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Meriden Man Who Took Video of Boys During Sexual Slumber Parties Sentenced to 15 Years

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A 65-year-old Meriden, Connecticut man who federal officials said set up cameras around his house to record explicit video of teenage boys who he invited over for slumber parties that turned sexual has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Mark W. Irvin has been detained since Sept. 18, 2015 and pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography on Aug. 31, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Federal officials said Irvin engaged in sexual acts with two boys under the age of 18 from 2012 to August 2015 and recorded the sexual activity.

Cameras placed throughout Irvin's house on Glen Hills Road – including in the bathroom – were constantly recording, according to prosecutors.

According to residents, Irvin handed out fliers inviting neighborhood teens to spend weekends at his house and play games that involved covering them with shaving cream and chocolate pudding.

Irvin provided the teens with alcohol, showed them pornographic movies, gave them sex dolls and touched them inappropriately, according to the warrant for his arrest. He also allegedly encouraged the boys to touch each other in sexual ways.

The neighbor who alerted police said one night she saw Irvin huddled in a backyard tent with a group of young people who were laughing and joking.

Police searched Irvin's home, seizing camcorders, computers, VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs, thumb drives and storage devices and the U.S. attorney's office said at least one contained naked photos of a 13-year-old boy.

Federal prosecutors said another teen told police Irvin "had had repeated sexual contact with him since he was 15 years old," and had watched Irvin engage in sexual activity with other boys.

Irvin was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

University: Hateful 'Trump' Notes Allegedly Aimed at Chicago Student Were Fabricated

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Hateful notes and emails allegedly sent to a North Park University student were “fabricated,” the school’s president said Tuesday in a statement, and the woman who claimed they were aimed toward her is no longer enrolled at the school.

“We are confident there is no further threat of repeated intolerance to any member of our campus community stemming from this recent incident,” the university’s President David Parkyn said in a statement.

The student, Taylor Volk, said on Nov. 14 she had received emails and notes taped to her door containing harassing, threatening language and mentions of President-elect Donald Trump. She had also posted pictures of notes with homophobic slurs to her Facebook account.

Volk and school officials did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Volk said at the time she was confident North Park was investigating the matter, although the school would not comment directly on the notes to NBC 5. The university’s marketing director, Chris Childers, said in a phone interview earlier this month “any incident that is reported to North Park is taken extremely seriously.”

A Chicago Police official said on Nov. 14 they could not find any report about the incident.

“When student safety is compromised, and when institutional values are not maintained, we will respond with resolve as we did in the most recent incident,” Parkyn said. “Additionally, we ask members of the community to reflect our institutional ethos and commitment in our interpersonal relationships—through inclusion, civility, dialogue, respect, hospitality, and a mutual love for God and all people.”

North Park's campus is located in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood, noted for its diversity as an immigrant gateway community, on the city's Northwest Side.

The Southern Poverty Law Center said that there were 701 hateful incidents of harassment reported around the country in the week since the presidential election, though not all reports were verified. About 65 percent of the incidents were from the first three days following the election, and there has been a steady drop-off since, the hate-tracking group said. 

Trump has called for people to stop such displays. 



Photo Credit: NBC 5

Hillary Clinton's Popular Vote Lead Now Over 2 Million

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Despite losing the presidential election to Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton now has more than 2 million more votes than him, NBC News reported.

According to an ongoing tally by Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman, Hillary Clinton's vote total is 64,223,986 (48.1 percent of the vote), while Trump's is 62,206,395 (46.6 percent) - a difference of 2,017,591 votes. Clinton’s vote total is nearing the 65.9 million votes Barack Obama won in 2012.

Wasserman’s statistics also revealed that Trump beat Clinton in 13 swing states by a margin of 48.5 percent to 46.6 percent. In the non-swing states, though, Clinton is ahead of Trump 48.9 percent to 45.6 percent.

Trump won the electoral college, 306-232.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Suspected Driver in Drive-By That Injured Girl Charged in Another Shooting

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A 22-year-old Bloomfield man who is suspected of driving during a hit-and-run that injured a 10-year-old girl in Hartford earlier this month has been charged in another shooting on Blue Hills Avenue in October.

Kwanze Fluker is accused of shooting a man in the leg near 679 Blue Hills Ave. on Oct. 30.

Police said the victim was shot once. Officers found him on the sidewalk at Blue Hills Avenue and West Euclid Street and he was transported to St. Francis Hospital.

Witnesses told police the shooter fled on a moped, heading north on Blue Hills Avenue and police later identified Fluker as the suspected shooter.

On Monday, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for him, as well as a search warrant for his home, and a judge set bond at $1 million.

On Wednesday, detectives and Bloomfield police searched 142 Brookline Ave. in Bloomfield and took Fluker into custody. During the search, police found a gun in the home, according to a news release from police.

They also seized a stolen moped, which police said matched the description of the getaway vehicle in the Blue Hill Avenue shooting.

In all, police seized a Glock 26 9-mm stolen from Glastonbury with a magazine and nine 9-millimeter bullets and a Rough House R50 Black Moped.

Fluker has been charged with having a pistol without a permit, first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree criminal attempted assault and first-degree assault.



Photo Credit: Hartford Police

Former Glastonbury Man Arrested on Child Porn Charges

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An investigation into child pornography led to the arrest of a former Glastonbury man who has been living in Indiana.

State police said they started the investigation in December 2015 after discovering that child pornography was being shared from Darin Redding’s home on Mountain Road in Glastonbury, police said.

In March, police searched the 46-year-old’s home and seized computers and other equipment they said was computer-related.

Investigators located Redding in Indiana, where he was detained as a fugitive from justice.

He has been charged with first-degree illegal possession of child pornography and promoting a minor in obscene performance and bond was set at $250,000.



Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police

New Haven Restaurant Prepares 500 Thanksgiving Meals for the Less Fortunate

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A New Haven restaurant is getting ready to open its doors on Thanksgiving to provide the homeless and less fortunate with a traditional turkey dinner.

Inside the kitchen Wednesday at Christopher Martin’s Restaurant on State Street, the staff sliced turkey and sautéed vegetables as they prepares 500 meals.

“Everyone is served a meal just like if you or I were to come in for dinner,” bartender Jared Rose said. “Just set as you see now with white tablecloth and linen.”

The menu will include turkey, mixed vegetables, cranberry and stuffing, followed by pumpkin pie for dessert.

“Everyone comes away with a full belly,” Rose said.

Over the past few weeks, the restaurant collected bags of donations that are stacked now in the dining room. Volunteers on Wednesday night will sort the men’s and women’s clothing, toiletries and non-perishable foods to give out on Thanksgiving Day.”

“It’s so heartwarming,” said Christi Messore, a regular at Christopher Martin’s. “I just love it, they do such a great job here. These owners are so, so giving and it’s something that everybody looks forward to.”

Messore added to the donation pile.

“I donated gloves, socks, earmuffs, deodorant, hand wipes -- stuff like that,” she said.

Rose said the restaurant does this just to give back to the community.

“We do a lot of different fundraisers throughout the year and this is one of our biggest events that we put on,” he said.

With doors opening at 9 a.m., Thanksgiving dinner is served early and the dining room should fill up quickly, like it has in years past.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein Seeks Recount

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Jill Stein, who ran for president as the Green Party candidate, is seeking a recount of the votes in the battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, her campaign said on Wednesday.

"After a divisive and painful presidential race, reported hacks into voter and party databases and individual email accounts are causing many American to wonder if our election results are reliable," Stein said in a statement. "These concerns need to be investigated before the 2016 presidential election is certified. We deserve elections we can trust."

The deadline for filing for a recount in Wisconsin is Friday at a cost of $1.1 million. Stein and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka, are raising money to fund the effort. Their goal is $2 million by Friday afternoon.

The announcement follows a New York magazine report that some computer scientists have been urging Democrat Hillary Clinton to ask for the recount in the three states. The article questioned the deviation in election results from predictions in polls. 

J. Alex Halderman, a computer science professor at the University of Michigan, confirmed on Medium that he had been in touch with the Clinton campaign but said his views had been misrepresented and it was "probably not" true that the election was hacked.

"I believe the most likely explanation is that the polls were systematically wrong, rather than the election was hacked," he wrote. 

But he also said that the only way to know whether a cyberattack changed the result was to examine the paper ballots and voting equipment in the three states.

President-elect Donald Trump beat Clinton with 290 electoral votes to Clinton's 232, with Michigan outstanding. Clinton has a lead of more than 2 million popular votes. 

Other deadlines are Monday in Pennsylvania and Wednesday in Michigan.

Halderman, who also is director of Michigan's Center for Computer Security and Society, wrote that many states continue to use voting machines that are known to be insecure and that can be infected with vote-stealing malware. Checking the paper record in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan would allow voters to be confident the results were counted correctly, he wrote.

"Examining the physical evidence in these states — even if it finds nothing amiss — will help allay doubt and give voters justified confidence that the results are accurate," Halderman wrote.

An article on Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight website, which predicted the race incorrectly, cast doubt on concerns about tampering with the electronic voting machines. Demographics explain the results, Carl Bialik and Rob Arthur wrote.

"We've looked into the claim — or at least, our best guess of what's being claimed based on what has been reported — and statistically, it doesn't check out," they wrote.

Police Dog Dies After Chasing Kidnapping Suspect

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A Wethersfield Police dog has died from injuries sustained while pursuing a kidnapping suspect on Monday night.

Wethersfield Police said they were responding to a call about a woman abducted from Hartford who was being held in a motel on the Silas Deane Highway, near Executive Square and officers found the suspect in a thicket.

The police dog, K9 Thor, started chasing the suspect and his handler lost sight of him, police said.  

Officers found someone matching the suspect's condition in Rocky Hill and a state trooper found Thor on the ground with internal bleeding.

He was brought to an animal hospital, where he received a blood transfusion, but somehow he got a blood clot and died, police said. It's not clear how Thor was injured.

Police said K-9 Thor died on Tuesday night and the department will be making arrangements to honor him.

“Our deepest condolences remain with Officer Nuno Martins and his family during this difficult time, just as K-9 Thor’s courage in deeds will remain in our hearts,” police said in a Facebook post.



Photo Credit: Wethersfield Police
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Suspects in Shooting of 10-Year-Old in Hartford in Custody

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Bond for a 17-year-old boy and a 22-year-old Bloomfield man suspected in the shooting of a 10-year-old girl on a Sunday afternoon in November has been set at $1 million.

Police said the 17-year-old is the suspected shooter. They have not released his name. Kwanze Fluker, 22, of Bloomfield, is the suspected driver, police said. He has been charged with first-degree conspiracy assault and first-degree criminal liability/assault. 

The young victim was sitting in her Branford Street home when the shots rang out around 3:45 p.m. on Sunday Nov. 6 and a bullet struck her under her eye, police said.

Officers who responded to the scene of the shooting found the girl's father putting her in a car, police said. She was taken at first to Saint Francis Hospital, then transported to Connecticut Children's Medical Center.

The bullet is still lodged under the girl's eye, according to police. She will have to undergo surgery, but she is expected to keep her ability to see.

Officers have been investigating for weeks and believe the driveby shooting was connected to retaliatory shootings in the neighborhood.

They said the found a gun in Fluker's house and believe the bullet that injured the girl came from it. Police said he is suspected in another shooting in Hartford.



Photo Credit: Hartford Police

How NYPD's Bomb Squad Disabled Chelsea Device

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Sweat was pouring into the eyes of New York City bomb squad technician Jason Hallick inside a 90-pound, armored body suit as he disabled a pressure cooker bomb in Manhattan, he tells "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt.

The bomb was placed in Chelsea in September by Ahmad Khan Rahami, authorities say, and another one had already exploded, injuring 31 people. (Wounded in a shootout with police, Rahami has pleaded not guilty.)

Now, this second device spotted, it was up to NYPD bomb squad technicians, their suits and their robots to prevent more people from being hurt.

"Nobody here can ever be paralyzed by fear," bomb squad commander Mark Torre said in the exclusive interview with Holt. "But we all have that very healthy respect for the force of explosives and what it can do. So there was a healthy degree of tension. Everybody's very, very focused."



Photo Credit: NBC News

Smithsonian Big Digitizing Project

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The Smithsonian has millions of artifacts, but most of them are not on display in museums, so an effort is underway to display them online.

At a heavily guarded facility in Maryland, the Smithsonian stores 30 million artifacts, including an 1830s carriage, a high wheel, Evel Knievel’s motorcycle and the original chairs from “Meet the Press.”

“It's really quite fun to read up on some of those things,” museum specialist James Oakley said. “I mean, I never heard of a Winton.”

(It’s a race car that only went 1 mile in 43 seconds in 1904.)

The Museum of American History is serious about preservation.

“Sometimes that means keeping things in storage, in dark, in certain climate conditions so that when it comes time for researchers to look at them or for them to go on display they will be in good condition,” curator Shannon Perich said.

“I always say as a historian you have to be ready to be cold,” curator Alexandra Lord quipped.

But artifacts don’t just sit in storage, associate curator Diane Wendt said. They are researched.

In medical collections, drawers and shelves protect surgical tools from the Revolutionary War, the first artificial heart and a condom dispenser from the 1940s — one of the government’s oldest sexual education campaigns, and it reflected the culture of the time: that they were solely to prevent disease, not pregnancy.

With future exhibits yet to be announced, nobody knows how long those boxes of incredible things will stay locked away, but thanks to technology, the public has a chance to get a close-up to a lot of hidden history. The museum is putting a huge effort to getting items digitized to make them available to the world.

Project assistant Rachel Anderson spends hours studying and photographing artifacts, capturing various angles. She does it quickly to limit the object’s exposure to light or heat.

“It's a really big undertaking, and we keep chipping away at it,” Anderson said.

The team recently added 2,100 objects to the museum’s growing archives online. It took six months, and there are thousands more to go.

“What we're engaged with right now is a preservation effort, it's a documentation effort and it's an accessibility effort,” Anderson said.

There’s a conservation component, too — with a world of labs, work stations and talent with just the right touch to preserve history.



Photo Credit: NBCWashington

Hourly Workers React to Hold on New Overtime Rule

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A federal judge has put on hold on the new rule that would have made about 4 million more Americans eligible for overtime.

It was supposed to go into effect Dec. 1, right before the holiday season.

Those in retail and in the restaurant business usually end up working extra around the holiday season. Which is why some workers said not getting overtime is not fair.

"That stinks. I don't think it should be that way," said Marla Parker, who makes overtime bartending in Groton.

"If you're working an hourly wage you should get paid for every hour that you work," Parker said.

Under President Obama's plan to extend overtime pay, salaried workers would have become eligible for overtime if they made less than about $47,500 a year.

"Sometimes they didn't finish their shift, or they'd have to leave early or come in later because they were going to go over 40 hours for that week," said Nancy Gramolini, who has family and friends who don't get overtime.

Over the holidays, they could use the extra cash for working extra hours, she said.

But paying the extra money is not always easy, especially small businesses.

"There are a lot of taxes, there's payroll, the rent is high you've got your utilities, your cable," said Mary Stanley.

After 27 years, Stanley is closing down The Velvet Swan in Mystic. She hasn't made any of her employees full time because she said it's tough for a small business to break even. And it would be even harder to, while paying overtime.

"They're definitely entitled to the overtime pay. But as a small business, you have to watch your costs," Stanley said.

Terryville Students Help Prep Thanksgiving Dinner for Others

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They may not have been in class on Wednesday, but some Terryville elementary, middle and high school students were out learning some major life lessons.

Dozens of kids got together at Pasquale's Deli, chopping and peeling produce, for those who may feel alone on Thanksgiving.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, they're opening up the deli to feed families who may not be able to afford it, veterans, emergency responders and people who may not have family.

"It feels great just to give back and, you know, I can't wait until tomorrow to see everyone come in and just smile and be happy that they're getting a free meal," explained Pasquale Martino, the deli's owner.

Five turkeys, 100 ponds of potatoes, 50 pounds of carrots, along with other produce, desserts and money were all donated for the cause, making it a true community effort.

"Originally when I was thinking about doing this, I was planning on doing everything on my own. But with donations and everything from businesses and the community, everything's just been donated," said Martino.

Obviously, a free meal can be very emotional for those who are receiving it. But for those who are giving it, the experience can be even more touching.

"I've actually I think been in tears more this past week than I have in two or three years," said Nicole McWilliams who works at the deli.

"We had one woman hand us $5 because that's what she had. And honestly, I lost it because she was crying."



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Hartford Fiscal Trouble Slams Into West Hartford Over Water Bills

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If the City of Hartford cant pay a more than $5 million balance for its Metropolitcan District (MDC) water and sewer bill, then the member towns will have to cover the loss.

No town will receive a higher bill for the services than West Hartford at $1.7 million.

The rates are set in place and the figure is based on the town's rates and usage.

“This is going to make us spend a lot of time trying to figure out what the right number is for our community," said Ron Van Winkle, West Hartford's longtime town manager.

Hartford has been dealing with historic financial woes and faces budget shortfalls approaching $20 million and $50 million for the next two fiscal years.

The city has informed the MDC that it may not be able to fulfill its obligations, triggering the MDC charter which states that the other member towns would make up for the loss.

Scott Jellison, the CEO of the MDC, said the execution of that section of the charter is a rare move.

"I don't think anyone would have expected this to happen to our capital city but it has and as a regional body we're here to support each member" Jellison said. "It's on the other seven towns interest Hartford succeeds and with out Hartford succeeding all their ad valorem payments would go up forever."

The towns would only have to chip in to cover Hartford if the city doesn't make all of its MDC payments, totalling $5.8 million by October 2017. The issue for cities and towns within MDC is that they are all responsible for the balance, and their budgets on a different cycle than MDC, meaning they would all have to set aside money for the worst-case-scenario.

East Hartford would ow $968,000, Newington $719,000, Bloomfield $586,000, Rocky Hill $474,000, Wethersfield $652,000, Windsor $700,000 and finally West Hartford's $1.7 million

Van Winkle says his first inclination is to use excess tax revenues to pay for the town's potential balance to MDC. He fears that using money sitting in the town's reserves could come back to hurt the town if it wants to borrow money for investment in the future.

“With the city, and the problems in our Capital City, West Hartford is going to be affected in a lot of different ways, whether it’s when we issue bonds, will we have problems with our rating.”

Van Winkle expects there to be even more difficulty relating to both Hartford's struggles, and the state's meaning the MDC issue may be only the tip of the iceberg.

“This is the first domino, this MDC issue without question. There will be another one coming with the governor’s budget and more coming in the legislative session.”



Photo Credit: AP

Shopper Makes Last Minutes Stop For Thanksgiving Items

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Thanksgiving is on Thursday but NBC Connecticut found plenty of people making their last minute trip to the grocery story the day before. 

Stu Leonard's was filled with people Wednesday packing their carts with all their Thanksgiving staples: from turkeys and cranberry sauce to gravy and cornbread, and of course, pies.

While it all adds up, the American Farm Bureau Federation said slightly lower turkey prices mean you’re not spending as much as you were for last year’s Thanksgiving feast.

The average cost of dinner for ten is $49.87, which is down 24 cents from 2015.

We caught Andrea Szymaszek of Meriden checking out at the cash register getting her last minute items. 

"We usually host Thanksgiving and we have about the same amount of people every year," said Szymaszek.

Loida Nicholson of Bloomfield said she waited for her daughter to come home from college for Thanksgiving break.

"Normally, we do it before but we’re in the last minute rush," said Loida.

"(We got) the raspberries, blueberries, all that puff pastry fruits (are) because we’re trying to be healthy too,” said her daughter, Lian.

But no matter the cost, or the hectic last minute trip to get groceries shoppers NBC Connecticut spoke with said they cannot wait for Thanksgiving.

“I’m excited to just have everybody home,” said Anna Marie Cohen of Cheshire.

“Mostly eating and watching football,” said Scott Dunn of Rocky Hill.


Thanksgiving Snow? Holiday Could Be Cold and Wet for Many

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Getting to grandma's house for the Thanksgiving feast could be tricky for many Americans this year, NBC News reported. 

Snow is in the forecast for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern New York state, parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and some sections of the Rocky Mountains, the National Weather Service reported Wednesday.

The balmiest corner of the country will be the Southeast, where temperatures are expected to be 5 to 10 degrees above normal in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas.

Meanwhile, the forecast high for Palm Beach, Florida, is 80 degrees when President-elect Donald Trump and his family sit down to carve up the turkey there.



Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

Hartford Police Out in Full Force on Thanksgiving Eve

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The combination of a popular traveling and partying night had the Hartford Police Department out in full force Wednesday.

Thanksgiving Eve has more alcohol-related driving deaths than New Year’s Eve, so they put out additional patrols to curb some of the danger.

“It is very important that we are out here especially on a night like tonight,” said Officer Michael Taylor. “If we do spot that possible suspected drunk driver we can get it stopped before anyone gets hurt or injured.”

Six units operating in a roving capacity city-wide performed high visibility DUI and traffic safety enforcement. By 11 p.m. they had made to arrests, including one following a car into pole crash on Flatbush Avenue. Police say it is lucky no one was injured, including the driver.

“The portable breath test which is a PBT indicated that he has a bac level of .381 at the time of operation,” said Taylor.

Police also kept an eye out for speeding and other traffic violations that could indicate an impaired driver. They say their job is to make sure everyone makes it safely to their Thanksgiving table.

“Everyone wants to get back to their families and to take a risk of operating your vehicle while under the influence, it is not only yourself but the other motorists and the other people in the community you are putting at risk,” said Taylor.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

The Cost for Protecting President-Elect Trump? Yuge!

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When the soon-to-be first family sits down for their Thanksgiving feast, they will be watched over by a contingent of at least 150 Secret Service personnel, NBC News reported. And when Donald Trump is sworn in as president on Jan. 20, that contingent will be 920 Secret Service agents and support personel in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

The price tag for all that security is already very big, or as the Manhattan mogul might put it, "Yuge," internal Homeland Security and Secret Service documents reviewed by NBC News show.

Right now the cost to taxpayers is more than $2 million daily, the documents show, a number that is sure to increase whenever the president or first lady travel — or when the threat level rises.

Meanwhile, the New York Police Department is already handling external security at Trump Tower, the Manhattan home base of the President-elect, at an estimated cost of $1 million per day.



Photo Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

LAPD Cops to Run for Lost Comrades

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Los Angeles police officers Joe Cirrito and Kristina Tudor know that running 420 miles to Sacramento over 12 days is going to be an exercise in agony, but they're doing it for the greater good — raising money for the families of officers killed in the line of duty.

The officers are set to begin their journey Sunday at the Los Angeles Police Academy in Elysian Park. They'll run with the added weight of their uniforms, fully loaded and duty-ready Sam Browne belts and boots that, Tudor said, "feel like anchors tied to your feet."

"We're going into the unknown," said Tudor, 30, who at a diminutive 5 feet 3 inches tall is an ultramarathon runner and one of about 10 women on the LAPD's elite Metropolitan Division. "There are definitely things we're going to be learning about ourselves that we probably didn't even know existed."

Cirrito, who is 47 years old and 5 feet 11 inches, joked that this run is his midlife crisis. A sprinter in college who hated distance, Cirrito has been running 80 miles a week in his uniform before his shift at 2 a.m. to get ready. The former teacher and college football player from New York has been psyching himself up by watching "Rocky" movies and listening to AC/DC.

"It's a huge motivator for me," he said.

They'll alternate running 20-mile legs, while the other rests and rehydrates in a recreational vehicle that will pace them north on State Route 33. They'll have foods full of proteins and carbs — salmon and chicken for Cirrito — as well as Gatorade, soda and water. Rotating support teams will handle security, social media updates and logistics in utility vans that will leap frog along the route.

Cirrito, a senior lead officer at the LAPD's Olympic Division, was inspired by his friend, Dominick Pezzulo, a former high school shop teacher who became a New York/New Jersey Port Authority officer in 2000. Pezzulo had been on the job one year when he was among the more than 70 officers killed when terrorists crashed hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

It's been 16 years, but Cirrito still cries when talking about his friend.

"I can't watch anything that deals with 9/11 without tearing up," he said. "I feel that it's also a driving force for me because he became my hero."

Cirrito and Tudor hope to raise $10,000.

They're ready. Last year, the two ran the 26-mile LA Marathon in full gear in under six hours.

Tudor said her hips and thighs hurt, but she knows that a big part of running is mental. So she prepared by reading "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell.

"It relaxes me mentally, keeps my mind sharp," she said.

Cirrito has kept to a strict diet of chicken and fish — no fast food, beer, or other meat.

He'll stream music on his phone to keep him motivated through the run.

"This is an honor for me," he said. "This has been a very tough year for law enforcement. The biggest thing about why I enjoy running in uniform is I get to talk to people. It's so important that people understand that we're human."



Photo Credit: LAPD

New Haven Police Investigate Thanksgiving Day Homicide

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Whalley Ave. in New Haven was shut down at Hobart St. on Thursday morning as police searched for two suspects involved in a fatal shooting near Southern Connecticut State University.

Police say that at 3:12 a.m., Shotspotter alerted them to several gunshots being fired in the one-hundred block of Cherry Ann St.

A male victim identified as 30-year-old Dyrail Martaye Reddick of New Haven was found on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds, according to Police.

Police say he was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital was pronounced deceased soon after arrival.

Police investigators suspect that Reddick was shot following an incident in the parking lot of the 112 Cherry Ann Street apartment complex.

A red Acura, believed to have been involved in the incident fled from Southern Connecticut State University Police and ended up crashing into a tree on Whalley Avenue, according to Police.

Police say that following the cash, one person in the car was detained while another person fled the scene on foot.

Both the Acura and an additional vehicle parked at the Slice Pizza Restaurant in Hamden were towed by police and are set to undergo forensic analysis, police say.

At this point, police are unsure of what involvement these vehicles may have had in the case.

New Haven Police are asking for anyone who witnessed this shooting or has additional information relevant to the case to please contact the detective division at 203-946-6304.

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