When the Glastonbury football team takes the field, senior kicker Ryan Smith will have a little more on his shoulders, or in this case, his foot.

For every point Smith scores this year, both as a kicker and a wide receiver for the Tomahawks, he'll be raising money toward pediatric cancer research. Smith's "KICKIT" campaign is close to his heart - his dad was diagnosed with Sarcoma two years ago. Smith’s dad is doing well, now, but he says it was a no brainer to take this challenge on.

”I'd say it's a little bit more pressure to be honest with you,” said Smith. “Like I'm trying to keep raising money but missed kicks and stuff it's a little bit nerve wracking in the moment."

His team is behind him completely. So far he’s raise $1,600 toward his $2,500 goal.

"There's a little bit more pressure on me,” said coach Eric Hennessy. “That when we get infield goal range to kick that field goal, to throw him the ball a little bit more because I know at the end of the day we're going to raise some money, he's going to raise some money and it's going to go to a good cause."

Peter J Foley Field in Naugatuck, the oldest Little League Stadium in New England, hosted a nine-inning game that gave the players the chance to experience a major league atmosphere.

The special event is the grand prize to a nationwide contest put on by Scotts and Major League Baseball.

“This is what it’s all about,” said 2004 World Series Champion Kevin Millar. “You have the moments and dreams that you’re made of.”

Millar joined five-time World Series champ David Cone to help coach the teams.

“I was excited because I really wanted to meet David Cone,” said 8-year-old Thomas Didato.

“It brings me back to my Little League days and the way I felt,” said Cone. “I never had this opportunity when I was a kid.”

“It’s unbelievable. It’s a little field of dreams,” added Millar. “Looking down, it’s a little slice of heaven.”

Naugatuck Little League earned this special event by tallying almost one third of the total votes in the nationwide contest.

“Having been here to see the crowd and what the city has done has far and away exceeded my expectations,” said Scotts’ VP of Advertising John Sass.

“It’s a once in a lifetime chance and these kids all love baseball so much and this will be something they remember for the rest of their lives,” said Little League coach John Didato.

It wasn’t just the kids who took home lifelong memories.

“Coaching with David Cone in the home dugout, it’s above and beyond anything I thought was going to come out of this,” said coach Mike Worobel, who submitted the original essay to nominate Foley Field in the contest.

“I think the parents really feel like their hard work pays off on a night like tonight,” added Cone.

It was a team effort to transform Foley Field and possibly just the start of the Little Leaguer’s major league experience.

“Dream big,” said Millar. “I always tell kids you’re not as far away as you think.”

Residents were evacuated from their homes and two schools were closed Friday morning in Lawrence, Massachusetts, as authorities and Columbia Gas responded to a gas leak in an area rocked by gas explosions and fires a year ago.

"People must evacuate," Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera said on Twitter, calling the event a level one gas leak.

Firefighters responded to the area of South Broadway and Salem Street around 3:15 a.m. Upon arrival, they found a leak in a high-pressure line releasing gas in the "explosive range," Lawrence Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said. The gas was detected traveling through sewers, he added.  

Rivera said the impacted area was Andover to Merrimack streets and Sanborn to Parker streets. He said the Lawrence fire and police departments responded immediately. 

Authorities were going door to door to tell people to evacuate the area, and Columbia Gas workers were checking to make sure gas had not leaked into homes. Gas and power were shut off in the impacted area amid an investigation into the cause of the leak. 

Mark Kempic, president of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, said that while the cause of leak was unclear, it involved a new line installed following the disastrous gas explosions and fires in the Merrimack Valley last year. 

MEMA called the incident a "major gas leak leading to evacuations," MassDOT official Jacquelyn Goddard said. 

"Just because the affected area is smaller, does not mean that this is less dangerous or less impactful," Rivera said at a press conference Friday, referring to last year's disaster. 

Columbia Gas — the utility behind the disastrous explosions last year — said they were notified of the leak at 3:12 a.m. and responded immediately. 

Crews had shut off power in the neighborhood as they respond to the scene. 

Some 1,400 customers were without power due to the response. 

Arlington Middle School at 150 Arlington St. has been set up as a shelter for those who have been asked to evacuate, MEMA said. The Lawrence Public Library also said it is welcoming anyone who was displaced.

Columbia Gas said it is unclear how many residents were ordered to flee the area in the evacuation, but Rivera said up to 110 residents were at the shelter.

"If you are in that area you should get out of your house," Rivera said. "You shouldn’t be in your house."

Rivera stressed that the gas leak has been isolated to the areas affected and neighborhoods outside that perimeter are safe.

Columbia Gas crews plan to go door to door to ensure there isn't any gas in homes.

"We are taking this seriously. We are bringing crews from across Massachusetts to help out with the situation and we are suspending our other normally scheduled work today to focus on this," Kempic said.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said he is frustrated about the incident.

"That community has gone through an extraordinarily difficult 12 months. I don’t think anyone would dispute that," he told media on Friday. "They have shown an enormous resiliency and in many cases, kindness, all the way through this. I think it’s incredible unfortunate that literally almost a year to the day they are going through another event that involves natural gas."

The Wetherbee School and Lawrence Catholic Academy were closed for the day due to emergency work in the area, Rivera said. 

The evacuations came just over a year after Lawrence, Andover and North Andover were rocked by a series of explosions on Sept. 13, 2018. In all, the fires damaged or destroyed more than 100 homes. Leonel Rondon, 18, of Lawrence, died after a chimney exploded, crushing his car.

At least 25 others suffered injuries, and about 8,000 people were displaced due to the 2018 explosions. Thousands of customers of Columbia Gas were left without gas service, including heat and hot water, during the winter months. The explosions were blamed on over-pressurized natural gas lines.

Gov. Charlie Baker said state officials are on scene, but at this point he still doesn't know that much about the situation.

"It's unbelievably important to all of us that whatever the situation or circumstance today, it gets contained and gets dealt with and it gets dealt with quickly. That community has gone through an extraordinarily difficult 12 months, and I don't think anyone would dispute this. I think it's incredibly unfortunate that literally almost a year to the day they're going through another event that involves natural gas."

The good news, he said, is that the leak was picked up pretty early and people are being aggressive about making sure the appropriate areas are evacuated.

"I am enormously frustrated that the people of Lawrence are having to go through yet another example of a failure of the gas system somewhere in their community," he added. "Obviously, this is not a good day for Columbia, but more importantly, it's just another tough day for the folks in South Lawrence."

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, who were critical of Columbia Gas in the wake of last year's explosions, both issued statements about Friday's incident.

"There appears to be no damage so far in Lawrence, and we are thankful to our first responders for their quick action this morning. But we need to know how a major leak in the same area could have happened just a year after the @ColumbiaGasMA disaster," Markey said on Twitter. "Lawrence residents shouldn't have to wonder if their gas pipelines are a ticking time bomb. No American should."

"Today, a major gas leak was reported in Lawrence, and over 100 residents are being evacuated," Warren said. "We are deeply grateful to Lawrence’s first responders and Mayor Rivera for their quick action to keep residents safe."

She also demanded answers from Columbia Gas "about why they keep placing our residents and first responders at risk."

The two senators have been working to pass legislation named after Rendon that is aimed at making sure gas companies prioritize the safety of the communities they serve.

U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, whose district includes Lawrence, said in a statement she was "outraged" by the news of the gas leak and ensuing evacuations.

"The citizens of Lawrence have been through enough," she said. "With the memory of last year’s deadly disaster still fresh, Columbia Gas owes our community a detailed explanation of how this new section of pipeline has already failed."

Crews are working to clean up after a tractor-trailer fire in Bloomfield. 

It happened around 3 a.m. on Phoenix Crossing and the road was shut down as first responders worked to put out the fire. 

it's not clear if anyone was hurt.

The governor of Vermont Thursday became the nation’s first Republican chief executive to publicly back the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

Gov. Phil Scott said he would not prejudge what Congress should do from here, but called it critical for the nation to get the facts on what happened.

“These are serious allegations,” Scott said Thursday. “I think the inquiry’s important, yes.”

The moderate Republican, who’s often critical of the President, says it’s vital for the American people to know the facts behind allegations Trump might’ve withheld aid to Ukraine, pressuring its leader to get dirt on rival Joe Biden and Biden’s son.

The President insists he has done nothing wrong.

“It’s all a hoax, folks,” Trump said Wednesday, criticizing Democrats in Congress and the media. “It’s all a big hoax.”

Scott said Thursday that transparency could lead to more political stability. Scott has long said he is concerned about the toxic divisions in the country.

“I don’t see this divide getting smaller, I see it growing,” Scott said. “That’s alarming in itself, so that’s why I want this inquiry to be objective, be neutral, and not be based on political motivation based on the next election. Let’s just get the facts.”

Linda Fowler is a longtime Dartmouth College political scientist.

“It’s very hard to read public opinion right now,” Fowler told necn affiliate NBC 5 News. “I would remind people that the American system was built to withstand quick movements at a time of popular unrest or serious political divisions.”

Scott joins Vermont’s two U.S. Senators in supporting the inquiry.

The state’s one member of the U.S. House, Democrat Peter Welch, has called for impeachment, saying he believes the president has repeatedly violated the Constitution.

Three sixth-grade boys at a Christian school in Northern Virginia pinned down a black classmate and cut off some of her dreadlocks while telling her her hair was "nappy" and "ugly," she told News4.

Twelve-year-old Amari Allen said the three boys, who she said are white, cut off her hair on Monday. She's a student at Immanuel Christian School in Springfield, Virginia, where Vice President Mike Pence's wife, Karen Pence, teaches part-time.

"They said my hair was nappy and I was ugly," she said. 

Amari's grandmother, Cynthia Allen, was stricken as she spoke about the ambush. 

"It was like she just died. That's how painful it was for me," she said. 

Amari's grandfather also said it hurt him. 

"My heart just broke," he said. "I was just paralyzed. I couldn't get myself together."

Though Karen Pence works at the school, the Allens said they did not see any connection between her and the attack. 

Head of School Stephen Danish said administrators were "deeply disturbed by the allegations." 

"We take seriously the emotional and physical well-being of all our students, and have a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of bullying or abuse," he said in a statement.

Danish said they asked police to conduct a thorough investigation.

Amari — a straight-A student and violin player — said the boys started bullying her at the beginning of the school year. She has attended the school since kindergarten and has always liked it. 

But on Monday, she was at recess and about to go down a slide when one of the boys grabbed her and put a hand over her mouth. Another boy grabbed her arms. A third boy cut off some of her hair.

"They put their hands over my mouth. They put my hands behind my back. And they started cutting my hair and saying it was ugly," Amari said.

The bell rang and the boys ran off laughing. 

Scared, Amari told no one. On Wednesday, her grandmother was doing her hair when she noticed long portions of it missing. The girl started crying and told the whole story.

The family called Fairfax County police, who took a report of the incident. 

Amari's grandparents aren't sending her back to the school until the boys are punished. 

"Some consequences should be implemented so that the school will send a strong message: We will not tolerate this, under any circumstances. No matter who you are," Cynthia Allen said, her voice powerful. 

Immanuel Christian School is an evangelical private school that explicitly bars its employees from engaging in or condoning "homosexual or lesbian sexual activity" and "transgender identity," as NBC News reported earlier this year.

In January, Karen Pence started teaching art there two days a week after previously working at the school for 12 years.

The office of the second lady did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the incident this week.

Some students have minor injuries after a pick up hit a bus at the entrance to Central School in Simsbury Friday morning, according to a notification from the school.

Principal Beth Hennessy sent out a notification saying the truck rear-ended Bus 84 while it was waiting to enter the bus loop and the school nurse was at the scene almost immediately, along with first responders. A few students sustained minor injuries and were treated on site.

The principal’s message said phone calls were made to the parents of all students on the bus, including those who reported no injuries. 

Everyone involved in the crash is safe, school officials said.

Hennessy added that many other students saw the accident, so they might talk about it when they get home.

Police are investigating the crash.

An American Airlines flight departing from Bradley International Airport Friday morning returned to the airport because of a mechanical issue. 

The flight, which was heading from Bradley Airport to Washington, landed safely at Bradley and there was no impact to airport operations, according to the Connecticut Airport Authority. 

No additional information was immediately available.

It will be a beautiful day for all your Friday activities, whether you are heading to a fair, like the Durham Fair, or a Friday night football game. 

Temperatures will rise to a high of 75 inland and 74 at the shore during the day and dip down to a low around 54 tonight. 

If you’re looking for something to do, the Durham Fair is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the Little River Band is playing at 7 p.m. Big & Rich will perform Saturday night. 

This is the final weekend for the Big E in West Springfield, Mass. and Collective Soul performs tonight.

Carly Rae Jepsen will perform on Saturday while Foreigner will perform on Sunday. 

If you’re in the mood for a football game, head to New Haven to Yale’s home game against Cornell at 1 p.m. Saturday.  

Get the full forecast here. 

Jennifer Dulos, a mother of five from New Canaan, has been missing for more than four months. Today is her 51st birthday and her family and friends are asking people to carry out acts of kindness in her honor. 

Dulos has been missing since May 24. 

Jennifer’s family friend, Carrie Luft, issued a statement Friday on behalf of the family and friends of Jennifer Farber Dulos. 

Following is the full statement: 

“Today, September 27, is Jennifer’s fifty-first birthday. We miss her more than words can say. In Jennifer’s honor, her family and loved ones would like to encourage gestures of kindness – send a loving note to a friend, assist a person in need, tell a child they’re special.

“Jennifer has now been missing for more than four months. The heartbreak goes on even as time moves forward. Thank you to the New Canaan and Farmington-Avon communities for the ongoing support and solidarity. And, as ever, we are deeply indebted to the New Canaan and Connecticut State police for their tireless and dedicated efforts in Jennifer’s case.

“We continue to urge anyone who has information about Jennifer’s disappearance from New Canaan on May 24, her whereabouts, or anything in between, to please email FindJenniferDulos@newcanaanct.gov or call the New Canaan Police Tip Line at (203) 594-3544.

“Thank you.”

An incident that closed Creeping Hemlock Drive in Norwalk has been resolved, according to police. 

The road was closed, but has reopened. 

No additional information was immediately available.

Check back for updates.

Suffield Public Schools is the latest district to spray its grounds for mosquitoes amidst concerns over Eastern Equine Encephalitis or EEE. 

They contracted TruGreen to spray at 4 a.m. on Friday morning, prior to the school day starting. 

The district has also adjusted high school sports schedules so the games end prior to dusk. 

Parents who spoke with NBC Connecticut said they are concerned about EEE and they are glad the district is being proactive. 

“I think it’s the right thing to do, keep us safe, keep the kids safe,” said Steve Sheldon, a parent of a Suffield HS student.

Learn about the symptoms of EEE and treatment here.

Mosquitoes are cold-blooded and cold air from winter will slow them down and decrease their activity.  The first frost of the season will help put them into a deep-sleep or hibernation, but true relief won't come until a true freeze.

Broad Street will be closed between King Street to Emmett Street in Bristol due to an investigation, according to police. 

Police are urging people to avoid the area.

A Florida middle school teacher has been reassigned after a quiz given to students referred to President Donald Trump as an "idiot."

According to WPTV, the quiz was given to students at Watson B. Duncan Middle School in Palm Beach Gardens and contained a multiple choice question:

"45th Pres; 2017; Republican; Real Estate businessman; Idiot." The choices were Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter.

A parent of a student who took the test saw the question and went to administrators to complain, WPTV reported.

"I don't believe opinions belong in the classrooms whether it's religion, politics, ethnic background or any of those things," the parent, who didn't want to be identified, told the station.

The school's principal sent a letter to parents saying the test had been given by a computer applications teacher, whose name wasn't released.

"The question was inappropriate and demonstrated an unacceptable lack of good judgment on the part of the teacher. An investigation is now underway, and the teacher has been reassigned during this process," the letter read. "Because this is an open inquiry, I am not at liberty to share any additional details with you at this point. I apologize for this incident, and for the offensive verbiage used in the question. Thank you for your patience, and your continued support of Watson B. Duncan Middle School."

Though rideshare apps were intended to be a more egalitarian transportation option than traditional cab services, they have a demonstrated history of bias against minority passengers before pickup. Numerous studies have established that black passengers, for instance, faced longer wait times and were subject to more frequent cancellations than white riders. 

In recent years, platforms responded to reports of the bias by removing information about riders’ gender and race from the ride requests presented to drivers. Yet, a recent study shows that these adjustments have not diminished bias across the board and that black riders, riders perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, and riders who are perceived to be LGBTQ supporters are canceled on more frequently before pickup than white and perceptibly straight passengers.

“By removing the ability to see information before the drivers accepted a ride request, the hope was that all of the bias we were observing would cease to exist,” Chris Parker, an assistant professor of information technology and analytics at American University and the co-author of the study, “When Transparency Fails: Bias and Financial Incentives in Ridesharing Platforms,” told NBC News. “But after the change was instituted, we suspected that there’s still the problem of some drivers not wanting to pick up certain passengers.”

The results of a congressional probe into the National Rifle Association’s ties to Russia paints a picture of NRA officials providing Russian officials access to American elected officials in exchange for lucrative business opportunities, NBC News reports.

The investigation, conducted by Senate Finance Committee Democrats who released a report on their findings Friday, found that top officials at the NRA used the organization’s financial resources — largely collected by member dues — to curry favor with two Russians, Aleksander Torshin, the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Russia, and his deputy, Maria Butina, who said they had access to top Russian officials.

The investigators focused on a trip in 2015 in which Butina and Torshin led a delegation of NRA officials to Moscow. Former NRA President David Keene and his wife, Donna Keene, organized the trip with the promise of new business opportunities by the Russians, including access to a Russian arms manufacturer that was under U.S. sanctions.

The NRA is currently undergoing a crisis in its ranks as infighting and federal investigation into its finances have rocked the organization. The New York State attorney general is investigating the organization for allegations that it violated its tax status. Butina is serving an 18 month sentence for conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign official.

Rubble covers the area of Hillside Avenue and Field Street in Naugatuck after an explosion at a construction site.

Fire officials said blasting started today at an empty lot for new residential construction and the explosion threw 5,000-pound blasting mats and rocks into the road.

No inuries are reported, but homes in the area are being checked for damage. 

The city and state fire marshal have been called. 

A man is dead and another injured after a shooting in new Britain Thursday night, and police have a suspect in custody.

Police said the victims, a 29-year-old man and a 31-year-old man, were shot in the area of 75 Arch Street around 11:30 p.m. The older man died of his injuries. Neither victim has been publicly identified.

Investigators identified the suspect as Ramell Bell, who was already wanted on a narcotics warrant out of Maine. Bell was found at a relative’s home in Meriden and taken into custody on that warrant. He was later charged with murder, first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment in the New Britain incident.

Bell is being held on a $1 million bond and is due in court on Monday.

Police believe Bell knew the victims and that the shooting was part of an ongoing dispute.

No other details were immediately available.

Former U.S. diplomat Joseph Wilson, whose then-wife Valerie Plame was outed as a CIA agent as apparent payback for his defiance of the Bush Administration during the run-up to the Iraq War, died Friday.

Wilson, who was 69, died of organ failure at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Plame told NBC News.

Plame is currently running to replace Democratic Rep. Ben Ray Luján in New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District.

Three top Democratic chairmen on Friday subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to turn over documents related to the growing Ukraine scandal involving President Donald Trump urging the country to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. 

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel of New York, Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff of California, and Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings of Maryland wrote a letter demanding Pompeo turn over documents related to Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which took place days after Trump withheld already approved aid to the country.

Pompeo told reporters on Thursday in a press conference at the U.N. General Assembly that his agency acted appropriately in its interactions with Ukraine, NBC News reported.