If you missed out on Connecticut peaches last season, you should have something to look forward to this year.

The winter season of 2015 into 2016, particularly a deep freeze in February, led to some local orchards having no peaches or significantly fewer than normal. But local growers say this year’s weather, despite the drought, should make for a great peach season.

At Bishop’s Orchards in Guilford, they’re looking forward to harvest time too. The 300-acre, sixth generation family farm saw their peach crop slashed by 40 percent last season. 

“Some growers had nothing, some maybe had 10 or 15 percent of what they normally would pick,” Jonathan Bishop, a co-CEO of Bishop’s Orchards, said.

Bishop said the buds on this season’s peach crop look good and they are on track to be healthy and plentiful when harvest time rolls around in late July.

“We didn’t have any cold events that hurt anything in the wintertime. We haven’t had any spring frosts, so we, right now have a full bloom of peach blossoms,” Bishop said.

So as long as the weather holds up, you can look forward to a season of sweet cobblers, pies and other treats filled with Connecticut peaches.

“People really look forward to locally grown peaches. It’s one of the crops where local makes a difference,” Bishop said. “We’ll just keep our fingers crossed there aren’t any frosts or hail storms or things like that.”

Find a list of pick-your-own farms in Connecticut on the state Department of Agriculture website.

Hamden police have arrested a Branford woman who is accused of biting a police officer’s hand and leg and spitting blood-filled saliva at two police officers.

Police said they responded to 295 Treadwell St. at 11:30 p.m. Saturday to investigate a fight in progress and found 21-year-old Wisdom South, who had facial injuries.

She told officers that she was assaulted, then attacked an officer, biting him in the hand and leg, and ran toward Treadwell Street, police said.

Moments after that happened, officers arrested South near Leeder Hill Drive, where she continued to assault officers, kicked one officer and spit blood-filled saliva into the face of two officers, according to police.

Shortly thereafter, South was taken to police headquarters and kicked and officer in the booking area and spit blood-filled saliva into another officer’s face, police said.

Police said they determined that South lied to police. They said she was not assaulted, but instead forced her way into the car belonging to an employee of a local business and the backpack from an employee, who chased South until she dropped the backpack, tripped on a curb and fell to the ground.

She then “spit blood” on another employee of a local business and threatened to stab him, police said.

South was charged with four counts of assault on a police officer, assault in the third degree, burglary in the third degree, larceny in the sixth degree, threatening in the second degree, interfering with a police officer and breach of peace.

She was detained on a $100,000 bond, is scheduled to appear in court in Meriden on May 26.

At least two people were injured when a bus carrying 26 Pennsylvania school children overturned on Interstate 95 in northeastern Maryland, state police said.

Authorities say the bus headed to Washington, D.C., on a field trip when it and another vehicle crashed near exit 89 in Havre de Grace, just before 10 a.m. Monday. 

Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley said one child and one adult were flown to the hospital. Other passengers suffered minor cuts, scrapes and bruises, and were taken to the hospital by ambulance or evaluated at the scene. No deaths have been reported. Three chaperones and a driver were also on the bus.

According to officials, the children on board the bus are 8th grade students at C.W. Henry School in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. They were on their way to the Police Memorial in the nation's capitol. Their bus was in a caravan with three or four other vehicles, mostly carrying Philadelphia police cadets.

Werner Coach president Heath Ochroch confirmed to NBC10 Philadelphia that the bus belongs to his company in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

Rattled by President Donald Trump's increasing frustration with the staff guidance he's getting and by the administration's unforced errors, White House officials are desperately hoping the president's first foreign trip beginning on Friday offers a chance to reboot what's become a damaging narrative, NBC News reported.

Preparations for the trip come as Trump's inner circle appears to be shrinking, fueling paranoia inside the West Wing among a fatigued staff battered by a drumbeat of reports suggesting some senior staffers are on the chopping block.

While some kind of shake-up appears nearly inevitable at this point, insiders caution it doesn't seem imminent — at least, not right now. The sources quoted in NBC News' article asked for anonymity to be able to discuss internal administration conversations.

And while the usual cadre of aides — like Jared Kushner, Gary Cohn, and Steve Bannon — are expected to be at Trump's side for all or part of the upcoming eight-day, four-country trip, not all the president's advisers hold the sway they once did.

A 47-year-old Hartford man was found dead in the water in Wethersfield Cove, near the Connecticut River, Friday. Police have identified him as Sandro Louro and said it appears he fell from a kayak and drowned. 

Lt. Andrew Power said fishermen saw the body, called police, and pulled the body to the shore. 

Officers at the scene found the overturned kayak several hundred years north of the victim.

Police are looking for a 36-year-old Newtown woman who has been missing since Thursday, May 11.

Police said they are concerned for the well-being of Jessica Guay, of Alpine Drive in Sandy Hook, and she might be driving a gray 2005 Saturn Ion with Connecticut registration 252SGR.

She could be in the Danbury area, according to police and they ask anyone with information to call them at (203) 426-5841.

A pedestrian was hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle in Milford on Sunday. 

A man walking on Cherry Street was struck by a dark colored vehicle just east of Gulf Street at approximately 1:40 a.m., police said. 

The victim was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital for injuries but his condition is not clear.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding the accident is asked to contact police at (203) 878-5244 or Officer Dan Hemperly via email. 

The Connecticut Lottery Board president resigned following the 5 Card Cash controversy and lawmakers spent four hours on Friday grilling the group's interim president and chairman. 

The hearing at the Legislative Office Building began with an announcement from lottery board chairman and acting president Frank Farricker, who has served in the interim role the last eight months unpaid.

“I am not and was not to be considered as a future president of the lottery," Farricker told the committee.

The fact-finding forum of the General Assembly’s Public Safety Commission wants to learn more, especially involving the generous separation package offered to former president and CEO Anne Noble.

The assembly has been probing the 5 card cash controversy that happened 18 months ago. The Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) found lottery officials knew of potential for fraud before the game started and did not address issues quickly enough.

A retailer first raised security concerns about the 5 Card Cash scratch off for potential cheating back in January 2015. Concerns were raised again over the following summer and October 2016, when it was realized 5 Card Cash payouts over the last quarter were "unusually high".

A total of nine people were arrested on accusations they took advantage of manipulating the Connecticut Lottery system to give themselves winning tickets.

The Connecticut Lottery's 5 Card Cash game was permanently suspended last November.

Friday, they focused on former lottery Noble's generous separation package. She resigned from her more than $200,000 annual salary last September. Her transition agreement includes a $25,000 monthly consulting fee.

“She would find issues of importance in the lottery industry on a regular basis and bring them to my attention,” Farricker added. “Yes, there was an allocation of $250,000 to the board of directors’ account,” Farricker told the legislators.

NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters asked Noble whether she's earning her severance.

“I worked for the Connecticut Lottery for ten years, I have an incredible amount of knowledge of the gaming industry, which is frankly with our casino expansion at the fore front, and I stand ready and poised to help with gaming and I think I'm the kind of leadership Connecticut needs with gaming policy," Noble said.

After the hearing Noble questioned what she calls the "blame game".

“You heard the senator say an investigation report was completed of me, without ever even talking to me,” Noble said. 

DCP Spokeswoman Lora Rae Anderson issued this statement to NBC Connecticut.

"The Department of Consumer Protection is continuing its investigation into 5 Card Cash in a deliberate and through manner, and in accordance with state law. There is currently no pending civil or criminal charges against any connect lottery corporation officials in association with 5 Card Cash. Our charge is to ensure the integrity of legal gaming in the state, and we work as efficiently as possible to achieve that goal and to serve the people of Connecticut."

A small plane crashed into a busy industrial neighborhood in Carlstadt, New Jersey, while attempting to land at Teterboro Airport on Monday afternoon, killing two pilots on board and creating a large fireball, officials and witnesses said. 

The impact of the crash set three buildings, more than a dozen cars and a number of power lines ablaze, Carlstadt Police Chief Tom Berta said. Thick, black smoke was seen rising high above the crash site, and was visible as far away as New York City. Witnesses described a surreal scene of melting cars and exploding tires. 

"There's nothing really left of the plane at all - you just see the two engines that are burnt up and stuff," one man told News 4.

Firefighters from multiple departments responded to building fires at United Group, Manhattan Door Company and the Carlstadt Dept. of Public Works, Berta said. There were 13 vehicle fires. 

Members of the FAA and NTSB were en route to the scene as part of an ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash. The Bergen County medical examiner was identifying those who died. 

The NTSB said it would initiate its investigation into the crash Tuesday. The FAA said it would join them as it continues its probe. 

The Learjet 35 twin-jet, which departed from Philadelphia International Airport, was approaching Runway 1 at Teterboro just before 3:30 p.m. when it went down near Kero Road about 1/4 mile from the airport, the FAA said. 

Two crew members were killed in the crash, officials said. There were no passengers aboard.

The plane's tail number is N452DA. It was built in 1981 and is registered to A&C Big Sky Aviation in Billings, Montana. It wasn't immediately clear who was operating the plane at the time of the crash, and News 4 wasn't immediately able to reach the company Monday evening.  

Among the many factors investigators from the FAA and NTSB will probe is the plane's maintenance records, which is routine in all plane crashes. 

Officials said the plane crashed into a parking lot near the buildings that caught fire. One of its wings was lodged into the roof of the Manhattan Door Company.

Surveillance video shows the red plane right before impact. It appears to be nose-down and on its side as it hits. 

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"Tower, that Learjet just crashed," the pilot of another plane told air traffic controllers moments later. 

"Airport's closed! Airport's closed!" an air traffic controller said moments later. 

Witnesses said the plane was flying upside down before it crashed into the parking lot, and a Carlstadt Police Dept. spokesman said the plane appeared to be listing to its side before the crash. 

Steve Case, an entrepreneur and co-founder of AOL, wrote in an Instagram post that the plane appeared to have missed a turn and crashed a few hundred yards from the airport. He was aboard another plane at the airport at the time.

Meteorologists forecasted strong winds, including gusts up to 45 mph, for northern New Jersey at the time of the crash.

No one on the ground was reported injured, according to officials, but people familiar with the area said if the plane had crashed just 15 minutes earlier dozens of people would have been in the parking lot. The neighborhood is a densely populated residential and industrial area.  

One witness said she was working at the Manhattan Door Company when the plane came down right outside her office window. 

"Everything was shaking in my building, everything turned black all of the sudden," she said. "It landed in the parking lot and then we heard the explosion." 

Another man said he was in the car with his girlfriend when the out-of-control aircraft passed overhead. 

"I saw the plane come over, in front of us, completely on its side, flying erratically," he said. 

Another witness said people rushed to the wreckage to see if they could help, but "unfortunately it was all engulfed in flames and we could do nothing but stand by and watch — really horrific." 

Christopher Pastor said he ran from his car to help but the intensity of the fire kept him back. 

"All the fuel got all over," Pastor said. "There's cars that are on fire, a building caught on fire, the poles started getting on fire." 

Spokesperson for Boro of Carlstadt Joe Orlando was at the scene as the plane came down. He said explosions were going off, cars were burning and pieces of the plane, including wheels and part of the fuselage, were scattered at the Dept. of Public Works facility near 99 Kero Road. 

“Right now they’re trying to put the fires out on the building just next to us... we just keep having little explosions, it’s a crazy situation here,” Orlando said shortly after the crash. 

The explosions were the sound of car tires popping due to the heat of the flames, officials later said. 

“Parts of the plane are laying in the garage, I can see the engines, part of the fuselage. There’s just melted cars all over the place in our yard,” Orlando said.

The last crash at or near Teterboro Airport was in 2005, and the last deadly crash was in Nov. 1985, according to the Aviation Safety Network, a well regarded database of international flight incidents. Multiple people died in the 1985 crash. 

The first round of layoff notices were sent to 113 people in state government across three departments.

The notices were announced the same day Gov. Dannel Malloy revised the state budget proposal to cut spending by nearly $400 million annually. 

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will lay off 22 workers, the Department of Social Services will lay off 88 and the Office of Policy and Management will lay off 3 employees. 

Last Friday, layoff notices started going out to Connecticut state employees, but the state had not specified to which departments.

The governor previously said layoff notices could go to as many as 1,100 state employees. Even though notices are distributed, some employees have "bumping rights," allowing them a limited ability to move into another position.

Hillary Clinton launched a new political organization on Monday designed to push back against President Donald Trump's agenda.

The former Democratic nominee used social media to announce the creation of "Onward Together," an adaptation from her campaign theme, "Stronger Together." The group, she tweeted, will "encourage people to get involved, organize, and even run for office."

"This year hasn't been what I envisioned, but I know what I'm still fighting for: a kinder, big-hearted, inclusive America. Onward!" Clinton wrote.

The announcement comes as Clinton, 69, works to find a new role in an evolving political landscape.

She recently described herself as an "activist citizen," but it was unclear how she would continue to inject her voice into national affairs and influence Democratic Party politics. Pondering her future in recent months, she had begun taking long walks in the woods near her suburban New York home, something she joked about on Monday.

"The last few months, I've been reflecting, spending time with family — and, yes, taking walks in the woods," she tweeted.

Monday's move ensures she will not retain a leadership position at the Clinton Foundation, the continued focus of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter, Chelsea Clinton.

She did not reference Trump directly on Monday, but the group's mission statement takes an indirect swipe at the Republican president by noting she won 66 million votes in the last election. That's about 3 million more than Trump.

She becomes the latest high-profile Democrat to launch an independent group. Former President Barack Obama, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and 2004 Democratic nominee Howard Dean all helped create political organizations.

"More than ever, I believe citizen engagement is vital to our democracy," Clinton tweeted. "I'm so inspired by everyone stepping up to organize and lead."

The playsets at the Sterling Community School have been blocked off after students are reportedly being bitten by ticks at recess and gypsy moths are covering the playgrounds.

The school’s nurse, Faith Coderre, said she’s pulled ticks off of children. Parents have been raising their concerns. 

“My daughter had a little boy in her class with a tick crawling across his face and she was just skeeved out from then on,” Sterling Community School parent, Jessica Connetti, said.

“The teachers would check them when they came back into the classrooms and if they had a tick that had bitten them and was embedded, they were sent to the nurse,” said Sarah Veader, who also has a student at the school.

School staff is taking some steps to combat the issue. Superintendent Brenda Needham said they’ve blocked off the playsets if there are a lot of gypsy moths present and kept the grass short to not attract ticks.

For students who have been bitten by a tick at recess, the school nurse removes it and lets a parent know immediately, Needham said. Staff has also been posting literature on the principal’s blog on the schoo's website and sending information to parents about protecting their students from ticks and gypsy moth exposure.

“They should be concerned. Just as they’re playing in their backyard, it’s no different than the school,” Needham said.

The problem has been worse than usual over the last two years, the superintendent added.

The school has used Dawn dish soap and water as a safe way to clean the playsets or doorways touched by the gypsy moth caterpillars – which are known to cause skin irritation – adding it’s trickier when it comes to treating for ticks because there are strict state regulations in place, Needham said. 

There are the options of using minimum risk pesticides or pesticides exempt from federal registration to treat for ticks at schools with students between kindergarten and eighth grade, according to Diane Jorsey, acting supervisor of the Pesticide Management Program for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

If using pesticides is ineffective and there are still ticks spotted on the school’s property, the superintendent or local health director could determine there is an immediate threat to human health in order to authorize treatment that includes conventional pesticides, Jorsey said.

Needham said she will be calling DEEP for more information.

Some parents said they wouldn’t mind the more extreme treatment options.

“If it would actually get rid of (the ticks) and allow the children to use the whole playground area for their activities, that’s what I would prefer,” according to Veader.

Sterling Community School, in conjunction with the Northeast District Department of Health, is hosting a community meeting Tuesday, May 23 in the school’s cafeteria to talk about preventing tick-borne disease, mosquito-borne illnesses and discomforts related to gypsy moth exposure.

In the middle of Connecticut’s budget crisis, health advocates see an opportunity to capitalize on the uncertainty.

The American Heart Association (AHA), joined by a University of Connecticut professor, and one member of the Connecticut General Assembly, made their case Monday for a one cent per ounce tax on all sugary drinks.

The AHA predicts that such a tax could bring in as much as $100 million annually, and would lead to other healthcare savings, specifically on programs aimed at the poor, like HUSKY, Medicaid, and those with low incomes on Medicare.

“Revenue ideas that we had not previously contemplated are at least on the table for conversation at this juncture,” said Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, the only member of the General Assembly in attendance at the press conference.

Steinberg also said he would prefer something like a sugary drink tax rather than the current revenue generating ideas being discussed seriously by lawmakers.

“If I were to choose a revenue source, I would choose one that were at least beneficial to the people of the state of Connecticut,” Steinberg said. “If we were to compare this to adding a casino, or tolls, or potentially marijuana, this is a tax that at least has a positive health benefit, not merely in terms of reducing consumption but in medical costs down the road."

Tania Andreyeva with UConn’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, said research suggests such a tax could drive down healthcare costs, while also raising money over a sustained period of time. She said the penny per ounce approach would also be helpful to evolve with an industry that’s seeing changes to the peoples’ beverage consumption habits.

“Soda consumption is going down which is true but people are buying this new beverages, you know sports drinks, teas, iced teas which are still sugary beverages so it might have a little less sugar per serving, but it’s still sugary beverages,” said Andreyeva.

Mark Bergman with the group, Keep CT Affordable, voiced opposition to the plan which hasn’t seen serious consideration in the legislature.

In a statement, Bergman wrote, “A beverage tax will drastically raise prices on every day beverages like juice drinks, sports drinks, teas and soft drinks. In Connecticut, we have one of the largest income disparities between rich and poor and the last thing we need is new taxes or higher fees that places a much larger share of the tax burden on those families who are least capable of paying it.”

After nearly ten months serving as acting and interim chief, Anthony Campbell has been selected by Mayor Toni Harp to become the permanent New Haven Chief of Police.

“It had been an incredible job interview because we’ve had everything in the last 10 months,” Campbell said in a sit down interview with NBC Connecticut on Monday.

Since former Chief Dean Esserman’s departure, Campbell said he has focused on improving the morale of the men and women in the New Haven Police Department.

“And I stand behind my cops,” Campbell said. “Cops have to make really difficult decisions sometimes within a split second and you have to support your cops.”

One of the most difficult decisions for a police officer to make is when to discharge a service weapon.

“People get upset any time an officer has to use deadly force and that’s understandable,” Campbell said, who has been following the fallout from the deadly police shooting in Bridgeport of a 15-year-old boy behind the wheel of a stolen car.

“I think that if they had body cameras it would be extremely helpful,” he said.

Now that he’s dropping “interim” form his title, one of Campbell’s top priorities to take community policing to the next level is outfitting the officers in the New Haven police force with body cameras by the end of the year. He plans to attend the Board of Alders Public Safety Committee public hearing Tuesday about police body cameras.

Campbell said body camera video would have been helpful to the Connecticut State Police investigation of the Bridgeport shooting.

“It stops the void from being filled in with speculation and conjecture,” he said.

Mayor Harp said she would like to submit a proposal to the state by June 30 to have the purchase of the body cameras reimbursed.

“I believe that this department needs to make sure that it is as forefront of accountability and transparency,” Campbell said.

Another top priority now that Campbell is dropping “interim” from his title is address the issue of domestic violence.

While violent crime is on the decline, the latest homicide investigation – the Jennings Way murder of 52-year-old Sherri Ruffin – is the result of domestic violence, Campbell said.

“When I look at the murders that occurred last year, over a third of them were because of domestic violence,” Harp said.

Campbell’s plan to start a New Haven Family Justice Center focused on helping domestic violence victims is one reason the mayor said she chose him to be the full-time chief of police.

“Instead of people being referred to this organization or to the victim advocate or having to go meet prosecutors here, it would be one stop shopping at the Family Justice Center,” Campbell explained, citing examples of this in both Bridgeport and Brooklyn.

The opioid epidemic is another serious reality in the city of New Haven, according to Campbell.

“Anytime they experience an overdose,” Campbell said. “We will now dispatch an officer.”

The goal is to gather any evidence that could lead police to the supplier of something that is potentially lethal, Campbell said.

“We want to be able to track this back to who in our community is pumping this garbage and I mean that’s exactly what it is, garbage,” Campbell said. “To sell something to community members that not only addicts them, but literally leads to their deaths.”

Campbell is becoming the next permanent chief at a time when he understands the fears from within the city’s immigrant population over potential action by federal authorities.

“I can assure them that the New Haven Police Department is not going to be participating with ICE in raids,” Campbell said. “That our general order which talks about this is alive and well.”

A Yale graduate who thought he was going to become a Jesuit priest, Campbell rose within the ranks of the police department since becoming an officer in 1998.

During the upcoming police recruitment in June, Campbell said an emphasis will be put on candidates who are from the New Haven community.

Some farmers in Rocky Hill said they wanted town officials to help stop vandals who are using a public road to vandalize private property.

“We’ve had vandalism in the past," said Lisa Gilbert.

Gilbert's family has run Gilbert Farm for years and during that time the property has been torn up by vandals on ATVs and dirt bikes riding over her crops.

Gilbert and other farmers said that other people have been allowing their unleashed dogs to defecate in among the crops.

“I've had pumpkins stolen; pumpkins run over. I’ve had corn demolished on me," Gilbert said.

In the middle of hundreds of acres of privately-owned farmland known as The Meadows, is a narrow gravel public road -- Meadow Road -- which is maintained by the town.

Because of recent flooding, a large yellow gate at the end of Meadow Road has been closed and locked. Only landowners' vehicles are allowed to go beyond that point. The gate was set to reopen, but several farmers said that it should stay locked as it is.

“It opens it up for vandals and for theft and people who are down there to just make trouble," said Michele Collins of Fair Weather Acres.

The town's Public Safety Committee is discussing about continuing to restrict motor vehicles from Meadow Road in the future, but some residents believe there needs to be a better solution.

“It’s a public road and I pay taxes to maintain it," Rocky Hill resident, John Bedlack, said. "I think it should be closed at night but I think it should be opened in the day time."

The farmers are concerned that damage to their crops will do even more damage to their livelihoods.

“We’re not going to be able to sustain, the way we are," said Collins.

Town leaders listened to public comment on the issue at a meeting on Monday. No decision about changing the related town ordinance was made. The town council will continue the discussion at its next meeting in two weeks.

A West Hartford man is accused of trying to sexually entice on the messenger app called Yik Yak, police said. 

Scott Backer attempted to meet with a minor at a Walmart in Cromwell after enticing the apparently 15-year-old for sex on the popular messaging app, according to a complaint reported to police in February. 

The minor Backer was chatting with was actually an adult man posing as a 15-year-old girl on the app. 

The man confronted Backer on Jan. 12 at the Walmart and started asking him questions, like why he was there to have sex with a teenager. The meeting was video recorded, West Hartford Police said. 

The video was uploaded to website called, POP Squad, which claims to protect children by exposing online predators.

Evidence was collected and Backer was arrested on Monday.

Another video featured on POP Squad prompted an investigation into a Plainville High School teacher. The teacher has not been charged but has resigned.

Police are concerned about the potential danger with these types of encounters.

“If they think they’re seeing any type of predator online that maybe preying on kids to notify your local police department immediately. Don’t take these measures into your own hands,” Sgt. Tony Anderle, West Hartford Police, said.

While no child was actually involved in the West Hartford case, police said it still serves as a reminder of who might be out there and for parents to know what their kids are doing online.

“See who they’re talking to, see what conversations are going on, and what kind of apps they might be utilizing,” Anderle said.

Backer has been charged with use of computer to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. His bond was set at $150,000.

Groton is preparing for President Donald Trump to be a key note speaker at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Commencement Ceremony on Wednesday. 

Parking restrictions will begin at 5 a.m. on Tower Avenue, High Rock Road and Poquonnock Road west of Trails Corner. The restrictions will remain in effect until later in the day at the Groton Town Police Department's discretion.

Any vehicles to ignore restrictions will be ticketed and towed, police said. 

Barricades will be up at the front of commercial parking lots along the route.

"The Groton Town Police Department respectfully requests that the public respect the barricades and instructions of officers on duty Wednesday," police said.

For more information on the restrictions, contact the Groton Town Police Department at (860) 441-6716.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Ford Motor Co. is planning substantial job cuts in order to boost profits and raise its stock price.

The newspaper says the cuts would target salaried employees and would reduce Ford's global headcount by an equivalent of 10 percent.

Ford didn't confirm the report Monday night.

In a statement, the company said it's focused on reducing costs and improving efficiency. But Ford said it hasn't announced any job cuts and won't comment on speculation.

Investors are concerned that U.S. sales are peaking and Ford's market share is slipping.

Ford's shares have lost more than a third of their value since Mark Fields became CEO in 2014. Electric car maker Tesla Inc. recently surpassed Ford in market value even though it sells far fewer vehicles.

Simsbury Police are investigating several car break-ins overnight.

The investigation began when a Simsbury police officer noticed two suspicious vehicles pull into the parking lot of a condominium complex at 971 Hopmeadow Street at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, then witnessed several boys rummaging through parked cars, police said. 

When the boys saw the officer, they got back into the cars and fled, police said.

The officer wasn't able to stop the cars, but another officer set up stopsticks, which deflated the tires of the vehicle that went over them.

Police then found the white Prius on Salmon Brook Street, over the line in Granby, and determined it had been stolen from Simsbury earlier in the night.

The car door was open and the driver’s side front tire was flat, but no one was inside. Police said the occupants had run off and into the woods. 

As police investigated, they found several unlocked cars with items missing.

Officials believe the same people could be behind the break-ins, but no one is in police custody.

Police in Farmington said they are investigating a couple of car break-ins at the Summit apartments on Main Street after thieves entered unlocked vehicles.

There are heavy delays on Interstate 84 West from the Middlebury-Southbury line into Waterbury after a crash involving a tractor-trailer and two cars. 

The crash was before exit 16, at the Middlebury-Southbury line. 

No injuries are reported, but lanes are blocked.