Police are investigating an armed robbery at Food Bag in Southington on Monday morning and said Middletown police arrested two suspects and found items taken during the robbery.

Police responded to the Food Bag at 960 Meriden Waterbury Road in Southington just before 3 a.m. Monday to investigate an armed robbery and learned that a man who had a knife went into the store, got behind the register, had the clerk open it and grabbed cash, police said.

The robber ran off with $114 in cash and two boxes of Newport cigarettes, according to police who shared information about the robbery with other area towns.

One of the bills the man took was kept in the register as a security measure with the serial number and a copy of the bill on file in the store, police said.

A Middletown Police Officer stopped a vehicle. Southington police said 60-year-old Franklin Brown, of Middletown, is suspected in the robbery and 43-year-old Shawn Mullaly, of Cromwell, was driving the car.

A knife was found on the floor of the vehicle.

Cash was on front passenger seat floor and police found the recorded security bill with it, as well as a camouflage mask similar to the one used in the Food Bag robbery, police said.

Mullaly was charged with second-degree robbery, sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth-degree, second-degree breach of peace and threatening in the second degree.

Brown was charged with sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit robbery in the sixth.

Both men were held on a $50,000 bond and are scheduled to appear in Bristol Court today.

Wayne Farms, LLC, is recalling about 438,960 pounds of chicken products over concerns that it may possibly be contaminated with metal pieces.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall last week after the Georgia-based company reported receiving a customer complaint on July 27 of a foreign material in one of their food products. After investigating the complaint, Wayne Farms notified the USDA of its findings, the agency said in a news release.

The frozen, ready-to-eat, fully cooked chicken products were produced between July 4 and July 17, 2018 and have the establishment number "P-20214" inside the USDA mark of inspection circle on the top right of the product label.

These items were shipped to distributors, restaurants and further processing locations nationwide.

There have been no reports of injuries from the recalled products, the USDA said. But, the agency noted that it is concerned that these products may still be in customers' refrigerators and freezers. Customers are urged not eat the recalled products and either throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

The USDA said it consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Alan Sterling, with Wayne Farms LLC, at (678) 450-3092.

Naomi Osaka didn't see what caused the uproar during the U.S. Open final she was playing against her idol, Serena Williams, so she was confused when it left the crowd booing — apparently for her.

Williams' argument with the match umpire over a coaching violation turned into a point for Osaka, then a game, in a much-maligned coaching decision that helped cement a first Grand Slam win for Osaka. But the 20-year-old said Monday that she had her back turned when the argument unfolded, so she wasn't sure why the New York City crowd was booing during the trophy presentation, which led to her apologizing for the victory.

"I felt a little bit sad because I wasn't really sure if they were booing at me or if it wasn't the outcome that they wanted," she said on the "Today" show. "I also could sympathize because I've been a fan of Serena my whole life and I knew how badly the crowd wanted to win."

Both players cried at the ceremony. Williams asked the crowd to stop booing and salute Osaka to make it "the best moment we can," while Osaka apologized to the crowd.

"I know that everyone was cheering for her and I'm sorry it had to end like this," Osaka said Saturday.

She explained Monday that she was emotional and disappointed with the outcome as well, having dreamt of winning the trophy in a competitive match.

"I felt like I had to apologize," she said.

Williams' argument with umpire Carlos Ramos, which resulted in $17,000 in fines for Williams, completely overshadowed the match, whose first set Osaka dominated 6-2. The second set finished 6-4, with one game awarded to Osaka after Williams repeatedly called Ramos a thief for docking a point for a coaching violation that Williams insisted she didn't deserve.

The Women's Tennis Association joined Williams and a chorus of commentators who said the player was punished for something men get away with all the time.

Osaka said Monday that she hadn't had time to look at the news and form an opinion on what happened in the 36 hours since she won.

Osaka, the first Japanese person to win the U.S. Open (her mother is from Japan and her father is from Haiti), grew up idolizing Williams. She'd played her once before, but she was very nervous because now she was matching up against Williams in a Grand Slam final.

"Right before I was walking onto the court I was freaking out a little bit, but when I went onto the court, it didn't feel like she was Serena, it felt like she was another player," Osaka said.

Williams appeared to comfort Osaka on the dais after the match, hugging her and whispering something in her ear as the crowd booed and Osaka covered her face.

Osaka didn't say Monday what Williams told her, only that it made her happy.

With the win, Osaka rises to No. 7 in the women's tennis rankings, nine places above Williams.

A pregnant woman and a man were stabbed during an assault and alleged home invasion in Naugatuck on Friday and police have arrested a suspect.

Officers were called to a stabbing and assault call on Carroll Street around 9:40 p.m. When they arrived, officers found an adult male who had been stabbed in the head and was bleeding heavily.

Police learned from the male victim and witnesses at the scene that the assault happened at 38 Carroll Street and that the man and a female had fled the residence after being assaulted. The man was able to give officers information about the suspect, as well as a clothing description.

Officers said they located the suspect, later identified as 63-year-old Rafael Hernandez, of Waterbury, walking from behind the house where the assault occurred. They said they noticed one of Hernandez's arms was covered in blood from what appeared to be a self-inflicted knife injury sustained during the assault. Hernandez was treated for his injury and detained while officers investigated and searched for the female victim.

Shortly after, officers found the female victim laying in the back of a nearby residence on Carroll Street. Officers said they observed that she was pregnant and was bleeding heavily from multiple stab wounds to the left side of her body and abdomen.

Both the male victim and the female victim sustained serious injuries and were transported to local hospitals for treatment, officials said.

Investigators also found two children, ages 16 and 9, hiding in the residence. They were identified as the female victim's children. They were not injured, but police said they were found to have been present in the home during the assaults.

An investigation revealed that Hernandez is the biological father of the two children who were found at the home. Officers learned he does not live at the address, but came to the house with the intent to confront both victims. Investigating officers determined that Hernandez was not invited and entered the house. He then assaulted both victims with a knife that was found at the scene, officers said.

Hernandez is facing charges including assault, home invasion, reckless endangerment, risk of injury to a child and criminal mischief. He was held on a $2,500,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on Monday.

Just days after the numbers 999 came up in back-to-back Connecticut lottery drawings, the number 000 proved to be lucky too.  

A total of 1,383 winning wagers were placed for 000 for Sept. 9’s Play3 Night drawing, which will pay out $513,075 in prize money, according to the Connecticut Lottery. 

Since the Play3 Night game began, 000 has been drawn a total of nine times and it was last picked at night on March 11, 2017. 

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

A man accused of threatening to shoot staff of St. Francis Hospital has been charged with threatening and he was also charged with animal cruelty after police went to his house. 

Hartford police responded to St. Francis Hospital at 7:10 a.m. Monday to investigate reports of a patient threatening staff and the person who made the complaint told them a man who thought he received improper medical treatment for a hand injury threatened to shoot hospital staff with a rifle, according to police. 

Police said they found the patient at his residence and he admitted to the threat and agreed that police could search his home, police said. 

No weapons were found, but police said they found a severely malnourished dog in need of immediate medical care. 

The dog was transported to a vet. 

Anthony Grady, 38, of Hartford, was charged with second-degree threatening and cruelty to animals. 

Watertown police have arrested a 60-year-old Naugatuck man who is accused of following an 18-year-old girl in July and they have charged him with stalking. 

Police arrested Gerald Dalessio, of Naugatuck, on Monday and charged him with breach of peace in the second degree and stalking in the third degree in connection with an investigation that started on July 11. 

The victim, an 18-year-old girl, told police a suspicious man was following her. While she pumped gas at the Shell station on Straits Turnpike, a stranger, later identified as Dalessio, pulled into the gas station, stopped in front of her vehicle and gestured for her to come over to him, police said.

The victim locked herself in her vehicle and then left the station.

Police said Dalessio never got out of his vehicle for gas but followed the victim out onto Straits Turnpike into Middlebury and followed her on Interstate 84 for about five minutes when she lost sight of him.

Middletown police have arrested a suspect in a death over the weekend and have charged him with murder.

Police said they responded to a medical call on Saturday and found 34-year-old Cornel Myers, of Middletown, at the scene.

Police said he was previously advised not to return to the home and charged Myers with trespassing.

The victim succumbed to her injuries and the cause of her death was determined to be a homicide, according to police. Police have not released her name.

Myers has been charged with murder, first-degree burglary and first-degree trespass.

Bond was set at $3 million.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Middletown Police Detective Division at 860-633-4140.

American Red Cross volunteers will likely be leaving Connecticut in the next 24 to 48 hours to help with Hurricane Florence relief in North and South Carolina. 

On Monday, the storm strengthened to what could potentially be a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane.

“The Red Cross is preparing throughout the east coast for this,” Mario Bruno, CEO Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island, said. “We are in the process of deploying folks from all over the country to North and South Carolina.” 

They are loading supplies like emergency blankets, comfort kits and bottles of water into emergency response vehicles. 

“Their primary purpose will be to bring down supplies to wherever landfall happens,” Bruno said. “They’ll be utilized to provide mobile feeding and they will be used to mobilize disaster supplies around the disaster area.” 

Volunteers will be helping with providing shelter, food and mental health support. The Red Cross is urging people to download their app in case of an emergency. 

“We tell people to have at least a gallon of water for every person in the house and to have a good plan in case an evacuation takes place,” Bruno said. 

Find information here on how to make donations to the American Red Cross.

A 6-year-old from Pennsylvania spent the day at Sikorsky Friday earning an honorary Sikorsky Test Pilot license as part of a special wish.

William Beyer from Collegeville, Pa., suffers from Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome, a serious heart defect that led to him having a heart transplant at 10 months old. He continues to work with doctors to prevent organ rejection. But his struggles don't stop him from dreaming big - Beyer has always aspired to be a pilot.

And with help from Make-A-Wish and Sikorsky, Beyer took to the skies.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, partnered with Make-A-Wish to give Beyer a “Pilot for a Day” experience at their facility in Stratford. Beyer learned aviation history, aerospace basics and helicopter manufacturing. He was also fitted with a personalized flight suit and a pair of aviator sunglasses before taking to the sky in a helicopter with his parents and younger brother.

Beyer and his family also got a tour of the manufacturing facility, raced in a flight simulator, and met with Sikorsky pilots to hear their stories.

“Thank you for making his wish come true,” Wes Beyer, William’s father, wrote on Sikorsky’s Facebook page. “His mom and I were especially moved by all the workers who showed him support and gave him the great welcome as we toured the factory. William is truly blessed.”

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday denied the truthfulness of elements of Bob Woodward's new book "Fear: Trump in the White House."

The NBC Connecticut meteorologists have issued a First Alert for the chance of strong thunderstorms starting late tonight.

A warm front lifting north through Connecticut may spawn a few strong storms across the state. The storms will move in after 11 p.m. and stick around through daybreak Tuesday.

Track conditions in your area using our interactive radar.

Get the full forecast anytime here. 

People’s United Bank plans to cut 95 jobs after it takes over Farmington Bank.

According to a notice from Farmington Bank to the state Department of Labor, 95 positions will be cut as part of the acquisition. As of December 31, 2017, the company had 349 full-time positions, according to US Securities and Exchange Commission filings. 

People’s confirmed that the cuts will only affect employees at the corporate headquarters in Farmington. The positions range from clerks to support technicians to commercial loan operation coordinators.

The first round of layoffs is set to begin in November, and layoffs would wrap up in March, according to the DOL notice.

Farmington Bank has 25 branch locations across central Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, according to quarterly reports. People’s has said they may close Farmington Bank branches close to their own locations.

Jack Barnes, People's Bank’s CEO, said that the company would retain many of the Farmington Bank’s employees. A company spokesperson said those affected by the cuts will be given “generous” severance packages and outplacement benefits.

The deal, announced in June and valued at $544 million, still needs the approval of shareholders, who are set to vote on Sept. 25.

As the weather inches toward cool, crisp fall days, many people love to put on their boots and go for a hike. But there will still be ticks out ready to bite.

Humidity this summer has been high at times, which means the tick population in Connecticut has not been bothered. Tick experts told NBC Connecticut there needs to be hot, dry weather in the summer months to increase tick mortality.

“I had a scare once that I thought I had Lyme disease because I had the telltale ring around,” said Meaghan Linn Grasso.

The Groton resident enjoys her time outside. But Grasso is always tick alert, especially since her sister had a severe case of Lyme disease.

“She ended up in the hospital. She had partial paralysis of part of her face. It was quite serious,” Grasso said.

“This year we have had hot summer, however we have had good humidity as well. As a result, I do not believe that we will have less tick population,” said Dr. Goudarz Molaei, a research scientist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

Molaei said he’s seen about 3,800 ticks submitted from January to September. That number is lower than the 4,600 ticks submitted during the same time frame last year but higher than the average of 2,400 from 2013 to 2016.

“Two peak activities for adult ticks occurs somewhat around May, June and another that occurs around October, November,” Molaei said.

He expects to see even more ticks coming into his office.

Both Roberta and Stan Walinsky have had Lyme disease before. They said in Connecticut, people shouldn’t take any chances when it comes to ticks.

“It only takes one deer tick,” Stan Walinsky said.

Molaei warns people to be aware of their surroundings, especially in wooded or grassy areas. He advises people to wear long pants and tuck them into their socks, even spray clothing with pesticides and, of course, do a thorough tick check.

During high school football season, wins and losses can sometimes seem like the only thing that matters. That is, until you try to tell that to the Wilby Wildcats.

"Honestly don’t really think about it,” said Wilby football head coach LaMar Kennedy. “We don't talk about it much around here."

It’s not that they don’t talk about winning and losing, it’s that they don’t talk about their losses. All 31 straight – they haven’t won a game since Thanksgiving of 2014.

"It pushes us harder,” said senior defensive end and center Stefon Morris. “All the underclassmen want to get us a win, we want to get us a win. It helps us fight."

So there’s the fight to make history, but there’s also a different battle.

"I lost my starting guard and d-end to a job,” Kennedy said. “You know, I gave him a great letter of recommendation and a great reference but it’s hard."

Kennedy says players coming from different socioeconomic backgrounds means forgiving missed practices and missed starts, but never a missed opportunity.

"It’s not just about football,” said Kennedy, who adds that he knows Wilby isn’t the only program facing these challenges. “It’s about life and it’s about transitioning kids into that next level.”

And that’s Wilby’s winning record.

"These are the guys who kept coming back and the guys who want to work hard and the guys who believe in the coaching staff when nobody else did,” said Kennedy. “You know these guys are going to give us their all, they're going to work hard and we're just going to try to keep pushing forward."

Families across the world are raising awareness on Suicide Prevention Day Monday.

This year it's become much more poignant with the recent loss of celebrities like Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. The need to help is becoming more urgent in Connecticut as the state's suicide rate climbs. One of the biggest concerns is children.

“Youth suicide has increased steadily over the past three or four years,” said Dr. Steven Rogers, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Eight percent of high school students in Connecticut reported attempting suicide. Fifteen percent say they’ve thought about it.

Rogers is boosting awareness of World Suicide Prevention Day. He says it’s time to normalize the conversation.

“We need to get parents and teachers and coaches comfortable asking kids about suicide,” Rogers said. “There’s a myth out there that says if you bring up suicide you may be planting the thought in somebody’s mind and they might be more likely to do it. It’s just the opposite.”

Rogers said if parents are concerned about their children, immediately call 211. It’s the state’s emergency mobile crisis hotline.

For more resources, click here.

SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

People are scrambling to leave areas that could be impacted by Hurricane Florence and to find a way to head home to Connecticut.

There was a lot of relief among the passengers arriving at Bradley International Airport after a flight from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Monday.

Some are students from Coastal Carolina University outside of Myrtle Beach, which will close its campus starting Tuesday due to the threat of the hurricane.

“Everyone is from different areas so they’re not used to it. So once they heard they wanted to leave and get out of there,” said Briana Farren.

Farren is a freshman whose mom wanted her back home on Long Island.

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“Very important. So important that we flew her into Connecticut. It was the only airport we could get a flight into,” said Lisa Farren.

We also caught with the Petrossi family returning after a previously planned weekend trip to their vacation home near Myrtle Beach.

“We actually feel a little bit lucky we were able to go down there because we had the chance to sort of prep our condo which we wouldn’t have done otherwise,” said Christine Petrossi.

Dad Fred shared pictures from a Walmart down there, with showed an empty area for bottled water and that peanut butter and jelly were among items in high demand.

“Home Depot was selling plywood right off of the truck. It didn’t even hit the shelf. People were that anxious to get plywood to board up their homes,” said Fred Petrossi.

For many they’re glad to be home and hoping for the best for South Carolina.

“I booked a one-way trip. So I’m just waiting to see how it ends up,” said Abby Theriault.

Students at Coastal Carolina are being told the university will be shut down at least for the rest of this week.

Intelligence agencies investigating mysterious "attacks" that led to brain injuries in U.S. personnel in Cuba and China consider Russia to be the main suspect, three U.S. officials and two others briefed on the investigation say, according to NBC News.

The suspicion that Russia is likely behind the alleged attacks is backed up by evidence from communications intercepts amassed during a lengthy and ongoing investigation involving the FBI, the CIA and other U.S. agencies. The officials declined to elaborate on the nature of the intelligence.

However the evidence is not yet conclusive enough for the U.S. to formally assign blame to Moscow for incidents that started in late 2016 and have continued in 2018, causing a major rupture in U.S.-Cuba relations.

If Russia did use a futuristic weapon to damage the brains of U.S. personnel, it would mark a stunning escalation in Russian aggression toward Western nations. Russian government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The eastbound side of Avon Mountain has reopened after a pole fire, according to police, but now the westbound side is closed for a crash, according to police.

No additional information was immediately available.

New Canaan Police have canceled silver alerts for 5-year-old Jessica Cohen, 7-year-old Arlo Cohen and their mother, 43-year-old Eva Brewer. An Instagram post from New Canaan police says they have been found in Manhattan.

New Canaan police had been working with the New York Police Department to try to find them and said they have been located.