An Arizona woman’s dog is being hailed a hero after the puppy shielded its owner from a snake bite during a hike.

Paula Godwin wrote on Facebook that she was out for a hike last Friday on the Sonoran Preserve, in north Phoenix, with her dogs Todd and Cooper.

"Nobody wanted to come with me,” Godwin said in a Facebook Live video taken during the hike.

Godwin wrote that it was a beautiful morning, "but as we were walking down the hill I literally almost stepped on a rattlesnake."

"My hero of a puppy Todd saved me," she wrote. "He jumped right in front of my leg [where] I surely would have got bit."

Instead, the golden retriever took a bite to the face and tried to tackle the snake.

Godwin told NBC affiliate KPNX that she rushed Todd to the animal hospital. She later shared photos of the pup’s swollen face and wounds, writing: “This is what a hero looks like.”

Todd, who is less than a year old, is expected to make a full recovery, KPNX reported.

"Todd's doing so well, [it] is a wonder to me how he is healing," Godwin wrote on Facebook.

Godwin also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for other pet owners who may need assistance paying the vet bill for anti-venom, which costs several hundred dollars per vial.

Interstate 84 West in Manchester was closed for hours after a crash involving a wrong-way driver Monday morning and state police said there were serious injuries in the crash.

The crash happened around 3:45 a.m. near exit 60 and one of the cars burst into flames.

Several witnesses pulled both drivers out of the vehicles and officials called them heroes and “guardian angels.” 

“People driving by that witnessed the collision absolutely jumped in action,” Manchester Fire Chief Don Moore said.

Ambulances transported the drivers from both vehicles to Hartford Hospital.

Four lanes of traffic between exits 63 and 60 were shut down for newly four hours as crews cleaned up the crash.

State police are looking into what led to one driver going the wrong way down the highway.

A Southern mayor is helping to lead a movement among local governments to create "gun-free zones" and otherwise limit gun stores and certain kinds of firearms, NBC News reported.

That's despite laws in 43 states preventing municipal governments from passing local gun regulations that go further than state ones.

Second Amendment-supporter Stephen Benjamin began to change how he thought about gun regulation ahead of a face-off between the Ku Klux Klan and New Blank Panther party over the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Capitol in 2015. Benjamin, mayor of Columbia, feared a gunbattle, so he and the City Council banned firearms from the area around the statehouse — no one was shot.

"The failure of the Congress to pass policies that keep our communities and children safe means towns feel compelled to act," Benjamin said. "We don't have to accept the carnage."

A Cape Cod beach has been temporarily closed to swimming after a great white shark was spotted swimming nearby on Monday afternoon.

Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro has been closed to swimming for an hour, according to the Sharktivity app. The sighting was reported around 12:45 p.m.

The shark is one of several spotted on Monday off Cape Cod. Four sharks were also spotted by researchers with the Division of Marine Fisheries.

That follows a busy weekend of shark sightings, with one spotted not far from a local beach and another within close proximity to an unsuspecting paddleboarder.

The most recent sightings bring the total in the past week alone to more than a dozen.

On Saturday, one great white was spotted off Orleans.

Another was seen in Cape Cod Bay off Provincetown. The person who reported it was on a boat and said the shark appeared curious about the vessel and then swam off.

On Sunday, a Massachusetts State Police helicopter spotted a great white shark about 3 miles north of Newcomb Hollow in Wellfleet, only 100 yards from the beach.

Also that same day, a paddleboarder off Wellfleet said he saw a shark about 50 feet away from him at Marconi Beach.

Shark sightings are not unusual this time of year, but there has been a clear uptick in the number of sightings in the past week.

Typically, mid-June is when most great white sharks arrive in the New England area. Last year was a particularly active year for great whites off Cape Cod, with dozens of sightings and several beach closures due to sharks being spotted swimming close to shore.

A lifelong ballet dancer and avid soccer player who was aboard a tour boat in the Bahamas when it exploded Saturday underwent a double amputation and remains in critical condition, family members said.

Stefanie Schaffer, 22, was one of 12 people — 10 U.S. citizens and two Bahamian crew members — who were on the boat when it exploded minutes into a day trip around the small islands near Great Exuma.  The blast killed an American and injured nine people.

Family members told NBC News that Schaffer, of Rutland, Vermont, had recently graduated college and was on a family vacation with her mother, sister and step-father, who were also hurt in the blast.

Brian Schaffer, Stephanie's uncle, told NBC News in a Skype interview that his niece was seated right above the location of the blast and sustained life-threatening injuries, including broken bones and internal injuries, and had both legs amputated at the knees.  

"I don't think she knows she doesn't have any legs left," Brian Schaffer said, holding back tears. 

He said his niece remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma at a Nassau hospital.

"Trying think of what her life's going to be like and what we all need to do as a family to get her back to being that ballet dancer and soccer player. That's what I want to do," he said.

Stephanie's sister, Brooke, suffered minor injuries, Brian said, while the girls' mother sustained some broken bones and "we believe some internal bleeding, as well," he added. They are also hospitalized in Nassau.

The U.S. Coast Guard airlifted four Americans to St. Petersburg, Florida, for treatment while six people were treated in Nassau. Authorities haven't released the identity of the person who was killed.

Royal Bahamas Police Force Superintendent Shanta Knowles says officials from the country's police, fire and civil aviation departments were on the island of Great Exuma on Monday conducting an investigation into the explosion and fire

Since her husband took office Melania Trump has earned six figures from an unusual deal with a photo agency in which major media organizations have indirectly paid the Trump family despite a requirement that the photos be used only in positive coverage, NBC News reported.

President Donald Trump's most recent financial disclosure reveals that in 2017 the first lady earned at least $100,000 from Getty Images for the use of any of a series of 187 photos of the first family shot between 2010 and 2016 by Belgian photographer Regine Mahaux.

It's not unheard of for celebrities to earn royalties from photos of themselves, but it's very unusual for the wife of a currently serving elected official. More problematic for the many news organizations that have published or broadcast the images, however, is that Getty's licensing agreement stipulates the pictures can be used in "positive stories only."

Getty Images told NBC News that the details and amounts of payments to the Trumps are covered by confidential agreements.

Several news organizations removed the images from their websites after inquiries by NBC News; NBC's Nightly News included the images in a Nightly News segment on Melania Trump that aired July 18, 2016, during the Republican National Convention. An NBC News spokesperson said NBC News did not agree or sign a statement that the image would be used for positive coverage, and was never informed that a portion of the royalties would go to the Trump family.

The 42nd annual Macy's 4th of July fireworks show over the East River in New York promises to be another spectacular display, with seven barges launching tens of thousands of shells into the air during a two-hour special broadcast on NBC.

Kelly Clarkson, Ricky Martin and Keith Urban join the star-studded roster for the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular special on NBC, airing Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET with an hour-long encore presentation to follow. Akbar Gbajabiamila and Matt Iseman are the hosts for this year's event.   

You can livestream the show on NBCNewYork.com on your desktop or laptop computer or your mobile device by clicking on this link. 

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Because of the hot and humid weather, Norwich Public Utilities has issued a power alert from noon to 8 p.m. today. 

The utility company said demand for electricity by NPU customers has increased significantly in the heat and the company hopes to decrease the impact on its electrical infrastructure while the high temperatures persist. 

A news alert from Norwich Public Utilities said part of the company’s annual costs for electricity are based on “peak demand” days and energy efficiency can help keep customer’s overall electric costs lower throughout the year. 

“It is very important that our customers – both residential and commercial - use power wisely today and through the end of the week to reduce the strain on our equipment in the field,” John Bilda, general manager of NPU, said in a statement. “Making a few small adjustments in your home or business can make a big difference.” 

NPU is asking customers to: 

• Be smart about using an air conditioner. Only run a window unit when someone is home; NPU recommends setting a central AC system to 73 degrees. 
• Consider waiting until after 6 p.m. to use major appliances like a dishwasher or clothes dryer. 
• Minimize the use of appliances or devices that generate heat before 6 p.m., including computers, curling irons and hair dryers, stereos and televisions, which can all add to the heat in your home. 
• Avoid using the oven to cook and consider using a stove, microwave or grilling outside. 
• Install energy-efficient lighting that runs much cooler than traditional lighting. Only about 10 to 15 percent of the electricity that incandescent lights use results in light – the rest is turned to heat. 
• Keep the sun out by installing window coverings to minimize the heat coming into a home or business. 

The extreme heat continues and the NBC Connecticut meteorologists have issued a First Alert. 

Heat advisories and air quality alerts have been issued. 

The worst of a long heat wave moved through Sunday.

The heat sticks around with 90s forecasted for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday inland, with a bit of a break along the shoreline.

A cold front and a chance of a storm should offer a break in the heat by next weekend.

For more information on the forecast anytime, click here.

Immigrants who are legally in the country and have applied to become U.S. citizens are having to wait as much as 20 months for their applications to be processed.

Since President Donald Trump was elected, the backlog of pending applications has "skyrocketed," according to NBC News. 

There were nearly 730,000 pending naturalization applications as of the end of last year, a more than 87 percent increase since 2015 under President Barack Obama, according to the report from the National Partnership for New Americans, an alliance of immigrants' rights groups.

Last year over 925,000 people applied for U.S. citizenship, according to the report. Under Obama, the backlog was 388,832 as of Dec. 31, 2015.

The report also found that certain states saw “enormous spikes” in denials of citizenship applications in the last quarter, noting changes in Alabama, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Utah.

The backlog leaves close to a million potential citizens without the right to vote and also leaves some vulnerable to deportation under Trump's policies.

With Fourth of July just days away, state officials are reminding residents that Connecticut law prohibits the sale, possession or use of fireworks without a permit.

Sparklers and fountains, which produce sparks when lit, are not considered fireworks and are legal in the state, but cannot be sold or used by anyone younger than 16.

Roman candles, smoke bombs, firecrackers, snakes, skyrockets, Daygo bombs and bottle rockets are illegal fireworks in Connecticut.

See more on Connecticut's fireworks laws here. 

The State fire marshal issues permits for supervised displays of fireworks and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection licenses fireworks displays, special effects, fireworks and special effects shooters, and fireworks distributors and manufacturers.

While you cannot set off your own fireworks, you can see them at several cities and towns across the state in coming weeks. Here is the list.

Someone tossed six benches off the Niantic boardwalk onto the rocky beach below, according to the East Lyme police department.

East Lyme police said a witness reported the damage around 5:10 a.m. Monday. The benches, which normally sit along on the boardwalk, were found strewn across the rocks below. The benches are worth about $600 each and East Lyme Parks and Recreation staff are trying to determine if the benches are salvageable.

Police said surveillance footage shows the suspect enter through the “Hole in the Wall” entrance just after midnight Monday. Anyone with information on the vandalism is asked to contact the East Lyme Police Department at 860-739-5900.

A UCLA professor died after participating in "recreational mummification bondage" at a Hollywood executive's Log Angeles home last year, according to an autopsy report obtained this month. 

Doran George, also known as Duncan Gilbert, 48, died during a BDSM-related activity at the home of Skip Chasey on Nov. 19, 2017. 

"The decedent was covered head to toe by plastic tape and gaffers tape with small breathing holes at the mouth and nose," according to the coroner's report. "The decedent's partner observed that the decedent was not breathing. The partner called 911 and began cutting off plastic and tape."

Chasey and George had previously held a similar session on November 15, 2017, in the basement of Chasey's house, the autopsy states. The basement of the house was described as "a BDSM-style dungeon." 

"They had prior consensual sexual relations, multiple times," said Josh Duran, Chasey's lawyer. 

George, who used gender neutral pronouns, worked at UCLA and had recently taken a post at the University of California Riverside where they taught LGBTQ and Disability Studies. After their death, UCLA LGBTQ Studies installed a community altar in front of the office in memorial.

"Those of you who had the honor of taking this course or being in one of Doran’s discussion sections know that their heart was as big as their laugh," Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Chair of the LGBTQ Studies Program, said in a tribute. "And that their dedication to social justice was informed by their own queer immigrant experience."

A separate obituary on UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance site said George was "highly respected, revered, and adored by faculty, peers, colleagues, students, and friends." 

George grew up in the United Kingdom and had a "successful career as a childhood star in musical comedy." 

Chasey has worked with WME as an agent in business affairs since May 2013, WME Human Resources confirmed Monday to NBCLA. He is still an employee at the company. 

He had previously worked with Imagine Television for 15 years, according to his now deleted Linkedin. 

Chasey is well-known in the BDSM and leather community where he is known as "Master Skip." Chasey was the subject of the 2009 book "Ask the Man Who Owns Him" and the star of the 2005 documentary "Pup", both of which focused on particular sexual fetishes. 

George's manner of death was undetermined as of March 2018. 

However, the toxicology studies revealed an above natural amount of Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in George's blood.

"GHB, a respiratory depressant, and the restriction of the chest caused by mummification, contribute to an increased risk for respiratory distress", according to the autopsy.

"If there are elevated levels of GHB in the body it would not be produced naturally," said Sarah Buxton De Quintana, supervising criminalist at the LA County Coroner's office.

Duran denies foul play.

"Neither my client nor Mr. Doran, as according to my client and his friends, used drugs," Duran said. "My client denies that any drugs were used during the encounter." 

Duran called George's death an "unfortunate tragedy" and a "freak cause of death." 

A 21-year-old New Haven man was killed in a shooting on Maple Street last month.

Police said that on late on June 24 Robert Faulk-Dill was shot multiple times in the head, back and groin while on the front porch of 165 Maple Street. He was rushed to the hospital, but did not survive his injuries.

Anyone with information on this crime should contact New Haven police at 203-946-6316 or Text-A-Tip. Text “NHPD plus your message” to 274637 (CRIMES) Tips may be made anonymously.

New Haven police have arrested a West Haven man accused of publicly masturbating at East Rock Park.

Police said they were called to the park around 3 p.m. on June 27 for a report of a man masturbating. The victim told police the man was hiding in the bushes.

The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Larry Rice, was found and charged with public indecency and risk of injury to a child. He was released on a $10,000 bond and is due in court on July 11.

Windsor Locks police are trying to identify a man accused of stealing sports memorabilia meant to be auctioned off to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut.

Police said the suspect pictured above stole a replica of New York Yankees World Series Tickets and a photo of Yankee Stadium from Winners Off-Track Betting on Schoephoester Road. The item, valued at approximately $300, was donated and meant to be auctioned off to benefit SOCT.

Surveillance footage shows a suspect enter the building around 10:25 p.m. on June 28, walk around the lobby, then take the collectible item off an easel and leave the building, police said. The item had been secured to the easel with zip ties, which the suspect cut. The manager noticed the item missing the next morning.

The suspect is described as male, 40-45 years old, 300 pounds, with facial hair, and was wearing a green shirt and plaid shorts at the time of the crime.

Anyone with information should contact Windsor Locks police at 860-627-1461.

Route 4 in Farmington has reopened after a tree came down near the Burlington line Monday.

There was one lane of alternating traffic getting by on Route 4 near River Road, and drivers were warned to expect significant delays, police said.

As of 5:05 p.m., the road was cleared.

A New Haven man faces negligent homicide charges after a fatal crash on June 29.

Police said officers responded for a serious crash involving a car and a motorcycle at Whalley and Elsworth avenues around 5:30 p.m. The motorcyclist, identified as 37-year-old Bobby Pinkston of West Haven suffered fatal injuries.

The driver that collided with Pinkston’s motorcycle did not stop, according to police, and was seen on dash camera video driving down Whalley Avenue, then stopping on Argonne Street. He was confronted by a witness to the crash, but the suspect took off.

Police later located the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Luis Lala, and took him into custody. Lala is charged with evading responsibility invovling the death of a person, negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle without a license, illegal operation under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and making an improper turn.

As the heat wave in Connecticut continues, experts are warning parents of the dangers at playgrounds where the temperature of slides and swings can rise to dangerous levels.

At Fernridge Park in West Hartford, a temperature reading of a plastic slide hovered around 150 degrees on Monday afternoon.

“They can get second- or third-degree burns, especially on the back of their thighs or parts of their body that are not covered by clothing,” explained Kevin Borrup, an injury prevention specialist at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

While visiting Goodwin Park in Hartford on Monday, Marian Flores shared her concerns for her granddaughter and great niece.

"I told them if we are going to go to the park, it’s strictly to the sprinklers," Flores said. "Don’t go on the slides. Those things are scorching hot!”

Experts encourage parents to do a quick touch test to prevent their children from getting burned.

“We recommend that all parents check the equipment, such as the swing seat and slide," Borrup said. "Check it with your hand, feel if it’s hot.”

As far as keeping children safe, doctors recommend they drink water every 15 minutes and parents should watch for warning signs of heat stroke. They say it can overcome a child more quickly because they are not able to regulate their body temperature as well as adults.

”If they start to look tired, they start to complain they have a headache or any sort of illness complaints, then we need to be concerned that they may be developing signs of heat stroke,” said Dr. Steve Rogers, an emergency physician at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Miofania Garcia was so excited to buy her first car - a shiny red 2013 Nissan Sentra from Medolli Motors in Hartford.

But excitement turned into disappointment for the 24-year-old Manchester resident.

“I received a letter in the mail stating that my insurance was cancelled through Progressive. I was very confused as to why, when I just purchased this car,” said Miofania Garcia.

Garcia said she registered the car with the manager at Medolli Motors but didn’t have auto insurance.

While in his office, Garcia said the manager told her that she could sign up for a policy right there at the dealership.

She chose Progressive insurance from a list of choices she said the manager gave her, and claimed the manager then filled out the online application for her.

“I gave the information that was needed. My banking information. Whatever he requested, I gave it to him and he did everything behind a computer,” Garcia told NBC Connecticut.

Two weeks later, Garcia said she received that cancellation letter from Progressive insurance. She said she called the Progressive agent immediately and gave the company the car dealers information. The agent informed her that the reason for the cancellation was due to Medolli Motors not being an authorized insurance agent.

“God forbid something happens, I have my daughter in the vehicle. So, now I have to take action,” said Garcia.

That’s when Miofania contacted NBC Connecticut Responds for help.

We reached Medolli Motors by phone and manager Chris Ozszulak disputed Miofania’s claim, telling us Mendolli Motors doesn’t offer insurance to customers and that he didn’t sign Garcia up for a policy.

He told Responds in a statement:

“In regards to brokering insurance for customers we are neither authorized or unauthorized brokers, we merely allow customers to use our computers to activate a policy through the Progressive website. We receive no compensation, kickbacks or commissions of any kind.”

After we contacted Progressive about the situation, a spokesperson confirmed that Medolli Motors is not an authorized broker of Progressive and said that customers like Garcia can purchase insurance directly through Progressive’s website. The spokesperson told us in a statement:

“We contacted Medolli Motors regarding the policies and told them to cease and desist immediately. To protect the consumer, we only allow licensed insurance agents to sell Progressive products.”

Progressive said it waived the remaining balance of $219.81 on her cancelled insurance policy as a courtesy to Garcia.

“You guys are amazing and the efforts you guys put in to do the job that you do is incredible,” said Garcia.

According to the Connecticut Department of Insurance, this situation is not common and they say they are contacting the customer to find out what happened. They tell us they have also contacted Progressive Insurance to get more details to determine if there were any insurance regulatory violations.

They advise customers to purchase vehicle insurance from a licensed company that’s certified and registered through the state.

Here are some links to the state’s website to find licensed insurance companies and how you can contact them directly: