A Madison couple purchased smart appliances and were disappointed with how they performed, so they called NBC Connecticut Responds to step in and helped them get the appliances replaced.

Michael McKinnon and his wife are satisfied with their new LG washer and dryer. That wasn’t the case with the Madison couple’s Samsung model they purchased from Home Depot.

“The spin cycle wasn’t getting the water out of the clothes. So, the dryer was running twice as long as it should to get the clothes dry,” Michael explained.

The Samsung appliances were covered under warranty, but even after the couple called the service tech out three times to check out the spin cycle, the problem seemed like a dead end.

“The technician would look at it and say, well, I’ve run the diagnostics, and everything is fine,” Michael said.

The McKinnons disagreed and contacted Samsung who told him over the phone:

“The report that they got back is that the machine is running the way it’s supposed to run,” Michael said.

Instead of saving money, the McKinnons said it felt like it their new appliance was costing them more.

When they couldn’t get anywhere with Samsung – the McKinnons reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds.

A Samsung spokesperson told NBC Connecticut Responds:

“We regret the experience that the McKinnon family had with their washer. We aspire to have best-in-class service for all Samsung customers and will carefully review the McKinnon family’s experience in an effort to constantly improve our processes.”

Because of our involvement, Home Depot replaced the couples Washer and dryer with another brand, saving them $593.

“Make sure that you’re getting something that’s going to work for you, because just looking at them in the store, you can’t really tell,” Michael said of his takeaway from the experience.

The United States will not grant temporary protected status to people from the Bahamas displaced by Hurricane Dorian, an administration official told NBC News.

The designation would allow Bahamians to work and live in the U.S. until it is deemed safe to return home. Bahamians can still come to the U.S. temporarily if they have the right travel documents but will not be granted work permits.

Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said on Monday that the Trump administration was considering whether to grant temporary protected status to people fleeing the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian devastated two major islands there.

The protected status is currently granted to over 300,000 people living in the U.S. from 10 countries, including victims of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, NBC News reported.

Connecticut State Police are looking for a man accused of making threatening statements at the Willimantic DMV.

According to police, the man said “This is why we want to blow this (expletive) place up,” while at the DMV around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday.

The suspect is described as approximately 40 years old and drove a red Chevrolet Silverado HD pickup.

Anyone with information should contact Troop K at 860-465-5400 or text the tip line by texting “TIPS711 and your message” to 274637 (CRIMES).

Waterbury police arrested four people after a shooting in the streets Tuesday night.

Police said on Tuesday around 7:25 p.m. two motorcycles driving east on Hopkins Street passed a Jeep traveling the opposite way. The Jeep stopped and two passengers jumped out and began shooting at the motorcycles, according to police. The suspects then got back into the Jeep and fled north on Cooke Street. No injuries were reported.

Later the same day patrol officers spotted a Jeep matching the suspect vehicle description. According to police, the front passenger and a rear passenger got out and began to run. One of them, later identified as 21-year-old Orlando Morales, was tackled by an officer and taken into custody. He faces multiple charges including criminal attempt at first-degree assault, carrying a pistol without a permit, reckless endangerment, illegal discharge of a firearm, conspiracy at first-degree assault and interfering with an officer. He was held on a $250,000 bond.

Police found the other passenger, identified as 35-year-old Juan Maldonado, in an apartment. They found a loaded handgun outside the apartment building.

Maldonado was charged with Criminal Attempt at first-degree assault, carrying a pistol without a permit, weapons in a motor vehicle, illegal discharge of a firearm, illegal transfer/purchase of a pistol or revolver, criminal possession of a pistol or revolver, criminal possession of a firearm/ammunition, conspiracy at first-degree assault and interfering with an officer. He was held on a $250,000 bond.

Police also arrested 59-year-old Eugene McFarlin, who lives in the apartment building. Police said he was uncooperative when officers were searching for Maldonado and that he “aggressively” approached officers during the incident. He was charged with interfering with an officer and held on a $5,000 bond.

The driver, identified as 28-year-old Juanita Jones, was uncooperative with officers and was taken into custody, police said. Officers said she had 18.8 grams of heroin on her. She was charged with illegal possession of narcotics with intent to sell, conspiracy at first-degree assault and interfering with an officer. She was held on a $50,000 bond.

You’ll learn a lot about Wilbur Cross football players if you walk a mile in their shoes. That is, if those shoes aren’t falling apart.

"First time I ever touched the ball I remember it was on kickoff,” said Wilbur Cross junior Jabez Cubiz. “I was on kick return. I caught it and I almost had a touchdown but I ended up falling because the whole bottom part of my cleat fell off."

That’s not an uncommon story for head coach John Acquavita to hear. He’s seen it all his life, himself a graduate of Wilbur Cross.

"I think having lived here and just going through the school system, you just know what to expect a little bit," Acquavita said.

What he expects: his team captain, Chino Grant, working an after school job as a thank you to his aunt, who raised him. Or, Cubiz, one of Acquavita’s best players, sometimes missing practice to help his single mom when she can’t meet his younger siblings at the bus.

Both players giving a nod to the women in their lives, working tirelessly to provide for them.

“Sometimes you're the one at home because the furnace guy's coming or the electrician’s coming or someone's there to fix something,” said Acquavita. “There's a lot on these guy's shoulders.”

More than once, Acquavita has called players’ managers at work, hoping they can spare them on heavier practice days and game days.

”I've worked out more deals and created more schedules than probably any coach in the state of Connecticut,” said Acquavita, understanding that sometimes his players may miss a practice, but they shouldn’t miss an opportunity.

”It should be a prerequisite that you have to coach in New Haven one year,” he said. “And then you're allowed to coach somewhere else so you can see.”

You can see what it’s like to walk a mile and help your players take off running.

“Coach Ack, I feel like he's a part of my family,” said Cubiz “He’s not coach, he's family.”

Fields that were undergoing sampling for possible contamination in Fairfield are now back open.

More than a dozen town field and park sites were shut down in early August while awaiting those soil testing results. First selectmen Mike Tetreau said all of the fields tested by the Board of Education and the town have come back safe and determined by the state Department of Health and state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

In a statement Tetreau said: “The word is now getting out that the few people on social media that have bene calling our fields toxic and hazardous are wrong. All the experts are saying those terms are inaccurate and misleading. I will say using those terms is scaring our kids and hurting our town. Fairfield now has the most tested and safest fields of any town in the state.”

The testing was prompted by contamination concerns raised after an investigation revealed Public Works employees allowed aggregate material, meant for industrial commercial use like under roadways, to be used at recreational areas.

For more information on the fill use issues, click here.

Wolcott Public Schools are on high alert after experiencing what they fear to be the second cyber-attack since June.

School Superintendent Anthony Gasper directed the Wolcott IT director to shut down all school computer systems until the situation can be resolved.

Gasper said he made the decision to shut down computers as a precaution while they work to figure out a solution. There is no evidence of an impact to sensitive student data to date.

In June, Wolcott Public Schools experienced a ransomware attack where hackers demanded money to restore the computer system. Ransom was not paid and the situation was handled internally. However, when a suspicious email was discovered one week ago, the town wasn’t taking chances.

“The computers right now are locked down,” explained Police Chief Edward Stephens, who is treating this as a criminal investigation. “Once we discovered the second hack they did lock them down right way.”

This suspicious activity, as well as the June attack, are currently being investigated by federal, state and local entities, who say the initial attack was delivered by an email sent to Wolcott High School.

“It comes in thru an infected file or an infected email,” explained Stephens. “Somebody clicks on it and before you know it, it goes throughout the whole system.”

Since September 4, Wolcott school email and internet have been shut down, requiring teachers, students and parents to adjust.

“They’re frustrated just like we are,” said Wolcott Mayor Thomas Dunn. “We’re frustrated. The administration at the school system is frustrated. Parents and all that. It’s a little hectic right now.”

To help rectify the situation, the district has contracted International Cyber Security firm Kivu.

The superintendent posted a technology update on the Wolcott Public School web site saying,

“A task force of network specialists has arrived in district. They have begun assessing and repairing our network in collaboration with our own staff. The Board of Education and I are committed to ensuring that our network security is restored to industry-standard levels. While state and federal law enforcement experts have informed us that it is impossible to fully prevent another such attack of malware, we will do everything within our power to reduce this risk.”

A timeline as to when the computers in Wolcott would be back up and running has not been set.

The schools phone systems are operating normally and parents are reminded they should not use email to communicate with their child’s school until further notice.

The ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China is creating money issues for small businesses and customers.

For 75 years, Bigelow Tea has been known for their smooth and soothing tasting tea.

But new tariffs on materials needed are impacting both the people who package and drink their products.

CEO & President Cindi Bigelow says the key to keeping their customers coming back starts with the ingredients.

“It’s all about the taste and quality and it’s a significant impact without that,” she said. “The taste that you need and the health benefits that come with our product are called volatile oils.”

In order to maintain the taste, you need a special kind of aluminum.

“It’s the thinnest gauge of aluminum available in the world and that is why we are buying from China, it’s not available in the United States,” said Bigelow. “If you don’t have the aluminum the volatile oils will escape, air will get in, moisture will get in and leak out and the taste completely deteriorates.”

The one-of-a-kind material is necessary and costly for Bigelow Tea.

“Those tariffs have impacted us over $2 million and we are a relatively small company in Connecticut,” said Bigelow. “This has caused a big hit for both consumers and our employees.”

Cindi says the impact of tariffs began in 2017 with a 22.5 percent duty, meaning taxes are imposed on consumers for imported and local goods.

“Probably a 20 to 30 cent increase per box, which is a fair amount,” said Bigelow. “That will affect this year’s bonuses for the employee’s, unfortunately pretty substantially.”

Bigelow says the company had to absorb the cost of the increases on products twice which resulted in the increases on goods.

The CEO says other small businesses are feeling the effects too and is wishing for a long-term solution.

“This is a global economy, we need to be a global economy,” said Bigelow. “A global world and working together in a cooperative way.”

Bigelow Tea says that jobs at the Fairfield-based business aren’t affected because of the tariffs.

The company’s is focusing on the best ways to move forward in case of another tariff or duty.

Attached to Wethersfield’s community center was an old dilapidated indoor basketball court, until Judy Keane took control.

After losing her husband in the terrorist attack on 9/11 she formed the Keane Foundation. The town gave her the facility, which she has since transformed into a sports center, as a tribute to her husband Richard.

“We all talked about how Dick loved sports and he loved playing sports with his kids,” said Judy, who remembers her husband playing sports with their five sons.

Richard was one of three from Wethersfield lost that day. The 9/11 Memorial Sports Center memorializes him along with Jeffrey Bittner and David Winton. They were young men whom Richard coached when they were kids.

Outside the sports center is a significant reminder of what transpired on 9/11; a twisted steel beam from Ground Zero. It’s one of two meaningful artifacts handpicked for this facility.

Inside, hanging above an American flag with the names of all 9/11 victims, is another World Trade Center beam.

“You can see the rivets in it. You can see what actually happened to the steel,” said Keane, pointing to the rusty beam, twisted so much she says it looks like a fish. “It’s hard for to believe that steel could be bent like that.”

As Judy walked the facility this morning, she reflected on that fateful day, remembering her husband who only went to New York a few times a year for business, working for Marsh & McLennan.

“I did not know that Dick was going to be at the World Trade Center,” she recalls. “I knew he was going to be in New York but thought he was going to be at the midtown office.”

As the world mourns what happened 18 years ago, Judy finds comfort at the center, a place that has become a recreation hub. A place where the sounds of laughter and play live on in Wethersfield for people of all ages. Things that provide comfort as Judy remembers Richard.

“That’s always in my head on 9/11. The last moments that we had,” she said.

Judy says the foundation runs after school programs for five elementary schools in town, four days a week. However, to keep the program running they need to continue to raise funds. The foundation has a number of fundraising events scheduled, including a carnival coming up the weekend of October 18 – 20. Anyone who would like to support the cause can go to Keanefoundation.org.

The former personal attorney for President Donald Trump has entered into an agreement with New York City prosecutors to provide information about the president's business operation, a source familiar with the situation told NBC News Wednesday.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office is investigating the possibility that the Trump Organization falsified business records, the source said.

Representatives from the District Attorney's office met with Cohen on Aug. 20 at Otisville Prison, in upstate New York, where he's serving a three-year sentence, according to the source.

A person was hit by a train near the Fairfield Metro Center Station Wednesday, according to Fairfield police.

Fairfield police and MTA police are on scene. Expect delays in the area.

No other details were immediately available.

Fotis Dulos has been handed a foreclosure lawsuit at the same time as he faces criminal charges in his estranged wife Jennifer Dulos' disappearance, and a civil lawsuit filed against him by his late father-in-law’s estate.

Jennifer Dulos has been missing since May 24. She was in the midst of a divorce and custody battle with Fotis at the time of her disappearance. Fotis and his girlfriend Michelle Troconis have each pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.

Read the Fotis Dulos Arrest Affidavit

The seven-page foreclosure lawsuit claims that Fotis defaulted on the mortgage of his Farmington home. Now the attorney for his late father-in-law’s estate says it’s time to hold him accountable.

Jennifer and the couple's five children once lived in the house with Fotis, but moved to New Canaan when Jennifer and Fotis separated.

The sprawling 13,000-square foot home on Jefferson Crossing, once a place of focus for investigators in the Jennifer Dulos search, is now in foreclosure.

“He would’ve come home to find those papers in his door,” explained foreclosure defense attorney Sarah Poriss.

Poriss is not connected with Fotis’ case, but explained what could be next for the defendant.

“With this particular homeowner there’s other things going on his life, and one of the homeowners we don’t know where she is,” Poriss said.

In the complaint, a trust that took over the home’s mortgage in July, states that “Fotis Dulos defaulted on the Note and Mortgage Deed by failing to make payments due from November of 2018 through the present.”

Poriss says Fotis has at least 15 days to retain legal representation. He’ll then have to decide if he wants to go through a mediation process.

“Any homeowner who wants to retain their property and just needs help or extra time to get caught up on payments or have any of those payments restructured we often recommend that they participate in the mediation program.”

Poriss says a procedural return date of October 1 means that Dulos can stay in his home until then.

“I think any attorney who works with him should treat him like any other homeowner who they represent. I don’t think there’s anything special about this foreclosure other than media exposure and media coverage pressure on him and his finances obviously,” Poriss said.

Fotis is due in court Thursday morning for an arraignment in his latest arrest on tampering with evidence charges.

Jennifer’s mother Gloria Farber has been granted temporary custody of the couple’s children.

The investigation is ongoing. Police urge everyone with information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance to contact them. In addition to the tip line, 203-594-3544, tips and information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance can be sent to FindJenniferDulos@newcanaanct.gov and submitted anonymously at www.FindJenniferDulos.com.

A Norwich middle school student is facing charges after bringing a BB gun to school, according to police.

Police said the Teacher’s Memorial student brought the realistic looking BB gun to school and showed it on the bus.

Witnesses reported the student and offered photo evidence. The student was arrested and charged with second-degree breach of peace, possession of a weapon on school grounds and carrying a dangerous weapon. The student was not identified due to their age.

Police said the student and family were cooperative with police and apologetic for causing alarm. There were never any threats made to the school or other students.

“We would like to commend the bravery of the student who brought this forward and praise the diligence of school faculty and staff,” Norwich police wrote in a media release. “This level of cooperation and concern for our community is invaluable in bringing incidents of this nature to swift and desirable conclusions.”

New Milford is cracking down on students vaping in the high school. But the updated bathroom rules are prompting backlash among some students and hundreds have signed a petition calling the changes unfair.

“Kids are vaping a lot and it’s not good for anyone,” said senior Alexis Szollosy-Hallock.

At New Milford High School the start of a new school year came with some major changes about which bathrooms students can use.

“There’s always a line. It’s like a 20 minute wait to go into the bathroom,” said senior Madisyn Martinelli.

That’s because the bathrooms on the second and third floors are now closed during lunches and between classes.

“That means I got to walk all the way down to my first floor class and waste time I could be learning,” said senior Conor Whelan.

Bathrooms are open on the first floor all day.

In a letter to parents explaining the new policy, the school principal also described their effort to teach students about the danger of vaping.

He wrote in part: “We have seen a dramatic increase in this behavior over the last few years."

“Many kids don’t agree with the rules and I just want to one of those who stand up for all the other kids who have something to say about it,” said Szollosy-Hallock.

Szollosy-Hallock is supporting an online petition that already has more than 250 signatures.

They hope to send a message to administrators about a policy which they call unfair and disruptive to learning.

“If the school was to change some rules around it would definitely make students feel more comfortable about coming to school and wanting to learn,” said Szollosy-Hallock.

The New Milford superintendent says she just became aware of the petition on Wednesday and no students had spoken with her or the principal about their concerns with the policy.

But she says the principal is happy to speak with students and work on a compromise.

A construction worker was hit by a car on Interstate 91 north in Middletown and the highway is closed in the area.

The state Department of Transportation confirms a contractor was doing guardrail work on a portion of I-91 in Middletown. One of the workers was laying out traffic cones and signs when they were hit by a car.

The victim was taken to the hospital. Their condition was not immediately clear.

The highway is closed between exits 20 and 21.

Town leaders in Wolcott are hoping they’ve found a solution for a treacherous section of a local road.

“Since they changed the corner, it’s been terrible,” said Vicki Bengston of Wolcott. “I would say there’s an accident here probably every night."

Bengston is referring to a sharp curve outside her home on Woodtick Road. She said it’s a regular occurrence for her family to hear cars crashing into the guardrail.

Wolcott police said the area is among the most dangerous stretches of road in town. This week, they installed what they hope is a fix – lighted arrow signs. The chief hopes those signs will alert speeding, distracted drivers to slow down.

“You have the arrows in the daytime. They light up at nighttime,” Wolcott Police Chief Edwards Stephens said. “If people obey the laws, if they’re not texting, if they’re looking where they’re going, if they’re paying attention to the signs they wouldn’t be crashing,” he said.

The University of Connecticut Crash Data Repository shows 25 reported crashes in the spot since 2016. Residents say a state road project a few years ago charged the traffic pattern to what is now to blame for all the danger. Stephens said it’s unlikely that the project will ever be reversed, so the signage is the best they can do for now.

“People have to learn, not just on Woodtick Road on every road slow down, pay attention, drive the speed limit put the phones down,” Stephens said.

Stephens said the town also has plans to install another overhead light to better illuminate the road.

The controversial judge in the Brock Turner case said he was fired Wednesday from his job as a tennis coach at Lynbrook High School in San Jose.

Aaron Persky was hired over the summer to coach the school's junior varsity tennis team.

Persky provided the following statement:

"Today at 2 p.m., I was fired from my job as the Junior Varsity Girls Tennis Coach at Lynbrook High School. Polly Bove, Superintendent of the Fremont Union High School District, explained that she was motivated by a desire to protect the players from the potentially intrusive media attention related to my hiring. Although I am disappointed with the District's decision, it was a privilege to coach the team, if only for a short time. I wish all of the players the best in their future academic and athletic endeavors."

Lynbrook High School and the district on Wednesday provided the following statement:

"Effective September 11, 2019, Mr. Persky's employment with the District as the Junior Varsity Girls Tennis coach has ended. We believe this outcome is in the best interest of our students and school community. The District will begin the search for a new coach immediately with the goal of ensuring that the athletes on the JV tennis team are able to have a successful season. Both the Lynbrook and District staff will be supporting the team and their families throughout this transition.

Please know that we are deeply committed to maintaining an effective, safe, and positive environment for all students.

Again, as this is a personnel matter, the District will have no further comments on this matter at this time." 

Persky was recalled by Santa Clara County voters in 2018 for his handling of the Turner case.

Many people were enraged when Turner, an ex-Stanford University swimmer, was sentenced to six months in jail in 2016 after his conviction for felony sexual assault.

Persky, who imposed the sentence, was recalled by voters in 2018, the first judge to be recalled in California since 1932.

Meanwhile, the woman sexually assaulted by Turner revealed her identity last week by announcing an upcoming memoir, "Know My Name."

Chanel Miller, known for years only as "Emily Doe," is sharing her story in the memoir set to be released on Sept. 24.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Whitaker Weinberger got a bright surprise Wednesday morning when he found family, neighborhoods and community members worked together to paint his Alexandria, Virginia, street yellow in celebration of his fourth birthday.

Yellow cars, buses, moving trucks and Whitaker’s favorite, the yellow Transformers Bumblebee Camaro, all lined the streets and followed the young cancer survivor on his mile walk to school.

“And this is a whole community just doing something to make one person’s day,” said Seth Weinberger, Whitaker’s dad.

Whitaker spent his previous birthdays in the hospital battling cancer. Wednesday he wore a shirt saying “I am brave. I am strong. I am Whitaker W” to recognize his journey.

A choir of his community sang “Happy Birthday” as Whitaker and his classmates entered his school, ending the birthday party he won’t forget.

Maj. Gen. Maria Barrett and Brig. Gen. Paula Lodi are the first sisters in the U.S. Army to hold the rank of general.

Barrett oversees communications networks and her younger sister, Lodi, serves in the Army's medical command.

They talked to NBC News' Kate Snow about their achievements, their family’s history of service and how they hope to inspire others.

When Barrett was promoted to two-star general she followed the tradition of passing on her former one-star emblem to someone else on the rise -- her sister.

"I thought after polyester jumpsuits we were done with hand-me-downs," Lodi said. "But this was a very special hand-me-down."

Watch the full interview in the video above.

State police received a 911 text from a woman about a domestic dispute with a firearm Wednesday night and arrested a man who they said led police on a chase.

State police said they received the 911 text just after 9:30 p.m. and found the suspect’s car at the Andover Plaza on Route 6 in Andover.

As they approached the vehicle to check on the victim, the driver sped up, led police on a chase and got off the highway, police said.

Police identified the suspect as 34-year-old Simmie Freeman, of East Hartford, and said he was stopped by state police and Hartford Police and taken into custody.

Freeman was charged with theft of a firearm, criminal use of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, reckless endangerment in the first degree, weapon in a motor vehicle, carrying a revolver without a permit, possession of a controlled substance, engaging police in a pursuit and reckless driving.

He was held on a $1 million bond and is due in Rockville Superior Court Thursday.

No additional information was available.