Cooper to IR; Chargers Add Hayes

The San Diego Chargers will place inside linebacker Stephen Cooper on season-ending injured reserve Wednesday with a torn biceps after signing Gerald Hayes to a one-year contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Cooper, 32, was injured in an Aug. 21 exhibition game. Coach Norv Turner originally said Cooper would have surgery, but they gave the veteran a chance to play through the injury behind a new-look inside linebacker unit.

He had an assisted tackle on 11 defensive snaps.

"I don't think Stephen's arm was going to get any better," coach Norv Turner said, "and it did limit him in some of the things he's trying to do."

The move was also about timing. The Chargers (4-1) have their bye this weekend, giving Hayes an added week to get acclimated to the team.

Hayes, who spent his first eight seasons in Arizona, said he'd been dividing his time as a free agent between Arizona and New Jersey.

He reunites with outside linebacker Travis LaBoy, a teammate on the Cardinals' 2008-2009 Super Bowl roster.

"Playing with LaBoy, it was fun at Arizona," Hayes said. "He's an exciting player to play with and a good guy in general. I knew Shaun (Phillips) and Takeo (Spikes) beforehand. I'm excited. I'm excited to start a new chapter ... It's a veteran team. I think I fit right in."

Cancer-Stricken Inmate Denied Early Release

A Riverside Superior Court Judge on Tuesday denied the release of an inmate who is suffering from brain cancer.

Patricia Wright is serving life in prison after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in the 1981 death of her estranged husband.

A few years later, Wright was charged with two felonies for the theft of two 99-cent toys, even though the toys were actually taken by her 7-year-old son.

Wright’s family attempted Tuesday to get the theft charges dropped to misdemeanors, which would’ve enabled her to be released on probation.  Clemency cannot be granted for felons with three felony strikes.

Wright is currently being held at the California State Woman’s Facility at Chowchilla.

 

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Perry, Republicans to Pile Up on Romney at Debate

Mitt Romney’s Republican rivals, including Gov. Rick Perry, descended this week on what is essentially his home turf and they are ready to challenge the former Massachusetts governor on the economy, his central campaign theme, in a Tuesday night debate focused on that issue.

"Even the richest man can't buy back his past," Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign said in a web video that describes Romney as the inspiration for President Barack Obama's national health care overhaul that conservatives detest and questions Romney's assertion that he is a "conservative businessman."

Tuesday's debate was designed to be on the economy -- voters' top concern in a nation that recorded 9.1 percent unemployment last month -- but there was scant chance Romney would be able to dodge questions about his record.

Perhaps mindful of that, Romney referenced Perry's web video at a campaign event Monday.

"For some people in campaigns their process is one of obfuscation and bewilderment," Romney said while visiting a VFW hall. "You're going to find in a campaign like this people running against me who will take what I said and try to say something else. There's an ad out there today that does that."

Perry has tried to pitch himself as an alternative to Romney, who signed into law a health care mandate as Massachusetts governor that conservatives loathe.

However, he stumbled in his early attempt: Perry flubbed a practiced criticism during his last debate.

Yet, his rivals note, Romney hasn't faced steady nasty attacks here on television. His chief opponent four years ago, Sen. John McCain, didn't have the campaign cash to buy the commercials.

That is not the case now.

Perry is sitting on $15 million and his campaign signaled their anti-Romney ads were almost certain to start soon.

The Bloomberg/Washington Post Republican Presidential Debate in Hanover, N.H., starts at 7 p.m. North Texas time and can be seen and heard on Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio, Bloomberg.com as well as PostPolitics.com.

Also participating in the debate; Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann , businessman Herman Cain, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

The official hashtag for the debate on Twitter is #econdebate.    

For the latest on Rick Perry's run for the White House, click here to see our special Tracking Rick Perry section. View videos, photos, and stories on the Texas governor's presidential run.

Dallas Yanks Occupy Dallas Agreement

Occupy Dallas no longer has an agreement with the city of Dallas to stay in Pioneer Plaza, but the group is vowing to continue its demonstrations.

The group, which was inspired by a series of national protests over the state of the economy, has occupied the park since Thursday.

Occupy Dallas had a special permit from the city to stay in Pioneer Plaza overnight provided the group acquired $1 million in liability insurance by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

But the city said in a statement Tuesday night that its agreement with Occupy Dallas is "no longer applicable" because the group did not obtain standard insurance coverage.

"I have spent half of the day trying to find an insurance company that will write an insurance policy for something like this, and guess what? There isn't any, so this business of asking for a million dollars worth of insurance is asking for something that's an impossibility to comply with -- simple as that," Occupy Dallas attorney Cameron Gray said.

The city said police would begin enforcing local laws, such as park curfews and prohibitions against sleeping in public, as early as Tuesday night.

Similar demonstrations have been held in cities across the country. Dallas is said to be the only city where there have not been any arrests.

Hundreds of protesters remained in downtown Dallas as of late Tuesday night.

Attorneys for Occupy Dallas directed demonstrators to areas where they could set up camp without fear of being arrested and advised them to keep their voices down after 10 p.m.

"I've talked with the city and the police, and there is a certain area -- and I have a map -- where they can stay here legally without a permit, without fear of going to jail," Gray said.

Gray said the group plans to file a federal injunction on Wednesday that would allow the demonstrators to remain indefinitely.

"We will be trying to structure a court order that will allow people to stay here and exercise their constitutional rights without fear of arrest," he said.

The Occupy Dallas group protested the permit process outside of City Hall on Tuesday morning, saying demonstrating is a right, not a privilege.

The permit the city later revoked was different from a special events permit because the protest isn't an event. Because the demonstration takes place on city property, it needs a special permit.

Occupy Dallas organizers originally applied for the permit in order to get portable bathrooms on site.

"We don't like having to send them to public restrooms at two, three in the morning, walking around downtown Dallas by themselves," organizer Michael Prestonise said.

About 100 to 200 people are staying at the park. There are tents set up for day care, food and medicine.

The agreement the city revoked on Tuesday would have allowed the demonstrators to be in the plaza until Friday.

Occupy Dallas said earlier Tuesday that it would consider filing an injunction against the city if it was not allowed to stay past this week.

Perry Refuses to Disavow Pastor Who Called Mormonism a Cult

Mitt Romney has a new message for those who attack his Mormon religion: Back off.

The Republican presidential candidate delivered it to Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday.

Romney challenged his chief rival to reject the endorsement of an evangelical pastor who claimed the former Massachusetts governor isn't a Christian and belongs to a cult because he is Mormon.

"I would call upon Gov. Perry to repudiate the sentiment and the remarks made by that pastor," Romney said at a news conference in Lebanon, N.H., hours before a GOP presidential debate.

Perry, through a spokesman, refused to disavow the pastor, Robert Jeffress, who heads a 10,000-strong Baptist congregation in Dallas.

Romney's challenge on a highly charged, emotional issue raises the specter of religious bigotry and brings into sharper focus the difficulty Romney faces in appealing to evangelical Christians, a bed rock of Republican support.

"Gov. Perry selected an individual to introduce him who then used religion as a basis for which he said he would endorse Gov. Perry and a reason to not support me, and Gov. Perry then said that introduction was just hit out of the park," Romney told supporters gathered at an event announcing an endorsement from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. "I just don't believe that that kind of divisiveness based on religion has a place in this country."

Jeffress endorsed and introduced Perry on Friday ahead of a Washington speech. Jeffress contrasted Perry's religion with Romney's in his introduction, though he didn't mention Romney by name. When Perry took the stage, he said Jeffress "hit it out of the park."

Later, in comments to reporters, Jeffress went much further.

"Rick Perry's a Christian. He's an evangelical Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ," Jeffress said. "Mitt Romney's a good moral person, but he's not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity."

Some evangelical Christians believe Mormons are outside Christianity because they don't believe in the concept of a unified Trinity and because they rely on holy texts in addition to the Bible. For conservative Protestants, the Bible alone is the authoritative word of God and the innovations of Mormon teaching are heresy.

Perry was asked Friday evening if he believes Mormonism is a cult. He responded: "No."

"I don't think the Mormon Church is a cult," Perry told the Des Moines Register. "People who endorse me or people who work for me, I respect their endorsement and their work, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I endorse all of their statements."

A day after Jeffress' comments, Romney took the stage at the same Washington conference, where he called on the gathered religious and social conservatives to unite behind the Republican who can best fix the economy.

"The blessings of faith carry the responsibility of civil and respectful debate. The task before us is to focus on the conservative beliefs and the values that unite us," Romney said. He also said that a previous speaker, Bill Bennett -- who had stood and told Jeffress, "do not give voice to bigotry" -- was "hitting it out of the park."

Even that veiled allusion to his religion went much further than Romney was willing to go during his first campaign for the GOP nomination four years ago.

He spent almost a year refusing to acknowledge that his faith was a problem for some evangelical voters in key early states like Iowa and South Carolina. In December 2007, less than a month before voting began, he made a major speech about faith and its role in public life.

This time, Romney is on the offense -- and is making abundantly clear that he views attacks on his faith as unacceptable. And while Perry didn't make the remarks himself, accepting an endorsement from a controversial religious leader was enormously problematic for President Barack Obama. Obama was eventually forced to disavow the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his longtime pastor, after Wright made racially charged remarks.

But Perry isn't backing down.

Perry spokesman Mark Miner told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Perry would not disavow Jeffress.

"The governor does not agree with every single issue of people that endorsed him or people that he meets," Miner said. "This political rhetoric from Gov. Romney isn't going to create one new job or help the economy. He's playing a game of deflection and the people of this country know this."

Perry hasn't made extended personal comments on the subject. While he said he doesn't think Mormonism is a cult, he hasn't directly said whether he believes Romney is Christian.

"Mitt Romney says he believes in Christ," Miner said when asked if the Texas governor believes Romney is Christian.

Perry isn't the only 2012 candidate to tread carefully on that question -- a reality that underscores how sensitive the subject is with many evangelical Christian voters. Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann, a born-again Christian, and businessman Herman Cain, appearing on news shows Sunday, both refused to directly answer questions about Romney's religion.

"He's a Mormon, that much I know," Cain said. "I am not going to do an analysis of Mormonism versus Christianity for the sake of answering that."

And in the debate Tuesday night, the race's other Mormon -- former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman -- joked that he wouldn't talk about religion, either.

"Since this discussion is all about economics, Gov. Romney, I promise this won't be about religion," Huntsman said when he had the chance to ask a question. "Sorry about that, Rick."

For the latest on Rick Perry's run for the White House, click here to see our special Tracking Rick Perry section. View videos, photos, and stories on the Texas governor's presidential run.

Dog Owner Raises Concerns Over Care at Fort Worth Shelter

A Fort Worth pet owner said her lost dog returned home sick and emaciated after spending nearly a month at the city's animal shelter.

Julie Tollemache's 14-year-old dog, Emmy, spent nearly a month in the Fort Worth Animal Control Shelter because the shelter couldn't find any data on her microchip. It took more than a week before it was able to find out where the microchip was sold. It then took three attempts before an Austin veterinarian clinic was able to identify Tollemache as the owner, Code Compliance said.

Pets with microchips can be legally adopted after they spend seven days in the shelter without being claimed, but shelter staff believed someone was looking for her.

"They felt like there was an owner out there looking for this animal, and I'm glad we were able to reunite them," said Brandon Bennett, director of Code Compliance, which oversees Animal Care and Control.

Animals without microchips can be adopted after 72 hours at the shelter.

Tollemache said she doesn't understand why no information was available or why it took so long.

She also said she is concerned that the shelter didn't make a greater effort to take care of Emmy. Her dog has always been thin, but not to where you could see her ribs, Tollemache said.

"When you see that a dog is starving -- and it's not deniable that she's in a bad state -- when you see that a dog is starving, what's the next step?" she said.

Bennett said the shelter fed Emmy regularly but admits most dogs lose weight at the shelter because of the stress of the environment.

"It's definitely a place we don't want to keep animals for a long time, because we know the stress that they go through," he said.

The shelter houses at least 400 dogs per day and sees thousands of dogs each year.

Bennett said the shelter would ideally like to get dogs back to their owners or into loving homes with 72 hours but were able to hold Emmy longer because there was some room.

The department's adoption program recently has been so successful that it has occasionally freed up space at the shelter in south Fort Worth.

Tollemache said she wants the shelter to improve medical care and pay more attention to animals that may need extra help or care.

"Take some more proactive measures," she said.

Bennett said that the department will begin fundraising at the start of next year to help build a $1 million medical unit and long-term facility to help nurse sick animals back to health so that they can be adopted.

"It will allow us to take dogs like this one (Emmy) and hold them for a little longer time and not go through the same stress that this one went through in general population," he said.

The shelter says pet owners whose animals have a microchip shouldn't relay on it to lead shelter staff to them if their pet is lost. Shelter staff say pet owners should always visit the shelter because there are so many dogs that staffers may not know every dog's description.

State Offers 50% Off Traffic Tickets

As part of the state's new amnesty program, nearly thousands of delinquent traffic tickets in San Diego County may be eligible for a half-off discount beginning January 1.

The legislature came up with the program in an effort to increase the state's revenue amid the current economic crises, said Philip Carrizosa, spokesman for the state Administrative Office of the Courts.

In addition, the state hopes to reduce the backlog of cases in local courts and provide help to those who can't renew their driver's licenses because of unpaid fines.

"Customers’ citations are eligible for a 50 percent reduction of the balance of all moneys owed, including civil assessments, bail/fine and fee amounts, on any infraction case that has had no activity since January 1, 2009," according to Holly Bullen with San Diego Superior Court.

The program includes all traffic and non-traffic violations where a misdemeanor under California Vehicle Code 40508 (a) or (b) or Penal Code 853.7

"We're hopeful people with unpaid tickets will take this opportunity to clear their tickets off the record and to provide some badly needed revenue to the state in these tough economic times," said Carrizosa.

To be eligible, the due date for payment of the fine, or failure to appear, must be before January 1, 2009 and you cannot owe restitution on any case within the county, or have any outstanding misdemeanors or felony warrants.

The half-off applies to the original base fine plus any additional penalties and court fees. Parking tickets, however, are not covered by the program.

The court will not accept payment plans, Bullen said. The entire amount must be paid in full.

The court will post the entire process for payment up on their website as the date grows near, Bullen said.

State officials do not know how much they might collect but a similar program in 2004 generated $1.3 billion, according to KNX Radio.

The program ends June 30, 2012.

No More Tents for Occupy SD

As the tent city of Occupy San Diego reached nearly 100 units, the city's fire marshal said no more.

The fire marshal visited the site following the death of a man who fell from a nearby parking structure. He told organizers that further tent assembly was prohibited for safety reasons.

Event organizers said initially they were worried the group might be evicted since the group’s number has increased during its five days of encampment. But so far, police are allowing the protesters to stay.

“We’ve had a number of people coming in … now they’re sleeping on the ground,” said event organizer Jordan Hammond.

Hammond said the group is not looking to disturb the peace as they continue protesting.

Even though Occupy SD has not obtained a permit the group is permitted to stay in the area, according to San Diego Assistant Police Chief Boyd Long.

“The permits themselves end up restricting free speech,” said Hammond. “We have maintained solidarity with the other Occupy groups in that we have not gotten permits.”

Long said between six and eight officers have been there 24 hours a day since the rally on Oct. 7. Eight officers were paid overtime Friday night because of the protest size, but since then all officers at the site have been on regular duty.

Long said SDPD will deploy additional officers should the size of protesters increase substantially.

“We consider it a First Amendment right for them to lawfully and peacefully protest,” he said.

No arrests have been made for any people directly associated with Occupy SD, according to Long.

“I have nothing but positive things to say about the group itself,” he said. “They have been very compliant.”

Recently, other cities such as Boston and Washington D.C. have had enforcement issues between officials and Occupy protesters. Long said he is keeping an eye on what’s happening in other cities to ensure no riots ensue.

Occupy SD organizers have threatened to stay indefinitely until their demands are met. Long said he hopes that is not the case.

Thanks to the use of a mediator between protesters and police no major altercations have occurred, according Long.  He said police will not tolerate any violence, vandalism or illegal activity and will immediately take action should the protesters get rowdy.

Tell us what you think. Comment below, find us on Facebook or follow our Twitter account @nbcsandiego.

Bank of America Customers Angry Over Fees

Some Bank of America customers have already left the bank due to the newly proposed fees on debit cards.  B of A plans to charge customers who use their debit cards to make purchases a $5 monthly fee starting early 2012.

Luc Nguyen has been a customer for 25 years.  He said he had already been charged high fees.  When he heard about the new fees, he moved his holdings, including retirement accounts, business accounts and personal.  

"Altogether we closed eight accounts with Bank of America," said Nguyen.

He brought his business to a local credit union where the service does not match that of B of A. ATM's are not as advanced and the website is not as easy to use.  

"The new one, it's not compatible with Google Chrome and with Bank of America it works, but that benefit I can swallow it.  It's money out of my pocket," Nguyen said.

Why charge the debit card fee?

In a statement, Bank of America said "The price of a debit card was previously determined by the amount and type of transactions.  We were able to pass some of these costs along to merchants, but because of regulatory changes, we are adjusting our pricing to reflect today's economics."

The new regulations were part of the Dodd-Frank Act's Durbin amendment. The rule capped fees that banks can charge merchants for processing debit card transactions.

Professor Martha Doran of San Diego State University's School of Accountancy said Bank of America has faced financial difficulty and is looking to boost its revenues.  

"This will be the first year in history that they're making more off of fees than they are off those credit card interest," Doran said.

More fee hikes could be on the way.  SDSU School of Business Professor David Ely believes that with income from loans falling, other major banks will look to raise money in the same way.  Ely believes they're waiting to see the response from Bank of America's fee hikes.

Bank of America customer Clarence Grier said he called the bank and said he wanted leave the bank.  They asked him to wait a week before deciding to close his accounts, but he's not optimistic.

"The government already bailed them about, bailed Bank of America out too," Grier said. " All of the banks. What do they need?  They already got what they need."

Poway Parents Warned of Possible Cougar

Parents with children at Chaparral Elementary School were sent a warning after a resident reported a possible sighting of a cougar near the school.

The Fish and Game Department surveyed the area near 17250 Tannin Dr. and did not find any evidence of a cougar. The search was eventually called off.

Children are being kept off the playground this afternoon just in case, according to the statement sent to parents.

Toyota Sponsors New Lifeguard Vehicles

The lifeguard trucks on San Diego beaches are now officially sponsored by Toyota.

The San Diego City Council has unanimously approved a corporate sponsorship with Toyota for 34 new lifeguard vehicles in the next two years.

The deal will save the city an estimated $245,000 a year, which would have otherwise been spent to upgrade the lifeguards' aging fleet of trucks and SUVs.

The city has had similar contracts with other automakers in the past.

Iranian Faction Plotted to Kill Saudi Ambassador: Holder

Federal authorities indicted two Iranian-born men in an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States in a bombing in D.C., MSNBC reported.

“The criminal complaint unsealed today exposes a deadly plot directed by factions of the Iranian government to assassinate a foreign Ambassador on U.S. soil with explosives,” Attorney General Eric Holder said.

The investigation began when one of the suspects, naturalized U.S. citizen Manssor Arbabsiar, on behalf of an arm of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, contacted an undercover DEA agent in Mexico in May about getting help from the Zetas drug cartel in attacking a Saudi Arabian embassy, NBC News reported.

It was the first in a series of meetings, Holder said, during which Arbabsiar said his Iranian associates had discussed several violent attacks, including the assassination of Ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir.

In addition to holding the suspects accountable, the government is "committed to holding Iran accountable for its actions," Holder said.

As a down payment in the alleged $1.5 million murder-for-hire plot, $100,000 was wired in August to an undercover FBI account for the informant, who was asked to carry out the assassination. According to the indictment, the DEA agent's fictional plot involved bombing an unnamed but well-known restaurant frequented by Al-Jubeir.

“As alleged, these defendants were part of a well-funded and pernicious plot that had, as its first priority, the assassination of the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, without care or concern for the mass casualties that would result from their planned attack,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said.

In a meeting on July 14, the DEA agent, posing as an associate of the Mexican cartel, told Arbabsiar he needed four men to help him carry out the assassination, according to the indictment. Arbabsiar said the assassination should be handled first before other attacks. He also said his cousin -- a "big general" in the Iranian military -- requested Arbabsiar find someone to assassinate Al-Jubeir.

Three days later, the DEA agent told Arbabsiar that he'd already had someone go to D.C. and conduct surveillance on the ambassador, according to the indictment. Arbabsiar made it clear that the assassination needed to go forward despite the possibility of mass casualties.

Arbabsiar, who holds both U.S. and Iranian passports, was arrested Sept. 29 during a layover at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, a day after being denied entry into Mexico. He has since confessed to his role, Holder said. The 56-year-old Arbabsiar also provided other information about the Iranian government's role in the plot. He said he was recruited by people he believed to be senior Iranian officials.

Arbabsiar confessed to meeting Gholam Shakuri, a member of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's Quds Force, and another Quds Force official several times in Iran, according to the indictment.

A senior U.S. official told NBC News to look to Treasury and the State Department for the immediate response against Iran.

The official also said that U.S. intelligence has a "high-degree" of confidence that the "Quds Force at the highest levels" was involved in the alleged plot and that this was not some "rogue operation."

President Barack Obama was first briefed on the alleged plot in June, said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor."The disruption of this plot is a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and the president is enormously grateful for their exceptional work in this instance and countless others," Vietor said.

The United States designated the Quds Force a terrorist group in 2007.

The Saudi Arabian Embassy thanked U.S. authorities for preventing a crime from taking place.

Arbabsiar and Shakuri are charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to engage in foreign travel and use interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Arbabsiar also is charged with foreign travel and use of interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.

Arbabsiar faces life in prison if convicted of all charges. Shakuri remains at large.

Fatal Stabbing in Northeast D.C.

A man died after being stabbed by a relative in northeast D.C. Tuesday afternoon.

The culprit in the stabbing in a house the 1300 block of West Virginia Avenue, an 18-year-old woman, fled but has been taken into custody.

The stabbing was the result of some type of argument between the relatives.

Stay with News4 and usa-local-news.blogspot.com for updates as they become avalailable.

Cocaine-Filled Bed Post Knobs Nabbed at Dulles

It wasn't a notch in a bed post, but the bed post knobs themselves that tipped off customs agents at Dulles International Airport to a stash of cocaine with a street value of about $17,000.

The cocaine-filled bed post knobs were seized by Customs and Border Protection officers at Dulles last week. They were in a group of goods carried by a courier aboard a Taca Airlines flight that arrived at about 11 p.m. Thursday from El Salvador.

During a secondary examination, an x-ray detected an anomaly inside the knobs.  Officers dug into the knobs and found a "white, powdery substance" that field-tested positive for the presence of cocaine. The stash totaled 245 grams, or about 8.64 ounces.

Suffice it to say, the knobs never made it to their destination in New York, and instead will be destroyed.

The courier, on the other hand, was released to return to El Salvador.

Delays Cause Huge Crowd at Rosslyn Station

Major Metrorail delays led to an overwhelming crowd at the Rosslyn Metro Station during Tuesday evening's commute.

Metrorail riders were warned to avoid the Orange and Blue lines in Virginia if possible after a man was struck by a train before 5 p.m. Trains were not running between the Rosslyn and Ballston stations until after the man was removed from underneath the train about 6:15 p.m., and shuttle bus service was established. Single-tracking was established by about 6:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Metro tweeted about crowd control and safety issues at Rosslyn.

One woman told News4's John Schriffen her commute was delayed at least two hours. A man said the crowd was unlike anything he'd every seen at sporting events. He described 45 minutes of being jam packed in the station with people pushing and shoving.

The escalators automatically shut down, as they are supposed to when carrying too much weight, and they became packed with people trying to exit, Schriffen reported. There were reports of some people passing out or experiencing fatigue climbing the stopped escalators.

Arlington County police went to the station to help clear it.

Metro couldn't do much to alleviate the problem, given the location and time of the incident, a spokesman told Schriffen. It's difficult to duplicate the rush hour service on the Orange Line with buses.

Conditions returned to normal by about 7 p.m., Metro told Schriffen.

The man who was struck was conscious when transported to an area hospital.

Gay Rights Leader Frank Kameny Has Died

A significant figure in the gay rights movement both in the District and nationally has died.

Frank Kameny became a leader in the movement after the federal government fired him from his job as an astronomer because he was gay.

He co-founded the Mattachine Society  of Washington and fought for gay and lesbian rights.

In 2009 the federal government formally apologized for his firing and presented him with the prestigious Theodore Roosevelt Award.

Last year, a section of 17th Street in Dupont Circle was named in his honor.

Kameny died at his home Tuesday. He was 86 years old.

Several Evaluated After National Naval Medical Center Hazmat

Montgomery Fire responded to a hazmat at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Tuesday evening.

Medical waste was disposed improperly, officials said.

Eleven individuals were evaluated and one person had to be decontaminated.

Stay with News4 and usa-local-news.blogspot.com for updates as they become available.

Park Service Amends Freedom Plaza Permit Through Dec. 30

The National Park Service amended the October 6th Coalition’s permit for First Amendment activities at Freedom Plaza.

The group can use Freedom Plaza through Dec. 30 at 10 p.m.

The permit excludes dates previously reserved by other permit holders, according to the Park Service. Alternate locations have been offered for those dates.

The Park Service has been in touch with all groups and organizations that hold finalized permits or have permits pending.

Four months is the maximum amount of time for which officials issue permits. If the Freedom Plaza group's permit change is approved, the demonstrators could apply for a new permit after four months, Carol B. Johnson, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service, told the Associated Press.

At the demonstrators' camp on Pennsylvania Avenue, people were settling in, and some of the uneasiness of Monday -- when demonstrators thought they might be arrested for overstaying their permit -- was gone. More than two dozen tents were set up in the rectangular plaza, where a map of the city is marked on the ground in light and dark stones. Stations for legal advice, first aid and food were running, though kitchen supplies and tarps for expected rain were needed. A white board showed plans for the day.

"We're able to concentrate on the things we came here to accomplish," said Mike Sheffer, 54, of Brandon, Vt., who said he came to protest the influence of corporations on government.

On Tuesday, six of the protesters were arrested for demonstrating inside a U.S. Senate office building and attempting to unfurl a banner that said "Tax the Rich.''

The protesters marched Tuesday afternoon with another group of demonstrators, Occupy D.C., which has been organizing marches from nearby McPherson Square. The group in Freedom Plaza has been using the slogan October 2011/Stop the Machine. The demonstration was organized to coincide with last week's 10th anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan. Both groups have said they support each other, however, and more coordination between the groups has been happening.

Lee Statum, 52, a demonstrator from Alabama, said she has no plans to leave Freedom Plaza any time soon. She spent her last $150 on a train ticket to the capital in order to protest corporate influence, she said.

"I'm here 'til it's over," she said.

Zsa Zsa May Need Additional Surgery

Zsa Zsa Gabor may need to undergo additional surgery after a feeding tube that was replaced earlier this week began leaking, her publicist said.

Gabor lost consciousness Saturday at her Bel-Air home and was rushed to the hospital after an infection  caused a feeding tube to come loose.

Doctors at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center gave the actress antibiotics to build her strength. By Sunday, she was strong enough to undergo surgery to reattach the tube, said her publicist John Blanchette.

But on Monday, doctors found out the tube was leaking and there were concerns it could come loose again and cause another infection, Blanchette said.

Zsa Zsa's husband, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, said she was currently in stable condition and he was discussing next steps with doctors.

Gabor has been hospitalized repeatedly since falling out of bed and breaking her hip in July 2010. Her right leg was amputated in January because of gangrene.

"She's a tough old bird," Blanchette said.

Gabor appeared in a handful of films, but has been most famous for playing the role of herself on talk shows and game shows.

She is the last living of three Gabor sisters with careers in Hollywood. The legendary screen star has been equally famous for having been married nine times.

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Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts Resigns

The city of Oakland is going to have to find a new police chief.

Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts submitted his resignation Tuesday in a letter that began with the words: "It is with great regret."

Batts said he could no longer be in charge of a police department where he had 20-percent control but full accountability.

His resignation letter to the rank and file read, "I tender this official notice of my intent to resign as Chief of Police for the City of Oakland."

"The landscape has changed radically over the past two years with new and different challenges," Batts wrote.

Batts told reporters that he informed Oakland Mayor Jean Quan Tuesday morning. He said she appeared stunned to hear the news.

He said the media made more of his relationship with the mayor. He said Tuesday, "I work well with the mayor."

Although Batts has been rumored to be up for other police chief positions over the past year, including an opening in San Jose, his resignation was unexpected.  He said it was not a decision made in haste. He also said it wasn't because of a single event, and instead he said it was a layering off of different issues. He said he decided to resign after discussing it with several mentors and members of his family.

Read resignation letter to police here.

Batts became Oakland's police chief in 2009. He held the same job in Long Beach prior to moving up north.

Batts wrote a separate letter addressed to Oakland residents. In it he also wrote that he found himself with limited control but full accountability. He ended that message saying "with a heavy heart, I have recognized that the conditions, under which I was hired as Chief, have changed and do not allow me to fulfill the primary mission - to provide an environment where one can live, work, play and thrive free from crime and the fear of crime."

Batts is expected to stay on the post through mid-November, according to the city administrator.

Batts told reporters he wasn't leaving because of another job, but said he has something in the  works. He told NBC Bay Area's Jodi Hernandez that it was with an university outside of California.

LA-Based Meat Company Recalls Ground Beef

A Los Angeles-based meat company is recalling more than 377,000 pounds of ground beef due to possible E. coli contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday.

The affected ground beef was produced by Commercial Meat Co. between Sept. 7 and Thursday, and was shipped to restaurants in California and Nevada, according to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

No illnesses have been reported.

The possible contamination was discovered during routine testing.

The recalled products include various-sized packages of ground beef, ground beef patties, ground beef taco and chili. All of the packages have the establishment number "EST. 4873" inside the USDA inspection mark.

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Cowgirls Raise Money for Breast Cancer Awareness

They call themselves the Dusty Saddlebags, and they're inviting people to saddle up and raise money for breast cancer awareness.

Members of the group belong to a Southern California chapter of a national organization called 40 Something Cowgirls, a horse lovers club for women.

The local chapter is sponsoring a combination horseback ride, 5K walk and nature walk to benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Several members of the Dusty Saddlebags are currently fighting cancer, and the fundraiser is a chance for their fellow cowgirls to rally around them, all while raising money for a great cause.

The fundraiser will be held Saturday, October 22, at Vasquez Rocks in Agua Dulce.  The cost is $20 per participant with all proceeds going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Read more about the event on the Dusty Saddlebags website.

Riverside Sets Record for Solar Power

Riverside homeowners, businesses and the city have collectively installed enough solar panels to generate 4 megawatts of electricity. Both private and public solar projects currently total more than 320.

The amount of power currently produced from solar is enough to provide electricity to 2,600 homes.

During the past year, Riverside has doubled its production of solar power, according to Riverside Public Utilities. The city-owned power company has offered substantial rebates to residential solar projects since 2003, rebates for commercial projects started in 2008.

There are even solar panels on the top of Riverside City Hall.

Metro Project Fast Tracked by White House

The Metro Green Line extension project to Los Angeles International Airport was fast tracked by the Obama administration Tuesday.

The White House made the announcement as part of 14 national infrastructure projects being accelerated through the permitting and environmental process.

The Crenshaw/LAX project will extend the existing Green Line light rail closer to LAX as well as connect it to the Expo Line light rail. 

 

More: Full Map PDF

The White House said the Federal Transit Administration will provide additional technical assistance to the project in an effort to shorten the approval time by several months.

In August, the president signed a memorandum instructing federal agencies to identify and prioritize big, job-creating infrastructure projects.

The White House said other projects in California would also be accelerated.

The USDA Forest Service, U.S. Air Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration will work together on approving construction of up to 52 wind turbine generators in the San Bernardino National forest. The agencies hope to complete their review in as little as 18 months, rather than the three years originally estimated.

In northern Los Angeles County, a project aimed at helping steelhead trout make a comeback was also included. Two dry-weather road crossings and a check dam will be removed in the Arroyo Sequit watershed.

 

 

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Study Claims Ban on Hybrids in HOV Lanes Slows Freeway

For a while, drivers of California’s ever-growing number of hybrid vehicles had it easy.

As long as they had a yellow sticker on their car, they could drive solo in the high-occupancy vehicle lanes, also known as the carpool lanes.

But in July, the California Department of Motor Vehicles ended this special privilege, sending thousands of hybrid drivers back into the regular freeway lanes.

Researchers at the University of California in Berkeley decided to study the environmental impact of this and they concluded everyone is now worse off.

Researchers found that kicking 85,000 hybrids out of the carpool lanes made all traffic slow down.

The study focused on a four-mile stretch of freeway in the San Francisco Bay Area near Hayward, but drivers in Los Angeles claimed they could have carried out the same research on the 405 Freeway.

Regular car drivers said that taking hybrids out of the carpool lanes has unintentionally slowed traffic for everyone.

“Taking it away and throwing 50,000 more drivers on the 405 Freeway that’s completely congested? It’s obvious what it does to traffic,” said Santiago Vasquez as he pumped gasoline at a Granada Hills service station.

Los Angeles County has 500 miles of carpool or diamond lanes and a Caltrans study last year noted that 34 percent of all traffic on the freeway moves in carpool lanes. That was about 800,000 cars a day.

Now, the local carpool lanes have several hundred fewer hybrids in them—cars that are now helping to clog the regular lanes.

“I was never overcrowded and I drove from Simi to downtown in a regular car,” said Denise Kolm.

“There were a lot of new hybrids coming out so I think they should have just kept them there,” Moses Andrade said.

That would free up the rest of the lanes for other drivers, Andrade added.

Caltrans claimed the Berkeley study was not long enough since it only evaluated six months of data and the state preferred to analyze a whole year of carpool information so that year-to-year trends could be noted.

Caltrans also contended factors such as gasoline prices and the economy have to be considered before reaching conclusions about traffic flow.

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99 Cents Only Stores Sold for Over a Billion

A store built on items sold for just 99 cents agreed to be sold for $1.6 billion Tuesday.

99 Cents Only Stores Inc. agreed to be acquired by Affiliates of Ares Management LLC and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $22 per share cash, the retailer announced on its website.

The amount is 7.4 percent higher than the retailer's shares finished on Monday.

"I am pleased to announce this agreement as it delivers significant value to our shareholders," Eric Schiffer, CEO, said. "We look forward to continuing to deliver extreme value to our customers and providing a great place to work for our 99ers."

The bid is among several the retailer has received recently as investors' become increasingly interested in the dollar store industry.

Private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners LP and the Schiffer-Gold family, which founded the company, made an offer of $19.09 per share in March for the company, the Associated Press reported.

That offer did not go through however the family supports the latest acquisition, according to the retailer.

99 Cents Only Stores was founded in 1982 and currently operates 289 retail stores with 214 of those in   in California. Over half of the its sales come from food and beverages,  the company said.

The retailer's board is recommending approval but the offer must be approved by the company's shareholders, the AP said.

The deal could close as early as the first quarter of next year.

 

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LAX Ranked Among Nation's Most Dangerous Airports

Los Angeles International Airport is among the most dangerous airports in the country, according to a report by Travel and Leisure magazine.

The publication compared 35 of the busiest commercial airports in the country and weighed certain incidences on the FAA's Runway Safety Support, namely those which could have resulted in a catastrophic collison.

LAX ranked third with 60 reported runway incidents and a score of 4.41 over the past five years.

One of the most memorable mishaps at LAX was back in 2007, when a WestJet 737 landed and almost hit a Northwest Airbus during take off.

LAX only ranked behind two other airports: O'hare Airport, which topped the list, and Cleveland Hopkins in a close second.

 

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Giuliani Says He Won't Run in 2012

Another Republican has joined the list of those not running next year -- Rudy Giuliani says he won't be a candidate.

The Republican former New York mayor told a gathering of Long Island business executives on Tuesday that it's too late for him to join the field of candidates competing to challenge President Barack Obama.

Giuliani sought the GOP nomination in 2008 but dropped out early. One of his rivals that year was former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the party's frontrunner this time.

Giuliani says Romney appeals to the party's head while Texas Gov. Rick Perry appeals to its heart.

Giuliani says that Romney's shifts on issues like abortion, gay marriage and universal health care will probably be a problem for him in the campaign.

Giuliani's announcement was first reported by Politico.

VIDEO: Crash Sends Car into Building in Bronx

Emergency crews are on the scene of serious car crash in the East Tremont section of the Bronx.

The accident happened on the 1800-block of Marmion Avenue, off East 175th Street. Two vehicles appear to have collided head-on, causing one of them to veer off to the sidewalk and into a building.

Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to pry open the car that went into the building and removed two occupants, reports News Chopper 4's Dennis Prostko.

Crews have also been cleaning up small fuel spills resulting from the crash.

Three people so far appear to have been injured.

This story is developing. Check back for updates. 

Columbus Day and the Cost of Ignoring History

When I was growing up in the Bronx, Columbus Day was a day we cherished. It was regularly celebrated on October 12, the actual day Christopher Columbus landed on the Bahamian island of San Salvador, believing erroneously that he had found outlying territories of East Asia. We cherished the day because it was a day off from school -- but at the same time it was an actual moment in history that we were celebrating.

Now we celebrate Columbus’s voyage on October 10 or 11th or whatever day merges into a three-day weekend in mid-October. It’s similar to what we’ve done with other one-day school holidays like Lincoln’s birthday, February 12th or Washington’s birthday, February 22d.

In our zeal to give ourselves three-day weekends and enable merchants to celebrate our great leaders with spectacular advertising and monster sales, we’ve ignored history. I guess some people don’t care. But I do. We need to teach kids to revere our heroes and celebrate their lives because, in a real sense, we then celebrate our own lives and the world we live in.

Columbus was an interesting guy. A New York Times reviewer summed  up that he was: “a visionary explorer. He was a Christianizing messiah. He was a pitiless slave master. He was a lionhearted seaman, a rapacious plunderer, a masterly navigator, a Janus-faced schemer, a liberator of oppressed tribes, a delusional megalomaniac.”  Controversial, fascinating.  One of the most important figures in our history. And it might seem inconsequential. But, to celebrate his stormy life is to celebrate our history.

Lincoln and Washington had strong links to New York.  Lincoln made a speech at Cooper Union in 1860 that was decisive in his campaign to win the presidency. “Let us have the faith,”  he told his audience,  “that right makes might and in that faith let  us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.” The New Yorkers present, many among the city’s major leaders, cheered long and loudly. Four New York newspapers ran the text in full and soon it appeared in papers throughout the country. Three months later he won the Republican nomination.

New York had a love affair with George Washington. In 1789, down where his statue stands at Wall and Broad, he took the oath of office here as President of the United States.  “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God!”

The crowd cheered lustily and chanted: “Long live George Washington, President of the United States!”

In an editorial back in 1971, TheTimes criticized the then newly installed practice of creating three-day weekends .

The editorial deplored “one more sacrifice of tradition at a time that commodity is in seriously short supply. Draining holidays of meaning color, the plan [of three-day holidays] does honor chiefly to the dollar. Obviously it is good for travel agencies, motels, gas stations and chronic weekenders. But if that is all the holidays are to mean, then why retain even their names? They  might as well be numbered.”

Why, indeed. For the school children alone, it’s worth celebrating our heroes on their proper birthdays. It was tradition -- and a tradition worth keeping. Maybe some day we’ll bring it back. 

 

New Jersey Hall of Fame's 2012 Nominees Set

Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, former NFL coach Bill Parcells and "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve are among the nominees for the New Jersey Hall of Fame's 2012 class.

The hall announced the nominees for its fifth class on Tuesday. In all, there are 50 nominees from the fields of arts and entertainment, sports, enterprise and history.

Gillespie and Parcells, both of Englewood, and Reeve, of Princeton, were joined by artist Alexander Calder of Hoboken and Revolutionary War heroine Molly Pitcher of Trenton.

It's now up to voters to choose. They have until January to cast their ballots at >

The top two vote-getters in each category will be inducted in June.

Previous inductees include Civil Rights activist Paul Robeson, rock musician Bruce Springsteen, actor Jack Nicholson and Olympian Carl Lewis.

Founding of The Occupied Wall Street Journal

The protest movement staging the campout in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park has given birth to a new kind of newspaper: The Occupied Wall Street Journal.

The thin newspaper is published in English and Spanish, and handed out for free where protesters are camped out. The first issue was published Oct. 1.

The second issue was published Oct. 11. Fifty thousand copies were brought to Zuccotti Park by taxi.

Asked where they were coming from, the paper's managing editor Mike Levitin, a freelance journalist, said, "We don't like to give out an exact address."

Production costs for the newspaper are being covered by donations.

 

Levitin told USA LOCAL NEWS a group of journalists sympathetic to the Occupy Wall Street cause has solicited donations on kickstarter.com. They now have $75,000 pledged and plan to publish at least four issues.

The two-page paper, printed on both sides, provide readers with accounts of the movement's activities and reprints of some speeches, graphics and photos. Preaching to the choir? Not according to Patrick Inglis of Crown Heights, who said he has seen people reading it on the train.

"It's being read farther away from the park than you think," he said.

For a movement built largely on social media, the concept of a newspaper that someone can fold and carry with them might seem a little anachronistic. Not so, according to Levitin. "It's complementary to what we're doing."

And that would also be as long as they have money to keep doing it.

Full Coverage of Occupy Wall Street

Woman Punched, Pushed in Queens Attempted Rape

Police are investigating an attempted rape in Springfield Gardens, Queens, in which a woman was pushed to the ground and assaulted.

The 40-year-old woman was walking home at about 1:15 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, in the area of 145th Road, when she was attacked by a man, according to police.

The suspect pushed the victim to the ground, punched her several times in the face, and attempted to rape her.

The suspect fled when a neighbor heard the victim's cries for help, police said.

Police responded and took the victim to the hospital, where she was treated for bruising to the face.

Anyone who may recognize the suspect in the attached sketch is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS or at usa-local-news.blogspot.com.

$100,000 Worth of iPads Stolen from Brooklyn Store

Police say robbers broke into a Brooklyn Best Buy store and made off with more than $100,000 worth of iPads.

The break-in happened just after 4 a.m. Tuesday at the Best Buy at Gateway Plaza in the East New York section of the borough.

Police say nearly 200 iPads were pilfered after the thieves busted through the store's front entrance.

Investigators were checking video surveillance of the area to see if any of the Apple-craving crooks were caught on camera.

 

Man Questioned in 13th Brooklyn Sex Attack

Police are questioning a man in connection with a sexual assault in Brooklyn Monday night, now being considered the 13th in a string of attacks in the area.

The man was being questioned in the groping of an 18-year-old woman just before 8 p.m. Monday in Sunset Park, police said. The woman had just gotten off the train and was walking along 36th Street when a man groped her and ran away.

Police initially said Tuesday morning the incident was not part of the pattern of sexual attacks they were investigating, but at a community meeting in Brooklyn the same evening, said it did in fact fit the pattern.

Investigators will bring in the victims from the previous dozen assaults and see if they are able to identify the man in questioning as the suspect who attacked them.

Meanwhile, police held another safety meeting in Brooklyn Tuesday as concerns mounted over the increasing number of sex attacks.

"I don't think it's acceptable," said meeting attendee Sycelina Budhu. "It should've been solved by now."

Police distributed two new sketches in their investigation of the sex attacks, bringing the total number of suspect sketches to five.

But exactly how many assailants are on the loose remains unclear.

Corpus Christi Resident Accused in Assassination Plot

A 56-year-old man from Corpus Christi, TX, was accused Tuesday of being involved in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, with help from a purported member of a Mexican drug cartel.

Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old U.S. citizen who also holds an Iranian passport, was charged along with Gholam Shakuri, whom authorities said was a Quds Force member.

Arbabsiar is listed as residing in Corpus Christi, TX and traveled from Texas to Mexico City around Sept. 28, 2011.

Arbabsiar unknowingly hired an informant from the Drug Enforcement Administration to carry out the plot, prosecutors said. Posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel, the informant met with Arbabsiar several times in Mexico, authorities said. The price tag was $1.5 million and Arabsiar made a $100,000 down payment.

Shakuri remains at large. Arbabsiar was arrested Sept. 29 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. He was scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday. Prosecutors said he faces up to life in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors said Arbabsiar has confessed to his participation in the murder plot.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the U.S. would hold Iran accountable. Holder said the bomb plot was a flagrant violation of U.S. and international law.

"We will not let other countries use our soil as their battleground," Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said at a press conference in Washington with Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Bharara said no explosives were actually placed, and no one was in any danger.

FBI Director Robert Mueller says many lives could have been lost in the plot to kill the ambassador with bombs in the U.S.

Holder said the U.S. government would be taking unspecified action against the Iranian government as early as Tuesday afternoon. Asked whether the plot was blessed by the top echelons of the Iranian government, Holder said the Justice Department was not making that accusation.

President Barack Obama was first briefed on the plot in June, said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor.

"The disruption of this plot is a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and the president is enormously grateful for their exceptional work in this instance and countless others," Vietor said.

The investigation into the plot is being conducted by the FBI Houston Division and DEA Houston Division, with assistance from the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force.

SD Schools May Face More Budget Cuts

San Diego Unified’s superintendent is sending a message to Sacramento, any mid-year cuts would mean the district could no longer pay its bills.

The board is preparing for the worst this month, as the state revises its revenue projections.  The final number is expected in December. Right now, the school district is combing through every department to find areas that could be cut if Sacramento sends less money in the middle of the 2011-2012 school year.  After five years of cuts, school leaders say that no amount of layoffs or cutbacks could make up for the projected $118 million gap in state funding this year. The state already projects they will send $57 million less to San Diego's largest school system next year.

At Tuesday's work session school employees expressed concern.

"It's a little bit frustrating and there's a little bit of confusion as to what's going to happen, who's going to be next," said Albert Castelo with the California School Employees Association.

San Diego schools have received less money per student every year since 2007.  Hundreds of jobs were just cut or reduced within the district -- making the talk of more job loss a sensitive issue.

"My goal is to have no layoffs next year, none,” board member Kevin Beiser said. “How we accomplish that goal is to work together to save everyone's jobs."

These informational meetings will be happening throughout October.

Final decisions on how much the district needs to cut won't be made until December.

On Tuesday night, the school superintendent will make a public presentation outlining the trouble ahead if mid-year cuts are announced in Sacramento.

Who to Watch at Chicago Ideas Week: Innovations and Influences Mega Talk

Chicago Ideas Week is underway, and we’re highlighting Mega Talks and speakers to consider as the week unfolds. Take a look:

Today’s event: Innovations and Influence: Conversations Between Today’s Most Innovative Minds

Why you should care: In this Mega Talk presented by Time Magazine, the discussion focuses on finding and implementing great ideas. The speakers range widely, in fields from technology to politics to entertainment, and religion to finance. Attendees will get some great stuff from this one - not to mention that it’s led by the founder of Chicago Ideas Week himself, Brad Keywell.

Speakers include:

·         Brad Keywell:  Co-Founder & Managing Director, Lightbank; Co-Founder & Director, Groupon; Chairman & Founder, Chicago Ideas Week

·         Daisy Khan:  Executive Director & Co-Founder, American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA)

·         Gary White:  Executive Director & Co-Founder, Water.org

·         Michelle Rhee:  Founder & CEO, StudentsFirst

·         Rob Bell: Author, Love Wins; Founding Pastor, Mars Hill Bible Church

·         Suze Orman:  Author & Personal Finance Expert

Most are familiar with Keywell’s innovative work with small businesses through Lightbank and as the co-founder of Chicago's Groupon. And, unless living under a rock, Suze Orman. Her story of turning around her own financial situation to help others and brand herself is inspiring. Take a look at some of the others on the panel:

As the co-founder of ASMA, Daisy Khan’s goal is to prioritize the improvement of Muslim-West relations and the advancement of Muslim women globally.

Gary White’s organization, Water.org, links donors to high quality partner organizations that help communities design and construct their own sustainable water supply systems.

Michelle Rhee of StudentsFirst works to give children the skills and knowledge they will need to compete in the world. Her background includes adding instructional time after school and visiting students' homes as a third grade teacher in Baltimore, and adding students’ voices to reforming the DC Public Schools.

Rob Bell’s work with Mars Hill and his various authored contributions has landed him on 2011’s Time 100 list.

This is a not miss, and adds quite a bit of variety to the Chicago Ideas Week lineup.

Facts: Tuesday, 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Northwestern’s Thorne Auditorium, 375 W. Chicago Ave. This, too, is $15.

See the full list of speakers and events at >.

House Fire Leaves Toddler Fighting for Life

Police say a two-year-old is fighting for life following a house fire on Tuesday afternoon in the Kingsessing section of the city.

Fire officials confirm that the toddler was in extrememly critical condition when they arrived at the home on the 1100-block of South Ruby Street just after 12:30.

The child was rushed to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where he is being treated for severe smoke inhalation, according to police.

Bryan Stow Doctors Call News Conference

SF General announced it will give an update on Bryan Stow's condition at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. The news conference was called just three hours ahead of time and the release did not give any clue as to what motivated it.

The last update to the website set up by Stow's family was Oct. 6. In it, they talked about a hospital visit Stow got from his favorite band Queensryche, which happened last week.

Stow is the San Francisco Giants fan who was attacked outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Opening Day. He suffered significant brain damage.

Case Timeline

LAPD has since arrested the people they say are responsible for his injuries.

In recent weeks, Stow has made what his family says is significant progress. Stow is now speaking in complete sentences in videos to his children and engaging in conversations with visitors.

Doctors have said in the past the next significant step for Stow would be a move to a rehab facility. They also promised regular updates even if there wasn't something significant to report.

NBC is sending a crew to the news conference and will update this story as soon as the doctors tell us what is going on.

Grizzly Bears and Teddy Bears from the Bears Motown Meltdown

A closer look at who shined and who stunk in the Chicago's loss to Detroit.

Grizzly Bears -- the players who actually tried against the Kings of the Jungle:



Jay Cutler -- He was hit again and again and again. His wideouts couldn't hold onto passes. Still, Cutler somehow pulled a 99.6 quarterback rating by effectively scrambling to keep plays alive. The detractors who called him soft were silenced after that performance. Now the question remains. Will the Bears give Cutler anything work with, or will his talent continue to be wasted?

Matt Forte -- Despite the Lions suffocating defense, Forte was still able to rack up 151 all-purpose yards. He and Cutler kept the Bears hopes alive, but the Bears are futzing around with his contract. Hate to break it to you, Jerry Angelo, but Forte is way more valuable than you.

D.J. Moore -- In a game of awful defensive performances, Moore's above-average game stood out. He got an interception to ensure the Bears would have the lead going into the half, and he also broke up a pass and made five tackles. Not a bad night for a back-up.

Teddy Bears -- the players who played football so uninspired that I can't even come up with a witty name to describe their terribleness:

Roy Williams and Johnny Knox -- Remember when they were battling it out to be the Bears No. 1 receiver? That's over, as Dane Sanzenbacher had the most catches on Monday night. That's right, the undrafted free agent is getting more looks than Williams or Knox because he's doing a better job of getting open.

J'Marcus Webb, Frank Omiyale and Kellen Davis -- Hey guys! Thanks for helping the Bears set a record for the most false start penalties in one game. Davis caught a TD, somewhat mitigating his involvement, but J'Marcus? Frank? That's just not right. Settle down, focus on your QB, and stand still.

The defense -- Who are these guys, and what have they done with the Bears defense? The only plausible explanation for the Bears defense, once one of the league's best, imploding like they are is that the reals Bear D was kidnapped by aliens, and these are lookalikes. The real Julius Peppers, Brian Urlacher, and Lance Briggs are on a spaceship, being forced to watch as their replacements miss tackles and sacks and let the Lions run more yards on them than the Bears have ever allowed.

New Street Lamps Along LSD Failing

There may be a myriad of causes but just one result: a number of the new street lamps installed along Lake Shore Drive have failed, and a big part of the repair may be up to taxpayers.

All over Chicago, hundreds of the old-fashioned sodium vapor street lights have been replaced with new, more energy efficient white metal halide lights. But either due to their proximity to the lakefront or problems with underground wiring, more than 200 of them have failed, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.

The contracted company installing the new fixtures is on the hook for repairs to the fixtures themselves, but any problems resulting from the city's infrastructure is up to taxpayers.

 

The city has spent $25 million dollars on the upgrades over the past year. Roughly $13 million came from a federal grant.  The rest came from local and state matching funds. About 2,300 streetlights have been replaced on 16 miles of Lake Shore Drive from 71st Street to Hollywood Avenue.

Another 3,000 lights line 24 miles of Western Avenue from Howard Street to 119th Street. An additional 11,000 lights will illuminate 300 miles of alleyways citywide.

Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Brian Steele told the Tribune that weather and environmental conditions along the lake may have contributed to bad circuits and frayed underground wiring.

The lights installed farther away from the lake have had far fewer problems, he said.

The new lights were expected to save the city $1.8 million a year on electricity.

 

Texas Instruments Worker Killed in Industrial Accident

An industrial accident at a Texas Instruments chip fabrication unit in the Dallas area has left a worker dead.

Richardson police Sgt. Kevin Perlich on Tuesday identified the victim as 54-year-old Roy Aguilar of Dallas.

Perlich said firefighters Monday responded to a report of a water purifier explosion at a TI unit in Richardson.

Police said Aguilar was impaled by some type of glass.

A spokeswoman with Dallas-based TI said Tuesday that the company had limited information on the accident at its chip-making facility.

Whitney Jodry told The Associated Press that the incident remains under investigation.

Protesters Target NY's Richest in Millionaires March

Several hundred protesters staged a "Millionaires March" to the homes of wealthy New Yorkers on the Upper East Side, chanting "hey you, millionaire, pay your fair share!" to demonstrate against what they say is economic injustice.

The group met outside the Plaza Hotel and marched to Rupert Murdoch's home at Fifth Avenue and 64th Street.

They also marched to the home of businessman David Koch at 71st Street and Fifth Avenue. Koch is New York's richest man, with a wealth of $25 billion, according to Forbes magazine estimates.

A protest organizer said the tour is intended to "highlight the economic injustice of giving the wealthiest 1 percent a $5 billion tax windfall on Dec. 31 when the millionaire's income tax expires."

The state's highest income tax rate expires at the end of the year.

One of the protesters, Curt Barnes, carried a sign that said "we are the 99 percent," which is a frequent refrain at the Occupy Wall Street protests headquartered downtown.

"The problem is corporations are writing our laws. We're living in a banana republic," he said.

The march is set to end at 93rd Street and Park Avenue, where JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon lives.

Body Found Outside Columbia Towers

A body was found outside of the Columbia Towers high-rise on State Street downtown early Tuesday morning.

The call came into police at 8:01 a.m., after a someone found the body laying outside.

Police are investigating and are unsure of the nature of the person's death.

Check back for updates

Emanuel Announces 500 Accenture Jobs

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday continued his arch of announcing new jobs in Chicago.

Accenture, a financial consulting firm, will add 500 jobs to its Chicago headquarters of more than 5,000 employees.

Emanuel said the jobs will help advance Chicago’s reputation as a "center for technology and innovation." They also bring the mayor's total number of announced jobs past 7,000.

“To compete in the global marketplace, Chicago must attract and retain top talent and offer competitive, high-tech jobs,” Emanuel said.  

In August, Emanuel announced a partnership with the company to find efficiencies in city government and, hopefully, save Chicago more than $25 million over the next two years.

"They won't get paid just because they identify the savings," Emanuel said. "They don't' see any value until the tax payers see the value, when it falls to our bottom line for the tax payers. In the past it was identify. This is a new contract."

Accenture also has a deal in place with Cook County.

 

Pat Quinn's Very Scary Halloween Veto Session

Governor Pat Quinn took to the podium Tuesday at Engineered Glass Products to talk about a company that's leading the way in Illinois manufacturing.

He ended up defending his decision to veto a bill that would have allowed Commonwealth Edison to enact yearly rate hikes to pay for a "smart grid" in Illinois. That veto could become an issue when the legislature convenes Oct. 25 for a six-day fall veto session.

Quinn, who's vetoed 30 bills during this legislature, sounds confident, despite his continued defense of the ComEd veto.

"I don't think they're going to override a basic common sense decision by me that if we're going to have a good business climate, a good jobs climate in Illinois, we cannot be allowing Commonwealth Edison to raise electric rates every year for the next 10 years," Quinn said. "We want a good bill. ... I'm very confident that we're going to sustain my veto."

The ComEd veto will take a quick back seat to gambling legislation should Quinn decide to veto that legislation.  Quinn has yet to receive the bill which would allow for five new casinos in Illinois -- including one in Chicago -- as well as slot machines at horse racing tracks and airports. He's telegraphed hesitation about the legislation, however, saying the current iteration doesn't go far enough in terms of oversight.

Quinn has said he'll detail proposed changes to the bill before the veto session begins.

"I haven't seen anything specific or tangible from the legislature," Quinn said. "We cannot have the gambling interests running around our state unregulated and unwatched. ... Obviously they know they have some defects there because they haven't sent it my way."

The gaming bill is popular with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, as well as many legislators, so a Quinn veto would surely raise some resistance.

That's if it happens.

The legislature will consider numerous other vetoes, including a budget veto that stripped $11.3 million in funding for the states 44 regional superintendent of schools offices; a legislative scholarship program; and more than $376 million in line by line budget cuts.

Clearly, Quinn has  issues to worry about this Halloween.

LI School Associate Diagnosed With Tuberculosis

A person affiliated with Commack High School on Long Island has been diagnosed with tuberculosis.     

Authorities would not say if the afflicted person is a student or staff member.

The school district says on its website that the unidentified person is receiving treatment. It cites the Suffolk County Health Department saying there is no further risk of transmission.     

A letter was mailed to the parents of all high school students and each high school staff member.     

The county Health Department will hold meetings with parents on Thursday and Friday night in the high school auditorium.     

The disease is caused by an infection transmitted through the air by a person with active TB.     

Symptoms include a bad cough that lasts more than three weeks, night sweats and coughing up blood or phlegm.  

Suspect in Saudi Ambassador Plot Arrested at JFK

Officials arrested a man at John F. Kennedy Airport they say was involved in a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the U.S.

U.S. officials tell NBC News that two Iranians have been indicted on charges that they plotted to kill Ambassador Adel al Jubeir.

One of the suspects was arrested at JFK on Sept. 29.

The arrest is the result of a sting operation conducted by the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The lead suspect approached a DEA informant in May asking for help from the Zetas drug cartel to assassinate the Saudi ambassador, according to senior law enforcement officials.

The DEA brought in the FBI, who set up the sting.    

Dallas Husband Up for Hottest in America

Dallas writer Jeff Hoferer is one sweet and handsome man.

Hoferer, 34, has been named a finalist in Redbook's Hottest Husband in America contest. That's right ladies, he's taken, but that doesn't mean you can't ogle.

Thousands of wives across the country submitted their husband's name and photo, hoping their groom would be crowned the hottest in the country.  Hoferer is one of the 25 finalists and, this is where you come in, he needs your votes before Nov. 10 to be crowned the winner.  If he's successful, he'll be able to take his bride Hilary to St. Croix on Redbook's dime.

So, why should you vote for him?  Sure, he's a looker, but he's more than just a pretty face.  He's a writer and also the creator of "Dallywood", a comedy web series about Dallas actors that has been featured in American Way Magazine, D Magazine's Front Burner Blog and YouPlusDallas.com.

If I haven't convinced you to vote for him yet, these next few sentences should do the trick.

Hoferer's bride said she nominated her husband not only because he helped her grandparents move into an assisted living facility, but because he visits them every week and brings her grandmother flowers. 

Did you vote for him yet?

He also put on a tuxedo T-shirt so that he could "officiate" said grandparent's 69th wedding anniversary, leading them through their vows one more time.

Click, click. Voted.  Here is a link for you to do it.

He also picked the flowers for the anniversary dinner, made the punch for the reception and created a small bridal bouquet.

Wow, the bouquet too? Have fun in St. Croix Jeff.  You probably don't need our votes, but you got 'em anyway.

If you think you can do better than Hoferer, check out the other three guys from North Texas who made the Top 25 -- Nicolas Garcia, Ryan Glor and Sam Cano.

2 Found Dead in Borrego Springs Home

Investigators with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department are looking into two mysterious deaths inside a Borrego Springs home.

Deputies were asked to stop by a home on Saint Thomas Drive to perform a welfare check. When they arrived there just after 6 p.m. Monday, they looked through a window and saw the body of a man on the couch in the living room. 

Inside the home, deputies confirmed the man was dead and found another body, that of a female, in the kitchen of the home.

Investigators said there does not appear to be any outstanding suspects.

A cause and manner of death, as well as a positive identification of the decedents will be determined by the county's medical examiner’s office. 

Keep up to date on breaking news: Follow us on Twitter @nbcsandiego, fan us on Facebook, sign up for our breaking news e-mail alerts or text SDBREAKING to 622339 to receive text messages for local breaking news. (Standard rates apply)

Elderly Couple Killed During Limo Ride to Airport

Bordentown Police say an elderly couple killed in an early morning crash on Route 130 in New Jersey was on their way to the Philadelphia International Airport at the time of the accident.

Monroe and Mireille Danbury were traveling by Lincoln Town Car to the airport to catch an early flight for their yearly vacation to St. Maarten when they were killed, according to police.

Police tell USA LOCAL NEWS that a trailer delivering equipment to a construction site collided with the Town Car along 130 S in Bordentown just before 5 a.m. Tuesday.

The limo driver, 24-year-old Jesse Graves, and Monroe were both rushed to the hospital. The elder man died during emergency surgery.

His wife was pronounced dead on the scene.

Graves is suffering from a broken arm and hand, according to authorities.

The driver of the trailer, Gregg Matthews, 42, was not injured. He was questioned by police Tuesday morning, although no files have been charged.

Police continue to investigate the fatal accident.

 

Armed Guards at A.C. Casinos?

It’s a far stretch from current legislation, but soon armed security guards could be making their way to Atlantic City casinos--that’s if the Trump Entertainment group has its way.

The press of Atlantic City is reporting that Trump CEO Bob Griffin made the request to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Right now, the New Jersey Casino Control Act forbids guns anywhere on casino property, unless given special permission from the Casino Control Commission. The only exception is for off-duty police officers who are hired by casinos.

Griffin’s request comes one month after 28-year-old Sunil Rattu was carjacked inside the Taj Mahal parking garage and then murdered. It’s the second time in 16 months someone was carjacked inside the parking facilities. Back in 2010, 47-year-old Martin Caballero was allegedly carjacked and killed there also.

According to the Press of Atlantic City, Trump invested millions of dollars in surveillance and security improvements following Caballero’s death. They even paid for an Atlantic City police officer to patrol the garage, but it wasn’t enough to stop Rattu’s death.

DGE—which has taken over most functions formerly handled by the CCC—has not said how long it will take to come up with a decision, but the agency will reportedly release more information later this week.

Although hiring armed security guards is nothing new in places like Las Vegas, bringing them to Atlantic City may be a whole new ball game. Atlantic City Tourism District Commander Tom Gilbert told the Press of Atlantic City on Monday that using the guards is just one option officials are considering and they would have to seek legal expertise on the reality of such a program.

While some officials are in support of the proposal, others are already speaking out against it.

"I'm not sure what people are reacting to, but I think ... the most important thing with security is presence of people who look like they have some kind of official capacity. I'd be much more in favor of having a few more people out there walking around," Revel Entertainment Group CEO Kevin DeSanctis told the press of Atlantic City. His almost 3-billion casino is scheduled to open next year.

Instead of armed guards, state Sen. Jim Whelan reportedly said he would prefer increasing visibility or using former or off-duty law-enforcement personnel. This would also prevent having to change current legislation.

Either way, something has to be done. Atlantic City has the highest crime rate of all the top-ranked U.S. gaming markets.

 

New Details in Culpeper Triple Shooting

Culpeper police released new details Tuesday in a triple shooting that resulted in the town’s first murder in five years.

Patricia Adams,31,was shot and killed late Saturday afternoon in her apartment in the 600 block of Willis Lane. A second victim, a 43-year-old Culpeper man, was also shot and remains in critical condition at a Virginia hospital. Police are withholding his identity. 

Investigators believe both victims were shot by Gary Willie, 50, of Catlett. Willie then apparently shot himself in the head. He is on life support in the ICU at the University of Virginia Medical Center. He had been romantically involved with Patricia Adams, but she reportedly broke up with Willie the day before her murder, police said.

Willie and the unidentified victim arrived at Adams’ apartment together, police said, but declined further comment on their relationship, citing the ongoing investigation.

Prior to Saturday, Culpeper’s last homicide involved a case of murder-suicide on October 22, 2006.

Virginia's On-Time Graduation Rate Rises

A growing number of Virginia students are staying in school and graduating on time.

Virginia’s on-time high school graduation rate rose one point this year to 86.6 percent, and the statewide dropout rate fell one point to 7.2 percent, according to data reported today by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

In addition, 55 percent of the diplomas earned by 2011 graduates were Advanced Studies Diplomas.

"A one-point increase in the graduation rate means that nearly 1,000 more young Virginians are beginning their adult lives with the diploma they need to pursue further education and training or an entry-level job," Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright said in a press release.   "The progress our schools have made in raising graduation rates is due the efforts of hundreds of teachers, counselors, principals and other educators across the commonwealth who refused to give up on even the most challenging students."

The graduation rates of African-American and Hispanic students continued to improve. The rate for black students increased 1.4 points to 80.3 percent, and on-time graduation for Hispanic students increased 3 points to 79.1 percent.

An on-time graduation rate is the percentage of students who were first-time ninth graders during the 2007-2008 school year and earned a diploma within four years.

The on-time graduation rate for African-American students has risen 6.3 points, and the rate for Hispanic students has risen by 7.9 points since 2008, the first year VDOE reported cohort graduation rates.