The former University of New Haven student accused of bringing loaded guns to campus last winter and sparking a massive police presence and lockdown has pleaded guilty and will serve at least two years behind bars, according to the Milford Judicial District.

William Dong, 23, brought two handguns and a banned assault rifle to campus last December, prompting a campus-wide lockdown and building-by-building search, according to authorities.

He was arrested and charged with illegal possession of an assault weapon, breach of peace and other counts after police found 2,700 rounds of ammunition and newspaper clippings about mass shootings in his padlocked bedroom.

Dong was later charged by federal authorities with unlawful transport of a semi-automatic Bushmaster rifle.

He initially pleaded not guilty, but has since reversed the plea. According to the Milford Judicial District clerk's office, Dong pleaded guilty to one count of illegal sale and transfer of an assault weapon and two counts of illegal possession of a pistol in court Friday.

Dong was sentenced to eight years in prison, according to the court. He'll serve a minimum of two years behind bars before the sentence can be suspended. He will also serve five years' probation and will be required to register with the deadly weapon offender registry.

"This individual imported a newly banned assault weapon into the state in violation of the new law," Gov. Dannel Malloy said in a statement Friday. "His weapon was a Bushmaster AR-15. His home and personal belongings contained news clippings on mass shootings – the 2012 Aurora, Colorado theatre shooting in particular."

Malloy said that without a quick response from law enforcement and restrictions imposed by the new gun law, the incident at UNH "might have been another tragic day in Connecticut's history."

Dong's friends called the incident a "huge misunderstanding" and said Dong was just confused about where he was allowed to carry guns.

Dong told authorities he had been planning to visit a shooting range the next day and carried guns to protect himself in the event of a mass shooting.

Police have arrested the man accused of holding up a Cumberland Farms store in Naugatuck shortly after midnight Friday.

It's the second time in a week the store has been robbed.

According to police, Frank Warner, 44, of Winsted, entered the store around 12:30 a.m. Friday and brought candy to the counter to purchase. After the employee opened the cash register, Warner jumped the counter and stole cash from the open drawer.

He ran from the store and got into a car heading toward Route 8 northbound, police said.

The store employee was able to provide police with a description of the vehicle and part of its license plate. Police identified the car and said it had been stolen.

Later, police tracked the investigation into Waterbury and came across Warner driving the stolen car. Naugatuck police followed the vehicle and notified authorities in Waterbury, police said.

Warner was taken into custody shortly thereafter.

He was charged with third-degree robbery, second-degree larceny, sixth-degree larceny, second-degree breach of peace and second-degree criminal trover.

Warner is being held on $250,000 bond and is due in Waterbury Superior Court on Monday.

Hartford police have arrested a man who they said confessed to firing gunshots on Thursday night.

Police responded to the area of 25 Lincoln Street around 6:30 p.m. after a resident reported hearing complaint about shots fired and witness gave police a description of the shooter and the direction he fled in, police said.

Police found Verhjanish Castaneda-Morales, 21, of Hartford, behind 10 Lincoln Street and detained him.

Police said they also found a stolen Ruger 9mm semi-auto, Model LC, Handgun, and two magazines containing eight live 9mm rounds.

Castaneda-Morales provided police with a written confession, police said.

He was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree criminal trespass.

A LifeStar medical helicopter is responding to a motorcycle crash on Field Road in Somers.

State police said Field Road in Somers is down to one lane while they respond to the scene.

LifeStar was called out to the crash shortly after 3:15 p.m.

No additional information was immediately available.

Check back for udpates.

Police were called to a home on Ridgewood Road in West Hartford after a dispute got out of hand Friday afternoon.

Authorities responded to 240 Ridgewood Road today after the new homeowners called 911 to report an argument with a mentally ill person who refused to leave the home. The home was sold during a town auction in July.

According to a Connecticut Marshal at the scene, the man inside the home is no stranger to police. A few years ago, authorities removed $800,000 worth of guns and ammunition from the home.

The new homeowner said the man in the home apparently believes he still owns it, despite having lost the property months ago. He said he has been trying to move in but hasn't been able to because the other man won't leave.

Authorities responding to the scene believed an intruder had broken in, so a SWAT team came out with shields out and long guns drawn.

Police said no one was in danger and have begun leaving the scene. They said the situation is not criminal.

A federal judge won't throw out evidence found in Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's dorm room, laptop and family apartment in the case against him.

Judge George O'Toole Jr. rejected defense lawyers' two bids to suppress evidence on Friday, as well as another request to have the indictment against Tsarnaev tossed.

Lawyers for Tsarnaev had asked the judge to toss the evidence collected from his UMass-Dartmouth dorm room, his brother Tamerlan's Cambridge apartment and the brothers' Yahoo email accounts, saying that the search warrants weren't specific enough and that some items were improperly seized.

The defense had also hoped to delay the trial, which is scheduled to start Jan. 5.

Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan, who died in a shootout with police after the attacks, are accused of carrying out the April 2013 bombings that killed three people and injured about 260 more when they exploded at the Boston Marathon finish line. An MIT officer was later fatally shot sitting in his cruiser. 

Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Meanwhile, closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday in the trial of one of Tsarnaev's friends. Robel Phillipos is accused of obstruction of justice. 

A motorcyclist has been hospitalized with serious injuries after becoming wedged underneath a box truck during a crash in Westport, according to police.

Police said the vehicles collided around 1:30 p.m. in the area of 355 Riverside Avenue.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene to find the motorcycle driver stuck underneath the back of the truck. They pulled him out and rushed him to Norwalk Hospital for treatment of serious injuries, accoridng to police.

The box truck driver was not hurt.

Police are investigating to determine the cause of the crash.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital nurses held a rally Friday afternoon to show support for the hospital following some criticism they mishandled the Ebola situation in recent weeks.

Earlier in the day, hospital officials posted two videos on YouTube complete with the catch phrase "I'm PresbyProud." They also started using the Twitter hashtag #PresbyProud.

This campaign comes in response to allegations made by Texas Health Presbyterian nurse Brianna Aguirre, who blasted the hospital for not having proper protective gear for nurses treating Ebola on the "Today" show.

"We have acknowledged that we made mistakes and that we are deeply sorry," hospital officials said in a press release.

The press release issued by the hospital also stated that employees are encouraged to raise issues and concerns via the chain of command.

"Texas Health Dallas employees have two mechanisms available to anonymously raise issues about safety concerns or related matters," the release stated. "It is important to note that no Texas Health Dallas employee did so concerning their care of Mr. Duncan or our two co-workers."

The release continued by stating that much of the information being reported is "loosely based on fact," but "often out-of-context and sensationalized" or "completely inaccurate." Hospital officials said they conducted interviews with more than 100 people involved the care of Duncan and reported being compliance with all CDC guidelines.

"The CDC guidelines changed frequently," the release stated. "Nonetheless, they endeavored to remain compliant with what was communicated as the most recent and appropriate guideline."

Hospital officials also wanted to dispel rumors about the nurses' commitment to their jobs.

"They are understandably worried and concerned in the eye of this storm, but they are steadfastly supporting their patients, each other and the hospital they love," the release stated.

A South Florida courtroom was cleared Friday amid a brief Ebola scare caught on camera, after a man allegedly told police arresting him, “I have Ebola.” 

Joseph Britton insisted in Broward County bond court as his police report was being read that officers had taken his remark out of context, just as Judge John Hurley advised his lawyer to back away, fast.

“Uh-oh, uh-oh. Mr. Miller, I’d back up pretty quick if I were you,” Hurley said. “I don't know. I don't know — what do we do?”

Hurley had just read something in the arrest report for Britton that had caught him off-guard.

“Mr. Britton, take a step to the right. This man claims he has Ebola,” Hurley read from the report, before he turned to a deputy in the courtroom. “Now, I believe you should clear the courtroom of all prisoners.”

While Britton was being arrested Thursday on charges of battery, disorderly conduct and resisting an officer, he told officers, “I have Ebola,” according to the police report.

After reading the report, Hurley ordered officials to clear the jailhouse courtroom. Inmates grumbled as they were ordered out of the room. "He's making it worse for everybody right now, man," one said.

All the while, Britton said the entire situation was a misunderstanding.

“The officer took it out of context,” Britton said.

According to Fort Lauderdale police, the officer who wrote the report was trying to document Britton’s intent to create a disturbance by claiming he had Ebola and making other expletive-filled exclamations.

Police arresting him didn't notice any symptoms that led them to believe he actually had Ebola, and Britton later denied making the claim, police said.

The Sun Sentinel reported that jailhouse deputies put on protective suits and the jail was locked down as the claims were investigated. It remained locked down until 3 p.m. while a contractor cleaned the spaces where Britton had been, the Sentinel reported.

In the end, it turned out the inmate had been checked out Thursday night and was cleared, but no one had told Judge Hurley.

“I am 99.99 percent sure that this person does not have Ebola,” Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said. “The screening questions were asked of this gentleman, the inmate, last night. There was no reason to be concerned based on his answers to several questions. So, he was put in a cell.”

That cell is where Britton remained Friday night after being cleared by health officials. His bond court appearance was rescheduled for Saturday.

The pilot who flew a Dallas nurse with Ebola to Maryland for treatment Thursday says the task of ferrying patients with the deadly disease on life-saving missions is always gratifying, and says none of his crew members has had any problems.

Randy Davis, vice president of Phoenix Air, was the pilot who brought Nina Pham, 26, the first nurse to fall ill with Ebola after treating the first U.S.-diagnosed patient, from Dallas to Maryland on Thursday night. He had earlier helped fly now-recovered Ebola patient Nancy Writebol back from Liberia.

"You're always gratified when you know you're helping someone directly," Davis said. "You can see their face. You can see them walk in and out of your aircraft."

Davis is not nervous about the missions. "Not a single Phoenix Air flight crew personnel or medical personnel has had any problem whatsoever," he explained.

On the company's last two missions, there were two pilots in the cockpit and three medical staff members, including one person overseeing the process. That person doesn't wear protective gear, as he serves as the eyes and ears of the staff.

Davis' company has been a part of a dozen Ebola-related missions, but it wasn't until the last two days — when it flew Pham to Maryland, and her Ebola-stricken coworker Amber Vinson to Atlanta — that it had flown patients within the U.S.

"We're very happy that all the Americans we've brought home are still alive. Some of them have already walked out of their hospital," Davis said.

Nina Pham is currently "resting comfortably" at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, where she was flown Thursday and is in fair but stable condition, officials said Friday.

Amber Vinson is being treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where she was flown Wednesday, but neither the hospital nor her family have said Friday what her condition is.

Amber Joy Vinson is the second American nurse to contract the Ebola virus after treating the first patient who was diagnosed in the United States at a Dallas hospital.

Here's what we know so far about Vinson, her background, her treatment, the people who may have come in contact with her and precautions being taken.

WHO IS AMBER VINSON?

Amber Joy Vinson, 29, is a nurse who was planning her upcoming wedding before she was diagnosed with Ebola this week.

Vinson is from Akron, Ohio, and has two degrees from Kent State University, where three of her relatives work. She was licensed as a registered nurse in Ohio in 2009 and remains licensed there, records show, though she has since moved to Dallas. She became an R.N. in Texas in 2012.

A relative told NBC News that Vinson was drawn to healthcare work at a young age and called her "sweet and kind."

"She wanted to help people. Amber has always been kind and compassionate," said Diane Sloane Rhynes, whose late brother was married to Vinson's mother for several years and who considers Vinson her niece.

Vinson had flown from Dallas to Ohio on Oct. 10 to visit her family there and plan her upcoming May wedding, before she returned Oct. 13. Now, she is being treated in isolation for Ebola.

HOW DID SHE GET EBOLA?

Vinson, 29, is a nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and was part of the team that treated Thomas Eric Duncan — the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States — after he was hospitalized for the virus in late September.

She had worn protective gear including face shields, hazardous materials suits and protective footwear as she inserted catheters, drew blood and dealt with Duncan's body fluids. She was working on three days when Duncan experienced "extensive production" of diarrhea and vomiting, the CDC said.  

Vinson was hospitalized with symptoms on Tuesday, Oct. 14, and tested positive for Ebola a day later. It is still not clear how she contracted the virus, leading the CDC to call her diagnosis "a serious concern."

HOW AND WHY DID SHE TRAVEL TO OHIO?

Vinson flew from Dallas to Cleveland on Oct. 10, two days after Duncan died, to visit her mother and fiancé and to plan her upcoming wedding, a health official said. She flew back to DFW on Monday, Oct. 13, on Frontier Airlines Flight 1143.

Vinson, who had been self-monitoring and was reporting her temperature to epidemiology teams routinely, had called the CDC before flying from Cleveland back to Dallas, saying she had a temperature of 99.5 degrees, an unidentified government spokesman told NBC News.

At the time, CDC guidance indicated that potentially exposed health care workers categorized as "uncertain risk" could fly commercially if they did not have a temperature of 100.4 degrees. She was not told that she should not fly.

However, CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said Wednesday that Vinson should not have boarded the plane to Dallas, because of her slight temperature and because she had had contact with Duncan. 

A day after she landed, she was hospitalized, and one day later, she was confirmed to have contracted the potentially deadly disease. 

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE PEOPLE ABOARD HER FLIGHTS

The CDC contacted and interviewed 105 of the 132 people aboard Frontier Airlines Flight 1143, the flight she took from Cleveland home to DFW on Oct. 13. Several passengers who were near her on the plane will be monitored by health officials for symptoms, the agency said Oct. 16.

Passengers on the flight are being split into two groups: those who are at low risk, and the “few passengers” who sat close to Vinson. Those who are at low risk and will be kept informed, while those who were close to her will be interviewed and monitored for fever and other symptoms for 21 days.

Frontier was also contacting passengers on Vinson's flight from Dallas to Cleveland, even though she was asymptomatic at that time. They also want to talk to hundreds more passengers who were on five other flights that the plane she took Monday made after she returned to Dallas.

The president of the airline, Barry Biffle, indicated Oct. 17 that Vinson may have been at a more advanced stage of the illness when flying than previously thought. The airline shared CDC findings with employees in an email. Crewmembers on the flights are at a very low risk of exposure, according to the CDC, yet as a precaution, the airline put the pilots and flight attendants on leave for 21 days--the amount of time experts believe it would take for someone exposed to Ebola to become sick.

WHO MAY HAVE BEEN AFFECTED IN OHIO?

Ohio health officials are still trying to determine how many people might have been exposed while Vinson was visiting the state before testing positive for Ebola.

Officials are monitoring the health of 16 people in the state who had contact with Vinson — 12 in Summit County, which includes Akron, and four in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, according to The Associated Press. None of those people has shown any symptoms of the virus, health officials said.

Ohio health investigators are also tracking down people who visited Akron bridal shop Coming Attractions when Vinson was there with friends Saturday afternoon and set up a hotline for customers who may have been exposed. The shop's owners voluntarily shuttered it temporarily after Vinson was diagnosed. 

HOW IS SHE BEING TREATED?

Vinson was flown Wednesday, wearing a hazmat bubble suit, to Atlanta to be treated at Emory University Hospital, the same hospital where three Americans have been treated with Ebola and where two of them have recovered.

She is being treated there in isolation in a biocontainment unit. Her family said Thursday she was in stable condition.

Emory had previously treated both Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, American aid workers who contracted Ebola in Liberia and who later recovered after successful treatment at Emory. A third unidentified American is also being treated there.

Her family said Thursday, Oct. 16, that they are "overwhelmed with support" as she battles the virus. The hospital did not release her condition Friday.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Texas authorities are taking additional precautions to prevent the virus from spreading, asking other health workers who treated Duncan not to travel with the public or go anywhere that people congregate. 

Frieden added that an investigation had found that some workers at the Dallas hospital layered some of their protective gear and taped their gloves to their hands, two behaviors that can increase the risk of contracting the virus.

Vinson may have been sick as early as Friday, Oct. 10, the day she flew to Ohio, the CDC said at a briefing on Oct. 17. The timing of when she fell ill is important, because patients with the virus are only contagious when they are sick.

School officials in Ridgefield are investigating possible incidents of "hazing, bullying and intimidation" connected to sports teams at the high school, according to school principal Dr. Stacey Gross.

Gross sent a letter home to parents of high school students on Friday explaining concerns about the alleged incidents, which involved both athletes and non-athletes "in association" with school athletic teems.

"This type of behavior casts a dark shadow over our entire school community," Gross wrote. "I am disappointed that in spite of the efforts of everyone – teachers, coaches and administrators – some students chose to ignore our directives and placed themselves and others in jeopardy of injury and exposed their fellow students to ridicule and humiliation."

Gross said school administrators are investigating events that occurred Thursday but did not elaborate on the specifics of what happened.

According to Gross, "all those who are found to have participated in these behaviors will receive serious consequences."

"This is a real blip in who we are and we have dealt with things strongly and swiftly and clearly," Gross said.

The principal said school officials considered canceling Friday's pep rally and sporting events but decided against it given that most athletes and students at the high school did not participate in the alleged hazing.

"It is my hope that this will be [the] last time such incidents occur at Ridgefield High School and that you will join with me in making the message clear that there are no second-class citizens at Ridgefield High School and that we stand together united in our commitment to honor each other rather than to diminish anyone," Gross wrote.

Ridgefield Public Schools Supt. Debbie Lowe said the high school has been proactive about addressing hazing. She said some consequences have been determined but could not comment on whether any students have been suspended.

"This kind of behavior is completely unacceptable," Lowe said.

She said an advisory program is already established at the high school and the athletic teams have discussed what kind of behavior is and isn't appropriate.

"Given how proactive we've been, we are surprised and we are disappointed," Lowe said.

Norwich police have reopened a decades-old cold case and are once again searching for clues about the deaths of Ellis W. Ruley and his son-in-law Douglas Harris.

Harris died in 1948. Ruley died 11 years later. Police are conducting an 18-month review of the case and have exhumed their bodies to investigate. New autopsies will also be conducted, according to police.

Anyone with information is urged to call Norwich police at 860-886-5561 or the anonymous tip line at 860-886-5561 ext. 500.

A 33-year-old woman has died following a seven-car pileup involving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 southbound in Waterford Sunday night, according to state police.

Saumya Arora, 33, was seriously injured after a tractor-trailer carrying frozen food struck the car in which she was a passenger around 7:30 p.m. Sunday. She was rushed to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital for treatment, then airlifted to Yale-New Haven Hospital, according to police.

The tractor-trailer, driven by 60-year-old Massachusetts resident Kevin Custer, continued on to strike two additional cars south of exit 82 on I-95 southbound, causing a domino effect involving a total of seven vehicles, state police said.

A total of seven people were hospitalized following the crash. Jason Grant, 38, of Attleboro, Massachusetts; Cheryl Laffey, 59, of Waterford; David Laffey, 44, of Waterford; and Vikram Dhawan, 39, of New York, were taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Adam Miller, of North Port, Florida, was treated at William Backus Memorial Hospital.

Police have not released information on the seventh person who was hospitalized but said Saumya Arora was the only crash victim who was seriously injured.

State Department of Transportation and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officials and an environmental contractor responded to the scene to clean up "spilled fluids," according to state police.

The crash happened less than two hours before another crash in the same area that killed two children – a 3-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl – and the boy's father, all Meriden residents.

Police have arrested the man accused of crawling through the bedroom window of a home in downtown Meriden and raping a 10-year-old girl while she was sleeping.

Jose Gonzalez, formerly known as Desmond James, 23, was arrested Friday evening in Waterbury, where he lives. Police said he ran from officers and was found with "several bundles" of heroin.

According to police, Gonzalez climbed through the girl's bedroom window early Wednesday morning. As Gonzalez was leaving, the victim woke up the rest of her family. Her mother caught a glimpse of him just and was able to provide a partial description to police.

Gonzalez was charged with home invasion, first-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a minor, unlawful restraint and threatening.

"One word: Child. Anytime there's a child involved, and this was a young ten-year-old girl, everyone drops everything. And this becomes the priority," Meriden Det. Lt. Mark Walerysiak said.

He was also wanted on an outstanding warrant for escaping from the Connecticut Department of Correction's Parole Division, according to police.

Meriden police have not disclosed whether Gonzalez knew the family prior to the assault. In an effort to protect the victim, authorities have not released the location of the home.

Police said DNA evidence taken from the victim helped them identify Gonzalez as the perpetrator.

Court records show Desmond James has been previously convicted on burglary and robbery charges out of Meriden in 2011 and 2012.

He was held on $1 million bond following his arrest Friday and is due in court Oct. 20.

A new bombshell dropped Friday in the race for California’s 52nd Congressional District when both candidates confirmed a Carl DeMaio campaign strategy book, allegedly stolen during an office break-in, found its way into the hands of incumbent Scott Peters’ staff.

It is the latest revelation in an already ugly race peppered with attack ads and sexual harassment allegations.

The two had a chilly meeting Friday morning at a taping of NBC 7’s Politically Speaking, as DeMaio walked right by Peters’ hand outstretched for a handshake.

During the session, DeMaio discussed the burglary and vandalism at his campaign headquarters on May 28. Cords and cables were cut, water was poured over laptops and printers, computer screens were smashed in and one important item was taken: DeMaio’s campaign playbook.

The candidate confronted Peters about the book on “Politically Speaking.”

“And Mr. Peters, I just want to ask a very simple question. Did your campaign come into possession of our strategy book, all of our direct mail pieces in the last five months?” asked DeMaio.

Peters responded with: “In early June, information was forwarded to our campaign which we immediately turned over to the police.”

DeMaio pressed the issue, asking Peters why he did not let his opponent’s campaign know that he had seen DeMaio’s playbook all along.

“I’ve obviously never seen it,” said Peters. “We turned it directly over to the police within 24 hours of getting it because what was contained in it was potentially part of a criminal investigation.”

He added his campaign manager “looked at it enough to know what it was.”

On Friday evening, Peters' Communciation Director Alex Roth sent out the following statement about the revelation:

"To clarify, we do not know what a campaign playbook is; nor has our campaign ever received anything that could be characterized as 'a campaign playbook' as Mr. DeMaio called it. To reiterate, our campaign staff received information in early June that we immediately transmitted in its entirety to the police.This is nothing more than an attempt by Mr. DeMaio to divert attention away from the Filner-esque sexual harassment allegations that have been made against him.”

During the show's taping, Peters said he felt as if he had been cast as the perpetrator of the break-in, which was portrayed with Watergate-like overtones when it first happened.

DeMaio told his opponent he does not believe Peters had anything to do with the burglary.

Instead, he blames former aide Todd Bosnich.

Bosnich has publicly accused DeMaio of sexually harassing him while he worked for the former San Diego City Councilman, releasing the results of a polygraph test that he says support his claims.

Called the allegations “outrageous lies,” DeMaio said Bosnich is trying to get revenge for being fired as a suspect in the break-in.

However, the candidate said he will not take a polygraph exam to rebut Bosnich’s allegations.

CNN reports Bosnich's lawyers sent the news outlet the results to a second polygraph test Friday in which Bosnich was asked if he broke into the campaign headquarters last May. The test shows Bosnich's "no" answers were "truthful and found "no deception."

Bosnich confirmed the story to NBC 7 via text message.

DeMaio's spokesman David McCulloch defended the candidate, saying in a statement, "Both Carl DeMaio and Tommy Knepper — named in a series of vile smear attacks — have taken lie detector tests that have shown these smears are baseless. Meanwhile, Mr. Peters admitted on NBC7/39 this morning that his campaign received stolen property from our campaign — begging the question: who provided this sensitive campaign material?"  

You can watch the full DeMaio-Peters debate during the full half-hour edition of “Politically Speaking” on NBC 7 Sunday morning at 9 a.m., following “Meet the Press” with Chuck Todd.

Although there was no real emergency in Seymour on Friday, first responders acted like there was.

Student got to find out firsthand what it's like to be involved in a bush crash. The middle school student body looked on as a number of student volunteers participated in the drill, pretending to be trapped and hurt.

“When something happens were all going to descend upon a scene like this. So doing it now and practicing, It better prepares everyone in the valley,” said school security director Rich Kerns.

Firefighters practiced using tools they would need in an actual emergency, like a saw to slice through the roof of the bus, and jaws of life to peel open a car door.

“We don’t often see this type of accident and we don’t hope to but we need to be prepared and this gives us practical training in working with large vehicles and with large numbers of kids,” said Shelton Fire Chief John Cronin.

Kerns said drills like these saves lives.

“If they were ever involved in this type of accident, they would know what to do,” Kerns said.
 

At Shelton High School, wearing a pink T-shirt was not enough to raise awareness of breast cancer – some students went as far as dyeing their hair.

“My hair will be permanently dyed pink for at least a few weeks,” said high school senior Alexandra Koumbaros.

School resource officer Mary Beth White, a breast cancer survivor, said she was stunned when the school principal called out her name in the middle of a spirit rally today.

“I didn’t expect any of this. I had no idea they were going to recognize me in this way, so it’s emotional,” said White.

Students cheered as the principal, Dr. Beth Smith, handed White flowers and gave her a hug.

“We are just so thrilled that she is here with us today and we just wanted to make it special and recognize her,” Smith said.

In less than a week, students raised nearly $5,000 for the Valley Goes Pink, a local initiative to fight breast cancer.

“Everyone here has a good time while helping a great cause,” said Charles O’Keefe.

White said it means the world to her knowing the students she works to protect, are also looking out for her.

“To see everyone donate money and paint their hair, it’s really a great cause and I just hope that one day we can live in a world without breast cancer,” she said.

The Newtown Marching Nighthawks are taking their performance to a new level.

The theme is spiders, and it’s dark, dramatic and full of excitement. They high school marching band will be performing the piece at the Grasso Festival this weekend, its home show event.

“We go from competition to competition, and this week, we are the host so the bands from all over the area are coming here,” explained Newtown senior Richie Sadelon.

“Should be emotional but it should be a pretty fun night,” said Caitlin Jones, also a senior.

Band director Kurt Eckhardt said this group has what it takes to win big this year.

“This is a very special group of kids. They work so hard,” he said.

The band is also gearing up for the national competition Metlife Stadium in New York City in November.

Some students at Ansonia High School roll out of bed at the crack of dawn for an intense workout with the school resource officer, who designed this program to help keep kids out of trouble.

"I thought the best way to do it was to get them up early in the morning," Officer Michael Barry explained.

Barry said that when he first started working at the school six years ago, he spent most of the day disciplining students, many of whom could ultimately face charges.

"It's a diversion from the court system, but most of these kids that we see here are all volunteers," Barry said.

Although some students have been mandated to attend the program, many have just come to enjoy working out and the benefits of being in shape.

"Those students who go to the program in lieu of a suspension or detention oftentimes will continue on with the program even after their time frame is up," said Ansonia High School Principal Joseph Dobbins.

The program, now five years old, won Barry the Phipps Award of Excellence in 2012, the Ansonia Police Department's top honor.

But the biggest honor of all for Barry is making a difference in the lives of his students.

"He's an awesome dude. He's like a father figure, somebody to look up to," said high school senior Nytwan Brown.