Rumors had swirled among anti-immigration activists near a U.S. Border Patrol station in Southern California that the agency would try again to bus in some of the immigrants who have flooded across the U.S.-Mexico border.

By MATT HAMILTON

MURRIETA, Calif. — Rumors had swirled among anti-immigration activists near a U.S. Border Patrol station in Southern California that the agency would try again to bus in some of the immigrants who have flooded across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Instead, they got dueling anti- and pro-immigration rallies Friday.

The crowd of 200 outside the station in Murrieta waved signs and sometimes shouted at each other. One banner read: "Proud LEGAL American. It doesn't work any other way." Another countered: "Against illegal immigration? Great! Go back to Europe!"

Law enforcement officers separated the two sides and contained them on one approach to the station, leaving open an approach from the opposite direction.

It was not certain, however, that any buses would arrive on Friday. Because of security concerns, federal authorities have said, they will not publicize immigrant transfers among border patrol facilities. By late afternoon many demonstrators were leaving.

Earlier this week, the city became the latest flashpoint in the intensifying immigration debate when a crowd of protesters waving American flags blocked buses carrying women and children who were flown from overwhelmed Texas facilities.

Federal authorities had hoped to process them at the station in Murrieta, about 55 miles north of downtown San Diego.

"This is a way of making our voices heard," said Steve Prime, a resident of nearby Lake Elsinore. "The government's main job is to secure our borders and protect us — and they're doing neither."

Immigration supporters said the immigrants need to be treated as humans and that migrating to survive is not a crime.

"We're celebrating the 4th of July and what a melting pot America is," said Raquel Alvarado, a high school history teacher and Murrieta resident who chalked up the fear of migrants in the city of roughly 106,000 to discrimination.

"They don't want to have their kids share the same classroom," she said.

The city's mayor, Alan Long, became a hero to those seeking stronger immigration policies with his criticism of the federal government's efforts to handle the influx of thousands of immigrants, many of them mothers and children.

However, Murrieta's top administrative official tried to clarify Long's comments, saying he was only asserting the Border Patrol station was not an appropriate location to process the migrants and was encouraging residents to contact their federal representatives.

The July 3 statement by City Manager Rick Dudley, suggesting that protesters had come from elsewhere in Southern California, expressed regret that the busloads of women and children had been forced to turn around.

Long said by telephone Friday that there was talk of a protest up to two weeks before Tuesday's confrontation and the intent of his press conference Monday "was to squelch people's rumors and to put people's nerves at ease."

He said forcing the buses to turn around was neither planned nor called for. "It's not reflective of our city. This controversial topic has turned us upside down," Long said. "It just happened to land on our doorstep, and we want to be part of a solution."

Some local leaders said the outrage among some area residents was justified, given the already stressed social services infrastructure and the stagnant regional economy.

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone said they weren't concerned about the people on the buses. "It's the thousands more that will follow that will strain our resources and take away the resources we need to care for our own citizens," he said.

In recent months, thousands of children and families have fled violence, murders and extortion from criminal gangs in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Since October, more than 52,000 unaccompanied children have been detained.

The crunch on the border in Texas' Rio Grande Valley prompted U.S. authorities to fly immigrant families to other Texas cities and to Southern California for processing.

The Border Patrol is coping with excess capacity across the Southwest, and cities' responses to the arriving immigrants have ranged from welcoming to indifferent.

In the border town of El Centro, California, a flight arrived Wednesday without protest.

In Nogales, Arizona, the mayor has said he welcomes the hundreds of children who are being dropped off daily at a large Border Patrol warehouse. Residents have donated clothing and other items for them.

In New Mexico, however, residents have been less enthusiastic.

At a town hall meeting this week, residents in Artesia spoke out against a detention center that recently started housing immigrants. They said they were afraid the immigrants would take jobs and resources from U.S. citizens.

As Hurricane Arthur moved up the Atlantic Coast, it was expected to skirt Cape Cod and Nantucket, where the National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning.

NANTUCKET — Kate Hamilton Pardee began organizing Nantucket's July 4 celebrations last fall, but at the last minute Hurricane Arthur upended her carefully made plans.

As the hurricane moved up the Atlantic Coast, it was expected to skirt Cape Cod and Nantucket, where the National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning. Officials in communities across Cape Cod pulled the plug on fireworks displays scheduled for Friday night.

"Mother Nature is her own woman," said Pardee, director of Nantucket Visitor Services.

Arthur did far less damage than anticipated, but it still left thousands of people without power and dumped lousy Fourth of July beach weather in the Northeast.

As early as Tuesday, with forecasts for the end of the week looking ominous, Pardee said she and Nantucket's emergency services and police and fire officials decided to put off Independence Day events such as pie-eating contests, face-painting and the singing of the national anthem marking its 200th anniversary.

Fortunately, the calendar worked in organizers' favor: Plans that fell through on Friday could still go on Saturday, when forecasters say brilliant sunshine will follow the storm.

"Everything is on for tomorrow," Pardee said Friday.

Rescheduling the fireworks, however, must still be decided by Nantucket's emergency services officials, she said.

For a tony tourist destination such as Nantucket, where high-end retail stores extend the season from Memorial Day to Columbus Day, the prospect of eliminating even one day of activities is difficult.

"It's a lot of pressure making these kinds of decisions," said Pardee, who's been putting on fireworks displays for 22 years. "A lot of people make plans for the Fourth."

Stephanie Correia, owner of Stephanie's, a women's boutique and home decor store, said year-round residents like her have faced worse, "especially after this winter, where it was storm after storm, blizzard after blizzard."

"People who live here are accepting of crazy weather," Correia said.

Arthur, she said, will be a 12-hour storm on the Cape and Islands and "everyone will be back in business enjoying their vacations."

Customers should see the service desk for a refund.

Big Y has issued a recall for its Just like Mom’s Deli Salads and macaroni and beef.

In a press release, Big Y said it was notified by its wholesaler that the products sold in its Deli and Food service departments were delivered on a trailer with unacceptable temperature levels.

The following products purchased on July 2 and 3 are subject to the recall: macaroni and beef sold in either the deli or food service department and all varieties of bulk salads and pre-packaged one and two-pound salads, including vinegar cole slaw, tri color pasta salad, tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, ham salad, Just Loke Mom’s Red Bliss Potato Salad, Just Like Mom’s Loaded Baked Potato Salad, Just Like Mom’s potato and egg salad, Just Like Mom’s Potato Salad, Just Like Mom’s Macaroni Salad and Just Like Mom’s Cole Slaw.

Customers should see the customer service desk with their Big Y Express savings card for a full refund at their convenience.

Gov. Deval Patrick is stopping in Springfield on business and affordable housing issues.

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Deval Patrick is scheduled to take part in a tour at Tech Foundry in the downtown, and make an announcement regarding affordable housing in the South End during separate appearances in Springfield on Monday.

The governor, who is not seeking re-election to a third term this year, starts his Springfield visit at City Hall at 11:15 a.m. when he'll host a ceremonial bill signing for H. 4164, “An Act Relative to Natural Gas Leaks.”

The bill says leaks should be categorized by the danger they present and reaction should correspond to that danger.

According to the bill, "A Grade 1 leak shall be a leak that represents an existing or probable hazard to persons or property. Grade 1 leaks require repair as immediately as possible and continuous action until the conditions are no longer hazardous."

A Grade 2 leak is considered nonhazardous at the time of detection but should be scheduled for repair. A Grade 3 leak is one that is considered not to pose a threat currently or in the future but should be monitored.

The bill is included at the end of this post.

Patrick is scheduled to make the announcement on affordable housing at 11:45 a.m., at the Outing Housing housing complex at 37 Saratoga St. The specific details were not released by the Governor's Office.

At 1 p.m., Patrick is scheduled to tour Tech Foundry, located in the downtown at 1391 Main St. Tech Foundry is a nonprofit education and job placement program for high school students seeking to work in the field of information technology. It was founded by Paragus IT CEO Delcie Bean.

The company's stated long-term plan is to turn Western Massachusetts into a technology hub, attracting major companies to locate satellite offices in the area.

BillH4164

The Longmeadow School Committee will consider all public feedback, then vote to ratify the exact text of each of these policies, at a meeting held sometime after July 25th.

 

LONGMEADOW — Two prospective policies covering the future of field trips in Longmeadow have been posted on the school district website, in order to solicit public feedback.

They would require "any chaperone accompanying an overnight field trip (to) comply with the background check policy of the district (policy ADDA)," require a minimum 10/1 student/adult ratio to be maintained during trips, and codify who needs to give approval to allow trips to move forward.

The Longmeadow School Committee will consider all public feedback, then vote to ratify the exact text of each of these policies, at a meeting held sometime after July 25th.

For the sake of convenience, copies of the policies have been embedded below. To offer official comments to the school committee, any interested parties are directed to complete a Policy Impact Form through the district website.

IJOA - Field Trips

IJOA-R

Last month, employers added 288,000 jobs and helped reduce the unemployment rate to 6.1 percent, the lowest since September 2008. June capped a five-month stretch of 200,000-plus job gains -- the first in nearly 15 years.

WASHINGTON -- How does the U.S. economy do it?

Europe is floundering. China faces slower growth. Japan is struggling to sustain tentative gains.

Yet the U.S. job market is humming, and the pace of economic growth is steadily rising. Five full years after a devastating recession officially ended, the economy is finally showing the vigor that Americans have long awaited.

Last month, employers added 288,000 jobs and helped reduce the unemployment rate to 6.1 percent, the lowest since September 2008. June capped a five-month stretch of 200,000-plus job gains -- the first in nearly 15 years.

After having shrunk at a 2.9 percent annual rate from January through March -- largely because of a brutal winter -- the U.S. economy is expected to grow at a healthy 3 percent pace the rest of the year.

Here are five reasons the United States is outpacing other major economies:

AN AGGRESSIVE CENTRAL BANK

"The Federal Reserve acted sooner and more aggressively than other central banks in keeping rates low," says Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group.

In December 2008, the Fed slashed short-term interest rates to near zero and has kept them there. Ultra-low loan rates have made it easier for individuals and businesses to borrow and spend. The Fed also launched three bond-buying programs meant to reduce long-term rates.

By contrast, the European Central Bank has been slower to respond to signs of economic distress among the 18 nations that share the euro currency. The ECB actually raised rates in 2011 -- the same year the eurozone sank back into recession.

It's worth keeping in mind that the Fed has two mandates: To keep prices stable and to maximize employment. The ECB has just one mandate: To guard against high inflation. The Fed was led during and after the Great Recession by Ben Bernanke, a student of the Great Depression who was determined to avoid a repeat of the 1930s' economic collapse.

Janet Yellen, who succeeded Bernanke as Fed chair this year, has continued his emphasis on nursing the U.S. economy back to health after the recession of 2007-2009 with the help of historically low rates.

STRONGER BANKS

The United States moved faster than Europe to restore its banks' health after the financial crisis of 2008-2009. The U.S. government bailed out the financial system and subjected big banks to stress tests in 2009 to reveal their financial strength. By showing the banks to be surprisingly healthy, the stress tests helped restore confidence in the U.S. financial system.

Banks gradually started lending again. European banks are only now undergoing stress tests, and the results won't be out until fall. In the meantime, Europe's banks lack confidence. They fear that other banks are holding too many bad loans and that Europe is vulnerable to another crisis. So they aren't lending much.

In the United States, overall bank lending is up nearly 4 percent in the past year. Lending to business has jumped 10 percent.

In the eurozone, lending has dropped 3.7 percent overall, according to figures from the Institute of International Finance. Lending to business is off 2.5 percent. (The U.S. figures are for the year ending in mid-June; the European figures are from May.)

A MORE FLEXIBLE ECONOMY

Economists say Japan and Europe need to undertake reforms to make their economies more flexible -- more, in other words, like America's.

Europe needs to lift wage restrictions that prevent employers from cutting pay (rather than eliminating jobs) when times are bad. It could also rethink welfare and retirement programs that discourage people from working and dismantle policies that protect favored businesses and block innovative newcomers, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has argued.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has proposed reforms meant to make the Japanese economy more competitive. He wants to expand child care so more women can work, replace small inefficient farms with more large-scale commercial farms and allow more foreign migrant workers to fill labor shortages in areas such as nursing and construction.

Yet his proposals face fierce opposition.

"Europe and Japan remain less well-positioned for durable long-term growth, as they have only recently begun to tackle their deep-rooted structural problems, and a lot remains to be done," says Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University.

China is struggling to manage a transition from an economy based on exports and often wasteful investment in real estate and factories to a sturdier but likely slower-growing economy based on more consumer spending.

LESS BUDGET-CUTTING

Weighed down by debt, many European countries took an ax to swelling budget deficits. They slashed pension benefits, raised taxes and cut civil servants' wages. The cuts devastated several European economies. They led to 27 percent unemployment in Greece, 14 percent in Portugal and 25 percent in Spain. The United States has done some budget cutting, too, and raised taxes. But U.S. austerity hasn't been anywhere near as harsh.

A ROARING STOCK MARKET

The Fed's easy-money policies ignited a world-beating U.S. stock market rally. Over the past five years, U.S. stocks have easily outpaced shares in Europe, Japan and Hong Kong. That was one of Bernanke's goals in lowering rates. He figured that miserly fixed-income rates would nudge investors into stocks in search of higher returns. Higher stock prices would then make Americans feel more confident and more willing to spend -- the so-called wealth effect.

Most economists agree it's worked.

Amy Torpey, a 16-year-old girl from the Watertown/Oakville area, hasn't been seen by loved ones for several days.

WATERTOWN, Conn. — Police in Connecticut are asking the public for help locating a missing teen who hasn't been seen since Wednesday, July 2.

View full sizeThis Facebook photo released by police in Connecticut shows Amy Torpey, who hasn't been seen since July 2, 2014.

Amy Torpey, a 16-year-old girl from the Watertown/Oakville area, hasn't been seen by loved ones for several days. Her disappearance isn't being considered a runaway situation by Watertown police, who requested a Silver Alert be issued on Saturday.

Connecticut's silver alert system is commonly used to spread the word about runaways and endangered runaways, as well as missing persons with dementia and other cognitive impairments in the state.

Torpey is described as a white female standing 5-feet, 2-inches tall and weighing approximately 128 pounds. She has brown hair with blue eyes, according to police, and was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt with "NYC" on it and gray sweatpants.

Anyone with information about Torpey's disappearance or whereabouts is asked to call the Watertown Police Department in Connecticut at (203) 250-5285.

Authorities are searching for suspects whose hoax calls triggered the evacuation of several buildings at Harvard University and a futile search for an armed man and bombs on campus.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) -- Authorities are searching for suspects whose hoax calls triggered the evacuation of several buildings at Harvard University and a futile search for an armed man and bombs on campus.

Cambridge police spokesman Jeremy Warnick says police received four calls reporting bombs planted on campus and a man carrying an assault rifle at the Ivy League school on Saturday morning.

Harvard University's police department says in a community advisory that it immediately ordered evacuation of buildings identified by the caller. The agency also notified colleagues at the Cambridge police and fire department, and their joint search of the locations failed to yield bombs or an armed man.

Warnick says police will work with FBI agents to identify two people who claimed responsibility on Twitter. A similar situation in December 2013 (photos above) caused a major disruption on campus as students were preparing to take final exams for the semester.

Additional information on Saturday's incident was not immediately available as the police investigation is ongoing.

A rally is planned in Boston to protest recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that organizers say reduces access to reproductive health services and birth control and puts women and health care providers at risk.

BOSTON (AP) — A rally is planned in Boston to protest recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that organizers say reduces access to reproductive health services and birth control and puts women and health care providers at risk.

The rally is scheduled for Tuesday at City Hall Plaza in Boston at 5 p.m.

Organizers say the rally is a response to a pair of recent decisions, including one that struck down the Massachusetts abortion clinic buffer zone law that barred protesters from coming within 35 feet of clinic entrances. Anti-abortion protesters praised the decision, saying they're just exercising their First Amendment rights as they try to counsel women.

The other is a decision that said Hobby Lobby Inc. and other businesses can use religious beliefs of ownership to avoid covering some or all contraceptives in employee health plans.

The event is co-sponsored by dozens of groups, many of which have been vocal opponents of the recent Supreme Court decisions, including Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, GLAD and MassEquality, to name a few. Elected officials from across the Commonwealth, including state Sen. Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, are expected to attend the rally.

According to the Westfield Homeless Cat Project, the smell from the trailer was so strong it carried more than 25 feet away, prompting investigators to don masks and protective suits, and to remain in the trailer for only short periods of time.

SOUTHAMPTON — As the Westfield Homeless Cat Project continues to work on finding homes for the remainder of 35 cats found dumped in Southwick a few weeks back, the non-profit facility has taken on another eleven.

The trailer at 59 Gunn Road in Southampton, Mass. where 11 cats were found living in squalor on July 3, 2014. (Submitted Photo)

On July 3, Southampton police, the Southampton Health Department and the MSPCA converged on a trailer located at 59 Gunn Road in the town. Although unknown circumstances led officials to the property, the result was 10 cats being removed from the trailer, with another cat being found inside in July 4.

According to the Westfield Homeless Cat Project, the smell from the trailer was so strong it carried more than 25 feet away, prompting investigators to don masks and protective suits, and to remain in the trailer for only short periods of time.

The owner of the cats, who's name was not released on Saturday, may be facing criminal charges in the coming days as the investigation is ongoing. Unlike the 35 cats rescued in Southwick, many of which were in relatively good shape, the 11 cats rescued from Southampton are suffering from a number of health problems.

"The vet said the cats are in rough condition with severe dental infections and dangerously matted fur. All need major teeth extractions, need to be shaved, and bathed," said Denise Sinico, the founder of the WHCP, in a statement.

Since care for the cats is estimated to cost thousands of dollars, the non-profit, no-kill facility is asking for donations to help. Monetary donations can be made online via the group's website or people can bring/mail donations, monetary or in the form of food and supplies, to:
Westfield Homeless Cat Project
1124 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085

For additional information, email westfieldhcp@aol.com or call (413) 568-6964.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake hit about 10 a.m. Saturday, centered about 6 miles northwest of the lake resort. It had a preliminary 4.6 magnitude -- considered a light quake. Two other smaller quakes were also reported, but it wasn't immediately clear if they were separate or related to the larger temblor.

LOS ANGELES -- A small earthquake rattled nerves and jostled store shelves in and around the Southern California community of Big Bear Lake on Saturday.

Randy Naquin of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said he had no reports of damage from the widely felt temblor. But the state Transportation Department said a section of nearby highway was closed by a rockslide. It wasn't immediately clear if the slide had been caused by the shaking.

City News Service reported that snowplows were dispatched to clear rocks and at least six vehicles were stranded temporarily.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake hit about 10 a.m. Saturday, centered about 6 miles northwest of the lake resort. It had a preliminary 4.6 magnitude -- considered a light quake. Two other smaller quakes were also reported, but it wasn't immediately clear if they were separate or related to the larger temblor.

Wick Phillips, who owns a gift and furnishings store with his wife, Tracy, in Big Bear Lake, said about 15 coffee mugs and glass items were shattered after being knocked from shelves. The quake hit at a time when the downtown area was filled with holiday vacationers.

"It was a very sharp jolt, followed by about 10 seconds of the building moving," Phillips said. The building was not structurally damaged, and he and his wife were not hurt.

A Vermont man was charged by police this week after he allegedly took a sledgehammer to his ex-girlfriend's car causing extensive damages.

LOWELL, Vt. — A Vermont man was charged by police this week after he allegedly took a sledgehammer to his ex-girlfriend's car causing extensive damages.

According to Vermont State Police, Jeff Lafin, 25, of Hyde Park was charged with unlawful mischief after police were called to a home on Route 58 in Lowell, Vt. Upon arrival, troopers say Lafin's ex told them he used a sledghammer on the hood, windshield and driver's side window of her 2004 Dodge Neon.

Lafin wasn't present when police arrived, but was later tracked down and given a criminal citation. If convicted, the charge could land Lafin with a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

An autopsy showed an Arab teenager who Palestinians say was killed in a revenge attack was burned to death, officials said Saturday, while Palestinian militants fired two rockets toward a major southern city deeper into Israel than any other attack in the current round of violence.

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- An autopsy showed an Arab teenager who Palestinians say was killed in a revenge attack was burned to death, officials said Saturday, while Palestinian militants fired two rockets toward a major southern city deeper into Israel than any other attack in the current round of violence.

The Israeli military said its "Iron Dome" defense system intercepted the rockets that were aimed at Beersheba. The military also said at least 29 other rockets and mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel over the weekend. It said it had retaliated with airstrikes on militant sites in Gaza.

Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters spread early Saturday from Jerusalem to Arab towns in northern Israel as hundreds of people took to the streets and threw rocks and fire bombs at officers who responded with tear gas and stun grenades, police said.

Palestinian Attorney General Abdelghani al-Owaiwi said he received initial autopsy results from a Palestinian doctor who was present at the autopsy in Tel Aviv. He said it shows that 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khdeir, whose death has sparked large protests in his east Jerusalem neighborhood, suffered burns on "90 percent of his body."

"The results show he was breathing while on fire and died from burns and their consequences," al-Owaiwi said.

His account provided the first details of the preliminary findings to be made public. The Israeli Health Ministry could not be reached for comment.

The autopsy found evidence that Abu Khdeir had breathed in the flames as burns were found inside his body, in his lungs, bronchial tubes and his throat, al-Owaiwi said.

He also said the young man had suffered wounds on the right side of his head apparently from impact with a rock or another hard object.

Abu Khdeir's charred body was found in a forest Wednesday after he was seized near his home. Palestinians immediately accused Israeli extremists of killing him to avenge the deaths of three Israeli teens who had been abducted and killed in the West Bank. Israeli police said an investigation is still underway and they have not yet determined who killed the boy or why.

Israeli leaders have widely condemned the killing of the Palestinian youth, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed those responsible would be brought to justice.

Palestinians took to the streets in protests after news of the boy's death on Wednesday and clashed with police in east Jerusalem. Riots erupted in east Jerusalem Friday as thousands of Palestinians massed for the boy's burial.

Near the town of Qalansawe, protesters also pulled over a car driven by an Israeli Jew on Saturday, pulled him out and set the vehicle on fire, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said. The driver was not injured. Several other Israeli cars were also torched, she said. Dozens of protesters were arrested across the country throughout the day.

Protests subsided by noon but resumed in the evening with violent demonstrations in several Arab towns in the north of the country, police said.

Israel's public security minister, Yitzhak Aharonovitch, visited areas of friction and said police would display "zero tolerance" toward those "who take the law into their own hands and harm innocent people."

Israeli Arabs, unlike Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, hold citizenship rights. But they often face discrimination and mostly identify with the Palestinians. Even so, violent riots like these are rare.

Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem also used an electric saw to damage the light rail that connects the heavily Arab populated eastern sector of the city with the mostly Jewish West, Samri said.

President Shimon Peres spoke with Arab leaders Saturday night in Israel urging calm. "We must unite to prevent tragedies and loss of life. Together we can lower the flames and protect the innocent people, he said.

The chaos began after three Israeli teenagers, one of whom was a U.S. citizen, were abducted in the West Bank on June 12, sparking a huge manhunt that ended with the gruesome discovery of their bodies earlier this week.

In a separate incident, relatives told The Associated Press that Abu Khdeir's 15-year-old cousin Tariq, a U.S. citizen who goes to school in Florida, was beaten by police during clashes on Thursday ahead of the funeral. The U.S. Consulate had no immediate comment on the report.

The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the U.S. Department of State to demand that Israel immediately release Khdeir.

In Washington, a State Department spokesperson said an official from the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem had visited Khdeir on Saturday.

"We are profoundly troubled by reports that he was severely beaten while in police custody and strongly condemn any excessive use of force," the spokesperson, Jen Psaki, said in a statement released Saturday. "We are calling for a speedy, transparent and credible investigation and full accountability for any excessive use of force."

She also expressed concern about "the increasing violent incidents" and urged Israelis and Palestinians "to take steps to restore calm and prevent harm to innocents."

Khdeir's parents, Suha and Salah, said Tariq was detained but had been treated at an Israeli hospital. They released photos showing his face swollen and badly bruised.

Samri, the Israeli police spokeswoman, said that Tariq Abu Khdeir had resisted arrest and attacked police officers. He was detained with a slingshot in his possession used to hurl stones at police, along with six other protesters, including some armed with knives, she said, adding that several officers were hurt in that specific protest, one of many that day.

Tariq's father said he witnessed his son's arrest and insisted the boy was not involved in the violence.

Amateur video of what he said was the beating aired on a local television station, and he said he could recognize his son from his clothing.

The channel that aired it, Palestine Today, is funded by Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad, a militant group that has carried out suicide bombings and other attacks aimed at civilians.

Other footage shows uniformed men dragging someone on the ground.

The face of the person cannot be seen in either video, and the circumstances leading up to the beating are not shown.

Israel's justice ministry said an investigation had been opened over the footage.

The rocket fire on Beersheba Saturday was the first since 2012, which came during intense fighting between Israel and Gaza militants.

Israel launched a massive crackdown on the Islamic militant group Hamas after the abduction of the Israeli teens, while retaliatory Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes intensified. The military says Palestinian militants have fired more than 150 rockets at southern Israel, and it has responded with airstrikes on more than 70 targets in Gaza.

Republican candidate for governor Charlie Baker has taken a fundraising lead.

BOSTON (AP) — Republican candidate for governor Charlie Baker has taken a fundraising lead.

As of June 30, Baker had more than $1.1 million in his campaign account after raising just under $400,000 during June.

Democrat Steven Grossman had the second most in his campaign account with nearly $932,000 according the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Grossman raised about $150,000 in June.

Fellow Democrat Martha Coakley came in third with about $490,000 left in her campaign account, having collected about $172,000 in June.

Another Democratic candidate Don Berwick appeared to get a bounce from his strong third place finish in his party's state convention. He raised nearly $156,000 in June, bringing his total to nearly $225,000.

Baker's Republican opponent Mark Fisher raised less than $3,000 in June, finishing with about $4,400 in his account.

While people flocked to beaches across New England on Saturday, some visitors of one state park on the Connecticut oceanfront may have had their privacy violated in a disturbing way.

MADISON, Conn. — While people flocked to beaches across New England on Saturday to enjoy the nice weather, some visitors of one state park on the Connecticut oceanfront may have had their privacy violated in a disturbing way.

According to the Hartford Courtant, officials found a hidden camera inside one of the changing rooms at the Hammonasset Beach State Park camping grounds on Saturday morning.

A subsequent search of the changing rooms and other public buildings located at the state's largest public beach park turned up nothing else out of the ordinary, but police and state officials have launched an investigation into who may have placed the camera in the changing room.

Anyone with information on the camera or who may have placed it in the changing room is asked to call the Connecticut State Police at (860) 399-2100.

Three boats collided near a Miami marina around the end of a fireworks display, killing four and injuring a dozen others in a chaotic scene that left bodies and survivors tossed overboard.

MIAMI -- Three boats collided near a Miami marina around the end of a fireworks display, killing four and injuring a dozen others in a chaotic scene that left bodies and survivors tossed overboard.

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the crash Friday night near the Dinner Key Marina in Miami, with officers plucking several people out of the water. The boaters are believed to have been out celebrating the Fourth of July holiday.

Rescuers were alerted by one of the boaters at about 10:45 p.m. He said he'd been hit by another vessel and that his 36-foot pleasure craft was taking on water, authorities said.

"We kept getting report after report of more people in the water," Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Ignatius Carroll said.

Eight people were initially transported to Miami hospitals. Two of them, man and a woman, later died. Relatives of a third victim found her body in the water on Saturday, and a fourth body was located later by investigators, authorities said.

The victims' names and ages weren't immediately released.

"My understanding is they may have been out there enjoying the fireworks display, and typically after the fireworks are over, everyone makes a mad dash for the nearest marina," said Jorge Pino, a public information officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

However, Pino cautioned that the exact circumstances were still under investigation.

Carroll recounted how anxious relatives waited for news of their loved ones at the dock. One man, he recalled, worried about his two grandchildren. Both arrived safely to shore.

"We were relieved to be able to let him know that they were OK," Carroll said.

Ville Parviainen and Janette Oksman cleared the grueling 253.5 meter (278-yard) obstacle course in 63.75 seconds on Saturday, less than a second ahead of Britain's Rich Blake Smith and Anna Marguerite Smith.

HELSINKI (AP) — A Finnish couple has narrowly won the 19th World Wife Carrying Championships — a quirky competition in which men race to be the fastest while carrying a female teammate.

Ville Parviainen and Janette Oksman cleared the grueling 253.5 meter (278-yard) obstacle course in 63.75 seconds on Saturday, less than a second ahead of Britain's Rich Blake Smith and Anna Marguerite Smith.

Thirty-six couples from a dozen countries including Australia, Japan, and the United States took part in the race, which was held in the central Finnish municipality of Sonkajarvi, north of the capital, Helsinki.

The rules stipulate that the woman must be over 17 years of age and weigh at least 49 kilograms (108 lb). Despite the event's name couples don't have to be married, and organizers say male contestants could "borrow a neighbor's wife" if they didn't have a female companion.

The men can carry their teammate in various ways, though a popular method is for the woman to hang upside-down with her legs around the male contestant's shoulders.

Finland has established itself as a prime venue for unusual events including international air guitar, swamp soccer and mobile phone throwing competitions.

Austin Gartman, 15, was last seen sometime early Saturday and is considered an endangered runaway.

VERNON, Conn. — Authorities in Connecticut are asking the public for help finding a Vernon teen who hasn't been seen since Saturday morning.

View full sizeAustin Gartman

Austin Gartman, 15, was last seen sometime early Saturday and is considered an endangered runaway. Hours later the Vernon Police Department requested the Connecticut State Police issue a Silver Alert.

Connecticut's silver alert system is commonly used to spread the word about runaways and endangered runaways, as well as missing persons with dementia and other cognitive impairments in the state.

Gartman is described as a white male, standing 5-feet, 10-inches tall, weighing approximately 130 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with black writing on the front, blue jeans and a black hat.

Anyone with information regarding Gartman's whereabouts is asked to call the Vernon Police Department at 860-872-9126.

The 21-minute video that is said to show Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State group, was reportedly filmed on Friday at the Great Mosque in the northern city of Mosul. It was released on at least two websites known to be used by the organization and bore the logo of its media arm, but it was not possible to independently verify whether the person shown was indeed al-Baghdadi.

BAGHDAD -- A man purporting to be the leader of the Sunni extremist group that has declared an Islamic state in territory it controls in Iraq and Syria has made what would be his first public appearance, delivering a sermon at a mosque in Iraq's second-largest city, according to a video posted online Saturday.

The 21-minute video that is said to show Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State group, was reportedly filmed on Friday at the Great Mosque in the northern city of Mosul. It was released on at least two websites known to be used by the organization and bore the logo of its media arm, but it was not possible to independently verify whether the person shown was indeed al-Baghdadi.

There are only a few known photographs of al-Baghdadi, an ambitious Iraqi militant believed to be in his early 40s with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head. Since taking the reins of the group in 2010, he has transformed it from a local branch of al-Qaida into an independent transnational military force, positioning himself as perhaps the pre-eminent figure in the global jihadi community.

Al-Baghdadi's purported appearance in Mosul, a city of some 2 million that the militants seized last month, came five days after his group declared the establishment of an Islamic state, or caliphate, in the territories it seized in Iraq and Syria. The group proclaimed al-Baghdadi the leader of its state and demanded that all Muslims pledge allegiance to him.

In the video, the man said to be al-Baghdadi says that "the mujahedeen have been rewarded victory by God after years of jihad, and they were able to achieve their aim and hurried to announce the caliphate and choose the Imam," referring to the leader.

"It is a burden to accept this responsibility to be in charge of you," he adds. "I am not better than you or more virtuous than you. If you see me on the right path, help me. If you see me on the wrong path, advise me and halt me. And obey me as far as I obey God."

Speaking in classical Arabic with little emotion, he outlines a vision that emphasizes holy war, the implementation of a strict interpretation of Islamic law, and the philosophy that the establishment of an Islamic caliphate is a duty incumbent on all Muslims.

He is dressed in black robes and a black turban -- a sign that he claims descent from the Prophet Muhammad. He has dark eyes, thick eyebrows and a full black beard with streaks of gray on the sides.

At the beginning of the video, the man purported to be al-Baghdadi slowly climbs the mosque's pulpit one step at a time. Then the call to prayer is made as he cleans his teeth with a miswak, a special type of stick that devout Muslims use to clean their teeth and freshen their breath.

The camera pans away at one point to show several dozen men and boys standing for prayer in the mosque, and a black flag of the Islamic State group hangs along one wall. One man stands guard, with a gun holster under his arm.

Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert on militant factions in Syria and Iraq, said al-Baghdadi has come under some criticism since unilaterally declaring the establishment of a caliphate, in part for not appearing before the people.

"He had declared himself caliph, he couldn't hide away. He had to make an appearance at some time," al-Tamimi said. Traditionally, a Muslim ruler is expected to live among the people, and to preach the sermon before communal Friday prayers.

The brazenness of his purported appearance -- nearly unheard of among the most prominent global jihad figures -- before dozens of people, and issued on a video only a day after its occurrence, suggested the Islamic State's confidence in their rule of Mosul.

"The fact that he has done this without any consequences in Mosul's biggest mosque is a sign of (the Islamic State group's) power within the city," said al-Tamimi. He said it would likely boost the morale of al-Baghdadi's fighters, and deal a blow to the group's rivals.

A senior Iraqi intelligence official said that after an initial analysis the man in the video is believed to indeed be al-Baghdadi. The official said the arrival of a large convoy in Mosul around midday Friday coincided with the blocking of cellular networks in the area. He says the cellular signal returned after the convoy departed.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

A Mosul resident confirmed that mobile networks were down around the time of Friday prayers, and then returned a few hours later. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears for his safety.

Another aspect of the rule al-Baghdadi envisions was made clear in a series of images that emerged online late Saturday showing the destruction of at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory his group controls.

The 21 photographs posted on a website that frequently carries official statements from the Islamic State extremist group document the destruction in Mosul and the town of Tal Afar. Some of the photos show bulldozers plowing through walls, while others show explosives demolishing the buildings in a cloud of smoke and rubble.

Residents from both Mosul and Tal Afar confirmed the destruction of the sites.

Sunni extremists consider Shiites Muslims heretics, and the veneration of saints apostasy.

Also Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki removed the chief of the army's ground forces and the head of the federal police from their posts as part of his promised shake-up in the security forces following their near collapse in the face of the militant surge.

Military spokesman Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said al-Maliki signed the papers to retire Lt. Gen. Ali Ghaidan, commander of the army's ground forces, and Lt. Gen. Mohsen al-Kaabi, the chief of the federal police. Al-Moussawi said both men leave their jobs with their pensions. No replacements have been named.

The "people's pledge," a deal designed to discourage attack ads funded by outside groups, has taken on a life of its own.

BOSTON (AP) — During Massachusetts' 2012 U.S. Senate race, Republican incumbent Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren hammered out what would become known as the "people's pledge" — a deal designed to discourage attack ads funded by outside groups.

Since then, the pledge has taken on a life of its own.

It's been proposed by candidates — Republican and Democrat — in Senate races this year in Alaska, Kentucky and New Hampshire. Candidates running in Rhode Island's Democratic primary for governor have already signed a pledge. It's also been proposed in races for governor and attorney general in Massachusetts.

As often as not, however, the demand for a pledge seems to be as much about tweaking a political opponent as it is about trying to tamp down outside money.

In Kentucky, Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes has urged her opponent, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, to agree to a pledge.

"I further call on you to sign a people's pledge to ask all outside groups to cease spending in the commonwealth and allow the campaigns to deliver their messages to Kentuckians unvarnished," Grimes said.

McConnell campaign spokeswoman Allison Moore said Grimes is trying to score political points and believes "it's OK to barter our First Amendment rights away if it improves their electoral prospects" by limiting ads from outside groups.

In Alaska, Republican candidate Dan Sullivan has called on incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich to sign a similar pledge that Sullivan said was modeled after the Brown-Warren agreement.

Begich's campaign has dismissed the pledge as a political ploy, noting that unlike the 2012 Massachusetts Senate race, there have been no negotiations between the campaigns — the proposed pledge was just plunked down at a Begich campaign office. The campaign also accused Sullivan of hypocrisy, nothing that Sullivan supports the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision that lifted restrictions on independent spending by corporations and labor unions.

Sullivan has said the question of a people's pledge isn't about Citizens United but rather is about "how Mark Begich and I are going to conduct this race," Sullivan said.

In New Hampshire, one of the signers of the original people's pledge — Brown — has declined to agree to a similar deal as he tries to unseat Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who has pressed for a pledge.

The group Common Cause is one of the strongest supporters of the pledge.

The group has urged candidates in more than a dozen states to adopt the pledge — in part to blunt an expected flood of money from outside groups in the wake of the Citizens United decision.

One of the few pledges agreed to so far is in Rhode Island, where the three leading Democratic candidates for governor reached a voluntary agreement in April to reduce outside spending.

The pledge signed by Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, Treasurer Gina Raimondo and political newcomer Clay Pell calls for any candidate who benefits from an outside group's advertising to make a donation to charity in the amount of the ad buy. If two candidates benefit, each will donate half the cost.

The push for the campaign pledges is aimed in large part at trying to discourage the influence of independent expenditure political action committees — so-called super PACs — which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money but must operate independently of a candidate's official campaign.

Super PACs have proliferated since the Citizens United case.

In Massachusetts, the pledge has had a spotty history since the 2012 Senate campaign, where it was largely successful in blocking television, radio and Internet ads by outside groups.

In 2013, Democratic candidates and U.S. Reps. Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch agreed to an even tougher pledge that also targeted mailings to voters' homes. They were vying for their party's nomination in the special election to fill the seat left vacant by John Kerry's resignation to become secretary of state.

Markey, who won, failed to persuade Republican nominee Gabriel Gomez to agree to the pledge.

This year, the pledge has surfaced as an issue in the Democratic primaries for governor and attorney general. Candidates in each race have accused each other of torpedoing the idea, and it's unclear whether any agreement will be reached during the primary or general elections.

In fact, outside money has already begun to flow into the state.

In Massachusetts' contested 6th Congressional District, the conservative U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent $350,000 on ads in May to help support former state Sen. Richard Tisei, who is hoping to defeat Democratic incumbent Rep. John Tierney.