Hamden police are searching for a person suspected of shooting off a gun on Goodrich Street Tuesday night.

Police said just before midnight three people, two females and one male, were walking on Goodrich Street when the male suspect pulled out a gun and fired a shot into the air. The group reportedly laughed and continued walking.

Anyone with information on this incident should contact Officer William Pesanelli at 203-230-4030.

President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday about challenging the NBC network's license, although networks are not licensed by any organization, CNBC reported. The Federal Communications Commission requires licenses for individual radio and television stations.

Still, the tweet could raise fears of higher government scrutiny on NBC's parent company Comcast.

Comcast shares dipped slightly after Trump tweeted, "With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!"

Comcast did not immediately return a call for comment. The White House did not immediately return a call for clarification on the tweet.

Disclosure: Comcast is the owner of NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC and this station.

The deadly fires sweeping across California wine country were driven by 50-mph winds, but the reason that so many blazes erupted at once is under investigation, the chairman of the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The speed with which 17 blazes moved through Napa, Sonoma and other Northern California counties took residents and even firefighters by surprise Sunday night into Monday morning, as people evacuated suddenly in the early hours. By Tuesday, at least 17 people had been killed and more than 100 treated for fire-related injuries.

“Why we had so many big fires, the investigation will give some indication on that,” J. Keith Gilless, dean of the College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley said on Tuesday.

Scott L. Stephens, a professor in the College of Natural Resources, said that falling power lines and arson are both being considered. All of the fires seemed to ignite between midnight and 2 a.m. Monday, when winds were the strongest, he said. Branches or trees could have fallen on the lines or the lines themselves failed, he said.

“And the other one is arson of course, and I know that’s being looked at too,” he said.

In April, the San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. was fined $8.3 million for failing to maintain a power line that sparked a massive fire in Northern California in 2015, The Associated Press reported. The California Public Utilities Commission levied the fine for poor tree maintenance by the utility and its contractors and for its failure to report that one of its power lines might have started the Butte Fire in September 2015. An investigation by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, found that the fire was ignited by a gray pine tree that slumped onto a line.

After the current wildfires broke out, The Mercury News found that Sonoma County dispatchers sent fire crews to at least 10 locations for sparking wires, exploding electrical transformers, fallen power lines and other electrical problems in Sunday night's high winds. The Bay Area News Group, of which it is part, reviewed emergency calls over a 90-minute period starting at 9:22 p.m. Sunday.

PG&E acknowledged problems with its electric lines but told the news group in a statement that questions about maintenance were “highly speculative.” 

“These destructive winds, along with millions of trees weakened by years of drought and recent renewed vegetation growth from winter storms, all contributed to some trees, branches and debris impacting our electric lines across the North Bay,” a spokesman, Matt Naumann, said. “In some cases, we have found instances of wires down, broken poles and impacted infrastructure. Where those have occurred, we have reported them to the CPUC and CalFire.” 

Gilless said that Sunday's weather — high winds, high temperatures and low relative humidity — was conducive for the fires, which have destroyed more than 2,000 homes and businesses.

“And of course it became far worse than just bad; it became catastrophic,” he said.

Firefighters were struggling to contain the firestorm amid continued strong winds. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning, signalling critical conditions, for the North Bay mountains and East Bay hills that is in effect from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon. 

The worst fires in Northern California typically strike in October. Twenty-five years ago, the October 1991 Tunnel fire in the Oakland hills left 25 dead.

This week's high winds threw lots of embers in front of the large fires, creating many smaller ones, Gilless said. The vegetation of brush, grass and trees added to the hazard, unlike a redwood forest, which is moister and protected from the winds.

“We’ve had this phenomenon a couple of times recently and not far from there,” he said.

The Jerusalem and Valley fires in Lake County in Northern California in 2015 surprised firefighters with how quickly they spread, he said.

Gilless said that the 50-mph gusts meant that firefighters had been focused on public safety rather than fire suppression.

A Stratford couple has been arrested after their 2-year-old was found wandering the streets last week, according to the Stratford Police Department.

Thomas Yemm, 62 and Wendy Canfield, 51, were both charged with risk of injury to a child. Police said that on Oct. 6 their 2-year-old was found wandering the streets by a jogger around 6:30 a.m.

Neighbors told police it was not the first time the child had wandered off alone.

The Department of Children and Families was informed and their child is in their care, police said.

Yemm and Canfield are scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 18.

The Planning and Zoning Commission in Cheshire is reviewing a proposal to build a subdivision near a former landfill.

The commission is meeting Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

The developer, Clearview Farm Preserve, plans to build 11 single-family homes on the property off Mountain Road near Sorghum Mill Drive.

Bill Voelker, the town planner estimates that the landfill is about 250 feet from the edge of the proposed subdivision. The landfill is no longer in use. It was never regulated by the town or state.

“The landfill functioned for many years. It wasn’t a town landfill, but there’s a lot of things in there, a lot of dumping that was done in there,” said Voelker.

The landfill became a point of concern for some town residents, opposed to the project.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection developed a closure plan with the property owners. D.E.E.P. spokesman Dennis Schain said the department will oversee the closure process to make sure it meets all environmental standards. The homes will have public water, through the Regional Water Authority, and will have septic systems.

The project developer submitted a previous proposal for a larger subdivision, which was later withdrawn.

The public comment period for this 11-lot subdivision ended in September. The Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to make a final decision Wednesday night.

A second person has been charged in a brutal home invasion in Groton.

Police said 25-year-old Albert Goss was arrested and charged in the Oct. 4 crime.

On that date, two intruders hit a woman who lives in the Buddington Road several times with a baseball bat, held three other residents at gunpoint and stole gaming systems, cash and cell phones, according to police.

The two men were wearing masks and dark clothing went they invaded the house shortly before 10 p.m., police said.

The female victim was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and officials said her injuries are not life-threatening.

A next-door neighbor said the woman ran to his home, said she was attacked and asked to use the phone to call for help.

Goss was arrested on Oct. 7 and charged with home invasion, conspiracy to commit home invasion, first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary. A 16-year-old suspect was previously arrested and charged with home invasion, first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and second-degree larceny.

Police have said there is no threat to the public.

"The potential may exist that the suspects had a reason to go to that particular house," Groton Police Chief L.J. Fusaro said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information on the crime or who saw something suspicious in the area around that time should contact the Groton Town Police Detective Division at (860) 441-6712.

Smoke from a wildfire near Anaheim, California, caused the skies over Disneyland to turn orange, creating some stunning and eerie scenes.

After a 12-year career in the NFL, Dan Orlovsky is retiring from football.

The former UConn star quarterback made the announcement in an emotional blog post on Wednesday.

"It's time for my journey as a football player to come to an end," Orlovsky wrote.

He said he has been playing the game since the age of seven, when he played his first game of flag football.

Orlovsky went on to star at Shelton High School before moving on to UConn.

"The game that made high school four of the most incredible years of my life. The game that sent me to college for free. The game that challenged me to play it at the highest level for 144 months," he said.

Drafted in the Fifth Round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Orlovsky mostly played as a backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He began the 2017 pre-season with the Los Angeles Rams, but was cut before the regular season.

"I've been to incredible cities, met amazing people, played in every stadium. I've been part of some amazing wins, and some heart-shattering losses," he wrote. "I have had teammates that will one day be in the Hall of Fame, and teammates that are still to this day, my best friends. Football for me was a game I started as a kid, and it grew into my journey of life.

Orlovsky said he is unclear what will be next for him, including the possibilities of getting into coaching, TV or the business world.

"I'm not fearful of the future, but excited. I am excited to do things as a husband and dad, as a friend, an uncle or alumni, that I have never been able to do before. And I truly believe that football has equipped me so well for this next step," he wrote.

"I was so lucky to find something that at the age of 7 that, not only I fell in love with, but something that would shape me in every way possible. My prayer is that somehow my kids get to me as lucky as I was."

Legislators on Tuesday said they are making "progress" after another day of budget discussions, and Wednesday the governor said he was encouraged by the ongoing discussions.

Wednesday marks day 103 without a state budget.

The governor has not been included in the latest budget talks but on Wednesday said he was optimistic about the process, though he stressed that any budget he wants to see must be "free of gimmicks."

“I am encouraged that discussions continue. I think that is a good thing. I’m encouraged that if there is an agreement between the leaders that we’ll come back and we’ll have some further discussions,” Malloy said.

He also mentioned that his office was working on another budget plan with fewer tax increases than the previous Democratic proposal. He did not provide a specific date for when that budget might be presented.

After meeting Tuesday, legislators said that the discussions are moving forward.

"The progress we have made over the past couple days, I don’t see a way we don’t come to an agreement. That’s how much progress has been made. We have all moved in our positions in a way really, for the greater good of the state. and I really can’t see a way we don’t come to an agreement." said Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz.

"Well, we are definitely making progress, we’ve definitely hit a lot more issues, refined the issues we initially had…still a little more work to do to refine numbers, but we’re definitely making progress,” said Sen. Len Fasano (R).

Legislators did not give a specific date on a budget lawmakers can vote on.

But did mention their next move.

"Hopefully tomorrow we can then engage with the governor. And we understand that will be an additional layer of negotiations. But to get to a place where we are all comfortable none of us are absolutely happy. We've all given in various areas. But it's a budget we can go to a Governor with and that's the goal," said Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz.

A Lebanon man has been arrested on child pornography charges, according to Connecticut State Police.

Jason Blakely, 40, was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree possession of child pornography.

According to police, an investigation into Blakely began in March 2017 after suspected child pornography was shared online from an account that traced back to Blakely’s home. In August, investigators secured a search warrant. Child pornography was found on computers in the home, police said.

Blakely was issued a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 19.

The owners of Los Imperios in West Hartford have not paid their rent since May and now the landlord is trying to evict them, according to court documents.

In the complaint, Lisaraj, LLC, the owner of the property where Los Imperios resides at 904 Farmington Avenue, claims that owners Ernesto Leon and Guillermino Marquez signed a 5-year lease from Aug. 1, 2014 through July 31, 2019. The complaint goes on to state that the defendants have not paid rent for the months from May 2017 up to the present. A specific dollar amount was not included.

According to court documents, the landlord served both defendants a notice to quit possession of the premises by Sept. 21 but they have not left.

Leon submitted an answer to the court where he agrees with the issues laid out in the complaint and states that he informed his landlord of the violation on June 17.

NBC Connecticut attempted to contact to Leon by phone but has been unable to reach him.

The nightclub located on Farmington Avenue has been the center of controversy for months. In July, West Hartford police suspended the business’s entertainment license and later revoked it completely due to a series of violations. Police said they have responded to numerous noise complaints at the club, and there have also been fights and disturbances on multiple occasions. 

Before they head out, the women pack plenty of water: at least two canteens and a CamelBak hydration system each, along with extra safety glasses, snacks, and ready-to-eat meals in case the shift runs long. They also bring “ponies,” short lengths of hose to attach to a hydrant or other apparatus. The backpack weighs nearly 40 pounds in the end.

Sandra Welsh is a firefighter. But unlike most California firefighters, she is only paid $2 per day and doesn’t get to go home at the end her shift. Because she's also a prison inmate.

“We are the ones that do the line. We are the ones that carry the hose out. We’re the line of defense,” Welsh said in a recent interview with NBC News. Welsh, an inmate at Malibu Conservation Camp #13, is one of about 200 incarcerated women incarcerated around the state who fight fires in California.

Her group is on standby as firefighters battle the Canyon 2 fire in the Anaheim Hills. But other women are part of the fight against the fires currently devastating the state, which have claimed 21 lives and destroyed 3,500 structures over the past few days. 

"We have female crews from other camps working on the Canyon Fire in Anaheim and also up in Napa," said Bill Sessa, a spokesman for the corrections department. "The crews from the Malibu camp are on standby and also have to provide back-up fire protection for L.A. County."

The status of the crews could change quickly depending on conditions, he said.

About 3,800 inmates, both women and men, fight fires in California, making up about 13 percent of California’s firefighting force. The fire program saves taxpayers $124 million per year, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

In the fire program, the women do the same work as the men.

“We basically fight fires and it gives us a chance to better ourselves mentally and physically,” Latoya Najar, an inmate at the Malibu camp, told NBC News last month.

Working in crews of 14, the women use hand tools and chain saws to cut containment lines that stop fires from spreading. 

“Every day is a difficult day,” Najar said. “This will show you that you can do anything you put your mind to.” 

Malibu Conservation Camp #13 in Southern California is one of 43 conservation fire camps for adults run by the corrections department, and one of three such camps for female inmates. Inmates in the camps work hundreds of fires each year. Women at the Malibu camp, for example, have been called out on 177 fires so far this year, Sessa said. 

Sandra Welsh decided to volunteer in the program for the sake of her two children.

“This prison trip has taken a lot out of their lives and I wanted them to have something to hold onto,” Welsh, who is also at the Malibu camp, told NBC News. “My mom’s a firefighter. I might be an inmate firefighter, but I’m a firefighter.”

Inmates must volunteer to be in the program, and there are many benefits that motivate the women to sign up, said Sessa of the corrections department.

"They get paid better than any other prison job," he said. The pay is $2 per day day in camp and $1 per hour for time on the fire line.

Being housed in a camp is an "improvement" over the confines of a traditional prison behind an electric fence, he said. 

Another incentive is that inmate firefighters earn two days off their sentence for each day they're in the fire camp, as compared to other California inmates who can earn just one day for each day of good behavior. 

Still, at least one California politician has called the program's low pay "slave labor."

Gayle McLaughlin, the former mayor of Richmond, Calif., and a candidate for lieutenant governor in the state, said she does support the fire programs.

"But they must be paid fairly for each day of work – and $1 an hour is not fair pay," she wrote in September on her campaign website. "No matter how you may want to dress it up, if you have people working for nothing or almost nothing, you’ve got slave labor, and it is not acceptable."

Not all inmates are eligible to volunteer for the fire program.

To participate, inmates must be convicted of a non-violent crime, have a record of good behavior and pass physical examinations. If an inmate has a history of sexual offenses, arson or any history of violent escape, they’re automatically disqualified from the firefighting program. Qualified volunteers are trained by Cal Fire and then receive additional wildfire training in the camps. Training focuses on endurance because shifts can be as long as 16 hours, inmates say.

When she first came close to a fire, inmate Helen Chung was terrified.

"I said, 'Oh my god, we're actually in the fire,'" she told NBC News for its report.

But she says attitude is everything.

"You have to be very positive and make the most of your situation and your circumstances," Chung said. "But these are challenges that I’ve overcome and I’m proud to be here."

Other inmates also find the work rewarding.

"You get to save people’s houses,” said Melissa Logan, an inmate who fought fires at the Malibu camp but is now housed at the California Institution for Women in Chino. “You get to help people. It’s really gratifying and empowering when you’re driving by and people are holding up signs saying ‘Thank you, firefighters’ and they’re crying because you just saved their homes."

Inmates in the fire program are less likely to be rearrested after release than other inmates.

In the general prison population, three quarters of prisoners are arrested again within five years of release, according to studies by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. But these rates in the firefighting program are 10 percent lower, according to the corrections department.

"This is not a vocational program," Sessa said. "It is not designed to teach inmates how to be full-time firefighters. But they learn many life skills that they will say help them succeed in life when they leave prison… leadership, discipline, teamwork, responsibility."

Under the watchful eye of William Penn near Philadelphia City Hall, Javier Flores Garcia stepped into fresh air for the first time in almost 11 months Wednesday morning.

“It was painful watching parents with their kids walk around here and not be able to do the same,” he said. “It’s very hard and very difficult.”

The 40-year-old undocumented immigrant found sanctuary at the United Methodist Church on Broad and Arch streets shortly after President Donald Trump was elected to office. It was a form of resistance, but also an attempt to protect his family by remaining close enough to still see them and be a part of their lives.

“True liberation is rooted in love. This is a love story,” the Rev. Robin Hynicka, senior pastor at the church, said. “It’s traumatic to see him go. But it’s more traumatic to see him detained and separated from his family.”

Flores has lived in Philadelphia on and off since 1997. He has been caught several times crossing into the United States from his native Puebla, the Mexican state recently ravaged by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake. On a few of those occasions, he voluntarily turned around but always came back to reunite with his wife and three children.

He also has a driving under the influence conviction.

In 2004, the former landscaper was stabbed by two men carrying boxcutters and left for dead in Bensalem. While in the hospital, he helped local officials track down and prosecute his attackers. Because of his help and otherwise good standing in the community, his deportation orders were dropped, Flores’ lawyer, Brennan Gian-Grasso, said.

Flores is now eligible for a U Visa, which grants temporary status to victims of crime who help authorities investigate and prosecute. After leaving the church Wednesday, he went to the immigration office to have his ankle monitor removed and to begin the process of gaining temporary status.

"He can get a work permit and be with his family now," Gian-Grasso said.

Flores' release coincided with Trump’s visit to Pennsylvania. He will appear Wednesday evening alongside U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, the former mayor of Hazleton who tried to introduce an anti-immigrant ordinance during his tenure. His act making English the official language and fining businesses that hired undocumented workers was ruled unconstitutional after a lawsuit.

In Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney has repeatedly challenged the Trump administration’s immigration policy, declaring the city a sanctuary and refusing to ask police to volunteer the immigration status of people.

Last month, the city sued U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions over the rights of sanctuary cities. Philadelphia hopes to prevent Sessions from imposing new and “unprecedented” requirements on grant funds as a backlash to the city's leniency toward undocumented immigrants. 

“The mayor is very happy for Javier and his family,” Lauren Hitt, spokeswoman for Mayor Jim Kenney, said. “It doesn’t make any sense we have an immigration policy that would tear families apart and force hard-working people out.”

Kenney and Flores have met at the church on at least one occasion, Hitt said. They will likely meet again when Flores’ immigration process is complete.

On Wednesday, clergy members called Flores “a citizen of the world.” He spent his time painting, fixing odds and ends and cooking in the church kitchen while living there.

He first met advocates from immigrant rights group Juntos while Pope Francis visited Philadelphia in 2015. At that time, Flores was in the midst of being held at the York County and Pike County detention centers, where he was detained for 16 months. His daughter, now 12, held a sign that read “Help Us Father.” The pope stopped to bless her, the family said.

Juntos helped Flores find legal representation and also seek medical attention for his children, some of whom were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing their father’s ordeal, Gian-Grasso said.

“When you see the kids’ faces, there is no way you can say no,” Erika Almiron, executive director of Juntos, said. “What this [outcome] means is resistance works. This is a day to celebrate freedom.”

Flores has been granted deferred status, which means he can live and work in the U.S. and continue to apply for visas. His current designation prevents Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials from arresting him at a time when raids are sweeping the nation.

Recently, 107 undocumented immigrants were arrested in Pennsylvania. More than 20 percent were in Philadelphia, the city with the most arrests. Los Angeles was second with 101 arrests.

Among those arrested in Philadelphia was a citizen of the Dominican Republic who entered the country illegally and had previous convictions for possession of firearms, ICE said. The 498 people arrested in the national operation came from 42 countries and 312 of them had criminal convictions.

With the threat of more ICE actions lingering, having a temporary reprieve feels like a blessing, Flores said.

“We have to say to everyone in a similar situation as me, ‘Keep fighting, because after the torment comes peace,’” he said.

A military plane made an emergency landing at Bradley Airport on Wednesday, the Connecticut Air National Guard said. 

Just before 2 p.m., a C-130 plane took off. After about five minutes, a "smoke condition" formed in the plane's cockpit, Major Mike Peterson with the Connecticut Air National Guard said. 

The aircraft's crew made an emergency landing on Runway 33 at Bradley, Peterson said. 

No injuries were reported.

The plane returned to the Connecticut Air National Guard facility at 2:09 p.m.

The cause of the smoke remains under investigation. 

On the last night of his life, Louisiana State University student Maxwell Gruver was pelted with hot sauce and mustard and ordered to recite the Greek alphabet as part of his initiation into the Phi Delta Theta fraternity — and forced to chug hard liquor if he messed up.

And when the 18-year-old freshman died later at a Baton Rouge hospital, he had a blood alcohol level of .495 — more than six times the legal intoxication level in most states.

Those grim details about Gruver's death were laid out in arrest warrants released Wednesday as 10 current and former LSU students were formally charged with hazing — and one of them, Matthew Alexander Naquin, 19, was charged with negligent homicide.

One of the pledges "stated he could hear Gruver messing up the Greek alphabet and Naquin tell him to drink," the arrest warrant for Naquin, who lives in Boerne, Texas, states.

At this Sunday’s 20th annual AETNA Run for the Cove, a Connecticut woman will give back to the organization that helped her cope with losing her mother at a young age.

Kayla Deluca was only 9 years old when her mother Pamela Deluca was killed in a car crash in 2005.

"I’m standing here as a product of the Cove," Deluca told NBC Connecticut.

Deluca’s family turned to the Cove Center for Grieving Children, which provides services and a support system for families and children after losing a loved one.

"My family, we needed help at that point and they were there for us and they provided these services completely for free," Deluca said.

Deluca and a team of co-workers will run in the 5K race at the Run for the Cove on Sunday morning at the Guilford Fairgrounds. It is the biggest fundraiser on the calendar for an organization that depends on private donors and sponsors.

"The original Cove in Guilford was because a cove is a safe harbor," Race Chairman Bruce McIntyre said.

McIntyre’s second wife helped found the Cove Center 22 years ago.

"Cause they saw what happens when grieving children do not get help and support," he said.

His first wife passed away from breast cancer in 1973. They had four young children.

"Unfortunately, having their mom die at such an early age still has an impact, you see it in their personalities," McIntyre said.

Deluca has started volunteering at one of the Cove’s seven family sites in Guilford, where she can help children learning to cope with a significant loss.

"It’s really nice to have me to see I went through the program and that I kind of know how they’re feeling and I can really relate to them," she said. "And also them getting to see that they can get through their grief and they’re going to be OK is the main thing."

The Cove helped almost 160 families at its seven locations last year, McIntyre said.

At this Sunday’s Run for the Cove, there is a Kids Fun Race, 5K Race and 2-mile walk. You can register before the events begin at 9 a.m.

You can learn more about the organization here.

A Stonington woman and a sailboat captain are teaming up to help relief efforts on a small island off Puerto Rico severely damaged by recent hurricanes.

Stonington’s Guylaine "Sky" Nicol and Captain Sequoia Sun are working to provide some relief to the isolated island of Vieques off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico that was brushed by Hurricane Irma and ravaged by Hurricane Maria. The island is isolated from relief efforts.

"We don’t go to the major cities because that’s where everybody else goes. That’s where all the big NGOs and government agencies go," Sun said.

"People are always ready to give. The first thing they tell you is, 'How can I help'," Nicol said.

The community has helped them collect food, formula, diapers, construction supplies, a generator, solar panels, even water makers to get resident fresh water. Lawrence + Memorial Hospital has even donated medical supplies.

It will take Sun, Nicol and a small volunteer crew about six weeks to end up in Vieques when Sun departs on Friday. They’ll make a stop in Île-à-Vache, Haiti. Sun has been traveling to the country at least once a year since the earthquake in 2010.

Among the deliveries to Haiti are boat sails and hundreds of pairs of children’s shoes. Nicol said they’re needed for children to go to school.

"The smile on the children’s face because it’s like giving them a free pass to go to school," she said.

"There’s no running water, there’s no electricity. There's 15,000 people living with no infrastructure of any kind," Sun said of Ile-a-Vache.

Sun’s boat right now is docked at the New England Science and Sailing Foundation (NESS). They’ve brought students by the boat to teach them about how locally, you can help people on a global scale.

A program dedicated to helping pregnant mothers addicted to opiates is showing significant improvements for both them and their dependent babies.

"One of the things we've been trying to change is the fear that they have coming into the hospital," Dr. Ann Marie Golioto said.

At least 40 women walk through the doors of Hartford Healthcare in New Britain every year both as expecting moms and opiate addicts.

"They know that there's potentially something wrong or they know there's going to be treatment involved with their baby," Golioto said.

But Golioto, a neonatologist and the medical director of the newborn nursery and neonatal ICU, said the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome program has helped nearly all of them leave with babies who did not have to be treated with medication for their drug dependencies.

"We teach them how to calm their baby, teaching the signs that were looking for so that they can better identify when their babies going through withdraw," Carolyn Rossi said.

Rossi, A NICU nurse, credits the program’s use of alternative methods for opiate-addicted moms and dependent babies for bringing down the number of infants using pharmacological treatment for withdrawal.

"I think the first year we had probably a third of them, the second year we had half of them and this year we had two which you can count them and that's unbelievable," Rossi said.

"When you give them that, it empowers them it says I've messed up in my life and some have and you just go down a bad road and a lot of times you look and some of the women have had tragedy," Samantha Fair said.

Fair, a clinical nurse leader for women and infants, is often the first face addicted moms meet, she and social worker Sarah Benham work hand in hand in helping bring long-term success.

"We’ve seen them go to women and children's programs to get clean to be titrated down off their maintenance medication to better themselves and for their families," Benham said.

The talk around the water cooler at one Connecticut business was actually about the water cooler.

Code One Training Solutions has now offices in East Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, as well as in Massachusetts, Georgia and South Carolina.

But when it was just starting out, owner and director Richard Shok spent part of his time going to the grocery store to buy water for Code One’s employees and students.

The company trains first responders, medical providers and civilians in CPR and other life-saving skills. As the business grew, buying water from the store became inconvenient.

So Shok signed up for water delivery service through a warehouse club. After a few months, a salesperson told Shok he could save money by ordering directly through Belmont Springs.

It was around the same time Shok said the problems started. He says Belmont Springs did not stick to the delivery schedule.

At the Stamford office, Shok said, "They would usually leave three or four bottles of water outside the door," when the office was closed.

"And we accumulated close to 50 five-gallon bottles of water at that location," he said.

Shok said he repeatedly asked the company to stop delivering to the Stamford office. When that didn’t work, he took action.

"I actually physically came up (to Connecticut) from South Carolina with one of our ambulances and stopped in Stamford on the way. (I) loaded all the water up into the back of the truck and brought it up here," he said.

Shok said delivery was only part of the problem. Code One ended up with two separate accounts.

"When we would make payments, they would get applied to one account and not the other account," Shok said.

He also said sometimes the payments were logged incorrectly. The result was a credit on one account and a $4,155 balance on the other.

Shok said he Belmont Springs also continued to charge Code One for equipment its employees were supposed to pick up but never picked did.

When the second account was sent to collections, Shok asked NBC Connecticut Responds for help. Almost immediately after Responds reached out to Belmont’s parent company, Cott Corporation, a representative called Shok to straighten things out.

"When they took it out of collections after NBC had reached out to them, that amount had shrunken to about $700 and change," Shok said.

Shok is now working directly with Cott Corporation to settle and close the account.

In a statement to NBC Connecticut, a spokesman for Cott Corporation said:

"Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Our regional managers are implementing appropriate corrective action within the locations noted as well as providing some additional training throughout the system.

We will continuously strive to get better and improve on our customer service. As a matter of fact, we are projected to spend a significant amount of time, money and effort in improving and incorporating a number of technology and training projects specifically in regards to customer service over the next few years that will assist our service standards and make the customer service process much more seamless."