Breaking up is hard to do, but sending a text? That's another story.

Ending a relationship is no easy feat — even celebrities haven't yet mastered the etiquette. When a face-to-face conversation seems too much to bear, a new app lets you turn to your phone and let a few touch screen taps take care of your breakup burden.

The iPhone app Breakup Text asks users a series of simple questions about the relationship and generates a fitting breakup text, according to Laughing Squid.

Its creators, Jake Levine and Lauren Leto, initially launched the Breakup Text concept through a website that prompts visitors to fill in blanks with their significant other's name and phone number, plus a reason for needing to call it quits. Then the site, like the app, creates and sends the message.

Neither of the formats take itself too seriously, though, allowing users to select "I've been eaten by a bear" as a reason for breakup. (What? It could happen.)

Click through the gallery to see some of the text messages the app, $0.99 on iTunes, can produce.

Watertown police have arrested two high school students accused of using Twitter to cyberbully dozens of other students.

Police got involved after several students and parents complained about an anonymous Twitter account being used to make harassing and demeaning comments about around 40 other students.

It mentioned an association with Watertown High School and some Tweets included sexual and homophobic language, police said.

By the time police were notified, Twitter had already shut the initial page down, but it was not over.

The two students had gone on to create another page and continue the harassment, police said.

The investigation went on for months, police said, and included working with Twitter.

Police obtained several search warrants and found the people suspected of posting the comments.

In June, as the school year was ending, police arrested the students and charged them with breach of peace.

Both students are due in Torrington Juvenile Court.
 

The San Diego Zoo’s giant panda cub celebrated his first birthday Monday with a special cake made of ice, bamboo and fruit.

The cake was delivered to the panda exhibit just before 9 a.m. Monday, and it didn't take long for Xiao Liwu and his mother Bai Yun to indulge in the special treat.

The cub's fans were able to watch the event through the San Diego Zoo's special live "Panda Cam."

Xiao Liwu was born on July 29, 2012, and joins three other giant pandas at the zoo, including his mother, Gao Gao and Yun Zi.

His name means "Little Gift" in English. Click here for a pronounciation.

The pier at Fort Hale Park in New Haven is empty. There aren't any fishermen there, because there are no boards to stand on. It's been like that since Tropical Storm Irene and was made only worse by Sandy.

“Lot of people fish off that pier and feel lonesome without it. Now you don't see anyone at the pier. At one time it used to be crowded,” said Al Casagrande, of East Haven.

Now those who have used it over the years are waiting for it to be fixed and wondering why it hasn't been repaired already.

“They've got the nerve to charge 10 bucks for fishing. They charge us $10 for a saltwater license now, so I thought they'd have some money for the fishermen,” said Bob Gamache, of North Haven.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which owns the pier, says a change in federal regulations has stalled repairs. Instead of just putting it back together, the state needs to meet FEMA guidelines and the pier needs to be redesigned. The Department is working on plans right now.

“I'm hoping that the pier will be more fisher friendly, more like a 'T' where you have more space to fish. This pier is tight. That's what I'm going to suggest to the state,” said Salvatore DeCola, the alderman who represents the area where Fort Hale Park is located.

As for the rest of Fort Hale Park, the City of New Haven is responsible for repairs. Crews will be out next week pushing the sand back from the parking lot and cleaning up.

City officials are also looking for long-term solutions and they want to hear from community members about what changes should be made to the park. Those plans will take more time.

“Having been hit twice, we don't want to continue just fixing what's not going to work, because the storms will take it away again next year,” said Christy Hass, Deputy Director of Parks and Squares.

 Interstate 395 South in Putnam was closed on Monday because of a jackknifed tractor-trailer, but has since reopened. 

The road was closed from exits 99-97 as crews removed the truck.

The driver suffered minor injuries.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash.

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has asked the city to cover his legal fees for a sexual harassment lawsuit, according to an agenda released by the city council.

Special Section: Mayor Under Fire

The city council will convene in a special closed session on Tuesday night to discuss whether or not to pay for legal fees in a sexual harassment claim filed by Filner’s former employee Irene McCormack Jackson.

Jackson publicly came forward last week and alleged that Filner told her to “work without panties” and detailed other alleged acts of sexual harassment. Jackson called her experience working for the mayor “the worst time of my entire working life.”

Prominent San Diego attorney Gloria Allred is representing Jackson, and filed the lawsuit last week. Read the complaint here

Filner has been accused of sexually harassing multiple women -- a total of seven women have publicly come forward claiming he acted inappropriately toward them.

The mayor has since apologized for "offending" women, and will enter intensive therapy for two weeks to "begin the process of addressing [his] behavior."

Filner has made the request that he should be defended under the city’s expense through a letter from his lawyer Harvey Berger. The letter stated that Filner should have the city pay for representation under California Government codes 825 and 995 – which deal with compensation and defense of public employees.

The San Diego City Attorney’s Office is advising the council during Tuesday night’s meeting.

City Attorney Jan Goldsmith has said his office will not represent Filner, but he has not said whether or not the city will be responsible for his legal fees. It is not clear at this time how the council will act.

Route 8 North in Waterbury has reopened after a crash last night.

The road was closed in the area of Exit 33 after a multi-vehicle crash, causing backups to spill onto Interstate 84.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

A New Britain woman is lucky to be alive after police said a man attacked her with a hammer and hit her in the head repeatedly over the weekend.

Tyrone Owens said his stepsister was just released from the hospital after being struck with a hammer inside her apartment on Marwood Drive.

“It was very frightening. ... I was upsetting,” he said. “She got hit with a hammer. She got marks here on her leg, and stubbed her toe.”

Owens said the victim was hit in the head with that hammer repeatedly and her young son was there when it happened.

“It was chaotic, her son was screaming, 'Help my mom,'” Owens said.

New Britain police arrested Richard Campbell in connection with the crime.

Owens said Campbell is a family friend and does not know what led to this.

“I can’t believe it happened. I’m shocked,” Owens said.

Neighbors said the victim came out of her apartment, screamed for help, ran across the complex and ended up at a friend’s place down the road. The friend then called 911.

“It’s not what you want to wake up to either on Sunday morning,” said Yashira Santiago, who woke up to detectives surrounding the neighborhood just minutes later.

“I didn’t hear anything. That’s the worst part,” Santiago said.

She was worried about the safety of children in the area and the woman who was targeted just a few feet away.

Campbell was in court on Tuesday and was arraigned on several criminal charges, including attempted murder.  He was held on $1 million bond.

Derby residents are raising concerns after another fatal crash on Route 34.

Nicole McDonald, 25, of Seymour, was killed on Monday morning when her SUV collided with a tractor-trailer.

"There're numerous accidents on that curve. It's ridiculous," Tony Teodosio, of Derby, said.

He said he heard the sirens racing down Route 34 early Monday and immediately knew where they were headed.

"It's all ledges. It's a very narrow road. It's a 90 degree turn going into the road. I mean I travel up and down that road and when I drive, I do 30 miles per hour," he said.
 
It's unclear if speed played a factor in the crash that killed McDonald.

She was driving her car westbound when she hit a tractor-trailer head on.

Neighbors said McDonald was the mother of an 8-year-old child. 

"People go flying up and down this road," Butch Ezzo said.

"When a call comes in for an accident in the area, we know it's going to be something serious," David Lenart, chief of the Storm Ambulance & Rescue Corporation, said.
 
Lenart said he knows of two to three fatal crashes on the road in the last year that the ambulance corps has responded to.

It's a road truckers and other cars use to easily access Interstate 84. 

"You have the river on one side and a wall on the other, so you're driving down an alley," Lenart said.
 
He suggests reducing the speed limit or putting grooves in this alley to help. He said he uses back roads to avoid this spot.

"But something, at this point, needs to be done. It's getting a little routine to go to a serious accident here," he said.

Officials from the Department of Transportation said they are meeting with the police department to address concerns over this road, but could not provide any update other than that.

Residents fear the next victim will be a camper coming across the street from a rec center.

"For the sake of the people that are dying, one life versus fixing that road," Teodosio said.

 

Attorneys involved in a dog attack case say a $1.1 million settlement, announced Monday, is the largest of its kind in state history.

It was two summers ago when a 120-pound Bullmastiff named Kong escaped his chain link fence enclosure, barreled toward a group of teens and clutched then-15-year-old Jordyn Bankston in his massive jaws.

Ed Miller and another neighbor say the attack went on for about 10 minutes before the neighbor found a way to free the teen.

"He came over and slugged the dog a couple of times," Miller said Monday, recalling the neighbor's actions. "[Kong] would not release the child. He had a lit cigarette and he put it on the dog's nose and [the dog] finally released him."

Two years later, the 17-year-old is due to receive $1.125 million from the dog owner's insurance policy for injuries and ongoing trauma. Attorneys said Bankston still becomes anxious when he sees a dog or hears one bark.

"He ripped up his scalp, severely ripped up his shoulder and right arm, his thigh [resulting in] nasty scars that required some extensive plastic surgery," said attorney Patrick Salvi. "[It was] a very, very traumatic event."

Salvi said Kong's owner had a primary policy as well as an umbrella policy. That umbrella policy raised the settlement limit from $350,000 to one million dollars -- the largest in state history.

Prior to this case, the settlements in such cases ranged from $400,000 to $835,000. The last settlement of this kind came in 1990.

In Bankston's case, the dog was put down because the animal had attacked other people and animals.

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Internal affairs investigators arrested a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy Monday on suspicion of rape and other sex crimes, along with bribery of victims, authorities said.

Deputy Jose Rigaberto Sanchez, 28, faces 11 felony counts stemming from incidents when he was on duty in 2010, according to a Sheriff's Department statement. The patrol deputy, most recently stationed at the Palmdale station, has been on paid leave since someone reported the alleged crimes that year.

His paid leave ended Monday, the statement said.

Charges against the seven-year veteran of the department include: sexual penetration under the color of authority, soliciting a bribe from alleged victims and rape under fear or duress.

"On duty, the deputy allegedly was trying to elicit favors from individuals that he was threatening to arrest," said Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore. He did not elaborate on what the favors included.

Sanchez also is accused of coercing a woman into having sex, threatening to arrest her if she didn't comply.

Investigators arrested Sanchez at 5:30 p.m. at his home, according to the statement. He was booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station and held on $1.4 million bail, according to sheriff's records.

The Sheriff's Department had turned over the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in January 2011, according to the sheriff's statement. 

The statement said Sanchez's arrest followed a six-month internal affairs investigation. However, the department remained silent about what, if any, actions were taken in the two years between the District Attorney's office becoming involved and the six-month investigation that would have begun this year.

Sanchez was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.

The Sheriff's Department declined to release additional details or a booking photograph of the deputy.

A Swiss adventurer known as the "Jetman" made his first U.S. appearance this week.

The Swiss pilot, Yves Rossy, became the first man in aviation history to fly with a jet-propelled wing in 2006. The "Jetman" will appear from July 29 to Aug. 4 at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture event in Oshkosh, Wis. From Sept. 11 to 15, he is also scheduled to be at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nev.

For one week each summer, EAA members and aviation enthusiasts topping more than 500,000 from more than 60 countries attend the AirVenture venue in Wisconsin, according the organization.

Rossy's jet-propelled wing, called the jetwing, consists of a small wing with four jet engines, allowing the military trained pilot to fly through the air at more than 150 mph. He uses a hand-held throttle to control the engines, but uses his body to maneuver the machine, according to The Wall Street Journal. Rossy usually launches from a helicopter and uses a parachute to land.

The "Jetman" has made successful flights over the English Channel, Swiss Alps and Rio de Janeiro since perfecting his flying machine in 2008, according to his website.

Rossy's jetwing machine won't be the only machine of its kind at the Oshkosh air show. A prototype flying car called the Terrafugia Transition will make its first airshow appearance at the Oshkosh venue, according to The Wall Street Journal.

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner faces not one, but two recall efforts.

Special Section: Mayor Under Fire

Filner announced Friday he would enter into a two-week behavior rehabilitation treatment following allegations of sexual harassment made public by former allies more than two weeks ago then corroborated by seven women last week.

Activist Michael Pallamary, who has been talking about launching a recall effort for more than a week, published his intent in the San Diego Union-Tribune Sunday starting the clock. He later spoke at a news conference Monday afternoon, and spoke passionately about the recall.

"We have to rid our city of this man! He is committed to destroying this city day by day, hour by hour," said Pallamary. "I'm appealing to every one of you to come forward. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of this man. The emperor is naked."

Read: Recall Notice of Intent

Filner has 14 days from the publication of Pallamary's notice of intent to file a response. After that, signatures can be gathered beginning Aug. 18. Any recall petitions for Pallamary's effort must be filed with the City Clerk's office by 5 p.m. Sept. 26.

More than 48 hours earlier, publisher Stampp Corbin had already advertised his intent to gather signatures for recall in the same newspaper.

While Corbin hasn’t granted NBC 7’s request for an interview, he did say he will file official paperwork Tuesday.

Pallamary also formerly asked Corbin to rescind his recall paperwork during a conference on Monday afternoon.

The two separate parties are vying for the chance to lead the way and the competition could be costly, according to attorney and NBC 7 legal analyst Dan Eaton.

“What you might see in these competing recall petitions, is a race to the city clerk's office followed by a race to the city courthouse,” Eaton said.

The possible rush comes from San Diego's municipal code, which states that the process of recalling the mayor can start if no petition has been filed within the last 6 months, possibly giving the first filer the right to move forward.

Eaton says the law is not completely clear as to whether two recall efforts can occur at the same time.

“Whether that's acceptable legally, that's a question that ultimately may have to be resolved by the courts,” he explained.

Former California GOP Chairman Ron Nehring wants to see ramped-up pressure on Filner to resign instead of the long, complex process of recall.

"I think that based upon where were are now, for the good of the city we need a pathway that gets Mayor Filner out of office as quickly as possible and lets the voters come forward and elect a new mayor," Nehring.

It will be at least three weeks before people can sign petitions.

The city council needs to change the law to make parts of the recall process legal, changes which could be vetoed by the mayor.

If all necessary signatures are gathered within 30 to 60 days -- some say there's a slim chance of it happening -- a decision would follow.

The City Attorney's office is still researching how multiple recalls should be handled under the city charter.

Work crews have begun demolishing and removing debris from homes destroyed by a natural gas explosion in South Philadelphia.

Demolition along the 400 block of Daly Street began at 9 a.m. Tuesday. An excavator and dumpster are already on site.

The brick rowhome at 428 Daly Street was reduced to a pile of rubble around 11 a.m. Monday after natural gas ignited as a contractor worked on a hot water heater in the basement of the home, according to Philadelphia Fire Department officials.

That contractor suffered serious burns to 22-percent of his body and is being treated at Temple University Hospital's Burn Center.

"They had the man out here for half-an hour. His skin was just coming off of him. It looked like a monster movie. He was burned really bad," witness Bashira Bey said.

The contractor was last listed in critical condition.

Rowhomes on either side of the explosion site, 426 and 430 Daly Street, were also severely damaged in the blast.

15-year-old Shaquorie Fields, who lives at 430 Daly Street, fell from her second floor bedroom into the kitchen below, according to her mother, Sekeya Fields. Luckily, she suffered only minor injuries.

“She was in her room and her room is on the second floor and when they dug her out, she was in the kitchen,” said Sekeya Fields, whose been living in the home for the past two years. “Everything’s gone. Everything we have is gone.”

In all, eight people were injured in the explosion -- including two infants. All have been released from the hospital except for the contractor.

At the height of the incident, as many as 70 homes were evacuated along Daly and near by Wolf Streets.

As of Tuesday, about a dozen families are being kept from their homes, according to Philadelphia Police.

The Philadelphia Fire Department, Philadelphia Gas Works and Occupational Health and Safety Administration are all investigating the incident.

More Stories on the South Philadelphia House Explosion

• Explosion Levels South Philadelphia Home, 8 Hurt
• Explosion Victim: "Please, Take My Baby!"
• Local Man an Unintended Hero at South Philly Home Explosion
• A Look Inside the Exploding Home

A 28-year-old Branford woman was struck by a car while walking in a crosswalk on Main Street in Branford last night.

Police responded to Main Street at the intersection of Hopson Avenue at 5:25 p.m. and closed the road for around two hours to investigate, police said.

Stephanie Boisvert was struck as she was walking southbound in the crosswalk, crossing Main Street, according to police.

Paramedics from the fire department immediately treated Boisvert for her injuries and transported her to an area medical facility for further evaluation.

Police interviewed the driver, Paul Deluca, 40, of Branford, who said he was driving eastbound on Main Street and drove to the right of vehicles he thought were stopped to make left turns, police said.

Deluca was charged with failure to grant right or way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
 

A United Airlines employee and his wife are accused of stealing luggage of passengers diverted by the Asiana crash at the San Francisco International Airport.

Prosecutors in San Mateo County said Sean Sharif Crudup, 44, and a customer service representative at United, and his wife Raychas Elizabeth Thomas, 32, both of Richmond, were charged with grand theft and burglary.

Karen Guidotti, San Mateo County’s chief deputy district attorney, alleged the couple stole luggage of passengers who were supposed to fly into SFO  on July 8 but were diverted because of the Asiana Airlines crash two days earlier, which killed three and injured 182.

The couple's luggage arrived before they did. And when the couple - also, coincidentally from Richmond - went to pick up their bags, they weren't there, prosecutors said.

Guidotti said there is surveillance video that shows Crudup handing the stolen bags to his wife. She declined to provide a copy of the video to NBC Bay Area.

United said in a released statement they were assisting police. "We hold our employees to the highest standard and have zero tolerance for any theft. We are assisting the San Francisco Police Department in this investigation, and this employee has been held out of service," said United spokesman Luke Punzenberger.

MORE: Full Asiana Crash Coverage

Inside the bags were items from Nordstrom, which investigators say Thomas returned for some $5,000 at the Pleasanton department store. More property from the victims was found at their home, prosecutors said. Guidotti would not elaborate on the specific clothing items.

The victims who lost their luggage were a Richmond couple.

Crudup pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of grand theft and burglary and was being held at San Mateo County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bail. Thomas posted $50,000 bail. Neither could be reached by phone for immediate comment on Monday.

The two are scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 26.

North Carolina boasts that it is “first in flight,” but the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport will host its own First in Flight celebration next month amid growing debate that a Connecticut man might have beaten the Wright Brothers to it.

The man behind this debate is Gustave Whitehead, who lived in Bridgeport.

The reason he has been getting national attention is the forward of the aviation publication, “Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft,” in March that mentioned research into Whitehead and his flight of a plane called the “Condor” in August 1901, two years before the Wright Brothers took to the skies over North Carolina.

“In the early hours of 14 August 1901, the Condor propelled itself along the darkened streets of Bridgeport, Connecticut, with Whitehead, his staff and an invited guest in attendance. In the still air of dawn, the Condor's wings were unfolded and it took off from open land at Fairfield, 15 miles from the city, and performed two demonstration sorties. The second was estimated as having covered 1½ miles at a height of 50 feet, during which slight turns in both directions were demonstrated,” the editor, Paul Jackson, wrote in a an article posted on the publication Web site.

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has discounted the claims, but in Connecticut,  Whitehead is a household name.

He was recognized as the Father of Connecticut Aviation in 1968 and Bridgeport has a memorial to him.

“Jane’s has solidified what we’ve known all along – Gustave Whitehead was the first to fly a powered, manned aircraft before the Wright Brothers, and he did it right here in Bridgeport,” Mayor Bill Finch said in a statement in March.

On August 17, the Discovery Museum and Planetarium in Bridgeport is celebrating the 112th anniversary of Whitehead’s flight.

The event is free and will feature presentations by aviation historian John Brown, who conducted extensive research into Whitehead.

John Ratzenberger, a Bridgeport native and actor made famous for his role as Cliff Clavin in the TV show “Cheers” will be there.

Andy Kosch, who successfully flew a replica of Gustave Whitehead Flyer “No. 21,” will also attend and you will be able to see the plane, weather permitting.

If you go, you can attend planetarium shows, meet with model airplane clubs, view educational demonstrations for children and take a tethered flight of The Discovery Museum’s high altitude balloon.

Guests can explore the new First In Flight exhibit, which includes period photographs, news articles and personal accounts of Whitehead and his 1901 flight on the beaches of Bridgeport.

The Discovery Museum’s more than 100 hands-on, interactive exhibits will be open to the public.

The Discovery Museum and Planetarium is located at 4450 Park Avenue in Bridgeport.

For more, visit DiscoveryMuseum.org or call 203-372-3521.

Bridgeport police have arrested a suspect in the homicide of Kiaunte Ware, 32, of Bridgeport,.

Ware was shot and killed on Sixth Street on the morning of Wednesday July 17, police said.

Police responded to Sixth Street, between Connecticut and Stratford avenues at 7:30 a.m. on July 17 after receiving a report of shots fired and found Ware in the driver’s seat of a rented Hyundai, police said.

He had been shot several times. 

Ware was transported him to Bridgeport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Dennis Salmond, who is known as Sleep, was arrested in the 1900 block of North Avenue early Tuesday in connection with the homicide.

The victim and suspect knew each other and had an ongoing dispute that police said escalated into fatal gunfire near the victim's house.

Police are investigating the cause of the dispute but believe it was drug-related.

Police said they secured a murder warrant with a $1 million bond for Salmond last week and had been looking for him since.

Police found him in the North Avenue home of a woman with whom he has a child. He was arrested there around 5:30 a.m., police said.

"Detectives executed several search warrants in the days after the killing that yielded important evidence and information," Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. said in a statement. "Their thorough work helped take a dangerous criminal off the streets and, I hope, brought the victim's family a measure of comfort."

Salmond was taken to police headquarters to be booked and interviewed. He will be arraigned this afternoon or tomorrow.

Ware was the victim of the seventh homicides this year in Bridgeport.

Norwalk police are asking the public for help to find a man suspected of stealing a van from a U-Haul.

Police said Albert Pelletier, 52, is wanted in connection with a commercial burglary at a U-Haul facility at 25 Van Zant Street.

One of company’s vans was stolen and has recently been recovered, police said.

Pelletier is 5-feet-5 and approximately 172 pounds.  Police said there is an active arrest warrant for his arrest.

Call the tip line or Detective Sherry at (203) 854-3180.

 

The Powerball jackpot for Tuesday’s drawing has reached $235 million and that has Connecticut lottery officials warning people to play responsibly. 

"While Lottery games are fun and entertaining, it is important that consumers use good judgment when playing games of chance," Anne Noble, president and CEO of the Connecticut Lottery said in a statement.  "The public must be conscious and aware of the risks of problem gambling, and at the Lottery we make it our priority to educate consumers about responsible play."

Powerball is a multi-state lottery and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 175.2 million, according to the Powerball Web site. http://www.powerball.com/powerball/pb_prizes.asp

There have been five Powerball jackpot winners in Connecticut since 2003.

The largest Powerball jackpot to date, however, is $590.5 million and the winning ticket was sold in Florida on May 18.
http://www.powerball.com/powerball/pb_stories.asp

If you have a problem with gambling, you can call the 24-hour confidential problem gambling helpline at 1-888-789-7777.

For information about the CT Lottery, call (860) 713-2700, or visit ctlottery.org.