Walter Camp Weekend in New Haven is much more than just a celebration of excellence in college football.

To kick off the weekend of events, the Walter Camp Foundation put on a special rally for local middle school students in the New Haven area.

The Walter Camp Football Foundation, named for football great Walter Camp, is a volunteer organization that focuses on paying tribute to those to contribute to the sport and supporting humanitarian programs.

Even with cheerleaders and a band inside New Haven’s Floyd Little Athletic Center, it wasn’t your typical pep rally.

“I know these kids they hear it so much from everyone their teachers and their parents and sometimes it’s a little bit different when the message comes from a professional athlete,” New York Giants offensive lineman and former Walter Camp All-American Nate Solder said.

Solder, who won two Super Bowls with New England, joined other pro athletes and guests of the Walter Camp Foundation to send a message to nearly 2,000 middle school students: stay in school.

“I absolutely do see myself in some of these girls and I think a lot of times you have insecurities you might feel awkward where you are, but if you just find your passion and your purpose it will take you to places you never even thought of,” said Chiney Ogwumike of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.

Ogwumike is balancing her playing career with being an NBA analyst for ESPN.

“No matter what you do having a background of academics coming to school being the best student you can be will help open doors because if you have that,” she said. “Everything else is possible.”

Eighth-grade student Jarel Delgado said he especially enjoyed one of the speeches.

“The NBA player that won a championship with the Chicago Bulls cause I like basketball and I’m a basketball player,” he said.

Delgado is talking about former UConn Husky and Southern Connecticut State University’s men’s basketball coach Scott Burrell.

“Anytime you can help other kids and motivate them and give them something you learned during your life lessons its always great,” Burell said.

In the afternoon, some of the athletes paid a visit to patients at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford.

“I love Walter Camp and what they stand for they’re coming to high schools, they’re going to hospitals,” Solder said.

At the end of the rally, Delgado said he feels inspired.

“It motivates me to stay in school that’s what we need, that’s what New Haven needs,” he said.

Students from neighboring towns were bused in for the stay in school rally. There will be a similar visit with patients Friday at Yale-New Haven Children’s hospital.

The dinner honoring the 2018 Walter Camp All-Americans and other award winners is Saturday night at Yale’s Payne Whitney Gym.

This 2018 Walter Camp honorees include Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovoiloa (Player of the Year), Alabama head coach Nick Saban (Coach of the Year), Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (Alumni of the Year) and ESPN personality Mike Golic (Man of the Year).

The foundation is also recognizing Clemson football’s equipment manager David Saville as a Walter Camp “American Hero.”

After attending the national championship game won by his Tigers Monday in Santa Clara, California, Saville is in New Haven this weekend and he took part in Friday’s rally and the visit to Connecticut Children’s.

President Donald Trump flew to Texas Thursday to tour the southern border and make the case for his proposed border wall. This comes as the federal government entered its 20th day of a partial shutdown. President Trump has refused to sign any bill that doesn’t include $5.7 billion in funding for the border wall.

A man found dead after an hours-long standoff in Groton died of a gunshot wound and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has determined the death was a suicide.

Police said the man, identified as 35-year-old James Bangura, prompted a SWAT response when he barricaded himself in a home on Orion Avenue, near the Navy Lodge in Groton Tuesday night.

Groton police responded to the home at 7:18 p.m. Tuesday to investigate a disturbance and a woman told them her husband was in the house and had fired a handgun.

Officers removed the woman and children from the home, set up a perimeter, evacuated residents in the area and called in mutual aid, including police from Rhode Island, Massachusetts and the FBI.

Residents in the neighborhood, which is described by police as mostly military families, were asked to shelter in place and a SWAT team was called in.

Police said the man was found dead just after noon on Wednesday. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest, and the manner of death was suicide.

Investigators are still looking into whether anyone fired at law enforcement officers during the response.

The Groton Police Department thanked the other agencies that responded to assist or offered support during the situation, which include Connecticut State Police, police from Groton City, Groton Long Point, Stonington, Waterford and Ledyard as well as members of the FBI and NCIS, Rhode Island State Police and the Massachusetts State Police, Submarine Base Fire Department, the U.S. Navy, Groton Ambulance and The Salvation Army Canteen.

SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

A person was thrown from a car in a serious crash on Curtis Street in Southington, the fire department said.

The Southington Fire Department tweeted that crews were responding to a serious rollover crash and fire on Curtis Street near Lazy Lane. One person was thrown from the vehicle, according to the tweet.

No other details were immediately available.

NBC Connecticut has a crew headed to the scene and will provide updates as they come into the newsroom.

There have been two additional deaths associated with the flu in Connecticut, which makes six flu-related deaths reported this season.

A report released Thursday from the state Department of Health says there were two flu-associated deaths during the week that ended on Jan. 5.

Five flu-associated deaths have been associated with influenza A and one with influenza B.

Four of the deaths this season were people over 65 years old, one was between 50 and 64 years old and one was 25 to 49 years of age, according to the Department of Health.

The Department of Health says flu remains widespread in Connecticut and there have been 1,039 influenza positive laboratory tests since Aug. 26.

This is the breakdown of where they have been:

• Hartford County: 342
• New Haven: 314
• Fairfield: 172
• Middlesex: 62
• New London: 48
• Litchfield: 43
• Tolland: 29
• Windham: 23
• Six are in currently unknown counties.

Waterbury police are trying to locate a driver who fled the scene of a crash on Rose Street on New Year’s Eve.

Police said a while vehicle with tinted windows struck a 21-year-old man who was standing in the road near 101 Rose Street around 9 p.m. The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at St. Mary’s Hospital.

The driver did not stop, according to police. The suspect vehicle, pictured above, may have front end damage.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Waterbury police at 203-574-6941 or Crime Stoppers at 203-755-1234.

A 10-year-old boy is missing from Norwich.

Police issued a Silver Alert for 10-year-old Jacolby Sears Thursday. He is 5-foot, 150 pounds, with auburn hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray jacket, black jeans and black shoes.

Anyone with information should contact Norwich Police at 860-886-5561.

Both Democrats and Republicans are praising Gov. Ned Lamont’s aspiration for rapid train service connecting Hartford to New Haven, New Haven to Stamford, and Stamford to New York City.

“I’m so excited that we have a governor that finally understands the importance of Fairfield County and Metro-North,” said Rep. Laura Devlin, (R – Fairfield). “The economic factor that that could drive and the desirability factor just to get to New York within even an hour from Fairfield, that would provide.”

Lamont made this bold statement during his first address to the people of Connecticut Wednesday: “You know what we do? I believe in the 30/30/30 – I want the following to be a reality: 30 minutes from Hartford to New Haven; 30 minutes from New Haven to Stamford; and 30 minutes from Stamford to New York.”

New Democratic Sen. Alex Bergstein campaigned on upgrading Connecticut’s railways to high-speed systems. She was also very happy to hear the new governor mention rapid train times during his first major address.

“The fact of the matter is New York and New Jersey have invested in their infrastructure over time and the travel time to Manhattan has gone down and property values have gone up. Connecticut has done the opposite,” she said. “We’ve underinvested in our infrastructure and we’re in a predicament where we really have to catch up and exceed our neighbors in order to stay competitive.”

Since 1976, train times have actually increased between New Haven and Grand Central Terminal in New York City. A Business Council of Fairfield study found that the time up by six minutes by 2014.

Devlin says she doesn’t want to see any new revenues to pay for transportation, and said the existing bonding system should be enough.

“Tolls are essentially a $700 million tax on Connecticut residents, $350 million at least out of residents in Fairfield County. We’ve got to look at prioritizing projects in DOT, also looking for greater efficiency. So if we can do those things first, that would be more important,” Devlin said.

Bergstein, who campaigned on bringing tolls to Connecticut says taxpayers are demanding better infrastructure like high speed trains, and adds that they understand the cost of new, bold projects.

“The taxpayers I speak to definitely understand it. They don’t understand why we don’t have tolls, yet. Every state around us has it, and, again, it’s an opportunity lost to access billions in private sector financing. Why wouldn’t we want to access that?”

An 84-year-old Enfield man was killed when he was hit by a car on Route 5 Thursday.

Police said 84-year-old William Rush was hit by a car on Route 5 near Hathaway Avenue around 3 p.m. He was rushed to the hospital where he died of his injuries.

The driver remained on scene, police said.

The crash is under investigation. Anyone with information should contact Officer P. Nisyrios at 860-763-6400 ext. 1359.

On December 29, head coach Rand Pecknold earned his 500th career win, but it's how he shared the victory that tells you most about his legacy with the Bobcats.

Pecknold never set out for a number.

"I knew we were going to get it...for me a lot of it was let's just get it out of the way, I didn't want it to be an issue, a distraction for our team,” Pecknold said of the looming milestone.

"I didn't focus a lot on winning 500 that night or even so much now."

So when the goals kept coming Saturday night before the new year on the road at Colgate, players couldn’t have predicted his reaction. His team surprised him with their "player of the game" hard hat.

“For 499 I'd never gotten picked,” said Pecknold of their team honor. “So I was a little shocked."

He went 499 games without the hard hat, and he would go one more, quickly passing it off to the goaltender who closed down the game - third stringer Josh Mayanja.

"He's just an awesome kid, he's an awesome teammate, he works his tail off in practice,” said Pecknold. “He doesn't get to play, it was a great moment to get him in there."

"I come here, work hard every day,” Mayanja said. “I haven't been in the net that much but just to have him recognize that I come here and work hard every day means a lot."

It's not hard for Pecknold to know what it means to show up every day. He took over the Bobcats at 27. In 1994, it was then a Division II program without a locker room and midnight practice time.

"By the time we got to January, February of that season, we played a couple games with like 10 skaters."

By year five, the Bobcats, now with a full roster, made the transition to Division I.

"We played Maine,” said Pecknold of his first true Division I contest. “We were actually up 4-3 in the third… going into the third and they were way better than us. And then they just turned it on the third. They switched goalies, turned it on in the third… we ended up losing 7-4."

Pecknold won't soon forget that first loss, after all, that’s what has led him to 500 wins.

"Quinnipiac's not my job, it's a passion,” said Pecknold. “I know a lot of people can't say that about life and I feel very lucky to be able to do that."

A local fire department is making changes after NBC Connecticut Investigates began looking at what some might consider generous perks for its commissioners.

Before our first report two years ago, Blue Hills Fire District commissioners in Bloomfield could receive:

• a $5,000 annual stipend
• up to a $6,000 performance bonus
• up to a $2,000 holiday bonus
• a full tank of gas per week
• a district credit card

The bonuses went away after our first set of stories. Now commissioners have eliminated some of the last of the perks.

They agreed to get rid of the weekly free tank of gas they are eligible to receive.

Commission chair Ariel Marzouca-Jaunai said before the unanimous 3-0 vote “It has become a big distraction for us and we just want to be finished with it."

They also announced they will no longer each be allowed to have a district credit card at their disposal, another topic of criticism. Instead, there will be just one credit card for all fire district purchases.

Taxpayers who have complained about the perks fire commissioners have received in the past gave them equal credit for now eliminating most of them.

Former Bloomfield mayor Joan Gamble told NBC Connecticut Investigates, “I think it's heading in the right direction. They didn't need to have some of these perks."

Each fire commissioner still does receive a $5,000 annual stipend.

While not unheard of in Connecticut, fire chiefs have told NBC Connecticut Investigates that amount is on the high end of the scale.

The Blue Hills Fire District also revealed it's part-time finance director has decided to discontinue receiving his health benefits on the district plan, which cost the district thousands of dollars each year. Critics still say his $38,000 annual salary is too high.

The treasurer at the fire department serving the other half of the town of Bloomfield receives a fraction of that amount.

Part of Copper Hill Road in Suffield is closed after a serious crash, according to police.

Police said they responded to the one-car rollover just before 7 p.m. Two people were taken to the hospital for treatment. They have not been identified.

The road is closed between Griffin Road and Stratton Farms. The regional accident reconstruction team has been called to investigate and the closure is expected to stretch late into the night.

No other details were immediately available.

Just because federal workers might miss a paycheck doesn’t mean they have to skip a meal.

The Community Soup Kitchen in New Haven is stepping up to help during this partial government shutdown.

“A soup kitchen is open to anyone, anytime. We welcome anyone who comes in,” said David O’Sullivan, the Community Soup Kitchen’s executive director.

O’Sullivan says volunteers are ready to serve a hot meal to those in need, including potentially furloughed federal workers.

He felt it was time to act with many workers facing not being paid, as the partial government shutdown drags on.

“Right now there could be people in crisis and we want to let them know you’re welcome here,” said O’Sullivan.

Now those affected are encouraged to grab a seat during the meal service which takes place at Christ Church Episcopal at 84 Broadway in New Haven.

“St. Paul tells us in scripture that the laborer deserves to be paid. And we hope that the government will reopen and workers who are working will be paid,” said Rev. Stephen Holton, Christ Church Episcopal.

But until that happens people can stop by for lunch Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.

There’s also breakfast on Saturday from 8:30 until 9:30 a.m.

On their way out, people can take extra supplies such as bread and vegetables.

“Everyone deserves a meal and this is a place where you can receive it. Come and come and be fed. Come and be fed together,” said Holton.

The soup kitchen does not directly rely on federal food donations or money, but could be affected by the shutdown in other ways, including if assistance programs are impacted and more people start coming here looking for meals.

A police officer in Davis, west of Sacramento, California, was shot and killed Thursday evening while responding to a traffic accident, and the suspect was still at large, according to the Davis Police Department.

The officer was identified as 22-year-old Natalie Corona. She had been on the job for only a few weeks.

The shooting occurred about 6:45 p.m. in the area of Fifth and C streets near downtown, police said. Corona was responding to a three-car crash in that area, and shots were fired.

Corona was rushed to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where she later died, police said.

Police issued a shelter in place across the city, and the UC campus was placed on lockdown as officers searched for the suspect, police said. The suspect was described as a male in his 20s, with an average build, wearing a baseball cap, black jacket, blue or tan jeans and black tactical boots.

Later Thursday night, police were focused on a house in the same general area of the shooting.

During a news conference late Thursday night, police said they had a credible lead on a possible suspect but declined to provide further details because it's "a tactical situation." 

Vacaville police also responded to the scene.

Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has information that could help find the suspect should dial 911.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the Trump administration's anti-Iran message to Gulf Arab states on Friday as he continued a nine-nation tour of the Middle East aimed at reassuring America's partners that withdrawing troops from Syria does not mean Washington is abandoning the region.

Pompeo was traveling to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates where he will call for increasing pressure on Iran and push for unity among Gulf neighbors still embroiled in a festering dispute with Qatar. He'll also be promoting a U.S.-backed initiative to form what some have termed an "Arab NATO" that would bring the region together in a military alliance to counter threats from Iran.

In Bahrain, the UAE and later Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait, Pompeo will also be making the case as he did on previous stops in Jordan, Iraq and Egypt that President Donald Trump's decision to pull U.S. troops from Syria is not a sign Washington is retreating from the fight against the Islamic State group.

U.S. partnerships with the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council "are critical to achieving shared regional objectives: defeating ISIS, countering radical Islamic terrorism, protecting global energy supplies, and rolling back Iranian aggression," the State Department said in a statement released as Pompeo departed Egypt for Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

But the now 2-year-old crisis between GCC members Saudi Arabia and UAE and Qatar has hampered U.S. attempts to forge a unified front against Iran. Washington's efforts to ease the dispute, begun by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have thus far failed and took another hit this week when the former general tasked to broker a solution stepped down.

"A united GCC is the backbone for regional peace, prosperity, security, and stability, and is essential to countering the single greatest threat to regional stability: the Iranian regime," the State Department said.

At each of his stops in the Gulf, Pompeo will be urging progress on creating the Middle East Strategic Alliance, which would join GCC militaries with those of Egypt and Jordan to serve as a counter-balance to Iran, which they all accuse of fomenting unrest and rebellion throughout the region.

In addition, Pompeo will call for boosting efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling Iranian-backed rebels in what the U.N. says is now the world's worst humanitarian crisis, the department said.

U.N.-led peace efforts in Yemen, along with attempts to broker a political solution to the war in Syria that "expels every last Iranian boot from the country" and promoting reconciliation in Afghanistan will also be high on Pompeo's agenda, the State Department said.

Pompeo kicked off the Gulf portion of his tour after a stop in Cairo, where he delivered a scathing rebuke of former President Barack Obama's Middle East policies that Obama had outlined in a 2009 address to the Arab and broader Muslim world.

In a speech entitled "A Force for Good: America's Reinvigorated Role in the Middle East," Pompeo accused the former president of "misguided" thinking that diminished America's role in the region while harming its longtime friends and emboldening Iran.

He unloaded on the Obama administration for being naive and timid when confronted with challenges posed by the revolts that convulsed the Middle East, including Egypt, beginning in 2011. And, he said the Trump administration was taking action to repair the damage.

"The age of self-inflicted American shame is over, and so are the policies that produced so much needless suffering," Pompeo said in the speech, which was itself denounced by former Obama administration officials for pandering to autocrats, ignoring human rights concerns.

"That this administration feels the need, nearly a decade later, to take potshots at an effort to identify common ground between the Arab world and the West speaks not only to the Trump administration's pettiness but also to its lack of a strategic vision for America's role in the region and its abdication of America's values," National Security Action group, a group of former officials, said in a statement.

Pompeo blamed the previous administration's approach to the Mideast for the ills that consume it now, particularly the rise of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria and Iran's increasing assertiveness, which he said was a direct result of sanctions relief, since rescinded by the Trump administration, granted to it under the 2015 nuclear deal.

He said Obama ignored the growth of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon to the detriment of Israel's security and not doing enough to push back on Iran-supported rebels in Yemen.

Since withdrawing from the nuclear deal last year, the administration has steadily ratcheted up pressure on Tehran and routinely accuses the nation of being the most destabilizing influence in the region. It has vowed to increase the pressure until Iran halts what U.S. officials describe as its "malign activities" throughout the Mideast and elsewhere, including support for rebels in Yemen, anti-Israel groups, and Syrian President Bashar Assad.

With the government shutdown 20 days strong, the real-life consequences are being felt by Coast Guard families in Connecticut as they try to figure out how to make ends meet if their next paycheck is delayed.

The Coast Guard is the only military branch whose members will go without pay during the government stalemate. It falls under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense, which continues to be funded during the shutdown.

Without knowing if they’ll get a paycheck on Jan. 15, Coast Guard families are stressed about paying off credit card bills, making home payments, even buying groceries.

“It’s a real likelihood that we won’t have money coming in next week when it should be,” said Michael Brudzinski.

The stay-at-home-dad and his family rely on wife Miranda’s Coast Guard paycheck. She is a petty officer second class working in the legal office at the Coast Guard Academy in New London. The family relocated to Groton from Florida at the end of June.

“We’re still having to call our creditors and see if we can push things back. See if they waive penalties and late fees and stuff like that,” Brudzinski said.

Forcing a smile in front of their 3- and 6-year-old children is not always easy.

“I don’t want them to worry about why mom’s upset or why we are on the phone all the time,” Brudzinski said.

He has family members, including his father, and friends also impacted by the shutdown.

If this continues, Brudzinski said he is considering utilizing his son’s reduce meal program at school even more.

“We might have to look at that being primarily what he does for lunch and breakfast if it helps with the grocery bill.”

Coast Guard Academy cadets came back from winter break last weekend. They too are considered active-duty military and receive a stipend ranging from $300 to $600 depending on their class, according to Petty Officer Second Class Lauren Laughlin, a spokesperson for the academy.

She said all active-duty military and about 100 government-paid civilians are still coming into work, Laughlin said. There are 160 non-essential employees who are furloughed.

Secretaries, some coaching staff, groundskeepers and facility maintenance staff are all staying home. In fact, some garbage bins at the academy are taped up or put on their sides because there is no staff to empty them.

Many of the civilian teaching staff is still reporting to work in because they’re deemed necessary for the academy to continue its academic mission, Laughlin said. But since there are still some instructors out due to the shutdown, an ethics class will be combined into two large classes. A required one-credit Coast Guard history class will not be given this semester. Laughlin said it does not impact seniors about to graduate.

Janitorial and cafeteria staff are working because they’re under contracts that have already been paid, Laughlin said. All programs paid for by grants or alumni donations are still continuing as usual, too.

The Coast Guard Research and Development Center, also in New London, has 77 percent of its workforce furloughed, according to Lt. Chuck Clark, the public affairs officer for the Center.

That means 56 civilians are not reporting for duty. The 17 who are still working are all members of the military.

“Regarding our project portfolio, the Coast Guard continues operations authorized by law that provide for national security or that protect life and property. Projects being conducted by the R&D Center will be paused during the lapse in appropriations,” Clark wrote in an email.

In a statement to NBC Connecticut, Rep. Joe Courtney, whose district includes New London’s Coast Guard facilities, said that he voted last week with a bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives to fully fund and re-open the government.

“This week, a bipartisan majority will again pass four comprehensive spending bills in yet another effort to reopen America for business and restore financial security to many families in eastern Connecticut,” Courtney said, adding that Congress could find ways to increase security along the southern border but closing down the government should not be used as leverage.

Wednesday the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut reached out to local business and compiled a list of discounts to help provide some relief, according to Camber President Tony Sheridan. A list can be found here.

New Haven police will hold a news conference Friday to provide updates on a police-involved shooting Tuesday.

Police identified the man who was shot as 22-year-old Marcus Rivera, of New Haven. They said there was an active arrest warrant for him and he led officers on a foot chase Tuesday evening.

Officers were able to apprehend Rivera, but he managed to get free and run, police said.

Then there was an exchange of gunfire as Rivera continued to try and escape from police, authorities said. Officers took Rivera into custody and later learned that he’d been shot in the pelvis area.

He was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital for an evaluation and police previously said he was in critical, but stable condition. On Friday morning, officials from Yale-New Haven Hospital said he is in good condition.

Police said a gun was recovered at the scene. They initially said the suspect fired at the officer, but later said that was under investigation.

No officers were injured during the pursuit or apprehension, but one officer was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The State's Attorney's Office and Connecticut State Police have been investigating and police will be holding a news conference at noon with updated information.

Elizabeth Smart, who was held captive for nine months as a teenager in the early 2000s, said that the discovery of missing Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs alive on Thursday left her "thrilled," NBC News reported.

"What a miracle!!! Jayme Closs has been found!!!! I’m so thrilled to hear the news," Smart wrote on Instagram Friday morning. "What has been such a heart wrenching tragedy finally has some happiness in the story."

Jayme had been missing since Oct. 15, when her parents were found fatally shot at their home in Barron. The 13-year-old was found in a remote area about 70 miles away, and more details on what happened are expected at a news conference later Friday.

Smart was taken at knifepoint from her bedroom in Salt Lake City in 2002 and has become an advocate against child abduction.

One person has been taken to the hospital after a crash in New Haven early Friday morning and Dixwell Avenue is closed near Ivy Street. 

Police said a car hit a transformer and two poles and two parked cars were damaged in the crash. 

Power was out for 3,000 United Illuminating customers in New Haven and Hamden, as well as traffic lights, at one point, but power has been restored. 

Drivers can take Sherman Parkway or Shelton Avenue.

The driver of a tractor-trailer that went down an embankment on Interstate 95 South in Milford Friday morning has died, according to police.

The truck went off the highway between exits 41 and 40 and the center and right lanes are closed.

There are heavy delays for seven miles, extending into New Haven. Expect delays throughout the day.

Use the Wilbur Cross Parkway as a detour.

No additional information was immediately available.