New research shows that about one-third of doctors who prescribed opioids in the buildup to the opioid overdose epidemic gave no reason for doing so, according to NBC News.

In 29 percent of cases between 2006 and 2015, doctors's opioid prescriptions had no explanation for why they were written, a team from Harvard Medical School and the Rand Corp. reported Monday.

"Whatever the reasons, lack of robust documentation undermines our efforts to understand physician prescribing patterns and curtails our ability to stem overprescribing," said Dr. Tisamarie Sherry, who worked on the study, in a statement.

Federal agencies have said that inappropriate prescribing practices contributed to the crisis that saw 42,000 people die in 2016 alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been encouraging doctors to prescribe opioids only when necessary.

One person was killed in a crash on the Charter Oak Bridge in East Hartford early Tuesday morning.

A two-vehicle crash happened just after 1 a.m. and closed the northbound side of the Charter Oak Bridge, starting at the Interstate 91 merge.

A driver in a Chevy Lumina was driving the wrong way in the northbound lanes and hit a truck driving in the correct direction, according to state police.

The driver of the Lumina was killed.  Police have not released the identity of that driver pending notification of that person's family.

The driver of the truck sustained minor injuries, police said.

In a 9 to 0 vote last night by the Region 10 District Board of Education, students now share the halls with armed security guards this year. Officials from the district have said they believe this will enhance security across the district. 

They said the location of the schools and the response time to a possible active shooter motivated the change. 

Natalie Kiernan was raising her children in Fairfield County when the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School happened and said she had concerns about security guards being unarmed. 

She said she believed they were “sitting ducks.” 

“I thought, this [security officer] is great, but when it comes to what happened in Sandy Hook, how is he going to fight that if someone is shooting through the front door?” she said. 

The change in Region 10 schools eases her concern. 

“When I heard that this was the school to start it,” Kiernan said, “I thought we came to the right place.” 

Jay Warner, who was dropping his two children off at Har-Bur Middle School Tuesday, also said he welcomes the change in safety. 

“If you just look at the way the school shootings go, and our police protection in town, I think it’s a level of protection that we need,” Warner said. 

In June, parents received a letter saying the armed security officers are retired state and local police officers who were retrained and licensed over the summer. 

“I think it’s a good idea that it protects our kids,” Preston Coates, the father of a Har-Bur middle school student, said, “and I think it’s something that unfortunately needs to be done.” 

The district is also training volunteer staff to administer first aid as part of the “Stop the Bleed” program. 

The crew onboard a fishing charter boat captured amazing video of a pod of orca whales frolicking in the vessel's wake off the San Diego coast, near the Coronado Islands, Saturday morning.

Capt. Ryan Sweeney, who was leading the Brink Expeditions spearfishing charter, said his boat was about eight miles off the Islands, in Mexican waters, when they encountered the whales.

"We spent about one and a half hours with them as they played around the boat," Sweeney told NBC 7. "All of us on board were blown away by how curious and inquisitive they were. We even saw the biggest one munching on a sea lion carcass about 40 yards away from the boat. Then they proceeded to play in our wake, doing barrel rolls and surfing the wake."

Sweeney said there were about five or six orcas in the pod. He wrote in an Instagram post that all of the customers on the boat recorded video of the playful orcas and hopes to compile all of the footage into one video.

"It was really an incredible interaction that very few are lucky enough to experience in Southern California waters. It is rare that they come that close to our coast during their migration. Once in a lifetime," Sweeney added.

Crazy time-lapse video shows a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plane flying into the eye of Hurricane Florence. "No matter how many times I see it, I'm blown away by the beautiful, sunny skies at the heart of these monsters," one Twitter user said in response to the clip.

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. 

Kyle Lyddy, the campaign manager for gubernatorial candidate Oz Griebel, has been arrested after he was accused of embezzling half a million dollars from a Norwalk company and charged. Campaign staff said Lyddy has resigned from the campaign. 

Norwalk Police said they received a complaint on Aug. 1 from a local company alleging one of their employees had misappropriated around $500,000 from the company over a two-year period. 

After an investigation that took around a month, police obtained a warrant charging 31-year-old Lyddy, of Danbury, with first-degree larceny. Bond was set at $100,000. 

A spokesperson for Griebel’s campaign said Lyddy resigned Monday. 

Griebel is a petitioning candidate for governor and he’s running against Democrat Ned Lamont and Republican Bob Stefanowski. 

Enfield police have arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of a local teen early Monday morning and there were emotional and heated outbursts outside the courtroom.

Shyheim Adams, 18, of Enfield, has been charged with manslaughter in the first degree in connection with the death of Justin Brady, according to Enfield police.

During a court appearance Tuesday afternoon, he fainted, according to the NBC Connecticut crew at the scene and five people were kicked out of the courtroom for outbursts.

Police said they responded to Hoover Lane in Enfield just after midnight Monday after receiving a 911 call from someone who saw a group of kids standing over a person on the ground and officers found Brady, who had been stabbed on the street.

Brady, who was an Enfield High School student, was transported to Bay State Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:33 a.m.

A neighbor who said he witnessed the attack described a horrifying scene.

"He bled to death in front of me and I just can't believe it that nobody did anything except me for calling 911," the witness said.

The arrest warrant application says police believe that Brady and Adams met on Hoover Lane to fight and Adams and Adams stabbed Brady several times.

The witness said he heard yelling and saw some shoving before Brady fell to the ground.

"I wanted to do something myself but I couldn't I feared for my own life," he said.

Enfield police said the Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Unit is assisting with the investigation.

Authorities, who did not identify a suspect Monday, said the "parties were acquainted."

Counselors remain at the school today.

Bond for Adams was set at $1 million, but the lowered to $750,000.

Anyone with any information is urged to call the Enfield Police Department at 860-763-6400. The public is not in any danger, officials said.

Watertown police have arrested a man who is accused of head-butting a police officer during an investigation Monday night and said they found him with a gun.

Watertown police responded to Cherry Avenue at 7:18 p.m. to investigate reports of an altercation and the discharge of a gun and spoke to a person who said 50-year-old Joseph Umbro was intoxicated and left the residence after an argument and went into the backyard. Then she heard a gunshot, she told police.

Officers found Umbro lying on the ground and they said he disregarded orders to show his hands.

When police took him into custody, Umbro resisted officers, tried to kick officers and head-butted one officer, injuring the officer’s head, police said. The injured officer sustained minor injuries and returned to full duty.

Umbro denied shooting a gun and said that he lit a firework, but police found a silver revolver partially buried where Umbro was taken into custody, police said. There was a spent shell casing in the revolver with four live rounds.

Officers investigated and determined the disturbance inside the residence was only a verbal argument.

Umbro was charged with interfering with an officer, assault on a police officer, breach of peace in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, unlawful discharge of a firearm and carrying a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

He was held on a $30,000 bond.

After 40 years with the New London Fire Department, Chief Henry Kydd, Jr. is retiring on Tuesday.

Kydd served as chief for the last five and a half years. Before that, he was deputy chief for a year, spent about 17 years as a battalion chief, eight as a lieutenant and another eight as a firefighter/EMT.

Among the accomplishments he’s proud of in his tenure, Kydd listed getting his firefighters a new fire engine and ambulance, and a second set of gear.

He was also awarded multiple grants. One helped the department reduce cancer risks by putting extractors and dryers in each station. Chemicals and particulate matter get on firefighters during fire and medical calls, according to Kydd. The equipment prevents it from spreading in the station or into firefighters’ homes.

To this chief, the New London fire department is “like a family.”

“Yesterday was a little melancholy but today I’m realizing it’s going to happen and I’m really happy about it. I’m looking forward to spending my time with my wife and my grandkids and my kids and the in-laws,” Kydd said.

While his phone would ring non-stop as chief—he cited it going off during a rare time off in Florida—Kydd still said he’s still only a call away, especially for incoming chief, Battalion Chief Tom Curcio.

“I’m going to be invested in the community and if Tom needs anything or needs any advice, I told him just call. We’ve been friends for years, if he didn’t call I’d be upset,” Kydd said.

Kydd graduated New London High School in 1970. That’s where he’ll officially hand over command to Curcio on Wednesday night. Curcio was Kydd’s recommendation for his replacement.

“He’s the logical choice and he’s ready for it. He’s got the energy. It’s going to drain him but I think he’s going to be fine,” Kydd said. “He’s prepared.”

In his new time off, Kydd’s looking forward to taking a vacation, spending time with his six grandchildren, and dusting off that "honey-do" list.

“I have a love of music and I haven’t played my guitars in a long time, so I’m going to start playing those. I’d like to go golfing a little bit more often,” he laughed.

While talking about preparations ahead of Hurricane Florence making landfall, President Trump called the government's response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico "incredibly successful." It is estimated that around 3,000 people died due to the storm and its after effects, and that thousands were still left without power six months after the storm.

Members of the Southeastern Connecticut Navy community paid tribute to the victims lost on Sept. 11, 2001 and retired a United States flag as a way to remember that freedom comes with a sacrifice at the Historic Ship Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum Tuesday.

When a flag becomes worn or damaged, it’s retired in a dignified way—which includes burning and a burial. Prospective chief petty officers cut the flag stripe by stripe, while stating the red stripes stand for courage. The white for purity.

There was also a reading of “Old Glory.”

“We retire our nation’s fabric. The fabric of freedom, our cloth,” said Command Master Chief Raj Sodhi of the Naval Submarine Base New London.

It’s an annual tradition organized by the Groton Area Chief Petty Officers Association on the anniversary of 9/11.

“Freedom is not free. It comes with a lot of sacrifice,” Sodhi said.

Also honored and remembered was the sacrifice of the people who lost their lives in those acts of terrorism 17 years ago, and those who have since gone on to sacrifice their lives to protect Americans’ freedoms.

Machinist Mate Auxiliary Chief (MMAC) Select Gregory Deveau was in boot camp at the time of the attacks.

“Everything got very real. That what I’d signed up to do was not just, we’re going to wear cute uniforms and pretend to do things. It’s real. I had a real job to do and it gives me great pride to do it,” Deveau said.

On the first anniversary of 9/11 he was on a submarine on his first deployment in the Arabian Gulf.

MMAC (SEL) Donald Deisher was also in boot camp. That day he was in anti-terrorism training.

“It was let’s get this done, let’s get graduated and let’s get out to the fleet so we can go and defend our country,” Deisher said.

It’s something he continues to do with pride.

The City of New Britain is ramping up its efforts to beautify the hardware city.

The city announced a new program that would provide significant property tax relief in return for landlords and homeowners making improvements to their buildings.

“We want to encourage our homeowners to make some improvements,” New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, said. “If we can defer their taxes on those assessments for up to ten years I think it would be a great incentive.”

Here’s how the program works: if a property owners builds a new kitchen, deck, or even makes other minor improvements that total at least $2,000, then the property owner would only be assessed for 10 percent of the improvements in the first year.

The assessment would go up by 10 percent each year, and would be transferable if the home were to change hands through a sale.

After 10 years, the full assessment would be in effect, but it would only be ten percent higher than the previous year.

Carmelo Rivera says he’s not sure the program is really aimed toward him. Rivera and his wife live on social security checks, and he says improvements to his New Britain home, which he’s owned for more than 20 years, are just not realistic.

“I would like to get everything done but where is the money? You know what I mean? I think the next step is I sell my house and get out of Connecticut because it’s very expensive to live here.”

The idea of the break, Rivera says, is great, and hopes other people take advantage of it.

“If I could rebuild my whole home, I would. But, where is the money?”

An Enfield couple had to cut their vacation short in Myrtle Beach before Hurricane Florence hits the southeastern seaboard.

“As the hurricane became stronger and the news became more often, the governor came on yesterday and said it was mandatory evacuation,” Karen Kwiecienski said.

Kwiecienski and her husband Paul arrived in South Carolina on Saturday for what they hoped would be a week-long beach vacation.

“We thought about going inland but the more they talked about it they said that inland was going to have a lot of flooding and there will probably be losing power,” she said.

Hurricane Florence is expected to bring the triple threat of a strong coastal storm surge, flooding from prolonged heavy rain and damaging hurricane-force winds.

“Travel with caution, have patience and certainly if you can change your travel plans to not be traveling during the time of the storm please do so,” AAA Director of Travel Suzanne Aresco told NBC Connecticut.

Major airlines are waiving fees to cancel or change flights this week in the Carolinas and Virginia, Aresco said.

“What they don’t do is add additional flights,” Aresco said. “But they do want to move people and get people traveling as quickly as possible so then when they are shutting down and not flying they have less people to re-accommodate at later times.”

The airport in Charlotte is the largest in the region that could potentially shut down, but American Airlines has a list of more than 20 airports that could be impacted by Florence.

Fortunately, the Kwiecienskis found a flight back to Bradley International Airport Tuesday afternoon.

“We’re flying out of Fayetteville and going to Charlotte and then from Charlotte will be back home,” Kwiecienski said.

Kwiecinski said she wants to vacation again in Myrtle Beach, but she just won’t book another trip in September during hurricane season.

Commuter students at the University of Connecticut say recent changes to the parking system are leaving them in a bad spot.

Before the fall semester began, the university changed Lot B from a commuter lot to an employee lot. Half of Lot Y was also reassigned from commuter to employee. As a result, students say commuter parking is harder to come by.

“We'd show up an hour before class and we'd still get late just driving around looking for parking. It's an absolute mess," said senior Gio Peraza.

Peraza said he missed a quiz during the first week of class because it took him so long to find a parking space.

Senior Kodylynn Perkins said the parking situation also made her late for class.

"I had to drive to three different commuter lots before I found a parking space," she said.

Other students told NBC Connecticut Investigates they often arrive to campus more than two hours early in order to secure a spot.

Students pay between $279 and $620 a year to park on campus.

Peraza said if he can’t find a spot, his options are to pay more to park in one of the garages on campus, or park illegally and risk getting a ticket.

"I think it's ridiculous that we're paying $300 and we're not even guaranteed a spot," he said.

University spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said some of the changes were made to accommodate graduate assistants under a new contract. Reitz said many of those graduate assistants parked in Lot B last year with commuter passes.

“Now they have the right to park on employee passes, which they also pay for. And they're continuing to park in that lot,” Reitz said.

The university says they made other adjustments to accommodate the loss of commuter spots.

According to Reitz, the total number of student parking spots has not changed, but the university could not provide exact numbers.

"We don't sell one permit per every space. I mean, that would be unrealistic. Because you don't have 100 percent of your cars here 100 percent of the time. But we don't oversell,” said Reitz.

Reitz said the lots closer to campus fill up quickly. But C Lot, which is on the outskirts of campus, usually has plenty of available spaces. It is serviced by a shuttle bus, which runs every 12 to 24 minutes, according to the university.

Reitz said it’s not unusual for the university to reassess the parking situation at the beginning of the school year. But she does not anticipate any changes to the current system.

“I think it’s more a matter of planning and just being realistic about where can you expect to leave your car at the time that you’re arriving,” she said.

The Undergraduate Student Government and Transportation Services are holding a public forum to address students’ concerns on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in McHugh Hall 101.

Wilmington, NC, is right in the crosshairs of Hurricane Florence and Connecticut natives are rushing away from that area or worried about homes there.

From her current home in Waterford, Conn., Dawn Rahilly’s thoughts are with a community hundreds of miles away.

“We’re just keeping an eye on things. And there’s nothing we can do, just hoping for the best,” said Rahilly.

Rahilly and her boyfriend recently bought a new place they’d eventually like to retire to outside of Wilmington.

It’s not far from the beach and could get slammed by Hurricane Florence.

“It was just built, finished being built in June. So we’re hoping it withstands this,” said Rahilly.

Those in Wilmington are waiting in long lines for gas and stocking up, even on beer.

Danbury-native Alec Barman has lived in North Carolina for two years.

“A lot of the people who were born and raised here, who spent decades here, they’re openly admitting they’re scared,” said Barman.

Barman just decided he and his dog Gretzky are headed to hotel in Charlotte on Wednesday morning.

He’s concerned about a potentially dangerous mix of strong winds, heavy rain and a powerful storm surge.

“I’m not expecting to come back into town until next weekend. I don’t think it will be safe until then,” said Barman.

As for Rahilly, she canceled a planned trip to North Carolina this weekend because of the storm.

Now her thoughts are with her brand new home, the beautiful area and longtime residents racing to escape the storm.

“My heart really goes out to them,” said Rahilly.

Rahilly plans to travel down to North Carolina in a couple of weeks to check out her home and see what, if any, damage Florence has caused.

A Hartford police sergeant is accused of using cocaine and alcohol while on the job and stealing equipment from the department.

Sgt. Justin Torniero, 34, was arrested Tuesday and charged with first- and second-degree larceny.

According to police, on March 14 multiple agencies executed a search warrant at a Farmington home related to illegal narcotics. During the raid, authorities discovered the suspect had Hartford Police Department issued equipment, including a ballistic vest and mountain bicycle. The department’ Internal Affairs Division began investigating.

Investigators determined that Torniero stole the equipment and provided it to the suspect, police said. Police also believe that Torniero would drive a Hartford Police Department vehicle to that Farmington home while in uniform and use cocaine and alcohol.

Torniero was previously arrested in December on accusations that he used a police vehicle without permission while he was on leave. He was suspended without pay due to that investigation.

Torniero was held on a $175,000 bond and is due in court on Wednesday.

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin released the following statement:

“This officer has been suspended since last year, after he was arrested for larceny, and these latest charges stem from the Hartford Police Department’s own internal investigation. The criminal activity he has been accused of is egregious, and it goes without saying that it should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The campaign of pressure on Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to oppose the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has escalated to include vulgar phone calls, shipments of wire hangers sent to her office and a questionable, high-dollar fundraising drive against her that her office likens to extortion.

As a potential GOP swing vote, Collins has been at the center of attention for both parties since President Donald Trump announced Kavanaugh's nomination in July, NBC News reported.

Now, with the Senate Judiciary hearings over and the nomination about to proceed to the full Senate, progressive activists are increasing the pressure, concerned that Kavanaugh would undo abortion rights and roll back health care protections.

The Trump administration vowed to help vulnerable Christians around the world, but it is making it more difficult for Christian refugees to enter the United States, NBC News reported. 

The number of Christian refugees granted entry into the United States has dropped by more than 40 percent over the past year — a decline of nearly 11,000 refugees. Among those having trouble are a group of Iranian Christians who remain in legal limbo in Austria awaiting a decision on their fate expected as soon as Wednesday. Their plight illustrates how President Donald Trump's tough line on refugees from mostly Muslim countries has also closed the door to Christians and other religious minorities trying to flee to safety in the U.S.

"Ironically, these policies, while clearly aimed at Muslim refugees, ensure that Christians and other religious minorities from many of the countries on Trump’s list of suspect travel ban nations are also kept out," said Mary Giovagnoli of Refugees Council USA. "It suggests that the president has no real interest in religious persecution or the tenets of religious freedom."

A Trump administration spokesperson rejected the criticism.

"The administration has made helping persecuted religious minorities in the Middle East a top priority," the official said, citing humanitarian aid delivered to Christians and other vulnerable communities in northern Iraq.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl says he will fly to the Vatican to speak with Pope Francis about possibly resigning after a sweeping jury report accused him of allowing priests accused of sexually abusing children to be reassigned or reinstated.

In a letter to priests, Wuerl said he intends to go to Rome in the near future to speak with Pope Francis about the resignation he presented nearly three years ago, when he reached the church-stipulated retirement age for bishops at 75.

While bishops are requested to submit a resignation at that age, they continue in their positions unless the pope accepts their resignation.

"It is clear that some decision, sooner rather than later, on my part is an essential aspect so that this archdiocesan Church we all love can move forward," the letter says. 

Wuerl is facing a storm of criticism and calls for his resignation after a Pennsylvania grand jury report said he allowed priests accused of sexually abusing children to be reassigned or reinstated when he was the bishop of Pittsburgh.

Wuerl has asked for prayers and forgiveness for what he calls his lapse of judgment in dealing with reports of abuse by priests.

The archbishop recently called for a "Season of Healing," inviting parishes and parishioners to observe six weeks of Friday prayers in recognition of the pain of the victims and the need for healing.

Earlier this month, a man stood in a Mass Wuerl was celebrating in D.C. and yelled "Shame on you" after Wuerl asked parishioners to keep Pope Francis in their prayers. 

The grand jury heard allegations against more than 300 clergy members, according to the report. Most of the victims were boys. Some were teens, while others were prepubescent. Several alleged victims were lured with alcohol or pornography. Afterward, they turned to substance abuse and even suicide to escape the lingering trauma.

All told, more than 1,000 victims were identified from the church's own records and there could be thousands more, the grand jurors concluded.