State police have arrested a New York man who is suspected in an armed robbery at a gas station in Litchfield.

Patrick Tyler Jaynes, 24, is suspected in the armed robbery at the Patco gas station at 229 West St. in Litchfield at 4:20 p.m. Sunday, according to state police.

Police said the clerk reported that the robber had a knife and handed him a note that demanded money.

The clerk contacted police after the robbery and provided a description of the vehicle that was fleeing and Thomaston police stopped the vehicle on Route 254, near Innes Avenue and took Jaynes into custody.

State police then took him into custody and charged him with first-degree robbery, sixth-degree larceny, possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle and second-degree breach of peace.

He was held on $50,000 bond and he is due in Torrington Superior Court on July 16.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a voluntary recall of several medications used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure over concerns that an active ingredient in the drugs could be contaminated with a cancer-causing agent.

The agency reported that traces of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a "probable human carcinogen," was found in the active ingredient valsartan in the recalled products. The FDA noted not all products containing valsartan are contaminated and being recalled. The valsartan contained in the recall was supplied by a third-party.

Companies that have recalled valsartan products are: Major Pharmaceuticals, Solco Healthcare and Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. Solco Healthcare and Teva Pharmaceuticals are also recalling valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide medicines.

"We have carefully assessed the valsartan-containing medications sold in the United States, and we’ve found that the valsartan sold by these specific companies does not meet our safety standards. This is why we’ve asked these companies to take immediate action to protect patients," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Patients are urged to look at the drug name and company name on the label of their prescription bottle to determine whether a specific product has been recalled. If the information is not on the bottle, patients should contact the pharmacy that dispensed the medicine to find out the company name.

If a patient is taking one of the recalled medicines, they should follow the recall instructions provided by the specific company, which will be available on the FDA’s website.

If a patient's medicine is included in the recall, they should contact their health care professional to discuss their treatment options, which may include another valsartan product not affected by this recall or an alternative option.

Medical City McKinney cardiologist Dr. Dale Yoo estimates that ten percent of his patients use medications containing valsartan and recommends no patient stop taking the medication without talking with his or her doctor.

“I would not stop just because they heard this. Recalls happen for many different reasons and this is a voluntary recall in numerous countries worldwide as well," said Yoo. "Basically it means it can be linked with a substance that can cause cancer in long term studies that have not been done in humans, necessarily, so I would not stop it. Also, it only affects a few manufacturers at this time."

The agency encourages patients and health care professionals to report any adverse reaction to the FDA’s MedWatch program.

"The FDA’s review is ongoing and has included investigating the levels of NDMA in the recalled products, assessing the possible effect on patients who have been taking them and what measures can be taken to reduce or eliminate the impurity from future batches produced by the company," the FDA said Friday in a news release.

The presence of NDMA is "thought to be related to changes in the way the active substance was manufactured," the agency said.

NBCDFW's Bianca Castro contributed to this report.

A man from East Hampton is under arrest after police say he was driving a boat while under the influence in Middletown earlier this month.

Middletown Police working the marine patrol and the Coast Guard stopped a boat as it was traveling south in a restricted area without necessary navigation lights on on July 7 around 9:10 p.m., according to police.

Once the boat was stopped, the Coast Guard boarded it and began a safety inspection. During the inspection, police say the captain of the boat, later identified as 26-year-old Patrick Brogan, and his passengers were belligerent and rude to the Coast Guard crew.

Investigators say they could smell alcohol coming from the passenger compartment of the boat. They say they also could smell it when Brogan spoke. A further investigation revealed open and empty alcohol bottles near the captain's seat of the boat, in the cup holders and other compartments.

When members of the Coast Guard asked Brogan if he had been drinking, they say he told them he had not. When asked again, Brogan said he had one beer. Officers say Brogan was very uneasy on his feet and barely able to stand up.

Officers took Brogan ashore to perform sobriety tests on him. During the questioning, officers say Brogan told them that he was on medication for the treatment of "possibly cancer," but when asked what the medication was he responded, "I don't have to tell you." Brogan failed the tests, according to police.

Officers then placed Brogan under arrest while they searched his boat. During the search, Coast Guard officials say they found more alcohol, as well as a plastic Tupperware container full of illegal fireworks.

When Brogan was in the police car, officers say he began yelling expletives and slammed his head on the cage of the cruiser, as well as kicked the door while demanding a cigarette. Brogan was transported to Middletown Police Headquarters where he refused to take a breathalyzer test, they say.

After being released, Brogan came to Middletown Police Headquarters the following day to retrieve his driver's license and keys. Officers say Brogan was very apologetic and said "it was the Long Island iced teas."

Brogan is facing charges including boating under the influence and possession of fireworks. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 20 in Middletown.

President Trump was asked if he held Russia accountable for a decline in relations with the U.S. He said there is blame on both sides.

KPMG, a U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, plans to add 110 jobs over the next five years in a new Stamford office, according to the governor’s office. 

KPMG, which has had a presence in Stamford, for nearly 40 years employs 315 people at its location at 3001 Summer St., according to the governor’s office. The company plans to renovate space in the former UBS building at 677 Washington Boulevard and move into that location next spring, according to Gov. Dannel Malloy. 

The firm’s Hartford office has 231 employees. 

The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development is providing a $3 million grant in arrears for leasehold improvements, equipment and other project-related costs, according to the governor’s office, and parts the grant will be released when certain job creation milestones are met. 

Nauset Light Beach in Eastham, Massachusetts was closed to swimming until 2 p.m. Monday after a shark was spotted eating a seal about 200 yards from shore.

According to the Sharktivity app, the shark sighting was reported to life guards around 1 p.m.

It is one of three great white sharks that have been spotted off Cape Cod on Monday. The others were seen off Chatham and Monomoy Island.

Thirteen sharks have been spotted in the past week.

Several beaches on Cape Cod have been shut down temporarily due to shark sightings in recent weeks.

Last year was a particularly active one for great whites off Cape Cod, with dozens of sightings and several beach closures due to sharks being spotted swimming close to shore.

An app that sent alerts about a child sex ring conspiracy theory called QAnon stayed in Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store for months, raising revenue for the conspirators and the tech giants, NBC News reported.

The fringe QAnon conspiracy purports that a secret police task force put assembled by President Donald Trump has arrested world politicians in a murderous child sex ring and forced them to wear ankle bracelets. It's an offshoot of the "pizzagate" fiction and has led to real-world actions, like a follower who blocked an entrance to the Hoover Dam last month.

The 99-cent QDrops app was launched in April and sends alerts when new details about the supposed investigation are posted on the anonymous social media site 4Chan.

QDrops peaked at No. 10 among all paid Apple apps, though Apple removed it from its app store Sunday after it was contacted by NBC News. The app remains live on the Google Play Store; Google has yet to respond to a request for comment.

Firefighters are searching for a missing hiker in Giuffrida Park in Meriden.

No additional information was immediately available.

Democrats and some Republicans on Monday criticized President Donald Trump’s performance at a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a summit in Helsinki, Finland. Former CIA Director John Brennan called Trump's  behavior "treasonous."

Brennan tweeted: "Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of 'high crimes & misdemeanors.' It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???" 

Many critics took issue with Trump's decision not to publicly hold Russia accountable for what U.S. investigators have called interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement that Trump was putting himself before the country.

“In the entire history of our country, Americans have never seen a president of the United States support an American adversary the way President Trump has supported President Putin,” Schumer said in the statement. “For the president of the United States to side with President Putin against American law enforcement, American defense officials, and American intelligence agencies is thoughtless, dangerous, and weak."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called Trump's remarks disgraceful.

“Today’s press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory," McCain said in a statement. "The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said in a statement that “the president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally.”

“There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals,” Ryan said. “The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy."

After a private conversation with Putin that lasted about two hours, Trump said the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the election was a “disaster” for the U.S. and its relationship with Russia.

During the joint news conference, Trump also said he holds both Russia and the U.S. responsible for a decline in relations between both countries. 

Trump dismissed the idea that there was collusion between his administration and Russian officials, explaining that he didn’t know Putin before the election and that there wasn’t anybody to collude with.

Trump also said he has been told that Russia interfered in the election but that Putin denied the allegations and “I don’t see any reason why it would be [Russia].”

Putin said he would look into the indicted Russian intelligence officers mentioned in the special counsel’s probe.

The news conference came three days after 12 Russian officials were accused of hacking the Democratic National Convention and Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign in an indictment. Democrats had called for Trump to cancel Monday’s meeting with Putin after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the findings detailed in the indictment.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., called Trump’s comments shameful in a tweet.

“I never thought I would see the day when our American President would stand on the stage with the Russian President and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression,” Flake said in the tweet.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on Twitter that it was a “missed opportunity by President Trump to firmly hold Russia accountable for 2016 meddling and deliver a strong warning regarding future elections.”

Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called Trump’s comments embarrassing in a statement.

“President Trump’s weakness in front of Putin was embarrassing, and proves that the Russians have something on the President, personally, financially or politically,” Pelosi said. “This is a sad day for America, and for all Western democracies that Putin continues to target.”

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said McConnell's positions on Russia haven't changed. 

“As the Leader has said many times, Russia is not our friend, and he agrees with the findings of the intelligence community regarding Russia’s efforts to interfere in our elections," the spokesman said in a statement.

Trump and Putin met during Trump’s week-long tour that took him through four European nations. Before departing the U.S., Trump had said his meeting with Putin might be the “easiest” of all of his meetings on the trip.

—Scott Gelman contributed to this story

President Donald Trump, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Russian President Vladimir Monday, refused to say whether he believed his own intelligence agencies over Putin about interference in the 2016 United States presidential election. In an extraordinary press conference in Helsinki, Finland, just days after the Justice Department indicted 12 Russian intelligence agents on charges of hacking into the Democratic National Committee and Hillary’s Clinton presidential campaign, Trump instead said both the U.S. and Russia were to blame over deteriorating relations. 

Here were some of the most stunning moments from a question-and-answer session with reporters that had Democrats and even some Republicans crying foul.

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Trump refuses to defend U.S. intelligence agencies
Associated Press reporter Jonathan Lemire asked Trump whether he believed his own intelligence agencies or Putin about whether Russians interfered in the 2016 election and whether he would denounce the meddling and warn Putin against doing it again.

In his answer, Trump declined to back his own Justice Department and instead put forward conspiracy theories about the 2016 election and pivoted again to Hillary Clinton's emails. 

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“We have two thoughts,” Trump said. “You have groups the are wondering why the FBI never took the [DNC] server. “Why haven’t they taken the server. Why was the FBI told to leave the office of the Democratic National Committee. I’ve been wondering that. I’ve been asking that for months and months and I’ve been tweeting that out.”

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Trump also refused to back U.S. intelligence agencies and noted that Putin had denied Russian involvement.

“I don’t see any reason why it would be but I really do want to see the server,” Trump said.

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Is there Russian "kompromat?"
The AP’s Lemire also asked Putin directly whether the Russian state had compromising information on Trump, which was the subject of a dossier compiled by a former British intelligence agent and which Trump supporters have denounced. The dossier alleged that an incident involving Trump and prostitutes was secretly recorded by Russia during the visit.

Putin called the uncorroborated accusation “utter nonsense” but in waving it off did not specifically deny the claim. Instead he insisted he didn’t know that Trump was in Moscow at the time and said that many American businessmen had visited Russia.

“Distinguished colleague, let me tell you this: When Mr. Trump visited Moscow back then, I didn’t even know he was in Moscow. I treat Mr. Trump with utmost respect but back then when he was private individual, a businessman, nobody informed me he was in Moscow.”

Rob Goldstone, a music promoter who arranged the meeting in July 2016 in Trump Tower when material damaging to Clinton was allegedly promised to Donald Trump Jr., tweeted out the following:

“President Putin just stated that he had no idea Donald Trump was in Moscow in 2013. I know for sure that he did and tell the full story in my soon to be released book…”

Putin's candidate
Putin was asked whether he wanted Trump to win the election, as U.S. intelligence agencies have maintained.

“Yes, I did,” Putin said. “Yes, I did. Because he talked about bringing the Russian relationship back to normal.”

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Will Russia extradite indicted Russian agents?
Putin was asked whether he would extradite 12 Russian agents indicted for hacking into Democratic computers during the 2016 presidential election. The U.S does not have an extradition treaty with Russia. 

Putin replied that a different U.S.-Russian treaty calls for mutual assistance on criminal cases and suggested Mueller send an official request asking that Russia question the agents on behalf of the United States. 

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“I don’t know the full extent of the situation but President Trump mentioned this issue and I will look into it. So far I can say the following off the top of my head. We have an existing agreement between the United States of America and the Russian Federation, an existing treaty that dates back to 1999, the mutual assistance on criminal cases. This treaty is in full effect, it works quite efficiently.”

He said that U.S. agents could come to Russia to witness the questioning, if Americans would also assist Russia in its investigation into Putin critic Bill Browder, a British financier who has spearheaded sanctions against Russians for human rights abuses.  

Soccer diplomacy 
Russia is coming off hosting a successful World Cup competition, which ended on Sunday with France defeating Croatia 4-2 to win the tournament. Putin playfully tossed a soccer ball to Trump, telling him, “Speaking of the football actually. Mr. President, I’ll give this ball. and now the ball is in your court. All the more that the United States will host the World Cup in 2026.”

The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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Trump said the soccer ball would go to his son, Baron, and threw the ball to his wife, Melania, who was sitting in the audience.

Afterward, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted: “Finally, if it were me, I’d check the soccer ball for listening devices and never allow it in the White House.”

Reporter ejected from press conference
Moments before the joint press conference began a reporter representing The Nation magazine was forcibly removed from the room by security agents. He appeared to be carrying a handwritten sign that said “Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty.”

Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation’s editor, told CNN: “Sam Husseini, communications director of Institute for Public Accuracy, received press accreditation from @thenation to cover the summit. As Trump administration consistently denigrates media, we’re deeply troubled by reports that he was forcibly removed from press conference.”

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A 46-year-old West Haven man is accused of hitting and killing an innocent man as he fled from police in November and has been arrested.

State police arrested 46-year-old Robert Kryzkij on Monday in connection with the crash in West Haven on Nov. 9 that killed 54-year-old Philip Hunt, of Seymour. The office of the medical examiner determined that Hunt died of blunt injuries to the head, neck, torso and extremities.

Kryzkij had gotten into a minor crash in Orange and fled from police, going as fast as 82 miles per hour, when he collided with several vehicles, including the one Hunt was driving, according to police and court records.

Kryzkij has been charged with first-degree manslaughter, manslaughter in the second degree with a motor vehicle, reckless endangerment in the first degree, reckless driving, operating under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, increasing speed in attempt to escape or elude police, evasion of responsibility in operation of a motor vehicle without a license and failure to drive in the established lane on a multiple-lane highway.

Bond was set at $100,000.

A 1-year-old child was left in what police said was a hot car in Norwich Monday and was taken to the hospital to be evaluated. 

Police said officers were sent to the McDonald’s at 109 Salem Turnpike, where they found the child sleeping in a car seat unattended.

The mother and a sibling were found inside the fast-food restaurant, police said. 

The child was taken to Backus Hospital and the mother, identified as 45-year-old Dawa Dolma, was taken into custody. 

Dolma was charged with leaving a child unsupervised and first-degree reckless endangerment. Bond was set at $5,000 and Dolma is due in court Tuesday.

The Department of Children and Families has been notified.

Editor's note: Initial reports provided incorrect information on the age of the child. The child was 1-year-old. 

It’s already a bad summer for ticks and state officials have more bad news – the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station report that a heavy population of the lone star tick has been detected in Manresa Island in South Norwalk. 

The presence of the lone star tick in South Norwalk first showed up in June 2017, after a report of a deer acting strangely. The deer had suffered from a severe infestation of ticks. The discovery marked the first known established reproducing of the lone star tick in Connecticut.

If bitten by lone star tick, people can develop an allergy to red meat. It is also associated with other human and animal diseases such as ehrlichiosis and spotted fever rickettsiosis. The species doesn't transmit Lyme disease.

“This tick has a painful bite and causes severe inflammation which is why if exposed to this tick bite it has severe ramifications,” said Dr. Goudarz Molaei, a Connecticut Agricultural Station research scientist.

Molaei said the lone star tick has been slowly moving northward. Until now, the numbers in Connecticut have remained small, and mostly in lower Fairfield County.

The ticks have already established a population on Long Island, and experts believe Connecticut residents could have picked them up while vacationing there or points further south.

“Even if it hasn’t already moved towards inland, but it does appear that soon this tick is going to be a major problem in other regions as well,” Molaei said.

Lone star ticks are reddish-brown in color and get their names from a spot on the back of female ticks. Their presence is a concern for many, especially parents with young kids.

“That’s scary because my son plays outside a lot and he’s at that age where he likes to dig into sand and dirt... I hate it, he loves it. So that’s really scary knowing that risk factor, the things that it could do to your body,” said New Haven resident Jyne Banderbergh, who has a 4-year-old son.

The doctor said if you do come in contact with a lone star tick to contact your doctor and make sure the inflammation doesn’t lead to any kind of infection. The lone star tick is the most common human-biting tick in the southeastern part of the US.

To avoid a tick bite, experts recommend wearing light-colored clothing, long pants and shirts and tuck pants into socks. You should also use a bug spray with DEET on all exposed skin and on clothing.

Wallingford police have arrested two people suspected in a shooting in the parking lot the Oakdale Theater on Dec. 30, 2016 that killed two New Haven men, 31-year-old Travis Ward and 20-year-old Jacquan Graves. 

Police said they arrested 23-year-old Kyle Hampton, of North Haven, on Friday and they arrested 33-year-old Tivon Edwards, of New Haven, today. 

Hampton has been charged with two counts of first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of carrying a pistol without a permit. 

Hampton was arraigned and held on a $1 million bond, according to police. 

Edwards was charged with two counts of manslaughter in the first degree with a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit. 

The shooting happened on a Friday night after the Meek Mill concert. Ward’s family members said he was at the show for an early birthday celebration and would have turned 32 the following week. 

Two other people were injured in the shooting. 

A serious crash has closed part of Route 72 west in Plainville.

State police said life-threatening injuries have been reported after a car crashed down an embankment near exit 1. LifeStar has been requested to the scene.

More information was not immediately available.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Lifeguards are being credited as heroes after they rescued two men from a near-drowning at Ocean Beach Park Sunday afternoon, according to first responders.

Both men were conscious after the near-drowning experience but they were vomiting. One man, approximately 60 years old, also had difficulty breathing and chest pain. The other man, who was around 30, had abdominal pain, according to New London Fire Department Battalion Chief Tom Curcio.

After the fire department arrived, both men were transported by ambulance to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital.

“From what I read on the report, it looked like it was in a strong area where there’s a strong current down there by the creek,” said Curcio, who was not on duty when the incident occurred.

It was near a jetty, according to multiple first responders.

First responders said the initial call was for at least four people in trouble. Beachgoers had pointed out swimmers they believed were in distress to beach staff, according to New London Police Capt. Brian Wright. Staff alerted an officer on duty at the beach, who called dispatch.

Beach staff is “relieved and extremely proud” of the lifeguards’ work, according to Dave Sugrue on the phone to NBC Connecticut. He’s the general manager for Centerplate at Ocean Beach Park.

“All of our staff makes safety the focus of the job and undergo diligent and constant training all summer long to keep our guests safe,” Sugrue said, adding that the public should observe signs and avoid situations that could potentially put themselves and beach staff in a tight spot.

“We’re grateful of the team for the quick and professional reactions to save the day,” Sugrue said.

The fire department echoed the sentiment. Curcio also advised swimmers pay attention to any signs of rapid moving water.

“I’m just grateful that they’re out here and we can depend on them. That’s amazing,” said beachgoer Crystal Bell.

The East Hartford local said her son was impressed by the quick response of lifeguards Monday afternoon.

“He saw a lifeguard. He was blowing his whistle… and he was like, ‘gosh, they really have to act fast! He just jumped off the ladder,’” Bell described.

“In the event that we need their help, they’re there. It’s very comforting,” said James Goldfarb of West Hartford.

Hundreds of homes in Connecticut are in danger of collapsing because of their crumbling foundations, and now a pair of professors at Trinity College have come up with a less expensive way to help homeowners test for the issue.

Crumbling foundations are a problem NBC Connecticut Investigates exposed three years ago, and there could be many more homeowners who don’t know they’re at risk.

Up until now the only way to determine if concrete has the mineral causing the collapses was to drill several core samples from a basement, and count crystal specimens under a microscope.

That usually costs between $4000 to $5000. This new methods cuts the price in half.

It has the attention of Bill DuPont from Stafford. He built his home, and now has a basement crumbling underneath it.

DuPoint is among hundreds of homeowners across Connecticut with a problem that can cost $200,000 to repair, and most insurers don’t cover it.

To get state help, DuPont needs to test his concrete for pyrrhotite, a naturally occurring mineral experts say causes the cracking. That testing has historically cost upwards of $4000.

Now there’s a test that costs half that, about two-grand.

Trinity College Environmental Science Professor Christoph Geiss helped devise a two stage method that detects pyrrhotite by testing for its magnetic properties, down to a few tenths of a percent.

At first, Trinity had no plans of offering this to the public.

But Geiss said they changed their mind when “it became clear that it would actually be of value for homeowners for this test.”

So far, Trinity has analyzed two dozen sets of concrete cores for pyrrhotite since offering the service.

Dupont says he’s interested in the test.

“If it’s half the price, sure, I’d be in for something like that,” said Dupont.

The coring and testing through Trinity also qualifies for a rebate from the state, of up to 50 percent for two cores. In the end that reduces the total cost for a homeowner to $1000.

While the race for lieutenant governor on the Democratic side has always been framed as being a battle between a seasoned politician and an insurgent upstart, Monday provided evidence that both candidates view the race the same way.

Flanked by the mayors of cities and towns on the Eastern side of the Connecticut River, Susan Bysiewicz made the case that she is ready to step into the office of the governor in a way her opponent is simply unprepared for.

"Between 1945 and 2004 six lieutenant governors have had the opportunity to step up and be governor,” Bysiewicz said during a visit to Goodwin College in East Hartford. “That's basically once a decade and the people, the voters I think understand the magnitude of this decision and that's why I feel very strongly that we have a great opportunity."

The comment is a clear dig at her Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, the 31-year union organizer who’s mounting a strong challenge to the left of Bysiewicz.

Bermudez Zimmerman says she has no doubt she can run a state with tens of thousands of employees, and manage relationships in the House and Senate, if the situation called for it.

“My background is coalition building,” Bermudez Zimmerman said, during a visit to her Meriden headquarters. “My background as an organizer in negotiating contracts has a different take to the position of Lieutenant Governor.”

Bysiewicz picked up the endorsement from the top officials in East Hartford, South Windsor, and Manchester among other cities and towns.

Bermudez Zimmerman recently picked up endorsements from the AFL-CIO and the Connecticut Working Families Party.

Firefighters are battling a large fire on Totoket Road in North Branford Monday.

Fire officials said crews responded around 5:30 p.m. to a fire burning in a large wooded area near 400 Totoket Road. Crews on scene said they believe tires are burning, but it was not immediately clear if anything else was in the mix.

The scene is active and more information was not immediately available.

New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart acknowledges she has a tough road ahead this week as she pursues a public financing grant worth more than $400,000.

She’s currently about $15,000 short, by her estimation, but says she can reach that goal by midnight Friday.

“We’re going to get there,” Stewart said during a tour of businesses in Downtown Manchester. “Oh, I’m determined and we are getting this money.”

Stewart needs to raise $75,000 through small donors in order to qualify for the Citizens Election Program. She had started a committee to run for governor, but state law prohibits transferring those donations to another race.

That hurdle, Stewart says, set her back.

“No candidate has had to start from scratch like this. We’ve made incredible progress since Labor Day.”

Her run for lieutenant governor, she says, could be what puts the GOP gubernatorial nominee over the top.

She says even though she brandishes solid conservative credentials, the fact that she has run the city of New Britain and is a young female should be reasons independent voters turn to her in the fall. Those are points she doesn’t like to say too often on the campaign trail, hoping they are apparent.

“I think it speaks for itself. I don’t have to say that to individuals without them drawing their own conclusion and them saying it first, so I let them draw their own conclusion.”

Stewart says money is important, especially in the digital, but adds that going door to door between Monday and August 14 is what’s going to determine the outcome.

“What I’m standing here doing right now is going to make the difference. Being out in communities, being seen, letting people know who I am and we’re campaigning and campaigning hard for this. If we don’t get there, it’s not the end of the world, but we’re getting there.”