A man suffered life-threatening injuries when he was hit by a car in New Haven Saturday night.

Police said the 49-year-old man was crossing Foxon Boulevard between Middletown Avenue and Quinnipiac Avenue around 7:19 p.m. when he was struck. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The driver, identified as a 32-year-old New Haven woman, stayed on scene and is cooperating with police.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact the New Haven Police Department at 203-946-6316.

Norwich police have identified a suspect in a New Year’s Day shooting.

The investigation began when a 22-year-old man came to the emergency department at Backus Hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The victim told police he was driving on lower Asylum Street in Norwich when he was shot. A passenger in the car, who was not hurt, drove the victim to the hospital, where he was treated and released.

Police said investigators determined the shooting happened at the intersection of Asylum and Pearl streets around 11 p.m. A suspect has been identified and police have requested an arrest warrant.

Investigators believe this is an isolated incident and no other information was released.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Norwich Police Detective Steven Schmidt at 860-886-5561 ext. 3157 or the Norwich Police Department Anonymous Tip Line at 860-886-5561 ext. 4.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered only six immigrants on the U.S-Mexico border in the first half of fiscal year 2018 whose names were on a federal government list of known or suspected terrorists, according to CBP data obtained by NBC News.

The low number contradicts statements by Trump administration officials, including White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who said Friday that CBP stopped nearly 4,000 known or suspected terrorists from crossing the southern border in fiscal year 2018.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen told reporters on Monday the exact number, which NBC News is first to report, was classified but that she was working on making it public.

Torrington fire officials have released the names of the victims of a deadly fire on Stoneridge Drive last week.

Firefighters responded to a three-alarm fire at the home at 37 Stoneridge Drive on January 3 and found a man outside and a woman still inside the home. Both patients were flown to Bridgeport Hospital’s burn unit.

The woman, identified as 68-year-old Donna Needham, died of her injuries. Her husband, 65-year-old John Needham, remains in critical condition.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Connecticut State Fire Marshal’s Office is working with Torrington fire officials on this case.

NBC Connecticut Responds received nine complaints from timeshare owners who say they were misled and find it impossible to resell their property.

The thought of buying a timeshare may be appealing, but the fact that it comes with a huge responsibility and price tag may not be.

Timeshares are vacation homes that you can rent for weeks or months at a time.

That’s what attracted Tina Walts-Gilmore and her husband to buy one.

”It was a wonderful way to get vacations and we’ve done it in the past,” said Walts-Gilmore.

But the Unionville couple says it wasn’t a good investment and wanted to get rid of their timeshare, which they owned for four years.

”It was terrible. One time they said, there’s no reservation,” said Walts-Gilmore. “We never were able to get what we want when we wanted it.”

The two recently used their timeshare to take a Virginia vacation. While there, they received a travel voucher to tour a Florida resort through a different company. The couple went through the sales pitch and had no intention of buying.

”We’re both on fixed income and we’re not making enough money to own a timeshare at this point,” said Walts-Gilmore.

But according to the couple, they felt pressured and were promised a Hawaiian vacation before signing a contract to exchange their timeshare. As part of that deal, Walts-Gilmore didn’t realize she agreed to an additional 10-year loan.

”We were excited. We were tired and we were stupid,” said Walts-Gilmore.

“You should never succumb to pressure tactics and it should be a red flag to you,” said outgoing Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen.

Jepsen says his office received 58 timeshare complaints in 2018. Consumer complained about pressure sales tactics, exorbitant fees, and difficulty reselling.

“You really want to make sure you’re getting straight information before you make a decision, you might not be able to reverse easily,” said Jepsen.

Jepsen stressed that it's difficult to get out of a timeshare because timeshare resellers will give you false resale value information and monthly maintenance fees that increase from year to year.

“What they will frequently do is charge you upfront fees saying, ”oh, we have plenty of buyers, it’s a hot market,” or we have a particular buyer in sight. But there’s a registration fee of $500 or $1,000. They take your money and they’re gone,” said Jepsen.

Here’s some steps to follow before selling a timeshare from Federal Trade Commission:

Don’t agree to anything on the phone or online.

Make sure to get everything in writing.

Get references from satisfied clients.

And ask about fees, timing and refunds.

And if the deal wasn’t what you expected or wanted, don’t sign the contract. Negotiate changes or find another reseller. Also, be wary of offers to buy timeshares or vacation plans in foreign countries because there, you are not protected by U.S. laws.

The next leader of the Department of Children and Families will be a veteran of the agency, marking a shift in the direction of the department which has faced the ire of lawmakers and the Office of the Child Advocate in recent years.

Vanessa Dorantes has worked for DCF for 27 years, most recently as the person in charge of the region that includes Danbury, Torrington, and Waterbury in Western Connecticut.

Dorantes, who lives in Bristol, says her primary goal will be to ensure agencies work better together when addressing a DCF case.

“Connect with our other stakeholders of other either sister agencies, the education system, healthcare system, law enforcement and the courts to kind of all be moving in the same direction so I think collaboration will pay stronger dividends and outcomes for kids and families if we can bridge some of those relationships,” she said.

Dorantes will follow Joette Katz, who will leave the agency after serving as commissioner since 2011, the same year Gov. Dannel Malloy took office.

Her tenure saw highs and lows, drastically reducing the number of children that were in institutional care. She was also criticized by the Office of the Child Advocate and some members of the General Assembly for her handling of some individual cases, which in some instances were related to the deaths of children.

Dorantes acknowledges the thankless nature of the position, and how she will inevitably deal with serious consequences.

“It’s not if there’s going to be a tragedy, it’s when,” she said.

If and when that happens, Governor-Elect Ned Lamont says he has her back.

“She gives us the best opportunity to make sure our kids are safe and their wellbeing is looked after,” Lamont said. “I stand by her in the sense that I want commissioners like Vanessa to have room to run and room to lead.”

Dorantes says her experience on the ground level of the agency, and working directly with families is what will help her lead the department. She says she was not angling for the job of commissioner when she was approached about taking the job.

“I do the work. I’m a proud social worker. I’m a proud educator and I love children, I love the community and I understand that they get stronger when their families get stronger and their communities are stronger. The other stuff sometimes from us on the front line feels like noise and I want to make sure that that noise is lowered so kids can be elevated.”

Executive nominations must go before the Connecticut Senate, a process that will begin in earnest this week as the 2019 General Assembly gets underway.

One early ally for Dorantes could turn out to be Republican Leader Len Fasano, who will become Minority Leader on January 9.

Fasano was the loudest and sharpest critic of Katz when she led DCF. He said he does not know Dorantes personally, but says he likes what he’s heard about her so far.

“I think this commissioner that’s been appointed was someone who’s been on the front lines who’s dealt with the clientele day in and day out, understands the real life implications of DCF and understands where the shortcoming are so I think that’s a very good first step toward getting control over DCF,” Fasano said.

Downtown Manchester is on the move: from new stores opening to a $1 million parking upgrade. The town is stepping up to help business owners roll up their sleeves and keep the transformation going.

Fixing an older building can be expensive and sometimes hard to find the cash. But a new town program hopes to lend a hand and encourage reinvestment in this area.

At TouchbyJ Hair by Jeicoby Salon & Span in Manchester…

“I love the town. I love the street. I love all of the local businesses,” explained Scott Lanney, co-owner of TouchbyJ Hair by Jeicoby Salon & Spa.

Lanney is excited about the future of the store and the downtown area. The shop recently expanded on Main Street and is now planning a facelift for the façade.

“So far the town is giving us the thumbs up on that and they’re actually suggesting they can help us pay for that which is a huge asset,” Lanney said.

The town is offering no-interest loans to current and prospective owners looking to spruce up their property or bring older buildings up to code.

In a statement the mayor wrote in part:

“Downtown is the heart of the Manchester community and we are excited to launch this initiative to make it even better.”

Businesses can apply for loans of $25,000 out of $250,000 available for the program.

Michael Mack lives downtown and supports helping local stores and trying to bring more here.

“I would like to see more businesses, you know. Vacancies, it’s not good for the economy or eyesores,” Mack said.

Businesses have to act quickly: the money is only available this year and next year or until the $250,000 runs out. The loans are part of an initiative called Downtown 2020, which also includes reducing a special mill rate and capital improvements. Learn more here.

Trash is piling up in Hartford after a plant was forced to shut down over broken equipment.

The issue is prompting one city leader to demand big changes.

Councilor James Sanchez said even if the plant is back up and running by the end of the month, it’s not good enough.

He wants the facility shut down and something better for the city put in its place.

For dozens of communities, the facility on Maxim Road in Hartford is where their trash goes.

MIRA, a quasi-state entity, also known as Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority said their trash to energy plant sees around 750,000 tons of garbage each year.

But for months now it’s been shut down after two turbines broke. And while the facility is closed, the trash keeps coming.

“I think everybody who has been paying attention and knows this facility has been nearing the end of its life for a long time and it's being held together with scotch tape and baling wire,” said Mayor Luke Bronin.

MIRA requested temporarily using the currently closed landfill off Jennings Road, but Bronin said that plan was a non-starter.

For now the waste that can’t fit in the plant is being shipped elsewhere. The mayor said it’s time for the state to consider what the next generation of trash disposal in Connecticut will look like.

”I think there's a very strong case to make that when you've got roughly 90 acres of riverfront land at the intersection of two major highways in your capital city it's not the best place to be burning half the state's trash,” Bronin said.

City Council Majority Leader James Sanchez thinks the time for change is now.

In a letter, he writes it’s time to get rid of MIRA and that “Connecticut must plan for and develop long-range solutions to solid waste management for municipal waste and abandon the Hartford facility.”

“I will tell you this: no other town in our region would accept to open up a trash to energy plant and that's called nimby - not in my backyard - well I'm telling you now, not in my backyard,” he told NBC Connecticut.

In a statement MIRA said in part “We agree it is critical to establish long term plans and investment to insure environmentally sound waste facilities continue to be available.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection put out a request for proposals to redevelop the facility and has chosen a developer to modernize it. But Sanchez said this plant does not belong in downtown Hartford.

Girls hockey is growing in Connecticut. More youth programs and hockey co-ops are popping up as girls want to get involved.

On Monday three Olympians, two from Connecticut, hosted a girls youth hockey clinic, ready to pass the torch to the next generation.

Gretchen Ulion-Silverman is watching girls hockey change right in front of her.

“When I was young, I only had boys hockey that I could play,” Ulion-Silverman said.

In fact, she turned a spot on the boys team to an Olympic gold medal for the first-ever U.S. Women’s Hockey Team in 1998.

Now, 20 years later, she says it’s an exciting time to be a girls hockey player in the state of Connecticut.

For ever puck on the ice Monday at the Taft school, there was a ponytail to go with it.

“I definitely hope she can teach me how to be stronger on the puck,” Katie Cicchetti said.

Girls like Cicchetti won’t just be learning from Ulion, but also from her teammate Sue Merz and 2018 Team USA Captain Meghan Duggan.

“It’s so amazing that our young girls have role models that are realistic models for them to look up to,” Ulion-Silverman said.

Duggan also had role models in the women she now works with.

“Meeting Gretchen and the journey I’ve been on in my hockey career – it’s been the biggest part of my life. I mean it dictated my life,” she said.

From one generation…

“You know when I was 11 I watched the ’98 team win gold, I can still remember where I was, what it felt like,” Duggan explained.

To the next.

"I stayed up like at 2 in the morning to watch the game," Cicchetti said.

Even as the sport changes, there are some things that stay the same.

"Having the opportunity to be that person for a young girl, there’s nothing better in the world,” Duggan said.

Girls high school hockey still isn’t a part of the CIAC, but interest is growing and co-op teams are part of individual conferences.

A Meriden community policing program is coming back to the city.

On Monday the City Council voted to reinstate $200,000 in funds for the police department’s Neighborhood Initiative Unit following incidents of violence.

The City Council voted to reinstate some of the funding they just cut from the police department only a few months ago.

The council heard public comment ahead of their 6-5 vote to reinstate $200,000 for the Neighborhood Initiative Unit, which had been stripped in September as part of a budget cut.

Supporters of the measure said crime has gone up since the officers went away.

While councilors have questioned the need for the unit and noted that overall crime is down, police said there has been an uptick in violence in certain areas and neighborhoods have pushed back.

The mayor, who supported the refunding, said bringing it back is a plus.

“It’ll allow us to take a more proactive approach, have eyes and ears on the street, have eyes and ears on the street, get to know what’s happening day in day out within those neighborhoods,” Mayor Kevin Scarpati said.

Councilors Sonya Jelks and Miguel Castro voted against refunding the NIU, saying individual instances of crime can be handled outside the program.

“I don’t like that we always look to the police to solve issues that are occurring in the community. As a community we need to look at creative ways we can help support each other and make people feel safer,” Jelks said.

“Feeding the perception that our city is not safe, it really has to come to an end,” Castro said. “The facts have pointed in the direction that our city is safe.”

The money will fund four officers and one supervisor for the NIU. The mayor said he wants more officers added and hopes that can get done in the next budget cycle, which starts on July 1.

Several police departments in Connecticut reported experiencing a 911 outage overnight.

Southington, New Britain, Farmington, West Hartford and Ledyard all reported problems with the 911 system around 2 a.m.

Those departments were asking residents to call their routine numbers for any emergencies.

The 911 issue appeared to resolve itself around 2:45 a.m.

It was not clear what caused the problem.

A man accused of opening fire on campers and drivers in the Malibu State Park Area was charged Monday with murder in the fatal shooting of a 35-year-old father killed while he slept next to his daughters at a campground.

Authorities said this week they had finally assembled enough evidence to link the June 22 killing of the young father to the arrest of a reputed serial burglar, caught last October in a steep, brush-covered ravine near the park while armed with a rifle. A criminal complaint filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court charges Anthony Rauda with the murder of Tristan Beaudette, who was hit with a single shot while his young daughters slept beside him.

Rauda, 42, also faces a total of 10 counts of attempted murder for a series of other peculiar gunfire attacks in the area of the park and Las Virgenes Road, and five counts of second-degree burglary for break-ins in the same area over the last few years. 

In a statement, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said Rauda is accused of shootings in the Malibu Creek State Park area that date to November 2016, when he allegedly wounded a man sleeping in a hammock at the park. Rauda is accused of shooting into vehicles three different times in 2017. In June 2018, he allegedly opened fire on a Tesla on Las Virgenes Road.

Beaudette was shot four days later.

Prosecutors were only able to file the case after a forensic comparison of bullets linked several shootings, including the Beaudette murder, with the gun Rauda was allegedly carrying when he was arrested. That ballistic comparison was completed in early October, but the case took many more weeks to assemble, according to the sources.

They also said evidence shows Rauda is also responsible for additional shootings and burglaries for which not enough evidence was found for prosecution, including an until-now unsolved shooting of a woman driving on Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Ventura County in 2010. Rauda has been tied to thefts and violence in LA, Ventura and Sonoma counties.

"It's a 10-year crime spree that could make a Hollywood movie," said one detective familiar with the case who was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.

Rauda has been serving a sentence in LA County jail for violating the terms of Post Release Conviction Supervision, or PRCS, as a result of his arrest in October in the Malibu burglaries. That sentence was expected to be satisfied in the next week, according to court and jail records.

Detectives from the LA County Sheriff's Department's Major Crimes Bureau caught Rauda Oct. 10 near the park. Rauda was carrying the gun and two loaded magazines, according to testimony at a recent PRCS violation hearing.

A key break in the Malibu Creek State Park death investigation came less than two weeks before that when a security camera system recorded images of a man wearing a headlamp and "tactical style" clothing during an office break-in.

As the figure in the video moved into view it was clear the man had a rifle slung over his left shoulder. Some of the images, not shown publicly, captured detailed views of the gun.

Detectives compared the security video with firearms catalog photos and soon confirmed the gun carried by the burglar was a 9mm carbine, a weapon capable of firing the same caliber bullet that killed Beaudette. 

There are delays for several miles on Interstate 95 North in West Haven after a crash involving a state Department of Transportation truck and another truck, according to state police. 

No injuries are reported. 

It’s not clear if the DOT truck was treating roads at the time of the crash. A coating of snow fell early Tuesday morning and DOT crews have been out treating the roads. 

The highway is open, but backups are stretching into Orange and Milford.

Two fires in Norwalk are under investigation. 

Officials from the Norwalk Fire Department said they responded to two fires on Calf Pasture Beach Road Monday evening and the fire marshal’s office and Norwalk police are investigating. 

Firefighters responded to a fire at a storage shed that stored furniture and equipment for the adjacent skate park around 8:30 p.m. 

An hour later, they responded to put out a fire on a 33-foot boat that was shrink wrapped and in winter storage. 

No injuries were reported and no other property was damaged.

New York City will begin guaranteeing comprehensive health care to every single resident regardless of someone's ability to pay or immigration status, an unprecedented plan that will protect the more than half-a-million New Yorkers currently using the ER as a primary provider, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. 

It's not health insurance, his spokesman clarified after the surprise announcement on MSNBC Tuesday morning. 

"This is the city paying for direct comprehensive care (not just ERs) for people who can't afford it, or can't get comprehensive Medicaid — including 300,000 undocumented New Yorkers," spokesman Eric Phillips tweeted.

At a press conference Tuesday, de Blasio said the plan will provide primary and specialty care, from pediatrics to OBGYN, geriatric, mental health and other services, to the city's roughly 600,000 uninsured. 

The city already has the foundation for such a plan — a public health insurance option that helps get direct care to undocumented residents. 

That option will be expanded, the mayor said, and supported with the addition of a new program called NYC Care. Patients who seek health coverage through NYC Care will receive a card that allows them to see a primary care doctor and seek specialty care services, de Blasio said. 

Those who can afford to pay will pay for services on a sliding scale, while those who can't will receive free coverage, he noted. 

New Yorkers will be able to access the program through the city's website or simply by calling 311. There will be no tax hikes to fund it, the mayor said. 

"The programs will include customer-friendly call lines to help New Yorkers — regardless of their insurance — make appointments with general practitioners, cardiologists, pediatricians, gynecologists and a full spectrum of health care services," his office said in a release. 

NYC Care is expected to launch in the Bronx this summer and be available in the other four boroughs in 2021, the release said. 

It'll cost at least $100 million, accordinng to the release. 

"We'll put the money in to make it work; it's going to save us money down the line," de Blasio said on MSNBC. "We're already paying an exorbitant amount to pay for health care the wrong way when what we should be doing is helping them get the primary care."

"This has never been done in the country in a comprehensive way," de Blasio said on MSNBC. "Health care isn't just a right in theory, it must be a right in practice. And we're doing that here in this city."

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Weston Police are investigating after three USPS mailboxes were broken into on Sunday.

Police said the three mailboxes were located in the Weston center and were forcefully pried open. The contents of the mailboxes were removed in the overnight hours.

Two of the mailboxes are located outside of the post office and the third is located between Weston Road and Camelot Real Estate, according to officers.

If you placed mail in any of these mailboxes between 1 p.m. on January 5 and 10 a.m. on January 6, you may be affected, police said.

The incident remains under investigation.

A man who was stabbed in Norwich Monday night is in critical condition and police said a 13-year-old was also stabbed and suffered some minor cuts. Police have arrested a suspect. 

The stabbing was reported at Mohegan Commons Apartments on North Street in Norwich at 11:13 p.m. and officers said 36-year-old Dustin Houtman, a resident of the building, stabbed a man around 11 times in an apartment and also stabbed the teen.

Both victims were treated at Hartford Hospital and the man is listed in critical condition because of the injuries. The teen was treated for minor lacerations, according to police.

Police arrested Houtman at the scene and he was held on a $250,000.

He was charged with two counts of assault first degree, two counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree, two counts of risk of injury to a minor and disorderly conduct.

He is due in court on Jan. 8.

Police ask anyone with any additional information about the case to call Detective Steven Schmidt at 860-886-5561.

An aspiring paleontologist in the second grade has won Google's annual Doodle for Google contest.

Sarah Gomez-Lane, of Virginia, had her drawing of dinosaurs selected and transformed into an animation on the search giant's homepage. In it, dinosaurs play the trumpet, eat blueberries and more.

Sarah responded to the prompt "What inspires me ... ." Google says her school in Falls Church, Virginia, will be awarded $50,000 to spend on technology, and Sarah will get $30,000 toward a college scholarship.

"When they called my name, I felt happy and surprised," she said when she learned she had won. "I'm going to call my principal. He's going to say 'Yay!'"

On video, a Google employee said she hoped the Doodle would inspire kids and adults alike.

"I just hope that when people see the Doodle, they also are inspired to think about — not only what they dreamed of and wished for when they were kids — but to also just take a second to enjoy the simple things in life," she said.

Sarah's drawing will be on the Google homepage for 24 hours. Go there to see the Doodle in action.

The following is an open letter written by Gov. Dannel Malloy to the residents of Connecticut on his final full day in office:

January 8, 2019

Dear Connecticut residents,

This week, I’ll leave office after eight years serving as your Governor. It’s been the best, hardest, most rewarding job I will ever have, and I am deeply thankful to you for allowing me to serve. I’d like to leave you with a few brief, parting thoughts about our state and my hopes for its future.

While we will often disagree among ourselves about how our government should operate, or what it should seek to accomplish, always remember that our common interests and beliefs far outweigh the differences between us. We all want good schools, safe and healthy communities, well paved roads, beautiful parks, a clean environment, and basic services for those in need. We all agree Connecticut should continue to make wise and responsible decisions in developing its budgets, particularly when it comes to paying down the debts of past generations. All of these things come at a cost to you, the taxpayer; it’s a balance we strike, a spectrum of decisions on spending and revenue that becomes our budget each year. However you feel about any given budget item, I hope you’ll remember that as a state we all generally agree that we should collectively pay for these things. Anyone who promises you something for nothing – especially your elected officials – is ignoring that basic truth, and therefore not giving you the whole story.

I also hope we can continue to recognize that, time and again, the people of Connecticut have shown a deep empathy and caring for one another and all of humanity; it’s an aspiration we should appreciate and continue to foster. Collectively, we have a desire for positive social change that is a rare strength in our country, and indeed in the world. We’ve led the nation on efforts to treat people more fairly and equally in the workplace, to find homes for veterans, to welcome those seeking refuge from war and poverty around the globe, and to focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment in our criminal justice system. We’ve done many of those things across party lines. Let’s give ourselves credit for it. Let’s recognize that our compassion and our decency are defining characteristics and core strengths of who we are as a people and as a state, and let’s make sure that the world knows Connecticut for this cause and this calling.

I am deeply optimistic about Connecticut’s future, and I urge you to nurture your optimism as well. As I said, we are a kind and resilient people. However, we’re often too quick to criticize ourselves and our great state – faster even than our own neighbors as we compete with them to attract jobs and grow our local economy. Of course we have problems, and no we can’t shy away from them. But recognizing our very real challenges should not mean wallowing in them – it should simply be the first step in overcoming them.

In other words, we can tackle big, historic problems while also remembering what’s great about Connecticut. We are among the best-educated, healthiest, and safest people in the country. We are home to some of the most esteemed higher education and research centers in the world, in one of the most scenic states in the nation. Our economy boasts a unique cross section of small employers and large, keeping our residents working and leading in agriculture, in insurance, in manufacturing, in bioscience, and more.

It is for all these reasons that I am so thankful to be from Connecticut, and that I will be glad to call it home for the rest of my life. I hope when someone asks you where you’re from, you will say Connecticut, and you’ll say it with pride.

Thank you, may God bless you, and may God bless the great state of Connecticut.

Dannel P. Malloy

Governor

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will be returning to the team's coaching staff for the upcoming 2019 season, McDaniels told reporters Tuesday.

McDaniels confirmed on a conference call that he had interviewed for the Green Bay Packers head coaching position, which he did not get, and now plans no further interviews, NBC Sports Boston reports.  He told NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry, "I'll be here moving forward."

McDaniels has been with the Patriots since 2011 and the team's offensive coordinator since 2012.

The Green Bay Packers head coaching job reportedly Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur.