Sections of Route 30 are closed because wires are down and it has impacted three schools in Vernon on Tuesday morning.

Police said Route 30 is closed from Meadowlark Road to Vernon Center Middle School due to live power lines on the ground. 

Officers also said a transformer exploded on Route 30 at Tunnel Road and live power lines are on the ground there, as well.

Eversource said the cause for the wires coming down is not clear.

Power was out for as many as 4,400 Eversource customers at one point. The number of outages was 982 as of 10:50 a.m. 

According to school officials, the transformer explosion impacted power at three schools in town. Vernon Center Middle School, Center Road School and Lake Street School lost power. The power has been restored at Lake Street School. Officials are waiting for the power to come back on at Vernon Center Middle School and Center Road School. The students and staff are safe and there are no issues at any of the schools. 

Drivers are asked to avoid the areas.

It is unclear how long Route 30 will be closed for.

UConn has released the women’s basketball team’s complete 2018-19 schedule. 

Fans can buy season tickets for games to be played at Gampel Pavilion, the XL Center or both venues. 

Gampel and XL will each host seven games this season. 

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Season tickets are available online here or by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 877-AT-UCONN. 

The schedule includes 10 games against 2018 NCAA Tournament participants, 19 games against 2018 postseason tournament participants, 11 games against teams ranked in the top 50 of the final 2018 RPI, three games against teams ranked in the top five of the final 2018 RPI and eight games against teams ranked in the final 2018 USA Today Coaches Poll, including four top-10 teams.

A Hamden resident brought home a trash bag from West Rock Park to throw it away with his trash. A day later, he found a venomous Copperhead Snake in his garbage bin, according to police. 

Police said Assistant Animal Control Officer Mitch Gibbs was called to respond to the Lane Street residence last week. 

The resident, who frequents West Rock Park, saw a garbage bag in the park and placed it in his vehicle and threw it away at his home, police said. 

A day later, he saw a copperhead in his garbage bin. 

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The Assistant Animal Control Officer contacted the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, then returned the snake to West Rock Park.

Six Flags in St. Louis, Missouri, is challenging six contestants to spend 30 hours inside a coffin for a chance to win $300 during the park's annual spooktacular Halloween event.

Participants of the ghoulish contest to celebrate the 30th year of Fright Fest will bide their time inside 2-by-7-foot coffins at the park from 1 p.m. Oct. 13 to 7 p.m. Oct. 14. 

Coffin dwellers will be allowed to bring a friend during Fright Fest operating hours, "but they must brave the non-operating hours alone,” according to the contest's rules. Contestants will also get brief hourly bathroom breaks and in-coffin meals.

Those who complete the macabre challenge will win two 2019 Gold Season Passes, a Fright Fest prize package including two VIP Haunted House passes, and a ticket for two to ride the Freak Train for Freaks Unleashed.

If more than one person makes it to 30 hours, a drawing will determine who gets the $300.

One more perk: Successful coffin dwellers get to keep their casket.

Six Flags will choose the six participants on Oct. 4 and nominees must accept by Oct. 6. If all coffins are not filled, alternates will be notified by Oct. 8.

Click here to register. The deadline to register is Oct. 3 at midnight.

Coffin Dweller Requirements:

-Must be 18 years or older and have a photo ID for verification

-Cannot have any medical condition(s) where participating could be a health risk 

-Complete and sign a waiver at check-in  

-Must be able to completely lay in a 2’ x 7’ coffin

-Provide own pillow and sleeping bag or blankets

-Check in at Six Flags St. Louis by 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13

Six Flags St. Louis will provide:

-Six, deluxe, 2’ x 7’, slightly used coffins

-Breakfast in bed (well all meals, snacks and drinks in bed actually)

-One, six-minute bathroom break every hour

-Random visits by 'Fright Fest Freaks'

-A Six Flags representative will be present at all times

-Phone charging stations       

A tractor-trailer has gone down an embankment along Interstate 95 South in Stratford. 

It is in the area of exit 32, according to Department of Transportation cameras. 

No additional information was immediately available.

Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. The judge also declared Cosby a “sexually violent predator,” which means he will have to undergo monthly counseling and register with police if he leaves prison.

Police are investigating an untimely death after a body was found in a reservoir in Bristol around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The person has not been identified and police said there is no danger to the public.

No additional information was immediately available.

A robbery at a West Haven CVS prompted a brief school lockdown Tuesday.

Police said they were called to the CVS at 844 Jones Hill Road around 11 a.m. The male suspect had fled in a vehicle before officers arrived.

A K9 was called in to help search the area. As a precaution, the Edith E. Mackrille School was on a brief lockdown. Police said there was never any danger to students or residents in the area.

The robbery remains under investigation. Anyone with information should contact the West Haven Police Detective Division at 203-937-3905.

There are lane closures on Interstate 84 westbound in Plainville due to a tractor-trailer accident.

The state Department of Transportation confirms the crash involved the truck and another vehicle. It happened between exits 33 and 32.

There is no word on injuries.

The left and center lanes are closed.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans said Tuesday they had hired outside counsel to handle questioning at Thursday's hearing featuring Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexually assaulting her — though they would not reveal the lawyer's identity, drawing criticism from Democrats and women's advocates.

In a letter to a lawyer for Ford on Monday, Mike Davis, who handles nominations for Republicans on the committee, said the GOP had hired a woman whom he described as "an experienced sex-crimes prosecutor to serve as an investigative staff counsel for the hearing," NBC News reported.

"She will question Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh on Thursday on behalf of the Republican members," Davis wrote. The goal for Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Davis, "is to de-politicize this process and search for the truth – instead of creating a forum for senators to grandstand or launch their presidential campaigns."

Flash flooding is causing dangerous road conditions in parts of Fairfield County Tuesday.

Part of Interstate 95 is flooded near exit 16 in Norwalk. Traffic cameras show vehicles driving through the flooded section of the highway, and one vehicle appeared to be stuck in the water.

Officials advise drivers to never drive through flooded areas of the roadway. Drivers should avoid the area.

In Stamford, fire officials asked residents to stay off the road as they worked to make "dozens" of water rescues.

Darien police also warned drivers to avoid flooded areas and posted photos of flooded areas.

Westport officials also reported flooding in town.

The weather is also causing Metro-North delays.

Fairfield County was under a flash flood warning Tuesday afternoon.

For more on the severe weather threat, click here.

Gubernatorial hopeful Ned Lamont says installing electronic tolls to be paid by large trucks traveling through Connecticut is part of the solution to Connecticut’s transportation problems.

Lamont made the comments during an event with running mate Susan Bysiewicz at the new Meriden train station, a stop along the Hartford Line.

“We’re going to have very limited tolling on the big tractor-trailer trucks, raising the revenue we have to keep facilities like this going more frequent regular rail service, and give those tractor-trailers the incentive to not be on the roads at rush hour, and off peak times,” Lamont said.

He estimated that trucks could provide $100 million in new revenue to the Special Transportation Fund, and he said that money could also be used to fund future investments around Connecticut.

The state typically borrows hundreds of millions annually, if not more, for transportation projects around Connecticut, but tolls have been a nonstarter in the General Assembly for the past few years. Lawmakers couldn’t even get a study on tolls approved, leading Governor Dannel Malloy to use bonds to pay for a study to answer outstanding questions on the impact of collections and possible avenues for Connecticut.

Rhode Island recently launched the kind of program Lamont is proposing, limiting toll collections to trucks. The program has been put on hold due to a legal challenge that argues only assessing tolls on trucks is discriminatory, and therefore, unconstitutional.

When asked about that, Lamont said, “I guess, you cross that bridge.”

Republican Bob Stefanowski has repeatedly attacked Lamont for pledging to bring tolls back to Connecticut. Stefanowski’s website provides little detail on how the state would see infrastructure upgrades on his watch. He calls for exploring public private partnerships, cutting waste, and prioritizing projects, but does not weigh in how to pay for any projects.

Stefanowski was not available for an interview, Tuesday.

Lamont did criticize his GOP foil for profiting off of toll roads as an executive with 3i, a private equity firm based in Europe, and then calling for public private partnerships in Connecticut.

Lamont said, “It’s ironic, because he says it’s going to be a public private partnership. But, as a CFO should know, the private part of that partnership is looking for a rate of return on their investment, and the way he did it at 3i when he was investing in infrastructure, he did it through electronic tolling.”

It’s conceivable that neither Bob Stefanowski nor Ned Lamont will ever reveal to the people of Connecticut even snippets of their financial history.

Lamont, for his part, has a public record of sorts with the voters of Connecticut. When he ran for the United States Senate in 2006, he was required to provide a financial disclosure and that showed his net worth was perhaps in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

He said he would provide some kind of update, the moment his Republican opponent provides the same.

“I’ve been very clear,” Lamont said. “I’m going to put those out at the exact same time Bob does. Bob, you pick a time and a place and I’ll be there. I think the people have a right to know and we’ve done that before.”

Lamont was asked why not put them out and set the tone, and he brushed away the challenge, saying, “I’d like to give Bob a little leverage to do it. He’s a little Trumpy, ya know? He’s like, Trump said he’ll do it, too and he never did it.”

Stefanowski said last week following a debate with Lamont, "I'd be happy to issue a summary of where I am and show you the amount of taxes I've paid which is more than adequate.”

A campaign spokesman for Stefanowski said the campaign team was reviewing when it would release tax information, but did say that the information can be expected.

One candidate for governor, petitioning candidate Oz Griebel, released some of his federal tax information, Tuesday. Griebel reported $1,194,115 in income for the tax years 2015, 2016, and 2017. He also reported $287,444 in federal income taxes paid.

Since Lamont laid down his challenge to Stefanowski, that leaves open the possibility that neither candidate’s tax records will be seen by voters by November 6. That means voters will hear a lot about the struggles of the middle class, without really knowing how wealthy or identifying either candidate really is with the struggles and issues of everyday residents.

A new agreement between Connecticut State Colleges and Universities and Follett Higher Education Group is going to help college students save more than $4 million in textbook costs.

“I think that's something that students get very worried about when they hear textbooks and with these negotiations I think students can get a lot less worried when they hear about the cost of textbooks,” said Andrew Albert, a student at Tunxis.

Textbooks can cost students hundreds of dollars they sometimes don’t have, and often are only used for one semester.

The new contract between the schools and Follett will help with that by providing savings through a combination of campus bookstore upgrades, price matching, a scholarship fund, rental and buyback programs, and a 10 percent discount on new books.

“Books and supplies are necessary tools for academic success,” said Paul Brodie, president of Gateway and Housatonic Community Colleges.

CSCU President Mark Ojakian said students told him directly that their academic success would be in jeopardy if the cost of textbooks didn’t come down.

“Listen... every dollar that a student saves is important to that student it allows that student to stay in school and complete on time,” Ojakian said.

The savings are much needed. According to The College Board, the average college student spends $1,200 a year on textbooks.

Fort Hill Pharmacy, a locally-owned pharmacy in Groton, is closing its doors for good Wednesday.

The pharmacy dates back to 1960.

Pharmacy Manager Phani Daggubati has co-owned Fort Hill Pharmacy, at 116 Fort Hill Road, for three years and said it’s getting increasingly hard to be in business right now with declining reimbursements from insurance companies. Plus, new Direct and Indirect Remuneration (DIR) fees have him shelling out close to $60,000 to $70,000.

He has the loan for the store, which he said is steep.

“We’re in a position where we can’t run it. So what can we do,” Daggubati said.

CVS acquired Fort Hill’s business, and customer files are being sent to the nearby CVS Pharmacy on Poquonnock Road. Daggubati said the company promises to maintain the home delivery and blister pack services. And the pharmacy is open 24-hours.

Customers have the option to move their prescriptions elsewhere.

“It’s been a pleasure serving everyone in the area and I want everyone to know we did our best,” Daggubati said, thanking his customers. He knows most of them by name.

All customers are being notified of the pharmacy closure by mail. When they call about a prescription, they’re also getting a heads up and if they call after the store closes, all calls will be rerouted to CVS pharmacy, according to Daggubati.

Several pharmacy staff will be there, too, like Pharmacy Technician Shannon Moriarti who’s worked at Fort Hill Pharmacy for 23 years. She said at least she’ll still see familiar faces.

“Which will be nice. It’ll definitely make it a little easier for all of us,” Moriarti said.

Rebecca Lentner and her husband said they’ve been coming to Fort Hill Pharmacy for 40 years.

“It’s very disappointing and sad,” Lentner said of the closure.

“They’ve been taking good care of me. I really appreciate that,” said Yoneko Akaishi, who hugged and blew kisses at employees as she walked out the door, prescription in hand, for the last time.

Two Montville administrators charged with failing to report a so-called “fight club” at Montville High School and the substitute teacher accused of overseeing it appeared before a judge Tuesday.

Former substitute teacher Ryan Fish’s attorney applied for accelerated rehabilitation. If granted, and conditions are followed, Fish could have his case dismissed.

Vice Principal Tatiana Patten, charged for being a mandated reporter who failed to report abuse, had her case continued to pre-trial.

Former Principal Jeffrey Theodoss was granted a nolle, which means the case will not be prosecuted. After 13 months the charges will be dismissed.

Theodoss’ attorney, Dick Brown, maintains that his client did not violate any laws, including reporting requirements.

Brown said Theodoss retired from the high school after the embarrassment of the case soured him on a job he loved.

“…he takes great pride in his work. He loved the school, he loved the faculty, so it was very difficult for him to go through this whole embarrassing process of being arrested,” Brown said on the phone with NBC Connecticut.

Superintendent Brian Levesque was also charged for failing to report. He appeared in court at an earlier date and had his case continued to pre-trial as well. He’s due back on Oct. 23.

Montville’s Acting Superintendent Laurie Pallin said she has assured her staff they should not be intimidated to file a report as a mandated reporter and even offered to have someone assist them.

“Making that call is something you do even if you think maybe it’s not true,” Pallin said.

All adults who have contact with children in the district – whether a bus driver or a teacher, etc. – went through a fresh round of mandated reporter training in April, after this was brought to light.

Montville mom Michelle Calash has a child at the high school and runs a child care program. As a mandated reporter herself, she wants the state the check in more frequently with the school.

“Going back, at least for a while, just making sure nothing’s happening and holding them accountable,” Calash said.

A car crashed through the windows of a Farmington Jewelry store Tuesday afternoon.

Witnesses said the car went over a cement curb and crashed into Monarch Jewelers on Farmington Avenue.

It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured.

Delta Air Lines says its IT systems have been restored and flights are no longer grounded due to the technology problem.

The airline said in a statement Tuesday night that a "technology issue briefly affected" some of its systems, causing a ground stop order to be issued in the U.S. The order has now been lifted.

It was not immediately known how many people or flights were affected.

The airline has not said what caused the problem.

During the ground stop, the airline's Twitter feed lit up with customer complaints.

"The technical issues are system-wide. We are even on a domestic flights ground stop. International flights are still going," the company tweeted in response to one complaint.

An attorney representing a second woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says Republicans on the decisive Senate Judiciary Committee have thwarted her efforts to testify ahead of its vote on the judge's appointment, now scheduled for Friday, NBC News reported.  

The committee's Republican majority "refused" to have a phone conversation about the possible testimony of Deborah Ramirez, and it has demanded she show all her cards before even negotiating an appearance, lawyer John Clune said Tuesday on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show."

"Here’s the problem, Rachel: They won’t talk to us," Clune said. "The demand that they keep making to us is, ‘Give us every piece of information that you have now and then we can talk about scheduling a phone call.' And that’s just not the kind of partisan game playing that our client deserves."

Ramirez emerged as a second Kavanaugh accuser Sunday after The New Yorker published a story in which she claimed Kavanaugh caused sexual contact without consent during a gathering when both attended Yale University in the 1983-84 school year.

Kavanaugh's first accuser, Christine Blasy Ford, told The New Yorker in a story published Sept. 14 that the federal judge got on top of her and put his hand over her mouth when both were in high school. The two are set to testify before the Judiciary Committee Thursday. 

Kavanaugh has denied both accusations.