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6 Things You May Not Know About Memorial Day

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Every year on the last Monday of May, Americans gather to honor the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in service to their country. What began as informal commemorations of those killed in the Civil War has grown to become one of the nation’s most hallowed holidays. From its early incarnation as “Decoration Day” to its modern-day observances, here are some other historical facts about Memorial Day.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/File

Bridgeport Kidnapping Ends in Wallingford

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A woman kidnapped in Bridgeport was located safely in Wallingford Monday morning. 

According to Bridgeport police, a shooting occurred late Sunday evening in the area of 41 Federal St.

A woman, the girlfriend of the shooting victim, was apparently kidnapped from the scene of the shooting by two or three males.

The woman and the unidentified males drove up Route 8 onto I-84 and then exited the highway in Waterbury.

The woman told police that the last thing she remembered seeing before they departed the highway was the large cross that is a part of Holy Land USA in Waterbury.

At some point, the males bailed out of the car. The woman was left in the car and was driving around, unable to explain to police her whereabouts.

Police told her to find a landmark.

Wallingford police say that the woman and the car she was taken in were located at the First Connecticut Credit Union, 159 S Turnpike Road.

The woman is working with both police departments to help them piece together what happened.


Boy Thrown From Water Slide at New Calif. Water Park

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A highly-anticipated water park opening in Dublin, California, Saturday took a frightening turn when a boy was flung from the bottom of a three-story slide before skidding across the concrete.

The 10-year-old boy managed to walk away with only some scratches after being ejected from the Emerald Plunge ride at The Wave, which is the East Bay's newest water park

"We got him into first aid and they checked him out," John Rodems, Dublin Director of Parks and Community Services, said. "He was in good spirits. He was smiling. I think he was a little stunned coming out of the transition area a little bit."

The boy's parents then took him to the hospital to be further examined, and he was later released, said Dublin Assistant City Manager Linda Smith.

The slide involved was shut down immediately. State inspectors were on site Sunday and shut down the next to the one the boy fell out of. A third slide was also closed, although park officials said it was not related to the incident. 

On Monday, a team of Cal-OSHA inspectors, city workers and representatives from the slide manufacturer are set to meet about what will be done to mitigate the slide before it is approved to reopen.

"Hopefully by tomorrow – if not the next several days – we’ll understand what occurred, and we will work to make sure it doesn’t happen again," said Smith.

Video captured by the Bay Area News Group shows the boy accelerating down the open slide. As he reaches the flat section at the bottom of the slide, his body glides across the slide's side wall before skimming across the concrete surface below.

"I thought he was dead at first," Omarea Grigsby said. "He hit the ground pretty hard. You hear like a (pop)."

The slide in question could remain closed for a few days while officials investigate how the boy slipped out of it and formulate a plan to prevent such an incident from happening again.

"You know, it's safety first, everything that we do," Rodems said. "We've been testing that slide for a matter of a couple of weeks. Those slides were certified yesterday by the state of California."

Despite the accident and slide closures, the park remained busy Saturday, with more than 1,000 tickets sold, Smith said. Sunday's tallies were not yet available.

The 31,000-square-foot, $43 million facility features multiple pools, a 48-foot tall water slide tower with a total of six water slides, a splash area for youngsters and more accommodations for guests wishing to relax outside of the water.

Construction of the facility began in March 2015 at a time when California was suffering through a historic drought. Despite some grumblings about water use, park officials assured residents that the city was being "extremely water conscious" with the project.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

Kushner Lying Low After Russia-Related Reports: Source

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Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner is being told to "lay low" in the aftermath of the reports that he sought to set up a secret back-channel with Russia, a White House official told NBC News.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity and said some staffers were speechless when they learned about reports of a purported Russia back channel.

NBC News had reported Thursday that Kushner had come under FBI scrutiny in the Russia investigation, with multiple officials telling NBC News that investigators believe Kushner has significant information relevant to the probe.

The Washington Post reported Friday that Kushner discussed the secure communication channel with the Kremlin and the Trump transition.




Photo Credit: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Great White Australian Scare: 'There's a Shark in Me Boat!'

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The water Terry Selwood was fishing Saturday was calm, until a great white shark jumped straight into his boat — leaving him stunned and bloodied, but otherwise okay, NBC News reported.

The 73-year-old Australian saw a blur out of the corner of his eye as the 9-foot-long, 440-pound predator leaped into his boat, badly scraping his arm, off the New South Wales north coast, he told Australia Broadcasting Corporation.

Selwood scrambled to safety as the shark was "thrashing around madly," then looked down and said to himself, "There's a shark in me boat!"

Bill Bates, a skipper with the Evans Head Marine Rescue operation, told NBC News that, "We do get a lot of sharks in the area but we don't get sharks that have jumped onto boats."



Photo Credit: Marine Rescue NSW

Crash Closed Ramp on I-95 South in West Haven

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The exit 42 ramp from Interstate 95 South in West Haven was closed after a crash but the scene is now clear.

State police said a pole and wires were down.

No additional information was immediately available.



Photo Credit: Connecticut Department of Transportation

The Blame Game Is Upping Health Insurance Costs: Analysis

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While the Senate inches toward agreeing on a health care bill, insurers are growing increasingly rattled by congressional inaction and threats of sabotage from the White House, and customers could soon be paying the price, NBC News reported.

Insurance companies are reaching deadlines to submit the cost of their health care coverage, and some will decide whether to sell policies at all. But the uncertainty on how the government will approach health care is driving premiums higher and insurer participation lower.

Insurers are putting in their initial bids for premiums and will finalize their plans in September, but the time may have already passed for Congress to rescue the 2018 market, and the the political fight in Washington could shift to which party is to blame.

"We needed to have the answers three months ago," said Bob Laszewski, president of consulting firm Health Policy and Strategy Associates, to NBC News.



Photo Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images, File

Boy Thrown From Water Slide at New Calif. Water Park

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A highly anticipated water park opening in Dublin, California, took a frightening turn Saturday when a boy was flung from the bottom of a three-story slide before skidding across the concrete.

The 10-year-old boy managed to walk away with only some scratches after being ejected from the Emerald Plunge ride at The Wave, which is the East Bay's newest water park

"We got him into first aid and they checked him out," said John Rodems, Dublin Director of Parks and Community Services. "He was in good spirits. He was smiling. I think he was a little stunned coming out of the transition area a little bit."

The boy's parents then took him to the hospital to be further examined, and he was later released, said Dublin Assistant City Manager Linda Smith. Officials originally said the boy wasn't taken to a hospital.

The slide involved in the incident was shut down immediately, and park officials also closed the slide next to the one out of which the boy fell. State inspectors on site Sunday investigated both. A third slide was also closed, although park officials said it was not related to the incident. 

On Monday, a team of state safety inspectors, city workers and representatives from the slide manufacturer are set to meet about what will be done to mitigate danger on the slide before it is approved to reopen.

"Hopefully by tomorrow – if not the next several days – we’ll understand what occurred, and we will work to make sure it doesn’t happen again," Smith said.

Video captured by the Bay Area News Group shows the boy accelerating down the open slide. As he reaches the flat section at the bottom of the slide, his body glides across the slide's side wall before skimming across the concrete surface below.

"I thought he was dead at first," witness Omarea Grigsby said. "He hit the ground pretty hard. You hear like a (pop)."

The slide in question could remain closed for a few days while officials investigate how the boy slipped out of it and formulate a plan to prevent such an incident from happening again.

"You know, it's safety first, everything that we do," Rodems said. "We've been testing that slide for a matter of a couple of weeks. Those slides were certified yesterday by the state of California."

Despite the accident and slide closures, the park remained busy Saturday, with more than 1,000 tickets sold, Smith said. Sunday's tallies were not yet available.

The 31,000-square-foot, $43 million facility features multiple pools, a 48-foot tall water slide tower with a total of six water slides, a splash area for youngsters and more accommodations for guests wishing to relax outside of the water.

Construction of the facility began in March 2015 at a time when California was suffering through a historic drought. Despite some grumblings about water use, park officials assured residents that the city was being "extremely water conscious" with the project.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

Three Tips to Get Your Retirement Plan in Check

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These tips can help you ensure that you are on track to retire when you want to.

Iwo Jima Memorial Honors Those Killed in War

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The Iwo Jima Memorial in Newington honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Some Parades Go on Despite Rain

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Many outdoor Memorial Day events were canceled because of rain, but the parades and other outdoor events went on in several communities.

Among the residents to line the streets in Plainville were members of the McDermott family.

“It’s good to honor the people that have served our country and that are serving our country,” Justin McDermott said.

Three of his children waited patiently for the candy to be tossed.

“It’s just fun. It’s a small town. We like to see the parade and the kids love the catch candy,” McDermott said.

Romeo Martin, a veteran, was at the parade and said the military men and women who have died the true heroes.

“I had guys when I was in service who had died so it kind of touches home and I almost died myself, so it means a lot,” he said.

In Meriden, close to 100 people took part in the Memorial Mile race.

“Memorial Day was founded originally to celebrate those we lost. In a way we want to remember folks while they are still here,” David Radcliffe, race director for Meriden Memorial Mile, said.

Officials in Meriden said we should all observe Memorial Day by honoring those who gave all.

“I think the message that everyone should take from today is, thank a veteran,” Meriden Mayor Evan Scarpati said.




Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Man Charged in Double Stabbing in Clinton

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A West Haven man is suspected in a double stabbing in Clinton Sunday night. 

Police from Clinton and Madison responded to River Road at 7:55 p.m. Sunday to investigate after two 45-year-old men were stabbed and both victims had serious, but not life-threatening injuries, according to police. 

Members of Clinton Volunteer Fire Department EMS treated the victims, then transported them to Yale-New Haven Hospital. 

Police said 56-year-old Anthony Magaraci, of West Haven, and a female passenger had fled in a white Volkswagen Passat and they were found in Windsor, just off of Interstate 91. 

Magaraci was charged with first-degree assault and second-degree assault. The passenger was not charged. 

Magaraci is being held on a $500,000 bond, and will be arraigned at Middlesex Superior Court in Middletown on Tuesday.



Photo Credit: Clinton Police

37-Year-Old Man Who Fell at Ross Pond Park in Killingly Dies

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A 37-year-old man who fell while hiking at Ross Pond State Park in Killingly over the weekend was pronounced dead on Monday. 

Merton Hart III, of Ballouville, was hiking with his wife, another adult and three children when he fell approximately 100 feet from an overlook above Half Hill Pond, known as Lower Ross Pond, on Sunday around 3 p.m.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) said he fell onto broken and rocky hillside. Hart suffered injuries to his head and lower body.

Hart had to be extricated through rocky terrain and brush to the edge of the pond, put into the fire department's boat and brought across the pond before he was airlifted to the Rhode Island Hospital, according to DEEP. 

The 37-year-old man was pronounced dead on Monday. 

DEEP's EnCon Police are continuing to investigate the fall. 




Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Germany’s Merkel Signals Deepening Rift With US Under Trump

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Angela Merkel's said Europe could no longer "fully count on others" in a speech over the weekend, a sign of the widening cracks in Germany-U.S. relationship, NBC News reported.

"All I can say is that we Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands," the German leader said at a campaign event in Bavaria. "The times in which we can fully count on others are somewhat over, as I have experienced in the past few days."

Although Merkel didn't mention President Donald Trump by name, her blunt remarks followed a bruising series of meetings with Trump at the NATO summit in Belgium and then at the G-7 gathering in Italy.

On Thursday, Trump did not explicitly promise to protect America's NATO allies if they came under attack, instead alleging 23 out of the 28-member nations owed "massive amounts of money" to U.S. taxpayers.



Photo Credit: AP

Two Killed, Dozens Injured in Crashes Over Memorial Day Weekend

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Two people were killed in a crash on Interstate 91 over the Memorial Day weekend, state police made 26 driving under the influence arrests between Friday and Monday and people were injured in 40 crashes over the holiday weekend.

Connecticut state troopers patrolled the highways and roads over the Memorial Day weekend, focusing on drunken driving violations, aggressive drivers, distracted drivers and speeding.

Sobriety checkpoints and targeted DUI patrols are also in place over the entire weekend.

As of 7:30 a.m. Monday, police cited 631 drivers for speeding, 634 for failure to wear a seatbelt and they cited 2,342 drivers for violations that included unsafe lane changes, following too closely, using a cell phone, texting, speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and other offences.

State police also investigated 253 accidents, including 40 with injuries.

The fatal crash was on Interstate 91 Southbound Friday night in Rocky Hill. 

State police said 25-year-old Jose Diana and his passenger, 21-year-old Mark Nunez, both of Middletown, were killed.




Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Police Investigating Wolcott Teacher for Missing Funds

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Police said they are investigating a Wolcott teacher for possible missing funds from the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).

Wolcott Police Chief Ed Stephens said the investigating into the teacher started a few weeks ago following a complaint from the school's superintendent. 

Stephens said their are may be funds missing from the PTO of a grammar school in Wolcott.

The name the teacher accused have not been released since it is an ongoing investigation. 




Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

SUV Crashes Into Cemetery in Hamden

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A silver SUV crashed into a tree in a Hamden cemetery on Memorial Day. 

The vehicle appears to be a smaller, silver Nissan SUV that crashed through brushes into the Hamden side of the Beaverdale Memorial Park cemetary in New Haven. 

NBC Connecticut crews on the scene says it appears the vehicle toppled a couple of headstones before hitting a tree just off of Arch Street in Hamden.

The driver was treated on scene in an ambulance, NBC Connecticut reports.

No other information was immediately available. 



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Erik Estrada Stops at Bradley Airport on Memorial Day

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Erik Estrada stopped for a picture with a Connecticut State trooper at Bradley Airport on Memorial Day.

"Sorry John, it's Ponch & Trooper Cummings now!" Connecticut State Police posted on its Facebook on Monday. 

Estrada is well-known for his character as Officer Frank Poncherello on the hit TV series CHiPs.

Estrada was traveling through Bradley Airport, state police said. 

It was not clear where he was going or coming from. 



Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police

East Hartford Students Speak Up After Betsy DeVos Comments

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Several students, teachers and parents plan to rally outside East Hartford High School this week to protest after U.S. Education Secretary called the school a "dangerous daycare."

The protest is planned to take place at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the East Hartford High School on Forbes Street. 

"Betsy DeVos has never even seen our school," an East Hartford High School junior Tasnim Islam said.

That's why Islam and several other students found it shocking that she spoke so negatively about their high school.

DeVos told a congressional committee last week that East Hartford High School neglected and failed to help a former student she called "Michael".

"He described the school he was assigned to, and I quote, 'Nothing more than adult daycare. A dangerous daycare,'" said DeVos.

DeVos continued and said that the former student received a diploma but not an education.

"Even though he was failing his classes, the school simply passed him along from year to year giving him Ds and sending the not-so-subtle message that they didn't think Michael would amount to much," DeVos said.

The education secretary said that later in the former student's life, with a push from his wife, Michael eventually attended college in another state and has thrived there.

Current East Hartford High School student Michael Lachnicht said hearing those words from the head of the U.S. Department of Education felt like an attack, not just on the school, but on its students.

"To be good students at a daycare, what does that say about us?" Lachnicht asked.

"I personally thought to myself, 'Wow. I really want to respond to her'," East Hartford High School student Jadah Daley said.

Daley, Lachnicht, Islam and two other students crafted a letter to DeVos. Each wrote about their own experiences. They titled it, The Truth About East Hartford High School.

"The idea was to show that there were numerous students who did not agree with Betsy DeVos," said Lachnicht.

"The most upsetting thing about it is I don't believe Betsy DeVos has seen our school. I would really like for her to come and see exactly what East Hartford High School is like," said Daley.

She went on to add, "I really hope she does because I would love to meet her."

Later in the day after the rally on Tuesday,Governor Dan Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman will hold a news conference inside the high school  at 10:15 a.m. to discuss DeVos' comments.

NBC Connecticut reached out to DeVos' office but have not yet heard back.

To read the letter the students wrote, go to this website



Photo Credit: Carolyn Kaster/AP

Rescues Can be Dangerous in Tricky Locations

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A 37-year-old Killingly man is dead after falling 100 feet at a state park in Killingly this weekend.

Rescuers were also called to a state forest in Granby on Sunday where a 26-year old-woman from Orange, was injured. The second rescue this month, after a University of Hartford student was badly injured in a fall less than two weeks ago.

Firefighters in Granby have responded to multiple calls over the years at Enders Falls State Forest; two of them in the past week and a half.

Crews in Granby have seen one death since 1996 and eight LifeStar helicopter transports. An average rescue takes two hours and the town's fire chief wants to warn hikers of the dangers.

Fire chief John Horr Jr. said the warning signs at the parks are there for a reason.

"Be careful. If you insist on coming, walk carefully, don't walk across the falls. It's a dangerous place-- trip hazards, slip hazards," Horr Jr. said. 

Horr Jr. told NBC Connecticut it takes multiple agencies and a lot of volunteer manpower to execute a successful rescue.

"It takes us thirty to forty-five people to take one person out of the falls. It takes crew of people at the base of falls, into the falls about six people and then it takes 12 to 18 people to carry out because there's a lot of steps, a lot of vertical rise, it's a long way out," Horr Jr. said. 

Making rescues in tricky locations is dangerous for first responders too. Over the years, they've developed a specific rescue protocol, in order to get to victims as fast as possible and get responders to safety.

With water temperatures still only in the 50’s, firefighters wore special ice suits over the weekend.

“With the liner, keeps them safe, warm and dry, glove and boots so it keeps their feet safe," Horr Jr. said.

The costs associated with rescues could be $5,000 at minimum, but likely even higher if ambulance charges are included.

The best advice from the fire chief said was to use the buddy system, have good footwear and make sure cell phones are charged in case of emergency.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
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