The Secretary of the State’s office and the Department of Motor Vehicles are working together to register eligible Connecticut residents to vote when they go to the DMV for a license or state identification card.

Secretary of State Denise Merrill and the Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Michael Bzdyra issued a statement on Tuesday about the plan to streamline the system and said the two agencies also plan several other activities in DMV offices to improve the voter-registration process.

According to the statement, Connecticut will be the first state in the nation to introduce automatic voter registration through this type of agreement.

“This is a monumental event enhancing voting rights and opportunity in Connecticut, and a continuation of our rigorous efforts to bring new voters onto the rolls,” Merrill said. “This agreement also puts Connecticut alongside a vanguard of states that are leading the nation in the movement to register every eligible citizen. This is a proud day for our state, and I wish to thank Commissioner Bzdyra and his staff for their commitment.”

“We are very pleased with this agreement knowing that it will help bring more voters on the rolls in Connecticut. We are eager to work with Secretary of the State Merrill and her team on making us a state at the forefront helping every eligible citizen register to vote,” Bzdyra said in a statement.

Officials said it will take two years to develop the system, which is meant to make voter registration more convenient, efficient and cost-effective and increase participation in our democracy.

The agencies will collaborate and share resources to build the system.

In the short-term, the agencies plan to include a provision for a unified application for licensing and voter registration at DMV offices.

The two agencies also pledged to increase promotion of the motor voter law in DMV offices and through DMV customer outreach, including voter registration links in the DMV mobile app for iPhones and Android devices as well as through mailings, information in DMV branch offices and other traditional customer contacts.

The agreement also includes streamlined reporting by the DMV to municipalities of the names of newly registered voters, as well as those making name, address or other changes

The Senate on Tuesday passed legislation that would allow the families of September 11th victims to sue Saudi Arabia if that country is found to be responsible for helping support the terror attacks, NBC News reports.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, had been blocking this legislation but recently released his hold. The Senate passed the measure by unanimous consent after Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and bill co-sponsor, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, spoke on the floor.

"When you lose someone to such evil ... the temptation is to curse the darkness," Schumer said at a news conference Tuesday. "These families have lit a candle…not only to bring justice to themselves but to send a loud message to foreign governments. If you help create terrorism on American soil, you will be brought to justice."

The White House strongly opposes the legislation and reiterated Tuesday that the administration feels that the bill would leave America vulnerable to similar suits.

The family of a prominent Dallas attorney who was found dead in his burning garage last week believes he may have been attacked while leaving for work.

Firefighters discovered Ira Tobolowsky's body Friday morning after they put out a suspicious fire. Detectives are investigating Tobolowsky's death as a homicide.

"You would expect at this point to [feel] a mixture of anger and sadness," said Tobolowsky's brother-in-law, Stuart Prescott. "I would say anger is prominent among the emotions at this point in time."

Investigators went door-to-door seeking surveillance video that would provide critical clues in the investigation, but said Monday evening no such video exists.

Tobolowsky had worked as an attorney in Dallas for 45 years and was highly regarded within the community.

"He was the guy that everyone turned to for advice, for guidance, for help," Prescott said. "He was a lawyer's lawyer, and he was the guy you called for legal questions about anything. He had a tremendous practice."

He was involved in a high-profile, emotionally charged civil case. While it's unclear if the case is related to Tobolowsky's death, the presiding judge told the Dallas County Sheriff's Department he's now afraid for his personal safety.

Deputies patrolled the judge's neighborhood Sunday night, but a sheriff's department spokeswoman said extra patrols would not continue Monday. His courtroom staff and bailiffs remain on high alert.

"In general, we might have known there was a big case going on, but I didn't know much of the details," Prescott said. "He was brave, and he would not be the guy to be afraid of anything. And I certainly can't imagine that he imagined that this was possible."

Tobolowsky was also a father to three adult sons, one of whom is getting married in two weeks.

"He was the most committed dad to his three sons," Prescott said. "He was the guy with the camera in front of every game, every event."

The wedding will go on.

"In Judaism, you don't cancel an event like that. You might change it, but you don't cancel a wedding," Prescott said. "We may look at changes to the reception. Maybe there is no reception at all, maybe there is no dancing."

"But I don't think there's any thought whatsoever about not going forward with a beautiful event like a wedding," he continued, noting that it's "what Ira would have wanted, too."

Family members said they are trying to stay strong as arson investigators work to close the case.

Dallas police referred all inquiries about the case to Dallas Fire-Rescue, calling it the "lead agency." The fire department did not reveal new details Monday.

Investigators are asking the public for information about the circumstances leading up to the fire.

Medical officials along with pharmaceutical company representatives spent Tuesday morning discussing ways to reduce what some call “skyrocketing” prices for prescription drugs.

"I think what we need to do is step back and look at how the system historically covered medicines," said Vice President of State Policy PhRMA Tara Ryan.

At the forum, officials discussed how high costs for medicine creates financial strain for patients.

“More and more of the cost is being shifted to patients and they’re seeing more and more out of pocket,” said Ryan.

Jim Corcoran said he uses prescription drugs.

“It’s like $325. But I have insurance so it covers it. But it’s still high,” said Corcoran.

Pfizer representatives said the pricing for drugs is a formulated process.

“We usually put together a team that works on pricing and literally goes out and talks with hundreds of physicians and they give us how this new drug may fit into the regiment,” said Thomas Brownlie, the director of United States Policy for Pfizer, Inc. 

According to The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, in 2015 2.2 million people in Connecticut had at least 1 chronic disease. Conditions projected to cost more than $440 billion for those affected by 2030. A price tag medical officials said can be reduced by patients switching to generic pills and medicating when instructed.

“If we can get them to take those generic medications, we can reduce health care costs," said vice president of CVS Health Dr. Troyen Brennan.

The clock is ticking for New Haven to adopt a new balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

“I would underscore how the city’s restored fiscal strength remains my priority,” Mayor Toni Harp said Tuesday morning during a press conference at City Hall.

Harp is proposing no property tax increase and no job cuts, even after state lawmakers in Hartford passed a budget last week that slashes funding to New Haven by $4.6 million.

“Our state delegation went to bat for us and our decrease was not as significant as first projected to be,” Budget Director Joe Clerkin said.

But it is still significant enough for Harp to suggest several spending cuts to keep the Elm City’s finances on track.

The proposed cuts include lowering next year’s funding to New Haven Public Schools by $565 thousand.

“They are going to have to sharpen their pencils a little more,” Harp said of the Board of Education, “but I think they are grateful they weren’t cut more than they were.”

The mayor recommends reducing the city’s contribution to the city’s Post-Employment Benefits Fund by $100 thousand.

She announced she is also withdrawing a request to hire 18 new city employees as proposed in her original budget plan.

“Those positions include crossing guards, library aids and a housing code inspector among them,” Harp said.

The rest of the budget shortfall will be made up through additional revenue from the state’s revised motor vehicle tax plan, Harp said.

The Board of Alders Finance Committee will review the revised budget on Wednesday. The mayor’s office hopes the full board will approve the budget at their first meeting in June.

A traffic stop in Stratford led police to a drug bust for heroin valued at approximately $1,000,000, state police said. 

State troopers pulled over Jose Adorno, 50, of Chicago, Illinois, at 1:30 p.m. after he committed a traffic violation on Route 15 in Stratford, according to police.

During the traffic stop, troopers were alerted that narcotics may be in the car and Trumbull Police responded with its K-9 units.

Police found 11 packages of suspected heroin weighing approximately 28 pounds in the Toyota Camry, Connecticut State Police said.

Adorno is being held on bond and faces charges that include possession of over one kilogram of heroin and intent to sell. 

He is expected to appear in court on May 18. 

A 31-year-old New Hartford man accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl and taking explicit photos and videos of two other teens plead guilty to producing child pornography, the U.S. attorney's office said. 

Daniel Jesse Conrad, 31, of New Hartford, who is accused of producing and possessing of child pornography and enticing minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct, waived his right to an indictment, according to prosecutors. 

According to federal authorities, Conrad met one 15-year-old Connecticut girl through the online video chatting service Omegle in February 2014.

They then took their conversation to the messaging app Kik and finally met in person in March 2014, when Conrad drove the teen to Massachusetts and engaged in sexual activity with her, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Federal officials said Conrad had sex with the teen on several occasions between March and June 2014 at his home in New Hartford. He used his iPhone to take pictures of her during the encounters, according to authorities.

Conrad also allegedly "persuaded and enticed" the teen to take sexually explicit photos of herself and send them to him.

During the investigation into Conrad, federal officials found more than 40 recorded video chat sessions between Conrad and another 15-year-old girl, which show the teen engaging in sexual activity, according to the Justice Department.

A search of his iPhone revealed explicit photos of a third, unidentified girl who officials say appears to be underage. In total, Conrad had saved approximately 200 images and 52 videos of the three minors engaging in sexually explicit activity, prosecutors said. 

Conrad is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 17 where he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. He has been released on bond and is being electronically monitored, the U.S. attorney's office said.

The developer building Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford has missed the deadline for the stadium to be "substantially complete," according to the mayor’s office, and team officials said they will not be playing at the Hartford ballpark on May 31 as they hoped.

“It seems pretty clear that they’re not going to meet the grace period that they had which was until the 24th," Mayor Luke Bronin said on Tuesday about the developer, Centerplan. 

Earlier this month, the stadium authority raised concerns about the stadium being completed by today, like developers had promised.

Because of construction delays, contingency plans were put in place and the Hartford Yard Goats are playing their home games at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, home to the Connecticut Tigers.

That schedule is set through May 24, but it's not yet clear what happens after that since the team said they will not be able to play in Hartford on May 31.

As work nears completion some issues have arisen that have required changes to our construction schedule," Jason Rudnick, the manager of DoNo Hartford LLC, a company developed by Centerplan, said. 

"We are in active discussions with the city regarding the same and continue to work with all parties involved, including the design team and city Inspectors, to ensure the venue is ready for everyone to enjoy."

Bronin said he will meeting with the developer and the team's coach to discuss "options". On Tuesday, he said he does not want to make any assumptions about the future. 

The stadium authority and former Mayor Pedro Segarra chose the developer, Centerplan, in a no-bid contract.

According to the agreement reached on Jan. 19, Centerplan owes the city $50,000 for the first late day and $15,000 for each day thereafter.

Had Centerplan met today's deadline, Yard Goats owner Josh Solomon planned to pay $2 million for stadium completion.

The mayor has not ruled out replacing Centerplan and said he would be looking to recoup funds needed to finish the stadium.

“I was never a supporter of this project," Bronin said. "I never believed that we should have made this investment as a city but I said all along that we have to play the hand that we’re dealt."

UPDATE: Nanny's Motive in Disappearance With Girl Still a Mystery: NYPD

A New York City nanny was arrested and charged after she returned a missing toddler, police said. 

The NYPD said Wednesday that 55-year-old Fatima Alexander has been charged with kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful imprisonment. 

Police say she took 3-year-old Gabriella Russo, who went missing Tuesday morning, setting off a day-long police search. 

Both Gabriella and Alexander were unharmed and are in good condition, according to police. 

The girl left her River Terrace home in Battery Park City with Alexander at about 9:15 a.m. to head to her day care as usual, according to police sources. 

When the child didn't show up to her day care, the Preschool of America at 25 Market St., by noon, the school contacted her parents, sources said.

The nanny had been working for the family for about 15 years, according to the girl's aunt.

"She didn't make it to school," Rebecca Russo, Gabriella's aunt, said in tears Tuesday night. "We last saw her on surveillance cameras." 

"Just bring her home," Russo pleaded. "You see it happening on the news, and it's happening to us, our family." 

Alexander was expected to be arraigned later Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if she had a lawyer.

The family of a man crushed to death by a World War II-era tank is suing the Jelly Belly chairman and the tank driver over the accident last summer on the candy maker's California estate. 

The lawsuit, filed last week in California Superior Court, claims negligence and wrongful death after Kevin Wright, a 54-year-old contractor, was run over on Aug. 22. 

The accident occurred at Jelly Belly chairman Herman Rowland Sr.'s "Tank Barn" in Fairfield, east of Napa, where the fourth-generation jelly bean tycoon restores historic military vehicles.

Jelly Belly could not immediately be reached for comment.

Marlene Estabrooks does not like the sign for the Mystic Museum of Art that went up on her neighbor’s lawn in March.

“Before you know it,” she said, “You do have destruction of the neighborhood.”

Now, this Allyn Street resident since 1979 is fighting the proposal by the Connecticut Department of Transportation to change the exit 89 signage on I-95 to read 'Mystic' or 'Downtown Mystic.'

“Shoving some of the traffic over here would just make it worse for Allyn Street,” Estabrooks said, “It would be a disaster, it’s already gridlock.”

With businesses and attractions on both sides of the Mystic River, the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce supports the sign change and hopes the Groton Town Council will reverse a resolution from 1989 that prohibited mentioning Mystic at exit 89.

“What we are proposing is equality for those exits,” the chamber’s manager of membership and sales Kristin Hartnett said, referring to exit 90. “The Mystic Museum of Art, restaurants and the downtown Mystic area, it is best accessed through exit 89 and we wanted to get some representation for that area on I-95.”

Changing the sign at exit 89 may alleviate congestion off Exit 90 on Route 27 in Stonington, but the town’s First Selectman Rob Simmons told NBC Connecticut he opposes the move for public safety reasons.

Many tourists already know Allyn St. is a shortcut, Estabrooks said, which is another reason she is against changing the highway signs.

“You look at the cars on a nice warm day when the tourists are here and all during the summer you see New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and others,” she said.

The resolution to reverse the one from 1989 is on the agenda for the Groton Town Council Meeting Tuesday night. There is a public comment, where both sides of this debate are expected to speak out.

Three students at a Manhattan high school specializing in culinary arts locked a classmate in a refrigerator and threatened to kill him, police said Tuesday.

The trio, all 16 years old and students at the Food and Finance High School on West 50th Street, blocked the door to the room to prevent anyone from releasing the victim from the commercial fridge May 6, investigators said. They also draped a T-shirt over the freezer window.

One student tapped on the fridge with knives and threatened to kill the 16-year-old victim, police said.

The teen used his cellphone to call his mother from inside the refrigerator. She immediately called the school.

The victim was in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

Students told NBC 4 New York the incident was a prank.

"They were all playing around and thought it was cute, but that's not something you play around with," said Indiana Mirabal.

The three students responsible were each charged with menacing and unlawful imprisonment.

The city Department of Education issued a statement stressing that student safety is a top priority and that the school will punish the three students.

"The school followed protocol in responding to the incident that was reported and the students involved were disciplined appropriately," the statement added.

School officials declined to elaborate on how the students will be disciplined.

Many police departments in Connecticut believe all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes that riders are choosing to use on city streets are not only deafening, but also dangerous.

Riders are invading city centers, defying rules and regulations and putting people at risk, according to authorities.

First, you hear them coming.

"It sounds like thunder coming down the street,” New Haven Police Officer David Hartman said while discussing the low rumble that grows louder as it rolls into the heart of the Elm City.

Suddenly, they can be all around you, he said.

Dozens of riders -- some even wearing masks -- on dirt bikes and four-wheelers have been seen weaving their way through traffic as they zip down busy city streets.

"They're doing tricks. They're standing on top of the seats. They're doing wheelies,” Hartman said.

What is happening in New Haven is happening in cities across the country and Hartman said it is much more than just “a nuisance.”

"It's dangerous for bystanders. It's dangerous for other motorists. It's dangerous for the officers,” Hartman said.

"It's like locusts coming down out of the sky to take over the city,” Peter Webster, captain of the Wooster Square Block Watch, said.

Riders are putting themselves and people around his neighborhood at risk, Webster said.

"It's like a show for them, and for us it's very dangerous,” Webster said. "It's impossible to chase them because it's too difficult."

Officer Hartman said combatting the problem starts with identifying who the riders are and where the motorized bikes and ATVs are being stored.

Investigators have recently been going undercover, taking surveillance photographs and even tracking online activity to pinpoint and prosecute offenders.

"We've seen postings on social media where people brag about how they were able to do this and that and get away with it,” Officer Hartman said.

With recent legislative changes, police departments are taking a harder stance on the issue. No longer are they treating these cases as motor vehicle violations, but instead as criminal activity.

Many departments are even charging people with reckless endangerment.

A conviction could come with a $1,000 fine and possible jail time, according to Hartman.

"We're seeing success in the courts,” Hartman said. “We're seeing success in apprehensions and we're certainly seeing success in seizures." 

The New Haven Police Department acknowledges that it is getting more help from people coming forward with information about where these types of bikes and ATVs are, which is leading to the riders themselves.

Hartman said he hopes the efforts make city streets quieter and safer in the future.

Connecticut law requires that all-terrain vehicles operated in the state to be registered, unless the vehicle is being operated on property owned or leased by the owner of the ATV.

According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, any Connecticut municipality may regulate the operation of ATVs.

According to the DEEP website, Connecticut does not currently have any public areas open to quads. There are also no state-managed areas open to dirt bikes although the Army Corps of Engineers facility at Thomaston Dam is available for two-wheeled trail bike riding.

Ever wanted to see Rob Gronkowski take ballet lessons? Neither did we.

Still, it was hard to look away as the New England Patriots tight end practiced his fancy moves in a new video, from Plie to Arabesque.

"I'm feelin' it," he said, as he practiced. "I'm learning!"

Gronkowski took the ballet lessons from Miami City Ballet's Nathalia Arja as part of his GQ Magazine cover shoot and interview.

And no, he didn't wear a tutu.

You can watch the full GQ video below:

Today is graduation day for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.

President Barack Obama was the keynote speaker last year. 

Obama appointed Secretary Johnson on Dec. 23, 2013. Before that, the president appointed Johnson to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 to 2012.

Between 1998 and 2001, President Clinton appointed Johnson to be General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force.

From 1989 through 1991, Secretary Johnson was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York.

This is the 135th commencement and it will begin at 11 a.m.

Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg sat down with about 15 conservative Republican leaders Wednesday at company headquarters in Menlo Park, California, amid allegations that the social media site censored right-wing stories.

Guests included Glenn Beck, a conservative TV and radio host; Barry Bennett, former adviser to Ben Carson and current adviser to Donald Trump; Zac Moffatt, former digital director to Mitt Romney and co-founder of Targeted Victory; Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute; Jim DeMint, president of the Heritage Foundation; and Dana Perino, who hosts "The Five" on Fox News, a Facebook spokesman told NBC Bay Area on Wednesday.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican pollster and Washington Examiner columnist; and Jonathan Garthwaite, vice president and general manager of Townhall Media, which oversees conservative news sites including RedState.com; also attended.

They met with Zuckerberg and Facebook’s head of global public policy, Joel Kaplan, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Robert Bluey of the Heritage Foundation also was on hand.

"They recognize that Democrats, Republicans, everybody uses Facebook, and they don't want to alienate a chunk of the audience," said Richard Craig, professor of journalism at San Jose State.

South Bay Republican Lindsey Wendt agreed. She uses Facebook to get news.

"Yeah, definitely," she said. "It's such a crucial outlet for news and how a lot of people get current things. It's really important to be fair."

The Wednesday meeting came after technology blog Gizmodo reported May 9 that Facebook news curators who cultivated the "trending topics" feature intentionally bypassed conservative views for political reasons. The meeting is closed to the media.

Zuckerberg has denied allegations of censorship. In a May 12 post, he touted Facebook's hope of serving a "diverse community" and said he found "no evidence" that Facebook contractors suppressed stories with conservative viewpoints.

Two days earlier, South Dakota Sen. John Thune wrote a letter to Facebook requesting information on how the site sorts its trending topics.

"If Facebook presents its Trending Topics section as a result of a neutral, objective algorithm, but it is in fact subjective and filtered to support or suppress particular political viewpoints, Facebook's assertion that it maintains 'a platform for people and perspectives from across the political spectrum' misleads the public," wrote Thune, who chairs the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

After political focus was placed on Facebook’s trending topics, Democrats hit back at Republicans and implied that their attention was misplaced. 

"The Republican Senate refuses to hold hearings on [Supreme Court nominee] Judge [Merrick] Garland, refuses to fund the president's request for Zika aid and takes the most days off of any Senate since 1956, but thinks Facebook hearings are a matter of urgent national interest," Jentleson said. "The taxpayers who pay Republican senators' salaries probably want their money back."

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Showers and some thunder are possible tomorrow, before a delightful end to the workweek.

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy with an increasing chance for showers and some thunder tomorrow. Highs will be near 70.

A large area of high pressure finally builds in late week, yielding abundant sunshine Friday.

Temperatures soar to near 70 Thursday, then upper 70s come Friday.

A coastal storm will threaten this weekend.

Saturday will be mostly cloudy with rain likely late. The clouds stick around Sunday, along with the chance for showers.

High temperatures will be near 70 this weekend.

A stubborn upper-level low likely means unsettled weather sticks around early next week, meaning on-and-off showers and lots of cloudiness, especially on Tuesday.

Still, though, temperatures will flirt with 70 degrees.

Police are searching for the man accused of stabbing and killing an 11-year-old boy while he was walking home from school in Houston on Tuesday.

Che Lajuan Calhoun, 31, has been charged with murder in the death of Josue Flores. He is not in custody and is wanted by police.

Calhoun is accused of approaching Flores on Tuesday afternoon. Houston police said a citizen flagged down officers around 4:45 p.m. and told them the child had been stabbed. The officers stopped and found Flores lying in the grass.

Investigators said Flores was walking home from school when he was confronted by a strange man, later identified as Calhoun. Witnesses told police they heard screaming and saw the man and boy struggling. Flores then collapsed and the man ran away.

Police said Flores was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was treated for multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The motive for the attack is unknown.

Police are searching for Calhoun and ask anyone with information to call 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477 (TIPS).

Robert Shapiro admitted to trying on the infamous glove at the center of the O.J. Simpson murder, noting that he knew it would not fit Simpson.

"I tried the glove on. It was a little bit wide in my palm and a little bit long in my fingers," Shapiro told Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. "O.J. Simpson has enormous hands, and I knew that the glove would not fit him. No question about it. Wouldn't even be close."

Shapiro, 73, was a member of Simpson's defense "dream team," which helped to acquit the once-beloved sports idol in the stabbing deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1994.

The FX miniseries, "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" shows Shapiro, played by John Travolta, trying on the gloves during a courtroom break. But Shapiro had never explicitly admitted trying on the gloves in past interviews, NBC News reported.

Shapiro also recalled to Kelly what Simpson whispered to him directly after the verdict was read: "You had told me this would be the result from the beginning. You were right."

America’s public schools are increasingly segregated by race and economic class, 62 years after the Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, according to a report published by the Government Accountability Office Tuesday.

The GAO found the number of Black and Latino students enrolled in impoverished K-12 public schools increased 11 percent between 2001 and 2014, NBC News reported.

These schools were found have a poverty-stricken population, with 75 to 100 percent of students eleigible for price-reduced lunch. Such schools were found to offer disproportionately fewer math, science and college-prep courses and had higher rates of students who were held back in ninth grade, suspended or expelled.

The report also claims magnet schools with open enrollment did not accept minority students in order to maintain an even ratio of white and minority students.