Here's what's happening in the Dec. 19 edition of your Streamline newsletter:
The holiday travel season is off to a busy start Friday morning, with a traffic backup on Interstate 5 in the North County. We have details on this morning’s big rig fire and what you can expect at the airport and roads as we head towards Christmas and the New Year.
Also, Ryan Hill follows through with a reunion 50 years in the making, as a man finally gets the chance to thank the first responder who saved his life in 1974.
In consumer news, we're looking at the rise in tech product prices and how AI could be to blame for the increases.
THE STREAMLINE:
ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Friday, Dec. 19 -- everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:
TOP STORY:
A semi-truck caught fire while traveling on Interstate 5 in the Encinitas area, prompting multiple lane closures early Friday morning.
According to the California Highway Patrol's incident log, the fire was reported at around 12:30 a.m. on southbound I-5 at the Birmingham Drive exit.
The CHP indicated the big rig pulled over after the trailer caught fire for unknown reasons.
The blaze and subsequent emergency response forced the closure of all southbound lanes in the immediate area.
As of 4:45 a.m., at least two lanes and the off-ramp to Birmingham Drive were shut down.
Check traffic around San Diego County at https://www.10news.com/traffic.
This morning’s incident and traffic backup on I-5 comes as the holiday travel season officially begins.
The holiday travel period lasts through Monday, Jan. 5; the busiest travel days are projected to be Dec. 23 and 28, and Jan. 4.
AAA said more than 122 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles away from home. That is a 2.2% increase from 2024, which also set a record.
At San Diego International Airport, officials expect nearly 1.5 million travelers to come through the airport during the holiday travel period -- an average of 75,000 per day.
For those heading to San Diego International to pick up or drop off, the busiest times curbside will be between 4 a.m. to 6:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 8 p.m. to midnight.
To help avoid holiday travel woes, the airport authority offered some tips:
- Arrive at least two hours early to avoid the busiest times
- Be aware of roadway changes: A new on-airport roadway now directs westbound drivers on North Harbor Drive to Terminals 1 and 2
- Make parking reservations at san.org/parking
- Use the SAN Pass Program to meet travelers at the gate, send off a traveler or explore the airport's restaurants, shops, and art without a boarding pass
- Take the free San Diego Flyer shuttle service between the Old Town Transit Station and SAN. The electric shuttle buses operate seven days a week, with an average arrival time of every 20 to 30 minutes. The first pick up is at 4:45 a.m. and the last pick up/drop off is at 12:20 a.m.
- Have family or friends drop you off or use ride-hailing services
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
Inland
Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
Authorities confirmed the man suspected in the deadly shooting at Brown University was found dead in a New Hampshire storage unit Thursday night.
The suspect in the Dec. 13 shooting was identified by authorities as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente. Two people were killed and eight others were wounded in the Rhode Island classroom shooting.
After identifying Neves-Valente as the suspect in the Brown shooting, as well as linking him to the shooting death of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro on Dec. 15, authorities tracked him to New Hampshire using surveillance video and a detailed tip from a witness.
Neves-Valente studied physics at Brown and graduated from the school in 2000.
According to the FBI, Neves-Valente and Loureiro had attended the same university in Portugal.
The motive in the Brown University attack remains unknown.
CONSUMER:
Holiday shopping can get expensive, and that is especially true for someone who has tech on their wishlist this year.
WATCH — Scripps News Group consumer reporter Jane Caffrey shows why AI may be the cause of skyrocketing prices on phones, laptops, and other popular tech products:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
A man went to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, but not because he was in any trouble — he went to meet the reserve deputy who saved his life during a trip to the mountains 50 years ago.
WATCH — Reporter Ryan Hill follows through with the reunion that was decades in the making:
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