Emergency crews pulled a man out of the water off the coast of Pleasure Beach in Waterford Saturday.
Waterford police said the regional police boat and the Goshen fire department responded to reports of a capsized boat and found a man swimming in the water. Crews pulled him from the water. He was not injured.
Police said this was the second call for a capsized boat Saturday. The first, on the Thames River, was handled by the US Coast Guard.
High school students in the East Bay are following Colin Kaepernick’s lead and helping to shine a light on issues of police brutality and racial inequality in the United States — this time by lying down during the national anthem.
Since August, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback has taken to kneeling before games – something he did alongside the Castlemont High School football team in Oakland on Friday.
When the first strains of the national anthem floated across the field and Kaepernick knelt, the Knights lay on the ground with their hands up in the air.
"It's basically showing our vulnerability ... them being the authority and the power, and us being the citizens," said protest organizer and senior player Jadan Starks.
Head coach Edward Washington supports his team's actions.
“Black men and brown men have been assassinated unarmed, hands on the ground,” he said. “We had to protest and stand against this because it's not right."
Friday’s protest came after nearly a week after the team knelt during the National Anthem before another game and tweeted a picture of it. Kaepernick retweeted the Twitter post and it went viral, sparking a conversation between him and the school.
“He had reached out through a fraternity brother and a mutual friend and he was like, ‘I want to come over and talk to the kids,’” Washington said.
And that's exactly what Kaepernick did, catching the players by surprise.
“This is your family, these are your brothers,” he told the team. “I look at all of you as brothers. I see your strength, I see your power, I see your courage, your confidence.”
Speaking to the athletes in their locker room before the game, Kaepernick said he attended their game to stand – or kneel as the case may be – in solidarity with them.
“The same way y'all took a stand and stood with me, I had to come out here and stand with you’ll,” he said.
Kaepernick also encouraged his rapt audience to “lift each other up” because “that’s what this is about.”
He assured the Castlemont students that their actions, thoughts and words have value – both on and off the football field.
“You are important. You make a difference. This matters. Everything you do matters,” Kaepernick stressed.
Earlier in the week, a school band of roughly 155 middle and high school students from the Oakland Unified School District knelt as they played "The Star Bangled Banner" before an Oakland A's game on Wednesday.
San Francisco’s Mission High School football team has also decided to take a knee at every game in the season when the national anthem is played. The Bears are slated to face Millbrae’s Mills High School Saturday.
According to Castlemont coach Bryan Parker, this is just the beginning of a movement among young students and athletes, and those who motivate them.
"We want to keep a dialogue going, getting rid of the dehumanization of black and brown people all around the country, but specifically in Oakland," he said.
School officials say they plan to continue working with community leaders, politicians and law enforcement, going forward.
Social unrest has rocked the U.S. this week. Police shootings in Tulsa and Charlotte have spawned massive demonstrations and even riots. Amid this social landscape, Kaepernick’s ongoing protest has ignited a maelstrom of conflicting reactions.
His face will grace the cover of Time magazine next month, but he has also received death threats and a recent poll reflects his unenviable achievement of being the most disliked player in the National Football League.
Closer to home, the NFLer has had not only the 49ers head coach Chip Kelly in his corner, but even a muralist, who created artwork on the side of an Oakland wall to remind Kaepernick, “We got your back.”
Baseball fans and players awoke Sunday morning to the tragic news of Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez's untimely death.
The ace right-hander was just 24 years old.
Fans, athletes and sports teams took to social media Sunday to mourn Fernandez's death, tweeting condolences and prayers for his family and the Marlins organization.
Fellow players were sickened by the news.
A 62-year-old man was critically injured in an accident in Norwich Friday night.
Norwich police said three vehicles collided just before midnight near the intersection of Washington Street and Arnold Place. When first responders arrived the 62-year-old old driver was unresponsive but breathing. He was taken to Backus Hospital by ambulance and then airlifted to Yale-New Haven Hospital for further treatment. Police said he is listed in critical condition.
The driver of the second vehicle was transported to Backus Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The third driver was not injured. None of them have been identified at this time.
The Norwich Police Accident Reconstruction team is investigating. Washington Street was closed for several hours but has since reopened.
Anyone with information on this crash is asked to contact police at (860) 886-5561 extension 6.
State police are searching for suspects who broke into the Prospect VFW overnight Saturday.
State police said sometime after 2 a.m. Saturday thieves stole a “significant” amount of money from the Prospect VFW at 218 Cheshire Road. The building was also damaged during the incident.
According to police, the suspect or suspects may have fled in a pickup truck. No other details are available.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Troop I in Bethany at (203) 393-4200 or the Prospect Resident Trooper’s Office.
Willimantic police have charged a man with attempted murder in connection with a stabbing Saturday night.
Angel Alvarez, 53, of Willimantic faces charges of criminal attempt to commit murder, first-degree assault, violation of a protective order, and disorderly conduct.
Police said they responded to a report of a domestic dispute around 10:50 p.m. Wheb they arrived they found a female victim outside suffering from stab wounds to her back. She was taken to Windham Hospital for treatment, then airlifted to Hartford Hospital. She is listed in critical condition, police said.
The victim has not been publicly identified.
Alvarez was arrested on scene. The Willimantic police Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the incident.
Alvarez is being held on a $1 million bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 26, 2016.
A Hartford man was killed in a shooting in the capitol city Saturday night.
Police said they responded around 10:25 p.m. to the area of 104 Vine St. and 144 Magnolia St. after multiple notifications from Shot Spotter. They found a victim, later identified as 26-year-old Nicholas Brown, in front of 160-162 Magnolia St. suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Brown was transported to Saint Francis Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Major Crimes detectives are investigating the incident. Police have not released a suspect description at this time.
Anyone with information should contact Hartford police.
Thousands in Simsbury had their eyes to the skies Sunday for the annual Simsbury Fly-In.
The event first flew into Simsbury in the 1980s as a way to raise money for the local airport run by the Simsbury Flying Club.
This year 350 airplanes and 400 cars were on display for a best in show competition. Visitors met with the owners to ask questions and get an up close look at everything from vintage aircraft to exotic cars.
“It’s close-up aviation. You can smell it, you can see it, you can touch it. It’s right in front of you,” said Steve Sykes of East Granby.
A former airplane mechanic who retired from the FAA, Sykes said he used the fly-in to get his aviation fix. His wife Debbie said they haven’t missed the event since they moved to Connecticut 15 years ago.
“Before we moved to Connecticut we never had the chance to see anything this up close,” explained Debbie Sykes.
The fly-in attracts an average crowd of 10,000 people.
“They come from all over. We get them from Florida, Maine, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, pretty much east of the Mississippi and sometimes west,” said Simsbury Airport Manager Brad Griswold.
“It’s a social event. There’s a lot of people here that’d I’ve known, nice people that I meet, and then I get to talk to young people who are studying to be airline pilots,” said Jim Hamilton of Lakewood, NJ.
Hamilton said he was visiting the fly-in for the second year in a row. A former air force and commercial pilot, his aviation career became more of a hobby later in life.
One of the planes on display was a Piper J5 which was used to train WWII pilots in the 1940s at Simsbury’s airport.
“Sometimes they ask, ‘is this really the airplane, and I’ll say ‘ya’, and they’ll say, ‘I learned to fly in that,” said the plane’s owner Mark Horan of Windsor Locks.
Brent Connelly learned to fly for fun ten years ago. He took his passion to new heights when he decided to build his own airplane. A newbie to the Simsbury fly-in the Hackettstown, NJ resident said was excited to trade tips with other experimental pilots.
“I’m always interested in other aircraft so I’ll walk around and take photographs and chat with the pilots,” Connelly explained.
As they shined up their planes hoping to win best in show, the pilots stopped to talk shop and answer questions from the eager onlookers. Some even offered to give visitors a ride.
Among the 150 activities planned for the day, highlights included a powered parachute group, formation flying, and RC Aerobatic demos.
East Lyme police have arrested a suspect in a string of burglaries and car break-ins around town.
Police said around 4:45 a.m. Sunday a resident reported someone shining a flashlight through her window in the Black Point area of town. When police responded they found items strewn around East Shore and door kicked in at an unoccupied home. They also found a vehicle of interest in the area. They called in a K9 to search.
According to police, about two hours later a resident reported a male near Woodland Drive and Ridge Trail running into the woods. Police said when they caught up with the subject he was trying to break into another home.
The suspect, who has not been identified, was taken into custody. Police said the suspect is also accused in several other burglaries and car break-ins in the area.
The case is still under investigation.
Police remind residents to lock doors and vehicles and remove any valuables from view.
WATCH the debate live at 9 p.m. ET.
Debate officials have released the details of Monday night's presidential debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, NBC News reported.
Clinton will receive the first question from NBC News' Lester Holt, who will moderate the first debate of the election season at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
The debate will 90 minutes long and divided into six, 15 minute "pods," the Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Sunday.
Clinton's podium will be stage left and Trump's podium will be stage right, the CPD said.
One person was killed and four others wounded in a pair of shootings near the University of Illinois in Champaign early Sunday, according to police.
Around 12:38 a.m., officers responding to multiple reports of a shooting in the 300 block of East Green Street found four victims with gunshot wounds, according to a statement from the Champaign Police Department.
Police said an argument broke out at an apartment party near the scene, then spilled out into the street where a fight broke out and shots were fired, striking four people.
All four were taken to area hospitals, according to police, where one was pronounced dead. He was later identified as 22-year-old George Korchev, of Mundelein. The other three victims sustained non-critical injuries, according to police.
Korchev and the other victims were not involved in the fight, authorities said, but were walking in the area when gunfire erupted.
A fifth person who was running from the gunfire was struck by a vehicle and also sustained minor injuries, according to police.
Approximately 30 minutes later, police received another report of a shooting less than a mile away, in the 700 block of South State Street a few blocks west of campus. Officers found a shooting victim who was taken to an area hospital for a non-critical wound.
Police said preliminary investigations suggest that the two shootings may be related. Authorities also said the gunman was not believed to be a student, according to an email sent to undergraduates in one of the university's residence halls.
Of the four surviving victims, three had been released from the hospital by Sunday evening, officials said.
The investigation is ongoing, as police continue to search for a suspect in both shooting incidents. The driver of the car that struck the pedestrian came forward, according to police, and was cooperative with law enforcement.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Champaign Police via email at police@champaignil.gov or by phone at 217-351-4545.
As the Star-Spangled Banner played and police in riot-gear looked on, a sea of people took a knee outside of Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte Sunday, NBC News reported.
Activists were demonstrating at and boycotting Sunday's NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings in protest of the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott by a police officer last Tuesday.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton — who has often been criticized for being silent on social justice issues — warmed-up for Sunday's game in a black t-shirt with the Martin Luther King Jr. quote: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere."
Cam Newton's warmup shirt today with an MLK quote:
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" #panthers @wcnc @SportsWCNC pic.twitter.com/CtMrnPXWmf
— Kelsey Riggs (@KelseyRiggsWCNC) September 25, 2016
Security around the stadium was increased in light of recent protests that turned violent. About 50 Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers dressed in riot gear received an ovation from fans waiting to get into the stadium for Sunday's game.
Emergency crews responded to a motorcycle crash on I-84 east in Union Sunday.
State police confirmed the accident occurred near exit 74 Sunday afternoon. No other details were immediately available.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
When asked in an interview Sunday whether he was confident he’d followed the law with regards to his personal charitable foundation, Donald Trump said that he “hoped so.”
Media reports have found that Trump has used his charitable organization, The Donald J. Trump Foundation, for personal purchases and to pay off legal fees. Those actions may have been taken in violation of IRS laws, NBC News reports.
The host of Sunday talk show "Full Measure," Sharyl Atkinson, asked the GOP presidential candidate directly if he was “confident that the Trump Foundation has followed all charitable rules and laws.”
“Well, I hope so. I mean, my lawyers do it,” Trump said.
Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts lifted a citywide curfew Sunday evening after a weekend of peaceful protests and demonstrations over the police-involved shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott, NBC News reports.
In a statement, Roberts and the chairman of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners urged the community to continue to "show their unity in a peaceful and legal manner."
Violent protests rocked the city last week after a police officer shot and killed Scott on Tuesday. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency, calling in the National Guard.
As the week drew on, the demonstrations continued, but protesters remained peaceful. Many called for the police to release the dashcam and bodycam footage taken during the shooting, and the department released some of that footage to the public Saturday.
One of two boaters from Middletown, Connecticut, missing for a week was found alive at sea on a life raft, but his mother is still missing.
Nathan Carman, 22, and his mother, 54-year-old Linda Carman, were reported missing Sept. 18 after they failed to return from a fishing trip off Point Judith, Rhode Island.
On Sunday, a freighter spotted a life raft 115 nautical miles off Martha's Vineyard and found Nathan Carman inside of it, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. He had an emergency bag of food and water, but there was still no sign of Linda Carman.
The Coast Guard had searched an area near Block Island and the search expanded through 62,000 square miles, from the coast of Rhode Island to New York and as far as New Jersey.
Sharon Hartstein, who has been friends with Linda for more than 20 years, said Linda let her know she would be leaving Ram’s Point Marina in Point Judith early on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 18, and they were supposed to come back later that day. They went out in a 31-foot aluminum fishing boat named the Chicken Pox, The Associated Press reported.
She showed us the last text messages between her and Linda: “So she sent this email Friday, I mean text message, saying that they were going from ‘Rams Point around 1 [a.m. Sunday], back by 9 [a.m. Sunday]. Call me 12 noon if you don’t hear from me. Thanks for being there.’”
Nathan – who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome -- was the center of a 2011 investigation when he went missing and was found in Virginia.
A friend of the family said on Sunday that Nathan is in good condition.
Former Bears coach Mike Ditka has weighed in on the protests sparked by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and he certainly did not hold back.
"I think it’s a problem, anybody who disrespects this country and the flag," Ditka said in a radio interview Friday. "If they don't like the country, they don't like our flag, get the hell out, that's what I think."
"I have no respect for Colin Kaepernick, he probably has no respect for me," the Hall of Fame coach continued. "That’s his choice. My choice is that I like this country. I respect our flag."
"And I don't see all the atrocities going on in this country that people say are going on," he added. "I see opportunities if people want to look for opportunities. Now, if they don't want to look for them, then you can find problems with anything."
"But this is the land of opportunity because you can be anything you want to be if you work. Now if you don't work, that's a different problem," he concluded.
Ditka's disapproval of the protests came just days after three players on the Philadelphia Eagles raised their fists at Soldier Field ahead of the Bears' home opener Monday night.
That demonstration joined the national conversation ignited by Kaepernick who sat, then kneeled, for the playing of the national anthem beginning in August to call attention to the oppression of minorities across the United States.
Since then, Kaepernick has been joined by several other NFL players, including four members of the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, and Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall.
While some have expressed support for the message of the demonstrations, the protests have sparked outrage among others, including local police unions in Miami and San Francisco, both of which have threatened some form of boycott.
A recent poll found Kaepernick to be the most disliked player in the NFL, which was conducted just days before his cover for Time Magazine's October issue was revealed.
He revealed Tuesday that he has received death threats over his protest, and pledged to donate $100,000 in each of the next 10 months to organizations that work toward goals consistent with his message of fighting racial inequality.
This is not the first time Ditka has spoken out on social or political issues. A well-documented conservative, he has publicly expressed support for Donald Trump and flirted with the idea of speaking at the Republican National Convention in July.
Bill Nunn, the actor most famous for his role as Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," died Saturday in Pittsburgh, Lee announced on Instagram. He was 62.
"My Dear Friend, My Dear Morehouse Brother- Da Great Actor Bill Nunn As Most Of You Know Him As Radio Raheem Passed Away This Morning In His Hometown Of Pittsburgh. Long Live Bill NUNN," Lee wrote on Instagram.
Nunn appeared in a number films throughout his career, which spanned from the late 1980s into the 21st Century. He acted opposite Tobey Maguire in the "Spiderman" franchise, in "New Jack City" with Wesley Snipes, and in "Sister Act" starring Whoopi Goldberg.
But his most notable role was Radio Raheem, the Bedford-Stuyvesant resident who spoke in poetic prose about his brass knuckles emblazoned with the words "love" and "hate."
In the film, racial tensions in the Brooklyn neighborhood simmer during a steamy summer day. They boil over at night when Nunn's character is choked to death by a New York City police officer.
"RADIO RAHEEM Is Now RESTING IN POWER," Lee wrote on Instagram. "RADIO RAHEEM WILL ALWAYS BE FIGHTING DA POWERS DAT BE. MAY GOD WATCH OVER BILL NUNN."
Four people were taken to the hospital after a two-vehicle accident Sunday night.
The Bristol Fire Department confirmed a pickup truck collided with another car at the intersection of Broad Street and Emmett Street.
Fire officials said one patient was transported via LifeStar. The victims were not identified and there is no word on the extent of injuries at this time.
Check back for updates.
The New Haven Fire Department is upgrading its communications systems thanks to a federal grant awarded to the city.
“We really view the portable radio as part of the protective ensemble that a firefighter has,” acting New Haven fire chief Matthew Marcarelli said.
The city plans to purchase the department 95 new portable radios, replacing the 15-year-old radios firefighters are utilizing now.
“They’re not waterproof and they’re really not designed to be used by firefighters. They really have the law enforcement officer in mind,” Marcarelli said. “We’ve had some increased difficulties recently, part of that is because of maintenance issues with the older radios”
New Haven is receiving nearly $400 thousand from a Department of Homeland Security grant to assist fire departments.
Chief Marcarelli showed NBC Connecticut how the new radios are better designed for firefighters.
“When the firefighter has a gloved hand, he can adjust the volume and he can change the channel on the radio,” he said. “Plus it also has some remote controls on the speaker mic which is typically worn on the firefighter’s collar.”
There’s also an emergency button firefighters can push if they can’t speak over the radio.
“And it will emit a loud tone so we can attempt to find the firefighter by that noise,” Marcarelli said.
These upgraded radios could make a difference when firefighters find themselves in life-threatening situations.
“It’s their lifeline of their communication between the inside of a burning building or the hazardous environment they’re operating in and the incident commander who is operating the scene,” Marcarelli said.
Each of the new radios cost between $4,000 and $5,000 and the city is chipping in 10 percent of what the federal government is contributing to pay for them.
Chief Marcarelli said he hopes the firefighters start using the new radios in the next “couple of months.”
