Mosquitoes trapped in Voluntown have tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis, according to the latest report from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

According to the Mosquito Trapping and Testing Report, mosquitoes trapped at Mt. Misery in Pachaug State Forest on July 31 tested positive for EEE.

These are the first mosquitoes found to test positive for EEE this year.

Eastern equine encephalitis is one of the most severe mosquito-transmitted diseases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is rare in humans, but there are a few cases reported in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of serious cases include the sudden onset of headache, high fever, chills, and vomiting. From there, a patient may become disoriented, have seizures or even fall into a coma.

One-third of those affected will die and most survivors are left with significant brain damage, according to the CDC.

Last week mosquitoes trapped in East Haven tested positive for West Nile virus.

The cost of metered parking is on the rise in downtown Hartford.

The Housing Parking Authority says on-street metered parking rates in the central downtown are increasing from $1 to $2 per hour beginning Monday.

The new Downtown Central Zone encompasses the area from Ann Uccello Street to Prospect Street to the east, and from Church Street to Wells Street to the south, and is comprised of 16 streets with a total of 480 on-street parking spaces.

The goals are to promote on-street parking availability, and reduce traffic congestion in the downtown area that is caused by double parking and vehicles circling to find on-street spaces.

Armindo “Mingo” Gomes is the chief executive officer with the Hartford Parking Authority.

“We are looking to free up on average around 4 parking spaces on any given street,” Gomes said. “The city of Hartford on street parking is less expensive compared to cities our size and even towns that surround us.”

Brahim Abarkha is one of the many drivers upset about the $1 increase in parking on some streets.

“We pay enough, you know on property taxes on the car, registration, and insurance,” said Abarkha. “I think we’re being hammered way to much.”

Abarkha has lived in the nutmeg state for 20 years but is dumbfounded about the parking changes.

“If you want to visit downtown for five hours, you’re looking to spend $10 for parking and that’s unfortunate.”

The area is slated to support businesses by create more parking spaces.

The plan also serves to benefit the city. About 6 percent of the parking revenue will go to Hartford’s General Fund.

Ahead of the change Monday, HPA updated all on-street Woonerf app and kiosk signs to reflect the new three-digit zone within the above-mentioned area. Once complete and operational, the new zone will support both the downtown merchant base and a strong plan that meets the City’s needs for parking spaces and revenues for the next decade and beyond.

The parking rate on fringe streets surrounding the Downtown Central Zone will remain at $1 per hour, allowing those who want to take advantage of the lower rate structure to continue to do so.

Nicole Daniel says the plan is taxing for everyone looking to visit downtown.

“We’re already paying car taxes here and those in charge can increase fees whenever they want,” said Daniel.

Even before the rise in parking, Daniels says she began looking at other transportation methods to make it downtown.

“I leave my car at home cause it’s cheaper for me to leave my car at home,” said Daniel. “I usually hop on the city bus because of the rates of parking.”

Public transportation is one of the goals the HPA wants drivers to consider.

Daniels believes drivers will begin to rely on the transit option in the future.

“I think a lot more people may start thinking about using public transportation than commuting in.”

From across the Quiet Corner and even further, dozens headed to a Vigil Against Violence at the Westfield Congregational Church in Killingly on Monday.

“It’s just devastating to every community. We all need to be in this together,” said Roberta Sharpe of Thompson.

“It feels to me like our country has gone numb and dumb with the gun violence,” said Beth Anne Doan of Whitinsville, Massachusetts.

Reverend Jonathan Chapman said the nearly back-to-back tragedies this weekend devastated members of his congregation.

“There was lots of weeping and tears and heartbreak. People are broken over this,” Chapman said.

On Monday Chapman brought people together to remember the victims of El Paso and Dayton.

They offered messages of hope and prayed for change.

“It’s important here to bear witness to the fact that we believe there is another way. That this sort of killing or this death isn’t something we have to stand idly by and accept. We can advocate for a better way to live together,” said Chapman.

Many at the vigil agree.

They believe stopping these horrific events could take more than just faith; it’s time to get to work.

“I think it’s important we take our feet to the streets and take our hearts to prayer and our mind to the voting booth and get active,” said Beth Anne Doan.

Branford Police and Connecticut State Police are investigating after two people were found dead in an apartment Monday.

Police said they received a 911 call around 6:18 p.m. When officers responded to the apartment on Florence Road they found two people dead with signs of trauma. The victims have not been publicly identified.

The investigation is underway and there is no known immediate threat to the public, police said.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine cause and manner of death.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Branford Police Department at 203-481-4241.

A former San Diego Police Department sergeant out on bond accused of soliciting sex from a minor failed to show up for his arraignment Monday afternoon and was found dead in his home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound hours later. 

A bench warrant was issued for former SDPD Sgt. Joseph Ruvido, 49, after he failed to appear in court for his 1:30 p.m. arraignment.

More than a dozen officers, including SWAT personnel, armed with rifles, shields and a battery ram were sent to his Carmel Valley home for a welfare check at around 4 p.m. Cameras and other devices were used to try and determine if Ruvido was inside before officers broke down the front door.

SDPD confirmed at 6:40 p.m. that Ruvido was found dead inside his third-floor condo at around 4:25 p.m. His manner of death was not immediately revealed, but officials announced that Police Chief David Nisleit would be holding a news conference at 7:30 p.m.

Nislet said that Ruvido was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, but did not say when he took his own life.

Ruvido was arrested without incident at the condo on July 26 and posted bail the next day. Nisleit said that the department had sent officers, chaplains and other resources to Ruvido's home since he posted bail in an effort to make contact with him but were unsuccessful.

Neighbors told NBC 7 they hadn't seen Ruvido since he was released and that his car hadn't been seen in the complex garage since the following weekend.

They also said a package left on his doormat had been there since at least August 1.

When asked if Ruvido's apparent manner of death spoke to his guilt or innocence in the solicitation case, Chief Nisleit said the investigation into the allegations against him is still open and that he didn’t want to hurt the integrity of the investigation by answering the question.

Nisleit said no reports of gunfire were made with the department in the last few days.

At the time his body was discovered, Ruvido was suspended and on unpaid leave and had his police powers revoked, according to Nisleit.

Shortly after police arrived at his home, a neighbor told NBC 7 that the front door of Ruvido's third-floor unit was strung with crime tape and was being guarded by multiple officers.

Ruvido was charged with one felony count of soliciting a minor for sex following his arrest.

SDPD Chief of Police David Nisleit held a news conference following the arrest, and called the situation “very embarrassing” for the department and all of law enforcement.

“Today, I stand here as a very disappointed and embarrassed police chief who has to announce the arrest of one of our own,” said Nisleit. “Police officers should and must be held to a higher standard, both on-duty and off-duty.”

Officers received a tip from Crime Stoppers and the Internet Crimes Against Children task force Wednesday about “individuals soliciting sex with minors.” While investigating the claim, SDPD discovered one of the alleged suspects was Ruvido.

“We had a member of this department do something that is reprehensible,” Nisleit said.

The police chief did not comment on the other reported suspects in this case.

“We wear this badge with a lot of pride,” Nisleit said. “And so, when we have a member go out and tarnish that badge, it hurts us all.”

Officers arrested Ruvido without incident at his Carmel Valley home, SDPD said. The department also served a search warrant at that time.

“Immediately after his arrest, I took steps to remove Sgt. Ruvido’s police powers, and he has been suspended from duty without pay,” said Nisleit.

SDPD's investigation of the case is ongoing. 

Ruvido served SDPD for 21 years and was a patrol sergeant for the eastern division before being assigned to the Watch Commander’s Office "a year or so" ago.

According to SDPD’s Facebook page, Ruvido was highlighted in 2016 for his service in the U.S. Navy for eight years. He was deployed in the “first Gulf War (Desert Shield & Desert Storm) with the 1st Marine Division 1st Tank Battalion from 1990-1991,” the post said.

Anyone with information or believes they were a possible victim of Ruvido is asked to call SDPD at (619) 531-2480.

Ten new pro-gun laws will take effect in Texas in four weeks, less than a month after 22 people died in a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, NBC News reported.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed the measures after they were passed in a 2019 legislative session that the National Rifle Association, or NRA, called "highly successful" at the time, celebrating that the measures "will further loosen Texas' permissive gun laws" and would send the "gun control crowd home empty-handed."

Texas is home to almost 1.4 million holders of active firearm licenses, and five of the 20 deadliest mass shootings in the United States since 1900 have occurred in the state. Among them is the rampage in El Paso, where authorities said Monday that the number of deaths had risen to 22.

The NRA said its "deepest sympathies are with the families and victims" of the shootings in El Paso and in Dayton, Ohio, where nine people were killed Sunday. The organization said it wouldn't "participate in the politicizing of these tragedies.

Police are investigating a motorcycle crash on Boston Post Road in Orange. 

The crash is on the West Haven line, between Meloy Road and Bull Hill Lane. 

No additional information was immediately available.

While it was perfect weather outside for a day at the beach Monday, the disgusting contents in the water had everyone staying away in Connecticut.

Some beaches in Westport, Norwalk and Fairfield were closed to start the week after raw sewage leaked into the nearby Saugatuck River Saturday afternoon.

A small tear in an underwater sewage pipe was closed up after just over an hour, officials say, but that was enough foul matter getting into the river to contaminate local beaches, making the water unsafe and forcing officials to close areas like Sherwood Island Beach.

Some beachgoers were not made aware of the contamination until they hit the sand — and still had to pay the whole price to get in.

Officials will keep the beaches closed until tests come back showing the sewage is gone.

The biggest key is just waiting for the tides to do their job: take the water out, thereby flushing out the contaminants.

Samples were sent to labs Monday morning, but results won’t come in for at least 24 hours — meaning it could be another day of no fun in the sun for some, although officials are hopeful they will be able to reopen beaches Tuesday morning.

Two men who were wearing masks and gloves and carrying guns robbed the Wilbur Cross Parkway South Service Plaza in Orange early Tuesday morning, according to police.

Officials said the robbery happened around 4 a.m. and an employee was taken to the hospital after she tripped and hit her head when the robbers came in. She was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital.

Customers were inside during the robbery and none were hurt.

The service plaza reopened around 7 a.m.

No description was immediately available of the robbers or a vehicle involved.

The arrest of a Texas man who allegedly confided in his grandmother a plot to carry out a mass shooting is "a tragedy averted," according to U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Special agents arrested 19-year-old William Patrick Williams, of Lubbock, Thursday after he was accused of making false statements to a federally-licensed firearms dealer.

On July 13, Williams allegedly informed his grandmother of a recent AK-47 rifle purchase and his plans to "shoot up" a local hotel and then commit suicide.

After hearing the plan, Williams' grandmother took him to a local hospital, according to the criminal complaint.

Officers searched the room Williams had rented at the hotel and found the AK-47 rifle he told his grandmother he possessed, along with ammunition, knives and black clothing, including a T-shirt that read "Let 'Em Come," officials said.

Authorities later discovered that Williams allegedly misrepresented his current address on the firearms transaction form used to purchase the AK-47, officials said.

"This was a tragedy averted," said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. "I want to praise the defendant's grandmother, who saved lives by interrupting this plot, as well as the Lubbock police officers and federal agents who investigated his unlawful acquisition of a deadly weapon. If you suspect a friend or loved one is planning violence against themselves or others, do not hesitate to seek help immediately by calling law enforcement."

Williams first appeared in court Friday. He faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.

An 85-year-old New Haven man has been reported missing and a Silver Alert has been issued for him.

Carlos Torres was last seen Tuesday and he was wearing a green Army hat, a white and blue plaid button up and blue jeans. The alert says he usually walks with a red walker. 

Torres is 5-feet-6 and has gray hair and green eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call New Haven Police at (203) 946-1616.

Calls to 911 in Bloomfield are being redirected to Windsor police after a garbage truck severed fiber optics for Bloomfield’s 911 service, according to police.

Bloomfield police are urging callers to dial 860-242-5501, extension 0 to reach police dispatch to get services in a timely manner.

Police said services will be dispatched to people who call 911, but the response could be slower than normal during the outage.

Police do not have an estimate on when 911 service will be restored.

Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill's long-running court battle took another turn as he was granted a new trial last month. At a status hearing Tuesday, we could learn if the development leads to an end to his 12-year legal saga.

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, Mill's legal team and a new judge appointed to Mill's case will discuss what's next at the Tuesday morning hearing.

Mill supporters shouted "best of luck" as the rapper walked into the courthouse.

On July 24, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania ruled that that Mill, whose legal name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, would be granted a new trial. Philadelphia prosecutors now could choose to retry the case or drop it altogether.

Krasner's office has said it will not call the police officer who was the sole prosecution witness in Mill's trial because of doubts about his credibility.

Krasner's office issued a statement after the superior court decision, indicating that it was pleased.

"The District Attorney's Office is pleased that the Pennsylvania Superior Court has validated our position that Robert Rihmeek Williams deserves a new trial before a court that has no appearance of partiality," the office said after the superior court decision. "The DAO led by District Attorney Larry Krasner is currently reviewing the opinion issued today and will begin to review options. We have no further comment on this matter at this time.”

Multiple requests for comment from Krasner's office about what they will decide to do have not been answered.

Mill has used his time behind bars on a parole violation, his subsequent release and his platform as a hip-hop star to push for greater criminal justice reform.

In a statement after the superior court decision, Mill thanked the court and said he was "ecstatic that justice prevailed." He also vowed to continue working to "change these outdated laws and fix our broken criminal justice system."

Microphones were being set up on Filbert Street outside the Center City courthouse Tuesday morning so that Mill can address supporters after the 9 a.m. hearing.

The rapper was originally sentenced to 11 to 23 months following his conviction on 2007 gun and drug offenses. His non-jury trial featured only one witness for the prosecution, former Philadelphia Police Officer Reginald Graham.

Graham has since been added to a list of Philadelphia police officers who were deemed untrustworthy witnesses by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. Graham also was found to have stolen money in a drug bust and lied to the FBI by Philadelphia Police Internal Affairs, according to reporting by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Superior Court noted that none of Graham's history of alleged misconduct was presented at Mill's original trial.

"Williams' right to be tried before an impartial judge is necessary in this case because the trial judge heard highly prejudicial testimony at the first trial, which was a bench trial, and made credibility determinations in favor of a now discredited witness and against Williams," the court said in its ruling.

This story is developing through the day and will be updated.

Police are trying to find the driver who hit a bicyclist in Greenwich Saturday morning.

Police said the bicyclist was struck at North Street and Fairfield Road around 10 a.m. Saturday and the driver left, heading east on Fairfield Road.

The driver was in a black vehicle, police said.

Greenwich police ask anyone with information to call Detective Brian Perusse at 203-622-8039.

A French bulldog jumped off the roof of an Lower East Side building and crash landed through the sunroof of a parked car Friday, sparking an incredulous Reddit thread on the incident.

Reddit user must_be_the_mangoes posted a picture of someone pulling a dog through the sunroof of a car and detailed what happened. They said they were walking down Orchard Street around 11 p.m. on Friday when they heard a crash and a scream.

“I saw it in person and I’m not sure I believe it myself,” they said on Reddit. “The crowd gets closer to see the sunroof completely smashed in and a dog standing in the cockpit. 30 seconds pass and a panicked woman comes flying down the stairs of an apartment building, climbs onto the hood of the car and pulls the dog out through the sunroof... as depicted.”

Twitter user Jolie Kerr said she was standing right next to the car when it happened. She posted a picture of her scratched up arm, stating she wasn't sure if it was from the glass hitting her or from helping get the dog out. 

"I am fine and more importantly, the dog is fine too!" she told NBC 4. 

The owner of the dog found the post and weighed in.

“Hi, I am the owner,” Reddit user heiny_and_winst said. “Winston was rushed to the nearest animal hospital immediately after falling 6 stories from our apartment building’s roof. He has a cut on his hind leg that has been stitched, but miraculously did not break a single bone in his body.”

The owner explained that after removing his leash when they entered the building, Winston the dog bolted upstairs. The roof access door was open, and he leapt out onto the roof and off the ledge.

“It’s an absolute miracle that he is alive right now,” they continued. They posted a picture of him recovering in an oxygen chamber.

"Poor guy, it was a terrible accident but he was a champ," Kerr said. 

Heiny_and_winst said they were grateful for the post.

“This entire posting has been therapeutic for me in a way, so thank you,” they said. “Also I’m trying to stay positive through the anxiety of it all and some of these comments had me laughing out loud so I’m grateful for the comedic relief and lightheartedness, given that I think he’s going to be okay.”

State Police are investigating a break-in at the Lisbon Senior Center. 

No additional information was immediately available.

A Waterbury man is dead and police have arrested a neighbor who is suspected of assaulting the victim.

Police said they responded to 36 Jewelry St. in Waterbury just after 8 p.m. Saturday to investigate a report that a man was unconscious and bleeding from the head.

Police identified the victim as 61-year-old Keith Sullivan and said he was transported to Mary’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before 4 a.m. Monday.

The initial report was that Sullivan might have accidentally fallen down three porch stairs and hit his head on the cement, police said, but detectives determined that he was not injured from an accidental fall.

Daniel Rosario, 35, is accused of assaulting Sullivan and was charged with first-degree assault. He is being held on a $350,000 bond.

The Office of the State Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of Sullivan’s death.

Despite mounting pressure calling on Walmart to stop selling firearms in the wake of recent mass shootings, two of which happened at their stores, the retail giant said it had no plans to change its gun sale policy.

The first of two weekend mass shootings that killed 31 people unfolded at a Walmart store in the border city of El Paso, Texas. The attack came days after an employee shot and killed two other workers at a Walmart in Southaven, Mississippi.

“All I can tell you is there has been no changes right now… our big focus is supporting our associates and customers and the El Paso community," Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said after Saturday's shooting.

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Hargrove told NBC News that Walmart has taken steps to scale back on gun sales. 

The nation's largest retailer stopped selling assault-style rifles in 2015 and in 2018 it raised the minimum age for both firearm and ammunition purchases to 21 in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people.   

"On our website, we stopped the sales of assault-type rifles, including toys that would resemble those items. We don’t sell handguns, except for in Alaska, and we do certainly do things that go beyond federal law," Hargrove said. "One example of that is we require individuals to pass a background check before they purchase firearms."

Still, around half of Walmart's 4,700 stores across the U.S. do sell guns and ammunition. Hargrove told NBC News that the El Paso store did not sell guns, but did sell ammunition. 

Over the weekend, many who took to social media to respond to the shootings also called on Walmart to stop selling guns, using the hashtags #guncontrolnow and #boycottwalmart. 

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Some gun control advocates are urging the retail giant to go even further, noting that ammunition purchased at Walmart stores have been linked to several mass shootings, including the 2016 Pulse night club shooting in Orlando, Florida, in which 49 people were killed, according to NBC News. 

Igor Volsky, founder of the gun control advocacy group Guns Down America, launched an online petition calling on Walmart to cease the sale of firearms. Volsky said in an interview Monday on MSNBC's "Velshoi and Ruhle" that Walmart can set an example by announcing it would halt the sale of guns "until we raise the standards of gun ownership in America."

The petition also calls on Walmart to pledge it will no longer make contributions to lawmakers who take money from the National Rifle Association and fund gun buyback programs. 

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Hargrove confirmed to The Associated Press that the El Paso store shooting was the deadliest in the company's history. And while no workers were killed, two were wounded and are recovering from injuries. Hargrove said Walmart doesn't plan on changing its security policies or arm store employees in response to the shooting.

He said all associates at the border store received mandatory active shooter training and were prepared. This summer, Walmart also introduced virtual technology in its active shooter training, though Hargrove could not confirm if any of the employees in El Paso had received it, NBC News reported. 

"Unfortunately you can never predict violence," said Hargrove. "That’s why we take training and preparation so seriously."

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Danielle Abreu and NBC News' Mary Pflum contributed to this report.

There has been an arrest in the case of a 150-year-old tree in Hamden that was cut down last month, according to the Regional Water Authority.

Nature lovers in Hamden referred to the tree off New Road as the “Door Tree.”

“It was unique ... it was apparently two trees that one grew into another and formed an arch, a doorway like arch,” David Johnson, Hamden’s municipal historian, said during a prior interview.

The tree, which stood in the woods since at least the 1800s, was sawed apart in July. The land it sits on is owned by the Regional Water Authority, which, alongside Hamden Police, investigated to determine who was responsible. The news release from the Regional Water Authority says RWA police were able to identify the person responsible within 48 hours of launching the investigation.

“The vandalism of the Door Tree is a tragedy, but today we can be proud of the top-notch collaborative work done by the RWA, the Hamden Historical Society and others to resolve this senseless crime,” Larry Bingaman, president and CEO of the Regional Water Authority, said in a statement. “The RWA preserves and protects over 27,000 acres of watershed land in order to deliver the highest-quality water to our customers. That our environmentalists and Police Department were able to resolve this case in less than 48 hours is a testament to their excellent work, commitment to public safety, and the protection and stewardship of the environment.”