Category: San Diego

Editor’s note: The story has been corrected to reflect Bobbi Brink as the correct spelling of her name. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/ KUSI) — A tale of two tigers connected to the underworld of big cat breeding and a murder-for-hire case has concluded with a happy ending. Their names are Jem and Zoe. They were rescued from Tiger King Park in Oklahoma back in May 2021. The name “Tiger King” may be recognized by many who have seen the true crime documentary series detailing the life of former private zookeeper Joe Exotic, who is now a convicted felon. The three-season series peers into the community of big cat conservationists, collectors, private zoos and animal sanctuaries that span the country. Take a day trip from San Diego to this whimsical pirate tower In short, Joe Exotic had a rivalry with a woman named Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue. Baskin had accused Exotic of abusing and exploiting the big cats for personal gain. That feud ended with Exotic behind bars, where he’s serving a 21-year prison sentence. Court records state he attempted to hire two men

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Healthcare workers took to the streets Saturday afternoon to protest the planned closure of the maternity ward at Scripps Mercy Chula Vista. A handful of nurses and physicians gathered at Hotel Del Coronado where Scripps Foundation hosted an event for donors to make it clear that if the unit moves, babies and mothers would suffer. “The closure of this unit will result in the creation of truly a maternity desert in the southwest corner of San Diego County,” said Susanna Chou, a physician at the protest. Last month, Scripps Health announced plans to dissolve the obstetrics unit there, pushing all labor and delivery up to Scripps Mercy Hillcrest. The unit has 30 beds and is known for its service to local minority communities. Take a day trip from San Diego to this whimsical pirate tower “Eighty-nine percent of our patients are of brown color, they’re Hispanic of lower social economic status and babies of color matter to us,” said Juliana Gonzalez, a registered nurse for labor and delivery at Scripps Mercy Chula Vista. “Women come to us walking because

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Three people were arrested at a driving under the influence checkpoint in Chula Vista Saturday night, authorities said. According to the Chula Vista Police Department, officers conducted the checkpoint in the 1500 block of East H Street between 6 p.m. and midnight. A total of 2,532 vehicles traveled through the checkpoint and authorities said 519 motorists were screened. Take a day trip from San Diego to this whimsical pirate tower Four drivers conducted field sobriety tests and two were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, while another driver was arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana, the police department confirmed. The identity of those arrested was not immediately released. Additionally, seven drivers were cited for driving without a license or with a suspended license. “DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on reported incidents of impaired driving-related crashes,” the police department stated. “The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints is to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off roads.”

The department bought land at I-15 and SR-76 with hopes for a new station. It also wants a new Ramona substation and to replace the crumbling Vista jail.

UCSD Health CEO says she’s still optimistic that a final agreement will be approved

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — April’s full moon, known as the “pink moon,” will be lighting up the spring night sky this week. But not only will the full moon illuminate the skies the week of Earth Day, several of our closest planets and the April Lyrids meteor shower will be visible alongside the moon. Following the April 8 total solar eclipse, the moon is once again the star of the show as it peaks this week. PHOTOS: Total solar eclipse sweeps across North America The April full moon peaks Tuesday, April 23, at 7:49 p.m. EDT. The moon will appear full for about three days, from Monday morning (which is Earth Day) to Thursday morning.  Watch: SpaceX rocket launch seen from San Diego County The pink moon is named after the herb moss pink, a plant native to the eastern U.S. and one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring, according to NASA. Other names for this moon include the Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon, the Pesach or Passover Moon, the Hanuman Jayanti Festival Moon, and Bak Poya. Planets visible alongside April’s full moon On

BERLIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A young brother and sister died and several people were injured, some of them seriously, when a vehicle driven by a suspected drunken driver crashed into a young child’s birthday party Saturday at a boat club, a Michigan sheriff said. An 8-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother died at the scene in the crash, when a 66-year-old woman drove 25 feet (7.6 meters) into the building about 3 p.m. at the Swan Creek Boat Club in Berlin Township, about 30 miles (48.2 kilometers) south of Detroit, Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said. “The scene was described by the first responders as extremely chaotic, with high level of emotions of those directly involved and those who witnessed this horrific incident,” he said. Three children and six adults were taken to area hospitals by two helicopters or ambulances with life-threatening injuries, he said. Others injured were given first aid at the scene and some were taken to hospitals by private vehicles. Goodnough did not identify the woman driving the vehicle but said she was taken into custody and held at the Monroe

The other driver involved in the fatal collision Friday night was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving

The event in Pala also offered community members free lock boxes to safely store firearms at home

VALLEY CENTER, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — A 19-year-old is dead and a man is in custody facing DUI charges after a car accident in North County Friday night. California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of Valley Center Road and West Tribal Road in the unincorporated City of Valley Center Friday night just before 8:20 p.m. Driver flees after fatal hit-and-run crash in Spring Valley: CHP According to CHP, a 19-year-old Hispanic man from Valley Center was driving a white Toyota Camry in the eastbound lane of West Tribal Road, while a 34-year-old Hispanic man from Ranchita was driving a white Ford Expedition in the southbound lane of Valley Center Road when the two vehicles collided at the intersection. CHP and paramedics responded to the accident. The 19-year-old driver of the Toyota was pronounced dead at the scene. Second arrest made in fatal Linda Vista shooting According to CHP, the driver of the Ford Expedition, identified as Fernando Porras Abrego, was not injured, and was booked into the Vista Detention Facility where he faces multiple charges, including driving under the

SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) – Kevin Bacon on Friday paid a visit to a high school in Payson, Utah — a school where, 40 years ago, he filmed the 1984 movie “Footloose.” “Go Lions! Here we are on this beautiful, beautiful spot on this beautiful, beautiful day,” Bacon said in footage of a speech he gave to the student body at Payson High School. “It’s been a long time, 40 years. That just blows my mind, you know,” he added. “Things look a little different around here. I’d say the thing that looks the most different is me.” Kevin Bacon speaks to the students at Payson High School in Payson, Utah, where portions of “Footloose” were filmed. (Jose Tabares/KTVX) “Footloose,” which starred Bacon as a teen who moves from Chicago to a small town, was shot on location at Payson High and the nearby and Roller Mills in Lehi. For several months now, Payson High’s student body has been working with the Utah Film Commission to lure the actor back to the school, with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox even joining the cause. Bacon, answering the

CARLSBAD, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — “My art is a reflection of my intuitive process and love for exploration and play,” said Dawn Tappen, a North County abstract painter who’s bringing colorful vibrancy to the Carlsbad area. Like most artistic journeys, it took time for Tappen to fully uncover her deep-rooted passion for process-based abstract painting. As a child, her art depicted fantasized unicorns and recreations of the lazy and sarcastic cat from the American comic strip known as “Garfield.” “I always took art as my electives in middle and high school. In college I wanted to be a wildlife illustrator or maybe a children’s book illustrator, ” Tappen told FOX 5. “At the time, I drew and painted very realistically; my professors would continuously encourage me to loosen up.” Take a day trip from San Diego to this whimsical pirate tower Then in her last year at California State University, Northridge, where she received a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in painting, she found herself in a classroom with a professor by the name of Samantha Fields. “I was hooked,” Tappen said of the abstract painting class.

Investigators believe the victim threw the first punch in the melee on University Avenue east of 58th Street

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — There’s a pirate tower located about 71 miles north of downtown San Diego, a day trip worth checking out for those who love all things whimsical. Quite literally called the “Pirate Tower,” it’s considered a historical landmark in Orange County’s popular coastal city of Laguna Beach. The town is known for its many art galleries, coves, and stretch of sandy beaches. One beach in particular — Victoria Beach — is home to this majestic tower, which Laguna’s tourism authority said was built in the year of 1926. ‘Play and be creative’: New art gallery debuts in Carlsbad “It’s easy to imagine an 18th century scalawag guzzling tankards of rum on the sand after burying a chest brimming with gold,” the tourism authority wrote while describing the area. The Pirate Tower — a historical landmark in Orange County, Calif. (Credit: Light and Magic Photography) The unending cycle of the ocean’s tides batters the 60-foot-tall tower. When the tide is right, however, visitors can walk right up to the landmark for photo ops. The truth is, the Pirate Tower was not built

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A memorial service is being held Saturday to honor and remember the late Chula Vista Police Assistant Chief Phil Collum. The department announced his passing on Friday, April 12, stating he had succumbed to a short battle with a rare form of cancer. They said he was surrounded by his family and friends, including his husband, William Lopez. Saturday’s service will be held at Eastlake Church, located at 2355 Otay Lakes Rd., at 10 a.m. The public is welcome to attend. Camp Pendleton confirms Marine missing, did not report for duty A livestream of the service can be viewed through the police department’s YouTube page. About Assistant Chief Phil Collum The late Chula Vista Police Department Assistant Chief Phil Collum. (Photo courtesy of Chula Vista Police Department) — Collum was a graduate of California’s prestigious Command College (Class 58) and the FBI National Academy (Class 278). — Collum began his 29-year law enforcement career in college in 1990, serving as a Community Service Officer in Santa Cruz, California. — Collum became a police officer for the Santa Cruz Police Department

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A 34-year-old woman walking in the Clairemont Mesa West neighborhood was struck by a hit-and-run driver Friday night, authorities said. According to the San Diego Police Department, an unknown vehicle was driving southbound on the 3300 block of Genesee Avenue when the passenger side of their vehicle struck the pedestrian around 10:40 p.m. 70-year-old Carlsbad retiree loses life savings in scam involving Bitcoin It’s believed by authorities that the woman had been walking in an unknown direction near a buffer zone between the traffic lane and a dedicated bicycle lane near the west curb of Genesee Avenue. The vehicle reportedly fled the scene, and the pedestrian was found sitting on the roadway by a passing motorist, police said. She was transported to a local hospital with multiple injuries but is expected to survive. The Traffic Division is investigating the hit-and-run collision. Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

Shawn Farrar faces state and federal charges in connection with at least four alleged thefts of government vehicles in San Diego County

There are now nearly four dozen Mobile Crisis Response Teams responding to calls across San Diego County

Thousands of pages of witness interviews, videos and other evidence were publicly released this past week after The San Diego Union-Tribune intervened in the young woman’s family’s lawsuit

LA MESA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — A popular San Diego food truck opened its first brick and mortar restaurant on Friday in La Mesa. Shawarma Guys, which specializes in its wagyu beef shawarma, welcomed its new location in a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5525 Jackson Drive #B. “I’m very excited, it’s a big difference from being in the food truck to being in here (brick and mortar restaurant),” Shawarma Guys owner Bryan Zeto told FOX 5/KUSI. Zeto, who is Chaldean, said his shawarma is closest to Iraqi-style, but many of the menu’s dishes are drawn from a variety of influences. 5 things to do in San Diego this weekend “We do chicken shawarma, we do falafel, we have vegan options like a vegan shawarma, we do french fries,” Zeto said. Shawarma meat is stacked onto a spit and slowly cooked as it rotates. It is then cut into thin slices and typically served on pita. Cheesesteaks will be added to the Shawarma Guys menu, but only at the La Mesa location for right now, according to Zeto. Founded in late 2018, Shawarma Guys has been

EL CAJON (FOX 5/KUSI) — An East County woman was attacked by a hawk in her front yard this week. Now, experts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are offering some advice. Donna Spevack is still recovering and in pain near the puncture wounds days later. “It really hurts still. It’s kind of like a burning, searing pain,” said Spevack. She said she thinks the bird likely came from a nest in her neighbor’s tree. “All the claws went in my head, and there’s all (these) puncture wounds,” Spevack said. “Who would ever think… you’re just out here gardening and then all of a sudden, wham.” ‘Emaay’ becomes 250th California condor to hatch at San Diego Zoo Safari Park Spevack said on Tuesday she was planting flowers in the garden in her front yard when the hawk swooped in quietly from behind and latched onto the back of her head. “Then I heard this fluttering, but I didn’t hear anything coming up behind me,” Spevack explained. “And I looked up and it was sitting in the tree there, looking at me.” With blood