An 18-year-old was shot in the leg while sitting in a vehicle in New Haven Friday afternoon.

Police said the victim was in the parked car on Cave Street near Winchester Avenue when he was shot. He drove to Newhall and Huntington streets and called police.

The victim’s injuries were not life-threatening and he was taken to the hospital for treatment.

This case remains under investigation. Anyone with information should contact the New Haven Police Department Detective Bureau at 203-946-6304.

President Donald Trump announced Friday that he had agreed to a deal that would reopen the government for three weeks, without funding for his proposed border wall. But Trump indicated that he might be willing to shut down the government again or declare an emergency if Congress doesn’t give him funding for the wall in their next funding resolution.

A Brooklyn, New York-based truck driver who was sick and dragged himself out of bed to go to work on the day he bought a lottery ticket came forward as the sole winner of the near $300 million Powerball jackpot.

Dave Johnson, who hails from Jamaica, said he was sick for days but went back to work the Wednesday after Christmas, in order to get paid.

It was during his morning routine that he decided to play Powerball.

"I dragged myself in to go to work," Johnson said, adding he went to the same gas station he goes to every morning to fill his truck up across the street from his job. 

With the $5 he had in his pocket, Johnson played Powerball.

Johnson was so sick he didn't watch the drawing the night he bought the ticket, nor did he go to work the following day.

No idea that he was the lucky winner, a coworker told Johnson the winning ticket was bought at the gas station he frequented. But, Johson didn't think he was the winner.

A couple days after the drawing, Johnson headed to the gas station to check his ticket. 

"I jumped up and down in the store," he said of the moment he found out.

Realizing he held the winning ticket was all he needed to quit his job "right away, no delay." 

"I went, got back in my car, I turned my music up and zoomed on home," he said, adding that he then told his family, "I'm rich! I'm rich! I'm not going to work anymore."'

Johnson said he didn't claim the ticket Jan. 2, 2019, hiding the ticket in a jacket until he turned it in, thinking if robbers entered his house, they would go for the "good stuff" and not his jacket.

Johnson decided to take the cash lump sum totaling $180 million, which comes to around $114 million after taxes.

Though Johnson doesn't plan to leave New York City, he said he plans on investing and, then, buying a red Porsche.

The jackpot ticket, which matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in last month's drawing, was sold in Brooklyn, at Arnold Service Station on Linden Boulevard. The winner, whose identity has not yet been revealed, gets to choose between the $298.3 million annuity option or $180.2 million cash. 

It's been a good few months for New York lotto players. On the first day of 2019, someone hit the $425 million Mega Millions jackpot; that ticket was also sold in New York, at Brookville Auto Service Shop on Long Island. There was only one winner in that case as well; that person has yet to come forward.

In November, a 67-year-old Manhattan retiree named Robert Bailey claimed his share of the $687.8 million jackpot from an Oct. 27 drawing. That ticket was sold at the West Harlem Deli; it was the fourth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history and the largest prize in New York state history.

Prior to that, in August, a $245.6 million Powerball ticket was sold on Staten Island; in May, a $315 million Powerball ticket was sold in Little Ferry, New Jersey; and in March, someone hit the $533 million Mega in Vernon, New Jersey.

Powerball is played in 44 states, Washington, D.C., the U.S Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Emergency crews are responding to a crash at off Route 9 in Berlin, according to Berlin fire officials.

The crash happened off the northbound side of the highway and is causing delays between exits 22 and 24, according to the state Department of Transportation.

More details were not immediately available.

Check back for updates.

The mayor of Stratford has named 11 town residents to a task force to help determine the future use of the Shakespeare Theatre property after the historic theatre was destroyed by flames earlier this month.

Opened in 1955 and mostly vacant since the 1980s, the Town of Stratford acquired the Shakespeare Theatre from the state in 2005. It burned down on January 13.

Mayor Laura Hoydick said the town never executed an agreement with a developer or operator to breathe new life into the theater where the likes of Katharine Hepburn, James Earl Jones and Christopher Walken once performed.

The new Shakespeare Property Task Force will not be making final decisions about the use of the property, but rather gathering input from the community about how the space should be used. Officials said the deed has restrictions on the potential uses.

The task force will provide ideas to the Town Council for consideration.

The task force members are as follows:

• Anthony Nizzardo – co chair
• Tom Dillon - co-chair
• Al Baran
• Amanda Meeson
• Ed Goodrich
• Eric Hampton
• Peter Wood
• Sib Law
• Scott Bartelson
• Patti Sorrentino-Galello
• Frank Bevacqua

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

It is worth noting William Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre in London was also destroyed by fire.

"Everyone belongs."

That's the message you'll immediately get when you walk inside BeanZ and Co. in Avon. The co-owners have made it their mission to hire people with developmental disabilities, and for them it's personal.

If you eat lunch at the coffee shop, you’ll notice right away it’s packed. Someone like Lauren Trazeski might be your server.

“To be a waitress and to be bringing out food-- that’s something I never thought I would be doing,” said Trazeski. “I love it.”

Behind the counter is Nick Sinacori.

“I do the register and sometimes bring food to the customers,” Sinacori said.

He’s 23 years old and has been working here since the café opened in December.

“It’s awesome it’s really like family here,” he said.

The mission here is simple and extra special.

“BeanZ and Co. is a café where we employ adults with and without intellectual and or physical disabilities,” said owner Kim Morrison.

Friends and co-owners Kim Morrison and Noelle Alix were inspired by their own daughters who have special needs.

“We decided that we wanted to make a difference and we wanted to help our community,” Morrison said. “They earn a paycheck. They have jobs. You can see how busy we are. This is a for profit business so we have to keep going. We do push them and they learn new skills.”

Customers say they love it.

“When I heard about this spot, it was a must come for me,” John Neagle of Simsbury said.

“It’s really good and everyone has been really friendly,” said Bryn Mathews, a customer from Avon.

Everything from the counter height to the computer system to the coffee machine has been adapted.

“That is our goal to bring BeanZ and company to other communities so that we can share this mission and share this experience with more people,” Morrison said.

A White House official said Friday that the Trump administration is taking steps to ensure back pay is issued as soon as possible to the roughly 800,000 furloughed employees who went without paychecks during the government shutdown, NBC News reported. 

President Donald Trump announced Friday that the government would re-open through Feb. 15 while negotiations on border security funding continue.

“Because of the President’s actions, Federal workers will be paid in the coming days,” the White House tweeted.  

A 48-year-old man was critically wounded in a stabbing in Hartford Friday.

Police said the victim was stabbed in the area of 286 Sargent St. He drove himself to the hospital where he is currently listed in critical condition.

Investigators have detained a suspect and believe the stabbing is the result of a feud between two people. There is no danger to the public.

The Major Crimes and Crime Scene Vision are investigating.

No other details were immediately available.

The Central Connecticut State University women's basketball team is looking to turn their season around when they get back on the court Saturday against Bryant.

They recently ended a six-game losing streak, but the Blue Devils are sitting at 1-5 in the NEC. Coach Beryl Piper says this is part of growing pains, and that one player in particular is adjusting to life at CCSU after coming a long way to Connecticut.

Junior point guard Bruna Vila Artigues is from Spain. She says she grew up playing basketball and came to the U.S. first for junior college in Wyoming. After two seasons, she made the move to Connecticut for her junior season. A journey she says is all for the privilege of being a student-athlete.

"In Spain it's really hard to go to university and go to practice,” said Vila Artigues. “Practices are really late at night, like 10 o'clock... Just completely different, basketball has nothing to do with the university, some people have to quit playing, so that was one of my main reasons."

Vila Artigues’ coach said she sees the appreciation from the junior, adding that because she spent two years in Wyoming before coming to Central, the adjustment has been easy.

"Every once in a while we have some names of plays and it's kind of funny because she calls it out and the girls kind of make fun of her a little bit because it's funny the way it comes out,” said Piper. “But other than that, she's been great because she's been loud calling things out... So everybody was just happy to have somebody come in that was going to lead the show."

The Blue Devils have their next home game at Detrick Gymnasium against LIU on Monday, January 28.

Two suspects are in custody after an armed robbery led to a police chase through multiple towns Friday night.

Vernon police said it started when officers responded to an armed robbery at the Verizon Store on Route 83. Lt. William Meier said the suspects, who had handguns, fled in a vehicle headed toward Ellington.

The suspects crashed in Somers and tried to flee on foot, police said. Officers took one suspect into custody at the crash scene. They found the second suspect in a nearby barn after a one hour search.

Neighbors in the area said they were checking social media for updates and checking their homes for any sign of a fugitive.

"I checked the upper level of the shed, behind all the coolers behind everything, I even checked my boat cover because you never know where they could be hiding you know," said Todd Provencher, who lives in Somers. 

Police said they are working to identify the two suspects and plan to release their names and charges in the near future.

According to police, both suspects are in police custody at Hartford Hospital, where they are undergoing medical treatment for injuries sustained in the crash.

No other injuries were reported.

Ledyard Police have released the names of the officers who were involved in an officer-involved shooting last weekend.

On Sunday, January 20, 2019, Ledyard Police were involved in a traffic pursuit that ended in the rear yard of a home on Reservoir View.

During the incident, police said two officers fired shots and the driver was hit by gunfire.

Ledyard Police have identified the two officers who fired the shots during the incident as Officer Benjamin Burbank and Officer First Class Bobby Kempke. Officer Burbank is a five-year veteran of the Ledyard Police Department and Officer First Class Kempke is a 13-year veteran, police said.

Other officers who were involved or assisting in the traffic pursuit were Sgt. Ernest Bailey, Sgt. Thomas Olsen and Officer Kyle Long. All are assigned to the Ledyard Police Patrol Division, officers said.

Sgt. Bailey is a ten-year veteran, Sgt. Olsen is a 21-year veteran and Officer Long is a four-year veteran.

The incident remains under investigation at the direction of the New London County State's Attorney's Office with assistance from Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad.

Police in Rhode Island have arrested a man from Canterbury, Connecticut, who is accused of trying to solicit a teen to engage in sexual activity at a hotel in Warwick.

According to Rhode Island State Police, 33-year-old Christopher Merchant, of Canterbury, is facing charges including two counts of indecent solicitation of a child, three counts of electronically disseminating indecent materials to a minor and possession of child pornography.

The arrest stemmed from an investigation by members of the Rhode Island Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, police said.

During the month of January, investigators said a man, later identified as Merchant, engaged in a series of communications with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old boy.

Police said the conversation quickly became sexually explicit and Merchant allegedly disseminated indecent material and solicited the person, who he believed to be a 14-year-old boy, to engage in sexual activity at a hotel in Warwick.

Members of the ICAC Task Force obtained a warrant for his arrest.

On Friday, ICAC Task Force members arrested Merchant at the Warwick hotel, police said. During the arrest, Task Force members found child pornography on Merchant's phone.

Merchant was ordered to be held at the Adult Correctional Institution on $100,000 surety bail, pending arraignment in court on Monday.

Officials said Merchant is the vice president and a coach with the Plainfield Little League in Plainfield, Connecticut. According to police, at this time, there no evidence of any involvement with members of the Plainfield Little League.

A pizza delivery driver is in critical condition after a shooting in New Haven late Friday night.

Police said they responded to Ferry Street at Clay Street in the Fair Haven neighborhood around 11:15 p.m. after getting a report of a person shot.

When they arrived, officers said they found a 54-year-old male pizza delivery driver who had been shot in the neck inside of his car.

The man was transported to the hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries, where he remains in critical condition, police said.

The shooting is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call New Haven Police Department Detective Bureau at (203) 946-6304.

If you’re looking for a little sun in the middle of this winter, Saturday is your day as the 16th annual “Sun, Wine & Food Festival" continues at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville.

The four day event kicked off on Thursday, but Saturday at 8 p.m. guests will get a chance to taste signature dishes created by 20 chefs from across the country during the “Celebrity Chef Dine” event.

Mohegan Sun’s C.M.O. Dave Martinelli says in addition to being a hub for world-renowned chefs, this festival is an opportunity for local Connecticut talent to shine.

“It’s really a great event for them to showcase and grow their business we find it’s just a great spot for everyone,” said Martinelli.

The festival will continue tomorrow with a southern-inspired brunch and performances from Questlove, Martina McBride and Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman.

Tickets are available on ticketmaster.com and at the Mohegan Sun box office.

Hartford Police are investigating after a 36-year-old man was shot on Hughes Street on Saturday afternoon.

According to police, Hartford Police Major Crimes Division responded to assist patrol officers on Hughes Street after getting a report of a man who was shot around 3:30 p.m.

Officers said a 36-year-old man from Hartford suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the leg. He is in stable condition at Hartford Hospital.

Police found evidence of gunfire at the scene.

Officers said the shooting appeared to be a targeted attack.

A D.C. restaurant that was once at the center of an online conspiracy theory dubbed "pizzagate" was intentionally set on fire, fire officials say.

Firefighters responded to a small fire at Comet Ping Pong on Connecticut Avenue NW about 9:20 p.m. Wednesday night, D.C. Fire and EMS said.

They found that employees had put out the fire that spread to some curtains and window coverings inside the restaurant, the fire department said.

No one was injured in the fire.

Fire investigators determined the fire was arson and later released these photos of a suspect:

Authorities described the suspect as a white man, 25 to 30 years old with blonde hair, a mustache and a beard. He was wearing a blue and white varsity style jacket and blue jeans at the time of the fire.

Investigators are asking anyone who can identify the suspect to call 202-904-6511 or email james.taylor7@dc.gov.

It's not clear if the fire is related to the fake news "pizzagate" theory.

In December 2016, a North Carolina man armed with an assault rifle traveled to D.C. and fired his weapon inside the restaurant.

Edgar Welch told police he was there to investigate the "pizzagate" theory that claimed Comet Ping Pong was the home base of a child sex abuse ring run by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her presidential campaign chair, John Podesta.

Welch was sentenced to four years in prison.

The pizzeria saw an outpouring of support from the community after the ordeal. Hundreds of signs of support were posted outside Comet Ping Pong in the days after the shooting.

A serious crash closed the westbound lanes of Route 72 in New Britain on Saturday night.

State police responded to the accident near Exit 9 just before 7 p.m. There were serious injuries reported at the accident scene, but police did not release any details about those injuries.

It was not clear when the westbound lanes would reopen.

One man is dead and another hospitalized after falling through the ice on Rogers Lake in Old Lyme on Saturday afternoon.

The two men were skating on the ice with hockey sticks when the ice gave way, according to state police.

A neighbor heard screams and called 911.

Police and firefighters responded to the scene and found one man in water up to his shoulders and clinging to the ice.

A second man went under, police said.

Dive teams recovered the body of the second man after an hour. He was identified as 60-year-old Harry Jewett, of Old Lyme.

The other victim is in stable condition in the hospital, according to police.

A man’s tweet has gone viral after he shared a video of his car’s GPS reading out a text from his 14-year-old son.

Aaron Reynolds, from Toronto, shared the video of Apple’s CarPlay reading the text, which he received while his wife was driving.

The text, a cryptic emoji-laden message, was sent by the Reynolds’ eldest son, Theo.

"Theo Reynolds said, '35 emojis: a grinning face, a sunglasses face, a crazy face...'"

Emojis are small digital icons such as, tiny smiley faces, hand gestures, cartoon vehicles and food. They have taken center stage in modern day communication as an easy, fun way to express ideas, emotions and objects!

The video, which captured the hilarious integration of technology within technology, was shared on Twitter where it garnered attention from thousands.

Fellow parents appreciated the video and empathized with its relatability.

Others commended Theo’s witty use of technology to mess with his parents.

Residents near the intersection at Durkee Road and Four Bridges Road in Somers told us they woke up to an unexpected sound this Sunday morning.

“At about after 5 o’ clock, close to 5:30 in the morning, LifeStar came and landed inside the field nearby,” Jerome Kulas has lived in the area for over 20 years. “After that time, they were still investigating the scene and everything else. Multiple emergency crews came in to check out the area.”

State police confirmed a serious accident occurred at that intersection. They also said they are the ones leading the investigation. By 9 a.m., an accident reconstruction team arrived to examine the scene.

Another neighbor who owns the land next to the site of the accident says it’s not the first time he has seen something like this.

“The speed limit is 35, they do 50/55,” said Joel Lachance. “I see them come up the road to the corner up here. What’re you gonna do? They’ve hit poles—it’s too narrow.”

Police have not yet released information on the victims or details of the accident.