The City of Lights has debuted an especially flashy new way to curtail public urination: bright red eco-toilets for those on the go. 

Industrial designer Faltazi created the waterless urinal, called "Uritrottoir," to be filled with straw that can be composted. The tops of the urinals double as flower beds. 

Several of the toilets were first rolled out in the spring to a muted reaction, The New York Times reported. But a backlash has developed after one was recently installed on the picturesque Ile St. Louis, according to reports. 

Not everyone is saying oui, oui to the attention-grabbing boxes, which include signs illustrating how to use them.

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A local mayor told the Times he would consider a "fine tuning" of the location of the urinal but stressed it was necessary to cut down on public urination. 

Outdoor urinals aren't an only-in-Paris thing. San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. to install an open-air urinal in 2016 with the "pissoir" that city authorities placed in Dolores Park in 2016.

When Kris Gamayo first adopted her pit bull, Moki, she knew easing her into life with her other animals — two guinea pigs — would be a process.

At first, she’d keep Frida and Pandora, the guinea pigs, separated from Moki, before she eventually eased into letting the pittie sniff and lick them while they lie on her lap.

"Three to four months after that, I started putting the piggies down on the ground and just monitored,” she said. “Moki would just sniff and lick them and lay down with them.”

And so began what some might see as an unlikely trio, and the stars of the Instagram account @piggiesandapitty.

“I think I got lucky because Moki is just a sweetheart,” Gamayo told NBC in a phone interview.

Moki was rescued from the streets in November 2015 after she and her owner became homeless. Unable to bring the pit bull with him to a homeless shelter, the man dropped Moki off at an animal shelter.

“He told them if you can’t find someone to adopt her in a month call the shelter and I’ll leave to take her back,” Gamayo added.

Moki was there for almost a month, and the shelter was prepared to call the man to pick her up, when she arrived to adopt her in the eleventh hour.

At the time, Gamayo already had both of her guinea pigs. Frida had actually been adopted earlier the same year from San Francisco Animal Care and Control. And while she was a little anxious at first about the idea of a “bully breed” living with her tiny cavies, Moki’s sweet temperament eased her worries.

“A lot of dogs on the street with their owners are really well behaved because I think they’re with them 24/7; they have a tight bond with them,” she said, attributing Moki’s calm disposition to her time on the streets with her previous owner.

As for the guinea pigs, Gamayo said part of the reason she wanted to adopt them was because she had followed the Instagram accounts of two guinea pig owners, and thought the photos of them dressed up was “so cute."

On adoption, Gamayo said, “I think it’s really important that you go to these shelters and you sit with them on different occasions.”

Before bringing home Pandora the guinea pig, she said she went to the shelter one day to interact with her for a while, then came back again to see her, “to make sure she wasn’t just having a good day.”

She said she did the same thing with Moki the pit bull.

And when it comes to introducing other dogs and guinea pigs, Gamayo said being conscious of their personality and behavior is key.

“I would just make sure that they are sure of their dog's temperament with other animals, not just humans, because that’ll give them an idea of how they’ll react,” she said. “Just always monitor them and take it easy.”

That advice was echoed by Francesca Carsen, the owner of another unlikely pair — Spanky the miniature pony, and Dally the Jack Russell Terrier.

Carsen rescued 8-year-old Spanky when he was two years old. At first, the mini stallion was pretty aggressive, Carsen said, but over time he changed.

“It took a while to train him,” she said. “Anybody that rescues an animal … It’s like dogs; you want to train them to be good citizens and be good with kids and other people.”

In the meantime, Carsen had adopted a 6-month-old Jack Russell Terrier who often watched her train Spanky at her ranch in Washington state.

Tired of being a spectator, one day Dally hopped on a step stool and jumped on Spanky’s back. Carsen had never trained her to do that.

“I was actually rather worried when she first jumped up on him because I thought he might buck her off, so I wasn’t too excited,” she said. 

But, instead, the incident helped bond the pair, and spawned the creation of a modern-day dog and pony show. Carsen taught Dally some commands and now she can jump onto Spanky’s back on call, and without a step stool.

Carsen takes her dog and pony show on the road, performing around the U.S., as well as Canada. They’ve also worked with charities like the Ronald McDonald House. And for those who can’t make it to one of their live shows, Carsen documents the pair's daily activities on their Instagram account @dally_and_spanky. 

They have books and there’s even a movie being made about the pair, Carsen said.

“Filming should start this fall, so we’re really, really excited about it,” she said. “I’m just excited for everyone to get to know about these amazing animals.”

The movie will be centered around Dally and Spanky’s life, she said — but the script isn’t quite done, so Carsen could not reveal any more details.

Along with Dally and Spanky, Carsen and her partner have cattle, two cattle dogs, several farm cats, 12 big horses and two miniature horses, as well as another dog, named Boots. 

But Dally is protective of Spanky, and barks when even Boots gets too close. "It’s her pony,” Carsen said. “And she loves being up there.” 

The dynamic duo isn't Carsen's only client. She also works with other horses and owners at the equine school Rother Horsemanship in Hunters, Washington.  

Carsen said it's important for people who are interested in adoption to research breeds, what they need and how that suits an owner's lifestyle. She also emphasized the importance of learning more about an animal’s history.

“Most all animals — no matter what’s happened to them — can be changed, for sure, with proper training,” she said.

And when it comes to different species living together, Carsen said she believes most can come to get along.

“I think that these guys really show us that species [that] normally aren’t designed to hang out together, can absolutely get on together,” she added.

A person died by suicide at Hoffman's Gun Center in Newington on Wednesday morning, according to police.

Officers said it happened inside of the store's indoor gun range, located on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington.

Multiple police cars and crime scene tape were seen outside of the store.

SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: Here is information on suicide prevention from the National Institute of Mental Health. If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741.

More than two dozen people have been rushed to the hospital after suspected overdoses on laced K2 in the New Haven area since Tuesday night. Most of the cases were on the New Haven Green in a span of three and a half hours Wednesday morning.

Emergency crews responded to the New Haven Green, a park near Yale University, uesday night for three suspected ODs.

Then, around 8 a.m., more calls started coming into the fire department about people getting sick from suspected overdoses on the Green.

Several departments responded and found people of a variety of ages suffering from overdose symptoms. Some were unconscious while others were vomiting, nauseated or lethargic.

Naloxone was administered at the scene, but it was not effective.

Yale-New Haven Hospital said it has received seven patients -- two to the hospital on York Street and five were brought to the Hospital of Saint Raphael.

Higher doses of naloxone given at the hospital have been helping, officials said during a news conference Wednesday morning.

Since Wednesday morning, there have been at least 23 suspected ODs, including 19 people who were rushed from the New Haven Green to local hospitals.

Some of the patients are critical, according to Rick Fontana, the director of the office of emergency management.

Officials said there have been no fatalities.

It is too early to know exactly what the people who got sick took. Officials suspect they might have taken K2 that was laced with an opiate or fentanyl, but they are waiting on test results.

Some of the people on the Green told emergency crews that the drug could have been laced with PCP.

New Haven Fire Chief John Alston Jr. said during a news conference that the opiate problem extends beyond New Haven and it's nationwide.

"People are self-medicating for several different reasons and every agency -- police, fire, medical, hospitals, all are strained at this time. This is a problem that's not going away ...," Alston said.

Check back for updates.

Crews are responding to a serious crash at Gendron and Plainfield Pike Roads in Plainfield. 

Officials said three cars are involved and four ambulances have been requested. 

No additional information was immediately available.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Wednesday that President Donald Trump is revoking former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance. Brennan has been a prominent critic of Trump's policies, words and actions.

Danbury firefighters and EMS crews came to the rescue of a 2-year-old boy who got his hand stuck in a Thomas the Tank Engine toy Wednesday.

Fire officials said crews were called to a local home on a report of a 2-year-old who stuck his arm into the smokestack of a Thomas the Tank Engine toy and couldn’t get it back out. During the call, which fire officials dubbed “Tot in Toy,” crews had to dismantle the toy to get the child’s arm free. Crews said the boy was "very calm" during the situation.

The job was complicated by the design of the toy, which was meant to launch balls. After about 20 minutes of dismantling, the child’s arm came free. Unharmed and now free, the boy went back to playing with other toys.

The child was wearing a bracelet that had gotten caught on a gear of the launcher, causing him to get stuck.

Wolcott police are warning drivers to be on alert after a man stole a car while the driver was pumping gas Tuesday.

Police said the incident happened at Cumberland Farms at 1655 Meriden Road around 10 p.m. The female driver got out of her car to pump gas, and as she did, a young male jumped out of another vehicle, ran to the victim’s vehicle jumped into the driver’s seat and took off.

The victim grabbed the passenger door to try to stop the suspect and was dragged to the ground. She suffered minor injuries.

The suspect is described only as a young male dressed in all black. The vehicle he was in may be a light-colored Chevrolet.

Wolcott police said this is the third recent incident where purse or vehicle was stolen while the victim was standing nearby. Drivers are reminded to take keys out of the ignition while pumping gas or away from the driver’s seat.

Young mom Rebecca Dalrymple will have a sponsor in this year's Closer to Free Ride as she fights the fight of her life after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I would be lying if I said this wasn’t the most emotional journey in my life,"  Dalrymple told NBC Connecticut. "I have two young children, 7 and 9, so they really keep me going."

Dalrymple was diagnosed in March and is now a patient at Smilow Cancer Hospital's Breast Center. She had a double mastectomy, but the cancer had spread.

"I’m about to be 40. So I just thought my body was changing," Dalrymple said. "I noticed some dimpling. So those things made me go to my OB/GYN."

Closer to Free Ride is just a few weeks away on September 8 and raises money for cancer research. On ride day, Dalrymple will be celebrating nearing the end of her treatments.

Bank of America, where Dalrymple works, is the presenting sponsor for its fifth year. One of her coworkers, Matt Incitti, is riding along with Bank of America for people in his life and Rebecca Dalrymple.

"It is a tough day out there to ride 100 miles, but it’s nothing compared to what people have gone through to fight this terrible disease," Incitti said. "Rebecca is amazing. As you can see her smile is contagious. She’s a fighter.”

Dalrymple says her children keep her fighting each day.

"That’s a big reason about why am so positive," said Dalrymple. "I have these two beautiful children to live for.”

NBC Connecticut is a proud media sponsor of the Eighth Closer to Free Ride on Saturday September 8.

A person was reportedly bitten by a shark off Cape Cod and suffered "deep puncture wounds" on Wednesday afternoon.

The male victim was bitten at Longnook Beach in Truro, according to Truro police.

The incident was first reported around 4:30 p.m.

No further information was immediately available.

There have been a number of close encounters in recent weeks, with sharks leaping out of the water after fishing lines and one even jumping at a shark scientist who was out on a research boat.

It's been six years since a shark has attacked a person off the Massachusetts coast.

Last August, a shark bit into a stand-up paddleboard in 3-foot-deep water off Marconi Beach in Wellfleet.

"I caught a few waves and was paddling back out and I was moving to stand up when I got knocked off my board," 69-year-old Cleveland "Cleve" Bigelow said at the time. "It felt like getting hit by a truck while on a bicycle. It was a shock. I thought, 'What was that?'" He was not bitten and was able to paddle to shore.

In September of 2014, two kayakers were knocked out of their boats by a great white shark off Manomet Point in Plymouth. 

Two years before that, in 2012, a 50-year-old man was bodysurfing with his son off Ballston Beach in Truro when he was bitten by an eight to nine foot shark. He suffered nerve and tendon damage, but otherwise fully recovered.

Prior to that, the last shark attack on a human off Cape Cod was in July of 1996, when a 46-year-old man was bitten while collecting starfish in North Truro.

Newly minted Democratic Gubernatorial Nominee Ned Lamont did not waste any time framing his opponent in the November election.

During a press conference held at his New Haven headquarters, just 15 hours or so since the Democratic race was called for him, Lamont went right at Bob Stefanowski, his Republican opponent in the fall.

“Nobody embraced Donald Trump more closely than Bob Stefanowski during that primary and I noticed just today that Donald Trump has embraced and endorsed Bob Stefanowski so they are adjoined at the hip,” Lamont said, referring to a tweet sent earlier in the day by President Donald Trump, endorsing Stefanowski.

The President tweeted, “It is about time that Connecticut had a real and talented Governor. Bob Stefanowski is the person needed to do the job. Tough on crime, Bob is also a big cutter of Taxes. He will win in November and make a Great Governor, a major difference maker. Bob has my total Endorsement!”

Lamont coasted to victory like no other candidate in Tuesday’s primary. He defeated Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim by a 63 point margin, 171,918 votes to Ganim’s 39,878 votes.

This marks the second time in Lamont’s career that he has received his party’s nomination for statewide office, the last time occurring in 2006 when he lost to Joe Lieberman in a race for the US Senate, where Lieberman ran as an independent.

Lamont’s comments come at the earliest possible time in this general election. He felt comfortable making the pivot to all registered voters as opposed to solely registered Democrats that he’s been courting since the beginning of the year.

“We’re going to have a real debate over debating the income over eight years, the central premise of Bob’s platform and I think George Bush the elder would have called that voodoo economics in his day,” Lamont said of Stefanowski’s pledge to eliminate the income tax.

Even Republicans during the primary pounced on Stefanowski’s commitment to phase out the single largest source of revenue in state government.

Lamont said such a move would devastate already cash-strapped municipalities.

“That would result in crushing cuts to education and a big increase in your property taxes which is the exact wrong thing to do.”

Stefanowski brushed off the attacks as expected statements from his leading adversary. 

Bob Stefanowski, the former UBS, GE, and payday loan company executive emerged from a crowded field of Republicans to lock up the party’s nomination last night.

He says he would welcome a visit from President Donald Trump, who endorsed him Wednesday morning via Twitter, on the campaign trail.

“When you get endorsed by the President of the United States it makes you proud,” Stefanowski said during an interview in his Branford campaign headquarters. “I think he shows what a business person can do, recutting all of the lousy deals all of the prior administration.”

Stefanowski also faced attacks from Ned Lamont, but he coolly brushed them off as expected statements from his leading adversary for the next 85 days.

He said, “The Democrats are going to want to talk about anything other than this horrible economy and that’s what people care about. Eight years of failed economic policy under Dan Malloy that Ned Lamont’s going to continue.”

Something that can’t be denied was Stefanowski’s handling of his campaign operation which led to a convincing victory in a five-way primary.

Stefanowski, who was born in New Haven, raised in North Haven, and currently resides in Madison, essentially ignored the tried and true method of securing the party’s nomination. He did not engage with local party leaders, and he did not pursue the support of delegates in order to earn the party’s endorsement at the party’s May convention.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton won the endorsement, but finished a distant second to Stefanowski, losing by more than 11,600 votes.

Instead, Stefanowski prioritized fundraising, meeting likely voters, and communicating with them at an early stage.

“We sat down in January and we said I can either spend the next five months courting delegates and probably get the 15 percent, or I can go out and raise money and go up on TV and go directly to the 450,000 registered Republicans,” Stefanowski said. “And we decided to do that and it worked out.”

What also worked out was the campaign’s decision to forego the Citizens Election Program which provides funds for candidates to run for state office.

Stefanowski raised money on his own and used his personal funds for his bid, and it paid off, defeating another self-funder, David Stemerman, and Steve Obsitnik, Tim Herbst, and Boughton, each of whom received grants to pay for their campaigns.

Stefanowski says to expect his entire campaign to be focused on the economy, which he thinks will win him votes, even if repealing the income tax is a very difficult promise to keep.

“If we want a continuation of the last year of stagnant to negative economic growth, then pick Ned Lamont. If you want to lower taxes, start running this state like a business, cut costs, and get this economy going again, then vote for me,” he said. “We want this economy moving and that’s going to play well for me I really believe that.”

One person was killed in a crash on Keeney Street in Glastonbury Wednesday night.

Police confirmed a woman was killed when her car struck a pole on Keeney Street between Howe Road and the Manchester town line.

The victim has not been publicly identified. Police said no one else was in the vehicle.

The road is closed while Metro Traffic Services and police investigate and the pole is repaired.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

New Haven first responders have been scrambling to react to at least 76 suspected overdose calls on top of their normal workload over the last 24 hours.

“This morning's shift really got beat up right after they came on duty Engine 4 and 6 literally had multiple victims within a two hour period,” said Chief John Alston of the New Haven Fire Department.

On top of the unusual number of overdose calls, crews responded to a building collapse, a fire, and a high-angle rescue on East Rock. New Haven Fire, Police and EMS personnel are staffing a command post on the New Haven Green, where the majority of the overdose calls have come in, and DEA has been called in. 

Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan and used to treat overdoses, was administered to many of the victims on scene but in some cases it was not effective. In some cases, eight to 10 doses of naloxone were administered. Higher doses of naloxone given at the hospital have been helping, officials said during a news conference Wednesday morning.

AMR officials said they responded to so many calls they were running low on Narcan and reached out to sister operations in other cities to resupply. The state Department of Public health also provided doses to the city.

“It's been a hectic day,” said AMR New Haven Operations Manager Tim Craven. “We've had ambulances on standby just constantly changing the cars out. As they've been transporting patients to the hospital, we replace them with another vehicle.”

At the peak, there were 46 fully-staffed ambulances out responding to calls. A few responded from Hartford and Bridgeport’s divisions to help out with the rest of the city.

Despite the strain on public safety crews, officials say they’ve had adequate staffing and response times have not been affected.

City officials said initial test results from the DEA found the substance behind the overdoses to be pure K2, a synthetic drug promoted as similar to marijuana, but there are still more samples to be tested. There were no additives in the first tested sample, though local officials had suspected the drug may be laced with an opiate or fentanyl.

So far, it appears the overdoses have been limited to New Haven. Mayor Toni Harp visited the Green Wednesday night and released a statement thanking first responders for their work.

“Today New Haven was on the front lines of a coast-to-coast struggle to combat the public health menace of illicit distribution and use of what appear to be tainted street drugs – as many as 46 cases are confirmed in the city since last night,” the statement read. “I’m extremely grateful for the timely and effective work of first responders who helped revive, transport, and save these victims.”

Gov. Dannel Malloy released a statement on the emergency and the state is providing assistance.

“Today’s emergency is deeply troubling and illustrative of the very real and serious threat that illicit street drugs pose to health of individuals. The substance behind these overdoses is highly dangerous and must be avoided. The state Department of Public Health and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services have been assisting New Haven officials throughout the day. I have spoken with Mayor Harp and assured her that the state remains committed and ready to assist their response efforts wherever needed,” Malloy said in a statement.

The neighboring city of Hamden shared signs of an overdose, citing the Quinnipiack Valley Health District, for the information.

Symptoms include:

1. Person will not wake up
2. Blue lips or fingernails
3. Clammy, cool skin
4. Shallow, slow breathing
5. Seizures or convulsions
6. No response to knuckles being rubbed hard on breastbone.

A pedestrian was struck by a car on Interstate 91 north in Wallingford Wednesday.

The pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash near exit 13, which occurred around 9:40 p.m. Connecticut State Police are investigating and there are lane closures in the area.

It was not immediately clear why the person was on the highway.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Online retail giant Amazon is coming to Bristol, with plans to open a new delivery center in the city’s industrial park.

Bristol Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu made the announcement at a City Council meeting Wednesday. The facility will bring at least 100 new jobs to the city and could bring more seasonal work.

Zoppo-Sassu said the news came as a bit of a surprise.

"We didn’t see this coming. We thought this building was destined for another use in our industrial park and then things just happened," she said.

The facility is set to open on Aug. 25.

Most of the jobs will be overnight shifts, and will be the final point of contact by Amazon workers before packages are delivered. 

Bristol's average household income is about $59,000 and the mayor hopes many of the new positions can create new economic opportunities for city residents.

"I know there may be some people who scoff at a 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. shift. But for some people, this is going to be a lifeline. Because they’re sharing cars. They work a part-time job, they don’t have childcare," she said.

Zoppo-Sassu said the city has been in talks with the Department of Transportation and the governor's office with the hopes of expanding mass transit routes and hours of operation to help more of this facility's employees reach their jobs.

Police are investigating a shooting in New Haven early Thursday morning that left a 25-year-old man with life-threatening injuries. 

Detectives who were working in the area heard gunfire coming from the 200 block of Ferry Street at 12:50 a.m., responded and found 25-year-old Odell Maziede Carter, of New Haven. 

Police said Carter was shot several times as he stood with a crowd of people on a front porch. 

He was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment. 

The description of the perpetrator was vague and the person ran off, according to police. 

Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has information valuable to investigators is urged to call the NHPD Detective Division at 203-946-6304.

A man is dead after a standoff in Plainville that started Wednesday night and police said he took his own life. 

Police responded to a home on Milford Street around 10:30 p.m., where a distraught man was in a home. 

When the man did not come out of the home, police blocked off streets, told neighbors to shelter in place and brought in a SWAT team and negotiator. 

Police said the man inside the home took his own life around 1:45 a.m. He was the only person in the home.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released new crash ratings for minivans.

A motorcyclist is dead after colliding with a Portland police vehicle in East Hampton, according to police.

Police said the crash happened at Route 66 and Route 15 in East Hampton at 1:24 a.m. Thursday.

State police said the motorcycle is reported to have hit a Portland police vehicle.

Route 66 was closed for more than a mile and a half, from Payne Boulevard to Old Middletown Road, as police investigated the cause of the crash. The road has since opened.

State Police are assisting East Hampton Police in the investigation.

No additional information was immediately available.