If Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh vetoes the recently approved $20,000 pay raise for the Boston City Council, it could setup the second significant showdown between the two since Walsh took office

BOSTON -- If Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh vetoes the recently approved $20,000 pay raise for the Boston City Council, it could setup the second significant showdown between the two since Walsh took office.

Walsh has 15 days before he has to make a decision on the pay raise during a standard legislative review period.

The mayor initially opposed a pay increase of $25,000, but said he was open to alternative proposals from the council.

Boston City Council President Bill Linehan said that he has not spoken with the mayor about a possible veto but he did note the final vote tally.

'You all can count: there's nine votes," said Linehan.

The council disagreed strongly earlier this year with Walsh's initial plan to change residency requirements for cabinet officers. The council later approved significantly scaled back changes to the city's residency requirements.

A 33-year-old Palmer woman and a 50-year-old Brimfield man face police charges after they allegedly gave a 17-year-old girl alcohol and arranged to have her dance topless for patrons at the Magic Lantern strip club.

These were the most read stories on MassLive.com yesterday. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now.

1) Lunar eclipse 2014: Watch NASA's live coverage of October 'Blood Moon' [Joe Deburro]

2) National Weather Service: Extensive storm damage in Easthampton caused by microburst -- not tornado [George Graham] Photo gallery above

3) Monson police: Man, woman allegedly gave 17-year-old girl alcohol, had her dance topless at Magic Lantern strip club [George Graham]

4) Second suspect in Worcester gang-related shooting held without bail [Lindsay Corcoran]

5) Vermont teen dies legally drunk after mom, boyfriend put alcohol in IV tube, police say [Associated Press]

Of the 53,000 new units the city aims to build 8,000 will be designated as low-income housing units while 22,500 will be targeted specifically for middle income residents. The remaining 22,500 new units will be market rate housing.

BOSTON -- On Wednesday Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh received a phone call from his mother.

Mary Walsh called her son to inform him that a family that has lived on Taft Street in Dorchester's Savin Hill neighborhood for over 30 years was leaving because their new landlord is converting the three-decker in which they live into condominiums.

While relaying the story, Mayor Walsh said that it is hard to blame somebody for wanting to make money on property that they own, but at the same time, neighborhoods suffer when they lose the stability brought about by long-term residents.

Walsh said stories like the one his mother told him are just part of the reason the city is embarking on an ambitious housing development plan that aims to build 53,000 new housing units by 2030, when the city is projected to have a population of over 700,000.

"There's going to be a need over the course of the next 10, 15 years for additional workers for industries and in order to get those workers, we have to create housing for them," said Walsh.

One of the city's main focuses in its plan is to develop housing for those in the middle and lower income brackets. Walsh openly admitted during an interview that building housing for the middle class in Boston, defined as households making between $50,000 and $125,000 annually, will be very difficult.

The report said that the city's ability to affect construction costs is limited, but Boston can encourage more moderate-income housing construction by tweaking permit rules, parking requirements, and zoning in some neighborhoods of the city.

Boston Department of Neighborhood Development Director Sheila A. Dillon said that some of the new middle income housing will remain middle income housing through deed restrictions but the vast majority will ultimately be market rate housing built in moderately priced neighborhoods.

"We're pretty confident that if we can increase the supply to the level that is called for, we may see rents and sales prices go up but the market will be tamed because we'll be building enough housing to meet the population growth," said Dillon.

Of the 53,000 new units the city aims to build, 8,000 will be designated as low-income housing units while 22,500 will be targeted specifically for middle-income residents. The remaining 22,500 new units will be market rate housing.

A report from the city found one of the main contributors to the shortage of available housing in the city is a lack of turnover as more seniors and empty-nesters are choosing to remain in their Boston homes as they age. The city factored that into its plan to build 5,000 new housing units for seniors across all income levels.

The other major contributor to the housing crunch, the city found, is off-campus student housing.

City officials anticipate 5,000 new units of on-campus student housing will help alleviate certain neighborhoods but they still want to see over 16,000 new units created at area universities in the very near future. Students that live in off campus housing units tend to drastically drive up rents in neighborhoods and overcrowd already dense areas.

"If the college campuses do it over a 20-year period, we're not going to see a benefit, but if they can fast-track it sooner, we will see an immediate benefit where those units are freed up in communities and turned back into family or individual housing," said Walsh.

The mayor said forming a historic district for a group's heritage was a way to recognize the city's history and diversity.

HOLYOKE -- Mayor Alex B. Morse is waiting to add his name to an ordinance he hopes the City Council will approve to establish a Polish Heritage Historic District on Lyman Street.

"I've said in the past, if it reaches my desk, I plan on signing it. I think it's important to recognize our city's diversity and our city's history," Morse said Wednesday (Oct. 8).

The City Council Ordinance Committee Tuesday (Oct. 14) will begin debating the proposal at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

The proposal consists of 21 residential and commercial properties on the southern part of Lyman Street that supporters said mark an area of Polish heritage.

The district's centerpiece would be the 113-year-old Mater Dolorosa Church at Lyman and Maple streets, which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield owns and closed in 2011.

Polish immigrants came here in heavy numbers between the 1890s and the outbreak of World War I in 1914 to work in the paper and other mills. District supporters said Mater Dolorosa Church became the immigrants' community focal point.

District supporters want the church declared historic because they fear the diocese otherwise will demolish it. Officials with the diocese have denied there are plans to raze the church.

The diocese is among foes of the proposed district. They have said slapping a historic designation on a property entangles renovation plans in the bureaucracy of requiring that materials and designs align with a building's historic nature, hurdles which they said will increase costs.

But members of the Fairfield Avenue Local Historic District Commission, which has been preparing the proposed district since 2011, said worries about obstacles and cost are unfounded.

The Diocese closed Mater Dolorosa Church in June 2011, merging that parish with the former Holy Cross Church to form a new parish, Our Lady of the Cross. That parish has Masses and other services at the former Holy Cross Church at 23 Sycamore St.

The Ordinance Committee at some point, possibly Tuesday, will vote to recommend that the full City Council either approve or reject establishment of a Polish Heritage Historic District.

If the vote of the full City Council is yes, then it will go to Morse, whose signature would be required to establish the ordinance.

"I think the Historical Commission has shown good faith by working with the people and property owners in the district," Morse said.

AGAWAM -- Eric Gillis stepped in as the town's police chief in January, and he's stayed busy since. Gillis, a 42-year-old Agawam native, replaced Chief Robert Campbell, who served the department for over 40 years. Here's a look at changes made within the department during Gillis' first ten months, both on the front lines and behind the scenes. Field training...

AGAWAM -- Eric Gillis stepped in as the town's police chief in January, and he's stayed busy since.

Gillis, a 42-year-old Agawam native, replaced Chief Robert Campbell, who served the department for over 40 years.

Here's a look at changes made within the department during Gillis' first ten months, both on the front lines and behind the scenes.

Field training program for new officers

It used to be that after new Agawam officers graduated from the academy, they'd spend two weeks with a veteran officer on each of three shifts: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m, 4 p.m. to midnight and midnight to 8 a.m.

But that method left some officers inadequately trained, Gillis said, and didn't screen for quality of new officers.

The department recently launched a formal, 12-week training program to address those issues. New officers will go through a series of aptitude assessments during that time, which gauge competencies such as interpersonal skills and law knowledge.

"Now we’re able to make sure these new police officers are meeting the standards we need them to meet," Gillis said.

Eight veteran Agawam officers have been certified as field trainers for the program. The first group of new officers is expected to complete the program in November.

Mandated incident reports

The number of police incident reports filed has nearly doubled since Gillis took over, he said.

That's because Gillis issued a general order for police to thoroughly report every incident, an essential task he said officers hadn't been held accountable for in previous years.

Consistent reporting enables investigators to reference old reports that could provide background information for reoccurring crime trends — a rash of home break-ins, for example. This leads to more closed cases, Gillis said.

"Now everybody’s on notice- supervisors are held to account," he said. "It gives us an accurate measure of what’s going on, and an ability to follow up in the future."

Additional dispatchers

The department recently hired two full-time and two part-time police dispatchers, a result of a two-year-old commonwealth law that mandates certified personnel man all 911 communications.

"It basically requires dispatchers to stay on with a caller for a lot longer than they normally would have," Gillis explained.

Because the department is small, Agawam's six existing dispatchers are stretched thin. In addition to 911 traffic, they take all calls made to the department and field records requests.

With the additional staff, the department won't need a police officer to sit in when a dispatcher gets sick or goes on vacation, Gillis said.

Is that a police car?

You may have noticed Agawam's sleek new police cruisers. Or maybe not.

Agawam officers now drive black Ford Interceptor vehicles with "ghost markings" that blend in with the paint job. The SUVs are often called stealth vehicles for that reason.

"You can sort of see the markings during the day," Gillis said, "but they don't jump right out at you."

A new Agawam police cruiser with stealthy "ghost markings."Laura Newberry 

The subtle markings allow officers to arrive at a crime scene without being noticed.
For example, Gillis said, if the department gets a call about a car break-in at 2 p.m., police can respond with a lower risk of the suspect fleeing.

"In some cases we like to slide into the area without driving this giant billboard that screams 'police,'" Gillis said.

Online reporting

The department plans to build an online reporting system into its website within the coming months, which would allow crime victims to submit reports from home.

This is particularly important for out-of-county residents, Gillis said, namely Six Flags New England visitors.

"Say your locker gets broken into, you lose your iPhone, wallet, but you're frustrated at the end of the day and drive back to Philly," Gillis said. "We're not going to send a cruiser out to your house to take the report."

The department does take reports through phone, he added. But online reporting helps get incident information to detectives in a more quick and efficient manner.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education responded, in writing, to a complaint filed against the Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School, ruled that no violation occurred.

HOLYOKE -- The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education responded to a complaint filed against the Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School, ruled that no violation occurred.

The complaint was written by Holyoke Superintendent of Schools Sergio Paez regarding the location of the charter school, that the school is not located in downtown Holyoke.

Paez argued, that the school's charter with the commonwealth requires that its permanent location be downtown.

Paulo Freire opened their campus at 161 Lower Westfield Rd. last fall, the former site of the Atlas Copco compressor factory. In January 2013, Principal Ljuba Marsh said the school had a one-year lease for the location.

The school's application to open was approved by the state in 2012. When Paulo Freire's application was approved, Executive Director Robert K. Brick said the future site of the school would be 532 Main St.

In a letter dated Sept. 15 of this year, the state education department ruled that the charter school must be located within the Holyoke school district, though the location is not a "material term of the charter," Ruth Hersh, assistant director of the office of charter schools and school redesign, wrote.

"We find that there is no violation," Hersh stated.

The letter states:

While it is true that the approved final application for a charter serves as the document to which the school is held accountable, not all provisions within the application are viewed as material terms of the charter. As noted in 603 CMR 1.10, a charter school must request to amend the material terms of its charter if it wishes to change the districts specified in its charter or the 'location of its facility, if such change involves relocating to or adding a facility in another municipality or school district, in a district already specified in the school's charter' (603 CMR 1.10(1). In the case of school location, each charter school is legally bound to operate within a municipality or school district where the charter was granted. However, the location within the municipality is not a material term of the charter.... In this case, after review by the Department, we find that there is no violation.

Members of the Holyoke School Committee briefly discussed the letter at their meeting on Wednesday.

At Large Committee Member John G. Whelihan asked if it would be possible to appeal. Vice Chairman Devin M. Sheehan said no, an appeal would not be possible.

Authorities haven't released much information about the missing teen, who was last seen Sept. 26.

LEICESTER — Police are asking the public's help in locating a 16-year-old runaway from Leicester who's been missing since last month.

Alexander Mandel was last seen Sept. 26, according to Leicester police, who made the public appeal on the department's Facebook page.

Anyone with information is asked to call (508) 892-7010.

State Police highlighted the missing-person case on the agency's Facebook page Thursday evening.

Many private citizens also have shared information about the runaway teen.

"I thought I should finish what I started. I didn't want him to suffer," Phillip Sam said, according to court records.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Wyoming man with a gunshot wound to his stomach was on his knees begging for his life when a 16-year-old who had opened fire into a group of teens shot him in the head at point-blank range, Laramie County prosecutors said.

"I thought I should finish what I started. I didn't want him to suffer," Phillip Sam told a Cheyenne police detective, according to court records.

Tyler Burns, 19, died at a hospital Monday after the weekend shooting in Cheyenne. Sam is charged as an adult with first-degree murder in his death.

The cold, public execution described by prosecutors is practically unheard of in Cheyenne, a city of 62,000 that's usually quiet outside of its rambunctious summer rodeo and cowboy-culture festival, Cheyenne Frontier Days. The occasional killings typically are domestic or drug-related disputes — not teen rumbles.

And the lower-income neighborhood where the shooting occurred isn't particularly crime-ridden or dangerous, even at night.

Sam also was charged Wednesday with 13 counts of aggravated assault, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported.

He has not entered a plea. Circuit Court Judge Thomas Lee ordered Sam held at a juvenile detention center on $250,000 bond. His preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 15.

Sam's public defender, Melody Anchietta, did not return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment Thursday, while a phone message left at a number believed to belong to Sam's mother was not immediately returned.

Police said another boy believed Sam had vandalized his vehicle, and the two agreed to meet at a park early Sunday to fight. Sam told detectives he got a .40-caliber gun from his mother's boyfriend and brought it to the park because he was scared of being jumped, court records said.

Sam fired several shots into a group of teens shortly after 1 a.m., charging documents said. One shot hit Burns, and another teen was grazed on the arm. All but Burns were able to run away.

A minor who was with Sam told police that Burns begged Sam not to shoot him again, but that Sam walked up "until he was at point-blank range" and shot him twice more, court records said.

Gay couples have started to get married in Las Vegas, a city filled with chapels that for them had been off-limits until Thursday evening.

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Gay couples have started to get married in Las Vegas, a city filled with chapels that for them had been off-limits until Thursday evening.

Thomas Topovski cried as the Clark County clerk announced to cheers that gay marriage licenses would be issued, bringing same-sex unions to the marriage capital of the world amid a flurry of court decisions this week that tore down legal barriers nationwide.

Topovski and Jefferson Ruck, his partner of 14 years, returned to the marriage bureau in Las Vegas on Thursday after standing in line for hours the day before.

About 10 same-sex couples were waiting as the announcement came shortly after 5 p.m.

"It's amazing. This is it," said Theo Small as he stood next to his partner, Antioco Carillo, and looked down at their marriage license, the first issued in Las Vegas.

"We're walking on clouds," Carillo said. "This is unreal."

For gay couples in Nevada, the licenses ended long-felt frustration that increased by the day as they watched legal wrangling go in favor of others elsewhere, while they could do nothing but wait.

A Supreme Court decision Monday that denied appeals from five states seeking to retain their bans on same-sex unions effectively made gay marriage legal in about 30 states.

Days of weddings, court rulings and confusion followed, and gay couples in West Virginia began receiving marriage licenses Thursday -- hours ahead of Las Vegas.

"Nobody is more frustrated than I am," said Clark County Clerk Diana Alba, apologizing to a handful of gay couples at the Las Vegas marriage license bureau.

Shortly after, however, a judge enforced a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that allowed her to start issuing licenses.

State Sen. Kelvin Atkinson wed Sherwood Howard were married on the steps outside the bureau, becoming the first gay couple in Las Vegas to wed. Atkinson, during an emotional legislative debate on same-sex unions last year, stood before the chamber and announced that he is gay.

A few feet from the crowd that had gathered to witness Atkinson and Howard's union, Dave Parry married Morgan Floyd under a tree just outside the bureau's doors.

"Oh, my, gosh. It's done," Parry said, before embracing Floyd.

"It's nice not to be a second class citizen anymore," he said. "It's been a long time."

About 430 miles north, Kristy Best and Wednesday Smith became the first same-sex couple in the state to get a license.

Best said in a telephone interview that she and Smith were surprised to get their license when they showed up at the Carson City marriage office with the $75 filing fee they borrowed from Smith's mother. They plan to be married Saturday with a gathering of family and friends.

"We went to see what would happen, and they gave us the license," Best said. "I feel amazing. So happy. Love doesn't discriminate, so why should we?"

"Nothing," Smith said, "stands in the middle of true love."

The hopes of gay couples in Nevada had been in limbo since the 9th Circuit ruled Tuesday that gay couples' equal protection rights were violated by same-sex wedding bans in Nevada and Idaho.

The ruling triggered a Supreme Court memo that left Idaho gay couples in tears after they had gathered early at courthouses hoping to marry. A clarification hours later said the ruling did not apply to Nevada, but clerks didn't budge.

The last Nevada challenge was dropped early Thursday, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals again declared that its ruling allowing same-sex couples to marry in the state was "in full force and effect." Clerks then waited for a judge to enforce the decision before issuing licenses.

Todd Larkin, president of the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, issued a statement late Thursday that said his group plans to ask the entire 9th Circuit for a rehearing of Tuesday's ruling by a three-judge panel, and ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case.

"Man-woman marriage is constitutional," Larkin said. "The coalition is confident that, in the end, the constitutionality of man-woman marriage will be upheld."

Shortly after the flurry of weddings, however, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Democratic Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto released a statement that declared "this action brings finality to the issue of same-sex marriage in Nevada."

Daniel Carroll and Dayvin Bartolome didn't want to waste any time seeking out a chapel. They stood outside the marriage license bureau calling prospective witnesses and contemplating the site of their wedding Thursday night.

"You want to get married by Elvis?" Bartolome, 35, asked.

If Elvis wasn't free, who else would they want officiating?

"Celine," Carroll said, laughing.

Fallon will fill the seat held by Andrew Shelffo, who stepped down in September.

NORTHAMPTON — Laura Fallon of 12 Massasoit Street has been chosen as the city's new School Committee member from Ward 2.

Fallon was selected in a roll-call vote of the combined City Council and School Committee Thursday night. The special meeting was held for the purpose of selecting a new member, as outlined in the city's charter. Fallon will fill the unexpired term of Andrew Shelffo, who stepped down in September because he moved out of the district. An election will be held to fill the seat in 2015.

Fallon, Jason Foster of 87 Round Hill Road, and Renee Wetstein of 222 Elm St. all vied for the seat. The three gave short presentations and fielded questions.

Fallon said she had read school department budget documents, cherry sheets, strategic plans, and more in preparing to seek the School Committee seat. She said she researched best practices for the functioning of school committees, studied issues around Common Core and MCAS, and even watched old School Committee meeting videos.

Fallon said she learned a lot about the budget — and about the community — while working on last year's Proposition 2½ override campaign. She said going door-to-door, she met people from all walks of life, including those who can not afford to pay any more taxes.

"I realized we have a huge responsibility to spend the public's money wisely," she said.

Fallon described herself as an active school volunteer, and said her fluency in Spanish would help make members of the Latino community feel more comfortable getting involved with the schools.

Fallon, an at-home mother of four, was a Spanish and language arts teacher before the birth of her third child in 2007. Three of her children attend Jackson Street Elementary School, and her oldest is at JFK Middle School.

Foster emphasized his business experience and capability with financial matters. The entrepreneur, YMCA board member and martial arts instructor has one child at JFK and the other at Smith College Campus School.

Foster lost points with School Committee member Blue Duval, who questioned his commitment to public education, seeing as both of his children attended private elementary schools.

"I'm lucky and fortunate I can send my child to private school," said Foster, who said the arrangement let him see "the best of both worlds" and understand "best practices."

Foster ran unsuccessfully in 2013 for the Ward 2 City Council seat held by Paul Spector.

Wetstein, a family lawyer and mother of three, touted her experience advising the Key Club at Northampton High School and helping students engage with community service opportunities. She said both of her parents grew up in low-income settings, which left her with a respect for spending money with care.

Wetstein said her children attended Hilltown Community Charter school instead of the city's public elementary schools. "We need to embrace charter schools — their objective is to teach us best practices," she said.

Wetstein, an outspoken activist for changing the high school start time to a later hour, was asked by Duval if she would be able to put her personal campaign aside if it conflicted with the wishes of her constituents.

"I'm not here for Renee Wetstein, I'm here for all the kids," Wetstein replied. "I would not push an issue my ward did not want."

Fallon was sworn in to her School Committee seat by City Clerk Wendy Mazza and congratulated by Mayor David J. Narkewicz.

Fallon received ten votes to Wetstein's seven. Not a single member of the 17 present voted for Foster.

Fallon's supporters included City Councilors Maureen Carney, William Dwight, Alisa Klein, Ryan O'Donnell, and Gina-Louise Sciarra. Her School Committee supporters were Blue Duval, Pam Hannah, Ann Hennessey, Lisa Minnick, and Edward Zuchowski.

Those voting for Wetstein included City Councilors Jesse Adams, Marianne LaBarge, and David Murphy; her School Committee supporters were Downey Meyer, Howard Moore, Kari Nykorchuck, and Narkewicz, who chairs the School Committee.

Ward 2 City Councilor Paul Spector was absent.

Protesters angered by the fatal shooting of a black 18-year-old by police faced off with officers in south St. Louis for a second night as accusations of racial profiling prompted calls for a federal investigation ahead of a weekend of planned peaceful rallies.

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Protesters angered by the fatal shooting of a black 18-year-old by police faced off with officers in south St. Louis for a second night as accusations of racial profiling prompted calls for a federal investigation ahead of a weekend of planned peaceful rallies.

State and city leaders have urged the Justice Department to investigate the death of Vonderrit D. Myers in the Shaw neighborhood Wednesday night, fearing he was targeted because he was black. Police say the white officer who killed Myers was returning fire, but Myers' parents say he was unarmed.

"This here was racial profiling turned deadly," state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, a St. Louis Democrat, said at a news conference Thursday.

Myers' death comes two months after the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, a black unarmed 18-year-old, by a white police officer in nearby Ferguson. Brown's killing sparked dozens of often violent protests in the St. Louis suburb. A state grand jury is deciding whether Officer Darren Wilson will face charges in his death.

Late Thursday night following a quiet candlelight prayer vigil for Myers, hundreds of people joined a more rowdy gathering in Shaw to protest his death.

Police in riot gear lined up on a high street, flanked by brand name stores and restaurants. Protesters yelled abuse and profanities to taunt the officers, who silently stood their ground. Police helicopters buzzed above the neighborhood. Officers used pepper spray to force the crowd back.

Some protesters burned the American flag, while others banged on drums and shouted "This is what democracy looks like!" Some slammed the sides of police vans. Broken glass littered the street.

Eventually the protesters backed off, moving a couple of blocks away. Riot police remained in the area.

Activists and other protesters from around the country have been preparing for four days of rallies, marches and protests over the Ferguson shooting. Organizers say the events, which start Friday and include a march Saturday in downtown St. Louis, have taken on added urgency in the wake of Myers' death.

"This is a racial powder keg," said Jerryl Christmas, a St. Louis attorney who was among more than 20 black leaders who joined Nasheed at a news conference Thursday outside police headquarters. "All this is going to do is escalate the situation."

Police say Myers was both armed and aggressive, using a stolen 9 mm gun to shoot at the officer.

Syreeta Myers said her son was holding a sandwich, not a gun. "Police lie. They lied about Michael Brown, too," she told The Associated Press by phone Thursday.

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said the officer spotted Myers and two other males around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday while working a security job and patrolling a neighborhood near the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Dotson said the officer, who was off-duty but wearing his uniform, became suspicious when one of them started to run.

He chased them, first in his car and then on foot, Dotson said.

During the chase, he got into a physical altercation with Myers, who ran up a hill, turned and fired at the officer, the chief said. The officer, who wasn't hurt, shot back.

Ballistic evidence shows Myers fired three shots before his gun jammed, Dotson said. Police said they recovered the 9 mm gun, which was reported stolen on Sept. 26.

The officer fired off 17 rounds. Preliminary autopsy results show a shot to the head killed Myers, according to medical examiner Dr. Michael Graham.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Graham said Myers was shot six or seven times in the lower extremities and the fatal shot entered his right cheek.

Authorities have not released the name of the six-year veteran of the St. Louis Police Department. The 32-year-old officer is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.

An attorney for the officer told the newspaper that his client served with the U.S. Marines in Iraq and was "shaken up" by the incident. He called claims that Myers was carrying a sandwich not a gun "ridiculous."

Online court documents show Myers was free on bond when he was killed. He had been charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a felony, and misdemeanor resisting arrest in June.

Myers' was the third fatal shooting of a black male by St. Louis-area police since Brown's death.

"It's imperative that we began to heal this community," Nasheed said. "This community has been broken down. We have too many deaths at the hands of police officers."

The most successful boys soccer team in Western Massachusetts will almost certainly not be in the postseason this year.

These were the most read stories on MassLive.com yesterday. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now.

1) Easthampton videographer Patrick Brough uses drone for aerial footage of microburst damage [Patrick Johnson]

2) Ludlow police arrest Level 3 sex offender suspected of committing nearly a dozen felonious sex crimes against male victim [George Graham]

3) UPDATE: Coach Greg Kolodziey 'shocked' as Ludlow boys soccer to forfeit 11 games; postseason hopes shattered [Kevin Dillon]

4) Springfield police: Suspected drug dealer keeps 'cool' after cops tell him they're about to raid his Forest Park home [Conor Berry]

5) Ghost Hunters celebrate their 10th anniversary and Grant Wilson TAPS back in [Laura Merwin]

The project would include a $2 million investment and the facility will employ 12 to 14 people.

HOLYOKE -- Construction trucks have been seen lately on the long-vacant lot at Hampden and Pleasant streets, and though they are there to install a sidewalk and not a business, that will be changing.

A local company plans to buy the site from a city development organization and build a $2 million gas station-convenience store. The facility is targeted to open next year and employ up to 14 people, officials said Thursday (Oct. 9).

"I think it's a very positive project for the city of Holyoke. I think it's really positive for the neighborhood," said Matthew L. Donohue, a lawyer from Holyoke and one of three managers of Quabbin ACM, a limited liability company.

It was unclear what gas station and store would be on the site. The company is negotiating with a tenant and a resolution is expected soon, he said.

"I'm hoping what it does is stimulate some revitalization" in other parts of the neighborhood, Donohue said.

The Holyoke Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (HEDIC) on Sept. 18 agreed to sell the 1.1-acre lot to Quabbin ACM for $225,000, said Marcos A. Marrero, director of the city Department of Planning and Economic Development.

But before construction can begin on the project, Quabbin ACM must request a zone change for the property from the City Council. The site's current zoning designation, business limited, prohibits a gas station. The company would need a zone change to a designation that permits such a use like business general or business highway, Marrero said.

Construction crews have used the lot as a staging area as they make sidewalk improvements on Pleasant Street, he said.

The purchase and sale agreement between HEDIC and Quabbin ACM is a change. In July, Donohue and Alan Clark, of Belchertown, another Quabbin ACM manager, criticized HEDIC for opposing their project because it included a gas station.

Marrero said HEDIC's decision to work with Quabbin ACM was a recognition of the market.

"The HEDIC board was not seeking an automobile-gas oriented use there. However, they ultimately felt that the options provided by market conditions would not produce an office-space type use any time in the near future and they were moved to act by a sense that the parcel should become productive to create jobs, increase the tax base and reduce the appearance of blight, instead of remaining vacant and undeveloped for
another decade," Marrero said.

The site consists of three parcels. It used to be owned by Eric Suher, the local entertainment venue owner. But HEDIC took it back in June 2013, exercising what is known as a reverter clause, after Suher was unable to get the property developed for nearly eight years.

Suher said he was unable to find the right mix of tenants to make an investment on his part worthwhile.

The third manager of Quabbin ACM is Steven D. Lepage, of Belchertown.

Leahy also discussed casino gambling, sick days, jobs and the heroin problem.

SPRINGFIELD -- It's not sexy, but state Senate candidate Patrick T. Leahy said it could pay off for the 2nd Hampden-Hampshire District: changing the formula used to determine funding to schools.

Leahy, a Democrat, discussed more than a dozen topics in an hour-long meeting Thursday (Oct. 9) with editors and reporters of The Republican and MassLive.com.

Leahy also discussed his positions on questions that voters will face on the Election Day ballot on Nov. 4 on casino gambling and sick days, welfare fraud, heroin, whether marijuana should be legalized, military bases and the state's arrangement of housing homeless families in hotels.

When it comes to funding for education, current guidelines favor larger cities like Boston at the expense of those that need it more like Holyoke, Leahy said.

"I can't promise I'll do it in my first term, but I will work every day to change that funding formula," said Leahy, of Holyoke, a Holyoke police officer.

In Holyoke, the School Department budget is more than $91 million, including state funding and grants, and most of the funding comes from the state. But the city loses about $10,000 each time a student leaves to attend a charter school. The funding drain because of that in the current fiscal year is projected to be more than $11 million after a loss of more than $7.3 million -- based on 725 students leaving -- last year, officials have said.

Holyoke in the fiscal year that ended June 30 also lost more than $1.8 million in state funding, or more than $5,900 per student, because 308 students exercised rights under the school-choice program to attend schools in other cities and towns, officials have said.

Another issue is that the state formula assumes only about 4 percent of students are in special education. Actually, 25 percent to 28 percent are in special education. But the formula limits what can be spent on special education in Chapter 70 money, or money for public schools. That means $12 million to $13 million in the current Holyoke School Department budget will have to be spent on special education instead of other areas, officials have said.

Leahy is running against state Sen. Donald R. Humason, R-Westfield, who has held the seat since winning a special election in November. Humason was a state representative for 11 years before that.

Here's a sampling of Leahy's remarks:

Casino gambling:

Leahy said he will vote in favor of repealing the 2011 law that legalized casino gambling in Massachusetts.

MGM has received a license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to build an $800 million casino in the South End of the City of Homes. Supporters like Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said such a gaming venture can revitalize the city.

But the market is saturated with casinos with two in Connecticut and others in nearby states, and owners don't hesitate to close unprofitable casinos, he said. Four have shut down in New Jersey this year.

"They're not afraid to pull the plug," Leahy said.

As for other ways to produce jobs if casino gambling isn't the answer, Leahy said spending and attention must be focused in other areas to spur employment. One step is to ensure the fast build up of the passenger train service being planned. A train platform is set to built here at Dwight and Main streets later this year.

Another step is to stock vocational schools like Dean Technical High School with the technological equipment and machinery to train workers to fill jobs companies need, Leahy said..

"We just need to put the bodies in place," Leahy said.

Sick time

Leahy said he supports passage of this ballot question, which would let every Massachusetts worker earn up to 40 hours of sick time a year. The time off would be paid or unpaid depending on the size of the business. Employees could not be fired for taking sick leave.

"People should have the ability to earn sick time. It's a health issue," Leahy said.

Welfare fraud

The office of Massachusetts Auditor Suzanne Bump identified $9.5 million in welfare fraud in fiscal year 2014, which ended June 30, officials said this month.

Leahy said he would ensure Bump's office continues to get the resources needed to find such abuse.

"There have been abuses in the system. Every system there is, there are people that abuse it," Leahy said.

Of the 824 cases of fraud identified, 630 were from the Department of Transitional Assistance, which covers food stamps and cash assistance, and about 150 were from MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program.

Fraud that costs the state millions of dollars is egregious and abusers must be prosecuted, said Leahy, who also said he believes the larger picture shows welfare fraud isn't as bad as some people might think. The state spends $13 billion a year on welfare benefits, including public assistance and MassHealth.

"The welfare abuse and the perception of welfare abuse are two different things," Leahy said.

Heroin

The key step in addressing the heroin problem is to expand treatment programs to get users off the drug, Leahy said.

"We've been through it in Holyoke for years....I'm a Holyoke police officer and I'm saying we are not going to arrest our way out of opiate addiction," Leahy said.

"This affects all socio-economic groups," he said at another point.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick March 27 declared a public health emergency in a series of steps -- including permission for emergency first-responders to carry Narcan, which can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose -- for the state to address addiction and its related problems to opioids. According to News-Medical.Net, "Opioids have similar properties to the opium from which they are derived. One of the main functions of opioids is to produce sedation and pain relief and they have been used for pain relief over thousands of years."

Leahy said he supports needle exchange programs, such as the one that operates here on Main Street, in which intravenous drug users bring in used needles and get clean ones in return. The goal is to remove dirty, or infected, needles from the streets and stop the spread of diseases for which there are no cures like HIV-AIDS that can pass from person to person through the sharing of infected needles.

Decriminalizing the possession of such needles has been helpful to police officers,Leahy said. It used to be a drug user being arrested would conceal a needle and officers risked getting infected by the jab of a needle in frisking someone, he said.

"Now they don't hide them on us," Leahy said.

Decriminalizing marijuana

Leahy said he agrees with Massachusetts voters who in 2012 permitted medical marijuana facilities by approving a statewide ballot question, 63 percent to 37 percent.

Physicians should have the right to prescribe whatever they believe will help a patient, including marijuana, said Leahy -- but that doesn't mean pot should be legalized.

"I think that needs to happen at the federal level and not the state level," Leahy said.

One problem is in trying to detect if the driver of a vehicle is under the influence of marijuana. Local police departments would need equipment to test for that, he said.

While machines determine a motorist's alcohol level no such device to test for marijuana usage is available for widespread local police use, according to online reports.

"Decriminalizing marijuana, I'm not there yet," Leahy said.

The 2nd Hampden-Hampshire district consists of, in Hampden County, Holyoke, Westfield, Agawam, Granville, Montgomery, Russell, Southwick, Tolland and Chicopee's Ward 7, Ward 8A and Ward 9A, and in Hampshire County, Easthampton and Southampton.

Before last year's special election, the seat was held for 18 years by Michael R. Knapik, Republican from Westfield.

MassLive.com will have stories with Leahy's thoughts on military bases and homeless families in hotels later Friday.

Over the past few months, city councilors have questioned how the public golf course is being run and what led to the past years' financial losses, which drove course management to seek more than $300,000 from the city's general fund in 2014.

AGAWAM — After three years of operating in a deficit, things seem to be looking up for the Agawam Municipal Golf Course.

But over the past few months, city councilors have questioned how the public course is being run and what led to the past years' financial losses, which spurred course management to seek more than $300,000 from the city's general fund in 2014. Some have expressed doubt that the course will reclaim its status as a self-sustaining entity.

Workshop walkout

The city council held a workshop Sept. 29 to review the course's finances and management. But the night ended with course general manager Tony Roberto and superintendent Daniel Shay leaving the workshop after being advised by their lawyer to do so.

"They felt the questions being asked by the council were turning into an interrogation more than a workshop," Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen said.

Cohen called a special city council meeting Oct. 2 to address questions that went unanswered at the workshop.

"I think everyone left the meeting with more understanding of how things are being run," Cohen said.

The week before the workshop, Council President Christopher C. Johnson sent the mayor's office nine questions regarding course operations, mainly related to the course's deficits from fiscal years 2012 to 2014, the paving of the golf course parking lot and the purchase of 66 new golf carts.

Councilors Gina M. Letellier, Dennis J. Perry and Johnson have also proposed the establishment of an ad hoc sub-committee to investigate the golf course finances. The council tabled the resolution last week.

Letellier said she questions the decision making and record keeping for the course. "I feel like there’s really been no accountability, no repercussions."

Roberto said his record keeping is "pristine" and that his books are balanced every day. He also said the course is averaging a 31 percent profit increase over last year.

"What really bothers me is, I have people with no golf knowledge on that town council," he said. "She (Letellier) has never been to the golf course since I’ve been here."

Dealing with the deficit

The course operated in deficit for three years, with an $81,813 deficit in 2014. But Roberto said that the outlook is good for the 2015 fiscal year that began in July. At the very worst, he said, the course will break even.

The course is a city enterprise fund, meaning it cannot spend more than what it raised the prior year and operates independently of the general fund.

The municipal course competes with nine others within a 10-mile radius, Roberto said, adding, "Slowly but surely, were getting members from those competitors because everything is inclusive here."

He said the recent boost in revenue is partially owed to the new carts, the repaved parking lot and turf beautification efforts.

Roberto explained that the replaced fleet was 14 year old, and carts are usually upgraded every four to six years. The old carts kept breaking down and were in constant need of repair, he said.

The new carts cost $256,000. In February, city council appropriated money from the general fund to buy the carts. The funds must be repaid by the golf course within 10 years, according to the resolution.

The golf course’s parking lot was also repaved in April with $57,527 from the general fund, which is used to pay for the costs of city-owned building parking areas needing maintenance work.

Groupon gripes

Council members said they're also concerned over the use of Groupon deals at the course. Since 2013, Roberto has sold golf games through Groupon at a 45-to-50 percent discount, sometimes with merchandise and food included. The latest deal ended in September.

Letellier said she believes Groupon contributed to some of the course's losses.

Roberto said Groupon actually boosted profits for the course; the deals grossed about $53,000 in 2014, he said.

"If I brought in 20 players a day with Groupon, that was a lot," Roberto said. " It wasn't shutting out customers paying full price. They were taking tee times that were open anyway."

Roberto said Groupon brought in many new customers who now pay the full rates to play at the course. Groupon statistics show that about 70 percent of those customers live in Hartford County, Conn.

Reviving the course

Several factors led to the course's money problems, Roberto said.

Fewer people are golfing since the economic recession hit in 2008, he explained. The number of golf rounds played in New England decreased 21 percent from 2013 to 2012, according to the National Golf Foundation. And only 14 new golf courses were opened in the nation, while 286 closed.

It also rained 26 days in June 2013 and was unusually hot in July 2013, Roberto said, further compounding downward golfing trends.

Roberto and Shay began managing the course in early 2012. The course was in pretty bad condition, Roberto said, and had incurred "serious financial losses" in 2008 and 2009.

"When we got here it was like a scud missile went off here. It was beat," he said. "We had a lot of things structurally and aesthetically we had to get up to speed."

Shay was also superintendent of the course from 1997 to 2001.

"Our hope is to be a self supporting product again," Shay said. "And I've worked here before, when we were self supporting."

Dakin Humane Society offering $5 Felines event.

Each week The Republican and MassLive showcase dogs and cats available for adoption at shelters at rescue organizations in Western Massachusetts.

With the participation of the shelters listed below, many animals should be able to find a permanent home.

In addition, we'll include on occasion pet news and animal videos in this weekly feature.

The following are news updates:

Dakin Humane Society to offer $5 Felines event Saturday

SPRINGFIELD — Dakin Humane Society will participate in the 2014 ASPCA “Mega Match-a-thon” adoption weekend by presenting a $5 Felines event on Saturday, Oct. 18 at its Springfield and Leverett locations from noon to 6 p.m.

The 2014 ASPCA Mega Match-a-thon event, presented by Subaru, is a nationwide effort to save more lives of shelter animals during the weekend of Oct. 17-19, according to a press release from Dakin Humane Society. The Dakin $5 Felines event features the reduction of adoption fees to $5 for cats older than 6 months. Every cat adopted will have received the standard Dakin benefits including micro-chipping, a full veterinary examination, age-appropriate vaccinations and treatments, spay/neuter surgery, a safety collar and I.D. tag.

Dakin shelters nearly 6,000 animals every year, and relies solely on contributions from individuals and businesses.

Springfield shelter rescues 37 cats

SPRINGFIELD — The cats rescued from a Springfield apartment are ready for adoption, according to officials at the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center, the Springfield-based organization that took in the animals.

TJO learned of the animal hoarding case Saturday and spent the next few days collecting cats at a Liberty Heights duplex.

All 37 of the rescued cats, including a couple of newborn kittens, have received a clean bill of health and are available for adoption.

Editor's note: MassLive.com has published a gallery of the rescued cats.

LOCAL SHELTERS:

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society

Address: 163 Montague Road, Leverett

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, noon-4:30 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 548-9898

Website: www.dpvhs.org

Address: 171 Union St., Springfield

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, noon-5:30 p.m.; Thursday, noon-7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday, noon-4:30 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 781-4000

Website: www.dpvhs.org

Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center

Address: 627 Cottage St., Springfield

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, noon-4 p.m.; Thursday, noon-7 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 781-1484

Website: tjoconnoradoptioncenter.com

Westfield Homeless Cat Project

Address: 1124 East Mountain Road

Hours: Adoption clinics, Thursday, 5-7 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Website: http://www.whcp.petfinder.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westfieldhomelesscatprojectadoptions

Westfield Regional Animal Shelter

Address: 178 Apremont Way

Hours: Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 564-3129

Website: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ma70.html

Franklin County Sheriff's Office Regional Dog Shelter and Adoption Center

Address: 10 Sandy Lane, Turners Falls

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 676-9182

Website: http://fcrdogkennel.org/contact.html

Polls released this week show Republican Scott Brown running a close race as Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen works to maintain her Senate seat and her party hopes to keep control of the U.S. Senate.

Polls released this week show Republican Scott Brown running a close race as Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen works to maintain her Senate seat and her party hopes to keep control of the U.S. Senate.

A survey of 1,286 likely voters conducted on Oct. 3 for New England College in Henniker, N.H. concluded that Brown was pulling support from 48.5 percent while Shaheen's support was coming from 45.9 percent. Around 3 percent of those polled said they prefer another candidate and 2.3 percent were undecided. The margin of error on that poll is 2.73 percent.

At the same time, a WMUR Granite State Poll of 532 likely voters with a margin of error of 4.2 percent concluded that Shaheen was leading over Brown, 44 percent to 38 percent. When the 17 percent of undecided voters were asked which candidate they were leaning toward, Shaheen's lead didn't change, 47 percent to 41 percent.

The race between Brown and Shaheen is being eyed by people in power from both political parties as it has the potential to sway the control of the Senate after the mid-term elections. In November, Democrats are hoping to evaporate the 17-seat lead Republicans have in the U.S. House of Representatives and at the same time, Republicans want to grow their ranks beyond the 45 seats they already hold in the 100-member U.S. Senate to gain majority control.

Democrats, however, are fearing President Barack Obama's record-low public opinion will translate into losses as Republicans capitalize on the national sentiment and work to nationalize races, just as the Democrats did during GOP President George W. Bush's second term in the White House.

Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for risking their lives to fight for children's rights.

MARK LEWIS, Associated Press
KARL RITTER, Associated Press

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for risking their lives to fight for children's rights. The decision made Malala, a 17-year-old student and education activist, the youngest-ever Nobel winner.

Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman two years ago in Pakistan for insisting that girls also have the right to an education. Surviving several operations with the help of British medical care, she continued both her activism and her studies.

Appropriately, she was in school at the time of the Nobel announcement and was expected to make a statement later Friday.

Satyarthi, 60, has been at the forefront of a global movement to end child slavery and exploitative child labor since 1980, when he gave up his career as an electrical engineer. The grassroots activist has led the rescue of tens of thousands of child slaves and developed a successful model for their education and rehabilitation. He has also survived several attempts on his life.

"This is an honor for all my fellow Indians, as well as an honor for all those children in the world whose voices were never heard before properly," Satyarthi told India's NDTV network.

While Malala was at the Edgbaston High School for girls in Birmingham, a central English city where she lives with her family, her father, Ziauddin Yousufzai, said the decision will further the rights of girls.

"(The Nobel will) boost the courage of Malala and enhance her capability to work for the cause of girls' education," he told The Associated Press.

The Nobel committee's announcement reflected a delicate diplomatic balance, naming one activist from Pakistan and another from India, two countries that are long-time bitter rivals; one Muslim and one Hindu; both sexes; an elder statesman of child's rights and a youthful advocate who had herself been a victim.

Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said it was important to reward both an Indian Hindu and a Pakistani Muslim for joining "in a common struggle for education and against extremism." The two will split the Nobel award of $1.1 million.

By highlighting children's rights, the committee widened the scope of the peace prize, which in its early days was given for efforts to end or prevent armed conflicts.

"It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected," the committee said. "In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation."

Raised in Pakistan's ruggedly beautiful, politically volatile Swat Valley, Malala was barely 11 years old when she began championing girls' education, speaking out in TV interviews. The Taliban had overrun her home town of Mingora, terrorizing residents, threatening to blow up girls' schools, ordering teachers and students into the all-encompassing burqas.

She was critically injured on Oct. 9, 2012, when a Taliban gunman boarded her school bus and shot her in the head. She survived through luck — the bullet did not enter her brain — and by the quick intervention of British doctors visiting Pakistan.

Flown to Britain for specialist treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, she underwent numerous surgeries but made a strong recovery. Malala now lives with her father, mother and two brothers in Birmingham. She has been showered with human rights prizes, including the European Parliament's Sakharov Award.

Soon after the news that Malala had won the Nobel Peace Prize, people celebrated on the streets of Mingora, the main town of Swat valley, greeting each other and distributing sweets. Similar scenes were playing out at the Khushal Public school, owned by Malala's father, where students were jumping and dancing in jubilation.

The Nobel committee said Satyarthi was carrying on the tradition of another great Indian, Mahatma Gandhi.

"Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhi's tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain," the committee said.

A well-known sociologist in India said the award this year would have a great impact on children's lives in his country.

"The world has come to recognize the extremely difficult situation in which a large number of children live in India, supporting themselves and their families by engaging in hazardous jobs," said Dr A.N.S. Ahmed. "The award will have a deep impact not just on the Indian government but also on civil society, to work with passion and improve the condition of children by enforcing their rights."

The founder of the Nobel Prizes, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, said the prize committee should give the prize to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

The committee has interpreted those instructions differently over time, widening the concept of peace work to include efforts to improve human rights, fight poverty and clean up the environment.

"The struggle against suppression and for the rights of children and adolescents contributes to the realization of the "fraternity between nations" that Alfred Nobel mentions in his will," the committee said.

Former Indian diplomat Lalit Mansingh praised the Nobel committee's choice this year.

"(They are) conscious of helping in conflict resolution. The award, especially at a time when India-Pakistan relations are under stress, is a nice gesture," he said.

The Nobel Prizes in medicine, chemistry, physics and literature were announced earlier this week. The economics award will be announced on Monday.

All awards will be handed out on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896.

___

Ritter reported from Stockholm. Danica Kirka in London, Muneeza Naqvi in New Delhi and Sherin Zada in Mingora, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

While out on bail in connection with drug charges in Massachusetts, Lawrence Posey was arrested in New York in February 2011 while riding in a car containing cocaine.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — The former general manager of a now-defunct western Massachusetts semi-pro football team has been sentenced to up to four years in state prison for dealing drugs.

Lawrence Posey, of Pittsfield, was sentenced Thursday and will serve his Massachusetts sentence after completing a 4 1/2-year prison sentence in New York state.

Prosecutors say in 2010 the 37-year-old Posey sold cocaine to an undercover state police officer several times.

While out on bail in connection with drug charges in Massachusetts, Posey was arrested in Columbia County, New York in February 2011 while riding in a car containing cocaine.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that Posey's attorney described her client as a "middleman" and not a major dealer.

Posey was the general manager for the Pittsfield Aces football team.

The debate with Debra Boronski, Mike Franco and Eric Lesser covered issues ranging from the candidates' views on public transportation to their stance if the casino law is repealed by voters.

SPRINGFIELD — State Senate candidates Eric Lesser, Debra Boronski and Mike Franco hail from different political affiliations and their contrasting views should be evident for those who view a roundtable debate being shown on MassLive.

MassLive, The Republican, CBS 3 Springfield and New England Public Radio this week partnered to organize a one-hour debate at CBS 3 studios in downtown Springfield featuring all three candidates vying for the Senate seat in the 1st Hampden and Hampshire District. The Republican's politics reporter Robert Rizzuto serves as the host of the debate, as part of the 2014 Campaign Roundtable series.

MassLive will broadcast the debate by way of three separate videos. The first segment, in which the candidates address issues related to funding road improvements through an automatic annual increase in the state gas tax and increasing funds for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, will be featured in a politics article on MassLive at noon on Friday (Oct. 10).

The second segment, dealing with issues related to campaign financing and the effort to repeal the state's casinos law, will be featured in a MassLive article published on Sunday morning (Oct. 12). On Monday morning (Oct. 13), MassLive will publish a politics story with the third segment, in which the contenders talk about medical marijuana and their qualifications for the Senate seat.

The three candidates taking part in the debate were: Lesser, of Longmeadow, who won the Democratic primary on Sept. 9; Boronski, of East Longmeadow, running as a Republican; and Franco, of Holyoke, running as an independent under the America First designation.

The candidates have agreed to participate in multiple debates and forums prior to the election on Nov. 4. The winner will replace Sen. Gale Candaras, D-Wilbraham, who chose not to run for re-election, instead running for Hampden County Registry of Probate.

While the candidates showed diverse views on some of the issues raised, there was also agreement on other topics.

All three of the candidates, for example, said they support a ballot question that would prevent the gasoline tax from being tied to the Consumer Price Index.