The Baltimore Orioles won their first AL East crown since 1997, using home runs by Steve Pearce and Jimmy Paredes to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 Tuesday night before a boisterous crowd of 35,297 at Camden Yards.

With their ninth win in 10 games, the Orioles clinched their second playoff appearance in three years following a run of 14 consecutive losing seasons.

Afterward, the Orioles converged behind second base, fireworks soared in the outfield and streamers sprayed throughout the crowd.

It was Baltimore's ninth AL East title and only its second since 1983, when the Orioles last won the World Series.

The franchise has enjoyed a rebirth under the guidance of manager Buck Showalter, whose 1,254th victory thrust him past mentor Billy Martin into sole possession of 36th place on the career list.

Baltimore is 42-23 in a division that includes the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox, the free-spending New York Yankees and pitching-rich Tampa Bay. The Orioles led by only four games on Aug. 6 before going on a 27-11 run.

The clinching victory featured an unlikely list of contributors, not at all unusual for a team that often delved deep into its 25-man roster. Ubaldo Jimenez was making his first start in a month; Pearce has morphed from a bit-player to a key starter; and Paredes didn't join the team until Aug. 28.

Pearce provided the Orioles with the lead for good with a three-run drive off Drew Hutchison (10-12) in the first inning. Pearce has 18 home runs this year, one more than he had in 290 games as a part-timer from 2007-13.

Paredes hit a solo shot in the second to make it 4-2. It was his second homer in 10 games with Baltimore.

In addition, newcomer Alejandro De Aza hit a three-run triple in the seventh for a 7-2 lead. De Aza came to the Orioles in an Aug. 30 trade with the Chicago White Sox.

Jimenez (5-9) survived a rocky start to limit the Blue Jays to two runs and two hits over five innings in his third start since July 5. After signing a $50 million, four-year deal in the offseason, Jimenez struggled with his control for much of the season, sprained his ankle in a parking lot before the All-Star break and ultimately lost his place in the rotation.

Pressed into service because the Orioles played a doubleheader Friday, Jimenez issued four walks in the first two innings. But he bounced back to retire his last 10 batters.

Orioles fans have until Friday to register for a ticket lottery online. Winners will be notifed next Wednesday.

Detectives have been searching a Virginia property for the past week in connection with the infamous disappearance of two young Maryland sisters decades ago.

The Lyon sisters -- Sheila, 12, and Katherine, 10 -- vanished March 25, 1975, from a Wheaton shopping center.

Montgomery County, Maryland, authorities have been searching a property located in Bedford County, Virginia, between Lynchburg and Roanoke since last week. It was once owned by the family of Lloyd Lee Welch, Jr., who is also known as Michael Welch. 

In February, Welch, 57, was named a person of interest in the Lyon sisters' disappearance. During a news conference Wednesday, police announced Welch's family members are also being investigated in connection with the Lyon girls' disappearance. They've zeroed in on Taylor Mountain, where they are looking to recover evidence "that will hold those that harmed those girls responsible in a court of law."

Detectives have not found any remains, sources said.

The Bedford County Sheriff's Office confirmed that officers were assisting Montgomery County Police "with a homicide investigation."

They've said they're "very confident" they're close to finding out exactly what happened to the sisters.

The Bedford Sheriff's office also said cold case investigators had traveled to the area last week to meet with Bedford County authorities and Virginia State Police.

The Lyon sisters' case is etched into the memories of several generations of Washington-area families. It shattered a sense of safety in the D.C. suburbs and made parents afraid to let their children out of their sight.

• Lyon Sisters' Disappearance Rocked Maryland Neighborhoods

On March 25, 1975, the Lyon sisters had a planned a day at a local shopping center. They were on spreak break, and wanted to get some pizza for lunch and see the Easter decorations at Wheaton Plaza, now known as Westfield Wheaton mall.

With less than $4, they left their home in Kensington, Maryland and walked the half-mile or so to Wheaton Plaza.

There, a friend saw the girls outside the Orange Bowl restaurant with an older man who had a tape recorder and a briefcase, according to news and missing persons reports.

The girls were later spotted walking home, but by their 4 p.m. curfew, they hadn't arrived. By 7 p.m. that night, police had been called.

Later, a composite sketch was distributed of the man who seen talking to them. Tips flowed in, but to no avail.

Sheila and Katherine were never seen again.

• Break in Decades-Old Disappearance of Lyon Sisters: PD

In February, police identified a person of interest in connection with their disappearance. Lloyd Lee Welch Jr., aka Michael Welch, is a convicted sex offender who has been in prison in Delaware since 1997 on a rape conviction. Welch was noticed paying attention to the sisters the afternoon they vanished, investigators said.

"Even though so much time has passed, we have not forgotten that those young girls deserve justice, and their family deserves closure," said Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger in February.

Welch is originally from the D.C. area. Between the 1970s and the mid-1990s, he traveled extensively through the United States while working for a carnival company with his girlfriend Helen Craver, police said.

Welch was charged with raping juveniles in Virginia and South Carolina. He was also arrested in a burglary not far from Wheaton Plaza. He was known to hitchhike throughout the D.C. area.

Many people who grew up in the area remember the disappearance of the sisters, and how deeply it shook their sense of safety.

"It was just stunning. It could have been anybody's kids," said Charleen Merkel earlier this year while shopping at Westfield Wheaton.

"It brings back a lot of memories of being scared growing up," said another shopper, who did not give her name.

In an era when children frequently walked to school and elsewhere alone, parents started keeping their children inside.

"The Community Just Held Its Breath"

In 2005, 30 years after the girls' disappearance, police spoke about the frustration of never being able to solve a case that struck such an emotional chord for the community and for themselves.

The Lyon sisters' older brother, Jay, became a police officer.

"It's a hit-home case," Philip C. Raum, a longtime law enforcement officer in Montgomery County who headed the police's Major Crimes Unit for four years, told Montgomery County's Gazette newspaper in an article on the 30th anniversary of the disappearance.

The girls' father, John Lyon was a popular radio personality on WMAL in Bethesda and performer. 

Radio personality Chris Core had just started working with him at WMAL when the girls disappeared.

"It's in that group of moments where the community just held its breath," Core told the Gazette in 2005.

"Partly because John was a well-known celebrity and partly because here are two innocent little girls going to the mall and disappear off the face of the earth, never to be heard from again."

Baltimore author Laura Lippman wrote a 2007 novel, "What the Dead Know," after being inspired by the Lyon case.

"The story... happened when I was a teenager, not much older than the girls who disappeared (the Lyon sisters) and living in a similarly 'safe' suburb," Lippman wrote in a chat on GoodReads.com. "It resonated very deeply with me."

Copyright Associated Press / NBC Connecticut

Driving rain and wind socked the Inland Empire Tuesday afternoon, flooding streets, school buildings, a school track and a general aviation airport and causing havoc for drivers.

It rained up to 30 minutes in neighborhood Canyon Lake, just east of Lake Elsinore.

The rain flooded roadways in minutes.

Some roads were nearly covered in water, making driving conditions extremely dangerous.

At Elsinore High School in Wildomar, about 20 classrooms suffered water damage. Crews were working late into the night Tuesday to remove water, but the school has implemented a contingency plan and reassigned classrooms for Wednesday.

Heavy winds also caused damage. An outhouse was blown apart and exploded onto the track at Elsinore High School.

Wind knocked down power lines and trees.

Karen Fisher was getting gas for her generator because her power was out.

"It was hot, really hot out," Fisher said. "All of a sudden, it came in like crazy. It just started raining ... like little droplets. And it looks like everything is flooding right now."

A large limb knocked out power for several hours in the area. 

"It looked like a tornado," said Crystal Tibideau. "The winds got really, really strong. We had our trash cans that blew all the way across the parking lot. It's zero visibility. It was really crazy."

Gadi Schwartz contributed to this report.

Police have arrested the suspect in a Rhode Island bank robbery who was found hiding out in a Groton motel.

Lawrence M. Sullivan, 36, has been charged as a fugitive from justice. He’s accused of robbing the Washington Trust Bank in Westerly, Rhode Island, on Monday, then heading to Connecticut.

Groton police said authorities in Westerly contacted them Tuesday for help in tracking him down.

Police from Groton Town, Groton City, Westerly and Ledyard, along with Connecticut State Police, searched the Super 8 Motel on Route 12 in Groton around 4 p.m. Tuesday. They set up a perimeter and brought in K-9s.

Sullivan was taken into custody after a four-hour search, according to police.

He was charged as a fugitive from justice and held at Groton Town police headquarters in lieu of $500,000 bond.

Sullivan will face a judge in court tomorrow.

Police arrested a thief in the Times Square subway station Tuesday after they watched him pickpocketing a sleeping woman on live video, the NYPD said.

The thief apparently saw the woman sleeping on a bench on the subway platform just after 12:30 a.m.  and went to sit behind her, according to police.

Video shows a man slowly and deliberately reaching into the woman's pocket and pulling out a cellphone.

An officer monitoring the department's closed-circuit camera system at the subway station saw the theft in progress and alerted a patrol officer nearby.

That officer arrived on the scene and arrested the suspect, identified as Juvian Rodriguez.

Police said Rodriguez has 38 prior arrests on charges including grand larceny, assault and drugs. He was on parole for grand larceny at the time of his arrest, police said.

It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney.

The woman who was caught on camera stealing an angel statue from a Middletown, Connecticut, grave site over the weekend has turned herself in, police say.

The woman's friends saw her photo in a news report and urged her to confess, according to police. She showed up at police headquarters Tuesday evening and turned over the statue, which depicts an angel holding a puppy.

According to Middletown police Capt. Gary Wallace, the woman was driving through Calvary Cemetery on Bow Lane thinking about her own ailing loved ones on Saturday when she spotted the grave site and pulled over.

"She had an ill friend and another family member that wasn't doing well, and then decided when she saw the statue... that it just reminded her of her ill family," said Wallace. "And when she saw the statue, she just decided to take it."

The statue is now at the police department and will soon be returned to its rightful place alongside the headstone of 19-year-old Brandon Reeve, a Middletown High School graduate who died in a motorcycle crash in 2004.

According to police, the family set up a hidden camera after Reeve's headstone was defaced a couple years ago.

"It was vandalized once before," said James Reeve, Brandon Reeve's father. "The stone was tipped over once. Things were stolen. Somebody had the nerve one time to take one of the bigger statues and then the following week take the second one."

James Reeve said the camera has been in place for more than two years – and on Saturday, it finally came in handy.

"We're just keeping his name and memory alive," James Reeve explained. "I don't know why anyone would want to do this to us."

Video footage shows a woman, who has shoulder-length blonde hair with bangs, driving up the grave site in a white SUV, stopping to pick up the statue and driving off with it, police said.

Although the statue is valued at $100, police said “the sentimental value is priceless.”

James Reeve said this angel watched over his son's grave for nearly 10 years.

Now the family is struggling to make sense of the crime.

"It's sacrilegious to do that to gravestones," James Reeve said. "I don't get it. I really don't understand it. If you've got a problem with me, come see me."

Police said the woman, who has not been charged, is apologetic. Wallace said she didn't realize a camera was rolling.

"She was very surprised, from what I understand, when they talked to her, but she was very remorseful," he said. "She wants the family to know it was a huge mistake and she just wasn't thinking."

Brandon Reeve graduated from Middletown High School in 2002. A scholarship fund has been set up in his honor and golf tournaments are held every summer in his memory.

A water main burst on Highway 140 in East Windsor at Dean Avenue.

The water is off and the road is open, police said.

The father of a New Britain teen who was raped while walking home from a friend’s house earlier this month is begging the public to help find her attacker and said the family won’t feel safe until he’s behind bars.

“Any father out there will understand that this is our worst nightmare, and I happen to live it every day,” said the girl’s dad, who spoke exclusively with NBC Connecticut.

His 18-year-old daughter was randomly attacked while walking on West Main Street in New Britain the night of Sept. 6, and the suspect – 24-year-old Antonio Ponder – is still on the loose. She was badly beaten, sexually assaulted and robbed.

Her father said she stumbled home "completely disfigured from all the beating, crying out loud, 'Help, they raped me.'"

“She’s afraid to go out. She’s afraid of him seeing her, afraid of him finding her,” he explained. "She really, really needs to know he's away and he won't hurt her anymore."

Since the victim stands a mere 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighs just 85 pounds, she had no hope of fending off her attacker, according to her father.

“She’s got the appearance of a 12- or 13-year-old,” her dad said. “I can’t understand how someone would do this.”

Ponder is a convicted felon who has ties to both Hartford and New Britain, according to police. He currently lives in Hartford and police have reason to believe he's in the area.

Police consider him a danger to the public and are asking for the public’s help in tracking him down. He’s wanted on charges of first-degree sexual assault, third-degree robbery and third-degree assault.

“Only a monster would attack someone like that,” her father said. “I am petrified for my family.”

Anyone with information on the attack is urged to call Hartford police at 860-757-4089 or New Britain police at 860-826-3000.

You can also call the anonymous New Britain Community Tip Line at 860-826-3199 or submit a tip online.

Center Road School in Vernon was evacuated this morning because of a gas leak at the meter outside of the school.

The school was evacuated at 8:15 a.m.

The Vernon police and fire departments, as well as the gas company, responded and the gas was turned off. 

The evacuation was over by 8:45 a.m. and students and staff returned to the building. 

Students at Wolcott High School were dismissed at 10 a.m. due to a gas odor.

The school was evacuated around 8:30 a.m. after the odor was detected.

The superintendent went to the high school to evaluate the situation, according to school officials.

The high school is located at 457 Boundline Road.
 

Continental Tire the Americas, LLC is recalling several types of Continental motorcycle front wheel tires.

The recall is due to a possible separation between the tread, belt and carcass, which could result in a loss of tire inflation pressure, increasing the risk of a motorcycle crash.

The affected tires include: ContiAttack SM, ContiSportAttack, ContiSportAttack2, ContiRaceAttack Comp. Soft, ContiRaceAttack Comp. Medium, ContiRaceAttack Comp. Endurance, and ContiRoadAttack 2 GTW motorcycle tires, in sizes 120/70ZR17 and 120/70R17.

The recall covers about 8,070 tires sold in the U.S. and Canada between 2007 and 2014, Continental said. It's part of a worldwide program affecting 170,000 tires.

Continental has not received any reports of accidents or injuries, but the safety recall is to avoid any potential risk to road-users, the company said on its website.

Continental said it willy notify owners and dealers will replace the recalled tries with new ones free of charge.

For more information on the recall, visit Continental’s website or call 1-800-847-3349.

After a 20-year partnership with the Rock Cats, the Minnesota Twins are splitting from their Double-A affiliate in New Britain, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

No information has been released about a new affiliation, but Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra released a statement about the team being affiliated with the Colorado Rockies.

“This is more great news for Hartford. We welcome the Colorado Rockies to Connecticut. We’re excited about yet another step forward towards the redevelopment of Downtown North,” Segarra said.

Twins general manager Terry Ryan spoke with the Pioneer Press on Saturday about the split with the local team.

“We had to do something (by Thursday’s deadline) and we did,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan told the Pioneer Press on Saturday. “We ended up severing. I’m not going to deny. Yeah, we severed, but that doesn’t mean anything. I wouldn’t read too much into that.”

According to the Pioneer Press, the Twins still have the option of negotiating a two-year agreement with the Rock Cats, which are eyeing a move to Hartford in 2016.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty out in New Britain right now,” Ryan told the Pioneer Press. “I don’t think anybody knows if they’re going to move to Hartford. That’s about the only reason we severed is there’s a lot of uncertainty with the affiliate right now. The new owners are fantastic. That’s not the issue. Everything is fine, but there’s a lot of uncertainty.”

Conversely, the Twins could enter into a new agreement with one of six other Double-A teams still searching for major league partners, including teams in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Mobile, Alabama; and Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Pioneer Press reports.

The Twins have until the end of the month to select their Double-A partner.

“We’re out looking,” Ryan said, according to the Pioneer Press. “Whether or not we end up going elsewhere, we’re out looking. There's a few affiliates that are open. Not a lot, but we're exploring some things. I'm not sure exactly where we're going to land, or whether we might end up back in New Britain."

The Rock Cats said the decision by the Twins will not affect team operations.

"Per Major League Baseball Guidelines, the Player Development Contract cannot be discussed publicly until a final deal is reached. Rest assured, the Rock Cats will have a Double-A Major League affiliate playing in New Britain next April," said Josh Solomon, Managing Partner, New Britain Rock Cats.

New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart released a statement and mentioned a Hartford Courant report about the team signing with the Rockies.

“For nearly 20 years, New Britain has hosted the Minnesota Twins AA affiliate. While it is unfortunate they now feel compelled to cut those ties, I am relieved to hear that the Colorado Rockies AA affiliate may call New Britain home in the 2015 season. Between our fans, our facilities, and our willingness to work with ownership, this City has proven that a minor league ball club can be very successful right here in New Britain. We thank the Twins for their partnership over the years and we would welcome the Rockies organization to Hard Hittin’ New Britain!,” Stewart said in a statement.

A fast-moving wildfire ripping through the small Northern California town of Weed has destroyed more than 150 homes, churches and structures, injured three and charred 375 acres, Cal Fire crews said.

As of early Wednesday morning, the devastating Boles Fire along Siskiyou County's Boles Creek was 25 percent contained. Cal Fire officials said any information as to the cause of the fire could be worth a $10,000 reward.

Evacuation orders were still in place, and residents were asked to temporarily find shelter at the Mt. Shasta Armory. Highway 97 also remained closed.

Mary Niblock was one of the nearly 3,000 people forced to flee. Despite the major loss, she was thankful to the almost 970 fire personnel were battling the fire, which was reported on Monday. Firefighters received a standing ovation Tuesday night during a community meeting.

"There aren't enough brownies in the world," she told NBC Bay Area. "You can't thank them enough. They saved the town."

Much of the town, however, suffered major damage. That includes many homes, a Catholic Church and the Grace Community Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and part of the elementary and high schools. Their scorched remains were reduced to gray ash and rubble. Burned out vans, cars, stoves and other residential belongings were littered throughout residential neighborhoods.

Much of the challenge to fighting the fire was due to the weather, including gusting winds and low humidity. Winds gusting at up to 40 mph were pushing the flames toward the city of Weed, which sits at the base of Mount Shasta, halfway between San Francisco and Portland.

The city is known for its funny jokes about "weed" and more historically, as a lumber town.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

 Anyone with information should contact 1-800-468-4408.

The 21-year-old Wethersfield resident arrested in connection with a bomb threat at UConn and several other swatting cases is due back in court in December.

Matthew Tollis was arrested on federal charges on Sept. 10 and is accused of being involved in at least six "swatting" incidents, including a bomb threat at UConn and other schools in New Jersey, Florida, Texas and Massachusetts, according to the the U.S. Attorney's Office.

He has been placed on house arrest and is forbidden from using electronic devices, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Tollis is due back in court on Dec, 22

He has been appointed a third-party custodian and is required to remain on home confinement with electric monitoring, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Tollis is not allowed access to phones, computers, gaming devices or other electronics with Internet capabilities. Other devices in the house must remain password protected, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

He must undergo a mental health evaluation and counseling and is not allowed to have contact with other people involved in the incident, including the online community known as "Team Crucifix or Die," (TCOD), of which he was a part.

TCOD is comprised of X-Box gamers who use Skype to call in false bomb threats, hostage situations, gun scares and mass murders, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

• Read the Affidavit

Tollis was arrested Sept. 3 on state charges in connection with the April 3 bomb threat at UConn, which sparked a “multiple hour, campus-wide lockdown” that drew UConn police, a state police bomb squad and SWAT teams to the scene, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Morning classes were canceled and a Tasker admissions official pulled the fire alarm to evacuate the building, according to court documents.

School officials said the caller claimed someone had planted explosives in the building the night before and wanted to “kill people.” Tollis is not a UConn student and said he believed the school was targeted because of the success of the men and women's basketball teams, which won NCAA championships.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says TCOD members have been found responsible for six additional swatting incidents in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Three of the suspects live in the United Kingdom and have made swatting calls from abroad.

The FBI is working with UK officials to identify those suspects.

Tollis is charged with conspiring to engage in a bomb threat hoax, aiding and abetting a bomb threat hoax and aiding and abetting the malicious conveying of false information regarding an attempt or alleged attempt to kill, injure or intimidate or to unlawfully damage or destroy a building or personal property by means of an explosive.

He could face a total of 15 years in prison if convicted on federal charges.

There is a crash on Interstate 84 West in Waterbury and state Department of Transportation cameras show traffic crawling by.

A car rolled over between exits 17 and 18. No injuries are reported.

South Windsor police have arrested a 42-year-old babysitter who is accused of stealing checks and jewelry from a family she was babysitting for.

Police started investigating in July 2014 when a resident reported that checks and jewelry had been stolen from his home. 

He told police he suspected that their family babysitter, Karen Broderick, of Glastonbury, was responsible. 

When police interviewed Broderick, she admitted stealing and cashing checks, but denied taking the missing jewelry, police said.

Police served an arrest warrant on Tuesday afternoon and Broderick was charged with third-degree identity theft, third-degree larceny and third-degree forgery. 

She was released on $8,000 surety bond and is scheduled to appear at Manchester Superior Court on September 25.
 

A 58-year-old woman who was badly injured in East Hampton might have been kicked by a horse, according to state police.

The major crimes unit responded to White Birch Farm on White Birch Road, an equestrian facility, early on Wednesday morning, according to state police.

A neighbor said the woman had been beaten and was bloody when she came out of the house early Wednesday morning, and was taken away in an ambulance.

East Hampton Police called state police at 3:45 a.m. to assist with the investigation at the home.

Now, police are looking into the possibility that the woman might have been kicked by a horse, police said.

The woman sustained multiple injuries and has been taken to St. Francis Hospital, according to state police.

Students at West Haven High School were dismissed at 11:15 a.m due to a power outage.

The outage also affected the Edith E Mackrille Elementary School, but students there are not being dismissed early, according to the superintendent's office.

The high school students were dismissed because they would have had to walk through dark hallways to get from class to class, the superintendent said.  All the schools games and sports practices have been canceled except for football. The team will practice today, according to a Tweet from the school department.

The elementary students were able to remain in one classroom, so there was not a need to dismiss them early.

A transformer problem at a business on Jones Hill Road is causing the power outage, the superintendent said.

Officials from United Illuminating told the West Haven Fire Department that there are major transformer issues. 

One was replaced when another power line came down. So far, three different lines have come down and lost power. The power outage is mainly affecting the West Shore area and power could be out longer than originally thought, officials said.

United Illuminating took Bailey Middle School offline as crews work to repair transformers, but students were not sent home because this happened near the end of the day. 

A firefighter will be stationed at the school because of the power outage.

After a 20-year partnership, the Minnesota Twins are splitting with the Rock Cats and a new agreement is in place with the Colorado Rockies.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported over the weekend that the Twins were splitting from their Double-A affiliate in New Britain. On Wednesday, the Rock Cats said they reached an agreement with the Rockies for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

“This is more great news for Hartford. We welcome the Colorado Rockies to Connecticut. We’re excited about yet another step forward towards the redevelopment of Downtown North,” Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra said in a statement.

Twins general manager Terry Ryan spoke with the Pioneer Press on Saturday about the split with the local team.

“We had to do something (by Thursday’s deadline) and we did,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan told the Pioneer Press on Saturday. “We ended up severing. I’m not going to deny. Yeah, we severed, but that doesn’t mean anything. I wouldn’t read too much into that.”

According to the Pioneer Press, the Twins still had the option of negotiating a two-year agreement with the Rock Cats, which are eyeing a move to Hartford in 2016.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty out in New Britain right now,” Ryan told the Pioneer Press. “I don’t think anybody knows if they’re going to move to Hartford. That’s about the only reason we severed is there’s a lot of uncertainty with the affiliate right now. The new owners are fantastic. That’s not the issue. Everything is fine, but there’s a lot of uncertainty.”

Rock Cats owner Josh Solomon said “The Rockies have the same values that are important to the Rock Cats in community service and have also done a great job in player development.”

“We are excited to welcome our new Major League partner the Colorado Rockies. Our fans will finally
have the opportunity to see a National League brand of baseball for the first time in franchise history,”
said Rock Cats General Manager Tim Restall.

Conversely, the Twins could enter into a new agreement with one of six other Double-A teams still searching for major league partners, including teams in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Mobile, Alabama; and Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Pioneer Press reports.

The Twins have until the end of the month to select their Double-A partner.

“We’re out looking,” Ryan said, according to the Pioneer Press. “Whether or not we end up going elsewhere, we’re out looking. There's a few affiliates that are open. Not a lot, but we're exploring some things. I'm not sure exactly where we're going to land, or whether we might end up back in New Britain."

The Rock Cats said the decision by the Twins will not affect team operations.

"Per Major League Baseball Guidelines, the Player Development Contract cannot be discussed publicly until a final deal is reached. Rest assured, the Rock Cats will have a Double-A Major League affiliate playing in New Britain next April," Solomon said.

New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart also released a statement about the team signing with the Rockies.

“For nearly 20 years, New Britain has hosted the Minnesota Twins AA affiliate. While it is unfortunate they now feel compelled to cut those ties, I am relieved to hear that the Colorado Rockies AA affiliate may call New Britain home in the 2015 season. Between our fans, our facilities, and our willingness to work with ownership, this City has proven that a minor league ball club can be very successful right here in New Britain. We thank the Twins for their partnership over the years and we would welcome the Rockies organization to Hard Hittin’ New Britain!,” Stewart said in a statement.

The Torrey Life Sciences Building and the Pharmacy/Biology Building at UConn in Storrs have been evacuated until further notice, according to the school’s Facebook page.

The UConn Fire Department is working with a vendor to contain a leak in a helium cylinder, so the buildings were evacuated as a precaution, according to the school’s Facebook page.

Visit http://alert.uconn.edu/ for updates.