Meriden police are investigating after brass railings outside two different churches in the city were stolen.

“It’s a shame something like that had to happen in this neighborhood, but we all look out for each other,” said Mule Spinelli, who lives nearby St. Rose of Lima Church on Center Street.

He said he caught the crime on his home surveillance cameras, and told NBC Connecticut he gave the video to police.

“He just starting taking the pole apart,” said Spinelli. “It took no longer than 10 minutes. He stacked them right in the garbage can and walked right off through the church like no respect.”

The church pastor, Reverend James Manship, said they noticed the theft last weekend.

“Between last Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, two four-foot sections of bronze railings were taken,” he said.

The railings were there for safety, but they also had sentimental value to the church.

“The church has been here since 1848,” Manship said. “Folks are pretty upset that their church was bothered.”

Meriden police are investigating. Sgt. Christopher Fry said St. Andrews Episcopal Church on Catlin Street was also targeted. Although metal thefts are common, he says thefts from churches are not.

“The reuse value is very low,” said Fry. “Those handrails are specific to the church. The only real value is the metal they are made of which could be scrapped for a small amount of cash.”

Manship says they are working with police. If they can’t recover the railing—they’ll replace them as soon as possible.

“If you knew our parishioners then you would know that nothing would stop them from coming to church,” he said. “We are handicapped accessible on our side entrances. They noticed it and they know we’re on top of it.”

A man has died after being hit by a tractor-trailer in Hartford Thursday, according to police.

The crash happened around 4 p.m. Police said 77-year-old Carl Loven was trying to cross Walnut Street when he was hit by a tractor-trailer turning west onto Walnut from High Street, near the Interstate 84 westbound entrance ramp. Loven was rushed to Saint Francis Hospital where he died of his injuries.

Investigators are reviewing footage of the crash.

The truck driver did remain on scene and is cooperating with the investigation. No charges have been filed.

This is the first fatal car crash in Hartford this year, according to police.

One of the dozens of ideas proposed by Governor Ned Lamont to close the state’s proposed two-year deficit is to expand the state’s bottle deposit program to bottles for wine, liquor, and smaller bottles known as nips.

The proposal is projected to net the state about $10 million over the biennium, a small fraction of the overall budget, but considered necessary to close an estimated $3 billion shortfall.

“Whatever we have to do, we are going to do in this store,” said Jay Pole, the founder and owner of Willowbrook Spirit Shoppe in Cromwell. “It will be a burden.”

Polke says expanding the program to wine and liquor bottles will mean his store will have to utilize more space in order to collect deposits. In his case, he would plan on using his basement. He says he’s lucky, and added there are more steps than the governor may think.

“It’s going to put a burden on liquor store owners that don’t have the space. They’re going to have to acquire more space. Distributors are going to have to acquire more space,” Polke said, who’s been in the liquor business for more than 40 years. “There are trucks on the road that are going to have to be purchased, more drivers, more carbon footprint for something that’s really not necessary the way I see it.”

Lamont is proposing adding a $.25 deposit on every liquor and wine bottle and a 5-cent deposit on every nip.

However, consumers looking to get their refunds may find it difficult, because supermarkets only have machines that accept bottles of plastic, glass, and aluminum cans.

That’s a concern of Rep. Jason Rojas, (D – East Hartford), who chairs the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee, the panel that would consider the proposal.

“It begs the question, do we even have machines that can even take bottles like that and redeem them?” Rojas asked. “So those are all new issues that we’d have to deal with and that there are systems in place to actually make it work so that we can realize that revenue if we’re going to go that direction.”

A Thin Blue Line flag plaque is back up at the Capitol Friday after it was removed over concerns that it could actually represent opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement.

A handmade wooden plaque was donated weeks ago by a member of the Capitol Police. The office of Legislative Management said they decided to hang it in the police memorial in the concourse that connects the Legislative Office Building to the Capitol building. The thin blue line is recognized by many as a symbol of support for law enforcement.

The artwork was removed when others raised the viewpoint that it could be seen as a symbol of opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement, and it was seen during a Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017.

The plaque’s removal Tuesday was met with strong pushback by some in the law enforcement community who felt the action was an attack on police, and support quickly rallied to demand it be replaced.

"There are very good reasons why it came down," said Sen. Gary Winfield.

Winfield, a Democrat, said it's added context, not a lack of support for police, that prompted him and others to be concerned by the flag's appearance at the Capitol's police memorial.

"Part of what's being missed here, the whole story has been about the offense that this removal of the flag is to the police, but I think we have to think about context," Winfield said.

The Connecticut Fraternal Order of Police sent a statement saying "I am very happy to see that the flag has been placed back up where it belongs. I thank both Republican and Democratic party leaders who assisted me in making this happen."

Some in the law enforcement community have previously rejected the idea of any connection between the white nationalist movement, Blue Lives Matter, and the thin blue line symbol.

Artwork in the concourse is usually put through a vetting process, but the Office of Legislative Management said they felt the piece was appropriate to hang without vetting in a corner that is specifically reserved for the police memorial, and that they also made the initial call to take it down.

President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen, facing jail in just over two months, has been speaking with and providing information to federal prosecutors in New York, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

According to those sources and public statements, Cohen was questioned about a donor to the president’s inaugural committee, Imaad Zuberi, who is a political fundraiser with a history of donating to both Republican and Democratic candidates.

In addition, the sources said Cohen has discussed matters relevant to the Southern District of New York’s investigation into certain members of the Trump Organization and the Trump Inaugural Committee, investigations that have previously been reported publicly.

U.S. Sen Dianne Feinstein, D-California, isn't backing the Green New Deal, and she wasn't shy about letting a group who does support it know it — even if they are children.

A group of schoolchildren visited the senator at her San Francisco office Friday and urged her to get on board with the renewable energy legislation, NBC News reports.

But the conversation quickly turned into somewhat of a confrontation, and Feinstein has been criticized online for the tone she took. Edited video of the 85-year-old lecturing more than a dozen kids went viral Friday.

Florida law enforcement officials say New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is one of hundreds of men accused of allegedly soliciting prostitution as a result of a recent sting they say contributes to the world of sex trafficking.

The major bust in the Sunshine State spans three counties, and police confirmed it had ties to New York and China.

Todd McGhee, a retired Massachusetts State Police trooper who is now a private security consultant, says human and sex trafficking, which happens when someone is abducted or promised false employment, then exploited and prevented from leaving, is prevalent everywhere in the United States.

"We are really talking about an international problem that feeds the U.S. market and make no bones about it, this is literally the magnitude of organized crime," McGhee said.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, authorities handled nearly 2,000 cases of human trafficking in 2015. DOJ numbers say most of those responsible were white males, and nearly all of them were U.S. citizens.

McGhee says the men paying for sex, commonly called johns, contribute to keeping the billion dollar business thriving.

"The johns will most likely get a slap on the wrist," McGhee said. "With that being said, it is a massive, massive money-making business."

In 2010, the National Institute of Justice funded a study to measure sex trafficking in eight major cities in the United States. They estimated the illegal activity ranged from $40 million in Denver to $290 million in Atlanta.

"Those controlling the ring have control of how the money comes in and goes out and it is absolutely an underground controlled process," McGhee said.

The retired trooper also said there are signs of human trafficking that are missed all of the time, considering that a ring leader may be the only person who knows where a woman is hidden so they can be forced into prostitution, holding them in a hotel, or in the Florida cases, a massage parlor.

At least 45 human trafficking suspects were referred to U.S. attorneys in Massachusetts in 2015, according to the DOJ.

McGhee said the trafficking is happening in hotels, in a bus or transit station and in airports.

"Often times there will be a handler who will do all the speaking," he said. "They may say there is a language barrier and that's why the others are not speaking for themselves."

At an airport, a handler will keep control of the victims' passports, speaking on their behalf, again claiming a language barrier.

My Life My Choice, a Boston-based group that works to help sex trafficking victims, say they helped 204 victims in just six months.

President Donald Trump said he's "surprised" to see New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft charged with soliciting prostitution in Florida.

Trump also emphasized that Kraft denied the allegations when asked about the charges Kraft faces in the Oval Office Friday afternoon.

"Well it's very sad," he said. "I was very surprised to see it. He's proclaimed his innocence totally, but I'm very surprised to see it."

Authorities in Jupiter, Florida announced the 77-year-old Brookline, Massachusetts, native will charged with two counts of soliciting another to commit prostitution -- both misdemeanors -- based on two different visits caught on camera to an illicit massage parlor connected to a wider human trafficking ring.

The president has been very vocal in the past about his friendships with Kraft, Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady, and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

In an interview with The Daily Caller just days before the Patriots faced the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII earlier this month, Trump praised the trio's "great chemistry with each other," and said it was a key to the team's success over the years, eventually saying he was "very good friends" with them.

Kraft told Fox News that he appreciated the Republican president's support of the Patriots.

"Well, we can use every fan who wants to support us, from wherever they are in their standard of life," Kraft said.

In a statement through a spokesperson, Kraft "categorically" denied the charges.

To help make sure you stay informed on the most shared and talked about stories, each Saturday and Sunday we'll revisit 5 stories from the previous week, including the most recent updates.

Lamont Pitches Tolls in Budget Address

Gov. Ned Lamont gave his first Budget Address on Wednesday, offering what he said was a path to a better future for Connecticut. Lamont offered two proposals to add tolls to Connecticut highways. One proposal would charge tolls for trucks only and the second proposal would charge all vehicles. He also proposed changing the sales tax in Connecticut, including adding a tax to things like streaming services. Read more about his proposals here.

Connecticut Joins Lawsuit Against National Emergency Declaration

Attorney General William Tong announced Tuesday that Connecticut was joining the lawsuit with 15 other states against President Trump and his decision to declare a national emergency to take funds to build a wall on the southern border. Tong said Connecticut could be hurt by the decision because some of the money being diverted for the wall could come from projects here in the state. See more on the lawsuit here.

Chicago Police Say Actor Jessie Smollett Made Up Attack

"Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was arrested on Thursday and charged for what police say was a false report about an assault on him. Smollett said he suffered an assault by two men who shouted racial and homophobic epithets at him. Police said Smollett made up the story because he was unhappy with his salary. The producers of "Empire" announced Friday that they were removing Smollett's characters from the show's last two episodes of the season. See the latest on the arrest here.

Carjacking Suspect Killed After Firing at Police

A man who led police on a multi-town chase in eastern Connecticut was shot and killed by officers on Wednesday. The chase began in Norwich after the suspect fired at officers. According to police, the man tried to carjack several cars before eventually crashing in Windham where he was shot by officers. See more on the incident here.

CBD Products May Not All Be What They Seem

More and more products containing CBD are being sold, but some warn they may not all be exactly what is advertised. Many people use products infused with CBD (canabidiol) as a natural remedy for all kinds of health issues, ranging from pain to anxiety and depression. A lab that tests CBD products says a product's contents sometimes don't match what is on the label. See more on CBD products here.

Meriden Police are investigating after a carjacking on Saturday morning.

Officers said a man approached a driver at McDonalds on South Broad Street asking for a ride shortly after 9:45 a.m.

About a mile down the road at Broad and East Main Streets, the owner stopped his or her vehicle and stepped away from it for a second. That's when the suspect took off with the car, according to officers.

Police are searching for a blue Volvo. They describe the suspect as a man with a heavy build wearing a black hoodie.

There are no reports of injuries.

A homeowner was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries after there was a fire at his house in Trumbull on Friday night.

Firefighters responded to a home on Sylvan Avenue around 10:15 p.m. after getting a report of a structure fire.

When crews arrived, they said they found heavy fire conditions on all floors of the two-story wood-framed home.

According to fire officials, the homeowner was alerted to the fire by his smoke detector and made it out safely. He was transported to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

The house was a total loss and the Red Cross is assisting the homeowner, firefighters said.

The Trumbull Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

Two people are dead after a single-engine airplane crashed and caught fire at Mansfield Municipal Airport early Saturday afternoon.  

Emergency crews responded to the crash shortly around 12:50 p.m.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the two people were only ones on board the Cessna 172 aircraft when it crashed.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. 

This story will be updated as more information becomes available. 

Close to 1,000 athletes are competing in Special Olympics Connecticut's 51st annual Winter Games this weekend. Events kicked off on Saturday around the state and will continue through Sunday.

Athletes will compete in events from skiing to skating and hockey at this year's Winter Games.

This is a tradition that is marking 50 years this weekend.

Athletes of all abilities from across Connecticut will have the opportunity to compete this weekend with their peers. They've been training with their local teams all season long and now this is their chance to demonstrate what they can achieve.

The weekend kicked off with a parade of athletes and opening ceremonies on Saturday. Our own Gabrielle Lucivero was the emcee for the opening ceremonies.

Winter Games weekend is presented by Eversource Energy, a sponsor of the event for 29 years. All events are free and open to the public.

NBC Connecticut is a proud sponsor of the Special Olympics Connecticut Winter Games. 

Amber Alerts were issued in Texas on Saturday for three siblings who were reported missing from Waterbury last weekend and were last heard from in Sealy, Texas.

Waterbury Police are searching for 2-year-old Maryah Matthew, 5-year-old Dylan McGrath and 7-year-old Maddison McGrath. All three siblings were reported missing from Waterbury on Saturday, February 16, and were believed to be with their biological mother, 29-year-old Crystal McGrath.

Maryah is described as a female who is 2'0" and weighs 30 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a blue shirt, a white vest with gold hearts, blue pants and black boots with hearts.

Dylan is described as a boy who is 3'0" and 45 pounds with brown hair and green eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue and white sweater, blue pants with a white stripe and black shoes.

Maddison is described as a girl who is 4'0" and 75 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a leopard print sweatsuit.

Officers said Crystal was allowed supervised visits with her three children, but she violated the conditions of the supervised release last weekend.

Police said Crystal left a McDonald's restaurant on Reidville Drive in Waterbury with the children. Her boyfriend, 38-year-old Lester Joy, was believed to be in the vehicle, authorities said. They are driving a maroon 2002 Volvo with a Connecticut license plate of 417-YTY.

Police are searching for Crystal and Joy in connection with the kids' abduction.

Officers said they were last heard from in Sealy, Texas.

Law enforcement officials said they believe the children are in grave or immediate danger.

If you have any information regarding the abduction, you're urged to call Waterbury Police at 203-574-6911.

Police released photos and video of suspects in the deadly shooting of a Brooklyn teen who his family says was on his way to the grocery store when he was gunned down. 

Samuel Joseph, 15, was shot in the head and torso in front of his apartment building on Flatbush Avenue just before 6 p.m. Friday, police said. 

He was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital. 

“He was a good kid," said Don Joseph, the victim's brother. "He’s not a gang member or in any type a situation that would cause that.”

Family members and friends could be seen comforting one another on the street outside the building on Flatbush Avenue, where a candlelight memorial was growing. 

No one has been arrested. Police said two men between the ages of 18 and 25 were caught on surveillance photos and video. One of them was wearing red Adidas sweatpants with white stripes. 

They were believed to have arrived and fled in a car, police said. 

"There's nothing to say," Don Joseph said, "We just hope justice will come."

To help make sure you stay informed on the most shared and talked about stories, each Saturday and Sunday we'll revisit 5 stories from the previous week, including the most recent updates.

Robert Kraft Charged With Soliciting Prostitute

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged Friday with soliciting a prostitute in Florida. Kraft was one of several people arrested in a prostitution sting centering on a day spa in Jupiter, Florida, according to police. Kraft is facing two counts based on two separate visits to the spa, police said. A spokesperson for Kraft categorically denied that Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Read more about the arrest here.

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State Senate Candidate Fires Campaign Manager Over Controversial Tweet

Republican State Senate candidate Bill Wadsworth fired his campaign manager Thursday over what many are calling an anti-Semitic tweet. Nicole Palmieri tweeted a photo of Wadsworth's opponent, Derek Slap, standing with Sen. Richard Blumenthal and the text "Even Dick isn't safe from Slap's money grabbing." Wadsworth said the tweet appeared anti-Semitic and he apologized to Slap. Read more on the story here.

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Coast Guard Lt. Accused of Planning Mass Killings

A lieutenant at U.S. Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., is under arrest for weapons violations and stands accused of plotting a major attack and creating a list of targets who are Democrats and media personalities. Prosecutors said 49-year-old Christopher Paul Hasson is a domestic terrorist who "intends to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country." Among those on the list was Sen. Richard Blumenthal. See more about the arrest here.

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UConn Health Says Data Breach Could Impact More Than 300,000

UConn Health is warning patients about a data breach that could impact more than 300,000 people.

People who might have been affected will be receiving letters by mail if UConn Health has a valid mailing address for the person. The company is offering free identity theft protection services to those impacted. Learn more here.

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Pope Francis Holds Vatican Summit on Sex Abuse

Bishops from around the world gathered at the Vatican for a summit to address clergy sexual abuse and the cover-up that has gone on for decades. Pope Francis offered the bishops 21 proposals to consider to help combat sex abuse by priests. The bishops were told their flocks want concrete actions and not just words. For more on the Vatican summit, click here.

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A woman from Cos Cob has died from her injuries after a four-car crash that forced a closure of the southbound side of the Charter Oak Bridge in East Hartford on Monday.

The crash happened around 2:18 p.m. Connecticut State Police said a 67-year-old woman driving one vehicle was seriously hurt and six other people were taken to the hospital for minor injuries or evaluation.

The woman, later identified as Kathryn Kesseli Guimard, of Cos Cob, died on Saturday, February 23, from injuries sustained in the crash, police said. 

State police said the initial investigation suggests that a Chevrolet Silverado rear-ended a Toyota Camry in traffic. The pickup pushed the sedan into a Honda Odyssey, which in turn side-swiped a Chevrolet Equinox.

The crash is still under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the crash should contact State Police Troop H.

Students at UConn pulled an all-nighter, but not to study. They were up dancing for 18 hours to raise funds for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center at this year's HuskyTHON.

Chris Byrka has lived with a genetic disease called neurofibromatosis his whole life. He was first admitted to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in 8th grade.

Since then, he has survived 27 brain surgeries.

“Connecticut Children’s has played a central role in my life,” said Byrka. “I have so much appreciation for them. They are the reason why I’m here. The care that they take for the kids is the reason they’re one of the best children’s hospitals in the country.”

For the 20th year in a row, UConn students danced all night for people like Byrka.

The night is long, but dancers said the patients and their families inspired them to keep moving.

“The first year, the first couple hours you’re like ‘I wanna leave,’” said junior Cat Nicholson, who danced for a third time this year. “But once you’re like about to walk out the door, you’re like ‘I actually don’t want to leave’ and you stay and do the whole 18 and do it again year after year after year.”

Many of patients and their families were in the Fieldhouse…dancing with the huskies.

Bill Stratton’s 8-year-old son is battling epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

“We’ve been through a lot,” said Stratton, “And to see that the students now are actually putting so much time and effort, it truly means a lot.”

Other parents told us that the student event has kept them going through tough times for years. Lesley Mara’s teenage daughter is a cancer survivor. They’ve been coming to HuskyTHON for several years.

“It felt very lonely as a family, and then we got involved with HuskyTHON,” said Mara. “We realized that thousands of people were standing shoulder to shoulder with our family trying to make a difference for our child.”

In total, the students raised $1,328,402.19 at this year's HuskyTHON.

A fire took place at Yale University's Klein lab on Sunday, causing a hazardous material concern, according to Director of the Office of Emergency Management Rick Fontana.

The fire is out and contaminated water in the basement from the sprinkler system may be hazardous, Fontana said.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protections is on the scene.

The incident took place in a 13-story research building along Prospect Street. Power to the building is shutdown, Fontana said.

The NBC Connecticut meteorologists have issued a First Alert for Sunday and Monday because of the threat of strong winds.

Rain this morning froze on contact in parts of the northwest hills where as much as a tenth of one inch of ice accreted on untreated surfaces. Through the day today, temperatures will climb above freezing into the 40s to near 50 along the shoreline.

A High Wind Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for the entire state tonight through Monday. As a powerful storm moves to our north, winds may gust as high as 40-60 mph across the state. The peak of the wind will likely be Monday morning to early afternoon.

High winds could result in sporadic power issues and tree damage as we run into Monday afternoon. Cold weather will follow for Tuesday and Wednesday with highs only in the 20s (average highs should be in the low 40s).

Stay tuned for the latest.