The victim is 19 years old and lives in eastern Massachusetts, Westfield police said.

Updates a story posted Sunday at 2:43 p.m.

WESTFIELD — The man found dead in the woods behind Stanley Park Sunday morning is believed to have committed suicide.

At about 11 a.m., a skier and mountain biker called police and reported they found a body deep in the woods.

During their investigation, police officers determined the man found was 19-years-old and from the eastern part of Massachusetts. His name was not released because his family is still being notified, Police Lt. Jay Pitoniak said.

“His death is not suspicious. It is an apparent suicide,” Pitoniak said.

Police are not certain the amount of time the victim had been in the woods, but Pitoniak said he does not believe it was long because the area is used frequently by cross-country skiers and others.

In December, Michael Edwards, a Boston tax preparer, pleaded guilty to a single count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the IRS and another count of wire fraud.

The Boston-based Doorways to Dreams Fund is offering up to $25,000 in financial incentives for taxpayers who set aside at least $50 of their tax refund into a savings account as a way to encourage more people to save money. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) 

BOSTON — A Boston income tax preparer was sentenced to 36 months in prison Monday after pleading guilty to obstructing an IRS investigation and committing wire fraud, the U.S. Justice Department announced.

Michael Edwards, who operated the firm Boston Financial Associates, also was ordered to pay restitution of $573,518 to the IRS.

In December, Edwards pleaded guilty to a single count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the IRS and another count of wire fraud.

Prosecutors charged that during the operation of his business, Edwards misappropriated the income tax refunds of two clients, totaling more than $750,000.

According to court documents, Edwards admitted that he misled an IRS auditor who was reviewing the 2007 and 2008 tax returns of one of his clients. Edwards gave the investigator false documentation intended to conceal the false entries on tax returns that he prepared.

After his release from prison, he also will have to serve three years probation.

Federal complaint against Boston income tax preparer for conspiring to obstruct the IRS and wire fraud uploaded by Patrick Johnson

Charlie Baker, the former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, flexed his health care policy chops at a conference on the Boston College campus hosted by the Graduate School of Social Work on the impact of health care reform.

By MATT MURPHY

CHESTNUT HILL — Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker on Monday credited the trend toward consolidation and mergers in the health care marketplace to the enormous regulatory changes being imposed on the industry by the Affordable Care Act, and warned that Massachusetts doctors and hospitals would be hit harder than their counterparts in most states by cuts to Medicare to pay for the law.

Baker, the leading GOP contender for governor in 2014 and a former health insurance executive, declined to come down for or against the proposed Partners HealthCare acquisition of South Shore Hospital, which state regulators have warned could drive up costs for patients by limiting competition.

He did say that increased transparency around pricing would make such transactions easier for regulators to understand and add pressure on stakeholders to deliver the cost savings they promise through greater efficiency.

Baker said smaller provider organizations are leaning towards mergers as “someplace to hide” from the heavy administrative lift of complying with new rules and regulations.

“I think the consolidation that has taken place is mostly being driven, to some extent, by the federal reforms which are creating all kinds of issues for smaller players with respect to being able to figure out what the rules of the game are and how they fit,” Baker said. “I think the decisions that are currently in front of both the state and federal government with respect to some of the mergers are complicated and I’ll have more to say on that in a few days.”

Asked specifically about Partners and South Shore Hospital, Baker repeatedly talked about the need for transparency. Some candidates have argued that Coakley, a Democratic candidate for governor, should block the acquisition on anti-trust grounds.

“I’ve been saying for about 10 years now that I think there’s nowhere near enough transparency in the health care business. I do believe price and performance matters and it should be publicly available information and I think in a world in which there was complete transparency around what people were getting paid and how they were performing some of the issue around consolidation would become less important,” Baker said.

Baker, the former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, flexed his health care policy chops at a conference on the Boston College campus hosted by the Graduate School of Social Work on the impact of health care reform.

The GOP candidate accepted an invitation to speak at the event before he announced his second run for governor, and largely tailored his 40-minute remarks to the audience of social workers. “For those of you looking for some sort of political stump speech, you will be sadly disappointed,” Baker said.

Baker was invited and introduced at the event by Marylou Sudders, a former commissioner of mental health under Republican Govs. William Weld, Paul Cellucci and Mitt Romney who Baker recruited to state government in the mid-1990s and now serves as Coakley’s appointee to the Health Policy Commission.

On the campaign trail, Baker has repeatedly said Massachusetts should continue to push for a full waiver from the Affordable Care Act because of the reforms already in place from the 2006 law signed by Gov. Mitt Romney and the already high rate of insured in the state.

Though Massachusetts may be insulated to some degree from the expansion of coverage under the ACA because of its high rate of insured, Baker said social workers will be forced to navigate a new system where primary care doctors will not have the capacity to fully serve the ranks of the newly covered.

Though Baker said this will place added importance on team care delivery, which he supports, he said it remains to be seen how provider networks will divvy responsibilities and said it will be critical that roles and expectations are clearly defined for everyone in a patient’s care team.

Baker also said that Medicare cuts under the Affordable Care Act will disproportionately impact Massachusetts providers. “They’re big, and they cut pretty broadly on the health care delivery side and in Massachusetts they cut in a particularly bad way,” Baker said.

While providers in other states will see some of the cuts offset by a reduction in uncompensated care for the uninsured, Baker said the state’s low rate of uninsured means providers in Massachusetts will have to swallow the Medicare rate cuts without the benefit of expanded coverage.

The aging Baby Boomer population, which will increase the Medicare population over time, will only exacerbate the problem, Baker said.

Baker also predicted that the ACA would lead to a decrease in employer-sponsored coverage and more individuals purchasing health plans on their own through state exchanges.

Because individuals will be more inclined to purchase cheaper, narrower products with limited doctor networks that fit their needs, Baker said frontline social workers will likely find themselves helping patients to navigate the details of the tailored plans.

Asked what the role for state government should be in the changing dynamics of the health care field, Baker said his wish would be for federal and state policymakers to realize that a one-size-fits-all approach to health reform doesn’t necessarily serve the needs of different populations.

Baker said the current “transactional model” works well for 95 percent of the population that consume 50 percent of services, but are relatively healthy and only interact with the system once and awhile.

For the remaining 5 percent that may have multiple illnesses and mental or behavorial health needs, he said those patients “pinball all over the system” because it isn’t well organized. To address this discrepancy, Baker said the state should be “a little less rule driven” and more interested in “creative non-compliance” by providers with good ideas to serve vulnerable citizens.

Also killed in the attack were Rhoades' niece, Angel Penn, 19; her nephew, Glenn Calonicco, 30; and Shelia Lynn Russo, 47. They were all members of the tribal council that evicted Rhoades, and Russo was the tribal administrator.

This Feb. 21, 2014 photo shows the entrance to the Cedarville Rancheria, in Cedarville, Calif. Cherie Lash Rhoades, a former chairwoman of the rancheria, lived here. She is held on suspicion of homicide and other counts in a shooting at tribal headquarters in Alturas, Calif., that left four dead and two wounded.Associated Press 

JEFF BARNARD
Associated Press

CEDARVILLE, Calif. — A woman accused of killing four people, including three of her relatives, at a tiny American Indian tribe's Northern California headquarters had been evicted from tribal housing because she was suspected of stealing from the tribe, the tribe's lawyer said Monday.

Cedarville Rancheria attorney Jack Duran said Cherie Lash Rhoades was suspended as tribal chairwoman just three weeks before the gun and knife attack, pending a federal investigation into allegations that she embezzled at least $50,000 in federal grant money.

Rhoades' son, Jack Stockton, was ousted as vice chairman and evicted from tribal housing on the same grounds, Duran told The Associated Press.

Stockton was not at Thursday's hearing when the shooting broke out. He does not have a listed phone number.

Duran said the meeting in Alturas, Calif., was being held to consider Rhoades' appeal of her eviction.

But at some point, Rhoades opened fire, killing her brother, Rurik Davis, 50, who had been named interim chairman by the tribal council, authorities said.

Also killed in the attack were Rhoades' niece, Angel Penn, 19; her nephew, Glenn Calonicco, 30; and Shelia Lynn Russo, 47. They were all members of the tribal council that evicted Rhoades, and Russo was the tribal administrator.

Duran said Penn was holding her newborn infant on her lap when she was shot, but the baby was unhurt and will be placed with a sister.

Davis' two daughters, Monica and Melissa Davis, were critically wounded, court documents said.

Responding officers arrested Rhoades outside the building, where a declaration of probable cause says Modoc County Undersheriff Ken Richardson saw Rhodes stabbing one of the victims in the parking lot and handcuffed her after another person tackled her. The document adds that police talked to six people who witnessed the shooting. The two women who survived bullet wounds were also cut with a knife.

A criminal complaint filed Monday in Modoc County Superior Court charges Rhoades with four counts of murder with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, and two counts of attempted murder. She was to be arraigned Tuesday morning.

District Attorney Jordan Funk said she will face the death penalty if she's convicted, because the complaint carries the special circumstance of multiple victims.

Funk said it wasn't immediately clear if attorneys had been appointed for Rhoades yet, because they would have to be qualified to handle a capital case.

The Cedarville Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe with 35 registered members. The Rancheria owns 26 acres in Cedarville, where most members reside in nine small, one-story houses built in the 1950s on the outskirts of town.

In 2012, the tribe received an Indian housing grant for $50,399 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a news release on the agency's website.

Duran said he couldn't confirm whether that was the money in question, adding the amount could be less "or a lot more."

Though police have said they are still working on a motive, a nephew who lived with Rhoades, Jacob Penn, said she snapped under the pressure of her brother's attempt to evict her.

Eviction from tribal housing is among the most serious punishments for American Indians. However, Rhoades and Stockton were not being removed from tribal rolls and would continue to receive their share of $1.1 million in gambling revenue shared by casino tribes with the Rancheria, which does not have a casino, Duran said.

Alturas Police Chief Ken Barnes said that as the shooting erupted, young children were inside the building and on the property, and a judge from another tribe was listening to the eviction proceedings over the phone.

After running out of bullets, Rhoades grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed a woman, police said. She chased one of Davis' daughters out of the building and into the parking lot while brandishing the knife.

There, she was tackled by the tribal headquarters maintenance man, Duran said.

Both of Davis' daughters were wounded. Officials said one was alert and talking, while the other remained in critical condition Friday.

The tribe's headquarters — a ranch-style building with a pitched brown metal roof and solar panels — is in a residential area about a block from the police station. Police were alerted to the attack by a woman covered in blood pounding on a side entrance to City Hall, which also houses the police.

The tribe is busy cleaning the building, and it is uncertain whether it will resume using the facility because of the slayings, Duran said.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed was among those kicking off the "Southerners for the Freedom to Marry" campaign Monday, saying he believes gay marriage supporters are on the "right side of history."

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, left, applauds at the conclusion of an event, Monday, Feb. 24, 20414, in Atlanta, with Sam Ellis, 12, left center, and his brother John, 15, right center, mother Linda Ellis, who along with her partner, Lesley Brogan (not pictured), participated. The Ellis family was included in the event. Reed was among those kicking off the "Southerners for the Freedom to Marry" campaign, saying he believes gay marriage supporters are on the "right side of history."Associated Press 

CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY
Associated Press

ATLANTA — Less than two weeks after a federal judge declared Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, a new effort has been launched in the South seeking to build wider acceptance of gay and lesbian couples in the hope of overturning similar bans across the region.

The $1 million effort will be focused on field organizing and sharing the stories of gay couples through local community and business events as well as social media in 14 Southern states.

The key, supporters say, will be to share stories like those of Linda Ellis and her partner, Lesley Brogan, who appeared at Monday's event. The two have been together since 1988 and are raising their sons John, 15, and Sam, 12, in Decatur, Ga.

"They will tell you we are just like any other old married couple," Ellis said. "They will tell you that, and it's not true. Not yet. And we're ready for it to be."

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed was among those kicking off the "Southerners for the Freedom to Marry" campaign Monday, saying he believes gay marriage supporters are on the "right side of history."

"This is about a trajectory. This is about the fact that marriage equality is on an irreversible path toward being legalized across the United States of America," said Reed, who spoke of his initial reluctance to move from civil unions to supporting gay marriage based on religious reasons.

"And some folks have to decide, just like I did, where they want to be on a historical issue," said Reed. "I was wrong, and I changed my opinion."

Georgia and the 13 other states targeted in the campaign all have either a constitutional or statutory provision defining marriage as between a man and a woman, and Republicans still hold considerable sway in those states.

Meanwhile, lawsuits have been filed across the region challenging those bans. Virginia became the first state in the South to see its voter-approved ban overturned when U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen found it unconstitutional in a ruling Feb. 13. A day earlier, a federal judge in Kentucky ruled that state must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

"We know that the South is ready," said Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, which is spearheading the effort. "For too long the conversation has come from other parts of the country who have moved forward faster."

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have state laws or court decisions that allow same-sex couples to marry, according to a recent update by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Polls have shown growing public support for gay marriage, although a large majority of Republicans still oppose it.

Jerry Luquire, president of the Georgia Christian Coalition, said he doesn't believe the effort will gain momentum in the South as long as the focus is on marriage.

"There is no right way to do a wrong thing, and a marriage between a man and a man and between a woman and a woman is simply wrong," Luquire said. "What they need to do is find another word that means the same thing and doesn't offend the sensibilities of those who believe marriage is between a man and a woman."

Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta, an icon of the civil rights movement, has lent his clout to the gay marriage effort, calling it a civil rights issue in a Web video released by the group.

"I've fought too hard and too long against discrimination based on race and color, not to stand up and speak out against discrimination against our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters," Lewis says in the ad.

"The generosity of people in the diocese is outstanding," said Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell

Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, will celebrate Mass at the Catholic Women’s Conference in April. Republican file photo 

SPRINGFIELD – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield announced Monday night that as a result of a special collection in parishes, more than $80,000 has been raised to aid people in the Philippines who were victims of the Nov. 8 typhoon.

“The generosity of people in the diocese is outstanding,” said Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell said in a prepared statement. “May God reward their goodness.”

The diocese's accounting office reported that as of Feb. 20, the special collection had raised $78,041 that had been distributed to Catholic Relief Services. In the last few days, another $2,407 has been received, bringing the total of the special collection to $80,448.

The typhoon killed more than 5,200 people and left thousands of others injured and homeless.

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, traveled with U.S. Catholic Church officials to the region in early February stated that CRS has helped repair or build 20,000 shelters, restored clean water and proper sanitation to thousands, and enacted livelihood recovery programs.

“Catholics in the United states should know their generosity enables essential work of the Gospel, serving those in need without any thought of repayment,” he stated.

Built to resemble a French chateau, the 127-room Oheka Castle was one of America's largest private homes when built for financier Otto Hermann Kahn in 1919, according to its website. After his 1934 death, it served functions ranging from a retreat for sanitation workers to a military academy. It eventually was abandoned and fell into disrepair in the 1980s.

Snow covers the grounds of the Oheka Castle on Monday, Feb. 24, 2014, in Huntington, N.Y. The politically connected owner of a storied mansion-turned-wedding palace Gary Melius was shot in the head by a masked assailant Monday afternoon while getting into his car in the parking lot of his Long Island venue, Suffolk County police said.Associated Press 

FRANK ELTMAN
Associated Press

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. — The politically connected owner of a storied mansion-turned-wedding palace was shot in the head by a masked assailant Monday afternoon while getting into his car in the parking lot of his Long Island venue, Suffolk County police said.

Gary Melius was alert and in stable condition following surgery at a local hospital, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.

A call about shots fired came in around 12:30 p.m., and when officers arrived at the scene, they learned Melius had been taken to the hospital by a relative, said Suffolk County Detective Sgt. John O'Sullivan. He said that it does not appear to be an accidental shooting, but that neither the shooter nor a motive has been identified.

Last year, Melius was part of a controversy that resulted in the ouster of then-Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale over the arrest of a witness in an election lawsuit.

The district attorney found that Dale had instructed officers to arrest a 29-year-old Roosevelt man, who had testified in an unrelated case that he had been paid to collect signatures for a third-party candidate. Melius, a supporter of the third-party candidate, then contacted Dale seeking to have the young man investigated. The young man was arrested on an outstanding warrant while riding a county bus on Oct. 5.

An investigation by the Nassau County district attorney found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing but raised questions about the ethics of Dale's actions, leading to his resignation.

Oheka Castle is a Gilded Age estate on Long Island's Gold Coast that has become a celebrity wedding site in recent years.

Built to resemble a French chateau, the 127-room Oheka Castle was one of America's largest private homes when built for financier Otto Hermann Kahn in 1919, according to its website. After his 1934 death, it served functions ranging from a retreat for sanitation workers to a military academy. It eventually was abandoned and fell into disrepair in the 1980s.

Melius bought the dilapidated property in 1984 and soon began restoring it. He sold it a few years later, then regained ownership in 2003.

It became a hotel that has hosted celebrity weddings. Kevin Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers, married Danielle Deleasa there in 2009. Former President Bill Clinton presided over the wedding of then-Rep. Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin, a close aide to then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in 2010.

Oheka Castle also been seen as a backdrop in a number of movies, including "Citizen Kane," television shows and magazine photo shoots, and it has been used for high-profile political events and fundraisers.

Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Deepti Hajela contributed to this report from New York.

State Transportation Secretary Richard Davey is pressing the Massachusetts Senate to approve a transportation bond bill, warning further delays could delay critical projects.

BOSTON — State Transportation Secretary Richard Davey is pressing the Massachusetts Senate to approve a transportation bond bill, warning further delays could delay critical projects.

In a letter on Monday to Senate President Therese Murray and all other members of the chamber, Davey said contracts have already been awarded for 51 projects totaling about $261 million, but work can't begin until the Legislature authorizes borrowing.

The bill has already passed the Massachusetts House.

Davey said his agency is also ready to advertise another 76 highway projects worth about $300 million.

He said other projects that could face delay without prompt approval of the bond bill is the procurement of new Red and Orange Line subway cars, the Silver Line extension to Chelsea and the purchase of new buses for the MBTA and regional transit authorities.

It's deja vu for Revere residents today as they head to the polls to vote, again, on a proposed casino at the Suffolk Downs racetrack.

REVERE -- It's deja vu for Revere residents today as they head to the polls to vote, again, on a proposed casino at the Suffolk Downs racetrack.

Proponents of the casino, organized under the well-funded umbrella of Friends of Mohegan Sun, have worked since the Massachusetts Gaming Commission gave their blessing to the revised Revere-only proposal in December. Supporters say the new casino will insure the long-term survival of the racetrack at Suffolk Downs while injecting some much needed revenue into city coffers.

Casino opponent group Don't Gamble On Revere, largely organized through the city's faith-based communities, have run a shoestring campaign opposing the casino in recent months. They say the casino will destroy families, exacerbate gambling addictions, and fail to bring the benefitstouted by developers.

The life of the proposed casino project at Suffolk Downs has been a long and unusual one. The project was originally intended overwhelmingly for the East Boston side of the property but after East Boston voters rejected it and Revere voters approved it, Revere organizers went back to the drawing board.

Even before all the details of their proposed low-rise casino and boutique hotel were released, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted them a waiver to apply for a gaming license in the eastern portion of the state. The casino proposal this time existed solely on the Revere side of their property.

Soon after the waiver was granted, a host community agreement promising the city a minimum of $25-$30 million a year, a significant increase from their original agreement, was signed.

Meanwhile, Boston and other communities near the proposed casino are hashing out whether they will be considered host or surrounding communities according to the state casino law. The distinction is important because it dictates how much mitigation communities will receive from the gambling establishment.

All of the agreements become waste paper if the project is rejected by voters on Tuesday.

There is no publicly available polling data on the vote, so it is nearly impossible to predict how the race will go. Political consultants experienced in casino votes say that casino proponents need to be polling at or around 60 percent going into Election Day if they are to have a shot. Pro-casino officials, with a budget of over $400,000, have expressed privately that they are near that figure. Casino opponents, with $11,484.87 raised, say they have not conducted any polling.

If the casino is approved by the voters of Revere, it still needs to win final approval from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which may not happen until June. The Suffolk Downs casino is facing competition from a planned Wynn Resorts casino in Everett.

City firefighters quickly doused a smoking SUV in a parking lot at the corner of Kenwood Terrace and Belmont Avenue in the Forest Park neighborhood.

City firefighters and police responded to an early Tuesday morning report of a car fire at the corner of Kenwood Terrace and Belmont Avenue in Springfield's Forest Park neighborhood. Conor Berry I The Republican 

SPRINGFIELD — Firefighters doused a smoking sport utility vehicle in the city's Forest Park neighborhood early Tuesday, marking the second such fire in 48 hours.

At about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, firefighters were called to a riverfront area in Brightwood for a car fire report involving a 1992 Honda Acura. Officials are treating the incident as arson.

At about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters quickly extinguished a burning SUV in a parking lot at the corner of Kenwood Terrace and Belmont Avenue in Forest Park. The cause remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, the Brightwood incident was the weekend's second vehicle arson case, according to 22News. Information about the other incident wasn't immediately available.

Springfield Fire Department Public Information Officer Dennis Leger has asked anyone with information about suspicious fires to call the city's Arson & Bomb Squad at (413) 787-6370.

On Thursday, Feb. 27, The Republican / MassLive.com will interview incoming MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis live, asking questions submitted by readers.

In Massachusetts, MGM outlasted all competitors eying the western region of the state's sole casino license. Barring anything unforeseen, MGM expects a license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in the coming months for its proposed $800 million resort casino in downtown Springfield.

On Thursday, Feb. 27, The Republican's Robert Rizzuto will interview incoming MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis live, asking questions submitted by readers. The interview will be streamed by MassLive.com's Michelle Williams.

How to submit a question

Public participation in this process is critical and we want your questions. As we live stream the interview, we invite readers to participate in a live chat, asking questions in real time.

We also accept questions ahead of the live event.

Email: Send your question by email to feedback@masslive.com with the subject line "MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis."
Comments: You may ask your question in the comments section below.
Twitter: Additionally, you may tweet your questions to Robert Rizzuto or Michelle Williams.

A mix of live and previously submitted questions will be asked of Mathis during the live, approximately hour-long, interview.

The live stream interview and live chat with incoming MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27.

Tealakh's talk, titled "Political Islam and the Arab Spring," is planned for 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 4 in in the Loughman Living Room of Scanlon Hall. It is open to the public

Manon Mirabelli 

WESTFIELD – Westfield State University is hosting a public lecture next week by visiting scholar and Jordanian professor of political history Gali Tealakh who will speak on the future of the Middle East in the wake of the ‘Arab Spring’ movement.

Tealakh’s talk, titled “Political Islam and the Arab Spring,” is planned for 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 4 in in the Loughman Living Room of Scanlon Hall.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Tealakh has been teaching and writing for many years in Jordan and is currently visiting in the United States. He will be a visiting professor at Westfield State, beginning Thursday through March 5.

During his time at the university, he is scheduled to visit classes and speak with students and professors about issues in the Middle East including US relations following 9/11, the roots of terrorism, and the impact of globalization on Islam and Middle East societies.

Tealakh was invited to campus by John Paulmann, professor of communication, who met Tealakh at the American Center for Oriental Research in Amman, while traveling in Jordan.

Potholes ... what can you say about these perennial problems plaguing many Massachusetts municipalities. Plenty, we're guessing, so send us photos of the holes that are giving you agita.

Al D'Amato, the former longtime Republican U.S. senator from New York, earned the nickname "Senator Pothole" for his attentiveness to constituents. The nickname was used pejoratively by foes of D'Amato, a Republican, and as a term of endearment by those who appreciated his ability to get things done – even the little things – on behalf of his constituents. (AP file photo)  

SPRINGFIELD — De La Soul sang about them, and former New York senator Al D'Amato was nicknamed after them.

We're talking about potholes, people, and we want you – yes, you, the guy with the receding hairline in front of the computer screen, and, you, the CPA nibbling on Girl Scout cookies at her desk when she's supposed to be doing her client's taxes – to show us the best of the worst.

Take some photos of particularly problematic potholes plaguing your neighborhood, or maybe a few shots of moonlike craters that manage to turn your morning commute into a maddening minefield of despair, then email them to us at online@repub.com.

These holes, whether big, small, deep or shallow, are terrorizing sections of the Pioneer Valley and beyond. So we want YOU, the public, to share information with us, MassLive/The Republican, so we can share it with the "powers that be," or the PTB.

De La Soul, the Long Island rap group, rapped about "Potholes in my Lawn" on their 1989 debut album, "3 Feet High and Rising." (Wikimedia Commons) 

The hope, of course, is that the PTB will share this info with local DPW chiefs or paving contractors, who'll then plug these holes so all of us can stop making local tire shops rich.

Many municipal leaders have already taken steps to address pock-marked sections of their communities, but a photo submission platform is an opportunity to share information with the public to help them avoid trouble spots.

After all, potholes can produce flat tires, damaged rims or worse.

Case in point: The situation at the Route 5 tunnel in West Side got so bad that transportation officials recently decided to shut down the tunnel until around April Fool's Day.

In the buildup to last week's MassDOT decision to close the stretch of Route 5 for repairs, the tunnel had to be shut down at least three times in recent months due to potholes puncturing tires and causing vehicle damage.

But back to Pothole Mania for a moment ... There's no prize for sending us pothole photos – at least not yet, anyway – but you will be granted exclusive naming rights to your hole (Think: "Pit of Pearl Street" or "The Great Hole of High Street"). So be creative with your names, and please remember to keep things PG for our younger readers.

Motor on, Massachusetts. But, uh, watch out for that hole. Yep, the one that looks like a big mud puddle.

Taco Bell is readying for the launch of its national breakfast menu on March 27, with items such as the A.M. Crunchwrap designed to appeal to its fan base of younger men. And the chain says breakfast will be available until 11 a.m. — a half-hour later than McDonald's offers its Egg McMuffins.

CANDICE CHOI
AP Food Industry Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Egg McMuffin, meet the Waffle Taco.

Taco Bell is readying for the launch of its national breakfast menu on March 27, with items such as the A.M. Crunchwrap designed to appeal to its fan base of younger men. And the chain says breakfast will be available until 11 a.m. — a half-hour later than McDonald's offers its Egg McMuffins.

"We can turn the breakfast conversation into a two-horse race," Taco Bell President Brian Niccol said in an interview, noting that Taco Bell intends to be a "strong No. 2" after McDonald's.

McDonald's has long been the fast-food leader in the mornings, with its popular Sausage Biscuits, Hotcakes and other items pulling in roughly 20 percent of the company's U.S. sales. But the chain has been facing stiffer competition over the years, with places such as Starbucks and Subway looking for a piece of the growing breakfast business.

On March 4, for instance, Starbucks also plans to roll out new and revamped breakfast sandwiches, including a croissant sandwich with ham, cheese and egg.

It's not clear how Taco Bell's entry into breakfast will alter the fast-food landscape. Last year, an executive with Taco Bell's parent company Yum Brands said that breakfast accounted for about 4 percent of sales in locations where it was tested. But that was before the chain put its full marketing might behind the menu, he noted.

McDonald's, which has more than 14,000 U.S. locations, has also said it plans to step up its marketing of breakfast this year as new players enter the space. Separately, the president of McDonald's USA, Jeff Stratton, also told the Associated Press that the chain is in the early stages of looking at whether it can extend its breakfast hours.

Stratton noted that cutting off breakfast on the weekends at 10:30 a.m. "doesn't go very well" with people in their 20s and 30s in particular. Still, figuring out how to serve both breakfast and lunch poses an operational challenge given the limited kitchen space in restaurants.

In the meantime, Kevin Newell, U.S. brand and strategy officer for McDonald's, seemed unfazed in an interview late last week by Taco Bell's breakfast plans.

"I think they're going to find that going into the breakfast business is not like what they're accustomed to, in terms of marketing," Newell said. The breakfast menus of the two chains only have one main offering that seems to go head-to-head, a sausage and egg burrito.

Taco Bell has been testing and tweaking its menu in a select number of its nearly 6,000 U.S. locations over the past several months. For the national rollout, the company's restaurants have had to hire additional staff, train existing staff and buy new equipment, including for the coffee it plans to start serving for the first time.

To keep operations simple at the start, Niccol said Taco Bell will start with drip coffee before expanding to specialty coffees such as lattes.

The items on Taco Bell's breakfast menu are intended to be easy to hold and eat on the go. They include:

— A.M. Crunchwrap — scrambled eggs, a hash brown, cheese and bacon, sausage or steak in a flour tortilla.

— Waffle Taco — a waffle wrapped around a sausage patty or bacon, with scrambled eggs and cheese, served with a side of syrup.

— Bacon and Egg Burrito — Bacon, scrambled eggs and cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla

—Sausage Flatbread Melt — A sausage patty topped with cheese wrapped in a flatbread and grilled.

Former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi has paid the $65,000 fine he was assessed after he was convicted of federal corruption charges in 2011.

BOSTON (AP) — Former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi has paid the $65,000 fine he was assessed after he was convicted of federal corruption charges in 2011.

The Boston Globe reports that the U.S. attorney's office wrote in a filing Monday that the fine was paid late last month.

The filing comes less than a month after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear DiMasi's appeal.

DiMasi, a Democrat, was accused of using his political position to push state contracts to a software firm in exchange for payments of $65,000. He was convicted in 2011 of conspiracy, extortion and theft of honest services by fraud and a bribery charge and sentenced to eight years in prison.

The 68-year-old DiMasi is battling cancer at a prison hospital in North Carolina.

___

Information from: The Boston Globe

Suspected Islamic militants killed dozens of students in a pre-dawn attack on a northeast Nigerian college.

ADAMU ADAMU
Associated Press

DAMATURU, Nigeria (AP) — Suspected Islamic militants killed dozens of students in a pre-dawn attack Tuesday on a northeast Nigerian college, survivors said, setting ablaze a locked hostel and shooting and slitting the throats of those who escaped through windows. Some were burned alive.

Adamu Garba said he and other teachers who ran away through the bush estimate 40 students died in the assault that began around 2 a.m. Tuesday at the Federal Government College at Buni Yadi. It is a co-ed school about 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, and difficult to communicate with because extremists last year destroyed the cell phone tower there.

Soldiers still are gathering corpses so he could not give an exact number of dead, said military spokesman Capt. Eli Lazarus.

Garba, who teaches at a secondary school attached to the college, said the attackers first set ablaze the college administrative block, then moved to the hostels, where they locked students in and started firebombing the buildings.

At one hostel, he said, "students were trying to climb out of the windows and they were slaughtered like sheep by the terrorists who slit their throats. Others who ran were gunned down." He said students who could not escape were burned alive.

He spoke to The Associated Press in Damaturu, where he and several other teachers had made their way.

Tuesday's attack brings the toll from attacks blamed on Boko Haram to more than 300 civilians killed this month alone.

It is the first reported in Yobe state and the first school attack reported this year by suspected fighters of the terrorist network of Boko Haram — the nickname that means Western education is forbidden.

President Goodluck Jonathan told a news conference Monday night that the Boko Haram attacks were "quite worrisome" but that he was sure "We will get over it."

Thousands of Nigerians have lost family members, houses, businesses, their belongings and livelihoods in the 4-year-old rebellion.

And it likely will anger regional officials who charge the military is losing its war to halt the Islamic uprising in the northeast of Africa's biggest oil producer. The military has said recent attacks are being perpetrated by militants who have escaped a sustained aerial bombardment and ground assaults on forest hideouts along the border with Cameroon.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday condemned the "unspeakable violence and acts of terror" and said the United States is helping Nigerian authorities to develop a comprehensive approach "to combat the threat posed by Boko Haram while protecting civilians and ensuring respect for human rights."

But survivors and local officials charge they get no protection. And refugees who have fled to neighboring states have said that they are fleeing the extremists as much as the fallout from a military campaign in which soldiers are accused of gross human rights abuses including executions of people suspected of helping Boko Haram.

"Everybody is living in fear," local government chairman Maina Ularamu told the AP after Izghe village was attacked twice in a week this month — with militants first killing 106 and burning hundreds of thatched huts, then returning to kill another three people and setting ablaze what little remained of the settlement in neighboring Adamawa state.

"There is no protection. We cannot predict where and when they are going to attack. People can't sleep with their eyes closed," Ularamu said.

A letter William Barnett read said the decision is due to “circumstances beyond my control,” but did not cite them in the document that is dated Feb. 24. He sent the letter to Assistant Town Clerk Colleen Toothill-Berte.

BELCHERTOWN — Selctmen Chairman and Town Clerk William Barnett is taking off one official hat but holding onto another: He announced Monday that he will resign on May 18 as the $60,000 per year town clerk, a year prior to the end of his current 3-year term.

Barnett said he plans to remain in office as a selectman.

The chairman made the announcement near the conclusion of Monday’s selectmen meeting.

A letter he read said the decision is due to “circumstances beyond my control,” but did not cite them in the document dated Feb. 24. He sent the letter to Assistant Town Clerk Colleen Toothill-Berte.

In response to a question from a reporter during the meeting, Barnett said, “There are a lot of personal circumstance, plus I am getting older.” He did not elaborate. Barnett said that if he remained until the conclusion of his town clerk’s term until 2015, he would be 77 years old.

“You left us breathless. Great thanks for a fantastic job,” selectman Ken Elstein said.

Barnett's resignation date of May 18 is one day prior to the annual town election.

"This date has been selected in order that the choice of my successor may be placed on the ballot for the local election in May. In this way business will go on as usual, the cost of a special election will be avoided, and the choice of my successor will be decided in a free election!" Barnett wrote.

Supporters of the project were so jubilant and excited that the floor of the Topsider Room was shaking when news of the result spread like wildfire.

EAST BOSTON -- The people of Revere have spoken.

Again.

The proposed Mohegan Sun casino at Suffolk Downs was approved by 63.2 percent of voters in Tuesday's referendum on the project, advancing one step closer to reality.

"Second chances are a great thing," said Suffolk Downs Chief Operating Officer Chip Tuttle upon taking the podium in the Topsider Room on the third floor of the race track.

The original East Boston-focused proposal was approved in Revere in November with 60.8 percent of the vote, but was rejected in East Boston with 56 percent of the vote. Tuttle called the loss in East Boston "a little bump in the road" during his speech before supporters.

Supporters of the project were so jubilant and excited that the floor of the Topsider Room was shaking when news of the result spread like wildfire.

Suffolk Downs COO Chip TuttleGarrett Quinn, MassLive 

Backer after backer who took the podium thanked organized labor for their support of the proposed casino.

Even though Revere voters overwhelmingly approved the proposed casino, it is still not a done deal. The project needs to be awarded a license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, something that supporters of the project were clearly cognizant of while speaking at their victory party.

The project is competing with a Wynn Resorts casino proposal in Everett.

The lone license is expected to be awarded by the commission sometime in May or June.

Revere Mayor Dan RizzoGarrett Quinn, MassLive 

Etess said they are making progress with Boston in terms of a surrounding community agreement.

A handful of opponents of the project gathered in the basement of Immaculate Conception parish near Revere City Hall expressed dismay at the result.

Father George Szal, pastor of the parish and one of the leaders of the opposition to the casino, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the result.

"Many lives are lost to addiction, to predatory gambling. The casino is not here to make money for us. Casinos suck up the economy and leave behind a path of devastation. It doesn't make any sense," said Szal.

Mohammed Lamaall, executive director of the Alhuda Society, a Chelsea mosque with several members in Revere, agreed and said he was still trying to understand how they lost.

"With less effort last election we did better. It doesn't make any sense," said Lamaall.

Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria dismissed the vote in Revere by pointing out that Everett voted for the casino by a significantly higher margin while touting the proposed Wynn project there.

"There'€™s no comparing Everett'€™s near-90 percent margin of victory to tonight's vote in Revere, just as there'€™s no comparison to Wynn's 5-star brand, international drawing power or financial strength in the industry. Wynn's transformative impact and unmatched economic development opportunity for Everett and Massachusetts is without parallel in the region," said DeMaria in a statement.

The female pedestrian sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police Sgt. Edward Lennon said. The driver waited at the crash scene for police to arrive.

Republican file photo 

WILBRAHAM — A driver struck and injured a pedestrian on East Longmeadow Road at about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, according to Wilbraham police, who continue to investigate.

Police Sgt. Edward Lennon said the woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the incident, which happened in the southwest corner of town near both the Springfield and East Longmeadow lines. An update on her condition was not immediately available.

Lennon said he was unsure if the injured woman was retrieving mail or walking along the road at the time of the crash, which happened near the corner of East Longmeadow Road and Pearl Drive.

The driver waited at the crash scene for police to arrive. As of early Wednesday, no charges had been filed in connection with the case, which is being handled by Officer Justin Wall.

The application deadline for senior citizens is March 31 and for military veterans May 1 for the tax-break program.

HOLYOKE -- The city is offering a program that gives a property tax break to up to 30 senior citizens and up to 20 military veterans in return for their work in various municipal departments.

Mayor Alex B. Morse and Kathleen A. Bowler, executive director of the Council on Aging, announced details of the program's 12th year Tuesday.

The program is open to senior citizens and veterans who own homes, a press release from Morse's office said. The City Council voted in 2011 to increase the tax breaks to the current levels.

Seniors who volunteer 93 hours in a year will get $750 off their property tax bill. The program is limited to 30 positions to be selected by lottery from the pool of applicants. The application deadline is March 31, the press release said.

To apply or for other information, seniors can call the Council on Aging at (413) 322-5625.

The program has 20 spots for veterans. They would volunteer 125 hours of work in a year and get up to $1,000 of their property taxes. The deadline to apply for veterans is May 1, the press release said.

To apply or for other information, veterans can call the Veteran Services Department at (413) 322-5630.

In the past, volunteers in the tax-break program have worked in the mayor's office and in the Parks and Recreation, Library, Conservation, Tax Collector and other departments. They answer phones, file documents, shelve books, paint and fix things at Wistariahurst Museum and maintain gardens, officials said.