Republican council members in Rocky Hill are in an uproar following a vote for a new town manager this week.

Late Monday after emerging from executive session, council voted 5-4 along party lines to give Interim Town Manager John Mehr the job on a permanent basis. Republicans, in the minority, cried foul.

Republican Councilor Nadine Bell cites the town charter that said, “The Town Manager shall be appointed and may be removed or suspended by the Council by at least six affirmative votes of the membership of the Council.”

However, Democratic Town Councilor Bill O’Sullivan told NBC Connecticut, "There is some ambiguity in the Charter about whether the 6-vote supermajority requirement for suspending or terminating a Town Manager also applies to hiring one."

O'Sullivan added, "We took our vote to offer Mr. Mehr the position, and specifically made it subject to not only reaching a mutually satisfactory contract with him, but also obtaining an opinion from the Town Attorney that a simple majority will suffice."

Bell countered she wanted a legal opinion before the vote was taken and said,"An alternate opinion was not tolerated."

Bell also said the vote was not fair to the other candidates applying for town manager.

NBC Connecticut asked council Democrats why they didn’t hold off on a vote until they got a legal opinion. Mayor Claudia Baio said prior to the vote there was no way of knowing it would be 5-4, so there was no reason to seek a legal opinion until after the vote was taken. Both council Democrats and Republicans say they are now just waiting for the town attorney’s opinion on whether the vote was proper.

NBC Connecticut Responds helped a Guilford man, who is still waiting on an appliance he ordered more than two months ago.

John Coughlin got a great deal on a dishwasher last November for Black Friday. He ordered it, along with a washing machine and a dryer, from Home Depot.

The company set the first delivery date for early December, then missed it, a spokesperson says, because his order wasn’t available.

“They just did not show up,” said Coughlin.

The same thing happened when they rescheduled a second time.

The third time, the delivery company said they were running behind and arrived shortly after Coughlin’s available window. He wasn’t home.

“None of these errors are my fault,” said Coughlin.

With the holidays fast approaching, Coughlin went to Home Depot directly.

“I needed a washer and dryer,” said Coughlin. “I couldn’t wait any longer for that.”

He picked up a similar washer and dryer to what he had ordered, at no additional cost. And, since he was there, he scheduled a fourth delivery date for the dishwasher.

When the date arrived, the appliance, again, did not. Home Depot had the wrong address.

“I was extremely aggravated because this is now the fourth day that I made available to be home to get appliances that I paid for in November,” said Coughlin.

That’s when he reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds.

A Home Depot spokesperson contacted Coughlin right away to apologize, and sent us a statement saying:

“We’re very sorry for the issues Mr. Coughlin experienced with his order and we appreciate the opportunity to work with our delivery vendor and make it right."

The company also gave Coughlin a 200 dollar gift card, a full reimbursement, plus a fifth, and final, delivery date.

“I’m going to put my faith in them one more time,” said Coughlin. “They showed me a sign of good faith by trying to work with me.”

Two teenagers are accused of leading Hartford police on a pursuit Wednesday morning. 

Hartford Police observed the stolen car near the intersection of Park Street and Zion Street around 11:53 a.m. When officer in the area tried to stop the car headed toward the intersection of Babcock Street and Russ Street, the suspect began driving away nearly striking many cars, police said. 

The driver "barely avoided" construction sites and construction workers before striking a police officer's cruiser in the rear passenger side quarter panel, causing the car to slide several feet and causing minor injury to the officer inside, according to Hartford Police.

The suspect continued through out streets in Hartford onto I-84 westbound and exited the highway onto Flatbush Avenue traveling towards West Hartford. West Hartford Police utilized stop sticks, causing the suspect vehicle to lose air pressure in several tires but the driver did not stop. The suspect vehicle continued to flee, but at a greatly reduced speed.

The driver traveling at a much slower speed west on Fern Street entered the intersection with North Main St. and collided with a red Toyota Corolla. He evaded this accident and traveled into Bloomfield, police said. 

While traveling on Simbury Road, the suspect vehicle's rim disintegrated and the vehicle stopped after a short distance. Officers approached the suspect vehicle and ordered the occupants to get out. When the occupants did not comply officers broke the vehicle's windows, opened the doors, and removed the occupants after a brief struggle, Hartford Police said. 

The driver, Jonathan Rosado, was charged with larceny, evading responsibility, reckless endangerment, police pursuit, interfering with police, operating without license, among other related charges. 

Joshua Dionne, the passenger, was charged with larceny, criminal trover and interfering with police. 

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A grand jury has indicted more than 100 Inauguration Day protesters on rioting charges in Washington, D.C. In total, 209 people have now been indicted, NBC News reported.

The indictment, handed up D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday, charged 146 additional protesters with felony rioting — meaning they face a fine of up to $25,000 and a maximum of 10 years in prison.

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On Inauguration Day — Jan. 20 — 230 people were arrested and charged with felony rioting. Twelve cases have been dismissed.

Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies provided 3,000 officers and were supported by 5,000 National Guard members and police officers in patrolling the streets during President Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Mexico's foreign minister on Wednesday and will visit Mexico City, the White House announced.

As NBC News reported, the meeting with Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray in Washington, D.C., which came one week after Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon Mobil, was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in. 

"They had a constructive conversation on a range of U.S.-Mexico collaboration including law enforcement, migration, and security," acting State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said in a statement, which did not include a date for Tillerson's trip to Mexico City.

Trump's executive order on construction of a wall on the U.S. southern border with Mexico, and the president's claim that Mexico would pay for it, has inflamed tensions between the two nations.

Emergency crews responded for a fire on a deicing truck at Bradley Airport this morning.

Airport officials said the fire was contained and had it no impact on airport operations.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The fire happened during a nor’easter that will bring 10 to 18 inches of snow to the state.

The Northeast is getting slammed with a powerful, fast-moving snowstorm that's expected to create blizzard conditions and dump more than a foot of snow in some areas on Thursday. 

Take a look at live shots of snow falling in New York, Philadelphia, Connecticut and New England. 

New York City:

New England:

Philadelphia:

Connecticut:

The snow has started piling up.

Here are the snow totals so far and they will keep growing through the day. Comment below and let us know how much snow you have:

• Ridgefield: 4 inches
• Higganum: 3 inches
• Stratford: 2.5 inches
• Bethlehem: 2.3 inches
• Milford: 2 inches
• New Canaan: 2 inches

Mike Tirico is taking over for Bob Costas as prime time host of the Olympics on NBC, the network announced Thursday, exactly a year before the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Costas has served in the role for all 11 Olympic games since 1992.

"It has been both a privilege and an incredible personal and professional experience to have been part of NBC's Olympic coverage all these years," Costas said in a statement.

Tirico joined NBC in July and served as daytime host for the 2016 Games in Rio.

Costas will continue in multiple roles with NBC Sports and NBC News, NBC said.

Typically when we experience thunderstorms in Connecticut temperatures are rather mild or warm. In fact the majority of our thunderstorms occur during the spring and summer months. 

Many people are asking how can thunder and lightning occur during the middle of a winter storm?

Here's the radar image this morning at 7:09, which shows numerous lightning strikes from Berlin to Rocky Hill.

While this phenomenon is quite rare it's not the first time it has occurred in Connecticut. 

Thundersnow occurs as a result of convection in the atmosphere. Rapid intensification of a storm and a high amount of instability helps to trigger this fascinating aspect of weather.

In layman terms, there really isn't much of a difference between a summertime thunderstorm and a thunderstorm in the middle of a winter storm. 

The chances of thundersnow increase as the center of the storm gets closer to Connecticut and continues to intensify.

With a snowstorm bringing more than a foot of snow to parts of the East Coast Thursday, here's a reminder that the best thing to do with white stuff on the road is to stay home. Winter storms contribute to more than 2,000 road deaths every winter and nearly half a million crashes, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

But if you do have to drive in possibly treacherous conditions, here are some tips for remaining safe on the road from the AAA and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

BEFORE THE SNOW

• Be prepared: Have an emergency kit in your car that includes a bag of cat litter, sand or other abrasive materials to get traction on ice, a shovel, flashlight and extra batteries, gloves or mittens, boots, ice scraper and snow brush, jumper cables, blanket, warning flares or triangles, food and water, first-aid items, extra windshield-washer fluid and antifreeze and a piece of bright cloth.
• Make sure windshield wipers are in good working condition.
• Take your cell: Charge your mobile phone and bring a charger with you. If you do charge your phone in the car, make sure your tailpipe is clear to avoid the danger from carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Fill it up: Fill your gas tank and check wiper blades, windshield-washer fluid, oil and antifreeze.

DURING THE SNOW

• Drive slowly: Accelerate and stop slowly to avoid skids.
• Hang back: Increase the distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. The extra space will provide the longer distance you will need if you have to stop.
• Easy on the brake: Brake early by applying firm, steady pressure on the pedal. Don’t stop if you can avoid it. If you can roll slowly until a traffic light changes, do it. It is much easier to get moving while rolling than from a full stop.
• Taking hills: Don’t power up hills  — your wheels may just begin to spin. Instead get momentum before you reach the hill, and slow down when you reach the top.
• Careful on the bridge: Be especially cautious on bridges, which freeze first, and on highway exit ramps, which might have gotten less anti-icing material.
• Avoid cruise control: Don’t use cruise control in wintry conditions because even roads that appear clear can have slippery spots. The slightest tap on your brakes to deactivate the cruise control could cause you to lose control.
• Keep headlights clear and lights on at all times.
• If you get stranded: Pull as far off the road as possible. Stay in your vehicle, avoid over-exertion, let fresh air in, run the engine every 10 minutes, but make sure your exhaust pipe is free of snow. Turn on the dome light at night when the engine is running. Change your position often, move your hands and legs, rub your hands together or put them under your armpits or between your legs and remove your shoes occasionally and rub your feet.

AFTER THE SNOW

• Clear your car: Do not try what this driver did — and if clearing the snow and ice is too difficult for you, ask for help.
• Shovel with care: Here is some advice from the "Today" show on how to stay safe while shoveling. 

The DNCE concert scheduled for the Dome at the Oakdale in Wallingford tonight has been canceled because of the snowstorm hitting Connecticut. 

Snow has overspread the state, with 10 to 18 inches expected to fall by the time the storm is over.

If you bought your tickets with a credit card, you will be automatically refunded. If your used cash, you can get refunds at the point of purchase, according to LiveNation.

The more we learn about the cosmos, the more it seems possible that we are not alone. The entire galaxy is teeming with worlds, and we're getting better at listening — so the question, "Is there anybody out there?" is one we may be able to answer soon, NBC News reported.

But do we really want to know? If aliens are indeed out there, would they be friendly explorers, or destroyers of worlds? This is a serious question no longer confined to science fiction, because a growing group of astronomers has taken it upon themselves to do more than just listen. Some are advocating for a beacon swept across the galaxy, letting E.T. know we're home, to see if anyone comes calling. Others argue we would be wise to keep Earth to ourselves.

"There's a possibility that if we actively message, with the intention of getting the attention of an intelligent civilization, that the civilization we contact would not necessarily have our best interests in mind," says Lucianne Walkowicz, an astrophysicist at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. "On the other hand, there might be great benefits. It could be something that ends life on Earth, and it might be something that accelerates the ability to live quality lives on Earth. We have no way of knowing."

Kayla Linton was a healthy, all-around athlete, but being fit did not protect her from the flu, NBC News reported.

Linton, who died last week in Baltimore, is among the dozens of often perfectly healthy children who die from influenza every year in the U.S.

It's shaping up to be an average flu season so far in the U.S., but even an average flu season is deadly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The CDC says 15 children under 18 have died in the 2016-2017 flu season. It's probably more than that — it takes a few weeks for CDC to gather the information, and not all states report flu deaths quickly or in the same way. In the last flu season, 89 children died.

At least one person was seriously injured when a snowmobile collided with a snow plow in East Haven on Thursday morning, according to police.

The accident happened around 10:20 a.m. at the intersection of Main Street and Gerrish Avenue.

One person on the snowmobile was seriously injured and was taken to the hospital, police said.

The operator of the private snow plow was not injured.

Police are investigating the accident.

Two people were taken to the hospital after a crash involving a CT Transit bus in New Haven at 8:15 a.m. Thursday as a snowstorm overspread the state.

Police said six people were involved and the other four refused treatment.

A 20-year-old Southington woman has been charged in connection with a crash that killed a motorcyclist in Bristol in November.

Police said Crystaly Acevedo, of Southington, was driving an SUV, traveling west on Farmington Avenue on Nov. 27, and turned left onto Route 229, colliding with 34-year-old Corey Cuvelier, of Bristol, who was on a motorcycle. 

Lifestar was called to transport Cuvelier, but he died before he was transported, officials said. Police said he was not wearing a helmet.

Acevedo was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

She was charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and failure to grant right of way while making a left turn.

She was released on a non-surety bond and is due in Bristol Superior Court on Feb. 21. 

Putnam police will be helping emergency crews and medical professionals get to work during this blizzard by offering transportation via Humvee.

Snow has been falling since early this morning, blizzard warnings are in effect for parts of the shoreline and 10 to 18 inches will fall by the time the storm is over.

They said they are offering rides to nurses, doctors, emergency personnel and other essential employees who must report to work in Putnam.

People who need a ride should call Putnam police at 860-928-6565.

The Trump administration faced continued criticism over possible ethics violations Thursday after a White House official promoted Ivanka Trump's clothing line in a television interview, NBC News reported.

"Go buy Ivanka's stuff," Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, told Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy.

Ivanka Trump has a "wonderful line," Conway added. "I own some of it. I fully, I'm gonna just going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today everybody. You can find it online."

The government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said in a statement Thursday it had filed a complaint with the Office of Government Ethics and the White House Counsel’s Office over Conway's statements.

“The law is clear that public officials should not use their offices for their own private gain or the private gain of others,” the executive director of the watchdog group said in a statement. “It’s hard to find a clearer case of that kind of misuse of office than we saw today.”

State police said troopers across the state are dealing with stuck vehicles and jackknifed trucks.  

As of noon, Connecticut State Police had responded to 601 calls for service, including 68 accidents, four of which had injuries.

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Gov. Dannel Malloy said low visibilty is one of the largest problems that drivers are facing, in addition to the heavy snowfall rates.

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"If you do not need to travel today, we ask you to stay off the streets until we can get everything cleaned up on a local and a state basis," Gov. Malloy said.  "For those who need to travel, remember your winter driving skills. Drive at a reasonable rate of speed leaving as much room between you and the next car as possible, that's particularly true on hills."  

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State Police commanding officer Col. Alaric Fox said troopers provide services to struck drivers.  These services can include making the scene safe, getting Department of Transportation crews on scene, and helping with salt and sand.

Col. Fox said the troopers must do their work very carefully to make sure not to put themselves in added danger.

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