The tax structure being considered by Connecticut lawmakers for cannabis is very similar to the one used in Massachusetts.

Supporters of legalization say it’s about remaining competitive in a new marketplace.

Rep. Jason Rojas, (D – East Hartford), who chairs the General Assembly’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee told NBC Connecticut, “naturally, we don’t want to incentivize anybody to go over the border to Massachusetts if they are going to purchase cannabis. We tried to keep our rate consistent with the overall effective rate of where Massachusetts is.”

In Massachusetts, all sales are subject to the state sales tax of 6.25 percent and a 10.75 percent state excise tax. There is also a 3 percent local tax for the municipality where the dispensary is located. Those taxes amount to about a 20 percent effective tax rate.

In Connecticut, lawmakers are considering a similar proposal. All sales would be subject to the state sales tax rate of 6.35 percent, a state levied tax on transfers from growers of cannabis which would depend on the kind of product being transferred. The state would charge $35 per ounce of cannabis flower or $13.50 per ounce of trim. Under the legislation, the state would also provide for a 3 percent local sales tax for cities and towns with a dispensary.

Some supporters of the legalization of cannabis want to see the revenues the state earns reinvested into communities most impacted by the war on drugs.

“So, if I were a person who sees this inevitable train moving through this legislature, I want to know where this money is going,” said Steven Hernandez, executive director of the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, told the committee.

He said given the General Assembly’s penchant for sweeping funds, and moving money around to fill various gaps, he said the virtuous thing to do would be to earmark cannabis revenues for particular groups and communities.

“If this passes, what I say is everyone of you should focus on ensuring that this money goes toward purposes that either improves the lives of lives of people or remediate the losses people have experienced,” he said.

Republicans are expected to vote as a bloc against all measures relating to marijuana. Decriminalization and regulation measures have already passed other committees and Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, has said that he supports legalization.

Rep. Rojas, who chairs the committee, said he’s not going to make any predictions about whether marijuana legalization will pass.

“I think most members want to see a complete package before they make a final determination as to how they’re going to vote,” he said.

Worldwide, the Jewish community mourns after this weekend’s synagogue attack in Poway, California. In Connecticut there has been a call to action. 

“We are focusing here on our own community on how to secure our own potential targets,” said Howard Sovronsky, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.

The California shooting, which occurred on the last day of Passover, left one woman dead and three injured. It also happened six months removed from a Pittsburgh synagogue attack where 11 people died.

“This is something not new to the Jewish community and something that we have to keep vigilant about and not become complacent about,” added Sovronsky.

The Jewish community is not alone. Other faith leaders have also recognized a growing danger at places of worship.

“It’s horrendous to see the amount of carnage, killings, shootings, massacres that are happening that are happening in places of worship,” said Reza Mansoor, president of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford.

In recent months, worship houses of many faiths have been attacked domestically and abroad. Subsequently, faith leaders have seen a scary shift in society’s view of religion.

“I think we’re becoming a society that instead of freedom of religion it’s becoming freedom from religion,” said Father Nicholas Melo of Wethersfield’s Christ The King Catholic Church.

Taking a proactive approach, Mansoor explains his mosque in Berlin recently engaged in “active shooter” training conducted by the Berlin Police Department.

“We’re ramping up security in mosques,” Mansoor said, “yesterday I was in a synagogue trying to compare notes to what they’re doing to what we’re doing.

Religious leaders are working in alliance to protect their community.

“We’re here as brothers and sisters and we need to work together,” added Father Melo, “Anti-Semitism and religious hatred has no place in our society and in our lives.”

The victims of the construction crane accident in Seattle over the weekend were identified Monday as a college freshman from South Pasadena, California, who wanted to be a nurse, a retired city worker who championed development and construction in the area and two ex-Marines who died pursuing among the most dangerous professions in American industry, NBC News reports.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office ruled that the deaths on Saturday of Sarah Wong, 19, Alan Justad, 71, Andrew Yoder, 31, and Travis Corbet, 33, were accidents.

Yoder and Corbet, who were members of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, were working on the crane when it collapsed as it was being disassembled, while Wong, a student at Seattle Pacific University, and Justad, a retired deputy director of planning and development for Seattle, were in separate cars on busy Mercer Street, authorities said.

A senior at the Science and Technology Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut in New London officially devoted himself to serving the country Monday.

Senior Andre McClain, better known as A.J., signed his national letter of intent to attend the Naval Academy Preparatory School.

McClain’s aunt served the Navy for 22 years and was an inspiration to him. He also took a summer seminar at the Naval Academy and realized how rewarding the work was.

So McClain worked hard to get there. He said he upped his SAT scored by more than 300 points, traveled from Plainfield to attend a STEM school to make himself more competitive and even lost about 50 pounds to get in shape for the Navy.

“You’re guaranteed a job. They take care of you the rest of your life,” McClain said. “I’m thinking about do what you gotta do now so you can enjoy your future.”

McClain credited his dad for pushing him.

“It’s going to open a lot of doors,” said father Andre McClain. “I think it means security for him and his future family.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who nominated McClain to attend the Naval Academy, was on hand Monday to congratulate him. Blumenthal said signing a national letter of intent for a military academy should be celebrated the same way acceptances to college athletic programs are.

Protesters are still demanding action nearly two weeks after a police shooting in New Haven.

On Monday dozens marched to the Hamden mayor’s office, hoping their voices will be heard.

The group demanded an independent investigation and immediate termination of the Hamden police officer involved in that shooting on April 16. The mayor said he believes that officer should be terminated.

This was the latest in a series of protests after a Hamden and a Yale police officer fired on an unarmed couple in a car. The passenger, 22-year-old Stephanie Washington, was shot. The driver, 21-year-old Paul Witherspoon, was not hit.

Witherspoon’s mother said both officers should lose their jobs.

"I would also like to see them stripped of any type of way to get another civil service job anywhere else, I don’t think they should be able to police officers anywhere else, because wherever they go to me they're a liability,” Keisha Greene said.

Hamden Mayor Curt Leng gave his opinion on what actions he believes should be taken against the Hamden officer, Devin Eaton.

“I have seen enough to say that I don't think that the officer should be a Hamden police officer any longer,” Leng said.

But, the mayor says there’s a process that must be followed, and that the state investigation and internal investigation are moving quickly.

Depending on the outcomes, it may not end there.

Protesters say the only solution is for the officer to be terminated, and that they’re not going anywhere until that happens.

“Sir we're going to be back everyday we'll be back with more people,” protesters said.

The two officers are on paid leave while the investigations take place.

NBC Connecticut reached out to the police union but did not hear back.

It was “Bark in the Park” night at Dunkin’ Donuts Park Monday, an event that lets the dogs out, all for a good cause.

Man’s best friend got to take in America’s favorite pastime as the Hartford Yard Goats faced off against the Portland Sea Dogs.

“I mean, he’s loving it. He’s going to be passing out by the end of the night easily,” said Kyle Nouray of Broad Brook.

Dogs in the stands made way for dogs in the parade, showing off their best selves.

"We're just trying to drive home the point that this is everyone’s ball park," said Tom Baxter with the Hartford Yard Goats.

People who brought their dogs had to buy a $5 “Pooch Pass” that became a donation to Fidelco Guide Dogs.

While fans took in some baseball with their pups, service animals from Fidelco were among the pooches on hand to teach spectators about their role in the dog world.

“We kind of want them to take away that these dogs can go anywhere that their handler goes,” Corrianne Gagliardi explained.

To learn more about Fidelco Guide Dogs, click here.

Lori Gilbert-Kaye, the worshiper shot and killed while attending Passover service at Chabad of Poway, was remembered Monday as a loving, giving woman by her husband, her daughter, friends and members of her congregation.  

Kaye was described by one friend as a pillar of San Diego's Jewish community. The 60-year-old was attending Saturday's service to pay tribute to her late mother with a traditional prayer for the dead when she was confronted by a gunman.

Kaye was standing in the lobby of the temple just before 11:30 a.m. when she stepped between Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein and a man who fired several shots from what police described as a rifle. 

Her husband, Howard Kaye, M.D., a doctor with Scripps Coastal Medical Center Cedar-Vista told the congregation that he performed CPR on his wife and that she died quickly.

"She did not suffer," he said reassuringly.

He spoke of Saturday's attack and described the gunman as "lower than an animal" who was likely raised on a diet of blood and gore. 

The accused 19-year-old gunman's family hours earlier on Monday condemned the shooting in a statement, saying their son was raised in "a family, a faith, and a community that all rejected hate," and that he is now part of a "history of evil."

At one point, Kaye admitted that his thoughts were coming to him so quickly he was having trouble organizing them but he wanted to share the story of a peace pole his wife had erected at their home. The pole had the message "Peace prevail on Earth" written in five different languages.

“My wife was a person. Is a person who did so much good in her life,” he told the congregation. “Whatever good she did always turned out. And whatever I did that might not have been good, she repaired and made me look good.”

Hannah Kaye said she chose to wear a pink dress because she said her mother was a rainbow, her greatest advocate and her dancing partner.

“Our story was, is and will forever continue to be nothing short of extraordinary and remarkable,” she said.

"My mother gave me every opportunity I could have dreamed of. All of who I am today is a result from the experiences we had together."

Kaye was credited with playing a key role in building the synagogue in the suburban city of Poway, approximately 22 miles north of downtown San Diego.

The president of the synagogue described the temple as "ground zero." 

"The very place where an anti-Semitic terrorist came to tear us down," Sam Hoffman said. "We've now come together to build our community back up." 

A friend recalled how Kaye always had a gift to give a friend or loved one.

"Lori died on Shabbat. Lori died on Passover. Lori died in a synagogue. And Lori died saving our Rabbi," her friend said. 

Rabbi Yonah Fradkin said that Kaye would want to be positive in the face of hate. 

“There was one sacrifice chosen and that was the purest and most beautiful person that we had in the congregation. The person that cared for everyone. The person that loved everyone. The person that was the strength and the pillar when anyone had a problem. Lori would be the first one to come forward and say, ‘How can I help you,’” Fradkin said to the congregation.

"May we go out and help and do more and share kindness and not let terror destroy us in any way shape or form," he said.

At the end of the service, Rabbi Goldstein said the congregation would continue to work to make the world a better place and will continue to hold services in the face of danger like the one that visited the temple on Saturday.

“We don’t go down for one moment. We don’t allow anyone – no terrorist, no murderer, no evil – to shut us down," Goldstein said.

Route 195 in Storrs is closed near UConn after a crash involving three vehicles and minor injuries are reported, according to state police. 

Route 195 is closed near Towers and North Eagleville Road as crews clean up the scene. 

No additional information was immediately available.

Parents and students in Newington will talk about a canceled trip to our nation's capital on Tuesday night.

Newington's annual 8th grade trip has been canceled for next year, but some parents are hoping to change the district's mind.

The district staff makes the decisions, not the Board of Education, but the board is willing to hear parents out, who are upset and disappointed that the annual trip has been canceled.

"I want to see the trip keep going. I mean, it has been going on for, I just found out, 30 plus years. Why are we stopping it? Why?" said Melissa Fusco, who created the petition.

The interim superintendent Pamela Muraca said there have been several reasons for the change. She said it costs $400 to $500 per student and that can be prohibitive for some families. The need for chaperones created additional needs for substitute coverage. There was also increased liability and the trip no longer aligns with the 8th grade curriculum.

The district decided this year's trip will be the last.

Parents said they're upset they were not consulted about the decision. More than 1,200 people have already signed a petition on Change.org to keep the trip going.

The superintendent said they are exploring other options like day trips to Boston, New York and various other Connecticut locations.

The board meeting is at 8 p.m. and will be held in the Town Hall in the Helen W. Nelson Meeting Room.

The magic of Harry Potter and Hogwarts is coming to Connecticut.

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra is bringing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to life through a concert in Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford next year. The orchestra will perform Patrick Doyle’s score while the film is shown on the big screen.

The show will be on March 28, 2020 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Other shows included in the Hartford Symphony Orchestra 2019-2020 Pops! Series include:

Raiders of the Lost Ark in Concert, Nov. 2, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. 
The orchestra will perform John Williams’ score performed live to the film. 

Holiday Cirque Spectacular, Dec. 21, 2019, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. 
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra will perform holiday music set to acrobatic feats by members of Cirque de la Symphonie as the aerialists, contortionists and gymnasts perform on stage as the orchestra plays. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Concert, March 28, 2020, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. 
Rediscover the magic of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire while a live symphony orchestra performs the film score. 

The Empire Strikes Back in Concert, May 16, 2020, 7:30 p.m.
The Hartford Symphony will present The Empire Strikes Back in Concert, which features a screening of the movie in high definition on a 40-foot screen as the orchestra performs John Williams’ musical score. 

Subscriptions start at $151 and subscription renewal packages will go out in May. New subscriptions will go on sale June 17. Single tickets will go on sale in August.

Sarah Hinesley dreams of becoming a lawyer, a judge and the president. But for now, winning a national competition is a big achievement.

Hinesley, a third grade student at St. John Regional Catholic School in Frederick, Maryland, was born without hands.

But she's had no problem perfecting her penmanship, learning to ride a bike or spending time with her friends.

Hinesley beat out more than 100 others to win the Nicholas Maxim Award in the 2019 Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest.

"When I got the reward, I was really happy and proud that I got it," Hinesley said.

"She's always got a smile on her face. I don't think we ever see Sarah without a smile," St. John Regional Catholic School Principal Karen Smith said.

Hinesley said she's happy to inspire others.

"By seeing my story, they can see that it's best not to give up and keep doing your hardest until you get to it," Hinesley said.

Hinesley was awarded $500 for her penmanship.

She is already looking ahead. 

"I want to be a lawyer and then a president and then back to being a lawyer and then become a judge," Hinesley said. 

Jackie Carter was at home in Pennsylvania celebrating her son's 30th birthday on July 6, 2016, when she heard the news that a Minnesota man, 32-year-old Philando Castile, had been shot and killed by a police officer. Moments after the shooting, Castile can be heard saying he "wasn't reaching" for his gun. 

Carter, who doesn't know Castile, remembered thinking to herself, “Someone has got to come up with a solution,” NBC BLK reported. 

She's since create a small, clear identification pouch that can be attached to the driver's side air vent of the vehicle. Carter thought that would keep young men from reaching around their cars while looking for license and registration documents and setting off potentially dangerous interactions with the police. 

She calls the pouch “Not Reaching!” 

"I'm more fearful [for my son] in a car here than [when he's serving] in Afghanistan,” Carter told NBC BLK. 

Since its launch three years ago, the pouch has sold more than 1,000 units, and Carter says she has given the product away to just as many drivers around her community. 

Valerie Castile, Philando's mother, supports Carter's product. But she also says it’s upsetting that it’s come to this — having to create a device in the hopes of preventing a fatality. 

Wallingford Police have arrested three teenagers who are accused of engaging officers on a pursuit in a stolen vehicle early Tuesday morning. A fourth suspect is believed to have escaped and may be responsible for another stolen vehicle in town, police said.

Officers saw a white Ford Escape stopped at a light at the intersection of Washington Street and Quinnipiac Avenue around 2:45 a.m. When police checked the registration plate on the vehicle, they said they learned it was stolen from Newington.

When police attempted to pull over the vehicle, officers said the driver engaged police in pursuit. The pursuit ended when the driver crashed while attempting to enter the northbound ramp to Route 15, police said.

According to police, one suspect was caught after a short foot pursuit and two others were caught shortly after when a resident reported seeing two men walking down her street. One other suspect was able to escape.

Police said 18-year-old Quentin Johnson, a 15-year-old man and a 17-year-old man were all arrested. They are each facing charges including conspiracy to commit larceny, interfering with an officer and possession of less than 1/2 ounce of marijuana.

Johnson was held on a $5,000 bond and is due in court on May 9.

The 15-year-old male and the 17-year-old male both had active take into custody orders and were transported to a Hartford juvenile detention facility, police said. Both are due in Hartford Juvenile Court on May 8.

Later Tuesday morning, officers said they received a report of a stolen vehicle from a Parker Farms Road resident. Police believe the keys were most likely left in an unlocked vehicle.

Officers said they are looking into the possibility of the fourth suspect being responsible for this stolen vehicle.

A Farmington man who police said was wanted on an assault charge stemming from a recent shooting in Stratford was arrested after a traffic stop in Newington on Tuesday morning.

Police said they have been conducting location checks in the area near Plaza Azteca on the Berlin Turnpike around closing time after a recent stabbing left two people severely injured.

Early Tuesday morning, an officer saw a black Infinity G35 exit the Plaza Azteca parking lot and drive northbound on the Berlin Turnpike. Police said the license plate that was on the vehicle did not match.

When police conducted a traffic stop, the driver was identified as 22-year-old Kenneth Darryl Jones, of Farmington, police said.

A records check revealed that Stratford Police Department held an active arrest warrant for Jones for assault stemming from a recent shooting, according to officers.

Jones was taken into custody on the motor vehicle charges and the arrest warrant without incident. He was charged with misuse of marker plates and was released on a non-surety bond, police said.

He was then turned over to the Stratford Police Department.

Two people were transported to the hospital after a rollover crash in Hamden on Tuesday morning.

Firefighters responded to Fairview Avenue and Jones Road Tuesday morning after the crash and one person had to be extricated, according to fire officials. Two people were transported to Yale New Haven Hospital.

No additional information was immediately available.

A school bus crashed in Torrington Tuesday morning and police said no one was injured, but part of Marshal Lake Road is closed.

Police said Marshal Lake Road is closed between Weigold and Mountain roads for repairs to a pole. 

No additional information was immediately available.

U.S. border agents can search the laptops and smartphones of U.S. citizens for evidence of a wide range of crimes without first acquiring warrants, according to allegations made in two new court filings submitted Tuesday that are part of a lawsuit against such electronic searches.

Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union said new documents and depositions from Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement show that agents can search the electronic devices of travelers for “general law enforcement” purposes and communicate with other government agencies to search for evidence of crimes including tax evasion and hiding assets in bankruptcy, NBC News reports.

The September 2017 lawsuit, Alasaad v. McAleenan, filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, involves 10 U.S. citizens and one permanent resident who say that in recent years they were subjected to unlawful searches of their smartphones while returning home. The government argues that the “border exception” to the Fourth Amendment gives it wide latitude to search inbound U.S. citizens in the name of national security.

Customs and Border Protection also maintains that the searches are legal and exceedingly rare. Privacy activists maintain, however, that the rate of such searches has been rising in recent years.

Connecticut State Police are investigating an untimely death in Salem on Tuesday morning.

Troopers said a man was found dead on Hartford Road around 8:20 a.m. 

Police said at this time the death does not appear suspicious. The investigation is ongoing.

The victim has not been identified at this time.

This is a developing story. NBC Connecticut will update this story as details become available.

A Venezuelan National Guard armored utility vehicle drove into a group of demonstrators Tuesday in Venezuela near a Caracas air base. Two demonstrators, whose heads and legs were left bloodied were driven away on a motorcycle. Clashes between the government and the anti-Maduro demonstrators broke out after opposition leader Juan Guaidó urged an uprising.