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27-Year-Old Man Rescued From Suffield Quarry

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A 27-year-old man was rescued from a quarry in Suffield after he fell off a rock formation, police said.

Responders were called to the scene on Quarry Road at Phelps Road around 4:48 p.m. for a person who fell off a rock formation in the Suffield Quarry. 

The property is privately owned, however, police said they are familiar with the area because it is the site of several similar emergency rescues in the past. The top of the mountain is about a half-mile hike from the intersection of Quarry and Phelps roads. It is covered with trees and the cliff-facing intersection is covered with sharp, ridged rocks.

Police officers, firefighters and ambulance crews responded to the scene within minutes and provided the 27-year-old man with emergency medical care. The man was treated, stabilized and transported a quarter mile out of the wooded and rocky terrain. He was brought to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries, Suffield police said. 

Suffield police request residents to stay off the Suffield Quarry property. 

"The owners of this privately owned area, have authorized Suffield police to make arrests of those found trespassing in this area. 'No Trespassing' signs are highly visible throughout the area," police said in a release.

 In 2001, an 18-year-old man from Massachusetts died from injuries he sustained from falling 200-feet at the quarry. 



Photo Credit: Jennifer Tilsch Nardi Golden, Suffield Fire Dept Photographer

Study Shows Alarming Rise in Injuries at Trampoline Parks

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Avon teenager, Chelsea Zeolla, had to spend her winter watching Netflix after she was injured while jumping at a trampoline park in New Britain right before Thanksgiving.

The 13-year-old, a former gymnast, was with friends at the Flight Fit n Fun in New Britain in November 2017 enjoying the giant trampolines. While jumping, she attempted to do a move she’s done countless times before.

“I was going to do a flip and in the middle of the flip I didn’t commit fully and like, I ended up diving into the trampoline- I guess you could say, so I put my arm out to stop myself, but then it went a little wrong,” Zeolla explained.

In an instant, Zeolla’s arm was broken and she still has a pair of pins inside her arm that have to be removed during surgery. The athletic teen said she missed basketball season over the winter and is currently benched from lacrosse.

Zeolla and at least 388 others were injured at the Flight trampoline park in 2017, according to accident statistics provided to the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters by the owner of the trampoline park.

Zeolla’s mother, Michelle, said she feels bad knowing how active her daughter is. The mother said both of her daughters want their own trampoline, but she won’t allow it. She remembers being reluctant to let her daughter go to the trampoline park with her friends, but she didn’t want to be the only mother to say “no.”

“Nobody is alleging that we didn’t know what we were getting into, just poor judgment on my part,” said Michelle Zeolla.

Children and adults keep getting hurt on trampolines, according to a national medical study and data collected by NBC Connecticut.

NBC Connecticut obtained hundreds of 911 calls asking for medical assistance because someone was injured at a trampoline park in Connecticut, New York or New Jersey.

“I have someone jumping on the trampoline, they came down wrong and popped their knee out of place,” a caller to New Britain dispatch stated.

Another caller told the emergency dispatcher that an injured jumper had, “the inside of her left ankle bone is showing.”

Some of the calls were more frantic.

“A girl attempted to do a backflip here and landed on her neck,” one caller told dispatch.

The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters identified injuries at three dozen trampoline parks in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

Many of the calls were for ankle, arms or leg injuries and most of those injured were children, sometimes severely.

Surveillance video obtained by an attorney representing several people who were injured at Sky Zones in New Jersey shows what can happen when taking a tumble at a trampoline park. Three different videos purportedly show a 5-year-old breaking his ankle, a 12-year-old severely injuring her ankle when she fell on it the wrong way and a 40-year-old woman breaking her ankle while jumping, according to the personal injury attorney, David Chazen.

Chazen is representing each of those showed in the videos in lawsuits against the company and is fighting the validity of the required waivers signed before his clients got injured.

In an email, Sky Zone wrote:

“At Sky Zone, the safety of our guests is our top priority. We are committed to on-going evaluations to promote guest safety. As with any physical activity or sport, there are inherent risks. We take several measures to reduce these risks and educate our guests about safety in our parks. We invest in best-in-class equipment and post important safety rules and guidelines throughout our parks. Additionally, we station court monitors at all trampoline attractions to help enforce those rules and monitor guest activity.”

But parents may not realize how big risk trampolines can be. Working with our sister station in New York City, the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters analyzed trampoline park injuries across the tristate region and through public records, we identified more than 1,000 trampoline-related injuries since 2013.

“We were starting to see more and more trampoline park-related injuries,” Dr. Steven Rogers at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford told NBC Connecticut.

Rogers and his colleagues conducted a 2016 study on trampoline injuries and found an alarming rise in injuries of this kind. They estimated that emergency room visits for trampoline park injuries increased more than 1,000 percent from 581 in 2010 to 6,932 in 2014.

The owner of New Britain’s Flight trampoline park said he wants to know about injuries so he can try to prevent them from happening.

“Of course we don’t want to see any injury. We want to find out why that injury happened and again we want to try to prevent the injury from happening,” owner Ralph Park said.

Park and his business partners, who own ten trampoline parks across the country and Canada, bought Flight Fit n Fun in 2015.

“One of the main things is making sure you know your limits,” Park said.

He said at his Cliffwood, New Jersey, trampoline park, injuries have actually gone down since he and his partners took over two years ago.

“The biggest thing is listening and staying within the confines of the rules and regulations,” Park added.

Rules at Flight Trampoline Park require participants watch safety videos and staff makes sure there are visible guidelines posted around the center. After extensive training, floor and safety monitors are stationed in jumping areas.

Park said injury reporting is a standard operating procedure and that he makes unannounced visits for inspections.

“The majority of major accidents are from double-bouncing. Sure, it’s exciting to be on the trampoline with your child, but you have to understand the dangers of that,” Park added.

Families should know the trampoline park industry is largely unregulated. NBC Connecticut could not find any laws or rules for parks in Connecticut. IAT, the International Association of Trampoline Parks, is not a regulatory body and they can only make suggestions or offer advice.

“Right now, there really is no standards, and that’s why it’s really important to be a member of IATP. They’re a wealth of information for you,” explained Park.

Rogers, the author of the trampoline safety study, suggests parents need to make sure trampolines are safe.

“If your children are going to use the trampoline, which we recommend they don’t, then you need to make sure as their parent, the trampoline is safe,” Rogers said.

Zoella said she’d go back to a trampoline park.

”I’d still probably go. I don’t have to do a front flip, I can just bounce around and still hang out,” she said.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

ICE Arrests Over 150 in Raids Across Northern California

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Dozens of undocumented immigrants have been arrested across Northern California since Sunday, according to federal officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations.

More than 150 people who are in violation of federal U.S. immigration laws have been arrested since Sunday, ICE confirmed Tuesday.

According to ICE spokesperson James Schwab, federal ICE and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) deportation officers have been conducting targeted immigration enforcement in the San Francisco Bay Area "consistent with federal law and agency policy, to arrest individuals who have violated U.S. immigration laws."

The arrests were made based on leads developed by the local field office in conjunction with the National Criminal Analysis and Targeting center (NCATC), Schwab said. 

About half of the individuals arrested have criminal convictions in addition to immigration violations, including convictions for assault/battery, crimes against children, weapons charges and DUI, he added.

"This operation is a continuation of ICE’s efforts to prioritize enforcement against public safety threats," Schwab said. 

“Sanctuary jurisdictions like San Francisco and Oakland shield dangerous criminal aliens from federal law enforcement at the expense of public safety," said ICE Deputy Director Thomas D. Homan. "Because these jurisdictions prevent ICE from arresting criminal aliens in the secure confines of a jail, they also force ICE officers to make more arrests out in the community, which poses increased risks for law enforcement and the public."

Honan also criticized Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's decision to alert the public about ICE operations, saying it "further increased that risk for my officers and alerted criminal aliens — making clear that this reckless decision was based on her political agenda with the very federal laws that ICE is sworn to uphold.”

"Thanks to the dedicated and professional work of ICE deportation officers, we were able to remove many public safety threats from the streets of the Bay Area during the past few days," Honan said.

"However, 864 criminal aliens and public safety threats remain at large in the community, and I have to believe that some of them were able to elude us thanks to the mayor’s irresponsible decision. Unlike the politicians who attempt to undermine ICE’s critical mission, our officers will continue to fulfill their sworn duty to protect public safety.”

Those arrested include 38-year-old ICE fugitive Armando Nuñez-Salgado, a  Mexican citizen and documented Sureño gang member previously removed by ICE on four prior occasions. Nuñez-Salgado has prior criminal convictions in California over the past 18 years resulting in prison sentences totaling 15 years. His convictions include assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, hit-and-run causing injury and evading a peace officer.

In a similar operation earlier this month in Los Angeles, 88 percent of those arrested by ICE were convicted criminals. In 2017, ICE arrested 20,201 undocumented immigrants throughout California – 81 percent of whom were convicted criminals.

In a statement, ICE clarified: "ICE does not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately, and the agency prioritizes public and national security threats, immigration fugitives and illegal reentrants. However, all of those in violation of immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States"

An immigrants' rights group says word of the ICE operations are fueling fear across the Bay Area.

The group called Rapid Response and Immigrant Defense Network hasn't verified the exact number of arrests through the federal agency. ICE officials confirmed they have detained at least one person since Sunday.

In the Alum Rock business district in East San Jose, merchants say business has been down since Monday, and it's mostly due to rumors of ICE activity.

Jesus Flores, who runs a tax office on the Alum Rock corridor, says undocumented immigrants are staying home out of fear they could get caught up in a sting.

"We believe it's a fault of all the comments on social media, comments about immigration (agents) visiting households and our neighborhoods also visiting businesses," Flores said.

A merchant at a cellphone shop on Alum Rock Avenue said business the past two days has dropped by more than half.

"Its been really slow," Alicia Infante said.

Since Sunday, the phones at the offices of immigrant rights group SIREN have been ringing nonstop. The agency is also part of the county’s Rapid Response Network, going out to investigate reports of ICE activity in the neighborhoods.

But in many cases, SIREN says, the reports are false.

"It’s really important for community members to not spread something that hasn’t been verified," said Erica Leyva, spokeswoman for Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network.

Meanwhile, as president of the Alum Rock Business Association, Flores is planning a workshop for local merchants to see how they can legally protect their customers, so they can return to the local shops.

"We want our clients to know that we will do everything possible to protect them," he said.

A coalition of immigrant rights groups called Power, Not Panic Emergency Response Committee has scheduled a rally at noon Wednesday to denounce ICE’s operation as an abuse of power and to mount an emergency response. The rally will take place at ICE’s Northern California headquarters at 630 Sansome St. in San Francisco.

Additional information about the nature of the arrests provided by ICE:

• In Sacramento, a citizen of Mexico, who has criminal convictions for possession of a dangerous weapon, inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, DUI, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, burglary, threatening with intent to terrorize, battery on a police officer and resisting arrest. The individual is also a documented Sureños gang member

• In Sacramento, a citizen of Guatemala, who has a criminal conviction for false imprisonment

• In Bay Point, a citizen of Mexico, previously removed by ICE eight times and who has a criminal conviction for assault with a deadly weapon

• In Stockton, a citizen of Mexico, who has a previous criminal conviction for lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old

• In San Francisco, a citizen of Mexico, who has previous criminal convictions for battery and DUI

Of the targets who remain at large, those believed to be currently living in Oakland include:

• A Honduran citizen who was previously arrested in San Francisco County multiple times for cocaine possession and transport, probation violations and sex with a minor under 16, and;

• A citizen of Mexico who was previously arrested and convicted for carrying a loaded firearm, transportation and sale of narcotics and DUI.

Both have been previously removed from the U.S. on multiple occasions.

Ex-Stylist for Seacrest Faced Sexual Misconduct: Co-Worker

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Ryan Seacrest's ex-stylist who accused the TV personality of sexual misconduct was put in physically inappropriate situations on multiple occasions, according to a former co-worker who said he witnessed the alleged harassment.

"She would go to tie his shoe and Ryan would shove her head toward his crotch," the former co-worker, whose name is being withheld because he still works in Hollywood and fears retaliation, said in an exclusive interview aired on "Today" Wednesday. "I saw that more than once."

Suzie Hardy, a former stylist at the cable channel E!, had accused Seacrest, 43, of sexual misconduct last year but finally went public with her claims on Monday.

Seacrest's attorney described Hardy's allegations as "untrue" and said the stylist had sought $15 million, which Hardy's attorney denied. And E! conducted an independent investigation into the allegations and said in a statement that it found "insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest."



Photo Credit: Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File

Increased Security at Westport Schools After Threat

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There is a heavier police presence at Westport schools today, the day after police said a Staples High School student was overheard saying he wanted to shoot his teacher and expressing "thoughts" of executing a mass shooting.

Police searched the school Tuesday, determined there was no immediate threat and added extra security Wednesday as a precaution.

Officials said Tuesday that another student spoke up after allegedly overhearing the comment.

The school officials told police that the student expressed that he had "thoughts" of executing a mass shooting at Staples High School, according to Westport police.

The student was taken into custody and is undergoing a mental health evaluation. Investigators are looking into whether those thoughts manifested into an actual plan.

At the accused student’s home, there were several weapons, including firearms locked in a safe, police said. The weapons belong to the student’s father, but officers could not confirm at the time whether all of the firearms were accounted for.

Police have been working to get inside another home that is out of state, where the child’s father had several other firearms.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Man Charged with Threatening Fairfield High School Students

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A Southern Connecticut State University is accused of harassing and threatening several Fairfield-Ludlowe High School students over Snapchat, according to Fairfield police.

Police allege that 23-year-old Nicholas Graham told the victims that he would find them and kill them and all their friends over Snapchat on Tuesday. The police investigation began when parents of those high school students saw the posts and called 911.

Graham was taken into custody without incident and told investigators that the comments came out of emotion and anger, and that he had no intention of harming anyone. He was taken to St. Vincent’s Medical Center for evaluation.

Investigators said they found no evidence that Graham had the capacity to act on these threats.

Graham was charged with second-degree harassment, second-degree threatening and second-degree breach of peace. He is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court Wednesday and is currently being held on a $20,000 bond.

Police stressed that while there is no known threat to the public or any Fairfield school, but there will be an increased police presence at schools as a precaution.



Photo Credit: Fairfield Police Department

DNC's Get Out the Vote Plan Targets 50M Voters

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The Democratic National Committee is planning to contact 50 million voters before the midterm elections in November, trying to harness nationwide antipathy for President Donald Trump, NBC News reported.

The DNC will announce the "IWillVote" plan Wednesday. It plans to focus on partnerships with a wide range of groups, from ones focused on key demographics to newer anti-Trump "resistance" groups, to boost turnout among people leaning toward Democrats.

The last midterm elections saw 47 million fewer people vote than in 2012, and people who lean toward Democrats have been less likely to go to the polls in non-presidential elections.

The effort "translates activism and marches into committing to vote for Democrats up and down the ballot this November and is designed to reach voters and communities across the country," said DNC Chairman Tom Perez in a statement.



Photo Credit: Branden Camp/AP, File

25 Years Later: A Timeline of the Waco Branch Davidian Raid

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On Feb. 28, 1993, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raided the Branch Davidian's Mt. Carmel compound east of Waco looking for David Koresh — the leader of the sect officials believed was stockpiling weapons and ammunition.

After a TV cameraman inadvertently tipped off a Davidian to the impending raid earlier in the morning, the ATF had lost the element of surprise.

As federal agents arrived at the compound on Double EE Ranch Road, they were met with gunfire.


In the exchange, four federal agents and six Davidians were killed and more than a dozen others, including Koresh, were wounded.

The federal agents retreated, beginning a 51-day standoff that would end with nearly 80 dead, including 17 children, after the Mt. Carmel compound burned to the ground on April 19.

Sunday, Feb. 28

A TV cameraman who knew of the upcoming raid was trying to find the location of Mt. Carmel and asked a postal employee to confirm the location. The postal employee was a Davidian, who was able to return to Mt. Carmel and warn Koresh and his followers of the federal agents who were on their way.

Federal agents, having lost the element of surprise, were under fire soon after arrival.

The exchange of gunfire kicked off the 51-day standoff that soon garnered attention from around the world.

Included in the timeline below are news clips pulled from the archives of KXAS-TV/NBC 5, hosted on The Portal to Texas History.

Monday, March 1

Negotiations continue and 10 children are released from the compound. FBI agitates Koresh by moving armored vehicles closer to the compound.

Tuesday, March 2

Koresh says he'll surrender if a recording of his message is broadcast nationally. The message is broadcast over the Christian Broadcasting Network that afternoon but Koresh declines to surrender saying God spoke to him and told him to wait.


Friday, March 5

ATF Special Agent Steven Willis, one of the four ATF agents killed in the raid, is laid to rest.

Friday, March 5

Mechanic Mike Barnard, who worked with Koresh on auto repairs at a Waco shop, talks about the leader with KXAS-TV/NBC 5.

Friday, March 5

KXAS-TV/NBC 5 reports the possibility of known dangers before agents entered the compound, and the impact of allowing David Koresh to be broadcast on local radio station KRLD. This footage includes ATF agent Dan Conroy and FBI agent Bob Ricks.

Friday, March 5

A former University of Texas Arlington student discusses how his 1985 student film, a satire named Armagosa Fabulosa, mirrors events occurring at that time with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas.

Saturday, March 6

Sightseers flock to Waco to watch the standoff while others capitalize on the moment by selling memorabilia.

Sunday, March 7

Koresh said the only children that remained in the compound were his biological children and that they would not be leaving.

Monday, March 8

ATF agents investigate Mag Bag, a business they say was operated by and for Koresh. The owner of the property said he knew nothing about it and that it was Paul Fatta who rented the property.

Tuesday, March 9

Electricity cut to the compound but later restored after Koresh vowed to end negotiations. In the following days, the power is temporarily cut and restored before being ordered cut off for good on March 12.

Thursday, March 11

Reports estimate the ATF was spending $500,000 per week on "Operation Koresh"; state and local agencies felt the overtime pinch too as State Troopers, deputies and police secured the area.

Thursday March 11

Koresh's mother, Bonnie Haldeman, and her attorney attempt to contact her son.

Friday, March 12

FBI uses spotlights on the compound at night to disrupt sleep and begins broadcasting music and sounds from loudspeakers. In the coming days negotiations would sporadically continue.

Sunday, March 14

A Presbyterian bible study group discusses the Davidians' views about the afterlife and the end of the world; a teenage bible study group discussing young Branch Davidian members.

Between Friday, March 19-21, 10 Davidians leave the compound, two men and eight women.

Tuesday, March 23

A representative of British Branch Davidian Livingstone Fagan, who left Mt. Carmel, speaks in front of the Correctional Facility.

Friday, March 26

The Branch Davidians unfurl a banner reading "Rodney King We Understand."

Monday, March 29

Koresh meets at the compound with lawyer Dick DeGuerin who later tells officials the Davidians will surrender after observing Passover.

Monday, April 5

Davidians begin observing Passover; observances can take eight days.

Friday, April 9

Letter sent to the FBI signed "Yahweh Koresh" warns FBI of being called to judgment.

Saturday, April 10

FBI rings compound with concertina wire, a type of barbed wire with razors attached.

Monday, April 12

U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno asks, "Why now, why not wait?" when asked to approve the FBI's plan to use gas on the compound.

Monday, April 19

Fifty-one days after the siege began, the Davidians were told via loudspeaker they were under arrest and to exit the compound and that gas was going to be used. Minutes later, tanks are used to breach the walls and inject the gas. Six hours after the first breach, at about noon, the compound begins burning. Nine Davidians flee the compound and are arrested. More than 70 Davidians die in the fire, including 17 children. Koresh and others close to him died of gun shots fired at close range.

Monday, April 19

David Koresh's attorney Dick DeGuerin speaks to the media about the escalation by federal agents that led to the fire at the Davidian compound.

1993 Tom Brokaw Report on Waco Siege

Saturday, April 24

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner identifies the causes of death of some of the Branch Davidians while other officials talk about identifying victims who died in the fire.

Waco Raid Evokes Painful Memories for Davidian Survivors 24 Years Later

ATF Agent Recalls Raid: The Dallas Morning News

Megyn Kelly - The Waco Raid 25 Years Later

More Online:



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News
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Police: Man Threatened to Turn East Haven House ‘Into a Bomb'

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A man accused of turning the gas on in an East Haven residence Saturday and threatening to turn the house into a bomb has been arrested. 

Police said officers responded to a home on Lenox Street at 2:10 p.m. Saturday after someone called authorities and said she was babysitting at her sister’s house, left briefly and returned to find the odor of natural gas filling the house. 

The caller said another person in the home told her he was in the shower when 43-year-old Michael Nettis went into the house and turned on the gas without lighting the stove, allowing gas to fill the home, according to police. 

When the witness smelled gas, he got out of the shower, turned off the gas and opened the window to allow for ventilation, according to police. 

Around the same time, Nettis sent threatening text messages to his wife. They included pictures of the gas knobs turned up and an explanation of what he did, police said. 

One message in a string of them said, “I’m going to turn house into a bomb” “Think I’m kidding” and “Everything is over as of today,” according to police. 

The East Haven Fire Department responded to ventilate the residence and check the gas levels within the house. 

Police apprehended Nettis a short time later in Thomaston and he was charged with attempted arson in the first degree, threatening in the first degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree and breach of peace in the second degree. 

He was held on $300,000 bond.



Photo Credit: East Haven Police

Oprah Says She Would Need a Divine Sign to Run for President

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Although time and time again media mogul Oprah Winfrey has shut down speculation of a possible 2020 presidential run, she revealed to People Magazine there is one factor that might convince her — and that’s a call from God.

“I went into prayer,” she said to People in their new cover story. “‘God, if you think I’m supposed to run, you gotta tell me, and it has to be so clear that not even I can miss it.’”

However, she said that she hasn’t gotten that message yet.

Winfrey accepted the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award at the 75th Annual Golden Globes in January where her acceptance speech sparked a strong backing from social media users urging for her to run.

After she roared that “a new day is on the horizon,” #Oprah2020 was trending on Twitter for days and the intrigue multiplied when Winfrey’s longtime partner Stedman Graham told The Los Angeles Times, “It’s up to the people. She would absolutely do it.”

On top of Graham’s comments, Winfrey said her best friend Gayle King has also urged her to take the possibly of running seriously.

The “A Wrinkle In Time” star said to People, “I had people—wealthy, billionaires—calling me up and saying, ‘I can get you a billion dollars. I can run your campaign.’”

She said the encouragement made her think she should at least look at the question, but God has not shown her a definitive sign — yet.



Photo Credit: Michael Tran/FilmMagic

Connecticut Guns Rights Group Responds to Dick’s Sporting Goods Decision on Guns

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A Connecticut guns rights group is responding to the decision by Dick's Sporting Goods to change its policies on gun sales and said the company will “discriminate" against certain customers based on their age by not selling guns to people under the age of 21.

The nationwide sporting goods retailers stopped selling assault-style rifles at Dick’s Sporting Goods stores after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Now, in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the company will also remove these types of rifles from all 35 Field & Stream stores. It has also decided to stop selling firearms to people under 21 years old and to put an end to sales of high-capacity magazines.

"We're of course saddened that Dick's will begin discriminating against certain customers based on their age, even though here in Connecticut those customers have undergone the same strict background checks as every other resident and are legally allowed to purchase these products," Chris Lemos, vice president of Connecticut Citizens Defense League, said in a statement Wednesday.

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"As for their misguided decision to end the sale of certain firearms based solely on cosmetics -

Dick's stopped selling this style firearm in their main stores years ago, even before they were later banned here in Connecticut. Among gun owners, they have also earned a reputation as having a limited selection and high prices when it comes to firearms. This decision will have no impact on gun owners in this state, other than to persuade them to shop elsewhere for other sporting goods," Lemos said in a statement.

Gov. Dannel Malloy released a statement in response to the sporting goods store’s decision as well and said he hopes more companies will act as Dick’s has.

“At a time when the American people are rising up and demanding meaningful gun safety reform, the federal government continues to bend to the will of the NRA,” Malloy said. “When even major retailers that sell guns say it’s time to ban assault-style weapons, members of Congress should listen up, and take action. I applaud Dick’s Sporting Goods for their strong stance on this critical issue, and hope that more companies follow suit in this prime example of good cooperate stewardship.”

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman commended the company as well.

“Students in Parkland were the latest victims of gun laws that are lax, riddled with loopholes, and not keeping pace with modern technology, but the reality is we have an entire generation of young people who go to school each day under a cloud of “what if.” Dick’s Sporting Goods has emerged as a leader. They stand in good company with a student movement that has swept the country, and other businesses that are calling for action. Congress would do well to listen,” Wyman said.


Dick’s Sporting Goods released a lengthy statement on its website about its decision on guns.

“We support and respect the Second Amendment, and we recognize and appreciate that the vast majority of gun owners in this country are responsible, law-abiding citizens. But we have to help solve the problem that’s in front of us. Gun violence is an epidemic that’s taking the lives of too many people, including the brightest hope for the future of America – our kids,” the statement from Dick’s says.

“Following all of the rules and laws, we sold a shotgun to the Parkland shooter in November of 2017. It was not the gun, nor type of gun, he used in the shooting. But it could have been.”

The company is also calling on elected officials to “enact common sense gun reform.”





Photo Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images, File

360-Degree Camera Accidentally Films Proposal in NYC Park

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A New York City real estate technology company was filming b-roll at a Brooklyn park when a feature-worthy event got in the shot.

VirtualApt said its 360-degree video-shooting robot was stationed in Bushwick Inlet Park in Williamsburg on Monday afternoon when it accidentally filmed a man getting down on one knee in an apparent proposal. The company said it didn't know the camera had caught the touching moment until afterward and is now trying to find the couple so they can have the footage.

"We saw the proposal and thought it would be nice to share it with the couple so they could have that moment forever on video," a company representative said.

The footage shows the pair sitting on a bench at the East River waterfront, looking curiously in the unattended robot’s direction in the otherwise unoccupied portion of the park. 


They both then stand up and embrace for a few seconds before the man reaches into his pocket -- presumably for a ring -- and gets down on one knee.

It wasn’t clear what the man said to the woman, or if she replied with a “yes” because whipping winds drowned out other sounds on the robot’s microphones.

But the woman can be seen putting her hands over her mouth in surprise before leaning down to kiss the man. They then stand there for a few more seconds before the video ends.

The company said the robot's operator, who had left the area to avoid getting in the camera's shot, didn't realize he had captured the apparent proposal until he started going through the footage on Tuesday morning.

That is when the company said it posted the footage on its website, VirtualApt.com, and several social media networks in hopes of finding the couple.

If you recognize the couple, email VirtualApt at info@virtualapt.com.




Photo Credit: Provided by VirtualApt.com
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Dick’s Sporting Goods to Discontinue Sales of Assault-Style Rifles

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Saying that “thoughts and prayers are not enough” following the Parkland shooting, Dick’s Sporting Goods announced the company will discontinue sales of all assault-style rifles and will raise the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21. The company will also end sales of high-capacity magazines.

Car Slams into East Windsor Burger King

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A car slammed into the side of a Burger King in East Windsor Wednesday morning.

East Windsor Police said the crash happened at the Burger King on Bridge Street around 8 a.m. No one was hurt, but there is moderate damage to the building.

The crash remains under investigation.



Photo Credit: East Windsor Police Department

Firefighter Injured While Rescuing Cat From Fire in Waterbury

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A firefighter suffered a minor injury while rescuing a cat from a fire at an abandoned house on High Street in Waterbury Wednesday morning.

Crews were called to the vacant High Street home at 7:49 a.m. and found heavy fire.

Firefighters started fighting the fire from inside the structure, but then had to fight the blaze from outside because of the deterioration of the building.

At one point, witnesses saw a firefighter on a ladder, rescuing a cat on the second floor. An animal control officer at the scene initially said the cat bit a firefighter in the face during the rescue, but the fire chief said the cat scratched the firefighter.

The injury was minor and the firefighter was taken to the hospital to be evaluated, according to fire officials. 

Neighbors said the abandoned house is one of many buildings that have caught fire on High Street. 

The fire was contained to one building. The cause is under investigation.




Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com
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14-Year-Old Student in West Haven Accused of Making Threats

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Police have arrested a 14-year-old boy at the Engineering & Science University Magnet High School in West Haven after a student was accused of making threats and showing gun photos, according to police. 

Police said they responded to the school at 500 Boston Post Road around 8:40 a.m. Wednesday after a student reported the incident to teachers and a 14-year-old boy was removed from school and arrested. 

Police said the daily operation of the school was not interrupted and there was no further incident. 

The suspect was charged with breach of peace.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

2 Brothers Hospitalized After Domestic Dispute in New Britain

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Two brothers are hospitalized after getting into a domestic dispute in New Britain Wednesday morning. Police said one was stabbed and the other has a head injury.

Police received reports of a stabbing at 8:40 a.m. Wednesday and responded to find an 18-year-old man who had been stabbed and a 14-year-old boy with an apparent head injury.

Police said the incident appears to be a domestic dispute between the two. It’s not clear where in New Britain it happened.

The 18-year-old was transported to a Hartford-area hospital and his injuries are not life-threatening.

The juvenile was transported to the Hospital of Central Connecticut for further treatment.

Police are investigating.

Royal Family Photos: Royal Couples Appear for 1st Function

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Look at events and milestones celebrated by the royal family.

Photo Credit: Chris Jackson/AP

Alaska Rep. Suggests Jews With Guns Could Have Stopped Nazis

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Jewish people might not have been killed in the Holocaust if they had weapons, a Republican congressman from Alaska implied during an event in Juneau last week, NBC News reported.

Rep. Don Young, the longest-serving member of the House, had been asked about guns in the wake of the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and his response was caught on video releaed by Dimitri Shein, a Democrat who hopes to defeat Young.

"How many millions were shot and killed because they were unarmed?" Young said. "Fifty million in Russia because their citizens were unarmed. How many Jews were put into the ovens because they were unarmed?"

The comment drew criticism from the Anti-Defamation League. NBC News has reached out to Young's office for comment.



Photo Credit: Pete Marovich/Getty Images, File

19-Year-Old Charged in Plymouth Fatal Crash

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A 19-year old man has been arrested in connection with a crash early on the morning of Saturday, July 29 that killed a 17-year-old boy and seriously injured four other people.

Eight teens and young men between the ages of 16 and 18 were in the Chevrolet Colbalt when it crashed on Town Hill Road in Plymouth around 12:23 a.m., according to police.

The front seat passenger, Vincent Cammarata, 17, of Watertown, was unresponsive and LifeStar flew him to a hospital, where he died from injuries, according to police.

Hunter Pero, 19, of Watertown, turned himself in to police and has been charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle, four counts of risk of injury to a minor, first-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, driving under the influence, speeding, crowded seats, failure to maintain a proper lane, failure to wear a seat belt in front seat and additional charges.

He was held on a $250,000 bond.




Photo Credit: Plymouth Police
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