Category: San Diego

By KIM TONG-HYUNG, Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday for talks with North Korean military and political leaders as the countries deepen their cooperation over Russia’s war in Ukraine. In announcing the visit, Russia’s Defense Ministry didn’t say whom Belousov would meet or the purpose of the talks. North Korean state media didn’t immediately confirm the visit. Belousov, a former economist, replaced Sergei Shoigu as defense minister in May after Russian President Vladimir Putin started a fifth term in power. Photos released by the Defense Ministry showed Belousov walking alongside North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol on a red carpet at a Pyongyang airport. North Korean military officials were seen clapping under a banner that read, “Complete support and solidarity with the fighting Russian army and people.” Belousov noted after his arrival that military cooperation between the countries is expanding. He applauded a strategic partnership agreement signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un following their June meeting in Pyongyang, which he said is aimed at reducing tensions by maintaining

By BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The NCAA’s yearslong efforts to get lawmakers to address myriad problems in college sports could finally pay off in the new, Republican-controlled Congress. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is set to take over as chair of the powerful Commerce Committee, said recently that a college sports bill will be a top priority, accusing Democrats of dragging their feet on needed reforms. He still needs Democratic support for any bill to pass the necessary 60-vote threshold in the Senate, and that means some compromise with lawmakers who are more concerned about athlete welfare than giving the NCAA more authority. “Clearly the situation is much more doable with Republicans in control,” said Tom McMillen, a former Democratic congressman who played college basketball and for several years led an association of Division I athletic directors. “From the standpoint of the NCAA’s perspective, this is sort of an ideal scenario for them.” What’s at stake Cruz and others want to preserve at least parts of an amateur athlete model at the heart of college sports that has

If tougher immigration policies mean a significant loss of workers, American business hardships will lean toward industries with lower-wage jobs. President-elect Donald Trump has strongly hinted that he’ll order significant deportations of people living in the US without proper documentation. Others can debate the societal, constitutional and political ramifications of such a forced exodus, but my trusty spreadsheet is just looking at how many workers the nation’s economy could lose. One challenge of debating the business value of immigrants – especially those without proper paperwork – is that statistics on the legal status of immigrant workers are hard to find. Consider the Census Bureau’s statistics on worker citizenship. It tracks “noncitizens” – a broad category that includes workers from other countries who are approved to be employed in the US, plus those who don’t have such authorization. Please remember this significant caveat as my spreadsheet looks at the census tally of employment sliced ​​by citizenship for 2022, the latest data available. Topline By census math, there were 14.7 million “noncitizen” workers across the nation in 2022. That flock equaled 9% of all people employed in

New and existing small businesses in El Cajon will soon have a place to learn marketing and finance skills, network and even have their own office space inside the city’s Small Business Incubator. “There’s still a lot of work to do,” said Murtada Kamaluldeen, director of the incubator. “There’s the carpets to do, and the walls need to be reconstructed. But we have a plan.” Kamaluldeen, who’s known as M.K. by his American friends, said work on the building that’s home to the Chaldean Community Council and the incubator could begin later this month and be complete in 60 to 90 days. When finished, the city-owned building at 405 E. Lexington Ave. will be an asset to many of El Cajon’s Chaldean residents and all small business owners in the city. The incubator will be available for all El Cajon small business owners, not just Chaldeans, who are largely Christians from Iraq. The number of Chaldeans in El Cajon is estimated at around 15,000 to 20,000, or up to 19% of the city’s population. The Chaldean Community Council operates a small business incubator, social services

Many San Diego Unified kindergartners are already arriving at school behind grade level in reading, and reading scores take a hit when students reach middle school, district testing data show. This month San Diego Unified released the first major batch of scores from its own internal literacy tests taken during the fall, which are different from state standardized tests. The district will administer these internal tests to elementary and middle school students in the winter and spring to see how they’re progressing. State standardized test scores measure performance only once a year and are published months after students have moved on to the next grade. Overall, San Diego Unified students score above standard on state tests for English language arts. About 54% of San Diego Unified students met standards on the test — compared to a statewide average of 47%. But the district’s performance on the state English test has remained nearly flat from last year. The district improved its overall average reading score by less than half a point from last year. That “isn’t going to cut it to get us to our goal of 18

SAN MARCOS, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The lights spark in fits in starts as San Marcos’s Mr. Christmas rummages around flipping breakers like Chevy Chase in A Christmas Vacation. The wonder created by the illuminating architect inspired nearly 80 years ago. “I come from a very poor family. Our Christmas was to look at Christmas lights and I told my mom, someday I was going to do this, and here I am,” said Bill Gilfillen, a retired Navy Master Chief and long-time San Marcos resident. With 38 years of marveling neighbors, his Christmas decorations, the thousands of lights and ornamentals displayed, have gone beyond pretty decorations solidifying a place in San Marcos lore. “I had a lady go into labor down here one year,” Gilfillen said. The nightlight nostalgia sweeps up kids and adults alike. “He got down on his knees and proposed to her and she said yes. There must have been hundreds of people out here and they all started clapping,” Gilfillen said. With the lights on, dozens of neighbors show up seemingly out of nowhere, enjoying the cool evening. The Knob Hill

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A National City boy’s brave fight against testicular Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, comes after a shocking diagnosis that turned his family’s world upside down.  Alex Balbin, 10, has stopped attending school in person due to his weakened immune system caused by chemotherapy treatment, which he recently started. His teacher and classmates have written him letters filled with words of encouragement as he navigates his health. Doctors removed a five-pound testicular tumor in late October and since then, the boy said he “feels more free.” For six months before his surgery, Alex’s mother, Vee Balbin, said her son kept the mass growing inside his body a secret until it led to the emergency room. She explained that her son never had any pain and hid the tumor under oversized sweatshirts. The child’s family knows getting through the next year of chemotherapy will be challenging, but they feel the support.  “I’m grateful for my friends and my friends’ parents who’ve helped a lot,” said his sister Nina Balbin. They hope to make a difference in the lives of others

SANTEE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — It’s definitely a happy Thanksgiving for students at a children’s dance studio in East County. On Wednesday, FOX 5/KUSI reported about a thief seen on surveillance video stealing a large nutcracker that they need for their performances. But now, the thief may have had a change of heart because it has now been returned. Tara Koji, owner of Dance and Arts Studios Santee, saw on her surveillance camera a woman hiding her face while returning the nutcracker that she had stolen early Tuesday morning from outside Koji’s business. “A lot of relief because, it seems like it’s in perfect condition, kind of the same condition we left it in,” Koji said. The nutcracker the thief took was named Gregory by one of Koji’s students. She also named Gregory’s nutcracker buddy George, and over the years, the two would stand outside the children’s dance studio during the holidays, serving as props during winter performances as well. Student Lily Russell said “it was really heartbreaking” after seeing that Gregory was stolen. The woman who stole Gregory must have seen the story aired on Wednesday

ESCONDIDO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — More than a hundred people were given a free Thanksgiving meal from Interfaith Services in Escondido on Thursday afternoon. It’s something Interfaith has done for the last 38 years, and Ann Fleming has been enjoying her Thanksgiving meal at Interfaith for the last 15 years. “I’m just really grateful to be here,” said Fleming who has a milestone to celebrate this year. “I’m 25 years today clean and sober and I have my own place now and it just means so much to me.” There was a line out the door before it opened, and in just the first 20 minutes, they were open. Eighty people enjoyed a full Thanksgiving meal from a salad, turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, a roll and also a big slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. “There’s people in need and we’re here to serve,” said Jazmin Oregon, Director of Inland Services with Interfaith Services. She brought 15 of her family members to help serve. Geri Mu has been a weekly volunteer at Interfaith Services for 12 years, all because of her

Midge Thomas carried a paper bag up some steps, across a porch and knocked on the door. The sack sagged a bit from the cooked turkey and mashed potatoes inside. No one, however, answered to claim the food. Thomas rang the bell, waited a few moments and then found a different door to knock on. Still nothing. She stepped back and weighed her options. The meal in Thomas’ bag was one of hundreds prepared this week by volunteers with the Fallbrook arm of Veterans of Foreign Wars, a nationwide nonprofit. VFWs act as gathering places and can offer a range of services for people who served in conflicts abroad.  This one was among several hosting feasts across San Diego County, but its home deliveries extended the bounty. You didn’t even need to be a veteran to receive it. Men and women had already been cooking for days when the sun rose on Thanksgiving. There was enough food for 300 meals. While some would be eaten in the dining hall, more than half was to be driven all over town. Volunteers at the Fallbrook VFW prepare food that will

Travelers going through San Diego International Airport experienced more than 100 flight delays for routes in and out of the city, during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. Heavy rain and snow in other parts of the country were cited for the 150 flight delays, but there were no reported flight cancellations at the San Diego airport on Thanksgiving Day, according to the airline tracker FlightAware. Six flights were canceled at the San Diego airport on Wednesday. The average delay for airline passengers at the airport Thursday was estimated to be 36 minutes. According to the American Automobile Association, about 5.4 million people planned to travel by air for Thanksgiving, about a 2.1% increase from last year. About 460,000 airplane passengers were expected in San Diego between Tuesday and Monday, according to the regional airport authority. Those planning to travel through the rest of the peak Thanksgiving travel period are encouraged to check their flight’s status with the airline or by using their flight tracker before arriving at the airport. City News Service contributed to this report.

Above: Dan Plante’s Nov. 27 report for KUSI on the holiday travel rush. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Dozens of flights are delayed on Thanksgiving at San Diego International Airport as inclement weather causes headaches for travelers across the country. As of 3 p.m. Thursday, 154 delays were reported both in and out of San Diego, with zero cancellations, according to airline tracker FlightAware. Nearly 60 of these are for flights scheduled to land in or depart San Diego in the afternoon, per the airport’s flight tracker. The average delay for passengers is estimated to be about 58 minutes, FlightAware adds. It comes after a rough day for airline passengers during the busy travel season ahead of Thursday’s holiday, when more than 300 of San Diego’s scheduled flights reported delays. Six flights were also cancelled on Wednesday, FlightAware says. Patchy fog along coast overnight but warm, dry for Thanksgiving Day Nationwide, thousands of flights had seen some level of interruption since the start of the peak holiday travel season on Tuesday, caused in part by heavy rain and snow falling in some parts of the country.

Skrypnykov Dmytro/Shutterstock A person holds a plastic bag filled with a white substance. SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The Medical Board of California wants to create a confidential program for substance-abusing physicians that critics say will eliminate oversight of doctors who have drug problems. However, the board maintains its plan would allow impaired physicians to get help before they harm a patient. “This is intended to be a comprehensive substance abuse and mental health program,” said board president Kristina Lawson during an interview from Walnut Creek, CA. The board voted last Friday in Los Angeles to approve a draft legislative proposal that would allow a non-profit to be contracted to run a new “Physician Health and Wellness Program.” Critics say the plan would overturn state laws meant to provide transparency to the public. If the proposal moves forward, doctors could voluntarily enter the program and avoid getting reported to the medical board for being impaired on the job. “We’re really going backwards,” said Michele Monserratt-Ramos, a patient safety advocate at Consumer Watchdog. Monserratt-Ramos said the proposal would bring back a secret diversion program that numerous audits

A man was found shot to death in the Southcrest neighborhood of San Diego, police said Thursday. Shortly before midnight Wednesday, San Diego police received a call about a shooting in the south alley near National Avenue between South 37th Street and South 38th Street, according to a police statement. Officers found a man in the alley suffering from a gunshot wound with bystanders giving aid. Police took over until paramedics arrived, but the man died at the scene, the statement continued. The 46-year-old victim lived nearby, police said. His name has not been released. No suspect description was immediately available. The motive for the shooting was unknown, police said. Anyone with information was asked to call police at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. But her statement — the day after she held a phone call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump — did not make clear who had offered what. “There will be no potential tariff war,” Sheinbaum said flatly when asked about the issue at her daily morning news briefing. On Wednesday, Trump wrote that Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States. She wrote on her social media accounts the same day that “migrants and caravans are taken care of before they reach the border.” But whether that constituted a promise, a pledge or a simple statement of reality remains unclear. In recent years, migrants who have been unable to obtain permission to cross Mexico have joined together in caravans to walk or hitchhike north toward the U.S. border, seeking safety in numbers. In fact, apart from the first caravans in 2018 and 2019 — which were provided buses to ride part of the way north —

NEW YORK (AP) — The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marched, soared and roared into its second century on Thursday despite a drenching rain and a brief disruption from pro-Palestinian demonstrators. New York City police said they arrested 21 people after protesters jumped barricades and sat down on the parade route with Palestinian flags and a “Don’t Celebrate Genocide” banner. They chanted “Free, free Palestine!” as a giant Ronald McDonald balloon bore down on them on Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue. People protesting Israel’s war in Gaza also interrupted last year’s parade. Thanks to the wet weather, ponchos and umbrellas were part of the festivities, along with the usual giant balloons, floats and star-studded performances. The latest edition of the annual holiday tradition featured new Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse balloons, zoo and pasta-themed floats, an ode to Big Apple coffee and bagels, performances from Jennifer Hudson, Idina Menzel and Kylie Minogue, and more. The lineup was a far cry from the parade’s initial incarnation 100 years ago, which featured floats showing scenes from Mother Goose, Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Miss Muffet and the Spider, and other

Above: A Nexstar Media Wire video on violent crime statistics. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A man was fatally shot in Southcrest the night before Thanksgiving, according to San Diego police. The shooting was first reported just before midnight Wednesday in an alley in the 3700 block of National Avenue. When officers arrived on scene, they found bystanders administering aid to a man lying on the ground with at least one gunshot wound, SDPD said. Officers continued lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived. Despite these efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Man killed in stabbing identified Police are not disclosing the name of the victim at this time, although he was described as a 46-year-old who lives near the scene of the shooting. An investigation into the incident by SDPD’s Homicide Detectives remains ongoing. A suspect description has not yet been provided, nor has a motive been determined. According to SDPD, officers are currently working to gather evidence and witness statements to piece together the events preceding the shooting. Authorities ask anyone with information regarding the incident to contact SDPD’s Homicide Unit at

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — As people sit down to feast on delicious food with their loved ones to share in the spirit of Thanksgiving, another universal holiday tradition is about to commence: figuring out what to do with all of the leftovers. Throughout the holidays, big celebratory dinners often end up with more unconsumed food than a typical meal. But with its massive feast being the center of festivities, Thanksgiving is often the biggest food waste culprit of them all. This year, upwards of 316 million pounds of food are anticipated to be tossed into the garbage bin nationwide, food waste nonprofit ReFED says — much of it coming from milk and turkey. This translates to more than $556 million worth of groceries tossed out in a single day. How to avoid Black Friday sale scams: Red flags, tips for safe shopping That excess rings true for San Diego as well: Holiday food scraps and uneaten leftovers account for around a third of the region’s food waste each year, according to I Love a Clean San Diego. Not only can this harm the environment

A father and son who were originally arrested for a fatal stabbing in Grant Hill last week have been released pending further investigation by the District Attorney’s Office, San Diego police said Wednesday. Detectives also identified Wednesday the 36-year-old man who was killed as Moises Duarte ofSan Diego, homicide Lt. Lou Maggi said. Around 4:45 p.m. on Nov. 22, police received multiple reports of a fight occurring near the intersection of 27th Street and L Street, Maggi said. When officers arrived, they found Duarte suffering from at least one stab wound and additional trauma to his head. Duarte died at a hospital, Maggi said. A 37-year-old father and 17-year-old son were arrested at the scene by officers. Investigators said they learned that one of the suspects and Duarte had been in a previous altercation related to vandalism about one month ago at the same location. The fight had been reported to police earlier, but not the vandalism, Maggi said. Investigators said that when the men saw each other last week, the fight continued. During the melee, the suspect’s vehicle was reportedly vandalized with a rock

(Stacker) – The 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will feature 28 clown crews, 26 floats, 16 giant balloons, 11 marching bands, five performance groups, three “baloonicles”—cold-air inflatables driven down the parade route, and numerous performers. The parade in New York City, presented by department store chain Macy’s, was first held in 1924 under the heading “Macy’s Christmas Parade” to promote holiday sales and spotlight the newly expanded and, at the time, largest in the world Herald Square store in Manhattan. The success of the event led organizers to turn the spectacle into an annual tradition. Each year, the parade ends outside the same Herald Square Macy’s location. Stacker curated a selection of photographs from the past century of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to help illustrate the history of the iconic event. Bettmann // Getty Images The event has been televised nationally since 1953 on NBC. The parade at first featured Central Park Zoo animals escorted by Macy’s employees and professional entertainers for 6 miles from 145th Street in north Manhattan’s Harlem to Macy’s. A quarter of a million onlookers lined the streets. Real animals

The tables were ready. In a small chapel in downtown San Diego, one was covered with a white cloth in preparation for Catholic Mass. Out the door and down the sidewalk, folding tables held dispensers of hot cocoa, to be handed out to the hundreds of people who filed toward a room filled with place settings. It was all part of Father Joe’s Villages’ annual Thanksgiving meal Wednesday, one of a number of gatherings this week at shelters around the region. The Rescue Mission hosted a feast Saturday. Interfaith Community Services in North County is preparing another for Thursday. At least 10,000 people are homeless countywide. Nearly 1,270 lost a place to stay — and by extension, a table — for the first time just in October, according to the Regional Task Force on Homelessness. It was the 31st straight month the crisis has grown. At Father Joe’s chapel, Deacon Jim Vargas, the nonprofit’s president and CEO, donned a white robe as a handful of people took seats in wicker chairs. “For those who are seeking shelter or more stable living environments,” Vargas said from