A Connecticut man was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly led several police departments on a wild, high-speed car chase through several Massachusetts towns.

Manuel Vidal, 45, of Bridgeport, was arrested after officers were able to put an end to the pursuit.

Police in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts said the trouble began early Tuesday when a dark-colored vehicle allegedly driven by Vidal ran through a traffic light at a high speed and ignored Randolph officers’ attempts to pull him over.

Authorities allege the suspect evaded officers in Randolph, driving at excess speeds and operating the car erratically, at times driving on sidewalks. Vidal allegedly drove at a Randolph police cruiser in an effort to flee officials.

The pursuit continued on Route 28 into Avon, Brockton and West Bridgewater, prompting Brockton and West Bridgewater police to join the chase.

Police said the chase briefly ended in West Bridgewater due to the recklessness of the operation. Minutes later, officers heard on a scanner that Vidal was driving in Whitman and heading toward Brockton. West Bridgewater police reengaged in the pursuit as the suspect headed south toward North Main Street in their town.

Vidal, continuing to drive erratically, turned in and out of parking lots as he tried to return to the roadway. Once back on the road, the suspect allegedly drove toward responding police cruisers.

The suspect’s car eventually spun out of control at a parking lot on 740 North Main St. in West Bridgewater and was ultimately surrounded by police cruisers. Authorities said Vidal drove toward a cruiser as an officer was trying to exit the car.

After failing to comply with officers’ demands to exit his vehicle, Vidal was forcibly removed after police broke his window to gain access. A brief altercation ensued before the suspect was arrested.

Vidal was taken to an area hospital to be treated for minor cuts he received from his window’s broken glass. He was then released to police custody.

The suspect faces charges that include assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, negligent operation of a car, failure to stop for police, marked lanes violation and resisting arrest. 

Police said he was taken to Brockton District Court to answer to charges from West Bridgewater. More charges are expected to follow from other jurisdictions involved in the chase.

A teenager is injured after he was hit by a car on his way to school in Meriden on Wednesday morning.

Officers were called to Warren Street shortly after 7 a.m. after getting a report of someone hit by a car.

A high school-aged teenage boy was riding a bike to school when he was hit by a car, authorities said. Wednesday marks the first day of school in Meriden.

He suffered a non-life threatening leg injury, police added.

The cause of the collision is under investigation.

Only about half of the massive Democratic presidential field will make the cut for next month's debate after two new polls released Wednesday morning didn't give struggling candidates what they needed to qualify, NBC News reported.

A USA Today/Suffolk University Poll showed Biden at 32 percent, followed by Warren at 14 percent and Sanders at 12 percent. A Quinnipiac University Poll found the same level of support for Biden, but placed Warren's support at 19 percent followed by Sanders at 15 percent.

Candidates have until midnight Wednesday to meet debate qualifications set forth by the Democratic National Committee. The threshold requires that White House contenders earn donations from 130,000 people and at least four polls showing support of 2% or more.

The 10 candidates who have qualified already are: Biden, Warren, Sanders, Harris, Buttigieg, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former Housing Secretary Julián Castro, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

School started in Colchester on Wednesday and students in the district’s intermediate and elementary schools were greeted with a resounding message to be kind.

It is part of the ‘Colchester is Kind’ movement.

Large signs are displayed in the schools that encourage students to "Be the Nice Kid" and embrace their individuality.

Volunteers spent the summer planning and setting up more than 3,000 sticky notes as a surprise for students on their first day. They put them on their lockers. Each one displayed a different message like "follow your heart" or "fearlessly be yourself."

“There’s a lot of things that will happen throughout their day that are difficult, if you can be kind and you can be friendly and happy then you can make somebody else’s day better and your own day better,” said Elise Butson, the principal of Jack Jackter Intermediate School.

Some of the inspirational messages were accompanied by letters that older students wrote to welcome the sixth graders.

“It was nice. It’s nice to feel like other people went through this, too, so we know,” said Reese Henderson, a 6th grader at William J. Johnston Middle School.

Approximately 19 students attending the middle and elementary schools also wore shirts that said "I will be your friend."

“These shirts are designed to help children who may be feeling a little unsure on their first day to know that there’s someone there who has their back and can help them,” said Jill Hagan, a parent of a second-grade student.

“I hope they ask if I will be their friend and I will say 'absolutely,'” said Hunter Kovach, a second-grade student from Colchester.

The message of kindness is one that teachers and administrators hope continues throughout the school year.

“What better message can you give to kids than to be kind to others? In today’s climate that’s a great message for kids to remember. It’s simple, it’s to the point,” said Christopher Bennett, the principal of William J. Johnston Middle School.

Police have arrested a suspect in a burglary that happened at a Hamden home five years ago. Police said three people including the suspect, went into an unlocked home on Dest Drive on April 30, 2014. 

The homeowner was in an upstairs bedroom and confronted one of the subjects, who was identified as 24-year-old Lawrence Benson, or Norwich. Benson had a gun and he and two accomplices ran off, police said. 

On Tuesday, Benson was arrested and charged with burglary in the first degree, conspiracy to commit burglary in the first degree, carrying a dangerous weapon, larceny in the sixth degree and conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree. 

He was detained on a court-ordered $5,000 bond, is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Sept. 10.

A New Hampshire mom is putting up a fight after being told to surrender the vanity license plate she's had for 15 years.

This month, Gonic resident Wendy Auger got a letter from the Department of Motor Vehicles saying her plate "PB4WEGO" is in violation of state requirements.

Auger says she's just a mom with a useful motto.

"Grab a water bottle and pee before we go," she explained.

For the last 15 years, that reminder has been on her license plate.

"I've been a mom for 27 years and I've been saying this for 27 years," Auger said.

Her family says the vanity plate has become part of her identity.

"Everybody recognizes that plate with Wendy and they all love it," her boyfriend Corey West said.

"I get honks, thumbs up," Auger said smiling. "I get people taking pictures of my license plate all the time."

But a couple weeks ago she got a letter from the DMV saying her vanity plate was in violation of a state code because it referenced an "excretory function."

"I was shocked," she said.

Auger was ordered to surrender the plate within ten days. She didn't.

"I decided to appeal it immediately," she said.

Auger wrote a letter back to the DMV, arguing that not only does it bring smiles to strangers, but it's a saying everyone has heard before.

"It's not offensive," Auger said. "It's what you and everybody says to your children before you walk out the door."

She's a parent just trying to avoid a pit stop and it appears other moms and dads are on her side.

"Where's her freedom of speech," asked Gonic resident Jim Andrews. "It's not derogatory."

Andrews and other nearby residents think Auger should be able to keep her plate.

According to a letter Auger recently received from the DMV, her appeal is now being reviewed by the legal department.

Auger will be allowed to keep her plate until a final decision is made.

Meriden police are investigating the death of a local woman who had been reported missing and they want to speak with anyone who had an eyelash appointment booked with her in the days before her disappearance. 

Meriden police are asking anyone who had an eyelash appointment scheduled with Perrie Mason on Friday, Aug. 16; Saturday, Aug. 17; or Sunday, Aug. 18 to call Detective Femia at 203-630-6219 with any information they have. 

Mason, a 31-year-old single mom of two boys, had moved to Connecticut from Hawaii about two years ago to get a fresh start. 

She was reported missing on Sunday, Aug. 18 and her body was found days later in Waterbury. 

The cause of her death has not been released. 

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

According to the arrest affidavit, Watson called Meriden police on Sunday, Aug. 18 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. 

Mason had an eyelash salon on Main Street in Meriden.

Recently-crowned FedEx Cup winner Rory McIlroy has committed to play at the 2020 Travelers Championship next year.

The tournament made the announcement on Twitter Wednesday afternoon.

McIlroy made his first appearance at the Travelers Championship in 2017 and returned int 2018 before skipping this year's event.

“I really missed playing at TPC River Highlands this year, so I’m looking forward to coming back in 2020,” McIlroy said in a release from the tournament. “The Travelers Championship is one of the best events on the PGA TOUR, with a tremendous atmosphere, great fans, an awesome practice facility and now a new clubhouse that I can’t wait to see.”

The 2020 Travelers Championship will be held June 22-28 at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.

The House Judiciary Committee announced on Wednesday plans to investigate President Donald Trump’s proposal to hold the 2020 G-7 meeting at his Trump National Doral Miami Golf Resort, NBC News reported..

“The President’s personal financial interests are clearly shaping decisions about official U.S. government activities, and this is precisely the type of risk that the Constitution’s Emoluments Clauses were intended to prevent,” House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Chair Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

The House hearing on the G-7 summit location, scheduled for sometime in September, will be part of a larger probe into allegations of obstruction of justice, public corruption, and other abuses of power by Trump.

Since July, three kids have worked together to help get ready for Connecticut’s Annual Closer to Free Ride, which raises funds for the Smilow Cancer Center.

Mae Zonfrillo, Cooper Leng and Jenna Laudano are all connected to one another due to cancer.

Leng is a Leukemia survivor, while Zonfrillo’s father and Laudano’s mother have both battled the disease.

This year, Laudano decided to get a little more involved with the ride by creating her own team, raising close to $3,000 dollars in two months for research, and riding for her mom.

“She is who I’m mostly riding for and we want to kill the beast and start awareness,” said Laudano. “We know someone who rides closer to free and I thought it will be cool to ride Closer to Free to and form my own team.”

All three were supporters on the sidelines in the past and wanted to pour that effort into 2019 through art.

“Every single time I came here there would be an art project here that I could do,” said Zonfrillo. “I told my Mom, this is so fun why can’t we have the patients do this because it makes me really happy.”

The group began decorating and constructing boats filled with thoughtful handwritten messages on the sails of each ship responding to the prompt “I am.”

The boats were delivered throughout Yale New Haven’s Smilow Cancer Center and taken to nine care centers throughout the state.

“It makes me feel proud to make other people happy,” said Leng. “I’m not really much of an artsy person but it’s fun when you’re doing it with a group, instead of by yourself.”

Dana Brewer is Smilow's Creative Expression Coordinator of Integrated Medicine.

"The patients love it when they read the story behind why we're collecting the response to I am,” said Brewer. “Kids can make a difference and their proving that they can.”

Brewer says it’s a full circle moment after Jenna and her daughter decided to take part in the ride after cheering on other riders.

"I think it’s great to see them riding and say their riding for their mom or their grandmother, or their father or riding for themselves, it really hits home that's everyone has been touched in some way by Cancer,” said Brewer. “The kids themselves are the leads on this project, so it was amazing to work with them.”

NBC Connecticut is proud to be connecting you with the Closer to Free Ride presented by Bank of America, on Saturday, September 7.

"Connecticut’s Best Ride" ride benefits Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center. Riders choose to take on 10, 25, 40, 65 or 100 miles on professionally designed and supported routes traveling through wooded hills and seaside vistas.

After leaving the iconic Yale Bowl after an inspiring and emotional Opening Ceremony, riders pause in front of Smilow Cancer Hospital for the Smilow Salute, where patients, doctors and nurses line the sidewalks and greet the riders to thank them.

One hundred percent of participant fundraising goes to cancer research and care, including clinical trials, survivorship programs, cancer genetics and prevention programs.

Weather and a changing climate are a critical component of Connecticut's mosquito population. 

This summer is expected to close out as the sixth warmest on record since in addition humidity levels are higher than normal. This directly correlates to an increased mosquito population this summer.

Philip Armstrong from the Department of Environmental Sciences says "the mosquitoes this ear are bad we're seeing more mosquitoes in are trap collections than our long term averages and that is largely due to the weather conditions."

Philip went out to say that this wasn't the only year we're dealing with above normal numbers in fact "last year was a record year in terms of the number of mosquitoes that we collected"

Unfortunately with rising temperatures, increasing humidity, and increased rainfall the mosquito population will only increase in years to come.

Data from Climate Central shows that the mosquito seasons are starting earlier and ending later year after year.

From 1980 to 1989 there were and average of 71 active mosquito days and now the average is over 100 days per year in Connecticut. 

This is allowing for new species of mosquitoes to progress northward. One of those species is the Asian Tiger mosquito which is capable of carrying the Zika Virus a virus we have never seen here in Connecticut. 

As kids head back to the classroom in Wolcott, the district is trying to get all of their computers back from hackers.

“It halts everything. It halts all the learning, all the students, they suffer because they don’t get the education that they need,” said Jess Culali, who has three children attending class in the Wolcott Public Schools. “It’s scary that these hackers can do this from wherever.”

Wolcott Superintendent Anthony Gasper said the school district’s computer system was attacked with ransomware at the end of the last school year. According to the school’s superintendent, the staff was unable to access all of their internal files to get the data back. The Wolcott School District was asked to pay the hackers a ransom.

Gasper declined NBC Connecticut’s request for comment. Instead, he referred us back to his interview with a local newspaper. In the Republican American, he said, “Every computer in the district, every server, every network switch. It basically meant that every file that was stored on a network drive or a hard drive was locked."

Gasper said no student data was compromised. Working with IT experts over the summer, Gasper said the school district was able to get most of its data back, but with some files, including teacher lesson plans, still encrypted, he said he planned pay a ransom to get it back.

“If at all possible, don’t pay the ransom. When you pay the ransom you’re just perpetuating the cycle. That makes their attack successful and that encourages them to do more,” said Tim Weber, director of security services at ADNET Technologies.

Weber has worked in the security space for 25 years and says hackers are no longer just targeting big business and large government agencies. In the last five years he says schools and towns have become particularly vulnerable, because they depend so heavily on their computers and are more likely to pay the hackers who hijack their systems.

“It’s blackmail. That’s a blackmail scam. After they pay the ransom they can do it again. Stop it,” said longtime Wolcott resident Charlie Lanza. “We vote for these politicians to protect our tax dollars and they are held ransom for a blackmail scheme and they just reach into our coffers and pay the bill instead of fighting.”

Other taxpayers in town shared Lanza’s concerns.

“I don’t think they should pay the ransom,” said Betty Morse. “It just encourages more compromise of the system and people will just keep paying more money, my taxpayer’s money.”

Wolcott police were brought in, but not until Wednesday, after Chief Edward Stephens read about it in the newspaper. He said he was concerned that his department wasn’t notified sooner to protect the rest of the town’s computer systems. He also said the department may have been able to keep the district from having to pay the ransom, had they been brought in earlier to investigate.

Gasper wouldn’t say how much the hackers are demanding, just that the price tag isn’t “exorbitant.” He confirmed to the Republican-American that the amount was less than $10,000.

Weber said the deductible for cyber insurance is typically around that amount. He cited two recent examples of Florida towns each having to pay $500,000 to hackers. Their insurance paid the bulk of it, while the municipalities only had to cover the $10,000 deductible.

Still, some of the town’s taxpayers worry that paying up with leave it more vulnerable in the future.

“Once you give a ransom then they’re more likely to say we can do it again,” reasoned Culali.

Weber said victims of a cyber-attack are more susceptible to future threats, especially if they don’t take steps to protect themselves.

“They have to figure out how the attackers got in, how this event started, because if they don’t plug that hole then the likelihood is that they’ll get attacked again,” he said.

Several other Connecticut school districts were hacked last school year, but avoided paying a ransom because they had their files backed up.

We reached out to Superintendent Gasper and the entire Wolcott school board but they did not respond to our questions.

Before Avon was the beautiful town we know today, it was known as Northington.

Fast forward almost 200 years to today, there’s a longtime Avon resident who is helping keep the memory of one of the area’s most historical figures of that time alive.

Richard Rulon has been the superintendent at the West Avon Cemetery for almost a decade now, a volunteer position he holds near and dear to his heart.

“My wife is living over here now, and my daughter-in-law, is over here now, I like to keep the place neat for them and everybody else that is over here.”

That connection brought Rulon’s attention to the beat-up headstone of Reverend Rufus Hawley.

“He was the most important person in town for the decisions they had to make, the morals, the values, anything that happened,” said Terri Wilson, president of The Avon Historical Society.

The reverend was born in 1768. He died in 1826, but you can’t make that out on his headstone.

“It was in such bad shape, I just wanted to do something with it,” said Rulon.

So Rulon raised $8,000 to get the reverend a new one, but that wasn’t even the hardest part.

According to state law, he says he had to find one of Hawley’s descendants to sign on off on the change.

“Rev. Rufus is my 5-times great-grandfather,” said John Miller.

The Millers, who live in Oxford, have done research on their relatives, but it was just stories of the past until local historians helped link them to this present project.

“It was easy and it was like a new world opened up to us,” said John’s wife Christine Miller

“Finding the Millers was the key to the whole puzzle,” said Avon town historian Nora Howard.

Now the stone is in the hands of a local sculptor as he works to replicate the original, “Something that’s been weathering for more than 200 years and you want to get it right. You don’t want to find out six months after you finish, oh you made a mistake,” said working sculptor Randall Nelson.

In the meantime, the cemetery’s superintendent would love to see other community members take a similar interest in their town’s buried history.

“Trying to keep history alive. That’s what it is. Trying to remember and look back and be proud of where we have come from and the people who brought us here. That’s what cemeteries are about,” said Nelson.

Hand High School is coming off back-to-back state Class L state championships and the Tigers have high hopes for this season.

“Expectations coming into this season are nothing but a championship,” said senior offensive and defensive lineman Ben Corniello.

The program is as strong as ever, thanks in part to third-year head coach Dave Mastroianni who helped restore the culture.

“This is what it means to be a Hand Tiger and this is how we act, this is how we behave, this is how we practice and this is how we play,” said Mastroianni.

“We’ve developed a really strong culture around here,” added senior cornerback, wide receiver and kicker Isaiah McNeilly. “Once Coach came in, he instituted a lot of new things that I think has built a lot of team chemistry.”

Dating back to 2017, the Tigers have won 24 straight games and two straight State Titles.

“Most guys were involved in both those so we don’t like to think about those that much but we also like to embrace that a lot of people want to beat us because we’ve done that,” said senior quarterback Phoenix Billings.

“I know it sounds repetitive but the success is 1-0. We’ve been fortunate to pile up 24 wins in a row right now,” said Mastroianni.

There could be some new competition this year with successful programs like Berlin, New Canaan and St. Joseph all joining Class L.

“We realize that it’s not going to be that easy this year,” said Corniello.

“We’ve been looking to this for a while so it’s going to be nice to beat the better teams and still be able to say we’re the best,” said McNeilly.

A three-peat for Hand would be the perfect ending for the senior class.

“Not many teams in the state have been able to do that,” said Billings. “There’s only been two teams here that have done it and to do it with this senior class, the guys that we’ve been playing with since fourth grade, it would be amazing.”

A man suffered serious injuries when he was stabbed in the chest in Vernon Wednesday.

Police said they were called to the area of Union and Ward streets around 6 p.m. for the stabbing. The victim was rushed to Rockville Hospital in a police car.

The victim, who was not identified, suffered “significant” but not life-threatening injuries, police said.

The investigation is ongoing and any witnesses are asked to contact Vernon police.

The Trump administration appears to be making it tougher for some foreign-born children of members of the military and U.S. government employees to get U.S. citizenship, NBC News reports.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service quietly issued changes Wednesday to the way a group of these children born abroad to these parents acquire citizenship. The new rules apply to children who were not born as citizens — such as those who were born to non-citizens and later adopted by U.S. citizens serving abroad, or in cases where parents who were not citizens at the time of the child's birth but were later naturalized.

In such cases, the agency will not automatically grant the residency status needed for citizenship to those children. Instead, those parents will have to apply for their children's citizenship and prove that they meet the legal requirements. Children of U.S. citizens who do not meet technical residency requirements would also be affected. 

The changes do not apply to the majority of children born to two citizens serving abroad.

According to the latest state data released Tuesday, mosquitoes in Chester, Haddam, Hampton, North Stonington, Stonington, Voluntown and Killingworth, have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).

Commonly referred to as “Triple-E,” this rare but potentially deadly disease is carried by mosquitoes.

Among the towns mentioned in the report, Killingworth showed an exceptionally high concentration of mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus.

According to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, four out of 33 mosquitoes tested in Killingworth tested positive for the disease, prompting the town to issue a public health alert.

“It’s been something that’s been identified in Connecticut for several years now but right now it seems to be peaking or spiking and so that’s a concern,” said Killingworth Director of Health Paul Hutcheon.

Officials are urging precaution, including avoid being outside around dusk and dawn, wear long sleeves and pants, along with insect repellant. Infectious disease experts say this is the right message to send.

“I think towns are asking people to be very cautious because of the potentially devastating effects consequences that can occur if this virus involves your brain,” said Dr. Virginia Bieluch, chief of infectious disease at the Hospital of Central Connecticut.

Symptoms of the disease mimic the flu, including malaise, fever and headache.

It is however, rare. According to Killingworth health officials no one in Connecticut has been diagnosed with the disease since 2013.

“The good news is, the numbers are relatively low but the disease is a serious illness and if you contract the disease it’s a 30 percent or greater death rate,” added Hutcheon.

First Selectwoman Cathy Iino says the town has been proactive and says they’ve shortened the hours of the town’s transfer station and made recommendations to schools and recreational organizations to limit outside activity. Killingworth’s Rec department has recommended coaches conclude practices by 6:30 p.m.

People in the area are taking this seriously although the reaction has been mixed.

“I might be a little more hesitant to have dinner out on the terrace at night because that’s when I hear they come out,” said Lisa Rollins of Westbrook.

Meanwhile, Jon Norton of Killingworth ate lunch outside today wearing short sleeves, explaining he’s not worried.

“I take care of myself. I take care of my family,” he said, “We use bug spray so I don’t really have a strong reaction to that.”

Killingworth is also suggesting people in their area, including surrounding towns, makes sure to eliminate standing water on their property, where mosquitoes breed.

They also recommend anyone who owns a horse to get it vaccinated, because for a horse the disease is almost 100 percent fatal.

A suspicious device found in a Cheshire CVS parking lot prompted an emergency response and evacuations Wednesday.

Cheshire police said they were called to the CVS at 905 South Main St. just before 7 p.m. for the suspicious item. The Cheshire Fire Department and Connecticut State Police Emergency Service Unit were also called and the area was evacuated as a precaution.

Crews determined the item was an environmental testing device and not a threat.

Many in Puerto Rico feared the damage Hurricane Dorian could bring, but so far there haven’t been any reports of widespread damage. It appears Puerto Rico missed the worst of Dorian, and that’s a relief to many with family on the island.

“I think we’re always going to have that worry inside,” said Sonia Alvelo.

When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico two years ago, it took ten days before Alvelo finally heard from her family. So when news that the island could be in the path of Dorian, it brought back the trauma of Maria.

“This is the moment we worry the most. Is it going to happen again? Is it going to be the same? What’s going to happen to them? When are we going to talk to them again?” said Alvelo.

Alvelo is the CEO of Latin Financial in Newington, which loans to small businesses on the island, and most of her family still lives there. She says for this hurricane, everyone has been more than ready. Her brother snapped a picture at a grocery store showing shoppers stocking up. As the day progressed, the storm moved further away from Puerto Rico which left many relieved. While flooding and power outages are a concern, the impact Dorian will have will be minor in comparison. Still, Alvelo says she’s continuing to watch the hurricane’s path and is keeping tabs on her loved ones.

“They text me, they text my fiancé that they’re okay, they’re ready. Communication is a big plus because from over here in the US we want to make sure they’re okay,” said Alvelo.

President Trump has approved a state of emergency declaration for Puerto Rico. The concern regarding Dorian now is that it could hit Florida as a major hurricane.