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West Hartford Man Creates 'Trump Wall' as Halloween Display

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A home in West Hartford, Connecticut is getting a lot of attention for a Halloween display with a strong political statement.

Resident Matt Warshauer and his family are known for their elaborate Halloween displays. This year Warshauer, who teaches American political history at Central Connecticut State University, created what he calls the “Trump Wall,” based on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposal to build a border wall along the U.S. and Mexican border if he gets elected. 

“It’s something that disturbs me because I believe that we’re a nation that gets other nations to tear down walls, not put them up,” said Warshauer, who lives on North Main Street. 

He said every Halloween he tries to design a display that makes people think about current political issues.

“Halloween is that one time of year where you can push the envelope a little bit. I try to make it Halloweeny, but I also make it very political,” said Warshauer, who lives on North Main Street. 

The detailed display features a wall complete with a Trump tower, a Trump deportation center and zombies and skeletons. Warshauer said he included several pieces of original artwork from Hall High School students in the display.

Warshauer also pokes fun at the Democrats, with a depiction of Hillary Clinton riding a donkey as part of the display.

Warshauer said he knows not everyone will agree with his point of view, but he makes his political statement to encourage conversation and debate.

“Living in a democracy is the ability to put our views out there and be able to sort of make our positions known and even debate them if necessary, and that’s what we should be doing,” he said.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Man Slashed Ex With Box Cutter: Police

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A New Haven is accused of slashing his ex-girlfriend in the stomach with a box cutter in West Haven and has been arrested. 

West Haven police said they responded to a domestic dispute on Glade Street around 8 p.m. Saturday and found the victim with a large laceration to her abdomen. She was transported to an area hospital for emergency treatment, told police her ex-boyfriend, 45-year-old Arthur Glen Mabry assaulted her and gave officers a description of him. 

Police said they found Mabry nearby and he threw the box cutter on the ground as officers approached him. 

Mabry was charged with first-degree assault, violation of a protective order, burglary and criminal mischief and held on $150,000 bond.



Photo Credit: West Haven Police

4 Students From Same HS Found Dead

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The school year in one suburban New York community has started with funerals, fear and frustration.

Four teenagers from Brentwood High School on Long Island have been found dead within the past month, all suspected victims of gang violence.

On Sept. 13, the day before her 16th birthday, Nisa Mickens' brutally beaten body was found on a tree-lined street in Brentwood. A day later, the beaten body of her lifelong friend, 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, was discovered in the wooded backyard of a nearby home. The teenagers had been inseparable and shared an interest in basketball.

Days later, police discovered the skeletal remains of 19-year-old Oscar Acosta and 15-year-old Miguel Garcia-Moran in a remote industrial area of the town. Acosta had been missing since May, and Garcia-Moran vanished in February.

Students are saying they're afraid to walk alone in their community and school administrators are warning students not to wear clothing that could risk offending vicious street thugs.

Alexis Portillo, 16, was devastated when he learned of the killings: "Like, who else is going to be next, you know?"

One Brentwood teen who wouldn't give his name, said he feared gang retaliation and that many students are nervous.

"They don't play around. If they don't like you and if you do something to them, they will come after you," he said. "I'm not going to walk anywhere. We're definitely more cautious about that. I don't go out at night anymore."

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that said the Salvadoran gang MS-13 is suspected, although police have not made arrests. The official was not authorized to talk publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Like many suburban areas, Long Island has become a home to street gangs. At least 30 people have been killed by MS-13 gang members on Long Island since 2010.

"There's definitely been an uptick, but we always have bad crews operating here," the official said.

In one particularly heinous killing, four MS-13 gangsters were convicted in the 2010 killing of a Long Island woman and her toddler son. Prosecutors say the mother had allegedly shown disrespect to the gang. Her child was murdered simply because he was with her.

In Brentwood, police are releasing few details about their investigation into students' deaths.

Abraham Chaparro, Garcia-Moran's stepfather, said he was last seen heading off to meet some friends. He said his stepson, who emigrated from Ecuador two years ago, liked cars, soccer and girls.

"He had a girlfriend in every corner. He was good-looking," Chaparro said. "I don't understand how this happened. It's a mystery."

A large photo of the boy smiling in a white suit and black bow tie sat at the front of a funeral home chapel as mourners paid respects this past week.

Maria Arias spent days going door to door looking for her son, Oscar, after he disappeared while reportedly going to a nearby park to play soccer.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy Sini says detectives are optimistic about arrests. A "violent known gang member" was in federal custody, he said, but the arrest papers and charges are under seal and no one is saying if that suspect is tied to any of the killings.

Last week, investigators searched a shuttered state psychiatric hospital for additional victims but came up empty.

All this leaves a community on edge.

Brentwood school officials said a freshman walking to a bus stop with a light blue T-shirt in his hand was stopped last week by a group in a car. The driver demanded the shirt, which was set on fire; the student was told not to wear that color again. Curtis Sliwa, founder of the New York City-based Guardian Angels, a neighborhood patrol group that has now started patrols in Brentwood, said blue is an MS-13 color.

School officials advised in a letter to parents that "children not wear clothing that could be considered to be gang-related."

Monique Darrisaw-Akil, assistant superintendent for secondary education, conceded that "students sometimes get involved in things that are not in their best interest or in the best interest of the school community, so we try to be as proactive, and provide interventions."

Transformer Closes County Street in Norwalk

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County Street in Norwalk is closed after a transformer caught fire.

The road is closed between Norwalk High School and Eric Court and police are asking drivers to avoid the area.

It’s not clear how long the road will be closed. The high school is not in session today.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Conn. Man Accused of Sexual Battery of Child in Florida: PD

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Southington police have arrested a man wanted on sexually battery charges against a child in Florida, police said.

Thomas Mullins, 47, of Naugatuck was charged with being a fugitive from justice after Tampa, Florida police contacted Southington police and informed them there was extraditable warrant out for Mullins. The warrant is for charges of sexual battery on a victim less than 12 years old.

Southington police arrested Mullins at the Southington Motor Lodge at 165 Jude Lane. He is being held on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in Bristol court on October 3.



Photo Credit: Southington Police Department

Cleaning Lady Accused of More Jewelry Thefts

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A cleaning lady who was accused of stealing $30,000 worth of jewelry, cash and other valuables from several clients in Glastonbury is also accused of stealing jewelry from a client in South Windsor. 

A South Windsor resident contacted police in May after finding that jewelry was missing and told authorities she suspected that her cleaning person might be involved. 

Police identified the cleaning lady as 31-year-old Ashley Levitt, of Bolton. Police recovered a piece of missing jewelry, but Levitt and her boyfriend, 30-year-old Robert Berube, of Bolton, are accused of pawning some of the stolen items at area pawn shops, according to police. 

Levitt and Berube were charged with similar thefts in Glastonbury when several residents reported that jewelry, cash and other valuables were stolen.  

All the Glastonbury victims suspected their cleaning ladies of the thefts and police said they learned that all used the same cleaning service. In all, Levitt was accused of stealing more than $35,000 worth of items from Glastonbury home. 

South Windsor police arrested Levitt on Wednesday and she has been charged with third-degree larceny and fifth-degree larceny. She was released and is due back in court on Oct. 6. 

Berube was charged with fourth-degree larceny and released on $15,000. He is due in Manchester Superior Court on Oct. 6. 

Levitt and Berube are due in court on Oct. for the Glastonbury charges. 



Photo Credit: South Windsor Police

LeBron James Throws Support Behind Hillary Clinton

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The most influential man in the state of Ohio has spoken. And He's With Her.

LeBron James, the most famous man in the critical swing state, endorsed Hillary Clinton Sunday.

"Only one person running truly understands the struggles of an Akron child born into poverty," the NBA superstar and Akron, Ohio, native wrote in an editorial published Sunday by Business Insider.

James said he believes Clinton "will build on the legacy of my good friend, President Barack Obama. I believe in what President Obama has done for our country and support her commitment to continuing that legacy."

Clinton would champion education for children "no matter what zip code they live in" and would strive to make college more affordable, James said.

12-Year-Old Hartford Boy Reported Missing


Trump Calls Cyber Attacks "Warfare of the Future"

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Donald Trump said on Monday that under his administration, cybersecurity would be an immediate and top priority, and he criticized his opponent for putting the country in harm's way with her use of a private email server.

Hillary Clinton's only experience in cybersecurity was her "criminal" attempt to keep hidden her emails exchanged while she was secretary of state, Trump said, speaking to a veterans group in Virginia.

Clinton was criticized by the FBI director for her use of a private server but he did not recommend prosecuting her.

Trump said the country was repeatedly under attack by potential hackers from China, Russia and North Korea.  

"Cybersecurity is just one more area where the Obama administration has failed," he said.

Trump called cyber attacks the warfare of the future and said the United States' dominance must be unquestioned. As president he would instruct the Department of Justice to create a joint task force to crush the still developing area of crime, he said.

Afterward, during a question and answer session, he was asked for his plan to defeat ISIS or the Islamic State. He criticized President Obama for refusing to say radical Islamic terrorism and said he would stop ISIS cold, but did not specify how. 

Obama has said the debate over what words are used to describe ISIS and other extremists is a manufactured issue.

Trump said the country's military was "depleted" and he vowed to expand it. He was speaking to a Retired American Warriors conference in Herndon, Virginia.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

SCOTUS: No Rehearing for Obama Immigration Policy

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a request to rehear a case concerning its executive actions on President Obama's immigration policy, NBC News reported.

Unable to reach a decision in June, the justices tied 4-4, leaving a lower court order intact that blocked the immigration plan from going into effect.

Obama's immigration programs would shield more than four million people from deportation. Texas and 25 other states sued after it was announced in 2014, claiming the president had no power to order the changes. But the court's tie prevented a decision on the merits of that claim.



Photo Credit: AP

Haitian Native Living in CT Fears Matthew's Effects on Haiti

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Hurricane Matthew is expected to hit Haiti late Monday night, bringing the potential for 130 mph winds and 15 to 25 inches of rain.

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for Haiti on Monday, as well as Jamaica, several Cuban provinces and the southeastern Bahamas.

Marc Regis, a native of Haiti who now lives in Newington, said he feels for his country. He has two sisters and several nephews who still live in Port-Au-Prince. He said they are in survival mode now.

"They tried to buy some supplies, but they can't go anywhere. They have to stay and pray and give it to God," said Marc Regis of Newington.

Regis said living in Haiti is difficult because adequate housing, water and electricity are hard to come by.

He travels back to Haiti twice a year and offers a week-long summer camp for children. Regis said he is worried for the more than 400 campers who will deal with the devastation in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

"I feel sad because I know their house, I know where they live, and a little bit of wind can blow everything away," said Regis.

Haiti is no stranger to natural disasters. One of the most catastrophic was when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck in 2010.

Regis said the people have no choice but to be resilient and hopefully survive.

“Ask people to pray for Haiti because that's the only thing we can do now," said Regis.



Photo Credit: National Hurricane Center

Scattered Storms Today, Increasing Sunshine Midweek

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A slow exit from the gloomy weather of this past weekend will lead to lots of sunshine by midweek.

Scattered storms are expected this afternoon and evening, with temperatures reaching 70 degrees.

An abundance of clouds will stick around tomorrow, but most of the state should remain dry.

High pressure begins to build in by midweek, resulting in mostly sunny skies on Wednesday with highs in the upper 60s.

Thursday and Friday look glorious with full sunshine and highs in the lower 70s.

All eyes are on Hurricane Matthew, and its track will determine Connecticut's weather this weekend.

The most likely solution for New England brings the storm out to sea, yielding a dry weekend with a good amount of sunshine.

Still on the table, but a lesser probability, is a track close enough to deliver heavy rain.

No Injuries Reported in Early Morning Fire in New Haven

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Residents at a multi-family home in New Haven got an unwanted wake-up call when fire broke out inside the walls of the building early Monday morning. 

New Haven fire officials said everyone got out of the home on the corner of Bassett Street and Winchester Avenue safely.

The fire appears to be electrical and was in the walls, fire officials said. It took firefighters about 15 minutes to contain it.

The damage was not extensive and residents were allowed back in the building once firefighters finished up.

Bassett Street was closed while firefighters worked but has since reopened.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Teen Shot Outside Groton Restaurant

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A teen was shot outside the 99 Restaurant on Long Hill Road in Groton Sunday afternoon and police are searching for two other teenage boys who were seen running away after the shooting. 

Groton Town police said a teenage boy was transported to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, then Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he is being treated for a gunshot wound. 

Details on the extent of the victim's injuries and his name have not been released.

Police said the shooting shappened outside the restaurant around 4:30 p.m. after an altercation and appears to be an isolated incident.

“Unsettling, but what I would tell them and reassure the people in this area is we believe it’s an isolated incident. We believe the suspect and victim were known to one another,” Groton Town Police Chief L.J. Fusaro said.

Workers inside the restaurant called 911 and the restaurant shut down for the remainder of the evening but is expected to reopen Monday. No one inside was harmed.

The incident is under investigation. 



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Law Enforcement Agencies Meet Over Linda Carman Case

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Law enforcement officials from nearly half a dozen states met in New Haven to discuss the investigations into the Middletown woman Linda Carman, who disappeared during a fishing trip with her son, and the murder of her wealthy father in 2013. 

There is a joint investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the disappearance of 54-year-old Linda Carman last month, according to police.

On Monday, police from two Connecticut communities joined forces with state’s attorneys from Hartford and Middlesex counties, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, along with Rhode Island Police, the Coast Guard, ATF and the FBI and met at the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Haven.

They are working to figure out who will investigate what. 

Coast Guard officials don’t believe Linda Carman,who spent 14 months in the Connecticut Air National Guard, survived when her son’s boat, the ‘Chicken Pox’, sank at sea last month.

In 1985, Linda Carman was an Airman First Class and was honorably discharged, a spokesman said. 

She disappeared with her 22-year-old son, but Nathan survived and was found after eight days, floating on a raft. He told Coast Guard officials he lost sight of his mom.

The Windham County Sheriff’s Department in Vermont served a search warrant on Nathan’s Vernon, Vermont, home last week at the request of investigators in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. They believed they would find evidence to support a charge of quote “operating so as to endanger resulting in death,” citing witness accounts from the marina in Point Judith, Rhode Island that questioned whether Nathan Carman took proper boat maintenance before he and his mother set out to sea.

The shooting death of Nathan Carman’s maternal grandfather, real estate mogul John Chakalos of Windsor, in 2013 remains unsolved.

The 87-year-old Chakalos led a modest life in Windsor at an Overlook Drive home, but also maintained a five-bedroom mansion in West Chesterfield, New Hampshire once known for its holiday lights display.

A source close to that investigation told the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters Nathan Carman is a person of interest in his grandfather’s murder. 

The former attorney of Nathan Carman’s mother’s said Linda was also a suspect in her dad’s murder.

Attorney Gerry Klein said the pair got in a fight over his money five years ago at Mount Sinai in Hartford.

“Her insistence that she take the polygraph -- 'Thank you Attorney Klein for your advice but I think I better just do it 'cause I want them to know that I had nothing to do with the death of my father.’ And “She indicated that she could never do anything to harm her father,” Klein told NBC Connecticut on Friday.

Nathan Carman denies wrongdoing in either case and his father Clarke Carman defends him as well.

Boston-based attorney, Dan Small of Holland and Knight, represents Linda Carman’s three sisters and issued a statement to the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters

“The family is deeply thankful for the rescue team who put their lives on the line at sea in the extensive effort to find our sister Linda and her son. As we continue our search for answers, the family has faith that our state and federal investigators are bringing maximum resources to bear, so that the family can have some degree of closure and an opportunity to heal," the statement says, in part.

The daughter NBC Connecticut spoke with by phone is also executor of John Chakalos' estate, which records state is worth an estimated $43 million, is not including an undisclosed trust in his name.



Photo Credit: necn

Congressman Larson Proposes Tunnels For Hartford Highways

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The Department of Transportation  has ruled out the idea of running tunnels underground in Hartford.

"The I-84 viaduct project has been moving forward and after multiple public input sessions, including hearing feedback from stakeholders, as well as analyzing impacts and costs, we have recommended that the elevated and tunneling alternatives be removed from consideration," the DOT said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. John Larson proposed that Hartford's elevated interstate highways run underground in tunnels on Monday. 

"A lot of countries do that already," said Tanya Evans of Manchester. "It might be actually more helpful but it's also more dangerous getting in and out if there's an accident."

In Hartford, Interstate 84 is costing the state government hundreds of millions of dollars to maintain. DOT designers have been studying replacing the viaduct, the elevated highway.

Their Interstate 91-Interstate 95 interchange in New Haven, featuring a new Q Bridge, is a $2 billion project. Larson figures tunnels for I-91 along the river in Hartford, as well as I-84 might cost $10 billion.

"At that tab you can do a lot more," said Jay Eschoe, of East Hartford. "Put some money in the school system, and you can really put people in a better position,ultimately the whole city, versus just throwing it on the road."

Larson's opponent in next month's election, Matthew Corey, told the Hartford Courant it was his idea in their campaign two years ago.

Neither of them were available for comment.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Sabotage Speculation Surrounds SpaceX Explosion: Report

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A recent SpaceX rocket launch test that ended in a fiery explosion is the subject of rumors of potential sabotage, CNBC reports.

The rocket company is investigating the failure of its Falcon 9 rocket in early September, days before it was scheduled to launch. 

A SpaceX statement sent to CNBC said a "preliminary review of the data and debris suggests a breach in the second stage's helium system" on the Falcon 9, "but the cause of the breach is still unknown."

According to The Washington Post, SpaceX investigators noticed "an odd shadow and then a white spot" on the roof of a nearby building that belongs to a competitor, part of a "bizarre twist" that suggests SpaceX is considering sabotage a possible cause of the explosion.



Photo Credit: USLaunchReport.com

Mysterious Polio-Like Illness Paralyzing US Children

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Three-year-old Carter Roberts was playful, healthy and active until he became one of over four dozen people in the United States diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, NBC News reported. 

He was unable to move his arms or legs, and "doctors were working really hard to try and figure out what was going on," said his mother, Robin Roberts.

The mysterious muscle weakness, similar to polio, appears to be on the rise this year.

As of August 2016 there have been 50 cases of confirmed AFM across 24 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday, more than double 2015, when 21 cases for the whole year were reported.



Photo Credit: Robin Roberts via NBC News
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Essex Woman Receives Charge From Former Cell Phone Carrier

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Essex transplant Amy Rinehart reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds after receiving a $433 bill from the cell phone carrier she left two months prior.

"I was being charged for a phone I had returned," said Rinehart.

When she called customer service, an agent told her one of the devices didn’t fall within the appropriate time frame for returns and that they couldn’t accept it. Rinehart said, had someone brought that up when she canceled her service, she never would have sent it.

“I was thinking, well, if (they) return the phone to me, I’ll pay for it,” said Rinehart. “Just on principle, I’m not going to pay for something I don’t possess.”

The agent then told her they’d be in touch, but days went by without an update.

“I just had no faith that anything was going to happen,” said Rinehart. “I was just going to have to end up paying for a piece of property I didn’t own, (one) that I didn’t have in my possession.”

The NBC Connecticut Responds consumer team contacted a Sprint spokesperson. A few hours later, they told us they were able to resolve the issue, thanked us for bringing it to their attention, and said they spoke with Rinehart regarding her statement.

“And they just said, your balance is zero,” said Rinehart.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

New Britain Police Roll Out Spanish Language Tip Line

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New Britain has rolled out the latest improvement to its anonymous tip line.

The city's tip line is now bi-lingual, allowing callers to leave their tips in Spanish.

Prior to Sept. 30, the city's tip line was only in English.

The city is hoping that their nearly 38 percent Latino population will be more comfortable leaving their information anonymously in Spanish.

Once tips are left, a Spanish-speaking officer will take down the information.

“That comfort level [and] understanding that, yes, we are working together to take down that language barrier is part of that,” said New Britain Police Chief James Wardwell.

“I think it’s a good idea because there are a lot of people I know that can’t speak English and if sometimes the family isn’t around to translate, like my family, we've always had issues with that so I’m always the one calling 9-1-1 in English to try to tell them there’s a problem,” Said Sheila Cartagna of New Britain.

The call line is not intended to replace 911—but to further bridge the gap between the police department and its residents.

"Oftentimes folks do reach out and I can't give you specifics but the number of crimes that have been solved because of neighborhood involvement, people reaching out saying ‘hey, this might not be important’ but oftentimes it is important," said Chief Wardwell.

The Police Department hopes to implement a Polish anonymous tip line in the future.

You can call the tip line at 860-826-3199.

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