Firefighters extinguished a fire at the Kleen Energy Plant on River Road in Middletown on Tuesday.

Fire officials believe it was an electrical fire. Middletown Mayor Dan Drew said the fire was inside of a wall in the insulation. It wasn't near any gas lines.

Firefighters were on scene carefully monitoring the situation after they knocked down the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

Durham Fire Department said they dispatched a tanker engine to the plant and had an engine providing station coverage in Middletown during the fire.

Facebook plans to build a physical "war room" to coordinate response in real time to foreign interference in November's midterm elections, the company's head of civic engagement told NBC News.

Samidh Chakrabarti is leading Facebook's efforts to secure the platform for elections around the world, and he told NBC News in an exclusive interview that the company is "much more effective than we used to be" and the entire company is "laser focused on getting it right."

In 2016's presidential election, more than 126 million Americans saw incendiary Facebook posts from accounts, pages and ads linked to Russia. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has so far declined to say how much foreign interference remains.

Chakrabarti said Facebook's efforts around political ad transparency are making the platform more trustworthy, but he acknowledged that bad actors are getting more sophisticated: "It is an arms race. And we're always working to try to stay one step ahead."

The westbound side of Route 44 in Avon has been closed for hours at Mountain Road after a box truck rolled over and will likely remain closed for the next few hours.

The westbound side of Route 44 is closed between Pine Tree Lane and Parsons Way.  

Police said paramedics checked the driver at the scene and no injuries are reported. 

It's not clear what caused the rollover. 

Crews from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection have responded because of a fuel leak.

No additional information was immediately available.

Check back for updates.

Groton public school students are returning to their first day of school following the Labor Day weekend. Of the ten schools in the district, students at Fitch High School are starting the academic year with splashes of color, by making the senior parking lot their canvas.

As part of the senior class fundraiser, seniors who paid $40 for a parking spot in the “senior” lot were allowed to decorate their space however they chose, and park there for the year. The school says painting the parking spaces is a way to build a new senior tradition in lieu of painting the field house. Senior Dan Gaiewski, one of the students who spearheaded this project, says the field house is structurally damaged. Gaiewski says the Class of 2019 student leadership had the idea to paint the parking lot since they were freshmen.

“The seniors have been so excited, the kids have done a great job,” says assistant principal Erin McGuire. “It's just been a true community builder. They've even got some of the teachers excited about painting their own spots.”

Of the $40, $10 covers the parking fee, while $30 will be used by the senior class to help pay for activities, like prom.

“Down the road I hope I can still see this tradition and say yeah, I helped start that,” says senior Dan Gaiewski. “I think that’s going to be cool because I get to leave a lasting impact on my school.”

The colorful spots will be painted over in black at the end of the year. The last day for students to paint their spaces is Saturday.

Police in East Lyme are issuing a warning after several people reported getting a frightening scam call from someone claiming to have kidnapped their child. 

Police said four people have reported getting calls in the past week from someone who said the victim’s child had been kidnapped as the sounds of a child calling for help rang out in the background.

The caller then requested that $5,000 be wired to an account in return for releasing the child, according to police. 

Police said the calls are scams intended to extort money. Authorities are warning residents never to wire money to unknown accounts or to buy gift cards as payments.

If you receive one of these calls, call police as soon as possible.

East Haven police have arrested a second person in connection to a pursuit in a stolen car that spanned multiple towns on Sunday.

Police said while on routine patrol, their license plate reader alerted officers to a stolen vehicle that had just passed. The vehicle, a gray BMW, had been reported stolen from West Haven on August 31.

A short time later, officers saw the vehicle traveling eastbound on Saltonstall Parkway towards Branford. An officer attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the operator ignored his signal to stop and fled toward Branford, leading officers in a pursuit.

Branford Police, who were already looking for the stolen vehicle, joined the pursuit that had entered their town. Police from both towns ended the pursuit after the stolen vehicle hit another vehicle at the intersection of West Main Street and Short Beach Road. The vehicle continued on and officers lost sight of it when it fled westbound on West Main Street and headed back towards East Haven.

When officers searched the area, they found the unoccupied, disabled BMW in the middle of the road on Frontage Road, under the I-95 overpass. Officers circulated the area and found the vehicle's passenger, later identified as 21-year-old Theresa Cogdell, near Pardee Place. After a brief foot chase, Cogdell was apprehended and taken into custody. She was charged with larceny and interfering with an officer. She was released on a $5,000 bond and will appear in court on September 12.

Troopers from Connecticut State Police responded to help apprehend the second suspect, later determined to be 20-year-old Jonathan Diaz-Moore. A trooper spotted Diaz-Moore on Pardee Place and a foot pursuit ensued. Officers said Diaz Moore fled through several backyards on Pardee Place before officers lost sight of him. Police relocated Diaz-Moore near apartments on Main Street, but lost sight of him again after he fled eastbound on Kimberly Avenue through backyards and over fences.

On Tuesday, East Haven Police said Diaz-Moore was taken into custody. He was turned over to his parole officer on a parole violation and is currently incarcerated. Officers said he will be charged with East Haven's charges once an arrest warrant affidavit is issued and served.

In addition to the charges in East Haven, police said Connecticut State Police has an active arrest warrant out for Diaz-Moore for escape in the first degree.

Tuesday was the first day of school for thousands of students in Manchester and the district just opened Waddell School, a newly renovated elementary school for 530 students in kindergarten through fourth grade. 

The classrooms that are each equipped with interactive technology have bright colors and large windows. 

“It’s all about the kids. It’s based on what works best for them. What’s their best learning environment, what’s their comfort level and that’s when they’ll learn best,” said Stuart Wolf, the principal of Waddell School. 

Inside the school, there is also a slide that connects the second and first floor. Wolf said the slide symbolizes the way they want students to think of school. 

“Learning is fun. Learning is exciting. School is exciting. I want to look forward to going to school every day,” Wolf said. 

Parents we spoke with were happy with the upgrades to the school. 

“It’s a brand new school. It’s beautiful. We’re looking forward to the Robertson/Waddell collaboration this year and bringing everybody together and having a great school year,” said Kristina Gozzo, whose daughter is entering the third grade at Waddell. 

Despite the statewide heat advisory, students will be in school for a full day in Manchester. The superintendent said some of the schools have limited spaces that are air conditioned. 

“We’re intending to keep students here, keep them hydrated and rotated through air-conditioned space and get through the day. But we think kids will be excited, staff will be energized. It’s unfortunately warm, but a good day to have them coming back,” said Matt Geary, the superintendent of Manchester Public Schools. 

On Wednesday, eighth-grade students will return to Illing Middle School and tenth through twelfth graders will return to Manchester High School.

Democratic senators interrupted the start of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing Tuesday, arguing that they were not given pertinent documents and that some were kept hidden.

A South Florida man fed up with "reckless" drivers speeding in his Hialeah neighborhood said he hung two dead ducks from a stop sign in the hopes that it forces them to slow down.

Marco Moreno told NBC 6 he decided to hang the road kill to call attention to the issue after finding the dead ducks on the side of the road on Saturday.

"When you look at it, it kind of makes you think a little bit," said resident Gilberto Perea. "Why would someone be hanging dead ducks up there? To get the final message out: slow down. It could be ducks, it could be kids."

Other residents on the 1500 block of West 73rd Street said they also want to see an end to the speeding problem in their neighborhood.

"Some of the people are using this as a racetrack," said resident Julia Anderson.

Anderson has lived in the area for more than 50 years and says her beloved cat was trampled by a speeding driver. 

"They kill the ducks, and they kill my cat, and they are going to, before you know it, hurt a human being," she said.

Hialeah police responded to the scene Monday afternoon and removed the ducks. Now, neighbors hope city leaders can find a solution to avoid more killings.

"You run over a duck, you can run over a child, you can run over an elderly person," Perea said. "And then the 'I'm sorrys'... it's too late."

The number 999 was lucky for thousands of Connecticut Lottery players when the number came up in back-to-back Play 3 games over the holiday weekend.

It came up as the winning Play3 Night number on Sept. 1 and it was drawn again in the Play3 Day drawing on Sept. 2.

In all, 3,972 winning tickets were sold and the combined winnings were more than $1.5 million.

There are 1,000 possible number combinations in the Play3 game.

Since the Play3 Day game began, 999 has been drawn a total of 10 times and was last picked during the day on March 5, 2016, according to the Connecticut Lottery. Since the Play3 Night game began, 999 has been drawn a total of 19 times and was last picked at night on Sept. 25.

Players with winning tickets have 180 calendar days from the date of draw to collect their winnings.

Longtime Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., will return to Washington to fill John McCain’s Senate seat, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced Tuesday. Kyl served in the Senate from 1995 to 2013 and rose to Senate minority whip. A special election will be held in 2020 to determine who serves the remainder of McCain’s term.

Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward's explosive new book, "Fear: Trump in the White House," reveals multiple instances in which top aides went behind President Trump's back to undermine his decisions. 

The president's trusted aides and lawyers doubted his ability to say the right things and make appropriate decisions. 

Striking examples were published by The Washington Post on Tuesday, ahead of the book's Sept. 11 release.

In the book, Woodward confirms NBC News reporting from April that Chief of Staff John Kelly had called Trump an "idiot" and thought of himself as someone who was personally helping to save the U.S. from disaster.

Police are investigating a crash that left a 36-year-old New Haven man in critical condition and said they received reports soon before about a someone who appeared to be intoxicated driving toward the same area. 

Police said the crash at the intersection of Valley and Blake streets just before 9 p.m. Monday involved one vehicle. 

The driver was the only person in the Honda Accord. Police said he was spotted traveling at a high rate of speed and swerving, then went through a red light and hit a utility pole. 

The man was seriously hurt and was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital, according to police. 

Investigators are looking into a report received just moments earlier of a person who appeared intoxicated leaving a nearby liquor store and getting behind the wheel of a car matching the description of the one that ultimately crashed, police said. That caller told police that the driver sped off on Whalley Avenue in the direction of Blake Street. 

Police are investigating and ask witnesses to come forward and let police know what they saw. 

You can reach crash team officers at 203-946-6316.

As Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing was breaking for lunch on Tuesday, a man whose daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting attempted to shake Kavanaugh's hand. Kavanaugh did not shake Fred Guttenberg's hand but paused for a moment before turning away as a security guard stepped in.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday he will not run for re-election, making the bombshell announcement that he will not seek a third term during a last-minute press conference.

"This has been the job of a lifetime but it is not a job for a lifetime," Emanuel said. 

• Read Emanuel's full statement

The mayor said he and his wife Amy, who joined him at the podium for the stunning announcement, decided to "write another chapter together" as their three children have left for college. 

"[Amy] and I look forward to writing the next chapter in our journey together," an emotional Emanuel said. "I will always be here for the future of this great city. Not as mayor, but in the most important role anyone can play - as a citizen." 

His decision comes as the upcoming mayoral race began to take shape, with potential candidates already throwing their hats into the ring, including former Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, who was fired by Emanuel in the wake of the release of dashcam video showing the fatal police-involved shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

The mayor’s announcement took place one day before the start of the trial for  Officer Jason Van Dyke, who has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder in the 2014 shooting.

The Emanuel administration was compelled by a court order to release the dashcam video, which showed the white officer shooting the black teen 16 times as he appeared to walk away, more than a year after the shooting and only a few months after the mayor won re-election. His office came under scrutiny and some questioned whether politics played a role in the timing of the release. It also sparked a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the Chicago Police Department's handling of the case. 

Before becoming mayor in 2011, the 58-year-old Emanuel was a Democratic congressman and White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama. He won a historic runoff against Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in his 2015 re-election campaign. 

As mayor, Emanuel won some praise for his efforts to upgrade schools, including by adopting a longer school day. He also attracted companies to the city and took measures to ease crisis surrounding the worst-funded pension system of any major U.S. city.

But he was also accused of plowing ahead on policy changes without consulting others. He often reveled in his tough-guy reputation.

And while he's stayed quiet on his future plans, Emanuel - a prolific fundraiser - had been steadily adding to his war chest, with more than $7.5 million in his political committee as of the most recent reporting period ending on June 30.

Numerous political leaders thanked Emanuel for his "service to our city" in wake of the announcement. 

"As a mayor, a congressman, and my first White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel has been a tireless and brilliant public servant," Obama said in a statement following the news. 

"I’ve been blessed to call Rahm my friend," Obama's statement read. "Whatever he chooses to do next, I know he’ll continue to make a positive difference, just as he has throughout his career in public service. And Michelle and I wish Rahm and Amy all the best as they consider this next phase in their lives."

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Emanuel "left his mark." 

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you, God bless you and God bless the people of Chicago," Emanuel said as he ended his announcement. 

Check back for more on this developing story.

Traffic is backed up on Interstate 91 north in Middletown after a tractor-trailer crash.

Connecticut State Police said the truck went down an embankment and rolled over between exits 20 and 21. The driver was injured, but the extent of the injuries was not immediately clear.

The right lane is closed. Drivers should expect delays.

New London police have arrested a suspect in connection with the attempted abduction of a 9-year-old girl last month.

Police said the girl was walking up the driveway of 93 State Pier Road on Aug. 3 when she was approached by a man in a pickup truck. The victim told police the man had his hands on his “private parts” when he opened the door, and tried to get her inside the truck.

The victim ran to a family member’s apartment who contacted police.

Investigators identified the suspect as 31-year-old Stephen Cardoza, of Norwich. Cardoza was arrested Tuesday by warrant and charged with risk of injury, public indecency, criminal trespass and breach of peace. He was released on a $50,000 bond.

A new book by New York Times Magazine's Mark Leibovich says playing for the New England Patriots has become a "dismal grind" for quarterback Tom Brady.

Quoting unnamed friends, teammates and relatives, Leibovich reinforces reports that first surfaced late last season that a rift had developed between Brady and head coach Bill Belichick.

"He has spoken—to friends, teammates, and relatives—about how playing in Foxborough had indeed become a dismal grind," Leibovich writes. "He felt he had earned more deference and gratitude from a coach who probably owes his Hall of Fame career more to him than to anyone else.

Because of Brady's unwillingness to speak, Leibovich is forced to rely on excerpts from the player's "Tom vs Time" Facebook series and other interviews and media reports to support his claim.

The writer said he tried to interview Brady last April, but the QB only agreed to answer questions by email. When he finally responded, it was via an emailed audio file.

Asked what he planned to do once he's finished with football, Brady replied, "I still love being involved in creating things. And there’s definitely ways to fill this creative outlet that’s been filled by football for so long." But he didn't get into specifics.

And though he hadn't told much of the world if he planned to play in 2018 yet, Brady did tell Leibovich that he wouldn't be retiring, adding that he also didn't intend to get traded but "they can do whatever they want.

"It’s just, I’m training and getting ready to play like I always do, so that’s not in any controversial way, that’s reality," he said. "Obviously, I love coach Belichick."

Click here to read a longer excerpt from Leibovich's new book, "Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times."

A former Hamden police officer has been sentenced for distributing steroids, according to the office of John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Madison resident Bryan Kelly, 46, was sentenced to three years of probation, with the first six months in home confinement with location monitoring, for distributing anabolic steroids. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service.

In December 2017, the Statewide Narcotics Task Force West searched a Hamden home and seized around 25,000 pills and 530 vials of anabolic steroids. Investigators found that the resident had text messages relating to Kelly’s purchase and dealing of the steroids. At the time, Kelly was a police officer with the Hamden Police Department. He has since retired.

According to court documents, Kelly purchased the steroids and distributed some to friends and colleagues.

Kelly pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids.