Education Secretary Betsy DeVos struggled before a congressional subcommittee on Tuesday to defend at least $7 billion in proposed cuts to education programs, including eliminating all $18 million in federal funding for the Special Olympics.

Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan pushed DeVos on her proposed cuts to the Special Olympics and other special education programs during her testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee, NBC News reported. 

When Pocan asked whether she knew how many children would be affected by the elimination of federal funding to the Special Olympics, DeVos said she did not know.

"I’ll answer it for you, that's OK, no problem," Pocan said. "It’s 272,000 kids that are affected."

DeVos responded, "I think that the Special Olympics is an awesome organization, one that is well supported by the philanthropic sector as well."

A local woman was seriously injured in a crash on Westminster Road in Canterbury Tuesday.

Police said the Toyota Corolla was driving east on Westminster Road (Route 14) around 3 p.m. when the driver stopped to make a left turn into the Helen Baldwin Middle School. A cargo van driving behind the Corolla did not stop in time and rear-ended the Corolla, causing it to spin into the opposite lane of traffic. At that point a Kia Sedona driving the opposite direction hit the Corolla.

The Corolla driver, identified as a 34-year-old woman from Canterbury, suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to Hartford Hospital, where she remains in critical condition, according to police. The Sedona driver was taken to Backus Hospital for minor injuries. The van driver was not hurt.

The crash remains under investigation.

Ever since NBC Connecticut Investigates broke the story about a patient abuse case at Connecticut’s maximum-security psychiatric hospital, there has been discussion of video evidence.

The public got to see that evidence for the first time Tuesday during a jury trial for one of the hospital staffers.

Former forensic nurse Mark Cusson is the first of 10 former Whiting Forensic Divisions staffers to elect a jury trial on patient abuse charges.

The judge has not decided if, or when, he will allow the videos to be released.

The videos are from a bird’s eye view camera in patient Bill Shehadi’s room. On the top of the screen you see Shehadi in his bed, and one or two staffers in the room with him.

A police officer assigned to Whiting helped investigators identify the staffers going in and out of Shehadi’s room, including Cusson.

In the video you could see someone, apparently Cusson, taking a mop and putting it on Shehadi’s head. He also appears to have kicked Shehadi off his bed.

In another clip, Cusson appears to have ripped Shehadi’s sheet away from him, and then threw it back at him.

The officer who identified Cusson in the videos still faces cross examination from Cusson’s attorney.

A lot of noise and a lot of dust – those are just some of the complaints homeowners in South Windsor have about their neighbor, and it's been going on for years.

The brick quarry, owned and operated by Redland Brick, has been in South Windsor for decades. The company is looking for a five-year permit renewal for mining clay from the Planning and Zoning Commission. But neighbors say they'd like to see some changes before that happens.

"You can see the amount of trees that were removed. You can see the whole operation on the other side," said neighbor Jim Poulin.

From Poulin's backyard you have a clear view of the quarry, and he says work at the quarry brings a lot of noise and dust his way.

"The amount of dust coming through, the amount of noise coming through. Neighbors have had their houses vibrate from the bulldozers coming down the road," said Poulin.

On Tuesday, the public got a chance to tour the quarry and hear from representatives of Redland Brick to see what their plans are to mitigate the issues. At the South Windsor Planning and Zoning Public Hearing that night, neighbors heard and gave proposed solutions like limiting working days to weekdays, planting trees, moving the road that's used to haul material to a lower level, and a system to control dust.

"The dust control system is a sprinkler system," said Redland Brick Plant Manager Steve Blomquist.

What neighbors wanted the most was not just moving the hauling road to a lower level, but to move it to the north side of the quarry, far away from them. In order to do that, a permit that's already been submitted to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection by the company needs to be approved because water must be pumped out of the pit first. Residents say if water is pumped out, they want a monitoring system in place to ensure water quality.

"We are not here asking you to put this company out of business. What we're asking is for you to take into consideration, at least equally if not greater so, the residents who live adjoining the property," said attorney Marc Needelman, who is representing some of the neighbors.

The concerns and questions brought up at the public hearing meant no decision made by the Planning and Zoning Commission. Neighbors and the company are hoping for a solution that brings them both peace of mind.

"We're against the pollution. If there's a way to do it safely without polluting the waters and without polluting the air and creating a lot of noise pollution, which we have, then the residents would be fine with it," said Poulin.

The next meeting is April 9.

Rockland County has declared a state of emergency and banned children who are unvaccinated against the measles from public places after a local outbreak entered its 26th week — the longest since the disease was eradicated in the United States in 2000, according to officials in the New York.

The ban went into effect at midnight, Wednesday, barring anyone younger than 18 who is unvaccinated against the measles from public places until they receive the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The ban expires in 30 days.

Those unable to be vaccinated for documented and confirmed medical reasons are exempt from the declaration. 

"We believe this to be the first such effort of this kind nationally and the circumstances we face here clearly call for that," said Rockland County Executive Ed Day at a Tuesday press conference. "Rockland will lead the way in service and safety to the people here."

The outbreak started after seven unvaccinated travelers with measles entered the county in early October, Day said. As of Tuesday, there were 153 confirmed cases.

Rockland County has been grappling with a measles outbreak in recent months affecting residents in Spring Valley, New Square and Monsey. Officials had previously asked students who are unvaccinated not to attend school. 

Still, Day said county officials have been met with "pockets of resistance" from people unwilling to comply with health department advice and this played a part in the decision to enact a ban.

Anyone found in violation could face six months in jail and/or a $500 fine, Day said. However, he added that the county is not looking to arrest people, but rather a means to grab the public's attention.

Measles is a highly contagious disease. Young children, the immunocompromised and non-immune pregnant women are at highest risk for severe complications. Measles is transmitted by airborne particles, droplets and direct contact with the respiratory secretions of an infected person. 

Measles typically presents in adults and children as an acute viral illness characterized by fever and generalized rash. The rash usually starts on the face, proceeds down the body and may include the palms and soles. The rash lasts several days. Infected individuals are contagious from four days before rash onset through the fourth day after the rash appears.

Rockland officials encourage everyone to be up-to-date with the MMR vaccine to help protect them in case of any future exposure to measles in Rockland. 

Rockland health officials have urged those who are ill with a fever, rash, or conjunctivitis (red watery eyes) to stay home, not have visitors and not go out in public.

To further prevent the spread of illness, the Rockland Health Department said individuals who have symptoms consistent with measles should contact their health care provider, a local clinic or local emergency department before going in person to prevent exposing the illness to others.

The Rockland County Department of Health is coordinating its response with the New York State Department of Health. The Department of Health will also host free MMR vaccination clinics Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. One in Pomona and another in Spring Valley.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is asking for the public's help finding a 13-year-old girl who has been missing from Dayville since Sunday.

Abaynesh "Abby" May jumped out of a window sometime between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. and is believed to have gotten into an unknown vehicle, according to her dad.

Police brought in search dogs, but lost her scent on a nearby road, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said in a release.

Abby did not take her glasses, which she needs and she does not have a phone, her dad added.

She is 5'1" and weighs 90 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Abby was last seen wearing unknown clothing with white sneakers.

A Silver Alert has also been issued for Abby.

If you have any information, you should call 911, NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678 or Connecticut State Police at 860-779-4900.

A meeting will be held tonight in Tolland for residents and taxpayers to discuss the crumbling foundation at Birch Grove Primary School, construction and the school district’s plan for the students.

District leaders have been watching the foundation for more than a year after noticing spider-like veins in the concrete.

The district hired an engineering firm to test the concrete and a report delivered to town leaders in January said the school foundation had substantial cracking from the presence of pyrrhotite in the concrete

Walter Willett, the superintendent for Tolland Public Schools, said repairs are estimated to cost $46 million and the Connecticut Department of Education would help pay up to 52 percent of the repair costs.

He said the school is safe, but the foundation should be taken care of quickly and that would mean finishing out the school year in the building, then likely moving to temporary classrooms next school year to begin construction.

A town meeting for the public will be held at 7 p.m. at Tolland High School to discuss the effects on the town.

Tolland will have to hold a referendum in May to appropriate the full amount of money for the Birch Grove Primary School repair project.

Lottery officials say the Powerball jackpot for Wednesday's drawing has ballooned to an estimated $750 million, which would be the fourth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.

The winner could choose to receive the nearly billion dollar prize in annuity payments over 29 years or take the lump sum of $465.5 million.

If you hit the jackpot, congratulations, now you're in the one percent. That also means a higher tax bracket.  

Accoring to CNBC, Uncle Sam takes up to 37 percent in taxes. The federal witholding is 24 percent and another 13 percent would be due to the IRS. That would reduce the cash winnings to $293.3 million. But then there are state taxes, which vary from state to state. 

The Powerball jackpot was last hit in New York in the Dec. 26 drawing. Since then, there have been 25 drawings in a row without a jackpot winner.

Powerball is played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, all of which collectively oversee the game. Drawings are held twice a week. Five white balls are drawn from a drum containing 69 balls and one red ball is selected from a drum with 26 balls. Players can choose their numbers or let a computer make a random choice.

The odds of winning are one in 292.2 million. Drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.

Students at Windham Middle School and Windham Early Childhood Center will have no school on Wednesday.

The school district announced the closure after a second threat about the school within a week was posted on social media on Tuesday.

Investigators said the alleged allegation of a threat was fabricated and not true. "This incident was isolated and only one juvenile was responsible for this incident," police said in a release.

The juvenile was arrested for interfering with police and filing a false report, according to police.

"Thank you to the students and parents who alerted authorities as soon as the threat was made. We are saddened and concerned by this pattern of threats which has disrupted our community. Once again, we encourage you to talk with your child about the implications of using social media responsibly," school officials said in a statement.

Last week, a juvenile was arrested after a threat was made against the same school.

Willimantic Police said that threat appeared to be a hoax and it was not as viable as it was originally considered.

According to school officials, the school district is using Wednesday to meet with the police department, social services and parent leaders to address the matter and take action. They also plan to meet with teachers.

All of the other schools in town will have normal classes on Wednesday. The middle school after school family art show has been postponed, school officials said.

The Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patricia Garcia is having open office hours on Wednesday night for anyone who wants to talk about the incidents. You can call her office to make an appointment.

She is also having a coffee and conversation event at Windham Center School at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.

A Florida public defender was blindsided by a punch thrown by a defendant during an incident that was caught on camera in Broward County bond court.

The Wednesday morning attack happened as Broward Judge Jackie Powell and attorneys were in the middle of a bond hearing for another inmate. 

Assistant Public Defender Julie Chase was standing next to a female defendant at a podium when a man waiting for his own bond hearing stood up, walked behind Chase and punched her with his left hand.

The courtroom video shows Chase fall to the floor. The inmate standing next to her put her hands to her mouth and backed away.

Deputies quickly moved in, handcuffed the man and carried him from the courtroom. He was later identified as 27-year-old William Green, who was arrested on a battery charge on Tuesday, according to jail records.

Chase was taken to the hospital, but her condition was unkown. 

Check back with NBC 6 for updates.

The cashiers at Palapas Tacos in Anaheim say they take orders in English and Spanish. The signs showing menu items are bilingual. 

But apparently something got lost in translation when it comes to the restaurant's daily specials. 

A security camera captured a customer's outburst at the restaurant counter Monday, when he tried to order the Friday special. Confusion appeared to stem from banners hanging outside the store advertising each day's special with the day of the week in Spanish.

For example, the Friday special -- fish tacos for $1.99 -- is identified on the outdoor banner as "Especial de Viernes." Owner Juan Del Rio said the man apparently was upset because he was charged full price for the Friday special.

"He saw the receipt and he saw that it was full price," said Del Rio. "That's why he gets mad." 

The cashier tried to explain that the Friday special was only good on Fridays. 

"It says it in Mexican," the customer told the cashier. "We're not in Mexico. We're in America."

An employee also showed the man a sign that displays the daily specials in both English and Spanish. 

The rant spilled into the parking lot, where he threatened to call immigration authorities, claiming Del Rio was "not legal." It was that last comment that upset Del Rio, who said he has never seen that type of reaction from a customer in the two years he has owned Palapas Tacos.

"People thinking you're illegal, just because you're Mexican, you know?"

Del Rio estimated that about 75 percent of his customers are Spanish-only speakers. Until the Monday confrontation, he said he didn't realize the banner specials had not been translated into English.

NBC4 was unable to identify the customer and contact him for a comment.

The weather is finally starting to feel like spring and Connecticut’s amusement parks and other outdoor entertainment and recreation venues will be opening soon. 

Quassy Amusement Park and Waterpark in Middlebury will open for its 111th season on the weekend of April 27 and 28.  

Lake Compounce in Bristol will open on May 4. Crocodile Cove opens May 26.  

Six Flags New England in Agawam opens on Saturday, April 6. The park is offering park opening sales that include special pricing. Learn more about them here. 

Quassy is holding a $45 carload special on opening weekend to benefit the Greater Waterbury Campership Fund. Part of opening weekend proceeds will benefit the campership fund, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that helps send underprivileged children to summer camp, according to Quassy. 

Up to 10 people in one car will receive an all-day ride wristband for $45 and parking included. Those not taking part in the carload offer will be charged $7 for parking. 

Quassy operates from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. 

Quassy will have a second $45 carload weekend on May 4 and 5. The park’s annual Festival of the Arts for student art exhibits takes place on May 4 and a regional Dance Day will be held May 5. 

Splash Away Bay waterpark and Quassy Beach will open May 25 for the summer season. 

Season passes are on sale now at the park office and through the Quassy website. 

Lake Compounce is offering a 2019 preschool play pass, which allows complimentary admission for children 4 to 5 years old for the 2019 Summer Season. The registration period is until March 31 and the activation period is May 4 to June 2. Learn more about it here.  

Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park in Portland opens to the public on Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27, from noon to 6 p.m. 

Adventure Park in Storrs, an “aerial forest rope park,” will open March 30. 

Fields of Adventure Park, a high ropes course in Mystic, opens on April 5. 

Highflyer at Foxwoods, a zip line from the top of a 33-story hotel tower, opens for the season on April 12.  

Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village in Montville opens on April 5.  It includes more than a mile and a half of dinosaur-filled nature trails in a 60 acre adventure park. 

A New Haven traffic and parking employee was assaulted on Wednesday afternoon while working. 

Police said it happened on Orange Street, between Elm and Court streets. 

No information was immediately available on injuries.

A 27-year-old Kansas man has been extradited to Connecticut to face charges he kidnapped and sexually attacked a woman who mistook him for her ride-share driver when she left a bar in December. 

Henry Revolorio-DePaz, formerly of Stamford, was brought to Greenwich Tuesday and is expected to appear in court Wednesday. 

His arrest stems from the night of Dec. 16, 2018, when a woman told Greenwich cops she requested a ride home from a bar and got into Revolorio-DePaz's vehicle, thinking it was her lift. He took her to her vehicle in Greenwich, but before she could get out, cops say he sexually attacked her. Afterwards, she left and filed a report. 

Investigators found security camera video of the woman getting into Revolorio-DePaz's car. They shared information with other law enforcement agencies and developed a suspect based on past similar incidents. Then they were able to identify the suspect's vehicle -- and its owner, Revolorio-DePaz.

Investigators say physical evidence from the scene also forensically tied Revolorio-DePaz to the case. 

In addition to the Greenwich case, Stamford cops have a warrant for Revolorio-DePaz in a separate sex attack. It wasn't immediately clear if Revolorio-DePaz had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. 

A Texas county commissioner has apologized for saying that the Latina heading the state's most populous county should "speak English" after she spoke in English and Spanish at a news conference about a massive chemical fire, NBC News reported.

The commissioner, Mark Tice, of Chambers County, posted a comment saying "English this is not Mexico," after Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo — the first Latina and first woman elected as the county's top executive — addressed constituents and reporters from English and Spanish language media outlets on a briefing Monday that was streamed on CBS affiliate KHOU’s Facebook page.

In the same comment, Tice said Hidalgo was "a joke."

Tice confirmed to The Houston Chronicle that he had posted the comments, saying: "It’s real simple. This is the United States. Speak English." 

The immediate backlash following Tice’s comments pushed him to issue a response.

A juvenile suspect is accused of stealing a car when its driver left it running at a Waterbury gas station Wednesday.

Police said the suspect was driving another stolen vehicle when they stopped at the gas station on North Main St. around 6:30 a.m. According to police, the suspect left that car and stole another vehicle that was left running while the driver went into the station. Officers followed the car to South Montowese Street near Indian Neck Avenue before stopping the chase.

Officers spotted the vehicle again at Milo Drive. Police say the suspect tried to flee and hit a parked car before running off o foot.

The suspect was found on Damascus Road and arrested. The juvenile was charged with first-degree larceny, reckless driving, interfering with an officer and engaging officers in pursuit.

Residents in Roxbury have gotten used to traveling outside of town lines to buy a bottle of wine or a six-pack, but that is about to change. Starting this week, happy hour will be a little closer to home as Wine and Spirits at Roxbury Station opens in one of the last dry towns in the state.

“I think that’s it probably going to be good for the town's economy, historically this has sort of been a dry area so we haven’t had these before,” said resident John Lacey.

Roxbury approved the sale of alcohol in town 2011.

Owner Thomas Scallon and his late friend and business partner Brad Bombard concocted the idea for the package store together. Bombard passed away before it became a reality.

“He was a longtime Roxbury resident who lived literally 100 yards up the road and we had done some business together in the past and before he passed away, this was his last idea,” Scallon explained.

The store will aim to serve all –featuring wine, beer and spirits priced from $200 to just 99 cents. Two hundred craft beers can be found in the coolers—many of which are locally sourced.

“It’s a big deal. I mean the town wants businesses to succeed,” Scallon said. “We want to serve what the community wants."

The owners have already planned a Bloody Mary and mimosa tasting event.

The store opened this Monday and will celebrate with a grand opening on Friday.

A caretaker emptying out a flower pot at a North Texas cemetery earlier this month found the body of a newborn girl buried inside, police say.

According to police, a caretaker at Perry Cemetery in Carrollton found the body after noticing the "out of place" flower pot on March 11.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner determined the child was girl, weighing about 6 pounds. She was born somewhere between 34 weeks gestation and full term and still had her umbilical cord attached.

The girl's race could not definitively be determined and investigators are awaiting further test results to determine whether she was born alive.

"Information from the reporting caretaker indicates the flowerpot was placed in the Perry Cemetery sometime between Wednesday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, March 2," police said.

Investigators have not said what charges could be filed, if any, should the birth mother be identified and located.

Officials with the department said they also hope to identify the child and provide her with a proper burial.

Anyone with information about the child or her mother please contact Detective Jennifer Cackler at 972-466-3324, or by email at Jennifer.Cackler@CityofCarrollton.com.

Amanda Somerset reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds after she says Southwest Airlines refused to help transport her from the airlines boarding gate to the jet bridge during her flight connection from Hartford to Baltimore.

The Kensington resident relies on a wheelchair, cane and her daughter to get around because of a debilitating accident.

“It’s been frustrating,” Somerset said. What’s even more frustrating for Somerset, is a recent situation she experienced with Southwest airlines.

“My daughter and I looked for the wheelchair for someone to come and wheel us down to security into the gate. And no one ever showed up.”

So, Somerset’s daughter ended up helping her mom through security, despite Somerset’s request for assistance. When she went to make her connecting flight in Baltimore to Raleigh, North Carolina, Somerset said a gate agent told her there was no one to help her.

“I can’t push you down and no one else can push you. Can you walk?” Somerset claims the agent said.

Somerset replied: “I had the cane next me and, I said, “not really.”

According to Somerset, the agent insisted: “Well, you need to get up and walk down the jet way.”

“I said, ‘well, I hope I don’t fall,’ added Somerset. She said she’s never experienced something like this before.

She expressed her concerns to Southwest airlines, asked for a full refund and was offered a $200 travel voucher.

“I just didn’t feel that was right,” said Somerset. So, she turned to NBC Connecticut Responds.

Southwest airlines released this statement which reads in part:

“We take allegations like these seriously and we will take appropriate actions should there be any concerns with the results of our internal review. To accentuate our apologies, we have offered a $200 voucher good to use toward future travel on Southwest Airlines.”

Somerset received a letter from Southwest apologizing for the situation and the airlines issued an additional $200 voucher for her daughter.

“You’re the best news station that can get the job done,” she told NBC Connecticut Responds.