A Putnam woman is accused of stealing a car and driving it while under the influence, according to Putnam police.

Police said Beverly Marshall, 51, was pulled over on Providence Street Friday around midnight because the car she was driving had been reported stolen earlier. When officers stopped the vehicle they had Marshall do a series of field sobriety tests which she failed, police said.

Marshall was arrested and charged with operating under the influence, operating a motor vehicle without a license, and second-degree larceny of a motor vehicle. She was held on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

The Senate Small Business Committee is expected to vote Monday on whether Linda McMahon will become Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

McMahon told the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship that she is honored to be nominated and pledged to support small businesses if she is confirmed to lead the SBA.

“We can never forget that small businesses are people with goals and values that cannot be calculated just on a profit and loss statement,” McMahon said. “If I have the honor of being confirmed as the head of the SBA, I will do my best to advocate on their behalf.”

Both senators from Connecticut are former political rivals of McMahon, but both spoke in support of her at the confirmation hearing last week.

"We have known our share of differences, but I have never questioned her unwavering drive and focus," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said. "She has used her business to help veterans and women realize their own dreams and opportunities."

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy expressed his confidence in McMahon’s abilities and commented that politics only work if opponents find ways to work together.

"I'm here today to support Linda, not because we've magically become of one mind on how we approach every problem this country faces, but because I have confidence that she is going to give good, sound counsel to President Trump when it comes to policy affecting small businesses and I believe she has the passion for this job that's vital," Murphy said.

McMahon and her husband founded World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., which became a publicly traded sports entertainment company. She stepped down as the company’s CEO in 2009 and in recent years worked on a start-up to encourage more female business owners.

McMahon ran unsuccessfully for a US Senate seat against both Blumenthal and Murphy in separate campaigns and is known as an influential Republican mega donor. She has known President Donald Trump for decades and donated $5 million to his family charity over the years.

The SBA was created in 1953 and serves to protect the interests of small businesses. It is best known for providing small business loans and disaster aid to companies and entrepreneurs, but also monitors government officials’ compliance with contract laws and sponsors outreach programs. It’s budget generally falls under $1 billion.

Many of Donald Trump’s political supporters in parts of the Midwest and South have shrugged off criticism of his immigration order, Reuters reported.

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order that banned immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries --Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen-- for 90 days and halted the entry of refugees 120 days. Protests erupted at airports across the country as Muslim passengers were detained upon landing.

Trump supporters see the ban as an act of protection against terrorist threats and commend the president for sticking to his promises.

Louise Ingram, a 69-year-old retiree from Troy, Alabama, said she forgave the new administration a few "glitches" and wasn't opposed to immigrants. "I just want to make sure they are safe to come in," she said.

“Somebody has to stand up, be the grown up and see what we can do to better check on people coming in,” another Trump supporter in Virginia said. “Just give it a chance.”

Suffield police have arrested a man accused of causing an accident while driving drunk, police said Monday.

Police allege that Michael DiRosa, 35, of Enfield, was driving drunk Friday night when he crashed into another vehicle on East North Street near Thompsonville Road. The force of the impact forced that vehicle into a second, police said.

Three people were taken to the hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries, according to police.

DiRosa was arrested and charged with operating under the influence, failure to drive a reasonable distance apart, failure to obey control signal, and refusal to submit to breath chemical analysis test. He was released on a $1,000 bond and scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 6.

When the New England Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl next weekend, seven Connecticut natives will be right there, cheering on the Pats.

Theresa Oei, of Hamden, is a 2011 graduate of East Catholic High School and a 2015 Yale University graduate. 

She is working toward her PhD in gene editing at The Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard, where her team researches genetic diseases like cancer, to find a way to treat it by using DNA manipulation.

“I absolutely knew Theresa was going places from her freshman year in my Honors Biology class right through to her time in my Advanced Placement course, Theresa excelled,” Lesa Milas, an East Catholic High School teacher, said in a statement.

Oei said she feels privileged to be able to share her love of science with the people she meets at events on behalf of the Patriots and accepts many of the opportunities that come her way. She said she believes her time at East Catholic is a reason behind her motivation.

“Your personal education doesn't stop with the end of a formal education and I think that East helped me to become a life-long learner. So when the opportunity to cheer with the Patriots came my way, I was more than excited to set out on a very different learning experience. Making time to be on the field with New England Patriots and give back to the New England area through many of the events we do was also inspired by my time at East,” Oei said in a statement.

Alex B., a Terryville native who now lives in Clinton, is another Connecticut native who will be cheering on the Patriots. 

Alex, a 2013 graduate of Dean College in Massachusetts, is a fitness director, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor in Seymour, according to her biography on the New England Patriots web site. She is also a dance Instructor in Southington, and works as a professional dancer.

Karen L., another Terryville native, is a line captain for the third year. She studied communications and works as a publicist in Burlington, Massachusetts, 

Melissa D., of Hamden, is a 2016 graduate of the University of New Haven, where she studied nutrition and dietetics.

Vail M. grew up in Tolland and graduated from Central Connecticut State University in 2016, where she studied business management.

“I am beyond thrilled and grateful to be part of this amazing organization and do what I absolutely love to do with this talented group of women,” she said in her biography on the Patriots web site.

Vanessa A. grew up in Wethersfield and now lives in Newington. She is a 7th grade art teacher.

Victoria S., a Cromwell native, is a 2012 graduate of Central Connecticut State University, and works as a dance instructor and restaurant manager.

The state Department of Public Health is monitoring 30 babies in Connecticut whose mothers tested positive for Zika virus or the related Flavivirus during pregnancy, the agency announced in a release Monday.

DPH is also monitoring nine expectant mothers who tested positive for Zika or Flavivirus.

Zika is known to cause birth defects. Of the 30 babies being watched, two have confirmed Zika-related birth defects and another nine were borderline.

Microcephaly, a condition where a baby’s head is smaller than it should be, is the most well-known condition caused by Zika. It occurs when a baby’s brain does not develop properly during pregnancy or stops growing after birth, according to DPH.

Microcephaly can be isolated or can occur in combination with other birth defects and has been linked with a variety of other problems depending on how severe the condition is. Those problems include the following:

• Seizures
• Developmental delay, such as problems with speech or other developmental milestones (like sitting, standing, and walking)
• Intellectual disability (decreased ability to learn and function in daily life)
• Problems with movement and balance
• Feeding problems, such as difficulty swallowing
• Hearing loss
• Vision problems

Flavivirus is part of a class of viruses related to Zika that includes Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses, according to the CDC.

“It is critical that we work with pediatricians to monitor these babies for signs of Microcephaly or other Zika-related birth defects throughout the first year of life because we have seen that these defects are not necessarily readily apparent at birth,” said DPH Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino in a release. “Any baby who has signs of Zika-related birth defects will receive further monitoring, and we will be assisting the families and pediatricians with ensuring that both baby and family receive the services and supports that they will need to address the baby’s issues.”

DPH encourages all Connecticut OB/GYNs and hospital to screen pregnant women for Zika and said 80 percent of patients never show symptoms and don’t realize they have the virus.

According to the release as of Jan. 18 DPH’s laboratory had tested 1,208 patients for Zika, including 873 pregnant patients. Of those tested, 109 tested positive, including six pregnant patients. DPH said another 44 patients, 34 of them pregnant, tested positive for Flavivirus.

The state will work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue testing and monitoring the affected patients. DPH stressed that pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially if planning to travel to areas where mosquitoes have tested positive for Zika.

For more information on Zika visit the DPH website by clicking here.

In the aftermath of the President Donald Trump’s controversial executive action to suspend the United States’ refugee program and restrict entry to the United States from seven predominantly Muslim countries, faith leaders in our state are coming together to revisit the idea of sanctuary congregations.

“We are refugees,” Rabbi Herbert Brockman, of Congregation Mishkan Israel in Hamden, said. “I cannot imagine turning our backs, particularly at a time of need.”

Brockman said the idea of the sanctuary being a place of refuge and safety is as old as biblical times.

“In modern times, we believe that the congregations at churches and synagogues, in particular, could be places where people could come and be safe,” he said.

Trump issued a statement amid the protests, claiming his executive order is not a "Muslim ban" and blaming the media for portraying it as so. 

"To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting," the statement read. "This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe."

Brockman is leading the initiative for congregations to provide assistance to people at risk of deportation or government action.

Brockman said he began discussing the idea with other faith leaders shortly after the presidential election.

“It means that we as an institution commit ourselves to going with them to deportation hearings,” Brockman said. “That, if necessary, we would provide legal assistance, financial assistance to the families that may be no longer able to work because they now face deportation.”

The congregation took in a family of Syrian refugees Thursday, hours before the executive order that would’ve barred them from entering the country.

Brockman called the suspension of the refugee program unconscienable and added that now, more than ever, leaders need to step up to help those in need.

“We’ve got to be there for these people. Just seeing them, it’s so sad,” Brockman said.

Approximately 40 congregations are expected to participate in a training on Feb. 19 about what it means to be a sanctuary congregation.

Four people were arrested after a fight outside a Chuck E. Cheese in Orange in which a child was struck.

Police officers responded to the parking lot of the Chuck E. Cheese at 82 Boston Post Road at 8:21 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21 to investigate a disturbance, according to the Orange Police Facebook page.

Police said the four adults knew each other, Helga Villafane, 35, of Waterbury, and Angelica Gonzalez, 28, of Bridgeport, started fighting, the adolescent tried to intervene and was struck.

Eventually all four adults became involved, according to police.

Gonzalez and Helga Villafane, along with Jesus Villafane, 33, of Bridgeport, and Samuel Cruz, 38, of Waterbury, were charged with third-degree assault, second-degree breach of peace and risk of injury to a minor.

All involved parties were offered medical treatment for injuries and all four suspects were released after posting $500 bond. They are due in court on Jan. 23.

Hamden police have arrested a man accused of stabbing his nephew three times over money.

Police said on Nov. 24 they responded to a home on Warner Street for a reported assault. When they arrived they found a 28-year-old victim with three stab wounds. He was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital with serious injuries.

According to police, the victim went to his uncle’s home to collect money he was owned. That was when his uncle, identified as Mitchell Chapman, 55, stabbed him in the back, then took off before officers arrived.

Chapman was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace. He was ordered a $35,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 30.

Warren Buffett, whose $74 billion net worth makes him the third richest man in the world, buys his breakfast at McDonald's and never spends more than $3.17 on the meal, CNBC reported.

The 86-year-old Oracle of Omaha orders one of three items during stops at the fast food joint near his home. He pays with exact change that his wife left in a cup, he explains in the new HBO documentary "Becoming Warren Buffett."

"$3.17 is a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, but the market's down this morning, so I'll pass up the $3.17 and go with the $2.95," Buffett says before ordering a sausage, egg and cheese.

Some state lawmakers want to require school buses to have seatbelts and there will be a public hearing today. 

State Rep. Kelly Luxenberg (D-Manchester) said she wants seat belts to be standard in school buses in two years. 

"Having any kind of belt in a school bus would be helpful. Six states already have this implemented and so we could certainly save lives moving forward," she said. 

Luxenberg proposed a bill that could make three-point lap and shoulder safety belts a requirement in buses built after 2019 to protect students and drivers. 

“A lot of the accidents that have been happening with these schools buses, a lot of kids have been getting hurt and the last thing you want is to lose your child. I’d rather feel safer knowing that there are seatbelts on that bus for my kid to feel safe,” Ivy Bonilla, of Hartford, said. 

Parents said another advantage to seatbelts is that they could keep children in their seats. 

“I see a lot of kids standing up and the bus drivers, they just keep driving, so I think that would be a good idea,” Stephanie Coleman, of Hartford, said.

 The hearing is before the transportation committee.

A 20-year-old man was found dead in Waterbury Saturday morning and police are investigating the death as a homicide.

Police said they found the body of the victim, identified as Saivon Bostic-Aponte of Waterbury, lying under a tree in a yard at 133 Chestnut Avenue. Bostic-Aponte died of three gunshot wounds, police said.

The case is being investigated as a homicide. Anyone with information is asked to contact Waterbury police at (203) 574-6941 or Waterbury Crime Stoppers (203) 755-1234.

State police have arrested a third suspect in connection with the stabbing and killing of a Sterling teen who was reported missing last month and was later found dead.

David Howard, 19, of Sterling, has been charged with with tampering with evidence, hindering prosecution and interfering with a police officer.

On Friday, police arrested Dustin Warren, 18, of Sterling, and charged him with tampering with evidence, hindering prosecution and interfering with a police officer.

The other suspect, Kevin Weismore, 19, was previously arrested and charged with the murder of 18-year-old Todd Jeremiah, or TJ, Allen. The arrest warrant said Weismore told police that he planned on selling marijuana to Allen and stabbed him after Allen pulled out a gun. 

Police said they have not found a gun and Allen's mother, Christina Moses, said she doesn't believe her son ever owned one. 

Allen had been reported missing just after 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 26 when he did not return home after leaving home to go dirt biking. Earlier this month, state police said they found Allen's body not far from Weismore's home. 

Police obtained a search warrant for Allen's phone and records showed the last known location was in the area of Laiho Road, Margaret Henry Road and Sawmill Hill Road in Sterling, according to the arrest warrant.

Weismore went on to tell police that he met up with Allen to sell marijuana to him, but Allen took a gun from his backpack, pointed it at the ground, said he did not have the money, then pointed the gun at him, according to the arrest warrant.  

According to police, Weismore gave detectives information that led them to Allen's body in a wooded area near 61 Laiho Road. 

“I knifed TJ, stabbing him in the stomach once using my right hand, and then stabbing him in the neck a few times. I stabbed him in the neck once and he kept moving so I did it a couple more times,” Weismore’s statement to police reads, according to the warrant.

The statement goes on to say that Weismore dragged Allen’s body behind a rock pile to hide it, then threw the gun off a cliff. Weismore also said he burned all his clothing, according to police.

The warrant said Weismore admitted to a friend what he’d done the next day and that friend helped him dump Allen’s dirt bike into a pond in Killingly.

Howard was released after posting $125,000 bon d and he is due in court on Feb. 10. 

NBC Connecticut meteorologists have issued a First Alert for snow that will impact afternoon and evening commute tomorrow. 

Most of the state can expect one to two inches of snow with a bit more in the higher elevations. 

While we're not forecasting a lot of snow, the timing will likely lead to some issues.

There will be periods of heavier snow that could make things quite tricky on the roads.

We're forecasting the snow to arrive during the early afternoon hours, this will likely result in schools dismissing early. Make sure to check out the latest cancellations and early dismissals by clicking here.

In addition to schools dismissing early the evening commute could also present an issue. Light to moderate snow will be falling statewide during the evening afternoon and evening commute home.

Google is celebrating the late Fred Toyosaburo Korematsu as its Google Doodle on Monday, paying tribute to the Oakland-born civil rights activist who refused to go to the government’s incarceration camps for Japanese Americans.

And according to his daughter, his debut appearance on the world's largest search engine is especially relevant in today's atmosphere regarding immigrants.

Korematsu, who would have turned 98 on Monday, was the first Asian–American to get a day named after him in the United States. Since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation establishing the day into law in 2010, Hawaii, Virginia and Florida now also recognize Jan. 30 as Fred Korematsu Day.

But Monday was his first debut as a Google Doodle, according to his daughter, Karen Korematsu, the founder of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute in San Francisco.

“In my opinion, when you have made a Google Doodle, you have made it,” she said in a phone interview Monday on her way to Sacramento, where her father's memory will be honored.

She said that her family tried to get her dad to be represented by Google last year, but it was unsuccessful.

This time, her brother, Kenneth, knew artist Sophie Diao, herself a child of Asian immigrants, who drew the patriotic portrait of Korematsu. In the picture, he's wearing his Presidential Medal of Freedom given to him by then President Bill Clinton with a scene of the internment camps to his back. He's surrounded by cherry blossoms and flowers that have come to be symbols of peace and friendship between the United States and Japan.

Fred Korematsu was born to Japanese parents in Oakland and graduated from Castlemont High School, which is where his daughter said he learned about the Constitution.

When the United States entered WWII, he tried to enlist in the U.S. National Guard and Coast Guard, but was turned away because he was Japanese, according to the institute.

He was 23 years old and working as a foreman when Executive Order 9066 was signed in 1942 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The order sent more than 115,000 people of Japanese descent living in the United States to incarceration.

Rather than relocate to an internment camp, Korematsu went into hiding. He was arrested in 1942 and despite the help of organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, his conviction was upheld in the landmark Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. United States. Because of that, he and his family were sent to the Central Utah War Relocation Center at Topaz, Utah, until the end of WWII in 1945.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford formally ended Executive Order 9066 and apologized for the internment, stating "We now know what we should have known then — not only was that evacuation wrong but Japanese-Americans were and are loyal Americans.”

Fred Korematsu’s conviction was overturned in 1983 in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco after evidence came to light that disputed the necessity of the internment. Some of his lawyers who represented him then, Dale Manami and Don Tamaki, formed a law firm, and he was also represented by the Asian Law Caucus, among other attorneys. Many lawyers from that firm and the law caucus were at the San Francisco International Airport this weekend providing free legal service to Muslim refugees detained there briefly.

To Karen Korematsu, the choosing of her father’s image to be represented as a Google Doodle is highly relevant as the Donald Trump administration has issued travel bans to citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries.

“I think one of the main reasons he was chosen by Google was the opportunity to educate people on the mistakes of our past history,” his daughter said. “This new order is very scary. This is not what America is about. You don’t put the fear of God into people. This is not right.”

Former president George H.W. Bush has been released from the hospital, his spokesman says.

Spokesman Jim McGrath says Bush was discharged Monday morning from Houston Methodist Hospital after being treated for pneumonia.

McGrath says Bush is thankful for the prayers and kind messages he received during his stay.

The nation's 41st president was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 14 for breathing difficulties. He later was moved to intensive care when doctors inserted a breathing tube.

The tube was removed after a couple of days. He was moved from the ICU last Monday.

Former first lady Barbara Bush spent five days at the same hospital for treatment of bronchitis. She was released one week ago.

Someone stole several laptop computers from the Hartford office of the Working Families Party over the weekend.

The computers disappeared from the office at 30 Arbor Street between 9 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. on Monday, according to Hartford police.

There were no signs of forced entry at the office and no working burglar alarm, police said. They were also unable to find any usable evidence at the scene.

There are security cameras on the first floor and in the parking lot, but police have not been able to access the video from them yet.

Judd Road in Monroe is closed after a truck crashed and spilled fuel, according to Easton police.

According to the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department, an oil delivery truck with a 2,500-gallon tank went off the road Monday morning and crashed into a tree, damaging the tank and spilling fuel. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was called in to mitigate the spill.

Police said the road is closed between North Street in Easton and Hattertown Road in Monroe and is expected to remain closed for 48 hours. 

Residents and emergency vehicles will be allowed through the road block and Easton police said that the Board of Education was working with the bus company to ensure students were dropped off at the correct bus stop.

[[412181273, C]]

A man and woman were arrested after a stabbing in Naugatuck and police said the man threw blood at paramedics who were treating him. 

Police responded to High Street just before 5 a.m. Monday to investigate after 39-year-old

Michele Sharik told authorities that her husband had been stabbed, but wouldn’t provide information on how he was stabbed or who stabbed him, police said. 

Responding officers treated the man, 38-year-old Justin Bohn, for a stab wound to his neck and determined that Bohn and Sharik were the only two occupants of the residence.

Both were uncooperative with officers and wouldn’t provide any information on what happened before Bohn was stabbed, police said.

The officers spotted signs of a disturbance in the house and Sharik said only that she and Bohn had a dispute that led to Bohn’s injuries, but would not elaborate, police said.

Sharik had a small red mark on her throat, but wouldn’t tell officers how she sustained it, but added that she was not victimized during the incident.

Police said Bohn had given officers a false first name and wouldn’t give his last name or date of birth.

While he was being taken to Waterbury Hospital, Bohn was uncooperative, ripped off bandages, stuck his fingers into his wound and threw blood at paramedics, police said.

Detectives were later able to identify Bohn, who had an outstanding arrest warrant out of Ansonia

for domestic charges involving Sharik, including kidnapping and strangulation, as well as probation violations.

Bohn was charged with one count of assault on emergency personnel and Sharik was charged with assault in the second degree and disorderly conduct.

Both were held on bond.

Police are investigating a bank robbery in Simsbury on Monday morning. 

The People’s Bank at Stop & Shop, at 498 Bushy Hill Road, was robbed just before 11 a.m. Monday and police said the robber had a note demanding money and left on foot with the cash. 

He is between 5-feet-7 and 5-feet-9 and appeared to be in his late 20s to early 30s and has a dark full beard. He was wearing a black ski hat, black ski jacket and sunglasses. 

Simsbury police ask anyone with information to call Detective Sergeant Tom Sheehan at 860-658-3145.