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Missing 92-Year-Old Westport Man Found Safe


Top Dems Say Whitaker Must Recuse Himself From Mueller Probe

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Democratic leaders pressed the Department of Justice's top ethics official on Sunday to provide answers on whether the department has advised acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, NBC News reported.

In a letter to Lee Lofthus, the assistant attorney general for administration, Democrats highlighted Whitaker's past comments criticizing the Mueller probe and what they called a "troubling" conflict of interest as evidence that he should have no role overseeing the investigation.

"There are serious ethical considerations that require Mr. Whitaker’s immediate recusal from any involvement with the Special Counsel investigation of the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election," the Democrats wrote.

Before Whitaker joined the Justice Department as former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' chief of staff in late 2017, he was a conservative legal commentator and wrote an opinion piece for CNN titled "Mueller's investigation into Trump is going too far."



Photo Credit: Charlie Neibergall/AP, File

Patriots Struggle in All Phases in Loss to Titans

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For weeks, the Patriots have been struggling in the red zone, failing to convert short fields into touchdowns.

On Sunday, their troubles expanded to the entire field. New England’s offense looked as lifeless as it’s ever been in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era in a 34-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.

All of this despite not turning the ball over.

Not that the defense helped matters, either, as Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota and the rest of Tennessee’s offense had their way all day long.

The Titans scored on the game’s first drive, with Mariota completing a 4-yard pass to Jonnu Smith to cap off a ridiculously easy seven-play, 40-yard drive.

Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 52-yard field goal on New England’s opening drive, only for Tennessee to march right back down field with a nine-play, 78-yard scoring drive which culminated in a Corey Davis 23-yard touchdown reception.

Davis was a monster for the Titans all game long, hauling in seven passes for 125 yards while routinely beating Stephon Gilmore in coverage.

James Develin had a 1-yard touchdown run to pull the Patriots within 17-10 early in the second quarter, but the Patriots would get no closer.

Tennessee made it a two-score game 1:09 shy of halftime on a Derrick Henry 1-yard touchdown run, kicked a field goal in the third quarter, and put an end to any shot of a New England comeback with another Henry run in the fourth.

Things got so bad for the Patriots that Brian Hoyer replaced Brady midway through the fourth quarter with the outcome of the game long since decided.

Brady completed 21 of his 41 passes for 254 yards, good enough for a passer rating of just 70.6 -- his second-lowest of the season following a similiar debacle in Detroit.

Mariota, meanwhile, shined for the Titans. He was 16 for 24 for 228 yards and the two touchdown passes, and even added a catch for 21 yards.

The Patriots hardly targeted former cornerback Malcolm Butler, who started the game for his new team despite struggles in recent weeks. Dion Lewis, another former Patriot, was also relatively quiet with 57 rushing yards and just two catches for 11 yards.

Tennessee, of course, is coached by former New England linebacker Mike Vrabel, who spent eight seasons with the Patriots from 2001 to 2008. 

The Titans entered the game as owners of the NFL's top scoring defense, giving up an average of 17.6 points per game; that number will go down after embarassing New England.

Rob Gronkowski and Shaq Mason were inactive for New England, while the team dealt with injuries to Trent Brown, Marcus Cannon, Dwayne Allen and Julian Edelman over the course of the game.

It was the worst loss for the Patriots since Week 4 of the 2014 season, when New England infamously lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on the road, 41-14.

It was on to Cincinnati after that, and the rest is history. What happens next remains to be seen, but the Patriots now have a much-needed bye week ahead. They return to action against the hapless New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 25 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Driver Takes Off After Hitting Man in Hartford: Fire Officials

Veterans Not Getting GI Bill Benefits Due to IT Issues at VA

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The Department of Veterans Affairs is suffering from a series of information technology glitches that has caused GI Bill benefit payments covering education and housing to be delayed or, in some cases, never delivered, NBC News reported

"I’m about to lose everything that I own and become homeless," said Shelley Roundtree, a U.S. Army veteran and student at Berkeley College in New York. "I don’t want to be that veteran on the street begging for change because I haven’t received what I was promised."

Veterans across the country are still waiting for the VA to catch up with a backlog created after President Donald Trump signed the Forever GI Bill in 2017. The landmark piece of legislation greatly expanded benefits for veterans and their families, but it did not upgrade the VA's technical capabilities to account for those changes.

It's unclear how many GI Bill recipients were impacted by the delays, but as of Nov. 8, more than 82,000 were still waiting for their housing payments with only weeks remaining in the school semester, according to the VA. Hundreds of thousands are believed to have been affected. 

A VA spokesperson told NBC News over email that "further system changes and modifications are being made and testing is ongoing on the IT solution" to fix the delay in monthly stipend payments.



Photo Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images, File

Silver Alert Issued For Maine Man Headed to Connecticut

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A Silver Alert has been issued for a man from Maine who was heading to Connecticut, but never arrived.

Police said 76-year-old Robert Wetherbee left his home in Maine to come to North Windham, but never arrived. He has been missing since Thursday.

Wetherbee is described as a man with blue eyes, who is 6'1" and weighs 180 pounds.

He may be operating a blue 2012 Ford F-150 pick-up truck with a Maine license plate of 6924TD.

If you know of Wetherbee's whereabouts, you're encouraged to call police at (860) 465-5400.



Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police

Norwich Free Academy Displays Flags to Honor Veterans

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Noriwch Free Academy is displaying 175 flags to represent veterans. The display will be up through the week.

How to Help Victims of California Wildfires

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More than 30 people have died and tens of thousands of Californians have been forced from their homes as huge wildfires continue to rage in the northern and southern ends of the state. 

The Camp Fire has become the most destructive wildfire in state history, killing at least 29 people and destroying more than 6,400 residential structures over nearly 175 square miles. The 130-square-mile Woolsey fire north of Los Angeles, meanwhile, killed at least two and has the potential to grow with the return of Santa Ana winds. Burning near the Woolsey fire, the Hill fire is smaller and three-quarters contained.

Here are some ways to help:

DONATIONS
Anyone who wants to help can text "CAWILDFIRES" to 90999 to make a $10 donation to support RedCross disaster efforts.

GoFundMe has also set up a page with fundraising campaigns for victims of the fires in both northern and southern California.

Donations can also be made through the Salvation Army.  

North Valley Community Foundation is accepting monetary donations as well as supplies.

Caring Choice, a nonprofit in Chico, is accepting donations to help offer relief to those affected by recent Northern California Fires. You can make a note in the memo whether you prefer your donation be used for, food, clothing, housing or other things.

Among supplies needed are paper products (toilet paper, forks, spoons, paper plates, tissues, paper towels), and women's undergarments, as well as warm clothes, including shoe and socks, Butte County officials said.

The North Valley Animal Disaster Group is taking care of 729 animals as of Saturday morning and it's accepting donations. Call ‪530-899-3873‬ or visit this site for more information.

United Way of Greater Los Angeles has started a disaster relief fund for victims of the Hill and Woolsey fires. Similarly, United Way of Northern California has set up an option on its donation for page for people to put money toward Camp fire relief.

The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation has also put out a call for donations to raise money to purchase hydration backpacks for firefighters. Donations can be made online at the organization's website

AirBnb was looking for host homes to open their spaces for evacuees of the Woolsey and Hill Fires through Nov. 29. 

Those wishing to volunteer should fill out an application and wait for instructions. Notarized applications are required. Contact Caring Choices by calling 530-899-3873 or visiting them at 1398 Ridgewood in Chico. 

AT&T was waiving charges for those affected by the fires. See more information here. T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon are offering a similar deal, with more information available on their websites.  

Additionally, NBC Los Angeles has a Southern California wildfires Facebook group with local information on ways to help. 



Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Employees Return to Work at West Haven Glass Company After Bus Crash

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Employees at Anderson Glass Company in West Haven are returning to work on Monday after a bus crashed into one of their buildings over the weekend.

According to police, the coach bus's brakes failed at some point and forced the driver to come down the exit 43 ramp off Interstate 95, which was a straight shot into the business on Campbell Avenue on Saturday morning.

Officers said there were 40 Princeton students on board, heading to a Yale football game. Four of them were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The driver, who had to be extricated, had more serious injuries, but was in fair condition, as of Sunday.

“We heard the bus driver calling for people to help him get out from underneath all the material, so like three guys were trying to lift the material that was covering the bus driver," said Sonia Ann Friscia, a passenger on the bus.

The owner of Anderson Glass Company said two of his employees were standing nearby when the bus came barreling towards them. He said in the last few moments, the bus driver made a hard left and crashed.

He commended the driver for how he handled a very scary turn of events that could have ended much worse.

”It seems to me like he was a hero. From what I understand, he was telling all the students ‘I don’t have any brakes, get ready,’ and he drove his bus into the softest target here, which was the garage and fortunately nobody was in that,” said John Anderson, President of Anderson Glass Co.

“The bus driver did a great job of actually steering us through to safety. He saved a lot of people," George England, a passenger on the bus added.

The crash leveled part of the shop, but it reopened on Monday morning.

”One of my guys is off today. He is a little shaken up, but no physical injuries for anybody on our end. We’re happy that no one was hurt and back to work. We can fix the building. Just happy everyone is safe,” Anderson said.

West Haven Police believe the investigation could take up to several months to complete.

In a statement, Coach USA said it is fully cooperating with police.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Could Flooding Deserts Help Stop Global Warming?

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Flooding a massive desert with desalinated ocean water to grow enough algae to consume Earth's climate-changing carbon dioxide is one of four "moonshot" scenarios revealed by a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, NBC News reported.

The desert flooding project would cost upwards of $50 trillion, according to Y Combinator, which unveiled the plan last month in hopes of inspiring other innovators to explore remedies for global warming.

But experts caution that such plans could create as many problems as they solve, even if they do stand a chance of reducing greenhouse gasses.

Y Combinator President Sam Altman predicted that the firm, which helped finance Airbnb and Dropbnox, will fund three companies to pursue the "Plan B" climate solutions in 2019.



Photo Credit: David McNew/Getty Images, File

CT Red Cross Volunteers Help During Deadly CA Fires

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People from our state are stepping up to help those affected by the raging fires in California.

About a half dozen American Red Cross volunteers from our state – including at least one who recently responded for hurricane recovery – are now supporting those dealing with the deadly fires.

Red Cross volunteer Joe Apicelli is on the ground in California in a region devastated by the Camp Fire.

In the city of Chico, the Groton-native is helping to serve meals to some of the tens of thousands who left their homes because of the destructive flames.

“Some of the local teenagers are numb from this. They can’t believe that their school is burned down and they’re not sure when they’re going back to class. They’re cautioned to be upbeat. But you can just see it in their eyes. They’re not sure,” said Apicelli.

So far, dozens have died during the most destructive fire in California’s history. It has torched about 6,500 homes.

For those who head to safety, there are several shelters and they will find hard-working volunteers including Apicelli.

He’s ready to serve them a warm meal and provide a bit of comfort in the chaos.

“People are just flocking to us for advice. They’re flocking to us for information and hope," said Apicelli.

Apicelli expects to help out in California for at least three weeks before returning to Connecticut.



Photo Credit: Joe Apicelli

Woman’s Body Found in Stamford

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Police are investigating after a woman’s body was found in Stamford Sunday afternoon. 

Police said the 67-year-old woman’s body was found under the overpass on Broad Street over Mill River around 1 p.m. Sunday. 

The woman’s family has been contacted and police are not releasing her name.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Man Shot 5-Year-Old in Neck With BB Gun in Greenwich: Police

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Greenwich Police arrested a man who is accused of shooting a child with a BB gun on Sunday night.

Officers were called to an incident where a 5-year-old child was injured after being shot in the neck with a BB gun around 7 p.m.

Police said investigators determined 44-year-old Chadwick Marriott, of Greenwich, was responsible and arrested him.

He is facing charges including discharge of a firearm, risk of injury to a child, assault and reckless endangerment.

Marriott was able to post bond and was released from police custody. He will be in court on Tuesday.



Photo Credit: Greenwich Police

Airborne Deer Slams Through Woman's SUV, Lands in Back Seat

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A deer jumped into traffic on a New Jersey highway, then flew airborne and smashed into a woman's SUV, crashing through the windshield, onto the passenger seat and landing in the back of the vehicle, authorities say. 

In a Facebook post, the Howell Township Police Department says the deer ran onto Route 9 Monday morning -- right into the path of Melissa Misthal's Rav4.

The 36-year-old woman swerved to avoid the animal but it rammed her SUV while airborne, police say. The force of the impact sent the deer into the passenger seat and then into the back; the windshield collapsed, as did the roof of the vehicle. 

The deer still in her car, Misthal managed to pull her SUV over to the shoulder. She was treated at the scene for a minor injury. The deer died. 

Police praised the actions of Misthal, though, which they say helped prevent additional accidents and injuries. 



Photo Credit: Howell Township Police Department

Plainville School Celebrates Veterans Day With Veterans

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Several schools have are closed in observance of Veteran’s Day, but for the Plainville school district, it’s a holiday worth celebrating together. 

The students of the middle school in Plainville hosted a Veteran’s Day presentation this morning to learn about the heroes who’ve protected this country. 

Suzanne Schweitzer, the school’s psychologist and a U.S. Army veteran, spearheaded the event to give students “a deeper understanding of the commitment and sacrifice that all of our veterans have made to keep this country free,” Schweitzer said. 

Higganum native Arthur Wiknik was drafted into the Vietnam War at 20 years old and shared a message of gratitude with the students. 

“I want the kids to know that it’s a very honorable thing to be in the military, and very maturing,” Wiknik said. “We know what it’s like to be in other places where there’s not running water, where there’s an oppressive government. We’ve got it pretty good here.” 

Fast forward to today, with Warrant Officer Tasha Dow serving in the Connecticut National Guard with 143rd RSG in Middletown. She spoke to students about the sacrifice she’s making away from her two children to serve her country. 

“My kids, they’ve had to deal with me being gone a few times,” Dow said, “and it’s a hard thing to reconcile with other kids who don’t understand what that’s like.” 

Students honored veterans with awards, a color guard, and music. Veterans honored students with a chorus of sincere “Thank you’s” and encouragement if they choose to pursue the same career. 

“It’s something that they could do too,” Dow said, “and there’s a lot of pride. It’s a job. It’s something really important.”



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Fire Breaks Out at Basil’s Restaurant in Stafford

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Fire broke out at Basil’s Restaurant in Stafford Monday morning.

Crews responded to the restaurant at 64 West Stafford Road and had the fire knocked down around 8:35 a.m.

Most of the damage is to the walls, but there is likely damage beyond that, officials said.

The restaurant is closed on Mondays and officials do not yet know when it will reopen because the fire remains under investigation.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Facebook Briefly Goes Down: 'Something Went Wrong'

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Some Facebook users were reporting that the site was down for them on Monday.

For those experiencing the outage, opening a page on the social media site revealed an error message reading, "Sorry, something went wrong. We're working on it and we'll get it fixed as soon as we can."

Facebook appeared to go down just 1 p.m. ET. Users started to report that it was back online about 30 mintues later. A Facebook page that tracks the platform's status said it was healthy after having been inaccessible.

The website outage-tracking site Downdetector reported a spike in reports of problems with Facebook starting before 1 p.m. ET. A map showed the outages concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest of the United States.

NBC has reached out to Facebook for comment. The company hasn't issued any tweets.

Refresh this page for more on this breaking news story.



Photo Credit: Alexander Koerner/Getty Images, File

Police Find Pickup That Hit Cyclist in Branford

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Branford police have found the pickup truck that hit and seriously injured a woman last week before taking off.

Police said a man driving a 2013 white Ford F250 pickup hit the woman as she rode a bicycle on East Main Street (Route 1), near the intersection of Featherbed Lane, around 8:20 a.m. on Nov. 4.  The driver then left the scene, police said.

The bicyclist, a 52-year-old Branford woman, was seriously injured and was transported to the hospital.

The pickup was located in Hamden, police said.

They are thanking the public for helping them find the truck.

No charges have been filed.



Photo Credit: Branford Police

Route 8 North in Naugatuck Reopens

'Marvel' Mastermind Stan Lee's Life in Photos

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Comic legend Stan Lee, the creator of some of the most iconic American superheros and villains, revolutionized whole industries doing what he loved best - telling a story. Lee, who died on Nov. 12, 2018, at the age of 95, was a leading presence within Marvel for decades. See his life in photos.

Photo Credit: AP
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