Police in Nashville are searching for a pair of "cold-blooded killers" who gunned down two people celebrating a birthday and may be linked to a string of recent crimes, NBC News reported.

Bartley Teal and Jaime Sarrantonio were fatally shot outside a bar and music venue around 3 a.m. Friday in what police said was a robbery. Two others in their group were not shot.

Police are investigating whether that shooting was related to the fatal shooting of Kendall Rice as he walked to a bus stop three days earlier, along with four attempted robberies, according to local newspaper The Tennessean.

"It's definitely scary," said Hannah Thompson, who lives in Nashville. "It struck a lot of fear in me and makes me nervous to get home at night."

Milford police are searching for a 15-year-old girl who has been missing for nearly three weeks.

Quinnah Fawcett was reported missing on Aug. 2.

She was last seen around 4 p.m. in Milford on that date, according to police.

Fawcett may have family in the New Britain area, police said.

She is described as a black female with dark hair, a thin build and approximately 5-feet tall. She was last seen wearing black shorts and a light colored t-shirt.

Anyone with information about Fawcett's whereabouts should call Milford police at 203-878-6551.

A Delta Airlines flight from Bradley Airport to Atlanta had to return to Bradley after reporting a mechanical problem on Monday morning, airport officials said.

The plane landed safely and there was no impact to airport operations.

There is no word on what the reported mechanical problem was.

If you have back to school shopping to do, this week may be the time to do it.

Connecticut's tax-free holiday is now underway and people are already taking advantage of some savings.

"I think yesterday tax free week started, so I am here just shopping to take advantage of the deals. I am a college student so wherever I can save a little bit of money, I try to," said Ashley Duarte while shopping in West Hartford.

For students like Duarte, the savings of Connecticut's annual tax-free holiday are huge. That is because clothing and shoes under $100 are exempt from the state's 6.35-percent sales tax.

The week is also good for Connecticut businesses, which welcome the increase in customers.

"Folks will say, yeah we know we get busier this week and busy is good for business in the state of Connecticut," said Brian Flaherty, the Senior Vice President of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.

Flaherty said another benefit is that more people head to brick and mortar stores rather than only shopping online.

"We have Connecticut residents that get up every morning and go to work in those stores. Whether it's the mom-and-pop retailers, a Target or a Walmart, so there are Connecticut jobs that are supported by every resident that walks in those doors and conducts commerce right here in our state," Flaherty said.

The Connecticut Department of Revenue Services estimates shoppers will save close to $5 million in taxes, which means they will be spending about $75 million this week alone.

For customers like Duarte, the savings mean more money for more books.

"It seems small but once it adds up, that can buy me like a textbook for a class so it's really nice," Duarte said.

Connecticut's tax-free week runs through Saturday.

You can see a full list of tax-free items here.

The Trump administration has approved a major disaster declaration in connection with the May 15 tornadoes that caused extensive damage in several towns.

The declaration includes New Haven and Fairfield counties and means that state agencies and towns in those counties will receive financial assistance from the federal government to help pay for costs associated with the storms.

A request by Gov. Dannel Malloy for assistance for individual residents remains under review, according to a news release.

On May 15, tornadoes touched down in Winsted, Barkhamsted, Oxford, and from Beacon Falls to Bethany and into Hamden.

Several other towns sustained heavy damage from a macroburst.

“This declaration will provide much needed financial assistance to our municipalities and the state,” Governor Malloy said. “These storms had a devastating impact, causing significant damage that is still being cleaned up and repaired months later. I thank the federal government for continuing to be a partner in these efforts.”

The NBC Connecticut meteorologists have issued a First Alert for the threat of severe storms Wednesday.

Storms are most likely Wednesday morning, but we could see some gusty storms in the afternoon as well.

The main threats from these storms are damaging winds, locally heavy downpours. An isolated tornado is possible.

Stay with NBC Connecticut as we continue to track these storms, and get the full forecast anytime here.

Loyola's Sister Jean got some friendly competition in the sporting world over the weekend.

Marian Catholic's Sister Mary Jo Sobiek threw out the first pitch at Saturday's White Sox game, and fans were quick to take notice.

Her curveball and entertaining on-field tricks had even White Sox Manager Rick Renteria asking if she could play for the team. 

"She was pretty good actually," he told reporters after the game. "We talked to her a little bit but before we were talking to her, she was talking to someone and she wanted to warm up. She had a mitt and a ball. She gave him the mitt. She stepped back at about 45 feet and threw a bullet."

Sobiek even "raised the roof" as she exited the field.

The team later tweeted, calling it "one of the most impressive first pitches of all time." 

Lincoln College of New England (LCNE) announced Monday it will close at the end of the Fall 2018 semester after issues with accreditation.

The school will close for good on Dec. 31, 2018, according to a letter addressed to current students, Interim President Dr. Jim Vernon. Vernon wrote that the college was going through its regular reaccreditation process with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the regional accreditation association. On July 26 NEASC informed school officials the college was placed on probation, and following that notice, the school made the decision to close.

The commission said it made the decision to put the school on probation based on concerns that the college was not in compliance with standards regarding Planning and Evaluation; Organization and Governance; the Academic Program; Students; Teaching, Learning and Scholarship; Institutional Resources; and Educational Effectiveness, according to a notice on LCNE’s website. 

Before making the decision to close, LCNE made arrangements with Goodwin College to complete their programs if they so choose. Students can find more information on that here. 

Crews are working to repair a water main break near a busy section of Queen Street in Southington Monday.

The break is located near the intersection of Queen and Spring streets, according to a notice from the Southington Water Department. Multiple homes and businesses are affected.

An estimated time of restoration was not immediately available. When water is restored, customers are encouraged to flush cold water lines. The water department offered the following tips for that process:

• Turn the cold water on at the highest faucet in your home or business.
• Open other faucets one at a time moving from the highest to the lowest.
• If your home or business is one floor, open the fixture closest to where the water service enters.
• Run the water for five to 15 minutes or until water is clear and air is depleted.
• Once completed, turn faucets off in the reverse order

• Of the water has not cleared or pair is still trapped, repeat after waiting 30 minutes.

Waterbury police have released video of a man they say stole several electronic items from a Pearl Street church early Sunday morning, and left an apology note behind.

Police released the video on social media with hopes someone will recognize the suspect in the burglary at Mt. Olive AME Zion Church. Church members say he stole cameras, monitors & a microphone they say helps spread their good faith.

“Give us our stuff back,” member Craig Smith proclaimed.

The equipment has a value of almost $3,000.00

“We need it. We need to get the message out to the sick people of the church and get religion into their houses who can’t make it,” Smith said.

“The product of what we do goes back to our staff, so to realize that someone had taken part of that away from us is stunning,” added Jaclyn Davis, who is also with Mt. Olive.

The suspect also apparently left behind a handwritten message, handwriting which police hope someone may recognize.

“(The note) saying pray for me, I’m sorry forgive me. So, even as we struggle to understand why this happened, it sounds like he had an internal struggle,” Davis said.

Some of the members are willing to forgive, and prayed for the suspect at service several hours later.

“We’re taught in church to forgive everyone,” Smith said.

Anyone who recognizes the man in the video is asked to contact Waterbury Police.

Students of the fire-damaged Plainfield Memorial School will be temporarily placed at the former Killingly High School during repairs, according to a letter sent to the community Monday.

School officials were searching for a temporary school building for more than 300 fourth-grade and fifth-grade students after a fire damaged the Plainfield Memorial School last week.

Repairs are expected to take months and the school is not slated to reopen until December. In the meantime, the Killingly school district offered up space in a section of their school administration complex, the former site of Killingly High School.

Plainfield Memorial students start later than the rest of the district – students and parents will attend a School Welcome event from 3 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 30, and the first full day of school will be Aug. 31. The rest of the district is slated to start on Aug. 29.

Students will be assigned to the same classrooms and buses they would have had at Plainfield Memorial. Special transportation will be provided to students who need it.

For more information, click here.

Christopher Lee Watts was charged with five counts of murder Monday for the deaths of his wife Shanann Watts and their two daughters Bella and Celeste. Watts had initially pleaded publicly that his wife and daughters had gone missing. Their bodies were discovered on the property of the oil and natural gas company Watts worked for. The D.A. said that it's "too early" to discuss whether prosecutors would seek the death penalty.

The authorities of the city of Guadalajara, considered to be one of the most conservative cities in Mexico, approved a law that allows sexual relations in public view, unless there's a public complaint. 

With the legal reforms, the police will no longer have the authority to sanction public sex acts, so long as there isn't a complaint from a third party. 

"Having sexual relations or committing acts of exhibitionism of a sexual nature in public places, vacant lots, inside vehicles or in private locations in public view will be considered administrative offenses, as long as a citizen requests police intervention," details the modification to article 14 of the Bylaws of Good Government. 

The changes were issued in the capital of the state of Jalisco under the argument that the police should focus on combatting crime and not bother those who might be lacking funds to pay for a hotel.

That change has caused indignation among many citizens who label it as a moral issue, and also warn that it makes it easier for rapists and pedophiles to abuse their victims.

Once these changes go into effect, the police will only be able to detain and fine those who have intimate encounters in public view if there is an expressed complaint from other citizens. 

This initiative has a history in the world, now that Vondelpark in Amsterdam, one of the most popular public parks in the capital of the Netherlands, has allowed sex in the open air spanning over a decade.

The only rules in Amsterdam are to keep the space clean, the activities should be conducted in areas away from dedicated child zones, and if there's too much noise, police can ask the lovers to leave. 

To help boost job growth and the economy, southeastern Connecticut is looking no further than its shoreline. U.S. Maritime Administrator retired Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, USN, toured sea-based businesses Monday that included Mystic Seaport, the Cross Sound Ferry, Thames Shipyard & Repair Co., New London State Pier and Essex Boat Works.

The southeastern part of the state is a part of the maritime highway system and state, local and federal leaders are saying it’s time to take advantage.

“As the highways become more congested, people are looking for alternative means and the ferry provides that. It’s basically a floating highway in itself,” said Stan Mickus, the director of marketing for Cross Sound Ferry Services.

That’s why the Cross Sound Ferry, which transports people, vehicles, even commercial vehicles between New London and Long Island, just got more than a $500,000 federal grant from the Maritime Administration, a subsector of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Thames Shipyard & Repair Co.—which is owned by Cross Sound and services its fleet of ferries and tugboats, along with other boats, including some from Delaware and New Jersey—has also received a different three grants from the same office over the years, Mickus said.

“Coming back to the waterways makes good common sense and we’re figuring out ways to come back to the waterways. This area has an abundance,” according to Buzby, who said cargo is key.

His office wants to provide incentives for maritime business to grow.

There are currently 182 large, ocean-going merchant ships nationwide—the smallest number since before World War II, Buzby said. It’s because the cost of operating a United States flag ship costs about $7 million more than its foreign competition, he added.

There are multiple programs in place to try to offset some of the costs of doing maritime work and bring more people into the business.

Connecticut Port Authority Chairman Scott Bates said for the first time in its history, this state has a maritime strategy. The State Pier is currently under-utilized. He also mentioned the strategy to support dredging of the ports and waterways.

Especially with the expansion of Electric Boat, Bates said there are lot of manufacturing goods that require shipment. Plus there’s an emerging technology of wind turbines—which could see a home at the State Pier.

“And more traditional shipping of goods like lumber, construction, supplies. These are all good, blue collar jobs, working class jobs to support families,” Bates said.

The state just invested $15 million in revitalizing the pier including the demolition of selected structures, storm water treatment and drainage improvements, construction of a heavy lift pad and improvements to the load bearing capacity. Governor Dannel Malloy’s office previously called it a first-step in revitalizing the pier for “potential use in the deployment of equipment and workers for the seven offshore wind projects currently planned in the northeast.”

Congressman Joe Courtney (D – Dist. 2) is pushing for the wind turbine prospect and said Connecticut needs to take advantage of all the potential. Many businesses are now trying to avoid congested highways.

“We really need to go back to the future in terms of really using what really is the reason people settled here to begin with, which is the proximity to water,” Courtney said, who invited Buzby to the shoreline.

Courtney said there will be upgrades to the freight rail that runs from the State Pier in New London up through Massachusetts. It’ll pass Norwich, Willimantic and several towns in between, so that will help industry in the northeast inland parts of the state as well.

Residents of a Hartford apartment building were forced to evacuate when flames broke out on the first floor Monday.

Fire crews were called to the building at 44 Forest Street around 7 p.m. for a reported fire. One person suffered minor injury but declined transport to the hospital.

Officials said the fire appears to have started on the first floor in the rear of the building. The cause is under investigation.

There are buses on scene housing the 75 occupants until officials determine if it is safe to re-enter the building.

President Donald Trump said he's chosen to stay out of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation but claims he is "totally allowed" to be involved in the probe and could even "run it," NBC News reported. 

"I've decided to stay out," he said. "Now, I don't have to stay out. I can go in and I could do whatever. I could run it if I want."

The comments were part of an interview with Reuters, published Monday, in which the president voiced worry over any statements he provides to Mueller being used to bring perjury charges against him. He said he feared investigators could compare his statements with others who have testified and use any discrepancies against him. He pointed to former FBI Director James Comey as an example. 

"So if I say something and he [Comey] says something, and it’s my word against his, and he’s best friends with Mueller, so Mueller might say: 'Well, I believe Comey,' and even if I’m telling the truth, that makes me a liar. That’s no good," Trump told Reuters.

It's unclear whether Trump could actually "run" the investigation, but experts say he can likely fire Mueller — but that could trigger a Constitutional crisis.

Police said they are trying to track down a mystery shooter who keeps blasting away at a posh Upper East Side high-rise, and authorities believe the whizzing bullets may be coming from across the river on Roosevelt Island.

Officials say they are looking into at least two different shootings that left windows shattered and even a bullet fragment on the floor of somebody’s living room of One East River Place, a swanky, 50-story glass rental in Lenox Hill that overlooks the East River with some units going for as much as $7,800.

Investigators say the first shooting happened sometime Thursday overnight into Friday morning. They say the unknown gunman, armed possibly with a handgun, blew a hole in a resident’s 14-floor window, shattering it, and when the owner of the apartment woke up they found a 32-caliber bullet fragment on the floor.

The shooter didn’t waste much time before sending more gunfire into the air, police said. In the early-morning hours Saturday, a 64-year-old woman was awakened by a loud bang coming from her 32nd-floor living room. Officials said she discovered her window had a small puncture hole in it; the rest of the glass was spider-webbed around it.

Chopper 4 was over the Upper East Side high-rise early Tuesday and showed both blown out windows boarded up.

No injuries were reported in the random shootings, police said. The New York Post, who first reported the building being shot at, reports, citing police sources, the bullets may be coming from 30 River Road on Roosevelt Island, but police told News 4 the source of the gunfire is still under investigation.

A resident of the high-rise who lives on the 22nd floor told The Post she is terrified for her life.

“I’m petrified,” Ilene Epstein told the newspaper. “I’ll move out of my building before I walk around with a bulletproof vest.”

No arrests have been made.

A rally was held in Hartford Tuesday for a New Haven mother set to be deported to Bangladesh just days before her only child heads to college.

Salma Sikandar has two days left in the US. Her husband is on a hunger strike as supporters rallied of the Immigration Customs and Enforcement headquarters in Hartford, hoping for a last-minute miracle.

Sikandar, who came to the US from Bangladesh in 1999, overstayed her tourist visa, eventually filing a hardship application to stay in the country for her son, who is an American citizen. He will begin his freshman year at Quinnipiac University Monday.

The family, visibly emotional, gathered Tuesday morning in New Haven.

I’m having to worry about that in two days my mom could disappear from me and that’s never happened before. I’ve never spent a night without my parents. I’ve always been with my parents,” said Samir Mahmud, Salma’s son.

“I don’t ask anything too much. I just ask my wife to be with me. She is my strength. She is my everything. She is my life,” Anwar Mahmud, Salma’s husband, added.

US Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) is calling for an emergency stay.

“I have asked ICE officials for the strongest discretion and consideration in this matter, and we are all hoping for a positive outcome. I believe forcing her to leave is counterproductive, what’s more it is cruel,” DeLauro said.

ICE said Saikandar has overstayed the requirement of her visa for more than 18 years. In a statement, the agency said in part:

“Since being ordered to be removed by an Immigration Judge in 2016, she has filed multiple appeals both to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) as well as in federal court that have been dismissed.”

ICE’s Board of Appeals is considering whether to reopen the case.

Hillary Clinton will headline three fundraising events for the Democratic National Committee ahead of the midterm elections in November, NBC News reported.

The "intimate dinners with discussion" featuring the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee will be held in San Francisco, Chicago and New York. A Democratic source close to Clinton said she's also planning fundraisers for some women running in key congressional races.

Republican officials welcome her involvement, hoping to tie her to Democrats running in places that lean Republican — a process that's already underway in competitive districts, according to an NBC review of midterm advertisements.

Clinton is aware of that tactic, according to spokesman Nick Merrill. He said, "You pay attention to those you’re threatened by. If they didn't think she was still a force in the party, then they wouldn't continue to treat her like the president."