Police are investigating a burglary at a Citgo station in Newington Thursday morning after two men forced their way in and stole cash, cigarettes and cigars. 

The burglary at Citgo Food Land at 60 Walsh Ave. happened at 4:18 a.m., according to police. A clerk said 30 to 40 cartons of cigarettes were stolen. 

Police are waiting on descriptions of the men and said they do not have a description of the vehicle. 

It’s not clear whether this burglary is connected to one in Farmington this morning, when burglars forced their way into the Mobil gas station at 435 Main St. just before 3 a.m. 

Newington police said they will be in touch with authorities in Farmington.

Nearly 50 additional Sears and Kmart stores are closing, including one in Milford.

The latest list of stores closures from Sears Holdings says the Kmart at 589 Bridgeport Ave. in Milford will close in November. 

“As part of our ongoing efforts to streamline Sears Holdings’ operations, strengthen our capital position and focus on our best stores, this week the company informed associates at 46 unprofitable stores that we will be closing these stores in November 2018,” the announcement about the closures says.

A Hamden man and an animal control officer rescued a kitten that was stuck between the tire and brake pad of a car. 

Police said Hamden animal control officer Mitch Gibbs responded to the area of Dixwell Avenue and Arch Street on Aug. 14 after receiving a report of a “feline stuck in a car tire” and the driver said she heard the kitten from inside her vehicle and immediately stopped in a parking lot. 

A Good Samaritan, who police identified as Michael Morgillo, of Hamden, came to the aid of the kitten and was removing the back driver’s side tire to try to free the kitten when Gibbs arrived. 

Police said Morgillo repositioned and steadied the tire so Gibbs could remove the kitten, which was 6 weeks old. 

The kitten did not sustain any significant injury and was brought to the North Haven Animal Hospital.

One or more burglars forced their way into a Farmington gas station early Thursday morning and appear to have used a rope, hooked it up to the front door and sued a vehicle to pull it open.

The break-in was discovered after the alarm went off at the Mobil gas station at 435 Main St. just before 3 a.m. 

There is damage to the front door and the burglars also forced the door of the office open and damaged it.

Police are reviewing the surveillance video to try and get a description of a vehicle and suspect as well as to determine exactly what was stolen.

It appears cigarettes could have been one of the items taken.

No additional information was immediately available.

King Bio is recalling 32 children's medicines due to a possible microbial contamination.

The North Carolina-based company, which makes homeopathic drugs, announced Wednesday that a small percentage of its products produced between Aug. 1, 2017 and April 2018 have tested positive for the microbial contamination.

The company said use of the medicines could result in increased or life-threatening infections. There have been no reports of illnesses, according to the FDA, and King Bio issued the recall "out of an abundance of caution."

The recalled products are used to treat dozens of conditions, including bed wetting, chicken pox, common colds, nosebleeds, soar throat and teething, and were sold nationwide between August 2017 and July 2018. 

Customers are urged to stop using the affected products immediately and contact King Bio by email at recall@kingbio.com call the company at 866-298-2740, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. ET to 3:30 p.m. ET., to make arrangements for a return and replacement of the product. Consumers who believe they may have been sickened by one of the recalled products should contact their physician or healthcare provider. 

All of the recalled products listed below come in 2-ounce bottles except for Kids Candida, which comes in a 4-ounce bottle. Products marked "SCRX" are only used by professionals. For a complete list of UPC and Lot numbers click here. 

• DK Attention & Learning Enh.
• Chicken Pox Symptom Relief
• Children's Appetite & Weight
• Children's Appetite Enhance
• Children's Cough Relief
• Children's Fever Reliever
• Children's Growth & Development
• DK Newborn Tonic
• DK Nosebleed Relief
• TonsilPlex
• Children's Ear Relief Formula
• DK Teething
• DK Colic Relief
• Tummy Aches
• Kids Multi-Strain Flu Relief
• Kids Stress & Anxiety
• Kids Sleep Aid
• Kids Bed Wetting (NP)
• Kids Candida - 4-ounce bottle
• Kids Attention & Learning (SCRX)
• Bed Wetting Prevention (SCRX)
• Chicken Pox Symptom Relief (SCRX)
• Childrens Cough (SCRX)
• Children’s Ear Formula (SCRX)
• Children’s Fever Reliever (SCRX)
• Children’s Growth & Development (SCRX)
• Colic Relief (SCRX)
• Newborn Tonic (SCRX)
• Teething (SCRX)
• Tummy Aches (SCRX)
• Children’s Apetite & Weight (SCRX)
• Children’s Appetite Enhancer (SCRX) 

While the Trump administration approved a major disaster declaration for New Haven and Fairfield counties in connection with the May 15 tornadoes that caused extensive damage in several towns, FEMA has denied individual assistance. 

Jeffrey Byrad, the associate administrator for the Office of Response and Recovery at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sent a letter to Gov. Dannel Malloy Tuesday that says the request for individual assistance for Fairfield and New Haven counties and the individual municipalities of Bridgewater, New Milford and Roxbury.

Byrad’s letter goes on to say that the damage to the infrastructure in Litchfield County, including in Bridgewater, New Milford and Roxbury, was not severe enough to warrant public assistance designation under FEMA.

FEMA allows 30 days to appeal the decision.

A Quinnipiac University poll on the Connecticut gubernatorial race released Thursday puts Democrat Ned Lamont ahead of Republican Bob Stefanowski by 13 percentage points.

Lamont leads Stefanowski, 46 to 33 percent, while 4 percent goes to independent candidate Oz Griebel and 1 percent goes to Libertarian Party's Rod Hanscomb, according to a just-released Quinnipiac University Poll.

"Ned Lamont is leading Bob Stefanowski by double digits thanks to huge support among women and Connecticut's status as a true blue state. But there's a lot of time until Election Day, and a number of undecided voters up for grabs," Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD said in a statement.

Connecticut voters gave Lamont a 44 to 28 percent favorability rating while Stefanowski had a divided 33 to 31 percent favorability rating, with 35 percent who haven't heard enough about him to form an opinion. 

For Griebel, 83 percent said they haven't heard enough to form an opinion and 91 percent haven't heard enough about Hanscomb. 

See the full results here. 

West Hartford police are looking for a package thief.

There have been several thefts of packages from front porches on the east side of town recently, according to police.

A theft on Tuesday at a home on Boulevard was captured by a home security camera.

Police believe the man in the video used a car to get away, but an image of the vehicle was not captured on the video.

Anyone with information on the thefts is asked to call West Hartford police at 860-523-5203.

Greenwich police have one suspect in custody after a violent home invasion in which the victim was tied up and beaten.

Officers responded to a home on Brook Drive around 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4 and found the victim restrained and bleeding.

He said several armed intruders had forced their way into his home and demanded cash and jewelry.

Police said the evidence suggests the home invasion was targeted and not a random act.

Investigators identified 46-year-old Hassan Washington, of New York City, as one of the suspects and obtained a warrant charging him with home invasion, first-degree robbery, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault and sixth-degree larceny.

He was held on $500,000 bond and was been extradited to Connecticut.

Police said more arrests are expected.

Protesters greeted Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., with chants of "Lock Him Up" as he and his wife arrived at federal court in San Diego Thursday to face charges alleging they illegally used $250,000 of campaign funds for personal use.

The iconic West Cornwall covered bridge on Route 128 will be closed to cars and pedestrians from Sept. 4 through Oct. 2. 

The state Department of Transportation said a 12-mile detour will be in effect during work to rehabilitate the structure of one of the last covered bridges in Connecticut. 

The bridge, built in 1864, crosses the Housatonic River at Route 7 and Route 128 in Litchfield County. It was featured in the 1967 film "Valley of the Dolls."

The nearly $1.4 million project was awarded to Mohawk Northeast, Inc. on Nov. 6, 2017, and is scheduled to be completed Nov. 10, 2018.

Seven police officers and two state troopers might have been exposed to narcotics during a drug raid in Hartford and two are being taken to the hospital.

Police said five Hartford police officers and two state troopers conducted a search and seizure in the 300-block of Garden Street at 11:40 a.m. and someone inside the residence home took a package of what is believed to be heroin, fentanyl or a combination of the two and tried to throw it out the window while officers were inside.

The window was closed, so the package exploded against the window and exposed everyone inside to white powder.

All the officers and troopers were decontaminated at the scene. Two law enforcement officers were sent to Saint Francis Hospital and five others are being monitored.

Crews from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection have one staff member at the scene and are sending additional crews.

Police said have made three arrests.

No additional information was immediately available. Check back for updates.

Vornado Air is reissuing its recall for thousands of electric space heaters after a man died in a fire involving one of the devices.

The company first recalled its VH101 Personal Vortex electric space heaters in April after receiving 15 reports of heaters that had caught on fire, according to a recall notice posted by on the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website. One person, a 90-year-old man from Minnesota, died in a fire involving the heater in December 2017, the notice said. 

A second recall notice issued Wednesday updates the number of reports the company has received of Vornado Air heaters catching fire to 19.

The recall includes around 350,000 black, coral orange, grayed jade, cinnamon, fig, ice white and red Vornado VH101 Personal Vortex electric space heaters. The model number, VH101, is printed on a label on the bottom of the heaters.

The faulty heaters were sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Menards, Orchard Supply and Target stores nationwide, as well as online at Amazon.com, Target.com and Vornado.com from August 2009 through March 2018 for about $30.

Customers who have purchased the recalled heaters should stop using them and contact Vornado for a full refund or a free replacement, the notice said.

For more information, contact Vornado by phone at 855-215-5131 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at www.vornado.com and click on "Recalls" in the lower right corner of the homepage or www.vornado.com/recalls and click on the VH101 Personal Heater recall button for more information.

A woman from New Britain is facing charges in connection to an incident where a baby in her care apparently ingested narcotics earlier this year.

Police said they were called to a house in New Britain on May 11 after getting a report of a child not breathing. Tracy Emmons, 38, was the child's caretaker and called 911.

Hours after the 5-month-old boy went to the hospital, staff notified police that he had narcotics in his system. It is unknown how the narcotics got into the child's system, but staff believe the narcotics are what caused the boy's medical issue.

Since Emmons was the child's primary caretaker that day, police said she was charged accordingly. She turned herself in on Tuesday. Court documents show she is facing risk of injury to a child and assault charges.

Mosquitoes in at least 40 towns across the state have now tested positive for West Nile Virus.

Mosquitoes infected with West Nile have been found in Bethany, Bridgeport, Chester, Danbury, Darien, East Haven, Easton, Fairfield, Franklin, Greenwich, Haddam, Hamden, Hartford, Madison, Manchester, Meriden, Middlefield, Milford, Monroe, New Britain, New Canaan, New Haven, Newington, North Branford, Norwalk, Orange, Shelton, South Windsor, Stamford, Stratford, Wallingford, Waterbury, Waterford, West Hartford, West Haven, Westbrook, Weston, Westport, Wethersfield and Woodbridge.

A Fairfield resident and a Newington resident tested positive for West Nile virus last month. The patients are between 60 and 79 years old and became ill during the last week of July with encephalitis. They are the first two human cases of West Nile Virus associated illnesses in the state this season, Department of Public Health officials said.

"The identification of two Connecticut residents with West Nile virus associated illness that required hospitalization underscores the potential seriousness of infection," Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino said in a statement. "Using insect repellent, covering bare skin and avoiding being outdoors during the hours of dusk and dawn are effective ways to help keep you from being bitten by mosquitoes."

You can see the mosquito trapping and testing report here.

Facial recognition technology caught an impostor trying to enter the U.S. on a fake passport that may have passed at face value with humans, federal officials said Thursday.

NBC News reports that the groundbreaking arrest came on just the third day of usage of the biometric tech at Washington Dulles International Airport.

The 26-year-old man arrived Wednesday on a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and presented a French passport to the customers officer, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Using the new facial comparison biometric system, the officer determined the unidentified traveler did not match the passport he presented.

Betsy DeVos' Education Department is considering allowing states to spend federal funds on guns and gun training for school personnel, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The administration began deliberating the move earlier this year after Texas and Oklahoma asked Education Department if schools could buy weapons using federal funds known as Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants, which are part of Title IV funding, a senior administration official and another source familiar with the matter told NBC News. 

Texas school districts want to know whether they can use the grant money on "guns, gun training/marshal training for school personnel, metal protectors, bullet proof entries, or other services associated with crisis management," according to an internal Education Department email provided to NBC News by a source.

The FBI has dramatically slowed the pace of security reviews for refugees in recent months, which former Trump administration officials and human rights advocates say is part of an intentional bid by White House hardliners to restrict the number of refugees allowed in the United States, NBC News reported.

The administration has overloaded the FBI and other government agencies with an array of procedures that have weighed down the bureaucracy and effectively delayed refugee admissions, former officials and aid organizations say.

Refugee admissions have plunged to historic lows, with the U.S. on track to admit only about 20,000-21,000 refugees by the end of September. The number is far below a ceiling set at 45,000 by administration officials last year. 

"We are not able to release the number of applications we have reviewed, but in the course of carrying out our duties the FBI takes the necessary time to thoroughly review all the information available," the FBI said in a statement. "The FBI will continue to support the comprehensive and rigorous vetting of individuals who may be admitted to our country."

The administration denies it is intentionally obstructing refugee resettlement. 

President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Thursday the president agreed in June he "shouldn't do pardons" while special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is ongoing, NBC News reported.

Giuliani made the comments after The Washington Post, citing Giuliani, reported that Trump asked his lawyers for advice on the possibility of pardoning his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and other aides accused of crimes. He reportedly said Trump’s lawyers counseled against it and the president agreed and did not push the issue farther.

Giuliani told NBC News later Thursday that Trump did not specifically ask about Manafort in a June meeting. Manafort was convicted Tuesday by a Virginia jury of financial crimes.

"We discussed it in early June and we agreed no pardons during investigation," Giuliani said, "and that has not changed."

A team of researchers from 150 universities around the world is finalizing plans for a global initiative to see if the behavior of animals can form the basis of an effective early-warning system for earthquakes, NBC News reported. 

There has long been anecdotal evidence suggesting certain animals behave oddly in the hours leading up to an earthquake, apparently because they have some way of sensing when it is about to strike. For example, snakes are thought to flee their dens and become aggressive before a quake. 

Now, scientists are testing that theory by tracking more than 10,000 animals, including birds, bats, cows and bats in quake-prone regions, to see whether their behavior is reliable enough to make an early warning system practicable. The animals have been fitted with sensor-studded radio transmitters which will collect information on the animals and beam it to the International Space Station, then relayed to a lab for analysis. 

“Initial scientific data on earthquakes suggest that some animals can sense these events hours in advance,” says Martin Wikelski, director of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell, Germany, and leader of the International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space initiative, or Icarus. “If we can demonstrate this beyond a doubt, it has the potential to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the future. The problem with current earthquake sensing technologies is that they give you just a few seconds warning time.”