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Former Holyoke provisional fire chief William Moran, city sued for $257,000 over accident after fake emergency call

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William Moran wanted to be Holyoke fire chief permanently, but was forced to retire in November 2011.

HOLYOKE — The prank phone call that helped bring down a mayor in 2011 continues to haunt the city.

Marilyn Garcia, of Agawam, has filed a lawsuit (see document at end of this article) against the city and William P. Moran, former provisional fire chief, in relation to injuries she said she suffered in a car accident connected to Moran having dispatched a truck to a fake emergency to teach a few firefighters a lesson.

Garcia filed the suit June 10 in Hampden County Superior Court in Springfield and names the city and Moran as defendants.

She is seeking payment of $257,667 to cover pain and suffering that included torso burns, a left knee injury, injury to lumbar spine and pain, numbness and dysfunction in lower extremities, according to the suit.

The accident on June 15, 2011 just before 12:30 p.m. on Homestead Avenue near Pynchon Road left Garcia to suffer "great pain of body and anguish of mind, substantial expenses for medical care and attention, a diminution in her capacity to earn, and disabilities from her normal daily activities," according to the suit.

Moran "negligently and wrongfully dispatched a fire truck for an emergency that did not exist," the suit said.

The city was negligent and "breached its duty of care" by failing to warn motorists that fire trucks would be entering the road from Station 6 at 640 Homestead Ave., the suit said.

Moran, who briefly considered running for mayor last year, couldn't immediately be reached for comment. He retired in November 2011.

Sara Carroll, staff attorney in the city Law Department, said she was unable to comment until she could discuss what the city's position will be on Garcia's suit with Mayor Alex B. Morse.

City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain, a lawyer, said lawyers will have to explore whether the city must represent Moran in the suit in relation to his having been a city employee at the time the incident occurred.

In a May 2013 interview at the Friendly's on Northampton Street, Moran said he regretted making the phone call that cost him the job he loved. But he said one bad decision shouldn't be all that defines him or negate the positives of his 28-year career in firefighting.

Former Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni sought a criminal complaint against Moran because he said sending a fire truck on a fake call jeopardized public safety.

Moran admitted April 5, 2012 in Springfield District Court there were sufficient facts to prove the charge he made the false fire call and he agreed to pay $500 in restitution.

Former Mayor Elaine A. Pluta said publicity about Moran's fake phone call damaged her re-election chances. After serving one two-year term, she lost to Morse, who began his second term in January.

Pluta, in the days after the November 2011 election, said she lost to Morse because of factors that included the Moran issue, her positions on the need to financially fix the Holyoke Geriatric Authority and in support of casino gambling, and Morse’s freedom to campaign full-time while she focused on being mayor.

Assistant Clerk Magistrate Barbara Y. Burton wrote in a decision released in November 2011 that Moran put the public in danger with a “hazardous condition” and must answer criminal charges for sending firefighters to a phony call to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside on June 15 of that year.

On that day, Moran and Timothy Moran were eating lunch at Mrs. Mitchell’s Kitchen, 514 Westfield Road, when William Moran saw firefighters from the station around the corner on Homestead Avenue, Station 6, walking into Strum’s Deli and Meats next door. He called dispatch to say a truck was needed at the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside, knowing that would require that the firefighters scramble to answer the call, officials have said.

During the response, a driver failed to pull over for the fire truck and a four-car accident occurred at Homestead Avenue and Pynchon Road. The driver was treated at Holyoke Medical Center and released.

Lawyer Jorge L. Neves, who was representing Timothy Moran regarding the June 15 incident, said on July 14, 2011 that his client acted appropriately that day, telling the two firefighters who were seen at Strum’s Deli to disregard the call his brother had made. That detail is included in a June 27, 2011 statement that Mastroianni released on the matter.

The fire truck proceeded to the call anyway, stopping in the parking lot of the deli to pick up the two firefighters, who boarded the truck thinking it was headed to a different call, Mastroianni has said.

One charge against Moran was of willful and malicious communication with public safety answering points. That charge carries a penalty of up to 2½ years in jail, $1,000 fine and mandatory restitution to cover costs related to any damage that occurred from the fake call, according to Burton’s signed criminal complaint.

The second charge was of disorderly conduct, which has a penalty of a fine of up to $150, according to the criminal complaint.

Garcia v Moran and City of Holyoke


Foreclosure starts soar 92 percent in Springfield in May

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"With the employment picture improving in Massachusetts and real estate values rising, the higher volume of foreclosure starts is not a warning sign of weakness in the market or another crash ahead," Warren said.

BOSTON — Foreclosure petitions soared 92 percent in May in Springfield - and 131 percent in the state - compared to May 2013, but increase is the result an unclogging of a processing pipeline, rather than "a sign of weakness in the market," The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, reported Tuesday.

In Springfield, 25 foreclosure petitions - the first step in the foreclosure process - were filed in May compared to 13 filed in May 2013, according to the group,

Statewide, a total of 573 foreclosure petitions were filed in May compared to 248 the previous year. Through May of this year, petition filings increased by 4.88 percent with filings totaling 2,776, compared with 2,648 filed during the same time period last year, according to a press release from the group.

"The increase in foreclosure starts is the result of a clogged pipeline opening up as lenders finally process petitions on homeowners who have been delinquent on their mortgages for months or years," the release said.

"Many of these were delayed awaiting clarification on the proper way to proceed from regulators and judges," said Timothy M. Warren Jr., CEO of The Warren Group.

"With the employment picture improving in Massachusetts and real estate values rising, the higher volume of foreclosure starts is not a warning sign of weakness in the market or another crash ahead," Warren said.

Foreclosure starts in May were also up across the four western counties.

In Hampden County, foreclosure starts increased 124 percent to 56 from 25 in May 2013; in Hampshire County, petitions were up 150 percent to 5 from 2; in Franklin County, petitions were up 133 percent to 7 from 3 and in Berkshire County, petitions were up 233 percent to 10 from 3.

Foreclosure deeds, which represent completed foreclosures, dropped almost 40 percent to 151 in May from 251 in May 2013. A total of 1,107 foreclosure deeds have been recorded in the first five months of the year, down 11.3 percent from 1,249 a year earlier.

The number of advertised auction notices also increased in May. There were 616 auction announcements in May, up 27.8 percent from 482 a year ago. This marked the second consecutive month of increases in auction activity year-over-year. Year-to-date auction notices are down 14.3 percent - declining to 1,679 from 1,960 last year.

104th fighter wing 'intercept' drill announced; Western Massachusetts, Vermont and New York likely to experience 'increased aircraft activity'

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Two F-15 Eagle jets will conduct a practice scramble and intercept of a plane somewhere over Western Massachusetts, Vermont and New York.

WESTFIELD - The 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield is scheduled to conduct a training exercise Wednesday morning with F-15 fighter jets, and several communities throughout Western Massachusetts, Vermont and New York may notice the activity, a base spokesman said.

The exercise is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Two of the base's F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft are scheduled to conduct a practice scramble that involves the jets flying an intercept mission over Western Massachusetts, southern Vermont and western New York, said Senior Master Sgt. Robert J. Sabonis, public affairs manager.

Communities that may be affected by increased flying activity include North Adams and Williamstown in Franklin County, Bennington, Shaftsbury and Manchester Falls in Vermont and Lake George, Cambridge, Glens Falls, and Granville, NY areas.

The mission will be coordinated with the Civil Air Patrol which will have pilots flying a low-speed civilian propeller aircraft. The F-15s will attempt to intercept.

"This exercise is conducted to facilitate training for alert pilots on intercept procedures,
ensuring the Massachusetts Air National Guard is prepared to defend the
Northeast airspace against any airborne threat," Sabonis said.

He said the exercises are planned carefully, closely controlled and include
exercising airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responding to
unknown aircraft.

Nagee Jones, a 22-year-old 'career offender,' pleads innocent to firearm charge

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At 22, Jones already qualifies as a career offender, Newhouse said, meaning he faces sharply increased penalties based on past felony convictions involving violence or drugs.

SPRINGFIELD – Another city man named in last week’s crackdown on guns and drugs pleaded innocent Tuesday to a charge that could cost him a minimum of 15 years in prison.

Nagee Jones, 22, pleaded innocent to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition during his arraignment before Magistrate Judge Kenneth P. Neiman in U.S. District Court.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse said the defendant was arrested in February with a .40-caliber handgun with 11 rounds of ammunition. As a result, Jones was facing gun and drug charges in state court, and has been held at the Hampden County Correction Center in Ludlow, Newhouse said.

The gun charges are now being heard in federal court.

At 22, Jones already qualifies as a career offender, Newhouse said, meaning he faces sharply increased penalties based on past felony convictions involving violence or drugs.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, the defendant faces a term of between 360 months and life in prison if convicted at trial and between 262 and 327 months if he pleads guilty, the prosecutor said.

The minimum mandatory sentence is 15 years, Newhouse said.

Defense lawyer David P. Hoose, noting that his client is in state custody, said he would not request a bail hearing at this time.

Neiman scheduled a pre-trial hearing for Aug. 13.

The judge postponed arraignment of another defendant arrested in the citywide sweep last week until he could arrange for a lawyer.

Jason Patterson, 30, of Springfield, also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, will be arraigned Thursday, Neiman said.

Federal, state and city law enforcement agents arrested 20 suspects on gun and drug charges June 24 in the latest crackdown on street violence.

The sweep came after four people were shot to death and several others wounded since May 28. Of the four victims, three were under 24.


Putnam Vocational Principal Gilbert Traverso leaving Springfield for job on Martha's Vineyard

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Traverso, 55, has won praise for boosting test scores and graduation rates, improving discipline and shoring up the school’s finances.

SPRINGFIELD – After four years as principal of Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, where he helped boost test scores and graduation rates, Gilbert E. Traverso is heading east to run Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School for the coming school year.

Traverso’s departure was confirmed Tuesday by Superintendent Daniel Warwick.

"He did a great job and was a high-caliber principal," Warwick said. "We wish him the best."

Warwick said he knew Traverso was not only considering the job on Martha's Vineyard, but wanted to live, and perhaps retire, there too. "We wish he had made a different decision, but it's hard to compete with that," he said.
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Martha's Vineyard Superintendent of Schools James Weiss said details of Traverso’s contract have not been finalized, but he is expected on the island before the start of the 2014-2015 school year, according to a story posted on the Martha's Vineyard Times website.

The selection of Mr. Traverso concludes a process that began in May, following the resignation of former principal Stephen Nixon, principal since 2008. A search committee selected 10 candidates for interviews, and narrowed the field to three finalists before choosing Traverso, the paper reported.

Traverso, 55, a Hampden, Conn., resident, was appointed principal at Putnam in 2010. He served as assistant principal of the State Department of Education-Connecticut Technical High School system for 14 years.

At Putnam, he won praise for boosting test scores and graduation rates, improving discipline and shoring up the school’s finances.

As the replacement for former principal Kevin McCaskill, Traverso discovered the school’s bookkeeping was in disarray. An audit stated a group of employees were skimming money from the student store and using school time and equipment to work on their homes and businesses.

"He was very committed principal, and left the school on solid ground," Warwick said.

"We have a tremendous staff in place and are ready to move forward," he said.


World Cup 2014: Western Massachusetts fans cheer for USA against Belgium (photos)

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Like so many of their fellow Americans across the country, fans throughout Western Massachusetts gathered to cheer for the United States in its World Cup 2014 elimination game against Belgium on Tuesday afternoon.

Like so many of their fellow Americans across the country, fans throughout Western Massachusetts gathered to cheer for the United States in its World Cup 2014 elimination game against Belgium on Tuesday afternoon.

While disappointed in the USA's 2-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16, fans had to be proud of the American team's resolve to rally from a 2-0 deficit in extra time, following a scoreless regulation, and nearly tie it before the clock ran out.

From the Rumbleseat Bar and Grill in Chicopee to Park Square in Westfield to McLadden's Irish Publick House in Northampton, World Cup fans in Western Massachusetts stuck with Team USA, and perhaps were left with the same sentiment American goalkeeper Tim Howard had after the game:

"The dream falls short, but this is an incredible group, and we'll never forget this night," Howard said.


Westfield City Council delays action on municipal labor contracts

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The Westfield City Council approved a new 3-year contract for the Westfield Professional Employee Association.

WESTFIELD — The City Council on Monday deferred action on two of three municipal employee labor contacts to its regular meeting scheduled July 7.

The delay is an attempt to gather information concerning the cost of the contracts and funding source to finance terms of the agreements.

The council did approve a new three-year contract for the Westfield Professional Employee Association, which includes department heads and assistants, after association vice-present Peter J. Miller informed councilors that the cost for the first year of the pact is about $21,000 and those funds are in the city budget for the fiscal year that ended Monday.

There are approximately 34 members of the WPEA. Department heads will receive $750 for wage increases retroactive to Jan. 1 while their assistants will receive $500. The cost of the second and third years is believed to be about $65,000 each year. Details of the new contract were not immediately available (the most recent WPEA contract is embedded at the end of this article).

The two contracts referred to Monday's meeting are for employees in the Fire Department.

Councilor David A. Flaherty argued the council should have already received the financial information for each contract. "We should know what the full cost of these contracts are," he said.

Councilor Mary L. O'Connell suggested that because two councilors, Brent B. Bean II and Robert A. Paul Sr., were absent, the contracts could wait until Monday for full council consideration.

The contracts are for members of the International Association of Firefighters, Local 1111 and the Westfield Fire Department Supervisors, both effective Jan. 1.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik has said all labor contracts currently represent a 0.5 percent increase in pay retroactive to Jan. 1; a 2 percent increase in Fiscal 2015, which started Tuesday; and a 3 percent raise for Fiscal 2016. Funding for the first year of each contract was included in the city's Fiscal 2014 budget.

FY10-FY13 WPMEA Contract_201212100725186067


Body found in Connecticut River identified as Rebecca Streeter of Greenfield, subject of missing persons investigation since February

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Streeter had been the subject of a missing persons search since February.


GREENFIELD - The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has identified the body found last week in the Connecticut River in Sunderland as that of Rebecca Streeter, 35, of Greenfield, according to the office of Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan.

Streeter had been reported missing since February.

Mary Carey, spokeswoman for Sullivan, said the medical examiner has not determined a cause of death. The Greenfield police and state police detectives assigned to Sullivan's office are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.


Streeter was reported as having last been seen at her Greenfield home on Camp Avenue on Feb. 25. Her family reported her missing three days later.

Her home is adjacent to the Deerfield River.

In March several volunteers searched the area around her home without success.
Greenfield police have previous searched the area with a bloodhound and in late March conducted a search along where the Connecticut and Deerfield rivers meet.


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Longmeadow children learn to deal with disaster at Greenwood Children's Center

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The students that took part were given information on how to handle hazards - including thunderstorms and house fires, as well as everyday stressful situations - decorated pillowcases, and received a safety workbook and certificate commemorating the event.

LONGMEADOW — Second through fifth grade students from the Longmeadow school district learned how to deal with some of the hazards of our world recently at the Greenwood Children’s Center, with the help of representatives from the Pioneer Valley chapter of the American Red Cross.

“I’m always excited to share with kids ... it’s really exciting,” said Lisa Ducharme, the Project Manager of the Pillow Case Project. “Resiliency, which is really the key, actually starts with our kids. Because if you get kids very interested in learning about preparedness, then they’re going to go on and teach the older brothers and sisters, and then they’re going to go on and teach their parents, they go on to get everyone excited. ”

Greenwood Pillow Case Project.JPGView full sizeParticipants decorate their pillow cases. 

The students who took part were given information on how to handle some of the emergencies they could encounter - including thunderstorms and house fires, as well as everyday stressful situations - decorated pillow cases, were quizzed on what they learned, and received a safety workbook and certificate commemorating the event.

Several also took part in a game called “Thunder Roars,” in which they pantomimed playing outside, then immediately stopped when thunder hit. The class giggled while some of their ranks playacted, then scampered to their seats.

The program was developed by the American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, according to a press release on the program, after the CEO of the New Orleans branch of the Red Cross learned that Loyola University students carried their belongings in pillow cases after being evacuated ahead of the storm.

Lessons learned from the chaos created by that disastrous storm came to bear briefly, as students were asked to sit down with an adult and list an out-of-state contact in their workbook, so that a trusted someone can be notified if the power outage strikes down the ability to communicate in a large area.

The workbook also included an emergency supply kit and a description of various ways to cope with stress, so that the campers - and their families - have a reputable source of information to turn to in times of need.

Hurricane Arthur forecast maps: 4th of July afternoon updates on storm track, latest storm warnings

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The storm is still packing wind gusts up to 100 miles per hour Friday afternoon.

Hurricane Arthur continues its march north Friday afternoon with winds still gusting to 100 miles per hour, according to the latest data released by the National Hurricane Center.

The storm has also already brought four to six inches of rain to parts of Massachusetts — and that's just since 1 p.m. Friday. A flash flood emergency has been declared in New Bedford; Barnstable County, southern Bristol County and Plymouth County are under a Flash Flood Warning until 11:15 p.m. (Click here for a full list of Massachusetts weather advisories.)

Below, maps of the latest National Hurricane Center forecast data for the storm, released at 5 p.m. Friday.

The Storm's Track
Click a marker to see the forecast date, time, and projected wind speeds.

Watches and Warnings
There are no remaining Hurricane Warnings in effect for Arthur; however, areas under a Tropical Storm Watch this morning are now under a Tropical Storm Warning.

Areas under a Tropical Storm Warning are shown in orange in the map below.

The Cone of Uncertainty
A definition from the National Hurricane Center:

The cone represents the probable track of the center of a tropical cyclone, and is formed by enclosing the area swept out by a set of circles (not shown) along the forecast track (at 12, 24, 36 hours, etc). The size of each circle is set so that two-thirds of historical official forecast errors over a 5-year sample fall within the circle.


West Springfield City Council President John R. Sweeney creates new Sign Committee

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WEST SPRINGFIELD- City Council President John R. Sweeney has created a Sign Committee, which has been initiated in order to facilitate signs being looked at throughout the city.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - City Council President John R. Sweeney has created a Sign Committee, which has been initiated in order to facilitate signs being looked at throughout the city.

The initial spark of idea for the Sign Committee came from the proposed Entertainment Overlay District in the Memorial Avenue Corridor, he said.

The Ordinance Committee had been originally looking into sign usage for the Overlay District but postponed doing that due to not having enough time due to other things the committee was working on, he said.

“It’s a lot more than just billboards or flashing signs,” said Sweeney. “They’re going to try to be tackling everything on signs.”

Brian Griffin, city council vice president, will be the chairperson of the committee, he said. Other city councilors joining the committee include George D. Condon, Bridget Fiala and Bruce L. Gendron, ex-officio member.

Chet Zymroz, chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, which approves signs, and former city council president Gerald B. Matthews will also be a part of the committee, he said.

The Planning Department will be appointing several individuals to the committee as well, he said.

“Over the years on the council, we’ve seen multiple requests for signs,” said Brian J. Griffin, chairman of the sign committee. “The ordinance in and of itself is completely antiquated.”

The committee will investigate the possible usage of digital signs and billboards throughout the community, he said.

“So, we need to develop a way to allow these different signage requirements and after we develop that, how do we enforce it?” said Griffin. “So, we want to develop ways of implementing a sign ordinance that will help the businesses.”

For the digital billboards, the committee will look into taxing for its usage, he said.

“I anticipate this (new potential sign ordinance) taking up to six-months for us to get through this,” he said. “Although we want to do it quickly to help our business community, we want to everything we can to make sure that everything we do benefits all of us, not just one of us.”

Joey Chestnut, Miki Sudo win 2014 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest (video)

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Joey Chestnut, from San Jose, Calif., won his 8th straight mustard belt in winning the 2014 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, devouring 61 hots dogs and buns in 10 minutes.


He might have missed out on repeating his record-setting hot dog chowdown of last year, but 2014 proved to be a double-win for Joey "Jaws" Chestnut.

Chestnut, from San Jose, Calif., won his eighth straight mustard belt in winning the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, devouring 61 hots dogs and buns in 10 minutes. His total this year was eight short of his 2013 record-setting pace.

But perhaps more importantly, he also won, officially, the heart of his longtime girlfriend, Neslie Ricasa, who accepted his wedding proposal prior to the contest on Coney Island in New York.

“It’s been the best three years of my life, and I can’t live without you,” Chestnut, with one knee on the stage, a microphone in one hand and a ring in the other, said to Ricasa in stating his case for matrimony.

“Yes!” was her reply.

In the contest, Chestnut found himself trailing runner-up Matt Stonie, also of San Jose, by two hot dogs with a little more than four minutes remaining, but rallied to savor another title.

“I wasn’t going to taint today with a loss. Today was going to be a great day … it was the only option,” Chestnut said after the competition.

In the women's division, Mike Sudo of Las Vegas consumed 34 dogs and dethroned defending champion Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas, of Alexandria, Va., who put down 27¾.

“I don’t think I’ll be too hungry for about a day, maybe later on,” Sudo said after her stunning upset over the three-time defending champ.

Material from The Associated Press and WPIX-11 News was included in this report

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Tropical storm warning in effect for Cape Cod and Nantucket and flash flood watch for Western Massachusetts and Connecticut

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Tropical storm conditions were in effect for Fourth of July.

Tropical storm conditions were in effect for Cape Cod and Nantucket as Hurricane Arthur traveled up the coast.

For Western Massachusetts the National Weather Service reported a risk of flash flooding across Southern New England on July 4th and into tonight.

The combination of Hurricane Arthur and a slow moving front set the stage for excessive rain in Southern New England, the National Weather Service at Taunton said.

Life threatening flash flooding from small streams or from runoff in urban areas was forecast.

The flash flood watch was for Hartford County, Tolland County and Windham County in Connecticut and for Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden Counties in Western Massachusetts including the cities of Hartford, Windsor Locks, Union, Vernon, Putnam and Willimantic, Conn., and Charlemont, Greenfield, Orange, Barre, Fitchburg, Chesterfield, Blandford, Amherst, Northampton, Springfield and Worcester as well as for southern New Hampshire.

The flash flood watch is in effect until 11 p.m. tonight.

Rainfall of one to two inches per hour is possible with showers and thunderstorms expected to produce locally heavy downpours.

In eastern Massachusetts a tropical storm warning continues for Barnstable County and Nantucket.



The Storm's Track
Click a marker to see the forecast date, time, and projected wind speeds. The map is based on data released at 5 p.m. Friday by the National Hurricane Center.


SiriusXM fires 'Opie & Anthony' host Anthony Cumia over 'racially charged' and 'hate-filled' tweets

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"Opie & Anthony" radio show host Anthony Cumia has been fired by satellite radio company SiriusXM, which cited his "racially charged" and "hate-filled" remarks on Twitter as the reason.

NEW YORK — "Opie & Anthony" radio show host Anthony Cumia has been fired by satellite radio company SiriusXM, which cited his "racially charged" and "hate-filled" remarks on Twitter as the reason.

Cumia's remarks and postings, including tweets and retweets that were degrading to women, were "abhorrent" to SiriusXM, its spokesman Patrick Reilly said Friday. The shock jock was fired late Thursday, Reilly said.

Cumia's response Friday on Twitter included an obscenity in relation to SiriusXM. He said he was fired over material that was not aired and was not illegal.

Earlier this week, Cumia posted tweets and photos about what he said was an attack on him as he took photos in Times Square.

He said a woman, angered at being photographed, called him a "white mother (expletive)" and then repeatedly punched him. He said he defended himself without hitting back.

In subsequent tweets about the confrontation, Cumia let loose a string of profanity and insults against the black woman, including describing her as "pig face worthless" and using an anti-female expletive.

"This was an animal. I shoulda smashed it's face," he wrote.

In later tweets, after being condemned as a racist in some Twitter postings, Cumia said he was the victim and was being unfairly derided over his views of violence in the black community.

Asked by one Twitter poster if he had reported the attack to authorities, Cumia responded that he could take punches without wasting the police's time.


Springfield considers demolition and new sale effort for vacant, tax-foreclosed HAPCO building in South End

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Springfield is reviewing options for two tax-title properties at 739 Main St., and 609-611 Main St., in the South End.

SPRINGFIELD – The city expects to demolish the long-vacant HAPCO building in the South End and then seek new proposals for redevelopment of the lot, according to a city official.

Somalid Hogan, senior project manager with the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, said the city rejected a single offer received for the site last year, and the building was subsequently damaged when struck by a car.

The city now expects to demolish the building at 739 Main St., but no date is set at this time, Hogan said recently.

Meanwhile, the city is conferring with Glory Inc., a South End clothing store, to convert a nearby, city-owned lot at 609-611 Main St., as a parking lot for its planned new location.

Both the HAPCO building and the unrelated vacant lot, within three blocks of each other, were foreclosed by the city for nonpayment of taxes.

Carmela Daniele of Longmeadow had proposed renovating the HAPCO site to reopen a gift basket shop in the South End. She had closed her prior shop Gift Baskets by Carmela due to illness a few years ago, but is now well, she said.

Daniele had submitted a bid of $13,700 to buy the tax-title property, and estimated a total investment of $220,800 to renovate and open the shop.

Hogan said the city, through a review committee, did not believe the proposal was in the best interest of the city for that site, and did not address parking issues. She said information was lacking, also. Once the building is demolished, the city will go out for proposals again, she said.

Daniele said she was disappointed by the city’s decision, and had followed all the procedures in the request for proposals. The fact that the city received no other proposals for the site was not her fault, she said.

Daniele said she might be interested if the lot becomes vacant and is placed out for redevelopment proposals again.

Regarding Glory Inc., the clothing store is preparing to relocate to a building at 595 Main St., by the end of the year. It is moving from the former Union House hotel on Main Street, due to that site being in the path of a proposed MGM Resorts casino.

As part of the relocation, Glory Inc. submitted the high bid of $51,000 to purchase the city-owned vacant lot at 609-611 Main St., adjacent to its new building.

Mayor Domenic Sarno, as recommended by a review committee, selected Glory Inc. as the preferred developer of the city lot, from among three bids received, officials said. The sale, however, is not final until approved by Sarno and the City Council.

A competing bid was filed by Francesco Daniele, Carmela Daniele’s son, offering $45,000 for the lot.

Francesco Daniele of REMA Capital LLC, was proposing to construct a multi-use, educational and cultural building at that location to serve the neighborhood, according to his proposal.

The review committee favored the Glory Inc. proposal.

“The committee scored the Glory Inc. proposal highest due to the retention and expansion of an existing long-standing business in the South End,” said Tom Matthews, project manger for the Office of Planning and Economic Development. “The proposal had all funding in place for the project and they offered the highest price for the property.”

Francesco Daniele declined comment.

The lot had previously housed a building with a bottle redemption center and used appliance shop which was demolished by the city.

The third bid for the site was for $5,000 and was rejected.


Springfield considers partial demolition for two-building block at Main and Arch streets in North End

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SPRINGFIELD – The city, having taken ownership of two attached, boarded apartment buildings at Main and Arch streets in the North End, is considering options for saving one building. The four-story buildings at 2612-2616 Main St., and 3 Arch St., were taken by the city for non-payment of taxes earlier this year. The city plans to demolish the Arch...

SPRINGFIELD – The city, having taken ownership of two attached, boarded apartment buildings at Main and Arch streets in the North End, is considering options for saving one building.

The four-story buildings at 2612-2616 Main St., and 3 Arch St., were taken by the city for non-payment of taxes earlier this year.

The city plans to demolish the Arch Street building due to very deteriorated conditions, said Tina Quagliato, the city’s deputy director of neighborhood stabilization.

In addition, the city is considering a request for proposals in the near future for the possible redevelopment of the building at 2612-2616 Main St., Quagliato said. The Arch Street building is to the rear of the Main Street block, and the two are connected by porches.

“We are cautiously optimistic about the potential (redevelopment),” Quagliato said. “We recognize the buildings has been a problem for the neighborhood and we are working hard to try to solve the problem. The ownership change obviously gives us greater control.”

Originally, the city was seeking to tear down both buildings last fall, prior to taking ownership, after tenants were evicted by court order for unsafe conditions, Quagliato said.

The former owner was CRE Base Three LLC, of West Hills, Calif.

Bids for demolition of both buildings was higher than the city expected last December, one factor in considering a redevelopment strategy for the front building, Quagliato said.

North Carolina survives Hurricane Arthur

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Proving far less damaging than feared, Hurricane Arthur left tens of thousands of people without power Friday in a swipe at North Carolina's dangerously exposed Outer Banks, then brought lousy Fourth of July beach weather to the Northeast as it veered out to sea.

KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. — Proving far less damaging than feared, Hurricane Arthur left tens of thousands of people without power Friday in a swipe at North Carolina's dangerously exposed Outer Banks, then brought lousy Fourth of July beach weather to the Northeast as it veered out to sea.

The weather along the narrow barrier islands — whose beaches draw hundreds of thousands of tourists every summer — had already cleared by Friday afternoon as Arthur scooted north and its outer bands scraped the Delaware and New Jersey shores. Forecasters predicted the storm would weaken before its center moves over western Nova Scotia in Canada early Saturday.

While state and local officials worked to restore access to Hatteras Island and help those who had suffered storm and flooding damage, the effects of the hurricane were mostly confined to that part of the state. Farther south, the beaches were once again packed with people soaking up the sun.

"The North Carolina beaches are open for business and they're open for tourists," Gov. Pat McCrory said. "The umbrellas are going up as we speak right now."

Hurricane Arthur hits North Carolina

Arthur struck North Carolina as a Category 2 storm with winds of 100 mph late Thursday, taking about five hours to move across the far eastern part of the state.

At the height of the storm, more than 40,000 people lost power, and the rush of water from the ocean on one side and the sound on the other side buckled part of North Carolina Highway 12 in a spot on Hatteras Island that was breached in Hurricane Irene in 2011. Dozens of workers were heading to fix the highway, and the Department of Transportation said it was confident the road would reopen Saturday as long as an underwater sonar test of a key bridge showed no problems.

No injuries or deaths were reported. After praising emergency officials and saying the state dodged a bullet, McCrory said he was heading to the beach himself for an Independence Day parade in Southport.

By Friday afternoon, the hurricane had weakened to a Category 1 storm with 80 mph winds. Its center was about 170 miles (270 km) south-southwest of Chatham, Massachusetts.

While the Northeast wasn't expected to take a direct hit, the rain from Arthur's outer bands was disrupting the holiday. Fireworks displays in New Jersey and Maine were postponed until later in the weekend. Tropical storm warnings were in effect for coastal areas as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Tropical storm watches and warnings were in effect for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in southeastern Canada.

Still, the first hurricane known to strike the U.S. on July 4 caused some frayed nerves on North Carolina's Outer Banks — a 200-mile string of narrow barrier islands with about 57,000 permanent residents and around 250,000 visitors on most summer weekends. A mandatory evacuation was issued for the southern Outer Banks. But while most visitors left, many residents stayed, accustomed to hurricanes that strike the area on average about every four or five years.

Jesse and Carol Wray rode out the storm in their home in Salvo on North Carolina Highway 12. They said the island was under several feet of water at the height of the storm. The six-foot-tall lamppost at the end of their driveway was under water except for its top, and that was after the sound a quarter-mile away receded several feet.

"There's a lot of damage to a lot of houses around here," Wray said. "Everything flooded out. All the businesses are flooded, and there was a lot of wind damage."

The bulk of the flooding and other damage on Hatteras Island appeared to have happened in the island's midsection in the villages of Rodanthe and Salvo. Farther south in Buxton, Angela Tawes is eager for the road to reopen, the ferries to resume and tourists to return with their money.

"We're all just holding our breath and hoping right now," said Tawes, whose family owns a grocery store, Conner's Supermarket.

Arthur is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is the earliest in the season a hurricane has made landfall in North Carolina.

McCrory said people in states to the northeast should need to warnings about Arthur, even if North Carolina came through better than expected.

"I encourage them to take this very seriously as we did and hope for the best results," the North Carolina governor said. "We've always felt that it was better to overreact than underreact, gladly this storm was more underwhelming than anticipated, which was very good news."

France: Mom stabs kindergarten teacher to death during class

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The mother of a pupil at a French pre-school stabbed a teacher to death in front of her class Friday, the last day of the school year, authorities said.

By ANGELA CHARLTON

PARIS — The mother of a pupil at a French pre-school stabbed a teacher to death in front of her class Friday, the last day of the school year, authorities said.

The education minister said the mother apparently had "serious psychiatric problems," and pledged support for teachers in the face of angry or violent parents. Police said the mother was taken into custody.

Deadly attacks in a school are extremely rare in France, and the stabbing in front of a class of 5- and 6-year-olds raised concern at the highest levels. French President Francois Hollande expressed outrage at the attack at the Edouard Herriot school in Albi in southern France.

Education Minister Benoit Hamon traveled immediately to the school, and told reporters that the mother of a pupil "committed this abominable act in a class against a remarkable teacher." A police official said the mother stabbed the teacher with a knife soon after school started Friday morning.

Hamon said the attacker's child had been in the school only for a month and a half, and the mother had had very little contact with the school staff until Friday. It was unclear whether her 5-year-old daughter was in class at the time of the attack.

Police and city officials would not comment on possible reasons for the attack on Fabienne Terral-Calmès, 34. The slain teacher had two small daughters, Hamon said.

The regional prosecutor was expected to speak publicly about the case Friday evening.

After Friday's attack, "the children were immediately taken in by another teacher who brought them to another classroom to talk to them, to tell them stories, to try to break them away from what they had just lived through," Hamon said.

Marie-Odile Gay, a member of the regional health and safety committee for the Education Ministry, said the mother thought the teacher had called her daughter a thief, and that misperception might have played a role in the attack.

Gay said that the mother, 47, had received psychiatric counseling in the past, and had been accused by police earlier this year of abandoning her 15-year-old son.

Gay said the 5-year-old daughter had not had any difficulties in school, and was transferred Friday to the care of social services.

"This is something that will stay with her forever," Gay said. "It's very important to ensure that she is cared for."

Some teachers complained that staff cuts have left teachers more vulnerable, and urged better attention to the tensions they face with some parents.

But fellow teacher Robert Couffignal of the regional teachers union insisted that the attack was an "isolated case" that had nothing to do with this particular school, and warned against going overboard with security measures as a result.

"Metal detectors at schools are not the answer," he told The Associated Press by telephone. "We want to have close contact with the parents that creates a link of trust."

He said the larger problem for schools in his region and around France is tension over economic decline and lack of job prospects for young people, especially those from poor or immigrant backgrounds.

The education minister lamented the especially painful timing of the attack.

"This July 4, the moment when we should be happy for all children that school is over, that vacations are beginning, that teachers successfully completed the school year, has been turned into a day of mourning ... by this abominable crime," Hamon said.

France still feels scars from a shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse in southern France in 2012 that left three children and a rabbi dead.

Ukraine claims winning ground in rebellious east

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Fighting in eastern Ukraine left at least nine Ukrainian soldiers dead Friday, as government troops pressed their offensive against pro-Russian insurgents using heavy artillery and combat jets and prospects of a truce appeared dim.


By DAVID McHUGH

KIEV, Ukraine — Fighting in eastern Ukraine left at least nine Ukrainian soldiers dead Friday, as government troops pressed their offensive against pro-Russian insurgents using heavy artillery and combat jets and prospects of a truce appeared dim.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Ukraine was ready to conduct another round of talks between representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the rebels on Saturday, but didn't name their venue. Two previous rounds of such negotiations held during a 10-day cease-fire have yielded no visible progress, but they brought the warring parties together for the first time.

Moscow strongly pushed for extending the truce and holding more talks in an apparent hope to negotiate a settlement that would allow it to secure a degree of influence over the neighbor. The continuing fighting is putting more pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been facing increasingly angry nationalist demands to send troops to help the insurgency — a move that would inevitably trigger crippling Western sanctions.

Ukraine's National Security Council chief Andriy Parubiy said Friday that Russia was massing troops near the Ukrainian border and claimed that it let insurgents attack the Ukrainian border posts from its side. The statements could not be independently verified.

The two neighbors, who share a 2,000-kilometer (1,250-mile) border that is unmarked and unguarded outside of a few checkpoints, have been trading claims and counterclaims ever since Ukraine began fighting pro-Russia separatists in April.

The government said nine troops were killed and 13 others were wounded in Friday's fighting in the east, according to the Interfax news agency. It did not elaborate on where or how the deaths occurred.

Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, the head of Ukraine's SBU security service, told journalists that over the past four days 20 Russian tanks or armored vehicles had illegally crossed the border to take part in the insurgency.

Ukraine says Russia is arming and supporting the separatists, a charge that Russia denies. For its part, Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukrainian troops of firing shells that landed on the Russian side and on one occasion last month hit a Russian border post, wounding one customs officer. Russian border guards said 10 artillery shells flew from the Ukrainian side Friday, but no one was injured.

It is nearly impossible to prove or dispel the claims from the opposing sides, since the fighting consists of intermittent clashes between small units with no fixed front line and it is deadly dangerous for journalists and other observers to travel around. Five journalists have been killed covering the conflict and several teams of observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have been kidnapped by rebels.

Russia has proposed hosting both OSCE observers and Ukrainian officers at its border checkpoints to prove it wasn't fueling the mutiny.

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday accused Poroshenko's government of dragging its feet on holding another round of negotiations to resume a truce and accused it of using cluster munitions against civilians.

Parubiy said government forces were attacking rebel positions in eastern Ukraine with artillery and planes and that 17 villages had been recaptured since a unilateral cease-fire expired Monday. He said Ukrainian forces now controlled 23 of the 36 local regions within the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces that have declared independence.

Andrei Purgin of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic dismissed the government's report.

"Maybe they occupied 17 villages of some sort, but there wasn't a single militia fighter there," he said.

Insurgents in Luhansk said Friday they have killed 125 Ukrainian troops, destroyed nine armored vehicles and downed three combat aircraft since Wednesday.

Both sides' claims of enemy losses have proven exaggerated in the past, however.

Friday's fighting centered on the outskirts of Slovyansk, a city in the Donetsk region that has been a key flashpoint in the fighting. The military reported to Poroshenko that they flushed the insurgents out of Mykolaivka on the outskirts of Slovyansk, capturing 50 of them.

Rebels also shelled the Donetsk airport overnight, and an AP reporter who visited the site saw a radar or communications tower there still burning Friday.

The mutiny in eastern Ukraine, which erupted in mid-April after the ouster of the nation's pro-Moscow president and the subsequent Russia's annexation of Crimea, has killed more than 400 people, according to the United Nations.

The crisis in Ukraine has strained ties between Russia and the West to a degree unseen since the Cold War, prompting NATO to consider long-term responses to Moscow's apparent new willingness to flex its military might.

To that end, NATO and Russia both launched navy exercises Friday in the Black Sea.

NATO's drills in the western part of the Black Sea just a few hundred miles from Ukraine's coast involve ships from the U.S., Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Turkey. They were to continue until July 13.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet fielded about 20 ships and more than 20 aircraft for its maneuvers, which included missile launches at practice targets.

Motorist stopping at service stations in Northampton and Holyoke and stealing cartons of cigarettes

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The thefts took place in Northampton and Holyoke.

NORTHAMPTON – Police Friday night in Northampton and Holyoke were looking for a male driving a brown sedan who has stolen some cartons of cigarettes from clerks at gas stations in Northampton and Holyoke Thursday and Friday nights.

Police said no weapon was shown.


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