The threat of a strike looms for thousands of nursing home workers across the state.

They’re looking for the budget to include more funding for wage increases.

Workers at 25 nursing homes could go on strike if they don’t get the pay raises they’re looking for.

Many caregivers say right now they’re working two jobs to make ends meet.

“We only had a 25 cent raise in five years. All I'm asking is cost of living,” said Barbara Luciano, one of those workers.

After 39 years working at nursing homes as a dietary clerk and now a baker, Luciano says she’s still not making enough to make ends meet.

“I got laid off from my second job. I take care of my two parents that have dementia,” Luciano said.

Careene Reid, a certified nursing assistant, said she’s worked at Trinity Hill Care Center in New Britain for 10 years and makes just over $15 an hour. She has a second job to help pay the bills.

Caregivers joined union leaders Wednesday to demand better pay.

“What we've asked the legislature for is 4 percent over the next two years. That's about 40 million and about half of that is matched by the federal government,” said SEIU 1199 New England President Rob Baril.

Last month, union members voted overwhelmingly to strike, with the date set for Wednesday. But a letter from Gov. Ned Lamont asking to allow discussion and negotiations to continue delayed it.

The union said that doesn’t mean a strike involving thousands of workers is off the table.

“A strike is a last resort. It's not a game, no one wants to be on strike,” Baril said.

Around 3,100 workers could walk off the job if their demands aren’t met.

Caregivers say they’ve been forced to do more with less for years, and that something has to give.

In a previous statement the governor said that the goat is to meet a fair and necessary agreement as soon as possible.

The union says they’ll meet with their negotiating committee next week, and may set another date for a strike depending on how things progress.

A cruise ship has been under quarantine since Monday in St. Lucia after a female crew member was confirmed to have measles, island health officials told NBC News.

"The ship's doctor has the confirmed case in isolation on the ship," said the island's chief medical officer, Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James, in a statement. "The individual is in stable condition."

While St. Lucian health officials declined to name the ship being quarantined, St. Lucia Coast Guard Sgt. Victor Theodore said the vessel is named Freewinds, the name of a cruise ship owned and operated by the Church of Scientology, and identified the ship as one listed on the organization's website.

A Scientology spokesperson couldn't immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

Power utilities around the world are supersizing their solar farms, with a collection of more than 5 million photovoltaic panels in southern Egypt set to be globe's largest, NBC News reported. The $4 billion Benban solar park near Aswan will cover an area 10 times bigger than New York’s Central Park when completed next year and generate the equivalent output of two nuclear power plants combined. 

“There are huge savings for larger projects,” said Benjamin Attia, a solar analyst with Wood Mackenzie, an energy consulting firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland. “Logistics, transport, construction and installation all benefit from scale economies." 

A challenge with solar farms is that typically they are located in remote locations. “The grid around new solar or wind farms will not be very strong," Daniel Kirschen, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, said. "So you’re going to need to reinforce the grid, and that can get quite expensive.” 

Large solar farms account for the vast majority of panels installed around the world, but in developed countries like the U.S. and Germany, household solar power has about an equal share, NBC News reported.

There were delays on Interstate 84 East in Farmington after a vehicle fire.

The vehicle fire was just before Exit 39 and the delays were building into New Britain and police said no one was injured.

The scene has since cleared. 

No additional information was immediately available.

Brad Paisley is going on tour and will be making a stop in Connecticut. 

The three-time Grammy Award winner and special guests, Chris Lane and Riley Green, will be at Xfinity Theatre in Hartford on Aug. 29. 

Milford's The Corner Restaurant landed in the top 20 of Yelp's list of "Top 100 Places for Brunch 2019."

Ahead of Mother's Day, Yelp had a team of data scientists look at reviews for businesses in the brunch category.  The team factored in rating and value of reviews.

According to The Corner's website, it was established in 1997 to "take breakfast to a whole new level."  The restaurant's specialty is its stuffed french toast.

The top 20 on the list looks like:

1. Orchids - Honolulu, Hawaii

2. Lake Elmo Inn - Lake Elmon, Minn.

3. T.C. Eggington's - Mesa, Ariz.

4. The Dead Fish - Crockett, Calif.

5. NORMA'S - New York, N.Y.

6. The Baked Apple Breakfast Co. - Downers Grove, Ill.

7. Tower Cafe - Sacramento, Calif.

8. Beach Plum Kitchen - Carlsbad, Calif.

9. Backon & Butter - Sacramento, Calif.

10. Foreign Cinema - San Francisco, Calif.

11. Alcove Cafe & Bakery - Los Angeles, Calif.

12. Balthazar Restaurant - New York, N.Y.

13. More Than Waffles - Encino, Calif.

14. The Breakfast Bar - Long Beach, Calif.

15. Ramos House Cafe - San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

16. Berry Fresh Cafe - Jupiter, Fla.

17. Comfi - Old Bridge Township, N.J.

18. The Whitney House - Worthington, Ohio

19. The Corner Restaurant - Milford

20. Eggsclusive Cafe - Sycamore, Ill.

Police are trying to identify the woman who went into an Enfield home, identified herself as an escort, and demanded money for services that the resident never asked for, according to police.

As authorities investigate the case, they are also looking into whether there have been any other similar incidents.

The incident happened in the southeastern part of Enfield. Police said the woman, who appears to be in her mid-30s and has bleach-blonde hair and a mole on her cheekbone, demanded $500 for escort services requested, but the resident did not ask for any.

Then the woman got into the passenger side of a newer silver Mitsubishi SUV with a luggage rack on top and no registration plates on the vehicle.

Anyone who experienced a similar incident matching the description should contact the police department to report it.

UConn students will no longer have to buy tickets to attend any regular season home sporting events.

Beginning in the fall, UConn students who go to ticketed events will only need to swipe their student ID at the gate for admission and will get in on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the university.

This will be the policy at home events for men's and women's basketball, football, men's and women's soccer, and men's hockey.

Students will continue to be able to attend all non-ticketed events free of charge.

"Our students help create an exciting atmosphere at many of our home events and I am hopeful that this new streamlined process will entice even more students to join the fun," athletic director David Benedict said. "Students already contribute to our success through student fees and I feel it is important to eliminate any cost to them above and beyond those fees.”

There are some select basketball games that the school will distribute student tickets in advance. UConn said more information on the ticket process for those games will be released this summer.

The state has reached an agreement to develop an offshore wind facility at State Pier in New London. 

Governor Ned Lamont announced Thursday that the Connecticut Port Authority and terminal operator Gateway are partnering with Bay State Wind, a joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource, on a new deal that will redevelop State Pier through a combined public-private investment of $93 million. The agreement is contingent upon receiving all the federal and state permits. 

The State Pier harbor development plan calls for two phases. 

The first is a three-year development project to upgrade the facility infrastructure. The second is for Ørsted and Eversource to enter into a 10-year lease agreement granting their joint venture the use of State Pier for wind turbine generator assembly and staging with an option to extend for seven years. 

Construction is tentatively scheduled to start in January 2020, according to the governor’s office and it is expected to be finished in March 2022. 

The Connecticut Port Authority will be responsible for oversight and execution of the development project. 

The project calls for $93 million in capital expenditure commitments from multiple sources and the governor’s office said. 

Ørsted/Eversource commits $35 million for State Pier infrastructure improvements, including $2.5 million to the CPA to offset operational costs during the three-year development project, according to the governor’s office. 

The State of Connecticut will commit to $35.5 million for State Pier infrastructure improvements, including $25.5 million from the Connecticut Port Authority, which the governor’s office said was previously announced, and $10 million in new funding from the Department of Economic and Community Development through the Manufacturing Assistance Act. 

The governor’s office said $22.5 million was previously committed for State Pier infrastructure improvements, and Ørsted/Eversource will honor that commitment. 

The Connecticut Port Authority will receive annual fixed fee payments of $3 million and will be eligible for a one-time completion bonus for on-time completion of the development project in March 2022, according to the governor’s office. 

Gateway will serve as the terminal operator and will still be responsible for a variable fee of 7 percent of its annual revenue -- the minimum annual guarantee is not in effect during the terms of this agreement – and 50 percent of dockage and wharfage fees.

The average price of gas in Connecticut has exceeded $3 for the first time in six months, according to AAA Allied Group.

The price of gas has been steadily going up since mid-February and it has risen 28 cents in the last month to $3.003 on Thursday, according to AAA. The national average is $2.888, up 20 cents in a month.

“And, though gas prices are expected to continue to rise for about another month or so, AAA does not expect them to be significantly higher than last year when they peaked around $3.15,” Amy Parmenter, spokesperson for AAA in Greater Hartford, said in a statement.

Find the lowest has prices in your area through the AAA gas prices website here. 

You can also check gas prices on GasBuddy.com.

The highest average price for gas in Connecticut on record is $4.39 on July 9, 2008, according to AAA.  

These are the highest average prices for regular gas in the United States, according to AAA: 

• California: $4.091
• Hawaii : $3.640
• Washington: $3.522
• Nevada: $3.460
• Oregon: $3.416

AAA said it’s not unusual for gas prices to go up at this time of year as refineries switchover to the “more expensive summer blend of gasoline” and “begin to ramp up for the busy summer driving season.”

NBC News reports that unexpected issues also led to some refineries being taken offline. 

“Of course there is always the possibility that geo-political influences could push prices higher than usual,” Parmenter said in a statement.

The family of a Connecticut financial adviser charged with killing a hotel worker while his young daughters were in the room during a vacation in Anguilla released a new statement Thursday. It's the most complete statement from Gavin Scott Hapgood, 44, who faces manslaughter charges in the British terrority but is currently in the U.S., a release that sparked outrage in Anguilla.

Here is the unedited text of the 676-word statement:

"The following statement is given in the wake of the Hapgood family's recent tragic and terrifying experience in Anguilla. 

When Scott and our family went on vacation, we never thought he would end up defending himself and our young children against an armed intruder. 

We were excited for our first family vacation abroad in the beautiful and tranquil Caribbean island of Anguilla. But with a single knock at the door, our dream vacation turned into a chilling nightmare—a literal fight to survive. 

Scott and our family cooperated fully with local authorities in Anguilla following the attack, and our first-hand accounts of the events were taken by them. 

Court proceedings in Anguilla have been scheduled for August. While we wait, a fair and just process for Scott must be ensured as his future hangs in the balance. For these reasons, the facts we now share are to establish what did not take place on or before April 13, 2019. 

Neither Scott nor any member of our family made any call for a maintenance request to our hotel room on April 13, 2019, or at any time prior.

Neither Scott nor any member of our family knew the attacker before April 13, 2019, when he came to our room, dressed in the hotel's uniform. The attacker arrived minutes after our minor daughters walked back to the hotel room on their own. The man knocked on the door, saying he was there to fix a broken sink. Scott indicated the sinks were not broken as far as he was aware, but that the man was free to have a look. Like any of us would, he trusted a hotel staff person in uniform.

Neither Scott nor any member of our family had any conversations with the attacker at any time prior to him coming to the hotel room on April 13, 2019.

During the attack, Scott did not choke the attacker. Scott himself sustained severe injuries as a result of the physical struggle which ensued. Scott was literally fighting for his life. He was bitten multiple times by the attacker, including on his face. After the attacker was restrained by a security guard, and before Scott was taken to the hospital to receive medical treatment for his injuries, we took the included photo.

Scott's wife was not present in the room at the time of the attack on Scott and his minor children.

Scott's wife did not film the attack on Scott and his minor daughters. When she arrived, she was focused on the safety of her children and husband.

Neither Scott nor any member of his family took photos of the attacker.

Scott did not check into the Four Seasons resort the "very first day" after the attack. In contrast, he was in jail. After the attack, Scott was taken to the hospital to attend to his injuries, and then to the police station. While he was giving a witness statement, he first learned that the attacker passed away. Scott spent that evening in the police station. Upon his initial release, Scott was checked into the Four Seasons by the Malliouhana resort, which paid for the stay. Two days later, Scott was arrested and charged, handcuffed, and detained. This detention was one of the most grueling events of his life. Then, as soon as he could, Scott returned home to the United States.

Scott's wounds will heal, but the trauma of this incident will be with our family forever. 

Scott has spent his entire life doing the right things: he is married to his college sweetheart, he has worked at the same company for over 20 years, he is a volunteer coach and a loving and devoted father. 

Scott Hapgood did what any parent would do — defend himself and his children. And thanks to his actions, Scott and our family survived this terrible encounter. 

Our family would like to express its thanks to those who have offered encouragement and support during this trying time. We ask that our privacy be respected as the judicial process moves forward."

A body was found on an on-ramp to Interstate 84 in Danbury and state police are investigating. 

State police said the body was found on the I-84 East Exit 4 onramp and Troop A is investigating. 

No additional information was immediately available.

Hartford police said they have charged a 22-year-old Hartford man with the murder of a 16-year-old Windsor boy who was found with several gunshot wounds after a car crash in Hartford last week.

Police found the victim, 16-year-old Felipe Lopez, of Windsor, while they were responding to a 911 call reporting a crash at Albany Avenue and Sigourney Street around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24.

The person who called 911 told police that a vehicle went through the traffic light on Sigourney Street, crossed Albany Avenue and crashed into a parked vehicle in the church driveway lot, police said.

Police said Thursday that Lopez and the suspect knew each other and were meeting on Sigourney Street when there was an altercation.

They believe Lopez fled after being shot and likely lost consciousness and crashed.

The suspect is in custody on a $750,000 from a case on March 17 and he is also being held on a $1.5 million bond for charges including murder and carrying a pistol without a permit.

He will appear in court on Friday morning and the warrant will be presented then, police said,

Lopez died just days before he would have turned 17 years old.

Windsor Public School officials said Lopez was a high school student enrolled in a program at LP Wilson.

One of the biggest financial roadblocks for parents on their way to retirement may be their children.

A new BankRate.com study says 50 percent of parents are feeling the pinch when it comes to helping their adult children. So much so, it’s putting their retirement savings at risk.

In fact, more than 1 and 6 parents supporting their grown kids say it has had significant impact.

The study says the average age Americans think individuals should start paying for their own bills.

But how old is too old to be receiving money from Mom and Dad?

The study found that young adults between the ages of 19 to 23 are the most common ones for a parent-funded lifestyle to be expected to end. However, millennials believe cut off age should be delayed by a year of more.

The survey asked parents what age they thought a person should start paying for their bills? Most of the results said individuals 18 and older should pay for big ticket items like car payments and insurance, cell phone bills, subscription service, travel costs, credit card bills, housing costs, student loans and health insurance.

So, why do parents feel compelled to help their adult children financially? Denis Horrigan, a partner at Connecticut Wealth Management gave this reason:

“They’ve become helicopter parents. They’re helping their kids with their finances. They’re creating almost like a co-dependence with their kids to try to make that bond that much stronger,” Horrigan said.

Yet, the most alarming finding of the survey is most of parents say helping their grown kids has hurt their financial futures.

Nearly, 50 percent admit they have sacrificed or are sacrificing their own retirement savings.

Here’s how the numbers break down:

• 17 percent sacrificed a lot.
• 34 percent somewhat.
• 41 percent not at all.
• 9 percent did not save or not saving for retirement

Experts say some parents are struggling to keep up. So, how can parents set healthy financial boundaries with their children?

Horrigan offered this advice:

“What we suggest is to have that conversation and then make a plan, make a plan on how to wane them off of this support.” said Horrigan. It might be in the next three months, I’m going to stop paying your Netflix subscriptions. And then, six months after that I’m going to stop paying your car insurance. And then, six months after that I’m going to stop paying rent.”

The study also revealed that 60 percent of parents with adult children and a household income of $80,000 said they’ve had to cut back on their retirement savings for their children’s bills.

Six new flu-associated deaths have been reported in Connecticut, according to the state Department of Health.

The flu remained widespread during the 17th week of flu season and 75 flu-associated deaths have been reported in Connecticut since the end of August.

One of the people who died this season was between 5 and 17, four were 25 to -49 years old, 19 were 50 to 64 and 51 were 65 years old or over.

Since Aug. 26, 3,284 people have been hospitalized with influenza.

See the number of lab tests that have been positive for influenza in each Connecticut county:

• New Haven County: 3102
• Hartford County: 2231
• Fairfield County: 1,822
• New London County: 878
• Litchfield County: 603
• Middlesex County: 550
• Windham County: 321
• Tolland County: 217
• Unknown County: 164

Joan Rancourt is the latest customer to deal with reported issues involving Frontier Communications.

For the past three years, NBC Connecticut Responds has received dozens of complaints that ranged from double billing to extra fees to equipment problems.

When Rancourt canceled her tv, internet, and phone service, the bills just kept coming.

“It’s been very stressful,” she said.

The Plantsville resident thought she got a great deal with Frontier’s internet service. But switching to Cox saved her more.

“We changed to save $70 a month. We’d be foolish not to,” said Rancourt.

So, she called Frontier’s customer service and the agent told her it wasn’t a problem.

“He said, ‘we’ll take care of it,’ Rancourt told NBC Connecticut.

According to Rancourt, a recurring charge still appeared on her credit card statement. She asked customer service to stop the automatic payments from her account.

“They said, well, we can’t do that. They said, you have to go to your credit card company which I did and they said that’s their responsibility,” said Rancourt.

The credit card company put a block on Rancourt’s account. Weeks later, she started getting collection notices and learned that Frontier set up two accounts under her husband’s name. She again attempted to cancel the service but says she couldn’t.

“It’s so frustrating,” said Rancourt. “It’s so frustrating.”

That prompted a call to NBC Connecticut Responds. A Frontier spokesperson told us:

“Human error led to the overcharges following Ms. Rancourt’s move to another provider. We have corrected the error and credited her for the charges while also apologizing for the mistake with her account.”

A few days later, Rancourt received a call from Frontier and a $621-credit back into her account.

“I thought it was wonderful,” said Rancort.

Over the past three years, NBC Connecticut Responds has resolved 34 complaints against Frontier communications that included overbilling, billing on a closed account, extra internet fees, poor customer service, to equipment problems.

“It’s sort of been a steady run of consumer complaints that’s worrisome to a lot of people,” said Elin Katz of the Office of Consumer Counsel.

Katz says the biggest mistake customers make is not reading their bills.

“You’re much more likely to catch an error or something that doesn’t look right,” said Katz.

If you don’t, the problem can get bigger and more difficult to resolve.

“Call the company, they have complaint numbers, they have an online complaint service,” said Katz.

Consumers can escalate a complaint by filing one with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, which oversees telecommunications. The state Department of Consumer Protection, Office of the Attorney General, and the Better Business Bureau are also good options.

Companies could face penalties depending on the claim.

Chris Mattei, a former Assistant United States Attorney for Connecticut, told NBC Connecticut that not only is there a strong case for obstruction against President Donald Trump, but he added that the characterizations made of the Mueller report have been troubling.

"It seemed as though he was trying to manipulate public opinion about what Bob Mueller had found and what Bob Mueller said that goes to the very nature of what the special counsel was for which is to create confidence in the public that the investigation was done properly,” Mattei said of William Barr, the attorney general who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday.

Mattei prosecuted public corruption while with the Department of Justice. He was lead counsel in the second trial against former Governor John Rowland, that saw Rowland get convicted and sent to federal prison for a second time.

When asked about the evidence laid out in the more than 400 page report, Mattei said any prosecutor would be in a strong position.

“Let me put it this way,” Mattei said. “I've prosecuted obstruction cases on far less evidence than is contained in the Mueller report.”

Trump has taken the results of the Mueller report as a clear victory, regardless of the report’s contents. He’s tweeted on multiple occasions declaring, “no obstruction,” and “no collusion,” referring to Russia.

Attorney General William Barr is now refusing to testify before the House Judiciary Committee to discuss Mueller’s findings. The committee’s chairman has threatened to hold Barr in contempt.

The assistant director of residence life at Southern Connecticut State University is under investigation, accused of sexually assaulting another staff member.

A school spokesperson confirmed that 34-year-old Mark Parrott is currently on administrative leave while a Title IX investigation is underway.

His accuser reported two incidents to campus police which were said to have happened in early April.

The assistant director of residence life was arraigned this week on four misdemeanor charges—two for fourth-degree sexual assault and two for second-degree unlawful sexual restrain

SCSU community members received an email about the investigation Thursday.

“It’s kind of scary because I don’t know who else is going to do that, you know,” said SCSU senior Ariana Taiani.

According to arresting documents, Parrott is accused of locking his arms around the alleged victim’s waist in an elevator after an event in the student center, and then later in the res-life office - even pinning the person to the wall.

The alleged victim told police it made them uncomfortable and they begged to be released, but he refused to let go.

According to arresting documents, Parrott told police he had a joking relationship with the person who he admitted to hugging twice, but he also told police in those documents that he did feel like he was crossing the line.

“I think it’s something quite horrible. It’s something that shouldn’t happen, especially someone in that sort of power,” said SCSU junior Richie Cairns.

In a statement Parrott’s lawyer said, “Accusations are easily made but must be proven. Mr. Parrott is presumed innocent and will plead not guilty when we return to court.”

Parrott is expected to enter that not guilty plea in court later this month.

A campus employee said over the phone that they wish the school was doing more.

In the statement emailed to the campus community, university President Joe Bertolino speaks out against sexual harassment and violence and points to resources available.

“I also want to reinforce that sexual harassment and sexual violence are not acceptable behaviors in our community and are violations of the law, University policies and the Student Code of Conduct,” the statement read in part.

Peter Mayhew, the actor best known for his role as Chewbacca in the Star Wars series of science fiction films, died on Tuesday at his North Texas home, according to a statement from his family.

Mayhew, who was born in London on May 19, 1944, died on Tuesday evening with his family by his side. Mayhew was 74.

Mayhew, who stood 7 feet 2 inches tall, was the giant man inside the furry suit portraying the Wookie Chewbacca in five Star Wars films beginning with the original trilogy released from 1977 to 1983. Mayhew put on the suit again for  2005's Revenge of the Sith and then again most recently for 2015's The Force Awakens, when he was reunited with Harrison Ford and their iconic spaceship the Millennium Falcon.

In addition to films, Mayhew voiced the character in a number of cartoons and video games.

Mayhew, who lived in Boyd northwest of Fort Worth, is survived by his wife Angie and three children.

There will be a memorial service for friends and family on June 29; details of that service have not been released.

According to IMDB, Mayhew has written two books, "Growing Up Giant" and "My Favorite Giant" and founded a non-profit 501(c)3 charity organization called "The Peter Mayhew Foundation" and is the purveyor of chewbacca.com.

Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change.

Actor Peter Mayhew, best known for portraying Chewbacca in the "Star Wars" franchise, has died at 74. Mayhew died at his Texas home on April 30.