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Police Investigating Death of Woman in New Haven

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New Haven police are investigating after a woman was found dead outside a building on Exchange Street.

Police said the woman is unidentified and an autopsy will be performed.

No other details were immediately available.



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15-Year-Old Charged in Fatal Hit-and-Run in Hartford

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Hartford police have charged a 15-year-old Hartford boy in the hit-and-run on Edgewood Street on Sunday, Jan. 14 that killed a 61-year-old woman.

Police said 61-year-old Miriam Garcia, of Hartford, was on the sidewalk when struck by a car in the area of 61 Edgewood Street around noon. She was rushed to Saint Francis Hospital, where she died of her injuries.

An empty car believed to be the vehicle involved was found at the scene. The Volvo, which had been reported stolen, had flat front and rear driver side tires and other damage, according to police.

Witnesses told police the driver took off after the crash.

Police said the 15-year-old admitted to stealing the Volvo SUV from Mansfield Street and driving when Garcia was hit, police said.

Police have charged the juvenile with second-degree manslaughter, evading responsibility with death resulting, reckless driving, third-degree larceny, second-degree criminal trover and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

He was brought to the Hartford Juvenile Detention Center, where he is held without bond.



Photo Credit: Hartford Police

CSCU President Pushes for Community College Consolidation

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Reductions following years of budget cuts, lapses and holdbacks are all weighing on Connecticut’s community colleges, and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities president is pushing consolidation as the solution.

“I believe the best approach similar to how other states have operated is that one accredited institution with 12 campuses organized on a regional basis,” CSCU president Mark Ojakian said.

On Tuesday Ojakian made the case for a community college consolidation model before the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, arguing this option is better than the alternative.

“My fear is that closing campuses or raising tuition to close the hole we are going to be pricing students out of their education,” Ojakian said.

A few members of the committee countered that this plan will actually take away something else.

“How do you respond to the notion that this is taking community out of community college?” One member asked.

And criticism doesn’t stop there.

“Show us show us your financials show us the money where is the savings and those numbers have never been revealed,” said Connecticut State University American Association of University Professors President Elena Tapia.

Ojakian is promising $28 million in annual savings, but acknowledges there will be a net job loss of 200 positions.

“We have a lot of fiscal issues budgetary, state funding is down we have to do something,” said Lester Primus, the dean of administration at Capital Community College.

Primus is more pleased with the potential plan than the timeline.

“On paper it looks like things are being addressed but again I’m concerned about implementation. I just don’t think we can implement something like that in a year or two,” Primus said.

That timeline is not far off. Ojakian said the goal is to have a new leadership structure in place by July 1, 2019, knowing it will take years past that for a plan like this to become fully functional.

At the moment there are still more steps that need to take place. The next one is submitting a formal accreditation proposal in March.

Did Trump Say 'Opamacare' in SOTU Speech?

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When President Donald Trump called Obamacare disastrous during his first State of the Union address, half of those in attendance rose in applause as social media users flooded Twitter timelines asking if Trump said Opamacare. 

Christopher Stroop, a Stanford graduate, tweeted: "Will "Opamacare" go down in history with "bigly"? Because hey that's not how you pronounce that, Donald. Also your harping on "disastrous" Obamacare is obvious gaslighting - and no way to unify the country. #SOTU" 

The White House released Trump's speech, including this passage where Obamacare is referenced: "We eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on Americans making less than $50,000 a year -- forcing them to pay tremendous penalties simply because they could not afford government-ordered health plans. We repealed the core of disastrous Obamacare -- the individual mandate is now gone."

First lady Melania Trump listened to the address from the audience and was joined by several guests, including an Ohio welder whom the White House says will benefit from the new tax law, the parents of two Long Island teenagers who were believed to have been killed by MS-13 gang members, and a 12-year-old from Redding, California, who started a movement to bring 40,000 flags to veterans graves. 

Trump's speech covered these themes: American car industry expansion, manufacturing jobs, tax cuts, presciption drugs and immigration, but it was his mention of Obamacare that first caused an uproar on social media. 




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'Opamacare' or Obamacare? Social Media Reacts to President Trump's Speech

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Opamacare or Obamacare? Social media users react to President Donald's Trump speech

President Trump Outlines Pillars of Immigration Reform

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President Trump drew both cheers and boos during the State of the Union as he outlined his administration's key pillars for immigration reform.

President Trump Details North Korean Threat

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President Trump spoke of the dangers of North Korea's nuclear missile program, and told the story of a North Korean defector, during his State of the Union speech.

Read Rep. Kennedy’s Response to Trump’s State of the Union

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U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts on Tuesday delivered the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union. Here is a full transcript of his remarks, as prepared for delivery:

We are here in Fall River, Massachusetts a proud American city, built by immigrants. 

From textiles to robots, this is a place that knows how to make great things.

The students with us this evening in the auto shop at Diman Regional Technical School carry on that rich legacy. 

Like many American hometowns, Fall River has faced its share of storms. But people here are tough. They fight for each other. They pull for their city.

It is a fitting place to gather as our nation reflects on the state of our union. 

This is a difficult task. Many have spent the past year anxious, angry, afraid. We all feel the fault lines across our country. We hear the voices of Americans who feel forgotten and forsaken.

We see an economy that makes stocks soar, investor portfolios bulge and corporate profits climb but fails to give workers their fair share of the reward. 

A government that struggles to keep itself open. 

Russia knee-deep in our democracy. 

An all-out war on environmental protection.

A Justice Department rolling back civil rights by the day.

Hatred and supremacy proudly marching in our streets. 

Bullets tearing through our classrooms, concerts, and congregations. Targeting our safest, sacred places.

And that nagging, sinking feeling, no matter your political beliefs: this is not right. This is not who we are. (applause)

It would be easy to dismiss the past year as chaos. Partisanship. Politics.

But it's far bigger than that. This administration isn't just targeting the laws that protect us they are targeting the very idea that we are all worthy of protection.

For them, dignity isn't something you're born with but something you measure. By your net worth, your celebrity, your headlines, your crowd size.

Not to mention, the gender of your spouse. The country of your birth. The color of your skin. The God of your prayers.

Their record is a rebuke of our highest American ideal: the belief that we are all worthy, we are all equal and we all count. In the eyes of our law and our leaders, our God and our government.

That is the American promise. (applause)

But today that promise is being broken. By an Administration that callously appraises our worthiness and decides who makes the cut and who can be bargained away. 

They are turning American life into a zero-sum game. 

Where, in order for one to win, another must lose.

Where we can guarantee America's safety if we slash our safety net. 

We can extend healthcare to Mississippi if we gut it in Massachusetts. 

We can cut taxes for corporations today if we raise them for families tomorrow.

Where we can take care of sick kids if we sacrifice Dreamers.

We are bombarded with one false choice after another: 

Coal miners or single moms. Rural communities or inner cities. The coast or the heartland.

As if the mechanic in Pittsburgh and the teacher in Tulsa and the daycare worker in Birmingham are somehow bitter rivals, rather than mutual casualties of a system forcefully rigged for those at the top.

As if the parent who lies awake terrified that their transgender son will be beaten and bullied at school is any more or less legitimate than the parent whose heart is shattered by a daughter in the grips of opioid addiction.

So here is the answer Democrats offer tonight: we choose both. (applause) We fight, we fight for both. Because the strongest, richest, greatest nation in the world shouldn't leave anyone behind.

We choose a better deal for all who call this country home.

We choose the living wage, paid leave and affordable childcare your family needs to survive.

We choose pensions that are solvent, trade pacts that are fair, roads and bridges that won't rust away, a good education you can afford.

We choose a health care system that offers mercy, whether you suffer from cancer or depression or addiction.

We choose an economy strong enough to boast record stock prices AND brave enough to admit that top CEOs making 300 times the average worker is not right.

We choose Fall River.

We choose the thousands of American communities whose roads aren't paved with power or privilege, but with honest effort, good faith, and the resolve to build something better for their kids.

That is our story. It began the day our Founding Fathers and Mothers set sail for a New World, fleeing oppression and intolerance.

It continued with every word of our Independence the audacity to declare that all men are created equal. An imperfect promise for a nation struggling to become a more perfect union.

It grew with every suffragette's step, every Freedom Riders voice, every weary soul we welcomed to our shores. 

And to all the Dreamers watching tonight, let me be clear: Ustedes son parte de nuestra historia. Vamos a luchar por ustedes y no nos vamos alejar.

You are a part of our story. We will fight for you. We will not walk away. 

America, we carry that story on our shoulders.

You swarmed Washington last year to ensure no parent has to worry if they can afford to save their child's life.

You proudly marched together last weekend thousands deep -- in the streets of Las Vegas and Philadelphia and Nashville.

You sat high atop your mom's shoulders and held a sign that read: "Build a wall and my generation will tear it down."

You bravely say, me too. You steadfastly say, black lives matter.

You wade through flood waters, battle hurricanes, and brave wildfires and mudslides to save a stranger. 

You fight your own, quiet battles every single day. 

You drag your weary bodies to that extra shift so your families won't feel the sting of scarcity.

You leave loved ones at home to defend our country overseas, or patrol our neighborhoods overnight.

You serve. You rescue. You help. You heal.

That more than any law or leader, any debate or disagreement that is what drives us toward progress.

Bullies may land a punch. They might leave a mark. But they have never, not once, in the history of our United States, managed to match the strength and spirit of a people united in defense of their future.

Politicians can be cheered for the promises they make. Our country will be judged by the promises we keep. 

That is the measure of our character. That's who we are. 

Out of many. One.

Ladies and gentlemen have faith: The state of our union is hopeful, resilient, enduring.

Thank you, God Bless you and your families, and God Bless the United States of America.



Photo Credit: Pool

Key Moments from Trump's First State of the Union

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President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union Tuesday night. Here are key moments from the speech.

Man in Critical Condition After 20 Gunshots Are Fired in Hartford

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A 35-year-old man is in critical condition after at least 20 gunshots were fired in Hartford early Wednesday morning and police said the victim was ambushed from two sides.

Police said two people ambushed the victim, who was inside a car, just after 1 a.m. on Keney Terrace. 

Police are searching for the shooters, who ran from the scene. They said the victim was targeted and the community is not in danger.

Major crimes is investigating. 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Simone Biles Says She's 'Very Happy' With Nassar Sentence

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As disgraced Olympic doctor Larry Nassar headed to a Michigan courtroom again Wednesday to face another sentence for molesting gymnasts, gold-medalist Simone Biles appeared on the "Today" show and said she's "very happy" that her abuser will remain behind bars for the rest of his life.

Biles is one of more than 250 people, including Olympians Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Jordan Wieber, who have accused Nassar of sexual assault. After the ex-doctor got up to 175 years for the crimes, Biles called the judge who sentenced him her "hero."

"She gave it to him straight," Biles said of Judge Rosemarie Aquilina. "And [she] didn't let him get any power over any of the girls."

Aquilina gained attention for how she led the seven-day hearing, allowing more than 150 women and girls to submit statements and offering personalized responses to each victim. Aquilina said it was her "honor and privilege" to sentence Nassar, signing what she called his "death warrant."

"I was very happy. I wish she would have just given him a crazy number," Biles said of Aquilina's sentencing. "She was a boss, and she was absolutely amazing.”

Biles' "Today" interview was emotional at times, with both her and host Hoda Kotb holding back tears. When Kotb assured Biles that Nassar "can't hurt you anymore," Biles replied, "No, he cannot."

Kotb wondered how Biles and the other Olympians were able to win gold medals for the U.S. while also dealing with the abuse that would eventually lead to the resignation of numerous officials and cause Congress to take action. Biles said they just focused on the competition.

"We're very good at compartmentalizing things," she told Kotb. "We just kind of push it in the back of our heads because … we don't want ourselves to think of that. Once we go out there, we go out there with full heart and compete, because that's what we love to do."

Nassar is not the only one at the center of the controversy. Raisman, Biles' 2016 teammate, railed against USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee for being complacent during the abuse, also claiming that no one from the organizations had reached out to Nassar's victims in recompense. Though Biles said new USA Gymnastics President Kerry Perry did introduce herself, the gymnast also said no one has talked to her about her experience with Nassar.

"I think it's kind of crazy, but hopefully they'll reach out," Biles said, agreeing with Kotb that the silence is "ridiculous."

The Olympic Committee did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment on Biles' claim.

Though Biles said "it's very hard for someone to go through what I've gone through," she has not stopped pushing forward. The 20-year-old said she is busy training for the 2020 Olympics, conquering her schooling and getting her business degree, as well as promoting the new Lifetime movie based on her life.

"There's a lot more that I have that I want to put out there," Biles said.

Harkening back to powerful words spoken by Aquilina in the courtroom, Kotb said, "Leave your pain here; go out and do magnificent things."

Biles replied: "And that is what we shall do."



Photo Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images, File
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States in Need of Trump's $1.5 Trillion Infrastructure Plan

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In President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address, he called for a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan to address the collapsing structures across the country. The annual study from America's Top States for Business showed that there are some key states that could benefit from the plan, CNBC reported. 

Among those states that need more help than others are Massachusetts, Maryland, West Virginia, New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire. The study used government data to grade the roads, bridges, ports, airports, rail systems and utilities in all 50 states.

To fund the plan, Trump said all federal appropriations should be "leveraged by partnering with state and local governments and, where appropriate, tapping into private-sector investment."

CNBC reported Trump said during the address that this was a "is a nation of builders," and stressed the importance of revamping roads, highways, bridges and airports.  




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GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy Says He Won't Seek Re-Election

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Rep. Trey Gowdy, who led an investigation into the attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya, that inadvertently revealed Hillary Clinton's private email server, announced on Twitter Wednesday that he was leaving Congress at the end of his term to return to the justice system. 

Gowdy, a congressman from South Carolina and a former prosecutor, said in a tweet that he would not seek re-election to Congress nor to “any other political or elected office; instead I will be returning to the justice system.” 

He said that his skills were better used in a courtroom than in Congress and that he enjoyed the justice system more than the political one.

Gowdy, chairman of the select committee on Benghazi, headed the investigation into the 2012 terrorist attack which left U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans dead at a U.S. State Department compound in Benghazi.

The final report, released in June 2016, found bureaucratic and inter-agency blunders but no evidence of wrongdoing by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But the panel did discover that Clinton had relied on a private email server while secretary of state, a controversial decision that was damaging to her 2016 campaign for president.

Democrats accused Republicans of using the inquiry, which took more than two years at a cost of an estimated $7 million, to try to hurt Clinton’s chances in the race.

Gowdy, as a member of the House intelligence committee, also has been part of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

NBC News noted that there is an opening on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes jurisdiction over district courts in South Carolina. An appointment to that judgeship would require a presidential nomination and Senate confirmation.

He is among at least 20 Republican incumbents who are retiring this year, adding to the anticipation of Democratic victories in November. Other Republican representatives who have announced they would not seek re-election include Darryl Issa and Ed Royce of California and Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey.

Gowdy was elected in the 2010 tea party surge that returned control of the House to Republicans.

According to his congressional biography, he was a federal prosecutor for six years, handling narcotics trafficking rings, bank robberies, child pornography cases and the murder of a federal witness.

The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who was formerly  governor of South Carolina, thanked him in a tweet, saying, "I always said that the reason @TGowdySC was amazing at his job was bc he disliked politics so much."



Photo Credit: Carolyn Kaster/AP, File
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Last Day to Sign Up for Equifax's Free Credit-Monitoring

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After disclosing a massive data breach last year, Equifax said it would offer consumers one year of free credit-monitoring. However, consumers only have until Wednesday, Jan. 31 to sign up.

The credit reporting company also said it would waive the fee for credit freezes through January 31. But as the deadline approached this week, the company extended it to June 30, 2018, CNBC reported.

The personal information of over 145 million people was exposed during the massive breach, including names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and some driver's license numbers.

While signing up for Equifax's free credit-monitoring service can't hurt, you only are alerted if there's a change to your credit report. This means that by the time you're notified, fraud already may have occurred. And it does nothing to protect your credit report at the other two major credit-reporting firms, Experian and TransUnion.



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Coyote Attacks Dog in Watertown

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A coyote attacked a dog on Booth Avenue in Watertown Wednesday.

Police said the dog, a 21-pound Beagle/Jack Russell Terrier, was let out of the house for a few moments around 1 a.m. when a coyote around the side of a German Shepherd attacked.

The family yelled, causing the coyote to run, then they carried the dog into the house and brought it to a veterinarian to be treated for puncture wounds.

Police said the dog was up to date on its rabies shots, but the animal will be confined to the home due to the bite from an animal that could be rabid.

Animal control is urging pet owners to keep their pets’ shots up to date and to avoid leaving them unattended when out, especially between dawn and dusk when coyotes are out hunting.

Police said coyote attacks in Watertown are uncommon but the animal owner wanted the public to be aware of the incident to prevent further incidents.



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Water Main Break at Busy West Hartford Intersection

Train Carrying Republican Lawmakers Collides With Trash Truck in Virginia

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A chartered Amtrak train carrying Republican senators and House members to a GOP retreat in West Virginia collided with a trash truck outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. One person is dead and a member of Congress was taken to the hospital, authorities said.

Rory McIlroy Is Coming Back to Travelers

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Rory McIlroy is coming back to Connecticut to compete in the Travelers Championship this summer.

Travelers made the announcement Wednesday morning on Twitter.

During McIlroy’s his initial appearance at the Travelers Championship in 2017, McIlroy tied for 17th. He closed with a 64 at TPC River Highlands, his best score of the week.

“I made the comment after last year’s tournament that I would definitely be back, and I’m delighted that my 2018 schedule will allow me to do that,” McIlroy said in a statement. “I love everything about the Travelers Championship: the golf course, the positive impact it has on the community and the support we receive from the fans.”

McIlroy, who turned professional in 2007, has won 22 tournaments around the world.

“We loved having Rory play in last year’s Travelers Championship, and we’re so thankful and excited that he’s decided to come back,” Andy Bessette, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Travelers, said in a statement. “Rory had so many wonderful things to say about his experience, especially when it came to the fans. I know they’ll be rooting for him to have another great week this June.”

The PGA Tour runs from June 18 to 24 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.





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Amtrak Train to GOP Congress Retreat Hits Truck, Killing 1

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One person is dead and a member of Congress was taken to the hospital after an Amtrak train carrying some Republican members of Congress and their families to a party retreat in West Virginia collided with a garbage truck Wednesday, authorities said.

No member of Congress or their staff was seriously hurt, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. But one person is dead and another was seriously hurt, Sanders said, offering the White House's thoughts and prayers for those affected.

The fatality and critical injury involved people in the truck, according to Jessica Twohey, a spokeswoman for the Congressional Institute, which sponsors major conferences for members of Congress. One member of Congress was sent to the hospital while another member and a congressional staffer were being examined.

Some members of the congressional delegation rushed to the warped, overturned truck after the train stopped near Charlottesville, Virginia, including at least two who did the same at another deadly incident involving a group of Republicans, the shooting at a congressional baseball practice last year that left Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., severely wounded: Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup.

Flake said on CNN he helped secure a very badly injured person onto a stretcher and saw another person who was dead: "They worked on him for quite a while but they could not revive him."

He said on MSNBC that a third person, who appeared to be the truck's driver, was able to walk away from the wreck.

"It seems to have been just a horrible, horrible accident," Flake said, adding that, "with Brad Wenstrup there, it was all too reminiscent of the Scalise incident."

Scalise was not on Wednesday's Amtrak train, one of many Republican members of Congress tweeted or called into cable news channels to say they weren't hurt. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., was on the train with his wife when "there was a sudden impact, a loud noise and everyone was jolted," he said on MSNBC.

"My wife who was in front of me, her cellphone went flying," he continued. "It was just uncomfortable for a few minutes and as we started realizing that everyone was okay I think people started feeling a little better."

Curbelo said there were some minor injuries but "most people are OK here."

Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis was taken to an area hospital for a reported concussion, a source connected to senior leadership told NBC News, but it's not considered a serious injury.

House Speaker Paul Ryan was not hurt, sources told NBC News. But a lawyer for his team was taken to a hospital with a suspected concussion, according to a source.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was not on the train. President Donald Trump, who was meeting with his national security team, was made aware of the incident and is receiving regular updates, Sanders said.

An Amtrak representative said the train collided with a truck on the tracks in Crozet, Virginia, at 11:20 a.m. ET. The incident is under investigation by local law enforcement, according to the Amtrak statement.

Amtrak had said there were no injuries, but in an update said two members of its crew and two passengers received minor injuries.

The United States Capitol Police is at the scene and working with other law enforcement agencies, according to a representative.

A person died in a separate crash related to a congressional retreat to West Virginia last year. The driver of an SUV was killed in a chain-reaction crash on Jan. 25, 2017, as police blocked traffic in Maryland to clear the way for a motorcade of buses.

Congressional Democratic leaders tweeted their support after Wednesday's crash.

"Awful to hear of my Republican colleagues' train accident. We're praying for the safety of everyone on the train and in the truck," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

"Praying that all are well both on the train and off," Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said.



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Animals Rescued from Bridgeport Home Available for Adoption

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