A BB went through an open bus window and hit the boy in the head, police said.

HOLYOKE – A 12-year-old boy riding on a school bus was shot in the forehead by a pellet gun Thursday evening on North East Street near Ely Street, police said.

The boy suffered a small abrasion on his forehead but was not otherwise injured, said Lt. James Albert of the Holyoke Police Detective Bureau.

“Put your finger right in the center of your forehead and that’s where it hit him,” Albert said.

After he was hit, the bus turned around and returned to the Kelly School, where the driver called police.

The police dispatched an ambulance to the scene and the boy was treated there but did not require a trip to the hospital, Albert said. The boy’s mother also was notified and came to bring him home.

His name was not being disclosed to the press.

Albert said as far as police can tell only one shot was fired. No one else on the bus
reported any hits, and there was no visible damage to the bus.

The shot apparently went in through an open window and hit the boy, Albert said. It did not go through the glass.

Witnesses reported seeing two teens with what looked like rifle in an alleyway near the
scene just before the boy was hit, he said.

The description of the suspects police were giving out was limited.

One of the teens was described as a dark-skin boy wearing a white sweater. The other was wearing a dark sweater.

Albert said detectives are treating the case very seriously and are out pursuing leads.

He said any members of the public who can help identified the two suspects or add any information to the case is asked to call (413) 322-69.

Map showing approximate location of incident.

Joshua Bosworth graduated from East Longmeadow High School last year and is a member of the Lyndon College mens' basketball team.

LYNDONVILLE, Vt. — An East Longmeadow man attending his freshman year at Lyndon State College has been charged with interfering with police as they tried to arrest another man during what was described as a pick-up basketball game in the college gym.

Joshua Bosworth, 19, was charged March 14 charged with hindering an arrest and disorderly conduct, according to Vermont State Police.

Bosworth is a 2013 graduate of East Longmeadow High and a guard on the college’s men’s basketball team. The disturbance came days after he was named the North Atlantic Conference's rookie of the week.

Also charged were his teammate, David Johnson, 22, of Washington, D.C., and Howard J. Lyles, 23, also of Washington.

Johnson, a junior, is also a guard on the college team, according to the Lyndon College Athletic Department.

Lyles was apparently a member of the team until recently, but had been given a no-trespass order to stay out of the gym facility. According to Vermont State Police, they were notified on March 11 by staff at the facility that Lyles was in the gym in violation of the order.

The Caledonain Record of St. Johnsbury, Vt. reports that Bosworth, Lyles and Johnson were playing a pick-up basketball game in the gym when police arrived.

According to police, Lyles refused to leave the building when asked. When troopers tried to arrest him, a group of 10-12 people encircled them in an attempt to stop the arrest.

Bosworth and Johnson were identified as the “primary aggressors” and Bosworth at one point attempted to grab at one of the trooper’s utility belt where his weapon, handcuffs and other gear are kept, according to police.

As police tried to deal with the crowd, Lyles managed to escape and run out of the building, police said.

The college cooperated with police and Bosworth, Lyles and Johnson were brought by campus officials to the state police barracks three days later, where they were charged in connection with the disturbance.

Lyles was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. Johnson was charged with disorderly conduct.

All three have been issued citations to appear in Caledonia Superior Court; Criminal Division on May 5.

Federal prosecutors say a Boston woman used fake IDs to steal thousands of dollars from Citizens Bank customers' accounts in Massachusetts.

View full sizeA Citizens Bank branchphoto provided 

The U.S. attorney said Thursday an indictment charges 53-year-old Kimberly Gomez with bank fraud.

Prosecutors said Gomez and others took part in a scheme beginning in 2010 to get personal identification and account information for the bank's customers, targeting those with high savings account balances. They allegedly created fake IDs with the customers' names and Gomez's photo.

Prosecutors said Gomez withdrew more than $67,000 from accounts belonging to three different people, and tried to withdraw another $13,000.

Prosecutors said Citizens Bank cooperated with federal authorities in the investigation.

Gomez could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted. It's not immediately clear who is representing her.

Police believe that sometime after ditching his car and taking off on foot, Tyvonne Gooden called Cayla Jones for a ride.

GREENFIELD – Two Connecticut residents are under arrest on drug charges, and more than 300 packets of heroin were confiscated following a 90-minute pursuit and search Wednesday by state and Greenfield police that ended just before 5 p.m. on Federal Street, police said.

Cayla E. JonesGreenfield police photo 

Arrested were driver, Cayla E. Jones, 20, and Tyvonne Gooden, 23, both of Manchester, Conn.

Jones was charged by Greenfield police with possession of a Class A and Class B substance, each with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute with in 300 feet of a school and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

Gooden was charged by state police with multiple motor vehicle charges including speeding and failure to stop, and possession of a Class A substance with intent to distribute. He was found with more than 100 packets of heroin in his pockets, Molan said

Greenfield police reported they found a large amount of crack cocaine and more than 200 packets of heroin in the car.

“We’re pleased to have taken them into custody and to get more of this poison off the streets,” Molan said.

He said Gooden was the subject of the original search after he refused to stop when a state police trooper attempted to pull him over on Interstate 91 just before 3 p.m.

The chase continued off the highway through town and over to Silver Street where Gooden ditched the car and took off on foot into some woods near the river, Molan said.

Troopers on the ground notified Greenfield police for assistance and requested the state police Air Wing helicopter assist with the search.

The helicopter, which was already in the area to assist police with an unrelated search of the Connecticut person, joined in and spotted someone walking along the tracks near the American Legion hall, according to Greenfield police.

A short time later, police received a call from a member of the public who saw someone matching the description of the suspect getting into a white car with Connecticut plates.

The helicopter picked up sight of the car on Federal Street and relayed the information to Greenfield police who made the stop at Federal and Silver, Molan said.

Police believe that at some point after he ditched his car and was on foot, Gooden called Jones with his cell phone and had her come pick him up, Molan said.

Jones and Gooden are scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Greenfield District Court.

Key points in the search for Gooden and Jones, according to Greenfield police

Students and their parents are invited to the performance.

LUDLOW - The Ludlow CARES Coalition, which was formed to combat risky behavior by teens, in April will sponsor a performance of “The Yellow Dress,” a theatrical performance about dating and domestic violence.

Ludlow High School ninth- and 10th-graders and their parents and other members of the community are invited to attend a 7 p.m. performance of “The Yellow Dress” April 7 at Ludlow High School.

The play, produced by Deana’s Educational Theater of Wakefield, tells the stories of young women who were victims of relationship violence. It begins with the story of a dating relationship and ends in violence and tragedy.

Deana’s Educational Theater of Wakefield was founded in response to the death of Deana Brisbois, who was killed in a car wreck after being the victim of dating violence, according to her family.

At the end of each performance, the actress leads an interactive discussion with the audience about dating and domestic violence and sexual assault.

In the past the Ludlow CARES Coalition has sponsored presentations on the risks to teens of drug and alcohol abuse.

Laura Rooney, co-chair of the CARES Coalition, said the incidence of dating and relationship violence is increasing and the coalition decided to sponsor a presentation to help students and parents recognize early signs of relationship abuse and steps that can be taken to help victims to prevent abuse and to access help if needed.

Students in grades 11 and 12 will see the performance earlier in the day.

Teens are vulnerable to dating violence, Rooney said.

The program seeks to foster self confidence in teens and communication skills and to help teens make safe choices.

Police Chief Paul Madera said domestic violence “crosses all lines.”

Madera said the Police Department will be present at the April 7 event.

“This will be a great event for everybody,” Madera said.

Selectman Carmina Fernandes said it is important for the victims of domestic abuse to feel they have a place to go.

Selectmen Chairman William Rooney said he supports the event.

“As the father of three daughters, I feel this is an important topic,” he said.

"She was devastated," principal Mark Jackson said of the teacher's reaction.

AMHERST — Just two months after officials canceled classes at Amherst Regional High School for a day during the investigation of a Facebook threat tied to a racially charged bullying incident, school officials sent a notice to parents and guardians Thursday about racist graffiti discovered in a girls' bathroom targeting a teacher of color.

In his message to families, Principal Mark Jackson wrote, "[...] both the superintendent and I have met with the teacher and reassured her that we are fully invested in supporting her as she deals with this troubling experience, and are taking immediate steps to address the issue at the school level."

Jackson could not be reached for comment Friday.

Jackson also sent a memo to all high school staff Friday morning summarizing the incident — "The N word was used," he wrote — as well as the school's response and next steps. In the memo, Jackson identified the victim as a math teacher who has been targeted in two other similar attacks this year.

"She was devastated," Jackson wrote to school staff, describing the teacher's reaction to the incident. "This is the third time this year that she has been targeted in this way." The teacher took Friday off, Jackson said.

"Before school tomorrow, I will meet with the faculty and, then, later on in the day, with all students to address this issue. I will make available to the community a summary of my remarks," Jackson wrote to parents. "As well, I will keep the ARHS community updated as we move forward."

"Right now, I am not demoralized, but I am disheartened. Together, we need to find ways to have our ideals more fully reflected in the daily life in our school," Jackson wrote in the message to families. He pledged to keep the school community updated about steps taken following the incident.

In a Facebook posting, School Committee member Richard B. Hood wrote, "I am still shaking with anger since hearing about this yesterday. This is not what ARHS is about. Some minority of kids — and those kid's parents — need to get the message that this is NOT going to be tolerated."

Hood continued: "The efforts ARPS has made on this issue (Calving Terrell, Warrior Week, etc.) are laudable, and teaching a majority of the kids exactly what we want to be teaching them. And the vast majority of our kids have the values we want them to have. But a minority of kids is not going to get the message, and perhaps even mock it. For those kid — and their parents — it is time to get extremely hardball. We cannot accept this, period."

The racial incident at the school in January involved a white student who posted a threat to Facebook after being involved in a conflict with a group of black students who objected to his use of the "N" word, school officials said at the time.

The school subesquently launched an investigation looking at bullying and racial harassment.

"The review was extremely valuable and highlighted some systems issues that must be attended to, including strengthening and clarifying communication protocols, clarifying expectations regarding behavioral intervention, strengthening investigation protocols, and updating the districts' procedures for addressing bullying or bias-based harassment," Jackson said following the review.

In the wake of Thursday's incident, Jackson urged staff to rally around the teacher targeted by the graffiti. "She is ours. She needs to know this now more than ever," Jackson wrote.

As a "concrete step" for both students and adults, Jackson wrote: "Think ‘mandatory reporting’. This expectation is well-established. We’re good at this. Adults and students, alike. We would never think to ignore a suicidal ideation that was overhead or appeared in a student paper or journal. We immediately bring such things forward."

Jackson told staff they are "obligated to interrupt" when they witness incidents of harassment, writing: "Harassing language, gestures, and symbols fall into the same category. When these are directed at the protected categories of race, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, religion or disability, our job is to interrupt and refer. Never ignore. In fact, as violations of state and federal civil rights law, there is no such thing as a casual or ignorable civil rights violation."

Below, the full text of principal Mark Jackson's memo to staff about the incident, posted to his "Principal's Journal" blog Friday:

I Yesterday

A. During E period, a student reported to a teacher that she had seen racist graffiti in the 3rd floor bathroom that was directed at Carolyn Gardner. The N word was used.

B. The teacher contacted Greg who then contacted me. The bathroom was locked, a picture of the graffiti was taken and then the wall was cleaned.

C. I contacted the superintendent and director of human resources and they came to the building.

D. Jane Mudie, the math department head, and I met with Carolyn to tell her what had happened. She was devastated. This is the third time this year that she has been targeted in this way. Carolyn will not be in school today.

E. Today’s PGO weekly email newsletter contains an update from me about this incident. It also generally describes our plan for the day. The superintendent also sent an update to all School Committee members yesterday afternoon.

II Today

A. I will meet with faculty and staff at 7:10 am in the library auditorium to discuss this situation. We will then meet again at 2:20 in the library to debrief. Attendance at the after school meeting is required of all faculty.

B. I will meet with students in grades 9, 11 and 12 this morning at 8:45 in the auditorium to discuss this situation.

C. Due to MCAS testing, an announcement cannot be made over the PA system directing everyone to come to the auditorium. Therefore, so we come to the auditorium in an orderly fashion, do not leave your classroom until you are directed to do so by an administrator or dean. We will begin this process at 8:45 am.

D. All three grades will fit in the auditorium, but we will need every seat. As your students file in, please insist that all seats are filled.

E. All faculty and staff are expected to accompany and sit with their students.

F. Lastly, during E period today, I will meet with all 10th graders. If you have an all-10th grade class, please escort them to the auditorium. If only some of your students are 10th graders, please release them to go to the auditorium when the PA announcement is made. We will have people in the hallway to ensure they make it to the auditorium.

G. We assume some students will still be testing during D. For this reason, we’ve scheduled this assembly for E.

III Today and Beyond For The Entire ARHS Community

A. Our immediate charge is to rally around Carolyn. She is ours. She needs to know this now more than ever.

B. Another facet of our immediate charge is not to be demoralized. Now more than ever we need to continue our work to have our ideals actually reflected in the daily life of the school. Please keep reading.

C. A concrete step for both students and adults. This is the essential message I will send both audiences this morning.

Think "mandatory reporting". This expectation is well-established. We’re good at this. Adults and students, alike. We would never think to ignore a suicidal ideation that was overhead or appeared in a student paper or journal. We immediately bring such things forward.

I need you now to take this basic idea and widen it.

• Harassing language, gestures, and symbols fall into the same category. When these are directed at the protected categories of race, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, religion or disability, our job is to interrupt and refer. Never ignore.
• In fact, as violations of state and federal civil rights law, there is no such thing as a casual or ignorable civil rights violation.
• In hallways, classrooms, the cafeteria – anywhere under this roof or while involved in a school-sponsored event – when harassing language, symbols are used, you are obligated to interrupt.

First Pass at a "Interrupting" Script

• Avoid scolding or moralizing.


• Firmly, but gently: ‘Under this roof, we don’t go there’ or ‘Under this roof, we don’t say things like that’.


• I know this is difficult when you don’t know the name of the student, but I need you to ask his or her name.


• Then I need you to refer this to the deans and they will take over the situation

The city's Accident Reconstruction Team is investigating an accident that sent a motorcyclist flying into a snowbank Thursday.

WORCESTER — The city's Accident Reconstruction Team is investigating an accident that sent a motorcyclist flying into a snowbank Thursday.

"The vehicle pulled in front of the motorcycle in an attempt to turn left onto Southbridge Street. The operator of the motorcycle tried to stop but was unable to avoid the collision," said the Worcester Police Department in a press release detailing initial findings from the investigation. "The impact of the collision sent the motorcycle airborne. The operator fell from the motorcycle and landed on a snow bank."

The accident left the motorcycle rider with serious injuries to his lower body, said police. He was transported to the hospital. The 33-year-old female driver of the car involved in the investigation, which was reportedly pulled in front of the motorcycle as it was trying to make a right turn, was uninjured although one of three passengers was sent to the hospital.

The crash is still under investigation. Worcester police have not announced any charges at this time.

The Minutemen finish the season 24-9.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The University of Massachusetts basketball team played through its share of ups and downs this season, but the Minutemen never had to suffer the embarrassment of a blow out.

That changed Friday. And at the worst possible time.

After a 24-win season capped by the team's first trip to the NCAA tournament in 16 years, UMass was thoroughly embarrassed by Tennessee in its first-round game in Raleigh, getting drubbed 86-67 in the Minutemen's poorest – and most confounding – effort of the year.

UMass looked lost, overwhelmed, shell-shocked. In a flash, a once-promising season was over. So, too, were the careers of Raphiael Putney, Sampson Carter and Chaz Williams – the best point guard to ever suit up in maroon and white.

After being hounded by critics all week for being overrated and over-seeded, the Minutemen (24-9) did little to disprove their detractors.

"Today, we ran into a Tennessee team that played very physical and tough around the rim and took us out of a lot of things we try to do," coach Derek Kellogg said. "Offensively, especially, I thought we struggled mightily in the first half, turning the ball over 10 times. It led to easy baskets. Then we were playing catchup from there on out.

"A few bounces plays didn't go our way. We couldn't get over the hump. Hats off to Tennessee, they outplayed us today."

Kellogg thought his team suffered from big-stage jitters to begin, especially after the Volunteers jumped out to an early lead.

"(The energy level) could have been a little higher," he said. "I guess we got on the ropes for a little bit and a couple people had a couple jitters and everything."

Senior point guard Chaz Williams, who had to watch as his illustrious playing career came to a thud, agreed.

I think it was mostly jitters than anything. We were so excited that we were too excited, I think," he said. "We were just moving too fast, we weren't in our positions where we needed to be on offense and defense. I think that kind of took away from what we wanted to do.

"Once you get under the lights and the crowd starts roaring, you start second guessing."

Whatever it is, from the get-go it was clear something was askew. Maybe it was the eerily quiet atmosphere emanating from the PNC Arena crowd, which had the wind sucked out of it by 14th-seeded Mercer's thrilling upset of Duke in the preceding game.

Maybe it was the last-minute lineup change – Kellogg's first of the season – that plugged super-sub Maxie Esho into the starting five in place of senior forward Raphiael Putney to little or no effect.

Or maybe it was just that Tennessee, a strong, streaking team that was underrated by the selection committee, was the better team.

The Volunteers (23-12) certainly played like it, and now they'll be playing in a Sunday game against that upstart Mercer team while UMass heads back to Amherst wondering what went wrong.

Kellogg lamented his team's giveaways and early miscues, punctuated by point blank-range misses at the rim from Esho and junior center Cady Lalanne that set an ominous tone in the opening minutes.

"We turned it over a few times that led to easy baskets for them," he said. "That's been kind of something that's plagued us at different times throughout the season, not taking care of the ball or missing easy ones. That hurt us tonight, honestly."

As had become the disconcerting norm over the previous two months, UMass was done in by a painfully slow start. The Minutemen scored just 22 points in the first 20 minutes. None came from outside the paint.

That's because inside the paint, the Volunteers' mountainous front-court duo of Jarnell Stokes (26 points, 14 rebounds) and Jeronne Maymon (11-11) were as advertised, sealing driving lanes and making life difficult on the glass for the Minutemen's overmatched big men.

Lalanne fought to establish a presence in the lane early, but was too inconsistent to be effective and finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

"They played a great game, and they had a good game plan of packing the paint and being big," Kellogg said. "We didn't take advantage of it."

UMass went to a full-court press midway through the half in attempt to shake out of its funk, but its shooters couldn't make enough shots to give it a chance to set up.

"When we (miss shots), we're not allowed to set up our press and get the tempo of the game going," Kellogg said. "I didn't think we could beat Tennessee in the half‑court with their size and brawn inside."

With two minutes, nine seconds left before halftime Tennessee guard Jordan McRae (21 points) threw down a thunderous dunk over Sampson Carter that summed up much of the first half action, and the Minutemen went into the break down 41-22.

UMass played better and with more energy to open the second half.

A quick 6-0 run to start play rustled the slumbering crowd. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Carter cut the deficit to a manageable 46-36 with 14-21 left. The Minutemen, once purveyors of second-half comebacks, looked to be in position to make a move.

It never came.

Tennessee responded with a 9-2 and once again pulled away. The deficit grew upwards of 20 points and UMass was forced to face the inevitable.

With about two minutes left, Kellogg withdrew Williams (12 points, five assists), Esho (12 points) and the other starters, giving viewers and early preview of the 2014-15 team.

The crimes to which he pleaded guilty involved texts or letters from jail. Some of the threats were against their one-year-old daughter.

The Republican / File photo 

SPRINGFIELD - Jason Paniagua of Holyoke was sentenced Friday to four to six years in state prison after admitting to 11 charges in what amounted to a campaign of terror against his ex-girlfriend.

The crimes to which he pleaded guilty involved texts or letters from jail. Some of the threats were against their one-year-old daughter.

Paniagua pleaded guilty to stalking, two counts of intimidation of a witness, four counts of threat to commit a crime, and four counts of violating an abuse prevention order.

A jury had been selected for the trial, opening statements were given, and the first witness had begun testifying when Paniagua decided to plead guilty before Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford.

Assistant District Attorney Max Bennett said the texts were over a period from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1 of 2012.

Bennett said the woman, a victim of Paniagua's violence in Florida, fled back to her native Holyoke from Florida when Paniagua was in jail in Florida.

Paniagua followed her to Holyoke when he got out of jail. One text threatened to set the woman's car on fire. Another said "Your torture will being soon." It went on to say what happened in Florida is nothing.

Bennett said the text said the daughter was spared from that one (because the woman was pregnant with the child). In all 20 texts were submitted in the trial including threats to kill the woman and the child.

When arrested Paniagua sent two letters from jail saying if she dropped the charges she would be left alone.

In addition to the prison time, Ford sentenced Paniagua to six years of probation with the unusual order it start now. That means if Paniagua contacts the woman from prison he will be in violation of probation and could get more time.

Voting is from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

LUDLOW - Town Clerk Laurie Gibbons predicted a 16 percent voter turnout in Monday’s annual town election.

Voting is from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the town’s precinct polling places.

There is a selectman’s race on the ballot and a question which asks voters if they favor adoption of the Community Preservation Act tax.

For selectman, six-year incumbent William Rooney, 57, is being challenged by Mark Imbody, 41, a political newcomer.

Rooney has served on the School Committee, the Finance Committee, the Celebrate Ludlow Committee and has been a director of the Ludlow CARES Coalition.

Imbody, a supervisor at the Chicopee warehouse of Plastipak Packaging of East Longmeadow, said he was a business owner for more than 10 years and wants to be a champion for small business in Ludlow.

Three children were left shaken after an armed home invasion by five men Thursday night.

WORCESTER — Three children were left shaken after an armed home invasion by five men Thursday night.

Worcester police are investigating an alleged home invasion at a Fairmont Avenue apartment Thursday night during which five or six men invaded a home with three children inside leaving the children "shaken," according to a release from the Worcester Police Department. Police were called to the scene at 11 p.m. and told that the men had entered after a 12 year-old in the apartment — who was inside with a 16 and 5 year-old — answered a knock at the door. One of the men reportedly had a handgun. The men came in demanding money and ransacked the apartment, according to police.

According to the victims, three of the men were approximately 5'5" and two were described as 5'10". They all were wearing dark clothing and spoke Spanish. They fled when a vehicle driven by the children's mother pulled up to the apartment. The 16-year-old was reportedly punched in the face as they fled. There were no other injuries reported.

The mother was at the scene and spoke with police, with the children's father arriving shortly afterwards.

The Worcester Police Detective Bureau is working on establishing a motive to this incident, according to police. If anyone has information about this incident they can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous message on the police website. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at (508) 799-8651.

Candidates Steve Grossman, Martha Coakley, Juliette Kayyem, Don Berwick and Joe Avellone agreed on more than they disagreed on at an environmental forum at Fanueil Hall.

BOSTON - With a ballot initiative pending to repeal an automatic increase in the Massachusetts gas tax, all five Democratic candidate for governor said Friday that they support the recent 3-cent increase in the gas tax. But they disagree on a provision, which is the subject of the ballot initiative, that would index the gas tax in future years to inflation.

Attorney General Martha Coakley, Treasurer Steve Grossman, and former Homeland Security official Juliette Kayyem all said they support indexing.

“Otherwise we can’t pay for our transportation plan we all need and want,” Grossman said. “We can’t do it without indexing.”

Former Medicare and Medicaid administrator Don Berwick would support indexing, but has also said the state should move away from the gas tax toward a “vehicle miles traveled” fee.

Biotech executive Joe Avellone, however, said he would oppose indexing. “I do not like the indexing of any tax tied to economic indicators,” Avellone said. “It’s a backdoor tax, people resent it … It’s politics as usual.”

All the Democratic candidates attended a forum on energy, environment and transportation at Boston’s Faneuil Hall on Friday. It was co-sponsored by 28 organizations - advocates for the environment, clean energy, transportation and innovation - and was moderated by Boston Globe columnist Derrick Jackson and former Secretary of Commonwealth Development Doug Foy. The forum attracted around 700 people. Republican Charlie Baker was invited but did not attend.

While all the Democrats have generally similar views on environmental policy, there were some differences. One sharp exchange came when the candidates were asked whether they would support a carbon tax, which taxes greenhouse gas emissions from industries and businesses.

Avellone, Berwick and Kayyem said yes.

Coakley responded, “Only if it doesn’t affect Massachusetts competitiveness.” “I’m open to it; I’m not sure we’re ready for it,” Coakley said.

Grossman said similarly that he would only support a carbon tax if it did not hurt Massachusetts’ competitiveness and did not disproportionately affect moderate- and low-income families. “Taxes often can be regressive, and people with low- or middle-income can be disproportionately negatively affected by it,” Grossman said.

Berwick responded that a carbon tax would add to the gross state product and add jobs – apparently referring to research regarding a proposal that would take the money raised from a carbon tax and use it to cut corporate and individual income taxes and the sales tax. “Why wouldn’t we go there now?” Berwick said.

One major issue currently pending before the Legislature is a bill that would require the state’s pension fund to divest from fossil fuel companies. Grossman, the state treasurer, chairs the state pension board. Grossman said he would support the current bill, sponsored by Pittsfield Democratic Sen. Benjamin Downing, because it includes a provision that would mitigate losses to the pension fund. The provision would allow the fund to reinvest in fossil fuel companies if the fund’s performance drops by half a percent. “We can’t afford to put losses on the backs of taxpayers,” Grossman said.

Kayyem, Avellone, and Coakley all said they would support divestment. Berwick said he would prefer to use the state’s leverage as a shareholder to convince fossil fuel companies to change their behavior.

Regarding the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline, all the candidates but Coakley said they oppose the pipeline. Coakley did not say yes or no, but said there needs to be a regional standard to eliminate the use of dirty fuels.

Kayyem said she would not commit to never supporting the pipeline. But, she said, “I oppose the pipeline as we currently understand it. It’s not safe."

All the candidates would support a ban on fracking, a controversial type of drilling used to extract oil and natural gas, though Coakley qualified her answer by saying she would support a ban “unless it can be shown it doesn’t harm water or create earthquakes.”

In general, the candidates agreed on more than they disagreed on. All paid homage to “smart growth” zoning strategies, conservation and preservation of open space. All said the state needs to prepare for the consequences of climate change, and most of the candidates said they would create new positions within government or a new level of coordination to address climate issues. Asked about congestion fees – pricing for driving within cities – none of the candidates gave a yes or no answer, but all talked about the importance of public transportation. Almost all of them referred to natural gas as a “bridge fuel” until renewable energy can be used more widely.

None of the candidates made direct references to the Republican gubernatorial candidates. But asked what Massachusetts species is disappearing most quickly, Coakley said honeybees; Kayyem said bees and lobsters; Avellone said groundfish; and Grossman quipped, “moderate Republicans.”

The forum was a chance for the Democrats to appeal to core Democratic activists and undecided voters. Maggie Schramm, 68, a part-time English professor and Democrat from Arlington, said before the forum that she is undecided but “will support whoever has the best stance for dealing with climate change.”

Glory Inc. submitted the high bid of three bids received for a tax-foreclosed city lot at 609-611 Main St.

SPRINGFIELD – Glory Inc., in the process of relocating its South End clothing store, now in the path of an $800 million casino project, submitted the high bid on Friday to purchase a city-owned lot several blocks away.

Glory Inc., submitted the high bid of $51,000, to purchase the tax-foreclosed lot at 609-611 Main St., one of three bidders for the property. The vacant lot previously housed a building with a bottle redemption center and used appliance shop which were demolished by the city.

Glory Inc., is preparing to move its store from the former Union House hotel, tentatively in May, to a newly purchased building at 595 Main St. The new building is next to the city lot, and Glory Inc. is proposing to convert the lot to customer and employee parking, according to its bid.

MGM Resorts International is preparing to purchase and demolish the former Union House hotel, triggering objections from some residents including the Historical Commission. The commission has urged MGM to renovate the building as part of the casino plans.

Glory Inc.’s store sells merchandize that includes clothing, work uniforms, shoes, and cellular telephones.

Hyo Lee, president of Glory Inc., in a letter that accompanied his proposal to buy the city lot, said the lot will include landscaping and new plantings and “will be done in a manner that will integrate well with the surrounding area,” Lee said.

The second highest price for the lot was $45,000, submitted by REMA Capital LLC, a Springfield real estate company, whose owner is listed as Francesco Daniele.

Daniele in a letter that accompanied his bid, said he is proposing to construct a new building on the lot for a “multi-use, educational office building” to serve the youth and public of the South End and neighboring areas.

He said he hopes to bring mentorships, after-school programs, day-care, financial and medical counseling to the building, but would need the city’s help to attract the appropriate tenants.

The third bid was for $5,000 to buy the lot, submitted by Accera Roofing Co., of Springfield. The submitted plan showed a parking lot and retail building.

The proposals were referred to a review committee, and the sale will need approval from Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the City Council.

The former Union House hotel was built in 1846, and its history includes serving as an overnight stay for U.S. President James K. Polk in 1847, the nation’s 11th president, and his secretary of state, James Buchanan, who would become the nation’s 15th president.

Here's a look at some of the differences between the House and Senate proposals.

BOSTON — A missed deadline has resulted in maneuvering by the state Senate to block House bills raising the minimum wage and reforming unemployment insurance, according to the House chairman of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee who said he still hopes for a resolution. 

His Senate counterpart has responded that there are Senate bills that both houses could vote on.

Developing the bills, Conroy said, "took a lot of hard work, took a lot of meetings and discussions with business people, labor leaders, advocates, working families. It would be a shame to throw that aside and disregard it by not allowing us to bring this bill up through the committee process.”

On Thursday, the House had planned to release its proposal for increasing the minimum wage and reforming unemployment insurance. However, the committee was one day past its deadline for releasing bills from committee, which meant it needed legislative permission for an extension. The Senate sent the request to a Senate Committee on Rules and Ethics, which has not granted the extension.

The Senate already passed its own versions of a minimum wage hike and unemployment insurance reform.

Senate President Therese Murray’s office referred questions to Sen. Daniel Wolf, a Harwich Democrat and Senate chairman of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee.

Wolf said the House already has “perfectly good vehicles” to move forward on the minimum wage and unemployment insurance reform, using the Senate bills. Wolf said it would be faster for the House to take action on the Senate legislation, then send it to a committee of conference. If the House passes its own bill, that bill must go through the Senate again.

“I’m fearful if the bill starts in the House and goes back through the Senate, it will take too long, and the clock’s going to run out,” Wolf said. “We have bills that are perfectly good bills that the House could simply act on tomorrow and send into a conference committee.”

Conroy, a candidate for state treasurer, called the move “insider, petty, politics.” “I’m disgusted by the maneuvering,” Conroy told The Republican/MassLive.com. “It is hurting working families. It’s preventing business from having that kind of predictability they often ask for.”

Conroy said extensions are given as a routine matter, and he had an agreement with Wolf Wednesday night that the committee would be able to get an extension.

Wolf said it was up to the Rules and Ethics Committee to pass the extension, not up to him. “It’s an unfortunate situation. I do hope it gets resolved,” Wolf said. “My co-chair and I both want to see this important legislation move forward. Let’s get the procedural stuff out of the way and lets move forward with the bills.”

Meanwhile, the delay angered advocates involved in the issues. John Regan, executive vice president for government affairs for the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, a business trade group, called the maneuvering “somewhat pathetic.”

One issue being held up is a freeze of 2014 unemployment insurance rates. New rates went into effect Jan. 1, with bills expected to go out in April – although the deadline was recently extended to May. The new rates increase businesses’ unemployment insurance costs by around 30 percent, Regan said. Both the House and Senate included a rate freeze in other bills, but none of those bills have become law.

“This attitude that whatever it is they’re working out between themselves is more important than business owners having predictability about what their costs will be is a contributing factor to what makes the Massachusetts business climate inhospitable,” Regan said.

If the House and Senate cannot come to an agreement, a group called Raise Up Massachusetts is working to pass a ballot initiative in which voters could raise the minimum wage in a November 2014 referendum. That initiative would raise the minimum wage to $10.50 an hour by 2016, with an economic indexing provision going forward so the wage would rise at the rate of inflation. It would raise the tipped minimum wage to $6.30.

Steve Crawford, a spokesman for Raise Up Massachusetts, declined to comment on what provisions would need to be included in the final legislation in order for the coalition to end its ballot campaign.

“We are hoping to work with the legislature toward a solution at the same time we’re gearing up to collect the last round of signatures to place this on November’s ballot,” Crawford said.

Here’s a look at some of the differences between the House and Senate proposals.

On the minimum wage:

The House would raise the hourly wage to $10.50, while the Senate would raise it to $11, both over a three-year period.

The Senate bill includes an economic indexing provision so that after 2016, the minimum wage would rise each year at the same rate as the consumer price index for the Northeast. The House bill does not have this provision.

The Senate bill would increase the wage for tipped employees to half the regular minimum wage, from its current $2.63. The House bill increases the wage for tipped employees to $3.75 over three years.

The House bill includes several provisions that are not in the Senate bill. It would restore overtime pay to hospitality and farm workers. It would increase the earned income tax credit, a credit for low income working families, from 15 percent to 20 percent of the federal earned income tax credit, essentially lowering the state tax burden on low income families. The House bill would increase the statute of limitations for overtime, record keeping and minimum wage violations from two to three years.

On unemployment insurance:

The House bill raises the taxable wage base, the portion of an employee’s wages on which the employer pays insurance premiums, from $14,000 to $16,000. The Senate raises it to $21,000. But those increases are offset by changes in the way rates are calculated that would lower the rates for most employers. Unemployment insurance costs are based on a ratings table, which calculates the amount of money the employer pays into the system and the amount of money its laid off employees take out. Both bills would change the scale so that more stable employers pay significantly less than employers who lay off more people. Under the House bill, less stable companies would pay more and more stable companies would pay less, compared to the Senate bill.

The House bill would create a Massachusetts employment fund to pay for job training for unemployed or underemployed workers, which is not included in the Senate bill. Conroy said the House bill is estimated to lower unemployment tax rates by between $650 million and $1 billion, and 10 percent of that savings would go into the fund. Massachusetts employers are now asked to pay up to $18 million a year for job training; the bill would require them to pay up to $80 million a year.

The Senate bill includes a provision prohibiting a senior officer or owner in a company from laying themselves off, collecting unemployment insurance, then re-hiring themselves. That is not included in the House version.

Wal-Mart told The Associated Press that it has rolled out an online tool that compares its prices on 80,000 food and household products — from canned beans to dishwashing soap — with those of its competitors. If a lower price is found elsewhere, the discounter will refund the difference to shoppers in the form a store credit.

NEW YORK — The "Every Day Low Price" king is trying to shake up the world of pricing once again.

Wal-Mart told The Associated Press that it has rolled out an online tool that compares its prices on 80,000 food and household products — from canned beans to dishwashing soap — with those of its competitors. If a lower price is found elsewhere, the discounter will refund the difference to shoppers in the form of a store credit.

The world's largest retailer began offering the feature, called "Savings Catcher," on its website late last month in seven big markets that include Dallas, San Diego and Atlanta. The tool compares advertised prices at retailers with physical stores, and not at online rivals like Amazon.com that also offer low prices on staples.

The move by Wal-Mart, which has a long history of undercutting competitors, could not only change the way people shop, but also how other retailers price their merchandise. After all, Americans already increasingly are searching for the lowest prices on their tablets and smartphones while in checkout aisles.

Shoppers do this so often that big retailers that include behemoths like Target and Best Buy have started offering to match the lower prices of rivals — but only if shoppers do the research on their own. The idea behind Wal-Mart's online feature, on the other hand, is to do the legwork for customers.

Citibank launched a similar program two years ago that sends Citi credit card customers a check for the difference if Citibank finds a lower price from an online retailer. But Wal-Mart is the first traditional retailer to offer such a program, and if it's successful, others may follow.

Ken Perkins, president of retail research firm Retail Metrics LLC, said the move will "put pressure on everyone else to follow suit." But he and other industry watchers voiced concerns that the tool doesn't compare prices of online retailers.

After sending queries to some of Wal-Mart's competitors, it wasn't clear on Friday afternoon whether they planned to follow the move.

Meanwhile, Wal-Mart said it wants to see how competitors and customers respond to the program, but it doesn't have any plans to add online stores to the test.

Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising and marketing officer for Wal-Mart Store Inc.'s U.S. discount division told The Associated Press that shoppers are looking for "technological answers to saving them money and time."

Wal-Mart built its business on offering lowest prices on staples such as milk, bread and laundry detergent. But Wal-Mart's "every day low price" model is under attack from dollar stores and grocery stores like Kroger in addition to the Amazons of the world. On top of that, the retailer's primarily lower-income customers continue to cut back on spending during the economic recovery.

As a result, Wal-Mart's U.S. discount division recorded its fourth consecutive quarter of declines in revenue at stores opened at least a year, a critical yardstick for measuring a retailer's health. The discounter also has seen a decline in the number of shoppers going to its stores.

Wal-Mart has had a price matching strategy for several years. In 2011, it simplified the policy by making sure workers have the advertised prices of competitors on hand at the register, eliminating the need for shoppers to bring in an ad from a rival store. But unlike rivals like Target and Best Buy, Wal-Mart's policy does not include matching prices with online rivals.

Wal-Mart said the idea for Savings Catcher was born last year during a focus group. The idea instantly resonated with the group, the retailer said, and by last summer, Wal-Mart was testing it in four markets on an invitation-only basis. Last month, the company began rolling it out to the seven markets that also include Charlotte, N.C., Huntsville, Ala., Minneapolis, and Lexington, Ky.

Here's how the tool works: A customer has to set up an account on www.walmart.com, log onto the Savings Catcher page and type in the number on their receipt.

Savings Catcher compares prices of every item on the receipt to a database of advertised prices of competitors that's provided by an undisclosed third party. The tool doesn't apply to general merchandise like clothing or electronic gadgets.

Wal-Mart prices are matched to stores based on geographic location. For example, in Atlanta, Wal-Mart compares prices to nearly 20 rivals, including Aldi, CVS, Food Lion, Target and Dollar General.

Any difference in prices is put on a Wal-Mart online gift card. Customers can accumulate savings or use the credit immediately. They can redeem in stores or online by printing out the gift card receipt.

Wal-Mart's Mac Naughton said preliminary data shows that in the markets that have the Savings Catcher, shoppers are putting more items in their basket and the checkout lines are faster because people don't feel like they have to pull out their smartphones or circular ads to check prices. The company declined to say when the program could be expanded nationally.

Anne Jurchak was part of Wal-Mart's focus group. She said she's been getting back $5 to $7 on her weekly trips to Wal-Mart in which she typically spends $200 to $250. Jurchak has used those savings to buy holiday stocking stuffers and a case for her e-reader.

As a part-time marriage counselor and mother of two sons, Jurchak, 41, said she's never had time to take advantage of price matching.

"They're doing the work for me," said Jurchak, who lives in Belmont, N.C. "The only thing they're not doing is putting the groceries away."

Malaysian authorities have not ruled out any possible explanation for what happened to the jet but have said the evidence so far suggests it was deliberately turned back across Malaysia to the Strait of Malacca, with its communications systems disabled. They are unsure what happened next.

PERTH, Australia (AP) -- Aircraft and ships from China headed to the desolate southern Indian Ocean to join the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, now lost for two full weeks, and Australia promised its best efforts to resolve "an extraordinary riddle."

A satellite spotted two large objects in the area earlier this week, raising hopes of finding the Boeing 777 that disappeared March 8 with 239 people on board. Three Australian planes took off at dawn Saturday for a third day of scouring the region about 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) southwest of Perth.

Australian officials tried to tamp down expectations after a fruitless search Friday, even as they pledged to continue the effort.

"It's about the most inaccessible spot that you could imagine on the face of the Earth, but if there is anything down there, we will find it," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said at a news conference in Papua New Guinea.

"We owe it to the families and the friends and the loved ones of the almost 240 people on Flight MH370 to do everything we can to try to resolve what is as yet an extraordinary riddle," he added.

A total of six Australian aircraft were to search the region Saturday: two ultra long-range commercial jets and four P3 Orions, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

Two merchant ships were in the area, and the HMAS Success, a Navy supply ship, was due to arrive late Saturday afternoon. Weather in the search zone was expected to be relatively good, with some cloud cover.

Two Chinese aircraft are expected to arrive in Perth on Saturday to join the search, and two Japanese aircraft will arrive Sunday. A small flotilla of ships from China is still several days away.

AMSA officials also were checking to see if there was any new satellite imagery that could provide more information.

Abbott spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, describing him as "devastated." The passengers included 154 Chinese.

In Kuala Lumpur, where the plane took off for Beijing, Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein thanked the more than two dozen countries involved in the overall search that stretches from Kazakhstan in Central Asia to the southern Indian Ocean. He called the whole process "a long haul."

The search area indicated by the satellite images in the southern Indian Ocean is a four-hour round-trip flight from western Australia, leaving planes with only enough fuel to search for about two hours. The images were taken March 16, but the search in the area did not start until Thursday because it took time to analyze them.

Searchers on Friday relied mostly on trained spotters aboard the planes rather than radar, which found nothing Thursday, Australian officials said. The search will focus more on visual sightings because civilian aircraft are being brought in. The military planes will continue to use both radar and spotters.

"Noting that we got no radar detections yesterday, we have replanned the search to be visual. So aircraft flying relatively low, very highly skilled and trained observers looking out of the aircraft windows and looking to see objects," said John Young, manager of the maritime safety authority's emergency response division.

Malaysia asked the U.S. for undersea surveillance equipment to help in the search, said Rear Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel promised to assess the availability of the technology and its usefulness in the search, Kirby said.

The Pentagon says it has spent $2.5 million to operate ships and aircraft in the search and has budgeted another $1.5 million for the efforts.

There is a limited battery life for the beacons in the cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders -- about 30 days, said Chuck Schofield, vice president of business development for Dukane Seacom Inc. He said it's "very likely" that his company made the beacons on the missing jet.

The devices work to a depth of 20,000 feet, with a signal range of about two nautical miles, depending on variables like sea conditions. The signals are located using a device operated on the surface of the water or towed to a depth.

Experts say it is impossible to tell if the grainy satellite images of the two objects -- one 24 meters (almost 80 feet) long and the other measuring 5 meters (15 feet) -- were debris from the plane. But officials have called this the best lead so far in the search that began March 8 after the plane vanished over the Gulf of Thailand on an overnight flight to Beijing.

For relatives of those aboard the plane, hope was slipping away, said Nan Jinyan, sister-in-law of passenger Yan Ling.

"I'm psychologically prepared for the worst and I know the chances of them coming back alive are extremely small," said Nan, one of dozens of relatives gathered at a Beijing hotel awaiting any word about their loved ones.

The Norwegian cargo vessel Hoegh St. Petersburg is also in the area helping with the search. Haakon Svane, a spokesman for the Norwegian Shipowners' Association, said the ship had searched a strip of ocean stretching about 100 nautical miles (115 miles; 185 kilometers).

Aircraft pieces have sometimes been found floating for days after a sea crash. Peter Marosszeky, an aviation expert at the University of New South Wales, said the wing could remain buoyant for weeks if fuel tanks inside it were empty and had not filled with water.

Other experts said that if the aircraft breaks into pieces, normally only items such as seats and luggage would remain floating.

"We seldom see big metal (pieces) floating. You need a lot of (buoyant) material underneath the metal to keep it up," said Lau Kin-tak, an expert in aircraft maintenance and accidents at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Flight 370 relatives met Friday with Malaysian officials at the Beijing hotel. Attendees said they had a two-hour briefing about the search but that nothing new was said.

Wang Zhen, son of missing artist Wang Linshi, said there were questions about why Malaysian authorities had provided so much seemingly contradictory information.

Wang said he still has hopes his father can be found alive and is praying that the satellite sightings turn out to be false. He said he and other relatives are suspicious about what they are being told by the Malaysian side but are at a loss as to what to do next.

"We feel they're hiding something from us," said Wang, who is filling his days attending briefings and watching the news for updates.

Malaysian authorities have not ruled out any possible explanation for what happened to the jet but have said the evidence so far suggests it was deliberately turned back across Malaysia to the Strait of Malacca, with its communications systems disabled. They are unsure what happened next.

Police are considering the possibilities of hijacking, sabotage, terrorism or issues related to the mental health of the pilots or anyone else on board.

Arrested were Devron Brady, Diana Andino, Deandre Jones and Crystal Hill, all of Springfield.

Four Springfield residents were arrested Thursday evening and charged with stealing more than $8,000 in merchandise from a Radio Shack store in New Canaan, Connecticut, according to reports.

The four suspects allegedly distracted the clerk at the store, located at 94 Park St., New Canaan, grabbed what was described as “a large quantity of merchandise” and ran out the door, according to the New Canaan Advertiser.

The theft was reported at about 5:15 p.m., and the clerk gave police a detailed
description of the suspects and their vehicle. The car was stopped about an hour later and about 17 miles away by Connecticut State Police on the Merritt Parkway near exit 47.

According to the Darian Patch, they may have failed to anticipate the usual evening rush hour traffic when they hopped on the parkway.

Police recovered the stolen items along with some tools that police said were used to disable store security devices.

Arrested were Devron Brady, 22, of 56 Sycamore St., Deandre Jones, 20, of 15 Goldenrod Road, Diana Andino, 27, of 166 Darling St., and Crystal Hill, 22, of 106 Albemarle St.

All four were charged with 3rd degree larceny, 3rd degree conspiracy to commit larceny, 3rd degree degree larceny by possession and possession of a shoplifting device.

Brady and Jones were also charged with interfering with a police officer, criminal impersonation and second degree forgery after a check of their fingerprints revealed their real identities, according to the New Canaan News.

Brady had told police his name was Richard Hector, while Jones said his name was Troy Goldson.

Andino and Hill were held in lieu of $75,000 bail, while Jones and Brady had bail set at $100,000.

New Canaan is in southern Connecticut, midway between New Haven and New York City.

The list will appear in a special supplement that will be included in the Sunday Republican.

SPRINGFIELD – The Office of the Massachusetts Treasurer on Sunday will be advertising the names of people from Western Massachusetts whose names appear on the unclaimed property list.

The list will appear in a special supplement that will be included in the Sunday Republican.

The 58-page section features thousands of names of people and businesses in Western Massachusetts – from Asset Management LLC to Jeaine Zyko -- who are owed money by the state.

Last year, the Treasurer’s Office’s Unclaimed Property Division returned closed to $102 million to 43,000 of the rightful owners. According to press information, the division is aiming to do better this year.

Statewide, some 45,000 people have unclaimed property totally an estimated $100 million.

Typically, it’s such things as abandoned bank accounts, unclaimed insurance proceeds, uncashed checks, stocks, dividends, and contents of unattended safe deposit boxes. Any inactive bank account is considered abandoned after three years.

New this year are people who be beneficiaries of unclaimed insurance policies the state discovered in a recent audit of major insurance companies.

In addition to the newspaper, people can also check to see if they have any money owed them through the website, www.findmassmoney.com or by calling (888) 344-6277

Bill and Hillary Clinton teamed up with Arizona Sen. John McCain at the start of an annual meeting of college students on Friday.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Bill and Hillary Clinton teamed up with Arizona Sen. John McCain at the start of an annual meeting of college students on Friday, putting on stage a former president, a onetime Republican presidential nominee and perhaps a future White House candidate.

The former secretary of state, who is considering a White House campaign, opened the Clinton Global Initiative University at Arizona State University by encouraging students to use their talents and skills to solve problems both big and small.

"We are going to make sure the millennial generation really is the participation generation," Clinton said to cheers.

As the former first lady and New York senator weighs a presidential campaign, the summit of students brought together plenty of political wattage. Mr. Clinton, who served two terms in the White House, moderated a panel on civic participation that featured McCain, who sought the presidency in 2000 and 2008, losing in his second campaign to Barack Obama.

The former president used the occasion to needle the Republican lawmaker, joking that McCain was a "good friend of Hillary's and mine, although we permit him to deny it at election time."

During a discussion of the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, McCain returned the favor, crediting Clinton for his decision to intervene in Bosnia during his presidency. "I think you made the right decisions," McCain said.

More than 1,000 students representing about 300 colleges and universities gathered for the weekend conference. Participating students pledge to carry out service projects and ventures aimed at addressing problems across the globe. Policy sessions on the agenda included ways of improving health care, immigrant and refugee rights and the environment.

But beyond the altruism, presidential politics wasn't far from the surface.

Bill Clinton was the last Democrat to win Arizona since Harry Truman in 1948. Obama's re-election campaign considered an aggressive push here because of the state's influx of Latinos and young voters but decided to focus on more competitive states. Many Democrats say the state could be a battleground in 2016, when the former first lady could be at the top of the ticket.

During their panel discussion, McCain sought to make light of his own presidential campaign, thanking the former president for "mentioning I ran for president."

"After I lost, I slept like a baby," McCain joked. "Sleep two hours, wake up and cry. Sleep two hours, wake up and cry."

Donald Perry, the former Amherst soup kitchen coordinator, happy to be back home his parole revoked in August of 2011.

NORTHAMPTON — Donald Perry is thankful to be home, but angry, too, that it took him two years and eight months to get back.

More than a dozen people welcomed him back from state prison Friday evening with cake and coffee at his lawyer Luke Ryan’s office.

Perry, the former Amherst soup kitchen coordinator, was arrested on charges related to break-ins into a house and car in Leverett in August of 2011 where an iPad and money were stolen. He was on parole, and it was revoked.

A jury acquitted him in court, but it took him this long to get back out.

He said of his 2011 arrest, “I fell right down the rabbit hole,” referencing "Alice in Wonderland."

“I was trying to help somebody,” he said. He gave a ride to a man who he said he was worried about and with whom he was trying to make a connection. He said it takes time to establish a rapport. "I wanted to do an intake with him," Perry said. The man was homeless.

At the time of his arrest, Perry was the coordinator at Not Bread Alone in Amherst and the coordinator for the Single Room Occupancy Project in Northampton, both programs run by the Springfield-based Center for Human Development.

Perry testified that on the night of his arrest, a week after the thefts, he had picked up the hitchhiker, who fled his truck at a stoplight and left some belongings behind, including the iPad.

Although acquitted, Perry's appeal to be released in January 2013 was denied.

Perry said instead, the Parole Board looked at him as if it was 30 years ago, when he originally was imprisoned. Perry served 18 years for armed robberies and was paroled in 2001. That, he said, “defined how I am now.” He said the system “eliminates all the work I’ve done.”

Last year, Caitlin Casey, chief of staff for the state parole board, said he was imprisoned for "being charged for new offenses." Being incarcerated "is not (based) on the outcome of the trial," she said.

Perry had a hearing before the parole board in March 2013. In September, the board agreed to re-parole, him but required he serve a year from the date of his hearing [view the decision at the conclusion of this story].

He said it was hard being back in prison with some of the same people who were there when he left. “I’m right back with them,” he said. He had to work to maintain his sanity. “I’m very grateful for all the community support.”

Many attended his parole hearing and more than 140,000 signed an online petition seeking his release.

“I try not to let my anger consume me. I’m more resilient.”

Perry was overwhelmed by the support in his lawyer’s office, and when asked to cut the cake, he said he couldn’t. “I’m tying to avoid crying. I’m not going to cry.” His partner, Elaine Arsenault, had to cut it for him instead.

“I was thrilled to be home,” he said. “The transition ... I’m dealing with a lot of emotions.”

He said he woke in his Montague home on Friday at 1 or 2 in the morning. “I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to know I wasn’t dreaming.”

He said he got up and made a cup of tea. Then first thing in the morning he walked down his driveway. “One of the things that really kept me going was knowing a quality life to return to. My life was put on pause,” he said, gesturing with his hands as if he had a remote.

Perry is not sure what he wants to do but wants to get back involved with the community. He said people in prison now need help when they get out. He said in five to 10 years people will be getting out of jail and have nothing to help them in the transition, no one on the outside who cares.

Ryan thinks Perry should teach because of his intimate knowledge about and ability to explain the criminal justice system from the inside out. He thinks Hampshire College would be an ideal venue.

At the party, besides friends, the room was filled with cameras and microphones and assistants who are filming his story as part of a series called “The System,” an eight-part series on the criminal justice system, for Al-Jazeera America by filmmaker Joe Berlinger. Berlinger recently made a film about Whitey Bulger and directed “Paradise Lost.”

According to the Wrap website “Berlinger will introduce a specific topic at the beginning of each episode, interviewing lawyers, victims, families of the accused and other experts, drawing lessons from the specific cases and also the broader implications for the criminal justice system.”

Perry said he was glad they wanted to tell his story.

Donald Perry Parole Hearing Decision