A 60-year-old man has died after his car crashed head-on into an ambulance on Main Street/Route 190 in Somers on Saturday afternoon, according to state police.

Police said the car's driver, identified as Leonard W. King, of the Broad Brook section of East Windsor, was driving westbound on Main Street when he struck an ambulance traveling eastbound around 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

King was pronounced dead at the scene. State police initially said the victim was a resident of Enfield.

No one else was in the car with King, but four people riding in the ambulance – identified as Kara Williams, 19, of Somers; Katherine Morton, 20, of Somers; Joshua Marquardt, 22, of Somers, and driver Kate Schoenberger, 20, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts – were taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford for medical evaluations, according to state police.

The ambulance was not responding to a medical call at the time of the crash.

Firefighters from the Hazardville section of Enfield were called in for mutual aid. Main Street was closed for several hours west of Route 83 in Somers, between Sokol Road and Maple Ridge Drive.

LifeStar was called to the scene and later canceled, according to the helicopter service.

Authorities are investigating. Anyone with information on the crash is urged to call Connecticut State Police Trooper Preuss at 860-896-3200.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

The Hamburglar might say it's a steal even cheaper than the dollar menu.

You can get a specially priced burger for just 59 cents at participating McDonald's fast food restaurants in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts on Sunday to celebrate its National Hamburger Day.

The discounted burgers will be offered between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 21 at most Connecticut McDonald's restaurants excluding Fairfield County.

Customers will be limited to four burgers a piece.

Eight Connecticut schools are the first to receive grant funding under a new state program designed to strengthen arts instruction by encouraging partnership between schools, artists and arts organizations.

The eight were chosen from 82 schools and school districts that applied for a total of $250,000 made available through the Arts in Education grant program. The maximum award was $50,000. Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said demand for the grants was high.

Schools in Bridgeport, Colchester, Coventry, Farmington, Manchester, Middlefield, Newtown and Waterbury have been awarded funds ranging from $2,759 to $50,000.

The Classical Studies Magnet Academy in Bridgeport, for example, received a $49,952 grant. The money will be used to employ artists for residencies, performances and workshops at the K-8 school.

The grant program is overseen by several state agencies.

The father of a toddler abandoned at one of Los Angeles's premier shopping centers came forward nearly a day later Sunday and was interviewed by police and child protective services, officials said. 

The girl remained in the custody of child protective services. Los Angeles Police Department officials said she and her father had not been reunited.

The father told officers at the Wilshire Division station that he didn't initially know the 3-year-old was missing, but had been actively trying to get in contact with her.

A female relative who’d been watching the girl dropped her off at the Grove about 6 p.m. Saturday, according to police, who are treating the case as a misunderstanding.

When she was put in police custody, the girl gave her name simply as Audrey, a stumbling block in trying to find her family, police said.

Audrey was happy and talkative, when she was first turned over to the LAPD, according to Lt. Lonnie Tiano, who said she was in "good shape."

A woman dropped Audrey off at The Grove's valet area along with a car seat, but never returned to pick her up, Tiano said.

After a search of the mall, parking attendants called police, who took Audrey into their custody and brought her to the Department of Children and Family Services, Tiano said.

Children and Family Services still had to verify that the man picking her up was Audrey's father, and had yet to decide whether to turn Audrey over to him.

Aubrey's story had touched many people who called police offering gifts or a home to Audrey after her picture was released to news media, police said.

"Hopefully they'll be watching the news and see their child on TV and call us," Tiano said Sunday morning.

In fact, Audrey's San Diegan grandfather who spotted her picture on a news report Sunday. He told his son Audrey was missing; police said the father told them he was already actively searching for Audrey by then.

The father told authorities that he was looking for his daughter at The Grove until 11 p.m., police said, but assumed that the person she was with had taken her home. They were supposed to meet at The Grove earlier that day.

Correction: This article misspelled one instance of Audrey's name.

A holiday billboard has fired up a debate in a Northern California city.

The owners of Down Range shooting range put up a sign outside their business in Chico, depicting Santa Claus holding a gun. The sign reads "We build AR's for Santa."

The owners of the gun range told NBC affiliate KNVN-TV in Chico that they are Santa's little helpers, and they can fill his orders for AR rifles.

Down Range co-owner Steve Dyke said in an interview that some people get toys, some get guns.

"Some people get firearms," Dyke said. "So and when Santa needs help putting together an AR rifle, we can definitely help him out with that."

While one Chico resident said people need to "see the humor in it" others said the sign is in poor taste.

"I just don't think I would like my son see Santa holding a gun, having to explain to him that's usually not what Santa's holding," one parent said.

"The idea of this symbol of joy and giving and holding an assault rifle, it's just so contradictory," Chico resident Tom Imhoff told KNVN.

But the owners of the gun range disagree.

"Santa has got his eye protection on, his fingers off the trigger, the gun's pointed in a safe direction, so those are the things we want to promote is the safety when people are doing the shooting sports industry," Dyke's partner Will Clark said.

"This is not meant to be offensive in any way. If you need help, if Santa needs help, we're here to help," Dyke said.

The owners said the sign is temporary, but it will not be their last. A sign featuring the Easter bunny or Cupid may be next.

In the wake of tensions between City Hall and the NYPD, some officers turned their backs on the mayor as he walked through the halls of Woodhull Medical Center following the ambush killing of two officers.

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch mourned the slain officers outside the hospital and linked the killings to violence against the NYPD during recent protest demonstrations and to what he said was the mayor's lack of support for the department.

"There's blood on many hands tonight," Lynch said. He added: "That blood on the hands starts on the steps of City Hall in the office of the mayor."

Mayor de Blasio responded that Lynch's remarks amounted to "irresponsible, overheated rhetoric that angers and divides people."

"This is a nightmare of the highest magnitude for everyone," Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association, said in a statement. "The elected leaders, on both sides of City Hall, need to dig down deep in their souls and understand that campaigning to be a leader is easier than being a leader."

Palladino warned detectives to remain vigilant, wear bullet-resistant vests and work in teams of three when possible "until we better assess the threat that exists against us."

Police departments and civic leaders across the United States mourned publicly on Saturday and Sunday, condemning violence and calling for calm after two police officers were shot dead in their squad car in what New York City's commissioner called an "assassination."

President Barack Obama was among those who expressed support for the police. "Two brave men won't be going home to their loved ones tonight, and for that, there is no justification," the president said Saturday night in a statement. "Tonight, I ask people to reject violence and words that harm, and turn to words that heal — prayer, patient dialogue, and sympathy for the friends and family of the fallen."

Obama called New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton on Sunday and said Americans must reject violence and instead turn to prayer and sympathy for the victims' relatives, the White House said. The president said his administration will work with leaders across the country to echo that message.

Police departments around the country expressed solidarity with the NYPD, adorning their badges with black bands in honor of the slain officers.

In Philadelphia, where anti-police graffiti appeared this week, a police spokeswoman called the shootings a "horrible act of terror."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with New York Police Department and the families of these officers," the spokeswoman said.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter took to Twitter to condemn the shooting.

Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were sitting in a squad car in Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon when the shooter, identified as 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, approached the car and fatally shot both officers in the head, police said. Brinsley then ran into a nearby subway station and killed himself, according to police.

"They were, quite simply, assassinated — targeted for their uniform," said Bratton. "Both officers paid the ultimate sacrifice today while protecting the communities they serve."

Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Marcia L. Fudge released a statement Sunday morning, saying the police officers' "tragic deaths are a great loss for the NYPD, their families, and our nation. This is not about race or affiliation, and it isn't about black versus blue. All lives matter."

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the shootings a "particularly despicable act," and called on New Yorkers to pray for the families of Ramos and Liu. He ordered that flags in the city be lowered to half-staff from sunrise Sunday until the officers' burial.

But New York Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch was critical of the mayor's office. Lynch tied the shootings to violence against the NYPD during recent protests in the city and blamed the mayor directly for a perceived lack of support as the department has come under scrutiny.

"There's blood on many hands tonight," Lynch said, and "starts on the steps of City Hall in the office of the mayor."

In response, the mayor's office said, "it's unfortunate that in a time of great tragedy, some would resort to irresponsible, overheated rhetoric that angers and divides people."

Loretta E. Lynch, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, pledged that her office would assist with the investigation of the shooting.

"I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear of this afternoon's brutal and senseless attack on two NYPD Officers, and I join Attorney General Holder in expressing my deepest condolences to the families of these fallen heroes," she said. "Today's assailant struck at the heart of our city — the dedicated officers who pledge their lives to safeguard us all."

The killings on Saturday come amid tensions over the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police. Bratton said Saturday that the suspect had a history of making anti-police comments. It remained unclear whether he had any involvement in the protest movement.

The family of Eric Garner, the New York man who died after he was put in a chokehold by police denounced on Sunday the killing of two police officers.

"Anyone who's standing with us, we want you to not use Eric Garner's name for violence because we are not about that," Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, told reporters on Sunday. "I'm standing here in sorrow about losing those two police officers."

The leader of a local group associated with some of the recent protests against the use of deadly force in the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown is publicly condemning  Ismaaiyl Brinsley's actions killing two police officers in Brooklyn and calling for peace.

“This is something we all have to condemn," Hartford peace activist Rev. Henry Brown said. "We can’t have people killing our police officers. We’re talking about humanity here.”

Rev. Brown, who has been the voice for victims of violence in Hartford for more than a decade, is sending a message saying what happened to the two New York officers cannot happen in Connecticut.

“I have a lot of respect for the Hartford Police Department, I have a close relationship with them," Brown said. "Are all of them good? No. Just like clergy. Are all of them good? No. We all have our differences. But we don’t want people to think that its okay to kill police officers.”

He is calling for a conversation with Hartford police in efforts to establish unity and prevent a similar situation from happening in the state capital city.

"My prayers goes out to those officers families that lost their lives. We don’t want to see that again. We don’t want to see that again," Rev. Brown said. "And I’m praying that we don’t see anything like that happen again.”

Although tension remains high nationwide since the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, Rev. Brown said that violence is not the answer.

"Particularly with the police union. There’s a lot of police officers who are angry today. They have to be very careful and we have to be very careful," he said. "We can’t let raw emotion get in the way of doing their job.”

Rev. Brown is planning to hold a peace rally in light of the Brooklyn fatal shooting attack.

This is the story of how Grinches almost stole Christmas. Thieves took hundreds of toys collected for children at The Goff Street Armory in New Haven.

But, like in the famous Dr. Seuss holiday classic, there still was a real life happy ending for hundreds of families after the community stepped up to donate and make up for what was stolen.

About 80 percent of nearly 1,000 toys were stolen that had been collected at a three-day Winter Wonderland event that wrapped up at the armory at 290 Goffe Street this weekend.

Organizers figured that out after catching two people in the act of stealing gifts.

“When I walked in the room they were just pulling stuff out, saying they were taking them for their church," Honda Smith, the organizer, said.

The individuals were forced to drop the gifts in hand, but the organizers were devastated to learn that hundreds were already missing.

“It was very heart wrenching for me. I cried all night," organizer Honda Smith said.

But hundreds of families received Christmas presents anyways they might not have been able to afford otherwise thanks to the community. People donated hundreds of toys, making sure that while some Grinches might have gotten some gifts, they did not steal the day from so many kids and families.

“Exciting to see which one you’re going to get," Kyle Freibott, of, New Haven said.

Wendy Freibott, of New Haven, was overcome with emotions after the acts of generosity.

“I was crying. This is so wonderful," she said.

Organizers reported the theft to police and said they plan on making changes next year to how the toys are stored.

The names of any suspects have not been released.

One person is dead after a house fire in Woodstock, according to firefighters.

According to Bungay Fire Brigade chief Roy Chandler, the home at 3 Little Bungee Hill Road was 50 percent involved when crews arrived around 7 p.m. Sunday night. Two people were inside when the fire broke out.

Fire officials say a bystander helped rescue a woman from the home. She was taken to the hospital to be treated for possible smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were unable to enter the building in part due to a downed power line. When they knocked down the flames and entered, they found one man deceased inside. 

"It's tough. This time of year doesn't make it any better, that's for sure," said Woodstock Fire Marshal Dick Baron.

There is extensive damage to the home, according to the fire chief. It is unclear where the fire started or what might have caused it at this time.

Check back for updates.

Four people, including two children, were shot dead inside of a residence in Rockford, Ill., on Saturday night, Rockford police said.

A neighbor said she heard pounding on the door of the residence and then the sound of the door being forced open. The sound of gunshots immediately followed.

Police responded to the call of shots fired in the 3200 block of Montrose Avenue at about 11:20 p.m. Saturday. When they arrived, they found four victims with gunshot wounds. All of them were pronounced dead on the scene by Rockford Fire Department paramedics, police said.

The victims were Martia Flint, 24; Demontae Rhodes, 24; Tyrone Smith III, 6; and Tobias K. Smith, 4. The two children belonged to Flint.

An autopsy is scheduled for the victims on Monday.

Rockford detectives are continuing the investigation in the shooting. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Rockford police shift commander at (815) 987-5824 or Crime Stoppers at (815) 963-7867.

Over three weeks after his disappearance, officials found the keys of missing college student Shane Montgomery.

The Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit, a volunteer diving recovery team, discovered the 21-year-old West Chester University student's personal keys in the Schuylkill River after searching for four and a half hours Sunday. No further evidence has been found however.

The Roxborough native was last seen early Thanksgiving morning as he left Kildare's Irish Pub along Main Street in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk.

Pings from his cellphone put him within a mile of the bar within an hour of his disappearance and surveillance video shows the West Chester University student walking toward the Manayunk Canal and Schuylkill River. Despite many searches on land, in the water and from the air, there have been no strong leads as to where Montgomery went.

Each day without Shane has been wearing on his family, said Kevin Verbrugghe, Shane's uncle.

"We’re not holding up well," Verbrugghe said.

Ongoing search efforts, including the use of sonar and underwriter cameras in a search of the Schuylkill River, have brought about few clues for Shane, who was last seen walking toward the Manayunk Canal.

"The prevailing theory is that he went into the river and where is he now? Tides change and there’s all kinds of debris under there," FBI Supervisory Special agent J.J. Klaver said Thursday.

Debris could have trapped the missing college student's body underwater, he explained.

A reward for information that leads investigators and the family to Montgomery still stands at $65,000. Friends and family continue to support the search efforts on their own as well.

Anyone with information is asked to call Philadelphia police at 215.686.TIPS.

Nearly 1,000 people marched through Center City during a protest for Mike Brown and Eric Garner Sunday night.

The Philadelphia “Blackout” march began at 7 p.m. on 1500 Arch Street. Hundreds of protesters marched around City Hall through Dilworth Plaza and eventually stopped at the statue of former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo. Raheem Harvey, one of the event organizers, told NBC10 the goal of the demonstration was to “unify the people and give them an opportunity to speak.”

“As a human being we have a right to humanity,” Harvey said. “Everyone is entitled to first class citizenship regardless of the color of their skin.”

Some of the protesters gathered at the AT&T station on the Broad Street Line around 5:45 p.m. They took the subway into Center City while singing the words, “I can’t breathe,” the last words of Eric Garner before his death.

Harvey also said the protesters specifically chose to end their demonstration at the Frank Rizzo statue based on what they believe the former Philadelphia mayor stood for.

“He is an individual who was responsible for police brutality, especially towards the African American community,” Harvey said. “Here we have an individual who has his hands raised, waiving out to the people. No one thinks something is wrong with that. We definitely plan to make a statement there. We plan on working with the city to have it removed."

The protesters repeatedly chanted "black lives matter," and carried a banner which read, "fight hate with love." They also held a "die-in" demonstration on the Parkway.

The rally shut down several streets in Center City for a few hours. No arrests were reported however.

Harvey told NBC10 the ultimate goal of the demonstrators is to spark change within the Philadelphia Police Department.

“We want to be able to have a voice when it comes to the concerns of the community,” he said. “A police officer’s job is to provide customer service and to also establish the law. With that in mind we need to make sure that when investigations happen within the police department, the public is fully aware. There should not be any close door investigation.”

The protest was one of many that have occurred nationwide in response to two separate grand jury decisions not to indict the officers involved in the deaths of Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

The protest also took place a day after two NYPD officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, were shot and killed by a gunman in Brooklyn during an ambush attack. The suspect in the shooting, who ultimately took his own life, posted on social media that he intended to “take 2 of theirs” prior to the incident, according to investigators. Investigators also believe the suspect shot and injured his ex-girlfriend in Baltimore before coming to New York.

The fatal shooting of the two officers sparked claims from some that the nationwide protests and anti-police rhetoric inspired the shooter. In New York City, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch also linked the killings to violence against police during recent protest demonstrations and even claimed that NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio had “blood on his hands” for his apparent lack of support for law enforcement.

Harvey expressed his condolences for the NYC officers and their families while also stating the suspect in their deaths was not associated with his movement.

“My heart is with the family and also my prayers,” Harvey said. “We are not against police. We are against police brutality. No one deserves to have their lives taken. It should have never happened. The person is isolated from the movement but he’s using the movement to get his message across. But that’s a totally isolated incident.”

Members of the Philadelphia Police Civil Affairs Unit were on hand to monitor the protest.

Family and friends of Officer Rafael Ramos, fatally shot with his partner in Brooklyn, thanked the public for its prayers and asked City Hall to mend its relationship with the city's police department.

"I would like to thank all those who have shared their sympathy for our beloved family member," said Lucy Ramos, the officer's aunt. "I hope and pray that we can reflect on this tragic loss."

Ramos' son Jayden expressed his Grief on Facebook saying: "TODAY I HAD TO SAY BYE TO MY FATHER. HE WAS THEIR FOR ME EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE, HE WAS THE BEST FATHER I COULD ASK FOR. IT'S HORRIBLE THAT SOMEONE GETS SHOT DEAD JUST FOR BEING A POLICE OFFICER."

John Rodriguez, president of the 75th Precinct Community Council, was among those who urged Mayor Bill de Blasio to repair relations with the police force.

"My mayor, you need to sit down, you need to get everything corrected," he said.

Rodriguez added that he felt the local Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president "was very upset at that moment" when he insinuated that the killings of Ramos and Officer Wenjian Liu could be tied to the mayor's lack of support for the department.

PBA President Patrick Lynch said Saturday night that there was "blood on many hands," including that of the mayor. De Blasio responded that Lynch's remarks were "irresponsible, overheated rhetoric."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo expressed his sympathy for the families of both officers in an appearance outside the Ramos residence.

"The two police officers, its just unimaginable, there were no words," Cuomo said. "I was sitting with the family. His son said to me, 'why, why is my dad gone, what did my dad do wrong,' and the truth is his father did nothing wrong."

At least 100 Enfield students sparkled with song and theater Sunday as they performed and raised about $4,000 for survivors of a deadly fire on South River Street in Enfield that killed four.

About a hundred children sang at St. Bernards School in Enfield on Sunday and put on a play called "The Sparkle Box" about the spirit of giving during Christmas, according to a news release.

St. Bernards students collected donations in a "sparkle box" after the 20-minute show.

State Rep. David Kiner was at the fundraiser to accept the money collected to give as a donation to Enfield's social services department to benefit the Enfield fire victims.

A sport utility vehicle struck and injured a 9-year-old Waterbury girl Saturday, hospitalizing her, according to police.

She was still in the hospital on Sunday after the accident. A 2006 GMC Envoy hit the girl at about 9:30 p.m. on Baldwin Street Saturday while she, her adult sister and one other were trying to cross near the Scovill Street intersection on their way home from the Brass Mill Center mall, Deputy Police Chief Chris Corbett confirmed.

The mall is located at 495 Union Street and the girl and her sister live nearby, according to Corbett.

The 9-year-old girl was first taken to Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury and was later transferred to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, according to Corbett. She was in serious condition on Sunday, he confirmed.

The driver is not facing charges at this time and the accident  remains under investigation.

In the wake of a transition that was shaky at best, state regulators have scheduled a meeting with Frontier Communications to address problems that arose during the changeover from AT&T and left customers with lingering service interruptions.

Frontier acquired about 1.3 million AT&T U-verse voice and Internet accounts last year, and when the transition took effect in October, thousands of customers began complaining of service outages.

The state announced its plan to step in last month and has now set up a meeting for this morning, according to a spokesperson for the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. It comes at the request of the Office of Consumer Counsel and Office of the Attorney General.

Frontier will be asked to speak to the following:

• Technical or infrastructure issues that contributed to delays in successfully transitioning service
• The current status of customer complaints to Frontier
• Response times to customer complaints and whether the company gave those customers accurate information
• Whether any issues have arisen with technicians making the repairs at customers’ homes
• Whether Frontier is talks with any video and streaming service providers
• Whether channel lineups for former U-Verse customers have changed or will change as a result of the transition
• Whether Frontier has properly notified and customers who have experienced problems
• Issues that Frontier considers to be partially or fully resolved
• Other transition problems pertaining to customer satisfaction

A top company executive apologized to customers last month, and the state Department of Consumer Protection created a system to coordinate customer complaints.

The meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. at PURA offices, Ten Franklin Square in New Britain.

You can submit a complaint by filling out a form posted to the state website or emailing dcp.frauds@ct.gov.
 

The weather pattern looks pretty dismal for the next several days, including rain on Christmas Evene and Christmas Day, which will make holiday traveling challenging.

On Monday, a weak onshore flow of air will help to produce some light snow and rain showers. Highs will only reach the upper-30s.

This will continue into tonight, then an area of deeper moisture will overspread the state by Tuesday morning.

Temperatures on Tuesday should move into the 40s. After a brief lull in the rain early Tuesday night and early Wednesday, a bigger rain storm will move in.

A strengthening area of storminess will roll into the Great Lakes on a track that brings us nothing but rain here in Connecticut.

Heavier and steadier rain is likely to form during the day on Wednesday, lasting until midday on Christmas. An inch or two of rain is likely, accompanied by very mild temperatures -- near 60 -- and gusty southerly winds.

This weather will make for challenging travel across the region by car, train and airplane.
 

A man is in critical condition after being shot inside the West Indian Social Club of Hartford overnight.

Police said the victim was shot in the chest and has a head laceration.

He was taken to St. Francis Hospital, where he is in critical but stable condition.

Crews from major crimes are investigating.

Check back for updates.
 

A Southington High School teacher who was pulled out of class last month has been charged with disorderly conduct.

After receiving reports on Nov. 6 that John Edward Hansen Jr., 47, of New Haven, was acting different in class and was possibly impaired, school administrators removed him from the classroom and had him transported to a medical facility, police said.

At the time, school officials declined to identify the teacher, but sent a letter home to parents.

“Today at Southington High School a situation occurred with one of our teachers who behaved in an unprofessional manner during period 1 and 2 classes,” Dr. Martin J. Semmel to wrote in the letter last month. “When it was reported during period 2 to the main office, this individual was removed immediately from the classroom.”

Police obtained a warrant and Hansen turned himself in to police at 6:45 a.m. on Dec. 9. He was due in court in Bristol on Monday, but did not appear and the case was continued to Jan. 20.