• Hiker rescued after days pinned under rocks

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    By Olsen Ebright, NBCSanDiego.com

    RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Rescue workers saved a hiker who was trapped under rocks for as many as eight days without any food and water, according to firefighters.

    Hiker Ramon Llamas and his German shepherd-mix "Molé" discovered the man about 8:30 a.m. PT (11:30 a.m. ET) Monday on Mount Rubidoux in Riverside, Calif.

    "I said to the guy, 'You need help? Are you OK?' When he reacted, he says, 'Somebody there? Please don't leave me. Don't leave me,'" Llamas said. "'You got some water?' And I gave him water, and a minute later, he said, 'You got some more?' Are you by yourself? 'Yeah, I'm a tourist here. I'm hungry.'"

    About an hour later, rescue workers were able to free the 44-year-old man whose foot was pinned under rocks. He was hospitalized with symptoms of dehydration.

    More news from NBCSanDiego.com

    The man -- who identified himself as Paul -- told firefighters he lived "back east" and was trapped for four to six days, although officials said it could have been as long as eight days because the victim was unconscious at times.

    The man did not have any food or water with him, firefighters said.

  • California wildfire burns 300 acres; firefighters cite progress

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    By Jonathan Lloyd and Toni Guinyard, NBCLosAngeles.com

    Light winds and cool temperatures allowed firefighters to make progress on a wildfire that caused power outages and prompted evacuations Thursday near Riverside.


    By 5 p.m. Friday, the Jurupa Wildfire was about 60 percent contained and had scorched about 311 acres, a figure that held steady since the morning.

    Twenty engines, one bulldozer, a helicopter and eight fire crews were assigned to the fire at 6 a.m. At 11:30 a.m., 311 acres had burned and the fire was 40 percent contained. At 4 a.m., the blaze had consumed 200 acres and was 30 percent contained.

    Power was restored early Friday to Riverside residents, some of whom watched as flames neared their homes. Wind gusts tossed embers over a wide area Friday evening, sparking small brush fires.

    More: Resident Near Riverside Fire: 'I'm Scared to Death'

    "It was way too close," said homeowner Matt Kolstad.

    About 1,800 homes were without power at one point.
    The vegetation fire was reported about 4:43 p.m. near Rio Road and Calle Hermosa in Jurupa Valley, at the south end of Santa Ana River Regional Park (map). The fire grew from 10 acres to 50 acres by 5:45 p.m., according to the Riverside County Fire Department's online incident report. The fire scorched between 50 and 75 acres by 6:50 p.m.; and grew to consume 150 acres by 8:45 p.m.

    Firefighters told NBC4 they expected crews to remain in the area through Friday evening as crews attempt to form a fire line. Warm and windy conditions are forecast for the region.

    Firefighters used deliberately set blazes, known as backfires, to help control the fire. The tactic is meant to burn possible fuel in the fire's path.

    At least one structure, a shed, was damaged.

    This story was originally published on Fri Mar 1, 2013 4:40 AM EST

  • Coyote pack chasing pets smashes door of home in Chicago suburb

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    By Emily Florez, NBCChicago.com

    A pack of coyotes chasing after a puppy broke several panes of glass in the door of a home in a suburb of Chicago Friday as they tried to chase the dog into the house.

    "I've never seen anything quite like this," Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel said of the attack on South Herbert Road, Riverside, about a mile from the Des Plaines River.

    Dog owner Roger Nelson said it was about 4 a.m. when he let his three dogs -- a beagle, a golden retriever and a German shepherd puppy -- out into the yard.

    He said his pups barely made it out of the door when the pack of coyotes came charging.

    The coyotes -- Nelson said there were four of them -- came from the bushes and easily cleared a fence.

    "That's about a three-and-a-half foot fence. I mean, they jumped it, no issues at all," he said.

    Nelson said he hurried the dogs back inside. They made it, but the coyotes didn't let up.

    "[They were] just standing up on their back as they were clawing at the door, and then the two older [dogs] I got, they were snarling back at them and growling," he said.

    The coyotes were finally scared away when Nelson fired a high-powered BB gun at them, striking two of them, police said. Nelson's dogs were unharmed.

    Read more from NBCChicago.com

    The attack left a lot of damage to the door. Several panes of glass of an outer door were broken, as was the glass on the main entry door.

    Police Sgt. Bill Gutschick said in a statement that in his 25 years on duty, this was the first time he’s heard of coyotes trying to get into a home while chasing a pet.

    Riverside has had other recent reports of coyotes attacking pets, Weitzel said, and on Jan. 3, a 7-month-old Bichon-Poo puppy was killed in the 100 block of Addison Road.

    Weitzel urged residents to be aware of wild animals in the area.

    "Coyotes do not know the difference between pets and the wild creatures they hunt, so try to protect pets by accompanying them outdoors," he said.

    And use a short leash, he said.

  • Trial begins for boy who admitted to shooting neo-Nazi father

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    By Jacob Rascon, NBCLosAngeles.com

    In May 2011, a 10-year-old boy allegedly executed his father as he slept on the living room couch in their Southern California home. The victim, Jeff Hall, was a white supremacist leader and the West Coast director for the National Socialist Movement.


    On Tuesday, the trial began in what prosecutors call "a case that shocks the conscience."

    Attorneys for the now 12-year-old boy, who has admitted to the killing in his Riverside home, blame the murder on the neo-Nazi environment. They also say the boy’s stepmother encouraged him to pull the trigger.

    But prosecutors argue the "cold, calculated murder" was totally unrelated to neo-Nazism.

    Read the original report  |  More from NBCLosAngeles.com

    Before he was a white supremacist, Jeff Hall was a construction worker in the Inland Empire. Family members described him as "loving" and a "good father" at that time.

    His son, who would later kill him, apparently was not loving or good, according to prosecutors.

    They pointed out that officials kicked the boy out of as many as nine elementary schools for bad behavior. He allegedly stabbed a teacher with a pencil once and choked another with a telephone cord.

    Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com 

    Prosecutors say the boy told his younger sister he would shoot their father two days before he did. She will testify later in the trial.

    In a taped interview between the boy and a detective shown in court, the boy can be heard saying that he killed his father because he’d had enough of his father’s abusive behavior.

    Attorneys expect the trial to last two weeks.

    If convicted, the boy could be jailed until he is 23. He has pleaded not guilty by reasons of insanity.

  • White student lauded after returning college scholarship meant for blacks

    Warren family

    Jeffrey Warren found out on senior awards night that he was the winner of a scholarship meant for African-American students.

    By James Eng, NBC News

    No big deal.

    That's how 17-year-old Jeffrey Warren describes his decision to return a $1,000 college scholarship meant for black students.

    “I just thought it was the right thing to do,” says Warren, who is white.

    His decision is winning him praise for his character – and offers of alternate financial help.

    A hush, followed by some giggles, enveloped the Martin Luther King High School gym in Riverside, Calif., when it was announced on senior awards night that Warren was the winner of the scholarship awarded by the local Martin Luther King Senior Citizens Club.

    The $1,000 scholarship, one of two awarded annually by the seniors club, is meant for African-American students. Club members didn’t know Warren is white until he rose to receive the award.

    “We just couldn’t believe it at the outset. It was really something. There was a mixed feeling in the crowd,” recalled Etta Brown, chairwoman of the club’s scholarship committee, of the May 22 ceremony.

    “People were surprised. Laughter started to come up from crowd,” Warren said. “They still shook my hand, they still said ‘thank you.’”

    After some contemplation, Warren and his parents decided to return the scholarship. They sent an email the next day informing the MLK senior citizens club of the decision.

    Warren Family / Warren family

    Jeffrey Warren and his mom Frances Warren on graduation night.

    “They said they would accept it back. They were very nice about it. They thanked me for being generous and for being a great kid,” Warren told msnbc.com on Tuesday.

    “Jeffrey and I wanted them to be happy,” Rod Warren, who teaches language arts at the high school, told the Riverside Press-Enterprise, which first reported on the episode. “The ladies were trying to do something really nice.”

    The scholarship application itself stated only that African-Americans were “encouraged” to apply. Warren applied online and apparently never saw a separate letter sent to school counselors specifying that it was for black students.

    Some club members felt Jeffrey should be allowed to keep the scholarship, Brown told msnbc.com. “It was a very thoughtful decision between his family and himself that they would not accept it,” she said.

    “I think it says a lot for his character and it says a lot of the character for the family,” said King High School Principal Darel Hansen.

    “This was not something the school or school district asked him to do. He in our opinion won the award in good faith though there was a mix-up.”

    Jeffrey’s scholarship was later awarded to a runner-up -- a female African-American student.

    Watch the most-viewed videos on msnbc.com

    Organizations using private money, like the MLK seniors club, are allowed to set their own eligibility criteria for scholarships they grant.

    Brown said the club’s scholarship committee will meet to revise the language on the application to clarify it's for African-American students so there’s no misunderstanding in the future.

    Warren won’t be totally lacking in financial help for college. Rod Warren told the Press-Enterprise his son applied for 27 scholarships and also won three others, two for $2,000 each and another $500 scholarship.

    Hansen told msnbc.com that since the story made local headlines, several people have contacted the school “asking where they could send a check to make a donation to Jeffrey.”

    Several teachers also showed up at his graduation party at his home on Saturday and presented him with an envelope with $351 in cash donations collected from school staff.

    Warren said he plans to attend San Diego State University in the fall where he will major in English or business, or both. He says he wants to teach, like his dad.

    Brown thinks he has a bright future ahead.

    “He’s a really neat student,” Brown said. “He deserved it (the scholarship). Martin Luther King would say he did everything right.”

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