A BART police officer was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow officer while performing a probation search in Dublin Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Transit agency officials said in a statement that the shooting occurred at Park Sierra Apartments, near the intersection of Dougherty Road and Park Sierra, around 1:03 p.m., and the male officer was transported to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where he died of his injuries.

A number of BART officers had come to the apartment complex to do a probation search, according to Sgt. J.D. Nelson of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. They were looking for a man suspected of robberies on BART trains. Officers went into the apartment and at some point one officer accidentally discharged his gun, wounding the other officer.

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Nelson said there are no suspects at large, and Dublin police are investigating the shooting. The city of Dublin contracts with the sheriff's office for police services.

He said this is the first time a BART police officer has been killed in the line of duty.

In an emailed statement, BART officials said, "The entire BART organization is deeply saddened by this tragic event and we ask the public to keep the officer’s family in its thoughts and prayers.”

Bay City News Contributed to this report.

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UPDATE: Chicago Archdiocesan Files Reveal Extent of Sex Abuse Cover-Up

The attorneys representing the sex abuse victims of 30 Chicago priests have released the internal files showing years of cover-up and the transfer of abusive priests to new parishes.

The documents include letters from Cardinals Joseph Bernardin and Francis George to abusing priests as well as internal memos from those bishops in charge. The 6,000 documents made public Tuesday morning are part of an eight year long negotiated settlement between the Archdiocese and the attorneys for the victims.

While NBC Chicago first broke the abuse story in 1990 and has followed it closely, these reports will reveal for the first time what the Archdiocese knew, when they knew it and how the information was concealed from parishioners.

The documents, released by AndersonAdvocates.com, will also be found at BishopAccountability.org.

"Publishing for all to read the actual records of these crimes raises transparency to a new level," George wrote in a letter distributed to parishes earlier this month. "It will be helpful, we pray, for some, but painful for many."

(Editor's Note: Many of the details included in the previously-secret documents are graphic in nature. Readers should consider whether they want to review such material.)

The files focus on the victims represented by attorneys Jeff Anderson and Mark Pearlman. Of the 30 priests referenced, 14 are dead. The Archdiocese said it is beginning to discuss how to release the files of all of the priests. However the files of any priests or brothers accused of abuse from religious orders must come through their specific order.
 

Three men accused of starting the 1,952-acre Colby Fire allegedly smoked marijuana as the brush fire flared, according to a federal complaint filed on Tuesday.

Clifford Eugene Henry Jr., 22, of Glendora; Steven Robert Aguirre, 21, a transient last known to live in Los Angeles; and Jonathan Carl Jarrell, 23, of Irwindale, were charged with one federal count each of unlawfully setting a fire.

The men allegedly tossed papers into a campfire when winds sent embers into the brush above Glendora, setting off the Colby Fire.

A federal complaint alleges they were camping, smoking pot and watching videos on a laptop when their campfire got out of control. 

The suspects are expected to appear in federal court on Wednesday.

Gov. Brown Declares CA Drought Emergency

They face up to five years in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The three men were taken into custody shortly after the fire broke out early Thursday morning amid a red flag warning denoting an elevated risk of wildfires.

Historic Mansion Property Damaged

Glendora police Chief Tim Staab last week a resident called police shortly after the fire began and reported seeing at least two people near what was believed to be the origin of the blaze.

California Wildfires: Fire Map

Staab described one of the suspects as "apologetic," and said one of the men admitted to setting the fire.

Photos: Colby Fire Sends Smoke Over SoCal

The Colby Fire was 95 percent contained as of Tuesday.

It destroyed five homes, damaged 17 others and injured six people, including five firefighters and a civilian. It also prompted evacuations of several neighborhoods.

How safe is your home, your child’s school or your office in the event of a major earthquake?

Engineers have identified nearly 1,500 older concrete buildings in Los Angeles that they believe deserve a closer look to determine if they are vulnerable to temblors.

Los Angeles city officials are now getting all the data, including the exact addresses, of thousands of structures that may not have adequate reinforcement to survive a significant quake. But the city is grappling with whether to give those addresses to the public.

Special Section: Earthquake Info, Maps, Resources

“I have a concern and the researchers on my team that people could become unduly alarmed and take a course of action that is really not warranted by this database,” said Jack Moehle, Ph.D, an engineering professor at UC Berkeley.

Moehle and his team found 1,454 concrete buildings in Los Angeles that may be inadequately reinforced. On the list are dozens of churches, offices, apartment buildings and theaters, and schools.

More specific numbers of buildings include:

• Commercial: 235
• Schools: 214
• Churches: 48
• Hotels: 47
• Hospitals: 45
• Theaters: 21
• Shopping Malls: 15

Data analyzed by the NBC4 I-Team finds that the maximum potential occupancy of those buildings is nearly half a million people.

But Moehle said there’s a significant caveat when it comes to his data.

Quake Warning System Technology Grows

“Some of these buildings are perfectly safe in their current condition, some of them may already have been retrofitted but there will be some within this inventory of buildings that are likely to be judged as vulnerable,” he said.

Renewed attention is being put on concrete buildings without more steel reinforcement than was thought necessary when they were built.

Quake shaking can cause vertical supports to fall, and when that happens, the building collapses into rubble and casualties are almost a certainty, Moehle said.

More than 120 people were killed when two such buildings collapsed during the 2011 New Zealand quake.

Determining the risk level in LA will require individual engineering inspections yet to be done. But for now, those who live, work and play in older concrete buildings will not be told if they’re on the list.

The portion of the report being made public reveals only rough geo-coordinates, not exact addresses. A map of the available information is embedded below.

Last fall, some prominent buildings, including Capital Tower and Pantages Theater, were identified in a survey by the Los Angeles Times as vulnerable to quakes. Last week, the LA City Council supported pursuing the resources to perform inspections of potentially at-risk buildings, but as of now, there’s no plan or funding in place.

“I would hope that some action would be forthcoming,” Moehle said. “It is a real opportunity to make a difference for seismic safety.”

After the deadly 1994 Northridge quake that devastated the Southland, Los Angles passed a retrofitting ordinance for the so-called non-ductile concrete buildings. But it was not retroactive and existing concrete buildings must be reinforced only if they get a major quake makeover or repurposing.

A 22-year-old man confessed in a suicide note to strangling his pregnant girlfriend and throwing her body into the ocean in Hawaii last year, police said on Tuesday, citing an unsealed grand jury indictment.

Hawaii police found a handwritten note near the body of Boaz David Johnson on Jan. 2. In the note, he confessed to strangling his former girlfriend, Brittany Jane Royal, while involved in a domestic dispute in May of 2013, police said. The note also said he intended to end his life, officials said.

Read: Slain Woman's Family Awaits Autopsy After Man's Body Found in Hawaii

The discovery of Johnson's body and suicide note brings a close to an investigation that began eight months ago, when police and firefighters responded to a May 28 report of a body caught in a fishing line in waters off Kalapana. 

The body was identified through fingerprints as Royal, who had recently moved to Hawaii from Tustin, and was living in the Kalapana area with Johnson, who had recently moved to Hawaii from Alaska. Kalapana is a town on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Police fingered Johnson as a suspect in Royal’s slaying shortly after her body was found based on DNA evidence and a cryptic phone call made after her death in which he told a friend that he and Royal were in good health and were on their way to Hilo, police said. But until his body was discovered by a hiker last month, police had been unable to locate the suspect.

Read: Woman in Nightclub Beating Declared Dead

Johnson died of asphyxia due to hanging, according to the medical examiner. His death was ruled a suicide. There was no foul play, officials said. A forensic document examiner determined that the confession was written by Johnson.

Johnson was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder on Dec. 18 and a warrant was issued for his arrest, authorities said.

A Southern California woman who challenged a red-light ticket and won her case is still empty-handed as she waits for her refund of hundreds of dollars.

Marcia Moussa told NBC4 she has not gotten a penny since winning a case for the dismissal of a red-light ticket -- a dismissal that was approved in September 2012.

"I just wonder, where is my $489?" said Moussa, who admits she rightfully earned herself the citation, but knew she could fight it and possibly win given the Los Angeles Police Department's decision to stop enforcing the city's now-defunct red-light camera program.

Federal Complaint: Men Smoked Pot as Colby Fire Flared

"I’m guilty as charged," she said. "I challenged the ticket because of the ongoing controversy with red light tickets."

Once she paid the bail required in order to pursue a dismissal, she enlisted the help of Los Angeles-based TicketBust.com to challenge the citation. She won her court case and had the ticket dismissed, but she has yet to receive the money she paid for the ticket in the first place.

"I have not gotten a cent, and I call and get these recordings where you’re not allowed to leave a message, or they tell you to go to Norwalk," said Moussa, who doesn't understand why a Beverly Hills resident like herself would deal with a ticket at the Norwalk Courthouse about 30 miles away.

Moussa provided documentation to NBC4 from her courthouse visits and conversations she logged with courthouse employees.

1,500 LA Buildings Potentially Vulnerable to Quakes

"I went (to the courthouse) and they told me all kinds of things, (to) call back, I got no information," she said.

Moussa’s ticket does not display in an online search of her driving record, she said.

Officials from TicketBust.com also tried to help her get her money back since the dismissal.

"We have attempted on several occasions to request the court to refund her bail as required by law," Steve Miller, the website’s president and CEO, said in a statement to NBC4. "We have contested over 100,000 tickets in California over the last year, and although we are not surprised by the delays imposed by many of the courthouses, we are surprised that they would not issue Ms. Moussa’s refund to date."

Woman in Nightclub Beating Declared Dead

The LA Superior County Courthouse responded to NBC4 with questions regarding Moussa’s case but could not answer why she did not receive the refund.

"I’ve tried everything I know what to do being one person," Moussa said. "I slipped through the cracks somewhere. Somebody is running around with my $489." 

Surfers from around the world are making their way to the Bay Area in anticipation of the Mavericks big wave surf contest. The contest hasn't been called yet, but all signs point to Friday morning.

Organizers could decide Wednesday morning whether to pull the trigger on the Mavericks Invitational. They’ll consider the scientific models and what big wave surfers say about the conditions.

One surfer Tuesday said wiping out in conditions like these feels like getting trampled by a herd of elephants.

“Today was a really extreme day at Mavericks, 30-40 feet and as challenging as it gets,” surfer Rusty Long said.

• BART Police Officer Shot, Killed in Dublin

The high surf advisory in effect is a warning to most of us to steer clear of the beach, but it’s a siren’s call to the world’s greatest surfers.

Some of them are already in the water off Half Moon Bay warming up for the Mavericks Invitational they expect will be called for Friday morning.

“If this is a little indication of what’s to come Friday, this is something really special because Friday’s supposed to be even bigger than today,” Long said.

Organizers and sponsors Body Glove and GoPro issued a “standby” on Tuesday and are watching the weather models to see if the weather system creating epic surf will hold for the next 48 hours.

• Watch Mavericks Live Online

“Right now, waves look big, seas look good, winds looks good, seas look great,” said the Xpreshon Big Wave World Tour’s Rusty Gibson. “But we don’t want to make that final call until we are certain of that, and that’s a very tricky thing.”

Gibson doesn’t expect 50-foot faces like in 2010, when a wave wiped out spectators watching from shore.

This year – as last year – all roads leading to Maverick’s Point will be closed to the public, but a festival is planned for the grounds of the Oceano Hotel & Spa, complete with a live feed of the action on the Jumbotron, food and beer.

“We’re going to see some terrific rides, and some guys taking some pretty terrific wipeouts,” Gibson said. “But they’re ready.”

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They’ve been training. Half of the 24 surfers on the bracket are locals from San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Pacifica. But some are coming from as far away as Australia, Brazil and South Africa, looking to win the biggest title in big wave surfing.

“Mavericks is the ultimate test,” said Grant “Twiggy” Baker, the 2006 Mavericks winner. “They call it the Super Bowl of surfing and that’s exactly what it is. It’s the one we all want to win.”

The surf contest is expected to begin Friday morning at 9 a.m.

Tickets for the festival are $15-$20, or you can watch a live feed online. In addition to broadcast coverage, the entire contest will stream live on universalsports.com and mavericksinvitational.com.

A beach hazard issued by weather officials warning beachgoers about dangerous high surf conditions caught even the most experienced swimmers and wave riders off guard Tuesday.

With the helpful eye of onlookers who came to the beach to check out the high surf, lifeguards at Bolsa Chica State Beach and Huntington Beach rescued several surfers, including Kyle Wagstaff, who was on his standup paddle board when a big wave knocked him right into the water.
"Don't even get near the shore break today," Wagstaff said.

"A great big set came in. It was probably about 12 to 15 feet. It was just like a mountain of water coming at me. The leash just snapped like it was spaghetti," Wagstaff said as he held up the now-broken heavy-duty leash he bought just for that day’s surf session.

William Coon, a state lifeguard, rescued Wagstaff who he said was at least 800 yards out from shore.

"Well, it was crazy we were looking out there we couldn't see you," Coon said to Wagstaff. "You were so far out. The waves were so big."

"He was caught in a trough. Even the most experienced guys out there, you have to be careful," Coon said.

Not too long after Wagstaff's rescue, lifeguards were sent to another call.

"We had another surfer with a broken foot," said Jeff David, state lifeguard chief for Huntington and Bolsa Chica state beach.

Waves reaching 10 to 12 feet at Huntington Beach had many beachgoers in awe.

"Here comes some big boys over there!!" said Pete Moreno, who has been surfing for at least 20 years.

He watched as powerful rip currents moved two surfers south toward the pier.

"There's a gnarly current. You see how they're moving south? They're just getting sucked on over there!"

The highest surf was expected at west-facing beaches -- from Manhattan Beach to Cabrillo Beach, according to an advisory from the National Weather Service. The beach hazard statement was expected to be in effect until Wednesday morning.

A 22-year-old Buena Park man was scheduled for arraignment Wednesday for allegedly arranging to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex.

Jordon Bresyn was arrested Friday after he was scheduled to meet the victim at the San Clemente Pier, according to invstigators.

Bresyn allegedly met the victim on a dating website several months ago. Last month, he used the social media photo-sharing site Instagram to locate the victim and get her cell phone number, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Bresyn allegedly began texting her and asked the victim to meet for sex. Bresyn allegedly sent lewd photos of himself to the victim, and asked her for photos of herself.

The victim told Bresyn she was 13 years old, according to officials.

Bresyn is being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of $200,000 bail.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department is asking anyone with information regarding possible additional victims to contact authorities.

Hit-and-run crashes in Southern California are considered an "epidemic," according to Assemblyman Mike Gatto.

The LAPD reports that 20,000 hit-and-run crashes are recorded annually, and according to state data, 4,000 of those result in injury or death.

Gatto has now introduced a bill, AB 1532, that would enforce tougher penalties on hit-and-run drivers, including automatic revocation of their driver’s license.

The bill comes just a week after 24-year-old veterinary student Robert Ramage was killed in a hit-and-run collision in Northridge. The driver in that incident has not yet been found.

WATCH: Relatives Mourn Student Killed in Hit-and-Run

"For someone to run and leave him like that, it was awful," said Chenanah Bowen, a passerby who came to the aid of Ramage after the accident.

Under the new bill, a motorist would lose their license automatically if they chose to flee the scene of a crash, regardless of whether the victim’s injuries were minor or major.

"The only way to know if you hurt someone is to stop. The only way to get someone medical help is to stop," Gatto said in a statement." Allowing drivers who don't stop to keep their license, adds insult to their victim's injuries."

Bicyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to hit-and-run crashes, according to Eric Bruins of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.

READ: Driver Runs From Car After Striking Jogger

Earlier this month, a 60-year-old jogging near Loyola Marymount University was struck by a hit-and-run driver. In late December, a 23-year-old crossing a street in the Pacific Palisades was also killed in a hit-and-run collision.

READ: Judge's Son Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver in Pacific Palisades

"AB 1532 will give victims of hit-and-runs solace, knowing that cowards who drive recklessly, and purposefully avoid responsibility for their actions, are no longer driving the streets," Gatto said.

Ramage was driving home from his job at Mission Animal Hospital when he struck the hit-and-run driver, who then left his pick-up truck and fled the scene on foot.

"I hope (the bill) helps. There’s family like Robert's who are in a lot of pain, and someone leaving a scene like that just makes the pain even worse," Mission Animal Hospital owner William O'Leary said.

Current law includes license revocation for crashes that result in serious bodily injury or death, but there are few consequences for offenders whose victims only have minor injuries, according to a press release by Gatto.

Gatto introduced a bill last year, AB 184, which extended the statute of limitations on hit-and-runs that result in death or bodily injury.

READ: $50,000 Reward Offered in Slaying of SoCal Lawmaker's Father

Gatto's 78-year-old father was found shot to death in his SIlver Lake home on Nov. 13. A suspect has not been found. Earlier this month, the city offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspect's arrest and conviction.

A woman on a motorcycle was killed Wednesday morning in a collision with another vehicle on the 405 Freeway that forced lane closures throughout the morning in the Sepulveda Pass.

The crash occurred early Tuesday at Getty Center Drive. The victim was identified as a female adult who was involved in a crash with another vehicle just before 4 a.m., authorities said.

An initial investigation indicated the motorcyclist crashed into the back of a construction vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol. Overnight construction projects are regularly scheduled on the stretch off road during an ongoing improvement project to widen the freeway.

One lane reopened at about 5:30 a.m. At 7:30 a.m., northbound traffic remained backed up to the 10 Freeway, where a brush fire forced the closure of the transition road from the eastbound 10 Freeway to the southbound 405 Freeway.

Crews under the interchange overpass knocked down the fire, which burned pine trees and sent smoke over the freeway. Details regarding a cause were not immediately available.

Refresh this page for updates.
 

The second massive snowstorm of the season buried parts of the Northeast in up to 15 inches of snow Tuesday, creating dangerous whiteout conditions that caused a messy commute and brought subzero temperatures to the region overnight. But for some, the blizzard seemed like a perfect opportunity to get out and play.

In Philadelphia, children and adults alike grabbed what they could to slide down the snow-covered Art Museum steps.

“If it slides, it rides,” said one man, explaining his technique.

In Washington, D.C, where federal offices were closed, hundreds of snow revelers took advantage of their snow day and participated in a massive snowball fight at Dupont Circle. The gathering was a hit on social media with #DCSnowballFight trending on Twitter.

The snow snarled travel on major highways in the region and backed up traffic in New York City for hours during the evening commute. One taxi driver took to the slippery sidewalk to get around a snowed in truck blocking a Manhattan street. The dangerous stunt was caught on camera.

One of the casualties of the snowstorm may have been a glass panel at Apple’s iconic cube store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. It cracked when hit by a snowblower, an Apple rep told BuzzFeed. Images of the damage were shared on social media.

Apple has not yet returned a call for comment to NBC 4 New York.

An arctic chill — an offshoot of the global vortex that wreaked havoc across the United States earlier this month— is set to last through the weekend.

Take a look at some of the stunning images of the blizzard shared on social media:
 

Preparing for visitors this morning at the #911Memorial. #NYC #Snow pic.twitter.com/BEsrjWcxdG

— 9/11 Memorial (@Sept11Memorial) January 21, 2014

The snow in NYC has ended. The 'Naked Cowboy' played on. More storm photos: http://t.co/Y5KCaNVFCC pic.twitter.com/ftPC8bYvxN

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 22, 2014

They're getting in some good practice at clearing snow off the field at MetLife Stadium, home of Super Bowl XLVIII. » pic.twitter.com/iVvboetAHm

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 22, 2014

William Penn, Center City Philly during the snow storm. pic.twitter.com/RDx088bXAf

— ~CJ-USMC (@CSimrak) January 22, 2014

Respect to Philly! Steps at Art Museum = a mock sledding hill @iPhillyChitChat #snow pic.twitter.com/6oEyVNf5ce

— Justin Berk (@JustinWeather) January 22, 2014

It's crazy out there! We already have 6 inches in Philly @philamuseum pic.twitter.com/Jlfyl6SMjc

— Filiz (@filizserra) January 21, 2014

The best snow storm photo you'll see today http://t.co/eeRpbHr6wI

— Jonathan L. Fischer (@jon_fischer) January 21, 2014

@sageEpeterson - Washington Monument in the snow this week pic.twitter.com/UZpKsb8uz3

— Jan Sanchez (@JanSanchez1956) January 22, 2014

The Washington Monument #snow #snowday #snowday2014 @WeatherNation @WTOP pic.twitter.com/UErcibe8XR

— Matt Small (@newsmatt) January 21, 2014

A White Common #BOSnow pic.twitter.com/bKos3rmZZM

— BostonTweet (@BostonTweet) January 22, 2014

A U.S. Army soldier from Monterey was killed in Afghanistan in an attack this week by insurgents, the Department of Defense announced on Wednesday.
 
Chief Warrant Officer Edward Balli, 42, died Jan. 20, in Kandahar Province of "wounds from small arms fire when he was attacked by insurgents," the military statement said.
 
Balli was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, U.S. Army Europe, Vilseck, Germany.
 

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated the eight-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game. Since changing his number for no. 8 to no. 24, Bryant’s achievement has not dulled with time. No other player has approached the feat in the eight years that have passed.

Also looking into the past, Pau Gasol shared an 11-year-old picture from All-Star Weekend in Atlanta. Next to Gasol, a pre-teen Kendall Marshall poses for a picture. The picture spread across the internet and LA sports scene, bringing smiles of wonderment across faces worldwide. Eleven years later, the pair now starts on the same team, incredible.

Back in the present day, Nick Young and the Los Angeles Lakers woke up in Miami after escaping the freezing cold of Chicago. Florida, like California, provides relief from the harsh winter experiences of the North and Northeast.

LeBron James and the Miami Heat may be lurking on Thursday, but the Lakers took in the sun and expect to practice on Wednesday. Incidentally, Wednesday will be the first practice for the team since Jan. 13, some nine days. Wednesday will also be Manny Harris’ first practice with the team, but it could also be his last.

Harris joined the Lakers on a 10-day contract on Jan. 16, so his 10 days would be up after the back-to-back against the Heat and the Orlando Magic. At that point, the Lakers can offer a second 10-day contract to the player. After two 10-day contracts, the Lakers will need to make a decision on whether they want to keep Harris on for the remainder of the season or vacate the final open roster spot.

Xavier Henry, who has been out due to a sprained knee, is also expected to return to practice on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, the Lakers announced that Henry would be tested hard during Wednesday’s practice, but he would not be available for Thursday’s game against the Heat.

Whether Henry is available for the games in Orlando and New York remains to be seen, but his return to the team may have an impact on the Lakers' decision to hold onto Harris' for the long-term.

Also, Lakers PR announced that Bryant would be re-evaluated upon the team’s return to Los Angeles. Steve Nash is also expected to be re-evaluated at that point.

Candy company Jelly Belly unveiled a beer-flavored jelly bean on Saturday, which they appropriately named Draft Beer.

Jelly Belly, which is famous for fun flavors like Buttered Popcorn and Toasted Marshmallow, took three years to make Draft Beer a reality.

“Our fans have been asking for a beer Jelly Bean for years,” Rob Swaigen, Jelly Belly’s vice president of marketing, told Today.com. “It took a few years to perfect, but we think we got it right.”

The Draft Beer flavor, with its top secret ingredients, matches the taste of a Hefeweizen ale, but contains no alcohol. It joins other alcohol-inspired Jelly Belly flavors like Mai Tai and Pina Colada, which the company developed in the 1980s.

Three Southern California men accused of starting the destructive Colby Fire above Glendora after their campfire burned out of control are set to appear in court for the first time Wednesday.

Clifford Eugene Henry Jr., 22, of Glendora, Steven Robert Aguirre, 21, a transient last known to live in Los Angeles, and Jonathan Carl Jarrell, 24, also a transient, are all charged with unlawfully setting timber afire, a federal offense. The charge carries a possible five-year prison term, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The three men were taken into custody last Thursday shortly after the Colby Fire started in a San Gabriel Valley foothill community northeast of Los Angeles. During interviews with the Glendora Police Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Arson Investigations Unit, all of the defendants admitted to starting a campfire that blew burning paper into the brush.

Federal Complaint: Men Smoked Pot as Colby Fire Flared

A federal complaint alleges the men were camping, smoking pot and watching videos on a laptop when they lost control of their campfire.

The Colby Fire has burned over 1,952 acres and is 95 percent contained as of Wednesday. At its peak, more than 1,110 firefighters were fighting the blaze.

Approximately 300 fire personnel remained at the site of the fire Wednesday morning.

California Wildfires: Fire Map

The fire destroyed five homes, damaged 17 others and injured six people as thousands of Glendora and Azusa residents were required to evacuate when it raced out of the Angeles National Forest and sent wind-blown embers into a neigborhood.

Eleven Southern California Albertsons supermarket locations will close next month as part of what the company calls an evaluation of "underperforming" stores.

The chain will close the following Southern California locations by Feb. 20:

• Whittier: 13003 Whittier Blvd.
• Long Beach: 450 Long Beach Blvd.
• Huntington Beach: 9051 Atlantic Blvd.
• Canyon Country (Santa Clarita): 18571 Soledad Canyon Road
• Woodland Hills: 22890 Victory Blvd.
• Moorpark: 475 West Los Angeles Ave.
• Valencia: 26850 North The Old Road
• Monrovia:  725 E. Huntington Drive
• Ontario: 1000 N. Mountain Ave.
• Chula Vista: 2310 Proctor Valley Road
• San Diego: 4421 University Ave.

An Albertsons spokeswoman told KPCC that the closures are part of an ongoing evaluatiion of store performance.

"It's difficult to make that decision but overall, it gives the company the opportunity to reinvest in its existing store base and to build a stronger division," Albertsons Southern California Division spokeswoman Lilia Rodriguez told KPCC.

Some of the stores will conduct liquidation sales Wednesday. Signs that read "Inventory Liquidation Sale" and "Store Closing" were draped above the Albertsons entrance in Monrovia.

Albertsons plans to close 26 stores nationwide by Feb. 20.

A Ralphs location at 40545 California Oaks Road in Murrieta also is scheduled to close.  

Employees at a Victoria's Secret in Texas banned a mother from breastfeeding in the store, even though nursing is allowed under company policy, Today.com reported.

A store employee in Austin last week told a mother to take her crying son into the alley outside of the store to breastfeed him after she requested a private changing room to nurse, she told a local TV station. Ashley Clawson, a 27-year-old mother of two, had just finished shopping and spent $150 at the store at the time of the request.

"I was humiliated by the whole thing. I immediately called my husband," Clawson told KTCB in Austin.

She filed two complaints before the company told her she'd receive a response in the mail. Clawson received an official apology and a $150 store gift card after her interview with the local Fox affiliate, Today.com reported.

Clawson said she has received a rush of support from people on Facebook after she took to the social media site to vent her frustration.

Mothers are allowed to breastfeed their babies in public, according to Texas state law. Victoria's Secret issued a statement after the fallout saying that it was "longstanding policy permitting mothers to nurse their children in our stores and we are sorry that it was not followed in this case."

"We have apologized to Ms. Clawson, and we are taking actions to ensure all associates understand our policy that welcomes mothers to breastfeed in our stores," the statement said.

Mavericks Invitational organizers gave a "green light" on Wednesday for the big surf contest to begin.

The first heat is scheduled to take off Friday at 8 a.m., according to MavericksInvitational.com.

Surfers were long ready for this good news and many had already flocked to Half Moon Bay to practice.

“Today was a really extreme day at Mavericks, 30-40 feet and as challenging as it gets,” surfer Rusty Long said earlier this week.

• Watch Mavericks Live Online

This year – as last year – all roads leading to Maverick’s Point will be closed to the public, but a festival is planned for the grounds of the Oceano Hotel & Spa, complete with a live feed of the action on the Jumbotron, food and beer.

The beach has been closed to the public since the 2010 contest when a giant wave wiped out the crowd watching from shore.

"Due to the high surf expected day of the contest, those who plan on attending in person are being cautioned to stay off the beaches, bluffs and cliffs as doing so will put their own safety at risk and likely be detrimental to the surrounding ecosystem," a San Mateo County Sheriff's spokesperson said in a news release statement.

Half of the 24 surfers on the bracket are locals from San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Pacifica. But some are coming from as far away as Australia, Brazil and South Africa, looking to win the biggest title in big wave surfing.

Tickets for the festival are $15-$20, or you can watch a live feed online. In addition to broadcast coverage, the entire contest will stream live on universalsports.com and mavericksinvitational.com.

San Diego Assemblymember Toni Atkins was selected as Speaker of the Assembly Wednesday, making her the first openly gay woman to hold the job. 

“I am humbled, grateful, and ready to get to work,” Atkins said in a written release. “From the drought we are experiencing to ensuring a healthy business climate and a world class educational system, California is facing important issues in the near future.

Akins, 51, served on the San Diego City Council for eight years and as Deputy Mayor of the City of San Diego before moving to the state legislature to serve as representative of the 58th District.

She will succeed Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez of Los Angeles who reaches his term limit in 2014.