There was a battle for top dog in Newington on Saturday.

Dogs were dressed in their best Halloween costumes for the first annual Bark Fest contest.

The dogs and their owners all had the chance to win prizes and enjoy plenty of treats.

Money from today's event will benefit local animal shelters across the state.

Loved ones and neighbors gathered to remember a Hartford woman struck and killed by a teen driver this week.

Police said the 16-year-old was trying to escape in a stolen car after he was involved in a shootout Thursday.

The teen has been charged with manslaughter in connection to her death.

71-year-old Yvonne Smith was on her way to the corner store, something we’re told the woman did every day, when she was hit.

Hartford police said four people in two cars started shooting at each other at Westland and Garden Streets. Neighbors ran for cover and called 911.

Police are still looking for at least three people involved in the shootout.

At Saturday’s vigil, family members said Smith loved passing out candy on Halloween, so this holiday won’t be the same without her.

“I loved my mom so much. She was a beautiful person,” Smith’s daughter Bridget said.

“I’ve come by and I’ve talked with Ms. Smith and she was she was such a warm and giving and caring person,” Mayor Luke Bronin said.

Smith’s family members and community leaders say it’s not city officials or police to blame for this violence, but rather the parents of the teen involved in the shootout.

In honor of Smith, a beloved mother and grandmother, they say parents need to teach their kids right from wrong.

“We also need to figure out why a 16-year old kid has a gun, where’s that coming from?” asked another one of Smith’s daughters, Dionne Bentley.

Multiple police officers were assaulted after being surrounded by a “large, hostile crowd” as they tried to break up several fights outside a crowded Worcester bar that was closing early Saturday morning, authorities said.

Five people were arrested on charges including assault as part of the melee, in which a female officer had a chunk of her hair pulled out, according to Worcester police. Another police officer was bitten in the arm after trying to stop a woman from taking his baton, breaking the skin and drawing blood; others were punched and kicked.

The trouble began around 12:30 a.m. when an officer witnessed a fight break out at the Beer Garden on Franklin St. The bar, which had a crowd of hundreds of people, decided to close for the night and officers helped to clear it, Worcester police said in a statement.

But police describe the scene getting out of hand, as several people in the crowd violently responded to the arrests. Backup arrived, including a K9 unit that was shoved by a man in the crowd before assisting in his arrest.

Beer Garden, which includes an outdoor terrace that is fenced-in from the sidewalk, decided to shut its doors early for the night when a group of people tried to force their way through a gate rather than wait in line, according to an employee who was working at the time.

The arrestees will be arraigned in Worcester District Court on Monday.

Officials are investigating after a truck struck a telephone pole in East Haddam on Saturday.

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The incident took place around 2:45 a.m. on Town Street, according to fire officials.

One person was transported to the hospital with minor injuries, firefighters said.

The Coast Guard is searching for a Rhode Island man who went missing after setting sail for Miami earlier this week, officials say.

NBC affiliate WBTS-TV reports 40-year-old Ryan Hollis left Jamestown, Rhode Island in a 43-foot Beneteau sailing boat. The Carol K. Hollis planned to stop in Norfolk, Virginia where his girlfriend was Friday.

She contacted the Coast Guard to report him missing.

The Coast Guard has posted photos of Hollis and his boat on Twitter.

An annual Halloween party in Simsbury meant a lot more to community members this Saturday night.

Locals dressed up and danced the night away to support the town's two volunteer firefighters who survived the B-17 plane crash at Bradley Airport earlier this month.

Firefighter JT Huber is a big fan of local band Organized Chaos and a regular at Old Well Tavern in Simsbury.

So they teamed up to raise money for the fire department’s charitable fund for them and their families.

"For St. Patrick's Day, JT helped us out, we were a little understaffed. It was getting a little crazy in here, and he bartended for the night," Owner of Old Well Tavern Frank Cardoso said.

Huber continues treatment at the Bridgeport Burn Center and Traficante is recovering at home.

Anyone interested in pitching in can click here for donation details.

Two people are dead and 16 others were injured when a person, who remains at-large, opened fire into a crowd of hundreds attending at a homecoming party in Greenville, east of Dallas, late Saturday night.

Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks said Sunday morning that 12 people were shot, two fatally, when a gunman entered The Party Place Saturday night and opened fire with a 9mm handgun. The private venue west of Greenville was hosting more than 750 people who gathered to celebrate Texas A&M University at Commerce's homecoming weekend.

The identities of the two people who were killed — both of whom were male — have not been released, Meeks said.  

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Buddy Oxford, Chief Deputy of the Hunt County Sheriff's Office, held a news conference earlier in the morning and said the shooter is at-large, his identity is unknown and that no motive is known for the shooting. He added that a description was also not yet available and that witnesses are "not being cooperative," saying they didn't see anything.

Meeks said it "appalls me" that with so many witnesses, there is not a better description of the shooter, and the sheriff encouraged people to come forward with information. 

Oxford said deputies were called to the venue at about 11:30 p.m. after learning cars were being illegally parked along Highway 380. After about 15 minutes, deputies began hearing gunshots and called for assistance.

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Meeks and Oxford both said in separate news conferences the scene was chaotic as hundreds of people began running from the building, making it difficult for deputies to determine where the shots were coming from and to locate the shooter.

"When shots were fired it was complete chaos as people fled for safety and deputies attempted to locate the shooter," Meeks said. 

Graphic video posted online showed several people unresponsive on the ground and bleeding, some receiving CPR, while other people can be heard screaming in the background.

When the shooting subsided, officials said deputies found two people dead inside and more than a dozen others wounded; the gunman was nowhere to be found.

A patrol sergeant who had responded to the scene saw someone with life-threatening injuries, loaded the person into his vehicle and took the person to the hospital. Another deputy on scene triaged the injured, Meeks said.

Officials said 16 people sought medical treatment for various injuries; a Texas Ranger reported earlier that at least 10 people had been shot. Meeks raised that number to 12 Sunday morning.

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Those injured in the shooting were from Fort Worth, Arlington, Cedar Hill, Dallas, Commerce and Greenville, according to Oxford. The victims were taken to hospitals in Greenville, Quinlan, Commerce, Lake Point and Rowlett. Three people were airlifted from the scene to Plano Medical City Hospital. No further information is known about the condition of the survivors.

Texas A&M University Commerce Police tweeted there was no active shooter situation on campus, which is about 18 miles away from the party location, and that "there was an event outside Greenville that may or may not have involved students at this time."

The party was not believed to be a sanctioned homecoming event. Officials said a uniformed, off-duty Farmersville ISD officer provided security at the party. The officer was at the front of the building when the shooting started, Meeks said. 

Officials believe the shooter may have entered through the back door and may have targeted one victim before firing at random, Meeks said. 

"The overcrowdedness of it gave the opportunity to this shooter to accomplish whatever he wanted to accomplish," the sheriff said. 

Greenville is in Hunt County, about 40 miles northeast of Dallas.

To help keep you informed on the most shared and talked about stories, each Saturday and Sunday we'll revisit five stories from the previous week, including the most recent updates.

Vaccination Data

The state Department of Public Health has released the 2018-2019 school-reported kindergarten student immunization data for all Connecticut schools that have more than 30 kindergarten students. There are now 134 schools where the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rate for kindergarten students falls below the federally recommended guideline of 95 percent. Learn more about the numbers here.

Hamden Officer Charged in Police Shooting

State police have arrested Devin Eaton, a Hamden police officer, in connection with a police-involved shooting that injured a woman in New Haven in April. The shooting set off days of rallies as the public questioned the police response and demanded transparency in the investigation. Get the details here.

Medical Marijuana Update

Several new conditions have been approved by the Regulations Review Committee for medical marijuana in Connecticut on Tuesday. The new regulations include five new conditions for adults and two new conditions for patients under 18, officials said. See the story here.

Woman Killed by Car Fleeing Shooutout

A 71-year-old grandmother was killed when she was hit by a car fleeing the scene of a shootout, according to police. A 16-year-old suspect has been charged with manslaughter in the case. The victim, Yvonne Smith, was on her way to the corner store when she was hit. More details here.

Woman Spends Thousands to Get To Dying Mother

Donna Witkins was caught off guard when she got the call that her mother was dying. She ended up spending more than $6,000 to get to her, and now she is sharing her story in the hope that others will learn from her experience. Read more here.

Two people have died after a motorcycle crash in Cromwell on Saturday night.

Police received a 911 call reporting a serious crash near 429 Main Street around 9:42 p.m.

Authorities said the caller described the accident involving a single motorcycle and that there were life-threatening injuries.

Officers and firefighters responded to the scene and found two people who were unconscious, police said.

Life support measures were performed on both people, but they were both later pronounced dead, according to authorities. Their identities have not been released.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

NBC Connecticut meteorologists expect a rainy and windy end to your weekend.

There will be rain, which could be heavy at times, through the day today.

Remnants of what was Tropical Storm Olga combined with a cold front and will bring us rounds of moderate to heavy at times rain through the afternoon.

One to two inches of rain is likely across most of the state.

We can also expect winds to gust 20-30 mph. There will be higher gusts along the shoreline.

This will cause minor coastal flooding in New Haven and points west.

The rain will quickly come to an end this evening with a nicer day ahead for Monday.

You can get the latest forecast anytime here.

Hundreds of acres in eastern Connecticut are in the process of being acquired by the state to expand existing parks and wildlife conservation areas, but thousands more need to be attained or protected in order to meet a fast-approaching goal.

The Connecticut Comprehensive Open Space Acquisition Strategy, or Green Plan, sets a target of preserving 673,210 acres or 21% of the state's land by 2023. As of June 30, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection estimated that 508,718 or 75.5 % of the total open space goal had been reached.

"We still have a ways to go," said Eric Hammerling, executive director of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, a private conservation organization. "What the state has been admitting for years is, it's unlikely we're going to be able to get to that goal. But we want them to keep pushing."

Last week, Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, who represents eastern Connecticut, announced that three federal grants totaling more than $560,000 were being awarded to the energy and environmental department to support future land acquisition at three sites in the region.

The list includes $312,500 to acquire 313.2 acres of privately owned land to be added to the 290.1-acre Monro Pond State Park Reserve in Columbia; $157,500 to add 97.74 acres to Devil's Hopyard State Park in East Haddam; and $94,250 to obtain 15.69 acres of privately owned land to be added to the 1,695.21-acre Quinebaug River Wildlife Management Area, which spans across Canterbury and Plainfield.

Courtney noted the process of acquiring each parcel of land is still ongoing, but the federal funding from the U.S. Department of Interior's Land and Water Conservation Fund represents an important step forward and will "help ensure that more of our natural heritage will be protected and enjoyed for generations to come."

Under the state's Green Plan, 10% of the 21% open space goal is supposed to be comprised of DEEP-owned state parks, forests and wildlife areas. The other 11% is to be owned by towns, private nonprofit land conservation organizations, water companies and the federal government.

As of late 2015, DEEP held about 80% of its statutory share of open space acquisitions, while the towns, land conservation groups and others had met 69% of their statutory share.

Hammerling said the state needs to commit to spending more money on open space acquisition. He noted how it remains uncertain whether any funds will be included in the final state borrowing package that has yet to be finalized. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont's administration has been negotiating the legislation behind closed doors with Democratic legislative leaders after an agreement couldn't be reached during the regular legislative session.

Lamont has called for the state to go on a so-called "debt diet" to reduce its bonding costs. In a recent letter to Republican lawmakers, Lamont's budget secretary Melissa McCaw wrote about the need to "reduce our automatic and discretionary authorizations" in order to dig the state out of debt.

But Hammerling said protecting land should be a priority.

"As much as we appreciate bringing under control our state's credit card, we do think there are certain things that are worth investing in," he said. "And we'd put land and trails on that list."

An Iowa woman was killed by debris from an explosion at a gender reveal party on Saturday, police said.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at around 4 p.m. on Saturday reporting that a woman, 56, had been seriously injured in an explosion in rural Knoxville, Iowa, according to a press release from the sheriff's office. The woman, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead on the scene. 

An investigation concluded that a gender reveal announcement created an explosion, from which a flying piece of debris struck the woman, NBC News reported. 

No further information has been released at this time. The Marion County Sheriff's Office could not immediately be reached for comment.

It was a busy day at Quinnipiac University on Saturday where a good crowd came out for the Best Buddies Friendship Walk.

The walk helps raise awareness and money to support inclusion for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. And best of all, it helps create many lasting friendships.

"No where in the world where you can feel so welcome like best buddies, everybody's fantasic and you get to meet so many great people," Nolan Adis, of Newtown, said.

NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Kaitlyn McGrath served as emcee for the event.

Volunteers raised over $100,000 this year.

Sunday's rain was no match for kids heading to Hartford for the second annual Yard Goats Trick or Treat event.

Kids were all dressed up in their best costume celebrating Halloween at Dunkin' Donuts Park.

"It's nice to see something going on in Hartford for the kids that's family-friendly, something that they're going to enjoy and remember for a while," Michelle Kidd, of Hartford, said.

"We're proud to be able to do it and we're realy proud of the fact that the community and particularly the Hartford community does see this as their communityplace where they can come and do the things they want to do with their kids," General Manager of the Yard Goats Mike Abramson said.

Organizers said about 3,000 people took part in the event.

NBC Connecticut is a proud sponsor of the Yard Goats.

A man is dead after a car accident in Canton Sunday night.

The accident occurred on Cherry Brook Road at about 5:40 p.m.

Police said a driver came across a pick-up truck that hit a tree. The driver of the truck had already died when officials arrived on-scene.

Medical Examiner personnel are investigating the cause and manner of his death.

The identity of the man will not be released until the next-of-kin is notified.

The road was closed to traffic for two hours but has since reopened.

On Sunday, people around the world paused with Pittsburgh.

They remembered the lives lost one year ago during the deadly attack at the Tree of Life synagogue.

The Jewish community in Connecticut is still on high alert, especially after a recent threat to a Bridgeport synagogue.

There were extra police on watch as special events were underway at the community building of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven in Woodbridge.

“We will keep our community safe. But we will do it in a way that does not impede us enjoying all that we have and living our lives,” said Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven CEO Judy Alperin.

Around the state, Jewish locations were on alert just days after bomb threats were made against a synagogue in Bridgeport.

Sunday is the one-year anniversary of the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.

Andy Sarkany lived for years in Pittsburgh, even visiting the Tree of Life Synagogue where the shooting took place.

“The Jewish community was always very solid, very supportive. When I heard what happened, it was really a shock,” said Sarkany, who is a member of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven.

He’s also a Holocaust survivor.

“Any kind of a tragedy shakes you up. But particularly the hatred and antisemitism which is rampant today, not only in the United States but also all around the world causes all the terrible situations which are occurring,” Sarkany said.

Inside the Woodbridge center, there’s a memorial to the 11 lives lost in Pittsburgh.

There’s also a proclamation from Governor Ned Lamont calling Sunday “A day of action to combat antisemitism.”

“We come together as a community as we remember that horrific slaughter of that innocent people in Pittsburgh and we need to stand together because we say from strength to strength we cannot allow this to happen,” said Jeffrey Hoos, Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven president.

In fact, one of the events was sold out with hundreds of people. A sign some say of the strength of this community.

We're keeping a very close eye on a storm system that will impact the state by the latter half of the week. 

What we know is that a big storm system will move across the country and bring with it heavy rain and gusty winds to the northeast.

What we're a bit uncertain about is exact timing and when the heaviest rain will occur.

Right now it appears the main frontal passage will occur on Friday. This would be when the heaviest rain and strongest winds would occur.

With that being said, it also appears that rain will move in during the day on Thursday (Halloween) and continue right into the evening hours. One of our most reliable models (European model) shows rain throughout much of the day on Thursday. You might be wondering what some of the other models show? Well, most of them bring rain to the area for both Thursday and Friday.

We will keep a close eye on the forecast going forward and provide updates as new information is available. 

Police responded to a reported shooting Sunday at a Dallas vigil for one of the victims of the shooting in Greenville.

The vigil was held at St. Augustine Park in Pleasant Grove in the 1500 block of St. Augustine Street.

There have not been any injuries reported.

An NBC 5 news vehicle was struck at least three times.

The Dallas Police Department said in a statement that officers responded to the shooting call just after 8 p.m.

Police said when officers arrived, they learned that a disturbance started during a candlelight vigil for the Greenville shooting. The disturbance escalated and shots were fired.

According to police, several vehicles were reported damaged.

The Greenville shooting took place just before midnight on Saturday. More than 750 people were attending a party at The Party Venue, some of them to celebrate during Texas A&M University at Commerce's homecoming weekend.

A gunman, who remains at large, opened fire into the crowd, killing two people and injuring 12, six of whom were struck by gunshots.

The identities of the two people killed have not been officially released, but family members of the victims identified them to NBC 5 as Kevin Berry and Byron Craven Jr.

A Hamden police officer is facing a judge for the first time since he was accused of shooting at an unarmed couple's car and wounding a 22-year-old woman in New Haven last spring.

Officer Devin Eaton is being arraigned on felony assault and reckless endangerment charges on Monday. Officials said he fired 13 times after the driver in the car got out unexpectedly.

The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Paul Witherspoon, was uninjured, but his girlfriend, Stephanie Washington, who was in the car, was seriously injured, according to authorities.

"I respect the decision of the state's attorney to prosecute Officer Eaton on these three very serious charges. The investigation was thorough and carefully weighed significant evidence before arriving at the conclusions that they did," said Hamden Mayor Curt Balzano Leng.

Officer Eaton has been free after posting $100,000 bail.

There was also another officer from Yale Police involved in the incident. He has not been charged.

Connecticut State Police have issued a Silver Alert for an 87-year-old man who has been missing from Litchfield since Sunday.

Police said Frank Morris was last seen wearing a navy veteran Korean War hat with a jacket, a blue and white striped shirt, navy blue pants and white sneakers.

He is 5 foot 6 inches, weighs 155 pounds and has grey hair and brown eyes.

In a photo provided by police, Morris can be seen wearing glasses.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Connecticut State Police Troop L at (860) 626-7900.