Bullets often carve a fatal path: About 36,000 Americans were killed by a firearm in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but nearly 85,000 gunshot victims treated in emergency rooms survived.

NBC News spoke to six people about how surviving a gunshot wound has changed their lives. Sara Cusimano was shot when she was kidnapped and raped at 13. Today, she continues to struggle with PTSD: "That millisecond decision that he made destroyed the entire rest of my life."

A police officer and Army sniper opened up about their experiences being wounded in the line of duty.

NBC News also spoke to a woman who survived an attack by her husband and a man who was shot by a robber, as well as a man who was accidentally shot by his friend as a boy.

The Tick-Borne Disease Prevention Laboratory at Western Connecticut State University is reporting the highest level of deer ticks since 2011.

The lab has monitored the deer tick population weekly at sites in Danbury, Ridgefield and Newtown from May through August since the program began in 2011.

Dr. Neeta Connally, director of the lab and associate professor of biological and environmental studies at WCSU, said in a release that weekly samples taken since May of this year have consistently increased levels higher than 2012 through 2016, and are reaching close to levels reported in 2011, which is the highest year on record so far.

On average the lab has collected 303 percent more nymphal deer ticks than in the same week in 2016, and 57 percent more than in 2015.

There are a variety of factors than can affect the tick population each year, including the number of tick hosts like deer and mice, and climate factors such as the amount of spring rainfall.

“While we are seeing an especially high number of ticks this season, it’s important to remember that in our region, every year is a risky year for Lyme disease and other tick-associated infections,” Connally said. “Residents should always be vigilant in protecting themselves from tick bites. Some ways for people to prevent encounters with ticks are to wear long pants and light-colored clothing, check all exposed skin thoroughly after spending time outdoors where ticks are present, bathe shortly after outdoor activity, and dry clothes on high heat after outdoor wear.”

Pets should also be protected and checked for ticks after outdoor excursions.

The AP reports that tick numbers and the diseases they spread have been on the rise for some time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of Lyme disease cases has tripled to about 30,000 cases nationwide each year. Cases of anaplasmosis, which can cause fever, headache, chills and muscle aches, have also risen steadily.

A New Haven man who drew a firearm on a group of people outside a night club has been sentenced to three years of imprisonment for illegally possessing a firearm.

Thirty-four-year-old Edward Fulton was sentenced on Tuesday to 36 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release by a district judge in Bridgeport.

According to the US Attorney's office, in the early morning of March 12, 2016, a police officer saw Fulton pull his firearm on a crowd outside the night club. The officer drew his own weapon and ordered Fulton to drop his weapon. Fulton attempted to hide the weapon in his sweatshirt and walk away, but the officer pursued him and eventually Fulton released his firearm.

The gun was cocked and possessed two rounds of ammunition. It was reported stolen in New Haven in 2015.

Fulton has been convicted multiple times for robbery and firearm possession.

A college student from Ridgefield, Connecticut is getting some major help paying for college after a difficult year in which her father went through treatment for esophageal cancer.

The “Today” show revealed this morning that Samantha Watts won “The House” tuition contest, which includes a $100,000 scholarship.

Viewers were asked why they thought someone they know deserves money toward a college education and there were almost 2,000 responses.

This morning, Hoda Kotb revealed that Watts is the winner.

Watts is studying speech pathology and education at Ithaca College and said she will have to go to graduate school to be able to practice.

“I love my school and I love everything that I do there, but my dad actually has just recovered from cancer, from esophageal cancer, and a lot of our money had to go toward that last year, so we’re kind of dependent on scholarships and loans right now, and so it would be life-changing for me,” she said.

“I’m flabbergasted. This is amazing,” Watts said after learning she won the $100,000 prize.

Actor Will Ferrell surprised Watts and presented the ceremonial check on-air this morning.

HamletHub reports that Watts, who goes by Sammie, is a 2015 graduate of Ridgefield High School. 

Ferrell is one of the stars of “The House,” a movie about how far parents go to pay for their daughter’s education.

The "Today" show and NBC Connecticut are both NBC Universal companies.

Two buildings that have been vacant in downtown Hartford for more than 20 years are getting a facelift.

New York City developers Girona Ventures and Wonder Works Construction bought the buildings at 95-101 Pearl St. and 111 Pearl St. and plan to turn them into apartments with a combined 258 units.

Much of the inside of the blighted buildings will have to be gutted.

“When it rains you can see even there’s water there … and that’s from the rain from yesterday and it leaks,” Laura Nigro, of Simsbury, said, pointing out to the gutters dripping from the twelfth story of the building.

She works across the street from the buildings.

“There’s bricks falling off in the winter time,” said Fred Schoenfeld, of Manchester, who also works in the same building.

There is extensive damage to the building, but Jeff Ravetz, the founder of Girona Ventures, told NBC Connecticut they will be sensitive to any architectural elements, especially at 111 Pearl St., which is a historic building.

The $51 million project would not be move-in ready for at least another two years, Ravetz said.

This is the second project for Girona Ventures and Wonder Works Construction in Hartford, which redeveloped the old Sonesta hotel on Constitution Plaza in 2015.

“We found the people in Hartford of very high quality and eager to do business. We felt like what we’re doing has a significant impact on the city,” Ravetz told NBC Connecticut.

Approximate costs to rent:

• Studio: $1,100
• One-bedroom unit: $1,300
• Two-bedroom unit: $2,400

Norwich city council members are trying to stop a major construction project planned for a one-mile stretch of Route 82 that is otherwise known as “crash alley.”

The council members passed a resolution Monday that urges the state Department of Transportation to reconsider putting in six rotaries between the New London Turnpike and the Asylum Street intersections.

This comes after several area business owners have expressed concern that these rotaries could hurt their businesses. 

“We can’t sacrifice our current tax base out here right now and the people that have invested in our city,” City Council President Pro Tempore Peter Nystrom said.

The DOT has been studying this since 2015. The $42-million plan also includes installing a new median to prevent left hand turns.

Rodney Green, the owner of Olde Tymes Restaurant for the past 33 years, said he agrees changes need to be made to Route 82.http://oldetymes.com/

“I think the prospect of improving the traffic flow would be good. The prospect of improving the appearance of the road is really sorely needed for our stretch,” Green said.

But Green is concerned the rotaries could force owners to give up part of their property and that construction could take a number of years.

“If they’re talking about something that would actually wind up being a two-year project, which is one of the latest things being floated, I’m out of business,” Green said.

Instead of rotaries, Nystrom recommends the state lower the speed limit and have more police patrols in the area.

Following the passage of the resolution, Kevin Nursick, a spokesman for the DOT, said the state will have to consider tweaking their plans or spend more time educating the public. Nursick said modern rotaries are proven to be effective at keeping traffic flowing as well as drastically reducing the number of crashes.

Green said he would like the state to approve more level parking lot entrances, so drivers don’t have to stop and block traffic just to climb the steep driveways.

The resolution also asked the DOT to provide more information on the proposed project.

On the Facebook page for Wednesday's Northern Virginia vigil for 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen, friends and strangers alike are mourning.

But these online cries for peace and justice aren't limited to a single event. Sharing the #JusticeForNabra hashtag, many vigils are being planned nationally to recognize the loss of Hassanen, who was killed early Sunday morning.

Police believe Hassanen, who was about to finish her sophomore year of high school, was fatally beaten with a baseball bat while returning to an all-night prayer session at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center. 

Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, was charged with her murder after police found Hassanen's body in a nearby pond. Police believe Hassanen was a victim of road rage, not a hate crime, but Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Raymond Morrogh said prosecutors have not ruled out any motive. Fairfax County will prosecute the case. 

Hassanen's father remains convinced her religion drew the attacker to her.

"Because she is a Muslim," Mahmoud Hassanen said. "She has Muslim clothes."

Others have shared that view on social media.

A vigil for Hassanen is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston, with #JusticeForNabra events also being planned nationwide. The majority of vigils are planned for both Tuesday and Wednesday, and some are set to occur early next week.

In addition to the vigil in Reston, events are being held in Washington, D.C., and several other major cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Many of the vigils are encouraging attendees to bring flowers rather than candles to hold during the vigil.

A family representative told NBC4 that Hassanen's funeral prayer service will take place Wednesday afternoon at the ADAMS Center Mosque.

A donation page set up to support Hassanen's family has already raised more than $280,000.

Vigils are scheduled in the following locations, according to event pages:

• Washington, D.C.: Standing Against Violence: DC Vigial and Iftar #JusticeForNabra
• Reston, Virginia: Vigil for Nabra
• Boston: Standing Against Violence: Boston Vigil #JusticeForNabra
• Detroit: Standing Against Violence: Detroit Vigil #JusticeForNabra
• Haledon, New Jersey: Standing Against Violence: New Jersey Vigil #JusticeForNabra
• Los Angeles: Standing Against Violence: Los Angeles Vigil #JusticeForNabra
• New York: Standing Against Violence: National Vigil #JusticeForNabra
• Philadelphia: Standing Against Violence: Philadelphia Vigil #JusticeForNabra
• San Francisco: SF Vigil #JusticeForNabra: Standing Against Violence

An East Hartford man has been charged after his eight pitbulls were found living in poor conditions and suffering from heat shock, police said. 

Police said they seized the pets from 1055 Tolland Street when they were found living in filth- with no water or cooling- and all suffering from heat shock on June 13. 

Samuel Carroll, 43, who lives at the home, was charged with eight counts of cruelty to animals.

The dogs were transported to the clinic for treatment and are currently receiving additional care, medicine and bathing, East Hartford Police said. 

A property manager and her boyfriend are accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from an apartment building. 

Sean Murphy stole more than $5,000 from the victim's apartment in Glastonbury on June 2, police allege. 

An investigation revealed that Murhpy's girlfriend, Jessica Benson, a property manager of the victim's apartment building, assisted in the theft, Glastonbury Police said. 

The couple sold the stolen items to local pawn shops, according to police. 

Police obtained a search warrant for the couple's address at 44 Nanel Drive, Apt B, and found narcotics and paraphernalia. 

Murphy and Benson were both charged with third-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny and their bonds were $15,000 each. 

A woman operating a motor scooter sustained head trauma after colliding with a car in Plainfield on Tuesday.

Plainfield police officers and members of the Atwood Hose Fire Department responded to the intersection of Front Street and North Chestnut Street for a reported accident at 1:13 p.m.

A woman operating a 2005 Yamaha scooter traveling southbound on North Chestnut Street at the intersection of Fountain Street collided with a 2015 Ford Focus who was traveling westbound on Front Street.

The woman was transported to Hartford Hospital by LifeStar and sustained head trauma.

The accident is under investigation. 

World Refugee Day is Tuesday, making it a good opportunity to consider the millions of people who are forcibly displaced from their homes around the world.

Aside from plans for rallies on Trump Tower and the United Nations headquarters in New York City, people around the world are marking the day with cultural celebrations, corporate fundraisers or political demonstrations of their own.

Here are some of the ways organizations are recognizing the hardships and hopes of refugees:

Reporting record-high refugee totals, UN officials visit camps in Ethiopia

In advance of World Refugee Day, the United Nations High Commission on Refugees released its latest study on forced migration, which reports 65.6 million forcibly displaced people around the world in 2016 — the highest total ever recorded.

Filippo Grandi, who leads the organization, is spending the day in Nguenyyiel refugee camp, one of several sites in western Ethiopia that hosts more than 300,000 refugees fleeing violence and hunger in South Sudan.

Grandi visited a nearby marketplace and school and joined diplomats and humanitarian workers at a ceremony.

“I am here in Ethiopia on World Refugee Day to tell the world that it is possible to receive many refugees, to treat them well, to remain stable, and to look to the future,” Grandi said. “Stay hopeful, stay strong, because we stand with refugees."

The UNHCR report says that the refugee crisis in South Sudan is one of the world’s fastest-growing, jumping from 854,100 to over 1.4 million in the second half of last year.

Starbucks, NGOs team up to provide work for 2,500 refugees in Europe

Starbucks will work together with aid agencies to hire 2,500 refugees in its European stores by 2022, the company announced.

Collaborating with refugee resettlement organizations, such as the Refugee Council, in eight countries mostly in Western Europe, the coffee chain will seek to reach its global goal of hiring 10,000 refugees within the next five years.

This plan, which was announced in January following the announcement of President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, drew backlash in the United States from boycotters who said the chain should have hired military veterans instead.

“Refugees bring an incredible wealth of skills, knowledge and experience which are hugely beneficial to society,” Mark Wren, president of the Refugee Council, said in a statement. “It’s so important that they are given the opportunity to apply their talents to employment here in the U.K.”

Food festival celebrates refugee chefs, cuisine in 13 cities

More than a dozen cities in Europe are hosting editions of the Refugee Food Festival this month as a way to highlight refugee chefs and help integrate their culture into the city.

The festival, which launched last year in France, matches restaurants in each city with displaced chefs who create a one- or two-night pop-up menu highlighting their national or regional cuisine.

"We're here today to say that in cooking, in the kitchen, there are no differences. We're all the same, we're all human," Barshank Haj Younes, a Syrian chef based in Athens, told Reuters.

Last year’s festival featured chefs from places as diverse as Ivory Coast, Syria, and Tibet, including one chef who hosted a popular cooking show in Syria.

YouTubers highlight individual refugees’ stories

The International Rescue Committee sent well-known vloggers to film interviews and video collaborations with refugees across the world.

The campaign, titled #MoreThanARefugee, partnered each of seven YouTube channels with one or more refugees whose stories tie into the goal of the account.

For instance, gay vlogger Tyler Oakley met with Shadi and Sharifa, two LGBTQ refugees who came to the U.S. from Syria and Uganda, respectively, to flee persecution and homophobia at home. A tech channel called AsapSCIENCE, meanwhile, went to an IRC camp in Syria to explore how refugee camps are built and build kites with the people living there.

#MoreThanARefugee is part of YouTube’s “Creators for Change” initiative, which seeks to amplify voices that use the website to tackle “difficult social issues.”

One highlight in the series is a video by Haifa Beseisso, who runs a travel series from the United Arab Emirates called “Fly with Haifa,” as she meets a 13-year-old Syrian refugee and aspiring rapper named Maryam who fled from Iraq to Serbia by foot.

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Ai Weiwei unveils installation at Danish museum

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei's latest work, "Soleil Levant," barricades the windows at a contemporary art museum with over 3,500 life jackets salvaged from refugees arriving on the Greek island of Lesbos.

The work, which opened Tuesday at the Kunsthal Charlottenborg contemporary art space in Copenhagen, looks to draw attention to the refugee crisis in Europe. 

UNHCR reported that more than 1.3 million refugees have arrived in Europe by making the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean, with more than 8,000 people dying or disappearing in their attempts to travel by sea.

Facebook, Save the Children launch ad campaign

Facebook collaborated with Save the Children for an ad campaign to depict the drastic transformations that children in Syria have had to face as a result of the civil war ravaging the country.

Different 12-second spots show photos of happy, young Syrians dissolving into depictions of refugee life aboard boats or in front of war-torn territory.

Titled “It’s Not the Same This Year,” the campaign will run through Eid al-Fitr, a celebration at the end of Ramadan when Muslims perform acts of charity for the less fortunate.

Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo also took part in promoting the day, introducing a Save the Children video that highlights the story of a Syrian refugee named Zainab.

More than 600 bags of heroin, marijuana, crack cocaine and a handgun with multiple boxes of ammunition were seized in Manchester after a car was pulled over, police said. 

Manchester police pulled over a vehicle on the West Middle Turnpike at 3 a.m. on Tuesday. 

When police pulled over the suspicious looking vehicle, they discovered almost 670 bags of heroin, 21 bags of marijuana, 4 grams of crack cocaine and a handgun with multiple boxes of ammunition. 

The total worth of the narcotics found in the vehicle is estimated to be around $3,000.

Police arrested two men in the car: Daquan Pipkin, 20, and Dennis Pipkin, 22.

Both men were charged with possession of cocaine, possession of heroin, possession with intent to sell , possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, operating a drug factory, possession of drugs within 1,500 feet of a school, possession of paraphernalia within 1,500 feet of a school, weapon in a motor vehicle, and interfering, along with multiple motor vehicle charges.

In addition, Pipkin was also charged with second-degree forgery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police said Pipkin provided false information and signed fingerprints cards representing a different person's identity. 

Anyone with information pertaining to any illicit drug activity is asked to contact the East Central Narcotics Taskforce at (860) 645-5548.

Drier air is moving into the state and pleasant weather is expected over the next couple of days. 

Tomorrows forecast features a mix of sun and clouds with an isolated shower or thunderstorm possible during the afternoon hours. High temperatures tomorrow will reach the low to middle 80s. 

Take a look at First Alert Future Radar at 4 p.m. tomorrow: 

Thursday is the pick of the week with mostly sunny skies the entire day and high temperatures reaching the low to middle 80s.

You can expect decent weather if you're heading to the Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands. There's a slight chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms Friday afternoon and evening. A few showers will linger into Saturday morning. 

Connecticut is expected to end the fiscal year with a $107.2 million shortfall, according to the governor's administration. 

The state comptroller said projected operating shortfall was an improvement from the $215.5 million shortfall they had projected on May 20. 

State Comptroller Kevin Lembo said the change is due to $93.3 million in revenue transfers authorized by the deficit mitigation bill, $54.3 million in other revenue improvement and $67.9 million in reduced expenditures.

"In accordance with existing law, the projected deficit will be extinguished via transfer from the Budget Reserve Fund as part of the process of closing out the fiscal year, leaving a balance in that fund of only $128.4 million for future contingencies," Lembo said in a statement.

A mountain biker reported missing in Farrington Woods in Danbury has been found dead, according to officials. 

A man, who was around 56 years old, went mountain biking Monday, did not return home. Police said he has been missing since 10:20 p.m. Monday and a search began around midnight at Farrington Woods, a 192-acre recreation area on Mill Plain Road. 

The mountain biker's name has not been released, but police said he was an experienced hiker who has ridden in Farrington Woods before.

He was found around near a trail, three-quarters of a mile away from the entrance to Farrington Woods around 11:30 a.m.  

Police said his death does not appear to be suspicious, but the investigation is continuing. He is from the Danbury area, but was not a Danbury resident, according to police. 

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

A Bridgeport high school teacher has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a student and has been arrested.

Bridgeport police arrested 31-year-old Laura Ramos, of Milford, a teacher at Central High School.

She is accused of an inappropriate sexual relationship with an 18-year-old boy who attended the high school, police said.

Ramos has been charged with sexual assault in the second degree.

She was held on a $50,000 bond and has a court date scheduled for June 28.

Police said the arrest was a collaboration of work by the Bridgeport police detectives, school resource officers and the superintendent’s office.

Cities and towns in Connecticut are on the airwaves for the first time in several years in an effort to sway lawmakers to allow them to assess local sales taxes.

Currently, the sales tax is only assessed by the state, and those funds make their way back to municipalities in the form of municipal aid through the state budget.

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) has made a television ad-buy to drive the point home, showing Connecticut residents and hearing from them in their struggle with property taxes.

Matthew Galligan is a former president of CCM and has been pushing for some kind of local taxing authority for decades. He said if there ever was a time to provide more autonomy for cities and towns to raise cash, free from the state, then it’s now.

“We can do a lot of that regionally,” Galligan explains. “In New York a lot of communities are able to do local sales tax, cities, they share it with other towns and it is a way to try to keep us in line with the revenue structure and make sure we have a steady revenue force instead of waiting for the state legislature to pass a budget.”

Most cities and towns already have their budgets in place for the next fiscal year, even though the General Assembly hasn’t yet approved a budget to send to Gov. Dannel Malloy.

Some Democrats have said they want to see cities and towns be on the same schedule with the state budget so they all know for sure how much municipal aid will be distributed. Galligan said that’s not impossible, but it could be a difficult ask.

“In the cities it may be OK, and towns with a town manager form of government where the town council approves a budget you can get away with it, but in some of the smaller communities where they vote on their budgets, it could be very difficult.”

The state’s fiscal year ends June 30.

Those who care for some of the state’s poorest residents said state lawmakers and the governor can’t go down the same road as last year by making spending cuts across the board.

They argued Tuesday for new revenues and to start taxing services that have been exempt from state sales taxes.

“If we don’t take this now, then in the future we’re going to continue to face these problems, so it’s something we’re going to have to confront now is reforming our revenue system,” said Derek Thomas with Connecticut Voices for Children.

The group and several others want to see sales taxes assessed on more services rather than goods. They said the Connecticut economy is more focused on the consumption of services than goods, and that can play to an advantage when it comes to deal with a project $5 billion budget hole.

The services they want to tax compose a long list including architecture design, tax preparation, beauty salon and barbershops, veterinary services, and funeral homes.

All of those proposals have been proposed in the past, but lawmakers have decided against broadening the sales tax base.

For the sake of the healthcare system, Rep. Peter Tercyak said the state needs to puts its priorities front and center and come up with a way to pay for them.

“Healthcare is a human right, not a privilege, not a commodity and we should treat it that way.”

A bicyclist was struck by a vehicle in New Hartford on Tuesday night.

The accident happened at 7:30 p.m. on Main Street, or Route 219, near Town Hill Road. 

LifeStar was called to the scene to transport the bicyclist to a hospital for serious injuries. 

The road will be closed for a few hours.

No other information was immediately available. 

It has been a busy year for first responders at Enders State Forest.

On an average year, first responders are usually called to the popular Granby spot three or four times, but this year they've already been called five times, and the busy summer season is just beginning.

“The fact that we are already up to five and it’s only June right now, is a little bit scary for us,” said Deputy Chief Tim Weber with the Lost Acres Fire Department.

After a series of slips, one serious, Lost Acres Fire joined their mutual aid partners Monday night for some real life training on how to get people out of the waterfalls. Despite more incidents, so far this year there have been no fatalities and their goal is to keep it that way.

According to Weber, people typically slip trying to cross the edge of the waterfall and drop about 15 feet to a pool where they get stuck. It is another 15 feet to the bottom of the waterfall.

“It is a pretty technical operation getting folks that might be hurt out of the water, down out of the falls back up over the ridge up to where they can get medical care,” said Weber.

The rescue can take 45 first responders 45 minutes. According to Weber, every second matters so they practice so it is smooth when it matters the most.

“That is what we are training for, is so if someone gets hurt, we are here to take care of you.”