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Record Crowds Expected in San Francisco for Gay Pride

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San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said new estimates for the Gay Pride Parade on Sunday have 1.5 million people making their way to Market Street.

He said it will rival and possibly top the San Francisco Giants World Series parade.

"Even though the World Series was huge, this could quite possibly be larger in light of the decision that just came down from the Supreme Court - but it will be just as happy as the World Series," Suhr said.

He said his officers will be out in force, just in case to ensure a peaceful event. 

The increased crowd follows this week's historic court decision to strike down Prop 8. The normal estimate for the parade is a million people.

Police said safety at the event will be a top priority.

Police said they are urging Pride participants to be cautious with strangers and to report suspicious situations.

Pride celebrations got an early start with Wednesday's Castro District rally that drew thousands of people to Castro Street.

Many San Francisco hotels are sold out for the weekend. 

The Pride Festival happens on Saturday and Sunday and includes more than 20 stages throughout the Mid-Market area with musical acts, performances and countless dancing opportunities.

The 18th display of the Pink Triangle will go up on Twin Peaks on 7 a.m. Saturday morning before a 10:30 a.m. ceremony with city and Pride officials. 

Saturday night the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will host an alcohol free party in the Castro.

Sunday's parade is the main event and starts at 10:30 a.m. and winds down Market Street ending at the Civic Center.

Merchants have been given a "heads up," Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District executive director Andrea Aiello said, and extra staff has been called in. Aiello said she expects crowds to "stream into the Castro after the parade" but the effect of the Supreme Court rulings will be felt throughout. "All of San Francisco is buzzing," she said.

Motorists are advised to expect delays and crowded streets along Market Street, downtown and Civic Center areas and the Castro District.

Details about service changes and other transit plans are available at www.sfmta.com/calendar/san-francisco-pride. More information about Pride events is available at www.sfpride.org.


Extreme Weather

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Ten-year-old Easton Martin, of Mesa, Ariz., stops to cool off in a misting fan while walking along The Strip with his family, Friday, June 28, 2013 in Las Vegas. A blazing heat wave expected to send the mercury soaring to nearly 120 degrees in Phoenix and Las Vegas settled over the West on Friday. Click to see more extreme weather photos.

Two Arrested After New London Domestic Assault

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Two people were arrested in New London yesterday following the report of a domestic disturbance involving a knife.

Police arrived at 70 West Coit Street around 3:30 p.m. Saturday to find a man bleeding from the arm and a woman holding what seemed to be a large kitchen knife, police said.

When officers confronted Marta Colon, 32, the man, Christopher Benites, also 32, became aggressive, and police used pepper spray to calm him down, authorities said.

Police arrested Colon and Benites, both of 70 West Coit Street. Colon was charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, while Benites was charged with interfering with police.

North Stonington Girl Injured in Boating Accident

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An 11-year-old girl from North Stonington is in the hospital after a boating accident on Wyassup Lake Saturday afternoon, police said.

According to police, the girl was riding aboard a 17-foot ski boat driven by her uncle when she fell into the water around 12:45 p.m. Three other people were on board, police said.

The girl received head injuries and was flown by LifeStar from Backus Hospital to Hartford Children's Hospital. Her condition is unknown, authorities said.

The state DEEP Environmental Conservation Police is investigating the accident.



Photo Credit: clipart.com

Conn. GOP Lawmakers Try to Stop Gas Hike

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Legislative Republicans are trying to rally Connecticut drivers to urge Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to stop a looming increase in gas and diesel taxes.

Republican lawmakers held a petition drive on Monday in an effort to put pressure on the Democrats, the legislature's majority party.

The petroleum gross receipts tax is a percentage of the wholesale price of gasoline and is charged to companies distributing petroleum products in Connecticut. It is scheduled to increase 16 percent on July 1, from 7 percent to 8.1 percent. That tax is in addition to the state's regular 25-cents-per-gallon gas tax and the 18.4 cents-per-gallon in federal gas taxes.

Meanwhile, the diesel tax is scheduled to increase 3.5 cents per gallon. Democrats criticized GOP members for originally backing the tax increase in 2005.

Associated Press/NBC Connecticut

 



Photo Credit: NBC 5

Small Plane Crashes Into Ocean in Maryland

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Police in Ocean City Maryland say a small plane has crashed into the ocean in the resort town, and the pilot is presumed to be dead.

Mayor Rick Meehan told The Associated Press that the plane went down around 4 p.m., about 500 yards offshore at 130th Street, which is about a mile from the Delaware state line.

He said witnesses told police that the aircraft began spinning out of control and crashed into the ocean. He says the plane became submerged, and there is no remaining debris.

Meehan says it's believed that only the pilot was on board and that there are no survivors.

Initial reports identified the type of plane, but the FAA said those reports are not yet confirmed.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Maryland state police are responding, including dive teams and state police helicopter searchers.

 

Flash Flooding in Sharon Causes Damage and Road Closures

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A thunderstorm in Dutchess County New York moved into the town of Sharon Sunday afternoon dropping an incredible amount of rain in a short period of time.

"Unprecedented" is what people in Sharon are calling the flooding from the storm.

The torrential rain resulted in flash flooding. Streams and small rivers quickly rose out of their banks. Some driveways washed away and some homes and businesses were flooded as well.

Richard Carley said his rain gauge picked up 3.30″ of rain in 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Alex Elliot, another Sharon resident, said the water was two or three inches high up Calkinstown Road, flooding his business down the street.

"I talked to all the firemen, nobody had seen water rise like that," Elliot said.

Peter Leffert's front yard resembled a lake. The water reached up to his car bumper and also flooded his basement. 

"When you get three or four inches of water, nothing can accommodate that quickly enough, " said Leffert.

The threat for flooding will return Monday as more moisture streams up the coast. Our computer models indicate the biggest threat for flooding will be in western sections of Connecticut and Massachusetts.



Photo Credit: Whitney Hutton

Search for Missing Man in the Connecticut River

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Emergency crews are searching for a missing man who fell into the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook.

According to the Coast Guard a 58-year-old man fell off a boat while he was fishing at Griswold Point, at the mouth of the Connecticut River and near Long Island Sound. 

Dispatchers received the call just after 8:00 p.m. Sunday.

EConn Police and mutual aid from nearby towns are assisting Old SayBrook Fire Department with the search.

This story is developing and we will have more information as soon as it becomes available.
 


Beyond Marriage: 3 More Battles for LGBT Rights

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The Supreme Court has ruled. The Defense of Marriage Act as it stood is no longer. So what’s next for LGBT rights?

The Supreme Court’s twin rulings last week on gay marriage capped a high-profile, high-stakes struggle for marriage rights at the federal level. Those somewhat narrow rulings didn’t end the struggle, certainly, and in their wake, individual fights over gay marriage will continue in the states.

So too will other fights — fights that those over marriage rights, waged at the polls and in the courts, have until now eclipsed. Here are three of the top LGBT rights issues facing advocates — beyond just marriage.

Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Pop quiz: Is it legal to fire somebody for being gay? In many states, the answer is yes — despite what many Americans assume, according to one study. Twenty-one states plus Washington, D.C., already bar employers from firing workers simply for being gay, while 16 of those, plus Washington, bar them from firing workers for being transgender — but there is currently no federal law prohibiting such discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

For LGBT rights activists, such a law would be a no-brainer — and would let many Americans live freely at work without fear of reprisal for their orientation. ENDA doesn’t have the galvanizing romantic appeal of the narrative surrounding gay marriage — but if passed by Congress, it could have a much more immediate practical effect on the lives and livelihoods of millions of gay and trans Americans.

The bill has been slowly gaining co-sponsors in the Senate largely thanks to the efforts the chamber’s lone openly gay member, Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Last month, it picked up its 52nd co-sponsor — giving it arguably more co-sponsors than any other LGBT rights bill has ever received, according to The Washington Blade. President Barack Obama has voiced his support repeatedly, too, most recently in comments at a Pride Month event at the White House last month.

Expanding non-discrimination and hate crimes laws.

In 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law an expansion of a four-decades-old federal hate crimes law to include crimes based on victims’ gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The expanded legislation — named for hate crime victim Matthew Shepard — marked, among other things, the first federal law to expand legal protection to trans people.

In addition to that landmark federal law, all but five states have laws on the books addressing hate crimes rooted in racial or religious animus — but only 31 of those, plus Washington, D.C., include in those laws crimes based on victims’ sexual orientation, and only 13, plus D.C., include crimes based on gender identity as well.

Efforts are still underway in the states to expand those protections. In Delaware, Gov. Jack Markell just signed into law a bill that would add gender identity not only to its existing hate crimes law but also to its existing non-discrimination laws — meaning that discriminating against trans people will be no more legal in the First State than discriminating against black people, gay people or other protected classes. Advocates in New York are working to pass a similar bill of their own, known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or GENDA. It has repeatedly passed the state Assembly and has the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Conversion therapy bans.

The controversial aim of conversion, or reparative, therapy is to change patients’ sexual orientations — or, as many LGBT rights activists have derisively described it, to “pray away the gay.” The American Psychiatric Association and gay rights advocates have condemned such therapy as dangerous, saying the practice — which often targets children and teens and is often religiously aligned —can saddle kids with guilt and self-hatred over feelings they can’t change.

Legislative efforts are underway in individual states to ban conversion therapy. New Jersey’s legislature sent a ban to the desk of Gov. Chris Christie just last week, and a similar bill has been introduced in Massachusetts. In California, meanwhile, an existing ban on conversion therapy for minors is now before a federal appeals court, where challengers say the law infringes First Amendment rights.

But the conversion therapy movement was dealt perhaps its biggest blow when Exodus International, one of the most prominent ex-gay ministries espousing the therapy, folded last month. Exodus’ founder Alan Chambers issued a public apology repudiating his former group’s aims, apologizing for the damage its work had wrought and admitting that he was and probably always would be gay.

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Those are hardly the biggest issues that gay, lesbian and transgender advocates are confronting, though. They’re just some of the ones being most publicly litigated in court, before state legislatures and at the ballot box.

Just as gay couples aim for marriage rights, they are also seeking adoption rights. Just as advocates for gay youth seek bans on conversion therapy, they're also seeking to beef up existing anti-bullying laws, particularly following the tragic suicide of gay teen Tyler Clementi in 2010.

Gay, transgender and gender non-conforming Americans are working toward immigration reform and prison policy that better protects them. Trans advocates are also working on shaping healthcare and insurance policy that covers trans people’s medical needs, like hormone treatments. (In several states, regulators have barred insurers from excluding trans-specific treatment from coverage.)

Efforts toward greater LGBT rights in the U.S. were never as monolithic as the high-profile marriage battle made them seem — just as the public face of LGBT Americans in the U.S. was never as monolithic as the five faces of Edie Windsor and the young couples Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, plus Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo.

The demise of DOMA's ban on federal recognition of their marriages — both couples wed Friday in California, just after a federal court cleared the way, with Proposition 8 in the rearview — ensured that no end was in sight for LGBT rights efforts in the states, for marriage and beyond it.



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

BART Workers Strike, Commuting Headaches

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Commuters on Monday waded through traffic snarls, hopped on buses or ferries, or opted simply to stay home as two of San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit's largest unions went on strike, halting train service for the first time in 16 years.

No BART trains ran on Monday, and the walkout derailed the more than 400,000 riders who use the nation's fifth-largest rail system and affected every mode of transportation, though the congestion, most agree, could have been worse.

Transportation officials said another 60,000 vehicles likely headed out on the road, clogging highways and bridges throughout the Bay Area. Early Monday, that was true in parts of the Bay Area, especially Insterstate Highway 580 westbound. BART stations effectively looked like ghost towns by the middle of the morning.

Before the sun came up, though, there was plenty of activity. Union members marched around the BART station near Oakland's Lake Merritt, and one picketer, Ron Smith, called the unusual strike very "unsettling."

The news could have been worse, though, AC Transit workers, who also planned to possibly strike on Monday, did not. Lines snaked around corners at 20th and Broadway in Oakland about 8 a.m. as commuters were trying to board AC Transit buses to get to work.

On the first day of the strike, at least one commuter appeared to be nonplussed about his longer travel time.

"You just have to go with the flow," said Oakland commuter Matthew Robinson, who was at least 30 minutes late for work when he spoke with NBC Bay Area.

IMAGES: BART Workers Picket, Commuters Find Alternate Routes

Commuters in Fremont hopped on charter buses that came to the BART station in that city, about 10 miles north of San Jose. The buses took riders to Oakland, where passengers had to board yet another bus if they wanted to get to any other destination. One woman fell as she was trying to get on a bus.

During the evening commute, freeways, buses and ferries were overloaded throughout the region.

However, an NBC Bay Area live cam found traffic to run smooth once commuters crossed the Bay Bridge from San Francisco toward Walnut Creek.

One commuter, Prachi Bora, said she didn't mind that BART workers were striking for better pay; she only wished she knew about the transportation stoppage earlier.

BART spokesman Jim Allison told NBC Bay Area that BART was operating at "1 percent capacity," and he vowed that management and the union would go back to try to "work things out." At the end of the morning commute, BART spokesman Rick Rice apologized, but blamed the union for the problems.

"We are sorry peoples' lives have been disrupted by the union strike," he said in a statement. "The strike is not necessary."

The strike was called Sunday after an 11th-hour effort to resume negotiation failed to produce a new contract by the deadline of midnight. Both the unions and management said they were far apart on key sticking points including salary, pensions, health care and safety. In the Monday BART statement, Rice said that management is "prepared to negotiate the significantly improved proposal we delivered on Sunday."

"A strike is always the last resort and we have done everything in our power to avoid it," said Josie Mooney, a negotiator for Service Employees International Union Local 1021.

"I'm deeply disappointed it has come to this," said Antonette Bryant, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, at a midnight news conference.

Bryant said the union's members "aren't interested in disrupting the Bay Area, but management has put us in a position where we have no choice."

These competing sides came to a head Sunday night with BART accusing negotiators of walking away from the bargaining table, while the SEIU countered in a statement that management "threw in the towel."

MORE: Reaction of #BARTStrike on Social Media

Bay Area residents fell on both sides of the coin regarding the strike. Michael Giannini posted on NBC Bay Area's Facebook page that he hoped "they bust this strike. I'm all for livabile wages but these people deserve no sympathy."

Conversely, Linda Pallotta posted that she thought BART workers definitely deserve to earn more money. The average salaray for a train operator is about $60,000.

PLAN YOUR COMMUTE: BART Strike Resources

The unions, which represent nearly 2,400 train operators, station agents, mechanics, maintenance workers and professional staff, were asking for a 5 percent raise each year over the next three years. BART said that train operators and station agents in the unions average about $71,000 in base salary and $11,000 in overtime annually. The workers also pay a flat $92 monthly fee for health insurance.

Rice said the agency had up its original offer of a 4 percent pay rise over the next four years to 8 percent. The proposed salary increase is on top of a 1 percent raise employees were scheduled to receive Monday, Rice added.

The transit agency also said it offered to reduce the contribution employees would have to make to their pensions, and lower the costs of health care premiums they would have to pay.

Bryant said Sunday that BART's latest proposal is not an actual pay increase, calling it "surface bargaining."

BART's last strike lasted six days in 1997. The transit agency handles more than 40 percent of commuters coming from the East Bay to San Francisco with the Bay Bridge handling another 50 percent said John Goodwin, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

NBC Bay Area's Damian Trujillo, Mike Inouye and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

San Francisco Named America's Snobbiest City

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Can a city be both friendly and snobby? It can if it’s San Francisco, apparently.

The City by the Bay made its way to the top of Travel + Leisure’s list of America’s snobbiest cities, despite also being the most gay-friendly city.

In their annual survey of America’s favorite cities, Travel + Leisure asked their readers to rank 35 major cities by features like the attractiveness of its residents and the quality of its microbrew beer, but added some twists to determine a city’s level of snobbery.

“To determine which city has the biggest nose in the air, we factored in some traditional staples of snobbery: a reputation for aloof and smarty-pants residents, along with high-end shopping and highbrow cultural offerings like classical music and theater,” wrote Katrina Brown Hunt in blog post.

Rounding out the top five cites: New York City, Boston, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Santa Fe, N.M. 

Click here to see the full list of America's snobbiest cities.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Gunshots Hit Hartford House

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Hartford police are investigating after someone shot up a house on Flatbush Avenue around 2:30 a.m. on Monday.

Police do not think anyone was hit, but they said several bullets were fired into the first and second floors of the house.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

California's Shark Fin Ban Takes Effect

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California’s law that prohibits the sale, possession, trade, or distribution of shark fins goes into full effect Monday, effectively ending the longtime Chinese custom of serving shark fin soup.

Signed into law in October 2011 by Gov. Jerry Brown, the controversial legislation featured a compromise allowing storeowners and restaurateurs to continue selling their existing supply of shark fins until July 1.

Beginning Monday, anyone caught violating the law could face a penalty of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

When it was proposed, the law sparked a fierce debate between environmentalists, who cite saving the ecosystem and the dwindling shark population as reasons for the ban, and some Chinese-Americans, who want to continue to honor the Chinese tradition of serving shark fin soup.

The gelatinous, yellow soup is an expensive delicacy, served during weddings, banquets and other ceremonies. For many, its cultural roots go deep.

When the ban was up for a vote in the California Legislature in 2011, some restaurant owners expressed dismay. But others said demand for shark fin soup has decreased.

“The ban hasn’t affected my customer base,” said Harry Kwok, manager of Hop Li Seafood Restaurant in Los Angeles, a day before the ban does into effect. “Most of my customers are American so there isn’t a demand for shark fin soup."

Meanwhile, several members of Congress are expressing concern over a proposed federal regulation which may preempt the California's shark-fin ban -- as well as similar laws in other states.

The rule -- proposed by by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries management division, the National Marine Fisheries Services --  says state and territory shark fin laws are pre-empted if they are found to be inconsistent with federal fishery management plans or regulations.

Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman of California and representatives from New York, Florida and Guam are seeking to change the proposed regulation, which would allow fishermen to possess shark fins as long as they are "naturally attached to the corresponding carcass."

California's law, nonetheless, will go forward on Monday. It comes after an unsuccessful 2012 court challenge that claimed the law discriminates against Asian-Americans.

"California's shark fin ban does nothing to what it claims," said Taylor Chow, a member of Asian Americans for Political Advancement, one of the organizations that challenged the ban in court. "It only uses people's good hearts to penalize the Chinese from utilizing fins of legal harvest sharks."

California joins Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Maryland and Delaware as states that have passed bills banning the sale of shark fins.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Embedded photo credit:  AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File



Photo Credit: flickr/Renée S. Suen

Storm Threat Continues

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Flash flood warnings have been issued for Litchfield and Fairfield counties and a flash flood watch is in place for Hartford County and a tornado warning was issued for Fairfield County until 11:30 a.m.

The warning has expired.

On Sunday, flash flooding caused problems in Sharon and more storms are coming through Litchfield County this morning.

Check the interactive radar here.

If you see severe weather, send your photos to photos@nbcconnecticut.com.

Gas Tax Goes Up Today

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Starting today, drivers in Connecticut are paying more for gasoline.

The state's gross receipts tax, or gas tax, is going up about 4 cents per gallon because of a measure the state put in place in 2005.

Meanwhile, the diesel tax is scheduled to increase 3.5 cents per gallon.

An American Petroleum Institute report from April 2013 put Connecticut’s state motor fuel taxes among the highest in the country, at 8.1 percent after the increase.

Before the increase, Connecticut drivers were paying 63.4 in state and federal excises taxes, while Hawaii pays 67.1, California pays 68.5 and New York pays 68.9.  

Last week, thousands of people signed a petition circulated by Republican lawmakers.

Check the lowest gas prices in the area through the NBC Connecticut gas tracker on Facebook.

Not on Facebook? You can also find them online here.



Photo Credit: Consumer Bob Hansen

Bike Trail Robbery Suspect Arrested

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Police have arrested a man in connection with the robbery and assault of two people on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in New Haven early Saturday morning.

They are still searching for a second suspect.

Annamae Carter and Patrick Henry, both 33, were biking down the trail around 3:30 a.m. Saturday between Division and Thompson Street when they were ambushed by two men who jumped out of the bushes and demanded their valuables, according to New Haven police.

Police said the suspects pushed the victims off the bike they were sharing and ordered them to hand over their belongings. The suspects struck Henry in the face, police said.

Carter handed over a cellphone and Disney backpack full of cash. The suspects took a number of items from Henry, including three other phones, according to police.

The robbers fled. Henry followed them down Division Street but lost sight of the suspects. Carter knocked on neighbors' doors in an effort to get help. No one answered, and she went home to call police, authorities said.

Yale University Police identified Travers Hamilton, 22, of Division Street in New Haven, and managed to track him down. Hamilton attempted to get away but officers tackled and arrested him. According to police, the victims were able to confirm that Hamilton matched the appearance of one of the robbers.

Hamilton was charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree larceny, third-degree assault, conspiracy to commit all the above and two counts of interfering with officers.

The second suspect is still on the run and is described as being a thin black male in his mid-20s standing about 5'10". He was wearing dark or all-black clothing at the time of the incident.

 



Photo Credit: Hartford Police

Nanny Injured by Lightning Strike Nearby

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A nanny was taken to the hospital after lightning struck nearby as she was bringing children into their Ridgefield home on Monday morning.

The nanny, who is in her 50s, was in a car with a 10-month-old and a 3-year-old when the storm hit and wanted to get them inside because she thought it was safer than staying in the vehicle, according to fire officials in Ridgefield.

The woman had taken the 3-year-old inside and was on her way back to the car to get the infant when lightning struck nearby, officials said.

The woman was conscious and alert when emergency crews arrived. She had been holding an umbrella and said she felt pain on the side where she was holding it. 

The woman was taken to the hospital for evaluation.  The baby was also evaluated and is OK.

The storm also caused flooding and brought down power lines in Ridgefield.



Photo Credit: [UGCDFW-CJ-weather]

Strong Winds Toss Tractor-Trailer

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Violent winds tossed a tractor-trailer onto its side when what was likely a tornado blew through East Windsor Monday afternoon.

"I heard a big boom and was looking for what it was," said Duane Fernandez of Manchester, who was in the area when the truck fell. "It was a truck, pushed right over. [The wind] dragged it."

The tractor-trailer was knocked over near Prospect Hill Road when gusty winds carrying what may have been a tornado blew across I-91 and into the Walmart parking lot, where the tractor-trailer was located, officials said.

The driver was inside when it happened and managed to get with the help of police. The driver's condition is unknown.

Crews arrived this afternoon to right the truck, still full of fuel.

"I'm just amazed how the hydraulics and everything... can balance that," said Stephen Fisher of Enfield, who watched the truck being righted. "That's just unbelievable how they can do that with the fuel and the weight," he said.

Authorities directed people back inside the Walmart while tow trucks worked on the tractor-trailer and store employees cleaned up the lot. Walmart brought in heavy equipment to remove downed trees.

At least one car was damaged after a tree fell onto its hood, but no injuries were reported, authorities said.



Photo Credit: Kayla Beltrandi

Chaos Ensues When Animals Interrupt Sports Events

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A tiny dog nearly caused a massive crash at the Tour de France this weekend, but it wasn't the first time an animal threatened to wreak havoc on a sports spectacle.

A few miles from the finish line of the bicycle race's second stage Sunday in Corsica, a little dog can be seen in video dashing away from its owner and onto the pavement.

The owner sprinted onto the course to grab his pet, but the startled animal ran back into the path as the chasing pack of cyclists fast approaching.

Luckily, the little dog ran back to the other side of the street — and narrowly escaped being run over by a cluster of cyclists.

Watch how the dog made its last-second escape:


Such high-profile near-misses with animal at sports events aren't unusual, even at the Tour de France. Birds have been known to take a fancy to baseball games, while dogs have also shown their moves on the soccer pitch. Take a look at other past animal interruptions that have upstaged the main event.

Dog causes bicycle crash: A dog showed up on the course of the 2007 Tour de France out of nowhere and caused two cyclists to crash on the course.

Cows at Tour de France: A herd of cows trotted onto the road where the cyclists were riding during a warm-up leg of the 2011 Tour.

Dog interrupts soccer game: A dog invaded a soccer field in Turkey, and the attempts to take it off the field turned into a belly massage session.

Cat runs onto soccer field: A cat sprinted onto a soccer field during a soccer match in the Netherlands in April and was even eventually tracked down and taken away before half-time.

Pine marten invades football game: A Swiss soccer match was thrown into chaos when the pitch was invaded by a small, feisty pine marten — similar to a weasel — that charged onto the field and bit one of the players.

Bird hit by baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson threw a fastball that struck and killed a flying dove during a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

Baseball fells stray seagull: Another infamous bird-killing incident: Dave Winfeld, then a New York Yankee, accidentally killed a seagull by throwing a ball while warming up in Toronto in 1983.

Squirrel takes over baseball game: A squirrel interrupted a college baseball game and had a lot of fun playing hide-and-seek with the players before it was taken off the field.

 

 



Photo Credit: AP

Man Charged in "Indescribable" Death of 3-Year-Old

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A man arrested in connection with the death of a 3-year-old girl at 11 Potter Street, a two-family home in Willimantic appeared in court Monday.

The state's attorney called this one of the worst cases of child abuse she has ever seen.

Carroll L. Bumgarner-Ramos, 29, who was living in the home with the child's mother, was charged with first-degree assault, risk of injury and committing an offense while out on release. Bond is set at $1 million bond.

The arrest warrant says the little girl had injuries consistent with sexual assault, as well as cuts all over her body. Both of her eyes were swollen shut and she had possible burn marks on her feet.

"Those photos demonstrate indescribable atrocities to that child. The words in the affidavit couldn't even describe," State's Attorney, Patricia Froehlich, said.

Police said they received a call for an unresponsive girl at 10:38 p.m. Thursday. A man said he was home and heard the child's mother scream for help.

Emergency responders transported the child to Windham County Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to state police.

The official cause of death has not been released, but officials said it appeared to be caused by a skull fracture.

State's Attorney Patricia Froehlich said in court that the injuries to the little girl were "indescribable" and said she had "multiple traumatic injuries."

Ron Johnson is Bumgarner-Ramos' defense attorney.

"I know he's devestated and we have to let the court and the system take its course," Johnson said.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and more charges are possible.

Bumgarner-Ramos' ex-girlfriend, who is six months pregnant, was in court and said Bumgarner-Ramos treated her 8-month-old daughter like his own.

"He bought diapers, clothes, changed her, fed her, put her to sleep, let me sleep. I just don't picture him doing that to a baby," she said.

The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Bond was originally set at $1.5 million, according to state police.

 

 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com
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