Officials have broken ground on a 20,000-seat arena along the Las Vegas Strip that's expected to improve the city's chances of attracting professional sports teams.

By MICHELLE RINDELS, Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Officials have broken ground on a 20,000-seat arena along the Las Vegas Strip that's expected to improve the city's chances of attracting professional sports teams.

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather arrived at the ceremony Thursday on a construction tractor and helped turn dirt at the site while confetti rained down from above.

The project is a collaboration between casino company MGM Resorts International and sports and entertainment giant AEG.

The $375 million arena will be near the New York-New York and Monte Carlo casinos.

The privately funded project is the furthest along of several arenas proposed for Las Vegas in recent years. Mayor Carolyn Goodman has championed a 20,000-seat arena in the revitalized downtown area that would be financed with a combination of private funds and city-issued bonds.

The 12-year-old sister was taken to a hospital, and an aunt said her condition is improving.

RICHMOND, Va. -- A 16-year-old boy was charged Saturday in the assault of a young girl and the killing of her 8-year-old brother, who was apparently slain when he tried to protect her, authorities and relatives said.

The 8-year-old, Martin Cobb, was reportedly hit in the head with a brick during the attack near their home Thursday, neighbors told The Richmond Times Dispatch. Richmond Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Mary E. Langer said she could not confirm a brick was used but police told her Martin suffered severe head trauma.

The 16-year-old boy was charged with murder and strangulation, police said in a news release. Authorities said he intimidated and threatened the girl and she initially gave authorities the wrong description of her attacker. Police did not immediately return a telephone message from The Associated Press.

Authorities were not identifying the teen because of his age. The AP also generally does not identify juveniles charged with crimes.

Pitchford described Martin as warm-hearted and friendly and said he was often playing with his sister outside.

"I'm proud of him. I'm proud that he stuck up for his sister. He did what he was taught," she said.

Pastor Dr. Theodore L. Hughey of the Abundant Life church said the boy, also known as "Marty" and "Little Martin," and his sister were inseparable and "always in and out" of the church.

"You saw one. The other was there. They were never apart," Hughey said.

Hundreds of people attended a vigil for Martin on Saturday night.

"He had a heart of a lion," said neighbor Andrew Patillo. "He stood so tall, to be so small."

Before the vigil began, loved ones gathered around a sign in Martin's yard near the church. "Martin: A real hero lived, fought and died here," the sign said.

Police say they recovered a stolen .357 Magnum revolver from a New York man with a record of violent crimes.

 

Pittsfield Police said Anthony Robertson, 32, of Schenectady, was arrested after State Police relayed a call that a man with a gun was seen in front of a Pittsfield house early Saturday morning. The Berkshire Eagle reported that police found Robertson on the porch of the house when they arrived and called for him to put his hands up.

The suspect did not comply with orders and allegedly struggled with officers as they took him into custody. Police say they found a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum revolver in his waistband. A check of the weapon indicated it had been stolen from a New York residence.

Robertson was held in the Berkshire County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail pending arraignment in central Berkshire District Court Monday. He faces charges of carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, defacing a firearm serial number, resisting arrest, receiving stolen property and committing a firearm violation with a prior record of two violent crimes.

Mayweather takes a 12 round decision over Maidana

LAS VEGAS (AP) — It might have been the toughest $32 million Floyd Mayweather Jr. ever made.

Marcos Maidana did everything Saturday night but beat Mayweather, taking him 12 tough rounds before losing a majority decision.

Mayweather remained unbeaten, but not by much. Maidana swarmed all over him from the opening bell and gave him perhaps his toughest fight in a 16-year professional career.

Cut over his eye and temporarily blinded by a head butt in the fourth round, Mayweather had to rally in the last half of the fight to avoid losing for the first time since he was beaten on a controversial decision in the 1996 Olympics.

In the end, though, Mayweather got the win — just as he did in his previous 45 fights in a decision that was met with disbelief by Maidana and booed heavily by the crowd. He retained his welterweight title by winning 117-111 on one scorecard and 116-112 on another. A third judge had it even at 114-114.

The Associated Press scored it for Mayweather 115-113.

Maidana threw far more punches, but Mayweather was more accurate with his as the two battled into the late rounds with the fight still very much in doubt. Cheered on by a large contingent of Argentine fans, Maidana took the fight to Mayweather, who was cut by the right eye in the fourth round by an accidental head butt.

"It was a tough, competitive fight," Mayweather said. "I normally like to go out there and box and move. But he put pressure on me. I wanted to give the fans what they wanted to see so I stood and fought him.

Maidana raised his arms in victory when the final bell sounded, and Mayweather watched pensively from his corner as the scorecards were added up before he was declared the winner.

"I think I won the fight," Maidana said. "He didn't fight like a man."

Punch stats by Compubox showed Mayweather landing 230 of 426 punches to 221 of 858 for Maidana. It was the most punches landed by any fighter against Mayweather in 38 fights where punch stats were compiled.

Maidana had a big lead in the early rounds through his constant aggression. But Mayweather won five of the last seven rounds on two scorecards and six of seven on a third to pull out the win by a narrow margin.

"I couldn't see for two rounds after the head butt," Mayweather said. "After I could see again it didn't both me. That's what champions do, they survive and adjust."

Maidana had said before the fight he was going to treat Mayweather like any other fighter and go right after him. He did just that, bringing the sellout crowd at the MGM Grand hotel to its feet as he landed some big overhand right hands to the top of Mayweather's head.

"He never hurt me with a punch," Maidana said. "He wasn't that tough, I thought I won."

Maidana complained about being forced to fight with gloves he didn't want to use when the two camps engaged in a standoff over gloves at the rules meeting a day earlier.

"If I would have had my gloves I would have knocked him out," Maidana said. "They took away my advantage."

Mayweather, who earned $32 million for the fight, was a 6-1 favorite coming to remain unbeaten. He had picked Maidana as an opponent because Maidana beat Adrien Broner in an upset in December, but he almost made the wrong pick.

Mayweather seemed confused early and unable to adapt to the wild punches thrown by Maidana. It wasn't until the middle rounds that he got into more of a rhythm, hitting Maidana with hooks to the body and right punches to the head.

Still, the fight was in doubt late as Maidana wouldn't quit coming forward. With the crowd on its feet in the final round he tried to land big punches, but Mayweather was able to escape most of them.

Maidana, who was cheered by the crowd as he left the ring, said he wanted a rematch, and both promoter Richard Schaefer and Mayweather said he just might get one after nearly pulling off one of the biggest upsets in recent years.

"If the fans want to see it again, let's do it again," Mayweather said.

School Committee member Christopher Collins, chairman of the finance committee for the board, said the budget represents about a 2 percent increase over the fiscal year 2014, which ends June 30.

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield School Committee will hold a public hearing on its proposed $440 million budget for fiscal year 2015 at 6.p.m. on Monday in the library at Central High School.

School Committee member Christopher Collins, chairman of the finance committee for the board, said the budget represents about a 2 percent increase over the fiscal year 2014, which ends June 30. He said the state increase was less than 1 percent this year.

Collins said there are no layoffs in the budget, although some positions have been cut through attrition.

“We created enough efficiencies that we don’t have to resort to layoffs,” he said on Friday.

Typically public attendance is sparse at budget hearings, but the public is welcome, he said.

The School Committee is expected to take its final vote on the budget later this month. The budget will be incorporated with the city's budget. The combined budget will then go to the Springfield City Council for a vote.

The Springfield school system serves 26,000 students and has about 2,600 teachers.

A wounded man led police on a car chase, but police are still not sure where or how he was shot.

SPRINGFIELD— A man witnesses said took a shot from his car Sunday morning, then led police on a short car chase, is being treated for a gunshot wound and police are trying to piece together exactly what happened.

Springfield Police Lt. Thomas Maccini said police received a call at approximately 2:07 a.m. reporting a single shot had been fired from a car in front of the Kickback Lounge at 1534 State Street. Police were able to find the car and gave chase. The driver led officers through city streets for several minutes, eventually stopping in front of 56 Colonial Ave.

Once the car was stopped, police discovered the driver, also the man identified by witnesses as shooting the one round earlier, had a gunshot wound to his right buttock or upper thigh. He was taken to the Baystate Medical Center by ambulance.

Police searched the area of the original shooting and along the route of the chase for a weapon or evidence of a firearm, but so far have not found the gun allegedly used, Maccini said.

The Kickback Lounge has been the scene of other shooting and gun related crimes in the past. In 2011 a Springfield man was convicted of firearms charges following a July 2010 incident in which he pulled a gun and shot at a cab driver following a dispute over a fare. Just a month earlier, a patron of the club was robbed at gunpoint on the front porch of the lounge as a security camera recorded the incident.

Maccini said the wounded driver and a passenger in the car during the Sunday morning incident are not cooperating with police.

Almost half the students attending public schools are minorities, yet fewer than 1 in 5 of their teachers is nonwhite.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. teachers are nowhere near as diverse as their students.

Almost half the students attending public schools are minorities, yet fewer than 1 in 5 of their teachers is nonwhite.

New studies from the Center for American Progress and the National Education Association are calling attention to this "diversity gap" at elementary and secondary schools in the United States. The groups want more to be done to help teachers more accurately mirror the students in their classrooms.

Teachers are always pushing their students to excel, said Kevin Gilbert, coordinator of teacher leadership and special projects for the Clinton Public School District in Clinton, Mississippi.

It becomes easier for students to believe "when they can look and see someone who looks just like them, that they can relate to," said Gilbert, a member of the NEA's executive committee. "Nothing can help motivate our students more than to see success standing right in front of them."

More than minority students would benefit from a more diverse teacher corps, said Ulrich Boser, the author of the center's report.

"Even in a place like North Dakota, where the students aren't particularly diverse relative to the rest of the country, it's important for our social fabric, for our sense as a nation, that students are engaging with people who think, talk and act differently than them but can also be just as effective at raising student achievement in the classroom," he said.

There were about 3.3 million teachers in American public elementary and secondary schools in 2012, according to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics. It said 82 percent were white, 8 percent were Hispanic, 7 percent were black and about 2 percent were Asian.

Students are a different story. In 1993, minority students made up 31 percent of the public school population; it was 41 percent in 2003.

The Center for American Progress' most recent statistics show 48 percent of the students in public schools are nonwhite -- 23 percent Hispanic, 16 percent black and 5 percent Asian -- and that percentage is expected to continue to increase.

"We project that this fall, for the first time in American history, the majority of public school students in America will be nonwhite," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said last week.

Hispanics have passed blacks as the largest minority group of teachers, just as there are more Hispanic students than African-Americans in the public school system. This tracks with the increases in the number of Hispanics in the United States, with Latinos the largest minority group in the country and the fastest-growing.

Jan Alderson, a science teacher at Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, Kansas, saw the changes at her school.

"We have very few teachers of minority background yet we've gone to about 40 percent minority population," said Alderson, who was inducted into the National Teacher Hall of Fame this past week. "It's a beautiful blending, it's just teachers who don't have that cultural background, I think just that there are more issues."

Teaching used be one of the only professions African-American college graduates could aspire to and make decent money, said LaRuth Gray, who is scholar-in-residence at the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools at New York University.

But as the county integrated and other professions opened their ranks, education lost its "cachet" and fewer African-American students thought about becoming teachers, she said.

"It's not seen as the ideal careers to have, and so therefore our youngsters, our black children tend to move in other directions," said Gray, who also serves as a government liaison for the National Alliance of Black School Educators.

It will take political will to change those numbers, advocates say. Most states already have programs and policies intended to increase the number of minority teachers, "but the yield of new teachers of color is disappointing," the NEA report said.

The victim showed up at Holyoke Medical Center for treatment of an apparent stab wound shortly before 3:30 a.m. Sunday.

Republican file photo 

The injured person arrived at the hospital shortly before 3:30 a.m., according to initial police reports. Authorities were still trying to sort out details of the incident, which remains under investigation.

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

Heidi and Andrew Cheerman praised Close for his calm, professional demeanor as the trooper helped Heidi deliver the Sharon couple's second child.

BOSTON — The state trooper who helped deliver a baby near the base of Boston's Longfellow Bridge on Friday has won the admiration of a Sharon couple, who couldn't make it to a nearby city hospital in time and were forced to make a roadside delivery.

Heidi and Andrew Cheerman told the Boston Globe they teared up when Trooper Michael Close stopped by Massachusetts General Hospital later on Friday to check on their baby girl, Alanna Juliet, whom Close had helped deliver earlier that day on a sidewalk near Charles Circle.

"He was just so amazing and calm. We are forever grateful," Heidi Cheerman told the newspaper, adding that she hopes to keep in touch with the trooper.

Close was working a paid detail at Charles Circle around 5:15 a.m. Friday when the Cheermans, who were already en route to the hospital, stopped and approached him.

"I got out of the car, pulled down my pants, and lay on the sidewalk," Heidi Cheerman told the Globe.

Without skipping a beat, Close, who could see the baby crowning, retrieved a medical bag, towels and blankets from his cruiser and proceeded to deliver the child. EMS arrived on scene and took the mother and baby to nearby Mass General.

This was Close's first delivery, according to State Police officials from the Milton barracks, where Close is stationed.

Sometimes roadside deliveries are unavoidable, according to Sgt. Mike Rafferty.
"I think Trooper Close did a fine job," Rafferty told the Globe.

Mass General posted Twitter photos of Close and the Cheerman family.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Dean McCool 

Dean Henry McCool, 54, passed away on Tuesday. He graduated from Holyoke High School in 1977 then joined the U.S. Army, where he served as a combat engineer. He was an employee of Pratt & Whitney, where he had his dream job as a lead design draftsman. He enjoyed taking road trips and finding long twisting roads through the mountains in his fun car, an MX5 Roadster.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is set to hear arguments in a case centered on whether a question should be allowed on the November ballot asking voters if they want the state's 2011 casino law repealed. The court is expected to issue a decision by July.

By PHILIP MARCELO, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — The fate of casino gambling in Massachusetts may hinge on a case before the state's highest court Monday.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is set to hear arguments in a case centered on whether a question should be allowed on the November ballot asking voters if they want the state's 2011 casino law repealed. The court is expected to issue a decision by July.

If allowed on the ballot, the referendum could upend the state's ongoing casino licensing process.

Gambling giants MGM, Wynn, Mohegan Sun and others have expressed concern they could lose millions of dollars they've invested in the planning, development and promotion of their proposals if the referendum prevails. They also argue the state risks losing much more.

"Jobs certainty and billions of dollars in economic development hang in the balance," said Carole Brennan, a spokeswoman for MGM, which has proposed an $800 million casino project in downtown Springfield. "The Gaming Act allows for the creation of more than 10,000 jobs and the recapture of billions of dollars in tax revenues that are currently leaving the state. It doesn't make sense to forgo those opportunities."

State Attorney General Martha Coakley, a Democrat running for governor this year, has ruled that the question violates the state constitution and shouldn't be allowed on the ballot.

Specifically, Coakley's office argues that the question could cause casino developers to lose property without being compensated for it, which referendums are not permitted to do under Massachusetts law. Casino and slot parlor developers, it argues, have "an implied contractual right" to see the application process play out since they have collectively spent about $4.4 million in state fees and $4.2 million more in related costs.

The Repeal the Casino Deal anti-casino group that petitioned for the referendum countered that, saying the state and its residents have the right to revisit and revise laws impacting "public morals and welfare" at any time.

"It's not like we're shut out forever if we lose the case," said John Ribeiro, a Winthrop resident who chairs the group. "No state can contract away its rights to police itself. ... The legislature could make casino gambling illegal tomorrow if it so chooses. ... The people have the same power through the petition process."

Groups on both sides of the casino debate have weighed in on the case.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and other city residents say in legal documents that a statewide referendum would encroach on a decision already made by city voters last year. Springfield residents approved an agreement with MGM that calls for the company to pay more than $15 million in upfront payments, followed by annual payments of more than $25 million to the city once the casino opens.

Local chambers of commerce and other business groups argued that a "sudden about-face" on the casino issue would have a "negative, ripple effect" on the state's business climate.

Groups ranging from the Washington, D.C.-based Stop Predatory Gambling to a coalition of local faith-based organizations, meanwhile, have expressed their support for the referendum. They have filed documents with the court that say voters should not be denied the opportunity to weigh in on an industry that could have "grave implications" for residents, communities and public health.

Ribeiro acknowledges the repeal effort has a long way to go, even if the court ultimately allows the referendum on the ballot. Supporters of the referendum would likely need a costly public relations campaign to fight deep-pocketed casino operators and their supporters in the months leading up to the November election. As of Dec. 31, the anti-casino group had just $7,700 in its campaign coffers, after raising $175,476 and spending $167,709 in 2013.

Ribeiro said advocates are optimistic, however, that public opinion is shifting in their favor.

He referred to a March poll by WBUR-FM, a public radio station in Boston, which found that 46 percent supported casino gambling while 43 percent were opposed. That's a change from January, when a WBUR poll found 53 percent in favor and 39 percent opposed.

"We're not going away. We know that much," Ribeiro said. "There's not anybody involved in this that's prepared to throw their hands up."

Adams was expected to be released at about 3 p.m. Sunday without any charges, a police source has told the Associated Press.

BELFAST — Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was released from police custody without charges at about 1 p.m. Sunday, according to a tweet from the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

The message from the police agency states only that a "65-year-old man" arrested by detectives for questioning in connection with the 1972 murder of Jean McConville was "released pending a report to the PPS (Public Prosecution Service)." However, news reports in Ireland, Britain and the U.S. have widely confirmed that the individual in question is Adams, an elected member of the Irish parliament.

A senior Northern Ireland police official confirmed to the Associated Press that Adams would be released from custody today, but he spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to disclose the information before its official announcement.

Ireland's RTE News said no apparent efforts were made to extend Adams' current incarceration for additional questioning in connection with the abduction and murder of McConville, a mother of 10 who was accused by the Irish Republican Army of spying for Britain.

Police were granted extra time to question Adams, but that extension was set to expire at about 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. But after Adams was held for five days for questioning in connection with the decades-old killing, no apparent preparations were made to petition the courts for more time, according to RTE.

The police source told the AP that authorities would send a file of evidence for potential charges to British prosecutors.

Adams was arrested Wednesday by members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland for questioning in connection with the murder of McConville. Adams, Belfast commander of the IRA at the time of her disappearance, has been implicated by former IRA colleagues as the person who ordered McConville's killing. Adams denies the allegations.

Meanwhile, Gerry Kelly, a senior Sinn Fein member and an elected representative to the Northern Ireland Assembly, said he's worried about the impact of Adams' arrest on the fragile peace process in the North, where Catholics and Protestants have enjoyed several years of relative peace and prosperity with no daily paramilitary violence.

The extension of Adams' detention was "political" in nature, Kelly told the Irish Times. Adams is "worried about the damage it may be doing to the image of policing," Kelly told the Dublin-based newspaper.

The PSNI, as the North's police force is commonly called, replaced the heavily Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary in 2001. Many Catholics feared and hated the RUC, which had ties to Protestant paramilitary groups responsible for killing Catholic civilians.

Catholics long viewed the RUC as a biased police force with a history of bigotry toward the North's minority Catholic community. The PSNI has attempted to recruit local Catholics to its ranks, but the force is still overwhelmingly Protestant.

A platform collapsed during an aerial hair-hanging stunt at a circus performance Sunday, sending eight entertainers plummeting to the ground. Nine were seriously injured in the fall, including a dancer below.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A platform collapsed during an aerial hair-hanging stunt at a circus performance Sunday, sending eight entertainers plummeting to the ground. Nine were seriously injured in the fall, including a dancer below.

The accident was reported at about 11:45 a.m. during the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus' Legends show at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence.

Stephen Payne, a spokesman for Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros., said eight of the injured acrobats fell 25 to 40 feet.

Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare said officials and inspectors haven't yet determined what caused the accident. He said none of the injuries appears to be life-threatening.

Roman Garcia, general manager of the show, said the accident occurred during the "hair hang" act in which the performers hang from their hair.

Sydney Bragg, 14, of North Kingstown, said the collapse happened about 90 minutes into the show. She said the platform began to fall as it neared the rafters of the arena. At first, she said, she thought it was part of the act.

"It just went crashing down," Sydney said. "Everyone was freaking out. We heard this huge clatter and then we just heard the girls scream."

She said spotlights were on the performers at the time, but all the lights went out after the fall.

Rosa Viveiros of Seekonk, Mass., said the act was covered by a curtain. Shortly after the curtain was pulled away, she said, the performers fell on top of at least one other performer below, a man who stood up with his face bloodied.

The Dunkin' Donuts Center said two shows scheduled for later Sunday and two others Monday are on hold.

An officer attempted to pull over a driver on Chapman Street late Saturday afternoon, but the motorist refused to stop and fled at a high rate of speed, according to Greenfield police, who are asking anyone with information to call them at (413) 773-5411.

 

The incident happened shortly before 5:30 p.m., when police attempted to pull over a man for an alleged traffic violation on Chapman Street.

The motorist refused to stop, however, and "drove away at a very high rate of speed on Davis Street in an attempt to elude capture," police said in a post on the department's Facebook page.

The vehicle was later found abandoned in the parking lot of a downtown business, police said. Authorities searched for the suspect in the area where he was last seen running, but they were unable to find him.

Meanwhile, city police officials praised members of the public who called or spoke with investigating officers to tell them what they saw. "Their assistance was invaluable, and we are confident that we will identify the operator very soon," the Facebook message states.

Police said the recovered vehicle was "safely secured," but they didn't release any further information, including whether the car was reported stolen.

Greenfield officers were assisted by Montague police and K-9 units from the Franklin County Sheriffs Office and the Massachusetts State Police.

Greenfield police are asking anyone with information about this incident to call them at (413) 773-5411.

Playing for one run left Boston one run short against Oakland.

BOSTON-Small ball came up insufficiently small for a Red Sox team that finds itself trying to create runs, even in a ballpark known to historically favor their power.

"It was a day we tried to manufacture either the tying or winning run,'' manager John Farrell said after Sunday's maddening 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park.

Losing this one cost the Red Sox a series sweep, their first three-game winning streak of the season and a chance to lift their record to .500. The way it was lost left Farrell to explain his strategy, which he did with no evidence of regret.

"We were looking to execute a safety squeeze, but the ball didn't get to an area where we thought we could advance,'' he said, recalling a bunt to the mound in the seventh by Jackie Bradley Jr.

Coming with runners on second and third and one out, the bunt froze Xander Bogaerts at third. When Dustin Pedroia grounded out, a chance to break a 2-2 tie had been lost.

Farrell defended the move, noting that Bradley was facing Fernando Abad in a lefty-lefty matchup. Mike Napoli was available to pinch-hit, but Farrell said he didn't want to lose Bradley's outfield defense, and also because the wind currents did not favor Napoli's power.

Trailing 3-2 in the 10th, Bradley was up again with Will Middlebrooks on second and no out. This time, Bradley was facing right-handed closer Jim Johnson, but Farrell had him bunt, anyway.

Bradley failed to execute, fell behind 0-2 and slapped a grounder to first base. Middlebrooks was thrown out trying to advance to third.

"Jackie has shown the ability to get the bunt down,'' Farrell said in defense of the ploy. He said that with Pedroia and Shane Victorino due up, the Red Sox would have had an excellent chance to drive in a man from third.

The sequences are bound to raise questions of whether Farrell is losing faith in Bradley's ability to hit, certainly against quality pitching or against left-handers. The centerfielder is batting .215.

Red Sox fans with long memories remember the 1970s, when Boston's lineup featured Rick Burleson, Jerry Remy and seven sluggers aiming for the fences. That is not the case with a 2014 team that is hitting .244, and will probably need to manufacture runs.

The question now is whether enough players on hand are suited to do it. Pedroia and Victorino have small-ball skills, and if Bradley is to make it in the majors, he will need to exhibit those abilities as well.

Farrell seemed at peace with his decisions. When was in Toronto, though, he was often second-guessed for playing too much small-ball and sometimes running or managing his team out of innings.

In Sunday's loss, Jonathan Herrera was thrown out stealing to end the eighth inning with A.J. Pierzynski at bat. Pierzynski was facing a disadvantageous matchup against left-hander Sean Doolittle, but he had homered over the bullpen against righty starter Sonny Gray in the sixth.

Even Pierzynski got into the small-ball act. The lumbering catcher put down a very good bunt to open the ninth, but was thrown out.

The Red Sox are 2-6 in one-run games, where small-ball is most likely to make a difference. That does not including a 6-4, 14-inning with against the White Sox in Chicago.

The accident is investigated by Sturbridge Police and the Central Mass Law Enforcement Crash Reconstruction Unit.

STURBRIDGE – A Palmer woman was killed in a two-car collision, shortly after midnight Sunday morning on Route 148.

Deborah Parker, 58, of 1063 Park St., Palmer, was seriously injured in the accident. A LifeFlight helicopter was flown from the University of Massachusetts Medical Center to the Tantasqua Regional High School field. Medical personnel from the helicopter treated Parker at the scene. She was then brought to the Harrington Memorial Hospital in Southbridge by ambulance, Police Lt. Earl Dessert said.

She was declared dead at the hospital, Dessert said.

A preliminary investigation shows that Parker was driving a 2012 Ford Fusion south on Route 148, also known as Brookfield Road, when she crossed the center line and hit a 2002 Chevrolet. The driver of the second car, Ryan Fabrycki, 22 and his passenger, Conor Fabrycki, 21, both of 20 North Drive in Sturbridge, were not seriously injured and were treated at the scene, Dessert said.

The two brothers were wearing their seatbelts, Parker was not, he said.

The accident is being investigated by Sturbridge Police Officer Jeffrey Lavallee and the Central Mass Law Enforcement Crash Reconstruction Unit, Dessert said.

The Sturbridge Fire Department assisted at the scene, using the Jaws of Life to free Parker from her vehicle. Brookfield Fire Department transported the medical team from the school to the accident scene.

Two of the acrobats were in critical condition Monday. Family members say their injuries included a pierced liver and neck and back fractures. Stephen Payne, a spokesman for Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros., said none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.

This updates a story published 7 hours earlier.


By ERIKA NIEDOWSKI and MICHELLE R. SMITH

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A carabiner is the only piece of equipment investigators have found that failed in a circus accident in which eight aerial acrobats plummeted to the ground, a public safety official said Monday.

Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare stopped short of saying the broken carabiner was the cause of Sunday's accident at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circus. He said federal workplace safety investigators were trying to determine why it snapped.

"We don't know if it was metal fatigue, if it wasn't properly positioned or something else," he added. "We just don't know."

The 4- to 5-inch steel clip was one of several pieces at the top of a chandelier-like apparatus that suspended the performers in the air, fire officials said at a news conference. The clip was found in three pieces on the ground with its spine snapped.

Two of the acrobats were in critical condition Monday. Family members say their injuries included a pierced liver and neck and back fractures. Stephen Payne, a spokesman for Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros., said none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.

"We are hopeful that all of these performers will achieve a full recovery and be able to return to the show at some point," Payne said. A dancer who was on the ground was also injured and released from the hospital Sunday, he said.

The circus said the women are from the United States, Brazil, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

The father of one of the women, Widny Neves, said his daughter broke her right arm and suffered back and neck fractures. Roitner Neves said Widny, who had been traveling with the circus for more than four years, was the in the center of the apparatus and upside-down when it fell.

"It was like a plunge into darkness," he said.

She is 25 and from Joinville, Brazil, where her family owns a circus academy.

"In this profession, you run the risk of being injured," he said. "It's like being a race car driver or a gymnast. There's always the risk."

Two women were listed in critical condition by Rhode Island Hospital, Dayana Costa and Julissa Segrera. Costa's cousin told Brazil's TV Globo's G1 internet news portal that she had undergone surgery in her back.

Another injured acrobat, Stefany Neves, fractured both her ankles and had her liver pierced by her ribs, her sister Renata Neves told the same news outlet. She was listed in serious condition.

Investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration were leading the investigation.

The accident at the Dunkin' Donuts Center was witnessed by an audience of about 3,900, many of them children.

The performers — called "hairialists" by the circus — hang "like a human chandelier" using their hair during the act. The performance is supposed to include choreography as well as spinning, hanging from hoops and rolling down wrapped silks while suspended 25 to 40 feet up.

Video taken by audience members shows a curtain dropping to reveal the eight women hanging from a metal apparatus suspended from above. Seconds later, as they begin to perform, the women fall, and the apparatus lands on them.

The hair-hanging stunt is described on the circus' website as being the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Andrey and Viktoriya Medeiros. Viktoriya Medeiros is among the injured.

Payne said the equipment has been used dozens of times per week since the beginning of the year, and that a circus crew had installed it last week. The crew also inspects it, he said, and performers generally check their own rigging.

Paul Doughty, of the Providence Fire Department, said on Monday that circus officials told investigators they had done a visual inspection of the carabiner before the show. He said the carabiner, which was hooked into various other pieces of equipment, could have had a weakness that was not apparent. He did not know how old it was or how many times it had been used.

State and city officials have no role in inspecting such equipment, they said.

Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare told WPRO-AM on Monday that the clamp that held the performers to the rafters failed.

No appointment is needed for Ward 3 residents to meet with the elected officials.

HOLYOKE -- Ward 3's representatives on the City Council and School Committee will hold office hours to hear residents' concerns Wednesday (May 7) from 4 to 5 p.m. at Metcalf School, 2019 Northampton St.

"The public is welcome. No need for an appointment, please come with questions or concerns," Ward 3 Councilor David K. Bartley said in an email.

The Ward 3 School Committee member is Dennis W. Birks Jr.

A neighborhood crime watch meeting normally would be held from 5 to 6 p.m. at the site but the official leading such meetings, Glen Sexton of the Hampden Sheriff's Department , was unavailable, Bartley said.

The next monthly meeting is scheduled for June 4 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Metcalf, Bartley said.

Bartley can be reached at (413) 531-2213 and at BartleyforWard3@gmail.com.

Birks can be reached at (413) 335-5547 and at dbirks18@comcast.net.

The walk-in clinic at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has seen 25 patients since opening Wednesday, Berkshire Medical Center said.

NORTH ADAMS - Northern Berkshire County can financially support a full-service hospital, according to a forthcoming report from the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the National Nurses United.

The union, which represents about 100 of the nearly 500 people who lost jobs when North Adams Regional Hospital shut down March 28, said it has recently completed a financial analysis of North Adams Regional Hospital parent Northern Berkshire Health System.

The union plans to release its findings 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, at a regular community meeting at the American Legion Hall 81 American Legion Drive, North Adams. There have been regular community meetings every Tuesday night since the hospital closed.

After years of financial hardship, North Adams Regional Hospital closed March 28 with just three days notice leaving more than 38,000 people living in the region without a hospital. Nearest emergency rooms are more than 30 minutes away by ambulance, either to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield or to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington.

At this point, Berkshire Medical Center parent Berkshire Health Systems has plans to buy the former North Adams Regional Hospital and a medical office building for a total of $4 million. Berkshire Medical Center plan to reopen the emergency room the week of May 19 and has said imaging services, x-rays and the like, could be the next to reopen. But beyond that, Berkshire Medical Center hasn't committed to restarting other services beyond the emergency room, though.

Berkshire Medical Center has already opened a walk-in center on the campus of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts to meet the need for health care before the emergency room can reopen the week of May 19.

Since opening last Wednesday the clinic has served 25 customers, said Michael Leary, director of medical relations for Berkshire Health Systems.

Leary couldn't go into detail because of patient confidentiality, but Leary said those cases involved throat and other infections, minor cuts and abrasions, minor joint sprains, cold/ and flu-like illness. The walk-in clinic has into resulted in a discernible drip in visits to the Berklshrei Medical Center emergency room.

The consultant will help design and conduct a testing and ranking process for candidates for two vacant deputy chief positions in the Police Department.

John BarbieriFile photo / The Republican 

SPRINGFIELD – The city plans to hire a consultant to aid incoming Police Commissioner John Barbieri in filling two vacant deputy chief positions by creating a system to test and rank candidates.

The consultant will design and conduct a comprehensive “assessment center” process in Springfield, according to a request for consultant proposals.

Three of the four deputy chief positions in Springfield will be vacant on June 1, but the city is filling just two of those vacancies, said William Mahoney, the city's director of human resources.

Under the assessment center system, the top-scoring candidates would be forwarded to Barbieri for his review and selections

"The testing process can have multiple components, rather than a standard civil service examination," Mahoney said.

Barbieri, as police commissioner and the appointing authority, will have the authority to select from the top five candidates for the two vacant positions, Mahoney said.

Barbieri is slated to become police commissioner June 1, vacating his current position as deputy chief. Two other positions are vacant due to the retirement of Kevin Dudley in March of 2013, and the retirement of Robert McFarlin in March.

Barbieri is set to replace current Commissioner William Fitchet on June 1, as Fitchet retires.

The assessment center process was also used in 2008 when Fitchet selected four deputy chiefs.

Once Barbieri becomes police commissioner, the city will have one deputy chief, William Cochrane, who will remain a deputy under Barbieri.

The assessment center process has been used by some communities in the selection of police and fire chiefs, but was not used in the selection of Springfield’s past or current police commissioner. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno selected Barbieri after interviewing the three deputy chiefs as the sole candidates considered for the job.

The current advertisement for a consultant was launched last month, and proposals are due by Thursday at 2 p.m., at the city’s Office of Procurement. The consultant chosen must design, oversee and conduct the assessment center, including all reviews and notifications.

In 2008, Fitchet appointed McFarlin, Dudley, Cochrane and Barbieri as his permanent deputy chiefs, some already serving in that position on an acting basis.

The city then used a two-day assessment center process conducted by an independent panel of experts to test and rank candidates. Under Civil Service rules, Fitchet was required to choose one deputy from among the top three scores, one from among the top five and the others from the entire field of eight.

The assessment center process created some controversy when it was used in 1995, playing a role in the hiring of former Police Chief Paula Meara. The process was challenged then by some officers, but was upheld by the state Civil Service Commission and by a Superior Court ruling years later.

Some critics argued at the time that the process used was too subjective, including the use of role-playing to test how the chief candidates would react to hypothetical situations.