In his debut as the permanent anchor of "NBC Nightly News," Lester Holt thanked viewers for their loyalty and support for the program.

"Tonight, this program has a new name, and I'm honored to say, a new anchor," Holt, who had been subbing for Brian Williams since his predecessor's suspension in February, said at the end of Monday's show. "Your loyalty and viewership during this difficult time has been appreciated by all of us on this program."

NBC announced last week that Williams will not return to his job as "Nightly News" anchor more than four months after he was suspended for misrepresenting his experiences as a journalist, but will serve as a breaking news anchor at MSNBC.

Holt took over that position permanently. He is the first African-American to be the sole anchor of a network evening newscast. 

Holt thanked Williams during Monday's broadcast "for his kind words of support."

Earlier in the day, Holt received a flurry of congratulations from his colleagues and his family as he was getting ready take over the "Nightly" anchor chair.

He was surprised by his wife and two sons on NBC's "Today" show as they all celebrated his achievements and his 15 years at NBC. 

Even NBC Chicago’s Stefan Holt appeared live from Chicago on the show to congratulate his father.

“So happy for you dad, so proud and excited for this new opportunity,” he said.

“It’s funny looking at Stefan because if you had asked my which Holt would someday be a network news anchor of a nightly show I would have thought Stefan,” Lester Holt replied. 

Holt’s family said they’re excited to have him home on the weekends now and they’re looking forward to the new journey.

“What we do sometimes takes a lot of time from family, we’ve got to answer that bell and they’ve been by me, my strength and my rock and they’ve been very supportive in this period of uncertainty,” he said.

This TV station is owned by parent company NBCUniversal. 

The Department of Agriculture has seized nine malnourished horses, more than 30 cats and two dogs from a property on Towns End Road in Newtown and the animals' owners are facing possible criminal charges.

The agriculture department launched an investigation after receiving complaints about poor living and health conditions for horses at 40 Towns End Road, such as inadequate food, water and shelter for the animals, according to a news release from the state agency.

The property owner, Steve Gabriel, 53, owns seven of the horses seized and Patricia Whitehead, 60, of Darien, owns two of the others.

A Danbury Superior Court judge signed off on a search and seizure warrant, so the department removed nine horses from the property, according to the agriculture department. The horses ranged from 4 to 27 years old and the department took them to its Second Chance rehabilitation facility for large animals in Niantic, according to the department.

Agricultural department officials also seized more than 30 cats and two dogs from the property and brought them to animal shelters in nearby municipalities. There was poor ventilation in the space they were living in and urine and feces contaminated the area.

State animal control officers working for the agriculture department are pursuing animal cruelty charges against Gabriel and Whitehead.

A Connecticut soldier who was stationed at Fort Drum in New York was killed in a crash in New York early Sunday morning, according to New York State Police.

Police said Ronald J. Dupuis III, of North Grosvenordale, was involved in a one-car crash on Highway 37 in Brier Hill, New York.

Dupuis, a U.S. Army soldier, was driving his 2011 Toyota pickup east on Highway 37 in Morristown, just west of Brier Hill, when he lost control at a curve and his truck went down an embankment, according to New York State Police.

Police said he hit a raised driveway and his truck flew for 164 feet, then flipped over for an additional 91 feet.

Dupuis was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police are investigating.

An off-duty Milford police officer pronounced dead on Monday died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the state medical examiner's office.

Police said they received a complaint reporting an untimely death at a home on Naugatuck Avenue at 12:31 a.m. and medics treated the resident, Michael Compare, 36, at the scene.

He was then transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said on Monday afternoon that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Compare was a three-year veteran of the Milford Police Department, according to a news release from police.

"On behalf of Chief Keith L. Mello and the Milford Police Department, this day is a tragic loss for the family; friends and community Michael belonged to and so proudly served. We thank you for your kind words and support regarding Michael. Michael will be greatly missed," police said in a news release.

The Milford community is also mourning Compare's death.

"It's kind of shocking," Pat Gray, of Milford, said.

Mazen Alkabbani knew Compare, who came by his store often. Alkabbani said he was one of his best customers.

"It’s so sad what’s happened to hear about his death you know?" Alkabbani said, adding "He served his duty well. He tried to help the community and he did his best."

It's still unknown where Compare shot himself.

"As an officer, you don’t expect this to happen, but I don’t know what’s going on, what happened, what’s on his mind or if something happened," Alkabbani said.

Compare leaves behind a wife.

Milford Police Department said Monday morning that they have asked Connecticut State Police to assist with this investigation.

Joining the likes of Indiana, Georgia, and Texas, Florida Gov. Rick Scott's economic development arm has purchased radio ad time to recruit Connecticut companies to move to the Sunshine State.

The ads from Enterprise Florida are simple. They preach an environment of low taxes, no required union membership and an overall better business environment.

"Connecticut recently increased taxes… again… this time, by over $1 billion," the ad starts. "Florida has no state income tax and has cut taxes more than 40 times over the last 4 years. Unlike Connecticut, Florida is a right-to-work state with no estate or gift tax. If you are a business that wants to pay less taxes so you can earn more money, come to Florida."

The 30-second spots are airing on radio stations across Connecticut in the wake of a budget battle that's led to a tug-of-war when it comes to the implementation of new or higher business taxes.

Earlier in June, officials with the state of Indiana took out a whole-page ad in the Wall Street Journal that recruited giants Aetna, General Electric and Travelers after they all posed threats following the passage of the state budget that included $1.6 billion in either new taxes or tax increases.

Gov. Dannel Malloy, who spoke Monday at the groundbreaking of a new research center for United Technologies, a company that renewed its commitment a year ago, said he doesn't think the Florida ad push is anything special or unprecedented.

“You know, every governor competes in every state," Malloy told reporters. "You know, we’ve brought jobs here from New York; we’ve brought them from Massachusetts and New Jersey. We’ve brought them, actually, from Florida. Everybody does this kind of stuff."

Republicans in Connecticut were quick to pile on the governor, who held a private meeting with top General Assembly Democrats to discuss the budget, along with the governor's proposed business tax rollbacks and new spending cuts.

"That's despicable," said state Sen. Len Fasano, a Republican from North Haven. "They get inside a room and they come out and announce that they have new revenue numbers and we’re going to use a different stream of revenue. What does that even mean to the public? Why do we even have session? Why do we even have public hearings?"

Fasano said the governor is failing to lead and said he couldn't blame other states for working to recruit Connecticut-based companies.

"So, if I’m Florida, Texas, Illinois, you know what I’m going to say? 'You don’t want them? You don’t appreciate them? Well, we do.' That’s why Florida is coming up here," Fasano said. "They have no income tax. They’ve cut their taxes 30 times. They don’t have an estate tax, so of course it’s going to be very attractive for the business and its employees to move to Florida."

Walmart is removing all items bearing the Confederate flag from its stores, the nation's largest retailer announced Monday.

"We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer," the Arkansas-based retail giant said in a statement released Monday. "We have taken steps to remove all items promoting the confederate flag from our assortment — whether in our stores or on our web site."

In the statement, Walmart said that "at times, items make their way into our assortment improperly — this is one of those instances." The statement did not detail which of the items was deemed improper.

The announcement comes hours after South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called for the Confederate battle flag to be permanently removed from the grounds of the state house in Columbia.

"It is my hope that by removing a symbol that divides us, we can move forward together in harmony, and we can honor those nine blessed souls who are now in heaven,” she said, referring to the victims of last week's massacre at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

Authorities have called the shooting a hate crime. A white supremacist website that may be linked to the shooter, 21-year-old Dylann Roof, displayed images of Roof apparently holding the Confederate flag.

Calling the battle flag "a deeply offensive symbol of a brutally oppressive past,” Haley — flanked by Republican senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott — said that “the fact that it causes pain to so many is reason enough to remove it from the capitol grounds.”

Hartford police arrested a 25-year-old father after a 2-year-old boy wandered outside while under his care Monday, police said.

Rashon Reyes, 25, of Hartford is facing a risk of injury to a minor charge.

Hartford police received a call at 11:23 a.m. reporting a child wandering near 1085 Capitol Avenue in the capital city. The toddler was wearing a diaper and a T-shirt and his parents were nowhere to be found, police said.

Hartford police walked door-to-door to figure out who the child belonged to and they called the Department of Children and Families per department protocol. A neighbor held onto the child as police looked for his parents.

An ambulance took the child away as a precaution.

A man and woman arrived at the scene and told police they were the boy's parents. They went inside with police and the man was taken away in handcuffs. Police said he was supposed to be watching the toddler when the 2-year-old wandered outside.

The mother was reunited with the child at the hospital and brought him home. She declined to comment.

Police have not said if the mother will also be charged, but neighbors told NBC Connecticut that both parents should be held responsible.

"I have a child myself I would never leave my child unattended on a street like this," Trevor Simms, of Hartford, said. "A whole bunch of things could happen."

Hartford Police Department's Special Investigation Division, formerly the juvenile division, is overseeing the investigation.

It's unknown how long the child was outside, how he got there and what the father was doing while the toddler was outside.

Tuesday could feature an active day across southern New England with strong to severe storms.

Damaging winds, large hail, heavy rain, lightning, and even a tornado are possible with the strongest storms.

A warm front will move through on Tuesday morning, bringing very humid air and possibly a shower or two.

After the warm front moves through we will see a period of hazy sunshine which will allow the atmosphere to become quite unstable. The combination of instability and strong wind shear will allow for powerful thunderstorms to develop.

Severe weather is possible between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday.

While there is the potential for a significant severe weather outbreak it is not a certainty. More clouds or showers in the morning could result in less instability and a reduced chance for severe weather. 

Once the front passes the humidity drops Tuesday night and Wednesday features sunny, warm and dry weather.

A Virginia man who had just celebrated his 25th birthday with friends was found dead Saturday morning, killed when bullets were fired into the Fredericksburg apartment where he slept.

Investigators say the victim, Tesean Dorsey, was not the intended target.

Now, other residents who called police about the shooting are questioning the police response, because the victim wasn't found until the second time police went to the scene.

On Friday night, Dorsey, a father of two, gathered with friends at an apartment in the Fall Hill complex to celebrate his birthday. But Dorsey had to work the next morning and at some point, went to bed.

Around 4:20 a.m. Saturday, neighbors were startled by gunshots and called 911.

"It was so loud to the point that I hit the floor. It scared me that bad," said Valerie Freeman-Pratt. "My husband was sleeping and it woke him up. I said, 'Somebody is shooting. Somebody is shooting in here'."

Police arrived and discovered two bullet holes piercing the siding of Apt. 302.

Fredericksburg Police spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe said authorities knocked on the door and spoke to the couple who rents the unit.

"The two individuals on the lease came to the door, spoke to the officer and assured him that everyone was OK, that they didn't even believe the bullets had even come through the wall, and all was fine," Bledsoe said. "They did not tell the officer there were other individuals inside the apartment at that time, nor did they invite officer in to check."

But around 8 a.m., police received another call from neighbors, who had found a shell casing on the stairway. As the officer took the evidence to his car, the residents of Apt. 302 came out with disturbing news: Dorsey, their housemate, was dead, killed from a single gunshot to the head while he slept.

Fredericksburg police initially thought the shooting might have been random, but they now say the shooting was targeted -- but Dorsey was not the intended victim. Police aren't saying who the target was.

"It now appears that although the victim was not the intended target, we do know there was an intended target and this was an intentional shooting aimed at one particular individual," Bledsoe said.

Neighbors are critical of the police response, wondering why more wasn't done to investigate during the first visit to the scene.

Freeman-Pratt said police spent a lot of time asking for identification from her and her husband before going upstairs.

"If they had done everything right the first time, they might have could have saved that young man if somebody went in that building," Freeman-Pratt said.

The police department spokeswoman says it's unlikely, with a gunshot wound to the back of the head, that Dorsey could have been saved. Bledsoe said that because officers were told by the apartment's occupants that everything was all right, they had no reason to go inside.

"We had the assurance of two leaseholders that everything was fine, no one was injured and they weren't involved or weren't aware shots were fired," she said. "At that time we did not have enough to go in against their wishes."

Looks like some researchers will need a bigger boat.

Researchers announced their first great white shark spotting of the summer in Cape Cod on Monday.

Dr. Greg Skomal, who was working with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, captured footage of the shark off of South Beach in Orleans.

The shark is believed to be about 15 feet long, the conservancy said.

The conservancy studies the shark species' population. 

Water temperatures off of Orleans were in the 60s, according to necn meteorologist Michael Page.

An 87-year-old Bristol man died in a car crash in Bristol Friday.

Erich Woike, 87, of Bristol, died of serious injuries sustained in a collision with another car.

Bristol police responded to the serious two-car accident at the Farmington Avenue and Collier Avenue intersection at 11:02 a.m. on June 19. Woike died later that evening at 10:10 p.m.

Bristol police continue to investigate the crash and ask anyone with information to contact the traffic division at 860-584-3033.

A long-time employee of Hartford’s Camp Courant died Friday after bees stung him and he went into anaphylactic shock, according to the office of the chief medical examiner in Farmington.

The medical examiner ruled the manner of Walter Darden's death an accident and Farmington police said there is no criminal aspect to the case. 

The incident occurred on the camp grounds in Farmington. Camp officials initially said they believed an insect sting was what caused the death and the medical examiner's office said Darden went into anaphylactic shock due to bee stings.

Police were dispatched to the medical call and firefighters and medical personnel treated him before police arrived. Farmington Emergency Services transported the worker to John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington where he later died.

“The Board and staff of Hartford’s Camp Courant are shocked and saddened by the unexpected death of a long-time staff member at the Camp’s location in Farmington this morning,” the camp’s interim director McKinley Albert said in a statement. “Our condolences go out to his family.”

An exterminator has been called out to inspect for insect nests and remove them if necessary.

No children were on the camp grounds during the incident.
 

Famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Colombian pop superstar Juanes and the Philadelphia Orchestra will perform for Pope Francis during his visit to Philadelphia in September.

The singers and orchestra are the first three music acts to be announced for the Festival of Families taking place on Saturday, September 26 along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Center City. The festival is the capstone event to the World Meeting of Families conference happening in the city Sept. 22 to 25.

"To have Andrea Bocelli, one of the world’s great vocalists, and Juanes, one of the most popular performers in all of Latin America, come to Philadelphia for the Festival of Families is an extraordinary gift," Donna Crilley Farrell, executive director for the World Meeting of Families, Philadelphia 2015, said in a release.

The announcement came as conference organizers and city leaders met in Rome to discuss logistics and plans for the events and visit by the pontiff. Organizers plan to add other high-profile acts over the next few weeks.

The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin will also perform the liturgical music during Pope Francis' public mass along the parkway that Sunday. They will be accompanied by a 500 person choir.

North Branford police are investigating after a 911 call was made about people injured at apartments on Foxon Road in town and police found no threat.

Someone called 911 at about 12:30 a.m.reporting that people inside the Marshfield Partments were injured and that others were at risk of being hurt too. About 35 police officers from seven departments responded and spent hours investigating before they determined there was no danger by 4:30 a.m.

People who live at the apartments said they weren't sure what was going on when they woke up to the sounds of police and swat teams moving in the darkness in their complex early Tuesday.

"We could hear a megaphone and a dog barking," Christa Trudeau, of North Branford, said.

North Branford resident Frank Patton said, "I just heard come on out with your hands up."

NBC Connecticut cameras were told to stay more than a block away and some residents trying to come home weren't allowed inside the complex.

"She was coming home from work and they told her that she couldn’t come around," John Avitable, of North Branford, said. "She said that she saw the cops here with their guns drawn and yelling and screaming."

If we had a real issue here, you know, it would be helpful if the cops actually showed up," Avitable said.

Residents said they are concerned that if something real happens in the complex, police might not take it seriously.

Police have not said what kind of injuries the person who called 911 said had taken place or whether they explained what the potential risk to other tenants was.

Police are trying to figure out who made the initial call.

"I’m worried about it if continues. This is not the first time. I’ve got a daughter. I’m going to move if this keeps up," Patton said.

North Branford police ask anyone with information to call the department at 203-484-2703.

State police have issued a Silver Alert for a 21-year-old mother and her 1-year-old girl in New Haven.

Ziyah Elliott, 1, and Briana Elliott, 21, were last seen on Monday, June 22.

The child is with Briana Elliott, her mother, state police said. Briana is the non-custodial parent, New Haven police said. The mother fled home with her daughter after learning of a pending Department of Children and Families visit, according to New Haven police.

There is no indication that the 1-year-old or mother are endangered or at risk, New Haven police said. If that were the case, an Amber Alert would have been issued, police said.

Both of the missing parties have black hair and brown eyes. Ziyah is about 2-foot-1 and weighs 25 pounds and Briana is 5-foot-2 and weighs 100 pounds. State police said Ziyah was last seen wearing a white top and black shorts and Briana was last seen wearing green leggings, a grey tank top and sandals.

The Comfort Inn on the Silas Dean Highway in Wethersfield was evacuated after smoke was spotted in the building.

Wethersfield firefighters are on scene at the hotel at 1330 Silas Dean Highway.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

A 13-year-old Stratford teen accused of setting fire at a Milford Point Road home in Milford in April has been charged with arson.

Milford police and firefighters responded to a house fire on April 15, investigated and determined that the unidentified teen started the fire intentionally, according to a news release from police.

The juvenile was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant on Tuesday and charged with third-degree arson, third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree reckless endangerment.

The teen was released on a promise to appear and is due in court on July 8.

No additional information has been released.

Firefighters responded to a house fire at 19 Diamond Street in Naugatuck at 11 a.m. on Tuesday and closed several streets as they battled the fire.

No injuries are reported and everyone was out of the house, officials said.

Firefighters closed Spring Street, between Bridge, Anderson and Diamond streets.

Spring Street has reopened, but Diamond Street remains closed.

Residents are encouraged to use alternate routes to avoid being delayed.

Officials have not said anything about pets in the building, but residents said they saved only one of 12 cats in unit.

More than 200 homes and businesses in North Stonington that do not have wells have had no water since Tuesday morning after a pressure tank failed, according to the Southeastern CT Water Authority, but water will be restored for some as early as Tuesday evening.

There has been a major problem with a pressure tank that failed on Monday night and it could be awhile before water is restored, according to the water authority.  This is one of two water systems in town.

The tank on Route 2 across from the Holly Green shopping plaza holds 5,000 and there were 2,500 gallons of water in it at the time.

North Stonington First Selectman Nicholas Mullane II said there was significant damage to a well site that services a little over 200 people in the area, cutting the water supply to housing developments nearby and buildings along Route 2. The roof at the pump house collapsed, so the pump station needs to be replaced, according to Mullane and Josh Cansler, general manager of the water authority

"A tank let go and totally obliterated the pump station," Mullane said.

Cansler said they started getting complaints and calls about the water situation around 3 a.m.  and  229 customers in North Stonington are affected, including 13 businesses.

"And of course when a tank that is under pressure fails, it causes significant damage to the facilities around it, which is what happened. This is very unusual that this happened," Cansler said.

Mullane said that in his 28 years as first selectman he hasn't seen anything like this.

"This is a first," he said, calling the water system failure and anomaly that happened without warning.

The pressure tank is 20 to 30 years old and crews are working to figure out why it broke.

Cansler said that number isn't considered old and that the system had met all requirements when it was inspected Monday before the pressure tank failure. It could take days to fix.

There were chemicals in the room that didn't prove hazardous, but the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded as a precaution, Mullane II said.

"The issue right now is how we'll be able to provide the temporary services and supply to those who are out of water," Mullane II said.

The water authority is working with town officials to get people water who don't have it.

There is water available at the fire station on Route 2 for residents who need it. The station gets water from a well. If you do go there to get water, bring your own container. It may be a good idea to stock up because there's no More than 200 homes and businesses in North Stonington without wells have had no water since Tuesday morning after a pressure tank failed, according to the Southeastern CT Water Authority, but water will be restored for some as early as Tuesday evening.
Officials said 229 customers of Southeast Connecticut Water Authority, including 13 businesses, have had no water since the town’s pressure tank burst around 3 a.m. on Tuesday.

Truckloads of water from Connecticut Water were brought in this afternoon to fill the tank up with some water to begin the temporary restoration process for customers.

There is no indication of foul play, officials said, and state and town officials spent the day investigating why the 20- to 30-year old tank and broke.

“So, when it came apart, it came apart with some force and everything that’s around it was significantly damaged and it did cause the roof of the building to collapse,” Josh Cansler, of Southeast Connecticut Water Authority, said.

Many businesses have had to close because of the tank explosion.

North Stonington First Selectman Nicholas Mullane II said there was significant damage to a well site that services a more than 200 people in the area, cutting the water supply to housing developments nearby and buildings along Route 2.

The roof at the pump house collapsed, so the pump station needs to be replaced, according to Mullane and Josh Cansler, general manager of the water authority.

"A tank let go and totally obliterated the pump station," Mullane said.

Cansler said they started getting complaints and calls about the water situation around 3 a.m. 

"And of course when a tank that is under pressure fails, it causes significant damage to the facilities around it, which is what happened. This is very unusual that this happened," Cansler said.
Mullane said that in his 28 years as first selectman he hasn't seen anything like this.

"This is a first," he said, calling the water system failure and anomaly that happened without warning.

Twenty to 30 years is not considered old, according to Cansler who said the system met all requirements when it was inspected Monday before the pressure tank failure. It could take days to fix.

Chemicals in the room didn't prove hazardous, but the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded as a precaution, Mullane said.

"The issue right now is how we'll be able to provide the temporary services and supply to those who are out of water," Mullane II said.

The water authority is working with town officials to get people water who don't have it.

Water is available at the fire station on Route 2 for residents who need it.

The station gets water from a well. If you do go there to get water, bring your own container. It might be a good idea to stock up because there's no estimate for when the water may be back up and running.

"We had to use bottled water to brush our teeth this morning because we’re not getting enough water there’s absolutely no water upstairs in the upstairs bathroom,"  Katherine Davis, of North Stonington, said. "So I think we’re going to my mother’s later so we can take showers because there’s no water."

The Southeastern CT Water Authority said it will update residents as soon as new information is available.

The impact on customers, including Katherine Davis, is that sink faucets barely trickled when they tried to get water.

“I mean, we had to use bottled water to brush our teeth this morning because we’re not getting enough water. There’s absolutely no water upstairs in the upstairs bathroom,” Davis said.

To get water:

North Stonington Fire Station, off Route 2 will fill up buckets of water. One free case of bottle water is available for family.

"We had to use bottled water to brush our teeth this morning because we’re not getting enough water there’s absolutely no water upstairs in the upstairs bathroom,"  Katherine Davis, of North Stonington, said. "So I think we’re going to my mother’s later so we can take showers because there’s no water."

The water authority called in their engineer and the state is also sending one. State and local emergency management officials are also responding to the incident. 

The state and local fire marshal are also on scene to investigate whether "there was any wrongdoing," but there is no suspect or indication of that at this time, Mullane said.

Fire protection is not affected. There are no hydrants on the water system and Firefighters use a tanker truck.

The Southeastern CT Water Authority said it will update residents as soon as new information is available.

Police and other agencies were still on-scene investigating Tuesday afternoon.

Connecticut Water is giving out free water at the fire station on Route 2 around the clock.