said.A first-grade teacher from Wallingford has been selected as the 2018 Connecticut Teacher of the Year.

The honor was bestowed Tuesday upon Erin Berthold, a teacher at Cook Hill School who was selected from among four finalists, 15 semifinalists and more than 100 district-level teachers of the year.

"The teacher of the year committee said to me on Thursday, 'Do you have any questions?' And I said, 'I just want to say thank you. I've never had so many people come together for me before," Berthold said.   

Berthold has been an early childhood educator at Cook Hill School since 2015, according to the Connecticut Department of Education. Before that, she was a special education teacher at Yalesville Elementary and Moses Y. Beach Elementary School, also in Wallingford.

Berthold previously worked at Lincoln Middle School in Meriden and Woodhouse Academy in Milford.

“As an early childhood educator, Mrs. Berthold has the opportunity to inspire a love of learning and set up her students for lifelong success. Congratulations to Mrs. Berthold on being named the 2018 Teacher of the Year and thank you to all of our educators for the work that you do each day on behalf of Connecticut children,” Gov. Dannel Malloy said in a statement.

According to the state Department of Education, Berthold originally planned to pursue a degree in the arts and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in digital media from Marist College.

However, her mother was a teacher to young children in New York and that inspired Berthold to combine her interests in the arts and education and pursue a master’s degree in teaching, childhood and special education, which she obtained from St. Thomas Aquinas College, according to the state Department of Education.

"My mother is a teacher and she suggested I spend a day with her at school and that kind of changed my life. I said, this is what I want to do," Berthold

“I encourage students to take action,” Berthold said in a statement. “They may encounter some bumps along the way, but the best and deepest learning occurs when students reroute themselves. I believe children need to learn to make decisions regarding their own learning at an early age, so they are prepared to make life decisions. I encourage students to try new things, pursue their interests, and see failure as an opportunity for growth.”

A statewide committee of former teachers of the year and representatives from a variety of education organizations selected Berthold from among four finalists, 15 semifinalists, and more than 100 district-level teachers of the year.

Berthold said she thinks having fun in the classroom with her 6-year-old students makes a big difference.

"Sometimes the kids have even said to me, 'Well, we didn't learn anything today. All we did today was have fun,'" Berthold said. "I'm like, 'What are you talking about? We did science, we did reading,' and they don't even realize how much they're learning by just playing." 

Berthold succeeds 2017 Connecticut Teacher of the Year, Lauren Danner, a science teacher at North Branford High School.

A man approached a girl at her bus stop in Westport this morning and asked her if she wanted to see the cute dog in the back of his Jeep, according to police. They said the girl ran home and notified her parents. 

The girl was at her bus stop at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Breezy Knoll around 7:20 a.m. Tuesday when a man who looked to be between 40 and 50 years old approached her, police said. 

The man initially walked up and down Clinton Avenue, then got into an older green Jeep Grand Cherokee and asked the girl twice if she wanted to see the cute dog in the back of his car, police said. 

The girl immediately ran home and notified her parents. 

The man has brown hair and a bald spot. Anyone with information to help identify the man is asked to call the Westport Detective Bureau at 203-341-6080. 

The Westport Police Department said officers are working closely with the Westport Board of Education to ensure the safety of our students and continue to keep the public informed. 

Hartford HealthCare says it has reached a deal with Aetna today and they have a new three-year agreement effective Jan. 1, 2018, when the current contract expires.

Hartford Healthcare said the new contract includes all Aetna members in commercial, employer-based healthcare and Aetna Medicare Advantage plans and hospitals included in the agreement are Hartford Hospital, The Hospital of Central Connecticut, MidState Medical Center, Backus Hospital and Windham Hospital.

They said the contract also includes numerous Hartford HealthCare programs and services, as well as about 2,000 physicians and medical professionals.

While this agreement came together three months before the current contract expires, the contract between Hartford HealthCare and Anthem expired at the end of September and they have failed to come to a new in-network provider agreement.

That means hundreds of thousands of Anthem policyholders will now be treated as “out-of-network” patients in Hartford Healthcare facilities. 

In dueling statements, each did pledge to work with the other to come to an agreement, but a statement released by Anthem pointed the finger firmly at Hartford Healthcare. 

“Anthem is seeking for HHC to agree to increases that are comparable to increases accepted by other hospitals in the state,” the statement said. “HHC is requesting a rate increase that is two to three times the rate of inflation and that is not acceptable to us, and not acceptable to our members.” 

David Whitehead, Hartford Healthcare’s executive vice president, said in a statement, “We are working hard to resume our partnership with Anthem, and we are committed to reaching a fair agreement with Anthem — one that allows us to operate in a sustainable way while protecting access to caregivers you trust and providing the quality care you deserve. It is our hope that Anthem will work in good faith to agree to a new contract.”

Russell Bleck and his fiancee saw other festivalgoers "dropping left and right" as the Las Vegas gunman "sprayed the crowd" across the concert grounds from high up the Mandalay Bay hotel. 

As many of the 22,000 terrified concertgoers on Sunday scattered for cover in the wide-open space, off-duty first responders at the event — police officers, firefighters, paramedics and military personnel — jumped into action. 

They shielded those around them and shepherded fans to safety while gunfire continued to rain overhead. Some loaded victims into ambulances while others became victims themselves.

"Thank God it was a country concert, you saw a lot of ex-military just jump into gear. I saw guys plugging bullet holes with their fingers,"  Bleck told NBC's "Today" show Monday in a phone interview. "I saw police officers, while everyone else was crouching, standing up at targets just trying to direct people and tell them where to go.”

Law enforcement officers from departments around the country were among the 59 people killed and more than 500 wounded, victims of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Former New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said the number of casualties could have been higher had it not been for the quick-thinking actions by off-duty first responders in the crowd.

"The fact that so many police officers were in that crowd may have been an extraordinary coincidence that was ultimately beneficial," Bratton said Monday on MSNBC.

Specific reports of their heroism amid the fear and chaos have emerged.

Gail Davis was at the concert with her husband and described how a Las Vegas Metropolitan Department police officer used his body as a shield to protect her as he guided the couple to safety.

"[The officer] was my guardian angel. He never left me,” Davis told CBS “This Morning."

When Conor O'Donnell realized that gunshots were raining down on the crowd at the outdoor festival, the Rhode Island State Police detective called his father, former Rhode Island State Police Supt. Steven G. O’Donnell, to say he was safe.

"I spoke to him as it was happening. Kind of a crazy phone call to get in the middle of the night from your son who explains things to you that there's an active shooter and you can hear the rounds going and trying to tell me he's OK," the retired head of the state police told WPRO-AM in a phone interview.

O’Donnell said after Conor got his girlfriend to safety, he ran back to the open venue to provide medical assistance to the wounded, including another off-duty officer who was shot.

A fast-acting Marine veteran reportedly saved as many as 30 wounded victims by driving them to the hospital in a utility vehicle he found unattended in a nearby lot, according to The Orange County Register. After finding keys in the ignition of a white truck parked in a lot, Taylor Winston piled some of the wounded concertgoers into the truck and ferried them to a hospital. The Iraq War veteran from San Diego made two trips before enough ambulances were on the scene to assist victims.

"I’m just happy I was able to help," he told the Register.

When Tom McIntosh was shot in the calf while fleeing the gunfire, a U.S. Army Reserve with EMT training fixed a makeshift tourniquet on his leg and accompanied him to a hospital. 

"By the time I got over the wall [to safety], my pants were already soaked and my shoe was full of blood,'' McIntosh told the "Today" show's Savannah Gutherie. "No, I wouldn't have made it. I know it wouldn't have stopped. I'm very thankful that James [Lawson] was there to help me."

McIntosh got a chance to thank the stranger who saved his life during an emotional reunion on "Today" Tuesday. Lawson, who was at the Jason Aldean concert with his girlfriend, said it was the first time he's used his training in a real-life scenario.  

Bruce Ure, deputy chief of the Seguin, Texas, police department, has been credited for showing similiar courage. He was in the VIP section of the Route 91 Harvest Festival with his wife when the gunfire broke out.   

"It was like a war movie,” Ure told NBC affiliate WOAI. "Debris was coming up hitting you in the legs because it was hitting the pavement, and people were screaming and crying and running."

As Ure traversed the field to get his wife to safety, he came across a man bleeding out from the leg and used his belt as a tourniquet. 

"I had to hold [the belt] because I couldn’t tie it,” Ure said. "I guess people saw us working on this guy and thought this must be medical. Next thing I know I've got a lady shot in the chest and a lady shot in the back."

Ure flagged down a driver and convinced him to take the four of them to the hospital. After making sure the wounded victims were being care for by hospital staffers, Ure returned to his hotel and reunited with his wife.

The seasoned police chief said he has never seen so much bloodshed in his 33 years of working in law enforcement. 

San Diego resident Tiffany Michelle escaped the mass shooting unharmed. She took to Instagram to thank the countless strangers that helped her flee and  praised her "hero husband," an off-duty San Diego police officer, for shielding her from the hail of bullets and aiding the wounded.

"When we were separated and he realized he could no longer protect me he stayed behind to hold pressure on gunshot wounds and carry people to trucks for departure to hospitals," Michelle wrote on Instagram. "He and all the other off-duty officers, military personal, and anyone else in the venue and out who helped save a life tonight are the true heroes." 

Her husband, officer Thomas McGrath, was one of over 100 law enforcement officers from across the Golden State who were in Las Vegas — an especially popular destination for Southern Californians — to attend the weekend festival. More than a half-dozen off-duty California police and fire personnel were wounded in Sunday's shooting and Manhattan Beach authorities said a police department records technician was killed.

"If you get the chance today I urge you to thank an officer. I know I will hold mine a lot closer today and forever," Michelle urged. 

Charter Communications, Inc. has plans to build a new 500,000-square foot headquarters in Stamford, a move that will create hundreds of new jobs, according to an announcement by the governor’s office Tuesday.

Charter is the second-largest cable operator in the U.S. and has committed to creating an additional 1,100 corporate headquarter jobs and agreed to a total in $100 million in planned expenditures in Connecticut over the next few years. Charter previously committed to create and retain 400 jobs under the state’s First Five Program in 2012.

The new 15-story facility will be at 406 Washington Avenue.

“This new, state-of-the-art facility in downtown Stamford will provide Charter the necessary resources to facilitate its continued growth. We are excited to continue expanding in Connecticut, and thank Governor Malloy, Mayor Martin, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and the entire Stamford-area federal, state and local delegation of elected officials for their continued partnership and support,” wrote Charter CEO and Chairman Tom Rutledge in a statement.

The Department of Economic and Community Development will provide a 10-year, $10 million loan to assist with the project. State funding will be used for new equipment and leasehold improvements, and Charter might be eligible for loan forgiveness depending on how employment obligations are met. Charter will also get $10 million in tax credits through DECD.

“Today is a great day for Connecticut,” Governor Malloy wrote in a statement. “Charter’s announcement to create an additional 1,100 jobs shows that our strategic investments are continuing to spur economic growth and create good paying jobs in the state. We look forward to the continued success of Charter Communications as they grow within Connecticut.”

The Connecticut House of Representatives met Tuesday and was expected to take up a proposed override of the veto Gov. Dannel Malloy issued last week for the veto, but that has not happened.

Malloy vetoed the GOP budget that passed through the Connecticut General Assembly with help from votes coming from some Democratic members.

Since the veto message was released by the governor, Republicans and Democrats have been holding events in their local districts trying to muster up support for their side.

In Meriden on Monday, Sen. Len Suzio stood with Republican local officials, candidates for office and residents, as they urged an override of the veto.

Suzio, taking a page out of the Democrats’ playbook from two weeks ago before the GOP budget passed and when a Democrat proposal was being crafted, said a vote against an override is akin to support for Malloy’s executive order that went into effect Sunday.

A vote against the override endorses Malloy’s executive order that cuts funding for cities and towns as a way to control spending, and added, “all of the devastation it will wreck on upon our towns, the elderly, and our disabled citizens. Legislators who vote against a veto override are voting to allow non-profits to continue being cut.”

In Hartford earlier in the day, Democratic lawmakers argued for the veto, saying it was the best decision for the sake of the capital city’s fiscal health. With Hartford on the verge of bankruptcy, they said, the GOP budget would do more damage because it doesn’t fund as aggressive efforts to invest in the city.

“We’ve got to be conscious and careful because, without a vibrant capital city, our state will be in shambles and if Hartford is first, the other communities will be next.”

A veto override could prove to be very difficult to attain. An override requires two-thirds majorities in each chamber of the General Assembly. In the Senate that means 24 votes in favor of an override, and in the House 101 votes. Since the budget passed the Senate with 21 votes and the House, 77 votes, it would take an impressive vote-gathering effort to secure an override.

Democrats said that since the Republican-passed in a shock to them, they won’t rule out an override being unlikely.

“In this business of politics, you don’t know until you know, and that’s why you always have to be able to count your votes,” said Sen. Doug McCrory. “And we want to make sure that we know that on this side of the aisle, that we will not be in support of the override.”

Also on Monday, about 60 mayors and first selectmen from across the state gathered in Wallingford to discuss how a lack of budget is hurting their communities. They plan to lay out three tests that they feel must be met in any state budget agreement.

Mayor Luke Bronin is expected to nominate Connecticut State Police's lieutenant colonel to be the Hartford Police Department's next chief of police. 

Lt. Colonel David Rosado currently serves as the commanding officer of the office of field operations for Connecticut State Police. Hartford's current police chief, James Rovella, is expected to retire early next year.

"As we’ve prepared for Chief Rovella’s retirement early next year, I’ve gathered input about potential successors from across Connecticut, and one name that kept coming up was Lt. Colonel David Rosado of the Connecticut State Police," Bronin said.

Rosado is a Hartford native who graduated from Bulkeley High School before attending the University of Connecticut School of Law. 

"Beyond his distinguished career in law enforcement, Lt. Colonel Rosado brings a deep love and knowledge of our City and a commitment to maintaining our Police Department’s strong partnership with the Hartford community," Bronin said.

The mayor's office said the community will have a number of forums in the next coming weeks to meet and interact with Rosado.

Rosado's nomination will be subject to City Council confirmation. 

"It is an honor to be considered as a potential Police Chief for the city where I was born and raised," Rosado said.  "I’m looking forward to meeting as many City leaders as I can and engaging directly with residents in the coming weeks."

Yahoo, now part of Oath, said that every single Yahoo account was affected by a data breach that took place in 2013.

That's about 3 billion accounts, CNBC reported.

Yahoo buried the stat in a recent update to its Account Security Update page. "Based on an analysis of the information with the assistance of outside forensic experts, Yahoo has determined that all accounts that existed at the time of the August 2013 theft were likely affected," Yahoo's page says.

Yahoo said that the company received new intelligence after it was acquired by AOL and that forensic experts discovered the attack was larger than originally thought. Yahoo will begin alerting accounts that weren't previously notified of the attack.

This story is developing please check back for updates.

After 64-year-old Stephen Paddock fired into a crowd of country music fans from the windows of his Las Vegas hotel suite Sunday night, killing at least 59 and injuring more than 500 others, a question about the future of the city's nearly $60 billion tourism industry is inevitable: Will the tourists come?

Cities such as Orlando and Paris experienced the aftereffects of mass shootings quite differently.

Although a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando in June 2016, the city had a record number of 68 million visitors that year, 2 million more than the year before, according to city statistics.

But the tourism industry in Paris was not so resilient after a terrorist attack that included gunmen and suicide bombers left 130 dead in November 2015.

The hotel occupancy rate fell from 77 percent to 69 percent between 2015 and 2016, when France spent the entire year under a state of emergency. The first half of this year saw somewhat of a revival, up to an occupancy rate of 72 percent, but that still left it below the usual rate, according to Statista.

A drop in tourism could be a huge hit for Las Vegas. Tourism accounts for more than 18 percent of the city’s GDP, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. A record 42.9 million people visited the city in 2016, says the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

But travel industry experts say the city won’t be significantly affected by the mass shooting, the deadliest in modern history.

Annebeth Wijtenburg, the communications manager for the World Travel and Tourism Council, said that the group did not believe Las Vegas would be suffer in the medium to long term.

“Although this attack is unprecedented in its scale and tragic impact, we believe that travel and tourism to Las Vegas will hold up,” Wijtenburg said.

“Our experience from similar attacks shows that visitors are resilient when it comes to this kind of isolated incident and do not relate it to the destination,” she added.

International travelers may be of concern, as they make up a large chunk of Las Vegas tourism and may be scared off by relatively lax American gun laws.

Nineteen percent of tourists to Las Vegas in 2016 came from outside the U.S. And although international visitors gamble less than American ones, they spend a lot more overall, on average 88 percent more on non-gambling expenses.

Olivier Jager, CEO of ForwardKeys, a travel intelligence firm that predicts travel patterns by analyzing bookings, said an initial wave of cancelations and a decrease in bookings in Las Vegas is likely.

“However, one would expect to see a different magnitude of response between a terrorist incident, where a threat could be ongoing, and an assault by a lone individual who is shot dead, where the threat is eliminated,” Jager said.

In the case of Paris, the November attack was part of a string of attacks in France and neighboring countries, including a shooting at the offices of a Paris newspaper earlier that year, bombings in Belgium the next spring, and a cargo truck mowing down a crowd in Nice in southern France during the 2016 Bastille Day celebrations in July.

How long Las Vegas takes to recover will depend on media coverage of the aftermath and the ability of authorities to convey a sense of improved security, he said.

Because Las Vegas has a reputation as a safe city with effective law enforcement and venue security, there should be no long-term effects on overall tourism, Bjorn Hanson, a professor at New York University’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“There is likely to be some short-term effect on tourism, not as much because of concerns about safety, but because the sadness is in conflict with the desire of many leisure travelers for pleasure and relaxation, although some of that effect will be offset by travelers showing their courage and their support for the community,” Hanson said.

Marko Greisen, founder and CEO of Galavantier, a technology-based travel company specializing in Las Vegas nightlife and daylife, said he did not think such attacks would keep people away.

“I think people are going to continue on with their life, but they are going to be much more aware of their surroundings,” he said.

Las Vegas plays host to national and international conferences nearly every day. So far, conference organizers don’t seem deterred by the shooting.

The Global Gaming Expo, an international gaming trade show scheduled to run from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5, has opened and is continuing as planned.

“The gaming industry is a tight-knit community and Las Vegas is the beating heart of our operations,” Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, said in a joint statement with Hervé Sedky, president of Reed Exhibitions Americas. “The AGA and Reed Exhibitions will offer our full assistance as the city recovers, and will honor the victims of this tragic event.”

The gaming event has 26,000 visitors each year, according to its website.

“We continue to monitor the situation and safety remains our priority,” the statement said.

The IMEX America conference, scheduled for Oct. 10 to Oct. 12 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center and which usually draws about 12,000 people, will also go ahead.

“We are shocked and saddened at the events that have taken place in Las Vegas recently,” Carina Bauera, CEO of IMEX Group, said in a statement. “Over the coming days we will be working closely with the Sands, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and the Las Vegas authorities to assess any additional security measures that are needed at this time.”

MGM Resorts International, the owner of the Mandalay Bay hotel, from which Paddock shot concertgoers across the street, saw its stock fall 5.6 percent Monday, CNBC reported. MGM Resorts International did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The mayor of Las Vegas was optimistic about the city’s recovery.

"This has been a resilient community," Mayor Carolyn Goodman said on NBC’s “Today” show Tuesday morning. “We will not be defined by this sick, disgusting human being.”

Norwich Public Schools are preparing to take in students from Puerto Rico where schools are still shut down in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria's destruction.  

School officials said getting those students to Connecticut is a challenge.

"He was looking outside, there was tons of flooding downstairs, and there was water coming in through the windows," Kristen Talley, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) teacher at Norwich Public Schools, said. 

As Maria ripped through San Juan, Talley’s fiance’s son feared for his life.

A pole fell on Jose Torres Gomez's mom’s car, so they had no transportation, according to Talley. Their home was looted before they got back to it. There was no electricity, no running water and Torres Gomez contracted conjunctivitis.

"For a 16-year-old to be that upset, it was pretty scary," Talley said.

She and her fiancé tried to get Torres Gomez a flight to Connecticut. His Sept. 26 flight was canceled and the next flight that was supposed to come in on Oct. 3 was also canceled. 

"To have to call him when he was counting on it to say, 'No, you’re not coming yet'," Talley said. "For him to say, like, 'There’s nothing to do. I’m taking a bath in a bucket, I have no clean clothes'."

Talley’s plan is to get Torres Gomez to Norwich Free Academy for his sophomore year.

Norwich Public Schools is opening its doors to any students impacted by the hurricanes and already is processing the registration for five students. Staff is talking with families from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

"Budget is always a concern, but regardless of what the budget is, these students belong to us. And they are ours, so we will give them what it is that they need," said Sheila Osko, director of language and translation services for Norwich Public Schools.

Sometimes that means staff will pull from their own pockets, Osko said. Students are guaranteed free or reduced meals if needed, a uniform, among other services and tuition to Norwich Free Academy. They’ll also have staff on site to help students cope with the trauma they experienced. Staff will also pair them up with a student who speaks their language.

"Most of all, we love our children," Osko said.

In addition to Norwich, Groton schools are also preparing to take in new students from hurricane-impacted areas. So far they have one from Saint Martin and others from Puerto Rico.

Two students shared their personal ties to the island still struggling after Hurricanes Irma and Maria at the University of New Haven (UNH) on Tuesday.

One student just got back from traveling to family in Puerto Rico and the second from St. Croix feels for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"We just have pieces of our roof missing," UNH student Kayra Clouden said. "There are some homes that have no parts of their roof."

She said she is frustrated with the government response and the media coverage of the hurricane destruction in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"To hear people only want to indulge in our islands and take the beaches and their vacation time and stuff like that," Clouden said. "But when it’s time to help and when it’s time to really do something, no one was there."

Clouden joined UNH graduate student Jason Torres for a panel discussion about the aftermath of the category five hurricanes.

"I’ve visited Puerto Rico at least once every year of my life and this wasn’t Puerto Rico," Torres said. "It was a complete disaster."

Torres just returned from a trip to his grandparents and other relatives on the southern side of Puerto Rico.

"Mainly because we had no communication, we had no idea what was going on, no sign to see if they were OK," he said. "But we all saw on the news there was power outages, gas shortages, no running water and we couldn’t wait. We had to leave."

The image of a large tree that landed on the home of a man with disabilities has stuck with him.

"He was just completely helpless," Torres said. "So we were able to temporarily help him however we’re not sure how far that will last."

Torres said what frustrated him was seeing supplies still stuck in San Juan. He said his family had no trouble driving from San Juan through the island.

"And even when we left six days later," Torres said. "There was actually more supplies at the airport, it just wasn’t getting out."

Torres and Clouden are getting the message out to not forget the U.S. territories recovering from historic hurricane damage.

"It feels like we are literally begging for help at this point and that’s not OK," Clouden said.

"There’s a lot of struggle still existing and actually President Trumps visiting today and I really hope that’s for a positive for the people of Puerto Rico," Torres said.

Torres told NBC Connecticut his grandparents are leaving Puerto Rico for the U.S. mainland on Tuesday.

"I would suggest that no one lives in that kind of condition," Torres said.

Two New Britain organizations trying to help Puerto Rico said they need the public's help bring hauling down donations. 

The Puerto Rican Society of New Britain teamed up with the Borinqueneers Motorcycle Club to collect nonperishable items to ship to the island after Hurricane Maria ravaged the U.S. territory.

While they have a trailer to haul all of their items, they are looking for someone or a company who can lend them a tractor.

The presumed 18-wheeler will help the organizations haul the items collected to a warehouse in Brooklyn, New York.

"We are teaming up with the Latino Officer’s Association a group in New York and they’re the ones who we contacted and that’s where we are bringing the stuff. They’re going to arrange to get it to Puerto Rico with the National Guard," Hamed Ayala with the Borinqueneers Motorcycle Club said.

The hope is to haul the trailers to the Brooklyn warehouse by Saturday. The sooner they can get help, the sooner the items can ship to Puerto Rico.

Anyone available to help can contact The Puerto Rican Society of New Britain or the Borinqueneers Motorcycle Club.

Separately, the organizations are still accepting any nonperishable items at the Puerto Rican Society of New Britain on High Street until 7 p.m. Wednesday.

When the clock struck 12 on Tuesday afternoon, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church rang its bell for the victims of the Las Vegas shooting. 

In that moment, the movement of a bustling downtown Southington stopped.

A gunman killed 58 people who were attending a country music festival before killing himself Sunday.

Kurt Ryder tried to pull the rope once for each of the victims who died in the Las Vegas shooting, but it was too much. It was an emotional moment because he did the same thing nearly five years ago after the Sandy Hook tragedy.

After St. Paul’s Episcopal Church rang the bell 59 times on Tuesday, First Congregational Church and First Lutheran Church followed and did the same.

People in town stopped what they were doing and stood in solidarity. For many, the bells served as a moment of silence.

"We don’t know the names of all the people yet, but we know there’s a name and a person and a family and a story and a great loss that goes with each bell being rung," Suzannah Rohman, rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, said.

Both Brittany Tripp and Cath Gorman stopped what they were doing.

"It’s beautiful in a time of tragedy," Tripp said.

"When I first heard the bells I just felt shivers down my spine it bring it home its happening all over our country," Gorman said. "We all share in the tragedy that happened."

The tragedy that has left so many of us with questions.

Airline passengers arriving at Bradley Airport said they were grateful to be home after a trip turned terror in Las Vegas.

Their terror started when a gunman opened fire into a crowd of country music fans on the Las Vegas strip on Sunday night. The mass shooting left dozens dead and hundreds injured.

Travelers arriving on Tuesday said the images they saw are embedded in their minds and tough to get over.

"I went to bed and woke up. I put on the news and saw how serious it was. I'm just happy I'm safe, my friends are safe," said Stefanie Devino of Watertown.

"It was very scary there and it’s very somber. When I went back to the strip there was nobody there at all. Like a ghost town," Fred Lapinski of Oxford said.

Passengers said their thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s and their families.

Marilou Danley, the girlfriend of the Las Vegas gunman and a person of interest in the investigation, arrived back in the U.S. at the Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday night, Oct. 3, 2017. Adrian Arambulo reports for the NBC4 News at 11.

Five days after Gov. Dannel Malloy vetoed the budget drafted by members of the GOP, Republicans declined to attempt to override it on the House floor when given the chance. 

Democrats viewed the silence as proof Republicans didn’t support their own document and Republicans cried foul, providing multiple reasons for not attempting an override, including not having the votes. 

The Speaker of the House, Rep. Joe Aresimowicz, D–Berlin, opened the floor for motions to reconsider the budget vote from September, and Republicans remained silent, as did the five Democrats who crossed party lines to send it to Malloy’s desk. 

“Given the opportunity to discuss, defend, and vote for a veto override on their budget, the Republican party decided to take a pass,” Aresimowicz said later. “I would say that’s indicative of a flawed document as pointed out by higher education, some of the cities, Hartford going bankrupt in other areas.” 

Republican Leader Themis Klarides, R–Derby, said she felt the vote, held just days after veto, was rushed and she preferred continuing bipartisan budget talks, reserving the veto override for possibly weeks, or even later. 

“It’s disappointing to me that this happened so quickly,” Klarides said. 

She also said she was ready to continue those budget talks, using the GOP budget that passed with some Democratic support as the starting point. 

“Working off a document you have is always better than working from scratch, and that was the reason we didn’t bring up the motion to override today,” she said.

State Rep. Vincent Candeloria, R–Branford, told reporters that Republicans had not secured enough Democrats for an override. 

One hundred one votes were required, and at least 29 of them would have had to be from Democrats. 

“We didn’t have the votes on their side of the aisle, Candeloria said. “We still have the opportunity go back in over the next month even, to override the veto.” 

Republicans had spent several of the past five days pushing for the veto override. They held events all over the state with Republican House and Senate members, along with constituents, pushing for an override. 

Democrats described the effort as disingenuous.

“Let’s get this budget off the table. It will never get 101 in the House. It will never get enough in the Senate. Let’s stop talking about something that doesn’t exist. Let’s get rid of the impossible and move to the possible. Let’s get to a budget and let’s do that and stop the insanity,” Aresimowicz said. 

Malloy said he expected to see an override vote fail, but viewed the result as being the same. 

“Everyone knows what the result would have been if there was a vote today and I think we need to keep moving forward and try to keep moving to get a budget by the 13th,” he said.  

A father and son were enjoying themselves during the weekend in Las Vegas when their vacation ended in tragedy Sunday night at an outdoor music festival.

After 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on a sea of concertgoers on Sunday, John and Travis Phippen scrambled to safety in effort to survive as bullets rained on them.

"All of a sudden, 'pop, pop, pop,'" Travis Phippen, a 24-year-old paramedic, said.

His father, 56-year-old John Phippen, died during the deadly attack that claimed 58 lives and injured more than 500 others. John Phippen, remembered for always lending a helping hand, died while trying to save others.

"He was covering this girl and he got shot," Travis Phippen said in between tears. "I got over there as fast as I could and put my arm around him and that's when I got shot."

An off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy and firefighter jumped in to help save John during the terrifying ordeal. The two found a wheelbarrow and guided him away from the flying bullets before finding a ride to a nearby hospital.

"He wanted me to tell everyone how much he loved them," Travis Phippen said. "That was the last thing he said to me."

John Phippen, a Valencia resident who was a father of five, owned a home remodeling company and is remembered as being a true family man.

"He gave his life for somebody he didn’t even know," Travis Phippen said.

If you would like to donate to a GoFundMe account set up to help fund funerals for Phippen, you may do so here. Note that GoFundMe deducts 7.9 percent of all funds raised in the form of platform and payment processing charges.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was on the verge of resigning this past summer amid mounting policy disputes and clashes with the White House, multiple senior administration officials who were aware of the situation at the time told NBC News.

The report prompted a response from Tillerson, who said he never considered resigning and President Donald Trump said he maintained "total confidence" in his secretary of state.

The tensions came to a head around the time President Donald Trump delivered a politicized speech in late July to the Boy Scouts of America, an organization Tillerson once led, the officials told NBC News.

Just days earlier, Tillerson had openly disparaged the president, referring to him as a "moron" after a July 20 meeting at the Pentagon with members of Trump’s national security team and Cabinet officials, according to three officials familiar with the incident.

While it's unclear if he was aware of the incident, Vice President Mike Pence counseled Tillerson, who is fourth in line to the presidency, on ways to ease tensions with Trump, and other top administration officials urged him to remain in the job at least until the end of the year, according to some of the dozen current and former senior administration officials who spoke to NBC News for this report.

Tillerson did not deny calling the president a moron when asked about it at an unscheduled news conference at the State Department on Wednesday.

"I'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that," he said. Tillerson denied that he has ever considered resigning as secretary of state.

"The vice president has never had to persuade me to remain as secretary of state because I have never considered leaving the post," Tillerson said, saying that there were "a few specifics that have been erroneously reported."

However, the report only said Pence counseled Tillerson on their tensions. 

Pence, in a statement to NBC News, also denied "discuss the prospect of the Secretary's resignation from the administration." 

Of Trump, Tillerson said he's learned "he loves his country, he puts Americans and America first, he's smart, he demands results wherever he goes and he holds those around him accountable for whether they've done the job he's asked him to do."

He added that he will not "try to sow dissension to advance" his agenda, as others in Washington do.

Earlier, Tillerson's top State Department spokesman, R.C. Hammond, said Tillerson did not consider quitting this past summer. He denied that Tillerson called Trump a “moron.” Hammond said he was unaware of the details of Tillerson’s meetings with Pence. 

As Tillerson was expected to speak, Trump tweeted that "NBC news is #FakeNews and more dishonest than even CNN."

After Tillerson's remarks, Trump tweeted: "The @NBCNews story has just been totally refuted by Sec. Tillerson and @VP Pence. It is #FakeNews. They should issue an apology to AMERICA!"

NBC News reporter Carol Lee said on MSNBC that the team of reporters stands by their reporting: "We've extensively reported on this. We talked to a dozen people for this story."

An NBC News representative added, "we stand by our reporting."

Asked about Tillerson’s comments while in Las Vegas later on Wednesday, Trump expressed "total confidence" in the secretary of state. 

"I’m very honored by his comments," Trump said. As he did on Twitter, Trump again dismissed NBC News’ report as "fake news."

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., wouldn't talk about private conversations he's had with Tillerson, but told NBC News he believes Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and White House chief of staff John Kelly "help separate our country from chaos and I support them very much."

Corker, who is not seeking re-election, added that the Trump administration is "an incredibly frustrating place" and feels that Tillerson isn't being supported appropriately, leaving him "trying to solve many of the world's problems a lot of time without a lot of the support or help I'd like to see him have."

A suspect in a theft at a Walmart in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, crashed his SUV, then stepped over his 2-year-old son's body and left him to die on the road as he fled the scene in Tullytown Tuesday afternoon, police said.

"Here we had a simple retail theft where we would have answered to some charges turned into a fatality," Tullytown Police Chief Daniel Doyle said. "It's tragic."

The ordeal began shortly after noon at a Walmart store at the Levittown Town Center. Christopher Kuhn, 27, of Hamilton, New Jersey, allegedly put a $228 sound bar into his cart then left the store without attempting to pay.

Security personnel tried to stop Kuhn -- who had his son, Qaden Trievel, in the cart -- but he told them "you can't hold me here" as he grabbed his son in his arms and left the store as security called Tullytown police, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Kuhn, driving on a suspended New Jersey license, drove away in his Jeep with his son inside before officers arrived, investigators said. A witness told police Kuhn had let the boy climb into the SUV while he covered its license plate with a sweatshirt. The witness also said the boy climbed into the rear driver's side of the Jeep but Kuhn never secured Qaden into a child safety seat.

Despite not being chased, Kuhn ran a red light on Route 13 and crashed into two vehicles including an SUV that had the right of way, investigators said. The impact caused the SUV to roll over several times and the boy was thrown from the vehicle onto the roadway. According to the affidavit, Kuhn ran away on foot after the crash, pausing to look at his son on the roadway before fleeing.

"The suspect then stepped over the child who was laying in the roadway and fled the scene," Doyle said. "Officers apprehended him a short distance from the crash."

NBC10 obtained video of an officer taking a man, identified by police as Kuhn, from a wooded area and leading him away in handcuffs.

Other officers performed CPR on the unresponsive boy.

"They tried reviving the little boy," Mike Dormer said. "I witnessed that. It was awful to see as well."

Qaden was then taken to Lower Bucks Hospital where he was pronounced dead. No one else was hurt in the crash.

In a Facebook post, Qaden's mother Kenzy Trievel shared her grief:

"He saved my life and I wish I could have saved his I would give anything to hold him again," she wrote Wednesday. "He was the light to my life and I'll never forget all the laughs and smiles we shared. I just can't believe this happened to you. I love you with all my heart..."

Bucks County Deputy District Attorney Robert James told NBC10 Kuhn was uncooperative when he was taken into custody and would not reveal whether or not the boy was his son. Investigators later confirmed however that Kuhn was the child's father. 

Kuhn was taken to the hospital for an evaluation but was not injured. He was arraigned Tuesday night and charged with third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death or injury while not properly licensed, retail theft, endangering the welfare of children, recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving, driving on a suspended license and running a red light. His preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 10. His bail is set at $5 million cash.

Kuhn didn't respond to questions from the media Tuesday night. Court records don't list an attorney who could comment on Kuhn's behalf.

Route 13 was closed between Levittown Parkway and Haines Road for about six hours.

Newlyweds Heather and Sonny Melton were inseparable until the very end.

Tragedy struck as their one year marriage anniversary approached, when the couple attended the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Sonny was one of 58 people killed in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in modern history.

Heather, a surgeon, and Sonny, a surgical nurse, worked together in the same operating room back at their home in Tennessee. 

“I don’t know, it was a love that I had never experienced before," an emotional Heather Melton told "Today." "It was the kind of love that fills you up every single day. We loved being together and people felt how much we loved each other.”

Heather said Sonny wrapped his arm around her back as they both ran for cover before she felt a bullet hit his back.