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Pit Bull Bites 11-Year-Old Boy's Face in New Haven: Police

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An 11-year-old boy was mauled by a pit bull in New Haven on Friday.

Police were dispatched to Lexington Avenue at 10:40 a.m. after the attack. 

A child was playing in the driveway when the pit bull, who was not leashed, started to bite his face. The dog's owner is unknown. 

A citizen walking by was able to get the dog off the victim and hold on to it until Animal Control officers came to secure the dog and quarantine it at the animal shelter. 

The child sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries and is being treated at Yale-New Haven Hospital. 

The dog's owner is likely to face charges, police said. 

The investigation is on-going. 



Photo Credit: NBC Connecituct

NorCal Wildfires Spared Vineyards But Not Workers

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A 34-year-old vineyard worker left behind everything when he fled the flames that consumed his apartment in Santa Rosa, California, last month.

With no warning of the approaching blaze, the man — who has picked grapes for 15 years and who asked that his full name not be used — only had time to grab his wallet before driving his wife, her son and her granddaughter to safety at 1 a.m.

Afterward, a friend offered the family a room short-term, but now the man worries about where they will go and how they will pay for it. 

Vineyards across California’s wine country mostly were spared when the fires raced through at the beginning of October, but that's not the case with many of the agricultural workers. They have lost homes and what possessions they had and in some cases, because they are undocumented, they are ineligible for federal assistance.

About 10 of the more than 1,200 wineries in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties were devastated, but the majority reopened quickly once the fires passed through. Now, they are appealing to people to help the recovery by visiting, said Gladys Horiuchi, spokeswoman for the Wine Institute of California. The organization is donating money from its tastings and sales to fire victims, and has created funds targeted directly to workers displaced by the fires.

“The main concern for the industry is trying to get these people some place to live,” Horiuchi said.

The fires that broke out Oct. 8 killed 42 people, damaged or destroyed more than 14,000 homes and 4,000 commercial buildings, and caused more than $3.3 billion in covered losses, the state Department of Insurance reported at the end of the month.

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has warned that it could be months before there was a final tally of losses and Moody’s Investors Service says it could be more than $4.6 billion.

Sonoma County suffered among the worst damage. In the county’s largest city, Santa Rosa, the Coffey Park and Fountaingrove neighborhoods and the Journey’s End Mobile Home Park were reduced to charred rubble.

A housing recovery fund established by the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation and the Sonoma County Farm Bureau hopes to find temporary quarters for all of the displaced agricultural workers. It has raised $445,000 so far and has identified 21 agricultural workers and their families who lost their homes, said Karissa Kruse, the foundation's president.

“However, we believe that there are still more families who we have not connected with, so we are updating our information and putting together a flyer in both English and Spanish that our (agricultural) employers can distribute,” she said.

The foundation’s board will meet in the last week of November to approve the first phase of the distribution of funds. The plan is to provide rent, utilities and basic household items for families displaced by the fires, and gift cards to agricultural employees who were evacuated and lost food and wages for a few days during the fires, according to Kruse.

The group is trying to be innovative, and had investigated whether it could buy trailers, park them on vineyards and connect them to sewers and water. But in the meantime, it has found some apartments through Burbank Housing, a local non-profit dedicated to affordable housing, Kruse said.

Sonoma County’s wine industry employs 5,186 full-time workers and 2,644 seasonal workers, according to a survey done this year by the Sonoma County Winegrowers, which Kruse also heads. The hourly wage for vineyard employees is $16.34 and more than 29 percent of the grape growers offer housing to their employees, providing more than 950 beds.

In Napa County, the Napa Valley Community Foundation activated a disaster relief fund for fire victims that was established in 2014 in response to the South Napa Earthquake with a $10 million gift from Napa Valley Vintners. It is focusing on temporary shelter, counseling and other needs.

Napa had already set up farmworker housing centers that offer lodging, meals and laundry, and are financed through an assessment on growers, according to the Napa Vintners.

Even before the fires, the North Bay had a severe housing crunch, with the rental vacant rate at only 1 percent in Santa Rosa and 3 percent in Sonoma County as a whole. Since then, Santa Rosa lost 3,000 homes or 5 percent of its housing.

With thousands of families needing a place to live, median monthly rents jumped in mid-October compared to the month before — by 36 percent to $3,224 in Sonoma County and by 23 percent to $3,094 in Napa, according to an analysis by Zillow, the online real estate website. New listings appearing on Zillow may have formerly been vacation homes being offered for rent because of the sudden demand, but Aaron Terrazas, a senior economist with Zillow, cautioned that it was premature to draw any final conclusions about the size of the increase.

The housing market is in flux, and California law prohibits price increases on rental market during a state emergency by more than 10 percent.

“It’s a very expensive part of the world to live in anyway and so I think the people at the low end, whether they’re hired farm workers or construction workers or retail workers, it will be tough for them,” said Dan Sumner, an agricultural economist at the University of California, Davis, and its Agricultural Issues Center. “It already is.”

Sumner said even farm workers whose homes did not burn will end up paying higher rents because supply is so tight that prices will be pushed up. Construction will be focused on rebuilding neighborhoods that were damaged and destroyed, not adding new housing.

“If you lost your house, that’s an absolute tragedy, but even the hired farm worker that didn’t necessarily get burned out will have to pay higher rents probably and that will really be a burden on them,” Sumner said.

Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties are responsible for 12 percent of the wine produced in the state, according to the Wine Institute. Ninety percent of grapes in Napa and Sonoma and 75 percent in Mendocino had already been harvested before the fires started and the grapes that remained were mostly the tougher skinned Cabernet Sauvignon that are given the longest time on the vines.

“Those are the most valuable grapes in the United States,” Sumner said. “Per ton, they’re off the scale relative to other ones.”

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Fresno County bring $400 a ton compared to $8,000 ton for these grapes. “It’s the difference between the wine you drink and the wine you wish you could afford to drink,” he said.

Many farm workers are undocumented or have relatives who are and are distrustful of government agencies, Sumner said. They might know that assistance is available but be reluctant to seek it despite assurances that there are no ties to U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, given stepped up enforcement of immigration.

“In their personal experience, they haven’t made much use of government services and so the idea that the government is providing a lot of services, they may well think it’s not for them,” he said.

Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for disaster unemployment assistance or cash assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but they may be eligible for programs run by state and local agencies, and can apply for federal assistance on behalf of children under 18 who were born in the United States. They do not have to provide information on their own immigration status, according to FEMA, which urges them to call to be referred to other programs that can assist them.

A majority of the vineyard workers now in the area have been in the country for several years, Sumner said, unlike 10 to 20 years ago, when this might have been their first or second season in California. The economy of northern Mexico has done reasonably well over the last decade compared to the United States and there has been little migration, he said.

In fact, before the fires, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat had written of vineyard owners who were worried about a dearth of labor and hiring foreign workers through the federal H-2A visa program. Agricultural employers are permitted to hire full-time seasonal workers for an annual growing cycle, normally lasting up to 10 months, a program that President Donald Trump’s son, Eric, has taken advantage of for the Trump Vineyard Estates in Virginia.

The vineyard worker who lost his apartment in Santa Rosa was with his family and four acquaintances who lived with them when the fires began. At first, he did not realize what was happening, he said. There was a lot of noise outside, and when he looked out the window of the second-floor apartment, he saw what he thought was fog, but what was actually smoke and ashes.

By the time they left, the fire was closing in. 

"It’s very difficult. We’re starting over from scratch," the man said.

-- Estefania Hernandez and Maria Chamberlain contributed to this article.



Photo Credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Fraternity Shuts Down FSU Chapter After Pledge Death

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The national leadership of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity said it has immediately shut down its Florida State University chapter after a pledge died in what officials described as an all-night drinking binge.

The decision comes a week after the death of 20-year-old Andrew Coffey. The results of an autopsy to determine a cause of death have not yet been released, but the Tallahassee Police Department said alcohol may have been a factor.

The investigation into Coffey's death is ongoing.

"Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity announced its decision to revoke the charter of its Beta Eta Chapter at Florida State University on Friday after determining the chapter violated the fraternity’s social event management policies at an event on November 2," the national fraternity said in a statement. "All chapter activities and operations will cease, effective immediately, as part of the decision."

FSU indefinitely suspended its fraternities and sororities Monday after the possibly alcohol-related death of the junior pledge and cocaine charges for another fraternity member – Phi Delta Theta member Garrett John Marcy, 20, who was charged with the sale and trafficking of cocaine.

"Pi Kappa Phi’s board of directors determined closing the chapter is the only appropriate action," CEO Mark E. Timmes said in a statement. "Our prayers remain with Andrew’s family and friends. We are thankful for the university’s ongoing support of the students impacted by this tragedy."



Photo Credit: AP Photo/Joseph Reedy

Developers Suspend Outlet Shoppes at Rentschler Field Project

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The developers of the Outlet Shoppes at Rentschler Field said the project is being suspended about two weeks after breaking ground. 

"We regret that Horizon Group Properties appears to have suspended its outlet center project due to financing issues. We are disappointed for the Town of East Hartford, which has been a strong partner and wonderful home to thousands of UTC and Pratt & Whitney employees for decades," the United Technologies Corporation (UTC), who owns the property, said in a statement on Friday. 

Developers had issues bridging a $10 million gap, East Hartford Mayor Marcia A. Leclerc said. 

"It's disappointing, but better to happen now than halfway through the project," Leclerc said.

In its annual report, Horizon Group said they Hartford market is "very expensive" and they had "some extraordinary costs."

"As a result, the project required substantial financial subsidies from the State of Connecticut and the Town of East Hartford. The subsidies total $24.5 million and come in the form of a State grant and Town real estate tax abatement," the report reads. "We encountered difficulty with meeting all of the pre-development conditions to start construction"

The Outlet Shoppes at Rentschler Field was supposed to bring 70 fashion and lifestyle retailers to East Hartford.

Local leaders and project managers broke ground on the project on October 26. The property is located adjacent to Pratt and Whitney stadium, near Cabela’s on the UTC campus.

The plans were supposed to generate more than $220 million in state taxes over the next 20 years and create an estimate of 1,200 of jobs, according to East Hartford's mayor.



Photo Credit: Horizon Group Properties, Inc.

Car Deemed Unsafe to Drive After $5,000 Repair

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Jim Doherty will never forget the phone call he got from his daughter saying she needed help three hours into a 12-hour drive to North Carolina.

"(She) hydroplaned, lost control, over-corrected, hit a guardrail with the front end of her car and that’s what caused the accident," Doherty said.

First responders on the scene called for a tow and off it went to Quality Towing and Auto Repair (QTR) in Westport.

In hindsight, Doherty wishes he asked his insurance company for an approved shop so his repair work would come with a guarantee. Instead, his insurer cut QTR a $5,000 check and three months later he got his vehicle back.

Fast forward to July, Doherty takes the car to his mechanic, who tells him to pull it off the road immediately.

"They did not replace the bumper (and) behind the vinyl cover was not replaced," Doherty said. "The welding around the radiator was really poorly done, there were a couple pieces missing with the air intake."

He blames QTR since they handled his car last. At first, QTR said they stand by their work.

Doherty felt conflicted and unsure of how he’d pay for the repairs himself, but grateful because without the second look, Doherty said he never would’ve known of the problems.

"Unless she gets in an accident and gets killed," he said. "There was nothing protecting the front of that car, except for the engine."

When Doherty expressed his concerns, QTR asked for a written report from Doherty’s insurance inspector.

In it, his inspector wrote, in his opinion, the car is not safe to drive. Doherty thought, with that, he was all set. He wasn’t.

"They said, 'Okay, we’ll pick it up on Saturday,' and nobody shows," Doherty said. "'Okay, well it was the holiday weekend. We’ll pick it up the following weekend.' Nobody showed. And then after that, nobody’s answering the phones that we’re calling. So that was kind of a dead end."

He tried for weeks before contacting NBC Connecticut Responds. We got a response from QTR the same day we reached out. The manager apologized and said, "We had a death in the family and this got by me."

He offered to pick the car up the next day to make the necessary repairs. Soon after, Doherty’s insurance inspector gave the final OK.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Yale Air Force ROTC Cadet Honored at Veterans Day Ceremony

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Yale recognized a student who is credited with saving several people from drowning at the university’s Veterans Day ceremony.

Amanda Lloyd transferred to Yale in the fall, but it is what she did over the summer in her hometown of Watertown, New York that earned the Air Force ROTC Cadet Captain a Gold Valor Award.

"I’m really humbled by the experience," Lloyd told NBC Connecticut. "I just like to think anyone would do the same thing in this situation. I’m just glad I can serve as an example for others."

On July 9, Lloyd and several friends were at the Lake Ontario Beach in Watertown.

"We saw five people really in distress in the water and we just did the best we can to like establish a rescue team," Lloyd said.

Before police and the Coast Guard could arrive, Lloyd and a friend used two lifejackets to bring three distressed swimmers to shore, before going back into the water to save two more women.

"It was really kind of scary," she said. "It was really just a hard situation to deal with."

A sixth swimmer drowned, but five women and children are alive today because of Lloyd and her friends’ selfless acts.

"I’m just so proud to be the president of a university where service is really part of our DNA," Yale President Peter Salovey said. "To recognize Amanda today as an exemplar of that commitment to service, it’s amazing."

Lloyd is a junior majoring in chemistry.

"After graduation I really hope that I get a pilot’s slide and go on to fly cargo planes," she told NBC Connecticut. "I’m really interested in the C-17 and C-130. Kind of runs in the family now so it’s the family business so I’m really excited about that."

Veterans Day means a lot to Lloyd because her dad is a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Army. He was a helicopter pilot and her brother is now in flight school after graduating from West Point.

Lloyd said it should Veterans Day every day.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Transformer Problem Causing Power Outage on QU Campus

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A transformer that blew out is causing a power outage to one section of the main Quinnipiac University campus in Hamden.

A spokesman for the school said it's affecting some residence halls but it's not clear if anybody has been evacuated. 

No other information was immediately available. NBC Connecticut crews are heading to the scene to get more details. 




Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Former NYC Students Say Cancer Is From 9/11 Debris

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More than 5,000 cancer diagnoses have been linked to the toxic debris left behind after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack -- and at least a dozen former students at lower Manhattan high schools say they are among those affected.

The students at several schools around Ground Zero said they are now filing claims with the federal government to receive assistance from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund after begin diagnosed with a bevy of cancers and other illnesses uncommon in most young people in the 16 years since the attack. 

One of those former students is Michelle Lent Hirsch, who went to the elite Stuyvesant High School less than a half-mile from the Twin Towers. She was a senior on the day of the attack and still recalls the "acrid, chemical smell" of lower Manhattan when she went back to school nearly a month after the attack.

And within the next decade, she would develop thyroid cancer -- one of the cancers covered under the Victim's Compensation Fund, according to the New York Post, which first reported on the students.

"I was only 25 when I was diagnosed," she said. 

Hirsch, now 32, went through treatment and is in remission. But she said that she'll need to take daily medication for the rest of her life. She said she and the others filing claims want to raise awareness for other former students who may not even know why they are now sick. 

"There are federal programs and they're not just for first responders," she said.

Michael Barasch, an attorney representing Hirsch and the other former students and teachers, told the Post that doctors called the diagnoses a "cancer cluster." 

“A 28-year-old girl should have not breast cancer. A 29-year-old boy should not have colon cancer or bladder cancer," he told the newspaper.

New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said the city Department of Education is "monitoring the response people are getting."

"We're investigating this," she said. 



Photo Credit: AP, File

Trump, Putin Reach Agreement on Fighting ISIS in Syria

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The United States and Russia released a joint statement on Syria Saturday after President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of an economic summit, NBC News reported.

The two men "confirmed their determination to defeat ISIS in Syria" and agreed to "maintain open military channels of communication" to ensure the safety of forces on both sides, a Kremlin-posted readout said.

The presidents also "agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria" and repeated calls for all parties to take part in the Geneva political process, according to the text of the joint statement published on the Kremlin's website.

Trump has long expressed interest in working with Russia both to defeat ISIS and to help broker peace in civil war-ridden Syria. And though the two countries may find common ground on those subjects, the issue of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and intensifying investigations into the Trump campaign's alleged collusion with the Kremlin still hang over the relationship.



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Rockefeller Tree Arrives in NYC

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Grab a cup of hot cider and dust off the Christmas cheer, one of the first signs of the holiday season made its gigantic entrance into New York City on Saturday. 

The 75-foot-tall Norway spruce arrived by truck in midtown Manhattan early Saturday and was lifted into place by a giant crane to its seat of honor next to the iconic ice rink at Rockefeller Plaza. 

See more pictures of the tree's journey here

The tree, which weighs more than 12 tons, comes from the home of Jason Perrin in State College, Pennsylvania. It was cut down Thursday morning before a horde of camera-ready spectators.

It is the 86th to grace the Plaza for the annual weeks-long display and the third from Pennsylvania.

Erika Pauze, the head gardener for Rockefeller Center, said Thursday that she saw this year's tree while driving nearly seven years ago and was quick to ask if the owner was interested in making his backyard evergreen the most famous Christmas tree in the world. 

"It's hard to find a tree that's nice and full that doesn't have any storm damage or is growing crooked or anything," she said. 

After being adorned with more than 50,000 multi-colored lights and crowned with the iconic Swarovski star, the tree will be illuminated for the first time during a live television broadcast on Wednesday, Nov. 29. 

It'll be on display until Jan. 7, 2018.

Last year's tree, a 94-foot Norway spruce from Angie and Graig Eichler in Oneonta, was the second largest ever chosen for the holiday celebration. 

The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was put up in 1931 by workers building the complex during the Great Depression. The first official tree lighting was in 1933.

After the holiday season, the Rockefeller trees are cut into boards and donated to Habitat for Humanity

Woman Charged With DWI in Route 8 Wrong-Way Crash

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A Stratford woman was arrested on DWI charges after a wrong-way crash on Route 8 in Derby Friday night.

According to Connecticut State Police, 40-year-old Jessica Carrafiello drove north on Route 8 southbound near exit 15 around 10 p.m. Carrafiello struck another vehicle head-on. The driver of that vehicle suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Carrafiello was arrested and charged with DWI, driving the wrong way on the highway, and failure to stay in established lane. She is due in court on November 27.



Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police

Crews Knock Down Fire at New London Taco Bell

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Fire broke out at a Taco Bell in New London early Saturday morning.

New London police said crews responded around 5:11 a.m. to the business at 404 Colman Street for a report of a hold-up alarm. When they arrived they found fire coming through the roof and called the fire department.

Firefighters from New London, Waterford, the SUBASE FAST Team, Mohegan FAST Team and Groton Ambulance all responded to assist. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.



Photo Credit: @PawlakE

Darien Man Creates American Flag Tribute for Veterans Day

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Darien resident Robert Carley has traveled the country documenting American flag tributes. This year, he decided to take on one of his own.

Carley has traveled to 47 states since September 11, 2001 photographing all types of tributes to the flag. He said it all started when he was inspired by tributes he saw in his own community at a time when that tragedy brought the country together.

"People couldn’t buy fabric flags – they sold out - so people turned to their own creativity," Carley said.

He started finding the tributes through word of mouth in his local community, and slowly spread his efforts until he was driving across the country. Carley estimates that he has taken over 50,000 photographs at various locations over the years. He organizes them by category and when he displays the collection he keeps it around 7,000 photographs.

Some of his favorite tributes are what he calls flag houses – homes that have been painted over to create a large American flag display. One of his favorite displays is a home in Kent, Conn. that he photographed early into the project. The homeowner had painted the entire front of the house as an American flag. It has since been painted over, but the photographs remain.

"I see these average people creating amazing art through patriotism," Carley told NBC Connecticut.

Carley, an artist himself, believes the American flag is an incredible piece of art because it is so recognizable and that gives people the ability to interpret it through all types of mediums.


He told NBC Connecticut his concerns about the current political climate spurred him to find a way to show his own patriotism by creating his own display to show support for our veterans.

"I’m a patriotic person and I see what these veterans have done losing limbs and losing their lives for their freedom. I want to bring attention in my own little way in thanking the veterans for their huge sacrifice," Carley said.

So he set to work, working with friend Paul Zajkowski for weeks and weeks collecting and painting water bottles for a display at Baker Field in Darien, Conn. The entire display, which creates two American flags along a chain-link fence, is made of water bottles, spray paint, and duct tape.

Carley said he thinks flag art is a show of patriotism that can bring people together in a time when the political climate is tense and divided.

"I think we live in the greatest country in the world. When you travel outside the US you appreciate it more," Carley said.

Carley hopes to continue collecting water bottles and expand the display at Baker Field to a third flag.

A sampling of Carley’s photographs is on display at The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House in Baltimore, Maryland. For more information, click here.



Photo Credit: Robert Carley
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Barn Destroyed by Fire in Salisbury

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Over a dozen departments responded to a barn fire in Salisbury Saturday.

Norfolk fire officials said 13 departments responded to the barn fire at 48 Red Mountain Avenue. Multiple tankers were required as firefighters battled the blaze.

No injuries were reported, but the building is a total loss.

Fire crews remain on scene investigating.

No other details were immediately available.



Photo Credit: Norfolk Fire Department

Skiers Eager to Hit the Slopes as Cold Weather Moves In

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Snow flying at Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall, even if man-made, was a welcomed sight for skiers and snowboarders.

"It’s very exciting to see the snow. We’re ready to get out there this year," Danielle Lucas said.

The Lucas family from Carmel, New York among those checking out a ski movie at Mohawk on Friday.

Many are eager to hit the slopes.

"Never ending summer. So looking forward to winter," Dave Lucas said.

While the film played inside, the real star attraction was outside.

With the abrupt arrival of cold conditions, Mohawk fired up the snow-making equipment for the first time this season.

"We want to test everything out and make sure everything is working. We look like we have a pretty long cold window, several days. So we will have the ability to make the snow," Carol Lugar, Mohawk Mountain president, said.

Lugar says crews need the temperature around freezing or colder to produce the ice crystals.

Though Friday’s wind made the operation more challenging.

"We are probably not working at the top because the wind is probably greater up there right now. We like to keep the snow on site and not blow it into the rest of the county," Lugar said.

Lugar also joked how about she was growing tomatoes a few days ago.

Now she’s watching the snow piles build, with hopes to open the ski area the day after Thanksgiving.

Mohawk is also hiring, knowing some people were tied with fall work a little later this season.

It’s hosting a job fair Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

2 Firefighters Injured Battling House Fire in New Haven

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Two firefighters were injured and six families evacuated when a three-alarm fire broke out at a building on Howard Avenue in New Haven Saturday morning.

The fire started at a home at 425 Howard Avenue just before 5 a.m. and spread to the buildings on either side of it.

Two firefighters were injured fighting the blaze and taken to the hospital for evaluation. Fire officials said one of those firefighters suffered burns to his neck.

Six families were evacuated - 21 adults and five children. With temperatures below freezing, some spent the morning staying warm in their cars, others standing on the sidewalk wrapped up in blankets.

Authorities say the home where the fire started was abandoned which likely allowed the flames to spread before anyone noticed. Although the home was abandoned, the Pallo family says they’ve seen someone come and go before and in fact they say there was another fire at the home earlier this year.

The flames reached above the roof and by the time firefighters were called to the scene it was too late to save the structure.

The third floor of the home collapsed and the fire spread to the homes on either side.

Fire officials said will be torn down today before it collapses even further and that the six families evacuated on either side of it may not be allowed to return.

Frigid temperatures posed a challenge for firefighters as they battled the blaze.

"Just walking down the street was dangerous as far as the slippage and what have you and firefighters have their gear, water gets on it can even change the volumes, it becomes very very difficult, very very hazardous for us," New Haven Assistant Fire Chief Orlando Marcano explained.

Beyond the cold temperatures, the assistant chief said power lines were also a challenge along with the wind.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

After Harvey, Housing Is Untenable for Coastal Texas Towns

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More than two months after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, families are still living in single motel rooms or in tents next to their destroyed homes, NBC News reported.

Harvey hit the 2,300-square-foot home of Jimmy Kendrick, the mayor of Fulton, hard, and now he’s confined to his living room and kitchen because the roof is leaking.

"All I got in my home is a TV that churns out bad news and a chair I watch it in," Kendrick told NBC News. "I walk out of my chair and my wife and I sleep on a mattress on the floor behind it." 

Multiple mayors and county officials on Texas’s southeast coast described untenable housing situations at a Texas House Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday, emphasizing the needs of small communities far from the national gaze aimed at Houston.



Photo Credit: Brianne Bueno via AP, File

Trump’s Victory, 1 Year Later: Sessions Remakes Justice Dept

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President Donald Trump's legislative agenda faces tough going in Congress, but that hasn't stopped his administration from changing the way the federal government does business.

Few agencies have changed as much, one year since Trump's victory at the polls on Nov. 8, 2016, as the Justice Department, NBC News reported.

The effect of the Trump election is readily apparent at America's southern border. Illegal border crossings are down about 40 percent from a year ago, the result of stepped up enforcement and tougher rhetoric.

And no one has pushed harder for stricter controls on immigration than Attorney General Jeff Sessions.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

2 Children, 3 Adults Hurt in Southington Crash

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Two young children and three adults were injured in a crash in Southington Saturday afternoon.

According to police, the two children, a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old, were riding in a car on West Street near ESPN around 2 p.m. when the driver, identified as 21-year-old Stephanie Matos, lost control and spun out through an intersection, striking a second vehicle on the opposite side of the road.

Police said the 5-year-old was rushed to Bristol Hospital with critical injuries and later airlifted to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for further treatment. The 1-year-old was taken to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and is reported to be in stable condition.

Matos was taken to St. Francis Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The occupants of the other vehicle suffered non-life threatening injuries.

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the collision should contact Southington police Officer Ryan Lair at 860-378-1623, 860-621-0101 or by email at rlair@southingtonpolice.org.

Suspected Overdose Prompts Hazmat Response in Hartford

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A person was been found dead of a suspected drug overdose in Hartford Sunday morning, prompting a hazmat response. 

Hartford fire officials said the Drug Enforcement Administration, police, fire and other agencies all responded to the scene at 127-129 Freeman Street.

Fire officials said they responded to a medical call at the address around 3:30 a.m. A person was found dead inside the home. 

Authorities initially said the victim may have died from exposure to the drug, but police later clarified that they believe the incident is a suspected overdose.

Around 7:30 a.m. police determined the situation required a hazmat response. The DEA, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Hartford police and Hartford fire crews all responded.

Hartford Police Deputy Chief Brian Foley said a small amount of an opioid was found on scene and that the case is a suspected overdose. The hazmat response was out of an abundance of caution and there is no danger to anyone in the area.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

The state lab will determine what the substance is through testing.

The street is currently closed to traffic and the investigation is active.

More information was not immediately available. Check back for updates.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
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