A longtime triathlete, Hannah Wiberg had not given much thought to running a marathon. Yet, when she was asked to be part of the University of Massachusetts system's team that honors the memory of 2013 Boston Marathon bombing victim Krystle Campbell, she didn't hesitate.

A longtime triathlete, Hannah Wiberg had not given much thought to running a marathon. Yet, when she was asked to be part of the University of Massachusetts system's team that honors the memory of 2013 Boston Marathon bombing victim Krystle Campbell, she didn't hesitate.

"I can't imagine running it any other way," the 26-year-old West Boylston native said Thursday. "It didn't take much to convince me to run with the team."

For several years, Wiberg, a graduate nursing student at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, has participated in various triathlons with the goal of working her way up to competing in her first half Iron Man competition in June and eventually a full Iron Man, possibly in August of 2015. Of the three disciplines in a tri - running, biking and swimming - the running component is what she considers to be the most relaxing.

"Between school and work, I have a lot of stressful things going on in my life right now. Running is a nice relief, something that's always calmed me down," said Wiberg, who is part of the family nurse practitioner track. "I get into a rhythm, start to relax."

Up until her training for the Boston Marathon, it had been the shorter distances - the six to eight milers - that she enjoyed most. This changed when she joined the UMass System's Krystle Campbell Scholarship Fund team, which includes a representative from each of the state university system's campuses. Campbell was one of three people killed along the marathon route in 2013 when twin bombs exploded near the finish line.

"The Boston Marathon is significant itself. After the events of last year not only is it a symbol of strength and drive, but it is one of community spirit. Just being able to participate in the event and be one of the runners is amazing. It's not about me, it's about the city, it's about Krystle. I'm honored to be able to run and support such a wonderful cause," Wiberg said.

In addition to the runners, Wiberg praised the volunteers and the medical staff for their dedication to the marathon. While being inducted into the Iota Phi Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Wiberg heard from two nurses who had volunteered in the medical tent at the finish line in 2013. Their words, and her desire to compete in an Iron Man competition, compelled her to register as a volunteer nurse for the medical tent at the Lake Placid Triathlon in August.

As for Boston on Monday, Wiberg, who is competitive by nature, said that she is not setting a time for herself, although she admitted to hoping that she completes the course in less than four hours. Laughing, she said what she's most concerned about, at least at the moment, is getting to her starting corral in Hopkinton on time.

Although security will be strict along the route, Wiberg said her friends and family, who will be attending the Red Sox game, will track her progress and meet her at the finish line.

"I have no idea what to expect. I'm not pushing for anything, I'm running to experience the event and for something that is more significant than trying to run a personal best," she said.

To sponsor Wiberg and donate to the Krystle Campbell Scholarship Fund, which will provide monetary support to students pursuing a business degree at UMass Boston, please visit the University of Massachusetts Foundation, Inc., marathon fundraising page.

On the third Monday of April, Hopkinton might as well be the unofficial capital of New England. It is located, conveniently, 26.2 miles from Boylston Street in Boston.

Hopkinton, Massachusetts is, for 364 or so days of the year, a sleepy suburb in Middlesex County. There's a locally-owned grocery store across the street from a locally-owned pharmacy just down the block from the town hall.

But on the third Monday of April, Hopkinton might as well be the unofficial capital of New England. It is located, conveniently, 26.2 miles from Boylston Street in Boston.

Last week, the normally quiet town square was buzzing, as subcontractors and volunteers raced up and down Main Street to get the town ready to reprise its role as the starting point of the Boston Marathon. Trucks brought in tents to be set up on the town common, as out-of-towners took photos of the blue-and-gold starting line.

Bill's Pizza, just steps from the starting line, was bustling, as spectators and media in town for the race converged for lunch and drafts of "26.2," a special Sam Adams variety brewed for the occasion.

In many ways, the scene is the same as any other year. But this event, a year removed from the finish line bombings that killed three and injured more than 250 others, will be a little different. There will be more police, more security cameras, more barriers, more runners. Nearly 36,000 people are expected to compete in this year's event.

Yellow daffodils, planted by volunteers along the marathon route as a tribute to the victims, will remind visitors of the tragedy.

Near the center of town, dozens of regular customers lined up in 40-degree weather Thursday to get a hot dog or sausage from Snappy Dogs, a roadside business run by Teresa Boyce and Lisa Volpe Hachey.

Boyce said the women will roll their trailer down the street to the town common to sell dogs to hungry spectators, just as they have the past three years. This year, the approval process was a little more onerous, Boyce said, but the women are happy to be a part of the action.

"It's a lot of work, it's a lot of stress," Boyce said. But added, "It's wicked exciting."

Customers Bob Richards and Marcia Volk agreed, and said they might just go out to watch the race this year. "Can't do much, anyway," Volk said, considering all the roads in town are closed.

Rick MacMillan, who lives just down the road from the starting line, on the corner of Ray Street, has seen and been involved with the marathon since he and his wife moved here in 1972. The morning of the race, they open their home to runners and race volunteers, who watch TV in the living room.

A few years ago, race organizers used MacMillan's garage to charge the race's lead vehicle, an electric Chevy Volt.

Race watchers will line the sidewalk in front of MacMillan's house this year, like every other. But this year, he said, they will be kept back by hard barriers along the street. Organizers haven't used barriers since 1996, when a record number of runners participated for the event's 100th anniversary.

Workers have been in town for weeks, MacMillan said, installing cameras.

MacMillan said he accepts the need for extra security. More cameras might mean less privacy, but, in light of the bombings, they feel necessary, he said.

"There are people who aren't completely with it, and (they) might try to do something," he said.

Mary and Gary Woodward have lived on Ray Street for 36 years.

On race day, Ray Street turns into a police staging ground, with cruisers and motorcycles clogging both sides of the street. Which is fine, the Woodwards said, since you can't go anywhere until the race is over anyway. This year, of course, they expect even more police.

Years ago, the Woodwards invited their friends and made race day a big party. But, as kids grew up and moved out, and the Woodwards themselves got older, the parties dwindled.

"We generally try to be out of town," Gary Woodward said.

That's not to say they dislike the race. Except when a few spectators urinated in their bushes, they say they've enjoyed having front row seats to the marathon.

But the events of last year, and the response to them, will make things different. Gary Woodward said he was also disappointed that security policies would end some of his favorite marathon traditions.

Woodward lamented the end of so-called "bandits" - runners who jump into the race unregistered. Traditionally tolerated, if grudgingly by race organizers, authorities have said they will not be allowed this year. Many bandits ran as part of charity campaigns.

Soldiers who ran with rucksacks will be prohibited because of concerns over backpacks. And runners will no longer be allowed to wear costumes that cover their faces, like the man who ran dressed as Groucho Marx.

The Woodwards understand why the policy was changed. But Gary Woodward said some of the changes will make the event feel a little less special.

"I don't think Groucho had an exploding cigar," he said.

Beginning late Saturday, when divers broke a window, and continuing into Sunday, multiple teams of divers have found various routes into the ferry, discovering bodies in different spots,

MOKPO, South Korea -- The confirmed death toll from South Korea's ferry disaster rose past 50 on Sunday as divers finally found a way inside the sunken vessel, quickly discovering more than a dozen bodies in what almost certainly is just the beginning of a massive and grim recovery effort.

About 250 people are still missing from the ship, which had been packed with high school students on a holiday trip, and anguished families are furious with the pace of rescue efforts. Divers had previously failed to enter the ferry, officials said, because of extremely strong currents and bad visibility due to foul weather.

Beginning late Saturday, when divers broke a window, and continuing into Sunday, multiple teams of divers have found various routes into the ferry, discovering bodies in different spots, coast guard official Koh Myung-seok said at a briefing. Thirteen bodies have been found in the ship, while six other bodies were found floating outside Sunday, bringing the official death toll to 52.

At least 23 of the dead are students, according to coast guard spokesman Kim Jae-in. Divers have yet to find any survivors in the ship.

A 21-year-old South Korean sailor, surnamed Cho, also died from injuries he sustained Wednesday while working on a warship going to help rescue passengers in the ferry, said Cmdr. Yim Myung-soo of the South Korean navy.

The penetration by divers into the ferry follows the arrest of the captain Saturday on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need. Two crew members also were taken into custody, including a rookie third mate who a prosecutor said was steering in challenging waters unfamiliar to her when the accident occurred.

Meanwhile, on an island near the submerged ferry, about 200 police in neon jackets blocked about 100 relatives of missing passengers who'd been walking on a main road in an effort, they said, to travel to the presidential Blue House in Seoul to voice their complaints to the president.

"The government is the killer," they shouted as they pushed against a police barricade.

"We want an answer from the person in charge about why orders are not going through and nothing is being done," Lee Woon-geun, father of missing passenger Lee Jung-in, 17, said. "They are clearly lying and kicking the responsibility to others."

Prime Minister Chung Hong-won on Sunday visited the gymnasium where relatives of the ferry's missing passengers have been staying, but he met only with a number of representatives of the family members in a side office. The representatives were to brief other relatives about the meeting later.

Relatives are desperate to retrieve bodies before they decompose beyond recognition, Lee said.

"After four or five days the body starts to decay. When it's decayed, if you try to hold a hand it might fall off," he said. "I miss my son. I'm really afraid I might not get to find his body."

The ferry's captain, Lee Joon-seok, 68, was arrested along with one of the Sewol's three helmsmen and the 25-year-old third mate, prosecutors said.

Lee, speaking to reporters Saturday morning as he left the Mokpo Branch of Gwangju District Court to be jailed, defended his much-criticized decision to wait about 30 minutes before ordering an evacuation.

"At the time, the current was very strong, the temperature of the ocean water was cold, and I thought that if people left the ferry without (proper) judgment, if they were not wearing a life jacket, and even if they were, they would drift away and face many other difficulties," Lee said. "The rescue boats had not arrived yet, nor were there any civilian fishing ships or other boats nearby at that time."

The Sewol had left the northwestern port of Incheon on Tuesday with 476 passengers on an overnight journey to the holiday island of Jeju in the south, including 323 students from Danwon High School in Ansan. It capsized within hours of the crew making a distress call to the shore a little before 9 a.m. Wednesday. Most of the missing passengers are believed to be trapped inside the 6,852-ton vessel.

With the chances of survival increasingly slim, it is shaping up to be one of South Korea's worst disasters. The loss is more keenly felt because of so many young people, aged 16 or 17, on board. The country's last major ferry disaster was in 1993, when 292 people were killed.

By the time the evacuation order was issued, the ship was listing at too steep an angle for many people to escape the tight hallways and stairs inside. Several survivors told The Associated Press that they never heard any evacuation order.

Senior prosecutor Yang Jung-jin told reporters that the third mate was steering the ship Wednesday morning as it passed through an area with lots of islands clustered close together and fast currents. According to investigators, the accident came at a point where the ship had to make a turn. Prosecutor Park Jae-eok said investigators were looking at whether the third mate ordered a turn so sharp that it caused the vessel to list.

Yang said the third mate has six months of experience, and hadn't steered in the area before because another mate usually handles those duties. She took the wheel this time because heavy fog caused a departure delay, Yang said, adding that investigators do not know whether the ship was going faster than usual.

Helmsman Park Kyung-nam identified the third mate as Park Han-kyul. The helmsman who was arrested, 55-year-old Cho Joon-ki, spoke to reporters outside court and accepted some responsibility.

"There was a mistake on my part as well, but the steering had been turned much more than usual," Cho said.

Lee has four decades of experience at sea. A representative for his employer, Chonghaejin Marine Co. Ltd., told Yonhap News Agency that he has sailed the company's route from Incheon, near Seoul, to the southern island of Jeju for eight years.

But he was not the Sewol's main captain, and worked on the ship about 10 days a month, helmsman Oh Yong-seok said.

Lee was not on the bridge when the ship began to list. "I gave instructions on the route, then briefly went to the bedroom when it happened," he told reporters.

According to the court, Lee faces five charges, including negligence of duty and violation of maritime law, and the two other crew members each face three related charges.

Lee was required by law to be on the bridge helping his crew when the ferry passed through tough-to-navigate areas, said Yang, the senior prosecutor.

Yang said Lee also abandoned people in need of help and rescue, saying, "The captain escaped before the passengers." Video aired by Yonhap showed Lee among the first people to reach the shore by rescue boat.

Yang said the two crew members arrested failed to reduce speed near the islands and failed to carry out necessary measures to save lives.

It's not clear why the two crew members made the sharp turn, Yang said. He said prosecutors would continue to look into whether something other than the turn could have made the ferry sink, but he added that there were no strong waves that could have knocked down the ferry at the time.

Prosecutors will have 10 days to decide whether to indict the captain and crew, but can request a 10-day extension from the court.

Three vessels with cranes arrived at the accident site to prepare to salvage the ferry, but they will not hoist the ship before getting approval from family members of those still believed inside because the lifting could endanger any survivors, said a coast guard officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.

A Dorchester man died when he was shot in a drive by shooting in Brockton.

 

Brockton police say 25-year-old Christopher Rosario had just left a Brockton nightclub with a passenger in his car, and was driving on Grove Street when a car came alongside his vehicle, and a gunman in the passenger seat began shooting into Rosario's car.

The Associated Press reported that Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said Rosario was hit by the gunfire, his car veered off the road and crashed into a fence. Police and emergency personnel found him at about 2:25 a.m. Saturday.

The state's Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy, and Brockton police will investigate.

One man was stabbed in a fight in a downtown restaurant.

 

Springfield Police Lt. Thomas Maccini said police were called to the 304 Worthington Street restaurant, a popular after-hours gathering place, for the report of a fight at approximately 2:30 a.m. When officers arrived on the scene they found a large crowd of people in the restaurant and a man bleeding from a stab wound to the back. He had been stabbed once in the back with a steak knife.

Police cleared the dining room and an ambulance was dispatched. However, the victim refused medical treatment at the scene, but was transported to the Baystate Medical Center emergency room by private car. Maccini said the victim refused to answer questions from officers.

The incident remains under investigation.

Two men were arrested after they allegedly threatened a man with a knife and stole his cell phone.

 

Springfield Police Lt. Thomas Maccini said the two were arrested on Dwight Street near the Route 291 entrance and the cell phone was recovered.

According to police reports, the victim was assaulted not far from the BP Mart at 2221 Main St. by two men, one armed with a knife. They demanded money and his cell phone. The victim had no cash with him, so the robbers took the phone and fled. The victim went to the convenience store and called police.

Not long after the initial report, a patrolling officer noticed two men, fitting the description given earlier, walking on Dwight Street. He stopped and questioned the two found they were carrying the cell phone taken earlier.

The two were arrested and charged with armed robbery. They are being held pending arraignment in Springfield District Court Tuesday.

Both girls were last seen on Saturday. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call Enfield police at (860) 763-6400.

ENFIELD — Connecticut public safety officials have issued Silver Alerts for Enfield teenagers Alaja Reyes and Azhane Reyes, both classified as "endangered" runaways who were last seen on Saturday.

Sixteen-year-old Alaja is about 5-foot-10, 130-pounds with blonde hair and brown eyes. Fifteen-year-old Azhane is about 5-foot-4, 130 pounds with red hair and blue eyes.

Authorities did not indicate if the girls are related.

Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call the Enfield Police Department at (860) 763-6400. The Connecticut State Police Missing Person Clearinghouse may also be reached at (860) 685-8190.

Connecticut's Silver Alert system is used to disseminate information about runaways and missing people with cognitive impairments.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Anita Powell 

Anita J. (Ollari) Powell, 86, passed away on Thursday. She was born in Springfield and lived 55 years in East Longmeadow, where she was a longtime member of St. Michael's Church. She earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Westfield State University. For 33 years she taught at the elementary level, including as a reading specialist in Springfield and Agawam public schools. She was a member of the Siri Club, a group of relatives who met monthly for several years to cook Italian recipes passed down to her from her grandmother and great-grandmother.

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, the boxer whose wrongful murder conviction became an international symbol of racial injustice, died Sunday. He was 76.

TORONTO -- Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, the boxer whose wrongful murder conviction became an international symbol of racial injustice, died Sunday. He was 76.

He had been stricken with prostate cancer in Toronto, the New Jersey native's adopted home. John Artis, a longtime friend and caregiver, said Carter died in his sleep.

Carter spent 19 years in prison for three murders at a tavern in Paterson, N.J., in 1966. He was convicted alongside Artis in 1967 and again in a new trial in 1976.

Carter was freed in November 1985 when his convictions were set aside after years of appeals and public advocacy. His ordeal and the alleged racial motivations behind it were publicized in Bob Dylan's 1975 song "Hurricane," several books and a 1999 film starring Denzel Washington, who received an Academy Award nomination for playing the boxer turned prisoner.

Carter's murder convictions abruptly ended the boxing career of a former petty criminal who became an undersized middleweight contender largely on ferocity and punching power.

Although never a world champion, Carter went 27-12-1 with 19 knockouts, memorably stopping two-division champ Emile Griffith in the first round in 1963. He also fought for a middleweight title in December 1964, losing a unanimous decision to Joey Giardello.

In June 1966, three white people were shot by two black men at the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson. Carter and Artis were convicted by an all-white jury largely on the testimony of two thieves who later recanted their stories.

Carter was granted a new trial and briefly freed in 1976, but sent back for nine more years after being convicted in a second trial.

"I wouldn't give up," Carter said in an interview on PBS in 2011. "No matter that they sentenced me to three life terms in prison. I wouldn't give up. Just because a jury of 12 misinformed people ... found me guilty did not make me guilty. And because I was not guilty, I refused to act like a guilty person."

Dylan became aware of Carter's plight after reading the boxer's autobiography. He met Carter and co-wrote "Hurricane," which he performed on his Rolling Thunder Revue tour in 1975.

Muhammad Ali also spoke out on Carter's behalf, while advertising art director George Lois and other celebrities also worked toward Carter's release.

With a network of friends and volunteers also advocating for him, Carter eventually won his release from U.S. District Judge H. Lee Sarokin, who wrote that Carter's prosecution had been "predicated upon an appeal to racism rather than reason, and concealment rather than disclosure."

Born on May 6, 1937, into a family of seven children, Carter struggled with a hereditary speech impediment and was sent to a juvenile reform center at 12 after an assault. He escaped and joined the Army in 1954, experiencing racial segregation and learning to box while in West Germany.

Carter then committed a series of muggings after returning home, spending four years in various state prisons. He began his pro boxing career in 1961 after his release, winning 20 of his first 24 fights mostly by stoppage.

Carter was fairly short for a middleweight at 5-foot-8, but his aggression and high punch volume made him effective.

His shaved head and menacing glower gave him an imposing ring presence, but also contributed to a menacing aura outside the ring. He was also quoted as joking about killing police officers in a 1964 story in the Saturday Evening Post which was later cited by Carter as a cause of his troubles with police.

Carter boxed regularly on television at Madison Square Garden and overseas in London, Paris and Johannesburg. Although his career appeared to be on a downswing before he was implicated in the murders, Carter was hoping for a second middleweight title shot.

Carter and Artis were questioned after being spotted in the area of the murders in Carter's white car, which vaguely matched witnesses' descriptions. Both cited alibis and were released, but were arrested months later. A case relying largely on the testimony of thieves Alfred Bello and Arthur Bradley resulted in a conviction in June 1967.

Carter defied his prison guards from the first day of his incarceration, spending time in solitary confinement because of it.

"When I walked into prison, I refused to wear their stripes," Carter said. "I refused to eat their food. I refused to work their jobs, and I would have refused to breathe the prison's air if I could have done so."

Carter eventually wrote and spoke eloquently about his plight, publishing his autobiography, "The Sixteenth Round," in 1974. Benefit concerts were held for his legal defense.

After his release, Carter moved to Toronto, where he served as the executive director of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted from 1993 to 2005. He received two honorary doctorates for his work.

Director Norman Jewison made Carter's story into a well-reviewed biographical film, with Washington working closely alongside Carter to capture the boxer's transformation and redemption. Washington won a Golden Globe for the role.

"This man right here is love," Washington said while onstage with Carter at the Golden Globes ceremony in early 2000. "He's all love. He lost about 7,300 days of his life, and he's love. He's all love."

But the makers of "The Hurricane" were widely criticized for factual inaccuracies and glossing over other parts of Carter's story, including his criminal past and a reputation for a violent temper. Giardello sued the film's producers for its depiction of a racist fix in his victory over Carter, who acknowledged Giardello deserved the win.

Carter's weight and activity dwindled during his final months, but he still advocated for prisoners he believed to be wrongfully convicted.

Carter wrote an opinion essay for the New York Daily News in February, arguing vehemently for the release of David McCallum, convicted of a kidnapping and murder in 1985. Carter also briefly mentioned his health, saying he was "quite literally on my deathbed."

"Now I'm looking death straight in the eye," Carter wrote. "He's got me on the ropes, but I won't back down."

The salary range for the new full-time position is $32,000 to $51,000.

ERVING — The Franklin County community of Erving, home to one of the region's smallest full-time police departments, is looking to add an officer to the town payroll.

With only eight officers, half of whom are part-timers, the department is seeking to hire a new full-time officer for a 40-hour-a-week post.

A job description indicates the new hire would be assigned primarily to the department's third shift, which includes weekends.

The salary range is $32,000 to $51,000 annually, plus benefits.

Applicants must be high school graduates and Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council graduates. An Associates degree is preferred, according to the job description.

A resume, cover letter and references must be received by Chief Christopher M. Blair at the Erving Police Department, 71 French King Highway, Erving, MA, 01344, by no later than 5 p.m. on April 25.

In other news, Erving police are warning residents to use caution after a Prospect Street resident found a package of syringes while raking leaves in her yard.

 

"Unfortunately, we have seen a rise in drug use throughout Franklin County. The use of heroin and other illegal substances has increase tremendously," the department said in a Facebook post, warning people not to touch such items if they're found.

"An accidental prick of a used needle can transmit disease and infection," police said.

A resident reportedly received a phone call from someone pretending to be a Springfield police officer, who allegedly requested bail money to be wired via a prepaid debit card.

 

The "officer" requested money to be wired through a prepaid debit card for bail purposes, according to a post on the Hampden Police Department's Facebook page.

"We have confirmed that the name of the officer given does not work for the Springfield Police Department," Hampden police officials said. "Should you receive a call like this, do not forward money as requested and report the call to our department."

Hampden police can be reached at (413) 566-8011.

Well over 150,000 tourists -- Romans and pilgrims, young and old -- turned out for the Mass that Francis celebrated at an altar set up under a canopy on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica.

VATICAN CITY -- Marking Christianity's most hopeful day, Pope Francis made an Easter Sunday plea for peace and dialogue in Ukraine and Syria, for an end to terrorist attacks against Christians in Nigeria and for more attention to the hungry and neediest close to home.

Well over 150,000 tourists -- Romans and pilgrims, young and old -- turned out for the Mass that Francis celebrated at an altar set up under a canopy on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica.

So great were their numbers that they overflowed from sprawling St. Peter's Square, which was bedecked with row after row of potted daffodils, sprays of blue hyacinths and bunches of white roses. Waving flags from the pope's native Argentina as well as from Brazil, Mexico, Britain, Poland and many other countries, they also filled the broad boulevard leading from the square to the Tiber River.

Easter is the culmination of Holy Week and marks Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion.

Francis noted that this year the Catholic church's celebration of Easter coincided with that of Orthodox churches, which have many followers in Ukraine.

Francis prayed that God would "enlighten and inspire the initiatives that promote peace in Ukraine, so that all those involved, with the support of the international community, will make every effort to prevent violence."

In eastern Ukraine, the holiday was marred by a deadly shooting Sunday fueled by tensions between pro-Russian supporters in the east and those loyal to an interim government in Kiev. The clash appeared to defy an international agreement reached last week in hopes of ending months of unrest.

Francis also prayed that all sides in Syria will be moved to "boldly negotiate the peace long awaited and long overdue." Syria has been wracked by a three-year civil war that has cost 150,000 lives and forced millions to flee the country.

Christians make up about 5 percent of Syria's population. In comments to mark Easter there, the Greek Orthodox patriarch vowed that Christians there "will not submit" to extremists who attack "our people and holy places."

Francis makes a pilgrimage to Jordan, the Palestinian territories and Israel next month, so on Easter he prayed that hopes sparked by the resumption of Mideast peace negotiations will be sustained.

Thousands of pilgrims from around the world flocked to the celebrate Easter in the Holy Land, where Christian communities, as well as elsewhere in the Middle East, have been declining as the faithful flee regional turmoil.

Francis also spoke of those suffering in Africa from an epidemic of deadly Ebola and urged a halt to "brutal terrorist attacks" in parts of Nigeria.

Nigerians marked Easter with heightened security against a spreading Islamic uprising, mourning the deaths of 75 bomb blast victims and fearful of the fate of 85 abducted schoolgirls. The homegrown terror network Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for last week's rush-hour explosion in the capital, Abuja, and threatened more attacks.

In Venezuela, there have been hopes Vatican mediation can help end the country's violent political unrest, and Francis urged that "hearts be turned to reconciliation and fraternal concord" there.

But Francis' Easter message also urged people to pay attention to the needy close to home. He said the "good news" of Easter's joy means "leaving ourselves behind and encountering others, being close to those crushed by life's troubles, sharing with the needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast."

He denounced the "scourge of hunger," which he said was "aggravated by conflicts and by the immense wastefulness for which we are often responsible."

Francis has set an austere tone in his papacy, forsaking an ornate apostolic palace apartment for a simple guesthouse on the Vatican grounds and rejecting limousines for regular cars.

Cheering and applauding, the crowd tried to catch a glimpse of the pontiff as he circled around in his white popemobile before going to the basilica's balcony to deliver his commentary.

Reflecting the worldwide reach of the Catholic church, faithful read aloud prayers and passages from the Bible in Hindi, French, Chinese, German, Korean, Spanish, Italian and English.

Within hours of an Easter morning shootout at a checkpoint manned by pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine, Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement blaming militant Ukrainian nationalists and Russian state television stations aired pictures of supposed proof of their involvement in the attack that left at least three people dead.

BYLBASIVKA, Ukraine -- Within hours of an Easter morning shootout at a checkpoint manned by pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine, Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement blaming militant Ukrainian nationalists and Russian state television stations aired pictures of supposed proof of their involvement in the attack that left at least three people dead.

The Ukrainian Security Service, however, said the attack was staged by provocateurs from outside the country. And the presented evidence -- particularly a pristine business card said to have been left behind by the attackers -- was met with widespread ridicule in Ukraine, where it soon had its own Twitter hashtag.

The armed clash early Sunday near the city of Slovyansk appeared to be the first since an international agreement was reached last week in Geneva to ease tensions in eastern Ukraine, where armed pro-Russia activists have seized government buildings in at least 10 cities.

Ukraine's new leaders and many in the West fear that such clashes could provide a pretext for Russia to seize more Ukrainian territory.

Russia, which annexed the Crimean Peninsula last month, has tens of thousands of troops along its border with Ukraine. Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, originally said the troops were there for military exercises, but Putin's spokesman on Saturday acknowledged that some were there because of instability in eastern Ukraine.

The self-proclaimed mayor of Slovyansk appealed to Putin on Sunday to send in peacekeeping troops to protect Russian speakers from Ukrainian nationalists.

"They want to make us slaves. They don't talk to us, but simply kill us," Vyacheslav Ponomaryov said during a news conference in Slovyansk shown on Rossiya state television.

Yuri Zhadobin, who coordinates the pro-Russia unit manning the checkpoint in the village of Bylbasivka, told The Associated Press he was with about 20 men celebrating Easter when unknown men drove up in four vehicles and opened fire about 3 a.m.

"We began to shoot back from behind the barricades and we threw Molotov cocktails at them," Zhadobin said. Two of the vehicles caught fire and the attackers fled in the other two, he said.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry's office in the eastern Donetsk region said three people died in the attack and three others were wounded. The statement said some of the attackers were also killed or wounded, but the number wasn't known. Russian state television reported that two of the attackers were killed.

In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry quickly blamed the clash on the Right Sector, a nationalist Ukrainian group that has supported the pro-Western interim government in Kiev, the capital.

But a spokesman for Right Sector, Artyom Skoropatskiy, denied any involvement in Sunday's shootout, which he called a provocation staged by Russian special services.

Ukraine's Security Service also called the attack a "cynical provocation" staged from "the outside."

Russian state and other Kremlin-friendly television channels showed pictures of items said to have been seized from the attackers and the two captured vehicles, which were pockmarked by bullets and gutted by fire. The items included weapons, ammunition, maps and the business card of Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh.

This gave rise to a flood of humorous posts on Ukrainian Twitter with the hashtag "VizitkaYarosha," or Yarosh's business card.

A man said to be a member of Right Sector and one of the attackers was later paraded before the television cameras in the custody of an insurgent wearing camouflage fatigues and a black balaclava. The man said he would advise other Right Sector activists against coming to eastern Ukraine.

"There is a war here," he said in footage broadcast by Russia's Channel One. "People here are defending their land, defending their home and their rights."

Putin has rejected claims that Russian special forces are directing or encouraging the insurgents. Putin also has said he hopes not to send troops into eastern Ukraine, but he retains the right to intervene if necessary to protect ethnic Russians living here.

Russian state media have been feeding fears among the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine that their lives are in danger because of the Right Sector.

"See what is happening?" asked Andrei Zarubin, 30, who came to the Bylbasivka checkpoint Sunday afternoon to replace those who had come under attack. "We hope that Russia will help, that Russia will protect us. Who else can we turn to for help?"

The Russian Foreign Ministry statement said the attack "proves the unwillingness of the Ukrainian authorities to restrain and disarm the nationalists and extremists."

After last week's talks in Geneva, top diplomats from Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the European Union called for an array of actions, including the disarming of militant groups and the freeing of public buildings taken over by insurgents.

Those terms quickly became a heated issue as pro-Russian armed groups that have seized police stations and other government buildings in eastern Ukraine said they would not vacate them unless the country's acting government resigned.

The insurgents say the Kiev authorities, who took power after pro-Russia Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February following months of protests, aim to suppress the country's Russian-speakers. Eastern Ukraine, which was Yanukovych's support base, has a substantial Russian-speaking population.

Russia also insists that the Kiev government should disarm members of the Right Sector, whose activists are occupying several buildings in the center of the capital, having turned them into makeshift offices.

The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known, but several area fire departments were assisting Holyoke firefighters at the scene.

HOLYOKE — City firefighters and crews from several other area departments were called to the scene of a Sunday morning brush fire at Mount Tom.

The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known, but crews were working in the area of the former Mount Tom Ski Area. The mountain is home to a communications tower.

Smoke was visible high in the sky above the fire, which was reported around 9:55 a.m. The online site Fireground360, which chronicles activity by regional first responders, says the fire is "significant (in) size."

The Red Cross is providing food, water and other supplies to firefighters and first responders at the scene, according to agency spokeswoman Emma Lathan.

More information will be posted on MassLive.com as it becomes available.

Intoxicated woman drives onto Longmeadow High School property, damages trees and fence.

LONGMEADOW — Police have charged 38-year-old Whitney Harrington with operating under the influence of alcohol following an accident that occurred early Sunday morning, officials said.

Harrington, of Longmeadow, was arrested after she drove off the roadway onto the athletic field at Longmeadow High School, said Longmeadow Police Lt. Gary Fontaine.

An investigation revealed that Harrington was operating on Bliss Road when her vehicle left the roadway and crashed into the fencing surrounding the new practice football field. Harrington continued to drive onto the field damaging approximately one hundred feet of fencing as well as the football field’s turf and small trees, Fontaine said.

Harrington appeared unsteady on her feet, had bloodshot eyes, was slurring her speech, and had a strong odor of alcohol on her breath when police arrived, he said.

By next Easter - if the church is successful in its plant to sell the window retire approximately $750,000 in mortgage debt - the Tiffany landscape masterpiece could be lost to the city of Northampton forever.

NORTHAMPTON — As congregants file into their pews on Easter Sunday at First Churches on the corner of Main and Center streets, they might want to fix their eyes on the Tiffany stained-glass window that graces Center Street of the sanctuary.

By next Easter – if the church is successful in its reluctant plan to sell the window to help retire approximately $750,000 in mortgage debt – the Tiffany landscape masterpiece, titled “River of Life” could be lost to the city of Northampton forever.

The sale of the window is contingent upon the church receiving permission from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, which placed a “preservation restriction” on the property in 2008 after the church accepted $70,000 from the state for repairs following a roof collapse.

Members of the congregation, numbering some 200 souls, spent months agonizing over the decision to sell the window.

“Of course I didn’t want to lose it,” said 87-year-old choir member Betty McKown, who was baptized at the church. “I’ve looked at it the longest.”

But by February, even McKown, who is the 10th generation in her family to belong to the church, came to the “heart-breaking” conclusion that losing the window was preferable to the potential of losing the church. When the congregation members votes were tallied, 56 favored selling the window, 7 favored restoring it and 5 abstained.

The 18-foot masterpiece was donated by the Parsons family as a memorial in the 1870s after the church was rebuilt following a fire. It is estimated to be worth $750,000, minus the costs of repairs by a potential buyer, but others believe that if it were restored it could command a figure of $1 million or more.

The Rev. Todd Weir, pastor of the historic First Churches, said the sale of the window will help ensure the future of the church for the next generation, noting that the upkeep on such an old historic building is never-ending.

Weir said sale of the First Churches window is expected to raise around $525,000 to $550,000 - after the expense of moving it, restoring it and replacing it are factored into the equation.

The window in First Churches is one of thousands of religiously themed pieces designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the decades around 1900. Several of the Tiffany windows can be found in Springfield, including one at the North Congregational Church on Salem Street, one at the Unitarian Church on Porter Lake Drive, and one in the Springfield Cemetery chapel, according to James Boone, a member of the Springfield Preservation Trust.

Boone said such windows are often the most valuable artistic objects in religious buildings, adding that the temptation to sell them to the highest bidder is strong as so many religious congregations face 21st century financial struggles. The windows are coveted by wealthy private buyers from around the world, he said, meaning that there is no guarantee that the windows will find their way to a museum or other public place.

The possibility of city losing the Tiffany treasure is an “outrage,” according to Northampton architect Tristam Metcalfe, whose office on Main Street has a bird’s eye view of the landmark church across the street.

“I’ve been an architect for 43 years and have seen too many sound buildings lost,” he said. “The sad truth is there is not a lot of respect for our history,” Metcalfe said, noting the demolition of perfectly good structures at the former Northampton State Hospital and other city landmarks.

Metcalfe and other preservationists including Peter B. Klejna, of Williamsburg, said they are deeply troubled about the proposed sale and argue because public monies were utilized to fund repairs, the church has an obligation to the community at large. But if the state rules in favor of the sale, the preservationists prefer that the window stay in Northampton.

Weir said, said a buyer in Northampton would be ideal. But unless some angel steps forward to buy it, preserve it and keep it in Northampton, the window could be headed to Chicago.

Weir, said the members of the congregation sought advice about the window’s sale from the then-financially struggling First Baptist Church in Brattleboro, Vt., which sold its Tiffany window depicting “St. John the Divine” in 2008.

According to Karen Davis, chairman of the board of trustees at First Baptist Church, Larchmont, N.Y., art dealer Adrian Hamers bought the window - also referred to as “St. John on Patmos” - for $85,000 and replaced it at the Vermont church with one similar to another in the sanctuary. Hamers was operating on behalf of Cameel Halim, of Evanston, Ill., who is planning to display it in an art glass museum in Chicago, she said.

That is the scenario First Churches is hoping for, pending approval from the state. The church is working on its appeal to the commission.

The Vermont Church sold its window to help sustain the church and a winter homeless shelter it runs.

First Churches also supports the homeless and other needs in the community,” Weir said. The space in the church is used by 30 different groups, including 12-step and other advocacy outreach groups.

First Churches is the name given to the church following the 1988 merger between Northampton's former First Congregational and First Baptist churches. The current downtown landmark dates back to the late 1800s.

The church is the fifth on the site. The First Meeting House was built in 1655 to accommodate the first European settlers. Fire-and-brimstone preacher Jonathan Edwards ruled the pulpit from 1727 to 1738.

While the people of Northampton celebrate the holiest day in the Christian calendar, it appears that the fate of First Churches’ Tiffany treasure remains up in the air.

Heartbreak Hill, the pinnacle of a series of hills that stretch about 4 miles through Newton, lives up to its name.

HOW HEARTBREAK GOT ITS NAME: Heartbreak Hill, the pinnacle of a series of hills that stretch about 4 miles through Newton, lives up to its name. After 16 mostly hilly miles, sore and tired thighs must now propel a racer up, up, up. It sure gets the heart pumping and can drain the best runner.

But it wasn't a physical blow that gave it its name.

During the 1936 race, hometown hero Johnny Kelley was looking for a repeat when he tangled with Ellison "Tarzan" Brown. Catching the Rhode Island phenom in the hills, Kelley patted his rival on the shoulder as he passed him on the final climb. But instead of discouraging Brown, it fired him up, and he passed Kelley. By the time they sailed past Boston College, Kelley was done. Boston Globe sportswriter Jerry Nason the next day described the defeat as "breaking Kelley's heart."

-- Rik Stevens -- https://twitter.com/RikStevensAP

Rita Jeptoo's time of 2:18:57 is a course record for the women's field.

BOSTON (AP) - Rita Jeptoo of Kenya successfully defended the Boston Marathon title she said she could not enjoy a year ago after the fatal bombings.

Jeptoo finished Monday's race in a course-record 2 hours, 18 minutes, 57 seconds. She becomes the seventh three-time Boston Marathon champion.

Jeptoo broke away from a group of five runners at the 23-mile mark. Buzunesh Deba finished second with an unofficial time of 2:19:59.

American Shalane Flanagan finished fifth after leading for more than half the race. She took a gamble by setting the early pace. She ran her first mile in 5 minutes, 11 seconds, but fell back on the Newton Hills about 21 miles into the race.

 

Shalane Flanagan of Marblehead, Mass., finished sixth in today's Boston Marathon. She ran a personal best time of 2 hours, 22 minutes and one second.

Shalane Flanagan of Marblehead, Mass., finished seventh in today's Boston Marathon. She ran a personal best time of 2 hours, 22 minutes and one second.

Despite Flanagan's lead earlier in the race, two-time Boston Marathon winner Rita Jeptoo pulled ahead of the pack around the 22-mile mark and finished first with a record-setting time.

"If I could have one wish, it would be to win this specific race on this specific day," Flanagan told NewsDay the week before the race. "It basically would be the highlight of my career, for sure. If I could win this specific Boston: It has the most power, the most meaning behind it, of all of the Boston Marathons that would be run."

An American woman has not won in Boston since 1985, when Lisa Larsen Weidenbach finished first with a time of 2 hours, 34 minutes and six seconds.

Flanagan competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, winning the bronze medal in the Women's 10,000 meter Finals. In 2011, she won an individual bronze at the IAAF World XC Championships.

 

For complete Boston Marathon coverage visit masslive.com/boston

American Meb Keflizighi wins Boston Marathon a year after bombing.

BOSTON -- American Meb Keflezighi has won the Boston Marathon, a year after a bombing at the finish line left three dead and more than 260 people injured.

Keflezighi is a former New York City Marathon champion and Olympic medalist. He ran the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to the finish on Boylston Street in Boston's Back Bay on Monday in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 37 seconds.

Keflezighi held off Wilson Chebet of Kenya who finished 11 seconds behind. The 38-year-old from San Diego looked over his shoulder several times over the final mile. After realizing he wouldn't be caught, he raised his sunglasses, began pumping his right fist and made the sign of the cross.

No U.S. runner had won the race since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach took the women's title in 1985; the last American man to win was Greg Meyer in 1983.

See more Boston Marathon photos »

For complete Boston Marathon coverage visit masslive.com/boston