Category: San Diego

By Laura Yuen The Minnesota Star Tribune MINNEAPOLIS — Vanessa Berrueta Zambrano followed her instincts this past spring when she felt a lump about the size of a piece of popcorn in her right breast. She knew she needed answers. But her clinic told her that a screening likely wouldn’t be covered by her insurance because at age 39, she was too young. “I don’t care,” she remembers telling the medical staff. “Do the mammogram.” Luckily, she insisted. It was breast cancer. Breast cancer in women between ages 20 and 49 is still rare, with a prevalence of about 65 cases per 100,000 people. But the rate has been steadily ticking upward, with incidence among younger women climbing by nearly 3.8% annually from 2016 to 2019, according to a study published this year in JAMA Network Open. Research shows that women under 40 are more likely to die from their breast cancer than older women. People like Berrueta fall into a paradox: Even though more younger women are getting breast cancer, mammograms and other screenings aren’t recommended for women under 40. Some speak of feeling

By Robert Klitzman, M.D. For The Washington Post “I seem to get depressed about things more than my friends do. What can I do about it?” A patient recently asked me this question. At some point, everyone gets depressed — for instance, when a relationship ends or we lose a loved one or a job. Usually, these feelings are short-lived, lasting a few minutes, hours or days. But millions of people have symptoms that persist for longer. Rates of depression have been steadily increasing. Every year, about 10 percent of Americans, including about 17 percent of adolescents and young adults, have what is known as major depression — when significant symptoms last at least two weeks. About 8 percent of us will experience major depression, and about 6 percent will suffer from milder but longer-lasting depression, known as dysthymia. Depression prevalence is higher among women and people who have less education or have never been married. Symptoms can vary from mild and passing to severe and disabling, including loss of appetite, energy, concentration and ability to enjoy life. Depression can also interfere with our immune

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and MARK SCOLFORO ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — After UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was gunned down on a New York sidewalk, police searched for the masked gunman with dogs, drones and scuba divers. Officers used the city’s muscular surveillance system. Investigators analyzed DNA samples, fingerprints and internet addresses. Police went door-to-door looking for witnesses. When an arrest came five days later, those sprawling investigative efforts shared credit with an alert civilian’s instincts. A Pennsylvania McDonald’s customer noticed another patron who resembled the man in the oblique security-camera photos that New York police had publicized. Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, was arrested Monday in the killing of Brian Thompson, who headed one of the United States’ largest medical insurance companies. He remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. By late evening, prosecutors in Manhattan had added a charge of murder, according to an online court docket. He’s expected to be extradited to New York eventually. It’s unclear whether Mangione has

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on a new proposal to determine whether they’ll continue to use county resources to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement with deportations. The plan would stop the county’s support in mass deportations, which Morgan Principi, the legal director with Pathways to Citizenship, says could keep families together. “Most likely they have a spouse or a child or a parent who is a U.S. citizen that relies on them as the main breadwinner,” Principi said. But, the Fifth District Supervisor Jim Desmond said the new legislation could prevent ICE from deporting criminals in San Diego. “They’re here illegally. They’ve committed crimes. I don’t think that’s the type of people we want,” Desmond said. “We want immigrants, but we want law-abiding immigrants.” The legislation wouldn’t interfere with federal criminal investigations, but it would leave ICE with the responsibility to handle immigration enforcement. “Yea, if we want to get people out of the criminal system and deport them, but I think people would be very shocked to find out that that’s a very small

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Unified School District managed to reduce its projected budget deficit for the next school year by more than $60 million. “They’ve said can you cut off the top? And that’s exactly what we’re doing, we are looking at central office and thinking about what can we strategically abandon,” said Superintendent Dr. Fabi Bagula. Bagula says the district is doing everything possible to keep cuts out of the classroom by staying focused on four goals. “Literacy, numeracy, wellness, and also graduation, and so all of our budgetary decisions are being made to serve our students and to serve our schools,” Bagula said. Driving the number down from an original estimated $176-million budget shortfall, the district plans to save $25 million by leaving vacant jobs unfilled. There was also a big push for families to submit household income forms, which is expected to help the district qualify for $9 million more in state funding. The district is projecting $25 million or more in revenue increases for the district including from the lottery, interest, impact aid and home to school transport.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — It’s been a colorful tradition here in San Diego for as long as people can remember. The fireworks shows have been just as much a part of SeaWorld’s identity as the animal shows. But the fireworks could be coming to an end as environmental groups are once again threatening lawsuits to stop them. “The fireworks permit requires them to clean up their discharged waste. So the fireworks go up, they explode, and what explodes comes back down into the water. That includes shell castings, plastic, wires…. And they all wash up onto Fiesta Island,” said Natalie Clagett, attorney, Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation. While the fireworks shows are exciting, entertaining and a tradition, there is a price to the environment. Over the decades, tons of waste have floated from the sky and into the Bay — things that can be harmful to sea life and the ocean environment. “You couldn’t go a square foot without seeing fireworks debris and especially hazardous fireworks debris like wires and pointy, sharp substances. It’s everywhere. There’s foils, labels, plastic components that are just breaking down

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) – In the past 14 years, 185 have died at San Diego County jails. The most recent: a 29-year-old who came to Carlsbad for college then died in police custody just months later. Abdul Kamara moved to San Diego County in January to begin school at the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad. About two months later, he died. His family flew from Virginia to San Diego to try and get answers ahead of their first Christmas without their son. Kamara’s mother, Fredrika Nabbie, said she has been a nurse for 15 years and does not understand what happened to her son. According to a release from SDPD at the time of the incident, Carlsbad Police responded to a call at a restaurant in the 900 block of Carlsbad Village Drive about a man asking to call for an ambulance around 9:11 p.m. Paramedics arrived and took him to Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas where it’s reported he then walked away from the hospital. At around 10:55 p.m., SDSO got a call from the hospital asking to check the area because the

The grief, television cameras and knowing her son died just steps away proved overwhelming on Monday for Fredrika Nabbie, who fainted and collapsed outside the Vista Detention Facility during a rally called to demand answers about what killed him early this year. Nabbie’s son, Abdul Kamara, 29, died during an encounter with sheriff’s deputies more than nine months ago. She recovered after a few minutes and went on to urge officials to disclose details about what happened to her child. She and other members of Kamara’s family requested that the Sheriff’s Office release body-worn camera footage, documents and other evidence related to the death last March. “I’m asking for justice,” said Nabbie, who traveled from her home in Virginia to attend the protest organized by Saving Lives In Custody California, a nonprofit group that works to improve how law enforcement treats people in jail and in the community. “I want to see the body camera (video) from the police on the day they arrested my son, the day they killed my son,” said Nabbie, a nurse who said she had spiraled into a deep depression since

Powerful Santa Ana winds will tear across much of San Diego County, but there are steps residents can take to prepare — including securing any freshly installed outdoor Christmas decorations. A red flag warning was issued for areas east of Interstate 15, and San Diego Gas & Electric preemptively shut off power to tens of thousands of customers. Here’s how you can prepare — for the wind storm and for any potential power outages. Secure your home Before the winds pick up, make sure outdoor patio furniture and lightweight yard accessories are tied down or brought indoors. Philip Gonsalves, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, especially warns about outdoor umbrellas, which he says can “become projectiles” with strong gusts of wind. Gonsalves also advises residents to safely fasten outdoor Christmas decorations. Lights that are securely attached to the roof should be fine, he said — but East County residents with lights and ornaments in trees and bushes may consider taking them down until the winds calm later this week. And inflatable Christmas decorations are a definite no. You’ll risk seeing Santa

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Several schools will be closing Tuesday due to public safety power shutoffs amid a Red Flag Warning impacting most of San Diego County. Julian Elementary, Julian High, Jamul-Dulzura Union, Mountain Empire, Spencer Valley and Warner Unified school districts have canceled classes for Tuesday, the San Diego County Office of Education said on Monday. “The safety of students and school staff is of the utmost importance to San Diego County school districts,” the educational institution said in a news release. Red Flag Warning for ‘critical’ fire risk takes effect: What to expect San Diego Gas & Electric has notified the public of potential safety shutoffs for over 100,000 customers throughout the region’s inland valleys, northern coast and backcountry. Santa Ana winds are expected to peak Tuesday afternoon with winds likely reaching 20 to 30 miles per hour in most places under the warning, while the eastern portions of the county’s valley areas could see gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. The Red Flag Warning went into effect at 10 a.m. Monday and is

San Diego Unified School District says it has whittled down its deficit for next school year but still needs to find ways to cut $113 million in spending. This summer the district had projected it would have a $176 million unrestricted deficit. Now officials say they have found some savings to bring that number down by leaving vacant jobs unfilled and encouraging more families to submit household income forms. Those are expected to help the district qualify for $9 million more in state funding for students from low-income families, interim Superintendent Fabiola Bagula said. In addition, the district is anticipating $25 million more revenue than previously expected, including more federal impact aid, state lottery funds and transportation funding, Bagula added. The district also plans to make ends meet by depleting about $58 million in reserves next school year. And it is offering an early retirement plan for employees, which by itself won’t save the district money but will help reduce the number of higher-paid employees on its payroll. On top of next year’s deficit, the district is also projecting a $211 million unrestricted deficit for

The V-22 Osprey aircraft that can usually be seen flying in and out of military bases across San Diego County have again disappeared from the sky due to a service-wide “operational pause” ordered by the Navy. The troubled aircraft, which has a history of deadly crashes, was grounded after an Osprey nearly went down last month in New Mexico, Axios and other media organizations reported on Monday. Ospreys also were temporarily grounded last year. It was unclear how long the aircraft — which is used by the Navy, Marines and Air Force — would be out of service. Ospreys can take off and land like a helicopter and fly between destinations like a regular plane. Ospreys are heavily used at such bases as Naval Air Station North Island, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Camp Pendleton.

San Diego officials are launching a new initiative to shrink the city’s long-discussed digital divide — the gap in access to high-speed internet between the wealthy and the poor. Residents are being asked to take an internet speed test and an access survey to help city officials understand how wide the gap is and which neighborhoods have the worst access to broadband service. That information will be used to create strategies for boosting access where there are large gaps. Those strategies are likely to include city subsidies and new partnerships between the city and broadband providers. “It’s important that all San Diegans and San Diego communities have reliable and affordable access to the internet,” said Jonathan Behnke, the city’s chief information officer. “We look forward to learning how to better serve San Diego and eliminate the digital equity divide.” City officials say they already have data showing that more than 40% of households in historically under-resourced areas such as San Ysidro don’t have broadband subscriptions. The new initiative, called a broadband master plan, would make that data more robust, explore solutions and put the city in

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — A man who would only identify himself as Jesus is being called a hero by fellow passengers and crew members of a flight that a hijacker tried to commandeer into landing in San Diego. Jesus was onboard the flight Sunday morning from Guanajuato’s Bajío Airport to the Mexican border city of Tijuana. “A short time into the flight is when it happened,” Jesus said. Jesus and others say the hijacker rushed to the front of the plane, grabbed a flight attendant and demanded the flight’s final destination be outside of Mexico. “His intention was for the flight to land in San Diego,” Jesus said. Passenger on Volaris flight to Tijuana threatens to jump, demands plane divert to San Diego Another passenger, Gerardo Gonzalez, described how the hijacker put a pen against a flight attendant’s neck and threatened to open the door and jump to his death and take the flight attendant with him if the flight did not change course. “He grabbed the handle and actually managed to crack the door open,” Gonzalez said. “There were people screaming, crying, pleading

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A man died after being hit by a car in the traffic lanes of southbound Interstate 5 near downtown San Diego Saturday night, California Highway Patrol confirmed Monday. CHP said the crash happened around 8:06 p.m. A previous report stated several lanes of I-5 were closed due to a reported fatal pedestrian accident near the intersection of Sassafras Street and Kettner Boulevard. All lanes were back open by 10:30 p.m. Man fatally struck by truck in El Cajon On Monday, CHP confirmed that, for unknown reasons, an unidentified male pedestrian was in the southbound lanes of I-5, south of Sassafras Street, when he was struck by a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The man sustained major injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Woman injured after fall from border fence, daughter stranded at the top Following the incident, the driver, a 39-year-old man from San Diego, stayed and cooperated with the investigation, officers said. A toxicology report is pending through the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine whether drugs and/or alcohol were contributing factors in the crash. The victim’s

By MATTHEW BROWN and MARC LEVY HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Joe Biden designated a national monument at a former Native American boarding school in Pennsylvania on Monday to honor the resilience of Indigenous tribes whose children were forced to attend the school and hundreds of similar abusive institutions. The White House announced the creation of the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument as Biden hosted a summit of tribal leaders. More than 10,000 children passed through the notorious Carlisle Indian Industrial School by the time it closed in 1918, including Olympian Jim Thorpe. They came from dozens of tribes under forced assimilation policies that were meant to erase Native American traditions and “civilize” the children so they would better fit into white society. The children were often taken against the will of their parents, and an estimated 187 Native American and Alaska Native children died at the institution in Carlisle, including from tuberculosis and other diseases. “Designating the former campus of the Carlisle School, with boundaries consistent with the National Historic Landmark, as a national monument will help ensure this shameful chapter of

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego search and rescue teams and the Coast Guard were busy searching the Pacific Ocean off of San Diego Monday morning after someone reported seeing a body wash ashore. It was first reported just before 6 a.m. Monday that a body had washed up on shore near Bermuda Avenue at Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma. Body of missing grandmother who fell into sinkhole recovered after 4-day search When San Diego lifeguards arrived to Sunset Cliffs, they report they did not find the body at first and believed it had washed back into the ocean. That search continued for about 30 minutes until the U.S. Coast Guard took over the search from the water. While assisting with land support, lifeguards spotted the body near the shoreline just before 8 a.m. and called for additional resources to help locate and bring it to shore. Missing woman with dementia found dead near La Mesa highway San Diego police report the person has been identified as a man in his late 40s, and that the body had “obvious signs of death” and that

EL CAJON, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — A pedestrian was fatally struck in a hit-and-run collision in El Cajon Sunday afternoon, according to police. El Cajon police officers and paramedics arrived at 1368 E. Main Street around 5:14 p.m. Sunday after getting a call regarding a pedestrian who had been struck by a truck. Two people gunned down in Rolando alley; no arrests made Police said the white 2005 Dodge Ram was traveling westbound at 1300 E. Main St. when it hit the pedestrian who was crossing the roadway, outside of the crosswalk. According to details gathered from witnesses and a preliminary investigation, the truck did not attempt to stop and continued westbound on East Main Street. With the help of the city’s Flock license plate reader system, officers gathered information on the truck and the registered owner, who helped them find the current driver of the vehicle. The driver, a 64-year-old man, agreed to meet with officers at 1435 E. Main St. He was subsequently arrested for felony hit-and-run. The victim’s identity is being withheld pending family notification. Alcohol or drugs are not suspected to

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to Hawaii’s gun-licensing law on Monday, though three justices expressed a willingness to hear arguments over the issue later. The majority did not explain their reasoning in a brief order declining to take the case. But Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Samuel Alito, wrote that he would vote to hear a case to “reaffirm that the Second Amendment warrants the same respect as any other constitutional right.” In a separate statement, Justice Neil Gorsuch said the court could later revisit the case of Christopher L. Wilson, who argues his Second Amendment rights were violated when he was charged with carrying a gun without a license. Related Articles National News | How should the opioid settlements be spent? Those hit hardest often don’t have a say National News | ‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year National News | Supreme Court rejects appeal from Boston parents over race bias in elite high school admissions National News | Supreme Court rejects Wisconsin parents’ challenge to school guidance for transgender students National News |

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is temporarily pausing flights again of its fleet of V-22 Ospreys after weakened metal components possibly played a role in another near crash, the latest setback for an embattled aircraft whose safety problems have grown. The pause was recommended last week “out of an abundance of caution” by Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, the head of Naval Air Systems Command, which runs the Osprey program for the military, said command spokeswoman Marcia Hart. The Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force are adhering to the recommended pause, each said in a statement to The Associated Press. The Marines said its pause began on Friday and would run at least through Monday. The other services are expected to maintain their pauses longer as they look at the cause of the metal failures. An in-depth investigation into the Osprey by The AP published last month found that safety issues have increased in the past five years, parts are wearing out faster than expected and that the design of the aircraft itself is directly contributing to many of the accidents. The Osprey can fly both

NEW YORK (WPIX) – A man in Pennsylvania has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, officials said Monday. Luigi Mangione, 26, was identified as the New York Police Department’s person of interest in last week’s slaying, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. He was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on a firearms charge after he was recognized by an employee of a McDonald’s. He was carrying a “ghost gun” — which may have been made on a 3D printer — and a suppressor when he was arrested, officials said. The man also had a fake New Jersey ID that was used at a hostel where the gunman was believed to have stayed before the shooting, as well as clothing and a mask that matched the suspect’s, according to officials. Mangione was also in possession of a three-page document with writings critical of corporate America with him, they said. “We don’t think that there’s any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document, but it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America,” NYPD Chief Joseph Kenny said.