Arson investigators are responding to Marvel Road in New Haven after a fire broke out at a home there Monday afternoon.
No one was home at the time and no injuries have been reported.
Firefighters at the scene said the flames started outside the house at 64 Marvel Road.
Arson investigators are heading to the scene.
Police have arrested a Massachusetts woman accused of illegally selling alcohol at Colt Park in Hartford.
Eufemia Arevalo, 49, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, was arrested Sunday afternoon and charged with the sale of alcohol without a permit and vending without a permit.
Police said Arevalo had been selling alcohol, food and other beverages from a stand hidden in a wooded part of the park, located on Wethersfield Avenue.
According to police, the illegal sale of alcohol in the park has been an ongoing issue.
Living happily with her fiancé in a New York apartment with a good job, life is good for a woman named Piper, but everything changes when federal agents knock on her door about her brief involvement in drug trafficking years ago and she ends up in a federal women's prison.
You may recognize that as Piper Chapman's storyline in popular Netflix series "Orange is the New Black," which has several nominations for Monday's Primetime Emmys.
But that also describes the real-life story of Piper Kerman, who wrote the memoir, "Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison" about the time she served in the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury. The Netflix series is based on her book.
The New York Times Bestseller was published in paperback in 2011, according to amazon.com.
"Even before I sat down to write, as soon as I got home, people wanted to hear – in great detail – about the experience. There was a clear appetite for insight into this hidden world, which was really encouraging," Kerman said in a reader's guide question and answer section included in the back of the book. "I think people are fascinated by prison. And the very dramatic fact of transgression and punishmentis engrossing, regardless of whether it's men or women."
Kerman told NPR in 2013 that the Netflix series took liberties with the plot and characters in adapting her life experiences into a fictional show. But she told the public radio station that certain moments from her life are close to accurately portrayed in the show, such as her boyfriend's proposal and the experience of having to share a jail cell with the ex-girlfriend involved in the drug trafficking activities that landed her in prison.
She also said in the Q&A in her book that her experience in the Danbury correctional facility was "dramatically different from the popular conception and prevailing narrative about prison" and that "it's important for people who have been prisoners to have a voice, and to say in a more authentic way what life is really like."
Kerman didn't write a daily journal while she was at the Danbury prison, but she said in the book's Q&A materials that she referred back to letters she wrote to friends and family while in prison in crafting her memoir.
The author, who the Piper Chapman character is based on in Netflix's "Orange is the New Black" series, told the LA Times in 2013 that she read the scripts from the first season and gave the screenwriters her input. The show's creator, Jenji Kohan is also known for creating the show, "Weeds." More information about the book is available on Kerman's website.
"Orange is the New Black" has multiple Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, according to the Emmys website. Taylor Schilling, who plays Piper, is a nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series up against Lena Dunham ("Girls"), Melissa McCarthy ("Mike & Molly"), Edie Falco ("Nurse Jackie"), Amy Poehler ("Parks and Recreation") and Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Veep"). Other actresses from the show with nominations include Kate Mulgrew (Galina 'Red' Reznikov) for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and Natasha Lyonne (Nicky Nichols) for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
The Emmys, hosted by Seth Meyers, will air on NBC at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 5 p.m. Pacific Time.
Click here for more coverage on the Emmys. You can also cast your predictions of who will win awards by playing the Emmy Awards Ballot Challenge on the NBC Connecticut website.
The newly selected New London superintendent who was asked to withdraw his application earlier this summer amid questions surrounding his educational background did not receive his Ph.D. as planned, according to a spokesperson for Lesley University, where he was enrolled.
Terrence Carter was chosen as part of a nationwide search, but just days before the Board of Education was set to sign his contract, reports surfaced that Carter had been referring to himself as a doctor for years but had not yet earned his degree.
School officials asked Carter to withdraw his application and commissioned a local law firm to investigate his background.
A spokesperson of Lesley University said Monday that Carter does not have a degree from the school.
The Day of New London reports that Carter successfully defended his dissertation in May and was on track to complete his program. It’s not clear why Carter did not receive his degree.
New London native Richard Foye has been named interim superintendent.
A payloader stolen from a construction site in Hartford over the weekend has been found dumped in the river near New Britain Avenue.
After searching most of the morning, construction workers found the equipment in the Park River, about a mile from the job site. The payloader had been used in the construction of the CTfastrak busway project near Flatbush Avenue, according to workers.
Because the riverbanks were too steep and overgrown to easily remove the payloader, contractors had to drive it up the river to get it out.
Police are investigating the theft.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call state police.
As the new school year gets underway, Central Connecticut State University is making some big changes – to its on-campus smoking policy.
The new policy bans smoking everywhere except four locations on campus, including parking lots and smoking shelters, according to the “Smoking Policy” section of the university’s Web site.
Mark McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the university, said the changes are the result of a survey conducted last spring.
"The majority of the respondents preferred a smoke-free campus with a few designated areas reserved for smoking," McLaughlin wrote in an email to NBC Connecticut on Monday.
McLaughlin said the university's former policy permitted smoking everywhere on campus except in residence halls and within 25 feet of buildings.
The CCSU Web site attributes the new policy to the “university’s goal to provide a safe and healthy work environment” and says it applies to students, employees and visitors alike.
A map indicating designated smoking areas is available online.
Meriden police are asking for help in finding 80-year-old Jorge Sanchez, who left his home on Sherman Avenue over the weekend and hasn’t been seen since.
Police said Sanchez has a pacemaker and takes medication. Family members last saw him around 6 p.m. Saturday, and authorities believe he may have left his home early Sunday morning.
He’s described as a thin, dark-skinned Hispanic man who stands about 5 feet 7 inches tall. Sanchez has brown eyes and a bald head.
Police have issued a Silver Alert for Sanchez.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call Meriden police at 203-630-6215.
An 88-year-old Hamden woman who opened her sliding door to let in her cat was attacked when the animal she was petting turned out to be a raccoon.
The woman had opened the door of her Brinsmade Road home at 11 p.m. Sunday after hearing a sound to let in her cat, but unbeknownst to her, a raccoon followed her cat inside, police said.
The raccoon attacked her while she petted it, thinking it was her cat, and it bit her elbow, hand, forearm, lip and chin, police said.
"She's a tough old bird," said the victim's son, Malcolm McKernan. "She fought it off and was able to call on the phone. That's pretty remarkable."
Police said the raccoon charged at two officers when they arrived on scene. They were able to get it outside, where the animal was euthanized.
Hamden's Animal Control Division took the raccoon to the Connecticut Public Health Laboratory to be tested for rabies.
The victim was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, and she was treated and released.
She received a round of rabies shots just in case, and McKernan said they should receive the test results within the next day or so.
The victim spoke to NBC Connecticut at her home Monday and said she was doing well.
Emergency responders are working to beat down a three-alarm electrical fire that broke out late Monday afternoon at Delaney's Taproom and Restaurant in the Westville section of New Haven.
The New Haven Fire Department tweeted that one crew reported hearing an "arcing sound" coming from the basement, where the electrical box is located.
Five apartments and an office are located above the pub, which employs 48 workers. The restaurant is situated at 882 Whalley Avenue.
Photos show flames tearing through the siding and wires down in the roadway. Visibility is minimal on Whalley Avenue as black smoke emanates from the building, and firefighters said flames have spread into the walls.
The walls buckled and part of the building collapsed around 7:40 p.m., about an hour and a half after firefighters rushed to the scene.
Peter Gremse, who has owned the restaurant for 14 years, said the structure is more than 100 years old. Gremse discovered sparks in the electrical box and got everyone out of the building.
He teared up as he watched it burn.
Two firefighters were taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.
Everyone inside the building made it out safely and firefighters rescued a cat from one of the upstairs apartments.
United Illuminating cut power to a four-block area of Whalley Avenue, from West Rock Avenue to Blake Street, affecting businesses and residents alike.
Emergency officials are on scene and the road is closed in the area of Central Avenue and Fountain Street.
Partial collapse pic.twitter.com/HSRuw2Qtm1
— NewHavenFire (@NewHavenFire) August 25, 2014
A Putnam hospital went into lockdown after a gun scare late Monday night.
State Police responded to Kimball Hospital at 320 Pomfret Street after receiving a report of a carjacking nearby. The caller said that a person was shot in the face.
The hospital went into lockdown as a precaution, but State Police didn't find anything happening.
An individual connected to the incident is in the hospital for a psychological evaluation. State Police did not release the identity of the person or say how he or she was involved.
The lockdown was lifted at about 11:45 p.m.
More information will be provided when it becomes available.
Crews are working to repair a utility pole in Southington that snapped when a car crashed into it on Tuesday morning.
The car struck the pole near 311 Hightower Road and flipped over, knocking down power lines.
The road is closed in the area and the power has been shut off so crews can repair the pole.
One person sustained minor injuries.
Police have not released the name of the driver and it is unclear how many people were in the car.
Willimantic police are looking for two people who robbed two gas stations in town.
Officers responded to Shans Mart Gas Station at 104 Main Street in Willimantic on Monday at 10:50 p.m. to a report of a robbery.
The store employee working at the time told police that two people robbed the store, took cash and fled.
Then, 10 minutes later, the same two robbers stole money from Valero Gas Station down the street at 1440 West Main Street and ran off.
Willimantic police ask anyone with information on the robberies to contact the department's Detective Division at 860-465-3135, extension 261, after 6 a.m.
Police arrested two roommates after conducting a drug search of apartment A at 201 Franklin Street in Norwich on Monday.
Police said they found a “moderate amount” of heroin and seized the drugs as well as cash.
Steve Beas, 22, was charged with possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to sell and interfering with a search warrant. He was held in lieu of a $75,000 cash/surety bond and will be arraigned at Norwich Superior Court.
Jorge Miranda, 23, was charged with interfering with a search warrant.
He was released on a $500 non-surety bond and is due in Norwich Superior Court on September 11.
No phone number is listed for Beas or Miranda.
Back to school week continues here across Connecticut and Hartford students return to the classroom on Tuesday.
And there's a new face in the mix in the Capitol City, Hartford's new Superintendent Dr. Beth Narvaez.
And her arrival comes with a promise to families, that every child will attend a high-performing school -- with no exceptions.
Narvaez replaces Christina Kishimoto as the schools' top leader.
She says she's committed to closing the achievement gap. That comes at a critical time for Hartford schools, years into ongoing efforts to make changes.
And Tuesday, she and other faculty are going to start making those promises count as they welcome back the city's 22,000 students.
And there will be some familiar faces in Hartford schools -- Lieutenant Governor Wyman and Mayor Segarra.
They're going to tour a handful of schools officials say will be critical to the district's achievement gains this school year.
Two Connecticut towns ranked toward the bottom of All State America's Best Drivers Report released on Monday.
New Haven had the 10th worst driving record ranking of 200 large cities nationwide "in terms of car collision frequency," two spots lower than New Haven's ranking in 2013, according to a news release. Bridgeport had the 16th worst ranking.
The average New Haven driver statistically will be involved in an automobile accident every 6.3 years, 59 percent more likely to get into a crash than the average American, according to the report. The report calculated Brideport's accident probability as a crash every 6.7 years for the average driver, 50 percent more than the national average.
The data in Allstate's 2014 report includes new "data rankings and historical rankings from the past 10 years" displayed in an interactive map tool on the insurance company's website.
The full report is available on Allstate's website.
Firefighters responded to Depot Road in Coventry after someone fell around 50 feet from a tree on Tuesday morning.
LifeStar medical transport helicopter was called, but officials said they could not fly because of the weather.
No information was immediately available on the victim’s condition.
Access Health CT CEO Kevin Counihan is getting a promotion and leaving the department to take a job in Washington to oversee the federal health exchange.
Counihan will join the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services team as Marketplace Chief Executive Officer, where he will lead the federal Marketplace, manage relationships with state marketplaces and run the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, which regulates health insurance at the federal level. He will report to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.
He is leaving his job in Connecticut, effective Sept. 5.
Malloy said this is a testament to the success of the state's healthcare exchange.
“Kevin’s appointment is a ringing endorsement of the success we’ve had implementing the Affordable Care Act in Connecticut,” Gov. Dannel Malloy said in a statement. “Since we launched Access Health CT, we’ve cut Connecticut’s uninsured rate in half in this state and nearly 140,000 previously uninsured people now have coverage. We’re very proud of Kevin and sad to see him go, but know that the team in place will continue working hard to provide quality, affordable health care coverage to even more Connecticut residents.”
Counihan said he did not seek out the job, but was recruited.
Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman made the announcement during a noon news conference on Tuesday at the state's health insurance exchange offices on Trumbull Street.
“Kevin and his team have done a tremendous job ensuring Connecticut residents have access to high-quality healthcare. We are proud of what we’ve accomplished here—we’re a national leader with more than 280,000 people enrolled in affordable health insurance,” Wyman, Chair of the Access Health CT Board, said in a statement. “Kevin’s move to Washington is a loss for the state, but I know he’ll bring his strong commitment and considerable skill to his new role, and that is good for the nation. The Access Health Board wishes Kevin all the best in his new role, and we thank the dedicated team at Access Health CT for their continued focus on bringing affordable healthcare to Connecticut residents.”
Wyman said there will be a national search for Counihan's replacement.
Indian Well State Park in Shelton is closed because of water quality, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Water samples are being tested on Tuesday and new results are expected on Wednesday.
The state DEEP tests water at the state park beaches to ensure the water is safe for swimming.
Local health departments are responsible for testing municipal swimming areas.
Police responded to 5 Applewood Drive in Waterford around 10 a.m. on Tuesday after receiving several reports of gunshots, but said they have found nothing suspicious.
Police, State Troopers and a SWAT team responded, surrounded the home and found no one inside, but they do not believe this is a case of so-called “swatting,” in which someone calls in a false report and sends a massive police presence to an unsuspecting resident’s home.
Police said, based on several calls they received, that some sort of shot or shots were fired, and they are investigating where they came from.
Two neighbors were evacuated while police responded, but there is no danger to the public, according to police.
Police are in the process of clearing the scene, but the road remains closed as of 1:15 p.m. as police break down equipment
Police are warning drivers about congestion on Route 1 in Guilford because of construction to update traffic signals.
Police are urging drivers to avoid the 1000 block of Boston Post Road at intersections with Church Street (Route 77) and State Street from Tuesday through Thursday, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and possibly into next week.
Drivers should use alternate routes.
