BOSTON — Former Medicaid administrator and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick has released his first TV ad of the 2014 campaign. Berwick's first 30 second ad is somewhat introductory as it talks about Berwick's time as a pediatrician and founding of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. The narrator in the black and white ad touts Berwick's efforts at the institute...

BOSTON — Former Medicaid administrator and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick has released his first TV ad of the 2014 campaign.

Berwick's first 30 second ad is somewhat introductory as it talks about Berwick's time as a pediatrician and founding of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

The narrator in the black and white ad touts Berwick's efforts at the institute to limit medical errors at hospitals and claims they saved over 100,000 lives.

"I am confident that a robust television ad campaign, a bold message, and the strongest grassroots organization in Massachusetts will lead our campaign to victory on September 9th," said Berwick in a release.

The ad is limited to the Boston market and will run through August 25.

The value of the ad buy is at least $33,000 according to available FCC filings.

Berwick hyped the release of the ad in a fundraising email sent to supporters on Monday.

The ad:

Pope Francis on Monday said efforts to stop Islamic militants from attacking religious minorities in Iraq are legitimate but said the international community -- and not just one country -- should decide how to intervene.

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE -- Pope Francis on Monday said efforts to stop Islamic militants from attacking religious minorities in Iraq are legitimate but said the international community -- and not just one country -- should decide how to intervene.

Francis was asked if he approved of the unilateral U.S. airstrikes on militants of the Islamic State group, who have captured swaths of northern and western Iraq and northeastern Syria and have forced minority Christians and others to either convert to Islam or flee their homes.

"In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor," Francis said. "I underscore the verb 'stop.' I'm not saying 'bomb' or 'make war,' just 'stop.' And the means that can be used to stop them must be evaluated."

Francis also said he and his advisers were considering whether he might go to northern Iraq himself to show solidarity with persecuted Christians. But he said he was holding off for now on a decision.

The pope's comments were significant because the Vatican has vehemently opposed any military intervention in recent years. Pope Paul VI famously uttered the words "War never again, never again war" at the United Nations in 1965 as the Vietnam War raged, a refrain that has been repeated by every pope since. St. John Paul II actively tried to head off the Iraq war on the grounds that a "preventive" war couldn't be justified. He repeatedly called for negotiations to resolve the crisis over Iraq's invasion of Kuwait a decade prior.

Francis himself staged a global prayer and fast for peace when the U.S. was threatening airstrikes on Syria last year.

But in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks -- in the Vatican's mind an "unjust aggression" -- John Paul defended the "legitimate fight against terrorism," and the right of nations to defend themselves against terrorist attacks. He did though call for restraint and the Vatican subsequently focused its position on emphasizing the need to eradicate the root causes of terrorism: poverty and oppression.

Recently, the Vatican has been increasingly showing support for military intervention in Iraq, given that Christians are being directly targeted because of their faith and that Christian communities, which have existed for 2,000 years, have been emptied as a result of the extremists' onslaught.

The U.S. began launching airstrikes against IS fighters on Aug. 8, allowing Kurdish forces to fend off an advance on their regional capital of Irbil and to help tens of thousands of religious minorities escape.

When the Vatican's ambassador to Iraq, Monsignor Giorgio Lingua, was asked about the U.S. airstrikes, he told Vatican Radio that it was unfortunate that the situation had gotten to this point "but it's good when you're able to at the very least remove weapons from these people who have no scruples."

The Vatican's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, went further, saying "Maybe military action is necessary at this moment."

Church teaching allows for "just wars," when military force can be morally justified under certain circumstances. The four main criteria, all of which must be met, include that the damage inflicted by the aggressor must be "lasting, grave and certain," that all other means haven't worked, that there must be real prospects for success and that the intervention must not produce results that are worse than the original evil. Finally, church teaching holds that the responsibility for determining if the four conditions have been met rests with the judgment of "those who have responsibility for the common good."

Francis was thus essentially applying church teaching on the "just war" doctrine to the Iraq situation.

But, he said, in history, such "excuses" to stop an unjust aggression have been used by world powers to justify a "war of conquest" in which an entire people have been taken over.

"One nation alone cannot judge how you stop this, how you stop an unjust aggressor," he said, apparently referring to the United States. "After World War II, the idea of the United Nations came about: It's there that you must discuss 'Is there an unjust aggression? It seems so. How should we stop it?' Just this. Nothing more."

Francis sent a personal envoy, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, to northern Iraq last week with an undisclosed amount of money to help people in flight and show the pope's solidarity with those forced to flee their homes.

In other comments Monday:

--Francis confirmed he hoped to travel to the United States in September 2015 for a possible three-city tour: to attend a family rally in Philadelphia and to address Congress in Washington and the United Nations in New York. He said a Mexico stop on that trip was possible but not decided yet. He also said he might make one-day visit to Spain next year.

--Francis said he would go "tomorrow!" to China and that he wanted a dialogue with Beijing. He said all the Catholic Church wanted was to be able to operate freely in the country.

-- Francis acknowledged that he "must be smarter" about over-extending himself after he was forced to cancel some appointments in the spring due to illness. He said the last time he took a vacation away from home was in 1975. "I'm very attached to my home," he said, saying he takes "staycations" instead. "I change my daily rhythm, I sleep more, read more things that I like, listen to music, pray more. And in that way, I rest."

-- Francis said he was hoping for a quick beatification for slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, saying there were no more doctrinal issues blocking the process for one of the heroes of the liberation theology movement in Latin America. Romero's case had been held up for decades in the Vatican's orthodoxy office which, under then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, launched a crackdown on the movement in the 1980s over concerns about its Marxist excesses.

--Francis refused to brand as a failure his high-profile June peace prayer at the Vatican with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents, even though weeks of violence erupted soon thereafter. Francis noted that the prayer initiative came from the two leaders, not him, and was designed to show that while there can be a political path for negotiation, there was also a separate path for prayer. "Now, the smoke of bombs, of war, isn't letting them see the door, but the door has been open since that moment," he said.

An altercation with another man might have led to the fatal shooting, police said.

HOLYOKE -- The name of the man who was shot to death Saturday outside the Los Jibaritos Social Club at 635-637 South Summer St. was Alberto Xavier Rivera, also known as "Saby," of Holyoke, police said Monday (Aug. 18).

"Rivera was shot on 8/16/2014 at (approximately) 2:18 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the Holyoke Medical Center later that date," Lt.James Albert said in a press release.

The city Criminal Investigations Bureau and state police detectives assigned to the Hampden County district attorney's office are investigating, he said.

Police received a 911 call around the time of the shooting, but found no victim at the scene because a friend had brought him to Holyoke Medical Center rather than wait for emergency responders. The man was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Holyoke police Capt. Denise Duguay, head of the criminal investigations bureau, said earlier witnesses to the 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 started somewhere other than where it ended, at the social club.

The homicide is the second one here this year. On July 13, Angel Morales was stabbed to death on Appleton Street following an argument with a neighbor. Jorge Rodriguez-Nieves, 40, has been charged with murder in his death.

With loud music, crowds of people and a plethora of purchasing options, the mall can be an overwhelming place for some children with autism.

HOLYOKE -- With loud music, crowds of people and a plethora of purchasing options, the mall can be an overwhelming place for some children with autism.

To help offset the potentially stressful situation, Autism Speaks in Western New England has organized a special night at the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.

The local branch of Autism Speaks is hosting a "sensory-friendly" back-to-school shopping event on Wednesday, Aug. 20 from 4-9 p.m.

During that time, music in the mall will be lowered and a quiet space will be available for those who become overwhelmed while shopping.

Additionally, the group said store employees and mall management "are ready to welcome families who may find shopping a difficult task."

 

John "Spare Change Guy" Bubier, 60, was arrested on Tuesday at Andrew Square's MBTA station for fare evasion.

BOSTON — One of Boston's most well known panhandlers is in trouble with the law again.

John "Spare Change Guy" Bubier, 60, was arrested on Tuesday at Andrew Square's MBTA station for fare evasion.

Transit Police discovered that Bubier failed to register as a Level 3 sex offender while processing him.

Bubier was convicted in 2011 for indecent assault and battery on a person aged 14 or older.

Universal Hub notes that Bubier was in Boston Municipal Court on Monday for violating his probation.

Bubier is known for asking people on Boston Common "Are you from Watertown?" and "Does anybody have spare change?"

Bubier graduated from Watertown High School in the 1970s and went to work for a catering company at Logan Airport. Later, he claims, he worked in the Boston Department of Public Works but left for unclear reasons.

During a recent interview on Boston Common with MassLive, Bubier said that even though he cannot work he is not homeless and tends to live with friends in the Boston area.

Here's Bubier during a 2010 interview with WFXT:

Water chestnuts are a quick-growing invasive plant that can clog ponds and other waterways.

CHICOPEE – A federal program aimed at removing invasive water chestnuts from the Chicopee River is trying to gather volunteers together for a mass river weeding on Sunday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refugee has been working all summer with a small corps of student workers and volunteers trying to clean up water chestnuts from more than two dozen waterways throughout Western Massachusetts.

This year the agency has noticed a resurgence of the invasive plant in the area of the Chicopee River known as the Oxford Marsh, which is off East Main Street near Sterling Street and near the former Oxbow Country Club, said Cynthia Boettner, coordinator for invasive plant control for the agency.

“Year after year you know you can get it to a more manageable level. We took out 10 tons of plants the first year in the Chicopee River. It was a huge effort,” Boettner said.

That effort was in 2007 and the weeds have lessened every year since, until this summer when there was an explosion of the weed, she said.

Employees from the Silvio Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge weed out water chestnuts from a pond at the Big E in this past photograph.REPUBLICAN FILE 

Using a small number of volunteers and the youth workers, the department has been able to tackle some of the problem, but needs far more people to finish the job before the end of the summer, Boettner said.

Boettner said she is hoping on quick notice, to organize a volunteer event that would start at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Volunteers would meet at 377 Fuller Road, which is a deserted area of street near a pumping station.

The agency has a trailer that pulls six canoes and would be delighted if others who have their own canoes could bring them. Kayakers are also welcome, but they don’t work as well because they don’t have the capacity to carry as many plants, she said.

Volunteers are asked to register by email Boettner at cynthia_boettner@fws.gov or calling. Registration is helpful so she knows how many canoes are needed and so volunteers can get more specific directions to the hard-to-find location.

The city has also been involved in the project over the years. The Department of Public Works has picked up the bags of weeds collected and has also assisted in checking water levels and other things, City Planner Catherine L. Brown said.

Water chestnuts are invasive plants that can be a huge problem in waterways. Is one seed is released in the water, it can germinate any time in 12 years, Brown said.

“They are prolific and they have leaves that float on the surface and they can entirely cover a water body,” Boettner said. “When there is a dense covering, there is little air exchange making it difficult for fish and other wildlife to exist there.”

As the plants break down in the fall, they additionally deplete the oxygen levels, she said.
The plants grow in water that is typically stagnant or slow-moving and can grow in water that is up to 16 feet deep, Boettner said.

They are easy to remove so volunteers can typically make a lot of progress, she said.

The agency currently is trying to remove water chestnuts in 25 different sites along the Connecticut River shed and recently learned about a new infestation at the Brickyard in Westfield, Boettner said.

Much of the work is done by student crews, hired through the federal summer jobs programs, but federal budget cuts meant the size of the crews have been reduced. Students, who are now mostly back at school, also do other jobs so they are only on the water a few days a week, she said.

The agency tries to organize volunteer days asking residents to give a few hours to help remove the invasive species. It has held several on the Chicopee River, mainly augmenting the crew of students, she said.

Recently several groups such as the Connecticut River Water Council and the Friends of Lake Warner have adopted different waterways and organized regular cleanings. Those groups have been especially successful because they stay focused on one spot, she said.

The agency is also hoping to eventually attract some groups such as Boy Scout troops and local businesses whose employees want to do community service to volunteer for the cleanings, Boettner said.

The School Committee on Tuesday named Karen Zaleski and Karol G. Coffin as the two finalist for superintendent

THE REPUBLICAN FILE 

BELCHERTOWN — The School Committee on Tuesday named Karen Zaleski and Karol G. Coffin as the two finalist for superintendent.

Coffin has been a principal at Attleboro public schools since 2007; and had been a principal in Fall River starting in 2003. She holds a master's degree from Cambridge College.

Zaleski has been the Spencer-East Brookfield school district director of pupil services since 2012; she served as an assistant principal there from 2009. She earned an education doctorate from Boston College.

Members of the school board plan site visits next month before they will vote.

The job was advertised in the $135,000 to $150,000 range.

The search panel members are: Brenda Aldrich, Christina Aponte, Myndi Bogdanovich, Brian Cameron, Jon Endelos, Mona Griffin, Ron McClure Chair, Jill Pelletier Cheryl Relihan and Christine Vigneaux.

The White House said Tuesday it has not confirmed the authenticity of a video that purports to show the killing of American journalist James Foley by Islamic State group militants.

WASHINGTON – The White House said Tuesday it has not confirmed the authenticity of a video that purports to show the killing of American journalist James Foley by Islamic State group militants.

White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the administration has seen the video and that the intelligence community is working as quickly as possible to determine if it is authentic.

“If genuine, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American journalist and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” Hayden said in a statement.

Foley, a freelance journalist from New Hampshire, went missing in Syria nearly two years ago.

The release of the video allegedly showing his death comes amid a U.S. airstrike campaign against Islamic State group targets in Iraq. The group has declared an Islamic state in the territory it controls in Iraq and neighboring Syria, imposing its harsh interpretation of Islamic law.

This story will be updated.

Egyptian attempts to broker an end to a monthlong war between Israel and Hamas collapsed in heavy fighting Tuesday, with Palestinian militants firing dozens of rockets and Israel responding with airstrikes across the Gaza Strip. At least three Palestinians were killed.

By IBRAHIM BARZAK and MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Egyptian attempts to broker an end to a monthlong war between Israel and Hamas collapsed in heavy fighting Tuesday, with Palestinian militants firing dozens of rockets and Israel responding with airstrikes across the Gaza Strip. At least three Palestinians were killed.

The burst of violence, which erupted in the hours before a temporary truce was set to expire, left the Egyptian mediation efforts in tatters and raised the likelihood of a new round of fighting in a war that has already claimed more than 2,000 lives, most of them Palestinians.

The fighting broke out when Gaza militants fired several rockets into Israel Tuesday afternoon. Israel quickly withdrew its delegation from the Cairo cease-fire talks and resumed its campaign of airstrikes, and fighting continued into the night.

Three people — two women and a 2-year-old girl — were killed in an airstrike on a house in Gaza City, Palestinian medical official Ashraf al-Kidra said. The target of the airstrike wasn't immediately known.

However, in Cairo, Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas leader, said the dead included the wife and a child of Mohammed Deif, the Islamic militant group's elusive military chief, who has escaped numerous Israeli assassination attempts in the past. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas leaders in Gaza.

Twenty-one people were wounded in a separate airstrike that hit a building that houses offices of Hamas' Al Aqsa TV station, al-Kidra said. The fatalities were the first since a temporary truce was reached last Wednesday.

Israeli officials reported at least 50 rockets were fired late Tuesday, setting off air raid sirens throughout southern Israel and as far away as the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. There were no reports of injuries, though a piece of a rocket that was intercepted near Tel Aviv fell on a busy road.

Israel's civil defense authority, the Home Front Command, ordered authorities to reopen public bomb shelters within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of Gaza.

In Cairo, Palestinian negotiators declared the cease-fire talks over, and said they would leave Egypt on Wednesday.

Azzam al-Ahmad, leader of the delegation, blamed Israel for the failure, but held out hope that the talks could be resumed.

"We told the Egyptians we are ready to return to the talks once they find the proper atmosphere," he said, adding that the Palestinians had submitted a final cease-fire proposal.

"It's clear the Israelis are not interested in the cease-fire. We did not hear from them. We were willing to, but we did not hear from them," he said.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the blame lay with Hamas. "When Hamas broke the cease-fire and fired rockets into Israel, they also violated the premise of the talks, which were based on an unconditional and total cease-fire," he said.

He would not say whether Israel would resume cease-fire talks.

Egyptian security officials said Egypt was still pressing the two sides to agree on a cease-fire. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

The breakdown marked a bitter ending to nearly a week of Egyptian-led diplomacy meant to end the heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas since the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007.

More than 2,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed, according to Palestinian and U.N. officials, and tens of thousands of people are homeless.

Israel has claimed the number of militants killed was much higher, and it blames Hamas for causing civilian casualties by staging attacks from residential areas. Sixty-four Israeli soldiers, two Israeli civilians and a guest worker have also been killed.

Hamas is seeking an end to a seven-year Israeli-Egyptian blockade that has ravaged Gaza's economy, while Israel wants guarantees that Hamas will disarm.

In nearly a week of indirect talks, Egypt appears to have made little headway in resolving the differences. Late Monday, it secured a 24-hour extension to a temporary truce to allow more time for a last-ditch attempt to reach a longer-term deal.

An Egyptian compromise proposal calls for easing the blockade, but not lifting it altogether and opening the territory's air and seaports as Hamas has demanded.

While the plan does not require Hamas to give up its weapons, it would give Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces were ousted by Hamas in 2007, a foothold back in Gaza running border crossings and overseeing internationally-backed reconstruction. Abbas' presence would minimize friction with Israel and allow large amounts of international aid to flow into Gaza for reconstruction.

In Cairo, members of the Palestinian delegation, which is comprised of various factions, said no progress had been made in Tuesday's talks. Yet some held out hope that the Egyptians would still succeed.

"Israel insisted during the talks on disarming the factions in Gaza, and that created huge difficulties during the talks," said Kais Abdelkarim, a Palestinian negotiator.

Hamas finds itself pressured by both Egypt and the Palestinian Authority to accept a less than perfect deal with Israel, but needs to show the people of Gaza that the enormous sacrifices they endured in the fighting were not in vain.

In an apparent attempt to pressure Hamas, Egypt said early Monday it would co-host an international fundraising conference for Gaza — but only if a deal is reached first.

That appears to play into the hands of Abbas' Palestinian Authority, which is eager to regain control of Gaza.

The disagreements have focused around the lifting of the blockade, with Hamas pushing for far more dramatic concessions than Israel is willing to offer.

The Gaza blockade has greatly limited the movement of Palestinians in and out of the territory of 1.8 million people, restricted the flow of goods into Gaza and blocked virtually all exports.

Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent arms smuggling, but critics say the measures have amounted to collective punishment.

The latest round of Gaza fighting was precipitated by massive Israeli arrests of Hamas members in the West Bank in the aftermath of the abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers in June. Their deaths were followed by the slaying of a Palestinian youth in Jerusalem in what was a likely revenge attack.

Riders started from the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club for the hour long ride. About two dozen riders took part as a part of the group's "Summer Fitness Campaign. Participants included the young and old including one rider just three-years-old.

The Mason Square Health Task Force, in collaboration with MassBike and the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club, held “Let’s Get Biking Night” on Tuesday evening with a free bike safety class offered by Jimmy Pereira of MassBike.

Riders started from the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club for the hour long ride. About two dozen riders took part as a part of the group's "Summer Fitness Campaign". Participants included the young and old including one rider just three-years-old.

The Mason Square Health Task Force (MSHTF) is a community coalition working to eliminate racial health disparities in Mason Square through information sharing, capacity building & policy change, with a focus on nutrition and healthy food access, diabetes & chronic heart disease prevention and/or management.

Rick Perry's mugshot set off a storm on Twitter and other social media.

Texas Governor Rick Perry appeared at a Travis County courthouse on Tuesday to be booked on charges of felony abuse of power.

The charges, depending on one's point of view are either a devastating blow for a Republican president hopeful or a trumped-up, cheap political attack more suitable for a banana republic.

What is undeniable is the release of Perry's booking photo set off a storm over social media. If you doubt it, jump on Twitter yourself and search for the term "Rick Perry's Mugshot." Go ahead, we can wait.

In the meantime, here's a sampling of some of the action on Twitter. Undoubtedly there will be more. Much more.

Home Depot, the nation's largest home improvement retailer, rose after raising its annual profit forecast following a strong spring selling season. TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and other stores, climbed on strong earnings.

By STEVE ROTHWELL
AP Markets Writer

NEW YORK — A summer swoon for the stock market appears to be over for now.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed within six points of its all-time high Tuesday, less than two weeks after slumping on concerns about rising tensions in Iraq and Ukraine.

Investors were encouraged by economic reports that suggested growth may be poised to pick up, while inflation remains subdued. A pair of company earnings reports also hinted that consumers are getting more confident and spending more.

Home Depot, the nation's largest home improvement retailer, rose after raising its annual profit forecast following a strong spring selling season. TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and other stores, climbed on strong earnings.

"The economic reports ... have been coming out better than expected," said Robert Pavlik, Chief Market Strategist at Banyan Partners. "There's been a shift in the focus of investors away from some of the geopolitical events."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 9.86 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,981.60. The index is up 1.4 percent for the week and is approaching its record close of 1,987.98 reached July 24. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 80.85 points, or 0.5 percent, to 16,919.59. The Nasdaq composite climbed 19.20 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,527.51.

TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and other stores, was the biggest gainer in the S&P 500 on Tuesday. The company's stock rose $4.66, or 8.6 percent, to $58.56 after it reported that its quarterly income climbed 8 percent as sales strengthened in the U.S. and abroad. The results beat the estimates of Wall Street analysts. TJX also lifted its full-year earnings forecast.

Home Depot jumped $4.64, or 5.6 percent, to $88.23 after the company said its quarterly income surged 14 percent. Spring is the biggest season for home-improvement retailers as homeowners work on their yards and gardens. Home Depot has also been helped by an improving housing market.

"Home Depot's earnings give you a measure of confidence in housing, to an extent, and a measure of retail confidence," said JJ Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade. "Those are two areas where we like to look to see how the consumer is really feeling."

After rising to a record in July, stocks slumped in the first week of August. The S&P 500 index fell as much as 4 percent from its record close to 1,909.57 on August 7, as investors worried about tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine and the implications for global growth.

A report that showed inflation remains subdued also gave stocks a lift Tuesday.

U.S. consumer prices rose in July at the slowest pace in five months, held back by a drop in gasoline prices. Consumer prices edged up 0.1 percent, after larger gains of 0.3 percent in June and 0.4 percent in May. If inflation remains constrained, investors judge that the Federal Reserve will be able keep its key interest rate low for longer.

The Fed is currently winding down its economic stimulus but hasn't yet said when it will start raising interest rates.

Beauty products company Elizabeth Arden was one of the big losers on Tuesday.

The company slumped after reporting lower sales and a loss that was bigger than analysts' had expected. The company said the decline in sales of celebrity fragrances, particularly the Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift scents, was steeper than had been anticipated. Arden's stock dropped $4.56, or 23 percent, to $15.05.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell $1.93, or 2 percent, to $94.48 a barrel in New York and is now down nearly 4 percent for the month of August as crude supplies remain ample. Bond prices didn't move much. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged at 2.40 percent from Tuesday.

In metals trading, gold slipped $2.60 to $1,296.70 an ounce. Silver fell 22 cents to $19.41 an ounce. Copper fell two cents to $3.09 a pound. In currency trading, the dollar rose 0.3 percent to 102.89 yen, while the euro fell 0.3 percent against the U.S. currency to $1.3318.

The candidates got a few barbs in, although there was also a significant amount of agreement.

EASTON - The three Democratic candidates for governor – Attorney General Martha Coakley, Treasurer Steve Grossman and former Medicare and Medicaid administrator Don Berwick – met Tuesday night in their first face-to-face debate since June.

The candidates got a few barbs in, although there was also a significant amount of agreement.

The debate was hosted by the Joseph Martin Institute for Law and Society at Stonehill College and moderated by MSNBC's Steve Kornacki, with questions by Rick Holmes of the MetroWest Daily News, Christopher Burrell of The Patriot Ledger, and Janet Wu of WCVB. It was co-sponsored by Gatehouse Media and WCVB-TV.

Coakley holds a strong lead in the polls heading into the Sept. 9 primary. But the candidates are just beginning to run television advertisements and are hoping voters tune in during the final weeks of the campaign.

Former health care executive Charlie Baker and businessman Mark Fisher are competing for the Republican nomination.

Some of the sharpest disagreement came on casino gambling. MGM Resorts has received a license to build a casino in Springfield, but voters will decide in November whether to repeal the state's casino gambling law. Berwick wants to repeal the law; Coakley and Grossman do not. Coakley refused to certify the repeal question, saying it was unconstitutional, but the Supreme Judicial Court overruled her.

"Casinos destroy communities. They kill jobs," Berwick said.

Coakley responded that while casinos are "not the first place" she would go for economic development, she will vote to keep the law.

"Many of the things that happen are being paid for by the industry, including their own regulation and oversight," Coakley said. She pointed to money casinos are giving the state to mitigate problems like gambling addiction.

If the casino law is repealed by voters, Coakley said, "They'll have spoken and we'll move forward to find that money someplace else."

Grossman said casinos will bring jobs to Massachusetts and keep in Massachusetts revenue that is currently going to Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Berwick retorted, "This is politics as usual, not looking at evidence."

Asked if they ever gambled in a casino, Coakley said no. Berwick said he once put money in a Las Vegas slot machine. Grossman said he played blackjack in a casino in Las Vegas a few times when he was chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Grossman quipped, "I also inhaled."

The candidates were asked about the indictment of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, who was accused of abusing his power for allegedly threatening to veto and then vetoing funding for a unit that investigates political corruption unless a district attorney arrested for drunk driving resigned.

Grossman said "people generally don't get indicted until they've done something wrong," though he added that Perry is presumed innocent until found guilty.

Berwick said Perry had gone too far.

Coakley, however, questioned the prosecution and said the indictment "raises questions" about whether it was politically motivated. "One of the red flags for me is the person trying to be removed also brought the charges to the grand jury," Coakley said.

At one point, Grossman criticized Coakley for a settlement the attorney general's office reached with a lobbying group run by former state senator John Brennan, who has donated to Coakley's campaign. The lobbying firm agreed to pay $100,000 to settle allegations that it violated lobbying laws by benefiting from an inappropriate contingency fee with a Boston hospital, the Boston Herald reported. Grossman asked Coakley why she did not ask Brennan to pay back the entire amount the firm received from the hospital.

Coakley said the settlement was for the amount her office believed the hospital overpaid. She turned the tables on Grossman, making the campaign contribution into an issue of transparency. "We should know who's funding particular campaigns," Coakley said. Coakley has criticized Grossman in the past for benefitting from super political action committees, which only due to a recent law change have been required to disclose their donors.

Berwick was the only one who said as governor he would "look into" allegations made against House Speaker Robert DeLeo, a Democrat, during the trial of former probation commissioner John O'Brien for running a rigged hiring scheme. Prosecutors called DeLeo an unindicted co-conspirator and accused him of trading jobs for votes, an allegation DeLeo denied. DeLeo was never charged. "As governor, I'll look into it. I'll have independent oversight of this," Berwick said.

But all three candidates said they would, for now, take DeLeo at his word that he is innocent. "If they had evidence, they could have charged him. They did not," Coakley said.

Asked whether they could support legalizing recreational marijuana, all three said they would wait to see how legalized marijuana works out in Colorado and Washington.

As racial violence continues to rage in Ferguson, Mo., after a police officer killed an unarmed black teenager, all three candidates said the Missouri police and government could have handled the situation better if they had better training and if they had built trust between the police and the community. "(Missouri) Gov. (Jay) Nixon should have taken a page out of Deval Patrick's book," Grossman said, referring to the Democratic Massachusetts governor's actions providing leadership after the Boston Marathon bombings.

Asked whether they ever voted for a Republican, Berwick declined to answer. Coakley said not that she could remember. Grossman voted for Frank Sargent, who was elected Massachusetts governor in 1970.

The board interviewed three applicants for the position.

LUDLOW – The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday voted to appoint Stephen Morris to the Westover Golf Course Commission.

The vote by the Board of Selectmen was 4 to 0. Selectman Aaron Saunders was absent from the meeting.

Morris was appointed to the post after selectmen interviewed three applicants for the position.

The other two applicants who were interviewed were Derek Debarge and Wayne Boland.

Sean McBride, chairman of the Westover Golf Course Commission, told selectmen he favored Morris for the position because of his background in marketing.

McBride said the condition of the course is the best it has been in 10 years. He said the economy is still struggling to recover from an economic downturn and more needs to be done to attract additional players to the course.

Selectman William Rooney said, “The course is a treat to play, but we need more marketing.”

Rooney added, “I shouldn’t be able to get a tee-time so easily on a Saturday morning.”

Morris told selectmen said are some things which could be done to improve the marketing of the course which would not require a lot of additional money.

He said the web site should be improved to advertise the clinics which are offered for ladies and children, for example.

There should be more background information stated on the web site about the golf pro at the course, he said.

Morris said that on the email he receives confirming his tee-times, he is invited to visit the pro shop to see the 2009 merchandise which is available.

“This is 2014,” he said, adding that it is an easy fix to update an email response form.

More clinics should be offered at the course to attract players, including children, Morris suggested. He added that water should be made available on the course for players.

Wayne Boland in his interview said that Westover is “a top shelf golf course.” He suggested that although Westover is a public golf course, players should be treated like they are “personal guests” of the club to justify charging a higher fee.

If higher fees were charged, improvements could be made to the club house, Boland, who said he is retired and plays at the course three times a week, said.

Derek Debarge, a police officer in town, said he would like to see the sand traps improved at the course as well as the club house.

He said he would like to see the course consider the possibility of paid memberships so that in five to 10 years a new club house could be built to replace the existing club house.

“I would like to help the golf course to grow,” Debarge, who said he plays at the course at least once a week, said.

Liens and receivership are among steps city officials take to hold owners of blighted properties accountable.

HOLYOKE -- Police Officer Joey Jones' job is to inspect properties where building code violations have been reported and, he told city councilors Tuesday (Aug. 19), that means he often goes in a circle.

Jones' was just one of the testimonies from department heads as the council Ordinance Committee worked on blight-fighting steps and discussed how complicated enforcement can be.

The committee wound up tabling the order, which was filed by Ward 4 Councilor Jossie M. Valentin, to allow for further discussion later.

"I filed this order because blight is a huge issue throughout the city," Valentin said.

Jones, the Police Department's code enforcer, said he will go to a property with complaints of overgrown grass, excessive and visible trash or furniture strewn on the lawn. He tries to find the owner or someone responsible, he said.

"I go to the assessors office and they have a name. That's it, just a name," Jones said.

Often he finds a property mortgage now belongs to a bank. Often mortgage ownership has been transferred to one or two more banks since the name on file with the Board of Assessors was the identified property owner, he said.

"So it's a big circle trying to find out who owns these properties and some of these properties have been vacant for a long period of time," Jones said.

Valentin's order was about the fee the city charges owners of vacant properties, under a 2009 ordinance, to register them with the city. Valentin asked whether it made sense for the city to increase the fee as a way to prompt property owners into maintaining properties.

The discussion at City Hall took off into points about how some properties are long-vacant but not necessarily abandoned, how on some of them, property taxes still are being paid and about how certain departments are working on certain aspects of the problem.

That the order kick-started such a discussion is a positive step toward figuring out how to get property owners to take responsibility, Valentin said.

"The reason for the order is, is there something we can to do hold people accountable," she said.

The vacant property registration fees are $100 for residential properties of one to three units and $500 to $3,000 for residential properties of four or more units, or any other property, depending how long they have been vacant.

The purpose of the ordinance requiring that owners of vacant or abandoned properties register them with the city was to get the name of a local property manager to contact in an emergency, Kara Cunha, second assistant city solicitor, said in an Aug. 15 memo to Ordinance Committee Chairwoman Rebecca Lisi.

Reading from a list provided to councilors, committee member Linda L. Vacon said the city has 56 registered properties and another 175 vacant or abandoned ones the city knows of but have yet to be registered.

City staff attorney Sara Carroll said a step the Law Department is exploring has to do with liens. A lien is a legal claim the city places on a property whose owner has failed to pay taxes. The lien blocks the property from being sold until the debt, the back taxes, are paid. The Law Department is looking into whether unpaid charges such as the vacant and abandoned building registration fee can be placed as a lien in the same way as unpaid utility charges.

Board of Health Director Brian P. Fitzgerald said that was a good idea. His department's most effective step in dealing with blight has been working with the state attorney general's office to get such residential properties placed in receivership, he said. In receivership, a court order places custody of a property with an independent person to facilitate management of the property.

Six properties have been placed in receivership since December and another six are in the works toward that step, Fitzgerald said.

His department pursues receivership with only residential properties, he said.

"I just don't have time to do commercial (properties)," Fitzgerald said.

Vacon said it would be helpful for councilors to know which departments are taking which specific steps on which properties. Carroll said such a centralized source is a goal of Mayor Alex B. Morse.

Police Chief James M. Neiswanger said limited staffing permits him to devote only Jones to code enforcement issues.

"He's doing the best job he can," Neiswanger said.

The chief suggested department heads meet and prioritize the blighted properties to target in trying to get owners to fix deterioration or pay debts to the city. Older ones might be unwise to pursue, for example, he said.

"I think everybody in this room wants the same thing, to address the blighted areas," Neiswanger said.

Marcos A. Marrero, director of the Department of Planning and Economic Development, Building Commissioner Damian J. Cote and Fire Department Capt. Anthony Cerruti also participated in the discussion.

Hain Celestial Group Inc., a Lake Success, NY, company said it learned of the contamination risk after routine FDA testing.

NEW YORK (AP) — A unit of Hain Celestial Group Inc. is recalling some peanut and almond butter because of possible salmonella contamination.

The company said Tuesday that there have been reports of four illnesses that may be related to the nut butters. They were sold under the brand names Arrowhead Mills peanut butters and MaraNatha almond butters and peanut butters. Also being recalled were some lots of private label almond butter from grocers Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Kroger and Safeway. A total of 45 production lots are affected.

They were sold in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates as well as the U.S.

The Lake Success, New York, company said it learned of the contamination risk after routine FDA testing.

The Food and Drug Administration said it did not know how many jars of nut butters were recalled. The company would not comment.

Typical symptoms of salmonella infection are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. These symptoms generally develop within one to three days of exposure to the bacterium and may last for up to a week. While anyone can become ill from exposure to salmonella, health officials say the risk of infection is particularly high for children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

There have been several major salmonella outbreaks in recent years, including infected peanuts that sickened more than 700 people in 2008 and 2009 and Foster Farms chicken that is linked to a strain of salmonella that has made more than 500 people sick over the last year and a half.

His mother, Diane Foley, said in a statement on the webpage he "gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people."

ROCHESTER, N.H. -- Journalist James Foley, captured and held six weeks while covering the uprising in Libya, knew the risks when he went to Syria in 2012 to cover the escalating violence there. It didn't matter. He was a journalist at heart, once saying he'd cover local news if it meant doing the job he loved.

Foley was snatched again in Syria in November 2012 when the car he was riding in was stopped by four militants in a battle zone that Sunni rebel fighters and government forces were trying to control.

Two U.S. officials said Tuesday they believe Foley was the person beheaded by Islamic State militants in a video posted online. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the video by name.

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Foley's family confirmed his death on a webpage created to rally support for him. His mother, Diane Foley, said in a statement on the webpage he "gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people."

At Foley's family home in Rochester, a light burned yellow in a center upstairs window and a yellow ribbon adorned a tree at the foot of the driveway. The Rev. Paul Gousse, of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, where the Foleys are parishioners, spent about 45 minutes at the house but left without commenting.

This undated image shows a frame from a video released by Islamic State militants Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, that shows the killing of journalist James Foley by the militant group. Foley, from Rochester, N.H., went missing in 2012 in northern Syria while on assignment for Agence France-Press and the Boston-based media company GlobalPost. AP Photo 

Foley, 40, worked in a number of conflict zones in the Middle East, including Syria, Libya and Iraq. He and another journalist were working in the northern province of Idlib in Syria when they were kidnapped near the village of Taftanaz.

After Foley disappeared, while contributing video for Agence France-Presse and the media company GlobalPost, his parents became fierce advocates for him and all those kidnapped in war zones. They held regular prayer vigils and worked with the U.S. and Syrian diplomatic corps to get whatever scraps of information they could.

Diane Foley, asked in January 2013 if her son had reservations about going to Syria, said softly: "Not enough."

He had seen the dangers to journalists up close.

Upon his release from Libya and return to the United States, he recalled in an interview with The Associated Press seeing a colleague, South African photographer Anton Hammerl, killed by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. He tried to pull his friend's body out of harm's way but was turned back by heavy fire.

"I'll regret that day for the rest of my life. I'll regret what happened to Anton," Foley said. "I will constantly analyze that."

Foley also covered the war in Afghanistan but called the Libyan fighting the worst he had ever experienced to that point.

Foley grew up in New Hampshire and studied history at Marquette University. He later taught in Arizona, Massachusetts and Chicago before switching careers to become a journalist, which he viewed as a calling.

"Journalism is journalism," Foley said. "If I had a choice to do Nashua (New Hampshire) zoning meetings or give up journalism, I'll do it. I love writing and reporting."

Federal authorities also could take legal action against officer Darren Wilson, especially if they decide their state counterparts are drawing the wrong conclusions.

CHICAGO -- A Missouri grand jury could begin hearing evidence as soon as Wednesday to determine whether any charges should be filed against the white suburban police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown.

State prosecutors are wading through contradictory narratives as they decide which account to present. Federal authorities also could take legal action against officer Darren Wilson, especially if they decide their state counterparts are drawing the wrong conclusions.

A look at some of the legal issues:

What state charges could Wilson face?

Although the stiffest possible charge is first-degree murder, which can carry the death penalty, legal experts say that's highly unlikely. It would require proof that Wilson plotted to kill Brown, said Peter Joy, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis. "It'd have to be a cold and deliberate killing -- almost execution style," he said.

If Wilson is charged, a more likely option could be second-degree murder, which is often applied to killings that occur after someone hastily draws a knife in the heat of a fight. Unlike first-degree murder, the second-degree charge does not require evidence of premeditation. Two lesser but still-serious charges are voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, which would follow a finding Wilson acted recklessly or negligently in causing Brown's death.



How important is motive?

It's critical to the case. Prosecutors essentially have to get inside Wilson's head, said Anders Walker, a professor at Saint Louis University School of Law. Did he fire in a fit of racially charged anger, perhaps subjecting him to second-degree murder? "They have to decide what the officer was thinking," Walker said. "A lot hinges on that."

Are there other relevant state laws?

Yes. One is called "defense of justification law," which provides some legal leeway for officers to shoot suspects they believe are fleeing a serious crime and refusing to surrender, Joy said. In this case, some witnesses say Brown was surrendering. And police have said Wilson did not know Brown was a robbery suspect. Wilson could try to argue that Brown was not fleeing the robbery but instead fleeing from the crime of pushing or hitting Wilson.

What about the autopsy results?

Bullet wounds to the back of Brown's body could discredit any theory Wilson killed Brown out of fear for his life, Joy explained. If all of the bullets went through the front of Brown's body at close range, that could support claims Wilson fired in a struggle.

Could prosecutors opt not to charge Wilson with anything?

Yes, if they conclude he acted in self-defense. But, Joy said, prosecutors do have to account for the fact that someone died one way or another. That means it's unlikely they would decide on a relatively minor charge, such as assault. "It's likely you're going to have the state charge him with murder or manslaughter -- or nothing at all," Joy said.

Has the state prosecutor ever undertaken a case such as this before?

The St. Louis County prosecutor overseeing the case, Bob McCulloch, also oversaw a 2000 case in which two undercover officers fired 21 shots into a vehicle, killing two black men during an attempted drug arrest. No weapons were found in the car. McCulloch chose not to charge the officers and a federal report later concluded that the officers fired "out of fear and panic."

What charges could federal authorities pursue?

Bringing a murder charge isn't among their options. They could charge Wilson with a criminal civil rights violation, which carries a maximum life sentence, said Joel Bertocchi, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago. They would have to show Wilson, perhaps out of racial bias, deprived Brown of his civil rights by killing him.

It could take months or even a year for the feds to decide, said Samuel Bagenstos, a former Justice Department official. Any case would probably be based on a set of post-Civil War federal laws protecting civil rights. They formed the basis of the Rodney King case.

In the first four years of Barack Obama's presidency, the Justice Department brought more than 250 such cases.

Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley picked up the endorsement of Taunton Mayor Tom Hoye on Tuesday.

BOSTON — Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley picked up the endorsement of Taunton Mayor Tom Hoye on Tuesday.

Hoye is the seventh big city mayor to endorse Coakley in her bid for for the corner office.

"Martha Coakley has been a champion for working families inTaunton and is an effective manager who knows how to partner with cities and towns to solve our toughest challenges," said Hoye in a statement.

Hoye is the second South Coast mayor to endorse Coakley. Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan endorsed Coakley in June.

Boston Magazine's David Bernstein notes in a Tuesday post that not many big city mayors in Massachusetts have endorsed in the gubernatorial race, making the endorsements of Hoye and Flanagan particularly valuable.

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh has stayed out of the governor's race though he did have kind words for Republican candidate Charlie Baker during a recent appearance on WBZ's Nightside. Walsh ultimately told WBZ host Dan Rea that he would support the Democratic nominee for governor in November.

The other mayors that have endorsed Coakley include Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright and Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn.

The last US Navy ship to carry the name Saratoga now lies at the bottom of the Bikini Atoll, sunk following a nuclear detonation.

The most recent ship to proudly carry the name USS Saratoga is on its final voyage. It's destination: the scrap heap. The decommissioned aircraft carrier left its port in Newport, Rhode Island Thursday morning on its way to Texas where it will be scrapped for parts.

It's a quiet end to a ship that was commissioned in 1956 and was in service through Vietnam and all the way to Desert Storm. It was the sixth ship named Saratoga (after the pivotal Revolutionary War battle). Several attempts to convert it into a floating museum failed.

The last US Navy ship to carry the name Saratoga had a far more dramatic end, however. That ship now lies at the bottom of the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Following a nearly 20-year history that included service in World War II that earned it eight battle stars, the USS Saratoga CV-3 was chosen to participate in Operation Crossroads in 1946. That Saratoga, along with 94 other aging vessels, was used to test the effect of nuclear explosions on warships. The Saratoga survived the first detonation, which occurred about 520 feet in the air. The second detonation, which occurred 90 feet underwater inflicted extensive damage to the ship, however. Video captured of the event shows the Saratoga being readied for the test and then slipping below the waves afterwards.

Additional footage shows the dramatic effect of the underwater explosion and its impact on the fleet of ships.

The First Saratoga
Among the other ships named Saratoga, one other stands out for having a much more mysterious end.

The very first USS Saratoga was launched in 1780, serving during the Revolutionary War. The ship only spent a year in service, but quickly earned a fierce reputation, capturing several British vessels under the command of Capt. John Young. The Saratoga's fate on its final voyage, however, as recounted on usssaratoga.info, remains a mystery. 

"...A lookout high over Saratoga's deck reported two sails far off to westward, and the eager sloop of war left the convoy in pursuit of the strangers. About mid-afternoon, she caught up with one of the fleeing ships which surrendered without a fight. Young placed an American crew on board the prize and got underway after the second chase. Midshipman Penfield, commander of the prize crew, later reported that, as he was supervising his men's efforts to follow Saratoga, the wind suddenly rose to fearful velocity and almost capsized the prize. When he had managed to get the snow-rigged merchantman back under control, he looked up and was horrified to learn that Saratoga had vanished, and no further details of her fate have ever been discovered."