Police and firefighters have given the all clear an avon apartment building after a report of white powder being found inside. 

Crews from Avon and Simsbury responded to the Avon Mills Apartments on Avonwood Road around 6 p.m. Friday.

Men in hazmat suits entered the apartment building and residents were kept outside during the investigation, according to NBC Connectiuct's George Colli.

Crews found no white powder, and cleared the scene just after 7 p.m., according to officials.

A Groton restaurant owner escaped serious injury when a car came crashing through her restaurant Friday afternoon.

The car crashed through the front window at Beirut's Food Palace at 754 Long Hill Road around 2 p.m., according to police.

The Poquonnock Bridge Fire Department, Groton Ambulance and the Town of Groton Building Inspector all responded to the scene.

The owner was alone at the restaurant and said she was standing near the front of the store when the car came crashing through, missing her by just two feet. She was not injured. The owner said she had arrived to the restaurant just 10 minutes before the accident happened.

The female driver of the car was taken to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital to be evaluated, but did not appear to be injured, according to fire officials.

According to fire officials, there was no structural damage to the restaurant and it was cleared to reopen. The owner said the restaurant will remain closed indefinitely.

Thinking about moving in with your girlfriend or boyfriend? Think again.

Unmarried young adult couples living together are not necessarily committed to each other in the long run, a new study by the Rand Corporation found.

The study found that unmarried couples who live together had lower levels of commitment to each other than married couples living together do and are less sure of the permanence of their relationships.

The new study comes after one Rand released in 2006 found that couples who "slide" into relationship and living situations, instead of making their decisions together, were at a higher risk for stress in their relationships and for divorce.

Living with partners led to a 40 percent increase in the likelihood of divorce for unmarried women, The Atlantic reported.

Previous Rand research found that out of the 2,068 cohabiting men and women, 52 percent of men compared to 39 percent of women said they were uncertain of their relationship's long-term stability.

Forty-one percent of men, compared to 26 percent of women, said they were not "completely committed," according to RAND charts obtained by The Atlantic.

Just a month and a half after losing her daughter, Corrinna Martin of West Haven is turning her grief into something positive.

Martin started an organization called MOVE, or Mothers of Victims' Equality, to raise awareness about domestic violence.

Police say Eastern Connecticut University student Alyssiah Wiley, 20, was killed by her long-time boyfriend.

Jermaine Richards, 30, of Bridgeport, allegedly kidnapped her back in April, and by mid-May, Martin found out her daughter's remains had been discovered in a wooded area in Trumbull about a mile from Richards' home.

“That's when we came to all agree that something has to be done, something needs to be said. Silence is not the answer,” said Martin.

MOVE's mission is to be proactive.

“We want to prevent a situation before it becomes a situation,” said Martin.

The organization also wants to start a safe house for domestic violence victims. Martin is working with a realtor, who told the organization that if it could come up with 10 percent of the property cost, he could help find a house.

To raise the money, MOVE is holding a fundraiser Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Morning Star Church in New Haven. Tickets are $25 and can be bought at the door.

“I know there are so many people that wanted to donate and help out when we did the recovery for my daughter, and I said this is a recovery effort as well,” said Martin.

The organization is trying to help save lives and make a difference, all in Alyssiah's memory.

“She was a helper, she was a doer, as well, so I know that she would be doing the same thing,” said Martin.

A teenager was shot and killed when he tried to chase after two robbers who allegedly stole his brother's cell phone in Jersey City early Friday morning, his family says. 

Muhammed Choudhry, 18, was inside his Virginia Avenue home with his family preparing food for the Ramadan holiday at about 3 a.m. Friday, according to his family. His older brother, Yassir, was sitting on the front stoop when two men approached him and demanded his cell phone. 

"He say 'Give me your phone.' I say 'no,'" said Yassir Choudhry. 

The robbers took the phone anyway, and Yassir called up to his brother, Muhammed, on the balcony. Muhammed saw the commotion and rushed downstairs to help.

The two ran after the robbers, and two blocks into the chase, one of the men pulled out a gun, according to family. He fired one shot, killing Muhammed. 

Prosecutors announced Friday night that 18-year-old Heru Amun'Tehu of Jersey City was arrested in the killing, charged with murder and robbery. His bail was set at $250,000. 

Attorney information wasn't immediately available. 

Choudhry had just graduated high school and was looking forward to college. Friends said his family had just moved from Pakistan to pursue their American dream.

"It's outrageous. Just for a cell phone, you can just go ahead and kill someone — it's really sad," said family friend Saeed Mohammed. 

"Ramadan tells us to to be patient and feel for other people who are hungry, who are suffering out there," he added. "I can't tell how the family's feeling. Definitely they're devastated." 

Proseuctors are continuing to investigate; it's not clear if the other suspect has been identified. 

The FBI is asking for help in returning dozens of stolen antique maps and books to their rightful owners.

According to the FBI the artifacts have been in FBI custody since 2006, when an antiques dealer was caught stealing from the Yale University library and subsequently arrested.

Edward Forbes Smiley III confessed to stealing and selling almost 100 rare maps from collections around the world. The stolen merchandise totaled around $3 million, and investigators have only been able to return about half of it.

FBI officials are still in possession of 57 artifacts dating back to the 17th century. Investigators have posted photos of the artifacts on the FBI website in an effort to help their owners identify the antiques and reclaim them.

Smiley was arrested in 2006 after reportedly a number of antique maps from the Yale library. Smiley pleaded guilty to stealing at least one map and was convicted of first-degree larceny.

According to the New York Times, Smiley graduated from Hampshire College with a degree in church history and attended the Princeton Theological Seminary for a year.

If you believe one of the stolen items was taken from your collection, contact FBI Special Agent MacNamara at 203-503-5268 or email artwork@ic.fbi.gov.

A dog that became trapped on a window ledge in Brooklyn was rescued by a firefighter who won the pup's trust with treats and brought him down in a bucket truck.

Witnesses said the dog appeared to have climbed out of the second-story open window, which had a window guard required by law in New York City apartments where children live. Once on the 6-inch ledge, the dog didn't seem able to get back in, past the window guard. 

"He must have wiggled through and couldn't figure out how to get back in," said James Morgan, a witness who lives in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood and caught the Thursday evening rescue on video.

A crowd began to gather on the busy Court Street sidewalk below, and an FDNY truck arrived. The firefighter cleared the sidewalk and backed up the truck to the building.

The dog continued to stand on the narrow ledge, losing its footing several times as nervous onlookers watched from below.

"It was pretty nerve-wracking," Morgan said.

The firefighter slowly approached the dog in the bucket, retreating to ground level at times to accept a leash, a bowl of water and some treats.

He offered the treats to the dog, and eventually was able to pet the animal and clip on the leash.

At last, the firefighter picked up the dog, as the crowd cheered and children cried "yay!"

Morgan said the firefighter immediately went into the building with the dog, and it wasn't clear whether the owner was in the area at the time.

The National Transportation Safety Board apologized Friday evening for its erroneous confirmation of "inaccurate and offensive" names of pilots on the Asiana Airlines jet that crashed at the San Francisco airport on Saturday.

The NTSB said that a summer intern, acting outside of the scope of his authority, had erroneously confirmed those names in response to an inquiry from a media outlet.

The board does not generally release or confirm names of such crew members to the media, it added.

"We work hard to ensure that only appropriate factual information regarding an investigation is released and deeply regret today's incident," the board said in its statement.

Read the full statement here.

The NTSB's apology and explanation came after San Francisco Bay Area station KTVU reported the fake racist names on the air earlier in the day on its noon broadcast.

The station apologized thereafter, noting that the NTSB had confirmed the names. The segment on KTVU's broadcast, however, had gone viral online.

"Nothing is more important to us than having the highest level of accuracy and integrity, and we are reviewing our procedures to ensure this type of error does not happen again," the station said.

It was unclear where the list of names came from originally.

Check back for updates.

A 6-year-old boy who spent more than three hours in an Indiana sinkhole was pulled out alive Friday evening.

Emergency officials told NBC News that the boy was flown to a Chicago hospital for treatment, and NBC News has learned that he's in "critical condition."

John Easton, a spokesperson at Comer Children's Hospital, said the boy is currently on a ventilator in critical condition but is responding well.

A statement released from the hospital read:

"The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital does have the 6-year-old boy from the Michigan incident. He is listed in critical condition, but when he arrived he was able to respond to simple commands and he has responded well to mechanical ventilation.

"His parents want to extend their deepest thanks to the Michigan City fire and police departments and all the authorities, private companies and individuals who contributed to the rescue effort. They also ask that people include this little boy in their prayers."

The boy fell inside the hole sometime after 4 p.m. at Mt. Baldy in Michigan City, Ind.

Officials say he was found 11 feet down in the sand. Michigan City Fire Chief Ronnie Martin said his crews used heavy machinery to locate the boy. 

A park spokesman said the boy's family did not see him fall inside the hole, but saw him inside and tried to dig him out.

Officials said the incident occurred in a restoration area that is blocked off from traffic.

The family is believed to be from Illinois.

Portions of the park will remain closed until Sunday while police continue to investigate the incident.

Have you noticed those gas prices creeping up lately?

According to the AAA Driving Club, prices have risen seven cents in Connecticut over the last week and have reached an average of $3.84 per gallon.

Global unrest, an increase in the state gas tax and the high demand of the summer driving season are contributing to the recent increase.

It puts the state back into the top five nationally in average price per gallon.

Janelle Penatzer moved to the Nutmeg State from Pennsylvania last week. With a daily commute from Manchester to Marlborough, she’s looking into alternative travel arrangements.

“I’m definitely going to be more conservative when it comes to driving, not take those leisurely trips to the mall," Penatzer said. "Maybe find someone to carpool with to work.”

According to AAA, the typical price per gallon in Connecticut is 17 cents higher than it was a year ago.

The national average is 3.59 per gallon. Some analysts are saying prices could go up another quarter by the end of August.

For more information on gas prices near you, visit www.connecticutgasprices.com.
 

Police arrested four people after discovering a heroin factory at a Manchester apartment on Friday.

Officers arrested four suspects and contacted the Department of Children and Family Services after finding out that young children also lived in the apartment.

Authorities responded to Clock Tower Apartment 317 on 63 Elm Street in Manchester to carry out a search warrant. There investigators discovered a large-scale heroin mill operation.

Police confiscated bundles of heroin packaged to sell, 1.5 ounces of raw heroin, sifting equipment, packaging materials, scales, $401 in cash and drug paraphernalia.

Three suspects were in the apartment at the time and escaped through a first-floor window.Jose Marquez, Kevin Smiley and Felix Cotto led police on a foot chase before being caught and arrested.

A fourth suspect, Lisandra Delgado, arrived at the home later in the day and was arrested then.

Police also found several small children living in the apartment and contacted DCF.

All four suspects had been previously arrested. Marquez had an outstanding warrant for violation of parole, authorities said.

Marquez, 29, of Apt. 317, was charged with possession of heroin, possession of more than an ounce of heroin with intent to sell, possession of drugs within 1500 feet of a school, possession of drugs with intent to sell within 1500 feet of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of drug paraphernalia within 1500 feet of a school, operating a drug factory, risk of injury and interfering with police.

Delgado, 27, of Apt. 317, was charged with possession of heroin, possession of more than an ounce of heroin with intent to sell, possession of drugs with 1500 feet of a school, possession of drugs with intent to sell within 1500 feet of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of drug paraphernalia within 1500 feet of a school, operating a drug factory and risk of injury.

Smiley, 28, of 123 Zion Street, Apartment 2B in Hartford, was charged with possession of heroin, possession of more than an ounce of heroin with intent to sell, possession of drugs within 1500 feet of a school, possession of drugs with intent to sell within 1500 feet of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of drug paraphernalia within 1500 feet of a school, operating a drug factory, interfering with police.

Cotto, 18, of 10 Mountfort Street in Hartford, was charged with possession of heroin, possession of more than an ounce of heroin with intent to sell, possession of drugs within 1500 feet of a school, possession of drugs with intent to sell within 1500 feet of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of drug paraphernalia within 1500 feet of a school, operating a drug factory and interfering with police.

All four suspects were held on $260,000 bonds.

New video shows a hit-and-run crash that left an elderly woman with severe injuries.

Juana Hostos, 82, was walking home from a Stratford gas station last March when a car backed right over her. Months later, she's still waiting for justice.

"I was crying when I see the video. I was so sad," said Hostos. "When they hit me, nothing. I woke in the hospital."

Hostos had been waiting for the bus here at this Citgo at the corner of Pearl Harbor Street and Success Avenue in Stratford.

"I went to the gas station to get coffee because it was a little chilly and the bus didn't come right away and then I hit the parking lot and I don't remember nothing," Hostos said.

Hostos' family said she was knocked unconscious by a car with Massachusetts plates.

"They don't get the guy yet. I don't know what's going to happen," Hostos said.

After the crash, two men got out and looked at her. A gas station attendant said they even tried to prop her up in a seated position before speeding off.

"You're supposed to stay…you're supposed to stay no matter what," Hostos said.

Hostos says she was in the hospital for a week. She still has back pain, headaches and memory loss. She used to run errands and go shopping by herself but now walks with a cane.

"Thank god I'm still alive," Hostos said. "Because it happened to me…it could happen to somebody else and he's going to do the same thing."

Hostos moved from Puerto Rico in 1951 and has raised her kids and grandchildren in Bridgeport.

Police have arrested the owner of the car but they have yet to find the suspect who was driving, 27-year-old Michael Hainsworth.

Hostos says an arrest will put her more at ease.

A Florida woman who was taken to jail for drug possession is facing additional drug charges after police found her trying to smuggle two crack pipes into jail through her genitals.

Cynthia Scholes, 41, was a passenger in a car that was stopped for speeding by Gainesville Police on Wednesday night. The driver told police that they could search his car, according to a police report.

Police found a cigar wrapper with about three grams of cannabis in the passenger seat occupied by Scholes, the report said.

Scholes was searched, and she was found with a crack pipe in her purse, the report said.

She was arrested, and on the way to jail, police asked her three times if she had narcotics on her, which she denied, according to the report.

When Scholes passed through the X-ray machine at the jail, police found contraband inside her genitals, the report said.

Police found two crack pipes on her, one that had about .01 grams of crack cocaine in it.

Scholes was arrested for an additional charge of smuggling contraband in a detention facility. As of Friday morning, she was still being held in jail on a $10,000 bond, according to online jail records. It was not immediately known if she had an attorney.

More Weird Stories:

• VIDEO: Police Hunting for the "I'm Sorry" Robber
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• Man Posed as Woman on Chat Site to Lure, Rob Men: Sunrise Police

A Westchester County high school teacher was arrested in the alleged rape of a 16-year-old student on what was supposed to be his wedding day Friday, authorities said. 

John M. Azabache, a 31-year-old math teacher at Ossining High School, turned himself in to police and was arraigned on a charge of third-degree rape in town court, police said.

Azabache, of Port Chester, allegedly had sexual relations with the student between March and July 1 of this year. The girl's family contacted police, who conducted an investigation.

The alleged incident did not occur on school property or during school hours, police said.

The Journal News reports Azabache was scheduled to be married Friday to a White Plains woman. 

Azabache was jailed on $50,000 bail and ordered not to contact the student as well as his fiancee and two of her family members because they were "witnesses to events after the fact," according to the judge. 

Azabache has been reassigned from teaching and barred from school grounds pending the outcome of the case, according to a statement from the school district. He had no prior criminal record. 

Students at the school said Azabache was well-liked and were stunned by the allegations. 

"I never thought that he would do something like that," said one student.

"It's really the biggest mistake a teacher can do. He's going to lose all the respect he had from all the kids." 

His lawyer Tony Castro told reporters his client has a "stellar record as a school teacher, adding, "I just want to note that what he’s being charged with does not involve any forceable compulsion. It involves an alleged incident with a minor, someone who is just under 17 years old.”

Asked about the wedding, Castro said, “I assumed it was called off. Frankly, that is nothing I discussed with him.”

Azabache is due back in court July 23.

The 22 children who became ill Thursday after eating lunch at a San Diego school cafeteria made themselves sick on purpose as part of a game, school officials confirmed on Friday.

According to San Diego Unified School District spokesman Jack Brandais, a group of students at Audubon Elementary School in the Lomita area were playing a game of “dare” in the cafeteria, urging one another to put different ingredients into their milk to see who could keep the milk down without vomiting.

Brandais said the ingredients included hot sauce, salt, pepper, carrots and other vegetables being served at lunch.

The result was not pretty -- and the game, led by a group of 4th graders, turned serious quickly.

Twenty-two children became ill after lunch, with most of them nauseous, vomiting and suffering abdominal pains.

After a number of students reported to the school nurse's office with stomach problems, paramedics were called to the school, and officials said nearly two dozen ill children were transported to a local hospital.

The San Diego Unified School District confirmed the 22 sick kids were in kindergarten through 7th grade. The district said the students were evaluated at the hospital and then released to their parents or guardians.

After the incident, San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Robert Garcia said the children possibly drank a beverage that had gone bad, perhaps juice or milk, and may have suffered food poisoning.

San Diego County health officials began investigating, and said they would work with the school district’s food services department to determine the cause of the incident. An investigation report is expected to be released as early as next week.

After learning that the children’s sickness at the cafeteria was self-imposed, Brandais said Audubon Elementary School principal Jean Freeman will now decide how to proceed, and whether disciplinary action will be taken against the students involved in the incident.

Freeman was told about the "dare" game by several students who witnessed kids putting things into their milk, as well as parents who reported the incident, school officials said.

Meanwhile, some students at Audubon Elementary School, including 7th grader Jazveline Martinez, had their own thoughts on the game involving schoolmates.

“Well, I think they should be more careful. They probably think it’s just a joke, mixing stuff together, but it’s not,” Martinez told NBC 7.

Audubon parent Ana Navarro told NBC 7 the incident worries her, because her own child could experience peer pressure at school someday.

“Just anybody saying, ‘Oh, I dare you,’ could make them do something,” said Navarro.

Leslie Allen’s granddaughter, who’s in first grade at Audubon, was one of the children who became ill at school. She was taken to the hospital as a precaution after becoming nauseous.

Allen initially thought the cause of her granddaughter’s illness may have been food poisoning, but on Friday, she was somewhat relieved to learn that wasn’t the case.

“I don't blame the school district. I wonder who was watching them but you know, kids do things. I'm relieved to hear that,” Allen told NBC 7.

Audubon Elementary School is located at 8111 San Vicente St. in San Diego’s Lomita neighborhood. It’s a year-round school that is in session through Jul. 19.

School officials said the school's kitchen, cafeteria and outdoor lunch areas were sanitized overnight.

School – and lunchtime – resumed as normal on Friday.

Two New York City men are going on trial on allegations they scammed the Mohegan Sun casino out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a scheme police say involved crooked game dealers and marked cards.

The trial of Queens residents Leonard Hu and Hung Leung is scheduled to begin Monday in New London Superior Court. They deny charges of felony casino cheating, conspiracy and larceny.

 State police say Hu and Leung teamed with two casino dealers who marked the 7, 8 and 9 cards at mini-baccarat tables at Mohegan Sun in late 2010 and early 2011. The dealers, Norwich residents Jian Ng and Bong Louie, also were arrested and await trial.

Troopers say Hu and Leung won more than $500,000 from the casino from October 2010 to February 2011.

A new kind of parade set sail in Chicago Saturday.

Ashore Thing, presented by Michigan Avenue Magazine and the Chicago Yacht Club, celebrated the start of the famous Race to Mackinac Island boat race with a parade of sailboat sensations. The event took place from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. at Navy Pier.

A wave of prestigious sailboats preparing to embark on the 105th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac sailed through the shores of Chicago Saturday, offering seaside admirers a close-up view of their “floats.”

The open-to-the-public viewing party offered a chic viewing lounge outfitted with cabanas, café tables, and a DJ. It will also provide a gourmet lunch menu for lakeside picnics, a cigar bar and a photo booth.

The Race to Mackinac, also known as “The Mac,” is a 333-mile race to Michigan’s Mackinac Island and hosts 350 boats annually with nearly 3,500 sailors competing.

Firefighters are crediting a 12-year-old boy with alerting residents of a fire that broke out in a building Saturday morning, causing an extra-alarm blaze in Chicago’s Canaryville neighborhood.

Firefighters were called around 10 a.m. to the 4400 block of South Union Avenue for reports of the fire, according to Fire Media. The fire began at one home on the block and spread to three neighboring homes, sparking fire officials to call a 3-11 alarm, Fire Media said.

Officials said several residents of the buildings that caught fire were alerted and evacuated early in the blaze due to the efforts of a young boy who saw the flames and went through the building to alert residents.

"I just started screaming 'There's a fire,'" said Edwin Perez. "I was so, so scared."

Fire officials said no injuries were reported and credited the boy's efforts.

“This young man should be commended,” said Mark Nielsen, assistant deputy fire commissioner for the Chicago Fire Department."That’s an amazing young man.”

The fire took over an hour to put out and required 10 handlines and four master streams. At one point, an emergency evacuation of firefighters was called, but all personnel were accounted for in a roll call, Fire Media said.

Officials said the flames began on the back porch of one home on the block and spread to the neighboring 2.5-story homes, which were close in spacing.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
 

Bay Area Rapid Transit police are investigating an amateur sex tape that was apparently shot on a moving BART train.

Deputy Chief Ben Fairow said his officers are trying to track down the cell phone video that shows a partially disrobed couple having intercourse on a seat at the end of a BART train car.

The windows are dark, suggesting the train was in a tunnel at the time the video was shot, but the timeline and exact location were not known.

It shows grainy images of the couple's faces, but BART has not been able to identify the people.

If they do, Fairow says the couple faces a misdemeanor charge and a system-wide ban.

“It’s not considered a serious, violent offense, but it is something that we take seriously. It’s also one of the crimes that’s eligible for an AB 716 prohibition order which is a new law that went into effect to prohibit certain individuals who commit certain offenses from being in or around our properties," Fairow said.

BART is also using the incident to call for all riders to alert them of inappropriate behavior. The agency says it tries to make sure officers are waiting at the next stop anytime illegal activity is reported on a train. 

State Police are looking for two inmates who escaped during a medical evaluation at Waterbury Hospital Friday night. 

Police said 27-year-old Tjayda Jones and 31-year-old Marcos Jimenez were transported from the Chasse Center Halfway House to Waterbury Hospital for a possible drug overdose.

According to investigators, one of the men knocked a nurse to the floor as they both escaped from the hospital.  Jones had a vehicle outside the hospital waiting for him, said police.

Investigators believe Jones is in the Hartford area and Jimenez, originally from Meriden,  was last seen in Waterbury.

Police said Jones is serving time for assault  and is a priority to apprehend. Jimenez was serving time for violating probation.

If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of either escapee, you are urged to contact State Police at 203-267-2200. All calls will be kept confidential.