An eighth-grade student from Torrington has won this year’s Connecticut Doodle 4 Google competition and her work will move on to the national competition.

Savannah Helm is the only home-schooled student to win a statewide competition this year, according to a news release on the honor.  

Her artwork, called “Music,” will be considered with 52 other local winners.

In her Doodle statement, Helm said: “I drew about music because it brings people together in so many ways. Me and my little brother dance to our favorite artists, my friends and I sing along to the radio, but most importantly I use music to worship God."

In addition to a chance the win the national honor, Helm will also receive Google hardware for her winning work.

“The annual Doodle 4 Google competition is always inspiring, but this year’s submissions were particularly interesting, and gave us great insight into what inspires the next generation of students,” William Floyd, head of external affairs for Google, said in a statement. “Savannah’s work specifically stood out, and her mix of abstract colors with vivid imagery to celebrate music was extremely impressive.”

Local winners were selected by a group of guest judges, including Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad, actor Neil Patrick Harris, and retired baseball player Carlos Beltran.

The public will be able to vote on the artwork from May 7 to May 18 here. 

The winner’s work will appear on Google’s homepage and she or he will receive a $30,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 technology grant for their school or a nonprofit of choice, earn a trip to Google’s headquarters and more.

Plainville police are looking for a 15-year-old girl who has been missing since Monday and they are asking for the public’s help to find her. 

Selena Fuentes is 5-feet-2 and weighs 140 pounds, according to police. She has brown eyes and black hair and was last seen wearing all-dark clothing. 

A Silver Alert was issued for her on Monday, but police said they have not received any information. 

Anyone with information is urged to call the Plainville Police Department at (860) 747-1616.

A child was found wandering in East Windsor early Friday morning as the parents were sleeping and police have charged the father.

An East Windsor resident called 911 at 1:45 a.m. after finding a 1- or 2-year-old child wearing only a diaper wandering on South Water Street, at the intersection with Bridge Street, police said, and officers found the child, who was crying and unable to communicate. 

Police then called East Windsor Ambulance, who responded and evaluated the child. 

Then the search for the parents began. 

Officers from the Windsor Locks Police Department helped East Windsor police as they brought a photo of the child around in the area to locate the parents.

During the search, an officer saw a front door open at a home on South Water Street and found the child’s parents, who were asleep. 

After an investigation police charged the child’s father, 20-year-old Andrew Saez, with injury or risk of injury to a minor. 

He was released on $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear at Enfield Superior Court on May 15. 

The child was transported to the hospital for an evaluation and the Department of Children and Families was contacted. It will investigate, according to police.

Police said additional charges are possible.

Many of Connecticut's cities and towns find themselves in a perpetual state of budget crisis which often results in widely varying mill rates, which are used to calculate property taxes. With 169 municipalities, there could potentially be 169 different levels of tax burden.

West Hartford resident Teresa Burger cringes every six months, every time her property tax bill arrives. For three decades, she has lived in town in an approximately 1,600-square foot, three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath house.

"Being on a fixed income and retired, I think you start watching your pennies and where they go," said Burger. For this most recent year, Burger's property taxes were $7,351.92.

"The cost of the taxes has definitely surpassed what our incomes are doing," she said.

For the first time, Burger and her husband are considering leaving the place they call home in hopes of landing some place less expensive.

"I think we're in trouble in Connecticut," Burger said.

According to the State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management, the Fiscal Year 2018 mill rate on a home in Salisbury, for example, was set at 11.1. In Avon, the rate is nearly three times that of Salisbury at 30.59. In West Hartford, where Burger lives, the mill rate was four times higher at 40.04. In the city of Hartford, the mill rate was seven times that of Salisbury. In the capital city where a third of the residents live in poverty, it is a high tax burden.

Despite the inequality, University of Connecticut Professor of Public Policy, Mohamad Alkadry, said there are benefits to local control.

"The benefit is that you can control the revenues better," said Alkadry. "I think that local governments should always set their mill rates. Whether or not they need to be assessing all property and doing the property appraisal every year and setting that is what varies every year," he added.

Not everyone believes that a tax base made up of 169 different municipalities is sustainable, including former Connecticut State Senator Gary LeBeau, who said there is an unwillingness to change in a place often referred to as “the land of steady habits.”

"We're making it difficult for people live here and to stay here," said LeBeau, who is among those who believe a more regional government approach could lead to lower taxes. The idea of municipalities sharing resources, cutting overhead and administrative costs, and consolidating schools and other departments would be a departure from the status quo. LeBeau knows it would be a tough sell to many people.

"Of course those people are not going to jump on board," said LeBeau. "And where are those people? Those people are embedded in the political system."

The status quo is forcing cities and towns to make tough financial choices. The mayor of the 1,600-resident community of Scotland, for instance, was open to dissolving the town during last year's brutal budget battle. Meanwhile, New Haven and Bridgeport, two cities with similar issues, are collaborating more. In some cases, the cities are even referring to themselves as "Bridgehaven," joining forces on a casino proposal and on a pitch to be home to Amazon's second headquarters, HQ2.

But many of the 169 Connecticut towns and cities are still opting to go it alone, and taxpayers are often picking up the tab.

"We've been paying more and more and I don't think I'm getting more and more, which is part of the frustration," said John Souza, who has owned and operated several rental properties in Hartford and West Hartford for about 30 years.

Souza said local governments should be more open to the concept of regionalizing services.

"We understand that things are going to get more expensive, but they've got to do their best to minimize those increases as much as possible," he said.

Souza recently alerted his tenants that because of his bigger tax bill, their rents would be increasing more than expected.

"I don't usually start my letters with apologies, but it showed them the old tax bill and the new tax bill, did the math for them, per unit, per month explaining why I had to raise the rents the way I did."

He wonders if he will still be a Connecticut resident in the distant future.

"I think I would consider leaving, for sure, if things don't change," he said.

Back at Burger's home, the taxman has already come and gone. Soon Burger may be gone, too.

"This is home to me," said Burger. "And I hate to hear people tell me 'just move.'"

Based on Fiscal Year 2018 information provided by the state Office of Policy and Management, “a mill is equal to $1 of tax for each $1,000 of assessment. To calculate the property tax, multiply the assessment of the property by the mill rate and divide by 1,000. For example, a property with an assessed value of $50,000 located in a municipality with a mill rate of 20 mills would have a property tax bill of $1,000 per year.”

How does your city or town stacks up against the others when it comes to how much you are paying in property taxes and for the car tax?

Here is a town-by-town look based on Fiscal Year 2018 information provided by the state Office of Policy and Management.

Willimantic police have arrested a homeless man on weapons charges after searching for a missing girl who was looking for her sister at a homeless camp and officers are also investigating reports of a sexual assault.

Willimantic police said they were alerted around 11 p.m. Thursday that a girl who had been reported missing earlier in the evening could be found in a wooded area by the Willimantic River, possibly near several tents homeless people had set up.

When officers found the girl, she said she was looking for her sister. They then found the girl’s sister.

She reported to police that a person who had a knife or a gun sexually assaulted her in a tent, police said.

Another resident of the camp then approached police and reported that someone was shooting a gun in the air, police said.

The suspected perpetrator then called 911 and said he was being shot at, which police said have been to lure officers into the woods.

Dispatch operators kept the caller on the phone and told him to stay in the area and officers found him on a narrow bridge. He had a knife and a black handgun was tucked into his waistband, according to police.

After a brief encounter, the man dropped both weapons and the gun turned out to be a BB gun.

Police have identified the man as 28-year-old Scott Kingsbury and they have charged him with two counts of carrying a dangerous weapon.

Police continue to investigate and said more charges are expected.

Police are investigating after a man’s body was found near the water in Westport. 

Police said someone who was walking along the water Friday morning saw the man’s body, which washed ashore on Harbor Road in Saugatuck Shores, and called police at 8:40 a.m. 

Part of Harbor Road is closed and police are investigating but said they do not suspect foul play. 

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has the body.  

No additional information was immediately available.

State health officials say there has been a third case of measles in Connecticut.

The most recent case was in an adult in Hartford County and the Connecticut Department of Public Health said this person did not have contact with the two young children from New Haven County who contracted the measles while traveling outside the United States. 

The warning from the state Department of Public Health comes a day after Southington Superintendent Timothy Connellan sent out a letter that said someone with a case of measles may have exposed others at Derynoski Elementary School on April 26, 27 and 30. 

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can spread quickly among unvaccinated people, according to health officials. 

However, most people who are exposed to measles are not at-risk of developing the disease since most people have either been vaccinated or have had measles in the past, before vaccination became routine. 

“Cases of measles, while not widespread in the United States, are not uncommon and measles is circulating throughout the country and internationally. The single best way to protect yourself and your children from measles is to be vaccinated,” Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino said in a statement. “While most people have had the measles vaccination, it’s important to know your vaccination status and to be aware of the signs and symptoms of measles so you can get medical attention.”  

Learn more about measles on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. 

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities President Mark Ojakian says he’s not giving up his plan to consolidate the 12 community colleges into one regional campus. The Regional Accreditation Commission recently rejected the consolidation plan known as “Students First.” 

“What we’re trying to do is take the guidance we received last Tuesday from NEASC [New England Association of Schools and Colleges], and come up with a modified plan with how we move forward,” President Ojakian told NBC Connecticut. 

President Ojakian told the Board of Regents’ Executive Committee Friday that the proposal’s rejection doesn’t mean the plan itself has reached a dead end. 

“They clearly indicated that they didn’t say no to a single accredited community college,” Ojakian said. “Just wanted it maybe to proceed down a different path.” 

This first failure has faculty and staff questioning his leadership. 

On Monday, the faculty senate at CCSU voted unanimously on a resolution to have President Mark Ojakian step down. 

“My response is I’m not resigning. A university that really has no stake in the outcome of a community college consolidation plan, so I intend to move forward,” he said. 

President Ojakian insists “Students First” will save the university system about $20 million, cut tuition costs and save campus locations. To students, he says, “I’m in your corner. Too many times, they adapt the way they go to school based on what we do, and it needs to be the other way around.” 

President Ojakian will go before the full Board of Regents on Thursday, May 10 at 10 a.m., to begin specifically detailing his next proposal. 

A well known, record-holding rock climber and East Bay resident spent the night on the wall of El Capitan at Yosemite National Park after he fell while climbing Thursday afternoon, said Scott Gediman of the National Parks Service.

Rescue crews with a helicopter are working to extricate Hans Florine, 53, off the wall Friday morning.

Florine suffered "significant" injuries after the fall, according to Gediman. Yosemite officials did not disclose the extent of Florine's injuries due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Florine posted a photo of himself on Instagram Thursday from the wall of El Capitan with the caption "Well, there is a rescue going on, on El Capitan. And it's me. I think I broke my leg. Rescuers please be safe."

Officials said the incident happened too late in the afternoon to rescue Florine and he had to spend the night on the El Capitan wall where the temperatures can get as low as 40 degrees.

El Capitan rises over 3,000 feet above the floor of Yosemite Valley, according to the NPS, and it is a favorite spot for rock climbers.

Florine holds a climbing record alongside partner Alex Honnold for climbing the El Capitan in 2 hours and 23 minutes.

In 2016, Florine released a book titled "On the Nose: A Lifelong Obsession with Yosemite's Most Iconic Climb" where he said he climbed the El Captitan over 100 times and detailed his most dangerous and death-defying climbs.

Lots of us heard Elon Musk say he was tired, overworked, and sleeping on the Tesla factory floor.

Most of us probably giggled, or maybe said "just get those Model 3’s made" under our breath.

But one San Diego resident, Ben Sullins, went to work.

Sullins, host of a YouTube show called “Teslanomics,” thought it would be funny to try to raise enough money to buy the Tesla CEO a couch after he saw Musk's interview on "CBS This Morning" where he said he's under a lot of stress to get the Model 3 production on track. 

Thanks to fans on Sullins' channel, Twitter and GoFundMe, the fundraising idea took off.

“People love Elon Musk,” Sullins said. “They believe in the mission.”

People believe enough to raise $8,500 on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe. The Tesla Club of Sweden also raised another $1,500, way more than enough to buy a nice couch.

Tesla itself decided to get involved, matching donations dollar for dollar and when the cushions cleared, Sullins had raised $18,000.

Then, furniture company Wayfair donated the couch, and Sullins decided the money should go to charity.

Sullins went back to the internet and held a vote among donors on where the money should be donated. All the money will go to UK-based Renewable World, which fights poverty through renewable energy.

Sullins delivered the couch to Fremont’s Tesla factory, and although he didn’t get to meet Musk himself, he said the whole project made him feel great.

“I’m completely floored by the whole thing,” Sullins said. “To put all the money to charity, that’s icing on the cake.”

Rest well, Elon. And get those Model 3s made.

Scott Budman follows Musk, and Tesla, on Twitter: @scottbudman

The mayor of East Haven said he is putting a team together to help the town’s police officers who were injured in a standoff and explosion in North Haven Wednesday night. 

The officers were among 10 members of a team that were injured while responding after a domestic violence situation on Quinnipiac Avenue in North Haven Wednesday turned into an incident of a barricaded person, according to information police provided. 

The South Central Regional SWAT team was clearing the outside of the home when there was an explosion. Nine of the 10 team members who were injured were brought to the hospital, including five East Haven officers, three North Haven officers and one officer from Branford. Police said their injuries were from the explosion and they were held overnight for observation. 

East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. said that a long-term "Employee Response Team" will provide long-term support to the East Haven police officers who were injured in that explosion and hospitalized. 

"The incident Wednesday is tragic for all involved, especially the officers who were injured in the wake of the blast. Given the unique nature of the incident, I am assembling a team of relevant local Town officials to provide long-term follow-up, assistance, advice, and guidance to the East Haven officers who were injured. We want our officers to know we're with them for the long haul as they recover physically, emotionally, and psychologically from this tragedy." Maturo said in a statement. 

Maturo’s office said the injured officer are in good spirits, but have concerns. 

“Right now, our officers are receiving all of the medical attention they deserve. However, after both that attention and the media attention fades, we know our officers are going to need emotional support and career guidance in addition to other resources. These are life changing circumstances and they require a comprehensive, compassionate response." Maturo said. 

Vice President Mike Pence's White House doctor resigned from her post on Friday after raising concerns about Ronny Jackson, the White House doctor briefly tapped to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, NBC News reported.

Dr. Jennifer Pena had raised concerns about Jackson's treatment of Pence's wife last fall, officials told NBC News.

Jackson withdrew his nomination to be head of the VA amid numerous allegations about his professional conduct, which he called "completely false and fabricated."

Pena informed the White House Medical Unit she intended to resign, Pence's press secretary confirmed.

Stamford police are searching for a person who dumped a dog that was found dead with its leg tied together with a shoelace at Czescik Marina in Stamford on Wednesday.

Stamford police said they were called to the marina around 3 p.m. The caller told police he found the dog near Pier C Slip #32, and the animal was covered in mud.

The dog is male and appears to be an American Pitbull Terrier around 7 years old, black and white, with a white stripe down the front of his face. The dog appeared malnourished, police said.

Police are offering a $3,800 reward for any information on the dog's owner or who may have bound and left the dog. Anyone with information should contact Sgt. Christopher Broems at 203-589-3546.

President Donald Trump spoke at the annual NRA convention in Dallas, Texas, and addressed the latest developments in the special counsel's investigation, Kanye West's support and North Korea.

Route 169 in Lisbon is closed after a fatal motorcycle crash.

Officials tell NBC Connecticut a fatal crash in the area of 400 South Burnham Hwy (Route 169). More details were not immediately available

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Police are trying to locate three young siblings reported missing from Stamford.

Police issued Silver Alerts for 4-year-old Abbigail Herzog, 6-year-old Asher Herzog and 9-year-old Mikayla Herzog Friday.

Abbigail is approximately 3-foot, 30 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, police said.

Asher is approximately 3-foot-4, 55 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes.

Mikayla is approximately  4-foot, 70 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

The children may be with their mother, Robin Herzog. Robin was last seen driving a brown 2013 Honda Odyssey, with Connecticut plates 864WBZ.

More information was not immediately available.

Anyone with information on the children or her mother should contact the Stamford Police Department at 203-977-4921.

A Connecticut House Member from Wallingford faced a political backlash late Thursday and early Friday for his comments regarding victims of domestic violence.

They came during floor debate on a measure that made changes to the statutes dealing with, "dual arrests," by police in cases of domestic violence.

Craig Fishbein, who is a practicing attorney specializing in divorces and family law, said, "I can tell you, in divorces that I do, which are many, sometimes domestic violence is arranged, involved, sometimes it’s real. Many times it is real.”

Fishbein took issue with the change to the law that gave police the discretion to name, a "primary aggressor," in a domestic dispute.

On Friday, Fishbein told NBC Connecticut he, "may have made a poor choice of words."

"I did not mean to belittle or minimize" victims of domestic violence,” he added.

He said he has had experience in cases where police were called while a couple was in the middle of a divorce or custody proceeding, where one of the parties was looking to damage the other.

Fishbein, a Republican, is in his first term representing Wallingford.

He cast the sole vote against the measure which unanimously passed the Senate earlier in the session. The 147 House members sent the measure to Gov. Dannel Malloy's desk where he is expected to sign the bill into law.

The CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Karen Jarmoc, said Fishbein's comments are reflective of a culture where many victims are still not believed.

“If there is still, with some people, the narrative that domestic violence is believable in some cases, not believable in others, that a victim may not be believed, a victim may be blamed, we still have work to do," she said.

There have been many galvanizing moments for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School community since the horrific events of February 14th.

The latest one happened at noon today when a professionally produced music video for the song “Shine” was released to the public.

“Shine” was written by two MSD students, Sawyer Garrity and Andrea Pena, in the days following the mass shooting that left 14 students and three faculty members dead. The original song has become an anthem of heartbreak, tribute and recovery in the MSD community.

Listeners can feel and hear those sentiments in the song, and now, thanks to the video, people can see them as well.

The video is directed by Los Angeles-based Brittani Kagan, who works at Portal A digital entertainment. Kagan is an alumna of MSD's class of 2007, and she says she channeled her emotions and pain into her work with her alma mater.

“It all came together beautifully, bigger than I ever could’ve imagined when I had this idea,” Kagan said via Skype. “And every single crew member worked for free.”

Produced by New York-based Jane Bloom, and utilizing professional videographers and editors, the video had a budget of zero dollars. Everyone donated their services.

“I’m so forever grateful for them, it’s just so amazing to see how many people are truly supporting us,” said Sawyer Garrity, a co-writer of the song. “I really think the music video truly encompasses what we want the song to be about, it really honors the victims in a way I think is just beautiful.”

In the beginning of the video, there’s a series of simple but powerful scenes, in which pictures of each victim are held by their parents, family members or friends.

“It not only honors the 17 but also shows that through all the darkness that my school and classmates and my teachers have been through, that we can overcome something like this,” said Andrea Pena, co-writer of “Shine.”

Students in the school’s drama club recruited their peers to be in the production.

“So it was really good for the community to come together for that and also just the song in general, it’s really upbeat and beautiful and I think it really brings the community together,” said sophomore Logan Weber, who worked with the professional video crew as a student director.

Listeners can feel and hear the emotions of the MSD students. Now, thanks to the video, listeners can see them as well.

The NBC Connecticut meteorologists are watching the potential for heavy downpours and strong winds Friday evening, particularly in northwestern Connecticut

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch in effect for Hartford and Litchfield counties and there is a chance for isolated thunderstorms in northwestern Connecticut between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Tornado watches have been issued across portions of northern New York and Vermont where a more significant risk for severe thunderstorms exists.

Chief Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan said here in Connecticut storms will likely weaken after crossing the New York border but they may be strong enough to mix down strong winds from aloft in some towns.

Overall the severe weather risk is quite limited, Ryan said.

It will turn windy across the state and temperatures will drop into the 50s by early Saturday morning.

Saturday looks clear and sunny with temperatures in the 70s. Clouds and showers Sunday.

Get the latest forecast anytime by clicking here.

A large earthquake rattled Hawaii’s Big Island after a volcanic eruption that sent lava flowing into communities.