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Kayaker Describes Shark Attack

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A kayaker who said his boat was thrashed by a shark in waters off Santa Barbara County, California, on Friday walked away unscathed and described the impact as worse than a car crash.

"I was thrown 5 to 10 feet in the water in the kayak," Ryan Howell said. "I just remember my buddy yelling, 'That shark is huge!' and yelling my name over and over, but the kayak just kept getting thrashed."

The shark encounter was the second in two days in the same area, near the Vandenberg Air Force Base, after a surfer was attacked by a shark on Thursday, forcing officials to close beaches to surfers through the weekend.

Friday's ordeal began when Howell, of Central Coast Kayak Fishing, and some friends started fishing from their kayaks about 11 a.m., and they saw another kayaker get knocked out of his boat by a shark, Howell told NBC4. That person was helped by some fishermen, he said.

Howell and his friends stayed together and continued fishing.

While he was in the water about 2 p.m., his kayak was suddenly and aggressively pushed by a shark, he said.

He got bite marks in the front and back of his kayak and decided to jump onto his friend's kayak.

"There was no getting back on my kayak, it was beat up," Howell said. "I've been in small car accidents, and as far as impact, it felt worse than that. It felt like I was getting hit by a car."

Howell called for help and went back to shore without getting hurt.
 



Photo Credit: Ryan Howell

NJ Child Died from Enterovirus D68

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Officials announced Saturday that enterovirus D68 is the cause of death for a 4-year-old New Jersey boy, who died Sept. 25, and disclosed that another child from the same school is exhibiting similar symptoms.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told New Jersey health officials Friday that a Mercer County boy -- the youngest of triplets -- tested positive for enterovirus 68, but they were unsure what role the virus played in his death at that time.

But late Friday evening, the family, who asked for privacy, learned the virus took the life of 4-year-old Eli.

"It was because of enterovirus D68," said Kelly Yaede, mayor of Hamilton Township, New Jersey, while speaking on behalf of the boy's family. "Please extend to the township our sincere appreciation ...for support our children and schools."

"They will have to deal with the cavernous void of losing Eli for the rest of their lives," she said. "We are 90,000 residents and we will stand behind them til they don't need us anymore."

Officials are unsure how the deceased child became infected with enterovirus D78, but they said young children are most likely to catch the virus, which has sickened at least 500 people in 42 states and Washington, D.C.

"Older children and adults have natural immunity acquired over time to defend it," said James Parla, superintendent of the Hamilton Township School District, while relaying information from the CDC.

Eli was last at school Sept. 19, Parla said. Since then, the district has added extra staff to his school so additional cleaning services could be implemented, but another boy has shown similar symptoms, he said.

"There is another case that the CDC is testing in Hamilton for a child that was in the same school, in the same grade and different class as the child that died," Yaede said. "That child has not been in school for the last two weeks."

That boy was admitted to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, where he received treatment before returning home to continue his recovery, he added.

Health officials conducted tests for the virus Thursday and his family is still waiting on results, he said.

The New Jersey department said the CDC also reported another confirmed case of the virus in a Middlesex County child, bringing the total count in the state to nine people who have been infected with enterovirus 68. Those cases are in Camden, Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Essex, Passaic and Sussex.

The enterovirus germ is not new; most people who catch the virus experience only a runny nose and low-grade fever. It was first identified in 1962 and has caused clusters of illness before.

This year, the virus has gotten more attention because it has been linked to hundreds of severe illnesses. Beginning last month, hospitals in Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago have received a flood of children with trouble breathing.

To avoid getting the virus, health officials recommend:

  • Wash hands with soap and water.
     
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
     
  • Avoid kissing, hugging, and sharing cups, plates and utensils with people who are sick.
  • Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.


Photo Credit: NBC 5 News

Dog to Sniff Out Drugs in San Diego Schools

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A drug-sniffing dog is the latest tool being used in the San Diego Unified School District to combat drug use.

But some parents are concerned, saying the dog is disruptive and isn’t a good way to build trust with police.

“I think for educators it’s extremely disruptive to their classes,” parent Stephanie Barnes said. “The days there’s an officer and a dog on campus, kids are too busy looking at the door and wondering if their class will be one of the random classes."

Students, however, say they think it’s a good idea and definitely needed.

The narcotics-sniffing German Shepherd named Blitz will be used on a regular basis at secondary schools district wide, according to a letter sent home to parents.

In the past, the San Diego Unified School District has contracted the use of drug sniffing dogs, but a board approved a grant, which helped the district acquire Blitz this year.

School police have conducted eight sniffs this year, including two at San Diego High School. Nothing was found, according to district officials.

“When we as parents aren’t with them,” parent Cathy Elwood said. “We expect school to protect them as much as we would. To eliminate anything negative with violence and drugs it sets a parent at ease."

SDHS parents will meet Monday with the school’s principal and a school board member to discuss their concerns.

No Sign Ebola Has Spread in US: CDC

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Nine people known to have been in close contact with a Dallas Ebola patient don't have any symptoms, Tom Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Saturday during a news conference.

Thomas Eric Duncan, who arrived in Dallas from West Africa, and is the first person diagnosed with Ebola virus in the United States, is in critical condition, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital said Saturday afternoon. Duncan's nephew Josephus Weeks told NBC News Saturday that his uncle is on a ventilator. He's been in isolation in the ICU Since Sunday, Sept. 28.

The CDC has assessed 114 people who may or may not have had exposure to Duncan, according to Frieden. About 40 of those people may or may not have had contact with Duncan and they are being watched as a precaution. Nine individuals are considered high-risk, including family members of Duncan's household and healthcare workers who had definite contact with Duncan are also among those being closely monitored, Frieden said. None of them have a fever or other symptoms of Ebola.

The diagnosis of the first case in the U.S. has increased attention to travel history of patients being admitted to hospitals. The CDC said it expects to see more rumors and concerns and possibilities of Ebola. The CDC, Texas Department of State Health Services and Dallas County authorities said Satuday protecting the public is a priority.

Duncan tested positive for Ebola less than two weeks after he arrived in the U.S. from West Africa, health officials confirmed Tuesday. He initially sought care at a hospital Sept. 25, shortly after showing symptoms, but was released. He returned Sept. 28 and was flagged as a potential Ebola case. 

"There were things that did not go the way they should have in Dallas," acknowledged Fauci, director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "But there were a lot of things that went right and are going right."

Friday night, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital released a statement contradicting information it released Thursday night.

Originally the hospital said a flaw in its system prevented Duncan's physician from seeing his travel history as recorded by a nurse. Friday night, the hospital said there was no flaw in the system, although it's unclear what that means.

NBC 5 has asked the hospital to clarify and still awaits a response.


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Ramona House Fire Sends Black Smoke Billowing

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A black cloud of smoke was seen billowing over Ramona after a house fire there on Saturday morning.

The fire was reported at about 10:30 a.m. inside the home in the 1500 block of Ashley Road, east of State Route 67 and a couple blocks from Ramona High School. The black smoke could be seen from Lakeside.

Officials said the fire was contained to the single-family home and no one was injured.

One person was displaced by the fire, officials said.

Fire officials around Southern California are on heightened alert because of the current Santa Ana conditions.

Another Rape Reported at Cal State San Marcos

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Police are investigating at rape reported at a party at California State University San Marcos’ QUAD Residence Hall last month -- the second such one there in a month.

Campus police issued a crime alert Saturday advising students and staff to take precautions. A woman reported being attacked sometime between the night of Sept. 12 and the morning of Sept. 14.

The 18-year-old suspect, who is not a student at Cal State San Marcos, had been invited inside the residence hall at 200 Barham Drive for a party, police said.

The man, believed to be an Orange County resident, is described as African American, 5 feet 8 inches, 170 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes.

This is the second sexual assault reported at the school’s QUAD residence hall in September.

Another woman there said she was attacked sometime between Sept. 18 and Sept. 19 during a dorm party.

The suspect in the recently reported rape is not believed to be the same one as the Sept. 18 assault, officials said.

Anyone with information should call campus police at 760-750-4567 or the university’s SAFE hotline at 760-750-SAFE.



Photo Credit: Google Maps

5 Teens Dead in Crash

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A 16-year-old boy behind the wheel of a BMW that crashed in Orange County early Saturday, killing five teenage passengers, did not have a license to drive, the California Highway Patrol said.

The teenagers were on the southbound 5 Freeway in Irvine returning home from a night at Knott's Scary Farm, a Halloween-themed event in Buena Park, when the white sedan struck a guardrail, rolled off an embankment and became fully engulfed in flames, investigators said.

Three of the victims were identified by Billy McNicol, the Mission Viejo Soccer Club program director, as Alex Sotelo, Matthew Melo and Brandon Moreno, all between 14 and 15 years old.

The driver, identified as Bradley Morales, was taken to Children’s Hospital of Orange County. He was recovering after undergoing surgery for injuries to his head, hospital officials said. He’s in serious condition.

The single-car crash was reported just after 2 a.m. just south of Alton Parkway Drive, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Shane Sherwood said. The crash sparked a small brush fire that was extinguished in less than 30 minutes.

Four teens were found dead inside the car and the 16-year-old driver was found outside the car about 50 yards away, investigators said.

The body of another teen was discovered inside the vehicle several hours after the crash, bringing the death toll to five.

The bodies were so badly burned that the Orange County coroner will have to positively identify them through dental records.

What led up to the fatal crash was not immediately known.

OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said that the driver told responding firefighters that the group was coming home from Knott's Scary Farm when the crash occurred.

“On Tuesday night, I overheard Matt and Alex talking about Knott’s Scary Farm and how they were going to go Friday night,” said a teammate of the victims, Nick Scapone.

Lanes were closed on the 5 Freeway as authorities investigated the crash.



Photo Credit: Southern Counties

Start of October: Hot, Dry, Not Windy

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The hot, dry weather lingering across San Diego County isn’t going anywhere – at least until Sunday evening.

A heat advisory is in effect through 8 p.m. Sunday, with temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above normal.

Humidity is also low, which typically makes for dangerous wildfire conditions. However, officials said the fire danger on Saturday was low because of lack of wind.

October usually brings a high risk for wildfires, as the Santa Ana winds create hot, dry and windy conditions that fuel fires.

Still, temperatures across the county on Saturday afternoon were downright hot. The thermometer in downtown San Diego reached 88 degrees at 2 p.m.

Triple digit temperatures were expected in inland communities, including Escondido and El Cajon.

So when will we get some relief?

NBC 7’s Greg Bledsoe said temperatures will still be sweltering on Sunday. A predicted high of 92 is expected at Qualcomm Stadium when the Chargers play the Jets.

Expect a gradual cool down next week.


Stolen Art Worth A Lot: Cops

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Police believe some stolen artwork found in the home of two people accused in last weekend's high-end watch heist at a Rush Street jewelry store could be worth millions.

"Some items are autographed and there are watermarks stamped onto pieces, which authenticates them," said Chicago Police Sgt. Lawrence Coleman. "We've talked to FBI, special agents have been over here that does the analysis of artwork."

At least two items, believed to be original artwork by Amedeo Modigliani, could be valued at up to $1 million each, detectives said.

The paintings are part of a treasure trove of loot found in a home in the 3400 block of North Rutherford after the home owners were among four people charged in an alleged Eastern European burglary ring busted by police this weekend. 

Officials did not find the stolen watches in the North Rutherford home, but they did stumble across many more items they believe were stolen. Now, they are trying to find those goods' owners.

Among those goods were 29 framed paintings, 18 candle holders, five complete sets of antique china, nearly 60 men's designer suits, a large box of bootleg DVDs, musical instruments, flatscreen televisions and several framed prints of Pope John Paul II.

Artist Susan Wolkoff stopped by the 18th District Police Station Saturday where she says she discovered seven pieces of her original artwork that went missing from a suburban restaurant months ago.

I was thinking why would they want to take my art, but they did," she said. "This is a happy story for us. I'm happy to have them back."

Police say they are working with FBI officials and the Art Institute of Chicago to identify authentic artwork.

Four people were arrested and charged this week after police say they stole more than $400,000 worth of merchandise from a display cabinet at B. Young & Company before fleeing in a minivan. Exclusive video obtained by NBC 5 shows a man prying open the case and another man grabbing seven watches.

Police say the items they found in the suspects' home were stolen from both businesses and residential homes. Some retailers, including Armani and Neiman Marcus on the Magnificent Mile, have already identified items stolen from their stores.

Chicago police are encouraging victims of burglaries in the Near North Side 18th district to visit the station at 1160 N. Larrabee this week to claim any stolen items. You must bring proof of purchase.

The items will be on display Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Anna Straus, 35, of the 3400 block of North Rutherford; Glowacka Xagniezska, 36, of the 3400 block of North Rutherford; Damian Duitlow, 41, of the 4200 block of West Wrightwood; and Ian Kowolski, 50, of an unknown home address, were identified as suspects in Saturday's burglary at B. Young & Company. The group was charged with one felony count each of burglary and theft of items valued between $100,000 and $500,000.

The suspects' defense attorney says his clients, some of whom have been deported multiple times, identify themselves as Roma, an ethnic group whose members are concentrated in eastern Europe.

The group was nabbed with help from a special Illinois State Police unit investigating Roma-associated crimes called the Ruse Burglary Task Force. Police say the group is part of an Eastern European burglary ring.

"It appears that this crew was active here in Chicago and across the Midwest, and may have also been involved in other major thefts and burglaries across the country," police Cmdr. Eugene Roy said.

SD Airport Transforms Coffee Into Compost

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Coffee is a necessity when traveling and the San Diego International Airport is putting tons of discarded coffee grounds to environmental use.

San Diego’s airport is the first airport in the nation that has a formal sustainability policy. Tons of food is recycled each month, including a quarter of which is from coffee grounds.

That boils down to six tons of coffee grounds a month recycled into compost.

All 12 coffee shops at the airport participate. The airport’s major food concessionaire, HMSHost, first pitched the sustainability idea to the airport after noticing how much food was wasted each month.

“We had all these waste buckets and we saw all this coffee ground going to the buckets and realized 'hey' this is something we can do to help the environment and started the program,” said Joe Niknam, a representative of HMSHost.

The program also saves the airport $4,000 per year on waste hauling and disposal services.

If you want to pick up some of the airport’s compost, head to Miramar Greenery where you can get some for free.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Arrests Made in Shooting Death of Temecula Rapper

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A man and woman were arrested on Saturday in connection with the shooting death of an aspiring rapper, according to a news release from Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Less than a month after 24-year-old Justin Triplett was gunned down in his Temecula apartment, Eligha Everett was arrested and booked on homicide charges.

Additionally, Leah Nolan was arrested and booked on suspicion of aiding and harboring a criminal. Both suspects are 22 years old and residents of Temecula.

Friends told NBC4 that Triplett, who was trying to make it in the rapping world, went by the stage name Yung Trip the Pretty.

Search warrants were issued for Everett and Nolan on Friday. After collecting additional information, the Central Homicide Unit – with the help of the U.S. Marshal’s Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force – was able to locate the suspects and make the arrests.

Despite recent arrests, the investigation is ongoing. Those with any information are asked to contact Detective Gorlicki of the Temecula Police Department at (951) 696-300, or Investigator Dickey of the Sheriff’s central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-27777.
 



Photo Credit: Facebook

Texas Rep. in Hospital After Crash

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Texas Rep. Ralph Hall (R) is in the hospital after a wreck Saturday afternoon.

Hall was being driven by friend Howard Zielke, 73, south on Texas 121 when 23-year-old Zachary Bohannon turned left in front of Hall's vehicle, Texas Department of Public Safety officials said. Hall and Zielke had just attended the Fannin County Parade.

Paramedics said Hall was conscious and joking with them as they airlifted him to Medical Center of Plano.

Hospital spokeswoman Joy Dover told NBC 5 that Hall is in stable condition. The press release stated that Hall sustained a hip injury as well as minor cuts and bruises.

Zielke was taken to a McKinney hospital for undisclosed injuries, DPS officials said. There is no word yet on Bohannon's condition.

At 91-years-old, Rep. Hall is the oldest-ever member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

When he was a boy working in a pharmacy near Dallas, Hall had a brush with Bonnie and Clyde when they stopped to buy cigarettes.The notorious bank robbers later died in a a shootout with authorities.

Last May, Republican primary challenger John Ratcliffe defeated Rep. Ralph Hall in the first runoff he'd ever faced.

Stay with NBC 5 and NBCDFW.com for updates on this developing story.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News

Service Dog Needs Thousands of Dollars for Surgery

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A San Diego service dog with a life-threatening illness is seeking assistance from the community.

William Farnsworth-Flannery, a pure bred Yorkshire Terrier with a potentially fatal tumor, needs a surgery that will cost thousands of dollars.

Estimates have ranged between $3,000 to $10,000. Currently, the dog owner’s GoFundMe page lists $3,000.

In 2008, he was dognapped and held for an $8,000 ransom and, through the ordeal, became gravely hurt, according to the page.

“Will has an undefined mass above his heart that is closing in on his windpipe thus causing very labored breathing,” the page said. “William is now in critical condition and waiting for the life-saving surgery that will allow him to thrive.”

So far, supports have raised $300.



Photo Credit: GoFundMe.com

Snow Hits Chicago Early

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Looks like Mother Nature isn’t going to let Chicago forget that winter is coming.

The city saw light snow Saturday morning, marking one of the earliest snow sightings on record.

The earliest snow spotting in Chicago is Sept. 25, which occurred in 1928 and again in 1944, according to the National Weather Service.

Saturday’s snowflakes mark the third earliest snow sighting since the city began recording.

The Rockford area also spotted snow Saturday morning, marking their second earliest sighting. The record was set in 1951 when the area saw snow on Oct. 3.

But the snow wasn't the only weather element the Chicago area made the record books with this weekend.

The city set a temperature record with O'Hare Airport recording a high of 47 degrees, marking the lowest maximum high temperature in 79 years, the NWS reported. The previous record, set on October 4, 1935, was 48 degrees.

The average high temperature in Chicago for the month of October is 62 degrees. The average low temperature is about 43 degrees.

Blame Saturday's cold snap on winds from the west-north-west brought in by a system that dropped significant rain on the Chicago area early Friday morning.

We're in the range of calendar days when we could see our first fall freeze.

Winds Saturday morning kept frost away from the area despite the snow, but with temps dipping into the 30s overnight and very little wind forecast, the area could see pieces of patchy frost. Temperatures could dip below 32 degrees in some areas.

A Frost Advisory was issued Saturday night for several Illinois counties and parts of Northwest Indiana.

The earliest a fall freeze ever happened in Chicago was on Sept. 22, 1995. The latest that's ever happened was the 30 degrees reached on Nov. 24, 1931, according to records provided by the National Weather Service.

Sunday looks to recover slightly with partly sunny skies and a high of 56 degrees.

The city will return to near-normal temperatures at the start of the work week with highs forecast in the low- to mid-60s for much of the week.

Traveler Shows No Ebola Signs: Hosp

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A sick passenger and a companion evaluated after their flight from Brussels arrived in Newark Saturday do not show signs of Ebola and will not be tested for the deadly virus, officials said.

University Hospital in Newark, where the two people were taken after federal health officials met their flight, released a statement saying the individual who had vomited on the flight had symptoms consistent with a different, minor condition. The other passenger was asymptomatic, the hospital said.

The two will be released with continued monitoring. The CDC referred questions to the hospital.

The more than 200 passengers aboard were allowed to leave the aircraft after initially being asked to stay in place while medical personnel boarded to assist the sick traveler, United Airlines said.

The plane, United Airlines Flight 998, was carrying 255 passengers and 14 crew members, the airline said.

The scare comes amid concerns that the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa could be spread by international travelers.

The first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States went to a Dallas hospital last week but was mistakenly sent home, despite revealing that he was visiting from Liberia. U.S. health care officials have said the American health system is equipped to prevent an outbreak in the U.S.
 



Photo Credit: AP

Former Ebola Patient Hospitalized

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Dr. Rick Sacra, the Massachusetts doctor who was treated for and recovered from Ebola, is in a Worcester hospital because of respiratory health concerns, officials announced Saturday.

The University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center confirmed to NECN Saturday night that Sacra was the patient they were examining for a potential case of Ebola, saying he was being treated for "what appears to be an upper respiratory infection."

The hospital says that it is working with the Centers for Disease Control and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

"Dr. Sacra is in stable condition and being monitored carefully," said Dr. Robert Finberg in a statement from UMass Memorial Medical Center. "We're waiting for final test results from the CDC which we expect to receive late Monday."

UMass Memorial said that Sacra would be isolated until the nature of his illness is confirmed.

According to SIM USA, the mission with which Sacra traveled to Liberia before contracting the illness, officials are concerned he may be developing pneumonia.

SIM quotes Dr. Phil Smith of Nebraska Medical Center, where Sacra was treated for Ebola, as saying it is extremely unlikely that Sacra would have a relapse of Ebola.

"Because of his recent battle with the Ebola virus, his immune system is compromised," said Smith according to SIM. "The symptoms he has are indicative of a respiratory illness and are not those of someone suffering from Ebola."

NECN will have more as this story develops.



Photo Credit: NECN

Phelps Heads to Program After DUI

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Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps said he is going to take some time away from swimming to attend a program after his second DUI charge.

Phelps was arrested and charged this week with driving under the influence of alcohol, excessive speed and crossing double-lane lines in the Fort McHenry Tunnel on Interstate 95 in Baltimore. It was Phelps' second DUI charge after his first in 2004.

On Twitter Sunday morning, Phelps said the past few days had been difficult, and he was very disappointed with his actions.

“I’m going to take some time away to attend a program that will provide the help I need to better understand myself,” he wrote. “Swimming is a major part of my life, but right now I need to focus my attention on me as an individual, and do the necessary work to learn from this experience and make better decisions in the future.”

In a released statement, a Phelps’ spokesperson said the swimmer would be entering a 6-week, in-patient program.

"While this has been an extremely difficult time for him, he is encouraged that this comprehensive program will help him focus on all of his life experiences and identify areas of need for long-term personal growth and development. Michael takes this matter seriously and intends to share his learning experiences with others in the future."

Phelps is the most decorated Olympian, winning 22 medals – 18 of them gold. He briefly retired from swimming, but got back into competition at the Pan Pacific Games in August.

"We fully support Michael's decision to place his health and well-being as the number one priority," said Chuck Wielgus, USA Swimming Executive Director in a statement. "His self-recognition and commitment to get help exhibit how serious he is to learn from this experience."

Phelps had previously targeted an Olympic return in Rio in 2016.
 

WATCH: CDC Updates Dallas Ebola Case

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Days after Ebola arrived in the United States, the nation's top infectious diseases expert said it's perfectly normal for Americans to feel anxious about a disease that kills so fast and is ravaging parts of West Africa.

"It's the unknown. It's the cataclysmic nature of it," said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, that "almost intuitively makes people frightened."

Still, he said it's "extraordinarily unlikely" that the United States will have an outbreak. Scientists know how to stop the virus from spreading, Fauci said Friday.

That's not to say the first Ebola case diagnosed within the United States -- a traveler from Liberia who began feeling the effects after arriving in Dallas -- will be the only one.

The government took measures this past week to ensure hospitals are ready.

Despite some initial missteps in Dallas, tried-and-true methods are underway: tracking everyone who came into contact with the infected man and isolating anyone who shows symptoms.

What to know about Ebola in America:

There's Going to Be a Lot of Talk

Expect to hear news reports in the coming days about people who are being cared for as potential Ebola cases. That doesn't mean they have the disease.

Doctors and hospitals are isolating individuals they believe could be at risk. That's based on a combination of their symptoms and recent travel from a country where Ebola is present.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has consulted with hospitals about 100 or so potentially suspicious cases in recent months. More than a dozen were worrisome enough to merit Ebola blood tests. Only the Dallas patient had Ebola.

How It Spreads

Ebola doesn't spread easily like the flu, a cold or measles.

The virus isn't airborne. Instead, it's in a sick person's bodily fluids, such as blood, vomit, urine, semen or saliva. Another person can catch the disease by getting those germs into his own body, perhaps by wiping his eyes or through a cut in the skin.

Bodily fluids aren't contagious until the infected person begins to feel sick. The initial symptoms are easily confused with other illnesses, however: fever, headaches, flu-like body aches and abdominal pain. Vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes bleeding follow as the disease progresses, increasing the risk to others.

In West Africa, the disease has spread quickly to family members who tended the sick or handled their bodies after death, and infected doctors and nurses working under punishing conditions, without proper equipment. Bed sheets or clothing contaminated by bodily fluids also spread the disease.

Can You Catch It on a Bus or Plane?

It's very unlikely.

To be on the safe side, the CDC defines "contact" with the disease as spending a prolonged period of time within 3 feet of someone ill with Ebola, a distance designed to protect health workers from projectile vomiting.

But health officials haven't seen real world cases of the virus spread by casual contact in public, such as sitting next to someone on a bus, said Tom Frieden, the CDC director.

"All of our experience with Ebola in Africa the last four decades indicates direct contact is how it spreads," he said, "and only direct contact with someone who is ill with Ebola."

Passengers who flew on the same plane as the Dallas patient, five days before he developed symptoms, are not considered at risk by the CDC. Nor are the schoolmates of children who came in contact with the infected Dallas man, but showed no symptoms of illness while in class.

As a precaution in case they become sick and therefore contagious, the children who were in contact with the infected man were pulled from school and are being monitored for symptoms.

Initially, about 100 people were assessed for potential exposure. Health officials said Friday that 50 were still being monitored, with 10 considered at the most risk during the disease's 21-day incubation period. Four family members who shared their apartment with the patient are under quarantine.

Outside those circles, the odds of getting infected within the U.S. remain minuscule, health authorities say.

What Health Officials Are Doing

The CDC is overseeing multiple layers of response:

  • The Ebola-hit African nations are checking people at airports for fever, and asking them about any contact with an infected person, before allowing them to board planes out of the country.
  • Airlines are required by law to watch for sick travelers and alert authorities before landing.
  • The CDC is warning doctors and hospitals to remember the possibility of Ebola and rapidly isolate and test sick patients with a risk of exposure to the virus, primarily those who have traveled recently from the hot spots.

"The only way to get to zero risk is to stop the outbreak in West Africa," Frieden said.

The U.S. and other countries have stepped up aid to West African nations struggling with the disease. But the outbreak is out of control.

Can Local Hospitals Handle This?

Before the Dallas case, four Americans diagnosed with Ebola in Africa returned to the U.S. enclosed in portable biohazard units, attended by health care workers protected by what looked like puffy space suits. They were treated in special isolation units; three recovered and one remains hospitalized.

The U.S. has only four of those isolation units; when people feel sick, they go to their nearest health care.

The CDC says any American hospital should be able to care for an Ebola patient.

Emergency room staff, potentially the first line, are used to safeguarding themselves from germs. They routinely treat patients with HIV, hepatitis and other infectious diseases.

The CDC says it's fine to put a suspected Ebola case into a regular private room with its own bathroom, and doctors and nurses need only wear certain gowns, masks and eye protection to be safe, not the elaborate biohazard suits.

Yet the system isn't perfect, as the Dallas case shows.

When the patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, first arrived at a Dallas hospital, he told a nurse that he had recently traveled from West Africa, yet the possibility of Ebola was overlooked and he was discharged into the community. He returned in worse shape, by ambulance, two days later and was diagnosed with the virus. He is in critical condition.

This Ebola Outbreak Is Different, Isn't It?

Yes. It's the worse Ebola outbreak in history, and still out of control in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Previous outbreaks in other parts of Africa have been halted more quickly.

Lack of experience with the disease in West Africa contributed to its spread this time. Other factors: a shortage of medical personnel and supplies, widespread poverty, and political instability in affected countries.

Also, the disease is crossing national borders and spreading in urban areas. Past outbreaks tended to be in relatively isolated spots.

It's hard for Americans to grasp how much more easily diseases can spread in some of the poorest places on earth versus in the U.S., said Ebola expert Thomas Geisbert of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

In countries where inadequate health systems have been overwhelmed by the virus, people are dying in their homes, outside clinics that are too overfilled to take them, and sometimes in the streets. Health workers have been attacked by panicked residents.

Yet the measures that have stopped past outbreaks still work, with sufficient knowledge and resources.

Senegal appears to have stopped the disease at one case this year. Nigeria had eight deaths but brought its outbreak under control by tracking 894 people who had been in contact with a man who brought the virus from Liberia, and visiting 18,500 more people to check for symptoms, the CDC said.

U.S. officials are confident they can stay on top of any more cases that arrive.

This is the first case of Ebola recorded in the United States. But some of its relatives have been here -- a case of Marburg virus, considered just as deadly, and four cases of Lassa fever in the past decade.

"There is some history of people coming back with these exotic, highly lethal diseases where it's been relatively well controlled," Geisbert said. "Hopefully that continues."

More: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News

SUV Plows Into Donut Shop, 1 Dead

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An unidentified man was killed inside a San Fernando Valley doughnut shop when an SUV smashed through the store's walls Saturday night.

The crash was reported about 9:30 p.m. at Jolly Donuts in the 8300 block of De Soto Avenue in Canoga Park, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

When firefighters arrived, they found a homeless man had been killed inside the store.

A Jeep Liberty compact SUV was severely damaged.

The driver and three others were taken to a hospital where they were listed in critical condition. By Sunday morning, the driver and one other patient were released from the hospital.

The driver is not suspected of DUI as of Sunday morning, LAPD Sgt. Marti Whittemore said.

It’s unclear what caused the Jeep to crash into the store.

1 Year Since Autistic Teen Vanished

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The mother of a nonverbal autistic teenager who died after he wandered from his school a year ago Saturday wept as she thanked the volunteers who helped search for him and called for reform within a broken education system that she said allowed her son to slip away.

"It's hard for me," Vanessa Fontaine said, her voice cracking. "We all miss him so much. There's not a day that goes by that I don't wish he was here. And because of the neglect by these employees from the school, I don't have my son."

Fourteen-year-old Avonte Oquendo vanished from his school Oct. 4, 2013, through an open door that should have been locked. A school safety officer who saw the boy told him to return to his classroom, but he didn't follow Avonte there.

The disappearance touched off a citywide search that included hundreds of volunteers, police officers and marine units. Missing-person posters were plastered on lampposts and placed on car windshields. Announcements were made for weeks on city subways, imploring people to contact the police if they had information. Avonte was fascinated with trains.

His remains were discovered along the East River in mid-January. His cause of death couldn't be determined, the medical examiner's office said.

An investigative report released in March found a series of errors led to his disappearance, including the failure by a teacher to pass on a warning that Avonte might wander. But the report by the special commissioner of investigation for city schools didn't recommend any disciplinary action and instead referred the findings to city and state education officials and to the Queens district attorney's office, which said it was reviewing the matter.

Fontaine said it was unacceptable that no one had faced discipline and called for those involved to lose their jobs.

"I just want everybody to know that he may be a special-needs kid, but he's my baby," she said through tears. "And I entrusted him to the school system, and I sent him to school, and he never came home."

Fontaine, along with family, friends and volunteers, released blue balloons and read poetry on a rainy afternoon at the cliffside park, where Avonte was headed when he was last seen.

Bonnie Kiladitis and her family participated to show their support. Her 10-year-old son, Bradyn, has autism and attends the same school.

"If you have a child, it's your worst fear," she said. "Everyone must be as safe as possible. This can never, never happen again."

Waundell Saavedra, an opera singer from the Bronx, said he saw reports about Avonte on the news last year and felt compelled to help search for him.

"It was really something in my heart. I could not watch those stories and not do something," he said. "I'm just so saddened by the outcome."

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