An Ansonia man is accused of stealing several items from the men’s locker room at Staples High School in Westport.

Police have arrested 46-year-old Artay Drinks, of Ansonia, after responding to the high school on Tuesday, Oct. 8 to investigate multiple reports of thefts from the men’s locker room.

Several victims reported that personal items that were left in the men’s locker room, including a backpack, electronics, and cash, had been stolen.

Police said they determined that all of the items had been taken within a brief timeframe and looked at surveillance video from the school hallways, which led to identifying Drinks as a suspect.

Drinks, police said, had apparently gone to the school, reporting that he was seeking to speak to the athletic director about a coaching job, identified himself, provided a cell phone number.

He was seen on camera leaving the locker room area carrying some of the items reported as stolen, police said.

On Monday morning, the Waterbury police department contacted Westport police to report that Drinks was in custody in connection with their arrest warrants, according to Westport Police, and Drinks was brought Westport Police headquarters.

He has been charged with larceny in the third degree, two counts of larceny in the fourth degree and larceny in the sixth degree.

Bond was set at $6,500, which Drinks was unable to post, police said.

Marie Yovanovitch, the ousted U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told House impeachment investigators last month that U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland told her she should tweet out support or praise for President Donald Trump if she wanted to save her job, according to a transcript of her testimony made public Monday.

The three House committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump released two transcripts — including the one of Yovanovitch's testimony— of the behind-closed-doors interviews they have conducted as part of their investigation, as the probe moves to a more public phase.

According to the transcript of Yovanovitch's interview, she asked Sondland for advice about how to handle an onslaught of criticism from conservative media and Donald Trump Jr., NBC News reported.

Election Day is almost here and voters will be deciding the outcome of many municipal races, including several mayoral seats, when they head to the polls on Tuesday. 

Several Towns to Vote for Mayor

In Bridgeport, the incumbent mayor, Joseph Ganim, is on the ballot for the Democratic party and John Rodriguez is on the ballot for the Republican party.

In the primary, Ganim beat Senator Marilyn Moore, who is hoping voters will write her in. 

See the full ballot here. 

In Bristol, Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, the incumbent mayor, is on the Democratic ticket and Dante Tagariello, a tax accountant in his 20s, is on the Republican ticket. 

See the full ballot here. 

In Hartford, the incumbent mayor, Luke Bronin, is running on the Democratic ticket, James Stanley is running on the Republican ticket and W. Michael Downes, Giselle Gigi Jacobs, Aaron Lewis and former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez are the four petitioning candidates. See the full ballot here. 

In Middletown, Ben Florsheim is the Democratic candidate and Seb Giuliano is the Republican candidate for the open mayoral seat. 

Florsheim moved to Middletown nine years ago to attend Wesleyan University and after graduation he did community outreach for U.S. Senator Chris Murphy.

Giuliano, who served three terms as mayor, is an attorney and currently serves as the minority leader of the Middletown Common Council.

Valeka Clarke. a Democratic activist, is running as a write-in candidate.

In New Haven, the incumbent mayor, Toni Harp, is running on the Working Families Party ticket and Justin Elicker is the Democratic candidate. See the full ballot here. 

These are just some of the races to be decided Tuesday. See all the ballots by town-by-town here. 

Registering to Vote

You can take part in Election Day registration at a designated location in each town from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Or, for people who became 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, or moved to town between Oct. 30 and Nov. 5, you can obtain and complete an application for voter registration and deliver the application in person to your local town hall no later 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4.

To register in person, you will need to provide proof of identity and residence. Check with your town hall for details on where to go and what you need to bring. You must be registered by 8 p.m. in order to vote, according to the website for the Secretary of the State. 

Voting Hours

Polls in Connecticut are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Any elector standing in line at the polls at 8 p.m. will be allowed to cast a vote.

You can check your designated polling location here. 

A pregnant woman defended her home in Lithia, Florida, with a legally-owned semi-automatic rifle when two invaders broke in and began attacking her husband, authorities said.

Hillsborough County Sherriff's spokeswoman Amanda Granit told NBC News that the confrontation took place around 9 p.m. Wednesday on Old Welcome Road about 25 miles southeast of downtown Tampa.

After the two men broke in and began beating her husband with their pistols, the woman, who is eight months pregnant, fired a shot from the family's AR-15-style rifle. Both intruders immediately fled, and the one that had been wounded by the gunshot collapsed and died in a drainage ditch outside, according to deputies and the woman's husband.

Homeowner Jeremy King said he'd be dead if not for his fast-thinking wife. He said both home invaders had pistols and they fired one shot.

"Them guys came in with two normal pistols and my AR stopped it," King told Bay News 9. "(My wife) evened the playing field and kept them from killing me."

King suffered a fractured eye socket, a fractured sinus cavity and a concussion to go along with 20 stitches from the attack.

The couple's 11-year-old daughter was also at home during the confrontation.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Maj. Frank Losat told reporters on the scene that he suspected the family had been targeted.

The dead robber was not immediately identified, and deputies are still searching for his partner in crime.

Amazon is opening a new distribution center in Stratford, according to the town’s mayor.

In a post on Facebook, Mayor Laura R. Hoydick said the company has entered into a seven year lease at 500 and 600 Long Beach Boulevard. The center is set to open January 1, 2020. Amazon is looking to hire for the new facility, including positions as shift managers, warehouse associates and warehouse team members.

“We are pleased to be welcoming Amazon to Stratford,” wrote Mayor Laura R. Hoydick. “Stratford is an ideal location for this new distribution center for Amazon. We have great transportation access as well as a terrific skilled labor force ready to take on the jobs Amazon is looking to fill as they get closer to their opening.”

The facility will include two spaces – one 78,000-square-feet and another 117,000-square feet - of warehouse and office space.

“It comes as no surprise that a company like Amazon would lease over 200,000 square feet in Stratford,” said James Caissy, President of the Stratford Development Corporation that built the high-ceiling distribution facilities where Amazon will be locating. “The Lordship Boulevard area of Stratford provides easy access to I-95, Route 25 and Route 8 for delivery to both Fairfield and New Haven counties. We expect to see this trend continue.”

To browse some of the available jobs, click here.

An entire classroom’s worth of children are lost every year in Connecticut to unsafe sleep practices. 

SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, is a medical acronym that strikes fear into the hearts of expecting parents like Diane Perez. of Granby. It is the unexplained death of a baby under 12 months of age. 

“It’s a thought on everybody’s mind,” the first-time mom said. 

Her baby boy is due in January. 

But Connecticut’s Child Advocate, Sarah Eagan, said the outdated term was once reserved for the sort of medical mystery that’s become extraordinarily rare since the Back To Sleep infant safety education campaign in the early 1990s. 

“Are there babies who have an undetected respiratory or metabolic or maybe a cardiac event? Maybe. But what we see year after year and as we get more and more discerning with what we know, we just don’t see that,” Eagan said. 

Instead, the data tracked by her office shows the leading cause of death today in otherwise healthy infants is preventable: unsafe sleep. On average, 25 babies die unexpectedly every year in Connecticut due to practices or products in violation of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ safe sleep guidelines. 

Infant deaths under the age of 1 not caused by an underlying medical condition are now classified as SUID, or Sudden Unexpected Infant Death.

According to the CDC, “SUID is a term used to describe the sudden and unexpected death of a baby less than 1 year old in which the cause was not obvious before investigation. These deaths often happen during sleep or in the baby’s sleep area.” 

Eagan said of the 20 SUID deaths in Connecticut in 2018, “zero were in a safe sleep environment consistent with AAP guidelines.” 

American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, recommendations on creating a safe sleep environment include:

Place the baby on his or her back on a firm sleep surface such as a crib or bassinet with a tight-fitting sheet.

Avoid use of soft bedding, including crib bumpers, blankets, pillows and soft toys. The crib should be bare.

Share a bedroom with parents, but not the same sleeping surface, preferably until the baby turns 1 but at least for the first six months. Room-sharing decreases the risk of SIDS by as much as 50 percent.

Avoid baby's exposure to smoke, alcohol and illicit drugs.

“I always tell parents remember their ABCs: baby alone, on their back, in their crib,” explains Yale pediatrician Dr. Kirsten Bechtel, “in a crib that’s not cluttered,” meaning no blankets, pillows, bumpers or stuffed animals.

Bechtel co-chairs the state’s Child Fatality Review Panel, a multi-disciplinary board of physicians, law enforcement, social services workers and others who analyze each and every death of a person under 18 in Connecticut. For each instance, specially trained investigators from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are sent to conduct scene re-enactments for consenting families, part of a multi-agency collaboration for a state-wide data resource used to analyze trends and shape policy aimed at prevention.

According to their findings, of the 20 SUID deaths in Connecticut in 2018:

• Thirteen infants were found co-sleeping or in an adult bed at the time of death
• Five were in cribs or portable cribs with pillows or blankets, and
• Two died in Rock 'n Play sleepers.

The Fisher-Price inclined sleepers are now recalled after over 30 deaths nationwide. But in October, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning about similar products still on the market, along with other items previously implicated in infant deaths like crib bumpers.

Bechtel said on the national level, the American Academy of Pediatrics is pushing for legislation to ban such items.

In the meantime, however, they’re still on thousands of baby registries, readily available for purchase.

For Perez, it’s a frustrating contradiction.

“I would have bought a regular bumper that would have gone with my crib set,” she says. “And if they’re not safe, why are they selling them?”

“For safe sleep we’re swimming upstream because it’s the opposite of what consumerism is,” said Assistant Child Advocate Faith Vos Winkel, describing the state agency’s past efforts to get retailers to take down elaborate crib bedding displays including bumpers, pillows and blankets.

“Parents are thinking that they’re doing the right thing and then you have these poor outcomes. The worst outcome,” she said.

In 2015, safe sleep education became the law in Connecticut, with a bill that requires every hospital to educate new parents on those guidelines before they go home with their new baby.

UCONN Health Neonatologist and Child Fatality Review Panel member Ted Rosenkrantz worries that may be too late.

“The downside of that is, they get that message once, guaranteed once. It's also a time when the mother's going through a lot of other things like recovering from delivery, learning how to breastfeed, making sure that everything's just fine to leave in 48 hours,” he said.

Rosenkrantz also cautions parents against other products like home cardiorespiratory monitors.

“They definitely play to a parent’s anxieties,” he says.

Bechtel agrees.

“Parents use those monitors in unsafe sleep environments because they think, well the baby’s on their stomach, but they’re on the monitor, so I’ll know if something happens,” she said. “Those sort of monitoring devices have not been shown to reduce rates of sleep related death.”

With her “miracle” baby boy coming in January, Perez is busy putting the finishing touches on her jungle-themed nursery. She thinks parents like her would benefit from a prenatal education class on infant sleep safety, just like the birthing or breastfeeding classes which are readily available.

“Right now, when I find myself staring at all these items not knowing what to buy,” she says. “This (is)when the education is needed. Tell me now, what do I need versus what I don’t need? What is safe versus what is not safe?”

Eagan said efforts are underway on a state level to expand the safe sleep messaging to reach expectant mothers during prenatal care at the OBGYN, and to continue the education through pediatrician visits and other points of contact with medical or social service professionals. For instance, the Office of the Child Advocate trains workers from the Department of Children and Families to implement safe sleep education in every visit, and to distribute portable cribs to households where safe sleep spaces may be out of reach financially.

“Our data shows we have a lot of work to do,” Eagan said.

Indeed, a recent study by the AAP found as many as two-thirds of parents surveyed do not follow all safe sleep guidelines, even after being advised by professionals.

Agencies like Eagan’s are trying to get to the bottom of why.

She points to numerous other risk factors like poverty, racial disparities in healthcare, and cultural and generational influences on sleep practices.

Eagan said parental substance abuse was a factor in 12 of the 20 SUID cases in 2018.

The general election in Bridgeport will go on as planned after the state Supreme Court declined to rule on a case surrounding allegations of misconduct involving absentee ballots during the Democratic mayoral primary in September.

The three voters who took their suit to the state’s highest court claim that at least eight people from Mayor Joe Ganim’s campaign, mostly city employees, went into two senior-living facilities and pressured residents, who may have been ineligible to vote, to fill out absentee ballots.

Ganim won 75 percent of the absentee vote, while he only received 48 percent of the in-person vote during the September Democratic primary.

While a lower court judge agreed that the behavior alleged by the plaintiff was disturbing, he ultimately decided that there was not enough evidence of wrongdoing to change the results of the election. 

Ganim beat state Senator Marilyn Moore by 270 votes.

The justices heard arguments and asked questions for just over an hour today.

They initially indicated that wanted to try to bring this case to a conclusion Monday, because of Tuesday’s general election.

But instead, they took the case under advisement.

The plaintiffs’ attorney asked the justices to set aside the primary results and order a special election.

She says now that’s unlikely, because they would have to vacate the results of two elections.

One of the plaintiffs says while the election results may stand what they can do is not static.

“The best case scenario is that going forward we continue to look and make public the misrepresentations and the intimidation that happens in Bridgeport voting and we bring that to light,” said Plaintiff Vanessa Liles.

“A lot of this is untested and uncharted territory. This is a matter of first impression in many respects so it will be interesting to see what their views are,” her attorney added.

The attorney for the eight defendants named in the suit declined to speak with reporters after court Monday, but said during the hearing that the plaintiffs did not offer up enough evidence to overturn the primary results.

He also argued that the court would set a new precedent if it sided with the plaintiff.

“Every single voter in Bridgeport or any other city for any other election can basically raise their hand and come into court and set this monumental process in motion,” said James Healy, the defense attorney.

Attorneys for both sides are now preparing to be peppered with more questions from the justices, who did not indicate when they’ll make their final ruling.

A person was shot at the West Hartford Police Department indoor firearms range Monday afternoon, according to police.

Police said the victim, who is not a West Hartford Police Department employee, suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound at the facility on Brixton Street. They were taken to the hospital.

The case is under investigation.

No other details were immediately available.

As temperatures drop, concern is rising for those searching for a missing Suffield woman.

Enfield Police say Odine Frohberg was last seen around 1:30 p.m. Friday, at the Olive Garden Restaurant on Hazard Avenue in Enfield.

According to police, Frohberg, who has cognitive disabilities, was eating with her aide when she got up to visit the restroom and never returned. Police believe she left the restaurant on foot and began walking east, toward Stafford, on Route 190. A Silver Alert was issued.

“We spent the better part of three days making pretty significant efforts to try to find Miss Frohmberg,” said Enfield Police Chief Alaric Fox.

Efforts have included assistance from South Windsor, Vernon and Connecticut State Police, who helped Enfield Police search over 800 acres of property yesterday. Drones and search dogs were used to search the area. K9 tracks took search teams eastbound on Route 190 toward Stafford Springs but found nothing.

“We checked a number of large wooded areas on the off chance they have been where she traveled,” explained Fox.

Frohberg is 5-foot-4, 160 pounds and was last seen wearing a red and orange vertical striped shirt and navy blue pants. The description has been posted on Enfield Police Department’s Facebook page where it has been shared over 1,500 times.

[[564289971, C]]

As the investigation continues, police say it has been turned over to the detective division for follow up. The immediate leads though, have been exhausted.

We are continuing to track and look over the latest information on what could arrive on Friday.

Confidence is growing for a storm system to affect the state late Thursday night into Friday. 

The biggest question is where does the storm system track which would result in the types of precipitation we see in Connecticut.

The European model which is our most reliable model continues to bring a wintry solution to parts of Connecticut. While other models have much different solutions bringing either rain or pushing the storm far out to sea. 

Let's take a look at two tracks that both could be possible.

Track 1 (Snowiest Track)

This track would result in rain transitioning to snow or a wintry mix statewide. The highest snowfall accumulations would be see in northern CT. 

Track 2 (Wettest Track)

This track would bring the center of the storm right over or north of Connecticut. This would result in rain Thursday night continuing into Friday. 

So what's most likely? Probably something in between tracks 1 and 2. That would result in rain for the southern counties, a mix inland, and a chance for measurable snow for the hill towns. 

We will continue to fine tune the forecast as we move forward and should have a much better idea of where the system will track by Tuesday. 

A Rudy Giuliani associate who was indicted last month for making illegal campaign contributions is willing to provide documents and testimony to House impeachment investigators, his lawyer confirmed to NBC News.

Lev Parnas' lawyer Joseph A. Bondy said, "We will honor and not avoid the committee’s requests to the extent they are legally proper, while scrupulously protecting Mr. Parnas' privileges including that of the Fifth Amendment."

Parnas was originally asked to testify before Congress last month, a request he ignored.

Local teachers have told NBC Connecticut Investigates that many of the schools that they work in are “falling apart” because proper maintenance has been put off for far too long. The educators believe failing to execute that maintenance could result in a bigger and more expensive problem. 

"Tiles falling off of ceilings, bathrooms that don't work," said Kate Dias, a teacher Manchester High School. 

She said that teachers both within and outside of her school district are dealing with classrooms that are in need of improvements. 

"I think we end up with schools that fall apart; both physically and metaphorically," said Dias. 

Teachers, speaking out with the backing of the Connecticut Education Association (CEA), described classrooms as having mold, rodent droppings, poor ventilation, leaks and extreme temperatures. The educators are raising new concerns about the methods of how schools have long been maintained.  

"I had to step out of my classroom because it was so hot and it was so overwhelming," said Dias, who has been a teacher for 20 years. She is also president of the Manchester Education Association. 

Dias and others have been trying to get more communities to realize that simply cleaning up rodent droppings or a water leak or painting over mold does not solve the underlying problem. Instead, she said, it can exacerbate a problem and make it more expensive to fix in the future. 

"The long-term cost of deferring those maintenance objectives is really that schools don't function or they feel unsafe," said Dias. 

“We are aware of and continue to address heating and ventilation issues at Manchester High School, as we want all students and staff throughout the school district to be in buildings that are safe and comfortable and conducive to learning," said Matt Geary, the superintendent of schools in Manchester. 

"Our community is midway through a campaign to renovate all of our K-6 schools and at the same time we are making significant investments to upgrade and properly maintain our other buildings and facilities," Geary said. 

In a June 2019 referendum, Manchester voters approved a $47 million school modernization project, according to a spokesperson for the district. 

"Across the state there are a lot of old, sick buildings," said Mia Dimbo, a math teacher at Wilbur Cross Elementary School in Bridgeport. 

Extreme temperatures - hot and cold - are what Dimbo said she has had to deal with. 

"You shouldn't be in a room that's 104 degrees," Dimbo said. 

Since May, the Connecticut Education Association has tasked approximately 75 teachers at dozens of schools across the state to take daily temperature and humidity readings in their classrooms. The CEA said that more than 5,000 readings have been taken so far.

According to the CEA, the highest recorded indoor temperature was 108.2 degrees taken on June 12 at Dimbo's school.

"It's definitely not a good thing, but teachers come every day because that's their job," said Dimbo. 

"The safety of our staff and students is paramount," said Bridgeport Acting Superintendent of Schools Michael J. Testani. "As we get into the warmer months, we're going to keep a close eye to make sure we don't put our children or staff at risk. We try to do our best in Bridgeport to maintain our schools." 

Testani acknowledged that only some schools have air conditioning and the air conditioning is only in parts of those buildings. As for Wilbur Cross Elementary School, there is only air conditioning in the main office, nurse's office, the gymnasium and the assistant principal's office - not the classrooms, he said. 

Mr. Testani said he and the mayor's office will be discussing a long-range plan to build new schools and to renovate existing schools in the future. 

Some districts, including Stamford Public Schools, have opted to take on these challenges with new methods as well as more time and more money. 

At Davenport Ridge Elementary School in Stamford, like several schools in the city, three classrooms at a time are being stripped back to almost nothing and then rebuilt in a new way. During construction, classes are in session in the rest of the building. 

"We've got to understand what is leaking and what is causing the water intrusion in the first place," said Mike Handler, Director of Administration for the city of Stamford. Handler is also part of the city's Asset Management Group (formerly the Mold Task Force), which formed in 2018 to manage not just school custodians and trade workers, but also the outside contractors, architects, engineers and vendors. The goal of the group was to have one entity responsible for both capital improvements and operating maintenance. 

 "Our goal is not to erase the problem; it's to actually put a system in place to maintain it going forward," said Handler, who acknowledges that not every district in Connecticut is able to do what Stamford is doing. The city has already spent upwards of $12 million renovating nearly two dozen schools. 

"There's no doubt in my mind that almost every district in the state has a similar problem," Handler said. "No one wants to be doing the work that we're doing but we have no choice." 

"With the overwhelming support of our staff, all of the Stamford boards, the mayor, our families and our community at large, we have made miraculous strides in a relatively short period of time. We acknowledge our work is far from completed," said Dr. Tamu Lucero, Superintendent Stamford Public Schools. 

The funds for renovating and rebuilding schools are part of the city's capital budget, according to a spokesperson for Stamford Public Schools. The city also raised its sale-debt limit to allocate additional money for the work, the spokesperson added. 

"We will continue to work together to bring our facilities up to the same high standards as our educational offerings," said Dr. Lucero. 

The CEA, meanwhile, is looking into legislative solutions. 

"We're always looking for legislative remedies in terms of money, state and federal grants. I think it's really important that our towns and cities don't necessarily bear the significant cost, the full share, of what it would take," said Melanie Kolek, legal counsel for the Connecticut Education Association. 

"It definitely is a community issue in terms of the health of our students and our teachers and our staff," said Kolek. "It's running rampant. I think it will get worse if we don't act now." 

Ryan Podann, Anthony Shonti and Justin Mazza are three of the most accomplished members of the Special Olympics Connecticut Unified Long Distance Running Team.

“We’re a team,” said Shonti, who has been the top Unified finisher five years in a row at the Marine Corp 10K in Washington, D.C. “Coach Bill picks us up and we go around.”

They typically run five miles a day to train for their upcoming races.

“We’ve got to train every day, five days a week,” said Podann, who has been competing with Special Olympics since he was 8 years old.

They’re training has paid off, earning them medals and trophies.

“I feel accomplished,” added Shonti, who was the first Unified Runner to place second in his age bracket.

The team is made up of more than 50 athletes, partners and coaches with sites in Wilton, Cheshire and Simsbury.

“At practices, we have about 20 other members. They look up to them as well and see what they’ve accomplished,” said Unified Long Distance Assistant Coach Brian McConnell.

On top of inspiring those around them, Podann, Shonti and Mazza have a passion to compete. Mazza is a Special Olympic Hall of Fame inductee after receiving the Unis Shriver Award for Sportsmanship.

“We’re competitors on the course and friends off the track,” added McConnell.

Distance running is teaching these athletes that hard work and preparation leads to success.

“The most important thing is not necessarily the trophies but the process and improvement,” said McConnell.

When outdoor running season comes to an end, all three athletes remain active with Unified Track and Field, croquet, basketball and floor hockey.

A man was stabbed to death over a chicken sandwich at a Popeyes in Maryland, sources told police.

The man was stabbed about 7 p.m. Monday at the Popeyes in the 6200 block of Livingston Road in Oxon Hill, Prince George's County police said.

The preliminary investigation found an argument started inside the restaurant when one man cut in front of another man in a line specifically designated for ordering the wildly popular chicken sandwiches that returned to Popeyes restaurants Sunday, police said.

The argument spilled outside the restaurant where one man stabbed another, police said.

Responding officers found the victim in the parking lot suffering stab wounds, police said.

He was taken to a hospital where he died less than an hour later. He was 28 years old.

“Knowing these details and knowing what happened here and knowing that a life was taken, it is hard to put into words, I can’t find the right words, to describe what this man did to this innocent victim,” police spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan said.

“And it’s grown people,” an employee told News4. “That’s just dumb. You’re grown, fighting over a chicken sandwich. That’s kid stuff.”

Police are trying to identify a suspect. There were many people in the restaurant at the time. Anyone with information that can help should call 1-866-411-TIPS.

Police pleaded with the culprit to do the right thing and turn himself in to police.

The Justice Department is demanding identifying details about the senior Trump administration official who has written an anonymous book, warning in a letter to the publisher on Monday that the author may be subject to nondisclosure agreements, NBC News reported.

The letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Joseph Hunt, asked for details or copies of the author's nondisclosure agreements "or the dates of the author's service and the agencies where the author was employed, so that we may determine the terms of the author's nondisclosure agreements and ensure that they have been followed."

The author's literary agency, Javelin, accused the administration of trying to "intimidate and expose" the official in a statement.

In New Haven, voters will cast their ballots for mayor Tuesday, and the matchup is a familiar one.

The two candidates for mayor had very different final nights of the campaign season, but both had a similar message, each saying they’ve best connected with voters to win.

“We have a lot of momentum going into this race and I’m really excited,” said Mayor Toni Harp.

The Democrat was optimistic heading into election day, despite the primary night defeat and the absence of her party’s endorsement.

“I’ve been serving New Haven for the past 30 years. Our city is booming, developers want to come here. Our young people have opportunities and they’re doing better than they’ve ever done,” Harp said.

The three-term mayor will appear on the Working Families Party line in the election after losing the September primary to opponent Justin Elicker, who she beat in 2013 to become mayor.

The incumbent spent the night not in the Elm City, but in the capital city, attending a Women’s Hall of Fame gala where a New Haven resident was being honored.

For Harp’s opponent, it was a different night. Elicker was campaigning at the Bella Vista Senior Living Community.

“Tomorrow is game day. We did really well in the primary and we’re excited about the victory and I think that victory is going to translate into a really positive day for us tomorrow,” Elicker said.

Elicker heads into the general election running on the Democratic line. The former city alder also has the support of major party leaders including Gov. Ned Lamont and Congresswoman Rosa Delauro.

“I’m grateful to have the endorsements. At the end of the day, the most important endorsement will happen tomorrow when voters get to the polls.”

There are also two registered write-in candidates in this mayoral race - Seth Poole and Roger Uhlein.

Both Harp and Elicker said after voting Tuesday they’ll keep campaigning and trying to connect with voters through election day.

Tuesday is the day for all of those critical municipal elections across the state.

These elections typically have a lower voter turn out, but they have a serious impact on the way your city or town is run and how your money is spent.

There are a ton of big races across the state for mayors, city or town council members and school board members. Click here for a more detailed look.

Before you come out to the polls, there are a few things to know.

First, check to make sure you are registered to vote and you have the correct polling place. You can do that online here. 

If you're not already registered, Connecticut has same-day registration, usually at your town hall.

Second, make sure you bring your ID to the polls.

Third, when you're filling out the ballot, make sure to read the entire thing.

"If there is a referendum or something like that in your town, sometimes there are questions, and sometimes the ballots do spill on to the second page," said Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

If you have any problems at your polling place, you can report it by calling 1-866-733-2463.

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. As long as you're in line by 8 p.m., you'll be allowed you vote.

A multi-vehicle crash has closed part of Interstate 91 in Hartford on Tuesday morning.

Police said I-91 south is closed to all traffic at exit 27. The highway is closed between there and exit 29A, according to state Department of Transportation officials.

The crash possibly involves a Department of Transportation truck, according to state police. It is unclear exactly how many vehicles are involved in the crash.

Minor injuries are reported.

The highway is expected to reopen within 8 hours or less.

Mexico's top security official said Tuesday that at least three women and six children were slaughtered by cartel gunmen and one child was still missing in northern Mexico. Relatives said the victims are also U.S. citizens.

Security Secretary Alfonso Durazo said the gunmen may have mistaken the group's large SUVs for rival gangs. He said six children were wounded in the attack, and five have been transferred to hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona.

Relatives said the victims live in the La Mora religious community in northern Mexico, a decades-old settlement in Sonora state founded as part of an offshoot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They said the group was attacked while travelling in a convoy of three SUVs. The asked not to be named for fear of reprisals.

The relative said he had located the burned-out, bullet-ridden SUV containing the remains of his nephew's wife and her four children — twin 6-month old babies and two other children aged 8 and 10.

The U.S. Embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mexico's federal Department of Security and Citizens' Protection said late Monday that security forces were reinforced with National Guard, army and state police troops in the area following "the reports about disappearance and aggression against several people." The troops were searching for the missing community members, believed to include 11 children or more.

Another relative, Julian LeBaron, said on his Facebook page the dead woman was Rhonita Maria LeBaron.

The first relative said a convoy of three vehicles had set out Monday from La Mora, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Douglas, Arizona, but was attacked by cartel gunmen in a possible case of mistaken identity by gunmen. Many of the church's members were born in Mexico and thus have dual citizenship.

While he said he found the first vehicle, the other two SUVs were missing along with their passengers.

Jhon LeBaron, another relative, posted on his Facebook page that his aunt and another woman were dead, which could bring the death toll to at least seven. He also posted that six of his aunt's children had been left abandoned but alive on a roadside.

It would not be the first time that members of the break-away church had been attacked in northern Mexico, where their forebears settled — often in Chihuahua state — decades ago.

In 2009, Benjamin LeBaron, an anti-crime activist who was related to those killed in Monday's attack, was murdered in 2009 in neighboring Chihuahua state.

After more than a year and a half, there is a winner for the Connecticut Lotto jackpot and the one winning ticket is worth $25.8 million. 

Officials from the Connecticut Lottery said the winning ticket for the jackpot on Friday night was sold at Stop & Shop at 44 Lake Avenue Extension in Danbury. 

The winning numbers were 1 – 9 – 10 – 15 – 41 – 43 and the lump sum value for the winner is $21.3 million. This is the third-highest jackpot in the game's history. The Lotto jackpot had been growing since Jan. 5, 2018.

For selling the winning ticket, that Stop & Shop location will receive a $10,000 retailer commission. 

If you did not win the jackpot, you still might have won. 

In all, there were 46,041 winning tickets sold for the Friday drawing. While only one contained a six-number match, 68 tickets are worth $1,720, 2,582 are worth $52 and thousands are worth $2. 

“We’re ecstatic that we have a Lotto jackpot winner in Connecticut’s game,” CT Lottery President and CEO Greg Smith said in a statement. “This will certainly be life-changing for someone. We can’t wait to congratulate the winner in person. This win was also good for our retailer, Stop & Shop. The Lotto game’s jackpot, whether $25 million or $1 million, will always be life changing. We encourage players to stay in the game.” 

Jackpot winners have the choice of receiving their winnings either as an annuity – or 21 payments --or one-time cash lump sum and the winners have until April 29, 2020 to claim their prizes.