Social media isn't just for people anymore. Inanimate objects are taking to Twitter too -- and changing the way the people think about appliances.

The account @mytoaster is an actual toaster that has over 2,000 followers and is on one simple mission: send a tweet notifying when it's "toasting" and another tweet when it's "done toasting"

Its founder Hans Scharler launched the account in 2008 and is the co-founder of the brains behind the tweeting object, a device called an ioBridge module.

The toaster has a switch that flips every time the appliance begins and finishes toasting. The switch is linked to an ioBridge module, which connects the toaster to the internet, giving it its tweeting capability, according to TIME magazine.

Scharler has also used the technology in a pool control system and a wireless pet feeder that allows pet owners to refill a doggie bowl from their mobile devices.

The tweeting toaster is part of a larger idea dubbed the "internet of things," or rather a world in which objects communicate with people (and vice versa) to improve the everyday routine.

"Things" can include everything from a tweeting toaster, to a plant in need of water, to a washing machine that alerts when load is finished, as TIME magazine explains. This technology is what some believe the future could look like.

In 2008 the number of "things" connected to the internet exceeded the number of people on earth, according to Cisco, and the growth isn't slowing down. The company predicts there will be 50 billion "things" connected by 2020.

You can keep up with the count on Cisco's real-time Connections Counter that monitors how many people, things, data and processes are on the internet at any given moment.

The era of the "Smart House" may not just be a Disney fantasy anymore.
 

Just a month after breaking ground on its new home in New Haven, Alexion Pharmaceuticals plans to expand. 

The company already planned to be the anchor for Downtown Crossing, which will transform an empty space off of Route 34 into offices, businesses and restaurants.

Now the company is asking the project developer to add two additional stories to the new building.

"That's good for Alexion, but it's also good long-term for centering the life and bioscience clustering here in New Haven," Mayor John DeStefano said.

Dr. Leonard Bell, Alexion founder and CEO said last month that the company is at a stage and a growth rate where contributions to the city "can energize the city, and the city can energize Alexion,”

Since Alexion was originally founded in New Haven, moving the global headquarters from Cheshire to the Elm City made sense.  It also puts Alexion right next to Yale’s Medical School.

“In many ways, I’m a product of Yale," Bell said. "I went to the medical school; I was on the faculty for several years before I started Alexion. It’s a great opportunity to have exciting, innovative scientists be able to speak to each other, collaborate, all for the benefit of patients around the world.”

Alexion will move its employees from Cheshire to New Haven when the project is complete in 2015.

The United States government requested information on 1,319 Twitter accounts in 902 separate requests over a six-month period, according to a transparency report released by Twitter on Wednesday.

The requests were mostly for basic information such as e-mail addresses and IP addresses, Twitter said. Twenty-five countries submitted such requests in the first six months of 2013, but none more than the United States.

The San Francisco-based social media giant fielded 1,157 requests total during the six-month period, 148 more than the final six months of 2012. Once again, the vast majority -- 78 percent -- came from the United States government.

The report does not detail specific numbers related to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act requests, despite Twitter’s preference for that data to be included.

“An important conversation has begun about the extent to which companies should be allowed to publish information regarding national security requests,” wrote Jeremy Kessel, Twitter’s legal policy manager, on the company blog. “We have joined forces with industry peers and civil liberty groups to insist that the United States government allow for increased transparency into these secret orders.”

“We believe it’s important to be able to publish numbers of national security requests – including FISA disclosures – separately from non-secret requests. Unfortunately, we are still not able to include such metrics.”

Of the 902 requests in the United States, 67 percent led to at least at least some information being released. Most of those requests came via subpoenas (56%), while search warrants (23%) and court orders (11%) were the other most frequently used legal processes.

When a request is submitted by subpoena, it usually does not require a judge’s sign-off and “usually seeks basic subscriber information, such as the email address associated with an account and IP logs,” Twitter said.

To obtain the disclosure of content such as tweets or direct (private) messages, the requesting agency is required to produce a warrant signed by a judge.

In its terms of service, Twitters states its policy is “to notify users of requests for their information prior to disclosure unless we are prohibited from doing so by statute or court order.” Twenty percent of the requests came "under seal," which prevented Twitter from notifying the effected users about the request.  

In 61 percent of cases, users were not notified despite the request not coming under seal for various reasons, including the request being withdrawn, defective requests and those that came in emergency, time-sensitive situations.

In compliance with its terms of service, Twitter notified 19 percent of the users effected by information requests.

Removal requests, copyright notices and additional information were also included in the report.

Following the United States, Japan (87), the United Kingdom (26), Brazil (22), Italy (22) and France (18) made the most information requests.

Follow @KyleBonagura on Twitter

The NAACP is demanding that the City of Hartford fire a dispatcher and a Police Sergeant after they were caught making racist comments over police radios.

A Hartford emergency dispatcher is on paid leave and under investigation for making a racial slur last week while sending an officer on a call.

"That’s going to be 198 Fairfield Avenue, an argument with a n*****, a neighbor over a trash can," the dispatcher said.

“This guy needs to be fired,” Scot Esdaile, of the Connecticut NAACP, said.

He called for a Hartford Police Sergeant to be fired too.

In May, the sergeant made racist comments on a police radio while he driving through the North End and describing people on the street.

He was permanently assigned to desk duty.

“We are not satisfied with the way things are being handled in the City of Hartford,” Esdaile said.

He wants Hartford to have a zero tolerance policy for racism in the workplace and went to city hall on on Tuesday, where he met with leaders.

“We're totally upset about what's going on in the City of Hartford, it seems like racism is running rampant,” Esdaile said.

“I think we need to have better awareness, I think things need to be changed,” City Councilor Kyle Anderson said.

He was at the meeting and said workers needed to know this behavior was not acceptable, but also questioned if terminating the two in question was appropriate.

“People make mistakes,” Anderson said.

Those are mistakes the NAACP is trying to stop.

“We’ll put a clear plan together on how we'll implement a zero tolerance in the City of Hartford,”  Esdaile said.

He also said putting that plan together was the next step, and he planned to meet with the Mayor next week.
 

Start going through your closet and make your back-to-school list. You have two and a half weeks until the annual sales tax-free week.

Between August 18 and August 24, you will not have to pay tax on some clothing and footwear costing less than $300.

Jeans, certain uniforms, bathing suits, sneakers, socks, formal wear, rain jackets, hats, gloves and scarves are among the tax-free items, according to the state Department of Revenue Services’ Web site. So are square-dancing clothes, if you’re in the market.

You will still have to pay tax on jewelry, purses, sports uniforms, certain types of shoes and other items, even if you are under the $300 mark.

Click here to print out the list to determine what will be taxed and what will not.

Find more on the tax holiday here.

 

West Hartford's police chief helped stop a driver allegedly operating a car under the influence of drugs in Middletown.

Chief Tracey Gove was driving along Route 9 in Haddam when he noticed a car "traveling all over the roadway" on Friday, July 26.

According to Middletown police, Gove followed the driver as he got off Route 9 at Exit 11. Gove called dispatchers to report the driver, but pulled him over after becoming greatly concerned for the safety of other drivers and pedestrians in the area. Gove was off duty, but was in uniform and in an unmarked police cruiser with lights and sirens.

After stopping the driver, Gove identified him as 25-year-old Ross Katten. The West Hartford Chief said Kattan appeared lethargic and admitted to taking Suboxone 45 minutes before driving his car. Suboxone is used to treat drug addiction.

Middletown officers arrived and interviewed Katten. He told officers that he was on his way to his doctor's office to get more Suboxone.

During a search of Katten's car, officers found marijuana and cocaine in the same plastic bag, according to police. Katten told the officers he had just bought the car two days earlier. He told police the marijuana was his, but that the cocaine was not.

Katten was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of narcotics, operating under the influence and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released on $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Two deaf men in Connecticut have filed a lawsuit against Bow Tie Cinemas over what they claim is a lack of access to movies for the hearing impaired.

Michael Fiorino's loved the movies since he was a boy, but he is deaf now and says going to a theater is not the same experience as it used to be.

On July 2, Fiorino and some friends went to the Criterion in West Hartford, owned by Bow Tie Cinemas, but workers told them there were only two closed-captioning devices.

"And there were four of us," said Harvey Corson, president of Connecticut Association of the Deaf.  "But they told us one has already been taken out."

So Corson and two others left Fiorino on his own, to enjoy the movie with the remaining device.  But it didn't work.

"And it wasn't the first time that it's happened," Fiorino said. "You don't know what they're talking about, you don't understand the vocabulary,.  Hearing people can go in there, they can sit comfortably, they can listen, totally relaxed, and enjoy the movie. 

"I go in and there's no captions and I'm watching people, trying to speech read them, and asking my friend what did one say, what did they say, so I can follow the movie."

Corson and Fiorino are the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit against Bow Tie Cinemas, seeking equal access under the Americans with Disabilities Act.  A spokesman for Bow Tie has not responded to a request for comment.

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has never received sexual harassment training, said his lawyer in a letter to the city attorney’s office.

NBC 7 has obtained a letter from attorneys representing Filner in a sexual harassment suit brought by former employee Irene McCormack Jackson. Jackson claimed that Filner sexually harassed her multiple times, and filed a lawsuit through prominent attorney Gloria Allred.

Special Section: Mayor Under Fire

The city has refused to pay for Filner's legal fees in the lawsuit, citing conflict of interest.

But Filner’s lawyer states that if the city had provided mandatory sexual harassment training within the time allotted, Jackson may never have filed the case.

Eight women have publicly come forward claiming Filner sexually harassed them, but Jackson has been the only person to make the claim while Filner was mayor.  Many of the women recalled incidents that allegedly occurred during Filner's 10 terms in Congress.

“The City has a legal obligation to provide sexual harassment training to all management level employees,” wrote Filner’s lawyer Harvey Berger. “The City failed to provide such training to Mayor Filner.”

Berger also states that Filner never received such training as a U.S. Representative and may not know what indicates sexual harassment.

“This is not an excuse for any inappropriate behavior which may have occurred, but I have learned that many – if not most – people do not know what is and what is not illegal sexual harassment under California law," Berger stated.

Timeline: Filner's Mayoral Career

It appears if Filner is found liable in the current claim, his defense attorneys are planning on laying blame on the City of San Diego.

They use that as a case to persuade city leaders to put aside politics and “unverified and public statements” into account when deciding whether to defend the mayor.

If the city fails to fund Filner’s defense, his attorneys claim “It will be a political, not a rational decision.”

NBC 7 checked on rules and regulations regarding what training is required for members of Congress.

Congressional representatives are not required to receive ethics training, but are advised to have it. Even if a member did take ethics training, the House of Representatives does not divulge the contents of the training.

Congressional staff members are required to take ethics training, but the content of that training is also confidential.

Filner served in Congress from 1993 to 2013 - first for the 50th District and then for the 51st District, according to Vote Smart. Prior to that he was a member of the San Diego City Council from 1987 to 1992 and a member of the San Diego Unified School Board from 1979 to 1983.

Filner also earned a BA in Chemistry from Cornell University, his Master’s degree in History from the University of Delaware and went on to earn a Ph.D. in the History of Science again from Cornell.

Fairfield Police are on the look out for a guy who has a serious case of road rage.
Investigators say he has terrorized two mothers over the summer; both had their special needs' children with them at the time.

"I was afraid he was going to come burn my house down," said one of the mother who didn't want to share her name. She says she's still terrified after this incident that started in the middle of Congress Street.

"He was in front of me and he kept slamming on his brakes stopping and I stopped and it was almost as if he was going to ask me for directions," she said, adding that it became evident to her that he wasn't lost.

This is all going on while her 7 year old special needs son was in the backseat.  "He was shaking his fists at me and screaming horrendous obscenities at me, calling me names and I drove around." Several cars followed suit, she said, but he wasn't done. "He actually ran through a red light  to come after me, made an illegal left turn to pull up next to me to once more scream obscenities at me."

She eventually turned left onto the Merritt Parkway while he turned right onto Congress. She called the obscenities beyond horrendous.

As for her son, "He was terrified. Any child special needs or not understands when somebody is threatening you and calling you names and he said 'mommy why is that man screaming at you.'"

Now Fairfield Police say this man was screaming at another mother with a special needs child in early July. All the while she was buckling her daughter onto a school bus on Merwins Lane near Redding Road

"So he literally went up to the bus driver and up to the mother and started yelling at them," said Lieutenant James Perez of Fairfield Police.

Perez say the driver yelled, "You better be here five minutes earlier tomorrow of this is going to be a problem." It just so happens that both mothers came in Tuesday to report the incidents; both described the same man.  "Listen we all have bad days but it is unacceptable," Perez added.

The mother along with other Fairfield neighbors now hope police track him down.  "Because I never want to run into this man again. I just don't. he scares me."

Police don't have his name but are asking for the public's help in finding this black Mercedes. Investigators also believe he's a commuter who likely heads to the train station in the morning.

If you have any information, call Fairfield Police.

The Waterbury Police Department desperately needs more officers.  On Wednesday night, it was one step closer to filling the ranks.
 
“We need more police presence that's the bottom line,” explained Arthur Denze.  He said their presence was critical in the Town Plot neighborhood where he lives. There has been a spike in break in’s there this year. “I have a concern for my neighborhood all of town plot and the city,” he added.
 
The Waterbury Police Department is down almost two dozen officers.  Neighborhood groups started to patrol the streets themselves because of the shortage. “We've been adapting and improvising up until this point.  To get these officers on the street will be a tremendous help,” said Police Chief Vernon Riddick.
 
The Police Chief told NBC Connecticut the shortage was largely due to officers leaving to work for other departments in Connecticut that offered better incentives.  He said he was coming up with a plan to keep the officers he currently had, and the new ones too. “We're currently in contract negotiations and we're working out those issues right now,” Chief Riddick explained.
 
The new hires will bring the Waterbury Police Department to full staff.  Their training will start on Thursday, but they will not actually be on the streets until early next year. “It can’t be a relief until we see them on the street,” Arthur Denze explained.  He and others who live in Waterbury said the extra help couldn’t come fast enough.  “The main thing is safety, that's the main thing,” Denze added.
 
The Police Chief said he also wanted to hire 5 more veteran officers.  The money for the new positions is in the City’s budget.
 

During their summer vacation, the UConn women’s basketball team met President Barack Obama.

The team made the trip to the White House on Wednesday, where the president congratulated the women for becoming the 2013 NCAA Champions.

“As the father of two young, beautiful, athletic and tall daughters, it just always puts a smile on my face whenever I see such class acts represent their country and their school so well," President Obama said.

Obama made a special mention of Coach Geno Auriemma for the record-tying eighth national championship.

“I see this guy too much,” Obama said. “Keep in mind, a lot of presidents don’t even get eight years in the White House. He's spent more time than some presidents at the White House, and he’s not term-limited, so he can just keep on going.”

Auriemma’s mother also made the trip, and Obama made a special mention of her.

“She’s gorgeous and that’s where you got a good head of hair,” Obama said.  

For some of the team, it was not their visit.

“I have to say to the Huskies, ‘I’ve missed you guys.’ It’s been, what a couple years?” Obama said.

Some members of the team met with the president in 2009 and again in 2010.

“Back then, they were part of a 90-game winning streak,” Obama said of the 2010 season. “Most years, for most teams being a champ isn’t about dominating the way you did back then, it’s about being at your best when the stakes are highest and that’s what made this team so special.”

Obama, a consummate basketball fan, fills out NCAA brackets every year and called out the fact that he missed on this one. He had UConn losing to Notre Dame in the Final Four and Baylor winning the whole thing.

“I have to confess that my bracketology needs some work,” he said to laughter.

The team gave the president a signed basketball with the final score of the Louisville game --- 93 to 60.

“We owed you a basketball, because the last time we were here, Renee Montgomery stole yours,” Auriemma said. “We figured we’d bring you one back. You can use it on the court.”

They also gave him a national championship jacket.

Before posing for photos, Auriemma told the president he hopes UConn comes back for the rest of his administration.

We’re sure the scores of UConn women’s basketball fans do too.

Closing arguments took place on Wednesday morning in the sexual assault trial of a former East Hartford doctor.

Dr. Edwin Njoku is charged with sexually assaulting several female patients and is on trial for one of those cases.

Prosecutors told jurors that Njoku forcibly raped the victim, identified in court by her initials A.D., and kissed her breasts during an exam for back pain at his East Hartford office in October 2011.

"The doctor thought he had A.D. under control. He obviously didn't think she'd report what happened," prosecutor Vicki Melchiorre said.

Defense attorney Norm Pattis questioned whether there's enough physical evidence and whether the alleged victim and other witnesses were credible enough during the trial to convict Njoku of the crimes.

"If you have reasonable doubt about what happened, you must acquit. I am begging you to follow the law," Pattis said.

The defense claims that Njoku was the victim and that the patient made sexual advances toward him, including rubbing up against and grabbing his private area to get another prescription for pain medication.

"She was at the doctor's office looking for something. Whether she was looking for love in all the wrong places, you decide," Pattis said.

Two other patients who claim Njoku touched them inappropriately during exams also testified during the trial.

"Obviously this man took advantage of his position as a doctor to abuse his most vulnerable patients,"  Melchiorre said.

Njoku is charged with first degree sexual assault, fourth degree sexual assault and tampering with evidence in the case.

Jury deliberations are expected to begin about 2 p.m.
 

A Kansas-based company is recalling more than 50,000 pounds of ground beef after a sample of its product tested positive for E. coli.

The National Beef Packing Company issued a voluntary recall of its ground beef Wednesday.

Officials said the products were produced on July 18, and were shipped in 40- to 60-pound cases to retailers, wholesalers and food service distributors nationwide.

The company said the recalled beef products all have the establishment number "EST. 208A" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The following products are included in the recall:

• 10 lb. chub of “National Beef” 93/ 7 Fine Ground Beef, Product Code 0707
• 10 lb. chub of “NatureSource” 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck, Product Code 7031
• 10 lb. chub of “NatureSource” 85/15 Fine Ground Beef, Product Code 7054
• 10 lb. chub of “NatureSource” 90/10 Fine Ground Beef, Product Code 7344
• 10 lb. chub of “NatureSource” 93/ 7 Fine Ground Beef, Product Code 7004
• 10 lb. chub of “NatureWell 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck, Product Code 7484
• 10 lb. chub of “NatureWell” 85/15 Fine Ground Beef, Product Code 7454
• 10 lb. chub of “NatureWell” 90/10 Fine Ground Sirloin, Product Code 7577
• 10 lb. chub of “NatureWell” 93/7 Fine Ground Beef, Product Code 7404

Consumers can call 1-866-761-9472 or go to www.nationalbeef.com for the link to details about the recall and the company's return and reimbursement policy.

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• Sears Sold File Cabinets Containing Confidential Records
• Illinois to Become 20th State to Allow Medical Marijuana

One person was taken to Hartford Hospital after a serious crash on Route 2 West in Glastonbury this morning.

The person was ejected when the vehicle went over a guardrail between exits 10 and 8, according to police.

The extent of injuries is not known.

Only one lane was getting by earlier this morning, but the road has since reopened.
 

The SWAT team was at Franklin Avenue and Standish Street in Hartford this morning to help with a drug investigation.

Police said this was a standard vice and narcotics search warrant execution and SWAT used for entry.

Residents were not at risk and there were no injuries, police said.

The investigation is ongoing.

 

Personal information of hundreds of former Sears employees, including their Social Security numbers, was found in file cabinets a South Side Chicago man bought at a liquidation sale last weekend.

Hersey Mallory said his surprise turned to frustration when he tried to alert the retailer of the problem and couldn't get anyone to care enough to take the files back.

At $23 apiece, Mallory said he thought the file cabinets he bought Saturday were a good deal. But almost immediately he noticed how heavy the cabinets were. He understood why when he opened a drawer.

Inside were documents with personal information for former Sears employees. The files ranged from photos to records with marital status information, as well as birth certificates, termination papers and forms detailing accusations of theft.

Mallory said those employees have a right to privacy.

"The company should have had a little bit more due diligence in order to protect these people," he said.

Mallory said he'd tried calling Sears eight or nine times this week to alert them of the security problem.

"Take them off my hands and put them in the proper place before someone who's unscrupulous gets them," he said.

But instead of getting the attention he expected, Mallory said got the run-around from company representatives. He said one of his calls found him transferred to a representative in India. In another attempt, a representative gave him some creative advice: leave the files on a loading dock at the Sears store on State Street in Chicago.

Frustrated, Mallory contacted NBC Chicago. After an inquiry, Sears' Director of Corporate Communications, Howard Riefs, promised to look into it.

"We greatly appreciate the customer bringing the issue to our attention," Riefs said in a statement. "Ensuring the integrity of our associates' personal information is of the utmost importance."

By Wednesday afternoon, Mallory said he'd been contacted by a Sears representative and an appointment was made to have the files collected.

Mallory said he was offered a $100 gift certificate as a thank you for his integrity. He said he doesn't want anything at all and said the entire matter was just one of character and doing the right thing.

Police have issued a Silver Alert for a 13-year-old Manchester boy who has been missing since this morning.

When Noah Barnett was last seen, he was wearing a white zip-up hooded Fila sweatshirt, black plaid shorts and black Nike sneakers.

He has blonde hair, brown eyes and several scars on his left forearm.
Noah is 5-feet-8 and weighs 170 pounds, according to the alert.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call Manchester police at (860) 645-5500.

Family members and friends said their final goodbyes Thursday to four of the victims of last week's horrific Hialeah shooting.

The funerals of Italo and Samira Pisciotti, Merly Niebles and Pricilla Perez took place Thursday. The Pisciottis were laid to rest at 9:30 a.m. at Vista Memorial Gardens at 14200 Northwest 57th Avenue in Miami Lakes. Niebles and Perez were laid to rest at 2 p.m. at Dade South Memorial Park at 14200 Southwest 117th Avenue in Miami.

On Wednesday, family members paid their final respects to victim Carlos Gavilanes at a funeral at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Hialeah. His uncle, Nivardo Diaz, remembered Gavilanes as “totally devoted” to his family.

Interactive Timeline: Hialeah Shooting Rampage

"He was unbelievable,” said Diaz, who recalled weekend and holiday barbecues together. “He loved being with his family. He was always the life of the party and obviously we’re going to miss that about him.”

Police say Pedro Vargas, 42, shot and killed six people and held two others hostages, and opened fire on police officers before he was killed by SWAT team members during a violent standoff Friday at an apartment building in the 1400 block of West 46th Street.

Vargas had set $10,000 in cash on fire before the shooting spree and standoff that lasted until early Saturday, police said.

Hialeah Shooter 'Took His Motives to The Grave': Police

Italo Pisciotti, 79, and Samira Pisciotti, 69, the husband and wife who managed the building where Vargas lived with his 83-year-old mother for the last 12 years, were killed, as were neighbor Perez, 17, her mother, Niebles and stepfather Patricio Simono, and Gavilanes, who was killed across the street.

Police haven't determined a motive in the shootings. On Wednesday, police released a 911 call from Vargas placed just hours before the shooting, in which the gunman said he was being harassed by someone using witchcraft against him.

Vargas, who police say had no criminal record, can be heard telling the dispatcher in Spanish that someone was following him and using witchcraft against him. He told the dispatcher he was suspicious of a car parked outside the apartment building that he knew did not belong to anyone living there.

Earlier Wednesday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott thanked members of the Hialeah Police Department and SWAT team for their work rescuing the hostages.

"Your heart goes out to families, the individuals that were impacted, but also I just wanted to thank you for what you did, it can't be easy to put your lives at risk," Scott told the officers. "If it wasn't for individuals like you, we wouldn't have the safety we have."

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State police have arrested a Rhode Island man in connection with a wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 in December that killed three people, including a mother and daughter.

State police said Frank Sundstrom, 52, of Warwick, Rhode Island, was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he got onto I-95 South in Old Lyme, driving northbound, and struck an oncoming car driven by Tamara Nolin, 71, of Branford around 9 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2012.

Marjorie Minore, 90, of North Haven, and her daughter, Barbara Prato, 63, of East Haven, were also in Nolin's car. All three were killed.

Sundstom has been charged with three counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence, operating under the influence, driving the wrong way on a divided highway and improper entry. 

Sundstrom turned himself in to state police this morning and was held on $750,000 bond. He is due in court in New London to be arraigned today.

Tina Shaw, Minore's neighbor, said in December that she had last saw Prato pick up her mother to go to a casino.

The crash happened hours after the National Transportation Safety Board released findings on wrong-way crashes. Prior to this crash, there were fatal wrong-way crashes in eight states over nine days.

The TGI Friday’s in Manchester is evacuated this morning as the fire department responds to a fire.

The restaurant is located at 209 Hale Road and this is at least the fourth fire at the same location since 2006.

In October 2009, fire broke out at the restaurant and it was the third fire in three years. Firefighters battled the blaze for three hours and the restaurant was forced to close.

Manchester Assistant Fire Chief David Billings said at the time that it appeared the fire started in the grill area, got up into the hood space and the exhaust duct work from the grill, then extended out through the roof.

The extent of the fire today is not yet known.