The MTA says that the clean-up process has begun at the Metro-North Railroad crash site after Friday's rush hour derailment in Connecticut that injured 72 people.

The National Transportation Safety Board authorized the removal of rail cars from the crash site on Saturday night, allowing the investigation and clean-up process to proceed. As of Sunday morning, 13 cars have been removed with three remaining cars to removed by the afternoon, according to an MTA statement.

"Our crews will essentially be rebuilding two thousand feet of damaged track, and overhead wires and signal system," said Metro-North Railroad President Howard Permut.

Crews will work around-the-clock over multiple days to rebuild, which means disruption to the New Haven line will persist in the coming week, Permut said.

Investigators are looking into a broken part of the rail that underwent repairs last month, but have not determined whether it was a pre-existing fracture or if it occurred as a result of the accident, according to NTSB spokesperson Earl Weener, who spoke at a news conference on Saturday afternoon. The board said the FBI has ruled out foul play in the investigation.

NTSB officials arrived on the scene on Saturday morning to begin investigating the cause of the train crash, injuries sustained by the commuters and operator performance.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and other officials spoke at a news conference on Saturday morning where they described a grisly scene after a Metro-North commuter train heading east from New York City derailed and was hit by an oncoming train heading west from New Haven.

"The damage is absolutely staggering," Sen. Blumenthal said. "Ribbons on the sides of cars are torn away like ribbons of clothes."

The NTSB's investigation could take seven to 10 days but that does not mean that service shutdown will take that long, board spokesman Earl Weener said..

The eastbound Metro-North train derailed just after 6:00 p.m. and was hit between the Bridgeport and Fairfield stations, officials said.

"We came to a sudden halt. We were jerked. There was smoke," Alex Cohen, a Canadian passenger on the westbound train en route to New York, told NBC Connecticut.

"People were screaming; people were really nervous. We were pretty shaken up. They had to smash a window to get us out," he said.

St. Vincent Hospital in Bridgeport, Conn. said on Saturday that it saw a total of 46 patients, six of whom were admitted for treatment.  As of Saturday night, all patients remained in the hospital and were reportedly in stable condition.

Bridgeport Hospital saw 26 patients and admitted three. Two of those patients were in critical condition a day after the accident, and one was in stable condition.

It's all about the odds, and one lone ticket in Florida has beaten them all by matching each of the numbers drawn for the highest Powerball jackpot in history at an estimated $590.5 million, lottery officials said Sunday.

The single winner was sold at a supermarket in Zephyrhills, Fla., according to Florida Lottery executive Cindy O'Connell. She told The Associated Press by telephone that more details would be released later.

"This would be the sixth Florida Powerball winner and right now, it's the sole winner of the largest ever Powerball jackpot," O'Connell told AP. "We're delighted right now that we have the sole winner."

She said Florida has had more Powerball winners than any other state.

The winner was not immediately identified publicly and O'Connell did not give any indication just hours after Saturday's drawing whether anyone had already stepped forward with that winning ticket.

With four out of every five possible combinations of Powerball numbers in play, lottery executives said earlier that someone was almost certain to win the game's highest jackpot, a windfall of hundreds of millions of dollars — and that's after taxes.

Saturday night's winning numbers were 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball of 11.

Estimates had earlier put the jackpot at around $600 million. But Powerball's online site said Sunday that the jackpot had reached an estimated $590.5 million.

Terry Rich, CEO of the Iowa Lottery, initially confirmed that one Florida winning ticket had been sold. He told AP that following the Florida winner, the Powerball grand prize was being reset at an estimated jackpot of $40 million, or about $25.1 million cash value.

The chances of winning the prize were astronomically low: 1 in 175.2 million. That's how many different ways you can combine the numbers when you play. But lottery officials estimated that about 80 percent of those possible combinations had been purchased recently.

While the odds are low for any one individual or individuals, O'Connell said, the chance that one hits paydirt is what makes Powerball an "exciting game to play."

"There is just the chance that you will have the opportunity and Florida is a huge Powerball state. We have had more winners than any other state that participates in Powerball."

Such longshot odds didn't deter people across Powerball-playing states — 43 plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands — from lining up at gas stations and convenience stores Saturday for their chance at striking it filthy rich.

Calls by AP to the Publix supermarket outlet in Florida where the winning ticket was sold were not answered Sunday.

Elsewhere, Rich said, lottery officials reported 33 winning tickets for a $1,000,000 prize each were sold around 17 states, led by six tickets in New York. He said lotteries reported 2 winning tickets each for the $2,000,000 PowerPlay, one in New York and the other in South Carolina.

Before the drawing, there was a rush for tickets around the country.

At a mini market in the heart of Los Angeles' Chinatown, employees broke the steady stream of customers into two lines: One for Powerball ticket buyers and one for everybody else. Some people appeared to be looking for a little karma.

"We've had two winners over $10 million here over the years, so people in the neighborhood think this is the lucky store," employee Gordon Chan said as he replenished a stack of lottery tickets on a counter.

The world's largest jackpot was a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012. If $600 million, the jackpot would currently include a $376.9 million cash option.

Clyde Barrow, a public policy professor at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, specializes in the gaming industry. He said one of the key factors behind the ticket-buying frenzy is the size of the jackpot — people are interested in the easy investment.

"Even though the odds are very low, the investment is very small," he said. "Two dollars gets you a chance."

That may be why Ed McCuen has a Powerball habit that's as regular as clockwork. The 57-year-old electrical contractor from Savannah, Ga., buys one ticket a week, regardless of the possible loot. It's a habit he didn't alter Saturday.

"You've got one shot in a gazillion or whatever," McCuen said, tucking his ticket in his pocket as he left a local convenience store. "You can't win unless you buy a ticket. But whether you buy one or 10 or 20, it's insignificant."

Seema Sharma doesn't seem to think so. The newsstand employee in Manhattan's Penn Station purchased $80 worth of tickets for herself. She also was selling tickets all morning at a steady pace, instructing buyers where to stand if they wanted machine-picked tickets or to choose their own numbers.

"I work very hard — too hard — and I want to get the money so I can finally relax," she said. "You never know."

An Amtrak train traveling from New Orleans to Chicago derailed Sunday with at least 197 passengers on board, according to officials.

The City of New Orleans train No. 58 was scheduled to arrive in Chicago, but derailed at 9:30 a.m. CDT just outside Chicago’s Union Station on 16th Street, officials said.

Shuttle buses transported passengers to Union Station and no injuries have been reported, authorities said.

Amtrak officials said the wheels of the train "lost contact with the tracks," but no further details were immediately available Sunday morning.

Trains on Metra's Rock Island District line are blocked from entering or exiting the LaSalle Street station. Commuters on delayed Metra trains are being routed to CTA buses, which will take them around the blockage, according to Metra's website.

CTA is honoring Metra passes for commuters between LaSalle Street station and their 35th Street station on the Green Line. Commuters can then board metra trains from the Lou Jones station, Metra said.

Metra trains No. 214 and 209 will not operate Sunday due the obstruction, according to Metra.

Amtrak train No. 391 is also delayed up to three hours, Amtrak officials said.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

History will have to wait at least one more year.

Orb, the Kentucky Derby champion who many hoped would become the first Triple Crown winner in 35 years, finished fourth in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, as 15-1 longshot Oxbow pulled off a surprise wire-to-wire win at Pimlico.

"It's so special," said Oxbow jockey Gary Stevens, who came out of retirement this year at age 50. "We were kind of flying under the radar after the Derby. Didn't get a lot of respect."

Oxbow trainer D. Wayne Lukas seemed to take pleasure from dashing Orb's Triple Crown hopes.

"I get paid to spoil dreams," Lukas said.

Orb's fate may have been sealed days before the race, when he drew the No. 1 post position along the rail -- only two horses have won the Preakness from that position over the last 63 years. Sure enough, Orb got boxed in against the rail by a pack of horses early in the race, and could never find room to break free.

Meanwhile, Oxbow pulled ahead of the pack and never relinquished the lead.

"When I hit the half-mile pole, I just said, 'Are you kidding me, is this happening?'" said Stevens, who worked for NBC as a racing analyst during his seven-year retirement.

Oxbow finished the 1 3/16th-mile race in 1:57.54. Itsmyluckyday finished second, Mylute finished third and Orb, the 3-5 favorite, finished fourth.

But nobody ever gave Oxbow a serious threat.

It's a landmark win for Lukas: Oxbow's Preakness victory marks the trainer's 14th Triple Crown win, the most ever. He's won the Preakness six times, and the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont four times each. He passed James Fitzsimmons, who has won 13 Triple Crown races.

Jockey Gary Stevens has now notched three wins apiece at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont over his career.

Oxbow's win means the Triple Crown drought continues.

In the lead-up to the Preakness, Orb seemed like a prime candidate to end that drought, and bettors made him a heavy favorite. His breathtaking late push in the Kentucky Derby had people believing: He emerged from the back of the pack down the stretch, blew past a large group of horses and pulled away from the pack for a dominant win. Combined with a pedigree to make race fans drool -- his blood lines includes two Triple Crown winners, Seattle Slew (1977) and Secretariat (1973) -- many thought the three-year-old colt would take a place among the horse-racing elite.

Instead, he'll become another in a long line of almosts and what-ifs. Only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown, and none since Affirmed in 1978.

Orb wasn't the only one trying to make history on Saturday who came up short in Baltimore.

Rosie Napravnik, the jockey riding Mylute, hoped to become the first female jockey to win the race. Instead Mylute finished in third place.

Kevin Krigger, the jockey riding Goldencents, hoped to become the first African-American jockey to win the race since 1898. He too came up short as Goldencents finished in fifth place.

A deaf 11-year-old mini Yorkie apparently taken by dognappers demanding $1,000 from his owners was dropped off by someone in a white car near his owner's home on Saturday, the dog's owner told NBC4 News.

Someone speeding by in a white car with tinted windows dropped off the dog named Walter. A woman walking her dog in the neighborhood noticed the Yorkie, checked his dog tag and called the owner, Tricia O’Kelley.

Walter, who weighs about 5 pounds, hadn't been seen since Thursday afternoon in the family’s fenced-in backyard along Los Feliz Boulevard in the Griffith Park area. 

A blocked number called O’Kelley’s cellphone, which is listed on Walter’s tags, about 10:15 p.m. Thursday.

The man on the other end of the line told O’Kelley he wants $1,000 for the dog’s safe return. O’Kelley said she heard another man laughing in the background.

Her husband took over negotiations. The dognapper said he’d call back and hung up.

Within minutes, the blocked number called back and this time, O’Kelley’s husband, Adam Rosenblatt, put the call on speaker so the police on a second phone could hear.

The dognapper laid out his demands.

He wanted the family to create phony fliers offering a $1,000 reward for Walter’s return and listed streets on which he wanted them posted. Then, he would bring one of those posters to a Chevron station on Western and Franklin avenues where he would exchange the dog for the cash.

Police suggested they make the fliers and meet the men at the gas station with a plain-clothed officer.

O’Kelley’s husband was in the process of hanging up the fliers when the man called back, saying he’d been lied to and that police were at the gas station.

“He said, ‘Don’t lie to me. I’m keeping your dog,’” O’Kelley said.

That last phone call at 11:15 p.m. Thursday came from a 7-Eleven payphone in North Hollywood, O’Kelley said. And that was the last time she heard from whoever has Walter.

Walter has a condition that causes his trachea to collapse, which is common for his breed.

Walter was outfitted with tags and has a microchip.

Chicago's Navy Pier went into the record books this weekend for longest ride on a Ferris wheel.

Beginning Friday, pier operations manager Clinton Shepherd attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the longest ride on Chicago's iconic attraction. Shepherd hopped on at 2:30 p.m. with plans to stay on for a full 48 hours.

The current record is 30 hours and 35 seconds. Shepherd broke that record and Navy Pier lit up the sky with fireworks after 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Shepherd will remain on the wheel for another 18 hours to reach his 48-hour goal.

Follow Shepherd on Twitter and ask him questions between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday via #FWRecord. Or ride along with him to be a part of potential history.

Navy Pier will offer free rides on all Pier Park attractions to all active military men and women and their families ahead of Armed Forces Day on Saturday. Military guests must check in at the USO office inside Navy Pier.

“This achievement highlights Navy Pier as the number one tourist attraction in the Midwest and serves as a great attraction as the City of Chicago honors the men and women of the Armed Forces,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.

“Navy Pier is excited to host Clinton’s world record attempt,” Navy Pier, Inc CEO Marilynn Gardner said. “We support his commitment to bringing the world record to the city of Chicago where the first Ferris wheel was built in 1893 and we are proud to partner with him to dedicate his ride to the men and women of the armed forces.” 
 

New York City authorities are investigating the deadly overnight shooting of a 32-year-old man in Greenwich Village as a hate crime after detectives learned the suspect taken into custody at the scene may have made anti-gay remarks to the victim before pulling the trigger, authorities said.

Law enforcement officials say Marc Carson, who lived on West 131st Street, and a friend were near a 99 Cent Pizza shop on Sixth Avenue around midnight when the suspect, who was with two other men, hurled anti-gay slurs at them, Carson's friend told detectives.

Carson made some remarks in response to the suspect's taunts and walked away, law enforcement sources said. 

A short time later, the suspect, who was by himself, confronted Carson and his friend again near a building on West Eighth Street, and words were exchanged for a second time, law enforcement officials said. Then the suspect allegedly pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and shot Carson in the face, killing him.

The suspect ran off and police responding to the shooting put out a description of him. An officer on foot patrol saw a man who fit the description of the suspect near McDougal and West Third Streets and tried to question him, but the suspect fled. The officer chased him down and took him into custody. A silver revolver was found in his possession and charges are pending against him, authorities said.

Detectives are looking to question the two men who were with the suspect during the initial confrontation near the pizza shop, but they do not believe they were with the suspect during the shooting. 

Law enforcement officials say the suspect has refused to identify himself to officers questioning him at the precinct, and he appears to have a fake ID in his possession.

Police are reviewing surveillance video from the area.

Before the shooting, police say the suspect had a separate confrontation with a manager and bouncer at the West Village restaurant Annisa on Barrow Street. Both men told detectives the suspect made anti-gay comments and threatened them. 

State and local officials blasted the slaying Saturday, citing a spike in alleged anti-gay crimes in Manhattan over the last several months.

On May 10, police said a gay couple was attacked on West 32nd Street and beaten so severely that one of the men needed eye surgery. Days earlier, another gay couple was assaulted by a group of men in the same area near Madison Square Garden.

The FBI has ruled out foul play in their investigation into Friday night's rush hour train crash in Connecticut that injured 72 people.

National Transportation Safety Board officials are looking into a broken part of the rail that underwent repairs last month, but have not determined whether it was a pre-existing fracture or if it occurred as a result of the accident, according to NTSB spokesperson Earl Weener, who provided an update at a news conference on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, one man with serious head injuries is awake and talking, said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who spoke to patients at St. Vincent Hospital. The train conductor, who helped several riders off the train before being transported, remains hospitalized with a lower back injury.

NTSB officials arrived on the scene on Saturday morning to begin investigating the cause of the train crash, injuries sustained by the commuters and operator performance.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and other officials spoke at a news conference on Saturday morning where they described a grisly scene after a Metro-North commuter train heading east from New York City derailed and was hit by an oncoming train heading west from New Haven.

"The damage is absolutely staggering," Sen. Blumenthal said. "Ribbons on the sides of cars are torn away like ribbons of clothes."

The NTSB's investigation could take seven to 10 days but that does not mean that service shutdown will take that long, board spokesman Earl Weener said..

The eastbound Metro-North train derailed just after 6:00 p.m. and was hit between the Bridgeport and Fairfield stations, officials said.

"We came to a sudden halt. We were jerked. There was smoke," Alex Cohen, a Canadian passenger on the westbound train en route to New York, told NBC Connecticut.

"People were screaming; people were really nervous. We were pretty shaken up. They had to smash a window to get us out," he said.

St. Vincent Hospital in Bridgeport, Conn. said on Saturday that it saw a total of 46 patients, six of whom were admitted for treatment. All patients remained in the hospital and were reportedly in stable condition.

Bridgeport Hospital saw 26 patients and admitted three. Two of those patients were in critical condition a day after the accident, and one was in stable condition, according to The Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the derailment.

"I have no reason to believe this is anything other than an accident," Gov. Malloy said Friday night.

Chaos Along the New Haven Line

Malloy warned Friday that the crash had caused extensive track damage along one of the nation's busiest corridors, and commuters throughout the Northeast could face difficult travel in the days ahead.

Eastbound Metro-North service is disrupted at South Norwalk, while westbound service is suspended past Bridgeport.

On Friday, the collision roiled the weekend commute for a wave of workers heading home from New York — not just the hundreds of passengers on each of the trains that collided, but hundreds more on the trains behind them.

The small South Norwalk station was a chaotic scene in the minutes just after the crash, as hundreds of passengers scrambled — many of them in vain — to hail cabs to complete their trips home.

Service Disruptions Could Last Days

Amtrak service between New York and New Haven will be suspended through Sunday, according to a press release, and there is no estimate on what time service will be restored. There is limited Northeast Regional service available between Boston and New Haven.

That was largely, officials said, because two of the four tracks in the segment of the rail line were already out of service for long-term improvement projects.

Normal service was not expected to resume until a full investigation was made, the track fully assessed and repairs made. That could take some time, since the train cars can't be removed until after an investigation, and since they must be removed by crane, the MTA said in a statement.

Stay with NBC Connecticut for more updates on this developing story.

A former Philadelphia police officer, once hailed as a hero and given a seat next to the first lady at a speech by President Obama, is being held on $60 million bail after he allegedly raped two women and assaulted another.

A source tells NBC10 former officer Richard DeCoatsworth, 27, met one of the women at a bar on North Front Street two weeks ago, then forced her into prostitution at a Days Inn hotel along Roosevelt Boulevard.

Between 2 a.m. Thursday and Friday evening, DeCoatsworth went to the woman’s home along North Howard Street in the Fishtown-Kensington area, according to the source.

Once he arrived, DeCoatsworth forced that woman and a second woman, both in their 20s, to use drugs and perform oral sex on him at gunpoint, according to the source. The alleged victims reported the assault Friday only after DeCoatsworth went home, according to police.

Police raided DeCoatsworth’s house on the 2700 block of Salmon Street in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. He was charged with rape, sexual assault, terroristic threats and related offenses. Police also confiscated drugs and guns from the home, according to a source. No word yet on what kind of drugs were removed from the home.

According to court documents, bail was set at $25 million for each of the alleged victims. Another $10 million bail was set in a separate domestic violence case DeCoatsworth is now being charged with, according to investigators. Police say he assaulted his live-in girlfriend on May 9. The $60 million bail is reportedly one of the highest set in Philadelphia history. Decoatsworth faces more than 32 crimes in all three cases.

• Criminal Court Docket - Alleged Victim 1
• Criminal Court Docket  - Alleged Victim 2
  
• Criminal Court Docket - Alleged Domestic Violence Assault

One of DeCoatsworth’s neighbors said she was relieved to hear about his arrest.

“I am scared to be saying this now but I hope he stays where he is at, he has been a thorn in the side of this neighborhood for so long,” said the woman who did not want to be identified.

DeCoatsworth was shot in the face back in 2007 when he was a rookie officer. After being shot, he managed to chase down the suspect for several blocks before collapsing. He called in enough information by radio that police were able to track down and arrest the suspect later the same day.

His heroism earned him an invitation from Vice President Joe Biden to attend President Obama’s first congressional address at the U.S. capital in February of 2009. The officer sat with First Lady Michelle Obama during the address. He was also honored by his peers as a 2008 Top Cop. He was involved in two more dramatic incidents soon after.

In April of 2009, police say DeCoatsworth was jumped and attacked by a man when he tried to disperse a crowd at the Logan section of the city. During the struggle, sources say DeCoatsworth’s gun went off and hit the suspect who took off running. Another officer responding to the scene shot the suspect dead, according to sources.

In September of 2009, police said DeCoatsworth and another officer stopped a man on a motorcycle in the Kensington section of the city. While they were questioning him, a second man allegedly jumped on the motorcycle and drove at the officers. Police say DeCoatsworth shot at the suspect, who sped off. The suspect was found later at the hospital where his mother had taken him to be treated for a shotgun wound.

During the incident, local witnesses claimed the two suspects did nothing wrong and that DeCoatsworth and the other officer acted recklessly, shooting while children were nearby.

In November of 2011, Internal Affairs investigated an alleged scuffle between DeCoatsworth and another officer, according to Philly.com. The Daily News also reports he amassed nine citizen complaints, accusing him of assault, abuse and misconduct.

DeCoatsworth retired from the police force on disability back in December, 2011.

In February of 2012, an arrest warrant was issued for DeCoatsworth after he allegedly threatened a woman in Port Richmond.

Three people were fatally shot in the head and another shot dead in the chest in weekend violence that wounded at least 14 others across Chicago, according to police.

The most recent fatality to strike the weekend occured at 9:10 p.m. in the 6800 block of South Lowe Avenue when shots were fired into a group of people, striking a 30-year-old woman in the head, police said.

In the same shooting, a 27-year-old woman suffered a gunshot wound to the wrist and a 37-year-old man was shot in the back. Both were taken to Saint Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center where their conditions were stabilized, according to the Chicago police news affairs Officer Sullivan.

The weekend's first fatality took place at 7:24 p.m. Friday in the 7800 block of South Langely Avenue when a 17-year-old man was shot in the chest, according to news affairs officer Jose Estrada.

The man, identified as Clifton Barney, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Barney was reportedly on the street when an offender shot him once in the chest and jumped into a light-colored vehicle, Estrada said. No one was in custody as of Saturday morning.

Less than an hour later, a 40-year-old man was shot in the head in the 200 block of North Mayfield Avenue, police said.

The shooter ran up to the man firing several times before hitting him in the back of the head and fleeing on foot, Estrada said.

The man, Ramar Bonner, was taken to Loyola University Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the medical examiner's office.

The third fatality of the weekend took place around 3:50 a.m. Saturday in the 4800 block of West Iowa Street where a man was found dead with a gunshot wound.

The 27-year-old man was reportedly involved in a verbal altercation with an unknown offender prior to the shooting, Estrada said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier, a 16-year-old was shot in the leg around 9:58 p.m. Friday in the 5400 block of West Wrightwood Avenue, according to police.

The teen was walking with several others when the group was approached by a male who began firing shots. The teen was transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the right leg in stable condition. No others were injured in the shooting.

The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. Friday near the 4800 block of Golf Road in Skokie, where officers discovered a male juvenile shot in the abdomen, according to police.

The victim was taken to an area hospital where his condition was stabilized, police said.

Shortly after, two 18-year-old men were shot around 10:20 p.m. in the 5800 block of South Laflin Street, Estrada said.

The two teens were in separate groups when a verbal altercation erupted and shots were fired, police said. One teen was shot in the left calf and the other was shot in the hip. Both men were taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital in stable condition.

Around 10:50 p.m., a 34-year-old man was shot in the back and abdomen during a drive-by shooting in the 120 block of South Perry Avenue, Estrada said.

The man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition.

Three others were shot in the Lawndale neighborhood around 11:25 p.m. on the 1200 block of South Kolin Avenue, police said.

The victims were in a group with several others when unknown offenders approached on foot and fired shots from a nearby alley, Estrada said.

A 38-year-old man was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the back. A 38-year-old woman was shot in the arm and taken in serious condition to Mount Sinai Hospital. The third victim, a 27-year-old woman was shot in the neck and was reported to be in “grave” condition at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to police.

Police recovered three guns from the alley and discovered the shooters’ emptied vehicle in the 1200 block of South Kostner Avenue.

Around 3:35 a.m. Saturday, a 20-year-old man walked into Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound to the shoulder, police said.

The man claimed to be riding in a vehicle when another car pulled up with occupants flashing gang signs and shouting gang slogans before firing at the victim.

No shots were reported in the area, however, and the shooting is still under investigation.

The weekend's most recent shooting occurred around 3 p.m. Saturday when a 12-year-old boy was shot  in the 2300 block of West 23rd Street, according to a tweet from Chicago Fire Media. 

Two boys were reportedly playing with a gun when it accidentally went off. 

The boy was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound in his arm in stable condition, according to police news affairs. 

A third boy is being charged in the shooting for bringing the gun into the home, police said. Details of the charges were not immediately available.
 

President Obama speaks to the class of 2013 at Morehouse College.

 

A deaf 11-year-old mini Yorkie was snatched from a yard in Hollywood and his dognappers are demanding $1,000 from his owners, who are pleading with the public to help bring their dog home.

“I’m scared for him because he’s used to being inside and cozy and cuddled with,” owner Tricia O’Kelley said, her voice quavering. “He slept with me every night for the last 11 years.”

Walter, who weighs about 5 pounds, was last seen Thursday afternoon in the family’s fenced-in backyard.

A blocked number called O’Kelley’s cellphone, which is listed on Walter’s tags, about 10:15 p.m. Thursday.

“From the second I answered the call, I knew this guy was bad news,” she said.

The man on the other end of the line told O’Kelley he wants $1,000 for the dog’s safe return. O’Kelley said she heard another man laughing in the background.

Her husband took over negotiations. The dognapper said he’d call back and hung up.

Within minutes, the blocked number called back and this time, O’Kelley’s husband, Adam Rosenblatt, put the call on speaker so the police on a second phone could hear.

The dognapper laid out his demands.

He wanted the family to create phony fliers offering a $1,000 reward for Walter’s return and listed streets on which he wanted them posted. Then, he would bring one of those posters to a Chevron station where he would exchange the dog for the cash.

Police suggested they make the fliers and meet the men at the gas station with a plain-clothed officer.

O’Kelley’s husband was in the process of hanging up the fliers when the man called back, saying he’d been lied to and that police were at the gas station.

“He said, ‘Don’t lie to me. I’m keeping your dog,’” O’Kelley said.

That last phone call at 11:15 p.m. Thursday came from a 7-Eleven payphone in North Hollywood, O’Kelley said. And that was the last time she heard from whoever has Walter.

Walter has a condition that causes his trachea to collapse, which is common for his breed.

“He’s not just some puppy,” O’Kelley said. “He needs special care.”

The family’s two young daughters – ages 2 and 4 – ate breakfast outside Friday morning in the hopes that Walter would smell the food and come home, O’Kelley said.

“It’s unbearably terrifying and heartbreaking,” she said. “The whole thing about pets and kids, they trust you to take care of them and keep them safe.”

Walter is outfitted with tags and a microchip. O’Kelley said she’s willing to pay the extortion if the men would return her dog, which she’s had since he was a puppy.

NBC4 obtained an incident report number in the case. Calls to LAPD to confirm the report had not been returned as of 8 p.m.

Anyone with information is asked to call the LAPD Hollywood Division, which is handling the case.

A Philadelphia mom was arrested inside her daughter's school after police say she assaulted an 11-year-old student.

Attifa Brown says she was upset her daughter was being bullied at school, but denies ever hitting the child.

"I don't beat my own child, let alone somebody else's," said Brown.

Police say there is a videotape of the incident that happened yesterday around 10:00 a.m. inside A.B. Anderson Elementary School in Cobbs Creek.

"The problem here is that we have a 26-year-old mother who has no reason to approach an 11-year-old child, so her credibility as far as I'm concerned is shot," said Lt. John Walker, Philadelphia Police.

Investigators say Brown went to the school with her daughter to confront the 11-year-old girl, accused of bullying her child.

"The tape showed this lady over my daughter for minutes, poking her in the face, pulling her hair and beating her," said Bobby Webster, mother of the 11-year-old victim.

Webster says her daughter is not a bully.

"I thought I taught her to actually defend herself and take care of herself," said Brown, who added that at the end of the day, "I'm human."

School officials are investigating how Brown was able to walk into the school without signing in or without being questioned.

Brown is facing a long list of charges, including terroristic threats, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and defiant trespass.

A 1-year-old child died after being left alone in a vehicle in an elementary school parking lot, Dallas police say.

The child's mother, Vibha Marks, has been arrested on a charge of abandoning a child with serious bodily injury.

Police said someone spotted the child unattended in a car parked in the faculty parking lot at Frank Guzick Elementary School at 5000 Berridge Lane at about 1:20 p.m.

The passer-by broke the window on the vehicle, removed the child and began performing CPR, police said.

Dallas Fire-Rescue confirmed that it was called to the school at about 1:30 p.m. When responders arrived, the child was unresponsive. Emergency workers continued CPR and transported the child to Baylor Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Marks, a teacher at the elementary school, was interviewed by the Dallas Police Department on Friday afternoon.

Officials with the Dallas Independent School District said Marks has been placed on administrative leave and that a letter was sent home to parents about the police presence at the school.

At 1 p.m., the temperature at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was 84 degrees. Studies of temperatures in enclosed cars shows that temperatures can rise by as much as 43 degrees in a one-hour period.

Authorities say the internet celebrity known as "Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker" was turned in to Philadelphia police by a coffee barista who recognized him as being a man wanted for murder in New Jersey.

Union County Prosecutor Ted Romankow told NBC 4 New York on Friday that Caleb Lawrence McGillvary was buying coffee in a Philadelphia Starbucks Thursday evening when a worker recognized him and notified her supervisor.

The supervisor called police, and officers arrived and found McGillvary, who is accused of killing Joseph Galfy, a lawyer from Clark, N.J. 

"He wasn't lying low," said Romankow. "He was out there."

Galfy was found in his home on Monday, dead of blunt force trauma. Prosecutors say Galfy met McGillvary in Times Square Saturday night, and brought him back to his house to spend the night.

They say they believe the two men had a sexual encounter.

Authorities said McGillvary, who has appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," pondered on his Facebook page Tuesday the idea of waking up in a stranger's house with a groggy head and injuries, and the realization of being drugged and raped. "What would you do?" he wrote, according to officials.

McGillvary gained internet notoriety earlier this year when he was hitchhiking with a man who allegedly attempted to run over a utility worker in California.

According to the Fresno Bee, McGillvary pulled a hatchet out of his backpack and struck the driver in the head after the dispute, and others held the man until police arrived. Video from a profanity-laced interview McGillvary gave to a local TV station recounting his role went viral.

Authorities said he will be processed in Philadelphia and returned to New Jersey in the coming days.

--Pat Battle contributed to this report

The attorney who represented OJ Simpson in a trial stemming from a bizarre 2007 Las Vegas hotel room raid testified Friday that he advised Simpson to call police after the former NFL Hall of Fame player mentioned plans to retrieve sports memorabilia.

Attorney Yale Galanter added that Simpson confided to him that he knew two individuals in the group involved in the raid -- intended to retrieve sports memorabilia from a dealer -- had guns.

Galanter's advice to Simpson -- who was sentenced to prison after the 2008 trial -- and the steakhouse meeting before the raid have been key parts of this week's hearing in Las Vegas. The ex-USC Trojan wants a judge to throw out the robbery-kidnapping convictions on the claim that Galanter failed to disclose that he knew about the hotel room raid in advance, told Simpson it was legal and provided bad advice at trial.

Galanter, who previously won an acquittal in a Simpson road rage case, was asked Friday by attorneys for the state about a steakhouse dinner with Simpson the night before the raid. Simpson was in Las Vegas for a wedding, Galanter was working on a case, so the two decided to meet, Galanter said.

"In the middle of him explaining the rehearsal dinner, he said that he and some of his boys may be doing a sting in the morning," said Galanter. "When he first mentioned it, it went over my head. It was social, and about a minute later I leaned over and said, 'What are you talking about? What sting? What are you doing?'"

Simpson told him "some of his boys had an opportunity to get some of his property back," Galanter testified.

"He said he finally had a lead on some personal items of his that had been stolen from his house in California," Galanter added. "He wanted to know what I thought about it. I told him to call the police."

In testimony that contradicts Simpson's repeated assertion that he was not aware two members of the group involved in the confrontation were carrying guns, Galanter claimed Simpson told him he asked his companions to bring guns.

Simpson testified Wednesday that guns were "never a subject" in conversations leading up to the hotel raid.

Galanter's testimony is an opportunity to defend his role in the case Friday during what is expected to be the final day of testimony. It is not clear when the judge will issue a ruling, but the outcome is part of a process that will determine whether the 65-year-old Simpson spends the rest of his life in prison.

He has already served four years in prison, but must serve nine of the maximum 33-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.

During Thursday's proceedings, prosecutors told the judge they want to call a surprise witness. Simpsons' attorneys objected, claiming it was too late to add a witness.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Leon Simon told the Simpson attorneys a woman contacted the DA's office after Simpson testified Wednesday, according to Simpson's defense.  Outside the courtroom, Simon had no comment.

The judge is expected to rule Friday on the prosecution's request.

Simpson did not testify during the criminal trial -- a decision a member of his trial legal team said was a mistake during testimony earlier this week -- but he was on the stand for about six hours Wednesday. Simpson provided his version of events leading up to a confrontation at the Palace Station hotel during which the former Heisman trophy winner and an impromptu posse retrieved sports memorabilia and other items.

Simpson said the items disappeared after his 1995 "trial of the century" acquittal in the slayings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

After going over witness statements, Galanter said he decided against putting Simpson on the stand.

"It was my opinion that him taking the witness stand would be problematic," said Galanter. "I just seriously thought we'd get crucified. I felt the evidence was overwhelming. I just thought it would be suicide."

Simpson testified he did not want anyone in his group to bring guns. One of the dealers, Bruce Fromong, testified during the original trial that a gun was pointed at him and he was told he would be shot if he did not cooperate.

It's not clear what facets of Simpson's testimony the potential witness would contradict. Simon was to meet with her late Thursday.

On Thursday, Simpson's position was bolstered by Malcolm LaVergne, who joined Simpson's legal team after the conviction to work on the appeal.  LaVergne suggested it might have been appropriate for Galanter to testify for Simpson, describing the advice he gave, rather than representing him.

LaVergne was asked if, in his opinion, Galanter's decisions were affected by a conflict of interest.

"From what I now know, absolutely," LaVergne testified.

As for the items Simpson wanted, a judge eventually ruled that the items should be delivered to Simpson's civil case attorney.

Ray Josephs’ bond with his brother, Danny Burroughs, went beyond just any normal sibling relationship.

“As close as two brothers/best friends could ever hope to be,” said Josephs. “That’s what my brother and I shared.”

It was that bond that amplified the pain Josephs felt six years ago when Burroughs went missing. His brother was last seen on his riding lawnmower on August 14, 2007, at the home he shared with his then-wife Lorette Burroughs, in Hamilton Township.

Friday morning however, Danny Burroughs’ remains were found in two containers in Loretta’s home in Ventnor, New Jersey, according to a source close to the investigation. Loretta was charged with his murder.

“Trying to cope with this horrific outcome,” said Josephs. “Within myself I am indeed fighting my best fight.”

Burroughs, 61, wept quietly Friday afternoon as she was formally charged with her ex-husband's murder. Investigators say she stabbed her husband to death in 2007. Autopsy results are pending.

Loretta divorced Danny shortly after he disappeared. She then sold the couple's home. Loretta moved, more than once, according to the Burroughs family, and was living at the home on Hampshire Drive in Ventnor where the body parts were found.

Crime scene investigators, acting on new information, went to the home Friday morning around 6 or 7 a.m., according to neighbors. The remains were discovered inside a closet and positively identified as Daniel Burroughs.

Investigators are not clear if they were put into containers due to decomposition, or if the body was mutilated. They do believe that the body was moved several times. And detectives say Loretta Burroughs was in the process of selling her Ventnor home and relocating to another home in Villas, Cape May County.

Danny Burroughs' family convinced investigators to re-open the case in February, after the county put together a Cold Case Unit. The family launched a Find Danny Burroughs Facebook page in 2010, and used the page to raise questions about Danny's disappearance. In the "about" section of the page, Josephs wrote:

Out of nowhere his (now) x-wife told everybody he "ran off with another woman", he left without ANY of his belongings-NOTHING! I say BS to her story and MANY-MANY lies! She, never even called to tell me (my brother) Dan supposedly "up and left." I found out several days later when I called my brothers home to see how he was feeling >for me, this is when the nightmare began.

"We knew for years that she knew something and we just couldn't get the help from anybody to find him," said Robert Valiante, Jr., a family friend.

Burroughs' family kept pushing police to go past Loretta Burrough's claim that Dan had run off to Florida with another woman.

"That's why they could never question her or prosecute her because there was no body," Valiante said. "There were no remains. Well, I guess not because she had 'em! Without a body he would have been lost forever."

With both sadness and a new sense of closure, Josephs thanked everyone who supported his family on his Facebook page.

“Even though my face always seems wet from tears, all of your support has indeed helped, and to me been a blessing,” he said. “I thank you all, those that knew my brother or, just wanted to show support…you people really are amazing.”
 

Pat Robertson is at it again. This time, the televangelist dished out marriage advice to a woman who wrote his show asking for guidance on how to forgive her cheating husband.

The one-time Republican presidential candidate -- who once condoned divorcing an Alzheimer-inflicted spouse --  told the woman that men have "the tendency to wander a little bit."

"Stop talking about the cheating," he said on The 700 Club. "He cheated on you. Well, he's a man."

He urged the woman to focus on the good qualities about their marriage. "Does he provide a home for you? Does he provide food for you to eat? Does he provide clothes for you to wear?" he asked, adding that the onus is on the woman to keep the "home so wonderful that he doesn't want to wander."

Robertson has a knack for giving out controversial marriage advice. In January, Robertson said on his show that "awful-looking" women are to blame for a loveless marriage. And days after appearing at a campaign rally with Mitt Romney last year, he joked about wife-beating as a way to discipline a "rebellious" wife.

Check out the full clip below:

A Southern California Navy official has been removed from his post after he allegedly sent inappropriate text messages to two female members of his command, Naval Surface Force officials confirmed on Thursday.

Navy officials say Cmdr. Allen Maestas, Executive Officer of the Coronado-based Beachmaster Unit 1 (BMU), allegedly sent inappropriate texts and emails to two enlisted female members of his command.

Navy officials would not comment on the exact content of the alleged texts and emails.

The Navy released the following statement Thursday regarding the removal of Maestas:

"The executive officer of Beachmaster Unit (BMU) 1 was relieved May 16 because of inappropriate comments sent in text messages and e-mails to members of his command. Cmdr. Allen Maestas was relieved by Commander of Naval Beach Group (NBG) 1, Capt. Kevin Flanagan. Lt. Cmdr. Geoffrey Belanger, BMU-1 operations officer, has assumed the duties as acting executive officer. A permanent relief is expected to arrive in June. Maestas has been temporarily reassigned to the staff of NBG-1. Beachmasters manage the transfer of equipment and personnel from ship to shore."

The Navy says Maestas first enlisted in 1985 as an Electrician's Mate before working his way up the ranks. He reported to BMU-1 as executive officer in April 2012. Over his career, he has earned the Bronze Star Medal and Meritorious Service Medal, among other decorations.

Maestas’ removal comes on the heels of staggering new figures released by the Pentagon on the number of sexual assaults in the military.

Last week, Pentagon documents showed that up to 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted in the last year, indicating that unreported sexual assault in the military is a growing epidemic across the services.

Underscoring the problem, an Air Force officer in charge of its sexual-assault program, Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski, was recently arrested in a Virginia parking lot for allegedly groping a woman.

And earlier this week, NBC News reported that a U.S. Army sergeant who coordinated a Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program at Fort Hood, Texas, is being investigated for a host of sexual misconduct charges.

A Pentagon source told NBC News that the soldier is accused of having forced at least one subordinate into prostitution and of having sexually assaulted two others. He has been suspended from his job pending the probe by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, and his identity has not been released.

Federal and state investigators have ruled the cause of the deadly fire and explosion at a fertilizer facility in West as undetermined.

The April 17 explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. killed 15 and injured hundreds while laying waste to much of the tiny town.

Texas State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy said a ruling of undetermined is made when the cause "cannot be proven to an acceptable level of certainty."

"This could be due to insufficient information or if multiple causes could not be eliminated," he said.

Robert Champion, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Dallas Field Division agent in charge, said the following could not be eliminated: a 120-volt electrical system, a golf cart and an intentionally set fire.

A West first responder was arrested last week on suspicion of possessing bomb-making materials, but Champion said investigators would not speculate about whether Bryce Reed is connected to the blast.

Investigators have ruled several possible causes, such as the rekindling of a fire, spontaneous ignition, the 480-volt electrical system that ran the plant's heavy equipment, anhydrous ammonia, ammonia nitrate, smoking and weather.

The investigation into the fire is open and ongoing, although the excavation of the scene is complete. The State Fire Marshal's Office, the ATF, the Department of Public Safety, the McLennan County Sheriff's and District Attorney's Offices will continue to have staff in West to work on the investigation.

Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz released the following statement on the investigation:
"We appreciate the individuals and agencies who have worked to investigate the cause of the tragic explosion in West. Our prayers remain with those struggling to recover and mourning the loss of loved ones. While the cause remains undetermined, it is our sincere hope that at the end of the investigation, the residents of West can find closure and begin to heal."

Details of the fire

The fire, which started in the fertilizer and seed building, sparked two explosions, investigators said. The explosions were "milliseconds" apart, and most people would have registered them as one explosion, investigators said.

The fire was reported at 7:29 p.m., and the two explosions occurred at approximately 7:51 p.m. The fire department was dispatched at 7:32 p.m. and firefighters arrived at 7:38 p.m.

Water from the firefighting activities did not contribute to the cause of the explosion.

The blast left a 37-block area of damage and a crater that was 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep. The furthest piece of evidence was found two and half miles away, but most evidence was found within a 3,000-foot radius.

The origin of the fire was determined to be in the northern area of the fertilizer and seed building, in what is referred to as the seed room.

The golf cart that could not be eliminated as a possible cause of the fire was located in that room. The 120-volt electrical system that could not be ruled out was also located in the building.

Investigators estimate that between 28 and 34 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded, the equivalent of approximately 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of TNT.

An additional 20 to 30 tons in the building and approximately 100 tons of ammonium nitrate in a nearby railcar did not explode.

Connealy said the families of those killed in the blast were briefed on the findings before the press conference.

In addition to the investigation into the origin and cause of the fire, the fire marshal's office has also been conducting a firefighter line of duty death investigation, as required by state law. Work on the report for that investigation is expected to take several months.

The Texas Rangers and McLennan County Sheriff's Office last week opened a criminal investigation into the blast. The fire marshal's office said Thursday that the fire investigation had been considered a criminal investigation since the case was opened.

Authorities have arrested the internet celebrity known as "Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker" in connection with the murder of a New Jersey lawyer.

Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, who received the nickname because he used a hatchet to subdue a man who ran over a California utility worker, was arrested at a Greyhound Bus terminal in Philadelphia, police said.

Officials believe McGillvary, 24, killed Joseph Galfy, who was found in his Clark, N.J. home on Monday, dead of blunt force trauma. Prosecutors say Galfy met McGillvary in Times Square Saturday night, and brought him back to his house to spend the night.

They say they believe the two men had a sexual encounter.

Authorities said McGillvary, who has appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," pondered on his Facebook page Tuesday the idea of waking up in a stranger's house with a groggy head and injuries, and the realization of being drugged and raped. "What would you do?" he wrote, according to officials.

McGillvary gained notoriety earlier this year when he was hitchhiking with a man who allegedly attempted to run over a utility worker.

According to the Fresno Bee, McGillvary pulled a hatchet out of his backpack and struck the driver in the head after the dispute, and others held the man until police arrived.

McGillvary describes himself as "homefree," rather than "homeless," and said on Kimmel that he steals from Wal-Mart, Target and Safeway and gives away the loot.

Authorities said he will be processed in Philadelphia and returned to New Jersey in the coming days.

News of the arrest came just as family and friends had gathered at a New Jersey funeral home for Galfy's wake.

"I prefer to think that Joe was a decent person who opened his door to someone and paid a hell of a price," said Michael Savvis, a friend of Galfy's. "I thought he was a good man, a great attorney."

--Pat Battle and Pei-Sze Cheng contributed to this report

A Chicago-area man is thankful he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar — it turned him into a millionaire.

Ricardo Cerezo's wife said she wanted to throw out a host of old lottery tickets that the family had stashed away in a cookie jar, and told her husband to check their value before he trashed them. Cerezo drove to a nearby gas station to see if he had a winner among the months-worth of unchecked tickets.

"The last ticket said, 'file a claim.' Not a congratulations, not an amount, just said 'file a claim," Cerezo said. Intrigued, he contacted the Illinois Lottery. 

The ticket, which he bought in February, turned out to be worth a cool $4.85 million.

The winning ticket couldn't have come at a better time for the family. Cerezo's home in Geneva, Ill. was facing pending foreclosure, and the family was reeling from the loss of his 14-year-old daughter Savannah, who died as a result of a series of seizures.

Savannah had bought the cookie jar for her father a few months before she died on August 12, 2012. The family kept the lotto tickets and some of their family keepsakes in that cookie jar.

The windfall, however, came with a bit of melancholy.

"The honest first reaction was mammoth regret. Regret because our youngest wasn't here to enjoy this," Cerezo said.

But now he says he's able to find peace, knowing this was an incredible gift from his daughter.

The family plans to keep working to pay off their mortgage, pay for college and donate a portion of the money to charity and their church.

An Chicago man was sentenced Thursday morning in connection with a beach party fight that turned deadly.

James Malecek, 19, waived his right to a trial and pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

A judge accepted the plea agreement, and Malecek will serve 145 days in jail beginning July 1.

Malecek punched Mt. Carmel high school student Kevin Kennelly during a July Fourth disturbance in Long Beach, Ind., in 2011.

Malecek had just graduated from Loyola Academy and was set to begin college at Texas Christian University in Forth Worth. Both families owned second homes in Long Beach.

A teary-eyed Malecek apologized to the victim's family in court, saying, "Mr. and Mrs. Kennelly, I never intended to injure your son, Kevin. It truly was a terribly accident."

But the Kennelly's aren't happy with the plea deal.

"He's been given a gift," Kevin Kennelly, Sr. said outside the courtroom. "He did it, he's been very lightly sentenced for it, he believes it was an accident, I don't know how anyone could believe that."

Malecek will have to wear an electronic monitoring device for up to three-and-a-half years after he's released.

Los Angeles was the worst city in the U.S. for dog attacks on letter carriers last year, according a new report by the U.S. Postal Service.

The Postal Service released its dog attack city rankings on Wednesday as a prelude to National Dog Bite Prevention Week and urges pet owners to help reduce the incidence of dog bites to letter carriers.

“If our letter carriers deem your loose dog to be a threat, you’ll be asked to pick up your mail at the Post Office until it’s safe to deliver,” said Ken Snavely, acting postmaster of Los Angeles, where 69 postal employees were attacked last year.

Nationwide, 5,879 postal employees were attacked.

Snavely said that in situations where a dog roams the neighborhood, delivery to the owner’s neighbors could be curtailed as well.

Also, when letter carriers come to a customer’s door, pet owners are asked to place dogs in a separate room and close the door, as many canines have been known to jump through screen and glass doors.

Dog attacks are a nationwide issue and not just a postal problem.

Nearly 5,900 letter carriers were attacked last year, but that pales in comparison to the 4.7 million Americans annually bitten by dogs — more than half of whom are children — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Many dogs are cherished members of their family and people believe their dog won’t bite, but given the right circumstances, any dog can attack," Snavely said. “Dogs do not reason like people do and they will react to their instinct to protect their family and territory."

Just last week, a woman was fatally mauled by several pit bulls while on a jog in the high desert community of Littlerock, north of Los Angeles. Three days later, a girl on a walk in Corona was attacked by a pit bull.

No one won Wednesday night's Powerball drawing, which is good news for somebody: There will be an even bigger drawing on Saturday night.

As of Friday, the jackpot hit $600 million. That's the largest jackpot in Powerball history and the second biggest lotto drawing overall. A sole winner opting for an immediate cash payout would suddenly have an extra $376.9 million on hand, which would make that lucky gambler wealthier than both Mitt Romney and Beyoncé Knowles.

There are many ways to spend that sort of fortune. Here are 12 suggestions:

DO SOMETHING ALTRUISTIC

• Reduce the nation's debt: The jackpot could reduce the United States' $16.7 trillion debt by about 4 thousandths of a percent. If a winner wanted to feel more useful, he or she could alternatively choose to pay off the entire $200 million government debt for the Kingdom of Tonga, a small nation in the South Pacific, and still have money to spare.
   
• Give $5,454 to every single one of the 110,000 people living below the poverty line in Washington, D.C.
   
• Give about $11,765 to each of the estimated 51,000 homeless people living in Los Angeles county.
   
• Help young professionals: The average 25-year-old owed about $20,326 in student loan debt last year, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. With $600 million, a Powerball winner could wipe out debt for nearly 30,000 recent graduates.
   
• Pay the bills of American consumers: A winner could bail out more than 38,000 credit card debt-saddled American households. According to nerdwallet.com, the average American household kicked off the year owing credit card companies $15,422.
   
• Give the children of Malawi an education: Annual secondary school fees in Malawi range from less than $30 to more than $700. In a country where more than 40 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day, even the least expensive options are still too costly for many families. A Powerball winner willing to donate $300 per pupil could easily cover the cost of one year of schooling for more than 2 million Malawians.

TREAT YOURSELF AND THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE YOUR FRIEND

• Blow it on a mega-yacht. Or maybe two: Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko made headlines when he bought a 394-foot ultra-luxury yacht, equipped with its own helipad. It rang in at $300 million.
   



• Buy fancy cars: The most expensive car on the market, according to thesupercars.org, is a Lamborghini Veneno. Each one is priced at $3.9 million, which means a Powerball winner could afford 153.
   
• Take a round trip space voyage every day for the next 20 months: A trip to outer space with five friends costs $1 million with Virgin Galactic.
   
• Buy a sports team. According to a Forbes report earlier this year, the San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets are in your price range.
   
• Produce the most expensive movie in history. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," which ranks among the priciest, had a budget of about $330 million.
   
• Buy Downton Abbey, which was valued at $400 million by the Movoto real estate blog. Or you can but this Beverly Hills mansion, which is actually on the market. The "Legendary Beverly House" can accommodate a 400-person sit down dinner, has an art-deco night club wine cellar, two projection rooms, a spa, gym, massage room, tennis court, indoor bar, media center guest house and an eight-car garage. The property, which appeared in "The Godfather" and "The Bodyguard," goes for $115 million. You'll probably need the rest of your winnings for furnishings and upkeep.

Earl McCoy was asleep when a tornado — one of 16 to tear through North Texas Wednesday night — arrived in Ennis.

He was awoken, not by screaming wind or blaring sirens, but by a drip of water that fell from his ceiling — his only warning of what was to come.

A moment later, the ceiling collapsed. "I jumped up and went to the door and then that fell," McCoy said, pointing to another section of the ceiling. "To be sound asleep, and this piece falls on top of me, and this piece falls right beside me ... it was unreal."

Elizabeth Tovar of Granbury, the hardest-hit area of North Texas, rode out the storm in her tub.

"We were all, like, hugging in the bathtub and that's when it started happening. I heard glass shattering and I knew my house was going," Tovar said. "We looked up and … the whole ceiling was gone."

Three tornadoes that touched down drilled through Hood County around 8 p.m., leaving six dead, seven missing and 250 people homeless, Sheriff Roger Deeds said.

All of the fatalities were in the Rancho Brazos neighborhood, built by Habitat for Humanity volunteers over the last five years.

"Some were found in houses. Some were found around houses," Deeds said. "There was a report that two of these people that they found were not even near their homes. So we're going to have to search the area out there."

The search for survivors, and the dead, began last night at the scene, which Deeds described as "a war zone."

NBC 5 DFW's Scott Gordon, who was in Granbury after the storm hit, said that residents in the area appeared to be "dazed." He said there were not enough stretchers to go around and that children were carried out as driving rain hammered down.

Back in Ennis, Donna Summer was expressing her gratitude for the police and firefighters who checked on her throughout the night. She was working a late shift at a local restaurant when the winds picked up.

"Sounded like a low, whirring, whir noise, like a train. A small train," she said. "I just stayed inside and prayed a lot. Didn't want to get outside. I was afraid to see if we had a town left."

After the power cut out, she said the only lights were those from police and fire vehicles outside.

"About every hour they'd come by and check on me ... make sure the boogeyman don't get me."

Further west in Cleburne, where a mile-wide tornado was reported Wednesday night, Shari East was still processing what she went through.

"I have nightmares about tornadoes every year, and now I lived through one."

East said she heard warning sirens for a few minutes before the storm was upon her.

"It just kind of hit out of nowhere. You could hear it. My husband made us all get in the bathtub and put mattresses over us. He wouldn't get in the bathtub because there wasn't enough room."

East had been on the phone with her daughter, who lives across town, when the call cut off.

"Scary. Never been so scared in my life," she said, adding that she was "amazed that we all lived through it."

For nearly three years, Philadelphia Police crime scene investigator John Taggart has remained silent about what he saw after stepping inside Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s two homes and West Philadelphia clinic -- nicknamed the “House of Horrors.”

Now that the former Philadelphia abortion doctor has been sentenced to life in prison and the case's gag order lifted, Taggart is speaking out about what he found.

Taggart and his team began searching Gosnell’s properties for fetal remains in February 2010 following an FBI raid of the doctor’s West Philadelphia clinic, the Women’s Medical Society.

Inside Gosnell’s West Philadelphia home, the doctor spared no expense on high-end appliances, large flat-screen TVs and a piano, but Taggart says the 72-year-old surrounded himself with filth.

“He just lived in squalor,” said Taggart. “He would leave plates of food on the floor. There was stuff everywhere in the bedroom. You couldn’t see the bed.”

Gosnell sat at the piano and played Chopin as police donned bio-hazard suits to investigate the contents of his home’s basement.

“As soon as they went down into the basement, they were covered in fleas,” Taggart said. “He actually gave us a bottle of flea repellent and said, ‘See what a nice guy I am? I told you there were fleas in the basement.’ He said ‘I didn’t have to tell ya’s’”

Investigators also visited Gosnell’s shore home in Brigantine, N.J. Taggart says the home was not well-kept, but that the property was “beautiful.”

“It backed up to the bay, he had a beautiful like four-slip boat slip,” he said.

The Philadelphia Police Crime Scene Unit traveled down the Atlantic City Expressway to search for the remains of unaccounted fetuses.

“We went down there because we thought maybe some of the babies were thrown into the bay,” he said. “There’s a lot of babies that are still unaccounted for that we don’t know where they’re at.”

The team ventured into the bay and pulled up several crab traps owned by Gosnell to see if there were remains inside. However, nothing was found. New Jersey authorities also sent a dive team into the bay before Taggart’s search and were unable to locate any remains.

“I believe they are either buried out there or I don’t know where they are. We’ve looked, we’ve looked for three years,” he said.

Taggart also recounted his time inside the Women’s Medical Society, calling the clinic, located at 3801 Lancaster Avenue, unforgettable.

“The smells were just unbearable,” he said. “You could tell there was death somewhere.”

Taggart found dead babies stuffed inside a refrigerator. But it’s what he and other officials found as they searched room-by -room that he says will be forever burned into his memory.

“Opening up the cabinet and seeing all the feet,” he said. “I’ll remember that for a long time.”

Those feet were severed from babies following abortion procedures. Prosecutors say Gosnell would deliver some babies alive, despite giving them medication in utero meant to stop their heart. The doctor and his staff would then snip their necks with scissors to ensure death.

Investigators said baby body parts would clog toilets after women delivered them in stalls inside the clinic. But for the first time, Taggart describes how remains were uncovered in the break room sink.

“They were shoving body parts down the garbage disposal,” said Taggart. “To the point where they plunged it one day and an arm popped out on Lancaster Avenue.”

The clinic, though not opened, still stands today.

Gosnell, who was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies, was given two consecutive life sentences in two of those verdicts. He struck a deal to avoid the death penalty by giving up his right to an appeal.

On Wednesday, Gosnell was sentenced to a third consecutive life sentence for the murder of the third baby. He also was given an additional two and a half to five consecutive years in the involuntary manslaughter death of former patient Karnamaya Mongar. The attorney for Mongar's family says they plan on suing both Gosnell and the City of Philadelphia.

Gosnell was also sentenced to concurrent sentences for 229 violations of Pennsylvania abortion regulations, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.

The former doctor will plead guilty to federal charges related to illegal narcotics distribution. He's expected to be sentenced for those crimes next week.

For extensive coverage of the "House of Horrors" Abortion Doctor Trial, click here to visit our dedicated section on the case.

RELATED STORIES

• Gosnell Juror: "Hard to Admit This Kind of Evil Exists"
• Caught on Camera: Baby Falls on Train Tracks
• Mom Admits to Stealing Thousands From Little League
• Dumb Houses Get Smart
• Dramatic Video: Deer Crashes Through Bus
• 27 Shots Fired, 4 People Struck

During the second-to-last day of testimony Thursday, prosecutors in Las Vegas revealed they want to call a surprise witness to rebut OJ Simpson's testimony in his bid to have his 2008 armed robbery conviction thrown out.

Simpson's attorneys Patricia Palm and Ozzie Fumo contend  it is too late to add a witness and said they had raised their objection during a sidebar conference. Judge Linda Bell is expected to make a ruling in the morning. 

Simpson and his attorneys are attempting to prove during the weeklong hearing that his trial attorney mishandled his defense in 2008, when the former actor and football star was found guilty in connection with a hotel room heist meant to retrieve Simpson's memorabilia.

Simpson wants a new trial because he says his longtime lawyer failed to disclose that he knew about the hotel room raid in advance, told Simpson it was legal and provided bad advice at trial.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Leon Simon told the Simpson attorneys a woman contacted the DA's office after Simpson testified Wednesday, according to Simpson's defense.  Outside the courtroom, Simon had no comment.

Simpson remains imprisoned on a term of nine to 33 years, after being convicted of robbery, kidnapping and assaul in connection with a 2007 incident at the Palace Station Hotel Casino.

Simpson did not take the witness stand during the original trial. Wednesday marked the first time he had testified about it, contending his intention was only to recover stolen mementos that he had learned sports memorabilia dealers had obtained and were intending to sell. 

Simpson testified he did not want anyone in his impromptu posse to bring guns. One of the dealers, Bruce Fromong, testified during the original trial that a gun was pointed at him and he was told he would be shot if he did not cooperate.

It's not clear what facets of Simpson's testimony the potential witness would contradict. Simon was to meet with her late Thursday.

Simpson's current legal team contends he is entitled to a new trial because the defense provided by his former legal team at trial was allegedly flawed by ethical violations.

Simpson testified that before he ever went to the Palace Station, he talked to attorney Yale Galanter about recovering stolen property, and used Galanter's advice in developing his plan.

Galanter went on to serve as Simpson's lead attorney at trial.

Before trial, Galanter signed a stipulation that he had no conflict of interest. But Simpson's current legal team contends he did have a conflict, and made decisions to protect his own interest in collecting more than a half-million dollars in legal fees from Simpson.

Thursday, Simpson's position was bolstered by Malcolm LaVergne, who joined Simpson's legal team after the conviction to work on the appeal.  

LaVergne suggested it might have been appropriate for Galanter to testify for Simspon, describing the advice he gave, rather than representing him. LaVergne was asked if, in his opinion, Galanter's decisions were affected by a conflict of interest. 

"From what I now know, absolutely," LaVergne testified.

Galanter is scheduled to testify Friday.  

Also at Thursday's hearing, a witness called by the prosecution testified that some of the items taken from the Palace Station hotel room during the incident did not belong to Simpson.

Attorney David Cook said his client, Fred Goldman, still has ownership rights to football mementos that were the subject of a 2009 civil judgment in connection with the wrongful death civil verdict against Simpson for the 1994 slayings of Goldman's son Ron and Simpson's former wife Nicole Brown.

"We have some right to the footballs if they appear on the market,'' Cook said.

Simpson testified that he wanted to recover personal belongings.

"It was my stuff. I followed what I thought was the law," Simpson said. "My lawyer told me I couldn't break into a guy's room. I didn't break into anybody's room. I didn't try to muscle the guys. The guys had my stuff, even though they claimed they didn't steal it.''

A judge eventually ruled that the items in the hotel room should be delivered to Simpson's civil case attorney. Cook conceded under cross-examination Thursday that footballs, neckties, awards and photos were returned to Simspon's civil attorneys.

Simpson re-stated that he was not aware two of the men in the group were carrying guns, adding that guns "were never a subject." He also said the "couple of big guys" with him at the hotel were there to help carry out the items, including signed footballs and photos.

"I don't need security," Simpson said he told others involved in a conversation at the Palms hotel on the morning of the raid.

Attorneys for the state also called a psychiatrist to the stand to challenge testimony from another psychiatrist who said Simpson's judgement was influenced by a lack of sleep and alcohol consumption.

Dr. Gregory Brown said he saw no obvious evidence that Simpson was impaired when he watched surveillance video of Simpson at the hotel.

Simpson, at times, appeared to relish the opportunity to be on the stand, using theatrical gestures and even asking a burly corrections officer to stand up to demonstrate the size of the men who accompanied him to the Palace Station. The men were there "not to start trouble but to make sure there wouldn't be any trouble," Simpson said.

Until Wednesday, crowds at the courthouse had been small, unlike the 1995 murder trial in Los Angeles and the 2008 robbery and kidnapping trials. A court marshal turned people away, sending more than 15 people to an overflow room where video of Simpson's testimony was streamed live.

The challenge follows the Nevada Supreme Court's denial of Simpson's 2010 appeal, also handled by Galanter. Simpson's new attorney filed the writ of habeas corpus in May 2012, seeking her client's release from prison and reversal of the conviction.

Simpson has already served four years in prison, but must serve nine of the maximum 33-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Four Simpson co-defendants pleaded guilty to felonies and testified for the prosecution.

A fifth defendant, Clarence "C.J.'' Stewart, was convicted and served more than two years in prison before the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that Simpson's fame tainted Stewart's conviction.

The FBI is investigating after $625,000 in gold bars were somehow stolen minutes after it was unloaded from a plane at Miami International Airport.

The theft happened around 5 a.m. Tuesday shortly after American Airlines Flight 902 from Guayaquil, Ecuador, which was carrying the gold, landed at the airport, according to a Miami-Dade Police incident report.

According to the report, the plane had docked at Gate D3 where the property was removed from the cargo area by five workers.

Two Pedestrians Struck and Killed By Minivan in Margate

At one point, the cart was driven to the other side of the plane and left there, but it's unknown who moved it, the report said.

A short time later, a tug from Gate D6 stopped at the cart before going to Gate D37 and then an alleyway, where video surveillance of the tug was lost, the report said.

The cart was found about an hour later in front of Gate D19.

The FBI is investigating the incident but gave no details. An American Airlines spokeswoman said they are assisting authorities with the investigation.

More Local Stories:

• Boat Captain Finds Marijuana Pakcages Off Hillsboro Inlet
• Judge Denies Bond for Man Charged in Fatal Police Shootout
• Reward Offered in American Crocodile's Death in Florida Keys