A 17-year-old girl from North Carolina was charged with murder Monday in connection with the shooting death of three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, as KPBS reports.
Her name is Sarah Santiago and she allegedly agreed to record the livestream of the shooting for the gunmen, distribute it and release a document the gunmen had written. She did just that, according to prosecutors, and she also allegedly purchased a patch bearing a Nazi symbol and sent it to one of the gunmen who wore it during the attack.
Authorities arrested Santiago last week, and a grand jury on Monday charged her as an adult with three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy.
The two gunmen were Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18. A security guard confronted them and a gun battle ensued that led to the guard’s death. That played an invaluable part in slowing the killers down and saved countless lives, including those of many children, the police chief said.
Related: Our Bella Ross recently wrote about the aftermath of the tragic attack, specifically about the criticism Mayor Todd Gloria and the city of San Diego has received from San Diego’s Muslim community, who have long felt neglected and, at times, even targeted by the city’s leaders.
School for Homeless Vacated Due to Mold Concerns
Just a week and a half into the school year, a school that serves about 170 homeless students has been vacated because of possible mold at the facility.
Officials at the San Diego County Office of Education, which runs the Monarch School in Barrio Logan, told education reporter Jakob McWhinney that concerns were first raised late Thursday.
Officials canceled the following day of school while they worked to figure out where to reroute students.
For the next week at least, students and staff will be working from alternate locations. The extent of the mold concerns is still unclear.
Why San Diego Students Are Going Back to School Sooner
Some of you may remember a time when students’ summer vacations lasted well into August, even right up until Labor Day.
But now, San Diego schools start their school years much earlier in August. School has already been in session at San Diego Unified School District for several weeks.
Our Scott Lewis decided to find out why, especially given the cost to keep the schools cool during the hottest time of the year.
A district official said it actually has to do with student performance. It turns out, they’ve seen an improvement in academic performance because classes start earlier in August.
Environment Report: Supes Want to Own Sewage Crisis
On Monday, County Supervisors Paloma Aguirre and Terra Lawson-Remer said it is time for the county to take over the Tijuana River pollution crisis.
This November, San Diego County voters will decide whether to pass a half-cent sales tax increase that could send millions toward a fix.
Since no one else can figure it out, the supervisors say it’s time for the county to own the problem. They want to capture and treat the entire river, writes our MacKenzie Elmer.
That’s not necessarily ever been done before. It’s one thing to divert water and treat it, as is common all over the country. It’s another thing to treat a whole river.
The river has a whole lot in it besides water. Think: chemical pollutants, sand, metal and parasitic worms. There’s also the question of where to put a treatment plant.
Read the full Environment Report newsletter here.
In Other News
- State lawmakers on Sunday approved a deal to fast track construction of Midway Rising, a massive plan to build a new 25-story arena, more than 4,000 housing units and 15 acres of public parks in the Midway District. If signed by Gov. Newsom, the bill would prevent people from suing the project on environmental grounds. (Calmatters)
- Though many transit officials agree that park-and-rides aren’t ideal, they have helped boost MTS ridership almost to pre-pandemic levels, especially because San Diego’s transit system is so incomplete. Now, instead of getting rid of them, transit officials want to build housing on them. (Union-Tribune)
- The San Diego City Council today will consider repealing an ordinance that was passed in 1988 to strictly regulate bathhouses at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. (KPBS)
The Morning Report was written by Tigist Layne, Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña and Will Huntsberry. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.