A new single-use plastic bag law is set to affect millions of Connecticut customers on August 1.

The financial pinch is set to change your grocery and retail shopping experience.

Big Y has more than 80 locations throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts; some locations shelling out more than 20,000 bags a week and 1-million every year.

Big Y has been complying with single-use plastic bag bans in several communities since 2014. Coming off of recent changes to laws in towns across New England, most recently in Connecticut.

Big Y has moved up its 2020 timeline to eliminate single-use plastic at checkouts in all of its locations in order to streamline operations and to do its part to support sustainability.

Store leaders say the decision to bang plastic bags and cut down on waste makes sense for the environment and their shoppers.

The same day that shoppers will start paying 10 cents per plastic bag, Big Y shoppers won’t have them as an option. The decision to get a 2-year head start on the state-wide ban on single plastic bags is clear; improve sustainability and cut down on cost.

The move comes after an initial goal to eliminate plastic options at check-outs by 2020.

Sylvia Smith says she’s for the change.

“I have a lot of the reusable bags and I’ve been buying and collecting before the new tax.” said Smith. “We’re going to have to do our part to save the universe.”

Mark Pellegrini says the decision is not a win for all shoppers.

“I think we spend enough money in these grocery stores,” said Pellegrini. “I think this is sad and I don’t think they should do this.”

The statewide ban is 10-years in the making for the citizens campaign for the environment, who fought for the removal of all plastic bags.

C.C.E. says it’s important to take steps towards reducing marine pollution from single-use plastic bags.

C.C.E program director Louis Burch says changing shopper habits is the goal.

Burch released this statement NBC Connecticut:

"Connecticut has taken an important step towards reducing marine pollution from single-use plastic bags. The budget that passed the CT General Assembly this year established a 10 cent charge on plastic carryout bags at retail establishments across the state. The charge goes into effect on August 1, 2019 and sunsets on July 30th, 2021. After that date, no store, supermarket, food mart or pharmacy will permitted to distribute plastic carryout bags at the checkout counter. CCE believes this approach is a common-sense way to increase public education and change consumer behavior, while giving retailers the time they need to make the switch. By phasing out plastic checkout bags, we can reduce litter, protect our waterways and aquatic wildlife and save municipalities money. But residents can get a head start on kicking the bag habit today- by bringing your own bag."

Burch also says spreading the word is imperative.

Shoppers will have to obey the honor system when at self-checkouts. Customers will have two options: ‘buy plastic’ or ‘reusable bag’.

The new fee for plastic bags is set to begin August 1. Beginning in 2021, shoppers will not have a plastic option at all.

New stats have good and bad news when it comes to Connecticut 911 dispatch centers answering your call for help.

Taking a call within 10 seconds was the focus of an NBC Connecticut Investigates exclusive earlier this year.

Dispatch centers are doing a better job answering your call within 10 seconds, a national standard.

Currently, Connecticut 911 centers are answering calls within 10 seconds 93 percent of the time, up from 91 percent last year.

“We continue to see improvement,” said Emergency Telecommunications Director William Youell.

The issue is, 18 of our state’s 109 dispatch centers are not answering 90 percent of their 911 calls within 10 seconds or less, a statewide goal. That’s up from 11 a few months ago.

The list now includes dispatch centers, also known as public safety answering points, or PSAPs, in Norwalk, Hartford, New Britain, Stamford, New Canaan, Hamden, Seymour, Windsor, Montville, Ansonia, Westport, Putnam Windsor Locks, Bethel Cheshire, and Connecticut State Police Troops F, G, and H.

“We do have some PSAPs still below the bar and we're working closely with them, particularly those with staffing challenges as they work through the hiring process in training new telecommunicators,” Youell added.

Dispatch centers now answering 90 percent of their 911 calls within 10 seconds that were warned for not doing so a few months ago include: Wolcott, Bloomfield, Bridgeport, Norwich, Redding, Stratford, and Weston.

Even though there are now more dispatch centers failing to answer 90 percent of their 911 calls in 10 seconds or less than a few months ago, the overall total number of calls answered in 10 seconds has gone up because the ones missing the mark are just a few percentage points off.

A few years ago, some dispatch centers were only answering 70 percent of their 911 calls within 10 seconds.

Another hot topic at the quarterly meeting of the state’s Enhanced 911 Commission: the state’s shared radio network, which NBC Connecticut Investigates told you about in an exclusive report this spring.

Administrators revealed it played a big role in helping police catch a fugitive wanted for murder.

The radio system, which state police now share with some local police departments, is saving towns and cities millions, and making it easier to communicate during critical incidents.

For example, on Sunday, state police stopped a man in a suspicious car on Interstate 95 in Stonington who then took off on foot.

Stonington and Groton Town police were also involved.

Those two departments are a part of the state’s shared radio system.

It enabled state police, Groton, and Stonington to communicate with just the touch of a button.

Ultimately that inter-departmental communication enabled officers to arrest Robert Annunziata, who, it turns out, was wanted for murder in Georgia.

“They were able to catch this person who actually made his way into a Little League all star game, active little league all star game. So he was hiding in the bushes behind there and they used the radio system to coordinate a response and they apprehended, he was wanted for murder in Atlanta”, said Clayton Northgraves, State Director of Emergency Telecommunications.

The shared radio system worked so well, Stonington Police Captain Todd Olson wrote state 911 coordinators about its benefits.

Northgraves read Captain Olson’s letter. “Our new radio system that we really felt would be a good for interoperability worked flawlessly in this situation. Everybody turned to a state police channel and we all used our badge numbers. It worked perfectly, and we were able to hear each other and we knew we had a solid perimeter.”

The Whalers are back at least for the weekend.

As the Hartford Yard Goats celebrate the third annual Whalers alumni weekend, several former players visited the UConn Health center on Friday.

"I’m glad that they did this. I’m so glad. Brought my spirits up, that’s for sure," said Carol Rolon, of Canton.

Players dating back to the 70s, 80s and 80s skated from room to room spreading positive thoughts.

"I'm thrilled. My sons are going to be so happy," added Judy Sylvester, of Farmington.

Kyle Mosakowski was just about to enter surgery to mend a broken arm when the Whaler power-play arrived.

"Yeah, it's pretty crazy. Everybody seems to have the same thing I have-- plates in their arms, legs, head and everywhere else. Yeah, it's pretty neat," Mosakowski said.

Patients weren't the only ones happy to see the Whalers return. UConn Health Center Nurse Robin Menasian fondly remembers games she attented with her late father, who was a season ticket holder.

"He was a huge fan and we still have great memories, Whalers paraphernalia all over the house and still is," Menasian added.

Although they've been gone since 1997, the Whalers are happy to do what they've done for decades: continue giving back to the Hartford community.

"I said, ‘guys the people who come to our games, they’re paying our salary. We need to give something back. And if you ask everybody who’s here, they’ll never say no about coming back to Connecticut," said Andre Lacrois, a former Hartford Whaler.

"Doing this is part of what we’ve always done, but it’s more rewarding for us than anyone else," added Dave Babych, a former Hartford Whaler.

The Whaler alumni weekend goes through Sunday, but Saturday may be the highlight.

The Yard Goats are hosting a luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. where fans can purchase tickets and eat with 20 former Whalers players. Tickets can be purchased here and all proceeds go to Yard Goat charities.

A serious crash involving a motorcycle has closed an intersection in Sprague on Friday night.

Crews responded to the accident at the intersection of Salt Rock Road and Scotland Road.

Officials said the patient has life-threatening injuires. Ambulances from Baltic and Lisbon responded along with paramedics from American Ambulance.

State police have not released any details about the crash.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Hartford Police are investigating a shooting on Friday night.

Officers said a man was shot on Main Street and Mahl Avenue around 11 p.m.

The man's age and identity have not been released.

Residents are urged to avoid the area while police conduct their investigation.

Cities across the country are preparing for federal immigration raids this weekend, but ICE won’t say exactly when or where those raids will take place. That’s adding to the growing fear running through some Connecticut communities.

“Of course it gets me very nervous, in fact last night I couldn’t sleep and dreamt about it,” one undocumented worker told us.

She said she came to the U.S. eight months ago on a travel visa from Columbia. She knows she’s overstayed that visa but says there’s a better opportunity here for her family.

”We come to this country to do what’s right,” she explained. “We are honest people from a county that is at war, where there’s hunger and there’s no guarantee of anything.”

She took a job as a dishwasher at a fast food restaurant on Park Street, where fellow employees tell us that some of their coworkers were scared to come to work on Friday because they are in this country illegally.

“All the people are scared, I’m scared, we are nervous. We find it unfair that there’s people here like me that come to this country….we come to work, to help improve this beautiful country. And there’s people in the streets selling drugs, doing wrong things and nothing happens to them,” the woman pointed out.

On Friday, Governor Ned Lamont shared a message with the state’s population of undocumented immigrants.

“We’re proud to call you our fellow Connecticut Nutmegger’s. We’re proud that you’re here, we’re proud that you’re going to our schools. We want you to go to UCONN, we want you to start up a family here,” he said.

Lamont recently signed a bill that bars Connecticut law enforcement from cooperating with most federal immigration raids.

“It deters and discourages and scares people, afraid to participate,” said Lamont.

Lawmakers in Connecticut cities with large populations of immigrants are speaking out about the forecasted ICE raids.

“All of us as elected officials are concerned about how our residents might be treated and we’re going to stand up for them united on every front,” said Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim.

Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D) wants to block federal agents from carrying out raids at churches, courthouses, hospitals, and schools. He said it’s already an existing ICE policy, but he worries it’s not being followed.

“To make sure that those policies are enforceable against an agency that may be out of control with agents who may be rogue. We need to give those policies enforcement teeth and make those policies mandatory,” said Blumenthal.

“There’s a lot of angst, especially for myself,” a New Britain man whose parents are undocumented told us. “Right now, it’s very scary.”

He said his parents sought asylum from Guatemala in the 90s.

“Any day, my family could be separated and it’s very concerning,” he worried.

He believes ICE will go after people like his mother and father who already have a deportation order in hand. He says their order came years ago, after their paperwork was mismanaged by a notary.

“They have social security, they pay taxes, no criminal record, they run businesses,” he explained.

He said they continue to run their businesses and are not hiding in the shadows. He said he hoped the threat of deportation doesn’t stop others from doing the same.

“Don’t let them scare you. The fear will kill your life,” he said.

To those who say his parents should face the consequences of breaking the law, he said, “I say to them, ‘you’re wrong.’ I’m not saying the country owes anything to them but they have the basic human right to come here and fight for what they believe in, fight for a better life for themselves and their children.”

An ICE spokesman said in a statement their priority is the removal of those who pose a threat to national security and public safety, adding that 90-percent of the aliens the agency arrests have a criminal conviction or pending criminal charges.

To help keep you informed on the most shared and talked about stories, each Saturday and Sunday we'll revisit 5 stories from the previous week, including the most recent updates.

Unspeakable Crime

West Haven police are looking for the person who set a small dog on fire, killing it at a beach parking lot. Firefighters responded to the Sandy Point Beach parking lot on the morning of July 5 and found the dead dog. A reward to find the person responsible has already grown to more than $25,000. See more on the search for a suspect here.

Fatal Fall

An 18-month-old girl died Sunday after falling from the 11th story of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship while it was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sunday. The girl's family says the girl asked to be placed on a railing to look out through a window, but that her grandfather didn't know one of those windows was left open. For more on the incident, click here.

Indicted Again

R&B singer R. Kelly has been federally charged with racketeering, kidnapping, forced labor and sexual exploitation of a child in a sweeping New York indictment unsealed in Brooklyn Friday. The arrest came hours after prosecutors filed a 13-count federal indictment charging him with new sex crimes in Chicago. See more on the charges here.

Hartford's Hopping

A series of events is expected to draw as many as 65,000 people to Hartford through the weekend. From a Wiz Khalifa concert, to ConnectiCon to the Riverfest fireworks show and more, the events are mostly all in the same area of the city. Police issued warnings for visitors to arrive early for their events and to plan for traffic. For more on the busy weekend, click here.

World Dominance

The U.S. women's national soccer team beat the Netherlands on Sunday to win their second straight World Cup. It's their 4th World Cup title overall. The team was honored on Tuesday with a huge victory parade in New York City. See more on the big win here.

Police are investigating after a 17-year-old was shot and killed in Bridgeport overnight.

Officers received a report of shots fired and a victim shot near Horace Street and York Street around 11:10 p.m.

When police arrived, they said they found a 17-year-old boy who had been shot at least once in the chest.

The teenager was transported to Bridgeport Hospital where he was pronounced dead early Saturday morning. His identity has not been released.

Police said they encountered two large parties taking place in the area where the shooting happened. Many people were on the street after the shooting happened.

Detectives remain at the scene and are interviewing witnesses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Bridgeport Police at (203) 576-8477.

New Haven police are investigating after a man was shot multiple times late Friday night.

Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert of gunfire and 911 calls saying someone had been shot in front of a home on Daggett Street around 11:30 p.m.

When officers and medical responders arrived, police said they found a 43-year-old New Haven man on the front porch of a home. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

The man was transported by ambulance to Yale-New Haven Hospital. Authorities said he remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Investigators remained on scene overnight.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident are asked to contact the New Haven Police Department Detective Bureau at (203) 946-6304.

A fire late Friday night has displaced residents of 14 apartments at a complex in East Windsor.

Multiple fire crews responded to a fire at the Mill Pond Village Apartments after getting a report of smoke just after 11:30 p.m..

Officials said fire was showing from the roof when they arrived.

The Broad Brook Fire Department and mutual aid from surrounding towns worked quickly to extinguish the fire while officers began evacuating the H building and the adjacent G,J,K, L and E buildings on the property.

The fire was quickly extinguished within 30 minutes by the fire departments, fire officials said.

There were no injuries and all pets are accounted for.

Due to extensive damage, all residents in the 12 apartments of building H were displaced as well as residents in 2 apartments from building G.

The displaced families are working with the Red Cross for temporary housing.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Fire Marshall.

Saturday marked a sweet milestone for a Plainville teen who has raised tens-of-thousands of dollars for Make-a-Wish Connecticut selling lemonade.

Fourteen-year-old Nico Fasold’s lemonade stand has been in business for ten years and the rising sophomore was at it again.

Fasold started his stand in 2010 when he was just four-years-old.

He has raised $82,000 for children with critical illnesses.

“It’s so great that I can do this. These children are just coming back every year, the ones that I’ve granted the wish to, and it’s just so nice to see them again.”

Fasold said his goal is to raise a total of $100,000 before he graduates from high school.

A Silver Alert has been issued for a 10-year-old boy who is missing from Milford.

State police said Jordan Patterson has been missing since Friday and was last seen wearing black pants, a white short sleeve shirt and no shoes.

He is 4'10" and weighs 100 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Police did not provide a photo of Patterson.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Milford Police Department at (203) 878-6551.

Police have arrested a loss prevention officer who is accused of sexually assaulting a girl who was detained at a store in Norwalk last month.

Officers investigated a complaint involving Kohl's loss prevention officer Edwin Espichan, 35, of New York, on June 21.

The parents of two girls told police that the girls were detained by Espichan in the Kohl's security office on Connecticut Avenue.

According to the parents, while the girls were detained, Espichan asked for sexual favors in lieu of the police or their parents being called.

Investigators said they then learned that one of the girls was sexually assaulted by Espichan while she was detained.

Both girls were eventually released after being detained for over an hour, authorities added.

Espichan then contacted one of the girls via social media later in the day, officers said.

After an investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Espichan. On Friday, detectives arrested him without incident at the Kohl's on Connecticut Avenue.

He is facing charges including sexual assault, reckless endangerment, unlawful restraint and disorderly conduct. His bond is set at $500,000.

New London police are investigating a shooting on Saturday afternoon.

Officers are investigating a shots fired call on Walden Avenue that happened shortly after noon, police said.

There is reportedly one victim. There is no word on his or her condition.

The scene is active and people are urged to stay away from the area.

A shooting incident remains under investigation after shots were fired in Manchester early Saturday morning.

Police were called to the area of Spencer Street and Hillstown Road at approximately 1:09 am.

Officials said there were no reported injuries and the incident appeared to be isolated.

There is no immediate danger to the public.

If anyone has any information that would assist with this investigation, please contact Detective J. Curtis at the Manchester Police Department (860) 645-5500.

Police are looking for a man after a shooting incident in New London that occurred Saturday afternoon.

Police responded to Walden Avenue and saw a semiconscious gunshot victim on the sidewalk.

The victim was transported to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

Detectives are looking for 32-year-old Christopher Whitley in regards to the shooting incident. Whitley is possibly armed and considered dangerous, police said.

An unassociated felony narcotics warrant currently exists for Whitley, according to police.

Police said the incident does not appear to be a random act.

The investigation remains active and ongoing, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to contact New London Police at (860) 447-5269 ext. 0.

A 69-year-old woman reported missing from Newington Saturday has been found.

Celestina Aponte was found the same day she went missing, according to state police.

Authorities did not release details about where Aponte was found.

A Silver Alert had been issued for Aponte, but has since been canceled.

A blackout across much of midtown Manhattan and part of the Upper West Side knocked out power to more than 45,000 customers for more than two hours on Saturday evening, Con Edison said. 

The blackout stopped subway service, halted Broadway shows, disabled traffic lights and may have trapped people in elevators. Carnegie Hall was evacuated mid-show and the singers continued their performance outside. 

The power outage was caused by a manhole fire, the NYPD tweeted. 

There was nothing to suggest anything deliberate, according to a senior fire official and a senior NYPD official who spoke on a condition of anonymity. They said the problem appeared to be a transformer issue at the 49th Street and 64th Street substations. 

The outage stretched from 40th Street to Columbus Circle, according to the FDNY. The Con Ed power outage map, which showed more than 45,400 customers were without power, indicated the outage stretched from the far west side to Fifth Avenue. 

"We are responding to extensive outages on the Westside of Manhattan," Con Ed said in a tweet. 

Firefighters were on the scene of a transformer fire on 64th Street and West End Avenue, the FDNY tweeted. Firefighters were also responding to reports of people trapped in elevators. 

See live transit updates on the blackout here.

Much of Rockefeller Center was without power since about 7 p.m. 

There was limited subway service across New York City, according to the MTA. That included a partial suspension of the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, A, C, E, D, F, M, L, M, Q, R and S, lines. 

At least four subway stations were blackened, transit sources told NBC 4 New York. Everyone was safely evacuated to subway stations, they said. 

Several people in the Columbus Circle subway station tweeted photos and videos of the darkened platform. 

Traffic lights were out and police were directing traffic around Rockefeller Center. In other areas, civilians stepped in to direct traffic, according to photos and videos posted to social media. 

Several Broadway shows were blackened, including "Pretty Woman" and "Cher," which had audiences standing on the streets. The casts of "Come From Away" and "Hadestown" gave impromptu performances to the crowd on the street.  

The signs at Radio City Music Hall and on the entrances to Rockefeller Center were blackened. 

Some businesses closed and put up signs in their windows. Other restaurants continued serving and pouring pints in the pitch black.

Police are investigating after a single-car accident in South Windsor Saturday.

Crews said the car rolled over on Route 5 in the area of Kimberly Drive.

One person has minor injuries, according to police.

South Windsor Fire is at the scene.

It is unknown what caused the accident at this time.

New Yorkers took to Twitter Saturday evening amid a power outage that left much of midtown Manhattan in the dark.

From subway passengers stuck on trains to a lightless Radio City, people used the hashtag #nycblackout to share information and images.

But as crowds in Times Square were turned away from Broadway theaters because of the blackouts, some cast members didn't let tech problems ruin their performance. Actors from acclaimed musicals "Come From Away," "Waitress" and "Hadestown" joined swaths of people on the street for an impromptu set. 

Others delivered newscasts in the dark, or tried to direct New York City traffic. 

Take a look: