iPhone 5 Could be Unveiled

Thinner, smarter, faster, sharper, better. The new iPhone 5 is expected to have all of the same bragging rights as the iPhone 4 only, of course, with newer, higher standards.

Apple is expected to unveil the new version on Tuesday.

Preliminary reports say the phone is thinner that it's predecessors. It should come with new IOS 5 software which will include things such as wireless device setup and content syncing, email and Web-browsing apps, and it is expected to include the iCloud service.

"I'm curious to see what it's about," says Michael Pardo, an Apple customer. "I would totally buy it."

One of the most notable hardware changes many industry watchers are predicting is the inclusion of a more powerful chip: Apple's dual-core A5 processor, which is the same chip it uses in its current iPad. The iPhone 4 runs on Apple's older A4 chip, and the move to a more capable chip should improve things such as multitasking, opening apps and gaming.

An improved rear camera is anticipated, too. The existing iPhone has a 5-megapixel camera on its rear. A number of recently released smartphones have moved to 8-megapixel cameras.

"I would love it," says Michael Tran, an Apple customer. "I wouldn't mind paying an extra $200 to $300 for it."

In addition to the technology, no small part of the unveiling will be the man making the announcement, Steve Jobs successor Jim Cook.

Cook, formerly Apple's chief operating officer, has been running Apple since January. For years, he has been in charge of Apple's day-to-day operations, and he has long been seen as the natural successor. He also served as Apple's leader for two months in 2004 while Jobs battled cancer and again for five-and-a-half months in 2009 when Jobs received a liver transplant.

Analysts expect that the new phones should be available within a couple weeks of the announcement.

Extra L Train Service to Ease Crowded Brooklyn Rides

The MTA announced plans Monday to add more rush hour and weekend trains to the L line, where ridership has skyrocketed 141 percent over the past decade, far outpacing the service increase of just 52 percent.

It was welcome news to weary regulars of the crowded Brooklyn-Manhattan train, many who didn't have trouble finding colorful ways to describe their rides to NBC New York:

"It's a sweatbox," said Matt Addison of Bushwick. And even that, he said, is nothing compared to mornings at Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn.

"It's like sardines in a can on the train," said Addison. "It's like completely, insanely slammed."

Blythe Caine of Williamsburg said, "You have to kind of squish in, and elbow-to-elbow with people, pushing each other on. I usually get off if it's too crazy."

State Senator Daniel Squadron of Brooklyn, who helped push for new trains, said, "The MTA has been responsive to our call to actually take a soup-to-nut look at the L line, and actually fix it to meet ridership. That's a good sign for the MTA."

An extra train will be added between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on weekdays beginning in December. It wasn't immediately clear how the extra weekend trains would be implemented.

While the MTA maintains the increased service is "just a tweak" in these cash-strapped times, straphangers who will get some new elbow room say it's better than what they're dealing with now: millions across the city already jamming into subways and crowded buses with no relief during their rides.

"I see people literally fighting to get on the train," said Jordana Freydberg. "I see friends who leave 20 minutes early to be on the front line when it comes."

Follow Andrew Siff on Twitter @AndrewSiff4NY

Unbeaten Texas, OU Meet Saturday in Dallas

No. 25 Baylor and Iowa State lost for the first time last week and at least one more of the Big 12's undefeated teams will lose its first game this week as No. 3 Oklahoma and 11th-ranked Texas meet in the Red River Rivalry.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops believes a one-loss team from the Big 12 could still compete for the national title because of league's strength with six teams ranked in the Top 25.

He pointed to LSU winning the title in 2007 with a 12-2 record.

"Absolutely it's possible," Stoops said. "Heck, LSU had two when they won it. Anything's possible if a team just two or three years ago can win it with two losses, then a team with one always has a chance."

Stoops went on to point out that the Big 12 being very competitive is nothing new.

"This league has always been tough, good and had a lot of good players and coaches," he said. "I've always said for a number of years that it's been an excellent league."

The Sooners dropped a place in the poll for the second straight week despite a win after occupying the No. 1 spot earlier in the season. Stoops thinks that had to do with playing Ball State last week while Alabama, which leapfrogged Oklahoma, beat No. 17 Florida.

"I think a lot of that is just other people respecting what other teams have done in difficult situations," he said. "That kind of thing happens. I think a lot of it is just based on who you played so I would imagine this game would mean a lot. It's way too early in the season to get anybody to start lobbying about it. I'm not much on that."

Texas coach Mack Brown says the game against Oklahoma is something coaches and players from both teams cherish.

"It's like a bowl game at midseason and there's really nothing like it," he said. "It will be a spectacle."

Now that Texas A&M's departure from the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference has put the annual game against Texas in jeopardy, Brown was asked if it makes keeping the Red River Rivalry going even more important.

"I'm not really into all the realignment stuff," he said. "I'm a little worn out. What I'm going to do is coach ... and this is a special game and it's one that gets national attention. The two teams are usually good so it usually has conference implications as well as national implications."

The Longhorns are in better shape entering this year's matchup with Oklahoma than they were last season when they lost 34-12 to UCLA the week before.

"We're just in a different place," Brown said. "Last year we were coming off a horrible loss to UCLA where we didn't play very well, we didn't force turnovers and we turned the ball over. We have better chemistry this year. The guys are having fun."

No. 20 Kansas State, No. 6 Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are the league's other undefeated teams.

Kansas State faces Missouri, Oklahoma State plays Kansas and the Red Raiders take on a Texas A&M team coming off two straight losses in games where it had double-digit leads at halftime.

Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville knows his young team has grown this season, but isn't sure just how much. The Red Raiders are coming off a 45-34 comeback win over Kansas.

"We've gotten better, I don't know if we've gotten good enough to compete with a lot of these top teams that we're getting ready to play," he said. "I think our guys have a lot of confidence."

IN THEIR SHOES: Oklahoma State Mike Gundy spent part of his off week as a guest on ESPN's college football telecast. He spent most of Saturday in the studio with ESPN's college crew providing commentary during halftimes and other breaks.

He was ecstatic to have a chance to give the Cowboys extra television exposure, though he missed spending time with his family on a Saturday when his team wasn't playing.

"I couldn't put a number on what that would be worth from our standpoint, marketing for not only the football program, but for Oklahoma State University," he said.

He enjoyed the gig, but don't look for Gundy to try to move into the arena full time when his coaching career is done.

"When I watch them I have a greater respect ... it isn't easy to do what those guys do," he said of the ESPN personalities he worked with. "I don't know that I have a lot of interest in that, but it was a great experience. "

HOW GOOD IS GRIFFIN?: Iowa State defensive coordinator Wally Burnham filled in for coach Paul Rhoads on the weekly Big 12 coaches call on Monday because of a scheduling conflict, and spent most of his time raving about Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

The Cyclones face Baylor this week after losing to the Longhorns last Saturday. The Bears are coming off a one-point loss to Kansas State.

"He's a great, great athlete standing back there," Burnham said. "He's just got great touch. He knows where he wants to go with the ball and he does a good job of getting it there. "

Griffin is off to a great start this season and has thrown for 1,308 yards and 18 touchdowns with an 82.3 percent completion mark. His only interception of the season came last week and set up Kansas State's game-winning field goal.

Burnham said he can't remember the last time he saw a quarterback who could throw the way Griffin does.

"It just looks like he's throwing it to a spot and those wide receivers run to the football," Burnham said. "That's a deadly combination for any defense to have to face. He's got a tremendous arm. We were watching him (on film) and he threw a ball off his back foot 65 yards down the field. That tells you something about what the strength of his arm is."

Baylor coach Art Briles thinks Griffin's success this season is partly because it's the first time he's been able to play in consecutive seasons after he suffered a season-ending knee injury early in 2009.

"This is really the first time he's played back-to-back years," Briles said. "So just being able to be out on a consistent basis is one thing, along with experience. Now he's developed a lot of experience."

General Motors Plant Expansion Under Way

The $300 million expansion at the General Motors plant in Arlington officially got under way with a groundbreaking at the plant Monday.

The new facility, which is already 3.75 million square feet, is adding 130,000 square feet to assembly plant where the next generation of sport utility vehicles will be made.

"It's just vital to Arlington," said Mayor Robert Cluck. "We would do anything to keep them here, and we did do some stuff to keep them here."

The city exempted General Motors from certain taxes and expects to reconcile the uncollected tax revenue with the 100 new jobs the plant expansion creates.

The city hopes the new employees will become residents of Arlington who spend money and pay taxes in the city.

"This $310 million is going to probably be worth 10 times that in the next few years," said Mayor Cluck. "General Motors has been here for 60 years, has produced so many jobs and so much money for people that have small businesses around the area."

General Motors said it plans to stay in the area for several decades to come.

"You look at the photos of what was around this area in 1954 and it was pretty much just a field at that time," said Paul Graham the Arlington GM Assembly plant manager. "Obviously since then the city has grown a lot and obviously General Motors was here."

The plant expansion is expected to take about a year to complete.

Washington Prep Remembers Angela Gettis

George Washington Prep students, parents, and teachers celebrated the life of Angela Gettis, 16, at a school memorial on Monday. It was an emotional affair, with about 250 people in attendance.

By all accounts, Angela Gettis was a vibrant teenager who loved cheerleading. That's exactly what she was doing Friday night, when she was stricken with what doctors say was cardiac arrest.

"It was really a nice service," said Deloysia Rolls, a friend of the victim. "People spoke how they feel. "

Gettis was stricken Friday night, while cheering on her team during a Washington Prep football game at Fremont High School. Paramedics performed CPR on the high school sophomore. She was rushed to the hospital, but three hours later she was pronounced dead.

Grief counselors were on hand to console students on Monday. During the memorial, the Washington Prep community released balloons to express the joy Angela brought them.  Members of the football team signed a jersey and gave it to Angela's family. 

Like most teens, Gettis had dreams of a bright future. Friends say she aspired to study forensic science at a college in Texas.  Family members believe an enlarged heart Angela was diagnosed with as a child may have contributed  to her death. Her passing serves as a lesson to her friends.

"You just have to get it together," lamented Deloysia Rolls. "Life is short. You have to take each day at a time."

Blue Shield Plans to Drop Avastin Coverage

Blue Shield of California has announced that it will drop Avastin as a covered breast cancer drug effective October 17. The move means that many people using the drug to fight breast cancer will have to either stop using Avastin, or pay the approximate $88,000 annual cost themselves.

The move follows an FDA panel hearing in June that concluded Avastin was not useful in many cases. Many patients who use the drug, and doctors who prescribe it, say it can add months to the lives of terminally ill patients.

Crews Get Ready for Stormy Week

Workers and residents in LA County are getting ready for what's expected to be a wet week, which could bring flooding, mudslides or other problems to some areas.

Places like La Cañada Flintridge are vulnerable to mudslides since they are so close to recent burn areas.  That's why temporary concrete barriers are in place, and sandbags line many residential streets.

Officials say there will be three to five more years of anxious winters for hillside residents.  That's how long they think it will take for 250 square miles of land burned in the 2009 Station Fire to completely recover.

Until then, officials say each storm presents both a threat and an opportunity to make sure preventative measures actually work.

"This is a good dress rehearsal for all residents of the county to be aware that the winter season is coming," Bob Spencer of the LA County Department of Public Works said.

LA city crews are also getting ready, just in case a little rain becomes a downpour.  They spent Monday clearing out the city's catch basins.

"We find a lot, mostly trash and some rocks, car parts once in a while," Sergio Paramo of the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works said.

If the debris isn't cleared before it rains, clogged catch basins can quickly turn wet roads into rivers.

"If you don't clean, it floods out the street and there's a lot of damage that could possibly occur," Paramo said.

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State Should Pay for Extra Cops: Mayor

Los Angeles is taking 150 police officers – enough to staff half of a large patrol division – off their regular beats to prepare for an onslaught of state parolees expected under a plan to reduce state prison overcrowding.

 

Under a court order to cut prison rolls by 30,000 inmates, California last week began transferring some low-level offenders to county jails. At the same time, the state is handing off the oversight of parolees to county governments.

But Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck said Monday that he believes many of the parolees will wind up on the streets of Los Angeles – with inadequate support to keep them from committing crimes anew.

 

Beck and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday called on Gov. Jerry Brown to help pay for the 150 officers they say will be necessary to staff gang intervention efforts and other programs aimed at policing the parolees.

"Those 150 officers are going to come right out of the streets of Los Angeles,” Beck said. “So 911 calls will take longer to answer, reports will take longer to write and our system will suffer.”

Local counties will receive funds to oversee the parolees and house the low-level inmates – but cities get little or nothing to help with any issues that spill over onto their turf, the police chief said.

According to state figures, about 6,000 parolees will be released in Los Angeles County in the coming months, and about 7,800 low-level offenders will be transferred from state prisons to county jails here.

 

The Brown administration’s top corrections official, meanwhile, said Villaraigosa was “wrong on the facts” about the program.

"Public safety experts, including the California Police Chiefs Association and California Sheriffs Association, support the law because it’s the only viable plan to comply with the Supreme Court’s inmate reduction order, and it’s fully funded,” said Mathew Cate, head of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Brown Administration spokesman H.D. Palmer said the state will pay $112 million to Los Angeles county for the program. The county is expected to parcel out the money to whatever agencies need it – whether they are affiliated with county or city governments. A police chief from a local city must serve on the commission that distributes the money in each county, Palmer said.

In addition, he said, the city would receive $6.2 million to augment its police services.

 

Woman in NYC Triathlon Died from Heart Arrythmia

The 40-year-old Illinois woman who died after experiencing problems in the swim portion of the Nautica New York City Triathlon had suffered a cardiac arrhythmia.

Amy Martich died in August. The city Medical Examiner's Office said Monday that the arrhythmia was caused by a mitral valve prolapse. That's when a valve in the heart doesn't close properly.

Martich was one of two people who died after having problems in the race. A 64-year-old New Jersey man also died after being pulled unconscious out of the Hudson River.

The deaths were the second and third ones connected to the event in the last three years.

Participants in the yearly race swim about a mile, bike 25 miles and run 6 miles.

Dallas County District Attorney's SUV Recovered

Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins' luxury SUV that was stolen Thursday was apparently recovered about a half mile from his house Friday night.

Police confirmed Monday that the black 2003 Mercedes-Benz G-Class 500 was found at around 6 p.m. Friday, it had a broken mirror and the keys were inside. Police are checking the SUV for fingerprints.

Watkins, who lives on a gated piece of property in DeSoto, said he often leaves his keys inside his rare luxury sport utility vehicle and his garage door open.

DeSoto police said thieves took advantage of that. At about 7:22 p.m. Thursday, they smashed through a gate and drove the SUV right off Watkins' property.

Watkins said neither he nor his wife heard anything because their bedroom is on the opposite side of the house.

Brand-new Mercedes G-wagens cost more than $125,000 now. Watkins has had his vehicle since 2003, when the approximate price was in excess of $82,000.

The Dallas Morning News reported police are reviewing video from a camera installed near Watkins' driveway and checking other homes in the area for any surveillance cameras.

NBC 5's Randy McIlwain contributed to this report.

Dulles Metrorail Project Behind Schedule: Report

The Dulles Metrorail Project is as much as six months behind schedule, despite statements from officials who say it's on time, according to a new report.

The Washington Examiner obtained an audit saying the project’s contractor reported it was 188 days behind schedule.

There have already been several setbacks in the $7 billion project. In July, Dulles transit partners reported it unexpectedly found an underground gas line in the project’s path. It also had problems installing communications systems.

The delay could mean the first phase of the so-called Silver Line would open in June 2014 instead of late 2013.

Intense Talks Persist to Bring Kobe to Italy

Representatives for Kobe Bryant and Italian basketball team Virtus Bologna are “working very intensely” to bring the Los Angeles Lakers star to Italy during the NBA lockout, according to a joint statement released Monday.

“Reaching such a complex deal requires both sides’ maximum attention for every detail,” reads the statement. “Everyone wants a positive outcome to the deal, the goal of which is Kobe Bryant’s presence in Italy, economic interests for the 17 clubs in Serie A and more attention for all of Italian basketball.”

The Associated Press reported last week that Bryant, 33, reached a verbal agreement with Virtus Bologna that included a $3 million contract for 40 days of the Italian league season. However, the agreement is dependent on getting some of Italy’s other clubs to agree to move their schedules – with the aim of ensuring Bologna have five home games during Bryant’s 10-game contract.

The AP also reported that the agreement would allow Bryant to return to LA once NBA play resumed.

Bryant, who lived in Italy with his father between the age of six and 13, referred to Italy as “home,” in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport last week.

“It's where my dream of playing in the NBA started,” he added. “This is where I learned the fundamentals, learned to shoot, to pass and to (move) without the ball.”

The Los Angeles Lakers would have held court with the media Monday before officially beginning training camp. However, labor talks persist in the NBA lockout that has now dragged on for more than three months.

2 Teens Killed by Train in NJ, 3rd Injured

A New Jersey Transit train struck and killed two teenagers and injured a third.

NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett says the three were on a railroad bridge over Route 46 in Wayne when the train came down the tracks at 9:45 p.m. Sunday.

The dead are identified as 16-year-old Alan Mendez of Wayne and 17-year-old Nicholas Sabina of Fairfield.

Bassett Hackett says a 15-year-old from Little Falls was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries after he jumped down an embankment.

The train was headed to a maintenance yard in Kearny and was not carrying passengers.

Bassett Hackett says NJ Transit police are trying to determine why the boys were on the tracks.

She called the accident a tragedy for both the families and the train crew.

Somali Pirates Get Life Sentences for Death of U.S. Citizens

Two Somalis were sentenced to life in prison Monday for acts of piracy that led to the death of four U.S. citizens, including two from Marina del Rey.

Muhidin Salad Omar and Mahdi Jama Mohamed were sentenced Monday in Norfolk federal court for seizing the yacht S/V Quest sailed by Jean and Scott Adam, of Marina del Rey, and Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle.

The four had been participating in an around-the-world race when they were captured in February.

U.S. officials attempted to negotiate with the alleged captors but the situation turned deadly after a rocket-propelled grenade was fired from the Quest at the USS Sterett, a guided-missile destroyer 600 yards away.

U.S. military personnel responded and after a brief gun battle, took control of the yacht. Two pirates were killed and 13 others were captured. 

Military officials discovered all four hostages had been shot and killed by their captors.

“Somali piracy is a scourge on the world stage, and it continues to grow more widespread and more violent,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride.

“Today’s sentencings should serve as yet another example, in the litany that already exists, of what happens to those who pirate our ships and participate in the killing of Americans. Muhidin Salad Omar and Mahdi Jama Mohamed will spend the rest of their lives behind bars, far away from the high seas they terrorized,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk.

Both Omar and Mohamed admitted they participated in the piracy but denied they personally shot victims, according to a statement from the FBI. 

 

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Somali Pirates Get Life Sentences for Death of U.S. Citizens

Two Somalis were sentenced to life in prison Monday for acts of piracy that led to the death of four U.S. citizens, including two from Marina del Rey.

Muhidin Salad Omar and Mahdi Jama Mohamed were sentenced Monday in Norfolk federal court for seizing the yacht S/V Quest sailed by Jean and Scott Adam, of Marina del Rey, and Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle.

The four had been participating an around-the-world race when they were captured in February.

U.S. officials attempted to negotiate with the alleged captors but the situation turned deadly after a rocket-propelled grenade was fired from the Quest at the USS Sterett, a guided-missile destroyer 600 yards away.

U.S. military personnel responded and after a brief gun battle, took control of the yacht. Two pirates were killed and 13 others were captured. 

Military officials discovered all four hostages had been shot and killed by their captors.

“Somali piracy is a scourge on the world stage, and it continues to grow more widespread and more violent,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride.

“Today’s sentencings should serve as yet another example, in the litany that already exists, of what happens to those who pirate our ships and participate in the killing of Americans. Muhidin Salad Omar and Mahdi Jama Mohamed will spend the rest of their lives behind bars, far away from the high seas they terrorized,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk.

Both Omar and Mohamed admitted they participated in the piracy but denied they personally shot victims, according to a statement from the FBI. 

 

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City on Track to Fix Pothole Problem

After years of being too poor to fix its "pothole issues", the city of San Diego is finally getting flush with cash.

But critics say it's not spending that money efficiently enough.

Even the most conservative estimates of San Diego's "deferred maintenance" backlog -- decaying streets, storm drains, buildings and park facilities -- total nearly $3 billion.

It's taking some time to catch up with.

Especially where the rubber meets the road.

Repair crews have fallen way behind schedule, fixing roadways that the city took out $100 million in bonds to upgrade two years ago, while spending 7 million dollars a year in interest payments.

More than half the scheduled work is still undone.

San Diego also could tap a portion of its current $62 million TransNet tax fund account, but doesn't have the necessary "shovel-ready" projects.

"The city has a lot of overlapping departments, a lot of bureaucratic processes, Very poor project management and project planning skill-sets," says Councilman Carl DeMaio.  "And those issues have to be addressed."

Last month, for the benefit of news cameras, DeMaio pitched in on a street-fix project in Rancho Bernardo.

At a news conference an hour later, another mayoral candidate -- Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher -- pointed out a blighted stretch of Pacific Coast Highway, saying it's an economic and "quality of life" issue.

"An analysis ranks San Diego as having one of the highest cost of vehicle repair of any city in the country," Fletcher said in an interview Monday. 

"Over $600 a year, San Diegans are having to spend to repair their own cars," Fletcher added.  "So it not only affects your job, it affects your pocketbook."

City officials say TransNet street-construction funds will be re-directed to ready-to-go repair projects, with future road building allocations backfilling those amounts.

Plans are in the works for another $500 million in borrowing.

But with infrastructure-upgrading work so far behind, it's now about project management as much as money.

"They think they're on the right track in terms of addressing the contracting issues, some of the design issues they had in the first (bond) go-round," says Voice of San Diego.org municipal government specialist Liam Dillon, who'll post the findings of his extensive investigation into the problems Sunday evening on the VoSD site.

"That being said," Dillon cautioned in a Monday interview, "the city auditor believes they're not quite there yet."

Teachers, Students Hope to "Teach Banks a Lesson"

Teachers and students are looking to send a very stern message Monday when they hold a "teach-in" inside of a downtown bank.

Their message is that banks are responsible for the budget crisis that has led to devastating cuts to school programs, according to the group.

Fifty teachers and 100 students are expected to "teach banks a lesson" on how Wall Street has impacted their classrooms, according to a news release.

"The housing crisis in California is estimated to cost taxpayers $4 billion in lost property tax revenue, which has contributed to classroom overcrowding (48th in the nation) and massive school program cuts," according to the group.

The organization is not releasing the name of the targeted bank, until it begins the march, which will launch from the Miguel Contreras Learning Center.

The "teach-in" is part of a bigger week-long series of events sponsored by Refund California.

According to Refund California members, greed and irresponsible practices by banks have destroyed jobs and neighborhoods and they need to take some active responsibility in fixing the situation.

Other events include visiting the home of a prominent Wall Street executive, and holding a march with more than 1,000 homeowners, again marching into a bank lobby.

Paralyzed DUI Suspect Asks Courts for Mercy

Roberto Nitschke's parents believed things couldn’t possibly get worse after a single-car collision left their son paralyzed from the chest down last September.

Roberto, 30, crashed his Jeep into a tree near the intersection of Melrose Dr. and Cannon Rd. in Vista.

He was found unconscious and taken to the hospital, where doctors placed him in a medically induced coma. When Roberto regained consciousness, he couldn't move his legs, and had limited control of his arms. Doctors told him the collision had severed his spinal cord, and his injuries could not be fixed.

Since returning home from the hospital, he has lived his entire life in bed, or in a specially equipped power wheel chair. He suffered a slow-healing bed-sore, has little or no control over his bowels and bladder, and must take narcotics to control nerve pain. The spinal trauma left Roberto's body unable to control its blood pressure, so he passes out if he sits upright for too long.

Yet three days before Christmas, things got even worse for the Nitschke family.

They got a letter in the mail from the District Attorney informing them that Roberto had been charged with driving under the influence. Roberto already had a DUI conviction, and if convicted a second time, he'd be required to serve 96 hours in county jail and complete an 18-month DUI second-offender's program.

Roberto’s family maintains he is not guilty of the alleged DUI. But if convicted, they say he'd never be able to serve the required time in custody or attend the required classes due to his condition. They say Roberto's condition is so fragile, his life would be at risk if he attended his own trial, which is now scheduled for November 1.

"He is already suffering," says Sheryl Nitschke. "How much more suffering does he need?"

Mrs. Nitschke said there is no reason for the district attorney to punish her son, and her entire family, by pursuing the DUI charges. She added that Roberto will never drive again and is not a threat to anyone.

"He is already a prisoner in his own body," she says. "He is not a menace to society."

Roberto’s attorney, Robert Ford, said he met with the prosecutor Monday in an attempt to settle the case. If the two sides can't come to an agreement by November, the DUI case against Robert could go to trial.

Neither defense attorney Ford nor prosecutor Terri Perez would discuss the plea negotiations or the possibility of a pre-trial settlement, but Perez said Roberto, like all drunk driving suspects, should be held accountable for their alleged crime.

“Our concern is public safety,” Perez said. “He has a prior DUI conviction, and we have to balance any concern for his physical limitations with public safety.”

Perez says if Roberto is convicted, it will be up to a judge to decide how Roberto should be punished.

The prosecutor said the judge will likely take Roberto’s condition into consideration, Perez said, and may drop the 96-hour jail requirement on the condition that he won’t drive.

But Roberto's family says this entire process is an exercise in futility, a waste of tax payer money, and a terrible burden for Roberto.

 

If if were up to you, how would you handle Robert’s case? Comment below or send us a Tweetvia Twitter @nbcsandiego or add your comment to our Facebook page.

Bowser to VO: Quit Your “Political Pandering”

Ward 4 Council member Muriel Bowser just sent letter to her colleagues (but mostly to at-large Council member Vincent Orange) asking them not to support any emergency legislation having to do with ethics and good government.

Bowser is holding a committee hearing later this month on the multitude of ethics-related legislation and has promised to introduce a comprehensive ethics package by the end of this year. The hearing is a "critical step" that shouldn't be skipped over, Bowser said.

Orange apparently has other ideas. He's indicated he's going to introduce emergency legislation at tomorrow's council session to set up an ethics "task force" to study the city's ethics laws and recommend changes.

"Now is the time for a serious, deliberate discussion of the nine bills that sit in my committee, not for knee-jerk solutions or political pandering," Bowser said.

Orange couldn't immediately be reached for comment, but Bowser's indirect dig isn't the first time someone's accused him of pandering.

Bowser to VO: Quit Your “Political Pandering” was originally published by Washington City Paper on Oct 3, 2011

Texas Death Row Inmate Loses Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused an appeal from attorneys for a Texas death row inmate who wanted an entire new trial rather than just a court-ordered resentencing hearing after it was disclosed his trial judge and prosecutor in Collin County had a secret affair.

The justices had no comment in the order Monday refusing to review Charles Dean Hood's case. Hood insists he's innocent of the 1989 fatal shootings of a woman and her boyfriend at a home in Plano in suburban Dallas.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered the new sentencing trial. Hood's lawyers contended the law at the time of his 1990 trial required an entire new trial.

The affair was disclosed as Hood's attorneys successfully headed off his scheduled execution three years ago.

Defense Continues Building Insanity Defense in Tysons Corner Granddaughter Slaying Case

Testimony resumed Monday in the trial of a Fairfax County, Va., woman accused of killing her 2-year-old granddaughter in November 2010.

Carmela dela Rosa was mad at her son-in-law when she tossed Angelyn Ogdoc off a skywalk at Tysons Corner Center, prosecutors said. She resented the girl’s father for getting her daughter pregnant out of wedlock and marrying her young, according to the prosecution.

Dela Rosa’s defense maintains she was insane at the time and continued to build that case Monday.

Two Shenandoah National Park rangers carried to the stand pictures of dela Rosa's van lodged in an embankment off Skyline Drive. She reportedly tried to commit suicide there in late September 2010.

"I'm so sorry for all the wrong I’ve done,” read a note found near the crash. “I love you all from the bottom of my heart.”

It was the second apparent suicide attempt in the months before dela Rosa was charged in her granddaughters’ death murder.

Dela Rosa’s friends and longtime psychotherapist testified Monday that she's suffered bouts of depression for a decade but that her teenage daughter's pregnancy, a job loss and financial troubles sent her into a tailspin last year.

The second suicide attempt "told me she continued to be severely depressed and was spiraling down,” therapist Jeanne Marquis said. “She had never displayed this behavior before."

Rare 9-Spotted Ladybug Found on Long Island

The rare nine-spotted ladybug, subject of a nationwide citizen science project launched after it appeared the once-ubiquitous insect had gone extinct, has been found in New York state for the first time in 29 years.

Entomologist John Losey, who heads Cornell University's Lost Ladybug Project, said Monday that a nine-spotted ladybug was found by a project participant at a Long Island organic farm in July.

The bug is New York's official state insect but it hadn't been found there until now, although it has been spotted in other places since the project got under way 12 years ago.

Losey and other Cornell scientists went to the farm and found 20 more, which they're breeding in a lab for research on what caused the near-extinction of the native insect. They're also breeding a separate population from nine-spotted ladybugs found in Oregon and Colorado in 2009.

"I think it's a very important discovery in the sense that it tells us they really do have a good foothold in at least one area in the East," Losey said. Project participants have found nearly 50 nine-spotted specimens over the past decade. Except for one found in 2006 in Arlington, Va., all have been west of the Mississippi, Losey said.

The leading theory about the decline of native ladybugs is that they were somehow displaced by the seven-spotted ladybug, which was introduced from Europe and released as natural pest control to eat aphids on crops. Seven-spotted ladybugs are now common, as are Asian multicolored ladybugs, which were released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the 1970s and '80s to control scale insects on trees.

The nine-spotted ladybug was once one of the most common ladybugs in the United States. But by 1999, extensive surveys by scientists failed to find any live specimens. Cornell researchers launched the Lost Ladybug Project in 2000 to enlist children and adults as citizen scientists to survey the ladybug population.

Participants send photos of ladybugs to the Cornell researchers, who emphasize that they're interested in seeing all kinds of ladybugs, not just the native nine-spotted ones. They're compiling a database of the varieties and distribution of ladybugs across the U.S. and Canada.

Leslie Allee, director of education and outreach for the project, said participants have sent more than 12,000 photos so far.

Breast Cancer Patient: JFK Pat-Down "Humiliating"

A New York breast cancer patient says she was subject to an insulting and humiliating pat-down by a TSA agent at Kennedy Airport last week as she prepared to board a flight to San Francisco.

Lori Dorn, a human resources consultant, recounted the experience on her blog, describing how, last Thursday, Sept. 29, she walked through an imaging scanner at Terminal 4 when a TSA agent asked her to step aside to have her breast examined.

"I explained to the agent that I was a breast cancer patient and had a bilateral mastectomy in April and had tissue expanders put in to make way for reconstruction at a later date," Dorn wrote.

Dorn told the agent she was not comfortable having her breasts touched and explained that she had a card in her wallet that described such expanders and included her doctor's contact information. She asked the agent if she could retrieve the card.

The TSA agent denied the request, and instead called over a female supervisor.

The supervisor told Dorn the exam had to take place and also denied Dorn's request to retrieve her medical card, according to Dorn.

The supervisor added, "And if we dont' clear you, you don't fly," loudly enough for other passengers to hear, said Dorn.

"And they did," said Dorn. "They stared at the bald woman being yelled at by a TSA supervisor."

"I had no choice but to allow an agent to touch my breasts in front of other passengers," continued Dorn.

 

"I understand the need for safety when flying," wrote Dorn, "but there is also a need for those responsible to be compassionate and sensitive to each situation. These agents were neither."

In a statement to NBC New York, TSA said it strives to "treat every passenger with dignity and respect," and admitted Dorn "did not have a positive experience" with her screening.

"The Federal Security Director for JFK personally reached out to the passenger to apologize and learn about her experience to help ensure a smoother checkpoint for passengers in similar circumstances going forward," the TSA said in the statement.

The agency should have allowed Dorn to retrieve her medical card, which in turn should have triggered a "more compassionate response from our officers, such as an offer on our part of private screening," the TSA said.

"As a result of this occurrence, we will be looking at refreshing some training to use this as a learning opportunity," the statement continued.

House Fire Breaks Out in East New York, Brooklyn

All hands are on deck at a house fire in East New York, Brooklyn, where firefighters have just knocked down heavy flames.

The two-and-a-half-story wood frame house on East 46th Street, just south of Church Avenue, appears to still be smoldering, with heavy smoke seen from Chopper 4.

The fire appears to have originated in a second-floor bedroom.

Firefighters are approaching the home from all sides in order to put out the fire, which appeared to break out sometime just after 5:30 p.m.

The site is just slightly west of another breaking news scene, where an off-duty police officer was shot while sitting at a McDonald's drive-thru.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Two-A-Days May Be Changing Forever

A Texas high school football tradition may be changing.

The University Interscholastic League Medical Advisory Committee is considering new regulations on 2-a-day practices.

The Dallas Morning News reports that three changes have been proposed, including one that prohibits 2-a-days on back-to-back days -- unless you're a volleyball player.

Additionally, recovery time between practices on 2-a-days would also be extended from one hour to two and multiple practices cannot occur within the first four days.

The move is obviously designed to protect athletes from heat and heat-related illnesses.

A UIL committee will meet later this month to discuss the proposals.

BRAC Brings Traffic Backups to Fort Belvoir

After the Pentagon base closure plan went into effect, some people were concerned that workers whose jobs moved to Fort Belvoir would cause traffic tie-ups on Interstate 95 and elsewhere. It looks like they were right.

State officials are seeing congestion on I-95 south and Fairfax County Parkway from workers trying to get to the base, WTOP.com reported.

More than 20,000 defense related workers have moved both to the main base and several satellite facilities about 20 miles southwest of Washington.

Among the options being considered are new bus routes along Route 1 from Alexandria to Stafford, Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton said.

Tired Marine Breaks in to UMD Seniors’ Home to Crash on Sofa

The Aiken brothers had an unwelcome surprise when they returned to their College Park, Md., home Sunday morning: Someone was sleeping on their sofa.

When Alan Aiken entered, he noticed a stranger asleep on the sofa and quickly left, concerned that the stranger might have had company. He told his brother Dan, and they called 911. Six Prince George’s County, Md., police officers responded.

The stranger was a Marine stationed downtown. He told police he had been celebrating his birthday weekend in College Park but got tired and lost.

Nothing was taken.

The Aiken brothers, both seniors at the University of Maryland, said they bear no ill will for the suspect.

Fishermen Turn In Suspected Smugglers

A group of fishermen outside Mission Bay turned in a suspicious group of boaters Monday morning. The boaters entered the country illegally, Border Patrol agents said.

Their boat also may have been used to smuggle, according to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard.

At about 6:30 a.m., seven boaters in a disabled 21-foot Mexican-registered boat approached the fishermen, offering them money to tow their boat into the bay. The mariners said the passengers of the boat looked “disoriented.”

The fishermen were suspicious of the boat, and called the Coast Guard to report the incident. After towing the boat to the bay and taking the Mexican nationals into custody, the U.S. Border Patrol determined that the individuals entered the country illegally.

“This is a good example of local mariners reporting something that seemed out of place that resulted in the disruption of a smuggling attempt,” said Lt. Bill Burwell, Coast Guard Sector San Diego public affairs officer in the statement.

 

Woman Escapes Two Men While Walking Dog

Police in Fairfax County, Va., are looking for two men they say tried to abduct a woman while she was walking her dog. 

A 21-year-old woman was walking her dog in the 10700 block of Scott Drive in Fairfax about 4:30 a.m. Friday when two men approached her, tried to engage her in conversation and then grabbed her clothes as she tried to run away, police said.

Police searched the area but were unable to find the two men.

The woman was not hurt in the incident.

Anyone with information should contact Fairfax County police.

Group Keeps Watch on Domestic Abuse Cases in Montgomery County

In Montgomery County, Md., 25 people have volunteered to monitor cases in District Court in which victims ask a judge for a protective order restraining an abusive spouse or acquaintance from approaching the victim or threatening violence.

In the past six months, Court Watch Montgomery has monitored 642 cases.

“I’m a former law professor recently retired and I'm a lawyer and I've been in courtrooms where judges have their own little fiefdom, and in domestic violence cases, women are victims and they come in again and they’re victimized by some judges,” Court Watch Montgomery volunteer Joyce Batipps said.

Most judges do a good job, volunteers say, but four judges were impatient or rude.

“Judges are sometimes insensitive to women,” Court Watch Montgomery Executive Director Laurie Duker said. “They do a lot of things right, and we're more focused on fixing the system than talking about specific judges.”

Sixteen percent of the women seeking protection don’t speak English and can’t follow what's going on in court, according to Court Watch Montgomery’s report. So the group is asking that a short video be prepared in English and Spanish to help victims understand the process of seeking a protective order.

“We are recommending that it be in Spanish because we have a high percentage of domestic abuse victims that are only Spanish speakers,” said Enid Gonzalez, of advocacy group Casa de Maryland.

Court Watch Montgomery is trying to reduce obstacles to legal protection and hold offenders responsible. In 2006 Mark Castillo, of Rockville, Md., drowned his three young children in a Baltimore hotel room after his wife, Amy, fought a losing struggle in court to limit his contact with them, fearing he would try to hurt her by killing the children.

Court Watch Montgomery is making suggestions to reduce violence, like keeping victims and abusers separated in court and afterwards by staggering the times they can leave, asking judges to require abusers to surrender firearms and to make it clear that it is a crime to violate a protective order. Some judges have already started using the suggestions.

San Diego Highway Shootings Prompt Roadway Closure

Four reports of gunfire Monday on San Diego freeways prompted a road closure and search.

The San Diego Police Department and California Highway Patrol are searching for two suspects driving white Chevy Malibu with license plate No. 5POM917. The subjects fired shots at other motorists late Monday morning, according to authorities.

Two shootings occurred on the northbound 805 Freeway. A third shooting was reported near the northbound 805 Freeway and northbound State Route 163, and the fourth shooting was on the northbound 5 Freeway at Del Mar Heights, according to NBC San Diego.

"There was one victim who was transported to Sharp Hospital with what was believed to be a gunshot wound," said San Diego Fire Rescue spokesperson Maurice Luque.

Luque did not have details regarding the shooting.

The suspects were last seen in Carmel Valley on the northbound 5 Freeway.

The California Highway Patrol closed the 805 Freeway between the 8 Freeway and Mesa College Drive. On- and off-ramps were closed in the area to allow investigators to conduct a search for evidence related to the shootings, a CHP spokesman said.

It is unclear how long the closure will last.

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Off-Duty Police Officer Shot in East New York

Police say an off-duty NYPD officer was shot in East New York Monday afternoon.

The officer has been taken to a hospital. She was reportedly shot in the arm at a McDonald's parking lot in the area of Ashford Street and Linden Boulevard.

Sources tell NBC New York she was caught in crossfire.

Stay with NBC New York for updates on this developing story.

Dominion Responded Appropriately at North Anna Nuclear Plant After Quake: NRC

Dominion responded appropriately after the Aug. 23 earthquake shut down its two nuclear reactors at North Anna Power Station, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The plant sustained no significant damage despite ground movement exceeding levels the plant was designed to sustain, NRC officials said at meeting at the plant in Mineral, Va., Monday afternoon.

Functions of safety systems were maintained but there were some equipment issues, officials said.

An NRC inspection team spent three weeks at the plant after the 5.8-magnitude earthquake.

Seismic vibrations caused the reactors to shut down. The power station is about 11 miles from the quake's epicenter and has been shut down since it occurred.

Occupy LA Makes Next Move at Murray Trial

Activists in downtown Los Angeles have staked out in front of the U.S. District Courthouse on Monday morning to join “the media circus” associated with the Dr. Conrad Murray trial and attract more attention to their fight against corporate greed, according to the group’s website.

A march is planned for 5 p.m. Monday evening to pay tribute to the throngs of protestors who were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend in New York. Occupy LA is working in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement to make a stand for “democracy, not corporatocracy,” according to the group’s Twitter feed.

On Monday morning, activists moved their camp from the sidewalks on Spring Street outside City Hall to the Temple St. side of the building to accommodate a film crew. 

"It’s been a very peaceful demonstration," Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Mitzi Fierro said. "They’re out there exercising their First Amendment right, so we’re going to allow them to continue to do so as long as it doesn’t become an unlawful assembly."

Protestors began their occupation on Saturday morning. About 400 protestors marched from Pershing Square to City Hall, where their ranks reached an estimated 2,000 supporters, according to the blog L.A. Activist.

Activists slept on the sidewalks Sunday night following a police mandate that they could not camp out on the government building’s lawn.

Occupy LA provides updates on its website and on its Facebook page and Twitter feed.

As of 11:45 AM, #occupy is the top trending topic in Los Angeles.

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Four Highway Shootings Reported in San Diego

Four separate highway shootings were reported within 20 minutes on San Diego County highways and officials have launched a search for a suspect vehicle with two suspects and a semi-automatic gun last seen driving northbound on I-5 in the Carmel Valley area.

A driver riding along the Northbound I-805 near Mesa College Drive reports shots were fired at their car late Monday morning. Officers investigating the scene will close the NB I-805 from I-8 to the SR-163 for one hour, starting at 12:45 p.m., while officers investigate the scene.

The call came in to officers at 10:44 a.m. from the driver of a Hyundai Accent.

The driver of the vehicle was shot in the leg and was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital for treatment.

The second vehicle, a black four-door Volvo sedan, was shot just south on Plaza Ave. on the Northbound 805. The driver, Marcus Eagles, 37, of Paradise Valley, said a passing car pulled up to him and fired once at his car. He pulled over near Plaza and I-805 in National City to alert police.

The man had just dropped off his young daughter when he says a man pulled up alongside him.

"I was just driving, I heard a loud pop," the driver said. "I saw a guy with a gun and that was about it."

Eagles is ex-Navy and says his military experience probably helped him remain calm under pressure.

"I'm ok, but I am still shook up about it," Eagles said.

The bullet entered the rear driver's side door and hit luggage sitting in the man's backseat, close to where his daughter was previously sitting.

The National City shooting could be the first incident in the shooting spree, according to the National City police.

This shooting could be the first incident in the shooting spree, according to the National City police.

Officers also reported the suspects shot at a California Highway Patrol vehicle near NB I-805 and the NB SR-163.

A fourth shooting occurred on the NB I-5 at Del Mar Heights, where the suspects shot at a passing ambulance.

Only one was hurt during the alleged shooting spree officers said.

Police said witnesses reported seeing two men with a semi-automatic handgun driving a white 2005 or 2006 Chevy Malibu with California license plate 5POM917.

The suspects were last seen driving north near the I-5 and Del Mar Heights Rd. Police say the man is considered armed and dangerous. If anyone sees the vehicle they are urged to dial 911 immediately.

The Mesa College off-ramp off the I-805 will remain closed indefinitely.

Officers say the spree may be related to a hit and run that occurred on San Ysidro Boulevard in the South Bay early Monday.

Police say they first received a call around 10:22 a.m. about a Chevy Malibu that hit a gate on San Ysidro Blvd. and fled the scene of the accident. Police believe this could be the first sighting of the suspect's vehicle.

This would be the second time in seven months that San Diego motorists driving along the freeway were targeted by a shooter.

On April 5, two motorists were shot at while driving on the southbound 163 freeway near Kearny Mesa. One University of San Diego student was shot in the abdomen through her vehicle.

The other driver’s vehicle was also struck, but the man was not harmed. Stephen Dragasits, 58, was accused of the shooting.

Two Towns Accused of Stealing Cook County Taxes

Cook County officials have filed a lawsuit against Kankakee and Channahon, claiming the two towns are willing participants in a scheme to divert sales tax.

The 12-count complaint, announced Monday by County President Toni Preckwinkle and State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, claims that businesses with warehouses in Cook County were urged to set up "virtually empty" offices in those two towns to make it appear the transactions are taking place in the lower-tax areas.

"What that means is that we don't get our fair share of sales taxes, even though we cover the cost of services and infrastructure that support these businesses," Preckwinkle said.

The two towns are accused of offering 85 percent kickbacks on the sales tax revenue.

"Even after paying these significant kickbacks, the towns have still generated millions of dollars in revenues because of the lower tax rate," Alvarez said.

The City of Chicago and the Regional Transportation Authority have also filed similar lawsuits against Kankakee and Channahon.

"We are looking to the courts to grant us remedies that are afforded under the law and that they pay their fair share going forward," Preckwinkle said.

New Circulator Bus Debuts in SE DC

A new Circulator bus route started Monday, Oct. 3, 2011.

The low-fare buses are now running between the Potomac Avenue Metro Station to Skyland in Southeast Washington.

Buses run every 10 minutes from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and will stop at the following locations:

Potomac Avenue Metro Station to Skyland direction:

• Potomac Avenue Metrorail Station

• Pennsylvania Ave & E St SE

• 8th St & D St SE

• 8th St & G St SE

• 8th St & L St SE

• Anacostia Metro Station

• Martin Luther King Jr. Ave and W St SE

• 1225 Good Hope Rd

• Good Hope Rd & 14th St SE

• Good Hope Rd & 18th St SE (Anacostia Library)

• Good Hope Rd & 25th St SE

• Alabama Ave & 30th St SE

Skyland to Potomac Avenue Metro Station direction:

 

• Naylor Road & Good Hope Road SE

• Good Hope Rd & 25th St SE

• Good Hope Rd & 18th St SE (Anacostia Library)

• Good Hope Rd & 14th St SE

• Martin Luther King Jr. Ave and W St SE

• Anacostia Metro Station

• 8th St & L St SE

• 8th St & G St SE

• 8th St & E St SE

• Pennsylvania Ave & 12th St SE

• Potomac Avenue Metrorail Station

Meanwhile, another Circulator bus route has been canceled. Because of low ridership, the Convention Center-SW Waterfront route was suspended on September 25. A new Metrobus (Route 74) is now serving that corridor.

There are also changes in stops along the Georgetown-Union Station route and the Union Station-Navy Yard route.

Click here for a breakdown.

Electronic Tickets to Speed Up Traffic Stops

Police in some parts of Cook County will begin issuing tickets in a new way.

The Cook County Clerk's Office said it will begin testing the "Quick Ticket" system as a pilot program in four municipalities starting Monday. The new electronic tickets are meant to expedite routine traffic stops and cut costs by more than $190,000 as the handling and processing of traffic citations will be entirely electronic.

As part of the new eTickets system, officers will input offender information into a squad car computer that sends the ticket directly to the Cook County Court's main server as well as local, state and national databases. 

Meanwhile, a printer in the squad car will produce a slip for the motorist, relieving the officer of actually writing out the ticket.

"It's going to help police officers not have to be at a traffic stop for a long time," Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown said Monday at a live demonstration of the new technology. "It's going to cut down on traffic stops from about 12 minutes to 3 minutes, increase public safety and reduce redundant data entry."

Brown said the County Clerk's Office plans to expand the program to 16 additional agencies by the end of 2011.

"This system will effectively automate the creation, capture, transmission, and storage of a traffic-stop citation, from the squad car directly to the Clerk of the Circuit Court," said county officials in a statement.

AMR Stock Plunges on Renewed Bankruptcy Fears

The stock price of American Airlines parent company AMR Corp. is down 35 percent on concerns that the company could be headed for bankruptcy protection.

The stock was off $1.04, to $1.92 per share. Shares have not closed below $2 since 2003. A major airline trade group says the industry may be headed for a downturn. Many analysts say that American Airlines is in the most vulnerable financial position of major U.S. carriers.

American is paying higher labor and financing costs than other major carriers. It's also the only major airline to lose money this year.

American Airlines is the only major airline that has not filed for bankruptcy protection in the last decade.

Emanuel Cuts 400 City Management Jobs

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Monday he has eliminated 400 senior and middle management positions throughout city government to bring the budget $25 million closer to being balanced.

That makes 510 total positions cut from the city's payroll, Emanuel said, and he's not stopping there. More government cuts are on the way next Wednesday, he said.

“My administration is committed to eliminating waste and bureaucracy throughout city government so we can invest in efficient and streamlined services to better serve the taxpayers,” said Emanuel in a statement.

Approximately 100 positions were cut, along with 300 vacancies. The savings will be reflected in the 2012 budget, to be presented to the city council on Oct. 12.

Emanuel told reporters every department head was asked, "Do you need the people you have?" The 510 jobs are gone, he said, "not to return." More than $34 million was saved as a result, he said. 

“Every investment is about making the City better and more efficient for the people who pay the bills—the taxpayers,” he said in a statement.

Governor Signs Bill Blocking Bans on Circumcision

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that that will prevent local governments from banning male circumcision.

The governor's office announced Sunday that Brown had approved AB768, a bill written in response to a ballot measure proposed in San Francisco.

Backers of the ban had collected more than 7,700 signatures to put a measure on the November ballot in San Francisco to outlaw the circumcision of most male children.

The measure was later blocked by a judge.

Advocates of the ban had argued that circumcision is an unnecessary surgery that can lead to sexual and health problems later in life.

Those against the ban had said it is an important religious practice for many Jews and Muslims, and that it can reduce the risk of cancer and sexually transmitted diseases.

Social Security Administration on Lockdown After Shooting

The Social Security Administration campus is on lockdown after an employee was shot nearby.

Baltimore police told the AP that the shooting was part of robbery that took place around 11:45 a.m. on Monday on Walden Circle, near the SSA campus.  Authorities put the SSA's campus on lockdown because the shooter entered a wooded area close to the campus and has not been found.

The male shooting victim was being transported to Sinai Hospital of Baltimore with non-life-threatening injuries.

Almost 11,000 people work at the complex.

Check back for more updates as they become available.

One of Nation’s Top Police Dogs Works in NoVA

Prince William County Police Officer William VanAntwerp and his canine partner Hawkeye competed in a nationwide police dog competition last month and brought home a 4th place win.

VanAntwerp and Hawkeye traveled to the United States Police Canine Association’s (USPCA) Police Dog 1 (PD1) National Trials in Detroit Lakes, MN.  The national trials Sept. 18-23 drew the top police K-9 teams from across the U.S. and Canada. 85 teams competed in six events: obedience, suspect search, article search, agility, criminal apprehension, and criminal apprehension with gunfire.

VanAntwerp and Hawkeye placed 4th in obedience. “Their performance at the national trials, and throughout the year, is a fine reflection of the high standards we have for our K-9 Unit,” said Police Chief Charlie T. Deane.

Groupon Watch: Lower (Assumed) IPO Valuation

Talking up your valuation gets you a smaller IPO, as Groupon’s IPO may drop to $3-$5 billion, according to analysts. But no one can deny the success of the three-year-old company.

Groupon is rebranding itself in India, and there are still some who speculate on the value of using Groupons as a business owner. Aren’t we over this already?

Also, need to evaluate your golf swing? Check out today’s deal.

Read more:

• Boasting gets you a smaller IPO. (BusinessWeek) 

• No matter what happens, Groupon’s still an enormous success. (ClickZ) 

• Rebranding in India. (Times of India) 

• Coupon sites not always a good deal for merchants. (New York Times) 

• Today’s Deal: $59 for 60-Minute Golf-Swing Evaluation ($165 Value)

 

Star-Telegram Moves to New HQ

For the first time in 90 years, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a new headquarters.

Fort Worth energy magnate and Texas Rangers co-chairman Bob Simpson takes over the downtown building that had served as the newspaper's home from 1921.

Sampson has been praised for buying and restoring several historic buildings in downtown Fort Worth.

Meanwhile, the newspaper moved its newsroom and offices over the weekend from the home built by founder Amon G. Carter to five floors of the former Commerce Building down the street. Ironically, the newly renamed 19-story Star-Telegram Building is across the street from the site of the newspaper's original headquarters replaced by the 1921 building.

The newspaper's presses had been moved to the southern part of the city in the 1980s.

San Diegans May Have Been Exposed to TB

County health officials are warning the public they may have been exposed to tuberculosis between June 1, 2011 to September 14, 2011.

A person recently diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) regularly rode the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) bus route 860 6:35 a.m. express bus from the Carmel Mountain Ranch area to Pacific Highway and Grape St. The same individual then rode the 4:10 p.m. express (route 860) back to the North County area, during the specific time period. Officials say anyone who rode on this route between June and September could potentially be exposed to the disease.

“Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss,” says Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County Public Health Officer. “Most people who are exposed to TB do not develop the disease, but when it does occur, it can be treated and cured with medication. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent the spread of TB to others. These are all reasons why it’s important to identify those who have been exposed.”

If you feel you may have been exposed, the County encourages you to call your physician. Individuals without medical insurance may contact the County TB Control Program at (619) 692-8621.

County officials say 179 cases of TB were reported in 2011.

Grizzly Bears and Teddy Bears from the Bears Three-Phase Win Over the Panthers

The Bears won over the Carolina Panthers Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, and along the team broke a record and  discovered a running game. Unfortunately they lost defensive swagger. Who stood out in the 34-29 win?

Grizzly Bears -- the players who turned the Panthers into little kittens:

Devin Hester -- When Hester is focused and has his mind in the game, he is the greatest return man of all time. He came one Olinda Mare tackle (and a missed block from Chris Conte) from having two return touchdowns, but that doesn't matter. He broke the record for punt return TDs, and showed that he needs just one hole, one block to get to the end zone. He took advantage of the poorly punted ball to give the Bears an edge. The scariest part for other teams? Hester is just 29, and believes that he is still improving.

Matt Forte -- Any running back dreams of being mentioned along side such greats as Walter Payton and Gale Sayers, and Forte earned that by becoming the only other Bear to have a 200-plus rushing yards game. In just his fourth season, he is creeping into the Bears record books. Don't you think it's time the Bears pay the man?

D.J. Moore -- It may seem like luck, but Moore's second pick-six in as many seasons with the Bears was a product of being in correct position and staying aware. If Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs get near a ball, Moore knows that he has a good chance of getting his hands on it.



Offensive line -- No, seriously. Stop laughing. The Bears O-line allowed just one sack, and created holes for Forte's best career rushing day. The Bears created 317 yards of total offense. That doesn't happen with a crappy O-line.

Teddy Bears -- the players who were clawed by the Panthers:

The defense -- Oh, defense. I wanted to single out a few players, but there were so many problems that it was too hard. Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije leaving Cam Newton untouched. Brandon Merriweather and Tim Jennings leaving Steve Smith -- someone who is known to murder the Bears -- uncovered for a 53-yard catch. Charles Tillman for celebrating as if he had blocked a field goal when it was actually Peppers who got his hand on the ball.

They did do some things right, like Moore's pick-six, but the defense let the Panthers accrue 543 yards, the most yardage allowed by a Bears team since Jane Byrne was in office. The defense is just off, and they need to figure out what's wrong and fix it quickly.