ABC 10News wants you to start your day on the right foot with our updated microclimate weather forecasts, the latest news from overnight and this morning, and more to help get you out the door informed and ready to go.
Here's what you need to know in the Wednesday, May 21, 2025, edition of the 10News Wake Up Call newsletter.
TOP STORY:
An unfounded report that there was an explosive device on a passenger jet about to depart San Diego International Airport Tuesday forced a nearly five-hour grounding of the flight and left the Navy man who allegedly made the false claim under arrest.
The security emergency began at about 8:30 a.m., when a passenger aboard Honolulu-bound Hawaiian Airlines Flight 15 allegedly told a flight attendant that the person next to him had a bomb, according to the Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department.
At the time, the airliner was in the process of "pushback from the (boarding) gate," said Marissa Villegas, a spokeswoman for the Honolulu-based airline.
"As a precaution, the captain immediately taxied the Airbus A330 to a safe location on the airfield, where it was met with local and federal law enforcement and guests were safely deplaned," she said.
A total of 293 people, including 10 crew members, were evacuated, according to the airline. The passengers were transported by bus off the airfield to await a rescheduled flight or make other arrangements.
Among agencies that responded along with a harbor police SWAT team were the FBI, Joint Terrorism Task Force and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, according to Brianne Mundy Page, a spokeswoman for the Port of San Diego.
The personnel found nothing suspicious on the aircraft, Mundy Page said.
John Stea, 35, was taken into custody on suspicion of making a false bomb threat and issuing a false report of a security threat. Details on his naval service, including where he is stationed, were not immediately available.
The incident caused no additional flight delays, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority spokeswoman Nicole Hall said.
Passengers eventually reboarded the plane and the flight left San Diego just after 2 p.m.
Story by City News Service
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
Inland
Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
President Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax cut and spending bill faced a critical stress test in a House committee.
The House Rules Committee began its meeting on the legislation Tuesday night, and members reconvened early Wednesday morning to continue discussions on the president’s sweeping policy bill.
The bill includes major changes to Medicaid and child tax credits, reductions to food benefits for low-income Americans, a no-tax policy on workers' tips, and billions of dollars towards the enforcement of illegal immigration.
Once passed by the committee, the bill would head to the Senate, where Republicans have signaled intent to make further changes to the bill.
Read the full story: https://www.10news.com/politics/congress/republicans-push-forward-with-contentious-spending-bill-in-pre-dawn-session
CONSUMER:
Consumer reporter Marie Coronel finds out if this year's Memorial Day sales will be enticing enough for shoppers.
Watch Marie's report:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
Expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant will finish sooner than anticipated, according to the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The project was initially expected to take two years to complete, but it is now on track to wrap up in less than 100 days -- thanks to what the agencies called “aggressive leadership of the Trump administration” to push the timeline forward.
"This expansion is a major milestone, and both agencies will continue working to achieve a 100% solution to the Mexican sewage issues that have plagued the San Diego area for decades,” the IBWC and EPA said in a joint statement.
The plant will go from treating 25 million gallons of water per day to 35 million gallons, officials said. The extra 10 million gallons per day will immediately help cut down on pollution in the Tijuana River and the stench that has plagued the South Bay for years.
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre said the ultimate fix requires expanding the plant to 75 million gallons per day, as well as diverting and treating the Tijuana River itself to fully protect the coast.
"This is welcome relief for South County. I'm grateful to the EPA and USIBWC for answering our community's call and fast-tracking these overdue sewage treatment upgrades. This is the most substantive promise for action we've seen to date from the federal government, but we've still got a long way to go. Still, today is a good day -- and proof that when South County speaks up and pushes hard, we get things done,” Aguirre said.
An EPA spokesperson said they are working on a 100% permanent solution to the problem, but they did not offer any specifics.
In recent years, the U.S.-Mexico border sewage pollution problem has closed beaches and caused serious health issues for some residents. Untreated wastewater from Mexico's Tijuana River crosses the border into the United States and washes out to sea just south of Imperial Beach.
The bacterial buildup from raw sewage in the wastewater has necessitated the closure of South Bay beaches almost without interruption for three years.
Watch Perla Shaheen's report on the accelerated timeline for the plant:
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