Milford police are investigating vandalism at a local church and a cemetery.

Police were called for two separate incidents of vandalism Friday – one at the Mary Taylor Church on Broad Street and another at the King’s Highway Cemetery on Cherry Street.

Police said there is property damage including overturned headstones and slashed chairs, as well as graffiti.

More information was not immediately available.

Anyone with information should contact the Milford Police Department at 203-783-4727.

Almost all scientists agree that human behavior is causing climate change, and now some academics and business leaders say it will take superhumans to help fix it.

A study analyzes nine different ways artificial intelligence (AI) can help reduce carbon emissions that are harmful to the Earth's atmosphere. It offers four tools to take action on the proposals.

Global leaders and citizens can use machine learning, a section of AI that focuses on computational data analysis, to create more efficient electricity systems and transportation models, to predict food and weather forecasts, and, eventually, to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the research paper says.

Some of the technology suggested, such as drones and computer-monitoring of behavior, is not new. In fact, drones were being pitched to farmers to improve agriculture as long as eight years ago, said Marc Conte, an associate professor of economics at Fordham University, in a phone interview.

What the study calls for is more incorporation of the technology in society, and lays out ways of doing so.

It also stresses that AI is not the only solution needed to solve the problems brought by climate change, but can be one of the significant pieces to help, said David Rolnick, the study’s lead author and a mathematical sciences postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Climate change does not present one problem, it presents multiple problems. AI is only one of the tools that can have an impact in the fight to mitigate the effects of climate change,” Rolnick said.

The proposals for climate mitigation outlined in the study require collaboration, Rolnick said. For data to be drawn together to make conclusions, everyone must share their information.

“We can use these tools together with existing tools to help all stakeholders,” Rolnick said. “Above all we have to start working together.”

As has happened in the past, people will undoubtedly raise security concerns about the data that is being collected and who is collecting it, Conte said.

Despite this, he still sees the overall benefits of the all-encompassing technology.

“It’s hard to argue that as we increase dramatically our access to computation power, that machine learning is not going to play a large role in improving our lives,” Conte said.

Here are the ways the study says AI can make our world greener and more efficient:

• Electricity Systems: Electricity that relies on fossil fuels currently makes up 25% of global carbon emissions. AI can ensure that researchers and developers know of developments in clean electricity technologies, such as solar, wind, hydro and nuclear. AI can make better models to forecast electricity use and improve system management for homes and buildings. Behavior can be monitored so less fuel will be used when it is known that the residents will not be there.

• Transportation Systems: Transportation emissions from cars, trains and planes account for about a quarter of the world’s total CO2 emissions. AI can help increase vehicle efficiency by improving engine design and aerodynamics, and by managing logistics of cleaner power sources, for example locating power stations for electric vehicles with a batteries.

• Buildings & Cities: Also making up 25% of the world’s carbon emissions, buildings can be fixed with easy-to-implement solutions. Emissions can be cut with more efficient heating and cooling systems that study residents' habits. 

• Industry: AI analysis can help make more efficient supply chains. The advanced technology can also use past data to predict machine breakdowns.

• Farms & Forests: Plants and algae naturally release carbon dioxide into the air as part of photosynthesis. AI can be used to institute precision agriculture, a practice that tries to predict what crops will be in demand at the beginning of the season, to reduce carbon released from the soil, help people monitor forests and predict forest fires.

• Carbon Dioxide Removal: As one of the more long-term goals, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere seems to be far off from wide-spread use. Yet using AI will help find good locations with facilities designed to store CO2 most efficiently.

• Adaptation: Climate change predictions are based on models that the study's authors believe can be improved. AI can make climate models more accurate, predicting more exact future temperature increases due to carbon emissions happening today. It can also create long-term models to predict extreme weather forecasts such as hurricanes.

• Societal Impacts: Lower crop yields and local food shortages may become a greater problem in the future. In building systems to predict food shortages, AI can manage historical data and documented trends to identify areas with the highest risk of shortages and can get food to areas that need it.

• Solar Geoengineering: Releasing emissions into the atmosphere, if the right kind, can have the opposite effect of CO2 emissions causing climate change. Engineering substances released in the atmosphere to act as a shield, blocking sunlight and global warming, is one way the crisis can be mitigated. Gases can also be manipulated to help heat escape.

Presented with predictions and models that AI can provide, individuals and businesses will better understand their carbon footprint. They then can make decisions that avoid climate change's negative effects and change their behavior, the report concluded. 

“We will have a smaller or bigger crisis depending on what we do now,” he said. “We will have a crisis. But we can change the nature of that crisis.”

Nearly six years after a massacre at the Washington Navy Yard, federal investigators have charged a former U.S. Marine with making new threats against the facility.

According to court filings reviewed by News4, Anthony Reid is accused of making a series of threats, including one referencing a kill list, against the Navy Yard and one of its legal officials. 

Federal prosecutors said Reid barricaded himself inside a New York apartment when they went to arrest him in late May. They seized an AR-15 rifle with a scope attached, according to court documents.

[[511959872, 400,225]]

A judge has ordered Reid held in custody until trial on two federal charges of making threats. He’s pleaded not guilty. A court hearing is scheduled for July.

In court filings, federal prosecutors said Reid made the threats by phone, email and Facebook in May. Several were directed at a Navy official who handles legal complaints for Navy and Marine personnel, according to the filings. One of the messages referenced a kill list and said "I am going to hurt people," according to the court papers.

According to the court filings, Reid is accused of saying, "I am coming after you" and "You are going to pay for what you did," in a phone call with the Navy official. They also allege Reid wrote, "Do you like being able to live?" and "I will eliminate you all from my life," in emails to the official. 

In a separate message days later, Reid said, "None of my threats are true," according to court papers.

Prosecutors charged Reid shortly after Navy special agents arrested him in New York. According to court filings, Reid barricaded himself inside his apartment before agents could enter. Prosecutors wrote, "Due to safety concerns for one of the defendant's family members believed to have been inside the apartment at that time, law enforcement breached the apartment front door." 

Federal agents seized an AR-15 rifle with a collapsible stock and attached scope from Reid's bedroom, according to court filings from prosecutors. 

The Navy official who was allegedly threatened by Reid works for the Navy JAG office, which sits a few blocks east of the site of the 2013 massacre on the Navy Yard grounds in southeast Washington, D.C.

The September 2013 shooting at the Navy Yard killed twelve people and wounded three.

Reid's defense attorneys did not return requests for comment.

Navy investigators said they would not speak about a current investigation.

A fire that killed two brothers in New Britain in February was caused by food that was burning on the stove, fire officials said Friday.

Seventeen-year-old Elijah Little and 29-year-old Shaheen Davis died of smoke inhalation when their home at 73 Elam St. went up in flames on February 24. Fire officials said the men were trapped on the second floor.

Family and friends say Little was trying to save Davis, who had autism, when they were killed.

Firefighters tried to get to the brothers, but the flames and smoke were too intense. Three firefighters were injured battling the flames. 

Chief Raul Ortiz said it was a difficult fire and crews wouldn't have even entered the building if there weren't people inside.

Little was a student at New Britain High School. His friends described him as a “happy soul” and someone that transcended the peer groups and got along with everyone.

California's state assembly voted 69-0 to pass a bill Thursday that includes hair texture and hairstyles under its equal rights protections, becoming the first state to ban discrimination against natural hair. The bill now goes to the desk of California Gov. Gavin Newsom to be signed into law, NBC News reports.

The bill, which the Senate approved in April, updates the state's anti-discrimination law so that the term "race" includes "traits historically associated with race." Legislators acknowledged in the measure's text that society has subjected certain features equated with “blackness” to unequal treatment.

"Workplace dress code and grooming policies that prohibit natural hair, including afros, braids, twists, and locks, have a disparate impact on Black individuals as these policies are more likely to deter Black applicants and burden or punish Black employees than any other group," the bill's text stated.

California's new measure is the first statewide ban on natural hair discrimination in the country. The New York City Commission on Human Rights passed similar protections in February, classifying restrictions on natural hair in workplaces, schools and public places as racial discrimination.

“You can buy a lot of fireworks at local gas stations, convenience stores, basically everything that we’re selling here,” said Erin Veilleux.

For the second year in a row, Veilleux and her fellow “cheer moms” have manned a fireworks tent set up along the Berlin Turnpike to raise money for their daughter’s competitions.

“Last year we had a whole list of all different places that we could choose from,” she recalled.

This year, she says their options were downsized.

“The less sales are attributing to the less stands everywhere,” she explained.

Detective Paul Makuc is one of nine members of the state patrol tasked with inspecting fireworks tents that pop up around the 4th of July. As NBC Connecticut followed him down the Berlin Turnpike we noticed many stands we’ve seen in previous years were gone. Makuc has observed more empty spots than in the past, too.

“Middletown and Meriden. I checked with them yesterday and they didn’t have any tents set up there,” said Makuc.

“I have noticed that as you’d approach 4th of July you’d see tents everywhere going down the Berlin Turnpike. I’m not seeing them,” said Howard Lehman of Meriden.

A seller in Wallingford told us they were unable to get a permit to sell in Meriden this year. We reached out to the assistant fire marshal there but did not hear back.

Veilleux contends that interest in fireworks hasn’t fizzled. More locations, big box and convenience stores, now carry fireworks as well.

“When you go and get gas and you run into a gas station it’s probably more convenient to just grab it when you’re there,” she stated.

Veilleux thinks sales are also exploding over the state border.

“Most of the ones that we have here only go to a certain height, certain range. So, I think when people see they can drive a little further to go to New Hampshire to get the real stuff, that’s what they’re doing,” she pointed out.

Just because they are legal in other states doesn’t mean you can set them off in Connecticut. Only sparklers and fountains are allowed to be sold and set-off in Connecticut.

“If the label on the package says that the item emits a shower of sparks it is considered to be legal in Connecticut,” Makuc explained. “Any other label that talks about a flaming ball or emits a report, those are found on bottle rockets, roman candles, things like that. Those are what’s considered to be illegal.”

Five people were shot at a large party in Hamden Friday nigt.

Police confirmed five people were shot near the intersection of Choate Avenue and Exeter Road. Four were taken to the hospital by ambulance and the fifth was taken by someone else. The extent of the victims’ injuries was not immediately clear.

Neighbors said this was an annual summer party, and that this was the largest they’ve seen it.

No other details were immediately available. Police have asked the public to avoid the area.

NBC Connecticut has a crew on scene and will provide updates as they come into the newsroom.

Health officials are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella linked to papayas imported from Mexico and sold in Connecticut Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

The CDC said it’s seen 62 reported cases of Salmonella Uganda infections across eight states from January 14 through June 8, with most of the illnesses happening starting in April.

Fourteen people from Connecticut reported falling ill.

The CDC said the outbreak has been traced to fresh, whole papayas imported from Mexico. The agency is advising anyone in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island to not eat papayas from Mexico and throw out any in your home. They are also suggesting sanitizing the areas where the papaya was stored.

Symptoms of Salmonella include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover without treatment, but in some cases hospitalization is necessary. Health officials say 23 people have been hospitalized in connection with this outbreak.

If you have symptoms of a salmonella infection, contact your doctor and report your illness to the health department.

For more information, click here.

Friday was the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and people came out to Hartford to mark the occasion and to celebrate diversity and each other.

It was a major turning point for the gay rights movement.

"I think it's important to show support for all people and be present for all people," said New Haven resident Odia Kane.

That's what many came out to do in Hartford Friday night at the "Pride Under the Stars" event near city hall.

"I appreciate that tenacity for all those who helped pave the way for us to be able to be here, be in a safe space like Hartford, to live, and be who we are," said LGBTQ+ Commission Secretary Curtis Porter III.

That tenacity was in full view back in 1969 when the Stonewall Uprising began fifty years ago to the day.

"At one this morning was the beginning of the riots in Greenwich Village in that bar called Stonewall," said Dr. Richard Stillson with Hartford Pride.

The NYPD raided the gay club. Back then, police could arrest people showing same-sex affection, but that morning many resisted. For days, thousands protested. It served as a critical moment for the gay rights movement in the US and around the world.

"We have pride parades because of Stonewall," said Porter. "Each time there's a pride parade, there's a piece of Stonewall in that."

Those at "Pride Under the Stars" say there's still more work to do but that the progress made is something to celebrate.

"I think we're celebrating people. People living their lives, people being who they are, and as boldly as possible even when they're told they can't," said Kane.

"I want to tell everyone just be yourself because you are authentic and you should love yourself and it shouldn't matter what anybody else thinks but you," said Hartford resident Jesy Clausell.

Seventeen-year-old Hannah Sousa had her wish granted to become an honorary member of the Hartford Athletic Friday night.

Hannah has bravely battled leukemia over the last 18 months. As a soccer player herself, it was a thrill to walk the game ball out to midfield, meet the players and get her own jersey.

Make-A-Wish Connecticut is also sending Hannah and her family on a European cruise, a trip they have always wanted to make.

“It’s really great that people think of me and want to help me after what I’ve been through,” said Hannah. “They’ve almost taken me in as their own family. It’s really nice and I hope to one day in the future help some other kid that needs it just like me. “

“We’re just so grateful for make a wish to be able to give us this trip,” added Hannah’s mom Marybeth. “This is something we wanted to do as a family prior to her diagnosis so now to be able to do it is very exciting.”

The European cruise will be Hannah’s first trip out of the country and she’s hoping to visit Portugal, which is the birthplace of her dad.

Luis Alvarez, the NYPD detective who used his final days to plead with Congress for more benefits for 9/11 first responders, has died, his family said Saturday.

"It is with peace and comfort, that the Alvarez family announce that Luis (Lou) Alvarez, our warrior, has gone home to our Good Lord in heaven today. Please remember his words, 'Please take care of yourselves and each other.' We told him at the end that he had won this battle by the many lives he had touched by sharing his three year battle. He was at peace with that, surrounded by family. Thank you for giving us this time we have had with him, it was a blessing!" his family said in a statement.

Alvarez, a former NYPD detective who saved people from the rubble on 9/11, was suffering from colon cancer in hospice care, but continued to speak out with one final plea: Permenently extend the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund Bill, so his fellow first responders could get the health coverage they need.

Alvarez went down to Capitol Hill, along with Jon Stewart and other 9/11 survivors and first responders, earlier this month to demand Congress extend the funding. He gave emotional testimony that riveted the nation and Capitol Hill, one day before his 69th round of chemotherapy, he said.

The day after he gave that emotional testimony, Alvarez’s liver shut down and doctors told him there was nothing more they could do to treat the cancer he got 16 years after saving anyone he could from the heaping piles death and destruction.

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised a vote on a bill to extend the benefits -- after a group of Alvarez's colleagues went to McConnell's office and presented him with the dying detective's badge. 

"He exemplified the NYPD motto, 'Fidelis Ad Mortem' or 'Faithful Unto Death.' Detective Lou Alvarez has lost his battle with 9/11-related cancer. An inspiration, a warrior, a friend—we will carry his sword," Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea tweeted Saturday morning. 

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

“On 9/11 when we went in, we didn't ask the person lying on the ground whether they were Democrat or Republican or any affiliation,” said Alvarez. “We tried to save lives, and that's the way it should be.”

The former Marine and 20-year veteran of the NYPD never wanted the spotlight, but in recent weeks forced himself to speak out until his last breath — not for him, as he had said he and his family were covered.

It was for the others who went into the cloud of smoke and ash before and after him, to make sure they are taken care of.

“That’s my ultimate goal, legacy, is to have this bill passed so first responders have the coverage they need,” said Alvarez.

Alvarez told News 4 from his hospice that he was “at peace” with everything, because he was not in pain and could still “work from my bedside, I can still put the word out.”

And as for his family, Alvarez had a simple message for them: He just wanted to make sure they’re going to be okay.

“Let them know that dad did everything he could to help people. And I told ‘em: You start a job, you finish it. Your word is your bond, and be a man, always be a man about it. So my legacy to them is dad did his best. Never quit, no matter how hard things got. Dad never quit.”

Delays have cleared on Interstate 91 south in Middletown after a vehicle fire forced multiple lanes to close and caused miles of backup on Saturday.

According to the state Department of Transportation, there was a vehicle fire between exits 20 and 19 on I-91 south and the right and center lanes were closed around 1 p.m.

There was a delay of nearly four miles between exits 22N and 20 on the Middletown and Cromwell town lines, authorities added.

There is no word if anyone was injured in the vehicle fire.

An 8-year-old boy was taken to the hospital after he was shot while in a home in New Haven late Friday night.

Officers who were on patrol in the Newhallville neighborhood reported hearing gunfire shortly before 11:30 p.m.

A ShotSpotter activation and a 911 call helped police find a home on Thompson Street between Newhall Street and Shelton Avenue, where investigators believe several gunshots were fired, authorities said.

According to police, an 8-year-old boy who was lying in a bedroom on the first floor was hit by gunfire. He suffered a non life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg and was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Counselors with the Yale Child Study Center responded to the hospital and the home.

“I ask all New Haven residents to imagine the anguish felt today by the family of the eight-year-old, innocent victim of last night’s reckless shooting, and recommit themselves to the efforts of city officials, civic leaders and the faith community to curb gun violence,” Mayor Harp said.

“No family should find itself in the crosshairs of the artificial bravado guns promote among some people; we’ve made strides in New Haven these years to reduce violent crime but clearly a stubborn gun culture persists,” Harp continued.

Detectives are asking anyone with information to call New Haven Police Detective Bureau at (203) 946-6304.

Police are warning residents to avoid parts of Lincoln Street and Route 72 in Bristol on Saturday.

Lincoln Street is closed between East Main Street and Pine Street after a car crash, according to police.

Additionally, Route 72, or Barnes Highway, is closed between Central Street and the Plainville town line, police said.

No details about the crash were released.

The roads have since reopened.

All flights were halted at Newark Airport for nearly an hour Saturday morning after a plane experienced an emergency.

The FAA said that United 2098, an Airbus A319, made an emergency landing at 8:46 a.m.

"The crew reported a brake problem. The two left main tires blew when landing. Runway 22L remains closed at this time. Passengers were deplaned via slides," the administration said. 

All passengers were removed with no injuries, law enforcement sources told News 4.

John Murray, one of those passengers, tweeted photos of the evacuation and said that it was a flight from LaGuardia to Houston.

"Flight crew and emergency response teams are top-notch," he added. 

The airport said it was reopening, with delays, around 9:40 a.m.

As of that time, FlightAware data showed 130 flights in or out of Newark already delayed, though it was not clear if all of those delays were due to the incident.

In a statement, United Airlines confirmed that the plane was traveling from LaGuardia to Houston and said it experienced "a mechanical issue upon take-off." 

"Our pilots reacted quickly to ensure the safety of the aircraft and our customers, who deplaned using deployed slides after landing," the airline said.

"There are no reported injuries and we're making alternate arrangements to get our customres to their final destination as soon as possible," it added. 

There was a show of appreciation for a deserving Vietnam War veteran in Meriden as House of Heroes stepped in again to make his and his wife's life a little easier.

About two dozen volunteers spent time on Saturday at the home of Paul Lewoc building a handicap ramp.

His daughters, who reached out to House of Heroes, said their father has had three brain surgeries, which has led to some physical limitations. They said the ramp will be life-changing.

Lewoc said he is overwhelmed by the volunteers, including his grandson, who came out on Saturday.

"I’ll be able to get out by myself without having help, like you saw me come down the stairs. I can’t walk down the stairs without help,” Lewoc said.

"He’s my grandfather and I just want him to be able to do something. He hates being inside,” Lewoc's grandson, Aidan added.

The Connecticut Chapter of House of Heroes has been serving veterans since 2012 doing these free, one-day home repairs. Lewoc's home was their 117th repair.

A investigation is underway after four people were shot in Hartford on Saturday afternoon.

Police said the shooting happened near Judson Street and Martin Street around 3:30 p.m.

Four people were shot and all are conscious and alert, authorities added. Two people were at the scene and two were transported to area hospitals.

Officials did not release details about the conditions of the victims.

Motorists are urged to avoid the area during the investigation.

An oppressive heat wave baked Western Europe this week, setting record high temperatures in France, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. In India, a severe drought has choked water supplies in the city of Chennai, exposing its 9 million residents to a major shortage. And after the United States’ wettest 12-month stretch on record, towns across the Midwest and the Great Plains are reeling from devastating floods, NBC News reports.

The reasons behind these extreme weather events are complex, but scientists believe they have a common trigger: profound recent changes to the jet stream, a ribbon of fast-moving air that flows from west to east over the Northern Hemisphere and controls weather systems.

Seasonal variations are normal, but since the early 2000s, as the planet has warmed, the jet stream has been behaving strangely. Jet stream winds, which naturally undulate, have become even more gnarled, and the big wavy patterns sometimes slow to a crawl, or even completely stall.

A sluggish jet stream is cause for concern. When it slows or gets stuck, high- or low-pressure weather systems that correspond to the jet stream’s ridges and troughs intensify, stretching out rainy episodes, heat waves or droughts for days — or even weeks — at a time. Studies suggest that climate change is driving these new patterns, which means extreme temperatures could be more common in the future.

Joe Biden, the current frontrunner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, once again came under criticism over the topic of race when Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey took issue with language Biden used at a Rainbow PUSH luncheon on Friday, NBC News reports.

While discussing the need for criminal justice reform, Biden said people must continue to work toward recognizing blacks as equals so that African American mothers, like the mother of Trayvon Martin, who was killed in Florida in 2012, no longer have to fear that their sons will be shot whenever they are away from home. "We've got to recognize that the kid wearing a hoodie may very well be the next poet laureate and not a gangbanger," Biden said.

"This isn’t about a hoodie," Booker tweeted. "It’s about a culture that sees a problem with a kid wearing a hoodie in the first place. Our nominee needs to have the language to talk about race in a far more constructive way."

The Biden campaign released a statement Saturday.

"Vice President Biden, like many leaders over the years, was calling direct attention to the daily experiences faced by many African American men around the country and the perceived so-called 'threat' from people like Trayvon Martin who were racially profiled and deemed 'criminal' while wearing a hoodie," said Jamal Brown, national press secretary for the campaign. "As the context of his remarks noted, we need to 'Make sure black mothers feel confident when they send their child, their son, out on the streets that they're going to feel safe.'"

A judge ordered the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington to start following a law that went into effect three years ago requiring officers track the race of every person they stop in an effort to determine if police are racially profiling African-Americans.

Activists such as Eugene Puryear of Stop Police Terror Project DC believe police in Washington target African-Americans without probable cause.

“The D.C. police, like most police around the country, are using as their first point of contact with the black community these stop-and-frisk tactics based on assumption that black people are more likely to be committing certain crimes,” he said.

In 2016, the D.C. Council passed the NEAR Act to address those concerns. The law requires D.C. police to track the race of every person they stop, whether that person is charged with any violation or not. They must also track the location of the police stops.

But in the three years since the law was passed, D.C. police has not complied, saying its current technology can’t collect the data.

A D.C. Superior Court judge dismissed the argument, saying police could have come up with a temporary solution like a one-page form the judge has now ordered police to start using.

“Judicial intervention is now both warranted and necessary,” Judge John Campbell wrote in his ruling.

“We’ve been saying all along that we were going to have a full-time solution, which I believe this court will be comfortable with, in the summer,” Chief Peter Newsham said.

While Newsham said his department plans to start complying with the law by the end of July, it’s possible Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration could appeal the judge’s decision and try to further delay collection of the data.

“The chief’s response is completely disingenuous,” said Scott Michelman of ACLU Washington, D.C., one of the groups that took the police department to court. “Even after being ordered to comply by a court, they are still considering ways to delay further.”

Preliminary data released by D.C. police shows of the 10,000 people arrested for driving without a license, 80% were African American.