A swatting incident lead to heavy police presence near a school in Simsbury prompted "lockout" security measures at Tariffville Elementary School on Thursday. 

Police were searching an apartment building on 55 Elm Street after received a call from an anonymous person who threated to harm a relative and the police. 

Simsbury Police did not locate any victims or a threat and believe the incident was a hoax or a swatting incident.

The threat was not to the school, however, police said they were taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the students and staff. 

Students were not held and were dismissed from the school at a normal time. School officials made notifications to parents. 

Anyone with information about the incident should contact Detective Tim May at (860) 658-3141. 

Two people from Bristol have been arrested for impersonating the IRS and scamming tens of thousands of dollars from victims.

Nancy Frye, 50, and Douglas Martin, 53, were arrested on Thursday for falsely representing themselves as employees of the IRS to obtain money from victims, the U.S. attorney's office said. 

In October 2015, Frye was recruited by scammers to pick up money that was wired through MoneyGram and Western Union in order to deposit it into specific bank accounts, prosecutors said. 

Typically, scammers would call unsolicted victims, claiming to be the IRS, and demand money for false outstanding debts. 

Frye recruited Martine and others to assist her in picking up the wire funds from locations in central Connecticut.

Between October 2015 and May 2016, Frye and those working for her receieved approximately $547,000 in wire funds. Frye would get $40 per transaction, amounting to about $500 a day, prosecutors said. 

"The IRS will never call anyone and demand immediate payment or threaten arrest. If you receive one of these calls, just hang up and report the call to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration,” U.S. attorney Daly said.

Frye and Martin are each charged by federal criminal complaint with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They appeared om court on Thursday and were released on bond.

A man attacked an off-duty NYPD officer with a cleaver near Penn Station at the height of the evening rush hour Thursday, wounding the cop in the face before being shot at 18 times by police, officials say.

Police initially confronted 32-year-old Akram Joudeh near West 31st Street and Broadway as they caught him trying to remove a boot from his car, NYPD Chief of Department and incoming police commissioner Jimmy O'Neill said at a briefing Thursday evening. 

Video obtained exclusively by NBC 4 New York shows a frustrated Joudeh trying to remove the boot, pulling tools from his packed car.

When police arrived, Joudeh pulled out an 11-inch cleaver from his waistband and began running toward Sixth Avenue, officials said. Officers chased after him, with others joining the pursuit along the way, and one uniformed sergeant deployed a stun gun to no effect.

The suspect continued running westbound on West 32nd Street toward Seventh Avenue, and in the middle of the block, mounted the front grill of a marked NYPD car, O'Neill said.

That's when an off-duty detective, who was walking to Penn Station to catch a Long Island Rail Road train home after work, saw the chase coming toward him, law enforcement officials told NBC 4 New York. He decided to engage and went to tackle the suspect. 

The two struggled, and Joudeh hit him in the head with the cleaver, leaving a six-inch gash from the temple to the jaw, said O'Neill.

Three uniformed NYPD officers fired a total of 18 gunshots at Joudeh, striking him several times.

"I heard police from behind me screaming, 'Get down, get down, get down!'" said witness Jonathan Schneier. "I saw a deranged individual with a very large meat cleaver... Probably six to eight suspects engaged the suspect verbally, told him to drop his weapon."

O'Neill told reporters, "Keep in mind he had just attacked an off-duty officer who's got a six-inch gash on his face. He's got an 11-inch cleaver. They shot until the threat was stopped."

The off-duty detective, identified by sources as 16-year veteran Det. Brian O'Donnell, was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he's listed in serious condition, officials said. Doctors are assessing the damage, and surgeons have said reconstructive surgery will be needed.

O'Donnell has spent most of his time on the force in the 19th Precinct, and became a detective in March 2015.

Two other officers were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries from the encounter, though it's not clear how they got hurt. 

Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, who is finishing his last week on the job, visited the officers at the hospital. Bratton said the wounded detective was in good spirits despite the "significant injury." 

Joudeh was also taken to Bellevue Hospital, and he's in critical but stable condition, said O'Neill. He has been moved to the operating room. 

The attack happened near the busy Midtown commuter hub at the height of the evening rush hour. Bratton said the officers acted bravely in subduing the suspect in the crowded shopping and transit district, and that "sufficient shots" were fired to stop the "character running down the street waving a cleaver." 

Witness Steven Coyle, who recorded video of officers shooting at the suspect, agreed.

"He was a threat to the officers and anyone in the area," he said. 

Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association, said in a statement, "An incident like this proves that you are really never off duty. Our detective engaged the perpetrator because the suspect was carrying a meat cleaver and the detective was worried about the crowded conditions on the street given that it was rush hour full of residents, tourists and commuters."

Joudeh has 15 prior arrests, including one on July 27 after he was found carrying knives near a synagogue in the Manhattan Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn. His last known address was in Queens, though police say he may have been living in his car.  

The other arrests stretching back to 2009 include charges for driving while impaired by drugs, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing with a weapon and criminal trespassing, sources said. 

Two years ago, a hatchet-wielding man ambushed a group of NYPD officers in Jamaica, Queens, gashing a rookie cop in the head with the 18-inch ax. Two other officers shot and killed the suspect, Zale Thompson, on the street. 

Thompson was a self-radicalized "lone wolf terrorist," police officials said after the attack. 

In Thursday's incident, a federal official told NBC News "based on what we know of how this started, and on his priors, we don't currently think this was an act of terrorism." 

Another law enforcement source told NBC 4 that investigators actively looked into whether Joudeh had any interest in or connection to terror planning after he was caught outside the synagogue in July with the knives. But they did not find any evidence of any radicalization. 

Joudeh's former neighbors in Elmhurst described him as troubled, constantly fighting with his two roommates and sometimes getting visits from police. One woman who asked not to be identified said he once got into an altercation with a family member, and during the fight, broke the front glass door of the building's entrance.

The mainland United States's first official outbreak of Zika virus may be declared over by early next week, NBC News reported.

But another, in Miami Beach, is going strong, and on Thursday Florida health officials reported seven more Zika cases acquired locally, one of which involves a visitor from out of state.

It's been almost 45 days since Zika first started spreading locally, in Miami's Wynwood district, and "the clock is ticking" on that outbreak, Lillian Rivera, of the Florida Department of Health, told a Miami Beach City Council meeting Wednesday.

If no one new is infected in Wynwood by Monday, after the 45-day period that represents three full incubation periods for Zika virus, it can be declared free of active Zika transmission. Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that countdown Thursday.

The Christmas holiday is still months away, but this year's season may not be so green because of Connecticut's drought. 

For Bob Slajda, who owns Old Orchard Farm, said the lack of rain is making the dirt feels dry like powder.

"You would expect to turn this over and see a little darker color than that," Slajda said about the dirt on his farm. 

Slajda has been gowing since 1975 and two years ago, he moved his Christmas tree business from East Windsor to East Granby. 

He says the trees take at least five years to grow before they are sold. 

Some of Slajda's Christmas trees aren’t surviving this year, he said.

"Really it’s always scary to be in agriculture but this is a scarier year than I’ve seen in a long time," said Slajda.

Slajda's farm has already lost 200 Christmas trees- valued at about $7,000 in future earnings- in the last several months from the drought. 

The farmer also faces problems with irrigating fields, which he usually does with well water once a week, but with the lack of rain, he can only do it once every two weeks. Slajda said he has to conserve is well water, which levels are extremely low at about 20 percent. 

"I really am unable to irrigate the entire field so that’s something I am going to have to look at. Either get out of the business or invest in irrigation," Slajda said. 

For now, he is paying hundreds of dollars extra in water and electricity for his trees survive and has been buying special fertilizer. 

"And I really don’t have an answer to where this goes next. It’s a concern. It’s a real concern," he said.

Slajda said that means the more farmers, like him, spend to keep their trees alive, the more you may have to pay for a Christmas tree.

The power company in Norwich is warning Pokémon Go players to stay away from power lines, electrical substations and other electric equipment in response to online threads that report “electric” type of Pokémon can be found near electrical sites. 

“As Pokémon Go captures the attention of kids and adults alike, it is important that all players remain aware of the real world dangers of being distracted or unaware of their surroundings,” John Bilda, general manager of Norwich Public Utilities said in a statement. “No game is worth the danger of interacting with potentially lethal hazards associated with our electrical infrastructure.” 

NPU is urging parents of children who are playing the game to talk to them about how to be safe around electricity and to be aware of signs and warnings related to NPU’s electric equipment. 

NPU is reminding the public: 

• Stay out of electrical facilities, such as substations and power plants, even if the game leads to that equipment. 
• Never touch electrical equipment, including transformers and power lines. 
• Never enter an active work zone, which could contain moving equipment and excavations. 
• Do not climb utility poles or throw things into power lines. 
• Stay away from downed power lines because they can still be energized. 
• Power lines near trees also pose a danger; exercise caution and check for power lines before climbing a tree.

Nolan Green from Bethany has cerebral palsy.

"He doesn’t walk, he doesn’t talk," his father Tom Green said.

But at only three and a half years old, Nolan is already learning to drive.

"He loves it, you can see in his face, that you know, it’s a new freedom," Green said.

Nolan now has a customized motorized toy car thanks to Quinnipiac University senior Rachel Davis and her professors Jose Riofrio, Rose Flammang and Michelle Broggi. It’s part of the national GoBabyGo! program that modifies toy cars for children with disabilities.

"They don’t have the means of independent exploration," Davis said. "Which is crucial to you know learning and developing, so I think this is a big step."

Nolan’s parents or 6-year-old sister Natalie can operate the car by remote control, but Davis built an accelerometer headband, allowing him to control where he wants to go.

"So he can look down to go forward and he can turn his head side to side to steer it," Davis explained.

Nolan and his parents visited Quinnipiac’s engineering building Thursday afternoon for him to test out his fine-tuned vehicle.

"I just feel so blessed and I’m filled with joy, and sometimes I’ve cried because he is just so happy when he’s in it," Nolan’s mother Toni Green said.

After this rewarding experience of giving the gift of mobility, Davis may go in a different direction after graduation.

"It’s really crazy to think that at 21 I’ve done something that’s actually made a difference, so it’s really exciting," she said. "I love doing it so much that I’ve considered not applying to medical school and actually going into engineering."

The added security presence at a Milford school on Friday will just be a precaution, the school said. 

Administrators at Joseph A. Foran High School because aware of an alleged threat and contacted police, the school said. 

Police determined that there is not threat to the school community, however, the school decided to add extra security on Friday as a precaution. 

The high school will be operating under normal school hours. 

The threat is still under investigation. 

New Haven could soon have its new fire chief.

After a city committee conducted a national search, Mayor Toni Harp’s selection comes from the Tri-State area.

Jersey City First Battalion Chief John Alston Jr. is her choice to become the next NHFD fire chief.

“Forty people applied for that job and he emerged as number one,” Harp said of submitting her selection to the Board of Aldermen.

An outside consultant, Harp said, agreed with the city search committee that Alston, who has more than 30 years of experience with the New Jersey department, is the right choice to lead New Haven’s firefighters.

According to his LinkedIn Page, Alston has had stints at Jersey City Fire’s public information officer and chief of training.

“He also had the ability to make sure our training was at the highest level because of the work that he does,” Harp said.

Right now, Chief Alston oversees the Holland Tunnel, Ellis Island and Liberty State park, in addition to managing four fire stations and nearly 40 employees.

“I’m aware of his credentials but of all the candidates, he’s the least qualified when it comes to EMS,” New Haven Firefighters’ Union President Frank Ricci said.

The mayor’s selection of a new chief comes as the fire union continues protesting a plan to replace a fire enginge at the Ellsworth Avenue fire house with an advanced life support paramedic unit.

“Our hope is that the chief would come in and honestly evaluate and see the need with us being the busiest city for the system we have now to enhance it,” Ricci said, “not to tear it down.”

Mayor Harp stands by her choice, saying he’s known nationally as an authority on fire service, adding he’ll fit in well with the New Haven community.

“Hopefully, the Board of Alderman will pass it quickly so we can stabilize that department,” she said.

The Alders have 30 days to approve the mayor’s recommendation. The appointment would become effective on Oct. 10.

The Alders are expected to vote at their meeting on Monday night.

Chief Alston’s annual salary would be $158,500 per year, Harp said.

A worker at a Hamden dry cleaners is lucky to be okay after an SUV crashed into the store.

It happened at 5:11 p.m. on Thursday at the Dry Cleaning Plaza on Dixwell Avenue.

In the parking lot in front of the store, an SUV jumped the sidewalk and smashed into the business.

Moments before the crash, Theresa Shine had helped a customer and had just sat down on her break.

"I looked up from my phone and there was a car coming at me and I just ran. I didn’t know what to do. I thought I was going to die," Shine said.

Shine bolted for the back of the store fearing the worst.

"I was surprised it stopped that short though. I thought it was going to take the whole counter out," said Shine.

Shine then quickly called 911.

She reports there were four young women and men in the SUV.

Shine says the driver reported accidentally hitting the gas instead of the brake.

Thankfully a seamstress who works up by the window left a few hours earlier.

“Who knows what would have happened?” says Shine.

Amazingly the store stayed opened including for a bridal party with a wedding on Friday.

We reached out to police for more information but have not yet heard back.

But it appears at least no one was hurt.

Nearly 69 percent of Connecticut is facing a severe drought after being upgraded on Thursday from a moderate drought.

Cities and towns are having to impose water restrictions until the state receives a soaking rain.

The town of Manchester has upgraded its water conservation advisory, placed in mid-August, to  what's known as voluntary conservation.

"Before it was an advisory just to let people know that we’re getting into this now that we’re below 70 percent were looking for people to actually voluntarily conserve the water," said Patrick Kearney with the town of Manchester Water and Sewer Department.

In mid-August, the advisory told residents the town faced an 80 percent water level in its reservoir system. On Thursday, Kearney told NBC Connecticut it is at about a 68 percent capacity.

Manchester’s Water and Sewer Department is asking residents for their help to conserve water.

"They could stop watering their lawn, stop washing their cars," said Kearney.

"Basically try not to use water outside as much as possible and to utilze the water inside very good."

Residents are advised to run full loads of dishes or laundry, as well.

As of Thursday night all cities and towsn provided water by Aquarion Water, Connecticut Water Company have been placed on a voluntary conservation.

Water departments in Bristol, East Lyme, Hazardville, Manchester, Norwich and Montville are also on a voluntary conservation.

Southington has a mandatory water restriction for its residents and UConn has a Stage III Water Supply Watch.

Milford police have arrested the suspected “Backpage Bandit,” who they believe is behind attacks and robberies of women at local hotels and motels. 

Police said the victims offered services through Backpage.com and the investigation led to the arrest today of 23-year-old Jonathan Arzu, of Bridgeport. 

He is accused of forcing his way into a hotel room on Boston Post Road on July 27 with two accomplices and tying up a woman with phone cord, ransacking the hotel room, stealing money and a cell phone from the woman and holding a knife to her neck, according to police. 

Police said they identified Arzu through DNA evidence and the woman eventually identified him as well. 

Police continue to investigate and said they expect to make more arrests for other cases Arzu is suspected of being involved in. 

He has been charged with first-degree robbery, unlawful restraint and sixth-degree larceny. 

Arzu was held on a $50,000 bond and is due in Milford Court today. 

The "White Helmets" — some 3,000 ordinary Syrians who make up the Syrian Civil Defense rescue group — are the country's unlikely group of heroes, NBC News reported.

These volunteers, nicknamed for the color of their headgear, used to be shopkeepers, bakers, and teachers. Now they put their lives on the line every day to save civilians affected by the country's brutal war.

"These are very normal, ordinary people who now do one of the most extraordinary jobs on this planet," explained Orlando von Einsiedel, the director of a new Netflix original documentary that offers a glimpse into the lives of these volunteers.

The 40-minute documentary follows three men to Turkey, where they receive training before returning to Aleppo to work together in the same rescue unit. It was at this training site that the filmmakers met Khaled Khatib, a 21-year-old volunteer who has documented rescue missions since the group first formed in 2013.

A San Diego judge denied Donald Trump and his attorney's request to move a Trump University trial date to 2017, according to a federal court document filed Thursday.

Earlier this week, Donald Trump and his attorneys requested the trial date in the Low v. Trump class-action lawsuit be moved to a later date due to a scheduling conflict with one of his lead attorneys, Daniel Petrocelli.

U.S District Judge Gonzalo Curiel denied the request and in a court document said Trump and his attorneys failed to prove an actual or potential conflict exists between the Low case and the other trial Petrocelli is assigned to.

Click here to read more of the judge's decision.

In his ruling, Judge Curiel said the trial will begin on its previously scheduled date, November 28. He also moved up a hearing on jury instruction to November 10, the same day a motion hearing was already scheduled.

In asking for the date change, Petrocelli discussed how he is the lead trial attorney in another case set to begin on November 15. The current schedule would “prevent Mr. Petrocelli from conducting the necessary pretrial work and preparation in this case,” and “defendants will suffer substantial prejudice,” the court document filed earlier this week detailed.

Click here to read the complete court document. 

In court documents filed Wednesday, Jason Forge writing for the plaintiffs, said he opposed any more delays. Four months ago the court chose a trial date that wouldn’t conflict with the presidential campaign or the holidays, he wrote in the court documents.

"We have waited six and half years to get this case to trial,” Forge wrote. "There is no mystery about what happened here....a possible Trump victory (in the presidential election) would spawn a host of potential new excuses to postpone trial for years.”

Click here to read the complete opposition filed by the plaintiffs. 

The Trump University lawsuits allege the former university, which took in over $40 million, was fraudulent and deceptive. Two class-action lawsuits against the now-closed Trump University are being heard in San Diego courtrooms; another lawsuit is based in a New York court.

The San Diego cases include: Cohen v. Trump, a nationwide class action lawsuit and Low v. Trump, a class action in California, Florida and New York. Trump denies the allegations in the lawsuits. 

Two former executives of a Singapore-based contractor were charged on Thursday for their involvement in a multi-million dollar Navy bribery scheme. More than a dozen U.S. Navy Officers and Pentagon employees have also been charged in the case.

Neil Patterson, 38, and Linda Raja, 43, former executives of Glenn Defense Marine Asia were arrested and are currently being held in Singapore. Both worked for Malaysian businessman Leonard Glenn Francis, known by his nickname “Fat Leonard." Patterson served as the Vice President of the company and Raja was as General Manager for Singapore, Australia and the Pacific Isles.

According to the indictment, Patterson and Raja submitted false claims and invoices amounting to more than $5 million dollars to the U.S. Navy, and attempted to cover up their fraud by submitting false price quotes on letterheads from companies that did not exist. Both allegedly cut and pasted images from the internet onto letterheads to make the companies appear legitimate.

NBC 7 has been following this investigation since September 2013.

“Fat Leonard” plead guilty in January 2015 to bribing senior navy officials in exchange for specific U.S. Navy warship movements so his company could overbill the Pentagon.

A total of 16 defendants have been charged in connection to the investigation against the Malaysian businessman’s company, including Patterson and Raja.

In June, Read Admiral Robert Gilbeau became the first highest-ranking U.S. Navy officer to be charged in the case. He pleaded guilty to one felony charge in connection to the years-long corruption and fraud scheme. 

Former civilian Defense Department Officer Paul Simpkins also entered a guilty plea in a federal court in San Diego.

Retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Edmond A. Aruffo, U.S. Navy Capt. Daniel Dusek, U.S. Navy Captain (Select) Michael Misiewicz, Lieutenant Commander Todd Malaki, NCIS Special Agent John Beliveau, Commander Jose Luis Sanchez and U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class Dan Layug have also pleaded guilty. Layug, Malaki, Dusek, and Misiwicz have all been sentenced while Gilbeau, Beliveau, Sanchez, Simpkins and Aruffo await their sentencing.

Brooks, Pitts and Debord were charged in May 2016 and their cases are pending.

Lt. Commander Gentry Debord, Captain (ret.) Michael Brooks and Commander Bobby Pitts were charged in May of this year. Their cases are still pending.

Peterson and Raja are each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States with respect to claims; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and multiple counts of making false claims. Both are being held in custody in Singapore before they are extradited to the United States.

Some fantasy football leagues have toilet -- or consolation -- bowls to keep losers engaged when it's clear their teams are no longer in contention. In New Jersey, one group goes a step further. 

For the last two years, the loser of a league comprised mostly of pizzeria owners in Ocean County has had to walk down a highway wearing just a pair of bright pink bikini bottoms and holding a sign that reads "I suck at Fantasy Football."

Angelo Boemio, 42, made the bikini walk of shame this Labor Day, trotting along Route 9 in Toms River for 10 minutes as drivers beeped and paused to take photos, he told The New York Post. 

"One lady with four kids in her minivan drove back and forth five times while her kids laughed in the back," Boemio told the paper. 

He said residents called local police to report a disturbance. 

“People were calling to say there’s some weirdo in a bikini walking down Route 9, but the officers knew it was a product of fantasy loss, so they let us have our walk of shame,” Boemio told the Post. 

The league holds its draft on Labor Day, so whoever finishes last the prior year has all those months between the end of the season and September to build up dread -- or get into shape, as the loser before Boemio did. 

“Now the league is no longer about winning," Boemio said. "It’s just about not coming in last place. No one wants to be mortified.”

Mayor Luke Bronin tried his best to show a panel that provides guidance on state spending for cities and towns that he's trying to get Hartford in better shape the right way.

"We're not scared to make difficult decisions," he pleaded. "We already have."

Bronin detailed how the city faces a $22 million budget shortfall in the next fiscal year and an even more daunting $50 million shortfall in fiscal year 2018.

The mayor told the panel, the Municipal Finance Advisory Commission, which provides guidance to the governor's budget office, the Office of Policy and Management, that even though he's proposed and gotten through savings from attrition and layoffs as well as service cuts, he knows more is needed in terms of revenue.

The mayor has also said he's seeking $15 million in union givebacks, but didn't sound optimistic about their likelihood Thursday.

"We do not expect to achieve anywhere close to those savings in time to generate that full $15.5 million in savings," he said.

Bronin urged the panel to look at ways for the state's largest cities with, "real city challenges" to thrive. His first target was the reliance on the property tax. Bronin has told any group that will listen how Hartford, with a population of more than 130,000 residents, and more than 100,000 who solely work in the city, has less taxable property than neighboring Manchester, Glastonbury and West Hartford.

"The ideal thing for the city of Hartford and for the state would be to adopt a funding system that actually allows cities to be healthy," Bronin said.

One issue making matters even more difficult for the mayor is the city's minor league baseball stadium that's been vacant and without any construction progress since June.

The mayor said he expects to collect modest revenue through ticket sales and parking fees related to the stadium, but scoffed at any notion that the stadium would be a self-sufficient venture, as was promised by previous Mayor Pedro Segarra.

One of the city's members of the audit commission predicts there will be much more than just the $100 million or so the city has to pay for the related stadium, development, and infrastructure costs.

Bruce Rubenstein told NBC Connecticut he expects the city to be responsible for costs associated with litigation related to the stadium.

"The costs will be lawyers at so much an hour to defend or prosecute the city’s interest, plus ongoing security at the ball stadium, repair and maintenance, indebtedness to bond holders, things of that nature."

Rubenstein said, "the jury is still out" on the way Bronin handled the stadium, specifically his argument that firing Centerplan and invoking the stadium's bond would be the best way to protect city taxpayers. If after expected legal fights the city has to pay even more, then Rubenstein says Bronin will have to answer to taxpayers.

"He was dealt a bad hand, it would be disingenuous if his strategy blows up."

Bronin said Thursday he fully expects to be involved with lawsuits, but said he's confident that the facts support the city's argument that Centerplan didn't handle its responsibility to complete the stadium.

"I don’t think it’s going to be a surprise to anyone that there’s going to be litigation after this stadium gets built. I think the city has a very strong position and we’ll deal with it when it comes. But the first order of business to prevent taxpayers from having to shell out millions and millions more to get this stadium completed."

Donald Trump promised Thursday to grow the American economy fast enough to create 25 million new jobs in a decade.

It's a claim bound to win support among American workers, but there's one problem with it, CNBC reported: Without a wave of new immigrants entering the American workforce, Trump will have a hard time finding enough workers to fill those jobs.

The Trump campaign promises on its website to double the average pace of U.S. gross domestic product growth this century to 3.5 percent a year. At a speech in New York Thursday, he suggested the country could achieve 4 percent growth.

But aging baby boomers are leaving the labor force en masse, reducing the number of workers available to fill new jobs. Chad Stone, chief economist at The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said demographic trends from the post-World War II era will be impossible to repeat, "especially in the absence of immigration."

The last thing you want to see gushing out of a faucet is brown, dirty water that - once drained - leaves your white tub covered in black residue. Residents at Cedar Ridge Townhomes in Willington, including UConn students who live off-campus, say it's a common sight.

"Since move-in day, we have had straight yellow water," resident Alexandra Valenta said.

"It seems like a nightmare at this point to have to keep dealing with it," resident Cheyenne Allen said.

Allen, along with many other UConn students, moved in a month ago and said the filthy water sometimes brings an awful stench.

She displayed glasses filled with various shades of yellow water and some contained a layer of sediment on the bottom.

"Not able to drink with it, cook with it, bathe in it," Allen said.

Instead, Allen and others said they have been purchasing bottled water and showering elsewhere. To wash clothes, Allen and Valenta said they've been going back home to New Jersey.

Allen said the complex gave them three jugs of water and her roommate said the complex gave them each a Subway gift card for $10.

"It's frustrating, especially paying the rent we do over here," Steve Nilla, another resident, said.

Lutz Management Company, which runs Cedar Ridge, said they're working to fix the problem by employing a water specialist, monitoring and testing the water weekly and flushing the system.

An email to residents from the complex says, in part, "We are currently in the process of draining all of our hot water storage tanks, in hopes to drain the settlement (sic) out. We are hopeful that this will eliminate the discoloration issue at hand."

The email also says, "At this time, the water is safe to drink."

"I came home earlier today and ran the water, and it was brown and then started coughing out this black stuff," Nilla said.

"We're still gathering information on this, can't say for sure what's going on," Robert Miller, director of health for Eastern Highlands Health District, said.

Miller said the agency received a complaint on Wednesday regarding the issue and is working with the State Department of Public Health to clear up the problem with the water. He said there are several reasons the water could look and smell the way it does.

"There are many reasons water could be discolored or have a bad odor, but some of the common ones we come across are high iron content, high manganese content, and also there could be sulfur bacteria in the water," Miller said. "If you see water that doesn't look or doesn't taste right, prudent avoidance is probably the way to go until you feel comfortable about the water you're drinking."

Officials from the Department of Public Health believe that maintenance activities have caused iron and manganese to go into solution and discolor that water, but it's still under investigation.

Rescue crews have suspended a search in the Norwalk River for a man who disappeared after an altercation. 

Officials said three men went into the water after an altercation around 12:15 a.m. at Wall and Main streets and two made it out, but the other is still missing. 

No information is available on when crews will resume the search.