A former Ohio judge convicted of assaulting his estranged wife in 2014 was taken into custody last week after she was found dead, NBC News reported.

Lance Mason served nine months for the assault on Aisha Fraser, which took place in front of their children, according to NBC affiliate WKYC. After his release, Mason was hired to serve in Cleveland's government, but he was fired Saturday after his arrest.

Police in Shaker Heights, Ohio, didn't immediately give details about Fraser's death but called it a "terrible tragedy."

Fraser was a teacher for two decades and an uncle said in a statement that "Heaven just got a magnificent angel," according to WKYC.

Anyone affected by domestic violence can receive help, advice, information or crisis intervention by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visiting the website thehotline.org.

Actor Damian Lewis was in Connecticut over the weekend and stopped by Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria in New Haven for dinner Sunday.

Lewis, the star of Billions, is also known for his role as Nicholas Brody in “Homeland” and Richard D. Winters in ”Band of Brothers.”

He was at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven for dinner on Sunday with his aunt and uncle and they had a Margherita pie, Quattro Formaggi and a pizza with sausage and peppers.

A photo was released of him with Gina Merola, a server at the New Haven restaurant.

Farmington Police have arrested a teenager who is accused of staying in a store at Westfarms after hours and stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry on Friday morning.

Officers responded to a burglar alarm at the JC Penney store in Westfarms at 2:16 a.m. When officers arrived, they found the exterior doors and the store was secure.

A second alarm was activated at 2:46 a.m. and the alarm company contacted a store employee to come to the store.

While officers waited for the employee to arrive so they could check the inside of the store, police said a maintenance worker performing snow removal in the parking lots noticed a suspicious man wearing dark clothes squatting near a snow bank.

Officers said the man ran off, but left a partially buried backpack in a snow bank at the edge of the parking lot.

After the maintenance worker alerted police at the scene, officers learned the backpack was full of jewelry and watches with JC Penney store tags still attached.

Detectives were called to the scene to assist with the investigation. While they viewed the store's surveillance video, an officer who was guarding shoe impressions in the snow said they noticed a man wearing dark clothing pacing near the snow bank where the backpack full of stolen items was found.

The officer said the man's sneakers appeared to be the same type of shoe that left the impression in the snow.

Officers detained the man and detectives said they immediately recognized him as the burglary suspect from the store's surveillance video.

Police said 18-year-old Tarik Ousha Mathis was arrested and charged with burglary.

Mathis told officers he was walking around JC Penney before the store closed on Thursday night. He said he hid in a dark storage room in the shoe department until he knew the store had closed. Surveillance video showed him entering the storage room at 7:28 p.m. on Thursday and leaving at 2:09 a.m. on Friday.

Surveillance video showed Mathis stealing a backpack and then filling it with assorted watches and jewelry, worth approximately $9,900. Police said the video also showed him hiding deeper into the store when officers responded to the first alarm and then shows him leaving the store when police left.

According to police, Mathis came back to look for the backpack when officers were at the scene because he thought his state identification and social security card were inside. Detectives said his identification cards were not inside.

Mathis was held on a $50,000 bond and was in court on Monday.

Firefighters were called to battle a fire on Canton Street in West Haven Monday.

Wolcott High School is dismissing early Monday following the death of a beloved member of the community.  The school announced the schedule change on its Facebook page following the passing of David Pelletier, described as a "truly beloved figure in the Wolcott community."

"We are doing this early dismissal today in the face of incredibly sad news for Wolcott High School and the whole Wolcott community," the district's Facebook page said.

Grief counselors will be available for students at the school and will be available districtwide tomorrow.

The early dismissal started at 12:15 p.m. but students have the option to stay, talk with counselors and then depart at the normal 1:55 p.m. time.

The early dismissal is only scheduled for Wolcott High School.  All other schools in the district are operating on a regular schedule.

NBC Connecticut Meteorologists are forecasting an arctic blast just in time for Thanksgiving.

A strong Canadian High pressure system will dip down over New England sending temperatures from the 40s early in the week into the 20s by Thanksgiving.

Dangerously cold air will be in place Thanksgiving morning and into the afternoon.

Wind chill values could range from -5 to -15 throughout the state. 

This could also be the coldest Thanksgiving on record. Records for the Hartford area go back to 1905. 

Here's a look at where the current records stand and what we're forecasting. 

Stay with the NBC Connecticut First Alert weather team for continuous updates on this bitter blast. 

An archeological dig is resurrecting the friendly rivalry between the two towns, which really, comes down to the definition of “town.”

But whether in Wethersfield or in Windsor, historians said they’re excited that this could drum up interest in the time period.

"It’s been going back for years and years and years. More than 100 years, a very friendly rivalry between Windsor and Wethersfield," said Amy Northrop Wittorff, the executive director of the Wethersfield Historical Society.

She’ll tell people technically Wethersfield came first.

"(Wethersfield) legally received permission to become a town in May 1635. Our neighbors in Windsor got their permission in June 1635," Northrop Wittorff said.

Signs around Wethersfield read they are the “most ancient” and founded in 1634.

But a few miles up the Connecticut River, people in Windsor said they were there first.

"Wethersfield celebrates 1634 as their settlement date and we celebrate 1633 as our settlement date," said Christine Ermenc, executive director of the Windsor Historical Society.

Men from Plymouth, Mass. set up a trading post in town in 1633, according to Ermenc.

"We consider Windsor the first English settlement in Connecticut because it was continuously occupied since that Sept. 26, 1633 date," Ermenc said.

It comes down to semantics.

An archeological dig conducted by the non-profit Public Archaeology Survey Team (PAST) at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum in Wethersfield rekindled the friendly rivalry. That survey started in 2016 and recently wrapped up.

"We’ve discovered over 20,000 artifacts and they date from over a 400 year period starting in the 1630s," museum Executive Director Charles Lyle said.

The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum is in the process of building a new visitor and education center. Because of the importance of the historic site, the museum was asked by the state Historic Preservation Office to do extensive archeology work, according to Lyle.

Archeologists uncovered ceramics and glass dating back to the colonial period, Lyle explained, along with several other artifacts.

But in the friendly "which came first" rivalry, he won’t take a side.

"We have more work to do before we can establish that," Lyle said. "But it’s pretty close! We’re about a year apart."

A Pennsylvania man is facing numerous charges for allegedly using a blowtorch to break into six Target stores in New England and Pennsylvania and steal nearly $200,000 in Apple iPhones and iPads.

According to a federal indictment, stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut were among those targeted.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said 35-year-old Elijah Aiken and a second, unnamed defendant broke into numerous Target stores in order to to steal electronic devices including cell phones and tablets that he could then transport across state lines and sell for money.

He and his accomplice, whose name is redacted from the court paperwork, would use a portable cutting torch to cut a hole through a metal door at the stores and steal upwards of 50 Apple iPhones, iPads and other electronic devices. He would then transport the items into New York, where he would sell them.

The alleged crimes are said to have occurred between December 2014 and February 2015. Most of the burglaries happened during the early morning hours when the stores were closed.

The Target stores that were robbed were located in Southington and Torrington, Connecticut, Easton and Westborough, Massachusetts, Hooksett, New Hampshire, and Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

The total value of the items stolen was in excess of $180,000.

The first alleged theft occurred at the Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania Target on Dec. 6, 2014. According to the indictment, Aiken and his accomplice broke into the store and stole at least 15 iPads worth $5,250 and took them to New York to sell.

Four days later, they allegedly broke into the Torrington, Connecticut store, stealing approximately 50 iPads worth about $22,000.

Ten days after that, they broke into the Easton, Massachusetts store and allegedly stole $64,000 worth of iPhone, iPads and other electronic devices.

Another 10 days later, they allegedly stole $90,000 worth of iPhones and iPads from a Target store in Westborough, Massachusetts.

Aiken and his accomplice were finally arrested on Feb. 4, 2015 after robbing a Target in Southington, Connecticut when police found them hiding in the snow nearby.

Aiken now faces charges of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce; interstate transportation of stolen goods; and interstate transportation of stolen goods, aiding and abetting.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Worcester.

Mark Zuckerberg and his deputy, Sheryl Sandberg, believe Facebook's negative image comes from bungled public relations strategy and sensational media coverage, not structural or philosophical issues, six sources at the company told NBC News.

Facebook is facing challenges from consumer organizations, politicians and journalists. A recent New York Times report found it had a "delay, deny and deflect" strategy for dealing with problems related to Russia-based disinformation efforts, and Zuckerberg and Sandberg publicly blamed the company's communications team for a controversial PR move highlighted in the report.

Internally, members of the communications team feel they've been thrown under the bus, with one source calling the move "total arrogance."

A Facebook spokesperson told NBC News the leadership "takes full responsibility for the issues we're facing. ... No matter where people sit at Facebook, everyone wants to move forward — and that's our plan."

Sixteen Democrats on Monday released a letter announcing their opposition to electing Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaker of the House, presenting her a narrow path to reclaiming the speaker’s gavel in the next Congress.

The letter is the first concrete expression of opposition from current Democratic lawmakers and incoming members of Congress since the party won control of the House in the midterm elections, NBC News reported.

Pelosi has been aggressively campaigning for the speakership amid opposition from a small but vocal group of incumbents within her own party who have long advocated for new leadership and several incoming members who won election pledging they would oppose her as speaker.

Connecticut State Police will be keeping a close eye on the roads over the holiday.

Beginning Wednesday and running through Sunday night, state police will have extra patrols looking out for aggressive, unsafe or drunk drivers. The state Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will also be out working a Seatbelt Enforcement Wave that begins Monday and also runs through Sunday.

Police will be out in traditional and unmarked patrol vehicles.

If you spot an unsafe driver, contact 911.

A Dallas real estate agent is in hospice care in El Paso after allegedly suffering severe brain damage from complications she experienced during anesthesia ahead of cosmetic surgeries at a clinic in Juarez, Mexico, according to the woman's family.

Laura Avila, 36, is now breathing on her own, according to family, but has been given little hope of making a substantial recovery.

Her sister Angie Avila said Laura went in for several planned procedures, including a nose job, at the Rino Clinic in Juarez on Oct. 30. Before surgery began, she suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of the anesthesia.

"They told her fiancé that she would be ready to be picked up at 4 p.m.,” Angie Avila told Telemundo 48. "He arrived at about 3:30 p.m. and they told him they had not been able to start the surgery because the anesthesia had not worked out yet."

Angie Avila said Laura was placed in a medically induced coma "to prevent further brain damage" and taken to a local hospital. After six days in an intensive care unit at a Mexico hospital, Avila’s family transferred her across the border to El Paso where she remains on life support with a grim long-term prognosis.

“[The doctors] said that she is not going to be able to eat by herself, or talk, or walk or even taste food,” said Enrique Cruz, Laura Avila’s fiancé. “She might be able to hear what we’re saying, maybe blink. But as far as being any kind of normal they don’t see her doing that.”

Her sister said medical staff at hospital in Juarez where Laura Avila was transferred to told the family they believed the anesthesia was administered incorrectly. Angie Avila told Telemundo 48 doctors said the clinic had injected anesthesia in her spine and instead of it flowing down her body, it went into her brain which caused severe swelling.

“We are hoping people cannot focus on this being a woman getting cosmetic surgery, but rather gross negligence, and the fact that we were very close to possibly losing a person very dear to us,” Angie Avila sad. “So, we ask for kindness and awareness.”

Angie Avila said her sister had traveled across the border for the procedure because of the discounted cost. She also said Laura doesn't have health insurance and her family started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Avila’s rising medical expenses.

Avila’s sister and finance told NBC 5 several Dallas-area hospitals, including UT Southwestern Medical Center, Parkland Memorial Hospital and Baylor Scott & White, have declined to admit Avila as a patient due to her prognosis and because of lack of insurance.

In the wake of Avila’s failed procedure, authorities in Mexico raided the clinic and have temporarily shut it down. No charges have been filed.

Avila’s sister told Telemundo 48 the family has hired an attorney in Mexico to assist them in getting Laura’s medical records. Angie Avila said they fear the clinic would alter the information on her records.

She also accused the clinic of negligence, noting that her sister was left attended in the operating room for several hours after going into cardiac arrest

"Besides the anesthetist, there were four doctors who did nothing for eight to 10 hours," Angie Avila said. "They left her in a room. I do not know if she woke up, I do not know what time she went into cardiac arrest."

Two people were hurt in a serious crash on Boston Post Road in Guilford Monday.

Guilford police said emergency crews were called to a crash near 2600 Boston Post Road around 1:!5 p.m. The driver of one vehicle suffered serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. A second driver suffered minor injuries and was also transported.

Boston Post Road has been closed for several hours due to the investigation. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Guilford police at 203-463-8061.

Governor-Elect Ned Lamont is staying true to one of his key campaign promises. He’s partnering with the private sector where he can to help him make policy and hiring decisions.

He announced he would receive help filling positions within his administration from a pair of professionals who work far from the state government space. Kevin Myatt, the vice president of Human Resources for Yale-New Haven Hospital and Josh Denson from Stamford who has worked for Korn Ferry in executive search roles.

Lamont says resumes have already started flowing into his transition team.

"We want to look at the people who want to serve this state and we have hundreds of people who want to serve this state and believe in this state but I’d say something else, you also want to find the people who maybe aren’t necessarily thinking about their service in state government," said Lamont.

The new governor is also beginning to take positions on key issues.

Tuesday will mark the start of the sale of marijuana for recreational use in Massachusetts.

Lamont, as he did on the campaign trail, is advocating for Connecticut to pursue similar legislation, as a new form of revenue.

"It’s something I would support and I don’t want the black market controlling marijuana distribution in our state," Lamont said. “I think that’s a lousy way to go.”

Outgoing Gov. Dannel Malloy, however, urges caution on the issue. Even though he thinks Massachusetts has taken a measured approach in its legalization, he says the issue requires further study, and has heard anecdotes from other states which he says should serve as a warning.

"This is an experiment that the United States is undergoing. A good friend of mine is the governor of Colorado. I think he wishes he knew six years ago what he knows today," Malloy said.

Finally, on tolls, Malloy says because voters approved a lockbox for transportation funds on November 6, that could broaden the discussion about new revenue for transportation projects. He says the issue of better roads, bridges, and mass transit amounts to one of competitiveness.

"The public now knows that there’s a lack of revenue to do the things that they want to see done. There may be some disagreement on how to the raise that revenue but now at least you can have that discussion about revenue understanding that some future legislators and some future governors aren’t going to put their fingers in the piggy bank," Malloy said."If we want to compete with New Jersey and New York and Massachusetts, we’re going to have to have a system that is more than about one type of vehicle and one location."

A study released by the Connecticut Department of Transportation detailed an 82-gantry toll scenario that could bring in $1 billion for transportation annually, with nearly half coming from out of state drivers.

Lamont would not rule out an expansion of his campaign proposal to exclusively toll out of state trucks, but said trucks are his priority for now.

"My focus on electronic tolling is very clear. We’re going to focus on those big tractor-trailer trucks and that will raise us something like $250 million. That’s something I think I can get through this legislature on short order and I want to get going on that."

Former top members of the intelligence community rebuked President Donald Trump on Monday for deriding the retired Navy SEAL who oversaw the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden as a "Hillary Clinton backer" and suggesting that he should have caught the al Qaeda leader sooner, NBC News reported.

Responses to Trump's comments about retired Adm. Bill McRaven, who has criticized the president's attacks on the press, poured in Monday from former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who said Trump should apologize.

"This president owes Admiral McRaven and all of the SEALS involved in that operation an apology for what he's saying. He's undermining his position as commander-in-chief. Not only with those that conducted the operation, but with the entire military," Panetta, who served as the U.S. Secretary of Defense under President Barack Obama at the time of the 2011 raid that killed bin Laden, said on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" Monday.

Dozens of protesters rallied outside the Metropolitan District headquarters ahead of a public hearing about proposed rate hikes and price breaks for high-volume users.

After hearing customer concerns about the high-volume discounts last week, MDC backed off on that idea.

But that’s little comfort to those concerned about water use and how much people are paying for it.

"The message we’re trying to send is yes the discounts have been stopped. But that’s the same thing they did last year and they were planning on starting them again. We want them stopped forever," said Patricia Barone of Bloomfield.

Many of the protesters think it’s time for the legislature to get involved to regulate big water users.

MDC said it’s looking into it and will have more comment once the meeting is over tonight.

The water company is also considering hikes to water and sewer rates.

Hartford police say they are investigating two separate incidents of racist graffiti found within one block of each other.

On Friday morning police responded to a report that someone painted racial slurs on the front of Republic restaurant at 10 Capitol Ave. The graffiti included anarchy and swastika symbols as well as racial and homophobic slurs.

A similar case of vandalism was discovered less than a block away at the Hartford Dispensary at 345 Main St.

Police describe the acts as hate crime graffiti. The Hartford Police Major Crimes Division, Crime Scene Division, and Capital City Crime Center (C4) are all investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hartford Police Department tips line at 860-722-TIPS.

When the holiday season rolls around, thieves ramp up their search for those online purchases left on porches.

With stolen packages making the news across the country, the Canton Police Department decided to take a proactive approach.

"We saw it happening nationwide. So just to be out in front of that curve, we decided to offer this service so we're not going to be one of those statistics later on," said Canton Police Chief Chris Arciero.

That service, called the Holiday Package Safe Delivery Program is in its fourth year. It allows Canton residents to use the police department's address as an alternative for delivery of holiday packages.

The program runs from November 22 to December 24 and there are simple steps residents need to take. They should use their own name and the Canton Police Department address - 45 River Road, Canton, CT 06019 - for their package. They should then contact police at 860-693-0221 or email dispatch@townofcantonct.org.

"Provide a name and address and expected date of delivery. We'll have that information here. Then, when the package gets delivered, we'll call the person the package belongs to and say, 'Your package has been delivered. Stop by Canton PD to pick it up,'" Arciero explained.

Hours of pick up are from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week and you'll need to provide a photo ID at the front desk to get your package.

Police say large items like furniture or appliances should not be sent to the police department.

For those who don't live in Canton or who don't want to use the program, police have some recommendations for how to keep your packages safe. You can have packages delivered to your workplace, you can install a security camera, you can require a signature on delivery, you can require vacation package holds, you can ask a trusted neighbor or a family member who lives nearby to help grab your packages so they're not left outside.

For more information on the Canton Police Department's program, click here.

For more information on safety steps you can take, click here.

A Chicago police officer, a doctor and a pharmaceutical assistant have died after being shot Monday afternoon by a gunman at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center on Chicago's South Side, officials said. The gunman also was killed, police said, though it's not clear if it was self-inflicted or by police gunfire. 

"It's with profound sadness that we share the death of PO Samuel Jimenez from tonight's senseless active shooter incident," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted. "Please pray for his family, his fellow officers & the entire #ChicagoPolice Department."

Jimenez, from the 2nd District, joined the force in February 2017 and had just finished his probationary period as an officer, police Supt. Eddie Johnson said. He and his partner were assigned to another location when they responded to officers needing assistance.

"Tonight, Officer Samuel Jimenez was shot and fatally wounded in a despicable act of violence," Johnson said in an email to police. "We are all deeply saddened by this tragic event and asked that everyone keep his family and co-workers in their thoughts and prayers."

Johnson said the incident started in the hospital parking lot at about 3:28 p.m., during a verbal altercation between the shooter and the doctor, who he was "in a domestic relationship with." 

A friend tried to intervene in the argument, Johnson said, and the shooter lifted his shirt and displayed a handgun. The friend fled into the hospital, and the shooter shot the doctor, Johnson said. 

As police arrived at the scene, the shooter fired at officers before they exited their cars, Johnson said. The man then ran into the hospital, and gunfire was exchanged between the suspect and police.

During the exchange, a pharmaceutical assistant exiting an elevator was fatally shot, Johnson said. Jimenez also was shot in the exchange and taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Hospital. He later died from his wounds.

James Gray, a witness, told reporters that he saw at least one one woman shot near the hospital. 

He said he saw a man and a woman talking to one another when the man pulled out a gun and shot the woman.

"Once he entered he just started shooting at random," Gray said. "It looked like he was turning and pointing at people at random."

A Twitter user posted video of what appeared to be Chicago police officers searching the interior of the hospital.

"The shooting at Mercy Hospital is over," the hospital said on Facebook. "Chicago Police Department have secured the hospital and patients are safe."

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive's Chicago Field Division was responding to the scene to assist other local authorities.

Police asked that people avoid the area.

The mother of a U.S. diplomat who fell ill after suspected "health attacks" in China is speaking out, sharing her family's harrowing story with NBC News in hopes of raising awareness about the potential danger facing American diplomats and other workers around the world. 

Laura Hughes, an Air Force veteran, says her daughter Catherine Werner is struggling with the effects of traumatic brain injury after experiencing strange sounds and sensations at her apartment in Guangzhou, where Werner was a foreign trade officer until being medevac'd out earlier this year. 

She's calling on the State Department to do more to solve the mystery that has eluded investigators since U.S. diplomats and spies starting getting sick in Cuba in late 2016.

"I do not believe that our military, our diplomats around the world or here at home are safe," Hughes told NBC News. "Because this weapon system is creating havoc."

The Cuban and Chinese embassies in Washington did not respond to NBC News inquiries about the Werner case.