A 31-year-old woman drove herself to to the hospital Saturday morning after suffering a gunshot would to the face.

The woman, identified as Linda Mitchell of Marina Village, arrived at Bridgeport Hospital at about 2:43 a.m. on Saturday.

Officers found a slug on the seat of her car, which was parked at the hospital garage.

Police have not identified a suspect at this time. The shooting remains under investigation.

Federal authorities have arrested a Michigan man they say is an ISIS supporter who wanted to carry out an attack on a 6,000-member Detroit church, NBC News reported.

Khalil Abu-Rayyan, 21, of Dearborn Heights, allegedly had guns and a large knife and told an undercover FBI agent that he "tried to shoot up a church one day."

"I bought a bunch of bullets. I practiced reloading and unloading," he said in an online conversation, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court.

Investigators did not specify which church Abu-Rayyan allegedly was eyeing but the FBI had been monitoring him for months because of his "increasingly violent threats" about committing acts of terror and martyrdom against churchgoers and police officers on behalf of ISIS.

If you're looking for some outdoor winter fun for your family Saturday, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is hosting a winter festival in Torrington.

The free No Child Left Inside Winter Festival started at 10 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. at Burr Pond State Park. Activities include fishing, a fish fry, a Torrington Fire Department rescue demonstration, a search and rescue demonstration, a bonfire-side marshmallow roast, wildlife activities and hiking. 

The state park is located at 384 Burr Mountain Road. 

A male pedestrian was injured and a driver was arrested after a three-vehicle crash in Meriden Friday night that pinned the man between two vehicles and severed his leg. 

Meriden police responded to the area of 772 Broad Street at about 10:45 p.m. to investigate the accident.

When they arrived, they found Benjamin Ariza, 35, with a severed left leg and injured right leg.

A white Chevy Trailblazer headed north on Broad Street was trying to turn left into the driveway at 772 Broad Street and a Kia Sedona was also waiting behind it to turn into the same driveway. Ariza, who was riding in Chevy, got out of the rear passenger door while they waited for southbound traffic to let up, police said. As he stood between the two cars, waiting to cross the street, a Nissan Titan that Danny Perez, 32, was driving struck the Sedona from behind, pinning Azira's legs between the two cars. , severing one of them.

The first responding police officer wrapped a tourniquet around his leg to stop heavy bleeding, police said. Meriden firefighters and Hunters Ambulance tended to his injuries when they arrived before he was taken to Hartford Hospital for further treatment, police said. 

Ariza's condition is unknown. 

Police had Perez do a field sobriety test on scene and he failed, so he was taken to the Meriden Police Department, where they tested him on the Intoxilyzer. His blood alcohol content exceeded the legal limit of .08. 

Meriden police charged Perez with driving under the influence, second-degree assault with a motor vehicle and reckless driving. They held him on a $20,000 bond. 

The department's accident reconstruction unit is investigating the crash. Police ask any witnesses to call Officer Donna Zurstadt at 203-630-6215 or Lt. Thomas Cossette at 203-6300-6256. 

Crews extinguished a fire that heavily damaged the Branford Elks Lodge early Saturday morning, causing it to close.

A motorist driving in the area saw smoke coming from the lodge at 158 South Montowese St. and called 911. 

Branford firefighters located the fire in a first-floor storage room and quickly put it out, firefighters said on the department's Facebook page.  

The fire heavily damaged the room where it started and caused smoke damage. 

The Elks Lodge has been closed until further notice. 

Branford medics responded and Guilford firefighters also assisted on standby at the scene with a rapid intervention fire rescue team. Stony Creek firefighters also helped provide cover to the Branford fire department. 

No one was injured. 

Fire Marshal Shaun Heffernan is investigating the cause of the blaze. 

A driver died after crashing into a tree in New Haven early Saturday morning after fleeing police trying to pull her over, according to state police. 

Naika Nicol Rosa-Rosa, 20, of Meriden, was driving westbound on Chapel Street when she lost control of her 2007 Saturn Aura XE while trying to escape police attempting to stop her car and veered off the right side of the road, police said. The left side of her car struck a tree.

She died of her injuries in the crash and police identified her next of kin. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is conducting a post-mortem exam on the body. 

Wandaliz Valle-Quinonez, 34, of Middletown, was riding in the passenger seat and was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital to be treated for serious injuries. 

New Haven police asked the state police accident reconstruction team to investigate the fatal crash because it followed an attempted motor vehicle stop. The Central District Major Crime Squad is also investigating. 

Troopers were still on scene as of 11:55 a.m. to gather evidence and interview possible witnesses. 

State police ask any witnesses to contact Trooper First Class Donald Comstock at 203-630-8096 or donald.comstock@ct.gov. 

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright slammed Bernie Sanders on Saturday, expressing concerns over the Democratic presidential contender's "lack of knowledge" about foreign policy.

"I've been very concerned about his lack of knowledge," Albright said, citing his answer to a question about which country poses the biggest threat to the U.S. right now.

"We have to have a president that is ready on Day 1 to deal with problems," she told NBC News in an exclusive interview. "I have never seen such a complicated international situation, and we can't afford learning on the job."

State police arrested a suspect on drug and weapons charges after a lengthy investigation into suspected gang operations at a vacant home in Bridgeport, police said. 

Yero Walker, 33, of Bridgeport, is accused of selling narcotics out of an unoccupied home on Wilmot Avenue. During a several-month investigation launched in response to multiple shootings in the past year in the East End of Bridgeport, task force members in the State Police Gang Unit, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets unit and Bridgeport police learned that gang members took over the vacant home to run an illegal narcotics operation, state police said, also accepting stolen property often traded for drugs. 

Investigators executed two search and seizure warrants at 425 and 427 Wilmot Avenue, a multi-family building, and also searched a Toyota there on Friday, Feb. 5 at 4:50 p.m. They seized more than $7,000 in cash, seven guns, including three that were reported stolen, a high-capacity 30-round magazine, fireworks, drug paraphernalia, two scales, nearly 126 grams of crack cocaine, nearly 111 ounces of suspected liquid Codeine, 120 grams of marijuana, a 2009 Toyota Avalon, a 2011 DIX 113 motorcycle, a dirt bike, identification cards, documents, three power washers, four chain saws, four grass trimmers, four leaf blowers, a Simplicity snowblower and a generator, state police said. 

The guns seized were two Glock handguns, a sawed-off shotgun, an Inner Arms .38 revolver, a Phoenix Arms .25 caliber pistol, a Rino Calesi .25 caliber pistol and a Charter Arms revolver, state police said. 

Investigators identified Walker as the Toyota owner and someone dealing drugs out of the Wilmot Avenue residence, state police said.

State police charged Walker with seven counts of criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of ammunition, possession of a sawed off shotgun, weapons in a motor vehicle, possession of a high capacity magazine, three counts of theft of a firearm, possession of narcotics, possession with intent to sell, possession of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school zone and operating a drug factory. 

He was taken into custody at Troop G in Bridgeport and is being held on a $500,000 bond. 

The girlfriend in the “modern-day Bonnie and Clyde” duo is being held on a bond worth more than $1 million, NBC News reported.

Brittany Nicole Harper was taken into custody early Friday in Escambia County, Florida, after a confrontation with police. She is charged with robbery, home invasion robbery, false imprisonment and grand theft auto.

Officers shot and killed her boyfriend, Blake Edward Fitzgerald, in the shootout, after he used her as a human shield when police opened fire, according to officials.

Authorities say the two went on a multi-state crime spree that may have started a week ago. They are suspected of multiple kidnappings and robberies.  

As parts of the state continue to cleanup after Friday's snowstorm, we're tracking chances of snow in our near future. 

Saturday will feature sunny skies with temperatures mid-30s to low 40s. 

There's are chances of snow Monday into Tuesday, with more wintry weather and cold temepratures expected next week.

Thousands are still without power across Connecticut and hundreds may spend a second night without heat after snow blanketed the state on Friday. 

"We're continuing to keep a close eye on outages in areas of the state and urge patience - the situation for some may take time to resolve," Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's staff tweeted. "Trends are moving in the right direction and we remain in continuous contact w/ emergency mgmt officials as we work to resolve the situation"

About 9,470 Eversource customers in total were without power as of 1:34 p.m., including 329 in Brooklyn, 272 in Canterbury,  371 in East Haddam, 139 in Griswold, 582 in Killingly, 819 in Ledyard, 320 in Lyme, 246 in Mansfield, 294 in Montville, 891 in North Stonington, 929 in Plainfield, 206 in Pomfret, 323 in Preston, 461 in Putnam,  858 in Thompson, 298 in Voluntown, 266 in Waterford, 234 in Windham and 183 in Woodstock, according to the power company's outage map. 

Trees and power lines are down in Ledyard. 

Twenty-three hours after Gales Ferry resident Kimberly Lavoie lost power at her home, she was still waiting for help Saturday morning from the power company.  Two tree limbs came down under the weight of the wet snow Friday morning, tearing the wires right off her home. Power lines are laying across her street, yard and garage, so she can't get her car out until the issue is resolved. . 

“I usually keep my house very warm and ya, it’s cold," Lavoie said. 

She's called Eversource, but said, "I get told something different every time I call."

The long limbs from a 40-foot pine tree took down everything in their path, even the power lines across the street.

“It was completely blocked and it’s still blocked," Harold Bryan, of Ledyard, said. "It sounded like something was falling.....Then a little while later I noticed a car turning right here in the road, and I looked up and sure enough there was a tree down."

Realizing there was no way out, Lavoie kept her car running in the garage long enough to charge her phone as she waited for an update from Eversource.

“I said just have somebody come and take up these lines. Restore the power later. Take up these lines so I can at least get my vehicle out of my garage," Lavoie said. 

In Ledyard, a large tree pulled up by the roots lay across North Glenwoods Road, leaving several homes in the dark. At one point, more than 1,000 people in the small town were left without power. Some took up shelter in nearby hotels while others kept their fireplaces going to stay warm. Lavoie says the temperature in her home dropped to 52 degrees.

“It’s not a matter of just not having electricity. If I just didn’t have electricity and I could leave my house it would be fine. It’s the point of being basically stuck," she said. 

At the height of the outages, there were about 66,000 without power. 

Eversource says they hope to get the majority of their customers back on line by midnight, however it will take even longer to reach those in the most isolated areas.

The power company brought in extra crews from New Hampshire to help get the power restored.

Okay, Chuckles, you have some explaining to do. Where's spring? 

Days after Chuckles VIII predicted an early spring, much of Connecticut was hit with a snowstorm. So Suffield police are calling her out and bringing the groundhog to justice in a way that has us all, well, chuckling.

Chuckles may not have seen her shadow, but Suffield police announced in a humorous post on Facebook that she is seeing possible jail-time for her alleged false prediction.

"***Arrest Made***Chuckles VIII was arrested on 2/6/16 by warrant. Chuckles is being charged with violating C.G.S. 53a-157a; False Statement 1st, for events that took place on 2/2/16. Chuckles is being held at the Suffield Animal Control lockup while he awaits trial, if convicted Chuckles could face up to 6 weeks," Suffield police quipped on Facebook Friday. 

The post was published on a snowy day with slippery roads, following the police department's gripes about the ground hog's misleading forecast. 

"Roads are pretty ugly right now, the town and state are working tirelessly to clear them but it'll take some time," Suffield police posted Friday on Facebook. "If you don't have to be on the roads we encourage you to stay home. We will deal with Chuckles later."

Now, Suffield police have turned their joke into a way of raising money for the Lutz Children's Museum in Manchester, where Chuckles made her prediction. How? By helping post her $10,000 bond in a campaign they are promoting as #FREECHUCKLES. 

"*** Bond Posted*** The Suffield Police Department has been flooded with calls and messages about the recent arrest of Chuckles VIII. To answer the common question, being asked, yes Chuckles has a Bond! A $10,000 bond. The Lutz Children's Museum is representing Chuckles as her legal team. Anyone wishing to donate to assist with Chuckles' immediate release can do so in the link below," Suffield police posted. 

You can donate to the Lutz Children's Museum by clicking here. 

So far, $150 of the $10,000 goal has been raised. Suffield police note the money will actually go to the museum. 

Just a few weeks ago a cat was in critical condition after officers says she was hung by a shoestring in Hartford. Now that cat has defied expectations and has a new home.

“Took her out of the carrier and I’m like ‘oh! I like her, ’” says Samantha Sasseville.

The Sasseville family has named their new cat, Piper. And she joins other rescues in the home.

“She just kind of fit in and she kind of fit in with our other cats,” says Sasseville.

Piper’s life has not always been so relaxing. She had a tough recovery during the past couple weeks from what’s described as a horrific condition.

Hartford police say Carlos Trinidad attacked the cat and hung her by a shoestring in mid-January. The cat was his girlfriend’s and they had just had an argument.

Animal control says they found the cat lifeless and rushed her to the vet to be treated and recover.

“We knew what had happened to her. We didn’t know what the long-term effects would be,” says Cassie Packard, director of Cassie’s Kitten Kastle.

Cassie’s Kitten Kastle and another group called Kenway’s Cause helped the cat find a new home.

So far the six-month old’s health appears to fine.

And what was supposed to be a quick cat-sitting at the Sasseville’s has turned into a forever home.

“We’re cat people. We’re animal people. It’s nice to give an animal a good home. A good loving, home,” says Sasseville.

The suspect in connection with Piper’s case faces charges including animal cruelty.

Animal control says this is another example of why tougher laws and punishment are needed for those people who abuse animals.
 

Awe-struck parents of kindergartners at a Southern California elementary school were stunned to learn a stranger planned to pay for their children's college tuition. 

Fullerton lawyer Marty Burbank and his wife offered to pay the college tuition of 26 kindergarten students at Rio Vista Elementary School. Parents of students at the Anaheim school said they could not believe their children had been given the gift of a lifetime.

"I just can't believe it. I can't" said Maria Rodriguez, the mother of a student. "I don't believe someone would be this interested in paying the tuition of this many kids."

Burbank said he had considered buying himself a boat. He then decided there was more value in removing the financial burden that could have kept these children from attending college.

So, he decided to give them the guarantee of an education instead.

"Buying a boat was a very selfish thing for me, and I can do so much more to impact the lives of these kids," he said.

Burbank promised to pay each child's tuition, starting in 2032. He told the Orange County Register the tuition will probably amount to about $1 million, factoring in inflation rates. 

Virdiana Ortiz, another mother, was one of the many overwhelmed with gratitude toward Burbank for his generosity.

"I had never heard of him," she said. "For someone to do something like that..."

So, what's the catch? It's simple, if not beneficiary. Each year, the students must submit an essay or photo explaining what they would like to do when they grow up.

Some, like Rio Vista's Jonathan Juarez, seem to already have a plan.

Said Juarez: "I want to be a firefighter."

A Bridgeport grandmother has been arrested after her 2-year-old grandson was found wandering the streets Friday afternoon.

Police say an area resident discovered the 2-year-old boy win the middle of the street near 115 Brookside Avenue around 4:54 p.m., following a snowstorm. The boy was dressed but appeared to be unsupervised.

Officers responded and kept the child warm until an ambulance could transport him to Bridgeport Hospital for evaluation. He was not injured.

Police say the boy’s grandmother, 54-year-old Lucitania Mora of Brookside Avenue, was responsible for taking care of him. She was located and arrested.

Mora is charged with risk of injury to a minor.

The Department of Children and Families was notified and is investigating the case.
 

The Republican debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, got off to a bit of an awkward start on Saturday.

It began on a high note, when ABC moderator David Muir introduced New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. 

Ben Carson's name, drowned out by applause, was called second. But instead of making his way onto the stage, he stood off to the side as the moderators continued on down the candidate list. 

Carson then started to make his way out, but suddenly stopped short when the moderators called out Ted Cruz’s name. 

Someone from backstage, who popped his head out from behind the curtain, tried shooing Carson to walk out, but to no avail. 

Donald Trump appeared in the wings after his name was called, but instead of coming to the stage, he stood back with Carson. Marco Rubio barreled past the two other candidates, smiling as he walked past them. Next came former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who gave the two a quizzical look before leaving Carson and Trump behind.

Social media lit up with reaction to Carson’s late entry onto the stage.

Others were more sympathetic to the GOP candidate and laid the blame elsewhere. 

But it didn't end there. Muir could faintly be heard calling out Ohio Gov. John Kasich's name, but that too, was drowned out by applause. Both Muir and fellow moderator, Martha Raddatz, who had their backs to the stage, then realized they were missing and gave Carson and Trump another call to the stage.

“Dr. Ben Carson, please come out on the stage, he’s standing there as well,” Muir said.

“And Donald Trump,” Raddatz said.

As the moderators took their seats, Kasich was still missing.

“Where’s Kasich?” someone could be heard saying.

“Yes, yes, we’re going to introduce Ohio Gov. John Kasich.” 

Donald Trump was back, Carly Fiorina was out, excluded by the rules of the ABC News debate, and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was drawing attacks after his strong showing in Iowa.

The GOP presidential candidates were on stage Saturday night for the final debate before the New Hampshire primary, where some of the Republicans must do well if they are to continue. Trump, who finished second behind U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in the Iowa caucuses, returned after skipping the previous debate. 

Here are some of the liveliest moments of the evening. 

GETTING ON STAGE
The debate got off to an awkward start as Dr. Ben Carson hesitated going onto the stage even as he was waved on. Trump lingered with Carson until they both entered, but then Kasich was left behind. A few minutes later Carson made a reference to expecting to be introduced second.

RUBIO ATTACKED FOR "30-SECOND SPEECH"
Rubio tried to defend his relatively short time in the U.S. Senate by saying if years spent as a senator were the measure of a candidate everyone on the stage should be rallying around Vice President Joe Biden. Biden represented Delaware for 36 years.

But New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie quickly attacked Rubio for failing to make a single decision of consequence in the Senate for which he was held accountable and mocked him for giving his “30-second” prepared speech. Memorized speeches don’t get the snow plowed or help rebuild a state destroyed by superstorm Sandy, he said. And he criticized Rubio for listing the Hezbollah Sanctions Act as an accomplishment but failing to show up for the vote.

“That’s not leadership," Christie said. "That’s truancy.”

Rubio rejoined by telling Christie he had to be shamed into returning to New Jersey from New Hampshire during the recent blizzard. And he brought up New Jersey’s credit rating, downgraded nine times since Christie became governor.

But Rubio also continued to repeat himself several times with the same comments criticizing President Barack Obama.

"You see everybody. I want the people at home to think about this. That's what Washington, D.C., does," Christie rebutted. "The drive-by shot at the beginning with incorrect and incomplete information and then the memorized 25-second speech...Marco, the thing is this: When you're president of the United States, when you're a governor of a state, the memorized 30-second speech where you talk about how great America is at the end of it doesn't solve one problem for one person."

"WASHINGTON ETHICS"
Carson was asked about messages sent by Cruz’s campaign just before the Iowa caucuses, claiming falsely that Carson was leaving the race.

“I’m not going to use this opportunity to savage the reputation of Senator Cruz,” he said.

Carson said he owed it to his volunteers, one of whom died in a traffic accident in Iowa, to stay in the competition. And he added that he was disappointed in the display of what he called “Washington ethics” — doing what is needed to do to win, not what is right.

Cruz apologized, and blamed CNN for reporting that Carson was taking a break from his campaign.

But Carson responded that CNN’s initial tweet was quickly followed by a second one saying he was still in the race. Voters can make their own judgement, he said.

At the end of the debate, Trump got a dig in, saying Cruz had received Carson's votes.

"TOUGH GUY"
Trump and Bush got into a sharp disagreement over eminent domain, the process by which the government can take private property for public good. Trump, who has benefited from it, defended it as a way to build roads and schools.

Bush countered with a jab at Trump's attempt to take a woman’s house in Atlantic City to use as a parking lot for limousines, next to one of his casinos.

"Jeb wants to be a tough guy,” Trump snapped.

The woman went to state court and ended up keeping her home.

TRUMP VERSUS THE CROWD
Trump at one point said his team was unable to get tickets for the audience because they had gone to “donors, special interests, the people who put up the money.”

As the audience booed, he added, “The reason they’re not loving me is I don’t want their money.”

Trump makes a point of saying he is funding his campaign himself.

FEELING LEFT OUT
Carson showed his frustration at not getting as much time as the others.

"I’m not here just to add beauty to the stage," Carson said as he jumped into a discussion about the Middle East.

In his closing remarks he said the media had tried to ignore him

"I’m still here and I’m not going any place either," he said.

HEROIN EPIDEMIC
Cruz, asked about the heroin epidemic in New Hampshire, talked about the death of his half-sister, Miriam, from a drug overdose. He and his father, Rafael, tried to rescue her from a crack house, but failed, he said. After his sister’s death, he put her son, Joey, into a military school with a $20,000 loan on a credit card.

He joins Christie and Fiorina in discussing addictions from the vantage of their families. 

Christie talks about a law school friend who died after injuring his back and becoming addicted to Percocet.

Fiorina's step-daughter, Lori, died at age 35 after a struggle with alcohol and prescription pills.

Some travelers are blasting an idea by the governor to close rest areas on I-84.

The proposal would leave just one stop on each side of the highway which winds about 100 miles through the state.

Drivers were left fuming after learning about talk of closing rest areas on I-84.

“Very important, especially when you’re riding a motorcycle too. You need to take a rest,” says Kurt Janniere from Boston, Massachusetts.

The governor’s idea is to close the eastbound rest area in Willington and one in Southington.

Those changes along with others would save more than a million dollars and are part of bigger plan.

During the State of the State, Governor Dannel Malloy presented his spending plan which calls for more than a half-billion dollar in cuts for the next fiscal year.

“It won’t be easy, and it often won’t be politically popular. However, it is absolutely necessary if we want to create a more sustainable and enduring economy,” Malloy said during his address.

His plan would leave one rest area on I-84 westbound in Willington and one eastbound in Danbury.

Truck driver Keith Jenkins had pulled over at Willington eastbound, which is eyed for closure.

“It’s something especially truck drivers need, a place to rest, especially a safe haven,” says Jenkins.

He says these stops are crucial for drivers on sometimes unpredictable trips.

“We have hours we have to run and after a certain amount of hours we have to shut down. So it helps us a lot if we have somewhere to pull over like I did,” says Jenkins.

Right now the state runs 30 rest areas or service plazas with the bulk of them on I-95 and on Route 15.
 

As the Syrian refugee crisis makes headlines and people continue to debate America's refugee program,  a Connecticut non-profit hopes the all attention helps them reach their fundraising goals and is hosting a 5K race Sunday for the organization through a 5K race in New Haven.

Each year, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) helps 250 people escape persecution and settle in New Haven.

The recent refugee crisis in Syria highlights the work done by this New Haven organization for the last 30 years.

The 5K steps off at Wilbur Cross High School at 10 a.m.