Police booked Troy Cawvey, 25, and Amber Whitford, 27, into jail on charges of sex abuse, sexual misconduct and contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor.

GRESHAM, Ore. -- Gresham police have arrested an Oregon couple accused of having sex with their children's 16-year-old babysitter.

The girl's mother called police Sept. 28 after her daughter disclosed that she had sex with the couple numerous times in the months she had been babysitting for them, police said in a news release. The girl later told police the same thing and said the couple had provided her with alcohol.

Police booked Troy Cawvey, 25, and Amber Whitford, 27, into jail on charges of sex abuse, sexual misconduct and contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor. It's unknown if the accused have a lawyer or will be assigned one at their initial court appearance.

Cawvey and the victim have known each other for a long period, police said.  In July the girl was approached asked if she would babysit for Cawvey and Whitford, police said.

Starting in July, police said once the children were put to bed, Cawvery and Whitford would bring out alcohol and start to make out, police told KOIN-TV.

The sexual abuse occurred every weekend, often several times a day, between July and the end of September, police said. Police are also investigating reports that the sexual abuse may have been photographed or videotaped.

Police are asking the public for help locating a man who escaped from Wing Hospital in Palmer Saturday morning while he was in police custody.

WILBRAHAM — Police are asking the public for help locating a man who escaped from Wing Hospital in Palmer Saturday morning while he was in police custody.

The suspect, 40-year-old Ludlow native Carlos Dias, was being held on a larceny warrant out of Northampton when he apparently walked out of the hospital. Upon learning of his disappearance at 12:42 p.m., Wilbraham and Palmer police established a perimeter around the hospital property but it was too late, as surveillance video showed him getting into a car in the parking lot about ten minutes earlier. Despite attempts to locate the vehicle, Dias is still on the loose.

Dias is said to be 5-feet, 11-inches tall, weighing approximately 180 pounds with brown eyes and thick, brown hair and the early stages of a goatee. Police say he was wearing long orange cargo shorts, a black t-shirt with a gray and white logo on the front, and black sneakers.

Capt. Timothy Kane says Dias isn't considered dangerous, but anyone who sees him or has information regarding his whereabouts is asked to call the Wilbraham Police Department at (413) 596-3837.

Doctor who survived Ebola infection back in hospital with fever and cough, but likely not a recurrence of the virus.

WORCESTER – UMass officials Sunday stressed that there is no risk to the public, patients or caregivers from the Holden doctor who had previously been treated for the Ebola virus after a return from Liberia and who is now back in the hospital.

Dr. Robert Finberg, the chairman of medicine at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, said that Dr. Richard Sacra, who had contracted the potentially deadly virus in Africa and been treated in Nebraska, did not seem to be suffering from a recurrence of Ebola. Finberg is an infectious disease expert leading Sacra's team of doctors.

“Dr. Richard Sacra is in stable condition and feels well and is eating,” Finberg said at a press conference Sunday. “Dr. Sacra remains in isolation until we can confirm with the CDC that he has no Ebola virus. We expect to have this information within the next two days.”

He added, “We want to continue to stress that there is no risk to the general public, to our patients or to our caregivers. We have exercised extreme prudence and caution when Dr. Sacra first came to the emergency room Saturday morning.”

Finberg said that Sacra’s symptoms were consistent with an upper-respiratory virus – a cold, he said during the press conference – and did not show Ebola’s trademark symptoms.

“Dr. Sacra acted very responsibly. He had fever and a cough and that was why he presented to the emergency room,” Finberg said, noting that Sacra also did not believe his symptoms were a recurrence of the Ebola. “He absolutely did not believe that.”

Finberg added, “He was being very responsible to make sure that everyone was informed of any possibility. He did not feel and does not feel, nor do we feel, that this has anything to do with the Ebola.”

Sacra’s previous battle with Ebola could have weakened his immune system, Finberg said, but that is not certain.

“This took a lot out of him,” Finberg said. “It was a prolonged illness and some viruses do cause the immune system to be decreased and it’s possible he may have gotten this because of that.”

Finberg also said that there have been no previous cases in which the Ebola virus, once fought off by a patient, has recurred.

“This would be the first case. I’m not aware of any cases where this has happened,” he said.

Finberg also said that he felt that some of the reaction to news of Ebola cases domestically was overblown.

“The question is, is there hysteria about Ebola in the United States? I think people are very concerned,” Finberg said. “That’s why we are trying to be extremely cautious. As I said, we do not think he has Ebola. On the other hand there’s no reason to take risks.”

Patrick Muldoon, the president of the hospital stressed that UMass Memorial is well equipped to handle infectious diseases of all kinds and has had a plan in place for some time to deal with the potential occurrence of Ebola.

“I want to reinforce that there is no risk to the general public, including our patients and Dr. Sacra’s caregivers,” he said. “Our medical center campuses are fully operational and we are conducting business as usual.”

The arrest comes eight months after the governor of Vermont declared a heroin crisis in the state.

BRATTLEBORO, VT – Two Vermont residents, arrested near the Massachusetts border and charged with trafficking in more than 900 bags of heroin, are being held in jail over the weekend.

Kirby M. Davis, 30, of Coventry, and Ashley M. Geoffroy, 26, of Newport, were stopped by police for a minor traffic infraction at about 1:05 p.m., Friday, on Interstate 91 North at Exit 2 in Brattleboro. During the stop, officers found more than 900 bags of the drug in their possession, according to the Vermont State Police.

The exit is about 9 miles north of the Massachusetts state line.

The two were charged with possession of heroin, trafficking heroin and importation of heroin. They are being held in the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, Vermont after failing to make bail. They are scheduled to appear in court Monday, state police said.

The arrest comes about eight months after the governor of Vermont declared a heroin crisis in the state and said some is being bought in Western Massachusetts, where the cost is lower.

A homeless man being sought because of possible contact with the lone U.S. Ebola patient was found Sunday in Texas after several hours of searching, authorities said.

DALLAS -- A homeless man being sought because of possible contact with the lone U.S. Ebola patient was found Sunday in Texas after several hours of searching, authorities said.

The person is not considered to be one of the 10 people who definitely had contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, who is in critical condition at a Dallas hospital. However, he is part of a larger group of 38 people who may have been around Duncan when he was showing symptoms of the disease, officials said.

He was found a few hours after officials on Sunday morning announced he was missing, Dallas city spokeswoman Sana Syed said.

Duncan was listed in critical condition Sunday at a Dallas hospital.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins called the man, whom he didn't identify, a "low-risk individual." Authorities had monitored him a day earlier but want to take his temperature regularly to make sure he doesn't have a fever, a possible symptom of Ebola infection.

Jenkins said the man would receive a mental health evaluation at Dallas' Parkland Hospital. The man will eventually be placed in housing that give allow health workers direct access to him daily. Syed said it was unlikely that the man would be placed in a homeless shelter.

The group of 10 people is composed of seven health care workers and three family members or community contacts, said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 800 calls and emails are coming in daily to the CDC on Ebola, up from about 50 to 100 before Duncan was diagnosed on Tuesday, Frieden said. Frieden said he is scheduled to brief President Barack Obama on Monday.

Duncan has been hospitalized at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital for one week and was listed Sunday in critical condition. Frieden said Sunday that he was aware that Duncan's health had "taken a turn for the worse," but he declined to say what signs of poor health Duncan had shown.

Four members of a family who hosted Duncan in their northeast Dallas apartment are under isolation, though they have not shown symptoms of infection.

Three top former government leaders who devised the 2008 financial bailouts -- Henry Paulson, Timothy Geithner and Ben Bernanke -- are set to testify this week in a lawsuit over the government's rescue of the insurance giant AIG.

WASHINGTON -- It could be an awkward reunion.

Three top former government leaders who devised the 2008 financial bailouts -- Henry Paulson, Timothy Geithner and Ben Bernanke -- are set to testify this week in a lawsuit over the government's rescue of the insurance giant AIG.

Six years ago, their rescue plan revived AIG, protected its far-flung financial partners and helped save the financial system. Yet AIG's former CEO, 89-year old Maurice Greenberg, argues that the government's bailout was illegitimate and is demanding roughly $40 billion in damages for shareholders.

This despite the fact that Greenberg orchestrated a 2010 deal in which he unloaded $278 million in AIG shares that his holding company owned -- a windfall that might have been impossible without the government's intervention.

The lawsuit alleges that the bailout violated the Constitution's Fifth Amendment by taking control of AIG without "just compensation." Greenberg objects to the government's takeover of a company approaching bankruptcy in exchange for what would eventually become $180 billion-plus in taxpayer-backed loans.

Many legal experts deem the lawsuit a longshot. But the trial serves as a reminder that few were satisfied by the government's response to the crisis -- even those who, like Greenberg, fared far better than the millions who lost homes and jobs.

For Greenberg, the case represents a chance to make the former Federal Reserve chairman (Bernanke) and two past Treasury secretaries (Paulson and Geithner) defend a landmark action made at the most perilous moment for the U.S. financial system since the Great Depression.

All three, of course, have well-honed and oft-repeated arguments in defense of the AIG bailout. Geithner released his memoirs this year, while Paulson appeared in a Netflix documentary film about his experiences last year. The tight-lipped Bernanke is now writing his own book.

During the height of the crisis, no private company was willing to provide loans to AIG. The insurer "faced severe liquidity pressures that threatened to force it imminently into bankruptcy," Bernanke told the House Financial Services Committee in 2009.

An AIG collapse "would have posed unacceptable risks for the global financial system and for our economy," Bernanke said. The viability of state and local governments, banks and 401(k) plans was at risk, he warned.

Greenberg's lawyer, David Boies, is famed for fighting for gay marriage and arguing before the Supreme Court on behalf of Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election. But in congressional hearings and news conferences, the three witnesses he intends to grill before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims have learned to measure their words carefully.

The challenge is whether Boies can use the multitude of their past comments about AIG to trap them in an inconsistency, said Hester Peirce, a senior research fellow at George Mason University and former Senate Banking Committee staffer.

"They are in a pretty difficult position because they might have to contradict what they previously said," Peirce said.

For Americans who yearn to see reckless bankers held accountable in court, it's somewhat surreal to have a lawsuit based on the premise that the government's rescue unfairly punished a company whose collapse would have threatened the global financial system.

How so? AIG was overexposed to subprime mortgages back in 2008. That's because of a financial instrument known as a credit default swap. It obligated AIG to pay out if the mortgages defaulted.

Its stock and credit ratings had nosedived. The company largely built by Greenberg appeared to be freefalling into bankruptcy, possibly dragging down several major investment banks with it.

So the government provided an initial $85 billion loan -- ultimately $182 billion -- in return for an 80 percent stake in AIG.

That 80 percent stake angered Greenberg. He remained the company's most vocal shareholder after being ousted as CEO and chairman in 2005 amid a New York state investigation into suspicious financial transactions under his watch. Greenberg contends that AIG shareholders were singled out for retribution, while the government chose to extend loans on far more generous terms to banks such as Citigroup.

The division within AIG that undermined the company's balance sheet was established under Greenberg's watch, noted James Cox, a law professor at Duke University.

"Greenberg probably did create a culture at AIG that nurtured the aggressiveness of the swaps business and the excessive greed that we associated with the crisis," Cox said. "I don't see him as a choir boy in this process."

A Supreme Court term that is starting with a lack of headline-grabbing cases may end with a blockbuster that helps define the legacy of the court under Chief Justice John Roberts.

WASHINGTON -- A Supreme Court term that is starting with a lack of headline-grabbing cases may end with a blockbuster that helps define the legacy of the court under Chief Justice John Roberts.

While same-sex marriage is not yet on their agenda, the justices appear likely to take on the issue and decide once and for all whether gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional right to marry.

When the justices formally open their new term Monday, Roberts will be beginning his 10th year at the head of the court, and the fifth with the same lineup of justices. He has been part of a five-justice conservative majority that has rolled back campaign finance limits, upheld abortion restrictions and generally been skeptical of the consideration of race in public life.

But his court has taken a different path in cases involving gay and lesbian Americans, despite his opposition most of the time.

The court's record on gay rights is comparable to its embrace of civil rights for African-Americans in the 1950s and 1960s under Chief Justice Earl Warren, said University of Chicago law professor David Strauss. "The court will go down in history as one that was on the frontiers of establishing rights for gays and lesbians," Strauss said.

The justices passed up their first opportunity last week to add gay marriage cases to their calendar. But they will have several more chances in the coming weeks to accept appeals from officials in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin who are trying to preserve their state bans on same-sex marriage.

Those prohibitions fell one after the other following the high court's June 2013 decision that struck down part of a federal law that defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

On the court's plate in the new term are cases involving:

--religious, employment and housing discrimination.

--the drawing of political districts in Alabama and Arizona.

--a dispute between Congress and the president over passports that is heavy with Middle East politics.

--a faulty traffic stop over a car's broken brake light in North Carolina.

--the use of a law to prevent document shredding against a fisherman accused of throwing undersized red grouper overboard.

--the prosecution of a self-styled rapper whose Facebook postings threatened his estranged wife, an FBI agent and area schools.

Monday's argument involves the North Carolina traffic stop that led to the discovery of cocaine in Nicholas Heien's Ford Escort. A police officer pulled the car over when he saw the right brake light wasn't working, although the left one was. Typically, evidence found in a car pulled over for a valid reason can be used against a defendant. But North Carolina's quirky traffic laws mandate that only one brake light on a car be working.

The case tests whether the officer's mistaken understanding of the law makes the traffic stop unreasonable and the ensuing search a violation of Heien's constitutional rights. Among Heien's arguments is that citizens can't plead ignorance of the law when they are charged with a crime, so there shouldn't be a double standard for the police. A divided state Supreme Court said the mistake was reasonable enough to justify the routine traffic stop.

On Tuesday, the justices will take up the case of Arkansas prison inmate Gregory Holt, who says his Muslim beliefs require him to grow a half-inch beard. Arkansas prison officials permit no beards, with the exception of inmates with certain skin conditions, who can have beards a quarter-inch long.

Prison officials say their rule is a matter of security because beards can be used to hide prohibited items, and 18 states are backing the state's argument. But groups across the political spectrum and the Obama administration say Holt has a right to grow a beard under a federal law aimed at protecting prisoners' religious rights. More than 40 states already allow beards, with little evidence that inmates have tried to hide prohibited items in them.

Last term, the court bitterly divided over the religious rights of family-owned corporations that objected to paying for women's contraceptives under President Barack Obama's health care law. This case appears likely to unite the court, said University of Notre Dame law professor Richard Garnett. "I think there's every reason to expect agreement among the justices that Arkansas hasn't even come close to satisfying the burden," Garnett said.

The court's calendar this fall also includes a foray into the online world. Anthony Elonis of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is challenging his conviction for using Facebook to post threats of violence. The issue in Elonis' case is whether he had to intend to make the threats. The government argues that the proper measure is whether a reasonable person would feel threatened.

Elonis said his online postings should be considered speech that is protected by the First Amendment, and that he used the forum to vent his frustration over a series of events that included the loss of his job and the breakup of his marriage.

Beyond individual cases on the docket, court observers across the political spectrum are using the milestone 10th year to offer assessments of Roberts and the court he leads.

The liberal Constitutional Accountability Center has embarked on a yearlong study of the chief justice, noting that he said at his confirmation hearings he would pursue restraint and unanimity on the bench.

Some conservatives are dismayed by what they see as Roberts' unwillingness to take big steps on key issues, and they have yet to forgive his vote to uphold Obama's health care law in 2012.

With the court closely divided on key issues, a change on the bench can mean the difference between victory and defeat. That was indeed the case with the replacement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor with Justice Samuel Alito, affecting outcomes in cases on abortion, race and campaign finance.

Rudd was driving a motorcycle in the three-vehicle accident.

HOLYOKE – The victim in Friday’s fatal accident was a city resident and a member of the Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing based at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield.

Patrick Rudd, 32, of West Franklin Street, was killed in the 9:30 p.m. accident that involved two cars and a motorcycle. The crash happened on Route 5 near the intersection of Bemis Road, Police Sgt. Kevin Thomas said.

Rudd was driving the motorcycle. Several other occupants of the cars were brought to the hospital by ambulance but none had serious injuries. Thomas did not have the exact number of people injured in the accident.

The cause of the accident is being investigated by the Holyoke Police Traffic division. Massachusetts State Police also assisted at the accident site, Thomas said.

Thomas confirmed Rudd was a member of the Air National Guard based at Barnes.

Officials for the 104th Fighter Wing posted a memorial notice on its Facebook site on Sunday and said Rudd worked as a technical sergeant at the base. They did not immediately return calls for comment.

“On behalf of the 104th Fighter Wing I would like to express our sincere
condolences to the family, relatives and friends of the late Tech. Sgt.
Patrick Rudd. Patrick was killed in a motorcycle accident off-base Friday,” the notice said.

A total of 33 people responded to the announcement offering their condolences to his family. Several described Rudd as a “great guy” who will be missed.

He is the second member of the 104th to be killed in less than two months. Lt. Col Morris Fontenot, of Longmeadow, was killed on Aug. 27 when the F-15 Eagle he was flying crashed in Virginia. He was on a routine flight and the accident is under investigation.

“Deepest condolences to Pat's family and to the Barnes family. To lose another Barnestormer so soon is tragic,” State Sen. Donald F. Humason, R-Westfield wrote.

Later Humason talked about how tragic it was for the 104th Fighter Wing, especially since it has been years since any of its members have been killed.

It’s sensleless, it’s tragic, it’s awful and it has to hurt the family not just Pat Rudd’s family but the family at Barnes. They will go on. They have to. They are professionals," he said.

HATFIELD - Hatfield's Fall Festival was held Sunday, Oct. 5 outside the Hatfield Farm Museum near the town's library. The annual event, is a traditional New England Fall festival with crafts, demonstrations, food and music.

HATFIELD - Hatfield's Fall Festival was held Sunday, Oct. 5 outside the Hatfield Farm Museum near the town's library.

The annual event, is a traditional New England Fall festival with crafts, demonstrations, food and music.

A 10-year-old boy said he saw someone drive directly into the water.

HOLYOKE - Police and fire officials are tryiing to rescue a person who drove off the dock at Jones Ferry and into the water Sunday.

The car is completely submerged in the water and the driver is believed to be in the car. The car has been in the water for at least 30 minutes, police said.

The lights from the car can be seen flickering off and on under the water.

Fire department rescue boats from several surrounding communities have been called to assist. A tow truck has also been called to help.

One boy who lives near the river said he saw a black jeep with black rims drive down the dock and straight into the water.

"Two women came up and they were screaming," said Emanuel Roman, 10, who was watching the scene with his parents. "They called 911."

Emanuel said he did not see anyone get out of the car.

This is an ongoing story. Masslive will update when there are new developments.

Dias had been admitted to the hospital when he fled.

This updates stories posted around 4 p.m. Saturday, and 11:25 a.m. Sunday.

WILBRAHAM – Police have apprehended a 40-year-old man who escaped while being treated at Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer for undisclosed ailments.

With the help of Springfield Police, Wilbraham Det. Jeffrey Rudinski was able to track down Carlos Dias at about 1:30 p.m. in the area of Parker Street, Wilbraham Sgt. Mark Paradis said.

“We used the pinging of his cell phone to track him down,” he said. “He was very polite. It went well.”

Dias was being held in the Wilbraham jail after being arrested on a default warrant accusing him of a larceny. Saturday, he complained about an undisclosed ailment and police took him to the hospital for treatment, Paradis said.

He had been admitted and was in a private room when he managed to escape the hospital, he said.

Dias will be arraigned Monday in Palmer District Court.

CONWAY — The 53rd annual Festival of the Hills drew a record crowd to the grounds of Conway Grammar School Saturday. The festivities began with the Covered Bridge Classic 10K Road Race and ended with a turkey dinner by the Fireman's Auxiliary. A traditional pancake breakfast was served at the Congregational Church. Throughout the afternoon, visitors and townspeople enjoyed a craft...

CONWAY — The 53rd annual Festival of the Hills drew a record crowd to the grounds of Conway Grammar School Saturday.

The festivities began with the Covered Bridge Classic 10K Road Race and ended with a turkey dinner by the Fireman's Auxiliary. A traditional pancake breakfast was served at the Congregational Church. Throughout the afternoon, visitors and townspeople enjoyed a craft fair, food booths, exhibitors, children's activities, a log-splitting contest, and a skillet toss.

The festival was held at the school because the town's ball field, the festival's usual venue, is undergoing reconstruction. The event raises scholarship money for graduating high school students from Conway.

A music stage set up behind the school featured performances by Chris Devine and Michael Nix, Zack Danziger, Art Steele, Janet Ryan & Straight Up, and T.J. & the Peepers.

The "Cafe Conway" peddled baked goods and coffee, raising funds for the school. The Conway Snowmobile Club, the Northwest Junior Racing Pigeon Club, and the Ashfield Rod and Gun Club were among the many groups set up at exhibition tables.

Just west of the school grounds on Rt. 116, the village center was full of activity, with a book sale to benefit the Field Memorial Library, a "duck race" down the South River, and an open house at the Conway Historical Center. Festival merchandise benefited the town's upcoming 250th anniversary celebration as well as the scholarship fund.

Festival board member Kate French said the school proved to be a "fabulous location" for the fair, because it is accessible to all. One problem was having to set up the music performances behind the school building because that was the only good place electricity was available. She said next year, if the festival is held at the school again, the problem will be solved, and the stage will be set up closer to the other activities.

French thanked the Boyden farm family, which allowed their nearby field to be used for parking. "The festival is completely run by volunteers," said French. "The whole town comes together. It's a beautiful thing."

French said so many people turned out this year, that the festival ran out of cider. "That's never happened before," she said.

Phyllis Jeswald, also on the board, runs the festival's scholarship program. She said all graduating seniors who live in Conway are invited to apply for the scholarships. Awards ranging from $400 to $1,200 are allocated according to community service, academic performance, and financial need, she said. Last year around $5,000 was awarded.

Ninety-seven years ago, townspeople organized the first Festival of the Hills to commemorate 100 years of peace with England, according to event literature. The event was revived in 1962 as a fundraiser for the town's bicentennial celebration.

A woman escaped from the car before it drove into the water.

HOLYOKE - Fire rescue boats from three different communities, divers and a helicopter are continuing a search for a man who drove into the Connecticut River from Jones Ferry Sunday night.

The driver of the car was talking with a female friend at the boat ramp when he hit the gas and drove off the launch and into the water at about 6:30 p.m., Fire Department Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

"When the vehicle hit the water she hopped out," he said.

When police arrived the woman was on or near the shore but no one could see the driver.

"We believe it was a suicide attempt," he said.

For the past 90 minutes Fire Department rescue boats from Springfield, Chicopee and South Hadley have been patrolling the shores to see if the man may have been able to get out of the car and swim to short. A Massachusetts State Police helicopter from Lowell is searching from above.

But so far crews have not found anything and officials believe the man is still in the car, he said.

The Massachusetts State Police dive team has also been called in to assist and divers are entering the water, Cerruti said.

Neighbors have been gathering at the scene to watch. The car is completely submerged but the headlights can be seen flickering from under the water.

Several specalized tow trucks have also arrived to assist.

One boy who lives near the river said he saw a black jeep with black rims drive down the launch and straight into the water.

"Two women came up and they were screaming," said Emanuel Roman, 10, who was watching the scene with his parents. "They called 911."

Emanuel said he did not see anyone get out of the car.

The man drove into the water at about 6:30 p.m. and was rescued from his car at about 8:45 p.m.

This story updates one published at 8:46 p.m. Sunday.

HOLYOKE - The body of a man who drove his jeep off the boat launch and into the Connecticut River has been removed by Massachusetts State Police divers Sunday night and rushed to the hospital.

The man was lifted onto a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. Paramedics from AMR performed CPR and rushed him to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Holyoke Fire Department Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

The man had been in the water since about 6:30 p.m. Sunday. He was rescued at about 8:45 p.m. His condition was not immediately known.

"We believe it was a suicide attempt," Cerruti said.

The incident started when driver of the car was talking with a female friend at the Jones Ferry boat ramp off Route 5. He hit the gas and drove off the launch and into the water. Before police arrived, the car was completely submerged, Cerruti said.

"When the vehicle hit the water she hopped out," he said.

Springfield rescue squad firefighters position their boat above a submerged vehicle as a State Police dive team member slips into the water to search the vehicle.

DENNIS LEGER | SPRINGFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT 

Fire rescue boats from three different communities, Springfield, Chicopee and South Hadley spent more than two hours searching the shores of the river to make certain the man had not jumped out of the car. West Springfield Fire Department also assisted Holyoke Fire Department in the rescue.

While the fire department boats searched from the water, a Massachusetts State Police helicopter searched from above, putting a spotlight on the pitch dark river bank.

After the man was pulled out of the car, several specialized tow trucks were used to drag the vehicle out of the water.

During the search, headlights from the car could be seen flickering from the surface of the water. It was about 25 feet or more from shore.

A dozen neighbors gathered at on overlook watching the rescue attempt.

One boy who lives near the river said he saw a black jeep with black rims drive down the launch and straight into the water.

"Two women came up and they were screaming," said Emanuel Roman, 10, who was watching the scene with his parents. "They called 911."

Emanuel said he did not see anyone get out of the car.

The comedy is set and Agawam and chronicles a newlywed couple.

AGAWAM -- Word came out this week that television and actress-producer Jennifer Garner will be coming to this small city left people talking.

Garner's production company Vandalia Films sold its half-hour comedy series "Half Full" to Fox, according to Hollywood Reporter and it will be set in Agawam.

The comedy chronicles a newlywed couple forced to put their dream of moving to New York City on hold due to impending and unexpected parenthood. Instead, they stay in their hometown of Agawam, dangerously close to the husband's five bitter older siblings.

It's unclear at this point if the series will be filmed in the area.

The show comes from Warner Bros. Television and Vandalia Films, and features Garner as executive producer and Juliana Janes as producer.

UMass Memorial Medical Center said test results for Dr. Rick Sacra came back negative for the virus,

WORCESTER, Mass. — A Massachusetts doctor who is back in the hospital after he was successfully treated for the Ebola virus last month isn't infected again with it, hospital officials said Sunday.

UMass Memorial Medical Center said test results for Dr. Rick Sacra came back negative for the virus, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that Sacra's symptoms were not due to Ebola.

Sacra was admitted to the hospital for observation on Saturday after he came in complaining of a cough and low-grade fever. Doctors said he was in stable condition and they did not suspect he was suffering a recurrence of Ebola virus but put him in isolation as a precaution, while awaiting test results from the CDC.

The CDC informed the hospital Sunday evening that testing for Sacra came back negative, hospital spokeswoman Peggy Thrappas said in a news release. She said Sacra would be removed from isolation and would continue to receive routine care for an upper respiratory tract infection.

Sacra, of Holden, contracted the virus while working in Africa. He returned to Massachusetts on Sept. 25 after weeks of treatment at an Omaha, Nebraska, hospital.

Dr. Robert Finberg, who is leading Sacra's medical team, said at a news conference earlier Sunday that doctors were confident Sacra's symptoms were not related to the Ebola virus he contracted in Africa. Finberg and hospital President Patrick Muldoon also stressed there was no threat to the public.

"People are very concerned, that's why we're being extremely cautious," Finberg said. "We're not taking risks with Dr. Sacra and his caregivers."

Asked why doctors believe Sacra's symptoms were not related to Ebola, Finberg said he was not aware of any case of Ebola recurring in surviving patients, and Sacra was feeling better and eating.

"People with Ebola don't feel like eating. They feel like throwing up," Finberg said. "The fact that he's eating and he feels pretty good, I think is a very good sign."

Finberg said Sacra was just being responsible when he decided to go a hospital when he started feeling bad.

Sacra spent much of the last two decades in Liberia, working with a missionary group. He also works at Family Health Center of Worcester.

An Agawam man faces his fourth OUI charge.

The Republican [file] 

The Massachusetts State Police said in a press release that Stanley Ringer, from the Feeding Hills section of Agawam, was arrested Friday morning after a patrolling trooper noticed Ringer's car allegedly being operated erratically on Interstate 291.

According to the State Police, Trooper Sean Kenney attached to the Springfield barracks, was patrolling near the I-291 — I-91 interchange at about 12:10 a.m. Friday when he saw Ringer's car and pulled it over.

Ringer was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a fourth offense; operating a motor vehicle with a license suspended for OUI; a marked lanes violation and an inspection sticker violation. He was held in lieu of $5,000 cash bail pending his arraignment Monday.

The American doctor cured of Ebola is not suffering a relapse, the CDC now says.

WORCESTER— Dr. Rick Sacra has tested negative for Ebola, medical officials at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester said Sunday night, and he has been removed from isolation as he is treated for a respiratory illness.

NECN reports that the hospital announced that the Center for Disease Control conducted tests and determined that Sacra's current respiratory infection is not a recurrence of the Ebola he contracted while working in Liberia during the current Ebola outbreak.

Sacra, a Holden, Mass. physician, was flown to the United States for treatment. More than half the people who contract Ebola die from the disease. Sacra was cured, but recently developed what doctors are now calling an upper respiratory infection - a cold. He first came to the Worcester hospital Saturday morning, and he has held in isolation until officials could determine if whether or not he was suffering from an Ebola relapse.

Meanwhile, the condition a Liberian man who developed Ebola symptoms after flying to the Dallas-Fort Worth area has worsened. Doctors at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas said Thomas Eric Duncan was admitted in serious but stable condition. Now, they have downgraded his condition to critical.

Health officials in Texas are monitoring up to 50 people Duncan may have come in contact with between the time he landed in the United States until he was placed in isolation at the Dallas hospital.

With the Eastern Massachusetts casino license firmly in their grasp, supporters of the planned Wynn casino in Everett are now channeling their efforts to stop the November ballot question that will repeal the state's resort gaming law.

BOSTON -- With the Eastern Massachusetts casino license firmly in their grasp, supporters of the planned Wynn casino in Everett are now channeling their efforts to stop the November ballot question that will repeal the state's resort gaming law.

On Saturday, the Boston Globe reported that Wynn Resorts joined a pro-casino coalition that includes gaming behemoths MGM and Penn National, and which has the backing of many labor unions.

The move to engage the voters of Massachusetts is a shift for Wynn, as the company has stayed out of the statewide fight up until now.

"We will participate with Protect Mass Jobs to provide information to voters about the impact of our industry," said Wynn Senior Vice President Michael Weaver in an email statement. "Ultimately and appropriately, the voters of the Commonwealth will decide. They deserve to have factual information which will allow them to make an informed decision."

It's unclear at this time how much Wynn has contributed to the pro-casino campaign. When asked, officials close to the gaming company said that the figure would come out during the normal disclosure period.

Meanwhile, in Everett, pro-Wynn forces are organizing their own campaign to bolster support for the state's casino gaming law.

The Boston Herald reported on Monday that the coalition that pushed for the initial approval of the Wynn casino in Everett has retooled itself for a more statewide approach.

Casino proponents have led the money race between the two sides by a wide margin. Polls have consistently shown the repeal effort failing at the ballot box by a wide margin.

Opponents argue that casinos not only bring crime and addiction to the communities in which they are located, but they do not deliver on their promises of jobs and revenues. Proponents argue that the casinos will bring much needed jobs and development to communities in Massachusetts that desperately need it.

The possible changes will be sent along to the Select Board for further review.

LONGMEADOW — The Planning Board discussed several possible changes to zoning town bylaws last week.

According to the comments made by board members - which do not officially change the language of the draft revisions, but will be attached - these bylaw revisions would be intended to:

• Restrict parking on non-paved areas in town, such as lawns, so that it would be illegal to do so between 1 and 6 a.m. This revision would also limit the amount of a parcel that can be paved to "20% of the area bounded by the side lot lines, the front of the residential structure and the street line."
• Limit the number of unrelated people that can be officially considered a "family," and thus live in a single-family home in town, to four. This would not apply to "non-related disabled persons as defined by any applicable federal and/or state law and/or regulations."
• Allow the "increase (of) any non-conformity" in a non-conforming structure in town, as long as the Zoning Board of Appeals agrees that the "change would not be substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood than the existing use or structure."

The meeting was held at Longmeadow High School.

The revisions and comments were expected to go before the Select Board this evening, so that they can be considered once again, then officially placed onto the warrant for the special Town Meeting.