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Bridgeport Animal Shelter Closes Amid Parvovirus Outbreak

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Bridgeport Animal Control will be closed until the end of next week while authorities work to contain a small parvovirus outbreak, according to a spokesperson for the city.

Parvovirus has infected three of the shelter's 53 dogs, but in order to prevent it from spreading, all animals have been quarantined and will received extra veterinary care.

The shelter will remain closed until Aug. 20 and will undergo "an overabundance of cleaning," city public safety spokesperson Kevin Coughlin said in a news relase Friday.

"We are being overly cautious and overly thorough," Bridgeport Animal Control Officer Gina Gambino said in a statement Friday. "The entire shelter area is cleaned twice a day with full strength bleach and dogs are regularly being checked and rechecked for any signs of the illness. Animal Control is doing everything we can to keep our animals safe and healthy."

In the meantime, neighboring towns will help shelter dogs and cats picked up in Bridgeport.

All shelter dogs are vaccinated for parvovirus, but must wait until the city obtains ownership of the animals seven or eight days after they arrive, Coughlin said.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, canine parvovirus is highly contagious and affects dogs' digestive systems. Symptoms include lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Most dogs who die of parvovirus succumb to the disease within 48 to 72 hours of developing symptoms.



Photo Credit: necn

Hartford School to Remain Closed Over PCBs

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It could be longer than anticipated before a Hartford elementary and middle school is deemed safe to reopen after polychlorinated biphenyls were found in the air last winter.

The Clark School shut down and students were sent elsewhere in January after PCB chemicals were identified inside the school. This week, notices went out urging parents to make other plans for their children in place for the duration of the 2015-2016 academic year.

"We really miss them. We really do," neighbor Dollie Sutherland said of the children.

Sutherland, who has lived across the street from the school for 35 years, said it has never been as quiet as it has been since the school relocated all of its students at the beginning of 2015.

PCBs, or airborne industrial chemicals, were identified when the school began the process of installing a new sprinkler system.

"I’m hoping they hurry up and get this building fixed so the kids can be back here," said Sutherland.

It could take longer than anyone initially thought. Two of Melissa Howard's grandchildren should be attending Clark, their neighborhood school, but instead must attend classes further away at Milner Elementary School.

"If it could be a little bit easier and be right here, it would be wonderful but sacrifices have to be made and I have to transport them to Milner for the next year than that’s what I’ll have to do," said Howard.

Howard said she is relieved the air quality safety issues are being addressed but hoped it would be happening at a quicker pace.

"Everybody’s job is hard and it’s hectic and with funding cuts and those sorts of things, but at the same time, you have to realize you are working with people and I think that should be their first priority," Howard said.

The superintendent's office said it will continue providing the "best possible educational environment" during Clark's temporary relocation.

The School Building Committee, which is in charge of the Clark School project, said it is making progress but still has not solidified a date for reopening the school.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

State to Redesign Busy Interchange in Meriden

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State officials plan to redesign one of Connecticut's busiest and most dangerous intersections.

The area where Interstates 91 and 691 meet Route 15 in Meriden is one of the most congested, drawing 195,000 drivers through Meriden and Middletown daily.

Gov. Dannel Malloy is now formulating a plan to ease congestion and improve safety.

"This area has experienced 963 accidents in a three-year period of time," Malloy said Monday.

Although safety is the top concern, it isn't the only one. Officials estimate gridlock costs Connecticut $4.2 billion each year.

"We're central in the state. Having traffic flow improved is really important to us. It's important to our economy," said Meriden Economic Development Director Juliet Burdelski.

Officials hope to open up access to now-undeveloped property. The design phase announced Monday will take a couple years to complete.

"When you compare this to the mega projects like a Waterbury viaduct or Hartford viaduct, this is likely to be an achievable project," said state Transportation Commissioner Jim Redeker.

The plan does have it critics.

"I just think it's a bad time to spend more money. I think that we need more jobs, more things going on," said Meriden resident Lois Donnelly.

Even Malloy admits the state's transportation gridlock, which he says his administration inherited, will not be solved overnight.

"This is a 30-year build out. It's going to take 30-years to undo 40-years of under-investment," the governor said.

Woman Jumps to Death From I-91 Flyover in New Haven

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Authorities blocked off part of Route 1/Water Street in New Haven after a woman jumped to her death from the Interstate 91 flyover Monday afternoon, according to state police.

Police initially said someone had fallen from the flyover, but investigators later deemed the woman's death a suicide. Her identity has not been released.

Route 1 was closed for hours near the intersection of Chestnut Street while officers from New Haven and the state responded to the scene. The road reopened around 5:30 p.m.

No additional information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Ferguson: Protests, Arrests After State of Emergency Declared

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St. Louis County authorities declared a state of emergency Monday and more than 100 people were arrested on the second day of protests marking a year since a police officer killed Ferguson, Missouri, teen Michael Brown, NBC News reported.

The move was announced by County Executive Steve Stenger, who cited the violence that marred protests Sunday night in Ferguson: "The recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger."

Several people — no official count was released — were arrested Monday night after protesters blocked a traffic lane on West Florissant Avenue, The Associated Press reported, the third location where arrests were made Monday.

Officials announced criminal charges against Tyrone Harris, 18, who allegedly exchanged gunfire with police officers Sunday night and remained in critical condition Monday.



Photo Credit: AP

Little League Regional Tournament Kicks Off in Bristol

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The Little League regionals kicked off today in Bristol.

Teams from the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions are battling for titles at Breen Field and for trips to the Little League World Series.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the tournaments.

Among those who watched the games on Monday, Brendan Firetto of Cromwell who brought his 2-year-old son, Evan.

"I was a baseball player back in my day so I want to show him how we start off in Little League and all that stuff so this is where the Mecca is, the New England region and Mid-Atlantic region come here," said Firetto.

The tournaments wrap up with championships on Sunday.

Toddler, Mom Missing From Hartford Since Last Week

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Police have issued Silver Alerts for a 2-year-old boy and his 22-year-old mother, both of whom have been missing from Hartford since last week.

According to the Silver Alert, Jaciah Forde, 2, and his mother, Corinth Pickens, 22, were last seen Aug 4 when Pickens picked up Jaciah from the Locust Street Early Care Center at 261 Locust Street in Hartford.

Jaciah, who also goes by "Ci" and "Ciah," is an East Hartford resident, according to police.

He stands about 3 feet tall and weighs 35 pounds. Police said Jaciah has black hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, blue denim shorts and red-and-black Jordan sneakers.

Jaciah has a small scar on the bridge of his nose and a full set of unevenly spaced teeth, according to the Silver Alert.

Pickens is 5-foot-6, 190 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. Police said she has a tattoo of butterflies on her chest and left shoulder and lip rings on both sides of her lower lip.

Anyone with information on their whereabouts is urged to call Hartford police at 860-757-4000.



Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police

Man Wanted in South Windsor Caught in Massachusetts

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A former South Windsor man who had eluded police since late July has been taken into custody in Massachusetts.

Barry Simpson, 49, was wanted in South Windsor in connection with a domestic violence incident. Police said Simpson made suicidal and homicidal threats and may have been brandishing a hunting knife.

South Windsor police began searching for him July 24. Simpson, a former South Windsor resident, was wanted for criminal violation of a restraining order.

Police sent out an alert Monday evening but canceled it shortly thereafter, saying Simpson had been taken into custody in Chicopee, Massachusetts, where he currently lives.



Photo Credit: South Windsor Police Department

Mom Slept While Toddler Wandered Into Middle of Road: Cops

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A Wolcott mom was arrested Monday after her 3-year-old son rode his plastic car into the middle of the road while she slept on the couch, according to police.

Shelly Churchelow, 28, was charged with risk of injury to a minor.

Officers were called to Spindle Hill Road around 9:30 a.m. on Monday after two passersby noticed Churchelow's toddler riding a plastic car in the middle of the street, just around a sharp curve.

"I didn't even realize what I was seeing," said one of the women who pulled over, Alex Earnshaw of Wolcott. "I was like, 'What? Is there really a baby in the street? Is there a baby car? Because I didn't see the baby at first until I pulled up closer, and there was nobody outside from the yard."

Earnshaw and another woman helped the little boy to the side of the road and called 911.

"At any moment, if anybody even came around, they would have hit my car and the baby," Earnshaw said.

While they were waiting for police to arrive, the women noticed the door to the nearest home was wide open. The child seemed to be alone.

An arriving officer took the boy and called out through the open door at 475 Spindle Hill Drive, awaking Churchelow, who had been asleep on the couch, according to police.

Churchelow told the officer the front door to her home had a childproof knob. While that was true, it turned out the latch was broken, allowing the door to open easily when pulled, police said.

The officer walked through Churchelow's home "and found it to be a mess," according to police.

Police contacted the Department of Children and Families and placed the toddler in the care of his grandmother.

Authorities are grateful to Earnshaw and the other woman who stopped to help.

"Luckily the two woman (sic) who stopped, were able to remove the boy from the roadway preventing a tragedy from happening," Wolcott police wrote in a news release Monday.

Churchelow was released after posting $5,000 bond and is due in court Tuesday. No one answered the door at Churchelow's home Monday evening. It's not clear if she has an attorney.



Photo Credit: Wolcott Police Department

Youth Team Preps for Football Season Without Beloved Coach

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Kamron Redding-Hall, affectionately known as "Coach Kam," should have been at Keney Park instructing the junior Peewee team on Monday evening. Instead, the Hartford Hurricanes found themselves gearing up for the football season without him.

Redding-Hall, 26, died in a motorcycle crash exiting Interstate 84 in East Hartford on Friday night. He leaves behind two young sons.

"He was quiet, but he made a huge impact as you can see," said Ki Tripp, vice president of the Hartford Hurricanes, and the Redding-Hall's uncle.

Those who know Coach Kam describe the father of two as a family man who cared about his community and youth development and as someone became an important person to dozens of kids on and off the field.

"He had way more than two children," said Tripp.

This would have been Redding-Hall’s sixth season with the organization.

"I definitely looked up to him. I get emotional talking about it," said Mayze James, who was coached by Redding-Hall.

The news of Redding-Hall's death came as a blow, but instead of drowning in sorrow, the Hartford Hurricane community took action and launched a fundraiser both in person and online. The organization will also have remembrance patches made for the players.

"Send his family, show them the love because they've traveled with us throughout the region. They've supported us over the last five years, and I think we owe them the same respect, show them we're there for their time of need," said Hartford Hurricanes President Phil Bryant.

Redding-Hall's family said the response has been overwhelming and is humbled by the support that continues pouring in.

"He'll forever live as long as I'm still here," said Redding-Hall's brother, Keatric Redding, who also coaches the Hartford Hurricanes.

Thanks to his players, Coach Kam lives on.

"He's going to be missed. We all love him. Even though he's not here, he's always going to be part of the Hurricane family," said James.

A GoFundMe page is collecting donations for Redding-Hall, and a table will be set up during Hartford Hurricanes practice at Keney Park where residents can donate Thursday and Friday.

This Saturday's "Stop the Violence Jamboree" at Colt Park in Hartford will be renamed the Kamron Redding-Hall Bowl. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.



Photo Credit: GoFundMe

'Creepy' Statues Mysteriously Turn Up on Lawn

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When a Southern California homeowner first noticed small lawn statues being dropped off on her front yard, she brushed it off as a harmless prank.

But then more began cropping up over several weeks - dozens of them - and the statues had been placed facing her front door "as if they were plotting against us," Robyn Yearout said.

Since the end of July, ceramic gnomes, lions, bunnies and other decorative lawn statues have dotted the front yard of her Victorville home. Of the 54 statues – some of them broken and chipped –  Yearout says only two belong to her.

"We walked out in the morning and we had a group of them looking at us when we came out the door.

"I have three kids so I assumed that instead of being TP'd (toilet-papered) I got yard-creatured," she said with a laugh.

But her children had no idea who had left the statues there.

"Some of them are creepy though. Their faces are all broken, like, ugh," said Yearout's son, Nolan.

Things got even creepier when another batch of about 20 suddenly showed up a few days later.

"They were in the tree. They were everywhere," Yearout said.

On Monday morning, it happened a third time. Yearout figured the statues had probably been stolen from other yards.

"There's a good section of them that look like they came from the same home, because someone has taken the time to paint them all similar," she said.

Yearout contacted the sheriff's department and put pictures of the statues on Facebook, hoping to reunite them with their owners. She's also hoping whoever is stealing them and putting them in her yard will stop.

"I feel bad because I know these things aren't cheap," she said.



Photo Credit: Alex Vasquez/KNBC

Clinton on Trump: 'It's All Entertainment'

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Hillary Clinton on Monday condemned Donald Trump for his recent comments about Fox News host Megyn Kelly, adding that she thinks the real-estate mogul is "having the time of his life" leading the GOP presidential primary.

"Megyn Kelly is a strong woman and more than capable of defending herself against Donald Trump," Clinton told reporters while campaigning in New Hampshire, according to NBC News. "I'm worried about what Republican policies will do to the rest of America's women."

Trump criticized Kelly for her questions in last week's Republican debate, saying she had "blood coming out of her wherever."

"It's all entertainment. I think he's having the time of his life, being up on that stage, saying whatever he wants to say," the Democratic presidential frontrunner said.


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Hartford Man Charged With Murdering Father of 7

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Police have arrested the man accused of shooting and killing a 34-year-old father in Hartford last month.

Raphael Concepcion, 34, of Hartford, was arrested Monday and charged with murder, criminal attempt at murder and first-degree assault.

He's accused of shooting Jonathan Whaley, 34, and Bruce Banks, 22, at 13 Elliott Street in Hartford on July 18. Whaley, a father of seven, died of his injuries. Banks survived.

Police said they believe the shooting was drug related. It marked the city's 18th homicide of the year.

Members of the Hartford Police Shooting Task Force and U.S. Marshals Office Fugitive Task Force took Concepcion into custody Monday at 99 Bond Street in Hartford.

Concepcion is a convicted felon with more than a dozen prior arrests in Hartford, according to police.

He was held at the police department and is due in court Tuesday morning.

It's not clear if Concepcion has an attorney.

U.S. F-16 Jet Crashes in Germany, Pilot OK: Cops

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A U.S. Air Force F-16 jet crashed in southern Germany early Tuesday but the pilot was able to eject, police said.

"The pilot escaped using a parachute, he is OK," Bavarian police spokeswoman Stefanie Püttner told NBC News.

The pilot was taken to hospital with minor injuries, according to local television channel TVO, which said the aircraft was carrying ammunition. 

There were ongoing military exercises in the area close to training base at Grafenwoehr, according to Oberpfalz TV. 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Crashes on I-84 Slow Commute Between Danbury, Cheshire

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Several crashes are causing traffic problems on Interstate 84 this morning between Danbury and Cheshire.

The tractor-trailer jackknifed on I-84 West in Waterbury and Middlebury, between exits 17 and 16. One lane is closed and delays are building.

In Danbury, there is a crash on I-84 East by exit 7 and there are heavy delays there too.

In Greenwich, trees and wires are down on Lake Avenue and the road is closed at Round Hill Road.

Follow Heidi Voight on Twitter for traffic updates throughout the morning.



Photo Credit: @LisaMarasco

Wallenda's Tightrope Walk in Wis.

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Renowned daredevil Nik Wallenda is expected to take his tightrope-walking skills to new lengths Tuesday at the Wisconsin State Fair.

The 35-year-old acrobat will attempt his longest walk ever high above the Main Stage at the fair, walking for 1,560 feet on a wire no wider than a nickel, the fair announced

The walk, slated to begin at 7 p.m., will take him more than 10 stories above the Milwaukee Mile racetrack. During the walk, Wallenda plans to answer questions submitted by fans on Twitter last week.

The latest stunt follows heart stopping feats earlier this year in Connecticut and Orlando, which saw Wallenda tightrope walk 80 feet above the ground and around the Orlando Eye untethered.

His walk last November between Chicago’s Marina City Towers and the Leo Burnett Building broke two world records.

Last year, Wallenda said he wanted to recreate a 1,200-foot-long high-wire walk made famous by his great-grandfather, Karl Wallenda. The Wallenda family patriarch's stunt at Tallulah Falls Gorge in Georgia included two headstands on the high wire.

A year before Wallenda was born, his great-grandfather Karl Wallenda fell to his death during a tightrope stunt in Puerto Rico. He was 73.

"I've trained a bit to do a headstand on the wire, but I've never done it publicly because I've always said if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it on that walk with him," Wallenda said, explaining that he wants to use vintage film of Karl Wallenda's walk to create the illusion of the two of them sharing the high wire. "My dream is to actually walk the wire with my great-grandfather," he said. "I get goose bumps and chills thinking about it."
 

Man Accused of Violent Assault on Ex-Girlfriend in West Haven

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West Haven police have arrested a man accused of a violent attack on his ex-girlfriend early Tuesday morning.

Police responded to an apartment on Elm Street at 1:50 a.m. on Tuesday to investigate an assault and the victim said she came home to find her ex-boyfriend, 36-year-old Christopher Platt, of East Hartford, with a tire iron in her apartment.

It smelled like gasoline and all the burners on the kitchen stove were on, she told police.

Platt started choking the woman and hit her several times before she was able to get away and run from the apartment, police said.

Evidence at the scene corroborated the victim’s account of what happened and police alerted other departments to be on the lookout for Platt.

East Hartford police apprehended him and transported him to the West Haven Police Station, where he was charged with threatening, burglary, stalking, strangulation, reckless endangerment and violation of a protective order.

He was held on bond.
 



Photo Credit: West Haven Police

Man Attacked Girlfriend, Man With Machete, Box Cutter: Cops

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Ansonia police have arrested a man accused of attacking his girlfriend, then slashing the throat of the man who grabbed a machete away from him.

Police said another man intervened as Mario Forbes, 31, of Ansonia, went at his girlfriend with a machete and a box cutter, and grabbed the machete away from him.

Forbes then went at the other man and slashed the victim’s throat with a box cutter, police said.

When police responded to Clifton Avenue in Ansonia at 2:20 p.m. on Monday to investigate, they found the victim holding a blanket to his neck.

He told police he grabbed the machete away from Forbes, who then attacked him with the box cutter.

The victim sustained a severe cut to the throat and was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he was treated, then released.

Police took Forbes into custody at the scene and said they later learned that Forbes’ girlfriend sustained a head injury during the assault. She was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport, where she was treated for the head injury and later released.

Forbes was charged with assault in the first degree, assault in the third degree, strangulation in the third degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree and disorderly conduct.

He was held on $150,000 bond and will be arraigned at Derby Superior Court on Aug. 11.
 



Photo Credit: Ansonia Police

Indie Horror Film Triggers Backlash

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An online effort to prevent the release of indie horror movie "Del Playa" is picking up steam, with thousands signing a petition that claims the movie is inspired by the deadly Isla Vista rampage at University of California, Santa Barbara.

"Del Playa’s" trailer, posted on YouTube on Wednesday, sparked the creation of a change.org petition, which seeks to halt the release of the "insensitive and untimely" film instead of allowing it to monetize the "helplessness and horror felt by the Isla Vista community.” It had picked up 23,534 signatures as of Monday evening.

The movie, named after Del Playa Drive near the university's campus, depicts a college student who becomes a killer after he is rejected and bullied by other students. Its poster declares, "Monsters aren’t born. They are created."

Kelly Wang, the mother of one of Rodger’s victims, George Chen, told NBC Bay Area that it is "immoral" to base entertainment on and make profits from "real-life" brutality and murder.

"I'm very concerned that when the movie comes out, it will mislead some young people to ... make themselves famous by being more deadly, more brutal, more savage," said Wang, who believes that "Del Playa" sends the wrong message by glorifying a killer’s actions.

Petitioners believe the film’s premise hits too close to home for the beachside Santa Barbara County community of Isla Vista, where Rodger, who wrote a so-called manifesto filled with resentment at being unable to find a girlfriend, killed six people before shooting himself on May 23, 2014. Three of the victims were from the Bay Area.

The bloodshed began in an apartment, which the 22-year-old shared with two of his victims, whom he stabbed to death. He also killed his roommates’ friend and dumped his body in the bathroom.

Rodger’s rampage continued when he climbed into his BMW and sped through Isla Vista. He gunned down three people and injured 14 more – by shooting at them or striking them with his car – before taking his own life – all within 10 minutes.

Last week, the movie's director, Shaun Hart wrote on the trailer's YouTube page that the movie was not based on Rodger, but was meant to initiate a larger discussion about bullying.

But Kate Nollner, who spearheaded the petition, said: "It is clear that the creators of this film conceived their idea immediately after the Isla Vista shootings, seeking to profit off the horror felt by the students and community.”

Nollner's LinkedIn profile indicates that she studied at UC Santa Barbara.

Her petition blasts "Del Playa” for giving notoriety to the "actions of a disturbed individual who does not deserve to be memorialized in film" and "[making] light of the tragedy faced by the entire Isla Vista/UCSB community."

Hart apologized to people offended by the making of the film but did not comment on the petition or respond to requests to change "Del Playa’s" name or for its filmmakers to contribute to a memorial fund for Rodger’s victims.

"While I do admit there is the connection of Santa Barbara, this film is not about Elliot Rodger," he wrote. "The fictional character in the film is not meant to portray anyone in particular. It is meant to portray incidents that take place, not only in Santa Barbara, but across the country on a daily basis.

"Our intentions were not to make light of such a serious issue, but to engage our audience in an active discussion about bullying and violence," he continued.

Hart, a UC Santa Barbara alum who lived on Del Playa Drive, also said that Rodger’s actions felt like a "knife to [his] heart."

The creators of "Del Playa," Berger Bros Entertainment, have not said when the movie is expected to be released.

NBC Bay Area's Kim Yonenaka contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: File - Getty Images

Firefighters Battle 2 Fires in Bloomfield

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Firefighters are responding to two structure fires in Bloomfield.

One fire is on Brae Burnie Lane in Bloomfield and the other is on Banfield Lane.

Mutual aid has been requested because of the two fires.

No additional information was immediately available.

NBC Connecticut crews are heading to both scenes.

Check back for updates.

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