More than zero!

That was the message from Waterbury teachers to school leaders on Thursday. They’re facing a pay freeze for next year.

"It’s kind of like a slap in the face, plain and simple," said Ali Kirchberger, a fifth-grade teacher.

They packed the gym at Bucks Hill Elementary School.

As the school board met, they supported their union, the Waterbury Teachers Association.

"They just want to understand why? Why the zero?" said Kevin Egan, president of the Waterbury Teachers Association.

Egan blasted the city for the zero raise which came after binding arbitration. But when it came time for the city to respond, most teachers walked out.

There was clear frustration on the part of Mayor Neil O’Leary.

"I’m a little disappointed," said O’Leary.

O’Leary went on to explain to those left in the room that it was hard to give the teachers a raise because the city depends on state funding and it could change with a new governor.

The mayor pointed out teachers have seen a boost in pay during his tenure and that should resume for the second and third year of their contract.

"There will be no question we’ll be providing raises. What’s going to matter the most is what the legislative budget looks like," said O’Leary.

Also O’Leary says there’s been a pay freeze for many city workers during these tough financial times.

Still there are worries that some teachers might leave.

"We have had a lot of turnover because Waterbury doesn’t pay like the rest of the districts do," said Kathleen O’Brien, a high school math teacher.

The mayor hopes to have a better idea in June of how much money the city will receive from the state.

That’s also when negotiations will resume with the teachers union about the next two years.

The House Committee on Homeland Security today expressed “great concern” about a secret list used by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to stop, detain, question and search 59 reporters, attorneys, and immigration advocates. 

In a letter to CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, committee chairman Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., said CBP’s “targeting (of) journalists, lawyers, and advocates…raises questions about possible misuse of CBP’s border search authority and requires oversight to ensure the protection of Americans’ legal and constitutional rights.” 

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The committee’s letter -- and other harsh criticism about the CBP surveillance program -- was prompted by a detailed report on the secret surveillance published yesterday by NBC 7 Investigates. 

To read the exclusive investigation, click here. 

Rep. Thompson and Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., who chairs the panel’s Subcommittee on Border Security, set a March 14 deadline for CBP to provide them with a copy of the list of individuals subject to surveillance. Thompson and Rice also requested copies of any “dossiers” on those private citizens, details on how many times those individuals have been stopped for questioning by CBP and other information. 

The committee also expressed concern that “some individuals have been required to allow CBP officers to search their cell phones before being released” from detention. 

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CBP today issued a statement on the controversial program, describing it as a necessary response to assaults against agents in November 2018 and January of this year. CBP’s Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs, Andrew Meehan, said the agency “identified individuals who may have information relating to the instigators and/or organizers of these attacks.” 

Meehan said “efforts to gather this type of information are a standard law enforcement practice” and assured critics that, “CBP does not target journalists for inspection based on their occupation or their reporting.” 

CBP also revealed that its Office of Professional Responsibility launched an internal inquiry of the surveillance program last month, “to ensure that all appropriate policies and practices were followed.” The Office of Inspector General in the Department of Homeland Security is also involved in that internal review. 

But that internal inquiry was apparently started after NBC 7 Investigates first questioned the agency about the controversial program and confirmed that it had obtained internal documents about the surveillance effort.

NBC 7 first contacted the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and other agencies involved in the intelligence gathering effort on February 27. 

One of the immigration activists subject to government surveillance and included in the documents obtained by NBC 7 strongly criticized the secret CBP program. 

“What is especially concerning is the number of human rights defenders and journalists who are being interrogated and added to this list, which is only designed to intimidate them and discourage them from speaking out,” said Alex Mensing of the pro-immigrant group Pueblo Sin Fronteras. 

“It’s upsetting to know the U.S. government is using its resources to monitor human rights defenders and journalists who are doing their work,” Mensing said. 

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During a visit to San Diego today, Governor Gavin Newsom denounced the dossier project as a “Big Brother” abuse of government power. 

Newsom also contrasted CBP’s extensive surveillance of private citizens with the government’s flawed effort to keep track of immigrant children separated from their parents at the border. 

“I mean the irony of that shouldn’t be lost on anyone,” Newsom told NBC 7. “That we have better data collection against journalists than we do of children and their parents. That’s America in 2019. It’s a disgrace.” 

Three local congressmen, all Democrats, also criticized the surveillance program. 

“The Trump Administration should not be secretly tracking law-abiding journalists, lawyers, and advocates to stop them from simply doing their jobs,” said freshman Representative Mike Levin, D-49. “This is a stunning abuse of power and potentially unconstitutional.” 

Rep. Scott Peters, D-52, called the dossier collection an “egregious abuse of power and another attempt by the Trump Administration to undermine the freedom of the press, which is vital to our democracy.” 

Peters said Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen “...should be focused on keeping track of (immigrant) children separated from their parents (and the border), not people lawfully doing their jobs.” 

Rep. Juan Vargas, D-51, described himself as “deeply troubled by the reports of U.S. and Mexican officials targeting journalists, attorneys, and immigration advocates at our southern border.” 

NBC 7 Investigates requested a comment from Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, R-50, an outspoken critic of illegal immigration and staunch supporter of President Trump and his efforts to build a border wall. Hunter’s office has not replied to that request of comment on the CBP surveillance program. 

The controversy also reverberated in Mexico City, where that country’s Secretary of Foreign Relations denied any involvement in the surveillance program. 

“The government of Mexico disapproves of all acts of illegal espionage against any person, domestic or foreign,” the Foreign Secretary said. “The Mexican government does not conduct illegal surveillance on anyone, for any type or category of activity.” 

But the Foreign Relations Office also pledged to ask the U.S. government, via official channels, to “clarify any possible cases of illegal spying.”

Hartford police have arrested a suspect on arson charges after a fire at a Hartford apartment building that sent 10 people to the hospital Thursday morning.

Firefighters responded to the building at 820 Wethersfield Avenue just after 7:15 a.m. and found heavy smoke throughout the building.

Several people had to be rescued from apartments, according to fire officials.

Ten people suffered smoke inhalation and three of those people also suffered burns, fire officials said.  All of them were taken to the hospital to be evaluated.

The fire appeared to have started in an apartment on the second floor.

Police have arrested 38-year-old Eladia Vazquez, of Manchester, in connection with the fire. Vazquez is charged with first-degree arson, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and risk of injury. 

In all, 47 residents, including 10 children, were displaced by the fire.  The Red Cross and the Hartford Fire Department's Special Services Unit are assisting those families.

State Police are investigating a crash involving a wrong-way driver on I-395 North in Plainfield.

The accident happened just after 1 a.m. between Exits 32-35.

Details of the crash are limited but State Police say at least one person has been seriously injured.

The road will remain closed while State Police investigate.

At least 50 employees may have been fired from Northwestern Memorial Hospital for accessing the medical profile and records of 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett without authorization, sources with knowledge of the situation said.

One of those employees - identified simply as Susan, to protect her identity - said that with one click of her mouse, she was fired from her job as a surgical nurse last week.

"Simply put, it was just morbid curiosity," she said. "I went into the charting system and started to search his name."

"I clicked just once," Susan said. "I never clicked into his chart."

Susan said she was fired on the spot for violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, that sets standards for patient privacy and confidentiality.

When asked specifically about the terminations and any disciplinary actions taken, a spokesman for Northwestern Medicine said he could not discuss on the situation due to HIPAA restrictions and company policy preventing him from commenting on any employee's employment status.

Smollett was charged last month with disorderly conduct in filing a false police report, a felony that carries a sentence ranging from probation to up to three years in prison.

Authorities said Smollett reported on Jan. 29 that he was physically attacked as he was returning home from an early morning stop at a Subway restaurant. He said two masked men shouted racial, anti-gay slurs and "This is MAGA country!" as they looped a rope around his neck and poured an "unknown chemical substance" on him before running away.

On Feb. 15, Chicago police took two "persons of interest" into custody, saying the following day that the investigation had "shifted" based on the two men's accounts, and requesting a follow-up interview with Smollett. Chicago police then arrested Smollett on Feb. 21, alleging that he staged the attack himself.

Following the alleged attack, Smollett was treated for bruises and facial lacerations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital - where the curiosity of dozens of employees was piqued.

Another nurse, who was not fired but asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, said terminations were made across Northwestern facilities throughout the Chicago area.

"Officially, we have been told that every employee involved in the breach of Mr. Smollett’s HIPAA information was terminated," the nurse said.

Susan said she stopped short of opening Smollett's chart and looking at his medical records - but acknowledged that searching his name was wrong, saying, "I had no business doing that."

She added that she was sorry and said, "If I could take it back, I would."

Employees said scrolling past patient names and even accessing their charts is a common occurrence in their line of work, another patient privacy issue the hospital would not address. Representatives for Smollett declined to comment as well.

An undocumented immigrant said he was a caretaker at a shooting range co-owned by President Donald Trump’s eldest sons and that he worked without authorization at one of the president’s golf courses before he lost both jobs this year.

The caretaker — Juan Quintero, 42 — told NBC News he worked at the Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley in Hopewell Junction, New York, from the year 2000 until he lost his job in January, when the Trump properties took action to purge its employees who were working illegally. He said he also worked at the Leather Hill Preserve hunting range in Wingdale, co-owned by Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and others, from 2016 until this year.

The Trump Organization did not respond to NBC News' requests for comment.

In a previous statement, Eric Trump — who, along with Donald Trump Jr., took over management of their father’s businesses — said the Trump Organization has “very strict” hiring practices for its “tens of thousands of employees.”

A girl walking her dog in New Jersey Thursday morning heard screams coming from the trunk of a car and alerted her mom -- then cops found a man tied up inside, according to authorities, witnesses and the teenager.

The girl, 17-year-old Kayla Rose, told News 4 she was walking along Lindsley Avenue in Irvington around 7:10 a.m. when she heard knocking and scratching coming from the car's trunk.

"I backed up because I was startled, didn't know where it came from. And so I heard it again," Rose said. "I moved closer and I was like, 'Hello?' He said, 'Hello, is there anybody that can help me?'"

Her mother, Marie Banks, called authorities, who made the disturbing discovery. The victim's condition wasn't clear but he was speaking to police, authorities said. The man told cops he was kidnapped overnight by two suspects in Hillside and forced to go to ATMs to withdraw money. Then he was found in a car a few miles away.

It wasn't immediately clear if he knew the suspects, nor could police say how long he was trapped in the vehicle. Prosecutors say he reported being carjacked  around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; the girl found him nearly 12 hours later. Temperatures dipped into the low 10s overnight in the area, though bitter wind chills in the single digits made it feel colder.

Banks said her daughter told her, "It's like I was just in a horror movie."

The mother told the girl she was a hero.

"As I told my daughter, she saved a life this morning because there's no telling how long this person was locked in this trunk in this frigid weather," Banks said.

Chopper 4 showed an ambulance and several law enforcement vehicles at the scene as a trio of cops stood conversing in the middle of the road. That ambulance took an individual to the hospital, Chopper 4 footage showed.

More than a half-dozen other officers were later seen canvassing the scene as a tow truck hauled away a black sedan. No arrests have been made.

The Union County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case; tips can be given anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at www.uctip.org.

The Connecticut Labor Department has shut down two dozen nail salons following a series of inspections statewide.

The agency issued stop-work orders to 24 salons for what it says are wage law violations.

Salons in Meriden, Hamden, Milford, Bridgeport, Fairfield, and Greenwich have been ordered to close.

According to the Labor Department's Division of Wage and Workplace Standards, the two dozen nail salons were issued stop-work orders for violations that included misclassifying employees as independent contractors, no worker's compensation coverage, and cash payments without maintaining required payroll records.

“Although we recognize the importance of keeping businesses open and employees on the job, our first responsibility is to ensure that workers are being paid correctly for the jobs that they do, and proper protections are in place should they get injured while on the job,” State Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said in a statement.

Under state law, businesses are fined $300 per worker per day that they are in violation. A business can reopen once it provides proof that the deficiencies have been corrected, according to the Department of Labor.

The agency is working with the nail salons to get them into compliance and try to get many reopened by the weekend, Westby said.

The following nail salons are affected:

MERIDEN

• Peony Nails, 496 S. Broad Street

HAMDEN

• YY Nails, 3000 Whitney Avenue
• Bella Nails, 58 Skiff Street
• Fancy Nails, 2315 Whitney Avenue

MILFORD

• Nailopia & Spa Inc., dba Pink Nails, 115 Gulf Street
• Elegant Nails & Spa LLC dba Elegant Nails, 232 Boston Post Road
• Clover Nail & Spa., 1680 Boston Post Road
• Milford Pinky Nails, 404 Bridgeport Avenue
• Pearl Nails & Spa, 100 Lansdale Avenue

BRIDGEPORT

• T.J. Nails, 4279 Main Street
• Rose Nails, DBA Ren & Jiang Brothers Inc., 4569 Main Street
• Sweety Nails, 2537 Main Street
• Cathy’s Nail Salon, 60 Huntington Turnpike
• Prisca Nails, 529 Broadbridge Road

FAIRFIELD

• Tiffany Nails and More, 35 Kings Highway
• Meadow Spa, 391 Meadow Street
• Sunshine Spa, 1551 Post Road
• Oasis Spa, 222 Post Road
• New Care Spa, 1700 Post Road
• JY Healing Spa, 607 Kings Highway
• Healing Garden, 63 Unquowa Road

GREENWICH

• QQ Nail Spa, 522 E. Putnam Avenue, Greenwich
• La Bella Spa, dba Bonnie’s Foot Reflexology, 522 E. Putnam Avenue, Greenwich
• Rose Nail Salon, 253 E. Putnam Avenue, Cos Cob

White House communications director Bill Shine resigned Thursday night, according to the president's press secretary.

Shine, a former Fox News executive, will work on President Donald Trump's re-election campaign, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

Shine said in a statement provided by the White House, "Serving President Trump and this country has been the most rewarding experience of my entire life. To be a small part of all this President has done for the American people has truly been an honor. I’m looking forward to working on President Trump’s reelection campaign and spending more time with my family." 

Trump thanked Shine in the statement: "We will miss him in the White House, but look forward to working together  on the 2020 Presidential Campaign, where he will be totally involved."

Shine was the fifth communications director in Trump's White House, following Sean Spicer, Mick Dubke, Anthony Scaramucci and, most recently, Hope Hicks.

Shine was appointed in July, after resigning from Fox News, where he was president. The news network had been mired in scandal over accusations of sexual and race-based harassment.

A Higganum man is facing voyeurism charges after his arrest on Thursday.

Brian Beschel, 39, is charged with voyeurism with malice, disseminating voyeuristic material, risk of injury to a minor and other charges.

State police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security executed a search and seizure warrant at Beschel's Woods Road home in December.

It is not clear what prompted authorities to get the warrant or what evidence was found. Based on the search and seizure warrant, police eventually applied for and were granted an arrest warrant for Beschel.

He turned himself in on Thursday. Beschel posted a $150,000 bond and is scheduled to be in court on March 19.

The UConn women's basketball team will be without senior guard Katie Lou Samuelson for the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

Samuelson suffered an injury last Saturday in the Huskies' game against Houston. She hurt her back diving for a ball in the second quarter.

The tournament begins Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena.

UConn is the No. 1 seed and will play on Saturday at 2 p.m. against the winner of the ECU vs. SMU game.

The death of "Beverly Hills, 9021" star Luke Perry this week from a massive stroke at the age of 52 is drawing attention to the risks for men of all ages.

Men under 65 tend to fall behind other demographic groups in treatment and control of risk factors, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Strokes among men in this age group may be more common than you think.  On average, men in the U.S. have their first stroke at the age of 66.  But nearly one in four strokes occur before then.

Strokes are the fifth leading cause of death for Americans. 

Experts have found that stroke-related hospitalizations doubled since 1995 among men 18 to 44, and the stroke risk among men 45 to 54 years increased from 24 percent to 44 percent. Economic stress, drug abuse, low access to preventive medicine, bad diets and the obesity epidemic have all contributed to the rise, according to Dr. Larry B. Goldstein, of the University of Kentucky and a volunteer medical expert for the American Heart Association.

Most importantly, according to the CDC, 80 percent of all strokes can be prevented. Here is what everyone can do to avoid getting a stroke.

Healthy living
Key to prevention is a combination of a healthy diet, a healthy weight, physical activity and avoiding smoking and excess consumption of alcohol. If you are a man, you are likely to be at risk: 3 of 4 American men are overweight, only 1 in 4 gets enough physical activity, and men are more likely to smoke than women. 

This is what the CDC, the American Stroke Association, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation say you should do. Limit salt to avoid increased blood pressure and avoid foods with saturated fat to keep your cholesterol in check. Do not eat more than the equivalent of 12 teaspoons of added sugar a day. Avoid sugary drinks. Excess sugar causes diabetes, another health factor that increases the risk of getting a stroke. Eat one or more fruits and one or more vegetables a day. Cook at home more often.

"People who follow a healthy lifestyle have 80 percent lower risk to having a stroke," Goldstein said.

Do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, and to make it more fun, look for opportunities to do physical activities in your community. Monitor your weight, quit smoking, sleep fully every night, and avoid having more than two drinks a day. Ask your family doctor to guide you toward a healthier lifestyle.

A recent study also suggested that vaping and hookah smoking, now popular among young people, increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks, Goldstein said. Results showed that e-cigarette users had 71 percent higher risk of stroke than non-users.

Know if you are at risk, control your physical condition, take your medicine
Don't let young age, feeling good, doing exercise and being perfectly in shape fool you. You may be genetically prone to strokes. Luke Perry's father, for example, died of a heart attack when Perry was 14.

Blacks are twice as likely to get a stroke than whites. The American Heart Association has reported that there may be a gene that makes African-Americans much more sensitive to the effects of salt, which in turn increases the risk for developing high blood pressure.

So go to the doctor. The CDC and the National Stroke Association suggest you get checked for key medical risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. If anything comes up, go for regular checkups and follow treatments with discipline. Take your medicines.

Goldstein said that if you cannot afford to go to the doctor for preventive care, there are two ways you can detect medical risk factors for free. Go to any drug store and check your blood pressure. You can also put your thumb on your wrist and feel your pulse. If it's not regular, seek medical care.

Know the symptoms
Whether you survive a stroke or not will depend on how fast you get to the hospital. Getting to the emergency room within three hours of the first symptoms will reduce the likelihood of a disability after a stroke. The American Stroke Association recommends knowing the key warning signs. They are:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of face arm or leg, especially on side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech.
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

You should also be attentive to a special category of stroke, called Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA). TIAs are also known as mini strokes. The episodes are brief and you may not be aware you are having them, unless you pay attention to the symptoms. These include fainting and tingling in the arms and legs. A report by Harvard University Medical School recommends not ignoring these symptoms or attempting self-diagnosis.

"The best action is to be evaluated at a hospital," the report said.

The House on Friday passed the Democrats' top legislative priority, NBC News reported: A massive bill that would expand voting access and revamp ethics regulations, including requiring presidential candidates to release tax documents.

To make it easier to vote, the new bill proposes a range of reforms such as requiring that states institute automatic voter registration for eligible unregistered citizens. The legislation would also target "dark money" in politics by requiring Super PACs, 501(c)4 nonprofit groups and other organizations spending money in elections to disclose donors who contribute more than $10,000, and it would expand a conflict of interest law and divestment requirements for public officials.

“H.R. 1 restores the people’s faith that government works for the public’s interests, the people’s interests — not the special interests,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said at a news conference before the vote on the steps of the Capitol.

Pelosi called the vote a “historic, pivotal day,” despite the fact that the measure faces a dead end in the GOP-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has blasted it as a Democratic "power grab."

For Americans accustomed to just booking European travel without the hassle of going through an embassy, those days are numbered. 

In two years, the European Union will begin implementing a new travel visa as a requirement for U.S. citizens and citizens from 59 other countries to enter.  

The Visa website cited concerns over illegal migration and terrorism as the reasons for the increased security measures. 

Currently, Americans traveling to Europe for 90 days or less don't need a visa.

Beginning Jan. 21, 2021, all Americans looking to travel to a European Schengen-zone country, including France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and others, will need an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) visa. This includes minors.

In order to get one, you'll need a valid passport, credit or debit card and an email account. 

The visa is valid for three years and is "multi-entry," so you don't need to apply every time you want to visit. 

The visa website did not list the cost but said payment must be paid in advance online when applying with the traveler's contact information and passport details. Registration will also include some basic security questions.

The ETIAS is similar to the ESTA, which is what Europeans currently need in order to enter the US. 

With the impending Brexit deal between the UK and the EU, Americans will not need a visa to enter the UK. 

Maryland's highest court ruled Friday that Adnan Syed, the subject of the world-famous "Serial" podcast, will not be granted a new trial after he was convicted of killing his high school classmate Hae Min Lee 20 years ago.

In a 4-3 vote, the Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court that Syed's legal counsel was "deficient" but said that did not prejudice Syed, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The court ruled that Syed had waived his claim of ineffectual counsel.

Syed's lawyer, Justin Brown, said he and Syed were "devastated" by the decision but would not give up.

"There was a credible alibi witness who was with Adnan at the precise time of the murder and now the Court of Appeals has said that witness would not have affected the outcome of the proceeding," Brown said in a statement. "We think just the opposite is true. From the perspective of the defendant, there is no stronger evidence than an alibi witness."

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said he was pleased with the court's decision. 

"Justice was done for Hae Min Lee and her family," he said in a statement. 

Go here to read the court's full decision. 

Syed was convicted in 2000 of strangling his former girlfriend and burying her body in a Baltimore park. He's been serving a life sentence ever since.

A Baltimore judge vacated his conviction in 2016, and a court ordered a new trial after concluding that his trial lawyer was ineffective. The state appealed. Earlier this year, the special appeals court upheld the lower court's ruling. The state appealed that decision, too.

In November, state prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah acknowledged that the late trial lawyer for Syed did not contact an alibi witness but asserted that the attorney understood the "gist" of what that witness, Asia McClain, might have told her at the time. The attorney in question, Cristina Gutierrez, died of a heart attack in 2004, about four years after Syed was convicted of murdering Lee, who was 18. 

"The record is not silent on whether or not Ms. McClain was contacted. The state agrees with that. The record is silent on the critical question of why," he said, suggesting that it is not clear why Gutierrez decided to take one investigative path over another. 

In 2016, a lower court ordered a retrial for Syed on grounds that Gutierrez didn't contact McClain and provided ineffective counsel.

The defense team countered that it's entirely irrelevant why Gutierrez failed to contact McClain, who said she saw Syed at a library about the same time prosecutors say his ex-girlfriend was killed in 1999.

What makes Syed's case particularly notable is the huge amount of attention it has received. Syed became a sort of cause celebre due to the hugely popular "Serial" podcast, which debuted in 2014 with its entire first season dedicated to the case.

The show shattered podcast-streaming and downloading records. "Serial" revealed little-known evidence, raising new questions about the case and whether Syed was indeed guilty.

Plymouth is the latest Connecticut town to fall victim to hackers, according to the mayor.

Plymouth Mayor David Merchant confirmed that computers on the town networks suffered a ransomware attack that was discovered Wednesday evening. Merchant confirmed the attack began with an email, but was not sure what department that employee works in.

The town's IT team is working to determine the extent of the breach. The police department systems are back up and running, Merchant said.

Colchester is far from the first town to suffer a cyberattack. Back in October, the City of West Haven paid $2,000 in digital currency to unlock its servers. More recently Colchester discovered its systems were infected with malware.

Last year, a dozen state agencies were hit by ransomware attacks, but no sensitive data was compromised.

Tech experts say the best defense against a ransom attack is a good backup system.

It’s important to train employees on how to spot suspicious emails, because that’s usually how malware gets into a system.

A New Britain woman faces animal cruelty charges after police say she ignored veterinarian advice and overbred her dog despite being aware of a large mass on the animal’s reproductive system.

Police arrested 53-year-old Janet Asakzey Thursday.

According to police, the investigation began when they received a complaint about the condition of Asakzey’s 8-year-old Yorkshire terrier named Titi in December 2018.

Investigators said that Titi was suffering from a large mass in her reproductive system and severe periodontal disease that caused tooth and bone decay. Police allege that Asakzey knew of Titi’s medical problems for months and was told by three veterinarians that it was best for Titi to have the mass removed. Asakzey ignored those suggestions and continued to breed Titi, according to police.

Asakzey surrendered Titi to New Britain Animal Control and Titi received appropriate care with a new family, police said.

Asakzey was charged with one count of animal cruelty and released on a $5,000 bond.

A Cook County grand jury indicted "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett on 16 felony counts Friday in connection with his reporting of an alleged attack he claimed to have suffered in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood in late January.

Smollett was indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct in filing a false report, court documents show. All 16 counts are Class 4 felonies, the most serious of which carry a maximum sentence of one-to-three years in prison. Probation is also possible.

The indictment issued by the grand jury Friday lays out two separate sets of charges against the actor. The first set alleges that Smollett lied to responding officers immediately following the reported attack. 

Specifically, the charges allege that Smollett made false statements about the nature of the attack, telling officers that the attackers hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him, beat him, put a noose around his neck, and poured bleach on him, according to the indictment. 

The second set of charges alleges that Smollett made false statements to detectives in a follow-up interview about the case. 

"Allegations against Mr. Smollett are shameful and if proven, they are an affront to the people of Chicago who embraced him as a neighbor and respected him as a role model," Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. "We stand behind the work of our detectives." 

Smollett's attorneys have told NBC News that they have yet to review the documents, but that they will "push back against" the charges filed against their client. 

20th Century Fox Television declined to comment on the new charges against the actor. 

Smollett was previously charged in February with one felony count of disorderly conduct in filing a false police report. 

Chicago police said in a press conference announcing the initial charge that Smollett sent a "false letter that relied on racial, homophobic and political language" to himself and staged a hate crime attack in Chicago because he was "dissatisfied with his salary."

Authorities had previously said new information "shifted" their investigation of the reported assault, in which Smollett told authorities he was physically attacked as he was returning home from an early morning stop at a Subway restaurant on Jan. 29. He said two masked men shouted racial, anti-gay slurs and "This is MAGA country!" as they looped a rope around his neck and poured an "unknown chemical substance" on him before running away.

"Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked," Smollett's legal team said in a statement when he was initially charged. "Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense."

Smollett is due back in court on March 14. 

Even though St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until a week from Sunday, both Hartford and New Haven are preparing to host their annual parades this weekend.

"It’s an opportunity to spread the holiday over two weeks," said Jim Moriarty, spokesperson for the Greater Hartford St. Patrick’s Day Parade. "It provides the downtown businesses an additional weekend to access the holiday by having the parade tomorrow."

Bushnell Park is still covered in snow, but Saturday’s forecast is looking good for a parade.

"We’re hearing 45 degrees and sun, and you can’t do much better than that in March so we’re very grateful for that," Moriarty told NBC Connecticut.

The parade in Hartford is a decades-old tradition celebrating Irish culture, but new this year will be a performance from entertainers in colorful costumes.

"We’re actually bringing in a Mummers group out of Philadelphia, out of that mummers tradition with their fantastic outfits and their signature strut," Moriarty said.

Hartford Police want the hundreds of parade-goers to celebrate responsibly.

"I’ll take this opportunity to remind everybody that public alcohol consumption is unlawful in the city of Hartford," Lt. Paul Cicero said.

Police also encourage parade-goers who plan to drink to order an Uber or call a cab.

On Sunday, it will be New Haven’s turn to host what organizers say is the largest single-day spectator event in the state.

With the Trinity Bar on Orange Street still closed after the September 2017 fire, "currently we are the only true Irish pub in New Haven," said Conor O’Keefe, the general manager at Christy’s.

"This is actually my 10th parade day working in New Haven, this year I get to actually instead of bartending I get to lead my team," he said.

While the Sunday morning forecast has snow and rain, O’Keefe said he is not concerned about that impacting turnout.

"That’s the Irish mentality we’re going to do it," he said, "doesn’t matter what the weather is, the parade will always go on."

Moriarty said it is significant to have Saturday’s parade in Hartford where many Irish Americans’ ancestors got their start.

"It’s an opportunity for us to demonstrate our pride in our heritage, to recognize the contributions Irish and Irish Americans have made here in Connecticut and across the country," he said.

The Hartford Parade will step off at 11 a.m. at the State Capitol and end at the Memorial Arch. Roads closed for the parade will reopen at 3:30 p.m.

New Haven’s parade starts Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Chapel Street and Sherman Avenue and it ends on Grove Street at Orange Street.

About 30 percent of military families live on bases, and most family housing on the bases are operated not by the military, but by private contractors like Corvias, NBC News reported. 

Alleged problems with housing provided by private companies— including lead poisoning, mold, and poor construction — drew national attention after a Reuters investigation last year.

A survey conducted by Military Family Advisory Network found that 55 percent of more than 16,000 responses noted a "negative" or "very negative" experience with privatized military housing.

"We let down some of our residents," John Picerne, Corvias' founder and CEO, testified at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month. "I am sorry and we are going to fix it."