President Trump praised disgraced White House aide Rob Porter Thursday. Porter has been accused of domestic violence by two of his ex-wives. Trump said he wishes Porter well and hopes he has a great career ahead of him.

A woman is accused of murdering her 84-year-old doctor husband following an untimely death investigation in Burlington. 

Linda L. Kosuda-Bigazzi, 70, was arrested on Friday after Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi, her husband, was found dead in their home on Smith Lane this week. 

Police said they responded to the home for a well-being check and found an unidentified man dead. While the person who died was elderly, police called his death "untimely."

On Tuesday, the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) rules the man's death a homicide and the next day, they positively identified him as Pierluigi Bigazzi, a doctor and professor for the University of Connecticut's Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. 

After developing probable cause, state police obtained an arrest warrant for Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi.

On Friday, she was arrested and charged with murder and tampering with evidence. Her bond was set at $1.5 million.

State police are asking for assistance and would like to speak with anyone who had direct contact with Pierluigi Bigazzi between July 2017 and February 2018 and/or any contractors who performed work at the 70 Smith Lane residence during that same time frame. They are urged to contact detectives at (860) 626-7922.

Pierluigi Bigazzi was a faculty member at the medical school for more than 40 years. He's an internist by training and he specialized in immunology research. He also was a past educator of medical students about pathology and oncology. Most recently, he was tasked with preparing online educational material to supplement student textbooks, UConn officials told NBC Connecticut. 

"We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our longtime faculty member Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi, professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UConn School of Medicine. After being unable to reach Bigazzi, concerned departmental leadership contacted UConn Police who visited his home. UConn police immediately contacted the local police department who is investigating the death in collaboration with the state police," UConn Health said in a statement.

Happy memories are what Milford Fire Lieutenant Jason Dombrowski finds comfort in these days. Photographs show the story of his life with his late wife Jessica: the couple beaming on their wedding day, holding their newborn babies in the hospital, and celebrating the holidays as a young, growing family. 

But during this busy and deadly flu season, the constant screeching of the ambulance whizzing by Milford Fire headquarters is a painful reminder of how Jessica died. 

“I’ve helped probably thousands of patients. And the one patient that I was truly supposed to help, even though I did everything that could have been done, I wasn’t able to,” Jason said, visibly emotional. Eight years after his wife’s death, it’s still difficult for him to talk about. 

Jessica Dombrowski was 39 years old and in good health when she contracted the H1N1 strain of the flu in February 2010. 

“When she got sick we figured hey, just let it run its course. She’ll be fine,” said Jason, an 18-year veteran of the fire service and a paramedic for 20 years. 

But after a trip to her primary care doctor and a course of Tamiflu, she wasn’t getting better. So they went to the emergency room, where Jason insisted on a chest X-ray. It turned up clear. 

“They said OK, it might get a little bit worse before it gets better,” he recalled. “And it did get worse. It got significantly worse.” 

After being released from the ER, they headed home for the night. Unbeknownst to the Dombrowskis, Jessica was quietly developing a flu complication called ARDS, or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Less than 18 hours later, after a 911 call and another trip to the ER, she passed away. 

“It happened so quick,” Jason said, remembering that difficult morning. “She was alert, she was talking to me, kids were all around her, stuff like that … but when we got to the ER, people who are in the field know, when I saw the crash cart next to her, I was like, what in the world is going on?” 

The unimaginable grief that followed was compounded by the pain of wondering if a flu shot would have made a difference. 

“She was supposed to get the flu shot in December and we missed the appointment,” Jason explained. “You got two young kids, things come up. ‘I’ll get it tomorrow, I’ll get it next week’… and it bothers me. Maybe the flu shot would have lessened the symptoms. Maybe if we got to the hospital quicker.” 

Those are questions Jason will never have the answers to. Now he wants to warn others to take the growing flu epidemic seriously. 

This week at Milford Hospital, Emergency Room Director Dr. Richard Greiner said about 20 percent of incoming patients are testing positive for flu. 

“It’s mostly this H3N2 strain,” Greiner said, “and that certain variant is really good at mutating so it’s hard to vaccinate completely against. It happens to mutate very frequently, and so because of that it’s harder for our immune systems to handle it, and that’s why it’s so widespread.” 

Greiner said despite mixed reports about the efficacy of this year’s vaccine, it remains the best defense against the flu. 

“Even if it’s only like 10 to 30 percent effective this year which it might be, still, if you get vaccinated you’re going to be helping all the people you come in contact with,” said Greiner. “You won’t be spreading it to them, and you’ll get a milder case yourself.” 

From the time you receive the flu vaccine it takes about two weeks to develop the antibodies to fight the flu, so Greiner said the sooner you get it the better to stay protected for the rest of this flu season – a season which the CDC and Connecticut Department of Public Health say has yet to peak. 

According to the DPH, flu activity in Connecticut remains high and widespread with an increasing number of patients presenting with flu symptoms, as well as increasing numbers of flu-associated hospitalizations and deaths. Statewide emergency department visits attributed to the flu have increased to 14.2 percent, which is the highest weekly level observed in Connecticut since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. 

A total of 1,360 patients have been hospitalized in the state with confirmed cases of flu between Aug. 27, 2017 and Feb. 3, 2018. Sixty-three deaths have been attributed to the flu (50 associated with flu A, 13 with flu B) in Connecticut so far this season. Of these deaths, 52 were among patients over the age of 65, six were 50 to 64 years of age, three were 25 to 49 years of age, one was between 19 and 24 years of age, and one was between 5 and 17 years of age. A total of 3,895 influenza positive laboratory tests have been reported so far this season. 

With the news of each new flu death, and with each alarm ringing for a respiratory distress call, Jason Dombrowski is reminded of his own loss. It’s why he’s chosen to finally tell his painful story in hopes of preventing another family’s heartbreak. 

“Why don’t you reconsider maybe getting the flu shot?” he asks. “If you think that just because you’re healthy and you haven’t had the flu shot ever, that it’s not going to affect you, you’re wrong. Healthy people can and do get it, and they can die from it.” 

Several flu vaccine clinics are scheduled across the state. To find one near you, click here.

An Indiana-born federal judge, who Donald Trump painted as biased against him because of his immigration stance, said he will make a ruling next Thursday in a lawsuit that could block construction of a border wall with Mexico.

Judge Gonzalo Curiel heard arguments Friday on a lawsuit from the state of California and advocacy groups that a border wall with Mexico must go through normal environmental reviews, which could cause major delays.

According to attorneys for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the advocacy groups in the lawsuit, Judge Curiel asked both sides to submit more information by Tuesday before he makes a ruling two days later.

The Trump administration wants Curiel to dismiss the challenges, and wall opponents want him to immediately rule in their favor.

Trump repeatedly criticized Curiel in 2016 as lawsuits against Trump University neared trial, suggesting that the judge's Mexican heritage meant he could not be impartial in the fraud cases. Trump settled for $25 million shortly after winning the election, without admitting wrongdoing.

Curiel, who was forced out of his home and needed around-the-clock protection when he prosecuted Mexican drug kingpins in the 1990s, was unfazed by Trump's criticism during the campaign, said Gregory Vega, a former U.S. attorney in San Diego and longtime friend.

"He's had a credible threat made on his life. I don't think when he was called names, I don't think that really bothered him," said Vega.

The Center for Biological Diversity was first to sue over the wall, with three other groups -- Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and the Animal Legal Defense Fund -- later filing a lawsuit. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, was close behind, and Curiel consolidated all three cases into one.

At issue is a 2005 law that gave the Homeland Security secretary broad powers to waive dozens of laws requiring environmental and other reviews, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act. The reviews are time-consuming and subject to prolonged legal challenges.

The Trump administration has issued three waivers since August, two to build barriers in parts of California and one in part of New Mexico. President George W. Bush's administration issued the previous five waivers.

California and the advocacy groups contend the administration's authority to waive environmental reviews expired. The Center for Biological Diversity argues in its lawsuit that the 2005 law "cannot reasonably be interpreted to exempt compliance with the waived laws in perpetuity."

California argues that the powers expired in 2008, a deadline set by Congress to have barriers on at least 700 miles. Barriers now blanket 654 miles, but additional layers bring the total above the congressional requirement.

The Trump administration argues that the powers are still in effect and that Curiel, or any judge, can't overrule Congress.

Trump has insisted on $25 billion for border security measures as part of an immigration deal that would include a path to citizenship for 1.8 million people. A proposal by Customs and Border Protection calls for spending $18 billion over 10 years to extend barriers to nearly half the 2,054-mile border.

One of the administration's environmental waivers is for San Diego, where private contractors recently built eight imposing prototypes to guide designs for future construction.

A Somers couple with thousands of dollars in American Express reward points almost lost it all before reaching out to NBC Connecticut Responds.

Tina and Wayne Wegrzyn racked up more than 150,000 points on their American Express Business Gold Rewards credit card. They’d been cardholders since 1991.

The couple wanted to apply 152,000 reward points, valued at about $1,000, to their $2,300 bill in January. While Tina said she’s always experienced great customer service with American Express, this situation became anything but positive.

Tina said an American Express representative told her the points could not be used to pay the balance.

“When they told me that, I got upset,” she said.

In the heat of the moment, Tina closed the account and the agent told her all of those earned points were gone.

“If you voluntarily cancel your enrollment in the program… all points in your program account will be immediately forfeited,” according to the American Express Membership Rewards Program Terms and Conditions, which is available on the website.

Tina said she didn’t know she would lose her points by closing the account and called American Express about getting her points back, but was unsuccessful.

An American Express spokesperson told NBC Connecticut Responds that cardholders can use points to pay for most purchases, but not for account balances, fees or interest.

Tina said one of her other credit cards does let her apply points to her statement, so it appears she got confused about the American Express policy.

After NBC Connecticut Responds explained what happened to the company, American Express agreed to reinstate all of the Wegrzyns' points if they opened a new account.

American Express thanked NBC Connecticut for bringing the issue to its attention.

"We're glad that we were able to resolve this issue for our card member,” A spokesperson said.

Cardholders who are unsure of the terms and conditions of their cards and rewards programs should check the company’s website. A copy may also be included with the monthly bill.

NBC Connecticut meteorologists are keeping a close eye on the weather for this weekend.

Saturday features cloudy skies with a few showers throughout the morning and afternoon. High temperatures on Saturday will rise into the upper 40s and low 50s.

The rain ramps up as we head into Saturday evening. Make sure to grab the umbrella if you have plans to head out for the night. Moderate to heavy rain moves in as an area of low-pressure tracks to the north of Connecticut. 

Moderate to heavy rain will continue through your Sunday morning. The rain will gradually taper off to showers by the afternoon and completely end by Sunday evening.

We're forecasting some impressive rainfall totals. Parts of the state could see over an inch and a half of rain. 

Cooler air works into the state by Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon with temperatures falling from 50 into the upper 30s. 

People from the community are donating the goods and necessities residents lost in the Northwoods Apartment East fire in Middletown on Thursday.

A dog died and three people were treated for injuries after the fire at the apartment building on Town Colony Drive.

Many of the 22 families that lived in the burning units fled with only the clothes on their backs. 

"We’ve been overwhelmed with donations. It’s been great. We’ve got a lot more coming," Joe Catalano, regional property manager for the company that owns the complex, Hampshire Property Assets, said.

Donations from all over have been pouring in for the complex’s displaced residents, who range in age from a one-month-old baby to senior citizens.

"I brought a toddler bed, some toddler clothing and some other clothing- jackets," Shannon Aucoin, who came from Meriden to drop off donations, said.

Thinking about what a fire like this would mean if it happened to her own family, Middletown mom, Heather Chandor, was moved to help. Within two hours of reading about what happened, she was dropping off her donation which included several baby items.

"I have young children and I can imagine so many of these families now are just without anything. When I walked in I was amazed at how many things there were already," Chandor said.

While there’s a long road ahead for these residents who are now starting over, their community is reminding them they’re not alone.

"I think it’s more than we ever expected. I’ve been through four major fires and I’ve never seen a turnout like this. I think it’s nice that everybody can pull together and help these people out," Catalano said.

The complex will continue accepting donations through the weekend. Management said they’ve received adequate amounts of clothing but could use more food, cleaning supplies and household goods like dishware.

The 2018 Winter Games have officially begun after an historic opening ceremony that brought together dignitaries from North and South Korea. Gold medal events are underway in cross-country skiing, speed skating and more. Here’s a look at the Pyeongchang Games by the numbers.

1 The first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Games went to Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla in the women’s cross country skiathlon. Kalla, 30, triumphed over the defending champion, Norwegian Marit Bjoergen, by 7.8 seconds, winning the gold medal with a time of 40 minutes, 44.9 seconds. In third place was Finland’s Krista Parmakoski. The skiathlon is a mass start 15 kilometer cross country event in which the competitors switch techniques half way through, from 7.5 kilometers of classic skiing to 7.5 kilometers of to freestyle skiing. And although Bjorgen lost to Kalla, she set her own record with a total of 11 medals (See below). U.S. racer Jessie Diggins took fifth place, the best individual finish for an American in an Olympic cross-country ski race since 1976.

4 The Pyeongchang Games introduced four new events to the Olympics. Big air snowboarding, which will replace the parallel slalom, features riders flying off pitched ramps to perform jumps with flips and spins, as many as possible in the time allowed. Also new to the schedule: mass start in speed skating, a team skiing event and mixed doubles in curling. One goal of the International Olympic Committee is to attract a younger audience.

11 Marit Bjoergen, 37 won her 11th medal, a silver, to become the most decorated female Winter Olympian ever. Her win broke a three-way tie with Raisa Smetanina of Russia and Stefania Belmondo of Italy. Bjoergen won three gold medals at the 2010 Vancouver Games and three at the Sochi Games. She says this will be her last Olympics. “I have been very good for many years but I’m also getting older and the younger girls are getting better,” Bjoergen said, according to The Associated Press.

51 Fifty-one-year-old Canadian curler Cheryl Bernard is the oldest athlete registered for Pyeongchang, but because she is an alternate, she might not compete. Not far behind is 49-year-old Finnish curler Tomi Rantamaeki. The youngest is Chinese halfpipe skier Wu Meng, 15. Other 15-year-olds who will be competing: Jennie Lee Burmansson, slopestyle skiing for Sweden, Zhang Kexin, halfpipe skier for China, Alina Zagitova, Russian figure skater, Kim Ha-nul, South Korean figure skater and Hiroaki Kunitak, big air and slopestyle snowboarding.

92 More than 2,900 athletes from 92 countries are competing in the Pyeongchang Games, making it the biggest Winter Olympics ever. Its popularity comes despite tensions on the Korean peninsula, though those were eased once North Korea decided to participate in the Games and even join with the South Koreans on the rink for one women’s hockey team.

242 Team USA includes 242 athletes, the largest Winter Olympic team for any country. The United States is represented by 108 women and 134 men, competing in seven sports. The team is the most diverse ever, with 10 African-Americans, 11 Asian-Americans and the first two male athletes who have said they are gay.

1,218 The Olympic rings were formed during the opening ceremony reportedly using 1,218 drones. “A swarm of drones brings us one of the most incredible sights of the #OpeningCeremony,” NBC Olympics tweeted.

Don Bouvet wore a suit for the second time in his life Friday, when he visited the White House to meet with the man he credits for saving his life: President Donald Trump.

Last year, Bouvet said he couldn’t afford the chemotherapy he needed to treat his bladder cancer. But more than a year after Trump gave his family $10,000, Bouvet says he’s cancer-free.

“The president saved my life,” Bouvet said during the emotional Oval Office meeting. “And I told him that.”

Bouvet’s son, Shane Bouvet, worked with Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 by day while holding down a job as a delivery man by night.

The Republican reportedly met with president-elect Trump the night before the inauguration and shared his father’s health and financial struggles.

“His father, Donald,” Trump said Friday about what Shane Bouvet told him, “was suffering and really on a pretty final path towards losing his life.”

After his January meeting with Trump, Shane Bouvet returned to his hometown of Stonington, Illinois, with a population of about 930. Then, he got a check in the mail.

It was a personal check worth $10,000 from Trump, he said.

“Shane — You are a great guy — thanks for all of your help,” Trump reportedly wrote on presidential stationery.

Shane Bouvet told NBC4 he gave the entire sum to his father, who used it to pay the deductible on the treatment.

Now cancer-free, Don Bouvet got his own chance Friday to meet Trump, who was impressed that Shane gave all the money to his dad.

“You didn’t have anything,” Trump said to Shane. “And you gave all of it. ... That's an incredible son.”

"It's very emotional because ... one day I wanted to come here, or meet you somewhere, shake your hand, look you in the eye, and say, 'Thank you for saving my life,'" Don Bouvet told the president. "And I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Trump was apparently so impressed that he gave the Bouvets another check for $5,000, Shane told NBC4.

The Bouvets also left with another, possibly priceless, souvenir: a plaque with a note personally signed by Trump that reads, “To Shane, Great Going!”

The Bouvets said that Trump donated his personal money, which campaign finance experts told NBC4 complies with all relevant laws.

For some, lunchtime at school is a chance to socialize with friends. But other students are left eating alone. New London Arts Magnet School students worked to change that Friday.

It’s all a part of “No One Eats Alone” – a national effort where students pledge to end social isolation.

Middle school students helped organize the day, dividing students at tables based on common interests. Known friends were not allowed to sit together.

“Basically we put them at a table where they can communicate with others that they might not know. See, if somebody doesn’t talk, they can make friends,” said seventh-grader Josh Hickson, who helped put the day together.

For weeks, students studied a curriculum by Beyond Differences about social isolation in the classroom. The middle schoolers at the Arts Magnet School were part of more than a couple thousand schools across the nation who participated.

“We’ve been realizing that a lot of kids get separated, they don’t hang out with people and we felt really bad they were getting bullied,” said Anaya Collins, a seventh-grade student.

“(We) sit with people who we don’t know and make new friends! And it’s awesome,” said sixth-grader Jahleik Turner. Turner sat at the “Hip Hop” table and said he was amazed there were so many classmates who liked the genre as much as him.

Principal Kate Fioravanti said some of the students who helped organize “No One Eats Alone” volunteered to help. Others were part of a situation that causes someone to feel isolated. This shifted their thinking.

She plans to host several more events like this in the future.

NBC figure skating commentators Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski have been catching some flak for their critiques of the figure skating performances at this year’s Olympic Winter Games.

But two-time Olympian Weir (2006 and 2010) and gold medalist Lipinski (1998) say they’re just doing their job.

“I think it’s our job and our responsibility to be honest with our audience,” Weir said.

The backlash against the analysts heated up after Nathan Chen’s short-form performance in the team event Thursday that didn’t meet high expectations set for the first-time Olympian.

Lipinski noted that right out of the gate, Chen appeared “tentative and slow.” After the performance, during which Chen fell and failed to complete a rotation, Weir said it was “the worst short program I’ve ever seen from Nathan Chen.”

Some were surprised to hear the no-holds-barred commentary and tweeted their disapproval:

But the duo pushed back against critics calling them “harsh” and “mean.” Lipinski compared their commentary to that of NFL analysts.

“When a quarterback throws an interception, the commentators, the analysts, they call it out, and you just have to be honest with your audience,” she said.

Weir clarified their take on Chen’s showing.

“Nathan Chen’s performance was not up to his usual standard. We’re used to seeing him win every event that he’s in; he’s perfect, he’s machine-like in many ways with the jumps." He said the performance "was disappointing for us as audience members, and for no one else more than for Nathan Chen."

Both he and Lipinski told NBC that they believe in Chen and think he can definitely “rebound” for the men’s individual program.

Despite some viewers’ reactions, the commentators appeared to attract a lot of new fans as well.

And some said that beyond just being fun to watch, the commentators had a point. A Chicago Sun-Times opinion piece said they were “no more unforgiving than the sport itself.” The website CinemaBlend wrote that the two “are really good analysts” and that “there are very valid reasons for why they were so aggressive last night: the skating was awful.”

Chen scored an 80.61 for his performance Thursday night; a low score for the 18-year-old who normally scores at least 100. And he wasn’t the only competitor who fell during that event; there were multiple falls, mistakes and stumbles from other skaters.

Weir and Lipinski say they just “tell it like it is.”

They'll be doing so again, along with co-host Terry Gannon, on Saturday night for the ladies' short program team event and throughout the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on NBC.

Eleven Marine Corps veterans received their World War II Victory Medals Friday, almost 75 years after they served.

The veterans were among the 23,000 women who fought the second world war. When the military rushed to discharge soldiers, it left its female fighters without the victory medals they earned.

“Seventy-five years ago this month, the commandant permitted the women to enlist, and 23,000 women flooded the gates of their offices,” said Women Marine’s Association Area 1 Director Jamie DePaola during her opening remarks.

Shortly after women started serving, one piece of propaganda caught the attention of an otherwise unlikely group of would-be soldiers: the words “Be a Marine, Free a Marine and Fight” surrounded the image of a young woman working on an aircraft.

One of the women who enlisted was Corporal Doris Weiss Dee, who was also one of three veterans accepting her award in person.

“I’m so grateful for everyone that made this day possible for me,” said Weiss Dee.

During WWII, she worked in aviation supply— a manly job, some thought.

“During my training, the drill sergeant did not like women, and he was very, very tough on us,” she said, laughing. “But other than that, we were all treated very well.”

Sitting beside her was Sgt. Julia Lynch Slocum, who remembers how easy it was at the time to let the victory medals to fall off the radar.

“It was a good feeling for everybody to get home, you know?” said Lynch Slocum.

Friday’s ceremony was a message that their work did not go unnoticed, and a celebration of how an image of a woman in wartime now needs no distinction… besides, perhaps, that it started with the third woman accepting her award in person.

Corporal Veronica Byrnes Bradley posed for a photo during WWII, while working as an aircraft mechanic.

“I remember the day that was taken,” she said.

It was the same photo used as propaganda almost 75 years ago.

“I didn’t think anything was going to come of it,” said Bradley. “That was the beginning.”

The other eight Marines honored had family members accept their award on their behalf. Four could not make it in person, and four have since passed away.

Three men will stay on the Colchester Green from Friday, Feb. 9 to Sunday Feb. 11 in a movement they’ve named “Freezin’ for a Reason.”

“The camaraderie of being with a couple of good friends, the chance to help our community and give back,” said Rob Suchecki of Colchester.

The goal aims, in part, to awareness for Connecticut’s homeless population and raise money for the Colchester Fuel Bank.

“Being a small town, you can see more of the need, whereas a big city, it’s kind of one those, can’t see the forest because of the trees kinds of things,” said Suchecki.

And, with an old oil barrel used as their heat source, the money raised will help low-income families pay for heating expenses.

“People have to choose this time of year between medications and heat, and I’ve actually been at peoples’ houses where they have the heat at 50 degrees,” said Fred Brown. “That’s not safe.”

This year marks nine in a row spent outdoors, and is one of the warmer ones, too. That’s not necessarily a good thing.

“The colder the better,” said Brown. “I mean, obviously being warmer is better for us but it’s not good for donations because a line I’ve used recently is, ‘When it gets to be really warm, it’s a few guys getting away from their wives for a weekend.’”

Luckily by now, they’re a familiar group. They show up and the town gives them a reason to stay.

“People know that we’re going to do this,” said Walt Cox. “They still ask, ‘Are you still going to do this every year?’ and here we are again, trying to do the best we can to raise money.”

They’ve raised as much as $16,000 in a single weekend, two years ago when temperatures were well below freezing. Given this year’s conditions, the group hopes to raise $10,000 or more.

Six people were injured in a crash on Route 7 in Brookfield early Saturday, according to the Danbury Fire Department.

Danbury fire officials said they responded as mutual aid to a crash on Route 7 north in Brookfield around 1:21 a.m. Two cars collided and both rolled over.

Connecticut State Police confirmed that a least four people had to be extricated, but only minor injuries were reported.

Route 7 northbound was closed but has since reopened.

The crash remains under investigation.

In the hours after Hurricane Irma raked up Florida's spine, warm sunshine revealed thousands upon thousands of pieces of citrus fruit bobbing in muddied, stagnant water.

Millions of dollars worth of oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines were ripped from their branches by fierce winds, never to reach their intended destination of breakfast plates and juice glasses, NBC News reported.

Irma knocked 50 to 90 percent of Florida’s citrus fruit to the ground in places, according to the state commissioner of agriculture, Adam Putnam, causing $760 million in damage in the worst year for Florida oranges since 1945.

Meanwhile, citrus greening, also known as yellow dragon disease, is spread by a kind of louse called the Asian citrus psyllid, the size of a grain of rice. Psyllids are whipped across the state by wind, making them effective carriers for disease during hurricanes. Citrus greening is harmless to humans and animals, but the disease causes fruit to be misshapen and overly bitter. Most citrus trees in Florida are believed to be infected with it.

Eleven more flu-related deaths have been reported in Connecticut since last week.

The number of flu-related deaths is now up to 63 as of Feb. 3, according to information the state Department of Health released Thursday afternoon.

Fifty of the cases are associated with flu A and 13 with flu B. Of these deaths, 52 were among patients over the age of 65, six were 50 to 64 years of age, three were 25 to 49 years of age, one was between 19 and 24 years of age and one was between 5 and 17 years of age.

So far, 3,895 influenza positive laboratory tests have been reported this season.

Several local health departments across the state will be holding low- or no-cost flu vaccine clinics on Saturday. Get the list here. 

Emergency responders used the “jaws of life” to extricate a person from an SUV after a crash on Wilton Road in Westport Saturday.

Fire officials said the crash happened near the intersection of Wilton Road and Poplar Plain Road around 10:30 a.m. When firefighters arrived they found that a vehicle had struck a utility pole and rolled over.

Firefighters extricated one person, who was taken to the hospital by Westport EMS. The victim’s condition was not immediately clear.

Police said the road was closed in the area for investigation, but has since reopened.

No other details were immediately available. Check back for updates.

Larry Nassar, the former Olympic doctor accused of molesting more than 200 women and girls, has been transferred to a maximum-security federal prison that offers a sex-offender program, the Bureau of Prisons website shows.

Nassar, 54, started serving a 60-year federal sentence for possession of child pornography at the U.S. Penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona, NBC News reported. If he outlasts that sentence, he would be transferred to Michigan to serve two 40-year state sentences for the sexual abuse of 10 girls.

The penitentiary is part of the system's Sex Offender Management Program, which means it has a higher proportion of sex-offenders on site and also offers treatment.

The longtime team doctor for USA Gymnastics, Nassar also had a busy sports medicine practice at Michigan State University. He pleaded guilty to abusing patients under the guise of treatments, though later denied in a jailhouse letter and interview that his procedures were sexual.

Milford police continue to investigate a series of smash-and-grab style residential burglaries in the city, with three in a row reported Friday evening.

Police confirmed the department has received seven reports of burglaries in the last nine to 10 days, and more before that. Three of the crimes happened in a row on Friday.

Investigators suspect the most recent three were all committed by the same people and believe multiple suspects are involved. The suspects access the homes by throwing a large rock or brick through a back door or window.

The first of the three happened around 5:30 p.m. at a home on the 300-block of High Street, the second around 6:30 p.m. at a home on Baxter Lane near Thorne High School, and the third at 7 p.m. in the 1000-block of Naugatuck Avenue.

The suspects are stealing items including electronics, cash, jewelry. Two guns were also stolen in two separate incidents.

Friday's incidents are the latest in a string of similar crimes. Police warned residents and upped patrols last month when they realized they were seeing a series of these of smash-and-grab break-ins. The first reports began coming in back in December. The home burglaries have not been limited to one section of the city, and there have been several more of them reported one town over in Stratford.

The cases remain under investigation.

Residents can report suspicious activity by calling the Milford Police Department at 203-878-6551.

An earthquake occurred in the city of Pohang, South Korea, about 105 miles south of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games host city of Pyeongchang, on Sunday morning.

The U.S. Geological Survey said it expects minor damage, possibly cracks on walls and things falling off shelves, around the epicenter. There is no tsunami warning, the USGS said.

There was no report of casualties and the NBC teams covering the Olympics did not feel any tremors in Pyeongchang.

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