One person was taken to the hospital after falling while hiking at Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam Wednesday, according to state Environmental Police.

Officials said two women were hiking when they went off the trail and slipped. One of the hikers injured her leg and was taken to Hartford Hospital by ambulance. The second was treated and released on scene.

Officials said the injuries are not life-threatening. 

The park is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., though the castle is closed.

Multiple agencies responded to the scene and there are road closures in the area. 

The historic New London Harbor Light reopened for public tours Wednesday for the first time in years.

“It’s something that New London should be proud of. It’s the oldest and tallest lighthouse on Long Island Sound,” said New London Maritime Society Executive Director Susan Tamulevich.

The New London Maritime Society owns the lighthouse that dates back to 1761, before the nation declared its independence.

It’s one of the first established lighthouses in the United States and was rebuilt in 1801, according to Tamulevich.

Visitors will now be able to take a 119-step journey through the lighthouse on Pequot Avenue.

“It’s been a long time to get to this point and when I think about it I could almost cry. I’m so happy we’re giving tours again,” Tamulevich said.

A 2015 cease-and-desist letter from the city because of increased activity at the lighthouse put the tours on hold. The Society also reached a settlement with a neighbor over a property line dispute.

Nicole Thomas and her two daughters, 7-year-old Natalya and 15-year-old Aliyana, got the very first tour.

“We have been listed as one of the first, longest living African American families in New London. But my mother bought a house about 16 years ago. It had a plaque on it and I got off and running from there.”

Thomas is a proclaimed lover of local history. She reached out to Tamulevich after seeing a post online about New London Harbor Light Tours starting up again.

“We have to teach the younger generation what it is to appreciate the things that have always been available to them. And for me, that means a lot because I’ve lived my whole life seeing this lighthouse,” Thomas said.

At the top of the lighthouse guest will get to see a Fresnel lens and Tamulevich said on a clear day, seven or eight other lighthouses.

Tours are now limited to a total of six people between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Tamulevich said. No more than five tours can be given in a day, or a maximum of 12 tours in a week.

Information on how to tour New London Harbor Light can be found here.

The Better Business Bureau has released its 2018 Scam Tracker risk report which indicated that 50,559 scams were reported nationwide.

Employment scams were the riskiest because consumers can compromise personal information such as social security numbers and banking information.

The report found that students and people aged 18 to 34 were most likely targeted in those scams. It revealed that more women were victimized, but the BBB said the men reportedly lost more money from employment scams.

According to the agency, online purchase scams ranked second. The scammer targets a buyer to make an online purchase from an individual seller or company, but the item never arrives, or the reverse - a person sells an item online, but receives a fake check.

Number three: Fake checks or money orders. This happens when a consumer receives a check that contains what the scammer claims is an "accidental overpayment." The scammer then asks the consumer to wire back the extra money. The consumer deposits the check, withdraws the funds, and later finds out the check is fake.

Fourth: Home improvement scams. This involves door-to-door solicitors who offer consumers low-cost repairs. They either take payments without returning, do shoddy work or “find” issues that dramatically raise the price.

Lastly, advance fee loan scams. A loan is “guaranteed” but comes with upfront charges like taxes or “processing fees.” When the consumer pays the charges, there’s no loan. The applicant was tricked into paying the taxes and fees.

In Connecticut, there were 437 reported scams. Of those, 106 were related to online purchases, and 42 forms of employment scams.

“Scams are getting more realistic,” said Luke Frey, of the BBB in Connecticut.

Frey warns the public to remain vigilante by reporting any scams to their agency.

“After we see a trend in scams, complaints to a business. Anything, we look into it and then try to stop it as best we can,” said Frey.

The BBB pointed out that they saw an 86 percent increase of people becoming victims with an average loss of $152 in 2018. More people lose money through online scams and through social media.

Younger consumers were most likely to be scammed than older ones in all scams, but older victims lose significantly more money.

If you suspect you’re a victim, report it to the BBB.

A change of tradition has a lot of people talking in Stafford.

This year graduating seniors will all wear the same color cap and gown. The decision is part of an effort to be more gender neutral.

“We really fought for what we wanted and we got to choose ,” explained graduating senior Katherine Hoss.

The graduation day cap and gown discussion started two years ago at Stafford High School.

“We started questions about whether we were going to wear blue and white or just one color,” Hoss said.

Hoss and her fellow 2017 grads were the first class to question the tradition of gender-specific graduation gowns and caps. Traditionally female students wore white, and male students wore blue.

“It was mostly just tradition and their parents a lot of them graduated in white and blue and they wanted to graduate just like them,” Hoss said.

While Hoss says initially there was division, her class came to the decision that students be allowed to individually choose what color gown they wanted to wear on graduation day.

“It ended up bringing us all together as a class,” she said.

On Monday yet another change for the high school's graduation gowns and caps… the Board of Education voted unanimously in favor of gender-neutral gowns. All members of the Class of 2019 will now wear blue gowns and caps with white stoles.

Stafford Public Schools Superintendent saying quote: "It is paramount that all students are comfortable in participating in the ceremony and a decision to have a single gown option is a sign of unity and inclusion."

“I think it's wonderful to have a neutral color…and not let it be discriminatory against anyone,” said Stafford Springs resident Kim Vokat.

Hoss says the decision reflects an improvement in dialogue about gender in Stafford, and a tip of the cap toward gender identity inclusion.

“I think there's been a lot of talk and a lot more acceptance throughout our town,” Hoss said.

Devra Sirot says her son took every AP class you could take and got a perfect score on the ACT, but being in the top one percent of students wasn’t enough.

“He was absolutely devastated by it,” said Sirot, of Weston. “He actually did not get into any of the Ivys.”

Experts say getting good grades is just the tip of the iceberg for students applying to college these days.

“They require students to do a lot. It’s not just you know, volunteering, and just filling out an essay. Students are interviewed, students have to be more involved and have high SAT scores,” said Dr. Paul Lowe, CEO of Pinnacle Educational Center.

Lowe advises students applying to top-rated private colleges and universities. He says the average student now applies to 25 schools.

He believes the job prospects of students who graduate from elite institutions are better.

“Yale, Harvard, Princeton, they’re a brand,” Lowe explained.

However, he says applications to state schools and small private colleges are exploding and admissions have gotten hyper-competitive across the board.

Southern Connecticut State University student Christian Marshall knows that all too well.

“I worked really really hard. I had to have really good SAT grades, I had to have connections, I had to save a lot of money over the summer just to be able to go to school to get the grades to get the scholarships,” said Marshall of Stonington.

This week’s announcement of a coast-to-coast FBI investigation involving dozens of parents who allegedly used their power, privilege, and wealth to fake test scores and steal spots on elite college sports teams is frustrating for students and their families to hear.

“I can imagine. I mean, there’s so much competition these days and kids can be ruthless,” said Sirot.

“We know of parents that actually try to do that, but we discourage that because there is ethics involved,” said Lowe. “We’ve had parents come to us and say can you get my kid into Harvard?”

Lowe says schools are going to start scrutinizing applications more. He says admissions directors he’s been in contact with are now talking about ways to be more vigilant.

Those include setting new ethical standards, getting legal consultants involved in admissions decisions, and calling coaches of teams that players purport to have been a part of in high school.

Federal investigators say the parents of two Yale applicants paid their daughters’ way into the university by bribing its longtime former soccer coach, Rudy Meredith in 2017 and 2018.

Investigators say neither girl actually played soccer, but took spots on the team as a way to get into the school.

According to court documents, Meredith has agreed to cooperate with investigators and plead guilty to wire fraud charges.

The FBI says Yale University was unaware of Meredith’s actions.

“As the investigation unfolds, the university may take further actions. I will work closely with our athletics director and dean of undergraduate admissions to make any necessary changes to protect the university from the kind of criminal behavior the Department of Justice described, “ said Yale President Peter Salovey.

Lowe believes admissions offices will now face a new set of challenges to prevent this from happening again.

“I think that they’re going to scrutinize coaches a little bit more. I think they’re going to review how this particular applicant seems to kind of like go right through admissions smoothly without being scrutinized,” he said.

Although her son shelved his plans to attend Harvard, Sirot says in the end he wasn’t hurt by not having an Ivy League degree.

“I believe it’s not so much where you go to school it’s what you make of it,” said Sirot.

The Public Health Committee on Wednesday heard testimony on a bill regarding HPV and meningococcal vaccinations, but that agenda item has raised the hot-button issue of overall vaccination mandates, and just what constitutes a religious exemption.

“I honestly don’t appreciate that the state would mandate me to do anything health-wise for my child. These are decisions that I make with my doctor,” said Suffield resident Melissa Suffield.

In his testimony, the commissioner of the Department of Public Health says she doesn’t believe there are religions outside of Jehovah’s Witnesses that expressly object to vaccinations, and believes that many of the parents objecting are doing so on the grounds of philosophy, not faith.

“If we give that right to an individual to refuse to be vaccinated, what rights are we giving to the community that is getting vaccinated from being necessarily exposed by an individual that is not vaccinated?” Dr. Raul Pino asked.

This is the question as the department and state lawmakers try to find a balance between individual freedoms of parental choice with the need to protect the public from infectious diseases.

Democratic lawmakers from Hartford, Cheshire and Hamden spoke about what they say is a need to eliminate a religious exemption to the state’s vaccination rules.

One Woodstock mother explained why she turned to a religious exemption to stop vaccinating her son when he was 2 because she believed they were making him sick.

She said she doesn’t want the state stepping in to curtail that right.

“There should be a separation of church and state and for the state to come in and delineate exactly which religion would allow for an exemption or not, would be an integration of church and state… and therefor unconstitutional,” LeeAnn Ducat argued.

The health commissioner said he does continue to support clinic vaccination exemptions in cases where people are allergic or potentially otherwise harmed by the medication, as determined by doctors.

A Massachusetts woman is feeling thankful after a stranger helped her recover her missing wedding rings.

Kimberly and Peter Reggiannini were driving home to Westwood, Massachusetts from New York City last month when Kimberly realized she’d taken off her wedding rings in the car, but forgot to put them back on. The couple had stopped at the Branford rest area on Interstate 95 to get gas and use the bathroom. The rings, which were in Kimberly’s lap, fell out when she got out of the car. She didn’t realize they were missing until they were back on the road.

“It was more emotional than I thought it was going to be. Because you like to tell yourself, oh it’s just a thing, a material thing. But they have so much attached to them," Kimberly said.

The couple called police and local pawn shops and turned to social media, hoping someone might find the rings and return them. NBC Connecticut covered the story.

Enter Connecticut State Police Sgt. Robert Derry. He saw the couple’s story and took it upon himself to review hours of surveillance footage of the rest stop to see if he could find any leads.

“I couldn’t believe when I saw what appeared to be somebody who picked them up. Luckily we were able to ascertain a license plate number. I found a telephone number for the registered owner,” Derry said.

Derry said the person who picked up the rings told him thought it was costume jewelry. He picked the rings and then reached out to the Reggianninis with the good news. The finder won’t face any charges.

“I honestly had given up all hope and when the officer called me and said, ‘I found your rings,’ I think I might have even said like, ‘No, you didn’t,’” Kimberly said.

“She called me crying right after and said oh they found the rings. And I was like, no they didn’t. There’s no way,” Peter added.

The rings were insured and the couple had started looking at replacements, but it wouldn’t have been the same.

“Having them back, I feel so lucky. I’m the one who lost them. You know I was beating myself up about when they fell off my lap at the rest stop and to get them back seems almost too good to be true,” Kimberly said.

Sgt. Derry said he was pleased with the happy ending.

“This is definitely one of the very good days that I’ve had in my career.”

Mike Boguslawski, a longtime WTNH consumer reporter many consider a Connecticut institution, has died, according to his former co-workers at WTNH. He was 78.

“I’m Mike Boguslawski and I’m in your corner.”

That’s how Boguslawski ended every consumer report.

Affectionately known as “Bogey” – he was a hometown guy from Bristol, who never hesitated to put up a fight for the little guy.

He spent nearly two decades in Connecticut television at WTNH and WVIT before he took his talents to Los Angeles. He spent time in some other markets, but Connecticut was always home.

Bogey spent his later years where it all started in Bristol. He died at Bristol Hospital.

Milford police have arrested a man accused of robbing a delivery driver for a local restaurant in February.

Maurice Johnson, 27, of Milford, is accused of robbing a delivery driver in the area of Bridgeport Avenue and Loomis Street on Feb. 18, pointing a gun against the victim’s neck and taking the victim’s cash and cell phone, according to police.

Police said they searched a Bridgeport Avenue residence on Wednesday and Johnson tried to jump out of a second-floor window but authorities quickly apprehended him and found evidence connected to the robbery in the home, including clothing, a ski mask, and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a 30 round extended magazine.

Police said they also found the iPhone that was stolen from the victim.

Johnson was charged with robbery in the first degree, larceny in the second degree, carrying a pistol without a permit, interfering resisting arrest and tampering with evidence, according to police.

He is being held on a $100,000 bond and is due in Milford Court today.

Butterball is recalling nearly 80,000 pounds -- 39 tons -- of raw ground turkey products that may be contaminated with a certain strain of Salmonella.

Federal officials investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund infections found Butterball ground turkey samples closely related, genetically, to samples taken from four of five patients in two states, officials said Wednesday.

The prepackaged raw ground turkey was produced on July 7 and shipped to institutional and retail locations nationwide. Authorities say they're concerned the turkey could be in people's freezers -- and if that's the case, they're urging the turkey be thrown out or returned to the place of purchase. 

The following products are subject to recall:

• 48-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “BUTTERBALL everyday Fresh Ground Turkey WITH NATURAL FLAVORING (85% LEAN/15% FAT)” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188, and UPC codes 22655-71555 or 22655-71557 represented on the label.
• 48-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “BUTTERBALL everyday Fresh Ground Turkey WITH NATURAL FLAVORING (93% LEAN/7% FAT)” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188 and UPC code 22655-71556 represented on the label.
• 16-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “BUTTERBALL everyday Fresh Ground Turkey WITH NATURAL FLAVORING (85% LEAN/15% FAT)” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188 and UPC code 22655-71546 represented on the label.
• 16-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “BUTTERBALL everyday Fresh Ground Turkey WITH NATURAL FLAVORING (93% LEAN/7% FAT)” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188 and UPC codes 22655-71547 or 22655-71561 represented on the label
• 48-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “Kroger GROUND TURKEY FRESH 85% LEAN – 15% FAT” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188, and UPC code 111141097993 represented on the label.
• 48-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “FOOD LION 15% fat ground turkey with natural flavorings” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188 and UPC code 3582609294 represented on the label.

Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without treatment. In some people, however, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Older adults and infants are more likely to develop a severe illness. Get more details here. 

Some Democratic lawmakers in the Connecticut House of Representatives will be announcing a plan to legalize recreational marijuana in the state and they will hold a news conference on Thursday afternoon. 

State Representatives Michael D'Agostino, Rep. Steve Stafstrom and Jason Rojas will hold a news briefing at 3 p.m. in the speaker's conference room on the fourth floor of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. 

In February, Senate Democrats unveiled legislation to allow adults 21 or older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana. The bill would also allow individuals to possess a limited number of marijuana plants.  

They have said they predicted a tax on marijuana would generate up to $70 million in the first year and potentially more than $150 million annually afterward. 

Democrats previously said they also want to expunge certain criminal records for marijuana-related offenses. 

Republican Rep. Vincent Candelora, a Republican from North Branford who opposes legalization, questioned the connection between the two issues. 

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who gained a national following in his 2018 midterm race for Senate against Ted Cruz, has joined the crowded field of candidates vying to become the Democrats' 2020 presidential nominee.

O'Rourke announced his decision early Thursday morning, saying in a campaign video, "This is going to be a positive campaign that seeks to bring out the very best from every single one of us, that seeks to unite a very divided country."

The Democrat from El Paso is visiting Iowa Thursday for the first official stops of his campaign. Before he left, he spoke with NBC 5 political reporter Julie Fine, telling her that he and his family had mulled their future together, and that of the country.

"When we looked out at that, there is no sitting on the sidelines, there is no hoping that somebody else can get this done," O'Rourke said.

The announcement comes after months of speculation over what the charismatic politician had planned following his loss to Cruz by less than three percentage points in the 2018 Senate race. The 46-year-old came closer to unseating an incumbent Republican senator in the state than anyone since Democrat Bob Krueger narrowly lost to Republican John Tower in 1978, according to The Texas Tribune.

O'Rourke outperformed Hillary Clinton in the Lonestar State's 10 largest counties, and even flipped Tarrant County, home to the city of Fort Worth and the largest county in Texas not to vote for a Democrat in a presidential election since 2008. He raised $80 million in the election, the most ever in a U.S. Senate race.

Last month, after speculation had swirled that O'Rourke might make another run at a U.S. Senate seat, the three-term U.S. congressman opted not to challenge incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in 2020, two sources familiar with O'Rourke's thinking confirmed in February to NBC News. The Dallas Morning News was the first to report the decision.

"Amy and I have made a decision about how we can best serve our country," O'Rourke said in a statement at the time. "We are excited to share it with everyone soon."

O'Rourke set a self-imposed deadline about his future plans in a Feb. 5 interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying he would make a decision before the end of February, and that he had "been thinking about running for president."

Six days later, with President Donald Trump in O'Rourke's hometown of El Paso, O'Rourke spoke at a counter-rally within shouting distance of the coliseum where the president spoke.

"With the eyes of the country upon us, all of us together are going to make our stand here in one of the safest cities in America," O'Rourke said. "Safe not because of walls, but in spite of walls."

The day before his announcement, Vanity Fair released a long profile of O'Rourke in which he strongly hinted he'd be running: "Man, I’m just born to be in it."

O'Rourke's star began to rise nationally in March 2017 when he and U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican from San Antonio, livestreamed a road trip from the Alamo City to Washington after a winter storm forced flight cancellations in the Northeast.

The 2018 Senate race launched O'Rourke from a nearly anonymous member of the U.S. House of Representatives to a rising star in Democratic politics.

O'Rourke started to make noise in the Senate race when his campaign released its fundraising numbers for the second quarter of 2018. The El Paso congressman raised $10.4 million in just three months, pulling him even with Cruz's six-year fundraising total in a span of 15 months.

Part of O'Rourke's appeal was his reluctance to accept money from PACs.

"Thirty-three dollars was the average; 215,714 unique contributions," O'Rourke said in August 2018. "All people, no PACs, mostly from Texas. That is a really good feeling."

Many PACs, however, did send donors links to O'Rourke's campaign so they could donate directly to then-Senate candidate.

One of his first viral moments came when he responded to a question at an event about whether he thought it was disrespectful for NFL players to take a knee during the national anthem.

"My short answer is no. I don't think it's disrespectful," O'Rourke said in the clip.

After he paid respect to veterans and thanked civil rights leaders who brought about change, O'Rourke said, "Non-violently, peacefully, while the eyes of this country are watching this game, they take a knee to bring our attention and our focus to this problem to ensure that we fix it. This is why they are doing it and I can think of nothing more American then to peacefully stand up or take a knee for your rights anywhere, any place, anytime."

The clip drew attention from celebrities ranging from LeBron James to Ellen DeGeneres, who invited O'Rourke to appear on her show later in the campaign.

During the race, O'Rourke's nickname -- "Beto" -- came under fire from the Cruz campaign. The former congressman's birth name is Robert Francis O'Rourke.

"My parents have called me Beto from day one, and it's just -- it's kind of a nickname for Robert in El Paso. It just stuck," O'Rourke told CNN in 2018.

Aside from going after him for his nickname, Texas Republicans tried to use the fact that O'Rourke was in a punk rock band called Foss when he was in his early 20s against him, in addition to more serious allegations.

The official Twitter account of the Texas Republican party resurfaced a mugshot of O'Rourke from the 1990s. He was arrested twice for misdemeanors in his 20s, but was not convicted.

The first time was in 1995 for a burglary charge, in which he jumped a fence at the University of Texas at El Paso. The second was in 1998, for a drunk driving arrest in El Paso.

In August 2018, the Houston Chronicle found the police report from the 1998 incident, and discovered that a witness told police O'Rourke had tried to drive away from the scene after the crash.

He ultimately completed a "court-approved diversion program" and the charge was dropped.

Since his loss in the Senate race, O'Rourke has chosen an unorthodox path as he decided whether or not to run.

On Jan. 10, he livestreamed a visit to the dentist; he wrote regularly on the website Medium about a solo roadtrip he took through parts of the country, stopping in states like Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico; and was interviewed by Winfrey in New York City.

In his three terms in the House, O'Rourke's voting record was more conservative than most of his Democratic colleagues, according to Voteview.com, a site run by UCLA's Department of Political Science. In the 113th Congress (2013-15), O'Rourke was more conservative than 76 percent of House Democrats; in the 114th Congress (2015-17), he was more conservative than 79 percent of Democrats; and in the 115th Congress (2017-19), he was more conservative than 77 percent of House Democrats.

In 2012, O'Rourke unseated eight-term incumbent Silvestre Reyes in the Democratic primary and won the general election to take Texas' 16th congressional district. Prior to serving in Congress, O'Rourke was on the El Paso City Council from 2005-11.

The El Paso native is a graduate of Columbia University in New York.

O'Rourke is the second candidate from Texas to enter the race, joining former San Antonio mayor and Housing and Urban Development Secretary in the Obama administration Julian Castro.

NBC editor Asher Klein contributed to this report.

Note: After it concludes, the full arraignment can be viewed in the video player above. 

"Empire" actor Jussie Smollett entered a plea of not guilty on multiple disorderly conduct charges Thursday. 

He arrived at the Cook County courthouse shortly before 9 a.m. CT ahead of a hearing to assign a judge to his case, followed by his arraignment. Within minutes, Judge Steven Watkins was assigned to his case, with the arraignment beginning at 10 a.m. CT.

Smollett was initially charged with one felony count of disorderly conduct in filing a false police report in February, with Chicago police alleging that he staged a hate crime attack on himself the month before because he was "dissatisfied with his salary."

A Cook County grand jury then indicted Smollett on 16 felony counts last Friday in connection with his reporting of the alleged attack he claimed to have suffered in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood.

Smollett reported the alleged attack to police on Jan. 29, claiming to have been beaten by two men who shouted racist and homophobic slurs, beat him, put a noose around his neck, and poured bleach on him, according to the indictment.

Initially investigating the incident as a possible hate crime, Chicago police said new information "shifted" their approach to the case, leading them to allege that Smollett orchestrated the assault by hiring two brothers who worked on "Empire" to execute it.

The lawyer for the brothers, Obabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo, said Monday that the pair has evidence backing their claim that he orchestrated the attack. Smollett's lawyers said "misinformation" has been reported in the case and noted they plan to prove a lack of evidence in the case.

Smollett was indicted on 16 additional counts of disorderly conduct in filing a false report, court documents show, superceding the previous charge brought by the Cook County state's attorney's office. 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 lays out two separate sets of charges against the actor. The first set alleges that Smollett lied to responding officers, making false statements about the nature of the attack in his initial report to police.

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 said they will "push back against" the additional charges filed against their client, which his attorney Mark Geragos said were "not unexpected."

"What is unexpected however, is the prosecutorial overkill in charging 16 separate counts against Jussie," Geragos said. "This redundant and vindictive indictment is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make headlines in order to distract from the internal investigation launched to investigate the outrageous leaking of false information by the Chicago Police Department and the shameless and illegal invasion of Jussie's privacy in tampering with his medical records."

"Jussie adamantly maintains his innocence even if law enforcement has robbed him of that presumption," he said.

Smollett previously appeared in Cook County court on Tuesday at a hearing in which a judge ruled that cameras would be allowed in the courtroom Thursday.

A spokeswoman for his attorneys said Smollett's appearance Tuesday wasn't required, but that he wanted to "show up and show respect to the court."

"He wants to hold his head up high, show confidence in his innocence," Anne Kavanagh said, adding that he plans to "go the extra mile" to prove his innocence.

"He's not hiding from anything," she said. "He will do everything he needs to do."

Pi Day is really about math (the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter: 3.14 …) but you can cash in on deals from places offering deals on pies today, March 14.

Artichoke Basile's Pizza in Newington is offering any slice of pizza for $3.14 cents today only.

Bertucci’s is celebrating Pi Day with a deal. Buy one large pizza and get one large cheese or pepperoni pizza for $3.14. See Bertucci’s Facebook page for details.

Blaze Pizza is offering a $3.14 pizza deal through the app. 

Boston Market is offering a buy-one, get-one deal. If you buy one pot pie and a drink, you can get a second pot pie for free with this coupon. 

Max Restaurant Group has a Pi Day deal. Buy one pizza and get a second for $3.14 at Savoy Pizzeria, Max a Mia, Max Amore and Trumbull Kitchen. 

Pieology has a special promotion for Pi Day and Pie Life members can get $2 off your next order. Contact your local store for details. There is a location in Stamford. 

Price Chopper is offering some pies for $3.14. See the company’s website for details. 

Stop & Shop is offering 8-inch apple, Dutch apple and pumpkin pies for $3.14 in honor of National Pi Day.

Of you could pick up for favorite pie from your favorite place and hold your own Pi Day party. 

If you would rather stick to the mathematical roots of Pi Day, check out NASA's suggestions for 10 ways to Celebrate Pi Day with NASA.  

Two Stanford students have sued schools in a class-action lawsuit over a college admissions bribery scandal that involved wealthy parents and some elite universities.

They say the cheating plot denied them a fair shot to apply at the schools. The University of Southern California, Yale, UCLA and Georgetown are among the schools named in the lawsuit.

The accused plot mastermind, William Singer, who created Key Worldwide Foundation as a charity in 2013, also is named in the suit.

The bribery scheme allowed "unqualified students" to find their way into the universities, "while those students who played by the rules and did not have college-bribing" were not treated fairly, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiffs, students Erica Olsen and Kalea Woods, allege the schools were negligent in "failing to maintain adequate protocols and security measures" to guarantee a fair admissions process.

The plaintiffs claim they were denied a fair opportunity to be admitted to the colleges. They argue their degrees from Stanford are devalued because of the charges filed earlier this week by federal investigators.

A Stanford representative could not immediately be reached for comment, NBC News reported. 

It is the first class-action lawsuit filed over the scandal.

Singer, of Newport Beach, pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges in federal court Tuesday in Boston. Coaches and dozens of parents are among the 50 people charged in the scheme, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin and high-achieving figures in such fields as law, finance and fashion.

Singer's agency registered as a charity allegedly funneled money from the parents to bribe coaches and others to get their children enrolled.

The schools themselves are not part of the federal charges. 

The trial of former Trump adviser Roger Stone is set to start Nov. 5 and will last for about two weeks, a federal judge said Thursday, according to NBC News.

Stone was arrested in January on seven charges arising from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia, which Stone has denied.

Stone wore a gray double-breasted suit and round glasses to the hearing, which also dealt with the re-release of a book he published as "The Making of the President 2016: How Donald Trump Orchestrated a Revolution," now titled "The Myth of Russian Collusion."

That could have been considered a violation of a partial gag order Judge Amy Berman Jackson placed on Stone, but at Thursday's hearing, she said she was taking the circumstances "under advisement."

Months after he was resigned amid questions over unaccounted for town funds, the former Niantic Fire Chief has turned himself in to police and has been charged with first-degree larceny.

Stephen Wargo submitted his resignation in December, according to East Lyme First Selectman Mark Nickerson, who said representatives from Niantic Fire Department Incorporated notified him of possible discrepancies with time cards and payroll, which 47-year-old Wargo oversaw.

The town pulled records and paperwork to hand over to East Lyme Police.

A report from East Lyme Police says the investigation was into allegations that Wargo received payment for hours he did not work.

He was and released on a $1,000 non-surety bond and is due in court in New London on March 27.

A horse death was reported Thursday at Santa Anita Park, the 22nd in a string of fatalities since December at the historic track northeast of Los Angeles.

The death was confirmed by the park, which reopened for limited training Monday after a week-long closure was ordered after the 21st horse death since December. The track was inspected during the closure and soil samples were analyzed.

Princess Lili B, a 3-year-old filly, broke both front legs during a morning workout. She was later euthanized.

Between December and February of the previous year, 10 horses died at Santa Anita, compared with eight in 2016-17 and 14 in 2015-16. The track averaged about 50 deaths per year from 2008-18, according to data from the California Horse Racing Board.

The unusually large amount of rain that has fallen over the Southland this winter has been mentioned as a possible factor in explaining the surge in deaths.

Santa Anita officials are targeting March 22 as the date to resume racing at the famed track. The main track at Santa Anita Park was open for limited training Monday morning, but it remains closed for racing indefinitely as officials work on implementing a series of safety protocols announced in the aftermath of 21 horse deaths at the facility since Dec. 26.

Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer for Santa Anita owner The Stronach Group, confirmed the hoped-for March 22 re-opening date to the Daily Racing Forum over the weekend.

Santa Anita officials responded concerns from PETA with the following statement:

"Regrettably, injuries occur in every sport, and horse racing, where hundreds of races take place every day around the world, is not immune. Santa Anita has taken industry-leading safety measures to prevent injuries and ensure our equine athletes are provided a safe and healthy environment in which to compete.

"At The Stronach Group, we love horses and we are in this sport because we love horses. We are and will continue to take steps necessary to ensure the health and well-being of all of our athletes, equine and human."

The new safety measures, which the owners of the famed racetrack announced Friday, are as follows:

• The creation of an equine-welfare position.
• Trainers who want to put a horse through timed, high-speed training exercises will be required to ask for permission 24 hours in advance. Officials said the move will help track veterinarians identify "at-risk" horses by evaluating past performance, workout data and physical inspections.
• The track has hired additional veterinarians "to observe all horses entering and exiting the tracks each morning during training hours."
• The track is also instituting a "House Rule" requiring "complete transparency with regard to veterinary records," requiring that the records follow the horse through changes in trainers or owners.
• Santa Anita also created the position of Director of Equine Welfare, which will be filled by an accredited veterinarian. The position will oversee "all aspects of equine well-being and will lead a Rapid Response team for injuries." That team will investigate all factors contributing to the injury and share its findings with the public, track officials said.

An American Airlines flight that was heading to Boston was diverted to Bradley International Airport on Thursday afternoon because of reports of mechanical issues.

Officials from Connecticut Airport Authority said the plane, an Airbus, was traveling from Charlotte to Boston and landed safely at Bradley. 

No additional information was immediately available, but airport officials said there was no impact to airport operations. 

The American Airlines website says Flight 452 from Charlotte to Boston was diverted to Bradley and landed at 1:24 p.m. It’s estimated to leave for Boston at 6 p.m. and arrive at 6:50 p.m.  

Hartford police charged the superintendent of an apartment building with illegal dumping after Mayor Luke Bronin saw more than a dozen mattresses and two coaches left on the street. 

Police said Bronin saw 15 mattresses and two couches discarded in front of a Broad Street building around 10 p.m. Tuesday and Hartford police investigated.

They determined that 43-year-old Raymond Santos lives nearby and he told them he was the building superintendent and gave two men $50 to help him discarding the mattresses and couches on the sidewalk in front of 876 Broad St., police said. 

Santos was cited for illegal dumping.