Imagine not paying sales tax on alcohol.  One lawmakers wants to make it a reality.

Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, urges Connecticut residents to shop locally, in this case for alcohol and specifically during the holidays.

The legislation he's proposing would exempt beer, wine and liquor from sales tax from November 15 to December 31. It's a 6 week trial program to see if sales jump.

The owner of the Wine Thief in New Haven is on board.

"For our sales and our retail sales, I think it's going to be more of an incentive for people to buy alcohol in Connecticut," said Karl Ronne. "Everyone is going to save that 6.35% on every product they purchase from us. That's a considerable discount."

It's something shoppers mostly agreed would be a huge positive.

"You'd have less people crossing the border for booze or any other kinds of goods," said Eric Tracy of Providence, who's all too familiar with this scenario. He just moved to Providence from Windsor Locks.

"Everyone would drive across the border to fill up on gas and then whatever was convenient that's what they'd purchase also," Tracy added.

But not everyone thinks so.

"It's only six percent. It's not that much. Unless someone is buying enough alcohol for a wedding then that might make a difference," said Pammi Bhullar of Maryland.

Karl Ronne's only concern is revenue which Witkos says can be made up in other ways. The goal is to maintain competitive with bordering states Rhode Island and Massachusetts which did away with sales tax on alcohol this summer.

"You already find that in Connecticut the prices for alcohol are more expensive than they are in NY and Massachusetts," said Brian Dore of New Haven

NBC Connecticut reached out to state police to see if they feel this new law would lead to more drinking and driving. They told us they'd support whatever law or bill the legislature approves.

A public hearing on the bill is expected in March.

 

The Sochi Winter Games have officially begun.

The Opening Ceremony was held Friday, a lavish celebration of Russian history and an extravagant welcome to athletes from around the world. But to keep the competition schedule on track, several events have already begun. Organizers are also still working out kinks, both on playing surfaces and in the Olympic Village.

Here are some of the day’s key developments.

Bode tests Rosa Khutor

A day after turning in the fastest time on the first set of men’s downhill training runs, American Bode Miller went experimental on Friday, taking an unconventional approach on the Rosa Khutor course. Testing a new line of attack on his second training run, Miller lost speed and came in sixth. It’s not necessarily a sign that the defending gold medalist, skiing in his fifth Olympics, is losing his edge. He is probably just plotting his next move.

On the women’s side, the U.S. team looked good on Friday, with Julia Mancuso, Stacey Cook and Jacqueline Wiles all finishing in the top 12 on day two training.

The downhill racers have another day of training runs before competition begins Sunday.

A bit of drama on the Nordic tracks

A couple days before the start of biathlon competition, organizers discovered that the track at Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center was too short. So it was lengthened by 130 feet. The discovery surprised coaches and athletes, but it isn’t expected to create any problems once racing begins there on Sunday.

Just as one problem at the center was being corrected, another emerged. Stray dogs have apparently been encroaching on the cross-country track. A Russian website and a Swedish journalist both reported seeing a stay dog barking at skiers and walking along the track, according to the Associated Press. No athletes said they were worried — some have to deal with bigger beasts than dogs while training back home. But the report raises new questions about Olympic officials’ ability to control the population of stray dogs in Sochi.

The missing ring

No Opening Ceremony is perfect. Torch lightings alone are prone to malfunctions (see Vancouver, Sydney and Seoul). Sochi’s big glitch did not involve fire, but lights.

During the start of the ceremony at Fisht Stadium, five huge, glowing snowflakes began to morph into Olympic rings. But one snowflake didn’t make the transformation.

It was the only major hiccup of the ceremony, if you don’t count the American teams’ official uniforms, which included gaudy Ralph Lauren-designed sweaters that looked like the Olympic versions of a grandma-knitted Christmas gift.

Friday’s ceremony ended with Russian hockey legend Vladislav Tretiak and gymnast Irina Rodnina lighting the Olympic flame.

Yogurt becomes scarce

U.S. athletes who were expecting to be able to eat Greek yogurt will have to alter their plans, and some are not happy.

About 5,000 individual cups of American-made Chobani yogurt have been held at port in a customs dispute with Russia.

U.S. freestyle skier Aaron Blunk told the Associated Press that the absence of yogurt could throw off athletes’ routines. “And having the yogurt there, that helps you, gives you protein, gives you nutrition," he said.

Some of his teammates, however, said it wasn’t that big of a deal. “We’ll be able to adapt,” Lyman Currier said.

We shall see.

Shaun White: a sure bet?

You probably don’t want to bet against American snowboarder Shaun White, reigning halfpipe gold medalist. But you also probably don’t want to bother betting on him, either.

As first reported by the AP, White is considered so far ahead of his competition at Sochi that the Ladbrokes betting house listed him as a 1-2 favorite.

The closest competition, according to Ladbrokes, is Iouri Podladtchikov of Switzerland and American Danny Davis.

Authorities arrested a Connecticut mom and took away her pet monkey after it scratched the Waterbury woman’s 10-year-old daughter.

Police said 10-year-old Samantha was injured on a snow day when she took Aladdin, the little marmoset monkey, out of a cage.

Aladdin reached for a shiny hair clip, scratching the girl’s forehead.

When Samantha returned to school, someone asked how she got the injury and she said it was from the monkey. The school then contacted police and the animal control officer contacted the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, reporting that a primate had bitten or scratched a youngster.

Samantha's mom, Mariantonia Morales, said authorities demanded she give them the monkey.

Morales said her sister brought Aladdin from her home in South Carolina, where the monkey is legal, to keep her company while recovering from surgery and complications from her cancer diagnosis.

“I felt that I was being bullied,” Morales said. “I'm worried, and I'm heartbroken because they don't care that he's a part of the family. They just think it's just a monkey. But it's not just a monkey. For me, it's not just a monkey.”

In Connecticut, marmoset monkeys are not allowed as pets, according to DEEP.

State law prohibited residents from owning primates that weigh more than 50 pounds.

It went into effect in 2004 after a chimpanzee escaped and led police on a chase in Stamford.

Five years later, that chimp, Travis, mauled Charla Nash.

After that brutal attack, the state cracked down on exotic pets.

“Working with DEEP, we determined that it's illegal to have that type of animal in the house,” Waterbury Deputy Police Chief Chris Corbett said.

DEEP police charged Morales with illegal possession of an exotic or dangerous animal.

Police said it's a person's responsibility to know the laws of the state they're in.

“Based on that, the mother was charged with risk of injury to a minor. One, because she shouldn't have had that animal in the house with the child and two, because she didn't seek medical treatment for the child,” Corbett said.

Morales showed NBC Connecticut hospital documentation where doctors called her daughter's injury an abrasion, not a bite, as well as records of Aladdin's vaccinations.

“I thought in my mind, as a mother, you get a scratch, what do you do? You put some Bacitracin on it and call it a day. She wasn't bit,” Morales said.

Morales said she hopes some of the charges against her will be dismissed when she appears in court.

But for now, she's just worried about Aladdin.

“I just want him home. I have a six-month lease here. In May, if this is gonna be an outcome, I'm out, I can't be here,” she said.

DEEP said the monkey was taken to Beardsley Zoo Bridgeport for observation. If he is healthy, he will be placed at an appropriate zoo or educational facility, according to DEEP.

 

A man found bleeding profusely from the back of the neck at a North Haven convenience store on Tuesday and reported being robbed was actually drunk at work and made the story up, according to police. 

Police responded to the Citgo Convenience store at 490 Washington Avenue at 12:10 a.m. on Feb. 4 after Arsene Ndabian’s wife went to the store because she could not reach him on his cell phone, according to police.

When she arrived at the Citgo, she found her 55-year-old husband bleeding severely from the base of the skull.

In an interview with NBC Connecticut this week, Arsene Ndabian reported that he was stabbed in the neck and back while trying to keep a masked robber away from the register. After that, he said, he lost consciousness.

North Haven detectives have been investigating and determined that the reported robbery and stabbing did not occur. 

Investigators processing the crime scene late Monday night found several inconsistencies with the victim’s initial report, police said, and determined the victim fabricated the reported crime.
Officers said he sustained the large puncture wound while intoxicated inside of the store and used information from an actual robbery at the store on Feb. 1 to mask his actions, police said. 

Police said they are pursuing criminal charges through the State Attorney’s Office. 

NBC Connecticut went to the store, but Ndabian was not there.

Police said they Feb. 1 robbery was legitimate and they are investigating.

At 10:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, a man with a knife entered the store, jumped over the counter and demanded the store employee give him money from the register, police said. Ndabian was not the employee working during that crime, police said.

The robber grabbed the store’s cash and ran toward the front exit.

While the man was fleeing, there was a brief struggle and the store employee was cut in the hand. The suspect ran to a vehicle parked on Bradley Street and fled north on Washington Avenue.
Anyone with information on the Feb. 1, robbery should call the Investigative Services Division of the North Haven Police Department at 203-239-5321.       

 

American snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg advanced to the first medal round of the Sochi Games after a clean run at the slopestyle semi-finals Saturday morning.

He will be the only American at the finals, which kick off at 3:45 a.m. ET here. Fellow teammates Charles Guldemond and Ryan Strassel both nearly made the cut but were bumped out of the top four after their runs.

Great Britain's Billy Morgan, who notched the top score of the morning — 90.75 of 100 — advanced, along with Japan's Yuki Kadono and Canadian Mark McMorris, who competed with a broken rib. Kotsenburg scored 90.50 on his second run, for a No. 2 spot on the leaderboard heading into the final.

He later tweeted his surprise at the results.

"Whoa how random is this I made finals at the Olympics!!!"

— sage kotsenburg (@sagekotsenburg) February 8, 2014

The man to beat later this morning is Canadian Max Parrot, whose nearly flawless qualifier performance earned him a 97.50. Other high scorers included Roope Tonteri from Finland, Talle Sandberch representing Norway and Sven Thorgren from Sweden, all topping 94.

American star Shaun White was supposed to compete in the event, but pulled out at the last minute, citing his desire to focus exclusively on defending his Olympic halfpipe title. 

One person has died and two others were injured in a car accident that closed the northbound side of the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Orange for several hours Sunday morning.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    According to police, a Chevy Cavalier driven by Sharmar Brooks, 29, was traveling just south of the Orange rest stop when it veered to the right and struck the metal guard rail.

The vehicle overturned, struck a tree and came to a rest on the driver’s side. Brooks, of Middletown, was ejected from the vehicle and struck by another car. Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene.

Alexander Wright, 30 of Meriden and Dante Treasure, 23 of West Haven, were passengers in the car and were transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital.

They were treated and released Saturday, according to a spokesperson for the hospital.

The incident happened around 1 a.m. in the area between exits 55 and 56 on the northbound side of the Wilbur Cross Parkway.

All northbound lanes in that area were closed for eight hours while the accident reconstruction team investigated.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Trooper Petralito at Troop I at 203-393-4200.
 

Shoppers at a New York mall, particularly those at an AT&T store and a Best Buy, were possibly exposed to measles, a county health department warned Friday.

A case of measles has been identified in Rockland County, and anyone at the Palisades Center Mall on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. could have been exposed, the county Department of Health said. 

The health department said people who shopped on the first floor of the mall and at those two electronics stores are at the greatest risk of exposure.

It's a painful, contagious disease that many people mistake for the common cold. 

Despite news of the measles case, the parking lot at Palisades Mall was packed Friday night. One shopper who contracted it 25 years ago called it "scary."

"No one should have to go through it," said Leanne O'Brien of Newburgh.

Bruce Pratt of Munsie also had the measles decades ago and still remembers the pain it caused. 

"I had a cold, rash on my stomach and little spots, and you cough a lot," he said. 

Babies under 6 months old, pregnant women and those with immune system problems may be at risk. Anyone who has not had a measles vaccination and who was shopping at the mall during those times should also contact a doctor, the health department said.

People who have had two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are not at risk of contracting measles, authorities said. Most New Yorkers have been vaccinated, the health department said.

Symptoms of measles include fever and rash but many people who contract it may think it may dismiss the warning signs. 

"They may just think they have a cold, so they may have not broken out with the rash, and they don't know they have it and can expose a lot of people," said Dr. Len Horovitz at Lenox Hill Hospital. 

Anyone who suspects they may have been exposed and have symptoms should call their physician before seeking care so that others are not exposed in a waiting room, the health department said.

- Brynn Gingras contributed to this report. 

Police have released a composite sketch of the suspect wanted for killing one woman and shooting another in Alexandria, Va., Thursday. 

The suspect knocked on 59-year-old Ruthanne Lodato's door in the 2400 block of Ridge Road Drive just after 11:30 a.m. Thursday and opened fire. Lodato and another woman were shot.

Lodato was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead. The surviving woman, who worked as a caregiver for Lodato's elderly mother, was shot in the arm and hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

• Alexandria Residents Increase Security After Double Shooting

Lodato's mother was also inside the home during the shooting, but was not injured. 

• Search Continues for Alexandria Shooter

Stay with NBCWashington.com and News4 for the latest on this developing story.

Police say a 70-year-old nurse at Brooklyn's Brookdale Hospital was beaten to the point of unconsciousness Friday when she tried to prepare a patient for discharge.

According to officials, hospital staff saw the 40-year-old suspect, who was naked, beating the nurse at around 4:30 p.m. The nurse suffered fractures to the face, hemorrhaging and chest contusions as a result of the beating, police said.

Hospital staff told investigators the man became angry when the nurse went into his room to try to prepare him to be discharged.

"He hit her with an IV pole," said a nurse who saw the vicious beating but did not want her name used. "He stomped on her, there was so much blood."

He stopped assaulting the nurse when other nurses told him to stop and then he went into a bathroom, where hospital security kept him until police arrived.

The suspect was taken into custody and charges against him are pending, officials said.



 

At least four people were injured after part of the ceiling of a Chicago music hall came crashing down on concertgoers early Saturday morning.

The incident happened around 2 a.m. at the Concord Music Hall in the 2000 block of North Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square, police said.

The performer, Los Angeles-based DJ Datsik, had just begun his set when witnesses say the ceiling began to shake.

“The sound system inside the venue was so intense, it had so much bass, that it literally shook the ceiling down,” said witness Ryan Chun.

Cell phone footage of the collapse shows a piece of the ceiling swinging down as dust and debris flies into the air.

Police said four people suffered minor injuries in the collapse. One person refused to be transported, two people were transported to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center and one person was taken to Stroger Hospital.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse, according to authorities, but fans said the show was canceled following the incident.

“Datsik, who was the performer tonight, did have to cancel the show early, about only 15 minutes into his probably what would be a one-hour set originally,” Chun said.
 

Two Bridgeport police officers are being credited with saving the life of a man who collapsed while shoveling snow for a neighbor on Thursday.

Officers Damien Csech and Matthew Goncalves were in the area of Cottage St. when they were flagged down by a man and a women in the middle of the street.

The woman stated that a 53-year old man collapsed while shoveling snow. He did not have a pulse when the officers arrived.

Officer Csech performed CPR while Officer Goncalves assisted him trying to see if the man regained a pulse. The officers continued CPR until the Bridgeport Fire and ambulance arrived.

"These officers put their training to work and saved a life," said Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett. Jr. "We are receiving updates from the hospital. We are hopeful but the next few days will be key. I can't say how proud I am of these officers. I'm not sure they have yet comprehend what they did."

Medical personnel at Saint Vincent’s were able to regain a pulse. He is currently listed in critical condition.

"It's nice to know this afternoon that he is holding on," said Csech, who learned CPR in the training academy.

The Americans got what they needed Saturday from Meryl Davis and Charlie White: a commanding performance in the ice dance portion of the team figure skating competition that pushed them into medal contention.

But the U.S. has no chance of catching the Russians, who have dominated the inaugural team competition on their home ice in Sochi. They lead in overall points, with 47. The Canadians follow at 41, with the Americans fighting for either bronze or silver, at 34.

The final group of five also includes Italy, with 31 points, and Japan, with 30.

The team competition concludes Sunday, with the men's,  ladies' and ice dancing free skates.

The U.S. entered the day in 7th place after a disappointing first-round performance by Jeremy Abbott in the men's short skate. To advance, they needed a strong performance by Davis and White, the favorites to win gold in the individual ice dance later in the Winter Games.

The pair delivered, coming up with the kind of smooth, charismatic and mistake-free routine that has come to be expected of them. They scored 75.98, three full points ahead of their closest rivals, and friends, Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. 

Ashley Wagner, seeking redemption after a disappointing finish in the U.S. championships, also skated well enough in the ladies’ short program to maintain the Americans’ momentum.

“I think it was really important for everybody, myself included, to get out on the ice and give a solid performance,” said Wagner, who once ranked fourth in the world. “I’m really pleased with what I accomplished out there.”

But she admitted she has a ways to go to return to medal contention in the individual competition.

In the pairs free skate, Russians Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov performed last, but ended far ahead in first place, with 135.09 points. The reigning national champions capped their routine with a stunning triple Salchow throw that brought the home crowd to its feet. They exchanged high fives, and when the score was delivered, Stobova did a little jig.

The Canadian pair Kirsten Moore Towers and Dylan Moscovitch came in second, at 129.74, followed by Italians Stefania Berton and Ondrej Hotarek at 120.82.

Americans Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, who also performed in Friday's pairs short program, came in fourth, at 117.94.

The team figure skating competition is one of 12 events added to the Winter Games this year. The free skate round begins Saturday and concludes on Sunday. 

The team competition features 10 countries, who put forth representatives in men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and ice dance. After the short skate round, the top five countries move on for a round of free skates.

Each individual score counts toward the team’s total, with the highest total winning gold.

A man was arrested and charged with stealing more than $20,000 in tips from valets who parked cars at a Long Island mall over the course of a year, the Nassau County District Attorney's office said.

John Benevento, 32, was arrested and arraigned on charges of grand larceny for allegedly requiring that valets who parked cars at Roosevelt Field Mall turn over a certain amount of their tips to him or lose their job.

The D.A.'s office said Benevento, who was a manager for a valet company, stole a total of $23,541 in tip money from other employees, and that the scheme was discovered when workers complained to the D.A.'s office.

According to the D.A.'s office, Benevento had been requiring $400 from all the valets combined every week since January 2013, and he was arrested Friday when he showed up at the mall for his weekly visit.

Attempts to reach a lawyer for Benevento were unsuccessful.

Emergency officials are responding to the Galleria Restauarant at 2 Spring Lane in Farmington after a car smashed into the side of the building Saturday evening.

Police said an elderly driver hit the gas instead of the brakes and accelerated into the restaurant, which is located at the intersectino of Spring Lane and Route 6.

The crash happened around 5:15 p.m. Saturday.

Restaurant manager Sam Gjonbala said a family of 12 was seated in front of the window right where the car struck.

According to police, some family members received bruises and scrapes, but they declined medical treatment. The driver, who has not been identified, was taken to the hospital for an evaluation.

Gjonbala said it was a close call.

"It's amazing," said Gjonbala. "They just got a couple scratches. Everybody's shaken from it."

He added that the crash sounded like a "loud explosion."

The building is heavily damaged and the restaurant was forced to close shortly after the collision.

Gjonbala hopes to reopen Monday, but he said building inspectors will have the final say.

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Skiers soared through the air at the 88th Annual Jumpfest Winter Festival, hosted by the Salisbury Winter Sports Association.

The event brought out some of New England’s best ski jump athletes of every age and ability.

“I love to fly, really,” said Casey Nichols, who came all the way from New Hampshire to compete.

“It’s kind of like being in an airplane for a short amount of time. When you get to the jump for the first time it’s really scary, and then you get used to it,” said 11-year-old Cora Rydingsword of Salisbury, who medaled at Jumpfest.

The 70-meter Salisbury ski jump attracts thrill seekers and serious competitors alike. Five current Olympians have jumped there, including three out of the four members of the U.S. Men’s Ski Jumping Team, and one athlete on the Woman’s Ski Jumping Team.

In fact, it’s the first time in Olympics history that women have been allowed  to compete in a ski jumping event. It’s a precedent that’s not lost on the young women who snapped on their skis at Jumpfest.

“I’d like to try it someday. Go to the Olympics and ski jump in the Olympics,” said young Madeleine Zuckerman of Vermont.

The jumpers take off at about 45 miles per hour on the tallest jump. No wonder they feel like they’re flying!

“It’s a very unique event and we’ve always enjoyed it,” said spectator David Hazard, who drove up from Stamford for Jumpfest.

Hazard was part of a large, cheerful crowd braving the cold with bon fires and watching the jumpers take off, and take flight.

Cora’s mom, Sarah Rydingsword, can’t wait to see how inspired her daughters become as they watch Team USA go for gold in men’s and women’s ski jumping, especially the first women’s team to ever compete at the Games.

“It’ll be fun to watch their reaction more than anything. To watch them watch the Olympians go, and see their wheels turning,” said Rydingsword.

Route 32 has reopened in Franklin after a car struck a pole earlier today.

The road was closed for several hours at Murphy Road while crews worked to repair a utility pole damaged in a car accident this morning.

It's not clear if anyone was injured in the crash.

No additional information was immediately available.

Flurries are expected to start up tomorrow afternoon and will continue through midnight Monday.

Snow is moving in from the west and should begin falling between 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday, according to Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan.

• DOWNLOAD OUR WEATHER APP

A coating to an inch is expected to accumulate statewide, which could create isolated slippery spots on the roads.

High temperatures tomorrow will hover around 30 degrees.

The snow will taper off after midnight, Hanrahan said.

Track the snow using our interactive radar.

Authorities are investigating after a security issue arose on a Jet Blue flight from Providence to Orlando on Saturday evening.

Jet Blue officials originally said the flight originated in Hartford but later said it departed from Providence.

According to a Jet Blue spokesperson, a flight crew found a note containing a bomb threat while cleaning the plane at the gate in Orlando. All passengers had left the plane when the note was discovered.

Orlando police responded to a bomb threat at the airport shortly after 8 p.m., according to NBC station WESH in Orlando.

Jet Blue said there are currently no security-related issues with the plane and that the incident did not affect other flights at the airport.

The airline said it notified authorities.

Officials at Bradley Airport said they were not aware of any problems, and Orlando Airport personnel have not returned a request for comment.

Sunday's Sochi action begins at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park where American Bode Miller will go for his 6th Olympic medal, while the ladies of the U.S. snowboarding team attempt to match teammate Sage Kotsenburg's slopestyle gold. 

U.S. figure skaters will get their last attempts to prove themselves in the team contest before the first medal ceremony of the event later Sunday. 

Medals also go out in four other events, including men's luge and ski jumping. Scroll down for a complete listing of events, and information on how to watch on TV and online.

1 a.m. ET: If you missed Saturday's slopestyle, moguls or figure skating action, catch replays on NBC at 1 a.m. ET or anytime, here.

1:30 a.m.: Snowboarders Ty Walker and Jessika Jenson have two more chances to make it into the final round of competition. Walker, one of the team's rising stars, has been resting injuries since Monday. She participated in Thursday's qualifying event — simply coasting down the course just for credit — and is banking on feeling well enough Sunday morning to give it her all. Watch the semi-finals live on NBCOlympics.com.

2 a.m.: This time it counts for skier Bode Miller, whose 2 minute 6.09 training time fueled high expectations for the vet. His toughest rivals will be Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway, and Italians Peter Fill and Werner Heel. Watch live here, or catch it at 7 p.m. ET on NBC.

3 a.m.: Women's hockey continues with Sweden taking on Japan in the preliminary round of the Games. Watch live on NBCOlympics.com or on NBC Sports.

4:15 a.m.: Back in the mountains above Sochi, women's snowboarders will compete in the slopestyle finals. American Jamie Anderson earned a direct ticket to the medal round with a top score at Thursday's qualifiers and could bring home a slopestyle gold. She will be joined by teammate Karly Shorr. Watch live online or at 7 p.m. ET on NBC.

5:00 a.m.: Men's cross-country skiers compete in their first medal event — the 15k classic. Watch it live at NBCOlympics.com or on NBC Sports, which will also broadcast the first women's speed skating event of the Games — the 3000m sprint which the Czech, Dutch and Germans are likely to dominate. To watch that online, click here at 6:30 a.m. ET.

8:00 a.m.: Russia takes on Germany in the fourth preliminary game in women's hockey. Watch live online or on MSNBC.

9:30 a.m. NBC Sports and NBCOlympics.com will have live coverage of the men's luge finals where Italian Armin Zoggeler will go for his record 6th consecutive Olympic gold. He'll face challenges from Germany's Felix Lah and Albert Demtschenko, who will have the home track advantage. Meanwhile, the women go for the gold in the 7.5km biathlon sprint. 

10 a.m.: The first figure skating Olympic medal of the Sochi Games is awarded Sunday morning. America improved its standings after Saturday's event, and will introduce, for the first time, U.S. darling Gracie Gold and Jason Brown, a newcomer who became a sudden YouTube sensation after his firecracker performance at the U.S. Championships. Russia remains far ahead and appears destined for a gold.

Brown is up first at 10, followed by Gold at 11:05 and ice dance pair Meryl Davis and Charlie White at 12:10 p.m. Watch it live on NBC Sports and NBCOlympics.com. Or wait until 7 p.m. and catch it on NBC.

12:30 p.m.: The first medals are also given out in men's ski jumping where the competition will take place under the lights of the RusSki Gorki Jumping Center. Two Americans qualified — Nick Alexander and Peter Prenette — though they're not expected to see the podium. Watch live here or on NBC Sports. 

2 p.m. NBC brings highlights from figure skating, biathlon, speed skating and cross-country skiing.

7 p.m. NBC gives viewers another chance to catch skiing, snowboarding, figure skating and ski jumping.