The Coaster train travels along the coast in Del Mar. (FILE photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)
All coastal rail service between San Diego and Oceanside will be suspended this weekend for routine railroad maintenance and major infrastructure work.
An additional work-closure weekend is scheduled Jan. 24-25.
The North County Transit-San Diego Railroad and its project partners said they will use the closures to advance “critical projects” for the region, including the Del Mar Bluffs Stabilization Phase 5 project and Batiquitos Lagoon Double Track project in Carlsbad.
The Batiquitos Lagoon project “will include erosion protection, access improvements, and excavation activities,” a statement from Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Governments said. The project is ultimately intended to “increase the reliability, operational flexibility, and capacity of the LOSSAN rail corridor by adding a second track from Avenida Encinas in Carlsbad to La Costa Avenue in Encinitas across the Batiquitos Lagoon.”
Track maintenance will also be performed this weekend at Leucadia Boulevard.
“Weekend closures occur periodically throughout the year on a pre- determined schedule to provide construction crews the opportunity to work safely on and along the rail line to complete preventative maintenance improvements and advance major railroad construction projects,” the NCTD said.
No passenger or freight trains will operate during the closures, but other test trains, construction vehicles and equipment will be active along the railroad right-of-way and on the tracks throughout the weekends.
Officials advised residents along the corridor to remain alert and cross the rail line only at designated rail crossings.
More information on weekend closures can be found at GoNCTD.com/Alerts.
The backup on Interstate 5 in the early-morning hours Saturday Nov. 22, 2025 after a motorist was shot by law enforcement. (Photo courtesy of OnScene.TV)
A police pursuit ended in Oceanside Saturday with a shooting involving law enforcement that shut down Interstate 5 for hours, authorities said.
The shooting left the suspect with “major injuries,” according to the California Highway Patrol, which said a firearm was recovered at the scene.
Officers with the Buena Park Police Department attempted to pull over a gray 2005 Cadillac CTS for a traffic violation at about 12:45 a.m. Saturday, near the intersection of La Palma Avenue and San Marino Drive, authorities said.
The driver took off, leading officers on a pursuit through Orange County, Long Beach and back into Orange County on southbound I-5, Buena Park Sgt. Martin Tomsick said.
Officers turned the pursuit over to the California Highway Patrol at 1:05 a.m., but kept their K-9 Unit involved in the chase at the request of the CHP, according to Tomsick.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office dispatched aerial drones at 2:15 a.m. to assist with finding the suspect, according to SDSO Lt. Sean Gallagher.
Tomsick said the pursuit ended in gunfire on southbound I-5 in the Camp Pendleton area and that a Buena Park K-9 officer and at least one CHP officer fired their weapons at a suspect. It appeared no officers were injured, he said.
In a late evening news release, the CHP added details about the shooting, saying that the Cadillac driver, armed with a handgun, exited the vehicle and fled on foot just prior to the shooting.
For several hours the suspect remained in a “large brush area” in the median between the northbound and southbound lanes of the freeway north of Harbor Drive, the CHP said. Despite commands from CHP and Buena Park officers, the suspect refused to surrender and remained uncooperative until 7:40 a.m., when they were able to take the person into custody.
The CHP offered no further information on the driver’s condition or identifying characteristics such as gender or age.
During their investigation, officers recovered an unserialized firearm, known as a “ghost gun,” in the area where the suspect was taken into custody, the CHP said. The agency’s Border Division Major Crimes Unit is investigating the cause and sequence of events during the pursuit and shooting.
I-5 was temporarily closed in both directions, and a Sigalert was issued shortly after 2:30 a.m. between Harbor Drive in Oceanside and Christianitos Road in San Clemente, according to the CHP.
CHP Officer Hunter Gerber said northbound I-5 through Camp Pendleton was partially open for lanes 2-4 as of 9:30 a.m., while the No. 1 lane remained closed. Lanes 2-4 reopened shortly before 2 p.m., and all northbound and southbound lanes on were opened by mid-afternoon.
Traffic on southbound I-5 from San Clemente had been being diverted to the right shoulder south of Christianitos, according to Gerber.
Integrated Tech Labs purchased a 13,500-square-foot industrial building on .75 acres at 208-210 S. Fehr Way in Bay Shore for $2.9 million. Integrated Tech, which provides engineering solutions and testing services to the military, aerospace and other sectors, is relocating from Deer Park. Alberto Fiorini and Niko Khetaguri of Alliance Real Estate represented the buyer, while Frank Posillico of Fra-Nic Realty represented the seller, James Mitchel Properties, in the sales transaction.
210 E. Sunrise Highway, Lynbrook
Clear Freight, a logistics company, subleased 7,000 square feet of office space at 210 E. Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook. The firm is relocating from Inwood. Clear Freight’s three-year sublease was extended seven more years with a direct lease with the Lynbrook property’s landlord. Daniel Gazzola and Daniel Oliver of Newmark represented Clear Freight and the landlord, Three Brothers Properties, while Ralph Giuffre of CBRE represented the main tenant, Seko Worldwide, in the sublease transaction.
One Stop Metro LLC & QAPLA Holdings LLC purchased a 6,000-square-foot industrial building on 1.19 acres at 79 Cedarhurst Ave. in Medford for $1.9 million. Mark Timpone of Metro Realty Services represented the buyer, while Jeremy Hackett of Metro Realty Services represented the seller, 79 Cedarhurst Ave LLC, in the sales transaction.
3165 Route 112, Medford
Jallall Jagmohan Family Trust purchased a 6,000-square-foot retail building on 1.4 acres at 3165 Route 112 in Medford for $1.5 million. Michael Gronenthal of Douglas Elliman Commercial represented the buyer, while Michael Murphy and Dennis Gandley of Douglas Elliman Commercial represented the seller, Stacey Kjaer, in the sales transaction.
39 Maple Place, Amityville
39 Maple Place LLC purchased a 4,400-square-foot industrial building on .21 acres at 39 Maple Place in Amityville for $1.2 million. Michael Pisciotta of Metro Realty Services represented the buyer, while Rosemarie Bozza of Above Board Realty represented the seller, Sumpkin Family Trust, in the sales transaction.
Kashif Naseem purchased a 12,333-square-foot industrial building on .46 acres at 36 Syvester St. in Westbury for $2.8 million. Mark Timpone and Andrew Blumenthal of Metro Realty Services represented the buyer, as well as the seller, Grand Machinery, in the sales transaction.
Rookies Fitness LLC leased a 4,000-square-foot retail space at 3648 Long Beach Road in Oceanside. Christopher Pesce and Kenneth Hester of Douglas Elliman Commercial represented the tenant, as well as the landlord, 3644 Long Beach Rd LLC, in the lease transaction.
In the sweeping Southern California metropolis spanning from Santa Barbara to the Mexico border, Camp Pendleton has long remained the largest undeveloped stretch of the coastline.
The 17 miles of beach and coastal hills has, since World War II, proven critical in preparing soldiers for amphibious missions. The bluffs, canyons and mountainous terrain that comprise the interior of the base has been fertile training ground for those sent to conflicts in the Middle East and beyond.
But change may be on the horizon.
The United States Department of Defense is considering making a portion of the 125,000 acre base in northwestern San Diego County available for development or lease in what, if successful, would be unprecedented for the military installation.
“There’s no place in Southern California like Camp Pendleton when it comes to open space along the coast,” said Bill Fulton, a professor of practice in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at UC San Diego.
Marine recruits rest while the rest of the remaining platoons in their company to catch up at Camp Pendleton in 2020.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/San Diego Union-Tribune via AP)
In late August, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan conducted an aerial tour of Camp Pendleton and visited with Marines at the base where he had “initial conversations about possible commercial leasing opportunities” by the Department of Defense, Phelan’s spokesperson Courtney Williams told The Times.
“These opportunities are being evaluated to maximize value and taxpayer dollars while maintaining mission readiness and security,” Williams said in a statement. “No decisions have been made and further discussions are needed.”
Details about the sites being considered for commercial lease remain unclear. Officials with Camp Pendleton declined to comment to The Times.
A view of the sign at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Discussions over the 83-year-old base comes at a time when the Trump administration is more aggressively trying to use public lands to raise money for the federal government and rolling back protections on open space.
The administration this month proposed rescinding a Biden-era rule that sought to protect public lands from industrial development and instead prioritizing the use of the land for oil and gas drilling, coal mining, timber production and livestock grazing.
Secretary Doug Burgum has repeatedly emphasized that federal lands are untapped assets worth trillions of dollars.
“We believe that our natural resources are national assets that should be responsibly developed to grow our economy, help balance the Budget, and generate revenue for American taxpayers,” he said in a statement to Congress in May.
A man takes in the view of Camp Pendleton property. Camp Pendleton has long remained the largest undeveloped stretch of the coastline in California.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
While there has been development on Camp Pendleton those projects have solely been for military uses. A large hospital was recently added, and there are various buildings for the base’s more than 42,000 active duty personnel.
Camp Pendleton has won praise for balancing national security needs with environmental preservation.
In 2022, Camp Pendleton was named the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s military conservation partner of the year for its efforts to support the recovery of several species, including the tidewater goby, coastal California gnatcatcher, the arroyo toad and southern California steelhead.
Conservation and management of the least Bell’s vireo, California least tern, and western snowy plover have resulted in significant increases to on-base populations of these species, according to the agency.
A marine walks through the Santa Margarita River running through Camp Pendleton, where the arroyo toad can be found.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
In addition to endangered populations, the base is home to a herd of North American bison, one of only two wild conservation herds of bison in California.
Past efforts to build more on the camp have not been popular with the public.
In the mid-1990s, the U.S. Marine Corps put forth a plan to build 128 homes for officers and their families on a 32-acre bluff at San Mateo Point near Trestles Beach, one of the nation’s most famous surfing spots. The California Coastal Commission ultimately rejected the project.
In 2021, the Department of the Navy issued a request for information to seek feedback on hosting “critical energy and water infrastructure resiliency projects” on a portion of Camp Pendleton.
In the document, the department sought information on long-term partnerships to plan, design, construct and operate facilities that could include energy generation, transmission and storage, microgrid technologies, water desalination, drought mitigation, stormwater management, reuse or alternative use of decommissioned energy infrastructure, high speed fiber communications, data centers or residential, commercial or industrial purposes.
It is not clear whether any potential projects were identified from the request for information.
Motorists travel the 5 Freeway with military housing at San Mateo Point in the background.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
NBC News reported that funds from development on Camp Pendleton could potentially fund Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense project, citing defense sources. But officials have not publicly specified where funds would be allocated.
Absent specifics, it’s challenging for people in the areas immediately around the base to know what to expect and how to prepare, Fulton said.
“Are we talking about little shopping centers or high-rise hotels?” he said. “You would assume that the military has certain constraints that they would want to impose to protect their activities, but we just don’t know.”
Given the base’s coastal location, development on the site could certainly be fruitful for the federal government. Developers have long had their eye on smaller swaths of coastal land in Southern California. Years-long battles between developers and environmentalists were waged in the fight over proposed housing and commercial developments at Bolsa Chica in Huntington Beach and Banning Ranch in Newport Beach. Ultimately, those projects were scrapped.
Camp Pendleton, bordered by San Clemente to the north and Oceanside to the south, opened in 1942 during World War II at a time when the military was looking for large places to train soldiers, particularly for amphibious missions in the Pacific. It became a permanent installation two years later and has trained thousands of service members, sending troops to battle in Operation Desert Storm and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Camp Pendleton has a deeply entwined relationship with its southern neighbor, Oceanside, once a sleepy beachside town turned military city and recreation hub.
In 1940, the city’s population was 4,652. Ten years later, it had swelled to more than 12,800 and grew further as the United States entered the Korean War and more service-connected families moved into the region, according to census data.
Development on the base would certainly have an effect on Oceanside, city leaders say.
Service members and their families frequently travel off the base to surrounding communities to shop and dine out, providing a steady customer supply for local businesses including those that cater heavily to Marines including dry cleaners, tailors, barbershops and military surplus stores. The base’s regional economic impact is more than $6 billion dollars annually, according to the city.
“I think it would be very concerning to see large scale development without collaboration with local municipalities,” said Oceanside Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce. Joyce said the city hasn’t yet been given any insight into the federal government’s plans for the base.
“We have neighborhoods that are literally right up to the gate, who are very impacted when there are changes in traffic or other developments there,” Joyce said, adding that the city has a deep respect for the base and any shifting away from its original mission of training Marines would “be deeply concerning.”
8-year-old boy bitten by shark while snorkeling in Florida, officials say
FOOTBALL PLAYER IS RECOVERING THIS MORNING. A FORMER SEMINOLE HIGH SCHOOL STAR AND FSU PLAYER WAS SHOT TODAY. WE’RE HEARING FROM HIS FAMILY. PLUS, IT IS DECISION DAY IN ORANGE COUNTY FOR TWO SPECIAL ELECTIONS, THE KEY RACES AND OPEN SEATS AS POLLING LOCATIONS ARE NOW OPEN. PLUS, WE WANT TO GRAB YOUR UMBRELLA. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SOME COASTAL SHOWERS THIS MORNING AND THERE’S MORE RAIN ON THE WAY. HOW LONG WE’RE GOING TO BE DEALING WITH A SOGGY STRETCH. AND YOUR POWERBALL DREAMS ARE STILL ALIVE. NO WINNER IN LAST NIGHT’S BILLION-DOLLAR DRAWING. WE SHOW YOU THE NUMBERS. AND WHO WOKE UP A MILLIONAIRE RIGHT HERE IN FLORIDA. SUNRISE ON CW 18 STARTS RIGHT NOW. GOOD MORNING. ON THIS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND. THANKS FOR STARTING IT WITH YOUR SUNRISE TEAM HERE AT 8:00 AM JASON GUY AND I’M MEREDITH MCDONOUGH. LOTS TO GET TO THIS MORNING. FIRST WARNING METEOROLOGIST KELLIANNE KLASS WILL HAVE A CHECK OF THOSE TEMPERATURES AND SOME SHOWERS IN JUST A MOMENT. LET’S BEGIN THOUGH, WITH TRAFFIC EXPERT MEAGHAN MACKEY. MEGAN, I KNOW YOU’RE FOLLOWING A CRASH EARLIER TODAY, BUT. AND IT’S REALLY, THOUGH STILL LEADING TO A BIG BACKUP. YEAH, ALL THOSE LANES ARE BACK OPEN. HARD TO BELIEVE, THOUGH. LOOKING AT THIS CAMERA. THE CRASH ITSELF WAS RIGHT NEAR MILL. SO JUST BEFORE YOU GET TO I-4. BUT WESTBOUND BACKING UP PAST GOLDENROD. SO STILL THIS MORNING, HEADING OUT THE DOOR ALONG STATE ROAD FOUR WAYNE, IT’S PROBABLY BEST TO AVOID THOSE WESTBOUND LANES, BUT WE’LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS CRASH. OF COURSE, IT IS THE FIRST DAY BACK TO SCHOOL AND WORK FOR MANY PEOPLE AFTER THE LONG WEEKEND. KELLIANNE HOPEFULLY A DRIER FORECAST IN STORE, ESPECIALLY FOR INLAND SPOTS. OUR COASTLINE. WE’RE TRACKING A COUPLE OF SHOWERS, BUT IT’S NOT AN ALL DAY WASHOUT. ALTHOUGH IF YOU DO HAVE SOME BEACH PLANS, JUST KEEP IN MIND NOT THE BEST BEACH DAY BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO HAVE GUSTY CONDITIONS AND A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. PLUS ON AND OFF SHOWERS FOR I-95 LOCATIONS. ALL RIGHT, LET’S GET YOU OUT THE DOOR WITH A LOOK AT OUR TOWER CAMERA NETWORK OUT AT PORT CANAVERAL. MIX OF SUN AND CLOUDS TO START. AND AT TIMES WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE CLOUD COVER THAN SUNSHINE. THAT’S JUST THE FORECAST FOR THE DAY AHEAD. ALREADY THIS MORNING, TRACKING SOME RAINFALL, WORKING AWAY FROM COCOA BEACH OVER TOWARDS MERRITT ISLAND, DOWN TO INDIAN HARBOR BEACH AND SATELLITE BEACH, JUST A FEW SPRINKLES AND A FEW MORE HEAVIER DOWNPOURS ON THE WAY TOWARDS SCOTTSMOOR. COUPLE OF SHOWERS AROUND OAK HILL AS WELL. IT’S ALL THANKS TO THIS FRONT THAT STALLED OUT IN SOUTH FLORIDA. PLUS, THERE’S AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE. IT’S A NON-TROPICAL LOW THAT’S OFF OF OUR COASTLINE AND WITH A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WE GET COUNTERCLOCKWISE WINDS. SO TODAY OUR WIND IS OUT OF THE NORTH NORTHEAST, WHICH IS WHY WE’RE GOING TO HAVE ON AND OFF SHOWERS ACROSS OUR COAST THIS MORNING. AND THIS AFTERNOON FOR INLAND SPOTS. I THINK THAT’S WHEN WE’LL SEE MAYBE A COUPLE OF PASSING SHOWERS AS WELL. COMING UP IN A FEW MINUTES, WE’LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT TODAY’S FORECAST PLUS THE TROPICS. BUT FIRST LET’S GET BACK TO MEGAN WITH A CHECK ON THE 408. YEAH. KELLIANNE. YOU CAN SEE HERE THE DELAYS HERE REALLY BAD. STILL THIS MORNING WESTBOUND IT IS BACKED UP PAST THE 417 IN GOLDENROD. STATE ROUTE FOUR WESTBOUND. THIS IS GOING TO IMPACT THOSE DRIVERS FOR THE MOST PART TRAVELING FROM THE WATERFORD LAKES AREA TOWARDS DOWNTOWN ORLANDO ALONG STATE ROAD FOUR WESTBOUND. SO I WOULD PERSONALLY AVOID THOSE LANES. AND ALSO YOU’RE STILL PAYING THOSE TOLLS TO SIT IN THIS TRAFFIC, SO YOU’RE BETTER OFF THIS MORNING USING COLONIAL DRIVE AS THAT DETOUR. YOU’RE GOING TO BE SITTING IN SOME STOPLIGHTS. YOU STILL NEED TO ADD AN EXTRA 20 TO 25 MINUTES FOR THAT MORNING DRIVE, BUT IT’S GOING TO BE A LOT BETTER THAN SITTING IN THIS TRAFFIC, BECAUSE WE REALLY DON’T SEE THESE DELAYS START TO IMPROVE UNTIL RIGHT WHEN YOU GET TO THAT I-4 INTERCHANGE, YOU CAN SEE THAT PURPLE AND RED HERE, SHOWING JUST HOW LONG THE BACKUP IS. SO SEVERAL MILES OVER TEN MILES THIS MORNING IMPACTING YOU WESTBOUND ALONG THE 408. NO OTHER BIG CRASHES RIGHT NOW, THOUGH. ONCE YOU GET TO I-4 THIS NICE AND QUIET FOR THAT TUESDAY MORNING DRIVE. HEADING OUT THE DOOR AFTER THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND, WE’LL CHECK BACK IN WITH THOSE TRAVEL TIMES ALONG THE FOUR WAY COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES, IN ORANGE COUNTY, A COW WAS TO BLAME FOR A CRASH ALONG COLONIAL DRIVE NEAR BITHLO. THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS THAT THIS HAPPENED NEAR EAST RIVER HIGH SCHOOL AROUND 330 THIS MORNING. TRAFFIC WAS DELAYED FOR QUITE A BIT HERE, BUT THINGS ARE FLOWING ONCE AGAIN AT THIS HOUR. NO ONE WAS HURT. IN ORANGE COUNTY, VOTERS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO THE POLLS FOR ABOUT AN HOUR NOW. THERE. IT’S PART OF A SPECIAL ELECTION. NOW THERE ARE TWO BIG ONES. YES, STATE SENATE DISTRICT 15 AND STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 40 ARE BOTH ON THE BALLOT. WESH 2’S PAOLA TRISTAN ARUDA IS IN WINTER PARK AT ONE OF THE POLLING LOCATIONS. MORE THAN 15,000 PEOPLE HAVE CAST THEIR BALLOTS EARLY, SO NOW WE’RE JUST WAITING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL SHOW UP TO POLLING LOCATIONS LIKE THIS ONE. THE ACTUAL POLLING LOCATION IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER, AND WE HAVE SEEN A COUPLE OF CARS SO FAR. OF THOSE VOTES, OVER 10,000 WERE CAST BY MAIL AND ABOUT 5000 BY EARLY VOTING, MARKING THE CURRENT VOTER TURNOUT AT ABOUT 5.62%. STATE SENATE DISTRICT 15 IS THE SEAT LEFT VACANT WHEN GERALDINE THOMPSON DIED. IT COVERS AREAS OF WEST ORANGE COUNTY LIKE WINTER GARDEN, APOPKA, AND ZELLWOOD. STATE REPRESENTATIVE LAVONNE BRACY DAVIS WON THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR THE SEAT, SO SHE’S FACING OFF AGAINST REPUBLICAN WILLIE MONTAGUE FOR THIS ELECTION. THE OTHER RACES FOR BRACY DAVIS’S SEAT IN STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 40, WHICH COVERS COLLEGE PARK, PINE HILLS, ROSEMONT AND OCOEE. RASHAWN YOUNG WON THE PRIMARY AGAINST FORMER STATE REP TRAVIS MCCURDY, AND TODAY, YOUNG FACES OFF AGAINST REPUBLICAN JUAN LEE. THE POLLS ARE NOW OPEN UNTIL 7 P.M., AND IF YOU ARE COMING OUT TO VOTE, MAKE SURE THAT YOU BRING A PHOTO AND SIGNATURE ID WITH YOU. COVERING ORANGE COUNTY IN WINTER PARK, PAOLA TRISTAN ARUDA WESH TWO NEWS. NEW. THIS MORNING WE’RE STAYING IN ORANGE COUNTY AND FOLLOWING UP ON A SCENE WHERE WE WERE LIVE AS POLICE WERE INVESTIGATING LAST NIGHT. WE NOW KNOW THIS IS PART OF A SHOOTING. IT’S ON EDGEMOOR STREET, JUST OFF NORTH IVEY LANE AND OLD WINTER GARDEN ROAD. THIS IS IN THE MALIBU GROVES NEIGHBORHOOD THERE. ORLANDO POLICE TELL US A MAN WAS SHOT. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND IS EXPECTED TO SURVIVE. POLICE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE WITH THIS INVESTIGATION. ALSO THIS MORNING, A MAN IS IN THE HOSPITAL IN VOLUSIA COUNTY AFTER AN OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING. THIS WAS IN PORT ORANGE. AND POLICE SAY IN THE AREA OF CAREY COURT, RIGHT IN THE WILLOW RUN NEIGHBORHOOD, AUTHORITIES TELL US OFFICERS WERE FIRST CALLED OUT FOR A WELL-BEING CHECK ON SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HARM THEMSELVES. POLICE DIDN’T SAY WHAT LED UP TO THE GUNFIRE, BUT ONE MAN WHO DIDN’T WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED TOLD WESH TWO NEWS HE HEARD MULTIPLE GUNSHOTS. WHEN I CAME AROUND TO THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE, THERE WERE POLICE CARS EVERYWHERE, ALL UP AND DOWN THE STREET, SO I WALKED OUT FRONT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON AND I SAW POLICE POLICEMEN ALONGSIDE MY HOUSE, WAVING EMPHATICALLY FOR ME TO GET BACK IN THE HOUSE. POLICE HAVEN’T SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE EXTENT OF THE MAN’S INJURIES, ONLY THAT HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IS NOW INVESTIGATING. RIGHT NOW, FLORIDA STATE FOOTBALL PLAYER FROM CENTRAL FLORIDA IS RECOVERING AFTER BEING FOUND SHOT NEAR TALLAHASSEE. AND SOME OF YOU MAY RECOGNIZE HIM. ETHAN PRITCHARD WAS FROM SANFORD. NOW, GADSDEN COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES SAY THAT PRITCHARD WAS FOUND IN A CAR SUNDAY IN HAVANA. THAT’S ABOUT 16 MILES NORTHWEST OF TALLAHASSEE. THE FLORIDA STATE LINEBACKER WAS SHOT JUST ONE NIGHT AFTER THE SEMINOLES PULLED OFF A BIG UPSET AGAINST THE NUMBER EIGHT RANKED ALABAMA. PRITCHARD DID NOT PLAY, BUT THAT’S NOT UNUSUAL FOR FRESHMAN HEAD COACH MIKE NORVELL IS ASKING EVERYONE TO KEEP PRITCHARD IN THEIR THOUGHTS AS HE FIGHTS TO RECOVER. I GOT A CHANCE TO BE THERE LAST NIGHT WITH HIM AND HIS DAD AND FAMILY AND YOU KNOW, GRATEFUL, YOU KNOW, FOR ALL THE SUPPORT AND, YOU KNOW, MEDICAL, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT THAT HE WAS ABLE TO RECEIVE. PRITCHARD PLAYED FOOTBALL FOR SEMINOLE HIGH AND WAS A FOUR STAR RECRUIT. HE WAS IN DEMAND FROM A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS, INCLUDING UCF, BUT HE CHOSE FSU. NO ONE ANSWERED AT THE PRITCHARD HOME. WHEN WE WENT TO TALK TO THEM IN A TEXT MESSAGE FROM HIS FATHER, EARL. THE FAMILY TOLD WESH TWO NEWS THAT WE ARE REQUESTING PRIVACY AT THIS TIME. IF YOU CAN, PLEASE PRAY FOR ETHAN AND OUR FAMILY. NOW, ONCE WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THE SITUATION, WE WILL REACH OUT. ETHAN IS A FIGHTER, BUT HE NEEDS SOME EXTRA HELPFUL PRAYERS RIGHT NOW. DEPUTIES SO FAR HAVE NO MOTIVE IN THE SHOOTING. TODAY, POLICE NEED YOUR HELP FINDING WHOEVER SHOT AND KILLED A TWO YEAR OLD GIRL AND SENT HER GRANDPARENTS TO THE HOSPITAL WITH CRITICAL INJURIES. MELBOURNE POLICE OFFICERS WERE STILL OUT AT THE HOME ON POPLAR LANE YESTERDAY AS A MEMORIAL FOR THIS LITTLE GIRL GROWS RIGHT THERE ON THE SIDEWALK. THE DEADLY SHOOTING WAS FRIDAY NIGHT. IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT, CALL THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE OR CRIMELINE. A MAN IS IN JAIL ACCUSED OF BREAKING INTO HIS EX-GIRLFRIEND’S HOME IN DELTONA AND THEN PULLING A GUN ON HER. DEPUTIES SAY THE WOMAN WAS HOME WITH HER FRIEND AND SISTER WHEN DAREN SINGLETARY BROKE IN THROUGH A WINDOW. DEPUTIES SAY HE THEN ATTACKED THE WOMAN BEFORE PULLING A GUN AND FIRING A ROUND INTO THE CEILING. EVENTUALLY, DEPUTIES SAY THAT HE TOOK HIS EX’S PHONE AND JUMPED OUT THE BACK WINDOW. DEPUTIES THEN TRACKED HIM DOWN TO NEAR LAKE HELEN. CRAWL OUT NOW. GOOD BOYS. WHAT A DOG! CRAWL TO YOUR RIGHT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I GOT. THEY EVENTUALLY FOUND SINGLETARY HIDING UNDER AN ABANDONED RV. THE GUN BURIED IN THE DIRT. HE’S NOW FACING HOME. INVASION, ROBBERY AND ASSAULT CHARGES. AS OF THIS MORNING, ALL PROTESTERS ARRESTED BY FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL FOR CHALKING ON THE CROSSWALK NEXT TO PULSE ARE OUT OF JAIL. THE BREWING LEGAL BATTLES. JUST THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT IN THE BACK AND FORTH SINCE FDOT ERASED THE RAINBOW CROSSWALK. UNDER NEW STATE REGULATIONS. WESH TWO DAVID JONES HAS MORE ON THE ARREST. THIS ISSUE IS BECOMING BIGGER. ATTORNEY BLAKE SIMONS SAYS IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN JUST A CROSSWALK. HIS CLIENTS, SOME OF WHICH WERE RECENT ARRESTEES, TOOK THE MESSAGE TO ORLANDO CITY HALL. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE IN FRONT OF OUR POLITICIANS. IT NEEDS TO BE IN FRONT OF OUR GOVERNMENT. IN CITY HALL IS AN EXCELLENT PLACE TO CONTINUE EXERCISING OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH. DONOVAN SHORT, WHO GOES BY MELODY ZAPORIZHZHIA, WHO GOES BY KATE AND MARY JANE EAST, ALL FACED AN ORANGE COUNTY JUDGE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON LABOR DAY. SHANE SHANE. SHAME. ALL ARRESTED BY THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL FOR PUTTING CHALK ON THE CROSSWALK LATE LAST WEEK. ANOTHER PERSON, SEBASTIAN SUAREZ, WAS ARRESTED FOR THE SAME OFFENSE. GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS SAYS ARTWORK AND MARKINGS, REGARDLESS OF THEIR MESSAGING, NEED TO GO. BASED ON NEW FDOT REGULATIONS. SO I WOULD REFER YOU TO THE DOT MEMO. THE PULSE MEMORIAL BEING ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES PAINTED OVER WITH THESE NEW ALLEGED FDOT REGULATIONS, WAS THE FIRST BLOW IN THIS FIGHT. THIS FIGHT HAS NOW BECOME BIGGER WITH SEBASTIAN’S ARREST AND NOW THE ARREST OF THE THREE INDIVIDUALS. LAST NIGHT. THE JUDGE FOUND PROBABLE CAUSE FOR THE ARRESTS OF THE THREE BECAUSE THE STATE GAVE A SPECIFIC AMOUNT FOR HOW MUCH IT COST TO REPAINT THE CROSSWALK, WHICH IT CALLED A TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE. SIMONS ARGUES A CROSSWALK DOES NOT MEET THE DEFINITION FOR A TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE. I DON’T THINK THE FDOT REGULATIONS ARE INFRINGING ON FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. I THINK FHP CHOOSING TO TARGET PEOPLE FOR PERFORMING CONDUCTIVE SPEECH IN A CROSSWALK, WHICH IS AN EXTENSION OF THE SIDEWALK, A TRADITIONALLY HELD PUBLIC FORUM FOR FREE SPEECH. I THINK THAT IS THE ISSUE. DAVID JONES, NOW, TO GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT, THE STATE FIRST PAINTED THE RAINBOW CROSSWALK BACK IN 2017, IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE 49 VICTIMS OF THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING. AND FDOT PAINTED IT OVER A WEEK AND A HALF AGO, IN THE EARLY MORNING OF AUGUST 21ST. WITHIN 24 HOURS, PROTESTERS AND SOME CITY OFFICIALS USED CHALK TO COLOR IN THE CROSSWALK AGAIN. BUT BY SUNDAY, FDOT CREWS REPAINTED THE CROSSWALK BACK TO BLACK AND WHITE. ORLANDO POLICE OFFICERS IN FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL TROOPERS STARTED GUARDING THE CROSSWALK LAST MONTH, THE SAME DAY SOMEONE FOUND A SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE THERE AT PULSE. IT TURNED INTO AN INVESTIGATION AND IT WAS DEEMED SAFE. NOW, THAT PACKAGE WAS ACTUALLY CHALKED. SOMEONE SENT TO HELP THOSE PROTESTERS. THE BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN PROTESTERS AND FDOT THEN CONTINUED UNTIL LAST FRIDAY, WHEN THE FIRST PERSON THERE WAS ARRESTED, SEBASTIAN SUAREZ. MORE ARRESTS HAPPENED SUNDAY, SETTING OFF MULTIPLE LEGAL BATTLES BETWEEN PROTESTERS AND THE STATE. MEANWHILE, TODAY, THIS RAINBOW CROSSWALK IN DELRAY BEACH WILL BE UP FOR DISCUSSION HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. FDOT SAYS THE ARTWORK MUST BE REMOVED BY TOMORROW, BUT THE CITY REQUESTED A HEARING. IT’S BEING HELD AT FDOT. S TURKEY LAKE PLAZA OFFICES RIGHT THERE ALONG THE TURNPIKE IN ORLANDO. LOOKING AHEAD TO TOMORROW. ANOTHER BATCH OF STARLINK SATELLITES WILL LAUNCH FROM OUR SPACE COAST. SPACEX IS EXPECTED TO LAUNCH AT 706 TOMORROW MORNING FROM CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION. AND YOU CAN WATCH IT RIGHT HERE ON CW 18 WHEN IT LIFTS OFF. PICKLEBALL IS A VERY POPULAR SPORT. YEAH, BUT IN ONE CENTRAL FLORIDA NEIGHBORHOOD, IT’S CREATING A LOT OF NOISE. THE NEW LIMITS IN WHY SOME PLAYERS IN WINTER PARK SAY THE WHOLE THI
8-year-old boy bitten by shark while snorkeling in Florida, officials say
An 8-year-old boy was hospitalized after he was bitten by a shark in Key Largo, according to reports from WFLA. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office explained the incident happened while the boy was snorkeling around 3:24 p.m. off Key Largo on the oceanside, WFLA reports. >> Top headlines for Sept. 2 in Central FloridaThe boy was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Details about the boy’s condition are unknown. WFLA said the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were notified of the incident.
KEY LARGO, Fla. —
An 8-year-old boy was hospitalized after he was bitten by a shark in Key Largo, according to reports from WFLA.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office explained the incident happened while the boy was snorkeling around 3:24 p.m. off Key Largo on the oceanside, WFLA reports.
>> Top headlines for Sept. 2 in Central Florida
The boy was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Details about the boy’s condition are unknown.
WFLA said the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were notified of the incident.
On Friday, the wood pylons of the 1,954-foot wooden structure were still smoldering from the blaze that ignited Thursday, officials said. No injuries were reported.
Oceanside and Strand beaches are still closed to the public as an environmental group cleans up the debris that has washed ashore. The fire also damaged a vacant restaurant that used to be Ruby’s Diner and a snack shop that housed the Brine Box, a seafood eatery.
“90% of the pier was saved thanks to a really quick response,” Oceanside city Public Information Officer Terry Gorman Brown said. “A lot of times when piers catch, they’re made of wood — they’re toast.”
The structure sits so high above the water that the sea spray couldn’t dampen the flames, she said.
“We don’t know [the cause] yet because until [the fire] is fully out we can’t really get out there,” said Brown.
The city engineer is assessing the damage and evaluating when the pier might reopen to the public.
This isn’t the first time the pier has caught fire. The last time was in 1976, when a blaze destroyed parts of the pier’s fish market, according to Kristi Hawthorne, director of the Oceanside Historical Society, who wrote a brief history of the pier for the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce.
The wooden pier is the longest of its kind on the West Coast and has been rebuilt five times since it was first constructed in 1888, so many times that it may not be considered the same pier.
“It’s never the same pier,” said Hawthorne. “But in our hearts and in our minds, it’s still always the Oceanside Pier.”
The pier was originally built as a commercial shipping wharf to bring business to Oceanside, which was incorporated the year the pier opened. But two years later the wharf was destroyed in a large storm and was rebuilt four years later as a sightseeing pier with iron pilings.
The pier has been torn down or damaged in storms multiple times. Today’s sixth iteration of the pier was built in 1987 at a cost of $5 million.
The worn nubs of the first wharf can still be seen at times in low tide, and other parts of the structure have managed to survive the test of time. The access bridge connecting pedestrians to the pier is almost 100 years old, and the city is using funding from a sales tax measure to help demolish and construct a new bridge that will be approximately three stories high and house restaurants and other businesses.
Despite the pier’s battered history, Hawthorne said, the city’s residents have always been determined to rebuild because it is a part of the local identity.
“It is the pride of Oceanside,” said Hawthorne, who started researching the pier in 1987 as a volunteer with the Oceanside Historical Society.
The pier has been a part of landmark moments in Oceanside history. In 1916, a huge flood washed through San Diego County. Roadways and railroads were cut off from the area, Hawthorne said, and the pier was used to deliver emergency supplies by boat.
During World War II, the pier became a military lookout for enemy planes and submarines.
Hawthorne’s children have grown up visiting the pier and eating there on special occasions. She said local residents have their graduation photos taken overlooking the water. It’s one of the first places she recommends tourists visit.
“You take one of the most beautiful, iconic walks,” she said of the view from the pier.
The current pier may need to be rebuilt again by 2037, as it has an estimated 50-year lifespan.
Its ever-changing nature adds to its charm, Hawthorne said.
“We’re not taking [the fire] as a loss,” she said. “It’s just a new chapter.”
