A surfer collapsed on the sand and died at a La Jolla beach Wednesday, lifeguards confirmed.

The man, described as in his 60s, went out surfing with a friend near Calumet Park at approximately 7 a.m.

Initially lifeguards said the victim's friend looked over and noticed the surfer face down in the water.

However, lifeguards later corrected that information saying the surfer's board was standing up on the beach and the man was found collapsed on the sand.

When his friends went to check on him and he was unconscious, officials said.

CPR was initiated but the surfer was pronounced dead at the scene.

Check back for updates on this developing story. 

Crews are investigating damage at an apartment complex on 233 N. Mollison Ave. in El Cajon after a vehicle apparently drove into the building.

It doesn’t appear the car went completely into the structure, but there is major damage to the building.

There are no reports of injuries and crews are investigating the scene.

A small brush fire was quickly extinguished in San Diego’s Kensington neighborhood Wednesday morning.

Firefighters were called to a vegetated area off Interstate 15 near Adams Avenue around 9:45 a.m.

Crews had the fire out within 15 minutes, according to fire officials.

No injuries were reported. Aerial pictures showed homes at the top of the canyon, but no evacuations were issued and the fire department never indicated those homes were in danger.

There is no word what sparked the brush fire.

Police have issued a Sig Alert for both directions on University Avenue at 54th Street in Oak Park after an accident around 10:30 a.m.

Two vehicles were involved and one person has a serious injury to their arm.

Traffic is being diverted out of the area.

Check back for more updates to this breaking story.

An anemic Padres offense has cost hitting coach Phil Plantier his job.

The team is expected to announce his firing later today after Plantier guided an offense that finished last in runs per game (3.3), batting average (.226), hits (1,199) and a slew of other offensive categories.

The rest of Padres manager Bud Black’s staff is expected to return, including assistant hitting coach Alonzo Powell. There’s no word who will take over as hitting coach.

Plantier just finished his third season with the team. He was under contract through next year, according to MLB.com, which broke the story.

The Padres were shut out 19 times this season. Their .171 batting average in June was the lowest single month by a team in decades.
 

A survey sent to thousands of Los Angeles residents asks several questions designed to gauge interest in an NFL team and what kind of features recipients would like to see in a stadium if a team moves to the region.

An email titled "We Need Your Feedback: NFL Franchise in LA" includes a survey that is part of a market feasibility study as the league considers "the potential of an NFL team in the Los Angeles area."

The survey was conducted by a consulting firm on behalf of the NFL, according to the Los Angeles Times. Questions include how likely recipients are to buy luxury seats, clubs seats and season tickets, and what types of amenities potential customers would like to see in a stadium.

The survey was sent by the NFL to 2,000 potential customers, according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited an individual familiar with the survey but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The market research might indicate heightened interest in a Los Angeles franchise, but the league has not announced plans to relocate a team or a timeline for such a move. Los Angeles has been without an NFL team since the Raiders and Rams left two decades ago.

Their departure has been followed by a 20 years of speculation that gained momentum with development plans around potential stadium sites. The survey sent Tuesday marks the first time the league has conducted a comprehensive survey of the market since the 1990s, the LA Times reported.

The more than 40-question survey includes the following questions:

• Are you a fan of the National Football League?
• Do you attend NFL games on an annual basis?
• If a current NFL team relocated to the Los Angeles area, would the identity of the team change your attitude towards an NFL team in the Los Angeles area?
• Would you be interested in attending other events at a new NFL stadium in the Los Angeles area?
• How would you describe your (or your company's) interest in purchasing a loge box at a new NFL stadium in the Los Angeles area?

The survey also asks recipients to pick a favorite NFL team and express their interest other types of tickets and pricing plans.

At NFL meetings earlier this month, the New York Giants co-owner said officials discussed "a little bit" potential stadium sites in the Los Angeles area. Teams on short-term stadium leases include the St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.

Last week, the Los Angeles City Council extended for six months with AEG a deal proposed to bring an NFL team to a stadium that would be built in downtown Los Angeles. The sports-entertainment presenter agreed in 2012 to build the stadium and expand the nearby Convention Center, but that deal was scheduled to expire this month. As part of the extension agreement, AEG will pay for a study to expand the Convention Center with or without the stadium's construction.

Mayor Eric Garcetti said last week he "wouldn't bet the city on it," but expressed confidence that an NFL team will eventually move to Los Angeles.

Correction: An earlier verson of this article stated the LA City Council extended talks with AEG for six weeks, but the extension was for six months.

A Carlsbad homeowner interrupted an apparent burglary early today on the 3700 block of Westhaven Drive, chasing away an intruder in the home’s garage.

According to police, the intruder fled after a brief struggle, then was apprehended by a witness on the 2000 block of Chestnut Avenue.

Police arrested the suspect, who was carrying more than seven grams of methamphetamine.

He was booked into Vista Detention Facility for residential burglary and possession of a controlled substance.

A second round of murder charges were filed Wednesday against a registered sex offender suspected in the deaths of at least seven women whose bodies were found over the last weekend.

Darren Deon Vann, 43, was charged in the death of Anith Jones, a 35-year-old Merrillville resident whose body was found late Saturday night. Her family had reported her missing on Oct. 8.

Vann was charged Monday in connection with the strangulation death of 19-year-old Afrikka Hardy.

Earlier Wednesday, Vann was ordered held in contempt of court when he refused to utter a word to the judge during his initial court appearance in the Hardy case.

"He will stay in jail for the rest of his life until this hearing takes place," Magistrate Judge Kathleen Sullivanwas said before putting the case on hold until Oct. 29 and agreeing to a defense motion for a gag order.

"See you in a week," she said.

Vann was then taken back to his jail cell, which is away from the general population and where he is under 24-hour watch from personnel.

Authorities said Vann, of Gary, opened up about previous crimes once he was arrested in connection with the Hardy case and helped police find six other bodies. By Wednesday morning, just three of those six had been positively identified: Jones, 28-year-old Teairra Batey, and 36-year-old Kristine Williams.

Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey on Tuesday asked for the public's help in identifying two of the women who were recovered over the weekend. Anyone with information is asked to call the Lake County Coroner’s Office at 219-755-3265.

Dallas nurse Amber Vinson no longer has signs of Ebola in her blood, her family said Wednesday, one week after she was hospitalized at an Atlanta hospital with the potentially deadly virus.

Vinson will be transferred into a different unit at Emory University Hospital and is still being treated in the serious communicable diseases unit, the family said.

"Amber and our family are ecstatic to receive this latest report on her condition," her mother Debra Barry said, saying the news had "truly answered prayers and bring our family one step closer to reuniting with her at home."

Vinson, 29, was the second Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital nurse to fall ill with the virus after treating Thomas Eric Duncan, the first patient diagnosed with the disease in the United States. Duncan died Oct. 8.

Her coworker Nina Pham, who also contracted the virus after treating Duncan, remains hospitalized in good condition at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.

It is still unclear how exactly both nurses contracted the virus.

Vinson had worn protective gear including face shields, hazardous materials suits and protective footwear as she inserted catheters, drew blood and dealt with Duncan's body fluids. She worked on the three days in late September when Duncan was producing "extensive" diarrhea and vomit.

Vinson was hospitalized on Tuesday, Oct. 14, one day after she returned to Dallas from a trip to Ohio to plan her wedding and visit family. She was diagnosed with Ebola one day after she was hospitalized.

Vinson's family has defended her decision to fly home to Dallas the day before she fell ill with Ebola, saying that she made the decision in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and with guidance from her own hospital.

She had been cleared by the CDC to fly just before she boarded the flight, the CDC said last week, hours after the CDC chief told reporters she should not have flown.

A Maryland man in custody after jumping the White House fence Wednesday was wanted on a bench warrant for similar incidents in the summer, News4’s Mark Segraves reports.

Officials said about 7:15 p.m., 23-year-old Dominic Adesanya climbed the fence on the North Lawn and got about 20 yards past it when he was taken down by Secret Service officers and K-9 dogs.

The officers are heard yelling, "Stop moving!" in a grainy surveillance video. Adesanya is then heard screaming, "I'm not!"

Adesanya, of Bel Air, Maryland, was hospitalized after suffering dog bites to his arms, back, chest and knee, a Secret Service official told NBC News. He was released from the hospital and placed in custody.

A D.C. Superior Court judge ordered Adesanya held Thursday at an appearance on a bench warrant related to two incidents in July.

About 10 p.m. July 27, Adesanya allegedly jumped a security barrier at the White House and was arrested by D.C. police and charged with one count of unlawful entry. He said he was being targeted by the government, Segraves reported. On July 29, a judge ordered he undergo outpatient forensic screening and released him.

About 10:30 a.m. the next morning, a police officer observed Adesanya allegedly yelling profanities and “I want my check” to a guard at the Treasury Department, Segraves reported. In fight with two security guards and a Secret Service agent, Adesanya suffered a broken tooth. He was charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer, one count of failure to obey police and one count of unlawful entry.

A judge set a Sept. 9 court date for Adesanya, but he failed to appear and a bench warrant was issued.

Adesanya is in federal court Thursday afternoon on Wednesday night's charge.

Secret Service officials say two Secret Service K-9s, named Hurricane and Jordan, were taken to a veterinarian for minor bruising sustained after being kicked during Wednesday’s incident. Both K-9s have been cleared to return to duty.

The White House was locked down until just before 9 p.m. Officials say Adesanya was not armed. He has been charged with two counts of felony assault on a police officer (K-9), one felonious count of making threats and four counts of resisting/unlawful entry, which is a misdemeanor.

President Obama was at the White House at the time, law enforcement sources told News4.

Just last month, 42-year-old Omar Gonzalez also jumped the fence, entered the White House and got to the East Room before he was arrested. The security breach prompted scrutiny of the Secret Service, which led to the resignation of director Julia Pierson Oct 1. 

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said the Secret Service K-9s made all the difference Wednesday.

"As the adage goes, 'Who let the dogs out?'" Holmes Norton said. "This time, the Secret Service let the dogs out. Had the dogs been out, Gonzalez would never have gotten into the White House."

@NBCNews @nbcwashington #whitehousejumper #WhiteHouseLockDown pic.twitter.com/JzLwLkJa34

— NBC PHOTOG (@bforte22) October 23, 2014

This is a developing story. Stay with us for more.

A classroom was evacuated after a report of smoke today at Miramar Ranch Elementary School.

Firefighters found smoke coming out of an air conditioning unit in the classroom. There was no fire and the entire school was not evacuated.

The school is located just south of Lake Miramar, near Scripps Ranch.

Fire officials are investigating.

A U.S. Navy submarine named after a seaside San Diego neighborhood is retiring after 34 years of service.

USS La Jolla left Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam last week. The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine will travel from Hawaii to the East Coast for decommissioning. She will then be used for training at Naval Support Activity Charleston in South Carolina.

The La Jolla was commissioned in 1981 and was the first submarine to fire a Tomahawk cruise missile while submerged, according to the Navy. She was also the first Los Angeles-class submarine homeported in San Diego.

The La Jolla’s bell will soon be on display at the Maritime Museum of San Diego as a homage to her namesake. 

A motorcyclist has died after colliding with a vehicle in Vista Monday evening, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP officer Jim Bettencourt said the accident started at 6:15 p.m. when a 34-year-old man in a 2003 Ford Taurus pulled up to a stop sign at Huchinson Street, waiting to make a left turn onto E. Vista Way.

As he pulled out, he did not see a motorcyclist heading south and drove into his path, Bettencourt said. The motorcycle struck the driver's side of his car and threw the rider to the street.

The 49-year-old male motorcyclist from Vista died at the scene.

The Taurus driver had to be cut out of the car by firefighters, and he was taken to Palomar Hospital for major injuries to his legs.

"This is just a reminder that when you're out here on the road and you're at an intersection or you're pulling out of somewhere into traffic, to make sure that you look twice, look more than once," said Bettencourt.

The cause of the crash has not been determined, but Bettencourt says he believes the driver just did not see the motorcyclist as he pulled out.

Artist Edward Hopper's famous "Nighthawks" painting has had admirers speculating for years whether the diner depicted was inspired by a real-life eatery, and one Greenwich Village restaurant owner is convinced he knows the answer.

Fiko Uslu, owner of the newly opened Classic's Cafe at Greenwich and Christopher streets, says he's so sure the space was the setting for the classic 1942 painting that he wants to rename the restaurant Nighthawks.

"We did a lot of research, a lot of legal paperwork," he said. "I don't want to get anything wrong."

The painting shows an all-night diner in which three customers are seated, lost in their own thoughts, under an "eerie glow," according to a description on the Art Institute of Chicago website.

Classic's Cafe manager, Alex Vigro, said they never thought about a connection until a mystery man named Mark stopped by last week and pointed out some similarities.

"These windows right there, the view in front of us, they still remain the same," he said. "The corner, I think everything, the design, everything is really similar."

It's not the only location that has been suggested as the inspiration for Hopper's painting, which hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. A building housing what is now a flower shop is one of at least three Greenwich Avenue locations frequently discussed, and it's not lost on local residents.

"Certainly the shape of this building with the windows, and the way it comes to a peak, potentially," said Cynthia Kueppers.

Blogger Jeremiah Moss has chronicled his journey to find the real-life Nighthawks diner, writing in a 2010 New York Times op-ed piece that city folklore has suggested that Mulry Square -- a triangular lot at Greenwich Avenue and Seventh Avenue South -- was the site of the diner. His research found that it couldn't be the case because a gas station stood there from the 1930s to the 1970s.

Hopper himself has said the painting was inspired by a "restaurant on Greenwich Avenue where two streets meet," according to the Art Institute of Chicago, but never got more specific than that.

Carter Foster, the curator of drawing for the Whitney Museum, which has 2,500 drawings donated by the artist's widow, making it one of the largest Hopper collections anywhere, said the painting was probably influenced by multiple locations on the avenue.

"There were three corners on Greenwich Avenue, not Greenwich Street, where Hopper walked by frequently that were roughly the same shape as the diner in 'Nighthawks,' and I think those were the inspiration in a very general way, as was the tip of the Flatiron building," said Foster.

The artist with the answers died in 1967, leaving behind his painting and the speculation that goes along with it.

Each year, an anonymous San Diego man with a heart of gold makes a unique donation to Kids' NewsDay.

This year was no exception.

On Tuesday, the generous donor appeared and handed NBC 7’s Whitney Southwick a 2009 Eagle $50 gold coin.

San Diego Coin and Bullion owner Chad Martin examined the 1 ounce gold coin and appraised it at $1,265. Martin then gave a donation for the same amount.

For the past 25 years on Kids' NewsDay, thousands of volunteers have sold special edition UT newspapers to raise money for Rady Children’s Hospital.

As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, the hospital had collected more than $107,000 and was still counting donations. The team at NBC 7, which is a partner of the event, raised $2,985 alone.

In 2013, the anonymous coin collector donated a rare 1925 Saint-Gaudens gold coin valued at $1,700.
 

A burglary at an Imperial Beach business led deputies to discover what they call an illegal marijuana dispensary Wednesday morning.

 A neighbor called 911 to report four masked people breaking into the back door of Ideal Choice Insurance on Palm Avenue.

The suspects ransacked the business and took off with unknown amounts of marijuana and possibly cash, according to a San Diego County Sheriff’s sergeant.

But when deputies began investigating the break-in, their attention quickly turned to the business’ owner, Marcus Boyd, when they served two search warrants to the building and found about 40 marijuana plants in a room above the insurance company.

Five protestors soon arrived outside insurance company to condemn the raid, arguing that it was a collective cultivation of medical marijuana, legal under state law.

Boyd showed investigators his state medical marijuana card to validate the grow, according to Heidi Whitman, a medical marijuana patient advocate with the Americans for Safe Access.

“This is an extreme waste of taxpayer's dollars,” said Whitman. “This is taxpayer's dollars right here in action. They're investigating a legal medical marijuana patient. This is state legal.”

However, the sheriff’s sergeant says Imperial Beach has issued a moratorium on enforcing the state’s law, and marijuana is still illegal under federal law. Therefore, they are required to look into the cultivation.

Now, sheriff’s officials are collecting evidence and investigating if Boyd should face possession for sales and cultivation of marijuana charges.

The newly-formed Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response held its first public hearing in the State Capitol.

At the 9 a.m. hearing, task force members focused on medical and public health preparedness for the initial identification and isolation of patients with Ebola or similar high-consequence infectious diseases, officials said.

Officials said that Thomas Eric Duncan could have walked into any hospital, so all hospitals must be prepared to handle an Ebola patient.

Task Force members heard invited testimony from witnesses representing professions and institutions involved in infectious disease identification and response. The main issues they discussed were internal communication, enhanced diagnostic screening and training for medical staff.

Speakers thanksed nurses Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, who tested positive for Ebola after treating Duncan. Texas Department of Health Services Dr. David Lakey, in particular, said it takes genuine bravery to care for someone with Ebola.

Texas Governor Rick Perry created the 15-member task force comprised of experts in infectious disease and public health, biodefense leaders and other state agency professionals Oct. 6. The group is charged with development of recommendations and a comprehensive state plan to ensure that Texas is prepared for the potential of emerging infectious diseases, such as the Ebola virus, and can provide the rapid response needed to effectively protect the safety and well-being of citizens.

Law enforcement officers have stopped and questioned a Pennsylvania man more than a dozen times, mistaking the Monroe County father for Eric Frein, who remains at large on charges he fatally shot a state trooper and wounded another outside a rural police barracks in September.

"A silver unmarked SUV pulls up," recalled 39-year-old James Tully. "The driver jumps out, pointing a rifle at my head, ordering me down to the ground, constantly demanding what my name is."

The latest encounter was one of nearly 20 Tully said he has had with police as they search for Frein, who was most recently spotted near a Poconos-area high school.

"I had a knee buried in my back," he said.

The stops, which often occur while Tully walks nearly five miles to work, started shortly after the search for Frein began.

The odd predicament led others in the Canandensis community to launch a campaign to help Tully buy a car so he can travel to work more safely.

The GoFundMe page already drew more than 150 donors and raised more than $3,500 since it was created Oct. 21.

The hunt for Frein continues as investigators recently expanded the search area for the suspect after several reported sightings placed him near Camelback Mountain Resort and a Pocono Mountain School District high school.

An El Cajon doctor is accused of having more than a thousand images of naked female patients on his work cellphone, according to court documents in a lawsuit filed by a former patient.

The plaintiff in the San Diego lawsuit claims she was seen by Dr. Jeffrey Abrams on January 4 at the Volunteers in Medicine Free Medical Clinic on East Madison Avenue.

The uninsured woman, who went to the free clinic with belly button pain, claims Abrams told her take off all her clothes then inserted his gloved finger into her vagina and asked "You have pain?"

Then, she claims he had her stand in front of him, pushed her hair away from her exposed breasts, pulled out a cellphone and took five pictures of her.

Attorney Jessica Pride says her client reported the incident to authorities because she didn’t want any other patient to go through the same experience. A subsequent search of his clinic uncovered more that 1,300 additional photos on his work cellphone, according to court documents.

“We were both surprised to hear that she was not the only one,” Pride said.

Many of the 1,300 explicit photos showed women’s vaginas, breasts and buttocks, documents alleged.

There was one explicit photo of a very young girl and video of a patient touching herself in the exam room with Abrams, the documents allege.

NBC 7 has attempted to reach Abrams for comment but has not received a response.

When NBC 7 called to see if the San Diego County District Attorney's Office was investigating potential criminal charges, a spokesperson for the DA declined to comment on pending investigations.

Maureen Hartin, CEO of Volunteers in Medicine, issued a statement Wednesday calling the allegations “very troubling.”

Hartin said one of the center's volunteer medical providers has been put on an immediate leave of absence while the California Medical Board investigates.

She added that the allegations “certainly are not a reflection” on the staff at the health care facility, the only free medical clinic in the East County.

The nonprofit center cared for 3,000 patients last year, providing them with medical visits, imaging and lab tests according to the organization’s statement.

Abrams is currently licensed to practice medicine in the state of California and is an Internal Medicine and Endocrinology specialist.

According to the Department of Consumer Affairs, Abrams has held a medical license since 1974 and has no disciplinary actions or malpractice judgments filed with the state.

Airline seats that fully recline and seasonal wine selections? It's a first class experience and it's taking off in the Bay Area.

"JetBlue is proud to launch MINT, which we believe will redefine the premium market in our transcontinental flights,” said Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue Executive Vice President of Customer Experience.

JetBlue showed off its new MINT service at a media event in San Francisco Wednesday.

Passengers will experience roomy seats, a 15-inch TV screen with headphones, Wi-Fi, plush pillows, a privacy door on some seats, and fully reclined seats.

"It's a fantastic lie flat product so it truly reclines all the way,” Geraghty said.

The service will be available on JetBlue flights between SFO and New York’s JFK airport starting in January. Passengers will be served food from New York's Saxon + Parole.

"With what we believe is unparalleled food onboard so not your typical airline food,” Geraghty said.

For the SFO to JFK flights, the food can be paired with California wine. The selection was handpicked by San Francisco Chronicle Wine Editor Jon Bonné.

"We'll have seasonal selections, and we have some fun stuff planned for spring and summer that I don't think anyone's ever seen on board before,” Bonné said.

On the new planes that offer MINT coach passengers will also have roomier seats, a 10-inch TV, and a cup holder.

Tickets for one of the 16 seats on a flight with the MINT service will start at $599.