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Tropical Storm Forms Near Carolinas, 4 Dead in Texas Downpours

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A tropical depression strengthened into a tropical storm Saturday off the Carolinas, the latest wild weather expected to hit the country over the holiday weekend, NBC News reported. 

Tropical Storm Bonnie was about 130 miles southeast of Beaufort, South Carolina, and was forecast to drench the Carolinas with up to 3 inches of rain, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters said high winds and dangerous waves could also hit the two states, as well as Georgia and Florida. 

No evacuations were ordered as of Saturday afternoon.

In Texas, at least four people were killed and two others missing after downpours, with the state expecting more rain through Memorial Day. 

The governor of Missouri declared a state of emergency ahead of heavy rains Saturday. Since Tuesday, storms in the state have caused high winds, heavy rains and flash flooding — with more rain predicted into the weekend.



Photo Credit: Mark Preidger
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'Baby Boom' for World's Rarest Leopard in Russia

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The endangered Persian leopard is being reintroduced to Sochi, Russia, nearly a century after they were hunted to the brink of extinction, NBC News reported.

Today, there are fewer than 400 Persian leopards in the wild, with the only sustainable wild populations in Iran and Turkmenistan.

The Persian Leopard Breeding and Rehabilitation Center in Sochi, created in 2012, has helped the population make a modest recovery in recent years. The project is bankrolled by the Russian government.

Conservationists will release two 3-year-old animals within the next few weeks, followed by another pair later this year. Officials hope a leopard colony will again take root in the southeastern corner of Europe and spread eastward. But vital migration routes the animal needs to thrive are under threat from expanding ski resorts.



Photo Credit: Natural Resources and Ecology Ministry of Russia
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Walk Bridge Failure Causes Railroad Delays

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A mechanical failure left the Walk Bridge in Norwalk stuck open for hours and caused major delays for trains moving through the area, according to Metro-North and Amtrak.

Norwalk police say the drawbridge was stuck in an open position around 3 p.m. causing significant delays on Metro-North’s New Haven Line and slowing Amtrak trains between New York and New Haven. As of 5 p.m. the railroads had restored limited service, but significant delays of up to 90 minutes continued.

Around 10:30 p.m. Metro-North reported that train service had resumed to three of the four tracks over the Walk Bridge and delays were only expected to be around 20 minutes. Sunday service is expected to run on schedule.

This is not the first time a failure of the Walk Bridge caused issues for riders. In 2014 Gov. Dannel Malloy called a "crisis summit" after multiple service disruptions left commuters delayed for hours. After that, experts began formulating solutions to repair and eventually replace the bridge.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Willimantic Police Warn Residents of Car Break-Ins

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Police in Willimantic are warning residents to be on alert after several car break-ins on the south side of the city.

 Police say the break-ins occurred during overnight hours in neighborhoods south of the Frog Bridge. The suspect or suspects used a rock or a brick to bust open vehicle windows and enter. In each incident, the items stolen were in plain view.

 The department reminds residents to hide valuables such as wallets, purses and/or electronics should be secured in a truck or out of sight from thieves.

 Anyone with information on the break-ins should contact Willimantic police.

Pelicans Guard Shot & Killed

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Bryce Dejean-Jones, a guard for the New Orleans Pelicans, is dead after breaking into a Dallas apartment and getting shot, according to The Dallas Police Department.

Dallas Police were called to the Camden Belmont apartment complex on the 2500 block of Bennett Avenue at 3:20 a.m. on May 28 regarding a shooting.

Upon arrival, officers found one individual had been shot.

According to police, the resident of the apartment, whose identity is not known, said someone had kicked open the front door and entered his apartment. The resident had been asleep in his bedroom when he heard the person enter and retrieved a handgun. 

The resident told police he called out and heard no response. As the person kicked the bedroom door, the resident fired his gun.

The person left the apartment and collapsed, where he was later brought to a hospital and pronounced dead from a gunshot wound.

Dallas police later identified the individual who entered the apartment and had been shot as 23-year-old Pelicans Guard, Bryce Dejean-Jones.

Agent Scott W. Nichols said Dejean-Jones was in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

"Bryce was visiting his girlfriend in Dallas for his daughter’s 1st birthday. This was the first time Bryce visited her new apartment. Later that night, Bryce came back to the apartment, incidentally he went to the wrong apartment on the 3rd floor just below his girlfriends fourth floor apartment. He was attempting to enter the apartment which led to him ultimately being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bryce was then shot and killed. "

The Camden Belmont Manager, Joshua Pool, sent this email to residents of the apartment complex: [[381214051,C]]

According to Joshua Pool, Dejean-Jones was trying to enter one apartment and broke into the wrong one instead. It is unknown at this time which apartment Dejean-Jones was trying to enter. The manager confirmed that no residents of the apartment complex have been injured.

The New Orleans Pelicans released the following statement on the passing of Bryce Dejean-Jones:

“It is with deep sadness that the Pelicans organization acknowledges the sudden passing of Bryce Dejean-Jones. We are devastated at the loss of this young man’s life who had such a promising future ahead of him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bryce’s family during this difficult time.” [[381218631, C]]

Bryce Dejean-Jones started playing for the Pelicans in February.

NBC 5 will update this story as we learn more.


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Man Runs 50 Marathons in 50 States

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A west suburban Chicago man has completed a lofty goal of running a marathon in all 50 states. 

On Saturday, Kevin Ely of Geneva, Illinois, ran the 34th annual Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, Michigan, the final state in his quest.

Ely initially set the goal of running 50 marathons in 50 states as a personal milestone. He had already checked 13 states off the list when he attended an expo in California, where he learned about the Free Wheelchair Mission, a nonprofit that offers cost-effective wheelchairs to people with disabilities. 

"I thought, 'I need to turn this from being a selfish thing for me and what I could accomplish for myself,'" he said. "At the end, nobody would have really cared. It was a realization that I needed to do something to make an impact." 

As the father of a 7-year-old with cerebral palsy, his understanding of the importance of mobility, the cost to provide methods of movement, and the fact that millions of people around the world don't have access to those methods eventually led him to a fundraising mission: Marathons for Mobility. 

Ely originally set a fundraising goal of $42,000 to be donated to the Free Wheelchair Mission. But by Saturday, he had exceeded that goal, raising $45,461, which will provide 583 wheelchairs.

Since setting the summer 2016 completion date more than two years ago, Ely has averaged one marathon every three or four weeks, and he plans to hang up his running shoes and never run again after Saturday's race. 

"I've lost quite a few weekends with my family. It's one of the things I want to get back when I stop running," Ely said. "As patient and supportive as they've been, it's time to give my time and support back to them."

As for his time? Ely said he ran his final marathon in 3:57:29. 



Photo Credit: Kevin Ely
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Student Makes Charcoal Portraits of Graduating Class

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An 18-year-old student spent the last four months creating portraits of all 411 students graduating from Boston Latin.

"I just expected people to be like 'Wow, that's a cool picture,' and be on their way," said 18-year-old Phillip Sossou. "But what happened was a lot of people were crying."

The detailed drawings are donning the senior hallway, where everyone has been walking by in amazement. Even his teachers couldn't help but be proud.

"At one point, he was trying to do 16 pieces of work a day just to actually meet the 411 goal," said AP art teacher Stephen Harris.

"Monday through Friday, I'd stay in school until about 3-8," said Sossou.

"He tries to bring joy to his classmates, and I think this was definitely a way he could do that," said guidance counselor Andrea Encarnacao.

The happiness comes at a time where students are being pushed apart, dealing with racial tensions. Sossou hopes after this, things will change.

"This will sort of bring about a sense of community," he said. "That's definitely what we need right now, because we're really fractured."

Everyone had something positive to say about their portraits. And the artist is soaking up all the love.

"I'd do this again," he laughed.

These pictures won't be on the wall too much longer - the students will be able to take theirs home before graduation.

Sossou will attend college in the fall and then pursue a career in animation.



Photo Credit: necn

3-Alarm Fire at Yale Forestry Camp in Eastford


Gorilla Killed at Cincinnati Zoo After Child Climbs In Enclosure

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A gorilla was shot dead Saturday at the Cincinnati Zoo by an employee who feared the animal would harm a small child who climbed into its enclosure, NBC News reported. 

The 17-year-old, 400-pound gorilla was killed with one shot from a long rifle. The child was then taken to hospital with serious injuries, according to the statement.

The child remained conscious during the entire incident, which lasted 10 minutes. First responders "witnessed a gorilla who was violently dragging and throwing the child," Cincinnati Fire Department Chief Marc Monahan wrote in a statement.

The boy climbed under a railing and through wires, falling about 10 feet into the enclosure, according to zoo officials.

Officials said there was no option to tranquilize, since it would take several minutes to take effect in such a large animal.


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Two Injured in Crash at Lime Rock Park

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Two people were injured in an accident at Lime Rock Park in Salisbury Saturday.

Park officials say the drivers, Andrew Palmer, 21, of Los Angeles, California and Jorge de la Torre, 25, of McAllen, Texas collided in Turn 1 during a warm-up session before the afternoon races. Both drivers were taken to Sharon Hospital where they were stabilized, then transported via LifeStar to Hartford Hospital.

Both drivers were scheduled to ride in the Pirelli World Challenge race at Lime Rock Saturday afternoon. Saturday night the PWC announced that both drivers remained under treatment at Hartford Hospital.

SoCal Schools Probe Animal Abuse

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Officials are investigating two incidents of possible animal cruelty at Southern California high schools, and at least one of them may have been part of a senior prank, authorities said.

Baby, a 5-year-old goat, went missing May 19 after its owner says a group of teens from Ganesha High School in Pomona broke into her property and took her.

"They came in the middle of the night and stole her from our property and took her to the school and painted on her and who knows what else they've done to her," the owner, who asked not to be identified, said.

Baby was found with a broken leg on school campus the next day, a Ganesha High School student told NBC4. "It's one thing to do a prank and one thing to do this, hurt and animal," the student said.

Its owner says her face was swollen and her body, painted in the school's colors, was half shaven.

"If they can do this to an animal what can they do to a human?" the owner said.

Baby died Thursday following surgery, her owner said. The Inland Valley Humane Society was investigating the incident.

Pomona Unified School District issued a statement, saying the "safety of our students, staff and campus facilities, as well as superlative respect to our local community" is a priority.

"As a high school ranked in the top 4th percentile in CA by U.S. News & World Report, we take our role as a model academic high school very seriously and we do not condone injustices toward people or animals," the statement said, highlight their "zero-tolerance policy for deviations to academic and safety standards."

In a separate incident, two rabbits were found dead Friday morning at Riverside Polytechnic High School, according to the Riverside Unified School District.

District officials said staff arrived on campus around 5:30 a.m. and found three dead rabbits as well as toilet paper, trash, graffiti with inappropriate language and symbols and broken windows.

The Riverside School District initially said the incident was an apparent senior prank, adding it was "disheartened at this unfortunate news."

However, Michael Roe, principal at Polytechnic High School later said that these incidents were not part of a senior prank but rather "a coordinated effort to vandalize our school," and called the acts "unnerving." 

"To carry out this kind of act on a high school campus - or anywhere in the community for that matter - is cause for concern and proportionate action," Roe said in a statement. "I am incredibly proud of the response from the Poly community - the district, RPD, parents, wealth of students and staff who have denounced these cowardice acts."

Officials also said the district was working the Riverside Police Department to comb through multiple angles of video footage from the incident, and will be interviewing students who may have been involved.



Photo Credit: Owner

Sanders Warns Clinton on Running Mate Pick

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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders sent a warning to rival Hillary Clinton again about her pick for a running mate. 

During an interview to air on Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sanders doubled down on his warning, saying Clinton’s choice for vice president will be critical in winning his supporters going into the general election.

"That means having a candidate who can excite working families, excite young people, bring them into the political process, create a large voter turnout," Sanders told host Chuck Todd. 

The Vermont senator said Clinton should pick a hardline progressive as a running mate if she secures the Democratic nomination for president. That, he said, could appeal to supporters who flocked to the Sanders campaign during the primary.



Photo Credit: Getty Images, File

Tropical Depression Takes Aim at Southeast

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Tropical storm Bonnie was downgraded Sunday morning as it headed toward the South Carolina coast, packing maximum sustained winds of 35 mph as of 8 a.m. Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said, NBC News reported.

The tropical depression was forecast to drench the Carolinas with up to six inches of rain, the latest bad weather to hit the nation over the long holiday weekend.

Whipping winds and dangerous waves as high as 13 feet could also hit the two states, as well as Georgia and Florida over the coming days, forecasters said.

Elsewhere in the nation, flooding and heavy rain were wreaking havoc. In Texas, at least four people were killed and a 10-year-old boy who fell into the Brazos river remains missing. The state was bracing for more rain through Memorial Day.

In Missouri, Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency ahead of expected heavy rains Saturday, and warned that levees could be breached.


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Two People, Dog Rescued From Burning Home in Hartford

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Two people were rescued from a burning home in Hartford early Sunday morning.

Police were first on scene at a house fire at 68 School St. just after 4 a.m. Sunday.

When they arrived, officers were told by police dispatch that there were people inside the home.

One officer ran to the back door, kicked it open and located the family and their dog.

There were no injuries to the officers or anyone inside the home. 

The fire department said it took them about 15 minutes to get the fire under control and 30 minutes to extinguish it.

"At this point I haven't had a chance to go into the interior but from the exterior it looks like the second floor was a complete loss," said Deputy Chief Clifton Cooper.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Vernon Teen Credited For Saving Drowning Girl

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A Vernon teenager is being credited with saving the life of a drowning child Saturday afternoon.

Vernon Police were called to the Valley Falls Park around 5 p.m. Saturday for a report of a drowning victim.

Witnesses told police that a girl was swimming at the park and went under the water. A 15-year-old boy who was swimming near her saw her go under and not resurface.

The teenager found the girl underwater, unresponsive and not breathing. He brought her back to shore where an adult administered rescue breathing.

After a short time, the girl regained consciousness and began breathing on her own.

The girl's parents were nearby at the time, but had been momentarily distracted.

At this time, police are not releasing the identities of the victim or rescuers.


SoCal Veterans' Mural Defaced

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A mural in Venice, California, honoring Vietnam veterans was destroyed ahead of Memorial Day, leaving residents outraged.

"The wall represents a significant part of our history," Stewart Oscars, a Venice resident who has driven by the mural every day for 20 years, said.

Cleanup was planned Sunday after extensive graffiti, with a thick sheen of silver paint, covered the mural that stood in the same place untouched since 1992 on Pacific Avenue near Sunset Court

"The more I think about it, why did this happen right at Memorial Day weekend?" Oscars lamented.

Dozens of volunteers showed up Sunday morning to help remove the thick layers of paint, which covered most of the 2,273 names. Each one is a missing Vietnam veteran.

"They're angry. They're idiots. They're criminals," Oscars said. "I don't know what the motivation is."

City Council Member Mike Bonin said he wanted the mural restored as soon as possible, adding "vandalizing a monument to brave men and women who served our country in a time of war is a disgusting act."

LA County Sheriff's Department investigators showed up Saturday night to assess the wall and take pictures.

They noted the restoration would not be easy, and trying to "blast" it off the wall may remove key parts of the mural.

"This is a big deal for our country, community," Louie Abeyta, a Los Angeles County Firefighter, said. "Everyone will see it. We gotta do something about it."

This mural is on MTA property, and officials are taking steps to professionally restore the artwork.



Photo Credit: Marin Austin

Woman's Body Discovered in Quinnipiac River

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A female body has been discovered in the Quinnipiac River in New Haven Sunday afternoon.

Police were called to the south end of the river near the Grand Ave. Bridge and Front St. just after 11 a.m.

The body of a black female was discovered there in shallow water.

Earlier this morning, a 19-year-old female was reported missing. The woman was last seen around 7 p.m. Saturday evening.

Family report that she was despondent.

Police believe that the body is that of the missing woman, though the identity is being withheld pending an investigation by the medical examiner.

Detectives suspect that the death was caused by suicide or an accidental drowning.

Ansonia Man Interrupts Burglar in Home

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An Ansonia man awoke in the middle of the night and interrupted a burglary in progress early Sunday morning.

According to police, a man called 9-1-1 at 2:30 a.m. to report a burglary in progress at 417 North Main St.

The resident of the home told police that his alarm sytem began to beep and his dog began to bark so he got out of bed to check out the home.

The man was equipped with his personal handgun.

The man said that he saw a male inside his home holding a gun. The man fled into the basement.

The resident then heard glass breaking in another portion of his home. When he went to check out the noise, he saw another male outside the window.

The resident told police that he then shot at the suspects prior to them fleeing.

No one was injured in the burglary.

The resident reports that two cymbals from a drum kit were stolen from the residence. 

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Ansonia Police Department at 203-735-1885.

Police Cruiser Involved in Crash in Naugatuck

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Several people, including a Naugatuck police officer, were transported to the hospital after a crash on New Haven Road (Route 63) in Naugatuck Sunday afternoon.

Police say the crash occurred in the area of Beacon Valley Road and Candee Road around 3 p.m. Police say five vehicles, including a Naugatuck police cruiser, were involved in the crash. Several people were transported to local hospitals but no one suffered serious injury.

The crash occurred when a vehicle traveling west on Candee Road struck several others, including the police cruiser, that were stopped at a traffic light. Officers on scene say the driver of that vehicle reported that the brakes on the car went out. The exact circumstances of the incident are still under investigation.

The road was shut down for several hours while the regional accident reconstruction team investigated. The road reopened around 7 p.m.

 



Photo Credit: NBC

Why Not Use Streaming Technology for Aircraft Data?

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The use of black boxes to record critical flight data is striking many experts as antiquated, even though technology exists to stream information from an aircraft to a ground computer, according to NBC News. 

The system doesn’t continuously send data to ground-based computers, but activates in the event of an abnormal occurrence, sending data to the airline to analyze. The airline can then apply corrective action. 

The streaming devices are similar to the hardware used in black boxes on aircraft for decades. In the event of a plane crash, the data transmitted can help searchers pinpoint a specific search location. 

The technology hasn’t been widely adopted, mainly because of the cost. FLYHT Aerospace Solutions, a Canadian company, provides an on-demand black box at about $100,000 per plane.



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
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