A federal judge has ruled that the criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein will stay open until his victims have an opportunity to make statements in open court at a hearing next Tuesday, NBC News reports.

Earlier this week, prosecutors had asked the judge to close their sex-trafficking case against the financier and registered sex offender, in light of his death by suicide on Aug. 10.

In a court filing Wednesday, Judge Richard Berman scheduled a public hearing for 10:30 a.m., Aug. 27, and asked that the prosecutors and Epstein's attorneys be present. He invited victims and attorneys for the victims to the hearing and said they could speak if they wished.

"The public may still have an informational interest in the process by which the prosecutor seeks dismissal of an indictment," said Berman.

The third Democratic presidential debate will give candidates more time to answer questions, event host ABC announced Wednesday.

The debate, which will be held at Houston's Texas Southern University on Sept. 12, will give candidates one minute and 15 seconds for direct responses to questions and 45 seconds for rebuttals, the network said. 

That's up from the one-minute responses and 30-second rebuttal times in the first two debates, which were hosted by NBC and CNN respectively, NBC News reports.

To qualify for the debate, candidates need to have at least four polls showing them at 2% support or greater and at least 130,00 unique donors.

Vernon police have arrested a woman in connection with a stabbing that left another woman critically injured Tuesday.

Police have arrested 32-year-old Whitney Baldwin for the stabbing, which happened on Bellevue Avenue. According to police, Baldwin and the victim were arguing when Baldwin stabbed the victim in the thigh with a folding knife. Baldwin then threw the knife away, police said.

The victim lost a lot of blood on scene and was not breathing when first responders arrived. She was rushed to Rockville General Hospital and later transported to Hartford Hospital for emergency surgery. She remains in critical condition, police said.

The victim has not been publicly identified. Police believe Baldwin and the victim knew each other and this was not a random attack.

Baldwin was charged with first-degree assault and tampering with evidence. She was released on a $125,000 bond and is due in court on Thursday.

The case remains under investigation. Any witnesses are asked to contact Vernon police.

Families, especially children, will likely face more health risks if a new Trump administration plan to hold migrants in detention facilities for longer periods of time goes into effect in 60 days, when flu season will be in full swing, health experts and immigrant rights advocates warn, as reported by NBC News.

Under the new rule, the Department of Homeland Security will be able to indefinitely “hold families together” while their immigration cases are settled in court and provide an “immigration system that is humane,” the agency said on Wednesday.

The administration's newly announced rule is a departure from the 1997 agreement known as the Flores Settlement, which requires immigration authorities to release migrant children from their custody within 20 days.

Health professionals and advocates criticized the administration's announcement.

“Already, we have seen the harmful effects of the cruel conditions that resulted from the Trump administration illegally holding children in overcrowded and unsanitary border patrol facilities without access to basic needs and care," said Katie Hamm, vice president for Early Childhood Policy at The Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan research and educational institute. "Removing legal protections for children will remove any protection or standard of care, resulting in potentially irreparable harm to their health and development.”

Sales of bulletproof backpacks have spiked almost 300 percent following a spate of school shootings and the recent attacks in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Yet, none of the backpacks currently on the market would have stopped a single rifle round coming from those gunmen, NBC News reported.

Bulletproof backpacks and backpack inserts for students are for sale online and on the shelves at major retailers including Walmart, Office Depot, Home Depot and Bed Bath and Beyond.

Made by companies such as Bullet Blocker, Guard Dog and TuffyPacks, the backpacks retail for anywhere between $99 and $490.

There are multiple reports of storm damage in Manchester and Wethersfield after two sets of tornado warnings in parts of northern Connecticut Wednesday.

There were 3,024 Eversource customers reported without power in Manchester as of 7:23 p.m. and damage reports across town. Other hard-hit towns include Glastonbury, with 446 outages, and Windham with 280.

An NBC Connecticut crew reported a tree down across the I-384 exit 3 entrance ramp.

There are reports of trees down on cars on Grandview Street. A tree fell onto a home in Pearl Street. Video from the scene shows siding ripped from the side of the home.

NBC Connecticut crews are collecting details and will provide updates as they are available.

The Waterbury Police Department and Police Activity League (PAL) are teamed up with the of Mayor Neil O'Leary, Waterbury’s Youth Services and the Waterbury Department of Education for a Back to School Rally.

Families began lining up at 8 a.m. to get their hands on the school supplies for the start of school next week.

The event looks to help children, families and the city ready by equipping kids with bookbags filled with pencils, paper and other necessities.

Olivia Dudley is one of the organizers for the Back to School Rally.

“Not only am I the organizer for this but I’m a Youth Service worker for Waterbury service,” said Dudley,. “Helping and impacting the community where I grew up means everything to me.”

The event marks the 22nd year the agencies have partnered together to help families prepare for a new year.

More than 51 vendors were all on hand to provide information about health care, after school programs.

Organizers say the back to school rally plays a major role in supporting families who working to pick up some last minute items.

Kathi Crowe is the executive director with Waterbury Youth Services.

“We can’t give the message loudly or often enough that education is critically important to our communities success and to all of these children success,” said Crowe. “We want our families to feel that support from us, we want the children to know that education and attendance is very important.”

A Hartford nurse spun into action on her way home from work when she saw an injured motorcyclist on the highway minutes after a crash that could have killed him.

Today that man calls the nurse his guardian angel, and they were both celebrated at Hartford Hospital Wednesday for their bravery.

Laura Miller was driving home after a long day of work at Hartford Hospital, when she came upon an accident on I-84 East in East Hartford.

“I said, ‘OK I'll just stop make sure everybody’s OK,’” Laura Miller, RN, told NBC Connecticut.

When she got out of her car, she saw Jorge Diaz lying on the ground.

“I immediately started to pray that ‘I hope,’ you know, ‘please let him be awake, please let him be breathing,’” said Miller.

Diaz had been driving his motorcycle near exit 63 when he collided with a car. After the impact, he managed to roll himself onto a divider as cars continued to drive by.

“That’s where I laid down and that’s when nurse Miller actually came to the rescue,” said Diaz, who was driving back to his home in Manchester from church.

“Based on what I remember from my initial trauma training in nursing school, was just to make sure that he stayed covered and then I just started doing small assessments to make sure that he didn’t have any life threatening injuries,” Miller said.

Doctors say Diaz had significant injuries including a broken arm and leg.

On Wednesday, the trauma surgeon who received him at the hospital said his successful recovery has largely been due to Miller’s instinct to help a complete stranger.

“It’s the most stressful and the most draining moment. Somebody comes to me and says ‘I got you,’ and ‘I’m not leaving your side.’ It was God-sent,” described Diaz.

Today, his family calls Miller his guardian angel, too.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Miller admitted, “I don’t think it deserved quite so much praise.”

Even though they were strangers that night, Laura says she knew everyone means something to someone.

“I would like to say how much I appreciate her being there for my father,” said Jorge’s daughter, Iraliz.

Diaz means the world to Iraliz, who hopes to play in the yard with him again soon.

“He will get better, and that’s all that matters,” Iraliz said.

In the meantime, seeing Diaz recover has reminded Miller why she does what she does.

“As hard as it is on a day to day basis, for as many late days as I have, it is always worth it at the end of the day.”

The East Hartford Fire Department recognized Laura Miller today for her help in stabilizing and comforting Jorge Diaz while paramedics arrived to the scene and helping to see him off to the hospital safely.

The Connecticut Department of Mental Health And Addiction Services has fired an employee for doing work for his personal business on state time.

NBC Connecticut Investigates has reported on multiple issues involving this state agency, known as DMHAS.

The information about this first surfaced in the state’s monthly loss report put out by auditors.

NBC Connecticut requested detailed paperwork on the matter from DMHAS through a Freedom of Information request.

The documents say Connecticut Valley Hospital addiction counselor Louis Sorrentino used a state computer to send emails for his two personal businesses.

He also allegedly showed his state ID badge for identification at a treatment facility where he was doing off the clock work for a client.

In the DMHAS report, Sorrentino denies showing his state badge at the treatment center, but admits he used the state computer to conduct personal business.

The report also says Sorrentino was disciplined once before, in 2012, for doing personal business on the clock.

Sorrentino was a 12 year DMHAS employee and has the right to appeal his dismissal.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race, he announced Wednesday night on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.”

Inslee had centered his campaign around climate change, calling it “the most urgent challenge of our time.”

“This is our moment to put the greatest threat to our existence, to our economy, to our health, at the very top of the nation’s agenda,” Inslee said in March at his campaign’s kickoff event in Seattle.

Meriden police say they’ve found human remains while investigating the disappearance of a local woman.

Perrie Mason, 31, was reported missing Sunday. Police said Wednesday that Meriden detectives, along with Connecticut State Police and Waterbury Police, found human remains in Waterbury while investigating the case, but stressed that the remains have not been identified at this time.

"The identification process can take a few weeks. We are working with Ms. Mason's family and anticipate further updates in the future," Lt. John Mennone wrote in a media release.

Mason’s boyfriend, 38-year-old Jason Watson, was arrested in connection with a domestic assault that took place before she went missing. A judge called him a “prime suspect” in her disappearance.

According to officers, the incident happened a few days before Mason was reported missing. Watson was charged with strangulation, assault, unlawful restraint and disorderly conduct.

According to the arrest affidavit, Watson called Meriden police on Sunday to report that Mason might be missing, but that she also might be at her friend's house and that she was mad at him. He told officers that he would call them again if she didn't show up at work, police said.

Later that day, Mason's sister, who lives in Georgia, called Meriden police because she had not heard from her in two days.

She also told police about an incident from Thursday which Mason told her that Watson had choked her unconscious while the two were fighting, according to the affidavit. Mason sent photos of her injuries to her sister, but said she didn't want to call police because she didn't want anyone to get in trouble, according to the documents.

In court on Wednesday, the state's attorney called Watson a suspect in Mason's disappearance and the judge at the hearing called him a prime suspect.

Mason is 4-feet, 11-inches tall and 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on Mason's whereabouts is asked to call Meriden Police Detective Femia at (203) 630-6219.

Student activists from the March for Our Lives movement took a tangible stand against gun violence on Wednesday by unveiling a bold new plan they say will cut gun-related deaths by half over the next decade, NBC News reported.

The six-point comprehensive proposal called the “Peace Plan for America,” aims to tackle not only the regulatory aspects of gun ownership but seeks to empower young people within the political arena, said the organization, which was started by the survivors of the 2018 deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The attack took the lives of 17 people.

The plan comes in the wake of the nation's most recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, as well Chicago’s most violent weekend earlier this month.

“It is an appropriate and bold response to the massive amount of gun deaths we have every single year in the United States right now,” said David Hogg, a Parkland survivor and one of the co-founders of March for Our Lives to NBC News. “ We need actual federal policy and a plan.”

Haunting images of the Titanic shipwreck were released Wednesday following an expedition earlier this month − giving a never-before-seen high resolution look at the New York City-bound ship that sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean 107 years ago.

The underwater footage shows decades of decay and deterioration to the British ship that was the largest ship afloat at the time before it struck an iceberg and went down, taking with it over 1,500 lives. According to the expedition crew, salt corrosion, metal-eating bacteria and ocean current are having the greatest impact on the historic wreck.

"The future of the wreck is going to continue to deteriorate over time. It's a natural process," said scientist Lori Johnson. The bacteria will continue to eat through the iron, manganese and sulfur that make up the ship's steel.

While 4,000 meters down in the cold water of the ocean, the expedition crew said they laid a wreath and held a short ceremony to honor the lives lost in 1912.

The voyage to document the wreck was a part of Caladan Oceanic's project, a private company dedicated to undersea technology, and the images will also be a part of an upcoming documentary film by Atlantic Productions.

One thing that surprised Caladan Oceanic CEO and submarine pilot Victor Vescovo was how big the ship was. 

"It was extraordinary to see it all, and the most amazing moment came when I was going along the side of the Titanic and the bright lights of the submersible reflected off a portal and came right back, it was like the ship was winking at me. It was amazing," Vescovo said.

Bei Bei’s birthday will be a bittersweet one.

The giant panda cub was born to mom Mei Xiang and dad Tian Tian at the Washington National Zoological Park on Aug. 22, 2015.

To celebrate the big day, Bei Bei will get to munch on a frozen birthday cake created just for him by the Zoo’s Department of Nutrition Science, the zoo’s website says.

The fan favorite’s fourth birthday marks his final days in D.C. as the zoo prepares to return him to his native China.

Any cubs born to Mei Xiang and Tian Tian belong to China and must be sent back at age 4 to be part of the breeding program there, according to the zoo’s arrangement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

Bei Bei’s older sister, Bao Bao, moved to China in 2017.

Bei Bei’s moving date is not yet official, the zoo’s website says, but guests will have plenty of time to visit him before he departs in the coming months.

As of Monday morning, the Giant Panda House is closed to give possibly-pregnant Mei Xiang some peace and quiet, but you can still see Bei Bei and Tian Tian outside.

A former associate administrator at the U.S. General Services Administration had sex with a White House staffer in his government office and on the roof of the agency's northwest D.C. headquarters, an internal investigation reveals.

The investigation also revealed the official drank from a bottle of vodka in his office "after normal business hours."

The report details multiple violations of federal policies prohibiting or limiting alcohol consumption in federal offices, by high ranking officials of the GSA in 2017. The GSA is the independent federal agency which oversees federal office spaces and public buildings.

The misconduct is detailed in a written summary of an investigation conducted by the Inspector General of the General Services Administration, released to the News4 I-Team under the Freedom of Information Act.

According to the inspector general report, former associate GSA administrator Brennan Hart escorted a White House staffer into the agency's F Street headquarters on July 1, 2017. The report said Hart acknowledged he then poured drinks from the bottle of vodka he kept in his desk. According to the report, "He said their sexual activity began in the Administrator suite area and culminated with oral sex on the rooftop of the Central Office." The report said the official "stated this occurred on only one occasion." 

Hart declined comment when reached by the I-Team. 

Hart's employment with the agency ended in March 2018, several weeks after the inspector general interviewed him about the incident. The report redacted the name of the White House staffer involved. A copy of the inspector general report was sent to then-White House counsel Don McGahn in March 2018.

According to the report, Hart also acknowledged drinking from the vodka bottle at his desk while with colleagues, including with the agency's former top ranking official in 2017.

Former acting GSA administrator Timothy Horne, who oversaw the agency in 2017, told investigators he also consumed alcohol after work hours and "when no one else was around," according to the inspector general report. The former administrator acknowledged he violated federal rules in doing so, according to the report.

The agency's current director, Emily Murphy, told inspector general investigators in 2018 she permitted consumption of alcohol in her office, by immediate staff after business hours on Fridays. Murphy told investigators she was unaware of the federal government's formal approval process for allowing alcoholic beverage consumption, according to the inspector general report.

In a statement to the I-Team, a GSA spokeswoman said, "GSA holds all employees to the highest ethical standards and takes appropriate actions to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. In addition to required training for federal employees, GSA holds mandatory monthly ethics trainings for GSA political appointees. GSA does not tolerate inappropriate use of alcohol in the workplace or any violation of government regulations regarding alcohol. Further, GSA does not tolerate the misuse of government property by any GSA employee."

It's that time of the year again! Kids are going back to school and it can be a time filled with excitement and optimism. But for some, it can be a time when anxiety increases because of the uncertainty of a new school year. 

Mental health advocate and motivational Tedx speaker Megan Gallagher, shared her strategies for parents and teens on how to manage anxiety going into a new school year. 

Establish a routine
Adding healthy hobbies into your schedule can be a great way to relax and alleviate anxiety. Activities like journaling, exercising and meditating can all be used as ways to manage anxiety. Galloway said to stay clear of your phone when facing anxiety, especially early in the morning. "When you wake up don't jump on your phone and go on email or Instagram," said Gallagher. "Take a moment to check in with yourself." 

Spend time finding yourself
Being a teenager can be a challenging time in life with pressures from school, friends and even family. Finding who you are and what makes you happy can increase your confidence. Surrounding yourself with positive influences can increase your confidence in yourself, leading to less anxiety and a greater understanding of yourself. Having a greater understanding of yourself at a young age can lead to better anxiety management throughout the rest of your life. "When you're a teenager it's such a pivotal age in your life and it can really shape you as an adult," Gallagher said. "Just do the best you can and get to know yourself as young as you can."

Be honest with others
Talking about your anxiety with people you trust can be one of the best things you can do. By sharing your anxiety, people can help you find more strategies to cope with your anxiety which can help you further down the road. Gallagher shared her personal experience with anxiety with her parents and it made a huge difference. "It took a leap of faith and sitting my parents down and having that conversation of 'I think i need some extra help,'" Gallagher said. "It was scary and my hands were shaking. But it paid off so much in the long run." 

A Delta flight that was supposed to leave John F. Kennedy Airport Wednesday afternoon en route to Los Angeles was still stuck on the Queens tarmac the next morning, prompting a flood of angry tweets from frustrated passengers who said they were stranded at the airport a stunning 22 hours. 

The plane, Delta flight DL0975, had been supposed to take off at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. The airline's website shows it departing JFK at 9:20 a.m. Thursday. According to social media reports, passengers were stuck on the tarmac through much of the delay, initially sparked by severe storms that hit Wednesday.

As passenger Eloise Moran told News 4, "It's literally been hell." 

Video posted to Twitter by Moran showed all out chaos in the terminal, with angry fliers packed in like sardines, demanding answers from Delta staff. Moran's photos showed cramped passengers sleeping on the floor; at least one did have a pillow and blanket, though other fliers said they had no accommodations. 

One traveler from London told News 4 there were a series of delays and false starts -- the plane was finally going to leave, then it wasn't, then it was and wasn't and so on through the evening until about 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Delta first blamed mechanical issues, then the weather, then crew issues, travelers said.

The man said passengers had to sleep in the airport lounge with no water, no pillows and no covers. They were given meal vouchers, he said, but everything was closed at the time, according to him, so they were left with nothing. 

"Customer service was just about zero on a scale of 1 to 10," he said. "I'm a world traveler ... I have never in my life experienced such truly crap customer service." 

This 56-year-old man, who was simply trying to catch a connecting flight in New York after his trip from London, was not alone in his frustration. 

"Check this out. Disgraceful. @Delta telling the hundreds of passengers of flight 975 (after waiting on the tarmac for a total of 8 hours and having to get off the aircraft twice for a multitude of reasons including mechanical) that they won’t provide hotels for us," one flier tweeted. 

"Flight 975 from jfk to lax is a disaster. Delays due to mechanical problems and flight crew issues. And now we’re all sleeping on the floor at JFK. Sorry, but water and cheese-its are not enough. Never flying @delta," tweeted another.

In response to one passenger's tweet Thursday, Delta said, "Hello there. We apologize for the delay, however, the delay is due to weather, and the snowball effect of delays causes crew timeouts, air traffic, and gate congestion just to name a few. We will get you out of there as soon as possible."

In a statement to News 4, the airline said, "Delta apologizes to the customers on Flight 975 operating from JFK to Los Angeles, which was delayed Wednesday evening due to weather in New York. Customers were offered water, snacks and meal vouchers in the terminal, and the flight is scheduled to depart for Los Angeles this morning."

The fracas follows yet another incident over the weekend at JFK in which passengers were said to have been stuck on the tarmac for at least six hours. In that case, Delta blamed weather in both New York and the flight's destination in Miami for the delay, saying customers were offered water and snacks. The airline also apologized for the inconvenience.  

New England Patriots player Patrick Chung has been indicted for possession of cocaine in New Hampshire. 

According to court documents, Chung, 32, was found to be in possession of cocaine "on or about" June 25 in Meredith. He was indicted at a Laconia court on August 8. 

"We are aware of the reports regarding Patrick Chung," the Patriots said in a statement. "We will not be commenting while his judicial proceedings take place."

Chung, the Patriots' starting safety, is set to be arraigned in Belknap County Superior Court in Laconia next Wednesday. 

The Patriots were slated to play their third preseason game Thursday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.  

Chung was drafted by the Patriots in 2009. After a stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, Chung was signed as a free agent by New England in 2014.

A vehicle fleeing from Enfield police has struck a postal vehicle just over the state live in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and police said there are serious injuries.

The crash is on Route 5 and Enfield police said they were trying to stop the offending vehicle.

A photo of the scene shows a pickup and a postal vehicle that has been torn apart.

Officials from the United States Postal Service said they are aware of a crash, but had no additional information right after it happened.

No additional information was immediately available.