information about this case, call the Nye County Sheriff’s Office at (775) 751-7000.

Pahrump is a community known for off-roading and racing. It's home to the Pahrump Valley Speedway and several popular trails used by dirt bikes riders and for other recreational motor sports.

Editor's Note: A former version of this story referred to Edwards as a SDSU graduate. We regret the error.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasted the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday, pounding the podium as he urged the agency "work harder and better and smarter" to restore service and wondered how one man had managed to cripple the city's air travel for days.

"How can this happen? How can you have an airport that is so integral to the national and international system with no back-up capacity, that one individual can have this impact?" Emanuel said.

He weighed in on the city's transportation woes during an unrelated Q&A with reporters at the Chicago Cultural Center, after announcing a new scholarship program for Chicago Public Schools students.

Emanuel said the agency's primary local job is to get the area's radar facility, heavily damaged nearly a week ago by a saboteur, up and running at full capacity.

"It’s not where it needs to be, and they’ve got to work harder and better and smarter and get it there," he said, as he commended the agency for its efforts to restore service.

Federal officials on Monday set Oct. 13 as their target date for having operations 100 percent restored.

Prosecutors say Brian Howard, 36, of Naperville, entered the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora early Friday morning and caused incredible, strategic damage to the radar facility that handles high-altitude traffic above a large portion of the country's midsection.

They said Howard, who had worked at the facility for eight years and was involved with the facility's communications systems, was upset about recently being told he was being transferred to Hawaii.

Howard's alleged actions forced the cancellation of thousands of flights and cost an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Just when you thought your children were all settled in their routine at school, the shuffling of teachers continues in the San Diego Unified School District.

“It is a numbers game! Your voices need to be heard to make a difference,” parent Kurt Meeder said to other parents Wednesday outside Spreckels Elementary School in University City. The school is slated to lose one teacher due to lower than projected enrollment, and parents say they will fight the move.

The parents say the loss of just one teacher will have a ripple effect on most, if not all, the 600 students at Spreckels. They say 25 percent will have to move to a combination class where two grade levels are combined. Other students, they say, would be shuffled to make room for the changes.

“We're very sympathetic,” said SDUSD spokesperson Ursula Kroemer. She explained the district must rely on projections until the enrollment settles. Then, it must make sure class size ratios are contractually correct.

But Spreckels’ parents say the district needs to consider factors other than numbers. Spreckels is in program improvement, and has many free and reduced lunch students learning English, explained one parent.

Kroemer says the district did look at other criteria.

“It is not cut and dried,” she said.

She says the district did not relocate staff if in doing so, the majority of classes became combination classes. At Spreckels, she says just three combo classes will be created out of 22 classrooms.

Besides, she says, another school is in need.

“Teachers who are being reassigned from one school are reassigned to a new school, so they’ll be welcomed with open arms because they are needed at that school,” Kroemer said.
 

A wild parrot is recovering after it was shot with what officials believe was a pellet gun in Imperial Beach.

SoCal Parrot says a man discovered the injured yellow-headed Amazon in his front yard Monday evening. The bird was taken to the SoCal Parrot Sanctuary and Rehab Facility, where it was treated for an entry/exit wound, traumatic injury to its left wing, bruising and swelling.

Caretakers stabilized the parrot, put it on mild pain medication and monitored it overnight.

The next morning, X-rays revealed pellet and BB projectiles lodged in the animal at its neck and toward its right wing. The left wing suffered multiple bone fractures.

SoCal Parrot officials said it will continue to monitor the parrot’s condition and discuss surgery, but they do not believe it will ever be released back into the wild.

This incident is similar to one several months ago, when another wild parrot was also shot with a pellet gun, according to the organization.

Jesse Matthew, the man linked to the abduction of a University of Virginia student as well as the death of another young woman, was investigated for a campus sex assault years ago.

According to officials with Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, Matthew was a student there from January 2003 through Oct. 15, 2003. He was investigated in connection with a sexual assault on campus that occurred Sept. 7, 2003. 

Last month, Matthew, 32, was charged with the abduction of 18-year-old Hannah Graham, who was last seen with him just after 1 a.m. Sept. 13 on Charlottesville's downtown mall. The search for Graham continues.

Since then, Matthew has been forensically linked to the death of Morgan Harrington, a Virginia Tech student who disappeared after attending a concert in Charlottesville in 2009. Her body was found several months later.

In addition, police have said there is a link between Harrington's death and a 2005 Fairfax City sex assault, though they have not named Matthew as a suspect in that incident.

Matthew was also investigated in connection with an alleged sex assault at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 2002 but charges were never filed.

Matthew is due in court Thursday for a reckless driving charge in Charlottesville that led to his arrest last week.

They may look menacing, but the good news is that those peculiar red bugs spotted in San Diego County are harmless.

Scantius aegyptius, or “red bug,” have been spotted and identified for the first time in a San Diego County lab this fall, county health officials said Wednesday.

Hailing from the Mediterranean region, these bugs are 8 millimeters long and have a vibrant red color. They were first discovered by a Ramona resident in the resident’s yard.

The good news for us is that they’re benign. And health officials said residents shouldn’t expect them to have an impact on gardening and viable plants; they appear to feast on weeds.

“They are not harmful to people. They are not harmful to pets,” Tracy Ellis, a San Diego County entomologist, said in an informational YouTube video. “And they can’t bite.”

The bugs were first identified in Southern California in Orange County in June 2009.

Since the bugs are new to our area, San Diego County’s Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures is seeking the public’s help. If you find a red bug in your yard, bring a sample to either the San Diego or San Marcos lab for testing.

The National Portrait Gallery is unveiling a giant portrait of a young man created in the landscape of the National Mall.
 
Cuban-American artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada says he created the portrait as a compilation of American faces after photographing 30 young men in Washington. It's entitled  "Out of Many, One.''
 
The six-acre portrait is made of sand and topsoil and can be viewed from the Washington Monument or from space.
 
The artist used GPS technology to mark 10,000 points onto an empty field and then linked them with twine to help create precise lines for the portrait made of dirt. Beginning Saturday, visitors will be able to walk along the portrait's features.

The soil and sand eventually will be reused to improve the National Mall's turf.
 

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

An infant girl's body was discovered at a trash disposal facility in Hesperia Wednesday.

Homicide detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the discovery at Advance Disposal Company, department spokeswoman Jodi Miller said.

Workers found the infant on a conveyor belt along with a pile of garbage around 8 a.m. at the plant in the 17000 block of Mesa Street.

The plant was quickly shut down and investigators began processing the location of the discovery.

Workers waited outside and spoke with a pastor after what happened.

"I talked to one guy who was pretty angry and just wanted to go home and hug his child," said Matt Corby, pastor at Calvary Chapel of the High Desert

The baby appears to be a newborn, Miller said.

"Investigators are asking anyone who may have information about a possible female recently pregnant and recently given birth who did not seek the assistance of a hospital," Miller said.

Detectives said the company picks up garbage in Victorville, Apple Valley and Hesperia.

Whether the baby was alive at birth was not immediately clear, but officials said the mother could have left the infant at any fire station or hospital with no questions asked.

"It's very easy for a mother of a newborn to come to a safe surrender site," San Bernardino County Fire Capt. Jay Hausman said. "Since 2001 up to March of this year, we've had 621 safe surrenders, and that is statewide."

The discovery comes one day after the remains of an adult woman were found on a conveyor belt at a recycling processing center in city of Industry.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's department at 760-956-5001.

An earlier version of this story referred to the Advance Disposal facility as a recycling facility. It is a trash disposal facility.

Nyree Arabian contributed to this report.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

Two marijuana lollipops were seized from a student at Simi Valley High School this week, and police Wednesday urged parents to be on the lookout for similar pot-laced candies.

The student was arrested Tuesday for possession of marijuana and later released pending investigation of the incident.

Marijuana candies have grown in popularity, and are becoming more readily available over the Internet. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors, but often look like standard, plastic-wrapped lollipops.

Last week, a high school student in Connecticut was arrested after passing out similar lollipops to classmates. In that incident, a 16-year-old girl was hospitalized when she fell ill after consuming the candy. The student who passed out the lollipops said she obtained them through the mail from a California operation.

Anyone with information about marijuana candies on Simi Valley school grounds in is asked to call the Simi Valley Police Department at 805-583-6950.