For many parents getting their kids to and from school is another added back to school stress, but several school districts, including ones starting Monday, have an app to help ease that burden.

Mom Regina Bussey remembers it like yesterday.

"The bus driver and the school, they had her down as a pick up and she was actually a buser," Bussey said.

The moment when her first-grade daughter didn’t get off the bus after school. The transportation mix-up sent her into a tailspin, leaving her with only one option.

"I was scared and nervous and then mad that I had to go to the school and pick her up," she said.

Bussey’s daughter now lives close enough to walk to her school, but if she went by bus, this mom says her phone would be armed with the Durham Bus Tracker. Durham School Services provides transportation for students across the state and launched the app four years ago.

"It’s a GPS tracking system where you can track your student’s bus," said Steven Shaughnessy of Durham School Services.

Steven Shaughnessy with Durham School Services says the app allows parents to track their child’s bus to and from school at their fingertips or keyboard.

"Just having the peace of mind and having that visibility to know where their child bus is," Shaughnessy said.

The app has been available to parents in Waterbury since 2016. Since then Rocky Hill, Stratford and Milford schools have jumped on board.

And for parents like Bussey, it's transportation technology that helps keep their minds from idling.

"You can just take a look at your phone and see where they are, when they’re arriving," Bussey said.

The app is free for Android and iPhone users. You can also learn more about it here. 

Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is planning to unveil a proposal to address the rising price of EpiPens.

Blumenthal said the cost of the epinephrine injectors -- used to control allergic reactions -- has skyrocketed, putting an extra burden on parents who need to have the EpiPens on hand, especially as children head back to school.

On Monday, Blumenthal says he'll announce new legislation to combat prescription drug price gouging.

Blumenthal said a decade ago, EpiPens could be purchased easily for $57, but now sell for over $700, if they can be purchased at all. He said there has been a critical shortage in supply for months, leaving many families to rely on expired supplies or search between multiple pharmacies.

Blumenthal plans to make the announcement Monday in West Hartford.

Police are investigating a crash that seriously injured a pedestrian and shut down part of Interstate-91 in Windsor on Sunday night.

I-91 north was blocked off by exits 39 and 41 while investigators focused on two cars right beyond the exit ramp, one of which had heavy damage to the front end. The three lanes that were closed have since reopened.

According to state police, a vehicle was parked in the right shoulder of I-91 north immediately after the exit ramp for exits 39 and 41. The driver, later identified as 45-year-old Gaetano Bompastore, was outside of his vehicle for an unknown reason.

A second vehicle was traveling north on I-91 before exits 39 and 41 when it left its lane and hit the back of the vehicle that was stopped. When the stopped vehicle was hit, it moved forward and hit Bompastore.

Bompastore was transported to Hartford Hospital to be treated for serious injuries, police said. The driver and all four children inside of the second vehicle were transported to Bay State Medical Center for treatment of non life-threatening injuries.

The accident remains under investigation.

Last week, Aryna Sabalenka became the youngest champion at the Connecticut Open since 2010, but she wasn't the only one having an unforgettable experience. 

Darien native and Yale sophomore Caroline Dunleavy has been going to the courts in New Haven since she was a little girl. This year, she was back again, but this time, she was playing on them and she was joined by some tennis legends. 

"I'm so excited! I obviously grew up watching Lindsay Davenport and James Blake,” said Dunleavy, who was invited to play in a mixed doubles exhibition game at the tournament. "James and Lindsay have played on the biggest stages of tennis, they're both such great champions, it's a different type of excitement." 

Davenport is a three-time Grand Slam champion and James Blake, a Connecticut native, is a former World Number 4. 

"That's the best part of it right? Playing tennis with the next generation,” said Davenport. “To be able to meet players that absolutely love tennis and are into sports and all of that is really kind of cool." 

It was also kind of cool for the tennis player who grew up in the stands at the Open. 

“I used to come here during qualifiers and come on the stadium court just so I could get an autograph from the top players in the main draw,” said Dunleavy. 

This year, Dunleavy didn't have to fight for autographs because she also got a chance to fight for a spot in the main draw, earning an invite to the qualifiers. 

"I was really nervous when I started the match out. I don't think I won a point in the first couple of games,” Dunleavy said about her qualifying match. 

Her time in the tournament ended there, but she said it’s anything but a loss. 

"In the third game, I just said to myself, ‘You never know if you'll ever be back here’ and this is such an amazing moment. And I just tried to breathe,” Dunleavy said. “Once I settled into the match, I was just blown away by the fact that I was on the court playing with my entire family watching. It was really special." 

The six young children and two teenagers killed in one of the worst fire tragedies Chicago has seen in a decade were gathered together for a sleepover at a West Side home when the flames sparked, family members said. 

The blaze began around 4 a.m. Sunday in an enclosed rear porch at the back of a building at 2224 S. Sacramento Ave., according to the fire officials. 

The children who died were a close knit group of siblings, cousins and family friends, the youngest just 3 months old. Two others from the group, both 14 years old, were on life support at Stroger Hospital, according to family and fire officials. 

"I don't even got words to explain the pain I'm feeling right now," said Marcos Contreras, who lost four of his siblings in the fire at his mother's home. "It just feels like my whole world was crashing." 

Contreras said his mother had left the home with another sibling and returned to find her home engulfed in flames. 

"This is a tragedy beyond anything I ever dreamed of in life," said the grandmother of several of the children, Ramonita Reyes. 

The exact cause of the fire remained under investigation, said CFD spokesman Larry Langford. 

"We have not had this in many, many years, this amount of fatalities and injuries in one location," said Chicago Fire Department commissioner Jose A. Santiago. "This is very unusual." 

Santiago said the blaze was first reported when a woman called 911 saying she came home from work and smelled the fire.

Police say the victims were immediately found on the second floor of the structure, which was described as a "coach house." By the time fire crews got inside the building, seven people were already dead, officials say. 

Santiago said a firefighter lieutenant was also injured in the fire and transported to Rush hospital where he remains in good, stable condition.

Fire officials said there were no working smoke detectors in the home. 

"The city shares the grief of the families who have lost so many on this day," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement Sunday. "We now know the fire began in the rear and the exit to the front was clear, but without working smoke detectors the occupants were not awakened in time to get to safety. Our thoughts go out to not only the families of those who perished but to members of the department who pushed as hard as possible to reverse the deadly fate of the eight who are now gone. We all pray the two living victims will make a recovery despite the odds."

Officials have not released the names or ages of the victims. But family members identifed them as: Amayah Almaraz, 3 months; Ariel Garcia, 5; Alanni Ayala, 3; Gialanni Ayala, 5; Xavier Contreras, 11; Nathan Contreras, 13; Giovanni Ayala 10; and Victor Mendoza, 16.

A GoFundMe page was set up to help the families of the victims and the American Red Cross responded to the scene. 

“At the Red Cross, our hearts are with the Little Village community after this tragic fire,” Celena Roldan, CEO of the Chicago & Northern IL Red Cross, said in a statement. “The Red Cross will continue to work with those impacted by this terrible fire. Smoke alarms can save lives, so we will also work in the community and with the Chicago Fire Department on canvassing to install more lifesaving smoke alarms.”

Meanwhile, outside the home, a memorial of white crosses and candles is set out up to remember the children who lost their lives.

"We just have to put our faith in God," Reyes said.

"Hopefully he watches over the rest of our family, the ones we only have left," Contreras said. "Because you never know the last day you're going to see somebody." 

As coastal cities ban plastic straws and California and Hawaii consider following suit, activists are trying to raise awareness about cigarette butts, a much greater source of ocean pollution, NBC News reported.

The filters have been the most-collected item on the world's beaches for 32 consecutive years of the Ocean Conservancy's annual beach cleanup, more than plastic wrappers, eating utensils, bottles and containers combined.

Among those arguing that cigarette butts should be banned are the international Surfrider Foundation, a California lawmaker and leading tobacco industry academic Thomas Novotny.

"It's pretty clear there is no health benefit from filters. They are just a marketing tool," said Novotny, a professor of public health at San Diego State University. "It's also a major contaminant, with all that plastic waste. It seems like a no-brainer to me that we can't continue to allow this."

The town of Bloomfield is opening multiple cooling centers ahead of this week's excessive heat.

The Alvin & Beatrice Wood Human Services Center on Park Avenue will be open Monday through Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The Prosser Library on Tunxis Avenue will be open Monday through Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The McMahon Wintonbury Library on Blue Hills Avenue will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday and from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Officials said the town will provide water, but residents are asked to bring their own food. Residents are reminded to also bring medications, emergency contact phone numbers and any other items that may be needed during the day.

Service dogs are always welcome.

Tom Brady ended an interview with sports radio station WEEI after a host asked him about his trainer and business partner Alex Guerrero, reports said Monday.  

According to a WEEI transcript, Brady cut his weekly appearance on the “Kirk and Callahan” program short when Kirk Minihane asked about reports that Guerrero flew on the team plane last week ahead of the team’s preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.

 "Tom Brady just ended his interview with us after (Minihane) asked him about Alex Guerrero's new travel arrangements with the Patriots this year," a tweet from the show’s official Twitter account said.  

Guerrero's seat on the team plane was revoked last year as Bill Belichick curbed his privileges. Those moves reportedly caused tension between Brady and Belichick.

"Yeah, I am not getting into all that," Brady said when asked about Guerrero.

Minihane said Guerrero told him during Super Bowl LII in February that the reported tension had been "overblown."

Brady responded, "I said I don’t want to get into it."

Pressed again, Brady said, "Alright, guys. Have a great day. I’ll talk to you later" and ended the interview.  

State police are searching for a man who they said is a person of interest in a fire that was set at his parent’s house in Marlborough, according to the state Emergency Alerting and Notification System.

Troopers from Troop K are looking for 27-year-old Reid Keener. He was last seen wearing a copper-colored shirt, gray board shorts and flip-flops, according to an alert from the state Emergency Alerting and Notification system.

Police said Keener is wanted in regard to a warrant out of Troop K and is a person of interest in a fire set at his parent’s house on West Road in Marlborough.

No one was injured in the fire.

Police urge people to use caution. They said Keener has a history of mental illness but it not known to possess weapons.

UConn football returns this week and there are some new food and beer choices at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. 

The Whey Station Stand, located in section 135 by Gate A, will offer gourmet grilled cheese, including the “Channing Tater,” which is a five-cheese blend with bacon, tater tots, sour cream and scallions. 

The Greek’n Out Food Truck is new this season and will serve traditional Greek favorites and specialties, such as chicken and pork gyros along with sizzlin' souvlaki. 

UConn fans who are 21 and over can sample from more than 50 varieties of beer this season. The brand new Two Roads Tap House Stand, located in section 107 by Gate B, will feature several Connecticut brewed beers as well as locally made food options. 

Fans can also get Leinenkugel Beer at the Kettle Girl Popcorn stands. 

Sam Adams Brewhouse will be in section 107 and feature beer as well as the Frito Pie Bowl and Chowder Pot’s Clam Chowder. 

Hot Dog Nation, featuring locally inspired hotdogs, is back and located in section 138 by Gate A.

Along with the new stand, some existing food stands are making some moves.

Roma Pizza is moving to section 116 by Gate C. Kettle Girl Popcorn is adding another location at section 111.

See the concessions map online here. http://www.rentschlerfield.com/stadium/concessions

Two shark taggings and a shark breaching the water near the shore have prompted beach closures along Cape Cod on Monday.

The tagged sharks, which became the 10th and 11th tagged of the season, were tagged about 100 yards from Nauset Beach in Orleans around 10:30 a.m. and then Nauset Spit just before noon.

The first tagged shark was massive, coming in at 11 feet long, while the second beach was about 9 feet long, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservatory.

Meanwhile, around 11:30 a.m., a great white shark breached the water about 100 yards from the shore of Truro Town Beach, closing the beach to swimmers for about an hour.

Middletown Police have found and arrested a man who escaped police custody and was found in possession of other prisoners' items early Monday morning.

Officers said they were informed that 30-year-old Matthew Depatsy had escaped from lockup where he was being held on a violation of protective order warrant around 1:15 a.m.

Police located Depatsy at Sanseer Mill on Main St. Ext. shortly before 3:00 a.m. According to police, he had broken into the building while attempting to avoid capture. He was taken into Middletown Police custody.

When officers searched Depatsy during the arrest, they said they found him in possession of items that belonged to other Middletown Police prisoners. Police said the items had been stolen out of the prison property room.

Depatsy is facing charges including larceny, custody escape and burglary. He was held on a $100,000 bond and will appear in court in Middletown on Tuesday.

Liberty Island was evacuated as a precaution Monday as three 100-pound propane tanks suddenly caught fire, posing a potentially catastrophic risk to thousands of tourists gathered to see the Statue of Liberty, officials said. 

One worker suffered minor injuries in the blaze, which broke out at a construction site on the island near where a new museum is being constructed. The flames were out within two hours. Officials said about 3,400 people had been on the island at the time, and "we had no choice" but to evacuate. 

Had one of the propane tanks exploded, "anybody near it, shrap metal would have been flying for quite some distance plus a tremendous ball of fire," said FDNY Manhattan Borough Commander Chief Roger Sakowich.

The worker who was hurt was doing something with the tanks at the time, though it's not clear what, Sakowich said. A cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Sakowich said any kind of spark could have ignited it. 

It was the second large-scale evacuation of Liberty Island in less than two months.

On the Fourth of July, the island was evacuated after a woman scaled the base of the Statue of Liberty during an "Abolish ICE" protest. She spent hours sitting on Lady Liberty's green cloak, weaving her way around corners as specialized NYPD crew tried to coax her down. Eventually, they did.

She was charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct and other crimes and pleaded not guilty to all the charges in Manhattan Federal Court the next day. 

Hamden police have arrested a man who is accused of robbing a 17-year-old girl as she was waiting for a bus in Hamden in January. 

Police said they have arrested 20-year-old Howard Bookert, of Hamden, in connection with a robbery at North and Warren streets on Jan. 11. 

Police said a 17-year-old West Haven girl was waiting at a bus stop for a bus when Bookert and two other people approached her and Bookert hit her hand, causing her cell phone to fall to the ground, then grabbed the phone and all three ran off.  

Bookert was seen in New Haven on Aug. 24 and New Haven police arrested him and turned him over to the Hamden Police Department, police said. 

Bookert was charged with Robbery in the third degree and larceny in the sixth degree. 

He was held on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Sept. 7.

Interstate 84 East is closed at exit 58 in East Hartford after a rollover crash, according to state police.

State police responded to the scene at 12:54 p.m. and said there is a life-threatening injury.

No additional information was immediately available.

President Donald Trump didn’t respond to shouted questions about John McCain’s death following a call with Mexico’s president.

The Halls Pond State boat launch in Eastford in closed until further notice because of a hazardous tree situation, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

DEEP said the public will be notified about the reopening of the launch as soon as staff members are able to clear the hazard.

The body of a man was found in the water near state pier in New London, according to police. 

New London police said this is a state police case and New London police are assisting if needed. 

No additional information was immediately available.

Firefighters evacuated multiple buildings in Westport Monday when they discovered a gas leak

Fire officials said crews were called to investigate a loud “hissing noise” on the Jesup Green in front of the Westport Library around 11 a.m. Crews discovered a high-pressure gas line had been cut.

Officials believe a tent crew struck the line while setting up tents for an event over the weekend, but the damage was not noticed until the company returned and removed the tent stakes.

Surrounding buildings were evacuated while Southern CT Gas was called in to repair the issue. There was no shutoff easily available, so crews crimped the line to stop the leak.

No one was injured during the incident and once the gas line was crimped off and fire crews gas metered the buildings, everyone was allowed to return inside and businesses reopened.

The Westport Fire Department issued a reminder to contact “Call Before You Dig” at 811 to mark underground utilities before any project that involves digging.

Jordan Wells frequently shops on eBay and has purchased all kinds of merchandise off the site.

“I buy shoes sometimes from the official Adidas, eBay store, random knick-knacks, some things for my fish tank,” the Manchester resident told NBC Connecticut.

So, in 2016, when Wells needed a new phone, he compared prices, read seller reviews, and ended up buying what he thought was a new iPhone 7 plus from a seller on eBay. It cost him $549.99.

“Yeah, I’ve never had issues with eBay before,” said Wells. “So, I decided to take my chances and go with that.”

Several months later, Wells said the touchscreen button on the iPhone started to malfunction. Then, he discovered another problem.

“I could hear something dislodged in the phone when I would move it around. I would shake my phone and I could hear something rattling around inside,” Wells said.

Wells explained that he couldn’t get the phone to work properly so he took it to the Apple store where the technician cleaned the charging port. He said it still didn’t work. That’s when the Apple tech told Wells that his phone wasn’t actually brand new.

“He said, I think this is a third-party casing on the back,” said Wells.

Wells said when the tech opened the phone, he found other third-party parts, like the screen and missing screws.

Wells tried to dispute the iPhone purchase with eBay/Paypal, but he said they told him it was outside of eBay’s 30 day required return policy and 180 days to get a refund with Paypal. His credit card company also denied his refund request. He decided to contact the seller about the phone repair and or a refund. The seller couldn’t help, either, according to Jordan.

Wells called NBC Connecticut Responds, and after we contacted eBay, their spokesperson Ryan Moore told us in a statement:

“eBay is committed to providing a trusted marketplace for our 175 million shoppers. Our customers can buy and sell with confidence, knowing that eBay has the people, policies and processes in place to protect them, including our Money Back Guarantee. After careful review of this case, we have reimbursed Mr. Wells for the full value of the item. Although occurrences like Mr. Wells faced are rare, we always strive to do the right thing for our customers.”

With that $549.99 refund, Wells ended up buying a new iPhone.

“Any problems, call NBC Responds, they’ll get the job done,” said Wells.

eBay said it has extensive risk models and a peer feedback system that deter malicious activity on their marketplace – and they take the appropriate action, including suspension, for those who violate their policies. However, in this case, they did not see a trend of malicious activity.