Quantcast
Channel: NBC Connecticut
Viewing all 57608 articles
Browse latest View live

Google Chat Problem

0
0

Google restored service for some users after its chat services, which include Google Talk and Hangouts on Google+, went down on Monday.

The spreadsheet program Google Sheets was fully restored after it also experienced a "service disruption," the company said on its Apps Status Dashboard. Google resolved the issues for Sheets at 2:44 p.m. ET, the dashboard said.

Those trying to "GChat" were seeing messages that indicated recipients were not receiving chat messages, while chat tabs on Google+ said: "things are taking longer than expected."

An update on Google's Apps Status Dashboard at 12:22 p.m. ET announced a "service disruption" with Google Talk and Google+ Hangouts. Google announced the same issue for Sheets at 12:47 p.m. ET.

There was no word on what was causing the problems. In each case, the company said it was "investigating reports of an issue."

 



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Quake Shook LA News Anchor Up

0
0

Two Los Angeles morning news anchors dove for cover when a magnitude-4.4 temblor rattled the region during their TV broadcast.

KTLA's Chris Schauble and Megan Henderson were reading the news when they felt their studio shake.

"Earthquake. We're having an earthquake," Schauble said.

As the cameras kept rolling, he and Henderson took shelter under their newsdesk. The monitor behind them showing the morning traffic could be seen shaking.

The pair then returned to their desk and Schauble pulled up U.S. Geological Survey information on a computer.

After the quake, Schauble took to social media to laugh along with viewers about his "earthquake face." He made a screenshot of the petrified reaction his profile picture on Twitter.

 

 

 

 

 

Police Make Arrests in Counterfeit Cash Cases

0
0

Police in Hamden and Greenwich arrested people accused of passing fake $100 bills in separate cases over the weekend.

Both arrests happened on Friday at separate Walgreens.

Hamden Police said James Luna, 28, of Staten Island, New York, went to the cash register of the Walgreens at 1191 Dixwell Avenue with some inexpensive items and a counterfeit $100 bill on Friday, so Walgreens staff notified Hamden police.

As police responded, Luna ran from the store and got into a car driven by Jorge Hidalgo, 32, of Meriden, who tried to get away from the area, police said.

Police immediately detained them and determined that Hidalgo had gone into Walgreens earlier in the day, passed a fake $100 bill and received $90 in change.

When officers searched Hidalgo’s car, they found an envelope with nearly $2,000 in cash, police said, and contacted the United States Secret Service.

Both men were charged with first-degree forgery, conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree and interfering with a police officer.

Both were detained on a $100,000 and are scheduled to appear in court in Meriden on March 26.

On the same day, Greenwich police also made a counterfeit cash arrest at a Walgreens.

At 9:19 p.m., police responded to the Walgreens at 1333 East Putnam Avenue to investigate a woman trying to pass a counterfeit $100 bill.

They said Stephany Quintero, 22, of Jackson Heights, New York, tried to buy $10.28 worth of items with a fake $100. When police checked her purse, they found several other fake $100 bills and marijuana, police said.

She was charged with first-degree forgery and possession of less  than half an ounce of marijuana.

In January, Greenwich police issued a warning about counterfeit $100 bills being passed in the area.  At the time the warning was issued, the fake bills being passed had the number "77" on the back.
 



Photo Credit: Hamden Police Department

Police Investigate Seymour Bank Robbery

0
0

Seymour Police are asking for the public’s help to identify the man who committed an armed robbery at the First Niagara Bank in the Seymour Shopping Plaza around 4 p.m. on Friday.

Police received a 911 call from a bank employee as well as a call from the alarm company for the bank reporting a holdup alarm at the same time. 

The robber handed the teller a hand-written note demanding money, ran toward First Street with the cash and left the area.   

He is around 5-5 and was wearing blue jean-style pants, a gray and blue jacket with an emblem on the left side of jacket, a green Boston Red sox’s hat and eyeglasses. 

Anyone who visited the downtown area in Seymour on Friday afternoon and saw anything suspicious to call Seymour Police at 203- 881-7624 or 203-881-7638. 

 



Photo Credit: Seymour Police

East Hartford Police Search for Missing Man

0
0

Police are searching for a 60-year-old East Hartford man who went missing four days ago.

Joseph Pappalardo was last seen at 10:30 a.m. March 13. Police said he may have been driving a green 2006 Toyota Avalon with Connecticut plates 111-ZMF.

Anyone with information on Pappalardo’s whereabouts is urged to contact East Hartford police at 860-528-4401 or submit a tip at 860-289-9134.



Photo Credit: East Hartford Police Department

Guardsman's LA Terror Plot Foiled

0
0

A California National Guardsman was captured Monday after an FBI investigation revealed a foiled plot to attack the Los Angeles subway system and plans to help al-Qaida, officials said.

Nicholas Michael Teausant, 20, of Acampo, Calif., was arrested near the Canadian border in Blaine, Wash. and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said in a news release.

Teausant is a student at San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton, officials said.

A reservist with the National Guard based in Stockton, Teausant went to the Canadian border in hopes of traveling to Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or al-Qaida, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Teausant's "training was minimal," and "due to his lack of required academic credits, he never attended basic training," the complaint alleged. He was in the process of being released by the National Guard,  but he has not yet been officially released and remains a reservist with the rank of "private," according to the complaint.

He allegedly said in a phone call that while on a post-Thanksgiving camping trip, his group discussed "hitting" Los Angeles subways with a targeted attack on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, according to the complaint.

According to prosecutors, Teausant made inquiries about buying fireworks "with the biggest boom" and subsequently texted a friend advising, "Don’t go to LA Anytime soo Akhi Please trust me on this… and if you do don’t use the subway."

When asked about what happened to the plan, Teausant said "they had been tipped off" and the plan was off, the complaint alleged, adding that he met his "contacts regarding the subway plan on Facebook" and "all these red flags are like popping in my head."

A five-month investigation found Teausant had "explored ways of supporting violent extremist activities and providing material support to various terrorist organizations, culminating in his attempt to join" al-Qaida, the complaint alleged.

Teausant allegedly told a confidant that "his goal was maximum fear and a maximum blow to the US government so he could watch it tumble and fall in the wake of a civil war," according to the complaint.

Teausant was making preparations to fight in Syria and told his confidant he planned to “train fighters in Syria to shoot properly,” according to the complaint. His plan allegedly involved first going to Canada via Greyhound to maintain a low profile.

Prosecutors allege that he confided to his source that he planned to travel during a school break, telling his mom he would be snowboarding at Mount Whistler in Canada, which would ease any concerns over his need for a passport.

If convicted, Teausant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.



Photo Credit: Nicholas Michael Teausant via Facebook

Stratford Teen Found With Stolen Smith & Wesson Gun

0
0

An 18-year-old from Stratford is facing charges after officers found him with one of the 111 guns stolen from the Smith & Wesson plant in 2012.

Christian King was arrested on weapons charges March 12 while officers confronted him as part of a drug dealing investigation, police said.

Officers found King in possession of a stolen .38-caliber handgun that was taken from Smith & Wesson in Springfield in Nov. 2012, according to police.

A Stratford truck driver was charged with stealing the guns and two other men were arrested for reportedly selling them in Bridgeport.

As of Nov. 2012,

King was charged with the theft of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit and fifth-degree larceny by possession.

He was also charged on an outstanding re-arrest warrant for failing to pay a ticket.

King was held on a $300,000 bond.



Photo Credit: Stratford Police Department

49ers Coach Vs. Walrus in Push-Ups

0
0

Who could win in a push-up contest: San Francisco 49ers football coach Jim Harbaugh or a walrus?

Well, you'll just have to determine the push-up champ yourself by watching a video Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo sent out Sunday showing just that: The coach versus the pinniped.

In an impromptu workout session, a 17-second video shows the 215-pound Harbaugh and the 1,750-pound Siku bending elbows – and flippers – while pressing and flexing their pecs. By Monday afternoon, the video had been seen more than 12,000 times, four times as many as in the morning.

Harbaugh was wearing not his trademark khaki slacks but rather a long-sleeved gray T-shirt and white striped shorts. He went nose-to-nose with the fleshy beast, shouting "Up, down! Up, down!" to Siku, who mimicked the coach, earning herself a raw fish. (Harbaugh declined a treat.)

Park spokeswoman Nancy Chan told NBC Bay Area that Harbaugh was visiting the park with his extended family from out of town and did several "animal meet-and-greets." He bottle-fed milk to a tiger, fed an elephant bananas, petted a dolphin and kissed a sea lion.

When marine mammal trainer Abby Warner showed Harbaugh that Siku could do situps and push-ups, Chan said the football coach said eagerly, "Can I do this?"


 

Chan said the whole thing was "so much fun," she just had to grab a video and post it on the theme park's YouTube channel, SFDKLandSeaSky . She asked Harbaugh's permission to send it out. He said sure.

"He was just so gracious," she said.

It was a different side of Harbaugh that fans don't usually get to see. The coach is more apt to be called high-strung and hard-nosed than quirky and whimsical. The push-up video had people like Connor Root tweeting out that it made him "dislike" Harbaugh "just a bit less."

Others were tweeting "Can't. Look. Away." ESPN's Travis Haney tweeted, "Yeah, but what sort of slacks was the walrus wearing?"

The football coach is no stranger to this amusement park. In June, he was at Discovery Kingdom, screaming "Jiminy Christmas" as he took a ride on the new Superman roller coaster.
 



Photo Credit: Nancy Chan

Woman Threatens Nieghbor With Knife, Boiling Peas

0
0

A 35-year-old Bridgeport woman is facing charges after threatening her neighbor with a knife and a pot of boiling peas, according to police.

Police said Mercedes Bowman and the 57-year-old victim both rent rooms in the same house at 941 Noble Avenue.

The victim told officers Bowman threw out food he asked her to cook for him, then threatened him with a kitchen knife and pot of boiling water.

He went back to his room and called police. Investigators said a witness confirmed the victim’s account.

Bowman was charged with threatening and breach of peace.



Photo Credit: Bridgeport Police Department

Bridgeport Man Shot in Knee

0
0

Police are investigating after a Bridgeport man was shot in the knee in the area of Gregory Street.

Elijah McDowell, who is in his early 20s, was shot around 4:30 p.m. Monday, according to police. He was driven to Bridgeport Hospital for treatment.

It’s not clear if police are following leads or have identified any suspects.

Authorities are investigating.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Man Found Dead in Windsor Motel

0
0

Windsor police are investigating the death of a Hartford man, and they are looking for the woman seen leaving his motel room early Sunday morning.

Police responded to Flamingo Inn, at 29 Windsor Avenue, in Windsor at 1:28 p.m. on Sunday when housekeepers found a man unresponsive in a room, police said.

Josue Maldonado, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they believe he is the son of State Rep. Minnie Gonzalez. 

Police said Maldonado checked into the Flamingo Inn around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. 

At 6:30 a.m., a female was seen leaving the room. 

Police said they found no signs of foul play. The office of the chief medical examiner will perform an autopsy.

Windsor police ask anyone who has information about the female seen leaving Maldonado’s room and information that can assist in determining the cause of death to call.

 

Police Respond to 84 Incidents at New Haven Parade

0
0

This year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in New Haven drew tens of thousands of spectators yesterday, and officers responded to 84 incidents, 36 of which were related to public or underage drinking, police said.

According to police, 40 people were taken to the hospital after drinking too much, 20 people were taken into custody and others received court summonses and infractions.

Nonetheless, police said parade-goers were much more “cooperative” than in previous years.

“What we saw were the expected skirmishes between intoxicated green clad partiers,” said New Haven police spokesman Officer David Hartman, in a statement. “What we didn’t see were the bar brawls of several years past.”

Hartman said the rowdiness was in part mitigated by the fact that bars and pubs stopped serving alcohol for a period of time starting at 6 p.m.

“The break enables Officers to persuade downtown visitors that hangovers are unpleasant and the best prevention is a good nights [sic] rest,” Hartman said.

New Haven police officers were assigned to 130 posts along the parade route and in the downtown entertainment district.

Other city departments present during the parade included the Downtown Special Services District; Transportation, Traffic & Parking; Fire Department; Public Works; Health Department; Emergency Management and the Livable City Initiative.

A dozen state Department of Consumer Protection Liquor Control Agents also attended.

The St. Patrick's Day parade in New Haven is the largest single-day spectator event in the state.

Thieves Targeting Cars Along Shoreline

0
0

Thieves are targeting cars along the shoreline, Madison police are urging shoreline residents to lock their car doors.

Police are investigating two stolen car incidents and several other thefts from motor vehicles.

This morning, officers discovered a car stolen from Rhode Island last Thursday parked behind the Stop & Shop at 136 Samson Rock Road in Madison, police said.

The car was bearing Connecticut dealer plates DG790, which were stolen March 15, according to police.

While investigating the abandoned car, a police K-9 picked up a track leading officers to a home on Windward Lane. Police simultaneously received the report that a red-and-gray 2005 Chevy K1500 with Connecticut plates 544-HXJ was stolen from the home.

Police said it’s not clear whether the two incidents are related.

Although these were the only two stolen cars reported in Madison, police are also investigating a large number of thefts from motor vehicles in Madison, Branford, Guilford another other towns in the region.

Madison police said they received five reports of thefts in a single night.

All the thefts in Madison were of unlocked cars, police said. There has been no forced entry.

Police are reminding residents to lock their vehicles and remove valuables.

Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call Madison Police Officers Dolce or Martin at 203-245-2721.

New Haven Student Threatens to Blow Up School: Police

0
0

An 18-year-old from New Haven is facing charges after threatening to blow up Wilbur Cross High School, where he is a student, according to police.

Police said Wilifredo Gonzalez, of Greenwich Avenue in New Haven, called 911 around 9:10 a.m. Monday and told the dispatcher he was going to blow up the school, which is located at 181 Mitchell Drive.

He later confessed to making that call and a previous threat the morning of March 4, authorities said.

In the meantime, students and staff were evacuated from the school while officers investigated. No immediate danger was found and the school reopened after about an hour and a half.

Police said Gonzalez struggled with officers while they were arresting him.

He’s charged with second-degree breach of peace, falsely reporting an incident, misuse of a 911 call and interfering with officers.

Gonzalez will also be charged in connection with the March 4 incident.



Photo Credit: Google Maps

Hartford Police Investigate Double Shooting

0
0

Hartford police are investigating after two people were shot on Garden Street this evening.

Police said the two men received non-life threatening injuries after they were shot in the area of 650 Garden Street in Hartford.

The victims have not been identified.

No additional information was immediately available.

Authorities are investigating. 


View Larger Map

 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Korean War Veteran Gets Forgotten Medals

0
0

When the Pentagon gave out medals to veterans of the Korean War, somebody overlooked Howard Lunt.  

Lunt put his sergeant's stripes away after he returned to Connecticut and got down to business, running Lunt's Market in Andover and Columbia.

"I was in the Korean War and they call that the forgotten war," Lunt said. 

He doesn't need five medals to remember the forgotten war.  He can point to pictures in his scrapbook of men who died young in Korea, and of himself when he was drafted into the army at age 20. 

Now 82, Lunt learned recently he was still entitled to the decorations.

"At first I said no and then I said, what the hell, I've been waiting 60 years, I might as well have someone give them to me," Lunt said.

So Rep. Joe Courtney awarded Howard Lunt his medals, mounted and framed – decorations that should have been awarded still can be awarded, even if the veterans are no longer living.

"You know this is something that, with a little bit of effort, we can get the paperwork lined up," Courtney said. "Not only Mr. Lunt, but his family now will have this."

Lunt and his wife Ann have five children and 11 grandchildren.

"I didn't meet him til after the war, but I hope that no one ever has to go to war, because today he lives with it like it was yesterday," said Ann Lunt. "I just wish there were never wars, because it destroys them for their whole lives. You never get over those things. At least he never did."

Lunt served in the Army from 1952 to 1953 and was assigned to George Company, 3rd Batallion, 3rd Division, according to a release from Courtney's office.

Server Stole Credit Card Info: Cops

0
0

A waitress at a Dave & Busters restaurant on Long Island has been arrested along with three accomplices, accused of stealing customers' credit card information with a skimming device, police say. 

The 19-year-old employee of the restaurant on Old Country Road in Westbury used a skimming device to obtain credit card information from customers beginning on March 1, police said. 

She then passed the information on to three men, who went on to make purchases at a mall, police said. 

Police began investigating when a customer reported fraudulent charges on their credit card bill. 

It's not clear how many credit card numbers the waitress, identified as Tressa Walker, stole during the two weeks in question.

A fellow employee at the restaurant said Walker was no longer employed there. A message left with Dave & Busters' corporate office by NBC 4 New York has not been returned. 

Walker is expected to be arraigned next week, while the three other suspects have been arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead. It's not clear if she has an attorney.

-- Brynn Gingras contributed to this report. 

Victims of Voyeur Want Him Out of Their Neighborhood

0
0

Victims of a convicted Marlborough voyeur are speaking up about what they've endured and how they're terrorized by the fact that he remains in the neighborhood.

"I felt that he had lured me into the situation. I am one of his victims," Linda Fisher said of William Myers, who was convicted Friday in Hartford Superior Court of two counts of voyeurism.

Fisher thought she knew her 74-year-old neighbor but was shocked to discover he'd secretly taken pictures of her and others in his bathroom for years.

"How he lured me into this and the things he did to make it happen, I got more and more angry," she said.

Fisher explained that Myers invited her and others over to swim in his pool time and time again. With cameras hidden inside a tissue box in the bathroom, Myers got what he was looking for.

"I hope he is punished heavily for this. I really do," said Randall Dumas, whose mother owns the home where Myers taped the women.

She was Myers' girlfriend and became another one of his victims. She also has Alzheimer's.

"[She] just did not have any control of the situation, could not say no, could not do anything to stop him," said Dumas.

State police arrested Myers almost a year ago on a number of charges, including 112 counts of voyeurism.

Fisher said even after Myers reached a plea deal Friday and was convicted, she sees him around because Myers remains in his Marlborough home.

"When I see him walking around our neighborhood with his head held high like he never did anything wrong, I've gotten more angry," said Fisher. "It makes me feel awful. I don't feel safe. I feel like he might be looking in the window. I'm afraid to go outside at night."

Dumas says unfortunately Myers has legal grounds to remain there at this time and they're currently sharing his childhood home. His mom now lives elsewhere to be properly cared for.

Just like his neighbors, Dumas wants the man out.

"Rot in jail, rot in hell, and stay out of our lives," said Dumas.

Myers' next court date is set for June.

Fisher says if he does not leave the neighborhood she'll issue her own civil suit against him.



Photo Credit: Facebook

"Affluenza" Lawsuits Settled

0
0

Families of the victims killed by an affluent teenage drunken driver have settled multiple lawsuits.

The families of Hollie and Shelby Boyles, as well as the family of Breanna Mitchell, have settled for an undisclosed amount of money in the intoxication manslaughter lawsuits involving Ethan Couch, who was 16 at the time of the wreck, and his parents.

Couch was drunk while driving a pick-up truck in June 2013 when he lost control and plowed into a group of people helping a stranded driver along Burleson-Retta Road in Tarrant County.

The crash killed four pedestrians 43-year-old Burleson youth minister Brian Jennings, Breanna Mitchell, 24, Shelby Boyles, 21, and her 52-year-old mother, Hollie Boyles. Nine others were also injured.

Couch's blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit at .24, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department. Although, it's illegal for anyone under 21 years of age to drive with any amount of alcohol in their system. There were also traces of Valium in his system.

Couch was ordered to a rehabilitation facility in early February for an undetermined amount of time, and spared further jail time. The facility would be paid for by his parents.

The case sparked outrage after the defense argued Couch suffered from a condition called "affluenza." Defense attorneys claimed the teenager had no sense of responsibility due to lack of parenting, which affected his judgment.

Couch still faces charges of intoxication assault related to other victims' cases. 

State Leaders Fight Heroin Epidemic

0
0

State leaders are taking new steps to stop a heroin epidemic and have asked Congress to step in and help.

Officials say heroin is a growing problem in Connnecticut, and Hartford police have made several busts in the last few weeks.

“The overdoses in Hartford are on a very significant increase,” said Hartford police spokesman Deputy Chief Brian Foley.

Authorities said many of the heroin batches have been laced with Fentanyl, a painkiller that boosts the high and is difficult to police.

“The drugs are always going to be there until we are provided the right amount of resources to attack the problem,” Foley said.

Local rehab centers said they don't have the resources either, and patients are in desperate need of help.

“Funding for that is crucial for us,” said William Young of the Alcohol Drug Recovery Center.

Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal just announced a plan to attack the heroin epidemic that started to surface in the last year.

“It ruins lives, it ruins families," Murphy said. "We’ve got to get serious about this right now.”

The senators said they would ask Congress for money, but the amount hadn’t been decided. The goal was to get more funding for treatment facilities, so they could give more support to heroin addicts.

That money would also go to the police departments, allowing them to create task forces to find heroin suppliers and get them off the streets.

The senators also pushed to make the drugs that can stop a heroin overdose more accessible.

“We've seen a doubling of number of people in Connecticut have died from heroin overdoses and that's unacceptable,” Murphy said.

Doctors who treat patients who have overdosed said the extra resources are critical to save lives.

Viewing all 57608 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images