The New London Police Union is hoping the City Council will continue to fight for an ordinance that mandates a four-dog K-9 unit.

The Council saw the ordinance for the first time on Aug. 5 and unanimously pushed it through.

But Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio handed them a veto last week, calling the ordinance an intrusion into his authority.

Now it’s up to the council to overturn that veto. Six out of seven council members will have to vote in favor of the override in order for the Police Union to get its wish.

The last contract between the city and the police union expired at the end of June. It provided for one dog, not four. Finizio said last week that he was willing to allow for two dogs, but that four was too many given the city’s current financial situation.

The union has argued that dogs make police work safer. Finizio, on the other hand, said he would rather see that money spent on equipment such as tasers.

Earlier this year, Finizio ordered two of the dogs retired, bringing the mayor’s office and the police union head to head in an ongoing debate.

All eyes will be on the city council at its meeting tonight as the community waits to learn what will happen to the controversial K-9 ordinance.

He's ready for his close-up!

He's just shy of one month old, but already Prince George of Cambridge is as photogenic as his royal parents, Prince William and his wife Kate.

Monday saw the release of the royal family's first photos with its latest addition, just four weeks after the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to him at St. Mary's Hospital in London to worldwide fanfare.

The intimate, sun-dappled snapshots, taken outdoors by Kate's dad in the company of two lazy-looking dogs, gave the world its first glimpse into the young couple's family life.

George, just four weeks old, looked anything but camera-shy — even if he did appear to have slept through the whole informal photo shoot, which took place in early August at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury.

Kate, wearing a loose fuchsia sundress, cradled their son in her arms, while William held the couple's panting cocker spaniel Lupo. The Middleton family's pet, golden retriever Tilly, lounged in the background.

Just before the release of the photos, William described Prince George's personality, plus how he's been adapting to fatherhood, in a new interview with CNN.

He said his son was "a bit of a rascal" who "either reminds me of my brother or me when I was younger." He also revealed that he had changed the baby's first diaper, or "nappy," as the Brits call it

Prince George's birth on July 22, heralded by a town crier in London, marked the pinnacle of months of frenzied excitement and speculation worldwide and capped Kate's closely-watched pregnancy.

Afterward, William and Kate briefly spoke with reporters outside the hospital, before William strapped the newborn's car seat into the back seat of a car and drove his family away from the crowds of well-wishers.

The photos released by the family Monday mark the first glimpse of them since. See the photos below, or see more photos of the young family in the gallery.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George are pictured in the garden of the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, in early August. Credit: Mr. Michael Middleton.

Two West Haven women were arrested Sunday night in New Jersey after reportedly being linked to a large-scale fencing operation spanning several states.

According to police, Jennifer DeJesus, 37, and Alanna M. Prior, 34, were stopped for a moving violation while driving in Mahwah, N.J. around 11 p.m. Sunday.

Police searched the car and found hypodermic needles, drug paraphernalia, a large amount of stolen property and ledger books containing the addresses of several PetSmart, Petco, A.C. Moore, Michaels Arts & Crafts, JoAnn Fabrics and Walgreens Stores in N.Y., Ohio, Conn., Mass. and N.J., authorities said.

The stolen items were contained in 11 garbage bags and are valued at more than $10,000, police said.

The women were arrested and taken to police headquarters, where officers found they both had outstanding bail warrants in Penn. for trying to steal more than $5,000 worth of merchandise from a Petco store, according to police.

DeJesus was charged with receiving stolen property, trafficking in stolen property, conspiracy to traffic stolen property and speeding.

Prior was charged with possession of hypodermic needles, possession of drug paraphernalia, receiving stolen property, trafficking in stolen property and conspiracy to traffic in stolen property.

They were both held in lieu of bail at the Bergen County Jail.

No, it's not Bo circa 2009. It's puppy Sunny, the latest canine addition to the First Family.

The one-year-old Portuguese water dog — the same breed as her new adoptive brother Bo — arrived at the White House on Monday.

The Obamas picked the new pup to keep lonely Bo company, and they stuck with the breed due to the family's allergies.

"Sunny is the perfect little sister for Bo – full of energy and very affectionate – and the First Family picked her name because it fit her cheerful personality," the White House said on its website.

See photos of the Obamas' new puppy Sunny below.

Sunny, the new Obama family dog, on the South Lawn of the White House, Aug. 19, 2013. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza.)

Sunny, left, and Bo, the Obama family dogs, play on the South Lawn of the White House, Aug. 19, 2013. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza.)

Bo, left and Sunny, the Obama family dogs, on the South Lawn of the White House, Aug. 19, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza.)

A motorcyclist is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after a crash tonight in Granby.

Granby police are investigating after a motorcycle and car crashed on Granville Road at Northwoods Drive just before 6 p.m.

The operator of the motorcycle was transported to Hartford Hospital by Lifestar with life threatening injuries.

The North Central Accident Reconstruction Team is on scene assisting with the investigation.

A detour is available from Silver St. to Northwoods. Delays should be expected and motorists are asked to avoid the area.

Anyone with information is asked to call Granby Police at 860-844-5335.

Naugatuck police evacuated a local grocery store Monday night after receiving a call that there was a bomb on site.

Police say that they received a 911 call from an unknown person stating that there was a bomb in the Big Y, 85 Bridge St.

The store and other businesses located in the shopping plaza were evacuated so police could search.

Police cleared the scene around 9 p.m. after not finding anything. The store and shopping plaza have been reopened.

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner met with city leaders at a downtown law firm on Monday after being out of the office for more than three weeks.

The mayor is accused of sexually harassing multiple women and has since faced calls to resign, in addition to a formal recall effort. He recently returned from a two-week stint at an intensive therapy program, followed by a personal week off.

The mayor talked to San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria, Councilman Kevin Faulconer and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, in addition to high-profile lawyer Gloria Allred.

Allred is representing Filner’s former communications director Irene McCormack Jackson, who claims Filner said inappropriate things to her while serving as mayor. Jackson has since filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Filner and the city.

After Monday's meeting, Allred spoke to the media and revealed that retired judge Lawrence Irving is preceding over the mediation. She said Irving instructed them not to comment, except to say that a mediation is ongoing.

Earlier in the day, Filner supporters gathered for a press conference, saying the mayor should be allowed to defend himself in court. During the same time, congressional candidate Carl DeMaio called for San Diegans to participate in the effort to recall Filner.

Filner has not been seen in public since July 26.

Firefighters fought a two-alarm fire on Ocean Ave. in New London tonight.

Firefighters responded to 715 Ocean Ave. just before 8 p.m. They located a fire on the second floor of a multi-apartment house.

The fire has been knocked down.

According to The Day newspaper, two resident of the home were transported to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, one with a minor burn and the other with breathing problems.

For years, Maki the police dog helped find missing people, apprehend criminals and recover evidence of crimes.

Now, the Bloomfield Police Department is mourning the loss of their K9. Maki died due to an ongoing medical condition.

Maki entered into police service with his handler, Officer Brian Grant, in March 2009 and became a recognizable face in the community. The team visit public schools, the senior center, day care facilities, health care facilities and other public institutions.

“He will be missed by all,” police said in a statement.

Maki was certified in patrol and narcotics detection and through the years of service, Maki and Grant have been one of the most professional and effective police K9 teams in the region, according to police.

Two New Haven men were arrested Sunday after reportedly robbing two people at gunpoint and firing at an officer.

The robbery happened around midnight near the the Van Dome Nightclub on Hamilton and Ives Place in New Haven, according to police.

Suspects Darryl Giles, 23, of Fitch Street, and Robert Staton, 22, of Sherman Avenue in New Haven, fled in the direction of Grand Avenue, the victims told police.

According to police, Giles and Staton were getting into a station wagon on Wallace Street when the responding officer approached them, drew his gun and ordered them out of the car.

The getaway car accelerated into his police cruiser. A passenger got out and fired a shot at the officer, then jumped back inside the car, which took off in the other direction, police said.

According to police, the suspects' car crashed into a fence and utility pole near the corner of Wallace and Walnut streets.

Giles and Staton took off running, but were apprehended by police. The victims were able to positively identify them as the robbery suspects, authorities said.

Both men were charged with first-degree robbery and attempted assault on a police officer.

Police have recovered one of the suspect’s guns and are still searching for the second weapon.

Three "persons of interest" were in custody shortly after a Monday evening shooting outside a church in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood where volunteers were serving dinner to the homeless, the neighborhood's alderman said Tuesday.

Police wouldn't confirm that detail but police Supt. Garry McCarthy said officials "know who the players are."

"It's very clearly gang-related," he said at Chicago Police Headquarters. "We're looking at a couple of different angles."

Five people were injured in the shooting, four of them critically, Ald. James Cappleman (46th) said in an email alert to residents. Police said Monday night that one person was killed in the shooting but later clarified that victim was in extremely critical condition.

More than 20 bullet casings were left in the busy intersection after the victims, all males, were transported to nearby hospitals.

"I saw when a man got shot in the head there was a puddle of blood," Na'eem Hoskins said of the 6 p.m. shooting at North Sheridan Road and West Wilson Avenue. "I saw another man got shot in the stomach, and he was just hollering and screaming."

Cappleman said three of the shooting victims had known gang affiliations from Chicago's south and west sides. A fourth victim was with those three, he said, and the fifth victim was believed to be homeless.

Witnesses said shots rang out as a car drove through the area, which is one of Chicago Public Schools' Safe Passage routes designed to give students a protected path to and from school.

• Mayor, Schools Chief Clarify "Safe Passage"

"It looked like a war had took place," said Joseph Rogers, a security guard at the nearby Uptown Shop & Save market. "There was blood everywhere. There was glass on the ground from the bus stop. There was one guy sitting on the ground shot in the leg."

At least one of the victims stumbled to the stairs of the Uptown Baptist Church, where at least 40 parishioners from Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington were volunteering.

"A lady, she was smiling walking out the door, and a moment later she turned around and came running back in with tears," recalled volunteer Cary Annen.

The South Barrington volunteers were left trying to find alternate ways home.

"Our vans and cars that we came in are part of the police tape line now, part of the crime scene," one of the volunteers said.

Cappleman said police were reviewing surveillance footage from a nearby police camera as well as from nearby businesses.

The shooting comes after a violent weekend that left at least six people killed and 27 others wounded. Among the victims was a 7-year-old boy who was shot as he walked his bicycle up to his home.

It also comes a week after two people were shot, one fatally, along another Safe Passage route on the city's south side.

When Nayo Mateo walked out of a store to find his minivan was stolen, his heart sank -- not for the car, but for his 10-year-old yellow Labrador, Maru, who was asleep in the back seat.

On Monday, two days after the van was stolen, police found the minivan abandoned in front of a golf and tennis club in Studio City. The thief had left Maru inside, with the windows rolled up, and the dog had died, possibly from the heat, police said.

Mateo confirmed his dog's death to NBC4 on Monday evening. He said his entire family was distraught that the dog he had raised from a puppy was dead.

Before the heartbreaking find, Mateo told NBC4 in a tearful interview: "I don't care about the car. I just want my dog back."

He said Maru wasn't just a pet to him -- she was like his child.

The family’s minivan was stolen from a parking lot at 12507 Ventura Boulevard, at Whitsett Avenue (map), in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City. Mateo said he left the car running with the air conditioner on so Maru could stay cool while he went inside to get his wife and 2-year-old daughter, who were shopping at a children’s clothing store.

"We miss her so much; she's a part of our life," Mateo told NBC4 in an earlier interview. He often teared up and wept when speaking about the then-missing dog who he's had since she was a puppy.

The family posted fliers, called animal shelters and filed a police report.

A local organization set up a fund to create a reward for Maru's return.

"I felt sick to my stomach for this poor man who was trying to hold it together," said Sheilah Aragon, founder of Mutt Match L.A.

Mutt Match L.A. asked for the public’s help to raise reward money, and some $1,500 has been raised. 

It was unclear what would be done with the raised funds.

NBC4's Kim Baldonado contributed to this report.

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A man posing as a firefighter, wearing a stolen fireman's uniform, was arrested in Irving on Sunday just four months after he was arrested on similar charges in Plano.

Trrance King, 21, was arrested Sunday at an Irving hospital after he claimed to be a Denton firefighter, according to a law enforcement source. King was wearing a stolen Denton fireman’s shirt and carrying a stolen portable two-way radio.

Firefighters in Denton believe he stole the items when they allowed him to tag along with a fire crew one day last week after he told them he was a paramedic, said Denton Battalion Chief Brian Glenn.

The man said his name was Jayden Smith, Glenn said.

"He sounded like someone interested in a career with the fire service,” Glenn said.

But firefighters grew suspicious of his credentials and later learned his name wasn’t Jayden Smith and he was no paramedic.

"It didn't sink in until later that Jayden Smith is Will Smith's son, so he didn't even make up a good name,” Glenn said. “He just stole it."

King is the same man arrested in Plano in April, claiming to be a Dallas firefighter.

A search for Trrance King on Facebook turns up 5 different pages -- several with photos of him dressed as a fireman.

In one photo, he was sitting on the front of a fire truck in Cedar Hill, dressed in full gear, holding a young boy.

In March, he claimed he got a medal for saving a 5-month-old girl from a burning car.

He also said he worked as a neonatal intensive care paramedic at Children's Medical Center and studied at Southwestern Medical School. According to his Facebook post, he started when he would have been just 16 years old.

"He was just looking for a chance to live a life that he dreamed of but didn't set his life on a course to achieve,” Glenn said.

In Denton, firefighters stressed King only observed and did not do any actual work.

The department is now reviewing its ride-along policy and may do more background checks.

NBC 5's Ray Villeda contributed to this report.

A man is fighting for his life after he was shot several times outside a Philadelphia hospital Monday night.

Police say the 28-year-old man was on the sidewalk in front of Temple University Hospital at N Broad and Ontario Streets shortly after 9 p.m. when an unknown gunman opened fire.

The victim was shot seven times by the large caliber gun, according to investigators. He was treated in critical condition.

Police say the gunman then fled southbound on Broad Street.

This was one of a slew of deadly shootings Monday that left at least three dead and eight injured in Philadelphia. Despite the slew of violence, homicides remain down about 32 percent in the city while gun assaults are down about 10 percent, according to recent police statistics.

This shooting also happened the night before Temple freshmen began moving into the newly-opened Mitchell & Hilarie Morgan Residence Hall high-rise two miles down N Broad Street.

A New York teenager who collapsed in his yard and later died may have been bitten by a tick carrying a deadly disease, his family says.

Seventeen-year-old Joseph Elone of Poughkeepsie, an honor roll student who wanted to become an environmental engineer, died shortly after midnight Aug. 5, according to his family. 

"Joe was full of life, gifted in so many things," said grieving father Benedict Elone. 

Elone had a minor cough, fatigue and a headache for about two weeks before his death, but his family said it seemed like a summer cold.  

And then, Elone watched his son collapse in front of their home on the evening of Aug. 4. He wasn't breathing, and no one knew how sick he was. His father rushed to him in the yard.

"I hugged my son, I called him. He couldn't even answer," Benedict Elone said. 

Joseph was taken to Vassar Brothers Medical Center, where he later died.

Dutchess County officials, citing initial testing, believe Elone may have been bitten by a tick infected with Powassan encephalitis. The virus is untreatable and can be transmitted by a tick bite in a matter of minutes.

A recent study by the journal Parasites & Vectors shows 6 percent of ticks in the Hudson Valley carry a variant of the virus, according to The Poughkeepsie Journal. Researchers say the number is low compared to Lyme disease carriers, but it's also higher than expected. 

"There are no diagnostic tests for the disease, and no treatments that are effective," said Dr. David Roth, co-chair of the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance. 

Joseph Elone, a talented student and musician, was getting ready for his senior year of high school, with plans to apply early decision to Brown University.

"He's a kid who knew who he was," said Benedict Elone. "He had all kinds of ambition. Teachers couldn't stop speaking well of him." 

"I just miss my son," he said in tears. "I just miss my son. I just miss my son." 

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Water has been restored after a water main break at Plainfield and Cornwall streets in Hartford this morning.

Several workers from the Metropolitan District Commission responded to fix the break that had sent water gushing into the streets.

Early this morning, drivers were urged to avoid the area of Plainfield and Cornwall streets as the repairs were underway.

Waterbury wants to crack down on problem, blighted properties and the city has proposed putting new restrictions on the owners who might be making the neighborhoods a mess because of eyesores across the city

“It's very frustrating, believe me,” said Al Coppolla, who lives across the street from a North Main Street residence where most of the paint has peeled off.

“There is no excuse,” he said.

NBC Connecticut tried to ask the owner why it was in this condition, but he would not comment.

“Something has to change. You can’t leave a house like that,” Coppolla said.

To help urge owners of blighted property to change, the city has proposed a much stricter blight ordinance.

If at least one-third of a home’s paint is chipped or any of it was tagged with graffiti, the owner can be fined at least $250 if they don’t clean up in five days. Those are just some of the ideas in the proposed ordinance.

The property owners can also face criminal charges.

The same penalties will also apply to people who leave their trash cans out for days on end. It’s a constant problem in the Willow Plaza neighborhood, where dozens of rash bins line the sidewalks, packed to the brim for days before garbage pickup.

“It's pretty disgusting,” said John Rick.

On Monday night, dozens of residents showed up at city hall and showed support for the idea, although some said the measure goes way too far.

“If I come home to my house and someone tagged it, I’m going to get a ticket because someone spray-painted my house,” one woman said.

City officials said that if finances are an issue, they will be willing to work with homeowners for a solution.

The goal is to crackdown on those who have neglected their properties and fix up the neighborhoods.

“I think it would be best for Waterbury,” Coppolla said.

For now, these changes are just an idea. The Board of Aldermen just got received input from the public and will vote on this next month. 

A 14-year-old boy suffered serious injuries in Manchester last night during a collision involving his bicycle and a car.

Police said the teen was trying to cross the intersection at Oakland Street and Sheldon Road at 11:42 p.m. on Monday when the bike collided with a car traveling north on Oakland Street.

The boy was taken to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center to be treated for serious injuries, according to police.

The Manchester Police Traffic Services Unit and the Metro Traffic Reconstruction Team responded to the crash. Anyone who witnessed the collision should call Officer Jason Moss at 860-645-5560.  
 

Two Broward parents said their daughter and six other middle school girls were dropped off by their school bus in the wrong South Florida city on Monday.

Samantha Cisneros, 10, and the other students from Forest Glen Middle School were supposed to be dropped off at a bus stop in Coral Springs, not more than 10 minutes from the school, and just blocks away from their homes. But instead they were dropped off at Broward Health North in Pompano Beach, about eight miles away, Samantha and her parents said.

On Monday night Samantha cried about the situation she and the other girls, none older than 13, experienced. She told NBC 6 she didn’t want to set foot inside of the bus again.

She said that she and the other girls told the driver he had passed their destination, she asked him to stop, but he continued to drive.

One of the girls had a cell phone, which is how they were able to get in contact with their parents.

Samantha’s father, Wilson Cisneros, said he asked to be put on the phone with the driver, but the man said he couldn’t talk while driving.

“I’m totally frustrated, mad, angry. And I just can’t believe a person would just drop a child off in the street basically to just fend for yourself,” Wilson Cisneros said.

His wife Tracy Cisneros said they don’t know who the driver is.

“He was not nice, he wouldn’t communicate to my husband and say where he was dropping them off. It’s not good. It’s not acceptable. And where are they getting these people from?” she said.

The parents didn’t know for sure why the children had been dropped off at the hospital, but thought perhaps the driver considered it was a safe landmark.

The Broward County Public Schools responded with a statement Monday night.

"We are investigating this incident. Transportation Department representatives reached out to the parents/families of the students this evening. We apologize to the students and families impacted by this incident,” school district spokeswoman Tracy Clark said. “The safety and security of our students is our highest priority."

This year the Broward County Public Schools made it a priority to prevent a repeat of last year's bus fiasco. Buses failed to show up at stops and students were dropped off at the wrong locations. The problems went on for weeks.

Broward Superintendent of Schools Robert Runcie has said they have made a concerted effort to have a successful back to school season which includes recruiting and hiring more bus drivers, and adopting a new routing system which prevents drivers from having a more consistent route. Earlier Monday, he touted the improvements the district has made.

“By all accounts, the reports I’ve seen and heard today are all very positive. I heard from many of our folks in transportation and many veterans who’ve been here 20 years or longer says it’s the best start since they’ve been here,” Runcie said.

The Cisneros parents said they plan to drive Samantha to school in the morning and talk with the principal about the situation.

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