Leave it to a librarian to use a book on the shelf to return a long lost ring.

A missing high school class ring will soon be reunited with its owner thanks to a librarian in Newington who used an old year book to contact Jennifer Rodriguez.

"My initial reaction was, 'Did [my daughter] forget to return some books before she left in September?'," Rodriguez said.

But the Lucy Robbins Welles Library librarian wasn't calling about books.

Rodriguez said she was surprised when the librarian, Jeanette Francini, said they found her daughter's class ring because it had been years since Gabriella spent time at the library. 

"She used to volunteer here at the library and during that process, in her senior year, she actually lost the ring," Rodriguez said. "She wasn’t sure if she lost it here or someplace else."

Gabriella, who graduated in 2013, didn't stress too much about the ring before going off to college.

Little did she know it would be found years later among the stacks of books at Lucy Robbins Welles Library.

When the ring was recovered, Francini noticed it was engraved with the letters GMR and she figured out a way to get it back to its rightful owner. 

"We made out on the ring- with the help of a magnifying glass- that it says GMR and it says on the ring class of 2013. So, we went and got the yearbook and the only person that had the G and R was Gabriella (Rodriguez)," Francini said. 

Francini used the reference number on Gabriella’s library card to contact her mother.

"She’s looking forward to coming home in December and being reunited with something from her high school years," Rodriguez said.

The Town of Seymour is giving Christmas checks to residents who are actively serving in the military. 

The Seymour Town Clerk's Office is reminding residents to submit the names of service members who are currently serving in the military so they can receive a Christmas check from the Richard R. Pearson Memorial Fund.

The submission will need to include their complete service address and their Seymour address, in addition to the name and phone number of the person making the request to the Seymour Town Clerk. 

Submissions can be sent here:

Seymour Town Clerk's Office
1 First Street
Seymour, CT 06483

Senate Republicans voted on Wednesday to confirm the former leader of a coal company with a record of serious safety violations to become the country's top regulator of miner health and safety.

On a 52-46 party-line vote, the Senate approved David Zatezalo, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Mine Health and Safety Administration (MSHA), NBC News reported.

Under Trump, MSHA has already moved to roll back and delay Obama-era regulations intended to protect workers in one of the country's most dangerous industries, and Zatezalo’s leadership of a Kentucky coal-mining firm has raised further concerns among worker-safety advocates.

Lawmakers want to know how utility companies Eversource and United Illuminating operated in the days surrounding last month's powerful storm that knocked out power for more than 300,000 Connecticut ratepayers.

Two weeks after high winds tore down hundreds of power lines throughout the state, members of the Energy and Technology Committee asked executives from both companies to explain reports from their constituents of confusing repair time estimates and communication problems.

Committee chair Rep. Lonnie Reed described the hearing as a necessary fact-finding mission. Reed said she heard from frustrated constituents who, "called me and said there was no record of their outage. It went on and on and on like that."

Peter Clarke, senior vice president of emergency preparedness for Eversource, testified the company ultimately had over 4,800 problem spots throughout the state, which is about three times higher than expected. Clarke admitted the company’s customer service systems were overwhelmed by the volume of calls, texts and online inquiries from customers.

Clarke explained Eversource is taking steps to be better prepared for future events.

"We will take the lessons from the storm, and we will redouble our efforts on the technology and test it particularly for increased volumes," Clarke said. 

Those testifying from both Eversource and United Illuminating pointed to a high number of downed trees as the root cause of the widespread outages. More than 2,000 trees are reported to have come down into power lines within the territory served by both companies.

United Illuminating is still making repairs to their infrastructure and they expect to be finished by Thursday at midnight.

A further concern of lawmakers was how well the utilities are prepared for future weather events. Eversource representatives explained local crews worked around the clock throughout New England and needed reinforcement from out of state and said out-of-state crews from as far as Arkansas needed days to make the trip.

A second hearing is scheduled for Nov. 28 and will feature testimony from customers.

A 13-year-old middle school student in Suffield brought a realistic looking gun that shoots plastic pellets to school Wednesday and the superintendent said police and school administrators quickly addressed the situation.

In a message posted on Suffield Public Schools’ Facebook page, Supt. Karen Berasi said the student showed an "Airsoft gun" to another student on the bus.

Police said some students texted their parents around 7 a.m. that they'd heard about a classmate bringing a firearm to school.

The gun was never out of the student’s backpack while at school, nor did the student threaten another person, the superintendent wrote.

“Our school is committed to the safety and education of all our students. The Suffield Police Dept. and school administration quickly addressed this situation. Please discuss this incident with your children and emphasize the importance of telling a staff member or you if they see or hear of a weapon at school. We are all working together to keep our schools safe,” the message from the superintendent says.

Police said they do not believe the student intended any violence and the incident was an oversight and poor judgment on the student's behalf. 

It's not clear if the student will face any disciplinary action.

Parents who spoke with NBC Connecticut Wednesday afternoon said the school handled the situation well. 

A stretch of Interstate 95 is known by drivers for accidents, speeding and high traffic volume, which has state police cracking down on drivers not following the law.

State troopers will be visible and out in force on a 16-mile stretch of highway between exit 64 in Westbrook to exit 74 in East Lyme from Nov. 8 until the end of the year. 

"It’s been shown, historically to have a higher rate of accidents," Sgt. Eric Haglund, a state police spokesperson, said.

Between exits 70 and 74, there were 276 crashes with three fatalities in 2015, 303 crashes with four fatalities in 2016 and 224 crashes with one fatality through Oct. 1, 2017, according to data from the Connecticut Crash Data Repository.

Troopers are trying to reduce the severity and frequency of accidents in that area by upping patrol and targeting driver behaviors that contribute to the problem.

"In order to reduce these accidents and reduce these violations. You’ll likely probably see more activity on the side of the roadway. You’re going to see more troopers visible," Haglund said.

DMV inspectors will be participating and the state Department of Transportation will post public safety messages. Driving tips will also be posted on the Connecticut State Police's Facebook page and the Troop F Facebook page.

In 2012, a wrong-way driver on I-95 south in Old Lyme hit and killed three women.

In October, two women who were stopped behind a tractor trailer because of traffic backup were killed in a fiery crash on I-95 north between exits 70 and 71 in Old Lyme. A dump truck crashed into the car and pushed it into the tractor trailer. The Mustang burst into flames and killed the two women inside.

Tami Ballachino’s brother-in-law was driving the tractor trailer.

"Mentally, I don’t know if he’ll ever get over that. It’s just horrible. Horrible. He actually drove it for the first time two weeks ago and it brought back a lot of bad memories," Ballachino said.

She will do everything she can to bypass that part of I-95.

"It’s just too much traffic, too much traffic. Certain times of the day, around 4 o’clock- 5 o’clock, you don’t even move,” Ballachino said.

A bipartisan group of senators is close to a deal on legislation that would improve background checks for gun sales, three Senate sources familiar with the effort said Wednesday.

The bill, crafted by Sens. John Cornyn, R.-Texas, and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., would incentivize states to strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check system to ensure all background check information is uploaded. The bill is expected to come Wednesday evening, with an official announcement Thursday.

According to a description of the bill obtained by NBC News, the “Fix NICS Act” offers a handful of solutions to help get all the necessary records uploaded, including asking federal agencies and states to produce plans to upload and verify the criminal and mental health records necessary to bar unfit purchasers from buying a weapon.

Crews worked to put out a second-alarm fire at a newly renovated Willimantic restaurant on Wednesday.

When firefighters at the Willimantic Fire Department said they smelled smoke, they thought it was coming from inside the station. While they were investigating, they got a call about a restaurant fire around 6:03 p.m. and soon realized the smoke was coming from an adjacent building. 

Crews responded when they say Nita's Restaurant on North Street was on fire.

Firefighters said it took about an hour and a half to break down the second alarm. 

The restaurant was closed at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday so no one was inside during the fire and no injuries were reported. 

The restaurant reopened the second week of September after a change in management. Nita's will be closed for the foreseeable future. 

Hartford police are investigating two attempted abductions that happened during bus drop-offs. 

Police said the two separate incidents happened in the area of Kennelly School and each occurrence involved a similar suspect description. 

A man operating a gray 4-door sedan, possibly an Acura TL, with tinted windows followed young girls between the ages of 10 and 13 before attempting to lure them into his vehicle, Hartford police said. 

The first incident happened on Sept. 22 around 3 p.m. in the area of Fairfield Avenue and Freeman Street, while the second occurrence happened on Nov. 14 around 3:30 p.m. in the area of Roxbury Street and Fairfield Avenue. 

Extra attention is being requested for the surrounding area of Kennelley School, especially during dismissal.

Anyone who may see the suspect or the car described is asked to call Harford Police. 

Stonington residents are urged to boil water before consumption, police said. 

A drinking water advisory has been issued by the Westerly Water Department effective immediately.

Police said this is a precautionary boil water advisory for all Westerly Water customers in the Pawcatuck section of Stonington, in addition to Westerly. 

"Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water," Stonington police said.

The water department said Westerly's Bradford 2 Wells tested positive for a fecal indicator. 

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800)426-4791.

Bristol middle school teacher started receiving threats after letting parents know a Muslim woman would give a presentation to the class. 

The teacher at Bristol Northeast Middle School sent a letter home to parents to tell them a young Muslim woman would give a presentation about the Islamic faith to students on Nov. 22. The letter described the speaker as someone who was born and raised in New York City and now lives in Connecticut. The presentation was meant to enrich the class' curriculum on world history, according to the teacher. 

However, parent reactions were not what the teacher expected. 

"I was made aware of it by one of our board of education commissioners who told me there were some security concerns due to threats being made at the school toward the teacher who was organizing the event," said Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu.

Out of a concern for student and teacher safety, the mayor said the superintendent canceled the talk about growing up Islamic in the United States. 

"I do believe that further understanding other cultures helps with tolerance, and I am disappointed that [the speaker] is not coming to Bristol," Zoppo-Sassu said. "When you're talking about how culture and different faiths interact in terms of history, in terms of culture, in terms of diversity in a community, I think that's something worth discussing."

The news of the event spread quickly on a Bristol community Facebook page and comments piled up for those for and against the event.

"Religion does not belong in public schools," one user wrote. 

"Education belongs in public schools. You cannot be educated without learning about different cultures and different religions," another user wrote.

The chairperson of the Connecticut Council on American Relations (CAIR-CT), Farhan Memon, thinks part of the reaction is Islamophobia. 

Memon said after hearing the news, he reached out to the school district.

"I told the superintendent [that canceling the event] was the wrong thing to do. It was a disservice to not only the students in Bristol but also to the community," Memon said. "This is not religion being taught in school in terms of proselytizing. This is religion being taught in the context of a social studies curriculum, and in that context, we should be teaching Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and any other faith in which our citizens come from and which the world believes in."

Memon said teaching religion in the context of world history and culture is important to opening minds and shouldn't be controversial.

"We're not preaching religion when we bring speakers into the classroom. We're explaining why certain people believe certain things and how it affects their daily lives," Memon said.

Zoppo-Sassu said the Board of Education met on Wednesday night to discuss the event and appropriate protocol to take in the future. She said the town is hoping to plan a community event to discuss diversity and different cultures, including religion.

NBC Connecticut reached out to the superintendent.

The Bristol Police Department said there were no threats reported to them yet regarding this matter.

NBC Connecticut reached out to the young Muslim woman who was supposed to speak at the middle school.

The house at 18 Private Grounds Road in Ellington was damaged when a truck caught fire and the fire spread to the house Thursday. 

Assistant Fire Chief Brian Pippin said the Chrystal Lakes Fire Department received a call around 3:40 a.m. reporting a fire and crews determined that the truck parked outside the house caught fire and that blaze extended to the house. 

Two people and their puppies were inside the home and got out safely. 

Mutual aid was brought in from Tolland and fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

Stop & Shop has issued a recall for the store brand of frozen corn because of potential Listeria contamination. The recall is for 16-ounce packages of whole kernel sweet corn with the UPC code 68826700676.

Only products with a best by date of October 2019 are impacted, but the supermarket is recalling all packages out of an abundance of caution and said all date codes are pulled.

You might have found the corn in the frozen vegetable section, the end cap or the frozen first case.

Customers can return the corn for a full refund.

Stop & Shop has more than 400 stores in New England, New York and New Jersey.

The Trump administration has lifted an Obama-era ban on importing elephant heads from two nations in Africa, a move that was blasted by animal rights activists, NBC News reported.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service representative confirmed an ABC News report, saying that the agency "determined that the hunting and management programs for African elephants in Zimbabwe and Zambia will enhance the survival of the species in the wild."

Former President Barack Obama in 2014 banned hunters from bringing back trophy heads of elephants killed in those countries. While the U.S. lists the African bush elephant as endangered, trophies of endangered animals may be imported if it can be proved hunting them contributes to their conservation.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service representative cited conservation "enhancement findings" as part of what helped the Trump administration reach the decision, but did not elaborate.

Five-year-old photographs of President Donald Trump's adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, show the big game hunters with the bodies of several dead animals in Zimbabwe.

A teen who was shot along the Farmington Trail in Hamden Monday has died, according to police.

Police responded to Dudley Street, near the Farmington Trail, around 4 p.m. Monday and found 18-year-old Leeandre Benton, of Hamden, who had been shot several times. He died Wednesday morning, police said.

Several people were seen fleeing the scene, but it's unclear if they were running from the sound of gunshots, police said. They believe two shots were fired.

Hamden police, K-9 units and New Haven state's attorney are investigating.

Former Texas Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) has revealed a fellow lawmaker inappropriately touched her when she served in the state legislature, calling it a "systemic problem" that has long haunted women in the Texas Capitol.

"Like a lot of women in the Texas Capitol, I had my own experience with a sexual harassment encounter where I was inappropriately touched by a newly sworn-in House member at a social event," Davis said. "I don't believe he knew that I was a senator at the time. There is obviously no excuse regardless of who the person is. But, you know, because I was a senator, I had a way of holding him to account for that."

Davis said she, along with colleagues in the House, used their legislative power over the course of two sessions to make sure that representative, which she did not identify by name, didn't get a bill through.

"It was good to have the ability to hold someone responsible for behaving in that way, but unfortunately in the Texas Capitol, for so many women that work there, there is no way to hold people to account who are doing such things," Davis said.

Davis said the behavior has long gone unchecked in the Capitol and is one of more than two dozen complaints of sexual harrassment by current and former lawmakers outlined in a recent report by The Texas Tribune.

"A lot of women have kind of hardened themselves to it, just sort of put their heads down and moved through it," she added.

This week, both the House speaker and lieutenant governor have called for reviews of their respective policies. In the House, a person can report an allegation to the chair of the House Administration Committee, a position currently held by Republican state Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth. Complaints can also be made to the Texas Workforce Commission.

On the Senate side, complaints are reported to the Senate Human Resources office or supervisors in individual offices.

But according to several published reports, former staffers said they would not have reported lawmaker's transgressions to the House Administration Committee because they had no confidence that the member-led committee would be objective. 

"I probably would never even have felt like that was an outlet that I could trust, but I didn’t even know that was a process that existed,” Genevieve Cato, a former House employee, told the Daily Beast.

Geren noted that information on the policies for reporting assault are detailed in a manual that goes out to all House offices. He told NBC his office is currently working to enhance the definition of what sexual harassment is, and on "strengthening training for all employees, interns and members." 

Davis believes the system needs to be much stronger.

"I think there needs to be a much broader system of prevention, of having conversations about what harassment looks like, what are inappropriate comments," she said.

A Watertown resident was cut in the face while fighting back as a man tried to rob her in front of her Watertown home Wednesday night.

Police said they responded to Sprucewood Road and Bunker Hill Road in Watertown at 11:56 p.m. after receiving a report that a man assaulted a woman as he tried to rob her.

The victim said she was getting out of her vehicle when a man pulled her and swung a knife at her face. She was able to avoid a being slashed, but did sustain what police called a superficial cut to her cheek.

The man tried to steal items from the victim’s vehicle, but she hit him in the face and he ran toward a wooded area between Bunker Hill Road and Straits Turnpike, police said.

Waterbury Police searched, with help from a K-9, but could not find the man.

The man police are looking for is around 6-feet tall and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans. He might have been wearing boots as well.

Anyone with information should call Detective Ferrucci at 860-945-5200 or call the Crimestoppers anonymously for a cash reward at 860-945-9940.

A Walmart employee’s act of compassion is restoring the world's – and social media’s – faith in humanity.

A cashier at a Mississippi Walmart scanned a customer's items and told him his total. He remorsefully looked back at the customers waiting behind him in line, and began to unload fistfuls of change from his pockets.

The customer’s hands began to quiver after failing to correctly count the change in his first attempt. He then whispered “I’m so sorry” to the other customers waiting in line as he recounted the mound of coins.

"This beautiful cashier takes his hands and dumps the change on the counter and says, 'This is not a problem, honey. We will do this together,'" a customer patiently waiting recounted in a now-viral Facebook post detailing the heartfelt gesture.

The viral photo that shows the cashier and the customer counting the change, coin by coin, has been shared more than 23,000 times on Facebook.

The man scurried away after the change was correctly counted and the transaction was completed.

The waiting customer said she thanked the cashier for being patient with the man, who then replied, "what’s wrong with our world is we’ve forgotten how to love one another."

Detectives have arrested a suspect in the murder of a man in Bridgeport in September.

Police arrested 53-year-old Lonnie Mebane at his Stratford home and charged him with the murder of Eric Diaz.

Diaz was shot and killed during a robbery on Sept. 14 at Beardsley Street and Newfield Avenue. Police said Diaz got into Mebane’s car to sell drugs to him.

Mebane is being held on a $1 million bond.

An off-duty police officer exchanged gunfire with a robbery suspect in Bridgeport Thursday morning, and the suspect has been arrested and charged with attempted murder.

Police said an off-duty Bridgeport police officer working a construction job noticed a masked man leaving EbLens at Pequonnock and Chestnut streets just before 10 a.m. 

The officer followed the man, and the suspect fired a gun at the officer, police said.

Bridgeport police shot back, but no one was hit.

The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Jachin Brown, was arrested. Officers recovered a gun, the mask worn during the robbery and a shell casing. Police said Brown admitted to the robbery and firing at the officer.

He was charged with attempted murder of the officer as well as robbery and weapons charges. He is being held on a $1 million bond.

Two employees were inside EbLens at the time. Police said Brown grabbed one of the women and dragged her by the hair while holding her at gunpoint, demanding money. He made off with $1900 in cash, which was recovered by police.

Stratford police said they are sending detectives to Bridgeport to speak with Brown about the shooting of a bartender at Bar Tuesday night, based on what Bridgeport police told them.

"Based on what we were told from Bridgeport police we are sending detectives to Bridgeport to talk with the suspect. It is too early to call him a 'person of interest' as the investigation is still very fluid," Stratford Sgt. Jamie Rivera said.