There will be a sea of green on the Milford Green Saturday afternoon for the 2017 St. Patrick’s Day Parade that had been postponed a week because of extremely cold weather.

“Last week was freezing,” Nancy Smith said. “It was like 10 degrees out there.”

As the Irish Heritage Society of Milford’s woman of the year, Smith will lead their group in the annual parade.

“I’m a little disappointed because it might be bad weather tomorrow and then what would we do,” she said. “I think we’re a hearty bunch.”

Areas along the shoreline could see a little bit of light snow in the afternoon.

“It is going to be warmer,” the Irish Heritage Society President Kathleen Dunn Stern said. “The snow I heard isn’t starting until the evening, there might be a few flurries but it’s not going to be as bad as last Saturday, so it’s a go.”

The decision to postpone the parade was made knowing a blizzard was in the forecast for Tuesday. About eight inches of snow fell in Milford.

“The city was clearing off some of the snow on the Green so people could stand there,” Dunn Stern said.

Along the parade route at Colony Grill, they have been serving the special corn beef and cabbage pizza since last Friday. It is a white pie with no sauce.

“People have been celebrating all week," Assistant General Manager Alicia Preusch said.

The bar and restaurant is expecting a packed house on the parade afternoon.

“I think people are very excited to come out no matter what the weather is,” Preusch said. “They want their parade, it’s their town’s parade.”

Those marching like the ladies from the Irish Heritage Society plan to bundle up.

“Well I’ll have my green sweater and then my down coat for sure,” Dunn Stern said.

“I’ll have my nice Irish sweater that I’ll wear and my nice Irish cap and I’ll be pretty warm,” Smith said.

The Milford St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at 1 p.m.

For Alyson Cunningham of West Hartford, a residency assignment isn’t the only match she’ll leave with from the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University.

“We met in class, we were good friends,” Cunningham said. “We were studying together and we just became a big part of each other’s lives.”

Cunningham met her fiancé Venkat Subramanyam during their second semester at Quinnipiac and Friday morning they were hoping to be placed in the same city as part of the National Resident Matching Program.

“In the application process you indicate you’re matching with another significant other,” Subramanyam said. “So we were fortunate to have interviews at a lot of the same places.”

As the nearly 60 medical students from the inaugural class at the Netter School of Medicine learned where they’re going, Cunningham and Subramanyam opened each other’s envelopes.

“Just relief and excitement all mixed together,” Cunningham said.

“It’s all kind of a blur now,” Subramanyam said.

Both found out they are staying in state for their residencies at the University of Connecticut. She’s in the general surgery program and he’s in emergency medicine.

“Looking forward to being able to serve Connecticut and the greater Hartford community,” Subramanyam said.

The couple was joined by both their families on this special day.

“I have no words to express my happiness, it’s the best day a parent can ask for, they worked hard for it,” said Venkat’s mom Anu Subramanyam.

The celebration continues with their engagement party on Satudray, where they can look forward to the next chapter of their lives and reflect on the one coming to a close.

“I think just having a partner that you find to be able to go through school with and the rest of your life with really made it a lot easier on both of us,” Subramanyam said. “So we’re really fortunate.”

Homeowners have begged the state for assistance in fixing their crumbling foundations. There are now more details about a wide ranging bill that could help.It will use grants, loans, and other relief--mostly paid for by taxpayers. The bill made it out of a Senate committee with bipartisan support.

The 37 page bill will likely go through a lot more changes if it passes. But legislators appear pretty confident help is on the way. Most who spoke at a news conference come from the north central part of the state, where crumbling foundations have become a scourge for towns, and homeowners.

Senator Tony Guglielmo remarked, “The thing that was good about it we had people from Stamford, from New Haven, who voted with us.”

The bill sets up a crumbling foundations fund to give homeowners grants of $150,000, or 75 percent of their repair cost…to help make them whole again.

Senator Tim Larson said, “The initial money would be a grant…that other 25 percent we're thinking there'd be low interest loans that would be available through a number of different programs”

The bill proposes bringing money into the crumbling foundations fund by putting a $12 annual surcharge on every residential home, and renter’s insurance policy in our state. Legislators say they will also ask the state to get the crumbling foundations fund started with $35 million in seed money.

Representative Tim Ackert said he is not sure how well that will go over.

They admit they don’t know how well that will go over, “You hear legislators say why is it government's role to fix this? Because we had some knowledge of it, and we didn't move.”

Linda Tofolowsky was one of the first people to sound the alarm years ago about crumbling foundations in 2003. She said this is a strong start to solving the crumbling foundations issue, and she is proud of our state government.

“I don't care what side of the aisle you're from, they're working together as a team, and they're doing a good job.”

The plan, not spelled out in this bill, is to help the people in most dire need first. The hope, is that it will also bring a lot of people out of the woodwork who have so far been silent about their crumbling foundations.

A billboard depicting an image of President Donald Trump appeared on Phoenix's Grand Avenue in Arizona on Friday, NBC affiliated station KPNX reported.

Unlike any other Trump billboards people are used to seeing during his election campaign of 2016, the Phoenix billboard illustrates a menacing photo of Donald Trump, wearing a Russian flag pin on his collar, surrounded by mushroom clouds and 'swastika dollar' signs.

"I think a lot of people are feeling this way and I'm just trying to express what I think is on a lot of people's minds these days," the billboard's artist, said in an interview Friday, according to KPNX.

Karen Fiorito posted on her facebook page when billboard went up saying "Still awaiting the backlash, death threats and the like."

The billboard art was commissioned by the owner, Beatrice Moore, a longtime patron of the arts on Grand Avenue, KPNX reported.

Have you spotted anyone stirring their tea with a curiously fancy spoon lately?

A tea set that once belonged to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has been stolen from a Southeast D.C. home, police said.

The set was stolen sometime between Sunday, Feb. 12 and Wednesday, March 1 in the 100 block of 13th Street SE, police said. The homeowner told police he bought the set made by Tiffany & Co. through an online auction and it has significant monetary and historical value.

President Ronald Reagan gave the set to Thatcher, according to the police report. The case for the set of spoons, a pair of tongs and bowl is embossed with the presidential emblem.

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D.C. police are offering a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest and indictment for the robbery. Anyone who has information can call (202) 727-9099 or text 50411.

April the giraffe is "doing great", her keepers at an upstate New York zoo say, and posed for a sunny-eyed photo to prove it.

Keepers captured her and her beau, Oliver, taking advantage of the abundance of sun outside her pen. The love birds can be seen resting their necks against each other behind a backdrop of fluffy white clouds and clear blue skies while squinting at the camera.

The mom-to-be is still "doing great", and vets are on their toes in the event of a St. Patrick's Day calf this weekend, her keepers say.

"April continues to do great. No concerns on our end - and we are anxious to see what the weeekend brings!" Animal Adventure Park wrote in a Facebook post Friday afternoon. "Perhaps at St Patrick's Day baby?"

April may be in need of sunglasses, but there's no shortage of food, despite fans' concerns. The zoo says it's received an "alarming number" of emails claiming that the giraffes hadn't been fed, but it's not so: their main food source is outside their pens, so viewers aren't able to see them chow down.

"Their shared enrichment feeder is not their main food source; and those main sources and their waters are off screen," the zoo said. "Rest easy! Since 2015 we have cared for our long Neck friends without issue or outside input on it."

A keeper reported increased swelling in the pregnant giraffe's backend and "significant baby kicks from within" in a Friday morning Facebook update.

As for when she'll deliver, only time will tell, Animal Adventure Park says.

"Vet reports all is well and no reason for concern," the Thursday night post said. "April is posturing quite a bit which is keeping us on our toes! We will see what the weekend brings." 

Watch the live stream below (NOTE: weather conditions may cause intermittent disruptions).

More than 71,000 people were watching April by sunrise Saturday morning, illuminating her hay-laden pen with streaky golden rays. The long-necked beauty and her 5-year-old mate peered over their pens beside one another, gazing at the entrance to their abode, before Oliver fixated on an opposite-facing corner.

April has had periods of edginess in recent weeks brought on by stretches of cold weather and her active calf. Neither she nor Oliver have been able to roam freely outdoors because of the bitter cold and heaps of snow covering the tri-state.

Nevertheless, April is in “great physical and mental condition,” and the vets who have been monitoring her say they’re pleased with her progress.

April's pregnancy was catapulted into global headlines late last month after YouTube briefly yanked the zoo's stream following complaints by animal activists that it violated the site's policies concerning "nudity and sexual content." Thousands upon thousands of commenters voiced their frustration on Facebook and YouTube, and the stream was restored within an hour or so.

Jordan Patch, owner of the Animal Adventure Park, says the natural curiosity surrounding giraffes and their birthing process has been a huge factor in drawing crowds.

"I think the fact that she's a giraffe and she's a neat species that people are interested in, that's fostered a lot of the attention," he said. "The fact that you're gonna get to witness the miracle of birth from an animal that you really don't get to see give birth — that's neat."

He added that April's pregnancy is not just live entertainment, but a teachable moment and source for education.

Giraffe pregnancies last up to 15 months. Labor lasts anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The calf, which will be the first born at Animal Adventure Park, will be about 150 pounds and 6 feet tall at birth and up and walking in about an hour.

The zoo said it will hold an online competition to name the baby giraffe once it's born.

A 29-year-old man as seriously hurt when he was shot in the neck in Meriden overnight, police said.

Officers in the area of 105 Colony Street were approached around 1:45 a.m. by several people who reported a shooting inside the address, which houses the 105 Restaurant and Lounge. Police said the victim had already been taken to Midstate Medical Center by private vehicle.

According to police, the victim was shot once in the neck and was transported from Midstate to an area trauma center. His injuries are listed as serious but non-life threatening. He was not publicly identified.

Police said the shooting did occur inside the restaurant but no other injuries were reported. Officers are actively investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Meriden police at 203-630-6318.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's comments about military action being an option "on the table" over North Korea's weapons program was met with immediate alarm by national security analysts and academics, NBC News reported.

The possibility of military action raised questions about how far America would want to engage North Korea militarily, and the scope that any action would entail.

While U.S. leaders have given no indication of their next steps, they haven't stopped ratcheting up the rhetoric.

So how might America show its force?

Two children are injured after an apparent accidental shooting outside a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant Friday evening in southwest Fort Worth, police say.

Fort Worth police responded at about 6 p.m. to the restaurant off Southwest Loop 820 near the Hulen Mall.

Two 3-year-old children were exiting a vehicle when one of the children found a gun inside the vehicle and shot himself in the hand. The bullet also struck the other child in the side, according to police.

Both children were transported by a private vehicle to Cook Children's Medical Center.

Fort Worth police are investigating and say it is unknown whether charges will be filed.

Further details have not been released.

A Maryland man was arrested on a cyberstalking charged after sending a strobe image to a person he knew that suffered epilepsy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

John Rayne Rivello, 29, of Salisbury, Maryland, was arrested Friday in Maryland after sending a message via Twitter to Dallas reporter Kurt Eichenwald on Dec. 15, 2016. The tweet contained an animated strobe image embedded with the statement, “You deserve a seizure for your post.”

Upon viewing the flashing strobe image, Eichenwald immediately suffered a seizure, according to a criminal complaint.

According to the affidavit, evidence showed Rivello’s Twitter account contained direct messages from Rivello’s account to other Twitter users concerning the victim. Among those direct messages included statements by Rivello, including “I hope this sends him into a seizure,” “Spammed this at [victim] let’s see if he dies,” and “I know he has epilepsy.”

Authorities said Rivello’s iCloud account contained a screenshot of a Wikipedia page for the victim, which had been altered to show a fake obituary with the date of death listed as Dec. 16, 2016.

The account also contained screen shots from epilepsy.com with a list of commonly reported epilepsy seizure triggers and from dallasobserver.com discussing the victim’s report to the Dallas Police Department and his attempt to identify the Twitter user.

The image was apparently sent in response to Eichenwald’s outspoken criticism of then-President-elect Donald Trump. Eichenwald thanked federal and Dallas law enforcement for the break in the case.

Attorney information for Rivello was not immediately available. 

The Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (DRS) and the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) are reminding taxpayers and tax preparers to be aware of tax season email scams

Officials said that in a new email scam, the sender poses as a taxpayer asking a tax preparer to make a last-minute change to their return to have the refund destination changed. Often times the email will ask preparers to have the refund made to a prepaid debit card so scammers can make off with the money without providing identifiable information.

Preparers are reminded to verbally confirm information with a client if they receive such a request to ensure it is legitimate.

Another scam email comes through appearing to be from a tax software provider and asks recipients to update online accounts, requesting information like bank account numbers, passwords, social security numbers and credit card numbers. These phishing scams are not uncommon and often come in email form but may also come as text messages or phone calls from someone posing as a representative from the victim’s bank, credit card company, tax preparer or software provider, or the IRS.

Information from the IRS on how to report a potential scam is available here. Residents can also contact DRS at (860) 297-5962.

Vladimir Putin is everywhere in his country's public life. Now it turns out the president is even gracing ordinary Russians' dreams, NBC News reported.

A web search engine said the strongman was the only real individual "to appear often in people's dreams," according to analysis of users' online queries.

Yandex, which is more popular than Google in Russia, said it typically received half a million requests a week about the meaning of nighttime visions.

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A 15-year-old was found dead of a gunshot wound in a Hartford apartment building Friday night and now police are searching for suspects.

Police said that 15-year-old Keon Huff, Junior, was found in the hallway of 393 Garden Street with a gunshot wound to his head around 9:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead on scene.

Deputy Chief Brian Foley called the teen’s death a “failure of the system” and said it was unacceptable for the community.

“Every time there’s a homicide it’s emotional. Not just for the family, but also neighborhood, community, and the city, as well as first responders,” he said.

Authorities said they’re using every resource available to solve the case and prevent further tragedy like this. The Major Crimes unit, the Focused Violence Reduction Team, community groups and faith-based organizations are all involved.

Investigators did collect evidence on scene but did not go into detail about what they found. So far, no suspect description has been released.

Connecticut State Police seized hundreds of bags of heroin and arrested two men while responding to an accident on Route 9 in Chester early Saturday morning.

Police said around 5:30 a.m. they responded to a crash on Route 9 south near exit 6 but when officers arrived, no one was inside the vehicle.

A short time later two men identified as the occupants of the car were found on Route 148 in Chester. Neither reported an injuries. Hector Burgos, 24, of Hartford, who had been a passenger in the car, was found with 240 bags of heroin and $645 in cash on him.

Burgos was arrested and charged with illegal possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, interfering with an officer and second-degree threatening. He was held on a $75,000 bond and is expected to appear in court on Monday.

The driver of the car, identified as Eddie Crespo, 26, of West Hartford, was also arrested and charged with evading responsibility, interfering with an officer, operating a motor vehicle under suspension, failure to carry minimum insurance requirements, improper use of marker and failure to maintain proper lane. He was held on a $50,000 bond and is expected to appear in court on Monday.

Guilford police are investigating after two cars were stolen sometime between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Police said that in both incidents the vehicles were unlocked with keys inside them, parked in residential driveways.

The suspects are described as younger males. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Guilford police at 203-453-8061.

Residents are reminded to lock their vehicles and keep valuables out of sight.

The state government of Arkansas plans to execute eight men over a period of 10 days in April because one of the key drugs in their lethal injection protocol is set to expire at the end of the month, NBC News reported.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson set the dates between April 17 and 27 and will require the state's department of corrections to execute two men per day with a few days between each lethal injection.

"As required by law, I have set the execution dates for the eight convicted of capital murder. This is based upon the attorney general's referral and the exhaustion of all appeals and court reviews that have been ongoing for more than a decade," Hutchinson said in a statement, though another statement added that the executions were placed so closely together because the availability of the drugs for future lethal injections was unclear.

A man trying to intervene in a fight outside a New London bar was stabbed for his efforts, according to New London police.

Police said around 11:40 p.m. Friday they responded to the Dockside Bar at 36 Bank Street for a report of a stabbing victim. The victim was taken to L&M Hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening injury to his lower back.

According to police, the incident started as a verbal argument between two groups of people drinking at the bar. The groups moved outside and the fight become physical. The victim was hurt when he tried to stop the fight, police said.

Those involved took off before police arrived on scene. The people involved were known to each other and this was not a random incident, police said.

Police are actively investigating. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the New London Police Department's Detective Division at 860-447-1481, or submit an anonymous tip through the New London Tips 411 system.

Twenty-six weapons are off the streets after a Neighborhood Gun Buyback event in Hartford Saturday.

The Hartford Police Department and Saint Francis Hospital sponsored the event, which is meant to get unwanted guns off the streets. Those turning in a weapon received a gift card to Stop & Shop. The value depended on the style of the weapon turned in.

In total three pistols, seven revolvers, seven rifles, eight shotguns and one assault rifle were collected at the event, which was at the Johnson Steward Community Center on Martin Street. Those turning in guns were able to do so anonymously.

All of the weapons will be tested to see if they’ve been involved in a crime. If the weapon comes back clean, it will be destroyed.

East Hampton police are investigating after a woman reported her vehicle was carjacked by a gun-wielding suspect Friday afternoon.

Police said they received the report around 3 p.m. Friday. The victim reported that her car was parked and running at the end of her driveway on Haddam Neck Road. As she walked toward her home, she noticed a man run toward the car. The victim told police that when she and a friend tried to stop the man, he showed a gun.

The victim and her friend suffered minor injuries during the struggle, police said.

Officers found the stolen vehicle on Basket Shop Road in Haddam Neck. Police are still searching for the suspect.

The suspect is described as a tall male and was wearing jeans and a gray hoodie at the time of the crime. Anyone with information is asked to contact East Hampton police at 860-267-9066.