Minor league baseball players accused of insider trading in Del Taco stocks

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Three current and former minor league baseball players, including two defendants with ties to the San Diego area, have been accused of insider trading in Del Taco, Inc. stocks, prosecutors said. Valhalla High School graduate Austin Bernard, drafted by the Colorado Rockies, and Valley Center High School graduate Jordan Qsar, drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays, allegedly received advanced notice of the acquisition of Del Taco by Jack in the Box, Inc. on Dec. 6, 2021, the Office of the United States Attorney Southern District of California said in a news release Tuesday. Grant Witherspoon, a Littleton, Colorado native who was also drafted by the Rays, also faces charges. “According to the indictment, Qsar learned from a close friend who worked at Jack in the Box that the company was acquiring Del Taco. The friend was a senior associate in Jack in the Box’s strategic finance department who personally worked on the acquisition project. The disclosure was a violation of duties to Jack in the Box and its shareholders,” prosecutors said. These San Diego stores are the ‘luckiest’ for winning

Numbers drawn for $1.12 billion Mega Millions jackpot

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The numbers were drawn Tuesday night for a $1.12 billion Mega Millions jackpot that has been growing ever larger after months without a winner of the top prize. The numbers drawn were: 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and 4. The Mega Millions jackpot is the 8th largest in U.S. lottery history, thanks to 30 consecutive drawings without a big winner. The last time someone won the jackpot was Dec. 8, 2023. The long drought of jackpots is no accident, as the game has long odds of 1 in 302.6 million in order to create large prizes that will generate lots of interest and sales. The $1.12 billion Mega Millions prize is for a sole winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity over 30 years. A winner who opts for a cash payout would get $537.5 million. Those winnings would be subject to federal taxes, and some states also tax lottery winnings. Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

What to know about Padres home opener

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — After splitting the first two games of the Major League Baseball season against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea, the Padres get set for their home opener this week. TEAMS Petco Park will be the site of the Padres and San Francisco Giants Thursday matchup at 1:10 p.m. On the Padres side, new manager Mike Shildt will be making his regular season debut at Petco Park. A familiar face will be managing the Giants side as Bob Melvin comes back to San Diego for the first time since leaving the Padres last year. Here is the projected Padres lineup, according to the team: Starting pitcher: Yu Darvish Batting lineup: Xander Bogaerts, 2B Fernando Tatis Jr., RF Jake Cronenworth, 1B Manny Machado, DH Ha-Seong Kim, SS Jurickson Profar, LF Luis Campusano, C Tyler Wade, 3B Jackson Merrill, CF Petco Park: What’s new to see this season PARKING/PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Fans traveling to the game can park their vehicle in a lot, take public transportation or walk. Guests looking to find a spot in Padres preferred parking, located next to Petco

How ‘healthy’ is San Diego compared to the rest of California?

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A new report showed San Diegans may be healthier than residents of other counties in the state and across the country. Findings from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps indicated San Diego County is just as healthy as other places in California, if not more, and overall healthier than the average county in the U.S. Measurements for the study were calculated using several factors like health behaviors, health insurance and available clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment. Babies born with syphilis reach record high in San Diego County Data from 2016 to 2022 showed that 97% of people living in the county had adequate access to a park or recreation facility for physical activity, compared to 94% of people in California and 84% nationwide. San Diego also recorded lower teen birth rates than other counties across the state and in the U.S. From 2016 to 2022, data showed there were 10 births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19 in the county compared to 13 births per 1,000 teens statewide and 17 per 1,000

Number of residents that left San Diego County last year nearly doubled from previous

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — While more U.S. counties saw population growth than losses in 2023, San Diego County saw nearly double the amount of people leave than move in compared to the year prior, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The newly released U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2023 estimates of population and components found that across the country, Southern counties saw the fastest growth in population last year, while Northeast and Midwest counites saw population losses turn to gains. Here’s how much income you need to buy a home in San Diego But the West, where the average population change was the highest among all regions in 2022, fell behind the South in 2023 (see table below). Region Number of Counties Gain (2021-2022) Loss AveragePercent Change Gain (2022-2023) Loss AveragePercent Change Northeast 218 83 135 -0.24% 105 113 -0.07% Midwest 1,055 454 601 -0.09% 542 513 -0.02% South 1,422 836 586 0.31% 950 472 0.56% West 449 276 173 0.51% 279 170 0.34% All U.S. Counties 3,144 1,649 1,495 0.17% 1,876 1,268 0.29% U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 Population Estimates Nearly every state saw population

These San Diego stores are the ‘luckiest’ for winning lottery tickets

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — With another drawing Tuesday for the ever-growing $1.12 billion Mega Millions jackpot, San Diegans who are feeling the lottery fever are hoping for a little bit of luck — some turning to specific stores with a track record of winning. There are only a handful of stores out of the thousands of lotto retailers across California that regularly sell winning tickets, including ones to claim the largest prizes. The California Lottery has a special designation for these retailers, aptly — if not obviously — called “lucky stores.” $1.12 billion Mega Millions drawing nears, followed by $865 million Powerball prize According to the lotto, the criteria to be considered “lucky” includes: selling at least one $100,000 or higher winning ticket, paying out an average of 400 winning tickets each week, and paying out an average of $4,000 in winning tickets per week. Among those is a Bonita VONS grocery store, where a lottery ticket that cashed out more than $1 million was cashed out last June. Before that, in May, a Powerball ticket worth $3.2 million was sold at a La

Diegueño Middle School employee arrested for suspected child sexual abuse

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — An employee at Diegueño Middle School in Encinitas was arrested overnight Monday on suspicion of child sexual abuse and furnishing marijuana to a minor. Campus supervisor Omar Hernandez Galeana, 21, was taken into custody by San Diego County Sheriff’s Child Abuse Unit deputies just after midnight stemming from an incident that happened on Friday, March 22, according to the department. In a Tuesday release, the sheriff’s department said Galeana “met with a 12-year-old victim outside of school hours” at an undisclosed off-campus location where he is suspected of sexually assaulting them. The incident was then reported to deputies at the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station, prompting the Child Abuse Unit to open an investigation. No additional details were released by the sheriff due to the victim’s status as a minor. Jail logs indicate he could face two counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, as well as one count of employing a juvenile over 14 years old to sell marijuana. Galenana’s arraignment is scheduled for Friday. In a letter to Diegueño Middle School families on Monday

Man admits he smuggled immigrants through sewer pipes into the U.S., authorities say

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A man accused of smuggling unauthorized immigrants from Mexico into the U.S. pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of California. Kevin Noe Campos Villa, of Tijuana, was arrested on Jan. 22 after U.S. Border Patrol agents say they saw him guiding people through sewer pipes about two miles west of the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Navy sailor dies on San Diego-based USS Halsey The release stated that sewer pipes between the U.S. and Mexico have grates to prevent people from illegally entering the U.S. However, in periods of heavy rain, the grates are opened to let water flow through. On Thursday, Campos admitted he directed seven unauthorized immigrants through the sewer pipes when the grates were open during heavy rains. Several of them had to be rescued from the Tijuana River by San Diego lifeguards, according to the release. Court documents showed Campos agreed to smuggle the group in January because he would have his own smuggling fee reduced to $6,000, the release said. He faces

How to cheer on the SDSU Aztecs in the Sweet 16 game

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Aztecs are getting a championship rematch in this year’s “Sweet 16” round of March Madness. The San Diego State University Men’s Basketball Team will be once again be hitting the court in the NCAA Tournament against top seed University of Connecticut, who crushed the Aztecs’ title hopes in last year’s historic run, on Thursday at 4:39 p.m. in Boston’s TD Garden Arena. “They’re not much of a rivalry because they kind of killed us last year in the national championship game, but hopefully we can come out with a win and make another run like last year,” Ben Turkel, a junior at SDSU, told FOX 5/KUSI on Monday. Whatever happens, it will be a big moment for the team as it will mark their second consecutive year in the Sweet 16 and — likely win or no — basketball fans across San Diego are planning to tune into the game to cheer on the hometown team. Want to watch the Aztecs’ Sweet 16 game? Here’s how: Watching from home For all those that want to watch the SDSU vs.

How much do Californians owe in federal student loans?

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — While President Biden canceled nearly $6 million in student loan debt for an additional 77,700 public service workers last week, there are thousands of Californians still playing catchup with their payments. The Office of Federal Student Aid says California is the state with the most federal student loan debt, with nearly four thousand borrowers owing a total of $146.7 billion as of last September. The state of Texas follows second with over $125 billion in student loan debt, according to the office. Biden cancels nearly $6 billion in student debt for 77,700 public service workers Data shows that most borrowers in California are between the ages of 25 and 34, but the age group with the highest debt are people ages 35 to 49. As people figure out how to pay back their federal student loans, the cost of attending college is not getting any cheaper. The University of San Diego’s website states full-time tuition for the 2024-2025 academic year is over $58,000. That’s compared to $55,690 from 2023-2024. Next target in Biden vs. Junk Fees: Colleges and student lending

Babies born with syphilis reach record high in San Diego County

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The number of babies born with syphilis in San Diego County has reached a new record for the region, county health officials announced Tuesday. Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is sexually transmitted. When a parent spreads the infection to its baby during pregnancy, it is known as congenital syphilis. In 2022, 35 babies were born with syphilis in the county. That’s up from 30 in 2021, and the rate of congenital syphilis increased by nearly 1,200% since 2013, health officials said. SDUSD school bus involved in crash with students on board The increase in congenital cases comes as cases of syphilis have spiked in women of potential childbearing age. Cases in women between 15 and 49 years old rose from 369 in 2021 to 424 in 2022. Across the United States, syphilis cases, including congenital syphilis, have increased since the early 2000s, apart from a slight decrease between 2021 and 2022. If not treated, congenital syphilis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or death. Babies born with syphilis can develop bone abnormalities, anemia, enlarged livers or spleens, loss of vision

SDUSD school bus involved in crash with students on board

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A San Diego Unified School District bus collided with a truck in Mission Valley Tuesday morning while students were on board. No injuries were reported. The crash occurred around 8 a.m. on Ulric Street near the intersection with Friars Road, according to California Highway Patrol logs. What led up to the crash remains unclear, but both the bus and the truck sustained damage. According to CHP, a new school bus came to take the children to school due to an issue with the door that came about as a result of the crash. A San Diego Unified School District bus crashed with another car on March 26, 2024. (FOX 5/KUSI) A San Diego Unified School District bus crashed with another car on March 26, 2024. (FOX 5/KUSI) No additional details were immediately available about the incident. FOX 5/KUSI reached out to SDUSD for a statement on the crash and are awaiting response. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.