Police discovered two dead children in a northern California storage unit, NBC News reported.

Officers were investigating the alleged torture of a child when they found the bodies of two other children on Monday.

The bodies were discovered in Redding after Plumas County sheriff's deputies arrested two people Friday on charges of felony child abuse, torture and mayhem in connection with the injured child, Redding police said Monday night.

The identities of the children haven't been revealed nor any details on what happened to the children. 

Thirteen years after a life-changing operation that separated once-conjoined twins, they were reunited Monday with the doctors and staff who cared for them after they were separated.

Josie and Teresita Alvarez face many health challenges like having to use wheelchairs, suffering from seizures, and having to take medication.

But if they had remained conjoined at the head as children, things could have been much, much worse.

"Oh, my god! They're teenagers already!" Dr. Henry Yamamoto, a plastic surgeon who worked with the twins, exclaimed as he saw them again so many years after their surgery.

Dr. Yamamoto at Mattel Children's Hospital changed the lives of the twins from Guatemala forever.

They were separated in a marathon 23-hour surgery, making international headlines.

"I love being back," Josie said of her trip back to LA to reunite with the doctors.

The twins didn't just meet with doctors. They wanted to spread holiday cheer for younger patients at UCLA Medical.

"It turned out great," Jenny Hull, Josie's adoptive mother, said.

The twins know first-hand that selflessness is what the holidays are all about.

"It helps them cheer up. And that's how they get well!" Josie said.

Family, friends and co-workers attended a funeral service Monday in memory of San Bernardino shooting victim Bennetta Bet-Badal.

Bet-Badal, a 46-year-old mother of three, was one of 14 people shot and killed Dec. 2 when two attackers, a coworker and his wife, opened fire on San Bernardino County employees celebrating a holiday party at a state-run health center. She was scheduled to deliver a presentation to supervisors and planned to bring presents to co-workers that morning.

Her funeral service, much of it in the Assyrian language, was Monday at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Rancho Cucamonga.

Bet-Badal, born in 1969 in Iran, fled to New York at age 18 to escape Islamic extremism that followed the Iranian Revolution, her family said in a statement. She eventually moved to Rialto and married her husband, a police officer at Riverside Community College.

They had three children, ages 10, 12 and 15. Her oldest child sang the Christmas carol "Silver Bells" at Monday's service.

Bet-Badal graduated from Cal Poly-Pomona with a chemistry degree and worked as an inspector with the San Bernardino County Health Department.

The FBI is investigating the massacre as an act of terror. Shooters Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik were radicalized well before Malik came to the U.S. on a fiancee visa and had discussed jihad and martyrdom as early as 2013, according to the agency.

For 22 African orphans who received the chance to climb Mount Kilimanjaro the old adage ‘aim high’ is more than just a saying.

A few years back Shankles, who works out of his Oceanside garage, formed the nonprofit Aiding Children's Villages with one simple goal: help orphans in Africa.

Back then he didn't have many contacts or sponsors or much climbing experience himself - which is why he trained on Southern California's highest peak - San Gorgonio.

On his first training hike he and two others took a wrong turn and got lost.

Search and rescue crews canvassed the mountain and the story made national news - eventually the climbers were reunited with anxious family and friends.

He ended up writing a book about his experiences climbing and how it’s affected his Christian faith and life.

Now he partners with groups in Tanzania to bring dozens of kids to the top of Kilimanjaro twice a year.

"They see [Kilimanjaro] every day and most of them, as poor as they are in poverty, they'd never get the chance to do it," he said of the program.

Shankles said he likes to ask kids what they want to be when they grow up before and after the trek and the response after the climb is almost always more confident.

He told NBC7 he hopes to expand the program to less fortunate kids here in San Diego.

Through it all Shankles' message is clear – don’t let your start determine your finish.
 

Guilford police are looking for two suspicious men after a report that they followed a 12-year-old girl and invited her inside, police said.

A 12-year-old girl was walking in the area of Union Street when a younger and older man in a white sedan drove up to her and the older man asked if she wanted a ride, the girl told police. She declined the offer, but the vehicle kept following her and the older man asked her several more times if she needed a ride, police said. So the young girl changed her route and the car stopped following her. When she got to the place she was headed, she immediately contacted police.

Another 12-year-old girl reported to police that she saw a similar vehicle and occupants on State Street, which is near Union Street, where the other incident occurred. However, she didn't have a conversation with the people in the car, police said.

Guilford police notified school district officials and the central office has briefed all principals on the matter, according to Guilford Superintendent Paul Freeman.

He said that a district-wide email will be send to parents stating, “Citizens are reminded and encouraged to report any suspicious activity of any vehicle or person to their local police department. In addition parents/guardians should remind their children to report incidents of this nature to them as well as the police.”

Police described the driver as being older, unshaven and having a nasally voice. The younger man was described as being 18 to 20 years old, unshaven and wearing a white T-shirt and wide-brimmed baseball hat.

The vehicle the men were in was square in shape, scratched up and had dirt and rust near the wheel wells, police said.

Guilford police have alerted other police departments about the case and no other incidents of this nature have been reported by police in other towns, Guilford police said.

Police remind residents to report suspicious activity of any vehicle or person to the closest police department and ask parents to remind their children to report any incidents like this to them and police.

Hard Rock Hotel Hartford will be the next big attraction as part of Downtown North development in the capital city, right next to Dunkin Donuts Park, becoming the entertainment giant's first hotel in New England.

Hard Rock International and developer Centerplan Companies announced Monday that a Hard Rock 170-room hotel and cafe will be built in Downtown Hartford that's slated to open in fall of 2018. It's meant to serve as a sort of anchor attraction alongside the new baseball park that will become the home of the newly branded Hartford Yard Goats Double AA minor league baseball team. The new hotel will go in at the intersection of Main and Trumbull streets.

The hotel is expected to be a major regional attraction as the hotel will be the first location in New England. Hard Rock's brand produces over 28,000 live music events every year and Hard Rock Hotel Hartford will carry on that legacy with live performances year-round.

A Hard Rock Cafe is part of the plans as one of the first restaurants in the brand to open in this part of New England.

“We’re excited to bring the Hard Rock brand to New England in a city as welcoming as Hartford,” Marco Roca, executive vice president of global hotel development at Hard Rock International, said in a statement. “We look forward to being a part of Hartford’s Downtown North evolution as one of the most exciting new neighborhoods in the region.”

The hotel will include amenities like a rooftop pool and lounge with views of Downtown North and Hartford skylines and the State Capitol dome, according to a news release about the project.The hotel will also include a Hard Rock Cafe, Body Rock gym, Rock Spa and Rock Shop.

"We’re very excited about this opportunity as it brings so much to an already great city,” Jason Rudnick, president of Centerplan Companies, said in a statement. “The glowing iconic guitar of the Hard Rock brand lighting up downtown Hartford will be a symbol to all residents and visitors that Connecticut’s Capital City is a primary destination.”

Project officials say that "in true Hard Rock style" hotel guests will also be able to enjoy "amenities steeped in music," including The Sound of Your Stay music program giving guests the opportunity to use a Fender guitar for "impromptu in-room jam sessions."

There was previously a lot of talk about a hotel being part of the downtown project. The Hard Rock hotel is intended to help spur growth in the capital city.

“The collaboration with Hard Rock International is a transformative moment for the redevelopment of Downtown North and speaks to the strength and viability of the Hartford market,” stated Robert Landino, CEO of Centerplan Companies – developers of the Downtown North project. “The involvement of a world-class company like Hard Rock International is resounding evidence of the ability of Downtown North’s redevelopment to attract and sustain long-term growth.”

It's unknown at this time how many jobs Hard Rock Hartford will bring to the capital city and when it will open.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

Canterbury Elementary School is dismissing early due to a minor electrical problem.

Students will be dismissed at 11:15 a.m.

The elementary school is the only one in the district affected.

No further information was immediately available.

Check back for updates.

Community members in Simsbury are pushing for extra security a year after the stabbing death of Simsbury mother Melissa Millan.

Millan was stabbed and left for dead along Iron Horse Boulevard on Nov. 20, 2014.

Don Massey is spearheading the effort on behalf of Iron Horse Security Project Inc., a non-profit group just created. He wants to see cameras on light poles along Iron Horse Blvd.

"As a community we were deeply offended by the tragic loss of Melissa Millan last year and we never want to see that happen again," said Massey. "People are here running, walking, there should always be a sense of security and safety, especially for women."

Massey’s idea is to have about 90 cameras along Iron Horse Boulevard that would monitor activity 24/7. They would cost about $50,000-$65,000 to purchase and install and all of that money needs to be fundraised.

Massey pitched the preliminary plan to the Simsbury selectman on Monday night and received preliminary support.

While he says there is a lot of support in the community, others do not feel it is necessary.
Chris Feinsinger walks the path twice a day and was even there the night of Millan's death. He says he feels it was an isolated incident.

"I don't think it will add much value candidly. So there's a camera, it's not going to stop anything, it may show something. But this is a safe stretch, it's a safe town," Chris Feinsinger, of Simsbury, said.

The FBI returned to search for clues last month, but as of now Millan's murder remains a mystery.

"Law enforcement needs support. Had that support been in place tragically when Melissa was murdered, that crime might be solved today," said Massey.

NBC Connecticut reached out to the Simsbury board of selectmen and are still waiting to hear back. Massey tells us the board would still need to give final approval.

Jurors have returned for their second day of deliberations in the case of the first officer to be tried in the police-custody death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore last April.

The panel spent three hours deliberating Monday in the trial of Officer William Porter, who is charged with manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct.

Prosecutors have said he should have buckled Gray in and called a medic after the 25-year-old man said he needed help. Porter's lawyers said he's not to blame for Gray's death.

The jury sent a note to Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams on Tuesday morning asking for three items: water, Post-It notes, and the clerk's list of exhibits.

At the same time, Porter's attorney made motions for a mistrial and change of venue.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams said the renewed motions were not appropriate at this stage of Porter's trial and denied both.

The judge also denied a defense request to ask jurors whether they have seen a letter that the city schools chief sent home with children, warning of consequences for violent responses to the eventual verdict.

Gray died April 19, a week after his neck was broken in the back of a police van while his wrists and ankles were shackled. The autopsy concluded that Gray was most likely injured as he was slammed against a wall during braking or when the van turned a corner.

Porter is the first of six officers to go on trial in connection with Gray's death.

Residents of a Northern California town are outraged over a response to a recent police-involved shooting of an unarmed DUI suspect, which was caught on a dashcam. 

Butte County prosecutors announced last week that they will not charge Paradise Police Officer Patrick Feaster, who fired on a driver as he was attempting to leave his car following a rollover crash on Nov. 26. Prosecutors said their findings confirmed Feaster's claims that the gun discharged accidentally.

The decision prompted protests over the weekend and a petition shared on “Justice for Andrew Thomas” Facebook page called for Feaster's firing.

“We’re just out here to address the issue that we want officer Feaster fired,” Joshua Turner, Thomas' friend who launched the Facebook page, told NBC affiliate KNVN.  “We don’t feel safe with him back on the street.”

Feaster followed the driver after noticing him speed out of a parking lot of the Canteena Bar in Paradise with his headlights off, according to police. 

The dramatic dashcam footage shows the driver, 26-year-old Andrew Thomas, crashing his SUV after hitting the median. His wife, 23-year-old Darien Ehorn, was ejected from the car and died at the scene. The video appears to show Feaster calmly walk toward the car and fire at Thomas as he tries to get out through the window.

Thomas falls back inside the car and the officer is seen approaching the car and peering inside.

"I've got an unresponsive female, I've got a male in the car refusing to get out," Feaster, a five-year veteran of the department, is later heard saying in the dash-cam video.

District Attorney Mike Ramsey said when Thomas, who had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit, “popped” out of the SUV, Feaster drew his gun and “accidentally” fired, striking Thomas in the neck, KNVN reported. Ramsey said the officer drew the firearm thinking Thomas would flee.

When first responders arrived on the scene, Feaster did not mention that he fired his gun and, according to Ramsey, notified his commanding officer about the discharge after Thomas’ gunshot wound was found, KNVN reported.

Feaster said he may have shot Thomas after the commanding officer suggested an investigator return to the bar to try to find out if Thomas had been shot there. Ramsey said nearly 11 minutes passed before responders learned Thomas had been shot. 

Ramsey said in a media release Thursday that several factors led investigators to conclude the shooting was accidental: “The dash cam video shows Officer Feaster was not prepared for and was surprised by the gun's firing. The pistol discharges in mid-stride and the officer both flinches his head to the right and does a stutter step indicative of an officer not prepared for nor intentionally firing his pistol. Additionally, officers normally train to fire a minimum of two shots. There was no second shot and the officer immediately holstered his weapon after the discharge.”

An internal investigation into the shooting is underway, according to Paradise Chief of Police Gabriela Tazzari-Dineen. 

Meanwhile, Thomas is facing vehicular manslaughter charges in his wife's death and may be paralyzed from the waist down.

“This is a horrible thing and we will get justice for what happened,” Thomas' family told KNVN in a written statement. 

Turner told NBC Owned Stations Tuesday that the dashcam video makes it "obvious" that "the shot was not accidental. And if it was, it was extremely negligent for officer Feaster not to call it in right away."

He said over 150 people protested the shooting on Saturday and he expects more people to come out over the weekend. He said he also started a petition to get California Attorney General Kamala Harris "involved in overriding Ramsey's decision not to press criminal charges."

"Police aren't being held accountable for these shootings all over the country, and when it happened to someone I knew, I couldn't sit at home and be silent," Turner said. "A lot of people feel that way in Paradise as well."

Turner added that Thomas is aware that his wife died in the crash and that he "he's ready to face the consequences. We just want Feaster held accountable and to face his."

The murder suspect in a fatal shooting in Hartford from August 2013 is scheduled to be arraigned in court Tuesday after Miami, Florida police located and arrested him on a fugitive from justice charge and he was brought back to Hartford on a warrant for charges in the shooting death including murder.

Demetry Mclean, 23, waived extradition Dec. 10 after Miami police located him Dec. 4 and took him into custody due to an outstanding Hartford warrant. Police transported him from Florida to Connecticut Monday so that Hartford police could book him on charges of murder, criminal attempt of murder, first-degree assault and carrying a pistol without a permit in the Aug. 14, 2013 murder of Jerome Copeland, then 22.

Hartford police are holding him in custody on a $3 million cash or surety bond and he's scheduled to be arraigned on

Officers responded to 48 Evergreen Avenue in Hartford Aug. 14, 2013 after receiving multiple reports of shots fired and people shot. Police found two gunshot victims and called for EMS personnel.

Copeland, who was shot to death in the chest near the corner of Farmington and Evergreen avenues in the city’s West End, was one of three people fatally shot in a span of two days.

Rasheed Sterling, then 23, was also shot during the incident on Evergreen Avenue and survived his injuries, police said.

Both were taken to St. Francis Hospital.

Police identified Mclean as the shooting suspect and obtained an arrest warrant in 2014.

Police have three additional warrants for McLean's arrest for failure to appear in court.

Wednesday is the pick of the work week. Abundant sunshine will pair with temperatures near 50 degrees to make for a great day. Hill towns will be in the middle 40s.

Another cold front moves through Thursday and serves as the leading edge of the coldest air mass so far this season.

But that's not saying much.

Morning drizzle will give way to p.m. rain on Thursday.

More clouds then sunshine are in the forecast for Friday as the cold front gets hung up offshore. Some indications have a wave of low pressure forming along the front, but the most likely outcome would be a dry day.

Even though this weekend will feel chilly, with high temperatures in the lower 40s, it will still be above average.

The first prolific lake effect snow event of the season could happen this weekend to our west, which would yield a good mix of sun and clouds in Connecticut on Saturday.

Sunday should be brighter with less wind. High temperatures will still be in the lower 40s.

Low temperatures this weekend will near freezing inland and in the upper 20s in the hill towns. So, some snowmaking is possible but it certainly

The start to the next work week also looks dry with lots of sunshine. Temperatures will be on the upswing, heading back towards the 50s.

Route 4 (Farmington Avenue) was closed in Farmington after a crash that knocked down a utility pole on Tuesday afternoon.

The road was closed from Old Mountain Road. to the West Hartford line.

A ramp to Interstate 84 eastbound in Newtown may be closed for awhile after a rollover crash with injuries Tuesday afternoon.

State police are investigating the accident, which happened on the exit 11 ramp.

EMS and Newtown firefighters responded.

The ramp may be closed for "an extended period of time," state police posted on Facebook after 12:30 p.m.

Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson called Tuesday for the State Department to "fully investigate" the Council of America-Islamic Relations (CAIR) "as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and a supporter of terrorism," NBC News reported.

Carson included the investigation in his "Seven Steps for a Safer America." Carson also called for Congress to formally declare war on ISIS, the United States to lead a regional coalition against the group, and for moderate Arab nations to establish a "refugee Safe zone" in Syria.

Asked to explain the new position against a group the campaign says it has reached out to in the past, Communications Director Doug Watts said CAIR supports Hamas in public comments, refused to condemn Osama Bin Laden immediately after the 9/11 attacks, and has made "proclamations of desire to turn the US into a country that is governed by Sharia law."

A spokesperson from CAIR, a national organization that advocates for Muslim civil liberties, dismissed Carson's call, saying he is "a failing candidate grasping at straws and seeking payback for CAIR's previous criticism of his anti-Muslim bigotry."

Connecticut flags have been lowered to half-staff Tuesday in honor of State Rep. Terry Backer (D-Stratford), fondly known as the "Soundkeeper," who passed away at 61 on Monday night.

A state representative since 1993, the Democrat had cancer for several years. Earlier in his career on the water he had become the Soundkeeper, raising awareness and raising money to take on polluters.

"He stood for what he did, cleaning up the water, helping out the community, " said Diane Connolly of Lordship, "and he was fantastic. It's a tremendous loss."

The governor ordered flags at the Capitol to half staff in Backer's memory. The flag at the Lordship firehouse was one of the first in the state to be lowered.

“Terry Backer will always be remembered at the State Capitol as a larger than life crusader who was passionate about Stratford, unwavering in his love of Long Island Sound, and deeply dedicated to his lifelong mission to preserve the waterways for future generations," Malloy said in a statement. "The State of Connecticut will forever remember him as the Keeper of the Sound.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) remembered Backer as "one of a kind" and "a fearless fighter for Long Island Sound, an effervescent raconteur and a warm and deeply generous friend."

"Terry had a big heart – a relentless love for everything that exists and lives on the planet and a tireless devotion to public service and the people of Stratford and Connecticut. I will remember him and his legacy in the beauty of the Sound," Blumenthal said in a written statement.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) said Backer made a difference and credited him for getting "a generation of public servants and advocates and citizens" to "care more about protecting the quality of Connecticut's air and water," especially Long Island Sound.

“I count myself among those who fight a little harder for the health of Connecticut’s waterways because I knew Terry Backer, Connecticut’s one and only Soundkeeper, and didn’t want to disappoint him. His passion for the water, honed by the side of his father as they harvested shellfish for a living for decades, matured as he took on the official role as the state’s chief spokesman for Long Island Sound," Murphy said.

He admitted that in his early years as a state legislator, he steered clear of Backer because "to new, young entrants to the General Assembly, he could come across as a bit intimidating – that fisherman’s beard and the gruff, coarse voice."

"And that reputation served him well, because people in Hartford had little interest in crossing Terry when it came to issues relating to the environment and energy policy – his pet passions. But now, having gotten the chance to get close to him, I feel foolish thinking that he was anything other than a big teddy bear, with an occasionally rough exterior," Murphy said.

Murphy described how "Terry was heartbroken" to "watch the shellfish industry virtually disappear from the Sound in his later years."

"And he knew that it was greater forces, outside the control of the Connecticut state legislature, that were causing the lobsters to head north to colder waters," Murphy said. "He pushed me, and other federal officials, hard to reform our nation’s energy policies to combat climate change, knowing that rising sea temperatures threatened entire species and industries."

A few weeks ago, Murphy saw Backer at a press conference announcing his misson to "eliminate tiny plastic microbeads from personal care products."

 And though I’m so sad he’s gone, I’m glad that’s the last time I saw him – standing on the shores of Long Island Sound, urging us all on to preserve his legacy. To his very last breath, the Soundkeeper.”

Police are looking for a man who tried to rob Xtramart in Guilford at gunpoint early Tuesday morning.

Officers responded to the store at 1675 Boston Post Road at 1:25 a.m. to investigate a report of an attempted armed robbery. A caller told police that a man wielding a firearm came in to rob the store and then fled in a motor vehicle.

The clerk was unharmed when police arrived and officers learned that a man came into the store and displayed a black semi-automatic handgun before demanding that the clerk open a safe for him, police said. When the clerk wouldn't listen to him, he fled in the westbound direction on Boston Post Road, according to police.

The man is described as in his late 20s, about 5-foot-9 and 150 to 170 pounds, police said. He was wearing a dark hooded jacket, ski mask and a large gold ring on his left ring finger, according to police.

The car the man got away in was a gray or green Nissan Altima.

The attempted armed robbery remains under investigation. Police ask anyone with information to contact Guilford police at 203-453-8061.

Police have identified a person of interest in a hit-and-run crash that that put a pedestrian in a coma after a car slammed into him while he was crossing a street in Hartford in November.

Hartford police identified Ralph McGriff, 52, of Hartford, as a person of interest wanted for questioning in the accident that involved a driver who fled, police said. He frequents the area of 560 Park Street and has an "extensive criminal history," according to police.

Officers responded to the area of 333 Homestead Ave, at 4:41 p.m. on Nov. 23 after receiving a report that a pedestrian was struck and found a man lying in the road.

His legs were broken and he sustained head and arm injuries, according to police, and he was transported to Saint Francis Hospital, where he was placed in a medically induced coma.

Police said they do not believe the man’s injuries are life-threatening.

Police released graphic video taken from the surveillance camera on the Salvation Army building at 333 Homestead Ave.

It shows the man in the crosswalk as a vehicle hits him, throws him into the air and leaves the scene.

A witness police spoke with said the victim was trying to cross the street and landed around 150 feet from where he was hit, police said.

As the driver left, heading east on Homestead Avenue, the witness was able to capture a picture of the back of the car -- a tan Chrysler Town and Country van with Connecticut license plate 395-YMM.

While police have the license plate number, it has not led them to a suspect because the plate was misused.

The video surveillance also showed the fleeing vehicle pull into a parking lot near the crash scene, then continue east on Homestead Avenue and out of camera range, police said.

Police are asking anyone with information about what happened to call police or provide a tip on the anonymous tip online. http://www.hartford.gov/Police.

The driver of a runaway MBTA train has been placed on a 30-day unpaid suspension, pending discharge.

The president of The Boston Carmen's Union says there was an interview and disciplinary hearing held Tuesday morning.

The general manager of the MBTA is the only one who can rule on the termination, which could happen at any time within the 30-day suspension.

Under the collective bargaining agreement, David Vasquez is entitled to certain protections from the union.

Vasquez is accused of failing to secure a brake on his Red Line train last week. The train took off with dozens of passengers on board.

No one was injured.

Officials are still trying to figure out whether or not the train operator used a cord to tie the so-called "dead man's switch," which is a fail safe that typically brings the train to a stop.

Tying it down is a safety violation.

State officials are looking at whether it's a systemic issue within the MBTA.

Alfred E. Burr Elementary School in Hartford was placed on a precautionary lockdown Tuesday as police investigated reported shots fired on Bond Street.

The school was locked down as a precaution as police chased down possible people involved, but no students were in danger at any point, police said. Students were in the school at the time of the lockdown, which has since been lifted.

“The school was locked due to outside police matters," Hartford public school leaders said.

A K9 unit is searching for the people involved. It's unclear at this time how many people police are looking for in connection to the incident.

It's unknown whether anyone was injured.

Hartford police say that the public never was and isn't in danger.

Police are still in the area investigating and it's unclear whether there is still an impact to the school.