More often than not, it seems Nutmeggers harp on the negative. But are these real beefs about Connecticut, or are we just “Cranky Yankees?”

Many say the 860 and 203 have a lot to offer.

We actually have winter, spring, summer, and fall in Connecticut. There are mountains and shoreline. It’s a state with a lot of history and great neighborhoods.

But Freddy Faulkner of Hamden says he has a legitimate complaint about living in Connecticut.

“Right now, taxes are killing me. I am a local business owner,” said Faulkner.

He might have a point. Recent surveys by USA Today, Forbes, and The Tax Foundation all have Connecticut as one of the worst five states in the U.S. when it comes to taxes paid as a percentage of income, state and local tax burden, and combined sales and income tax.

Sierra Fleury of Waterbury has a related complaint.

“The cost of living out here is insane. It is so hard to get by, every day,” she said.

That is a problem, according to retired Quinnipiac Business School Professor David Cadden. He cites a 2018 CNBC report that includes Connecticut as one of the ten worst states when it comes to the cost of living.

“I think probably if you looked at it in depth it would be the cost of housing,” Cadden said.

While it may be expensive to live here, things on the job front do not appear as grim. Our state currently has thousands of good paying job openings it cannot fill including schoolteachers and positions at Pratt and Whitney and Electric Boat. Meanwhile, Glassdoor.com, a job and recruiting site, just ranked Hartford fifth in the U.S. in terms of best cities for jobs in 2018.

Then there’s that Connecticut weather. Student Alvin Furlowe of New Haven is not a fan.

“The weather is like, bipolar, it keeps changing on you,” said Furlowe.

NBC Connecticut Chief Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan says Connecticut actually ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of total annual rainfall, snowfall, and daily high temperature.

“If you compare Connecticut to let’s say, places like Chicago or Minneapolis, we actually in some places in Connecticut get more snow than both of those cities, but it’s not as cold during the winter so our winters tend to be a bit milder because we’re near the water,” said Hanrahan.

Others complain there’s not enough to do in our state. It is true that no city or town in Connecticut made the cut in U.S. News and World Report’s 2018 ranking of 30 “most fun” places. The survey measured access to parks, culture, restaurants, pro sports, shopping, nightlife, and popularity of each place in terms of plane flights.

But some Connecticut fun seekers like Gabriele Kennedy disagree with that gripe.

“People aren’t trying very hard if they think there’s nothing to do here,” she said.

We have tons of events at Rentschler Field, the Xfinity Center, The Bushnell, the Shubert Theatre, and Infinity Hall, just to name a few venues. And we’re right in between Boston and New York, both of which are serviced by trains and buses.

For sure, Connecticut has its challenges. But how you see it, very much depends on if you’re a glass half empty, or glass half full person. No doubt, however, hating on Connecticut will continue to be a favorite pastime for many.

A man was killed in a stabbing at the Village Heights Apartments in Colchester Tuesday night, according to Connecticut State Police.

State Police said the victim was found unresponsive at the complex on Renee Drive around 8 p.m. He was pronounced dead on scene.

The victim has not been publicly identified.

Police said a person of interest in the case was detained and there is no threat to the public.

The Eastern District Major Crimes unit has been called in to investigate.

More information was not immediately available.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The incumbent candidate seeking re-election for state representative in the 103rd district said a photo showing her with Gov. Dannel Malloy was manipulated by her opponent’s campaign.

Democratic state representative Liz Linehan told NBC Connecticut she is fired up over a campaign mailer that voters began receiving this week. It was paid for by Diane Pagano’s campaign and approved by the Republican candidate. Linehan said the original photo was taken with candidate for attorney general, William Tong. She said the shirt and tie in both images are identical, but it appeared only the governor’s head was manipulated into the photo.

“I knew exactly the photo that they had doctored, so as soon as I saw that I said that’s me with my friend William,” Linehan said. “They must have stolen it off of Facebook.”

The 103rd district serves Cheshire, Southington and Wallingford.

“I have run a campaign, a good, clean campaign about the issues,” Linehan said.

NBC Connecticut stopped by Pagano’s Cheshire home on Tuesday afternoon and called her, but she declined an interview, instead releasing a statement, which said in part “Liz Linehan's claim about my mailer is a flimsy, if not ridiculous attempt to attract media coverage that would deflect from the issues-based points it raised.”

Linehan did not reach out to NBC Connecticut about the mailer. The station contacted her after seeing a post on social media.

Pagano’s statement went on to say “...Representative Linehan, like her party colleagues who control the House, understand their grip on the legislature is under threat.”

See Pagano's full statement below.

Pagano did not address Linehan’s concerns over what she claims is a doctored photo. Linehan said she trusts her constituents will re-elect her next Tuesday despite an attempt to smear her campaign.

“People won’t put up with this anymore. We see too much of it on the federal level and it’s not right for Connecticut.”

"Representative Liz Linehan's claim about my mailer is a flimsy, if not ridiculous attempt to attract media coverage that would deflect from the issues-based points it raised. For example, representative Linehan in her facebook post takes credit for voting to restore the medicare savings plan. But what she failed to tell the residents of the 103rd district is that she voted to cut the program to begin with. Representative Linehan described reductions to the state's workforce, but failed to tell her constituents that she cost the state millions of dollars by voting for roughly 25 judges our state cannot afford. Representative Linehan's attempt to bully me through the media, and through harassing calls from her supporters, follows the path walked all too often by majority party legislators who say one thing at home but act entirely different in Hartford. Representative Linehan, like her party colleagues who control the house, understand their grip on the legislature is under threat. They will do anything to maintain that control."

A group of Republican senators led by Florida's Marco Rubio is pressing the Trump administration to put an end to civilian nuclear talks with Saudi Arabia in the wake of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder, NBC News reported. 

Five senators say they had concerns about nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia even before Khashoggi's killing in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, according to a letter obtained by NBC News. But his death has fueled further doubts about the kingdom's leadership. 

"The ongoing revelations about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as certain Saudi actions related to Yemen and Lebanon, have raised further serious concerns about the transparency, accountability, and judgment of current decision makers in Saudi Arabia," the senators wrote.

They threatened to use obscure provision in the Atomic Energy Act to block any U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreements if Trump does not heed their call. The White House's National Security Council did not have an immediate response. 

Interstate 91 South was closed in Wallingford after a serious crash and has reopened.

The highway was closed between exits 15 and 14 after the crash, which involved one car. There were still heavy delays as of 8:15 a.m.

For a detour, take the Wilbur Cross Parkway to exit 65, then take Route 150 and get back onto I-91.

State police said they are searching for the driver of a tractor-trailer who hit and killed a 34-year-old New Haven man on Interstate 95 South in East Haven Tuesday night, then left the scene.

Police responded to I-95 South, near exit 51, just before 10:30 p.m. after getting reports of debris in the road and learned that a man had been hit.

State police said two pedestrians had crossed the northbound lanes of the highway and were in the process of crossing the southbound lanes when a tractor-trailer going south hit 34-year-old Rafael Arroyo Rivera, of New Haven.

Police are trying to find the truck, which they think has a white cab and brown lettering.

The highway was closed for several hours and a tractor-trailer hit two East Haven police cruisers off the highway, on Frontage Road, as vehicles were being diverted off the highway, according to police. No one was in the police vehicles and no injuries are reported in that crash.

Witnesses and anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Troop G at 203-696-2500.

Talk about being at the right place and the right time.

Matthew Dippel was hiking in Yosemite National Park on Oct. 16 when he asked a friend to stand on Taft Point so he could snap a photo of him. While waiting for his friend to reach the popular overlook, Dippel noticed a couple in the distance stepping out on to the rock’s edge.

When the man got down on his knees, Dippel realized he was witnessing a proposal from afar and the Michigan-based photographer snapped a photo of the stranger popping the question to his girlfriend.

Dippel didn’t know who the couple was and wanted them to have the photo. He posted the stunning image on social media and asked the internet to help him track them down. The picture went viral and 10 days later Dippel had found them.

Husband-to-be Charlie Vo said he saw the photo on Instagram and was surprised to learn that "the world is looking for us." After verifying with his fiancée, Melissa Ngo, that the photo was actually of the two of them, he reached out to Dippel.

"I saw my dress — I had to zoom in a little bit — but as soon as I did, I was like 'Oh my gosh, that's me," Ngo said.

Dippel had actually photographed the couple's second proposal. Vo asked for Ngo to marry him back in February because they wanted to make sure an ailing grandmother knew a wedding was on the way.

Vo, from Alhambra, said the couple love traveling and the outdoors, so when the couple planned a trip to the California national Park he knew he wanted to do something more "meaningful" and private since the first one included family. 

Some of the couple's friends also snapped photos of the proposal from afar, but none compare to Dippel's stunning picture of a silhouette of man on one knee holding a woman's extended hand while standing on top of the scenic cliff. 

“Even this morning I woke up and I was like ‘I think I’m just dreaming this all,’” said Melissa. “I checked my phone and I was like ‘nope, it actually happened.”

Vo told NBC News he had actually given Ngo a Ring Pop in the proposal captured by Dippel since his fiancée already had a ring.

The two met in college and began dating about two years ago, according to NBC. They plan on tying the knot in April of next year.

“It makes us happy that people like our story,” Vo said, “and how much it means to them.”

The Diocese of Bridgeport is taking steps to deal with the fall-out from allegations of the sexual abuse of minors and it has launched a website to share what the diocese is doing to protect minors and information learned from an investigation. 

“Many words have been said regarding the crime of sexual abuse of minors and the scandals that these crimes have produced, words that are needed to express our grief, anger, and confusion. However, words alone are insufficient. The time for further action has come,” Bishop Frank J. Caggiano said in a statement posted on the website.  

The website includes a list of accused clerics who served in the Diocese of Bridgeport and it is expected to include the full financial report of settlement amounts for past claims. The Diocese says the website will be updated continuously. 

“The Diocese of Bridgeport can never fully make right the suffering of victims and the sins of the past, but we are committed to bringing healing and reconciliation to all those affected by the crisis and to rebuild trust through many of the spiritual and administrative measures described in these pages,” Caggiano wrote. 

The Bridgeport diocese previously said 29 of its priests over the decades have been credibly accused of sexual abuse, and the diocese has settled at least three dozen abuse lawsuits over the years. 

“We will never permit a member of the clergy with credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor against him to remain in active ministry within the diocese or any other priestly ministry,” the website says.

It also says the diocese will “immediately remove a member of the clergy or any other Church worker from active ministry during an investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor.”

Robert Holzberg, a retired Superior Court judge, is leading the investigation into sexual abuse allegations, which is expected to be finished in the spring.  

The assistant manager of a Hamden fish market is accused of stealing nearly $200,000 worth of seafood from the shop over several years and selling it. 

Police said 57-year-old Lance Graver, of North Branford, the assistant manager of #1 Fish Market in Hamden, would arrive at work early on Monday mornings, take hundreds of dollars’ worth of seafood, put it in his vehicle, then work for the day. 

Graver told police that he stole $800 worth of seafood once a week for four years, according to a news release from police. 

Police said they received a report on April 28 that around $200,000 worth of seafood had been stolen from the business over the years and conducted an extensive investigation, which led to the application for an arrest warrant for Graver. 

The court approved the arrest warrant application and Graver was charged with larceny in the first degree. 

Police said Graver is accused of selling the seafood and the investigation is ongoing. 

Graver is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Nov. 8. It’s not clear if he has an attorney. 

Part of the Berlin Turnpike is closed in Newington after a serious multi-vehicle crash.

Police said the southbound lanes of the road are closed between Route 175 and East Robbins Avenue.

No additional information was immediately available.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed House Speaker Paul Ryan for opposing his plan to sign an executive order that would end birthright citizenship, ripping the Wisconsin Republican as someone who knows "nothing about" the issue, NBC News reported.

"Paul Ryan should be focusing on holding the Majority rather than giving his opinions on Birthright Citizenship, something he knows nothing about!" Trump tweeted six days before the midterm elections Tuesday. "Our new Republican Majority will work on this, Closing the Immigration Loopholes and Securing our Border!"

Trump's lashing out came just one day after Ryan had rejected comments made by Trump about wanting to sign an executive order that would end birthright citizenship for the children of many immigrants to the U.S. Ryan said that "the 14th Amendment's pretty clear" and ending birthright citizenship "would involve a very very lengthy Constitutional process."

A spokesperson for Ryan, who is not seeking reelection, did not immediately respond to questions from NBC News about Trump's latest remarks about him.

The former public information officer for the West Haven police department has been arrested and charged with 87 counts of forgery after an investigation into allegations of falsified overtime slips.

State police arrested 49-year-old David Tamarro, of West Haven, Wednesday and charged him with 87 counts of second-degree forgery.

State police said they started investigating in February when the Milford State’s Attorney’s Office asked that they investigate allegations that Tammaro falsified hours on overtime slips and forged the signatures of supervisors over a timespan of several years.

Tamarro was the public information officer and also supervised the school resource officer program, the community resource officer program.

The person who filed the complaint claimed that Tamarro took advantage of his position as public information officer to be paid overtime for hours he did not work, according to the arrest warrant application.  

Tamarro was suspended with pay on March 1, pending an internal investigation, according to the arrest warrant application. 

Bond was set at $10,000 and he was released.

Tamarro is due in Milford Superior Court on Nov. 13.

For much of her life, Jacqueline Koski considered herself a Democrat. The Minnesotan almost always backed the party down the ballot. She voted for President Barack Obama twice. During the 2016 primary she threw her support behind U.S. Sen Bernie Sanders, an independent vying for the Democratic nomination.

But after Hillary Clinton won the nomination, the 52-year-old store owner started to rethink her longtime political allegiances. She was tired of what she saw as a cloud of controversy trailing the Clintons. And while she didn't like Donald Trump much either, she deemed him the lesser of two evils.

"We really didn't vote for Trump," Koski explained. "We voted against Hillary."

This year, Koski once again found herself facing a difficult choice in a heated campaign. She lives in Duluth, a port city on Lake Superior in the heart of one of the most competitive House races in the country. 

Up for grabs is Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District, where Democrat Joe Radinovich and Republican Pete Stauber are jockeying to succeed outgoing Democratic Rep. Rick Nolan. The race is seen as one of the GOP's best and only hopes for flipping a seat held by Democrats this year and has attracted national headlines, along with more than $7 million in spending from outside groups.

Whether voters like Koski swing back to Democrats or stick with the GOP this November could have consequences that go beyond who represents the district's residents.
 

This article, part 6 in a series, examines one of the key battleground races for control of the House of Representatives in the Nov. 6 midterm elections. Carried by grassroots momentum, Democrats must take 23 seats from Republicans to win the balance of power. They are contending with Republicans' experience and organization, and an outspoken but polarizing president.

The Eighth District covers a vast swath of rural northeastern Minnesota that stretches from the Canadian border through the iron ore deposits of the Iron Range to the Twin Cities' northern suburbs. Strong labor ties forged through the mining and shipping industries rendered the region reliably blue for most of the past seven decades. But Trump and his message of economic populism struck a chord. He won the district by about 15 points in 2016.

Nolan, the Democratic congressman, managed to eke out a victory that year, but the president's landslide win put the already-targeted seat on the radar of national election handicappers, who predicted the midterms would deliver another tight race. Nolan's decision not to seek another term promised to make it even closer.

"The Iron Range used to be solidly Democrat," said David Schultz, a professor of political science at Hamline University in St. Paul. "Now, it's become 'Trump Democrats.'" 

This year's race pits Radinovich, a 32-year-old former state legislator and Nolan campaign manager, against Stauber, a 52-year-old county commissioner, retired police officer and minor league hockey player. Skip Sandman, an independent candidate who ran for the seat as the Green Party nominee in 2014, is also on the ballot.

As in many swing districts nationwide, the economy, health care and trade have been the subject of intense debate.

Both candidates have pledged to keep Medicare and Social Security intact — positions crucial for winning over the district's sizable aging population — and voiced support for Trump's steel tariffs, which helped raise the price on local iron ore and steel. 

But they diverge on other key issues, like health care and the Trump tax cuts, both of which Stauber supports.

"He's got really good business sense and he's propelling it with his administration," Stauber said of the president's performance on jobs and the economy in a recent debate hosted by Minnesota Public Radio.

Democrats believe those issues give them an edge. Radinovich's embrace of progressive policies, like a "Medicare for All"-type system and a $15 minimum wage, helped him sail through a five-way primary, and he has criticized Trump's tax cuts as overwhelmingly helping the rich, not the district's voters. Just last week, the pro-Democrat House Majority PAC announced a six-figure TV ad buy hitting Stauber on health care costs and claims that the GOP's proposals would raise prices for seniors.

Stauber, who has criticized the Affordable Care Act, says he would not roll back protections for pre-existing conditions. He often cites his own experience raising a child with Down Syndrome, which is considered a pre-existing condition by insurance companies. 

"Health care, the economy, social security, all of these issues are still at the forefront of this election," said Tamara Jones, a 41-year-old Democratic operative in Duluth. "I think people are looking for someone who can solve these problems." 

But the race has taken a deeply personal turn. Republican-allied groups ran TV ads hitting Radinovich over past traffic tickets and a drug paraphernalia arrest when he was 18. Radinovich, whose campaign did not agree to an interview for this article, responded to those attacks in a heartfelt video in which he opened up about losing his mother in a murder-suicide committed by another relative when he was a teen.

"These millionaires and billionaires and Washington special interests flooding our airwaves with negative ads want you to believe we should be forever defined by our mistakes, by our lowest moments, by our struggles," Radinovich said in the video. "What I know is my struggles have made me stronger and given me a deeper understanding of what community's about and what's at stake in this election."

Democrats have countered with attacks on Stauber's integrity, accusing him of flouting the law and county ethics policy by using his government account to communicate with the National Republican Congressional Committee. The Minnesota arm of the Democratic Party this week won a judge's order, making those exchanges public.

The onslaught of ads, most of which are attacks on Radinovich, appears to have left a mark on voters. A recent New York Times/Siena poll showed Stauber leading by double digits, a major shift from a month before, when the two were running neck-and-neck.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the race from a toss-up to leaning toward vote Republican. Cook only rates two other seats currently held by Democrats as toss-up or better for Republicans: one in Pennsylvania where court-mandated redistricting will likely benefit Democrats statewide, the other a toss-up race along Minnesota's southern border. 

In the Eighth District, Democrats hope an energized base and advantages in the state's gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races (both Senate seats are up for a vote due to former Sen. Al Franken's resignation last year) will lift them to victory, despite the odds.

"I think this will be a referendum on this administration," Jones said. "The Democrats are fired up to win. They're out knocking doors. They've got a field program."

But if it does indeed come down to a referendum on the administration, the president himself may be a trump card for Stauber. While his approval ratings have plummeted statewide, Trump's numbers remain strong across Northern Minnesota.

He drew large crowds at his two campaign stops in Minnesota this year, including one in Duluth to stump for Stauber. Other White House surrogates, including Vice President Mike Pence and Lara Trump, have also come to the GOP nominee's aid.

"The popularity of President Trump in Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District is as intense, if not more, than on election night," Stauber, whose campaign did not agree to interview requests, told The New York Times. "He's fighting for our way of life, mining, manufacturing timber harvesting, low unemployment." 

Whether support for Trump in the district translates into a win for Stauber will be closely watched by political strategists, and not just because of what's at stake on Nov. 6. The results in the Eighth and across Minnesota might also forecast what's to come in the 2020 presidential race, according to Schultz.

"Is 2016 an indictment of Clinton in the upper Midwest or a sign that an area that used to be pretty reliable for the Democrats — and the state that's been the most reliable state in the country for the Democratic presidential candidates — is changing?" said Schultz, who wrote a book on presidential swing states.

Koski, the swing voter, has few regrets about her support for Trump. She's happy with the economy and fed up with what she sees as personal attacks against the president coming from Democratic lawmakers like Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. 

Koski also sided with Republicans during the Supreme Court confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanuagh, whom she believes faced unfair and politically motivated allegations of sexual assault. 

Still, deciding which congressional candidate to support this year wasn't easy. While she was drawn to Stauber's experience, she had reservations over his response to a long-running personal issue she's had with officials in the county involving deaths in her family and a custody dispute. 

And while she worries Radinovich's policy positions are "reckless," she didn't appreciate the GOP "kicking a dead horse" by attacking the Democrat over traffic fines.

"More often than not people have trouble paying their bills," Koski said. "More people are going to relate to Joe on that."

In the end, she decided to continue her Republican streak and support Stauber over Radinovich. But even more than seeing her candidate win, Koski is ready for the heated midterm fight to be over.

"It's no doubt that this is a really important race," she said. "When you can cut tension with a knife between neighbors because of lawn signs, it's insane."

NBC Connecticut Responds helped a Bloomfield man resolve his complaint about having to pay an additional charge fee when he picked up a second cell phone during a Verizon buy one get one free promotion.

Wayne Heywood says he’s been a loyal Verizon customer since 1997. Last September, he decided to take advantage of the company’s buy one, get one free promotion for cell phones.

“Buy one, get one is something that everyone does and normally there’s no problem,” said Wayne Heywood.

Heywood paid the full amount, $1152.80, for a new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 cell phone and got a second phone as part of the promotion. When Wayne discovered an additional $41.81 monthly charge for that second phone on his first bill, he called customer service.

“They said, well, part of the promotion is that the phone that you actually bought, you’re going to have to pay a device charge for the 24 months of the contract,” said Heywood.

Heywood said he was instructed to go back to the store and speak with a manager. He did, and said the manager confirmed the device fee was part of plan.

“I don’t understand that, it doesn’t make sense to me. I’ve already paid for that phone and the other phone is supposed to be free,” said Heywood.

Heywood admitted that he didn’t read the fine print for the promotion which mentioned the device fee for the second phone. But he argued, it should’ve been discussed before he purchased the phone. After getting no resolution from Verizon, Wayne reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds.

A Verizon spokesperson told Responds:

“When purchasing new devices most customers choose to spread the cost of the phone out by taking advantage of Device Payments. This Buy One Get One Promotion was designed to work with that program. Thank you for bringing this customer's issue to our attention, so we were able to resolve the issue.”

Verizon agreed to drop the $41.81 monthly fee for 24 months in which Wayne saved $984. His message to others about NBC Connecticut Responds,

“If they have a problem and they can’t solve it themselves then they need to reach out to your organization. So, that you can help them,” said Heywood.

The parents of a 4-year-old boy who died after he and his brother went into the family car alone on a hot day in West Haven have been arrested.

Dusan Jenkins, 34, and Latoya Walters, 34, turned themselves into police Wednesday after learning of warrants for their arrests.

Police were dispatched to the family’s Treat Street home around 3 p.m. on July 19 after receiving a 911 call and said they found 4-year-old Dusan and his 2-year-old brother, Davion, suffering medical issues.

The boys were rushed to the hospital, where Dusan was pronounced dead.

As police investigate, they have been reviewing closed-circuit recordings from a camera located at the building where the family lives.

On Friday they said part of the recordings show the brothers leave the apartment house alone and approach the family’s car, according to police.

The recordings also show the boys’ father removing them from the same vehicle and bringing them back to the apartment house.

Jenkins is charged with criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a minor. Walters is charged with false statement, reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a minor. Both were held on bond.

Four people were taken to the hospital after a two-car crash on Route 6 in Terryville Wednesday.

The crash happened in front of 488 Main St. around 4 p.m.

The two drivers both had to be extricated from their vehicles, and one was airlifted to St. Francis Hospital. Three other people were also transported. Their conditions are unknown.

Route 6 was closed from Harwinton Avenue to Seymour Road for the investigation but has since reopened.

The crash remains under investigation.

Wolcott police are warning residents of a scam masquerading as a letter from the Publishers Clearing House name.

Police said a resident reported receiving a letter and a check for $5,825. The letter claimed the recipient had won $2.5 million and that the check would cover insurance and attorney fees.

The resident, who had not sent anything to Publishers Clearing House, suspected a scam and contacted police.

When police contacted the number on the letter, the people who answered hung up.

Police caution residents to be alert for scams and never send money or share personal information with an unknown person.

A man lost part of a finger while trying to stop a pit bull from attacking his dog in New London Tuesday morning, police said, and the pit bull died from injuries sustained in the fight with the other dog.

Police officers and firefighters responded to the area of Cape Ann Court and Ashcraft Road at 7:24 a.m. after a 911 call came in reporting that two dogs were attacking a person.

Twenty-one year old Marquis Boney said he has walked his dog Goji, an almost 1-year-old mastiff, past the pit bull before and never had a problem. He passed Tuesday morning with Goji on a leash.

“My dog gave him a look and he gave him a look and I think that just set it off and that dog jumped over the fence,” Boney said.

According to Boney, he was trying to break up the fighting when part of his finger was bitten off by the pit bull.

“I grabbed his hand and I told him to hold the towel on it to stop the bleeding. Put pressure,” said neighbor Emily Pratts, who ran to help. “And he’s just like, ‘My dog, my dog!’”

Pratts said other neighbors were outside, including the owners of the pit bull. Someone called 911, another ran to get Boney’s mom.

When officers arrived, they attempted to use a “bite sleeve” but then fired a Taser at Goji when the dogs didn’t separate. Goji ran off. The pit bull, Menace, succumbed to his injuries.

“He’s like my son. Without him, it’s like… it’s like breathing without air,” Boney said about the fact Goji is still missing.

Sara Alexander, the owner of Menace, said when she ran outside she was shocked to see that her dog apparently jumped the fence. She said he loved people and had been outside around Goji.

“We loved him and he loved us. We had high schoolers who would cut through our yard all the time just so they could see Menace,” Alexander said.

Her heart goes out to Boney’s family.

“There really are no winners here. We’re all victims now,” Alexander said.

Boney said Goji is a service animal who helps with his post-traumatic stress disorder after a battle with bone cancer as a child caused his right leg to be amputated above the knee.

“He helps relax me when I feel enormous amounts of stress,” Boney said.

Which is one reason he said it’s critical to get his dog back.

“I know this sounds crazy but I will do whatever it takes – I would lose a whole hand for this dog,” Boney said. “That’s how much I love him.”

Police and animal control are looking for the mastiff and they are asking anyone with information about the attack to call New London Police at 860-447-5269, extension 0 or text NLPDTips and the information to Tip411.

The fallout over a campaign mailer sent to Connecticut voters that some argue is anti-Semitic continues to grow. 

That mailer was sent by Ed Charamut’s state senate campaign and depicts what appears to be a doctored image of his opponent Matt Lesser, who is Jewish, with wide eyes grinning while gazing at several hundred dollar bills.

At an event to denounce the mailer Wednesday morning, Lesser said in a week when 11 people were killed in a synagogue for practicing their faith, an apology for this mailer simply isn’t enough but it’s a place to start.

“It’s astonishing. It’s deeply hurtful. It’s not something I thought I would ever have to live through,” he said at the event that included faith and civic leaders speaking in opposition to the mailer.

Critics say the message of anti-Semitism couldn’t be clearer.

“You cannot pretend that it doesn’t mean what it was meant to mean. So today, we have to condemn that mailer,” said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.

In a statement posted to Facebook, the Charamut campaign apologized for the mailer saying they understand now it could be seen as anti-Semitic, but “it was never our intention for the mailer to be anything more than a reflection of Mr. Lesser’s policy record.”

Wethersfield resident Alyse Black says she picked up on what she thinks was the mailer’s true intent.

“I don’t think that in this day and age you can look at an image like that or feel the anti-Semitic things that are going on or anything else that going on in this world and pretend that is just simply tax related or simply money-related,” said Black.

Wednesday, Lesser was asked if he believed Charamut should get out of the senate race. He told NBC Connecticut he’d leave that decision his opponent, but believes the mailer’s message is a disqualifier from public office.

“My hope is that the public on Tuesday will vote and vote against hatred and division, bigotry and anti-Semitism,” said Lesser.

You can read the Charamut’s full statement on the mailer here: