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Man Robs Mom, Girl at Doughnut Shop

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Police are searching for an unknown man accused of targeting doughnut shops in Chula Vista, California, robbing clerks by pretending he’s armed with a weapon, including a mother and her 9-year-old daughter.

The Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) released surveillance video Tuesday of the robbery involving the young girl. In the footage – captured around 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 10 – the suspect enters an empty doughnut shop, walks up to the counter and begins talking with the girl.

About 30 seconds into their encounter, he raises his left hand and begins touching the cash register. At that point, the girl behind the counter is joined by her mother, who emerges from a back room to find the man touching the register. The mother opens the cash register and hands the suspect some money. As the man flees on foot, the mother and daughter retreat to the back area of the doughnut shop, out of view.

According to CVPD detectives, the suspect is responsible for at least five robberies at two different doughnut shops over the last month, one in the 600 block of Broadway and the other in the 1000 block of Third Avenue.

The most recent robberies were this past Saturday when he hit both shops within three hours, the one on Broadway around 7 p.m. followed by the shop on Third Avenue around 10 p.m.

Police said each robbery is similar: the man enters the business and confronts the clerk while simulating a weapon in his jacket pocket. Once the cash register is open, he grabs the money and flees.

Investigators describe the suspect as a white or Hispanic man between 22 and 28 years old. He’s approximately 5-foot-10 to 6-feet-tall and 225 to 275 pounds with a thin mustache. In the heist caught on camera, the suspect wore a maroon, sleeveless hooded sweatshirt with the Salisbury University (Maryland) logo on it, a black baseball cap, black shorts and red shoes. No getaway car was used in any of the robberies, as the suspect fled on foot, police said.

No victims were injured in the robbery series. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information on this man should contact the CVPD at (619) 691-5075 or (619) 691-5151.
 



Photo Credit: Chula Vista Police Department

U.S. Eyes Travel of 800 Potential 'Foreign Fighters'

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Intelligence officials say that U.S. terror databases contain more than 2,700 names with connections to France, and NBC News has learned that 801 of them are considered potential "foreign fighters" who might try to join ISIS in Syria. Authorities are paying particular attention to their attempts to travel.

Five of the individuals on the potential foreign fighter list have traveled or tried to travel to or from France in the past three months.

Two of the five travelers flew from Paris to the U.S. in August and October, and a dual U.S./Pakistani citizen traveled from New York to Paris and back in October.



Photo Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Man Jailed for Manufacturing, Distributing Date Rape Drug

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A Waterbury man has been sentenced to five years in prison for manufacturing and selling a date rape drug, according to the United States Attorney's Office for Connecticut.

Hatem Salem, 46, of Waterbury, ordered gallons of Gamma-Butyrolactone (GBL), Ketamine and controlled substances from locations including China and Pakisan, according to court documents and statements between March 2011 and October 2013. He used GBL to make Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), more commonly known as the "date rape drug" and sold it and controlled substances to body builders and nightclub/bar patrons in Connecticut and New Jersey, U.S. Attorney for District of Connecticut Deirdre M. Daly. 

He also sold "Molly," cocaine, Adderall and other controlled substances, Daly said.

Police arrested him Oct. 31, 2013 and he pleaded guilty on Aug. 24, 2015 to unlawful importation of GBL with the intent to produce a controlled substance, Daly said.

Salem has two previous federal convictions and another in the state. The FBI arrested him in New York on April 2, 1998 on charges of importing and distributing steroids and other controlled pharmaceutical drugs. He pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to five years of probation.

Then on May 13, 2003, the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Salem in New York on charges of distributing wholesale quanities of GHB in New York and Connecticut, including to an undercover agent, according to Daly. Salem pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 51 months in prison.

Ansonia police arrested Salem July 18, 2012 on charges of trying to fill a fraudulent perscription at a pharmacy for 180 30-mililgram oxycodone pills. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to one year of imprisonment, excecution suspended, and two years of probation.

In the most recent case, Homeland Security Investigations and the DEA's New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad oversaw the investigation, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale prosecuted.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Hartford Yard Goats Reveal New Uniforms

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The Hartford Yard Goats Baseball Club revealed the team's new uniforms Tuesday at Infinity Music Hall on Front Street in Hartford.

NBC Connecticut's own traffic reporter Heidi Voight, morning anchors Todd Piro and Tara Joyce, live desk reporter Kate Rayner and new meteorologist Kaitlyn McGrath helped model them at a private fashion show, alongside the Yard Goats newly-revealed mascots Chompers and Chew Chew and radio and television personalities from other news outlets.

The jerseys come in five variations -- white jerseys for home with Yard Goats in royal blue and the player number in Kelly green on the front and back, the goat logo on the sleeve and blue and green trim; an alternate jersey with Yard Goats in green and the number in blue; a similar design for when the team is on the road, except the jerseys say Hartford on the front in blue and the number on the front is in blue; a white Sunday uniform with blue on the sleeves and the button strip, the goat logo on the sleeve and the logo of the goat chomping a baseball bat on the front upper left and the number in green on the front upper right; and finally, a blue batting practice jersey that says Goats and the number on the front in white and has a blue, white, green and grey goat logo on the sleeve.

The lettering is in a curvy font and the Hartford "wordmark" on the away uniforms was "designed using historic New York/New Haven/Hartford Railroad company font," according to the Yard Goats.

The Saturday uniform features a "cream jersey," commonly called the "throwback" jersey in the earlier days of baseball. The Sunday uniform is made of a lighter fabric and is intended for play in warmer climates or during the day.

The batting practice jersey is made of a mesh fabric and is meant to be worn before games.

The blue and green motif in the uniforms may bring back memories to fans of the Hartford Whalers, who sported those signature colors.

The Hartford Yard Goats are the Double-A Eastern League Affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

NBC Connecticut is a media partner with the Hartford Yard Goats.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Vigil for Paris Attack Victim

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Mourners gathered on Tuesday night to remember a 23-year-old Southern California college student killed in the Paris terror attacks.

The candlelight vigil for Nohemi Gonzalez, a senior from El Monte majoring in industrial design at Cal State Long Beach, took place on the front lawn at Whittier High School, her former high school.

"Nohemi was special in so many ways and an example in so many ways for students today to be self-supporting, self-motivated, to think differently, to pursue her goals and her dreams is something that is relevant, important and can inspire other people," he said.

Gonzalez was one of 129 people killed in Friday's attacks. She was killed while having dinner with friends at a popular bistro, La Belle Equipe, in one of a series of bomb and gun attacks. She was one of 17 CSULB students attending a college of design in Paris as part of a semester abroad program.

Gonzalez graduated from the high school about 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles in 2010. Gonzalez was remembered by mourners at a vigil Sunday in the CSULB ballroom as a "little firecracker" whose creativity and spirit touched everyone she met.

"She was so excited to be in Paris," said Martin Herman, the chair of the university's design department. "May Nohemi’s voice, bright spirit, playfulness, ideals and hope continue to inspire and illuminate the department of design, her university family and all those she touched during her all too short time with us."

About 500 people gathered at the CSULB event, including University President Jane Close Conoley, who told mourners that her death was "an assault on our hearts."

"We miss her today and we'll miss her forever," Conoley said.

Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.

Off-Duty Cop Attacks Worker: Police

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A Philadelphia police officer was arrested after he allegedly attacked a worker and a woman outside a Dunkin' Donuts earlier this year.

Investigators say a male worker was applying salt with a shopping cart outside the Dunkin' Donuts on the 1600 block of East Wadsworth Avenue back on Feb. 14. The worker lost control of the cart and it struck the vehicle of Officer Joseph Marion, who was off-duty at the time, police said.

Marion, 39, allegedly got out of his vehicle and attacked the worker. A woman nearby tried to intervene and Marion attacked her as well, police said.

The Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau as well as the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office launched an investigation which led to Marion’s arrest. He is charged with simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

Marion is a 4-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department and assigned to the 25th District. He was suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.
 



Photo Credit: Philadelphia Police

East Main Street Closed in Meriden After Car Strikes Pedestrian


2 Paris-Bound Planes Diverted Due to Bomb Threats

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Two separate Air France flights were diverted after being the subjects of anonymous bomb threats Tuesday night. 

Air France said in a statement Tuesday that the airline received anonymous called-in threats and diverted the flights — one leaving Washington Dulles and one leaving LAX — for precautionary measures.

The FBI told NBC News there was no evidence to suggest that the threat was credible. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also said there was no evidence of an explosive device after searching the plane and luggage.

The flight traveling from Los Angeles at around 4:00 p.m. PT to Paris with 473 people aboard deplaned in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a "security issue," the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed with NBC Owned Television Stations.

Local authorities inspected the planes, passengers and luggage.

Keith Rosso, a passenger on the plane from Los Angeles, was traveling with his fiancé to Paris.

People on the plane were eating two hours into the flight when attendants moved “pretty quickly" to collect everyone's food trays, informing passengers to prepare for an emergency landing, Rosso told NBC Los Angeles.

“The situation was handled very well,” Rosso's fiance, Liz Papera told NBC Los Angeles. The crew made an announcement that we said they were highly trained in these kind of "emergencies," Papera said.

“We’re not going to let a few criminals stop us from traveling and seeing the world,” Rosso told NBC Los Angeles while he waited for police to question him and his fiance.

A second flight traveling from Washington Dulles to Paris had its 234 passengers exit the plane in Halifax, Canada.

Halifax International Airport wrote on its Facebook that the plane from D.C. to Paris landed safely in Nova Scotia.

The emergency landings come amid high security measures being taken by France and the United States after a terrorists swarmed Paris on Friday night left 129 dead and hundreds wounded.



Photo Credit: Instagram@ara.adjamian
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Avon Village Center Application Approved

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The Avon Planning and Zoning Commission approved a zone change modification for plans to build a new village center on Ensign Bickford land near town hall.

Six commissioners voted to approve the application from Carpionato Group, LLC and only one voted against it.

The commission reviewed the application in a special meeting Tuesday.

The village center is slated to go on land in the area of 16, 21, 65 and 70 Ensign Drive and 55 and 75 Bickford Drive and 65, 71 and 93 Simsbury Road, encompassing about 92.73 acres in total, according to the agenda.

The land is located in an Avon Village Center Zone on land owned by Ensign Bickford. The plan is for the new village center to be a walkable space consisting of residential units and retail stores.



Photo Credit: Brian Mirizzi

Winter Storm Socks Southwest, Takes Aim for Gulf Coast

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The first major winter storm of the season swept through the Southwest, as dangerous winds whipped across Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Kansas on Tuesday, NBC News reported.

Heavy blowing snow and ice Tuesday morning shut down miles of Interstate in Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico. Hundreds of flights were delayed and others canceled at Denver International Airport Tuesday, NBC News reported. 

While most of the worst snow had ended by Tuesday night, "we've still got plenty of cold air continuing to come in," said Danielle Banks, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel. Several locations in eastern Colorado and western Kansas remained under blizzard warnings.

Flash flood warnings were in effect Tuesday night for northeast Arkansas, while watches extended from southern Illinois all the way down through Louisiana and Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
 



Photo Credit: AP

Travelers Tower Lit With Colors of French Flag

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The tower at the Travelers building in Hartford lit up in blue, white and red on Tuesday night to symbolize the insurance company is standing in solidarity with people in France after terror attacks in Paris killed 129 people.

The flashing lights displaying the colors of the French flag will stay up until the end of the week.

Travelers is located at One Tower Square.



Photo Credit: Travelers

Obama Takes Shots at Anti-Refugee Politicians

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President Barack Obama took aim at American politicians who say they want to shut out refugees, NBC News reported.

A group of Republican governors are calling for their states to be shut to Syrian refugees.

Obama — speaking at the APEC summit in the Philippines — noted that refugees coming to the United States are screened for 18 to 24 months before being cleared to enter the country, with the intelligence agencies vetting applicants, according to NBC News.

"When candidates say we shouldn't admit 3-year old-orphans, that's political posturing," Obama said, making a veiled reference to GOP candidate and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. "When people say we should have a religious test, and only Christians, proven Christians, should be admitted, that's offensive, and contrary to American values."



Photo Credit: AP

More Apartments Coming To Hartford

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There’s some new housing coming to Hartford at 777 Main Street tower.

Now a banner that reads “Live Modern” hopes to turn this property into not only a place to live, but a place that would be energy efficient.

The building is about 70 percent occupied now since June.

“It was a building that was built to very high standards at the time and it was old and it was empty and it would have continued to be empty and even increasingly blighted,” said Governor Dannel Malloy.

The tower is 26 stories.

Inside, there will be a 400-kilowatt fuel cell to provide the tower with most of its own power. The fuel cell is similar to a battery.

The project’s developer says the $85 million conversion could earn the highest rating for energy efficiency and conversion.

Mayor Pedro Segarra said in his tenure as mayor, he knew it would be tough to fill up the tower.

“We knew that based on the economy at the time we would not be able to refill this office space with new corporations. Although with the help of the state, we have been able to attract corporate tenants,” Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra said.

App Helps Get More Money Back After Losing Items in Fire

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With winter fast approaching, home fires tend to spike around this time of year. Getting everything back that you lost in that fire through your insurance company can be a battle. However, an app is helping homeowners get thousands more back in claims, while making the process easier.

The unthinkable happens and a matter of minutes is all it takes for the flames to destroy everything you’ve ever owned.

“90 percent of people are very concerned about the loss of their belongings,” said Phil Newton, an Allstate Insurance Agent.

We wanted to know if they were concerned enough to create an inventory of their personal items.

“Unfortunately 90 percent of people don’t take the time to catalog their belongings or assess a value to it,” said Newton.

According to AllState insurance, the Northeast is the worst in the country when it comes to doing this, in fact, 51 percent of people have not cataloged their items.

It’s as simple as taking a picture or video of the items in your home. Allstate offers a smart phone app called Digital Locker to make this an easy process.

You can add any room you want like we did for one homeowner’s in-home bar. Once you’re in, start snapping away. It’s important to include unique items like taps and even those half used bottles of liquor. Do this for every room and closet. Otherwise, it would be pretty difficult to remember how many books, games and toys your kids had.

Don’t forget the linens and the pots and pans.

“It’s going to be the insurance company that’s going to be looking at the average, as far as what an average homeowner would own,” said Newton.

That means you’re getting a lot less back in value for your items. Creating this inventory and documenting how old your items are and how much you paid for it, could get you 25 percent more on your insurance claim. Thousands of dollars makes a few hours of in-home photography worth it.

The Digital Locker app is available to anyone with a smart phone. You don’t have to be an Allstate Insurance customer to use it. All the information will be stored to the app’s cloud, so you don’t have to worry about losing it if your phone perishes with everything else in the fire.
 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

42 Syrian Refugees Resettled in Connecticut Since Last Year

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According to the Refugee Processing Center, 42 total refugees from Syria now call Connecticut home.

The first group of 39 made their way to the Nutmeg state during the 205 Fiscal Year that started in October 2014. During that time, 19 migrants ended up in new Haven, 13 in Hartford, four in West Haven and three in Bristol.

In 2016, only three refugees have been cleared to live in the United States who now live in Connecticut and all three are in New Haven.

Gov. Dannel Malloy said Monday that Connecticut would continue to accept Syrian refugees, despite backlash from many GOP governors in the US. He reiterated his logic for his reasoning Tuesday.

He said, "Women were kidnapped, sold into slavery, and impregnated, or otherwise raped. We're going to deny those folks some protection?"

Gov. Malloy described the country's resettlement process as "exhaustive" that takes between 12 and 18 months. He also challenged critics of migrants and refugees to look at the facts of who carried out attacks and what the risk is to Americans.

"Eight suspects in France. Seven of them were citizens of Belgium and France. One of them was form perhaps another country. So should we bar Frenchmen? Should we bar people from Belgium?" he said.

A petition was started online urging Gov. Malloy not to allow Syrian refugees into Connecticut. As of about 6 p.m., nearly 18,000 signatures had been collected.

Gov. Malloy said resettlement is a federal issue and said he's not going to get caught up in the "hysteria" of a false narrative about the threats of refugees.

"I just think you have a governor who's not going to tell a lie about what the law is and what the international treaties require and won't stoop to that level," he said.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

HIV Expert Speaks Out After Charlie Sheen's Announcement

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Much progress in treating HIV has been made since when Dr. Zane Saul began treating patients in the late 1980s.

“When we diagnose somebody now with HIV,” Dr. Saul Said, “we tell them that they’re going to have a normal lifespan, that’s enormous.”

Dr. Saul, the chief of infectious diseases at Bridgeport Hospital, said he hopes actor Charlie Sheen’s revelation on the "Today" show will raise awareness for HIV/AIDS just like when NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson announced he was HIV-positive in 1991.

“The big push we would like to see from this is more people get tested,” Dr. Saul said.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS. One in seven is unaware of their infection and about 50,000 Americans become newly infected every year.

More than 13,000 people with AIDS die annually, according to the CDC. That number is much lower than in the early years of the epidemic thanks to improved antiviral medications introduced in the mid-1990s.

“When I started treating patients in 1988, 1990, they had to take 20 to 30 pills a day to be able to offset the resistance of the virus,” Dr. Saul said. “We now have patients that can take a single pill a day.”

Now, there’s even an FDA-approved drug called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, for partners of HIV-positive patients.

“They can actually take a medicine that’s almost 100 percent effective in preventing the partner from getting HIV,” Dr. Saul said.



Photo Credit: NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Man Arrested After Explosive Device Found in Cemetery

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Police arrested a Connecticut man after a town employee found what appeared to be a pipe bomb in East Cemetery.

On Nov. 9, Manchester police and a Hartford police bomb squad responded to the 240 East Center Street cemetery after a Manchester town employee found what looked like a pipe bomb, police said.

They determined the device found wasn't a threat, but brought it to the State Forensics Lab in Meriden to be forensically examined. DNA on the device matched Michael Guegel, 52, of Manchester, when they crosschecked it with the state and national offender databases, police said.

Manchester police and the Hartford Police Bomb Squad searched Guegel's home at 166 Pearl Street on a warrant and seized materials for making bombs, computers and other electronic device, police said.

Police obtained an arrest warrant tying Guegel to the explosive device found in East Cemetery, charging him with manufacture of bombs, first-degree breach of peace and second-degree reckless endangerment, police said. Police haven't filed charges against him yet in connection to the items seized from his home because that component of the investigation is ongoing.

Police are holding Guegel in custody on a $125,000 bond.

It wasn't immediately clear who Guegel's attorney was. 



Photo Credit: Manchester Police Department

2 Reported Incidents of Man Groping Young Female Joggers

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Milford police are investigating to incidents of suspicious encounters involving a man groping juvenile female joggers. 

A man inappropriately touched a female jogger under 18 near Beach Avenue and Chapel Street in Milford on Nov. 15 at about 6 p.m., police said. The man was described as in his 20s, had a thin build and was wearing a leather jacket, police said.

The next day at 4 p.m., a man ran up behind another female juvenile jogging and inappropriately touched her in the area of Grant Street in Milford, police said. The man was in his 20s, about 5-foot-10 and had brown hair and sunglasses, police said. The victim saw the man in an older four-door black vehicle just before the incident, according to police.

It's unclear if it was the same man in both incidents.

Police are reminding parents to talk to their children about reporting suspicious or uncomfortable incidents to police.

Milford police ask anyone with information to contact them at 203-878-6551 or Det. Haas at 203 783-4771. Mention Case 6867-15.

Suspect Charged With Murdering Andover Man

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Police have charged a man with murder who is suspected of shooting another man dead after an altercation near a lake in Andover the evening of July 3.

Michael R. Fortin is accused of killing Jason L. Marchand, 38, of Lakeside Drive in Andover.

State police responded to Lakeside Drive in Andover at 10:10 p.m. on July 3 to investigate a report of a person shot. Upon arrival, they Marchand with multiple gunshot wounds.

An ambulance transported Marchand  to Windham Hospital, where he later died of his injuries.The case was ruled a homicide.

Marchand got into an argument with another man at about 9:15 p.m. on a lake association property at Andover Lake at Lakeside Drive, state police said.

Witnesses told police that the other man came back on his motorcycle later and shot the victim several times in the street when he confronted him. The shooter took off on the motorcycle, state police said.

Eastern District Major Crime detectives responded and oversaw the investigation.

Officials from the office of the chief medical examiner responded and examined the body.

Police identified Fortin as a suspect and arrested him on Tuesday night in the parking lot of his apartment on charges of murder, two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, risk of injury to a minor, carrying a handgun without a permit and carrying a dangerous weapon.

Fortin is scheduled to appear in Rockville Superior Court on Wednesday at 10 a.m.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com
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