Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew Saturday in the St. Louis suburb where a black teenager was shot to death by a white police officer a week ago.

By DAVID LIEB, Associated Press

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew Saturday in the St. Louis suburb where a black teenager was shot to death by a white police officer a week ago.

Nixon said that though many protesters were making themselves heard peacefully, the state would not allow a handful of looters to endanger the community. The curfew will run from midnight to 5 a.m.

Tensions in Ferguson flared late Friday after police released the name of the officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown and documents alleging Brown robbed a store before he died.

Nixon also said the U.S. Department of Justice is beefing up its investigation of the shooting.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, who is in charge of security in Ferguson, said there were 40 FBI agents going door-to-door talking to people who might have seen or have information about the shooting.

Nixon and Johnson spoke at a church in Ferguson, where they were interrupted repeatedly by people demanding justice and objecting to the curfew.

Johnson assured those in attendance that police would communicate with protesters and give them ample opportunity to observe the curfew.

"You saw people sitting in the street and they had the chance to get up," he said. "And that's how it's going to continue."

Brown's death had already ignited several days of clashes with furious protesters. Tensions eased Thursday after Nixon turned oversight of the protests over to the Missouri Highway Patrol. Gone were the police in riot gear and armored vehicles, replaced by the new patrol commander who personally walked through the streets with demonstrators. But Friday night marked a resurgence of unrest.

Local officers faced strong criticism earlier in the week for their use of tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters. Johnson said one tear gas canister was deployed Friday night after the group of rioters became unruly.

The officer who killed Brown was identified as 28-year-old Darren Wilson, a six-year police veteran who had no previous complaints filed against him.

The Ferguson Police Department has refused to say anything about Wilson's whereabouts, and Associated Press reporters were unable to contact him at any addresses or phone numbers listed under that name in the St. Louis area.

Wilson has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting. St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch said it could be weeks before the investigation wraps up.

St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley asked Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster on Friday to take over the case, saying he did not believe McCulloch could be objective. Koster said Missouri law does not allow it unless McCulloch opts out, and McCulloch spokesman Ed Magee said the prosecutor has no plans to surrender the case.

Connecticut’s Labor Department says the state added jobs for a sixth straight month in July, dropping the unemployment rate to 6.6 percent.

WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s Labor Department says the state added jobs for a sixth straight month in July, dropping the unemployment rate to 6.6 percent.

The monthly economic report showed 2,400 non-farm jobs were added to the economy.

It is the sixth consecutive month of job growth, the longest string since the recovery began in early 2010.

Andy Condon, the agency’s research director, says that may be an indication that moderate employment growth will be sustainable for some time.

The unemployment rate dipped a tenth of a percent from June and was down from 7.9 percent a year ago.

It’s the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Connecticut since December 2008, but still higher than the U.S. rate of 6.2 percent. The Massachusetts unemployment rate crept up to 5.6 percent last month even though the state added almost 14,000 new jobs.

The unemployment rate is based on a monthly sample of households. The job estimates are derived from a monthly sample survey of employers. As a result, the two statistics may exhibit different monthly trends.

Touch a Truck gave attendees an interactive experience with different vehicles provided by community partners, such as: Springfield Police Department, Springfield Fire Department, American Red Cross, Republic Services, and many more.

Global Spectrum, managers of the MassMutual Center, held the First Annual Touch-a-Truck on Saturday, The free event provided children of all ages to get up close and personal with vehicles of all shapes and sizes.

Touch a Truck gave attendees an interactive experience with different vehicles provided by community partners, such as: Springfield Police Department, Springfield Fire Department, American Red Cross, Republic Services, and many more.

Global Spectrum and the MassMutual Center also raised funds and donated all proceeds to benefit the Shriners Children’s Hospital.

Authorities in Connecticut are asking the public for help finding two young siblings who haven't been seen by their father for more than a week.

HAMDEN, Conn. — Authorities in Connecticut are asking the public for help finding two young siblings who haven't been seen by their father for more than a week.

View full size5-year-old Kaylani Zackery and 4-year-old Webster Zackery

At the request of the Hamden Police Department, Connecticut State Police have issued a Silver Alert for 4-year-old Webster Zackery and his 5-year-old sister Kaylani Zackery, who are believed to be with their mother, Jessica Lopez. Although Ms. Lopez has shared custody of the children with her ex-husband, their father, he called police when he couldn't reach her and increasingly grew concerned for their well being.

Both Webster and Kaylani are described as black/Hispanic toddlers weighing approximately 45-50 pounds, and standing around 3-feet, 6-inches tall.

Webster was last seen wearing an orange polo shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers with white trim. Kaylani, who has her hair braided, was last seen wearing a multi-color tank top, jean shorts and pink shoes.

The father hasn't seen the children since Aug. 7 and late Friday night, the Silver Alert was issued. 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.

Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call the Hamden police at 203-230-4000.

One man is dead and the investigation is ongoing following an early Saturday morning shooting in South Holyoke.

This updates a MassLive.com exclusive posted online Saturday morning.

HOLYOKE — One man is dead and an investigation is ongoing following an early Saturday morning shooting in South Holyoke.

Lt. Jim Albert confirmed Saturday afternoon that the victim shot outside the "Los Jibaritos Social Club" on South Summer Street around 2 a.m. had died. The man, only identified as a 31-year-old Holyoke resident, was shot sometime around the 2:18 a.m. 911 call that reported the incident.

Police arrived at the scene but found no victim, although the Holyoke Medical Center around the same time reported a man was taken to its emergency room with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead.

The homicide is the second one for the Paper City in 2014, following the stabbing death of 33-year-old Angel Morales on July 13 on Appleton Street.

Holyoke police Capt. Denise Duguay previously told MassLive.com that witnesses to the Saturday night shooting reported the victim and another man had an altercation at the scene, and the assailant shot the victim as they stood in the street. She said a preliminary investigation indicated that the dispute may have initially began somewhere other than where it ended, at the social club.

Investigators from the Holyoke Police Criminal Investigations Bureau, along with Mass. State Police detectives assigned to the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office are conducting the investigation.

There have been no arrests made in the case and anyone with information is asked to call Holyoke police at 413-322-6940.

Rick Perry made it clear he will finish his term that ends in January and said it was the investigation against him -- and not his actions -- that amounted to an abuse of power.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry vowed Saturday to fight a criminal indictment in a defiant response that showed an old slice of swagger that he's kept holstered lately while seeking to remake his image for a potential 2016 presidential run.

Perry called two felony counts of abuse of power issued by an Austin grand jury "outrageous" and made no apologies for his 2013 veto that prompted a criminal investigation against the longest-serving governor in Texas history.

Perry made it clear he will finish his term that ends in January and said it was the investigation against him -- and not his actions -- that amounted to an abuse of power. A Travis County grand jury on Friday indicted Perry for carrying out a threat to veto state funds to the local district attorney, an elected Democrat, who refused to resign following a drunken-driving arrest.

"We don't settle political differences with indictments in this country," Perry told reporters outside his office in the Texas Capitol. "It is outrageous that someone would use political theatrics to rip away at the very fabric of our state's constitution."



Perry, the first Texas governor since 1917 to be indicted, again dismissed the charges as nakedly political and said he would not hesitate to execute a veto under the same circumstances again.

"The details of my decision-making were very clear. I said early on that I was going to clearly veto those dollars as long as they had someone in that office who I had lost confidence in," Perry said. "And I had lost confidence."

Perry's veto cut $7.5 million in funding to the state's ethics watchdog housed in the Travis County district attorney's office. A Texas state judge assigned a special prosecutor to investigate the veto following a formal complaint filed by a left-leaning watchdog group, which accused Perry of trying to leverage his power to force the resignation of District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg.

That unit of public corruption investigators is based in Austin, a liberal haven in mostly conservative Texas and a city that reliably elects Democrats to serve as district attorney.

Perry said he was confident that he would prevail and vowed that those responsible for this "farce of a prosecution" would be held accountable.

Many Democrats criticized Perry's aggressive reaction to the indictment and accused him of trying to shift the blame. Yet state Sen. Wendy Davis, the face of the party in Texas who's running a high-profile campaign for governor, took a more cautious tone Saturday.

"The charges that were brought down by the grand jury are very, very serious," Davis said, adding that she trusted the justice system to do its job.

Tensions between Republicans and the public integrity unit have simmered for years. Conservatives have long grumbled that the unit operates through a partisan lens and targets Republicans.

Former U.S. House Majority Tom DeLay and former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, two Republicans, are among the biggest past names to have been indicted in Travis County on ethics charges. Hutchison was acquitted and an appeals court overturned a guilty verdict against DeLay.

ATK Sporting Group, which purchased the Westfield-based Savage Arms in 2013, will spend the next two weeks laying off more than 100 workers at its Westfield and Lakefield, Ontario manufacturing plants.

WESTFIELD — ATK Sporting Group, which purchased the Westfield-based Savage Arms in 2013, will spend the next two weeks laying off more than 100 workers at its Westfield and Lakefield, Ontario manufacturing plants.

Company spokesman Tim Brandt confirmed to CBS-3 Springfield Saturday afternoon that of the 120 people who will lose their jobs in the coming weeks, 95 will be at the Westfield facility on Springdale Road.

"Our products are known for their quality, reliability and affordability and our success is driven by our manufacturing employees, which makes this decision that much more difficult," said Jay Tibbets, president of ATK Sporting Group, in a statement. "Calendar year 2014 represented the industry’s single largest growth year in history, largely driven by consumer surge buying. We responded to that demand by increasing production capacity and expanding our workforce. Unfortunately, we must now right size our operations to remain efficient and competitive as consumer demand retracts and the market normalizes. We appreciate the continued support, professionalism and commitment to quality and safety that is vital to the success of the Savage Arms brand."

The Western Massachusetts layoffs come just months after the company eliminated 37 jobs at the same Westfield facility, which traces its local roots back nearly 100 years. In Canada, where the company is poised to lay off 25 people, the news conflicts with an April report highlighting how a $1 million boost from the taxpayers there was supplementing the company plans to hire 50 new employees over the course of three years.

ATK, company whose manufacturing portfolio includes iconic names such as Federal Premium-brand ammunition and the Bushnell brand of scopes and binoculars, is in the process of spinning off its sporting goods holdings from the aerospace and defense contracting side of the business.

The plan was announced in April, weeks after that round of layoffs, and progressed further this past week.

ATK's $315-million purchase of the Savage Sports Corp. went through in July 2013. The Savage Arms Co. was first organized in 1894 by Arthur Savage in Utica, N.Y. In 1920, the company bought Stevens Arms of Chicopee.

From the 1960s through the 1980s, the company was passed from owner to owner, including a stint as part of Black & Decker. Savage declared bankruptcy in 1988 when it was losing $25 million a year.

Ronald Coburn took over that year and brought Savage out of bankruptcy by cutting costs and focusing on bolt-action rifles, an area of the firearms business in which Savage developed a specialty.

In 1995, Coburn and his investors bought Savage and its subsidiaries for $33 million.

Coburn retired in February 2013 just as the sale to ATK was announced.

After a decade of sending military equipment to civilian police departments across the country, federal officials are reconsidering the idea in light of the violence in Ferguson, Missouri.

By TAMI ABDOLLAH & ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a decade of sending military equipment to civilian police departments across the country, federal officials are reconsidering the idea in light of the violence in Ferguson, Missouri.

The public has absorbed images of heavily armed police, snipers trained on protesters and tear gas plumes. Against that backdrop, Attorney General Eric Holder said that when police and citizens need to restore calm, "I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message."

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said police responses like that in Ferguson have "become the problem instead of the solution." Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said he will introduce legislation to reverse police militarization.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said his committee will review the program to determine if the Defense Department's surplus equipment is being used as intended.

One night after the violence that accompanied the presence of military-style equipment in Ferguson, tensions eased when a police captain, unprotected and shaking hands, walked through a crowd in a gesture of reconciliation. The contrast added to perception that the tanks and tear gas had done more harm than good.

As the country concludes its longest wartime period, the military has turned over thousands of surplus weapons and armored trucks to local police who often trained alongside the military.

A report by the American Civil Liberties Union in June said police agencies had become "excessively militarized," with officers using training and equipment designed for the battlefield on city streets. The report found the amount of goods transferred through the military surplus program rose from $1 million in 1990 to nearly $450 million in 2013.

"Every police force of any size in this country has access to those kinds of weapons now," said David Harris, a police expert at the University of Pittsburgh law school. "It makes it more likely to be used (and) is an escalation all by itself."

Police walk through a cloud of smoke as they clash with protesters Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. Protests in the St. Louis suburb rocked by racial unrest since a white police officer shot an unarmed black teenager to death turned violent Wednesday night, with some people lobbing molotov cocktails at police who responded with smoke bombs and tear gas to disperse the crowd. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Jeff Roberson

In Louisiana, masked police in full body armor carrying AR-15 assault rifles raided a nightclub without a warrant, looking not for terrorists but underage drinkers and fire-code violations. Officers in California train using the same counterinsurgency tactics as those used in Afghanistan.

"They're not coming in like we're innocent until proven guilty," said Quinn Eaker. SWAT teams last August raided his organic farm and community, the Garden of Eden, in Arlington, Texas. "They're coming in like: 'We're gonna kill you if you move a finger.'"

Police found no drugs or weapons and filed no charges after their search, which authorities said followed standard procedure.

In 1990, Congress authorized the Pentagon to give surplus equipment to police to help fight drugs, which then gave way to the fight against terrorism. Though violent crime nationwide is at its lowest level in generations and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have largely concluded, the military transfers have increased.

Police say the equipment, which includes free body armor, night vision goggles and scopes, keeps officers safe and prepares them for the worst case.

"A lot evolved from the military, no question," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Chief Bill McSweeney, who heads the detective division. "Is it smart for them to use that stuff and perhaps look like soldiers from Iraq going into a place? Is that smart or over the top? I'd say generally that's smart. Now, if you use that every time a guy is writing bad checks, that's getting rather extreme."

The U.S. has provided 610 mine-resistant armored trucks, known as MRAPs, across the country, nearly all since August 2013, including at least nine in Los Angeles County, according to Michelle McCaskill, a spokeswoman for the Defense Logistics Agency.

In rural western Maine, the Oxford County Sheriff's Office asked for an MRAP. Cpl. George Cayer wrote in his request that Maine's western foothills face a "previously unimaginable threat from terrorist activities."

In Orange County, Florida, masked officers in tactical gear helped state inspectors raid barber shops in 2010 to find people cutting hair without a license. Using a mini battering ram and pry bar at times, police arrested dozens of people. Officials said they found illegal items such as drugs and a weapon.

McSweeney said it's hard to argue that police shouldn't use the best equipment available.

"It's tempting to say, 'Shouldn't we wear these things? Shouldn't we approach this as if we could get shot?'" he said. "How do you say no to that question?"

Nick Gragnani, executive director of the St. Louis Area Regional Response System, said such supplies have proved essential in hurricane relief efforts and other disaster responses.

"The shame of it will be ... if somebody does a brushstroke and takes out all the funding and then we can no longer be prepared for that big incident," he said.

The LAPD's deputy chief, Michael Downing, who heads the department's counterterrorism and special operations bureau, said officers are dealing with "an adversary who is more sophisticated, more tactically trained."

Downing emphasized that though police might train with soldiers, they're not warriors with a mission to kill but public servants with no "enemies."

"In police work there are times we have to become soldiers and control through force and fear," Downing said. "But we have to come back to being a public servant as quick as we can to establish that normality and that ethical stature with communities, because they're the ones who give us the authority to do our police work."

David Ortiz made another mark in the history books on Saturday night.

BOSTON – David Ortiz made another mark in the history books on Saturday night.

The Red Sox designated hitter launched a two-run, third-inning home run into the center-field seats for his 400th career home run as a member of the Red Sox. Two innings later, he added another two-run shot, wrapping it inside the right-field foul pole.

Ortiz becomes just the 25th player in major league history to have hit 400 home runs with one team. He's the third to do so with the Red Sox, joining Hall of Famers Ted Williams (521) and Carl Yastrzemski (452).

Only one other active player has 400 homers with one team - Paul Konerko with the Chicago White Sox (432).

The home runs were Ortiz's 458th and 459th of his career, tying him with Adam Dunn for 35th on the all-time list.

It also marked his 45th career multi-homer game and fourth this season.

Follow MassLive.com sports reporter @jcmccaffrey on Twitter. She can be reached by email at jmccaffr@masslive.com.

Stephen Howells Jr. and Nicole Vaisey, both of Hermon, N.Y., were arrested and arraigned Friday on charges they the two sisters with the intent to physically or sexually abuse them.

CANTON, N.Y. -- Two young Amish sisters were sexually abused after their abduction from a roadside farm stand in northern New York, a prosecutor said Saturday.

St. Lawrence County District Attorney Mary Rain's disclosure came hours after the county's sheriff said the couple charged in the kidnapping were prowling for easy targets and may have planned to abduct other children.

Stephen Howells Jr. and Nicole Vaisey, both of Hermon, were arrested and arraigned Friday on charges they abducted the 7-year-old and 12-year-old sisters with the intent to physically or sexually abuse them.

"We felt that there was the definite potential that there was going to be other victims," St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells said.

The sisters were abducted Wednesday from the farm stand in front of the family's home in Oswegatchie, near the Canadian border. They were set free by their captors about 24 hours later and turned up safe at the door of a house 15 miles from where they were taken.

The sheriff said Howells, 39, and Vaisey, 25, "were targeting opportunities" and did not necessarily grab the girls because they were Amish.

The sisters were abducted Wednesday from their family's farm stand in Oswegatchie and were set free by their captors Thursday.

Howells and Vaisey were arraigned late Friday on charges of first-degree kidnapping with the intent to physically harm or sexually abuse the victims.

The sheriff said Howells, 39, and Vaisey, 25, "were targeting opportunities" and did not necessarily grab the girls because they were Amish.

Vaisey's lawyer, Bradford Riendeau told The New York Times that Howells had abused Vaisey and treated her submissively. He said she made a "voluntary statement" to investigators after her arrest and was obtaining an order of protection against him.

"She appears to have been the slave and he was the master," Riendeau told the newspaper.

There was no answer Saturday at the St. Lawrence County Conflict Defender's Office, which is representing Howells.

Wells said the girls were able to provide details to investigators about their time in captivity.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who may be victims of sexual abuse.

The kidnappings touched off a massive search in the family's remote farming community. Searchers scoured the community of about 4,000 people, but were hampered by a lack of photos of the girls.

The Amish typically avoid modern technology, and the family had to work with an artist who spoke their language, a German dialect known as Pennsylvania Dutch, to produce a sketch of the older girl.

For the latest coverage of the arrest of the two alleged kidnappers, visit syracuse.com.

Corey Griffin of Scituate dove into the water from the "Juice Guys" building on Straight Wharf at around 2 a.m. Saturday.

BOSTON -- A 27-year-old man died in a Nantucket diving accident, hours after he raised $100,000 for a Lou Gehrig's disease charity in honor of his friend who inspired the ice-bucket challenge sensation.

Corey Griffin.Boston College 

Griffin was a former Boston College hockey player.

Griffin's family says he was friends with former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, whose family and friends launched the ice-bucket challenge to raise awareness and funds for charity.

Frates, 29, was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease, also known as ALS, in 2012. The movement has taken off around the country recently. Griffin had been fundraising in Nantucket.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Robert Sullivan 

Robert Sullivan passed away on Thursday. He was born and raised in Stafford Springs, Conn., and lived in Hampden for 58 years. He enlisted in the Naval Reserves just out of high school and served on the USS Compton. He later enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a tank commander. He graduated from American International College, where he played football and basketball. He was a teacher for 19 years in the East Hartford public school system. While he was a teacher he established, owned and operated Mt. View Drive-In in Hampden from 1957 to 1989. He also worked as a probation officer in the Palmer court until his retirement in 1992.

WESTFIELD - Stanley Park will welcome current and past employees of Stanley Home Products for a fourth annual reunion picnic Sept. 6. The picnic is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Beveridge Pavilion Annex at the park. Stanley Home Products operated plants here and in Easthampton until about 1997 when it moved operations to Chicago. In 2007...

WESTFIELD - Stanley Park will welcome current and past employees of Stanley Home Products for a fourth annual reunion picnic Sept. 6.

The picnic is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Beveridge Pavilion Annex at the park.
Stanley Home Products operated plants here and in Easthampton until about 1997 when it moved operations to Chicago. In 2007 the Stanley Home Products 25-year Club dissolved because of declining membership.

Stanley Park was created by Stanley Home Products and the Beveridge Pavilion is named in honor of Frank Beveridge the company creator.

The picnic is open to all current and former employees, including associates of Stanley Home Products and their extended families.

Those attending are asked to bring memorab ilia, pictures and stories to share with others at the picnic. Additional information is available by contacting Stanley Park at 413-568-9312 or by visiting the park website at www.stanleypark.org.

The cable television contract is up for review and renewal within 36 months to 30 months of its expiration date.

SOUTHWICK - The town's cable television contract with Comcast does not expire until 2017 but the review and renewal process will begin in March.

Town officials were notified recently by the state Telecommunication and Cable Commission that the time frame for the contract review is now in place. Regulations require the negotiation and review process begin within 36 months to 30 months of contract expiration. The current Comcast contract with Southwick expires Sept. 29, 2017.

Board of Selectman chairman Russell S. Fox said last week the review will begin in March, 30 months before expiration. In the meantime selectmen will consider appointment of a Cable Television Advisory Committee that will oversee the review process, schedule public hearings on the contract issue and make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen.

In the past Arthur Boissonnault, who supervises the town's Channel 15 public access station, has served as chairman of the advisory committee.

Negotiations and review focus only on the quality of service provided to Southwick customers by Comcast. Programming and fees are not part of the local negotiation process, officials say. Those issues are regulated by state and federal agencies.

But, over the past 20 years, Southwick has managed to secure assistance, in the form of equipment and local programming, from Comcast.

The review will also consider customer complaints, which town officials say is not present nor have any serious complaints about Comcast service been received in the past.

"The purpose of the review is to ensure Southwick residents receive quality service, the same service as in other communities," Fox said. "Quality of service and town assistance will continue to be our focus on this contract renewal process," the selectman said.

"I have received no complaints about their service. They (Comcast) have done a good job here and are accessible to our requests and needs. I hope that continues," Fox said.

Chief Administrative Officer Karl J. Stinehart said Southwick consistently negotiates a five year contract with Comcast. "The cable company would prefer a 10-year agreement but our position is that technology changes so fast that a five-year contract is a benefit to Southwick," he said.

Daryl McNair had just finished celebrating his 61st birthday when he was killed by a stray bullet from gunfire that erupted outside his city home, according to police and press reports.

 

Daryl McNair had just finished celebrating his 61st birthday on Saturday night when a round of gunfire entered his home about 1:50 a.m. Sunday, the New Haven Register reports.

McNair was treated at the scene by medical personnel and taken by ambulance to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, WFSB.com reports.

Police say it appears McNair was an innocent bystander in the shooting, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the department's Major Crimes Unit at (203) 946-6304.

Liberian officials fear Ebola could soon spread through the capital's largest slum after residents raided a quarantine center for suspected patients and took items including bloody sheets and mattresses.

MONROVIA, Liberia -- Liberian officials fear Ebola could soon spread through the capital's largest slum after residents raided a quarantine center for suspected patients and took items including bloody sheets and mattresses.

The violence in the West Point slum occurred late Saturday and was led by residents angry that patients were brought to the holding center from other parts of Monrovia, Tolbert Nyenswah, assistant health minister, said Sunday.

Up to 30 patients were staying at the center and many of them fled at the time of the raid, said Nyenswah. Once they are located they will be transferred to the Ebola center at Monrovia's largest hospital, he said.

West Point residents went on a "looting spree," stealing items from the clinic that were likely infected, said a senior police official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the press. The residents took medical equipment and mattresses and sheets that had bloodstains, he said. Ebola is spread through bodily fluids including blood, vomit, feces and sweat.

"All between the houses you could see people fleeing with items looted from the patients," the official said, adding that he now feared "the whole of West Point will be infected."

Some of the looted items were visibly stained with blood, vomit and excrement, said Richard Kieh, who lives in the area.

The incident creates a new challenge for Liberian health officials who were already struggling to contain the outbreak.

Liberian police restored order to the West Point neighborhood Sunday. Sitting on land between the Montserrado River and the Atlantic Ocean, West Point is home to at least 50,000 people, according to a 2012 survey.

Distrust of government runs high in West Point, with rumors regularly circulating that the government plans to clear the slum out entirely.

Though there had been talk of putting West Point under quarantine should Ebola break out there, assistant health minister Nyenswah said Sunday no such step has been taken. "West Point is not yet quarantined as being reported," he said.

Ebola has killed 1,145 people in West Africa, including 413 in Liberia, according to the World Health Organization.

Other countries across Africa are grappling to prevent Ebola's spread with travel restrictions, suspensions of airline flights, public health messages and quarantines.

Nigeria appears to be making progress in containing the disease. The country has 12 confirmed cases of Ebola, all of which stem from direct contact with the Liberian-American man who flew to Nigeria late last month while ill. He infected several health workers before dying.

Since then three others have died in Nigeria from Ebola, according to figures released over the weekend.

One Nigerian doctor has survived the disease and was sent home Saturday night and five others confirmed with Ebola have almost fully recovered, said the Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu in a statement Saturday night.

The most important part of containing the disease is to track all those who had contact with Ebola patients and to closely monitor them in order to quarantine if they show any symptoms. Nigeria had 242 people under surveillance but now 61 have been cleared and released, after completing the 21-day period without showing any signs of Ebola, said the health ministry.

In East Africa, Kenya will bar passengers traveling from the three West African countries badly hit by the Ebola outbreak. The suspension is effective midnight Tuesday for all ports of entry for people traveling from or through Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, said Kenya's Health Ministry. Nigeria was not included in the ban, which also allows entry to health professionals and Kenyans returning from those countries.

Following the government's announcement Saturday, Kenya Airways said it would suspend flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone. Kenya Airways, a major transport provider in Africa flies more than 70 flights a week to West Africa.

Several airlines have already suspended flights to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, including British Airways, Emirates Airlines, Arik Air and ASKY Airlines.

Officials in Cameroon, which borders Nigeria, announced Friday it would suspend all flights from all four Ebola-affected countries. Korean Air announced on Thursday it would temporarily halt its service to Kenya despite the fact there are no cases of Ebola in the country.

Army troops have penetrated deep inside a rebel-controlled city in eastern Ukraine in what could prove a breakthrough development in the four-month-long conflict, the Ukrainian government said Sunday.

KIEV, Ukraine -- Army troops have penetrated deep inside a rebel-controlled city in eastern Ukraine in what could prove a breakthrough development in the four-month-long conflict, the Ukrainian government said Sunday.

However, the military acknowledged that another one of its fighter planes was shot down by the separatists, who have been bullish about their ability to continue the battle and have bragged about receiving support from Russia. An Associated Press reporter spotted a column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolling through rebel-held territory on Sunday.

Ukraine's national security council said government forces captured a district police station in Luhansk on Saturday after bitter clashes in the Velika Vergunka neighborhood.

Weeks of fighting have taken their toll on Luhansk, which city authorities say has reached the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. The siege mounted by government forces has ground delivery of basic provisions to a halt and cut off power and running water.

Although rebel forces have regularly yielded territory in recent weeks, they have continued to show formidable fighting capabilities.

Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksiy Dmitrashkovsky said Sunday that the separatists shot down a Ukrainian fighter plane over the Luhansk region after it launched an attack on rebels. The pilot ejected and was taken to a secure place, he said. Another military spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, later said that the status of the pilot was still being clarified.

The column of armored vehicles was spotted southeast of Luhansk outside a town very close to the Russian border and was heading west, deeper into rebel-held territory. It was unclear whether the column had come from Russia. Among the armored vehicles was a Strela-10, a short-range surface-to-air missile system capable of hitting targets up to 3,500 meters (11,500 feet.)

The area is just across the border from where a large Russian aid convoy is poised to cross with supplies intended for Luhansk and other afflicted zones.

Part of the aid convoy headed to the frontier crossing on Sunday, but the 16 white trucks then stopped. The convoy of nearly 270 vehicles has been marooned for days in a town near the border amid objections from Ukraine, which initially complained that the mission was not authorized by the International Committee for the Red Cross.

The Red Cross, which would have responsibility for distributing the aid, on Saturday said the main holdup was a lack of security guarantees from all sides in the conflict.

A large X-ray machine was brought to the Russian crossing point in the afternoon, and Paul Picard, the head of a border-monitoring mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said it would be used to inspect the cargo.

As the status of the Russian aid convoy remained uncertain, the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France met in Berlin late Sunday to discuss ways to end the crisis.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter-Steinmeier said ahead of the meeting that the search for a political solution mustn't be neglected even as efforts are made to provide humanitarian aid to civilians in the rebel-held cities of Luhansk and Donetsk.

"Today's news shows that things could get worse," he told reporters. "If we aren't very careful ... we may slide further toward a direct confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian forces."

But Steinmeier lamented that previous accords reached in Geneva and Berlin had failed to hold, and added: "There's no guarantee that today's talks will result in the success we're looking for." Officials familiar with the talks, who asked not to be named because they weren't authorized to brief reporters until the meetings were over, also dampened any expectations of a major breakthrough.

The four diplomats began the evening with a demonstration of cordiality for the cameras, walking together around a tranquil park on the shores of Berlin's Lake Tegel before retreating into a government villa for closed-doors discussions.

Fighting, including frequent shelling, is also affecting Donetsk, Ukraine's main rebel-held city. Ten civilians have been killed and eight wounded in the past 24 hours, city authorities reported Sunday.

The leader of the self-proclaimed separatist government in the Donetsk region, Alexander Zakharchenko, has boasted that his forces have been bolstered by 1,200 fighters who underwent training in Russia and were brought in at a "crucial moment." In a video of his speech that was posted online over the weekend, he said the fighters have 150 armored vehicles, including 30 tanks, and have gathered near a "corridor" along the Russian border. Zakharchenko did not specify whether the armored vehicles had also come from Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, on Sunday denied that Russia had supplied any armored vehicles to the separatists.

Lysenko, the military spokesman, said the government had information that separatists had received reinforcement from Russia, but added that there is evidence rebels are complaining about not receiving some of the equipment they have been promised.

Russia has consistently denied allegations that it is supporting the rebels with equipment or training. But Ukraine's president on Friday said that Ukraine had destroyed a large number of military vehicles that had recently crossed from Russia.

Andrew Beattie, 26, of Williamstown, Vermont, was charged with driving under the influence, excessive speed and gross negligent operation.

 

Andrew Beattie of Williamstown, Vermont, was taken into custody about 6:10 p.m. Sunday and charged with driving under the influence, excessive speed and gross negligent operation.

He was driving 125 mph in a posted 65-mph zone, police said.

Beattie was taken to the Royalton barracks for processing and released with a citation to appear in court Aug. 26.

An apparent stabbing victim showed up at the Springfield hospital for treatment shortly before noon on Sunday.

 

"He's probably going to be getting stitched up," a responding officer said.

The incident was reported about 11:55 a.m.

A detective unit was dispatched to the hospital to investigate and take photos of the victim's injuries, the extent of which weren't immediately known.

Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at (413) 787-6355.

In a rare move for him, the president planned a break in the middle of his Martha's Vineyard vacation to return to Washington on Sunday night for unspecified meetings with Vice President Joe Biden and other advisers.

EDGARTOWN, Mass. -- President Barack Obama is getting off the island.

In a rare move for him, the president planned a break in the middle of his Martha's Vineyard vacation to return to Washington on Sunday night for unspecified meetings with Vice President Joe Biden and other advisers.

The White House has been cagey about why the president needs to be back in Washington for those discussions. Part of the decision appears aimed at countering criticism that Obama is spending two weeks on a resort island in the midst of so many foreign and domestic crises.

Yet those crises turned the first week of Obama's vacation into a working holiday. He made on-camera statements on U.S. military action in Iraq and the clashes between police and protesters in Ferguson, Missouri. He called foreign leaders to discuss the tensions between Ukraine and Russia, as well as between Israel and Hamas.

"I think it's fair to say there are, of course, ongoing complicated situations in the world, and that's why you've seen the president stay engaged," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said.

Obama is scheduled to return to Martha's Vineyard on Tuesday and stay through next weekend.

Even though work has occupied much of Obama's first week on vacation, he still found plenty of time to golf, go to the beach with his family and go out to dinner on the island. He hit the golf course one more time Sunday ahead of his departure, joining two aides and former NBA player Alonzo Mourning for an afternoon round.

Earlier in the week, Obama attended a birthday party for Democratic adviser Vernon Jordan's wife, where he spent time with former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

That get-together between the former rivals-turned-partners added another complicated dynamic to Obama's vacation. Just as Obama was arriving on Martha's Vineyard, an interview with the former secretary of state was published in which she levied some of her sharpest criticism of Obama's foreign policy.

Clinton later promised she and Obama would "hug it out" when they saw each other at Jordan's party. No reporters were allowed in, so it's not clear whether there was any hugging, but the White House said the president danced to nearly every song.