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Middletown Mayor Considers Run for Governor

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Middletown Mayor Dan Drew is considering a run for governor and has filed paperwork for an exploratory committee.

“For too long, the focus of our government has been to assist people at the very top. The people in the middle are left behind,” Drew said in a statement.

Drew, the father of four, was first elected mayor of Middletown in 2011 and is serving his third term.

“We must recognize that we have the opportunity and responsibility to think big and to make the bold changes that will tangibly improve life for the people of Connecticut. Seniors should be able to retire comfortably, parents should be able to send their kids to great public schools, and workers deserve good jobs to support their families,” he said.

“If this past election proved anything, it’s that politics is broken. We need to change that. We can lead the nation in creating an economy that works for everyone,” Drew said in a statement.



Photo Credit: Dan Drew Campaign

Bristol Teen Found

Woman Shot in Head in Bridgeport Has Died: Police

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Police are investigating the homicide of a 25-year-old woman in Bridgeport on Saturday night.

The shooting happened in the are of 1001 East Main Street just after 9 p.m. and Elianna Cruz was shot in the head, according to police.

Police said a private vehicle transported her from the scene, near Compare Foods, and she was admitted to Bridgeport Hospital and died at 3:10 p.m. on Wednesday, police said.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy today.

Detectives are investigating and anyone with information should call the Bridgeport Police Department Tips Line at 203-576-TIPS (8477).



Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Police Find Fake Check-Making Operation in West Haven Home

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Police searched a West Haven home on Wednesday and said they found drivers licenses, social security cards, passports, bank documents, and personal paper work belonging to several identity theft victims.

Police arrested 35-year-old Leshanda Long, of Marshall Street in West Haven, on a warrant charging her with second-degree forgery.

Police said the raid was at her home and they also found computer-related items used to produce checks, as well as checks were that were half printed or with printed information on the check was not centered.

Long was held on bond.



Photo Credit: West Haven Police

Parade of Storms Pulls Northern California Out of Drought

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A conveyor belt of strong Pacific storms brought enough rain and snow to California early this winter to knock out drought conditions in the northern part of the state, according to this week's U.S. Drought Monitor report.

More than 40 percent of California is out of the drought after several rounds of storms during the wet season, which began Oct. 1, according to the weekly report. The streams of moisture have caused some flooding, but eliminated drought conditions in the northern half of California.

"We're making progress," said NBC4 Southern California forecaster Crystal Egger. "We still have a ways to go. It's not going to happen in just one season."

This time last year, 97 percent of the state was in drought.

Parts of California remain in a fifth consecutive year of drought conditions, but the report cited major improvements for the state's water reservoirs and the critical snowpack in the Sierra Nevada range. That snowpack melts in the spring, then flows into the state's water reservoirs, most of which were above the normal Jan. 10 historic level and rising, and provides Californians with much of their year-round water supply.

The snowpack level also is well above normal for Jan. 10, according to the Drought Monitor.

The most severe drought conditions -- identified as exceptional drought -- persist in a small part of southwestern California. That leaves about 2 percent of the state under the most severe drought category, marking a significant improvement from this time last year when 42 percent was under exceptional drought.

California will remain in a drought emergency until Gov. Jerry Brown approves changes to the order he issued in January 2014 to combat consecutive dry years. Brown issued that announcement on a patch of bare grass in the Sierras, which are now buried under snow.

The governor is likely to wait until the end of winter to make a decision. 

The Monitor's latest report, compiled by water experts who use soil moisture, stream levels and snowpack to make their estimates, includes data through Tuesday Jan. 10. More rain and snow arrived Wednesday and Thursday.

The storms are expected to move out ahead of the weekend, provided a much-needed break for Northern California residents who have faced flooding and the threat of landslides.



Photo Credit: USGS
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Ziploc Freezer Bags Help Premature Babies Stay Warm: Study

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For premature babies, getting the slightest chill can increase their chance of life-threatening illnesses.

Nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Texas Health Fort Worth developed a program to keep fragile babies warmer.

It has led to a decrease of very low birth weight babies being admitted to the NICU as hypothermic, and potentially increasing their chance of survival.

Premature infants with admission temperatures below 96.8 degrees are at higher risk of mortality and some morbidities, including late-onset sepsis, intraventricular hemorrhage and oxygen toxicity.

The program involves placing the most fragile premature babies, usually less than 32 weeks gestation and 3.3 pounds, into Ziploc freezer bags.

The team cuts a hole at the top of the bag and slides the baby in head first moments after birth.

"It creates kind of a hot house effect so the babies stay warm. So, as they are rolled into the NICU, their admission temperatures are normal," said Stephanie Eidson, B.S.N., clinical educator.

"It sounds so simple that people might wonder why the focus on temperature is just now being addressed, but the process was actually very involved," said Lindsey Cannon, M.S.N., R.N., NICU manager.

Cannon and Eidson put together a team consisting of Labor & Delivery and NICU nurses and leaders, physicians, respiratory therapists and Operating Room, Engineering and Housekeeping staff to work on what's been called the "Hypothermia Eradication from Admission Temperatures "H.E.A.T." study."

The study resulted in interventions like the use of preheated radiant warmers, thermal mattresses, polypropylene bags and plastic shower caps to prevent infant heat loss upon birth.

Additionally, they increased the room temperature of the delivery room from 74 to 76 degrees, using cooling vests to keep staff comfortable.

Within two years, the percentage of hypothermic infants on NICU admission decreased from 20 to 10 percent, and the percentage of infants with normal temperatures increased from 50 to 70 percent, according to the hospital system.

Christine Evans gave birth to her twins girls at 30 weeks gestation in November.

Emma weighed three pounds and her sister, Abigail, weighed two pounds, 11 ounces.

"We are lucky that I came out okay and that they came out of it OK. The outcome could have been vastly different," Evans said.

Seconds after they were born, both girls were placed into Ziploc freezer bags. Elastic bowl covers were placed on their tiny heads.

"Seeing them in Ziploc bags was very odd. I didn't expect that one," said new father, Jason Evans.

"We could have been at any other hospital and not had the same outcome. We don't know. But we were in the right place at the right time," said Christine Evans.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News

Drone Strikes Space Needle

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Video has been recovered from a drone that crashed into Seattle's Space Needle on the afternoon of New Year's Eve. It happened as pyrotechnicians set up for the T-Mobile "New Year's at the Needle" fireworks display, which went off at midnight on New Year's Day. A Space Needle spokesperson says the drone landed on the roof, 575 feet above ground.

Read Pompeo's Prepared Remarks for CIA Chief Hearing

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Statement for the Record before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
The Honorable Mike Pompeo
January 12, 2017

Senator Dole, thank you for your kind words. But more importantly, thank you for the great service you have performed for Kansas and for America both in your life as an elected official, as a soldier in WWII and as a patriot who worked so hard to build the memorial to honor those who fought in that war. Every Kansan—and I think it’s safe to say, all of your former colleagues here in the Senate—know that they have benefitted from your wit, your patriotism and your kindness. I know that I have.

Senator Roberts, thank you too for your kind introduction. I am especially grateful for your guidance over the years, not simply because you are the Dean of our Kansas Congressional delegation, but due to your insights as the former Chairman of this committee. As Chairman, you provided critical leadership during a pivotal and challenging period of American history – during the early years of the Global War on Terrorism and the Iraq War – and I hope I can continue to count on your advice and counsel.

Chairman Burr, Vice-Chairman Warner, Senators – I thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today as the nominee for the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Should I be fortunate enough to be confirmed by the Senate, I hope to visit you more often from Langley than I have from across the Capitol. I mean this not as a criticism of relations between the two Houses of Congress, but a recognition of how much value I would place on relations between the CIA and its Congressional overseers.

I want to thank the members and staff of this Committee for their attention to my nomination over the last few weeks. Since I first joined the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) in the 112th Congress, I have felt a special appreciation for the hard work that goes into Congressional oversight. The tremendous honor we have in overseeing the intelligence community is only tempered by the sobering burden of grappling in secret with the many national security challenges facing our country.

I would like to thank President-elect Trump for nominating me to serve in this role and for the faith he has shown in me. It is an honor to be selected as the next steward of the premier intelligence agency that is the CIA. I look forward to working with Senator Dan Coats, nominee for the Director of National Intelligence, and supporting him in his critical role, if we are both confirmed.

I want to thank my patient and patriotic wife Susan, and my son Nicholas, each whom I love dearly. They are both supporting me here this morning. The two of you have been so selfless in allowing me to return to public service— first as a member of Congress and, now, if confirmed, back working with warriors who keep America safe. I cannot tell you how much it means to have you sitting with me today.

I am also grateful to the people of the 4th Congressional District of Kansas, who have entrusted me to represent them in the House of Representatives since 2011. I am proud to have earned and kept their trust, and have cherished every minute of service to my constituents.

That said, having been a Member of the House Intelligence Committee and an overseer of our nation’s intelligence enterprise, I understand full well that my job, if confirmed, will be to change roles from policymaker to information provider. My job will be to stay clearly on the side of intelligence collection and objective analysis of our national security challenges—presenting factual intelligence and sound judgments to policymakers, including this Committee. I have spent the majority of my life outside the realm of politics – as a cavalry officer in the United States Army, then as a litigator, and then running two manufacturing businesses. Returning to duty requiring hard work and unerring candor is something that is in my bones.

***

Today, I would like to first briefly sketch some of the specific challenges facing the U.S.; second, address trends in intelligence I have seen from my post on HPSCI; and finally, describe what I see as the CIA’s role in addressing these challenges.

Threat Environment

First, as many have noted, this is the most complicated threat environment the U.S. has faced in recent memory. The litany is now familiar:

 

  • As Director Clapper acknowledged at the beginning of 2016: “there are now more Sunni violent extremist groups, members, and safe havens than at any time in history.”
  • ISIS remains a resilient movement, has metastasized, and shockingly has controlled major urban centers in the Middle East for well over two years. Whereas a few years ago, we focused on stemming the flow of foreign fighters going to Syria and Iraq, today, the concern is making sure they, and those they inspire, are prevented from expanding their reach, returning home, or slaughtering more innocent people.
  •  Syria is a failed state and has become one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of the 21st century. This conflict has led to the rise of extremism, sectarianism, instability in the region and Europe, and the worst refugee crisis the world has faced in recent memory.

 

 

  • Iran – the leading state sponsor of terror – has become an emboldened, disruptive player in the Middle East, fueling tension with our Sunni allies.
  • Russia has reasserted itself aggressively, invading and occupying Ukraine, threatening Europe, and doing nearly nothing to aid in the destruction of ISIS.
  • As China flexes its muscles and expands its military and economic reach, its activities in the South and East China Seas and in cyberspace are pushing new boundaries and creating real tension.
  • North Korea has dangerously accelerated its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, with little regard for international pressure.
  • In an increasingly inter-connected world, the cyber domain presents new and growing challenges. Using evolving cyber tools, state and non-state actors continue to probe U.S. systems, exploit vulnerabilities, and challenge our interests.

 

Intelligence Trends

Intelligence is vital to every national security issue facing the United States. As some have said, it is the “lifeblood” of national security and is more in demand than ever.

 

  • Intelligence enables better-informed decisions by reducing uncertainty; it is critical in seeking to avoid strategic or tactical surprise, and to giving our armed forces superior domain awareness.
  • We rely on intelligence from around the globe to keep danger from our shores. High quality precision intelligence enables our military efforts.

 

More and more, intelligence is critical to making effective other elements of national power including sanctions against weapons proliferators, cyber criminals, perpetrators of war crimes, and terrorist financiers.

 

  • We share capabilities and intelligence to improve relationships in furtherance of our national security objectives. Foreign governments and liaison services are vital partners in preventing attacks and providing crucial intelligence. It is important that we thank our foreign partners for standing with us.

 

As we face a deteriorating global picture, the U.S. needs to redouble its efforts by ensuring we have more intelligence, not less. Indeed, senior Intelligence Community leaders worry that recent budget cuts will have a silent, corrosive effect—weakening the fabric of the intelligence community. If confirmed, as Director, I intend to be an advocate for a strong and vibrant intelligence community and for CIA’s centrality in that community.

There are at least five long term trends making the urgency of recognizing and supporting intelligence critically important.

 

  • First, the Intelligence Community finds itself a potential victim of a longer term negative budgetary trend. Given the vital role of intelligence in national security, and given the increasing threats we face, this makes little sense.
  • Second, technological advancement across the globe, even by non-hostile countries, is challenging the U.S. advantage, as commercial technologies spread into the hands of those who wish us harm. The world is gaining on the U.S.
  • We have long seen this dynamic with the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons and ballistic missile technology, but increasingly in the cyber domain, countries thought to be unsophisticated, such as North Korea, have overcome what appear to be low technological barriers of entry to engage in offensive cyber operations. The U.S. must continue to invest wisely to maintain a decisive advantage.
  • The effects of dislocation, lack of governance, and the rise of non-state actors threaten our national security and present critical challenges to the Intelligence Community. This is creating new targets for CIA’s intelligence collection and analysis that compete for attention with the usual state suspects and bad actors.
  • Finally, the insider threat problem has grown exponentially in the digital age. Counterintelligence is a perennial issue and we must be increasingly aware that those within our agencies have access to millions of files. By the same token, the use of digital assets by foreign actors creates intelligence opportunities.

 

7

CIA’s Role

I want to talk in more detail about today’s challenges. The greatest threats to our national security have always been the CIA’s top priorities. And the CIA has always been at the forefront of America’s comprehensive efforts to meet these threats. Since September 11, 2001, the CIA’s activities have been extraordinary. As the tip of the spear in the war on terrorism, the CIA has put tremendous pressure on our enemies, reducing their freedom to plan, communicate and travel.

The CIA has always played integral roles in America’s fight against radical Islamic terror. It sounded warning bells before 9/11 of al Qaeda’s growing global reach. CIA officers were the first into Afghanistan to lay the groundwork for the military effort that struck a major blow to al Qaeda and drove the Taliban from power. From understanding and tearing apart al Qaeda in Iraq networks, to the hunt for bin Laden, the CIA has been at the forefront of the fight every step of the way.

My outline above of hard targets and challenges merely skims the surface of the potential threats facing the United States. If confirmed, it will be the CIA’s mission to bring other pressing problems, risks, and challenges from regions and countries that don’t always make the front page to the attention of senior policymakers. Indeed, if we are doing our job, we will help U.S. policymakers act early to prevent such problems from becoming front page news.

 

  • It will also be the CIA’s mission, and my own, to ensure the Agency remains the best in the world at its core mission: discovering the truth and searching out information. 
  • In this complex threat environment, we must gather intelligence from the most elusive targets and in the most difficult environments. We will need to rely on liaison services and new relationships, which are critical to gathering information around the world. Even so, U.S. intelligence must continue to expand its global coverage to keep up with these threats. While intelligence sharing relationships with our friends and allies are important, they cannot replace our own unilateral recruiting and operations. To protect America, the CIA must continue to be the world’s premier espionage service.
  • One obvious emerging area for increased focus – both unilaterally and in conjunction with our partners – is the cyber domain. The internet – and the connectivity of our world, systems, and devices – is a borderless, global environment, easily and frequently exploited by sophisticated adversaries like China and Russia, as well as by less sophisticated adversaries like Iran and North Korea, non-state actors, terrorist groups, criminal organizations, and hackers. While NSA and Cyber Command play leading roles, cyber has become critical to virtually every intelligence operation and CIA must continue to operate at the forefront on this issue.
  • As the President-elect has made clear, one of my top priorities, if confirmed, is to assist in defeating ISIS. Radical Islamic terrorism is both a symptom and a catalyst of the terrible conflicts raging in the Middle East that have created both a humanitarian and strategic catastrophe. The enduring capability of al Qaeda and its affiliates, the rise and resilience of ISIS and Islamic extremists in Libya and across the Middle East, and the brutality of al Shabaab and Boko Haram, should remind us of the need to maintain an aggressive counterterrorism posture. It is also critical to address what manifestations of this threat and ideology emerge – beyond ISIS and al Qaeda.

 

 

  • We must also be rigorously fair and objective in assessing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. As the deal permits domestic enrichment and other nuclear research and development, U.S. policymakers will need increased intelligence collection and insightful analysis. While as a Member of Congress I opposed the Iran deal, if confirmed, my role will change. It will be to drive the Agency to aggressively pursue collection operations and ensure analysts have the time, political space, and resources to make objective and methodologically sound judgments. If confirmed, I will present their judgments to policymakers.
  • The same goes for Russia. It is a policy decision as to what to do with Russia, but I understand it will be essential that the Agency provide policymakers with accurate intelligence and clear-eyed analysis of Russian activities.
  • The Agency must also serve as the nation’s sentinel for new and emerging threats and trends, monitoring the convergence of rogue actors and capabilities, and sources of instability that can spread across the globe and undermine U.S. national security. This means that the Agency needs the means, capabilities, reach, and awareness to understand and convey where threats are emerging and how U.S. interests may be vulnerable. This requires constant innovation, analytic rigor, and operational flexibility – hallmarks of the CIA.

 

As a Member of the House Intelligence Committee, I fully appreciate the need for transparency with the Congressional oversight committees. If the Intelligence Community does not secure the support of the appropriate Congressional authorities for its activities, the legislative backlash from controversial intelligence failures and controversies can be severe and counterproductive.

We owe it to our constituents to get to the bottom of intelligence failures – as this Committee did with the pre-war Iraq intelligence. But we owe it to the brave Americans of the intelligence community not to shirk our responsibility when unauthorized disclosures to the media expose controversial intelligence activities, or when Edward Snowden, from the comfort of his Moscow safe house, misleads the American people about the NSA’s surveillance activities.

I cannot stress strongly enough how proud of the CIA’s workforce Americans would be if they could peek behind the curtains, as the Committee gets to do, to see them in action. The incredible talent, bravery, and ingenuity these patriots put on the line every day in defense of our country are constant inspirations to me.

On my first visit out to the CIA headquarters a few years ago, I was walking through an analytical targeting cell. I saw a woman who appeared as though she had not slept for weeks, poring over a data set on her screen. I stopped, introduced myself and asked her what she was working on. She said she thought she was just hours away from solving a riddle about the location of a particularly bad character that she had been pursuing for months. She was not about to abandon her post. She had her mission and its completion would make America safer. A true patriot. In the past years, I have come to know that there are countless men and women just like her working to crush our adversaries with world class intelligence operations.

As these quiet professionals grapple with an overwhelming series of challenges in this increasingly uncertain world, they deserve our support and our respect. When we ask them to do difficult things, they should not have to wonder whether we will stand beside them if things go sideways. We should have their backs. Full stop.

When there are intelligence failures, operations that go off the rails, or controversial disclosures, if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed, I pledge to come to the Committee in a timely fashion – and be as forthcoming as possible. But I believe that leaders of the Intelligence Community and Congress owe it to the young men and women who risk their lives for us to do our utmost to keep mistakes from being politicized.

This past weekend, I visited Arlington National Cemetery. I’ve done this many times, but on this visit, I paid special attention to the markers that commemorate CIA officers who have perished ensuring our freedom and working to meet America’s intelligence demands. From Afghanistan to Korea and from Lebanon to Africa, and in so many places most Americans will never know, Agency officers put their lives at risk. Too often, because of the nature of their work, we know little about these men and women and what they do. What we do know, is that they were prepared to give so much for each of us. We know the sacrifices of the families of each CIA officer as well. As I walked among these heroes, I was reminded of the sacred trust that will be granted to me if I am confirmed. I will never fail it.

I am honored to have been nominated to lead the finest intelligence agency the world has ever known—working to keep safe the people of the greatest nation in the history of civilization. If confirmed, I will be sworn to defend the United States Constitution for the third time in my life – first as a soldier, then as a member of the House of Representatives, and, now, to work for the President and with each of you.

I look forward to your questions today.



Photo Credit: AP

Investigators Find Allegations of Sexual Misconduct at Loomis Chafee Over 60-Year Span

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Loomis Chafee, a private boarding school in Windsor, Connecticut, says a law firm hired to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct at the school found reports of employee sexual misconduct from as far back as the 1940s until the early 2000s. 

“We, along with the entire Board of Trustees and the school community, apologize unreservedly to those affected. We know that no action that we take today will erase the deep pain caused, but we do hope that our commitment to confront all such behavior now and in the future may bring some healing,” Christopher Norton, chair of the board of trustees for Loomis Chaffee, and Sheila Culbert, head of school, wrote in a statement released to the school community. 

The law firm, Cowdery & Murphy, conducted the investigation and found the alleged misconduct ranged from sexual advances to sexual abuse. While investigators found individuals credible, they could not fully investigate some of them for a variety of reasons, according to the statement from the school. 

“None of the reports investigated involved incidents of misconduct toward today's current students,” the statement from the school says. 

School officials said administrators were not aware of the abuse two faculty members were accused of and provided them with reference letters. 

They reported another faculty member to Windsor Police, school officials said, and another staff member pleaded guilty to a crime related to allegations of inappropriate relations, according to Loomis Chaffee. 

“As we considered the report and its findings, it is clear that the school should have handled some situations better. We did not report every instance of misconduct; we provided references for a small number of employees who had violated boundaries with students; and when we became aware of past abuse, we did not always follow up with an investigation,” Norton and Culbert said in the letter. “Finally, our reporting mechanisms and training for students and faculty around these issues were minimal.” 

They went on to apologize and said they are committed to protecting students from potential future sexual misconduct and have provided training sessions on boundary issues, sexual misconduct and mandatory reporting. 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Police Investigating Armed Robbery at Southington Gas Station

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Police are investigating an armed robbery at a Southington gas station and have released surveillance photos. 

Police responded to the Fleet Gas Station located at 1611 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday to investigate reports of an armed robbery and learned that a man said “register” to the store clerk and showed a black semi-automatic type handgun, police said. 

The clerk took the money from the register and the robber took the money from the clerk and ran from the store to a parking lot next door to a vehicle. It’s described as possibly a late 1990s to 2000 small- to midsize- greenish gray import car. 

Police said the robber is heavy-set, around 5-feet-6 and around 200 pounds. He was wearing a light colored hoody sweatshirt under a dark gray puffy winter jacket with a hood, a black ski mask above the nose, black running pants with tapered legs, and bright royal blue “Nike” sneakers with white soles and white piping along the ankle area. 

Police said he appeared to be right handed. 

Anyone with information should call the Southington Police Detective Division/ Detective Lewis Palmieri @ 860-378-1646 or email lpalmieri@southingtonpolice.org

You can also call the Southington Police Department Anonymous Tip Line at 860-276-1234.



Photo Credit: Southington Police

White House briefing

Hotel Industry Gets Training on Spotting Victims of Human Trafficking

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Workers from Connecticut’s hotel industry took part Thursday in a training session on how to spot potential victims of human trafficking.

The Connecticut Lodging Association, the Department of Children and Families, law enforcement and New Haven based anti-trafficking group Love 146 hosted the training, which is among the first of its kind for the industry in Connecticut. It follows a new state mandate requiring all lodging industry employees be trained to spot victims, traffickers and activities associated with the underground sex trade.

“We are perceived as one of the places where human trafficking is easily accessible and we want to dismiss that myth” Ginny Kozlowski, the executive director of the Connecticut Lodging Association, said.

Experts said that with more trafficking advertised online and carried out in hotels and not on the street, it’s often hotel and motel workers, not the police, who are the first, and sometimes only, line of defense for people being sold for sex.

“If they know how to spot the red flags then they’re going to be able to know what to look for and what to report to law enforcement,” Erin Williamson, survivor care program director of Love 146, said.

Those red flags can include rooms where multiple guests are coming and going, adults checking in with children who appear malnourished or disheveled and multiple pornography rentals to rooms where children are present.

Officials from the state Department of Children and Families said the number of Connecticut youth who are potential victims of human trafficking is rising.

They saw approximately 133 children referred in 2015 and preliminary numbers for 2016 estimate about 195 children referred to the agency.

“This really provides an opportunity to train the hotel, motel and lodging folks across the state and help them partner with us to find people across the states,” Tammy Sneed, director of Gender Responsive Adolescent Services at DCF, said.

Leaders at the training said that with more hotel workers in the state armed with information on what to look out for, there’s a hope that one day they can bring this dangerous criminal industry to an end.

“We will have reduced the number of people that are victims of human trafficking, not only here, but across the country, globally,” Kozlowski said.

To learn more about Love 146, visit love146.org.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Willimantic Police Investigating Armed Home Invasion

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Police are investigating an armed home invasion on West Avenue in Willimantic and said they are speaking with a person of interest on Trapella Road.

The home invasion happened sometime after 1 a.m. Thursday and police officers were called to the house at 75 West Avenue around 2 a.m.

A victim who lives in the home sustained several cuts to the face. He was treated at Windham Hospital and said he is in a lot of pain.

Willimantic police said there is no danger to the public and this is an ongoing investigation.

"This is an isolated incident, this home invasion," Lt. Stan Parizo, of Willimantic Police, said. "This is a targeted incident within the city. There is absolutely no danger to the city residents.""

If you have any information related to this case, please contact the Willimantic Police Department.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Parents of Southington Schools Warned of Shingles Case

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School officials are warning parents after someone at Kennedy Middle School in Southington contracted shingles.

School officials said the notification is standard operating procedure.

Learn more about the shingles virus from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Following is the full notice sent to parents and guardians of Kennedy Middle School students:

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Someone at our school has contracted shingles and your child may be at risk.

It is vital that parents of immunocompromised children (immunocompromised means having an immune system that has been impaired by a medical condition or treatment - i.e., HIV, cancer, leukemia, chemotherapy, organ transplant, etc.) contact their child’s physician immediately to ask if any precautions are necessary.

If your child has not had chickenpox and/or has not been vaccinated, contact your child’s regular health-care provider as soon as possible to discuss the possible use of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine for your child and /or to ask if any precautions are necessary.

Please contact the school nurse with any questions. If you have any concerns about the exposure or health risk to you or your child, please contact your physician for advice.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Big Temperature Drop for Tomorrow

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The soggy weather continues as more rain showers are expected throughout the day. Temperatures today will remain well above normal with highs in the low- to middle-50s. 

The mild weather comes to an end during the overnight as a cold front moves through Connecticut. 

Temperatures for the weekend will be more winter-like with highs in the low- to middle-30s on Saturday and upper-30s on Sunday. 

The weekend looks to remain dry with partly sunny skies.

A few areas of the state could experience some flurries Sunday night.

The cooler air won't stick around for long as warm air races toward the state next week. 

The middle of the week looks damp. We have rain showers in the forecast for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week. 

There are no big storms in the forecast and as of right now we're not forecasting any snow in the next 10 days. 


Ammunition Heard from Garage Fire in Seymour

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Fire tore through a garage on Roosevelt Drive in Seymour on Thursday afternoon and emergency crews who responded to the scene said thet heard ammunition going off. 

Firefighters responded just before 9:30 a.m. after a resident called 911. When they arrived, heavy fire was coming from the second floor. 

Ammunition was also going off and no firefighters were sent inside, officials said. The fire was put out in around half an hour. 

The resident who called 911 was the only person home when the fire broke out and was not injured. 

The fire appears to be accidental and the fire marshal’s office is investigating.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

World Reacts to Trump's Post-Election Press Conference

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Americans weren't the only ones tuning into Donald Trump's first press conference since being elected president — people around the world watched for clues on how the new administration would impact their lives.

"We don't care [about Trump], as long as life's good in Russia," Irina Smirnova, a 39-year old Moscow resident, told NBC News. 

"I had to grin several times," a professor of American Studies at Heidelberg University in Germany told NBC News' partner ZDF. "But in regard to the power of the office you choke on the laughter. Trump's speech reminded of a sitcom, which at the end was more like a horror comedy."

Click through for more reaction from other countries. 



Photo Credit: AP

Obama to Toast Biden in State Dining Room

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President Obama will deliver remarks at a tribute to Vice President Biden in the State Dining Room Thursday afternoon.

The First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden will also attend.



Photo Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
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Former Major League Coach to Manage Yard Goats

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The Hartford Yard Goats will have a new manager in the 2017 season and he’s a former major league coach who has spent 11 seasons with the Colorado Rockies organization.

The new manager, Jerry Weinstein, is a California native with more than 40 years of experience coaching professional and college baseball. He will replace Darin Everson as the Yard Goats’ manager.

“We are excited to have someone with Jerry’s experience lead our club in our first season in Hartford,” Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall said in a statement.

The Hartford Yard Goats Baseball Club is the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

Weinstein managed the Rockies Class-A affiliate Modesto from 2007 to 2011 and he is also the manager for the Israel team in upcoming World Baseball Classic in March.

He is set to begin his 11th season with the Rockies’ organization and was part of Major League Coaching staff as catching and defensive positioning coach in 2012 and 2013.

Weinstein served as a Special Instructor to Player Development last season after working as the Supervisor of Development at Modesto in 2015.

He was the Director of Player Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2000 and 2001 and has also managed in the Brewers, Expos and Cubs systems.

Weinstein was an assistant coach on the United States Olympic teams in 1992 and 1996, an assistant coach for the 1987 U.S. Pan American Games team and head coach of the USA Baseball Team, which won a Gold Medal at the 2005 Maccabiah Games. He was also on the coaching staff at the University of Miami and UCLA.

“Having someone that has coached in the Major Leagues, Minor Leagues and Olympics is a huge benefit to our club and we look forward to introducing him to our fans and having him involved in our many community events that we have planned,” Restall said in a statement.

“Jerry’s experience, leadership, and relationships make him a perfect fit as the Manager of the Yard Goats, and we are excited that he will be leading the charge in impacting both the Colorado Rockies Double-A players and staff as well as the Hartford community,” Rockies Senior Director of Player Development Zach Wilson said.

The Hartford Yard Goats will play their home opener on Thursday, April 13 at Dunkin’ Donuts Park.

In January 2016, the Yard Goats and the Colorado Rockies extended a player development contract, ensuring that the teams will be connected through the 2018 season. 



Photo Credit: Yard Goats

Man With Gun Robs Woman Making Cash Deposit in Stratford: Police

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A man with a gun robbed a woman as she was making a cash deposit in Stratford Thursday morning, according to police. 

Police responded to TD Bank on Ferry Boulevard, near Main Street, at 8:15 a.m. Thursday after a man with a gun approached a female as she was making a cash deposit and stole about $2,000, police said. 

Then he ran a gray 2005 Lexus RX330 that was reported stolen from Bridgeport on Jan. 3 from Bridgeport, police said. The car has Connecticut plate 885TTA.



Photo Credit: Police
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