Gendron pleaded guilty and will be sentenced to between 40 and 50 years in prison.

 

SPRINGFIELD - A 34-year-old Pittsfield man accused of making and distributing videos of himself having sex with children agreed to plea deal on Tuesday that will see him sentenced to as much as 50 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Jason Gendron pleaded guilty in federal court to 16 counts of sexual exploitation of minors by producing child pornography and possession of child pornography.

By entering a guilty plea and forgoing a trial, Gendron will be sentenced to 40 to 50 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years probation. He also agreed to pay restitution to the victims depicted in his pornography collection, and to surrender all of his computer media. He could also be fined up to $250,000 for each of the 16 counts.

Gendron was arrested a year ago at his home after state police executed a search warrant.

Investigators reportedly found thousands of pornographic images involving children on his computer, but also found 16 video files of Gendron engaged in sexually explicit activity with three young girls, ages 14, 7 and 4 years old, officials said.

The videos were made between May 2011 and August 2012.

The case was investigated by the Massachusetts State Police, Pittsfield Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the U.S. Attorney’s branch office in Springfield.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels detonated explosives in two tunnels, dug under the ancient quarter of Aleppo that has been the site of some of the fiercest fighting in the Syrian conflict, now in its fourth year.

By BARBARA SURK

BEIRUT — Insurgents fighting in Syria to oust President Bashar Assad detonated bomb-packed tunnels under buildings in the contested northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday, killing at least 13 pro-government troops, opposition activists said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels detonated explosives in two tunnels, dug under the ancient quarter of Aleppo that has been the site of some of the fiercest fighting in the Syrian conflict, now in its fourth year. The Observatory said the blasts killed at least 13 soldiers and pro-government militiamen late Tuesday. It said one bomb went off under a police station that likely housed troops.

Clashes between rebels, belonging to Islamic groups, including the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, and Assad's forces broke out after the blasts and fighting raged into the night, the Observatory said. The group has been documenting Syrian conflict since it started in March 2011 through a network of activists on the ground.

Another opposition group, the Syria-based Local Coordination Committees, also reported the Aleppo blasts. It said there were an unknown number of casualties on the government side.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack that comes amid reports of a surge in deadly attacks by the al-Qaida-breakaway Islamic State group targeting Assad's forces.

More than 2,000 Syrians — almost half of them pro-government forces — have been killed in just over two weeks, marking one of the worst death tolls in the country's civil war.

The Islamic State group has recently taken swaths of territory in eastern Syria and whole cities and towns in neighboring Iraq. It merged the territories last month and declared an Islamic state.

Increased targeting of Assad's forces in northern Syria could signal shifting priorities for Sunni militants, seeking to consolidate their hold on territory and resources along the border with Turkey.

The attacks are also a powerful reminder that the rebels can still deal a heavy blow to Assad's forces in the heart of Syria's urban center that is the biggest price in the civil war. Regaining control of Aleppo would boost Assad's confidence after his forces retook territory from the opposition in central Syria, and along the border with Lebanon and around Damascus in time for its June 3 presidential election.

Assad won a third, seven-year term in a vote that was dismissed by the West and the opposition as a scheme.

Syrian conflict started in March 2011 as a largely peaceful uprising against Assad's rule. It has turned into an armed revolt after some opposition supporters took up arms to fight a brutal government crackdown. It gradually has become a civil war, pitting predominantly Sunni rebels against Assad's government that is mostly made up of Alawites, a sect in Shiite Islam.

More than 170,000 people have been killed in the fighting and nearly a third of Syria's 23 million inhabitants have been uprooted from their homes.

The new policy reflects what the School Committee already is doing, Nemeth said.

LUDLOW – The School Committee on Tuesday voted unanimously to change the admissions requirements for grade nine honors courses.

Ludlow High School Principal Lisa Nemeth said that previously a grade of 90 was required on an entrance exam to take an honors course.

The new policy approved Tuesday by the School Committee allows for open enrollment for honors classes.

The new policy reflects what the school district already is doing, Nemeth said.

The new policy opens up opportunity for students, Nemeth said.

She added that some students opposed letting additional students into honors classes, saying that all students do not have the background to take the courses.

Other students say that some of the C students bring “a different perspective” to the classes.

Nemeth said that teachers will recommend a student without high grades for an honors course if he thinks he can do the work.

“This new policy aligns our policy with our practices,” School Superintendent Todd Gazda said.

In 2013 Ludlow was honored by the College Board for increasing access to AP course work while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams.

AP scores were not as high this year as they were in 2013, Nemeth said.

“Some students did not do the work,” she added.

School Committee Chairman Michael Kelliher said he supports keeping access open to honors and AP courses.

Nemeth said that keeping access open to honors courses increases the numbers of students choosing to take the courses by about 10 percent.

The mayor's office plans to unveil a restructuring of departments in September or October aimed at making it easier to do business.

HOLYOKE -- Arguments about efficiency and money collided Tuesday (July 29) as councilors debated whether to establish a position of inspector of licenses to help with enforcement of liquor and other licenses.

The Ordinance Committee after a debate of about an hour at City Hall tabled the issue.

That came after councilors learned Mayor Alex B. Morse's office is doing a multidepartment review that would consolidate positions and is intended to make government more customer-friendly.

"Reorganizing the license board is something we've been looking at as part of a larger reorganization that aims to increase productivity and enhance customer service in city departments," Morse told The Republican and MassLive.com Monday.

"With the current configuration there is little to no enforcement, and no cross training of staff, which can mean delays for prospective business owners," he said.

Councilors said they wanted to see the entire restructuring plan before adding a post that Morse said would have a yearly salary of $40,000 to $45,000.

Rory Casey, Morse's chief of staff, told the committee the restructuring plan will be presented to councilors in September or October.

The position of licensing director would cost zero extra money, he said, based on the plan envisioning eliminating some other positions and existing funding being transferred.

"We're really examining a restructuring of City Hall," Casey said.

Ward 7 Councilor Gordon P. Alexander proposed the inspector of licenses position that was on the Ordinance Committee agenda. He proposed the post without knowing Morse was doing such a restructuring of departments that included a plan to establish such a new job, he said.

The License Commission now has a staff of only a clerk. Adding a licensing inspector would ensure conditions of licenses are being met, he said.

"This order is intended to create a full-time somebody to run the License Commission, just as we have a full-time somebody to run the Conservation Commission," Alexander said.

"We have nobody administering our licenses," he said at another point.

Despite assertions the new post wouldn't add spending, some councilors said chances to save money should be seized.

The city began the fiscal year July 1 with a deficit of about $3.6 million that officials expect to retire once the state Department of Revenue certifies the amount of free cash available for municipal use. That state decision is expected in September or October.

Creating a position amid such troubles is "ludicrous," Ward 2 Councilor Anthony Soto said.

"This city has no money," Soto said.

"This is simply a new position that will cost more money that we don't have," Ward 5 Councilor Linda L. Vacon said.

Another reason to table the issue is that the three-member License Commission should be involved in a City Council discussion about adding such a position as inspector of licenses, Councilor at Large Joseph M. McGiverin said.

Alexander had 11 other license-related orders on the Ordinance Committee agenda that also were tabled or moved to other committees. Those orders were intended to change license-granting powers from the City Council, police chief and city clerk, and properly put those decisions in the hands of the License Commission, Alexander said.

Those orders were regarding licenses for auctions, billiards, peddlers, hawkers and solicitors, second-hand goods, vehicles for hire, fortune tellers and pawn brokers.

Morse praised Alexander's proposals and said they would fit with his plan.

"Under the proposed reorganization, the director of licensing would handle the administrative tasks, such as processing applications and organizing the board meetings, as well as enforcement of current licenses, including the prevention of alcohol sales to minors," Morse said.

"It would be similar to the way our Conservation Commission works now, staff member with a board. If approved, the licensing process will become more efficient and fair for current and future license holders. This proposal is just one more step in making it easy to do business in Holyoke," he said.

The reconstruction process is expected to be completed by the end of next week.

 

"There will be delays, because there still will be crews working in the street. But the road closures will be removed, so (motorists) will be able to drive through Maple Street and Elm Street," said town Superintendent Robert Peirent. "The base course of pavement has been placed. What's now happening is the contractor is adjusting the structures in the roadway to the level of the final pavement, and that will allow them to come in next week... and place the final course of pavement."

Palmer Paving has been working on the street in recent days at the behest of the East Longmeadow Department of Public Works.

"I would expect (the project to be completed) by the end of next week," said Peirent. "There will be some cleanup activities, you know, planting grass, things like that, but the road will be final paved and fully open to traffic without any delays."

One man was hit by gunfire just after 9 p.m. in the vicinity of 174 Massachusetts Ave., said Capt. Trent Duda.

SPRINGFIELD – Police are investigating a Tuesday night shooting on Massachusetts Avenue that left one injured, police said.

One man was hit by gunfire just after 9 p.m. in the vicinity of 174 Massachusetts Ave., said Capt. Trent Duda.

Duda said the victim was taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center.

He said he did not know the man’s condition, but said he was conscious and talking with police as he was loaded into the ambulance.

It was reported initially that the man was shot as he was being chased down the street. Duda said it is not yet clear who shot him or what led up to it.

He said not much more information is available and he was still waiting to hear back from police on the scene.

Massachusetts Avenue runs between Wilbraham Road and King Street in the city’s Upper Hill neighborhood.

This is a developing story and more information will be posted as it is known.

The YMCA of Greater Springfield has contingency plan to provide sports, recreation and educational services at other sites in Springfield's Mason Square.

SPRINGFIELD — The Dunbar Community Center – renowned as a cradle of basketball talent in the birthplace of the game and as a safe haven in a troubled neighborhood – could be sold at a foreclosure auction sometime in August,.

Kirk R. Smith, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Springfield, warned of the foreclosure in a letter sent to YMCA supporters Tuesday. The Dunbar is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach Derek Kellogg and future NBA players Travis Best and Vinny Del Negro all played at the Dunbar. Broadway dance legend Frank Hatchett opened a studio there in 1967. The center once hosted Golden Gloves boxing tournaments and the Dunbar Players theater troupe.

The YMCA and building owner Dunbar Inc. was negotiating with mortgage holder Bank of America with the help of U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal. But instead, Bank of America sold the mortgage to Republic Financial Corp. of Colorado, which is moving forward with the foreclosure.

Neither Bank of America nor Republic Financial Corp. responded to calls for comment Tuesday.

The Rev. Talbert W. Swan II, president of the city's NAACP chapter and chairman of the Dunbar Y's advisory board, said the mortgage holder is asking for $1 million to avoid foreclosure. The highest the Y, building owner Dunbar Inc. or anyone else can go is $500,000.

The Y plans to keep running programs at the Dunbar Y Family and Community Center building at 33 Oak St. as long as it has access to the building, but has also developed a contingency plan to relocate Dunbar programs elsewhere in the city's beleaguered Mason Square Neighborhood, Smith wrote in the letter.

The YMCA took over operations in 2011 after the Dunbar Community Center and parent organization Dunbar Inc. ran into financial trouble. In its time managing the center, the Y has grown membership at the Dunbar to 3,500 young people, teens, adults and senior citizens.

The Y operates as a tenant to Dunbar Inc., which owns the building. The Y's budget for Dunbar activities runs $300,000 to $400,000 a year with an annual deficit of $100,000. Smith wrote that the Y makes up the annual $100,000 Dunbar shortfall with year-round fundraising and fund transfers from the YMCA of Greater Springfield  because the Y believes in the Dunbar's mission and the need for a community center in Mason Square.

Besides basketball and other sports and recreation programs, the Dunbar provides education, child care and health  and wellness services.

"The YMCA has done a tremendous job in keeping this facility open since 2011," Mayor Domenic J.Sarno wrote in an email. "This will be a terrible loss to not only Mason Square but the entire Springfield family. Hopefully the bank will realize what this facility means to the community and find an amicable resolution." 

Dunbar programs could continue in space rented from the Springfield School Department or from area churches, said Swan, president of the city's NAACP chapter and chairman of the Dunbar Y's advisory board.

"But the reality is the services they are able to provide would likely not be centralized in one location like they are at the Dunbar," he said. "The services will be scattered in the community which definitely will definitely hurt those people who depend on the Dunbar."

The loss of the Dunbar would be particularly troublesome because the South End Community Center was destroyed in the June 2011 tornado and a new building has not yet been constructed.

"We are talking about a horrific blow to communities of color, in particular in Mason Square and to the South End," said Swan, who grew up playing basketball at the Dunbar. "The Dunbar has been a beacon of light for generations in our community and it would be sad to lose it."

City Councilor Bud L. Williams said he was aware of the situation with Dunbar and said he hopes it will remain in Mason Square at its current site.

"It's too important an institution and too important to the Springfield community to lose. We have to do whatever it takes to keep it," Williams said.

Swan said the mortgage difficulty stems from the same financial troubles that plagued the Dunbar as an independent entity prior to the Y's 2011 takeover.

According to documents on file at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds, the Dunbar took out a $1.6-million mortgage in 2000.

Swan said Y officials and others in the community thought they had a deal with Bank of America to save the property.

"I believe the financial institution that holds the mortgage did not act in good faith as the Dunbar Inc, board attempted to negotiate with it," Swan said. "We were led to believe that  Bank of America was going to resolve the mortgage issue. Unbeknownst to us, the mortgage was bundled with many others and sold."

In his letter, Smith said the YMCA and Dunbar Inc. have tried negotiating with Republic but couldn't reach an agreement and DevelopSpringfield, the city's public-private development partnership, even offered to buy the property. DevelopSpringfield's offer was rejected.

Dunbar Inc. also offered to give Republic ownership of the building provided the YMCA get a six-month lease, Smith wrote. That offer was also rejected.

Swan said even the most hard-hearted of business people would be unwise to foreclose on the Dunbar because it's unlikely that an auction would bring in even the $500,000 Dunbar backers are offering.

"It would be hard to put that property to any sort of use unless it was as a community center or a church," he said. "A developer could bring some sort of housing there, but given the difficulties of the neighborhood, that seems unlikely."

The Rev. Nelson DeBerry founded the Dunbar as extension of the St. John's Congregational Church on Union Street – first as the St. John's Parish Home for Girls and later as St. John's Institutional Activities.

 The Dunbar trained young people to work as housekeepers, porters and similar jobs that reflected the meager opportunities for blacks in the early 1900s.

By the 1930s, Dunbar had moved to 33 Oak St. and had grown into a community center offering sewing, hairdressing and baby-care classes along with basketball and boxing.

In 1962, the center split and its job development and civil rights advocacy functions moving downtown as the Urban League of Springfield. Athletics, dance and social programs remained in Mason Square as the Dunbar Community Center.

The safari is intended to raise funds for the the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

BARNSTABLE — Two marine conservation groups are offering a daylong ocean trip on Cape Cod to search for great white sharks, humpback whales, gray seals and seabirds in their wild habitat, billing the trip as the first of its kind and calling it a safari.

Organizers say there's room for about 250 people on the Sept. 6 expedition. It is intended to raise funds for the nonprofit organizers — the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, which is based on Cape Cod, and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, which is based in Plymouth.

"This is the first trip of its kind in Cape Cod and we are thrilled to offer this opportunity," said Emily Moss of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

Three experts will join the expedition to provide information about whales, great white sharks and seabirds. Organizers, however, say that they cannot guarantee sightings of sharks or other marine animals.

Shark sightings have soared from generally fewer than two annually before 2004 to more than 20 in each of the past few years off Cape Cod, where the economy depends heavily on the summer tourism season. White sharks have been coming closer to shore to feed on the seals, which have been coming on shore in greater numbers because of successful conservation efforts.

Skakel, the nephew of Robert Kennedy's widow, Ethel, was freed from prison last year after a judge ruled his trial attorney failed to adequately represent him when he was convicted of fatally bludgeoning Martha Moxley in Greenwich when they were both 15.

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN

STAMFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut judge ordered prosecutors Wednesday to preserve all evidence as Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel awaits a new trial in his murder case.

Stamford Superior Court Judge Gary White made the ruling after Skakel's attorney sought to preserve hairs found at the crime scene.

Skakel, the nephew of Robert F. Kennedy's widow, Ethel, was freed from prison last year after a judge ruled his trial attorney failed to adequately represent him in 2002 when he was convicted of fatally bludgeoning Martha Moxley in Greenwich when they were both 15.

Asked if he was spending time with his family, Skakel said as he arrived for the hearing, "much as I can." Asked if he was enjoying his time out of prison, he said, "I wouldn't say enjoying."

Prosecutors are appealing the decision granting Skakel a new trial.

Prosecutor John Smriga argued that it was too soon to be arguing about evidence while the appeal was pending.

Skakel's attorney, Stephen Seeger, agreed to withdraw for now a motion to suppress audiotapes seized from ghostwriter Richard Hoffman for a memoir, but he said it was important to preserve the hairs for future testing. He asked the judge to ask the state if the hairs still exist, but White declined.

Skakel's attorneys have argued that the discovery at the crime scene of an unidentified hair with African American characteristics and an unidentified Asian hair was "highly corroborative" of a claim by a former classmate of Skakel's who implicated two friends in the murder. A judge ruled that claim was not credible.

Forensic experts testified at Skakel's trial about the discovery of two hairs on sheets used to wrap Moxley's body. It's unclear whose hair it was, but prosecutors have said it's unclear where the sheets came from and that the hair could have come from someone who worked in the neighborhood.

Seeger said the hairs will be used by the defense if there is a new trial.

"Michael Skakel didn't commit this crime," Seeger said outside court with Skakel standing next to him. "He's innocent. A new trial will prove that."

Moxley's brother John and mother, Dorthy, said when Skakel was released last year that they continue to believe Skakel killed Martha and are confident he would be convicted again at a new trial.

The judge also told the two sides to try to reach an agreement on the return of items seized during the investigation that are not of evidentiary value. Seeger said he believes those items include photos of Skakel when he was 15.

A New Mexico man faces charges after authorities say a couple found him naked and sleeping in their bed.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A New Mexico man faces charges after authorities say a couple found him naked and sleeping in their bed.

Investigators say 30-year-old Freddy Shelby of Albuquerque was arrested Sunday after the homeowners called police to report their unwanted mystery guest.

According to a criminal complaint, Shelby broke into the couple's home through a window and grabbed a Sprite from the refrigerator before falling asleep in the master bedroom. Authorities say the homeowners found a disrobed Shelby in a deep sleep.

Officers arrived and called to the man, but he slept through it. Authorities say Shelby woke up only after an officer ripped the blankets off him.

Shelby told officers he thought he was at his girlfriend's house.

He was charged with breaking and entering. It wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney.

Israeli artillery shells tore through the walls of a U.N. school crowded with sleeping war refugees and back-to-back explosions rocked a market filled with shoppers Wednesday as Israel's stepped up campaign against Gaza's Hamas rulers claimed at least 116 Palestinian lives.

By KARIN LAUB and TIA GOLDENBERG

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli artillery shells tore through the walls of a U.N. school crowded with sleeping war refugees and back-to-back explosions rocked a market filled with shoppers Wednesday as Israel's stepped up campaign against Gaza's Hamas rulers claimed at least 116 Palestinian lives.

After the strikes near the shopping area in Gaza City, bodies lay scattered in the streets as the wounded screamed for help. "Where is the ambulance?" one man moaned as he lay on the blood-soaked ground.

Some 3,300 Gazans seeking refuge from the fighting had been crammed into the U.N. school at the Jebaliya refugee camp when a series of Israeli artillery shells hit before daybreak, turning a classroom where families had been sleeping into a tragic scene of bloodied clothing, bedding and debris.

Assad Sabah said he and his five children were huddled under desks because of the constant sound of tank fire throughout the night when suddenly mayhem struck.

"We were scared to death," he said. "After 4:30 a.m., tanks started firing more. Three explosions shook the school. One classroom collapsed over the head of the people who were inside."

Palestinian health officials said at least 17 people were killed and 90 wounded in the school attack — the latest in a series of strikes the United Nations says has hit U.N. facilities that are supposed to be safe zones in the 23-day-old war.

"Where will we go next?" wailed 56-year-old Aishe Abu Darabeh, sitting dazed outside a classroom after the shelling. "We fled and they are following us."

Israel's military said no U.N. facility had been intentionally targeted during Wednesday's operation, but troops had responded to Hamas mortar fire directed at Israeli soldiers near the school.

However, the chief of the U.N. aid agency for Palestinian refugees expressed "anger and indignation" at Israeli forces firing toward a U.N. facility even after being told 17 times, including just hours before the shelling attack, that it was filled with civilians.

"Enough is enough," Pierre Kraehenbuehl told The Associated Press, noting that six U.N. schools have been hit since the fighting began.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the school shelling "outrageous" and "unjustifiable," and demanded an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.

"Nothing is more shameful than attacking sleeping children," the U.N. chief said.

At least 116 Palestinians were killed Wednesday, including 16 in the shopping area, while the overall Palestinian death toll since July 8 climbed to 1,361, said Palestinian health official Ashraf al-Kidra.

The Israeli military said three of its soldiers were killed when a booby-trapped house collapsed after they identified an entrance to a Hamas tunnel inside. In all, 56 soldiers have been killed, as well as two Israeli civilians and a Thai citizen.

Wednesday marked a second day of particularly heavy Israeli air and artillery attacks, at a time when Egyptian cease-fire efforts appeared to be stalling. Israeli media said late Wednesday that Israel's Security Cabinet decided to press forward with the operation.

Egyptian officials, meanwhile, met with an Israeli envoy about Israel's conditions for a cease-fire, including disarming Hamas, according to a high-ranking Egyptian security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to discuss the delicate diplomatic efforts.

Hamas has said it will only halt fire once it receives guarantees that the Gaza border blockade by Israel and Egypt will be lifted. Rejecting calls for an unconditional cease-fire, Hamas has fired dozens of rockets at Israel each day.

Israel, in turn, has said its forces will stay in Gaza at least until they complete the demolition of more than 30 Hamas military tunnels used for launching attacks on Israel. Brig. Gen. Mickey Adelstein, commander of the Gaza Regional Division, said two-thirds had been destroyed and that it will take "a few more days" to destroy the rest.

Israel says it wants to decimate Hamas' rocket-launching capability, diminish its weapons arsenal and demolish the tunnels. It has launched more than 4,000 strikes against Hamas-linked targets, including rocket launchers and mosques where it says weapons were stored.

Israeli strikes have also hit dozens of homes. Mahmoud Abu Rahma of the Palestinian human rights group Al Mezan said nearly half of the Palestinians killed so far died in their homes.

Israeli officials have accused Hamas of using Gaza's civilians as human shields by firing rockets from crowded neighborhoods and putting them at risk in the event of an Israeli counterstrike.

However, Kraehenbuehl, the U.N. official, said Israel must try harder to ensure that civilians are not hurt, especially in Gaza where 1.7 million people are squeezed into a small coastal territory. His agency has opened 80 of its schools to more than 200,000 Gazans fleeing the violence.

"What maybe the world forgets ... is that the people of Gaza have nowhere to go," he said. "So when the fighting starts and they move, it is not as if they can cross a border to somewhere."

Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Palmor called Wednesday's deaths at the U.N. school "tragic," but blamed "Hamas's criminal entrenchment within civilian populations and its frenzy to wage war within civilian establishments."

He noted that Kraehenbuehl's U.N. agency has issued three statements about finding weapons in empty schools, presumably stashed there by militants.

Kraehenbuehl said the attempt by militants to use the schools is unacceptable, and that the U.N. agency has been transparent about the discoveries.

The White House also condemned the deadly school shelling.

The Obama administration is "extremely concerned" that thousands of Palestinians aren't safe in U.N.-designated shelters, White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said.

The mortar shells that struck the U.N. school were fired from a distance of some 200 yards (meters), said an Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Hours later, Israeli artillery fire hit a crowded shopping area in the Shijaiyah district in Gaza City, killing 16 people and wounding more than 200 others, Gaza health officials said.

"People were in the street and in the market, mostly women and kids. Suddenly more than 10 shells landed," said Salim Qadoum, 26, who witnessed the strike.

"The area now is like a blood bath, everyone is wounded or killed. People lost their limbs and were screaming for help. It's a massacre. I vomited when I saw what happened."

Witnesses said a first strike hit a workshop near a crowded market, setting off a fire that sent a large cloud of black smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters and ambulances arrived at the scene. As a crowd gathered, another hit, according to an AP photographer who was nearby.

Al-Kidra, the Palestinian health official, said the shopping area was busy because residents, and many who had taken shelter in the area from fighting elsewhere, thought a cease-fire was in place.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the strike on the shopping area. However, Israel had earlier announced a "humanitarian window" in certain parts of the territory, though it said it would not halt fire in other areas, including in Shijaiyah.

Scores of wounded were brought to Gaza City's Shifa Hospital, where the emergency room quickly overflowed, forcing some to be treated on the blood-smeared floor.

The Marshals Service, like many law enforcement agencies, regularly auctions off seized items, but unlike your local police, they won't be auctioning off unclaimed bicycles or stereo equipment,

If you are into gold coins, expensive jewelry, and on-line auctions, then the U.S. Marshals Service has an event planned just for you.

The Marshals Service is planning an on-line action, beginning Friday at 10 a.m., to sell off more than 350 lots of gold and silver, both in coins and bullion, diamonds, jewelry and expensive watches.

All of the items being auctioned off have been seized by law enforcement in various federal cases, and proceeds generated from sales will go toward compensation of victims, as well as to supplement law enforcement programs.

The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for managing and selling seized and forfeited properties from federal investigations. As part of the Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Program, the Marshals currently manage more than 23,000 assets with a value of $2.4 billion.

The Marshals Service, like many law enforcement agencies, conducts regular auctions of items seized during investigations. But unlike the local police auctioning off unclaimed bicycles or stereo equipment, this auction has some – actually many, many – pricey items.

Such as:

• Two one-kilogram Johnson and Matthey Gold bars – opening bid: $72,000.

• A total of 192,791 pre-1965 United States dimes (Mercury & FDR) - $250,000.

• or 55 1-ounce ingots of Credit Suisse fine gold.

According to the Marshals Service, the items up for auction were seized during some recent high-profile cases including James Fayed and Syed Qaisar Madad.

Fayed is the founder of e-Bullion of Los Angeles who was found guilty of running a fraudulent “e-currency” scheme in the United States and Australia. He is currently in prison and sentenced to death for hiring a hit man to kill his wife.

One hundred and thirty one of the lots in the auction were seized in his arrest, including one lot containing 100 $50 Canadian Maple Leaf gold coins (starting bid is $115,000)

Madad, also known as the Muslim Bernie Madoff, was the head of a California investment firm that defrauded clients of more than $30 million dollars though a Ponzi scheme. He was sentenced in 2013 to 12 years in prison.

Items seized in his arrest that are up for auction make up 38 total lots in the auction, including a 5.25 caret diamond engagement ring (starting bid: $25,500) and a 17-inch necklace with 28 sapphires and 318 diamonds (starting bid: $8,000)

All items up for auction are available for viewing at the web page www.txauction.com

The auction will take place in Miami at the Miami Beach Convention Center, beginning at 10 a.m. People who are so inclined may also bid on line through the web page.

The sales tax holiday was included in an economic development bill, which is among the last major pieces of legislation being considered before the legislative session ends for the year on Thursday.

BOSTON — The annual sales tax holiday in Massachusetts would be held Aug. 16-17 under a bill released by a legislative committee of conference on Wednesday evening.

The sales tax holiday was included in an economic development bill, which is among the last major pieces of legislation being considered before the legislative session ends for the year on Thursday.

Rep. Joseph Wagner, a Chicopee Democrat and chairman of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, said that sales tax holiday "is significant for the Commonwealth's economy."

"There is always a discussion about at what cost, in terms of tax revenues ... but it's an initiative that consumers look forward to," Wagner said. "They embrace it. A good deal of discretionary spending happens. It's clearly something we in the Legislature view as an economic stimulus measure."

The bill is expected to be voted on by the House and Senate on Thursday, the last day of the legislative session. It must then be signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat.

Retailers have long welcomed the sales tax holiday because it increases their sales for that weekend. Bill Vernon, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said Wednesday that the holiday "is a good deal all around for taxpayers, consumers and small retailers." Vernon said his organization would like to see the sales tax lowered year-round, but the holiday is an important promotion that spurs people to spend money in the state, which also increases tax revenue from the gas and meals taxes.

The state sales tax is 6.25 percent. Massachusetts has had a sales tax holiday every year since 2004, with the exception of 2009, the year the state raised the sales tax. State Sen. Stephen Brewer, a Barre Democrat and the Senate Ways and Means Committee chairman, has said the sales tax holiday costs the state around $20 million to $30 million annually in lost sales tax revenues.

The sales tax holiday is typically held on the second weekend in August. This year, the Senate had proposed holding it Aug. 9-10, but the House set a date of Aug. 16-17. The difference had to be reconciled by the committee of conference.

Wagner said the total economic development bill will spend approximately $84 million to $87 million, after negotiators reached a compromise between the House bill and the Senate bill.

Watch MassLive.com on Thursday for additional coverage of the bill

It was presentation night on Wednesday at Springfield College's Fuller Arts Center as students from the city run Springfield Summer Leadership Camp offered an audience of about 200 people their ideas on how to solve some common urban problems - ranging from bullying to kicking unhealthy habits.

SPRINGFIELD — It was presentation night on Wednesday at Springfield College's Fuller Arts Center as students from the city run Springfield Summer Leadership Camp offered an audience of about 200 people their ideas on how to solve some common urban problems - ranging from bullying to kicking unhealthy habits.

Students shared PowerPoint presentations urging students to stand up to bullies while creating a respectful school culture. They urged others to read the nutrition information on the back of food packages and to make exercise a part of their lives. And they also enjoyed a video montage of some of the scenes from the summer camp held at the Springfield College campus.

During the last few weeks, alcoves and classroom space on the second floor of Springfield College’s Babson Library had become mini think-tanks as a group of summer campers tackled some the city’s most intractable problems.

The Springfield Summer Leadership Program is one of several vacation enrichment camps run by the Department of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management. The invitation-only camp, operated in partnership with the college and the Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA, aims to identify, cultivate and inspire a generation of young people to grow up to be community leaders and problem-solvers.

Christine Brayfield, coordinator for the five-week summer leadership program, said its aim is to teach students about group problem solving, conflict resolution and team work.

Earlier this summer, students headed over to Springfield College's East Campus outdoor center where they learned to help one another navigate a low and high-ropes course offered through the Becket-Chimney Corners Y, a 1,500 acre camp in Becket.

Paula Thayer, deputy superintendent of the Recreation Division for the Department of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management, said summer and after-school enrichment programs help expand the world of students attending them.

Continuing rains and bad roads hampered rescue efforts and prevented reinforcements from reaching Ambegaon, a village in Pune district in Maharashtra state.

By MUNEEZA NAQVI

NEW DELHI — Torrential rains triggered a massive landslide that buried a remote village in western India on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people as it swept away scores of houses and possibly trapping many more people under debris, officials said.

National rescue personnel worked through the night using floodlights mounted on jeeps and earthmoving vehicles and rescued seven injured people, Vitthal Banot, a disaster management official, said Thursday. Their injuries are not life threatening.

But continuing rains and bad roads were hampering rescue efforts and preventing reinforcements from reaching Ambegaon, a village in Pune district in Maharashtra state, said Alok Avasthy, a National Disaster Response Force commander.

Banot said 18 bodies had been recovered from under mud, rocks, trees and other debris.

"Everything on the mountain came down," said Suresh Jadhav, a district official.

But with 70 homes buried and reports of another 158 hit by the landslide, rescuers anticipated more dead in the village, home to 704 people in the foothills of the Sahyadri Mountains.

The landslide hit Wednesday morning, but details of the damage only began to trickle out several hours later. The area received 10.8 centimeters (4.25 inches) of rain Tuesday, with a heavy downpour continuing through Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the loss of lives and said all possible efforts must be made to help the victims, according to a statement from his office. He sent Home Minister Rajnath Singh to the disaster area.

About 250 disaster response personnel were in the area assisting local police and medical teams who began clearing the debris. At least 100 ambulances were also sent to the area, Jadhav said.

"It is a small village and this happened very suddenly," local legislator Dilip Walse Patil told CNN-IBN TV network. One local commissioner, Prabhakar Deshmukh, said more than 150 people could be trapped.

Landslides are common in the area during the monsoon season, which runs from June through September.

Pune district is about 150 kilometers (95 miles) southeast of Mumbai, India's commercial capital. The nearest medical center is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the village.

The area around the village has been deforested extensively, increasing its vulnerability to landslides.

Similar deforestation and environmental damage have caused floods and landslides in other parts of India. Last year, more than 6,000 people were killed as floods and landslides swept through the hilly northern state of Uttarakhand during the monsoon season.

The Planning Board held a public hearing on the proposal Wednesday night.

WILBRAHAM – The Planning Board on Wednesday heard a proposal from Kent Pecoy to amend his permit for a planned use development known as Cedar Ridge of Wilbraham to include 12 single family condominiums adjacent to the existing site off Stony Hill Road.

Pecoy said that if the adjaceent development is approved, he will keep the total number of condomiums in the project to 218.

Pecoy said he will build fewer condominiums to the rear of the site.

Neighbors on abutting streets such as Dipping Hole Lane and Fernwood Drive expressed their opposition to the proposal.

Linda Pollard of Dipping Hole Road said a light is needed at the intersection of Dipping Hole and Stony Hill Roads if more homes are added to the Cedar Ridge development.

“We need a light to slow down the traffic,” Mark Pollard said.

Joshua Long of Fernwood Drive said three condominums would be located directly behind his house.

“There are no trees to shield the view,” he said.

Other residents in the area said their home values have dropped since the condominiums have been built which back up to their property.

Residents said the Planning Board has been elected to represent all properlty owners in town. They said Planning Board members would not want the condominiums backing up to their backyards.

“There are no fences, shrubs, or trees. There is no buffer,” residents said.

Pecoy said he would be willing to put in 25 pine trees as a buffer between the new condominums and Long’s property on Fernwood Drive.

Planning Board Chairman Frederick Fuller said the Planning Board will recommend that the town take a look at whether a traffic light is needed at the intersection of Dipping Hole and Stony Hill Roads.

Residents asked when the Cedar Ridge condominium project will be completed.

Pecoy said completion of the project is driven by the market.

He said he began the development just before the 2008 recession, and after the recession sales slowed drastically.

Pecoy said he wishes the project were already complete because he still pays interest on the property he purchased from the Richard Corriveau family.

Residents of neighboring streets said they are tired of the constant construction vehicles on the site.

Pecoy said he plans to keep building the development until it is complete even if it takes years.

He said the market could be different, five years from now.

The Planning Board will vote on whether to approve the adjacent condominiums at a future meeting.

The weeks-long fighting is the worst violence seen in the Libyan capital since the war.

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA
and MAGGIE MICHAEL

TUNIS, Tunisia — Up to 6,000 people a day have fled Libya into neighboring Tunisia this week, the Tunisian foreign minister said Wednesday, the biggest influx since Libya's 2011 civil war in a sign of the spiraling turmoil as rival militias battle over control of the airport in the capital Tripoli.

The weeks-long fighting is the worst violence seen in the Libyan capital since the war. Nearly 100 people have been killed, 400 others wounded, and much of the airport has been destroyed. A giant fire has been raging the past three days after shelling hit airport oil depots, forcing nearby residents to evacuate, with firefighters largely unable to put it down because of clashes.

Many diplomats, including the U.S. ambassador, have pulled out of the country. With the interim government paralyzed, the fighting threatens the planned opening session of the newly elected parliament on Aug. 4.

The violence is the latest chaos in a country where the central government, military and security forces have had no control since the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi in the 2011 civil war. Instead, rival militias have filled the void, all with varying loyalties to local commanders, some with Islamist ideologies, while on the political front Islamist politicians and their opponents have wrangled for control of the government.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Monji Hamdi did not give a full figure for the number of Libyans who have entered the country in recent days, but said they were coming at a rate of 5,000 to 6,000 a day and that the rate was increasing.

He said Tunisia cannot absorb large numbers of refugees and warned his government could close the border.

"Our absolute priority is the security and stability of Tunisia and we will close the border if necessary," he told reporters in Tunis.

In the Tripoli fighting, Islamist-led militias mainly from the city of Misrata are trying to wrest control of the airport from a rival militia, originally from the mountain town of Zintan.

As the airport fighting has raged, deadly clashes continued non-stop in the eastern city of Benghazi, where Islamic militants handed a defeat to a renegade army general, Khalifa Hifter, who for months has been waging a campaign to stamp out militants. The militants, including Ansar al-Shariah extremists, overran a series of army bases held by the general's loyalists. On Wednesday, the Red Crescent said it retrieved 35 bodies from one of the bases, bringing the toll from the week to nearly 70 dead.

That blow to army units sparked street demonstrations in Benghazi late Wednesday. Thousands of young protesters raised signs reading "No militias. Yes to army and police." They marched to a central hospital called al-Jalaa controlled by Ansar al-Shariah, expelled the militias and took control over it, according to hospital spokeswoman Fadia al-Barghathi.

Ansar al-Shariah is branded a terrorist organization by the United States and is seen as having a leading role in the assault on the U.S. mission in Benghazi in 2012, which left four Americans dead including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

The latest violence comes after a parliament election in which Islamist politicians, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, are believed to have lost their political dominance - though the final alignments in the body are not clear because all candidates ran as independents, meaning their party loyalties are unclear.

The head of the Muslim Brotherhood's political party, Mohammed Sawan, gave a strong show of support for the Islamist militias who attacked the airport in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. He called the assault a "legitimate" response to the campaign by Hifter to crush Islamists.

Sawan, of the Justice and Construction Party, said the attempt to take the airport was prompted by fear that Hifter will move his campaign to Tripoli, especially after the militias running the airport declared their backing for the general.

He said the armed group that launched attack on militias controlling the airport had been mandated by the outgoing speaker of parliament - a pro-Islamist politician - to keep security in the capital.

"This makes it legitimate," he said, adding that the assault aims to "bring the airport under state control."

Many of the militias have been given ostensive government mandates to handle security duties. Islamists' opponents accuse the Islamists of using militias sympathetic to them to try to consolidate their grip over the country after losing elections. Islamists, in turn, accuse their opponents of using militias in their camp to crush democracy over the past year when the parliament was dominated by Islamist bloc.

Sawan accused Hifter and his allies of liberal lawmakers, government officials and army units - of seeing to "reproduce the Gadhafi regime."

The Stop Sticks shredded the vehicle's front tires and forced it to stop.

DEERFIELD – One suspect is in custody following a chase on Interstate 91 that was brought to an end by Deerfield police using “stop sticks” to flatten the tires of the vehicle being pursued, Deerfield police said.

The vehicle had been stopped by a Massachusetts State Police trooper on Interstate 91 near exit 24. The driver of the vehicle apparently assaulted the trooper and fled north with the trooper in pursuit, police said.

Deerfield police Sgt. Michael Krusiewski got onto the highway north of Greenfield, located the car and was able to deploy stop sticks, which shredded the tires on the car and forced it to stop, police said.

Deerfield police said the suspect is in custody of the state police.

The incident occurred just before 7 p.m.

Calls to the state police for more information have so far not been answered.

The single-engine 1988 Mooney M-20L went down around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in a parking lot that serves a Costco and a Target store in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood.

SAN DIEGO -- A small plane crashed in a San Diego shopping center parking lot Wednesday, killing one woman on board and seriously injuring another, a fire spokesman said.

The single-engine 1988 Mooney M-20L went down around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in a parking lot that serves a Costco and a Target store in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood.

The plane had bounced while landing at nearby Montgomerey Field, continued westbound and went down, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The plane clipped the top of the Target store and knocked down a light pole, police Lt. Steve Behrendt said.

It spun around and finally landed in the parking lot in a loading dock area away from the main entrances, and no cars were there, city fire spokesman Lee Swanson said.

A man who tried to help after the crash was treated for minor cuts and burns.

Behrendt says one woman had serious burns and died at the hospital, but it's not immediately clear whether it was the pilot or passenger.

Gregg Smith was working in a nearby office building and saw the plane in trouble. It nearly hit his building, he said.

"I knew they didn't have enough power to do the things they needed to do," he told KNSD-TV. "I knew it was going down."

Smith said the plane left his view at that point, but he heard a loud thud and then the crash.

"The next thing I saw was a bunch of black smoke," he said.

Smith said he ran outside as he called 911.

He said 15 to 20 people were standing around the plane, some with fire extinguishers, and they managed to get the fire out before it reached the plane's fuel tank.

Television news reports showed the white plane appeared to be mostly intact, but its nose and one wing were torn up.

"The front of the passenger compartment, the engine is essentially broken off," Swanson said. "The landing gear is off, it's lying flat on its belly. There's some debris for several yards in each direction."

The cause of the crash was under investigation, but helicopter pilot Vince Carter told KFMB-TV that he was in the air when the pilot took off from Montgomery Field, a small public airport 6 miles north of downtown San Diego, and ran into trouble.

"She'd just lifted off and she made one (radio) transmission that she was having an issue," he said. "Then she said she lost power and she was going down and that was it."

Bystanders captured the scene on cellphone cameras.

MANSFIELD — Police are investigating a possible sexual assault at a weekend Keith Urban concert at which dozens of people were treated for excessive drinking.

Sean Murphy 

Sean Murphy was arrested after concertgoers said Saturday night they saw a possible rape on the lawn at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, about 30 miles south of Boston. Bystanders captured the scene on cellphone cameras.

Murphy, who's 18 years old, said the encounter was consensual and the girl was 17 years old. He has pleaded not guilty to a rape charge.

The Attleboro Sun-Chronicle reported Wednesday that police said a woman at the concert asked Murphy's accuser if she consented and she said no. Police said the woman pulled Murphy away and he left. Police arrested him later at the concert, which 18,000 people attended.

Police said Murphy, who's from Boston, and his accuser met for the first time at the concert and were kissing at a concession stand before he led her to the lawn, the newspaper reported. Prosecutor Melissa Tafe said at Murphy's arraignment Monday that the accuser told police she went with him because she was afraid not to.

Murphy has no criminal record and isn't accused of using force against the girl, defense attorney Neil Crowley said.

"This was a private act that regrettably occurred in a public place," Crowley told The Boston Globe. "Mr. Murphy deeply regrets this incident, and I'm sure the young woman does as well."

Investigators are reviewing photos and videos and said they want to speak with other witnesses.

Urban had no comment on what happened at his concert and was referring all inquiries to local authorities, his publicist said.

Authorities said several dozen people were treated for alcohol-related illnesses at the concert and ambulances from five surrounding communities responded. At least 46 people were treated, and 22 were taken to hospitals.