Planned power outages have made life miserable for Dave Taylor, a senior citizen who rents an apartment at an assisted living complex in Thousand Oaks.

Taylor has endured three outages in 90 days — two in just the past month — as Southern California Edison works to repair and replace equipment nearby. He recently received notice that a fourth outage was planned for the upcoming weekend.

"It gets to be scary," he told the I-Team.

That's because even though SoCal Edison issued notices informing him and his neighbors that the outages would last from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., they've always extended past that window.

"It's more like late morning, 10:30 or 11," he said.

The additional six hours without power have been more than an inconvenience for residents of the 90-unit complex. Many are elderly and have medical issues, like Taylor's diabetes.

"Insulin has to be refrigerated, and when the refrigerator is off for 10 hours or longer, that jeopardizes my health because the insulin can go bad," he explained.

When the power's out, he's also unable to use his C-Pap breathing machine, which he uses to treat his apnea.

The unpredictability "is unsettling," Taylor continued, "because you just don't know. You're at their mercy."

He submitted his concerns to SoCal Edison's website, and received an emailed response, saying that "planned outages may not begin exactly at the stated start time," but making no mention of crews not finishing in time.

The email also notes that "while Southern California Edison strives to provide the most reliable electric service possible ... SCE does not and cannot guarantee a continuous or sufficient supply of electricity or freedom from interruption."

Mindy Spatt, spokeswoman for the San Francisco-based Utility Reform Network, or TURN, said the burden should not be placed on electricity customers.

"It’s not the customer’s responsibility to deal with outages," said Spatt. "It’s Edison’s responsibility to make sure that if they have to happen, that they happen at the scheduled time, and that they’re done correctly, so that they don’t go past!"

The I-Team caught up with Southern California Edison spokesman Mark Olson at a work site in West Hollywood, who said the planned outages are necessary to upgrade its aging infrastructure.

"We have a vast system of 1.5 million poles. We have a vast underground system as well. And we’re making an aggressive effort to replace equipment," Olson said. "It’s like taking your car into the shop — sometimes they can give you an accurate estimate, but once you start working on the electrical system, there may be components or issues we have to deal with that cause us to go over."

That explanation doesn't satisfy Dave Taylor.

"I don’t know why it would take three or four power outages in 90 days," he complained. "We’re talking about the Edison company and this is 2015."

After the I-Team's initial contact with SoCal Edison, the next planned outage at Taylor's apartment complex was canceled. He has received no notices of further outages.

A house set to go on sale in Milton, Massachusetts, was wired to explode if someone just flipped a light switch, police said Tuesday.

Attention was initially called to the home on Craig Street when the homeowner and an electrician came to the house as part of a pre-sale inspection. The electrician immediately determined that a device in the home was suspicious.

Police and the bomb squad responded and disabled the device. Police say the device was wired to detonate when a lamp or wall switch was flipped. The wires ran through the entire house, including the rafters.

According to police, they were called to the house one week ago for a vandalism complaint. They say someone had plugged all of the drains with cement.

Boston Police and Milton Police are searching for the individuals renting the home. They say everyone connected to the house are being considered persons of interest.

Police continue to investigate the home. Craig Street, which was closed off Tuesday, has since reopened.

Parents of students at a middle school in Brentwood had a tense meeting Tuesday with LAUSD officials in the wake of accusations against a teacher who allegedly made racist comments in class.

Some 100 parents came the meeting over the eighth-grade instructor at Paul Revere Charter Middle School and Magnet Center in LA's Westside, many upset that he was removed from the classroom over accusations they say have not yet been proven.

"It's just the bureaucracy that I think is frustrating," parent Susan Giller said."The whole idea that you can't get a straight answer, I think a lot of the parents are very frustrated."

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a mixed-race student against LA Unified School District last week.

The teacher, identified in the suit as Steven Carnine, allegedly used the N-word in a lesson about the Civil War and denigrated Michael Brown, the teenager whose death in Ferguson, Missouri sparked a national conversation about crime and race, according to the lawsuit, filed in LA Superior Court on March 18.

The lawsuit also accuses Carnine of making racially insensitive comments during a lesson on the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when he allegedly said, "black people are judged for not being smart because they are not smart. A lot of them are just athletes."

Since the accusations, dozens have defended Carnine as a good, culturally sensitive teacher. Other children in the class say his remarks were misinterpreted and that he was quoting other viewpoints about stereotypes rather than making personal statements.

Some parents, though, say that could still be an issue.

"So much can be misunderstood," parent Heshimu Faggins said. "So much can be taken the wrong way, and then you have a situation where we are right now."

The LAUSD has moved Carnine to non-classroom work. Many parents at the school felt it was unfair to remove him from the classroom before the allegations were proven.

"Nothing that any of the parents feel, nothing that these administrators say matter," parent Julie Paller said. "All that matters is what all of the students in the classroom heard."

The parent suing the district has not spoken publicly. NBC4 reached out to his attorneys. Carnine has not responded to the allegations. The suit seeks damages for emotional distress.
 

A homeless man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges he bit off the fingertip of a Venice restaurant owner in an attack.

Jonathan Lemmons, 31, faces one felony count each of criminal threats and mayhem, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

The attack happened Saturday shortly after 9:30 a.m. at The Cow's End Cafe, just a few blocks from the Venice Beach boardwalk.

The cafe owner, 72-year-old Clabe Hartley, was dealing with a homeless man who was "causing a scene," officials said.

Lemmons allegedly threatened and assaulted Hartley, prosecutors said. During the scuffle, Lemmons allegedly bit off a portion of the owner's ring finger, which doctors were unable to reattach. The injury required more than 40 stitches.

The recommended bail was $150,000, prosecutors said. If convicted, Lemmons faces a maximum sentence of more than eight years in state prison, according to a news release.

Since Saturday's attack, local business owners have met to discuss growing tensions between shop proprietors and transients who frequent the area. Shop owners have recommended increased patrol and security in the beachfront neighborhood.

"This incident, as horrible as it is, is not indicative of our community," Hartley said.

A man convicted of killing his girlfriend with a sword in front of her children in 2008 was sentenced to 36 years to life in state prison Tuesday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

After two hours of deliberation, a jury found 35-year-old Jesús Humberto Canales guilty of one count of first-degree murder and four counts of child abuse.

Canales murdered his 26-year-old live-in girlfriend Lucy Preciado on July 12, 2008, prosecutors said. Preciado's four children — whose ages ranged from 7 months to 9 years old — were present during the murder. Her oldest daughter, now 15 years old, delivered a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing.

Canales fled Lancaster shortly after the killing. Authorities captured him in November 2013 in Mexico after an episode of the crime-fighting television show "America's Most Wanted" featured the story, according to a news release.

The head of a Delaware middle school and his wife are slowly recovering but their children remain in critical condition after they were sickened, possibly by a pesticide, during a vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Stephen Esmond, his wife Dr. Theresa Devine and their two teen sons were staying at the Sirenusa Condominium Resort in Cruz Bay, St. John, Friday when they suddenly became ill, suffering major respiratory trauma.

The family was eventually taken to hospitals in the Philadelphia area. Esmond and his wife are in serious condition while their two sons are in critical condition.

Esmond is the headmaster of Tatnall’s Middle School in Wilmington while Dr. Devine is a local dentist. Their two teen sons attend Tatnall's high school. 

Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are investigating whether the family was sickened by a pesticide called methyl bromide. EPA officials say the pesticide may have been used to fumigate a room at the resort back on March 18, the same day the family checked in.

The use of methyl bromide is restricted in the United States because of its acute toxicity, according to the EPA. The pesticide is not authorized for use in buildings and only certified applicators are allowed to be used in certain agricultural settings.

Exposure to methyl bromide can cause damage to the central nervous system and respiratory system.

“Pesticides can be very toxic and it is critically important that they be applied properly and used only as approved by EPA,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Protecting people’s health in the U.S. Virgin Islands is of paramount importance. The EPA is actively working to determine how this happened and will make sure steps are taken to prevent this from happening to others at these vacation apartments or elsewhere.”

Both the EPA and the U.S. Virgin Islands government are investigating the incident.

Tatnall is a college preparatory school for students ages 3 through grade 12. Tatnall is currently on Spring Break but students and staff have shown their support for the family.

"The whole community is pulling for you guys, praying for you guys," said Oiver Campbell, a family friend. "We really wish them the best."

Charlie Tierney, the head of School at Tatnall, also released a statement on Esmond and his family.

“The Tatnall School family is sending its well-wishes and love to the Esmonds,” Tierney wrote. “We will continue to offer our prayers and positive, healing thoughts and support them in any way we can.”

Opponents of the Santa Monica Airport are rallied outside Santa Monica City Hall Tuesday night in advance of a city council meeting.

The council expected about a hundred people to speak out about the future of the airport — a contentious issue that has the city divided.

The future of the Santa Monica Airport is literally up in the air as the city council plans to vote on how the facility should be operated moving forward.

Opponents want the 227-acre airport shut down altogether, citing pollution, noise and safety. They cite 11 crashes of planes coming or going from Santa Monica airport since 1989 — the most recent being actor Harrison Ford’s crash on Penmar Golf Course.

"The Harrison Ford crash was the crash heard round the world," said Alan Levenson, who lives near the airport runway.

He is among those who planned to attend the city council meeting to complain about safety. Officials said the meeting may last until after midnight.

"There’s too much risk here to have a plane 300 feet from houses on both ends," Levenson said.

The city of Santa Monica’s agreement with the federal government for the use of the land expires July 1. Lawsuits are pending over what will happen to the land after that.

The Federal Aviation Administration contends the city has to continue using the land as an
airport indefinitely, but the city believes it has the right to limit operations.

But airport supporters say the airport is needed during natural disasters, and if the airport is shut down air traffic from LAX would be allowed to fly lower over Santa Monica — and high rise buildings could go up along the shoreline.

Pilot Christian Fry says the airport needs to remain operational.

"The anti-airport people are fear mongering. We’ve never killed a Santa Monica resident in 100 years of operation that wasn’t in a plane," he said.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday evening, and that hardly came as a surprise. On this occasion, the team failed to protect the paint and attempted to foolishly outscore the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Predictably, the Lakers lost 127-117.

However, far more meaningful than the result was the continued development of rookie point guard Jordan Clarkson, who finished as the leading scorer in the game with 30 points.

Thirty points would be a new career-high for Clarkson, and the rookie point guard also added seven assists and four rebounds to the stat sheet. On this night, the 22-year-old played with maturity and control in a game that featured Clarkson attempting a game-high 19 shots and converting 12 of them.

With regards to the competition level of the game, the Lakers fell behind by double-digits early and never quite got back into the game. However, credit to interim head coach Paul Pressey for keeping his guys engaged and fighting. The team fought back from 20 points down early in the fourth quarter to finish the game down by 10 points at the final buzzer.

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, who was Long Beach born and UCLA bred, only played three quarters and still managed 27 points and 11 assists. Overall, Westbrook still looked like the premier athlete on the court. That being said, Clarkson managed a few highlight plays of his own and did more than enough to earn praise after the game.

Jeremy Lin, Clarkson's new starting backcourt partner, finished with 19 points and seven assists in 30 minutes. In particular, Lin played a strong first half and attacked with regularity. The new backcourt duo appeared to be clicking early, and this combination of Clarkson and Lin should continue for at least a handful of games.

Along with Lin back in the starting lineup, Ryan Kelly also joined the starting five. Finally, Kelly earned time at power forward, which is his natural position. Offensively, he found a rhythm and hit five of nine shots for 16 points. However, since neither team appeared interested in playing defense, Kelly will need to prove himself against the stronger power forwards in the NBA in order to survive at the position.

Continuing the lineup theme, Robert Sacre also earned playing time after being looked over for seven consecutive games. Sacre's inclusion meant Jordan Hill and Carlos Boozer did not enter the game despite being available.

The Lakers cannot dwell over the loss long, as the team travels to Minneapolis late Tuesday night and faces the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

Dozens of Costa Mesa residents woke up Tuesday morning to discover that their car windows had been shot out by a vandal wielding a BB gun.

Thirty-three cars were hit in the so-called “bird tract” neighborhood of Costa Mesa.
A rude awakening and an expensive inconvenience.

"I know it’s, like, horrible. It’s sickening that someone came in and did all that all the damage," said Ami Joyce, one of the vandal’s victims.

Victims said the damage was costly in both time lost from work and money for repairs.

Popping sounds and glass shattering woke some of the victims up around 3:30 a.m.

Others, like Mark Feldman, got a knock on the door from police.

"My wife and I were asleep," Feldman said. "We hadn't heard a thing. Police officer said 'your car has a shattered window and bunch of other cars in the neighborhood.'"

Feldman's Lexus got hit.

At first police counted a dozen cars. Then the number swelled to more than 30.

Someone had apparently driven through the neighborhood shooting out car windows.

The Tuppans told our sister station Telemundo they got hit three times.

"My husband's truck, my daughter's 4Runner and my Nissan Murano," said Trina Tuppan.
"It was like. disbelief. I never, ever. We've been here 28 years and never had anything like this happen before."

The vandals also targeted the home of Kevin Kiser.

"Two shots (into) our front window," Kiser said.

No one was hurt but a lot of phone calls were made to insurance companies.

Police said they have no suspects and are asking anyone with information to call the Costa Mesa Police Department.

Questions are being raised about the safety of an Oxnard high school after a new report shows the surrounding agricultural land may be saturated with a potentially toxic pesticide.

Rio Mesa High School’s campus is literally bordered by agriculture fields, with strawberries as far as the eye can see - part of Ventura County’s $3 billion farming industry.

"I just want to know more about it," said parent Javier San Roman.

The county’s agriculture commissioner presented a report to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday about pesticides on the campus.

He also faced some tough questions about one chemical in particular, called 1,3-Dichloropropene - also called 1-3-D.

"Everybody jumps to the conclusion that, because it's so much, it's got to be 'bad.' And that is not accurate," Henry Gonzalez told the board.

1-3-D is known to cause cancer in high concentrations, although it's still being tested.

The commissioner admitted that growers did exceed state air standards with 1-3-D.

"2011, 2012 and 2013 …The air there was above the standard?" asked supervisor Steve Bennett. He was correct.

Environmental watch dogs say the people who are supposed to be protecting students and school workers from pesticide exposure used loopholes in state law to allow higher concentrations than were healthy.

The county's health director said there's no evidence of that yet. But, he says, more study is needed, snd that includes taking residue samples from surfaces at the school.

"None of these has shown us increased health problems in employees or children at Rio Mesa High School," said Dr. Robert Levin.

But the supervisors and Levin said more testing is needed, and that the issue is not likely to go away anytime soon.

A pregnant woman was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries Tuesday after the car she was in allegedly ran a red light and hit a fire truck in Lancaster, throwing her from the vehicle, officials said.

The woman was riding in the back seat of the car when it collided with the fire truck at the intersection of 10th Street West and Newgrove Street (map) about 2 p.m., Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials said.

The woman, believed to be six to seven months pregnant, was ejected from the car. She was taken to a hospital.

Two other people in the car and a firefighter suffered minor injuries.

The fire truck was responding to a call of a person in distress at the time of the crash, officials said.

Refresh this page for updates on this developing story.

A 29-year-old man suspected in the fatal shooting of a woman died Wednesday morning after he was shot by deputies in a South Los Angeles alley.

Officers confronted the man, armed with a shotgun, at an alley near 102nd Street and Vermont Avenue at around 1:30 a.m, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman said. He opened fire on the lawmen and they returned fire, authorities said.

"He shot at the deputies, and a deputy-involved shooting occurred as a result of that," said Capt. Rod Kusch.

Deputies had earlier been at the 1000 block of 106th Street, where they found a female victim who had been shot dead. The report of the initial shooting came in at 1:14 a.m, police said.

The victim was identified only as a woman in her 20s or 30s. Witnesses reported the sound of gunfire after what sounded like an argument.

"I woke up to the shots," said resident Elehondro Powell. "I heard the police cars coming, and pretty much at the same time you hear the shots."

Deputies then found the gunman in the alley. He was ordered to drop the weapon several times, according to the sheriff's department.

Authorities have not confirmed the relationship between the gunman and victim.

UPDATE: Click here for the latest developments in the slaying.

The man suspected of killing a veteran San Jose police officer in a shootout was found dead early Wednesday on the balcony of his home where he had been holed up, police said, after what the mayor called "San Jose's darkest hour."

Police found the suspect dead on his balcony with at least one gunshot wound when they entered his home around 3:20 a.m., a police spokesman said.

Fourteen-year police veteran Michael Johnson was shot dead Tuesday night when a man opened fire on officers responding to a call about an intoxicated man threatening to kill himself, Officer Albert Morales said.

The suspect — who police earlier identified as Scott Dunham, 57 — shot at the officers as they arrived just before 7 p.m. Tuesday, and they returned fire and may have struck him, Morales said.

Officers had swarmed the area of Senter Road, between Umbarger Road and Balfour Drive in East San Jose, in search of the suspect. Police were heard telling people in the area "there is a man with a high-powered rifle who may be pointing it at you right now. You may be in the line of fire."

After hearing of the shooting, police departments throughout the Bay Area late Tuesday offered sympathies to San Jose police by sending thoughts and prayers on social media.

"It's a sad day for law enforcement and the police department in our community," San Jose Police Chief Larry Esquivel said.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo called Tuesday's fatal shooting "San Jose's darkest hour."

"We mourn the loss of an officer who has paid the full measure," Liccardo said.

It has been nearly 14 years since the last San Jose police officer was killed in the line of duty. Officer Jeffrey Fontana was shot and killed in the Almaden Valley neighborhood in October 2001.

Fontana was shot during a traffic stop.

The gunman, DeShawn Campbell, was convicted in a high-profile court case that lasted more than seven years.

A suspected gunman was caught afrer a perimeter was set up in Los Angeles overnight.

The containment measure was established near Witmer Street and 3rd Street at around midnight after a call was received about a man with a gun, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said.

Officers heard shots being fired while conducting a search at around 2:15 a.m, police said. Initially it was thought an officer involved shooting had occured, but this later turned out not to be the case.

A man and a gun were both located with help from a K9 unit. The suspect is in his 20s.

A power outage affected swaths of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood Tuesday night, as thousands were plunged into darkness.

At 8:38 p.m. 2,886 customers lost power in Beverly Hills and another 389 Southern California Edison customers lost power at 8:02 p.m. in West Hollywood. A large part of the city went dark, stretching all the way to Culver City. 

By Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Department of Power reported that crews continued to work on "scattered outages" in the San Fernando Valley. The outages resulted from downed power lines.

Also, a Los Angeles Fire Department urban search and rescue crew was sent to West Hollywood to secure a billboard threatened by high winds on the 8900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard.

The issue was reported at around 10:10 p.m, with officers on the scene saying the sign was blowing like a sail due to the gusts. No injuries were reported.

An off-duty cop shot at a burglar during a confrontation at his home in Rowland Heights.

The intruder fled the scene after the shooting at the 17000 block of Calle Aurora at around 12:18 a.m Wednesday, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

The burglar was trying to leave in a vehicle when the off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer fired at the suspect. It is unknown how many shots were fired, but the the thief is not believed to have been injured. 

Detectives are currently at the scene.

Bomb squad investigators determined a report of a suspicious package found near the Federal Building in Westwood Wednesday morning was not a bomb, officials said.

The package was reported near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue at about 7 a.m..

A SigAlert was issued for the southbound and northbound I-405 on-ramps and off-ramps on Wilshire Boulevard due to "police activity" in the area," officials from the California Highway Patrol said. 

The ramps were reopened less than an hour later. 

People near the area were tweeting about the incident. One person said the entrance to the building was blocked while another person said police were evacuating the parking lot of the Federal Building.

Officials reopened  the area to pedistrian and street traffic at about 8:30 a.m. 

No further details were available. 

Con artists are posting fake advertisement for rental homes online then stealing cash from customers who are pressured into handing over money to secure their vacation booking.

The ads offer deals that are too good to be true.

Huntington Beach resident Lorrie Burkes was one of those almost taken in, and thought she hit the jackpot after she found a desert escape for a girls' weekend away. However the listed home in the Palm Springs area actually belonged to a woman who knew nothing about the advertisement.

"It's $300 a night...  it had swimming pool, gourmet kitchen. Just perfect," Burkes said.

However she  knew something was not right when the supposed renter told her to make a deposit into his bank account,  urging her to act fast since vacation rentals are getting snatched up quickly. 

"He would start bugging me , 'Well, are you going to wire the money to me? I haven't received yet,'" Burkes said, "I googled what he had put in as his bank account number and routing number and that came up with a hit on a scam website."

She looked up the property address, which led her to the real owner.

"I said do you happen to have somebody by the name of harry working for you? She goes, 'No! he's stolen our stuff, that's a scam,'" Burkes said.

Police are warning about the same scam being used in Burkes' own Huntington Beach community, where officers are investigating several cases of houses being listed as holiday homes. Sometimes even foreclosed properties were listed.

"They push for the funds , and because of the deal they're getting…  the people don't want to lose out, so they hand over the cash in order to hold the rental property," Officer Jennifer Marlatt of the Huntington Beach Police Department said.