The town-gown committee will be drafting letter to send to University of Massachusetts Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and Town Manager John P. Musante.

AMHERST - The Town Gown Steering Committee would like to see a new committee created to continue its work and the hiring of an economic development director - two U3 Advisors recommendations.

The committee met Thursday to talk about the consultants' report presented earlier this month and come up with its next steps.

Those steps include creating a summary letter that they will send to University of Massachusetts Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and Town Manager John P. Musante to complete the committee charge.

It will be up to Subbaswamy and Musante to decide whether to appoint the new committee and proceed with the hiring of the director, but those were two areas that members agreed were important, said David Ziomek, co-chairman of the Town Gown Steering Committee.

Ziomek said committee members agreed the collaboration was a success and "and it should continue in whatever form" the chancellor and Musante deem appropriate.

 The 22-member steering committee was created last October and hired U3 Advisors in April charging them with looking at housing and economic needs of both the town and UMass.  U3 interviewed various groups in town and at UMass to come up with its final report.

Besides hiring an economic director and creating the new iteration of the committee, advisors recommended creating student housing-mixed used development in one two areas  - UMass owned land on Massachusetts Avenue or on North Pleasant Street.

They are also recommending the creation of commercial space for entrepreneurs, inventors, start-ups and innovators through coworker, maker, accelerator and incubator spaces. This would help keep UMass graduates in town.

At the next town gown meeting, which will likely be after Thanksgiving, the committee will work on its letter to the chancellor and Musante.

Ziomek said that it's also important that the town and university continue collaborating with neighbors of the university.

Co-chairwoman Nancy Buffone said that the committee will not be offering specific recommendations such as where it thinks a mixed used development should be sited.

She said they do believe it's important to continue looking at public-private partnerships.

The Republican-controlled House passed legislation Friday approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline, setting the stage for a Senate showdown that mixes energy politics with a fight over Louisiana's Senate seat.

By DINA CAPPIELLO

WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House passed legislation Friday approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline, setting the stage for a Senate showdown that mixes energy politics with a fight over Louisiana's Senate seat.

The vote was 252-161 in favor of the bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in an effort to boost his chances to take Louisiana's Senate seat away from Democrat Mary Landrieu. The two are headed for a December runoff. Landrieu successfully pushed the Senate to hold a vote on the measure next week.

The pipeline has been stalled by environmental reviews, objections to the route it would take and politics for six years. But the latest bid by House Republicans has the best chance of reaching the President Barack Obama's desk. While the White House has issued veto threats on similar legislation before, it had yet to do so Friday.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said it was time for the president to listen to the American people, especially after the Republican gains in the midterm elections, and sign the bill.

Senate supporters said they were confident they would have the 60 votes needed for passage come Tuesday.

Obama, questioned about the issue while on the other side of the globe, said the administration's long-stalled review of the project cannot be completed before knowing the outcome of a legal challenge to the pipeline's route through Nebraska.

"I don't think we should short-circuit that process," he said at a news conference in Myanmar.

The 1,179-mile project is proposed to go from Canada through Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Advocates say it will create thousands of jobs and aid energy security, but environmentalists warn of possible spills and say the pipeline will expedite development of some of the dirtiest oil available.

The State Department said in a Jan. 31 report the project would not significantly boost carbon emissions because the oil was likely to find its way to market by other means. It added that transporting it by rail or truck would cause greater environmental problems than if the Keystone XL pipeline were built.

The Special Advisory Commission on Public Compensation is planning to present its final report to the press and public on Dec. 2 in Boston.

SPRINGFIELD - Ira Jackson said he does not expect many members of the public to offer applause, congratulations or "attaboys" when the commission he chairs on Massachusetts executive salaries delivers its final recommendations next month.

"Will it be popular? No," said Jackson, asking and answering his own question.

Jackson, chairman of the Special Advisory Commission on Public Compensation, an advisory committee formed two months ago to look at whether the top administrative positions in the state, starting with the governor, are, relatively speaking, underpaid.

The commission conducted its second and final public hearing Friday in Springfield at the state office building on Dwight Street.
Just two members of the public attended.

The committee is charged with presenting its final recommendations on Dec.1. Its final report is due to be released to the public by way of a press conference planned for the following day in Boston.

The commission has not reached any conclusions about what it will recommend, but the preliminary draft report indicates that top six administrative positions in the state - governor, attorney general, treasure, secretary of the commonwealth and lieutenant governor - are paid lower than comparable positions in other states, and lower than what many Massachusetts employees earn.

The governor, in particular, earns $151,800 annually which is less than the salaries of 1,200 other state employees. It's also less 2,000 employees when overtime salaries are included.

"The mayor of Boston earns more than the governor. Every judge in the Commonwealth earns more than the governor," he said.

Massachusetts is one of six states that neither provides its governor with either an executive mansion or a housing allowance. When the cost of living is Boston - the third most expensive state capital - is taken into account, this makes it difficult for people from the western end of the state to want the job.

He said executive salaries, just as a matter of fairness is important, but he acknowledged it may be a hard sell to the general public.

"This is not a great time to be talking about pay raises," Jackson said.

As dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies for the University of Massachusetts in Boston, Jackson said part of his work is to research wage inequality, or the gap between those at the top versus those at the bottom.

He said wage inequality is real in Massachusetts and growing to "dangerously great dimensions."

In many ways, Massachusetts is "a tale of two states. One is doing well and one is not doing well at all," he said. "Folks at the top are getting an increasing share of the pie - and that's not good for democracy."

This issued was raised by one of two members of the public who attended the hearing.

Linda McLaren of Springfield said that as a representative of the "working poor," she does not have a lot of sympathy for state officials at the top end of the pay scale. At the same time, she said it bothers her that the governor makes less than a lot of state employees who have much fewer responsibilities. The entire state payroll structure needs to be torn down and rebuilt, she said.

She said that whatever the commission recommends, it's probably going to be a tough sell to the working class.

"We don't get raises any more," she said. "A lot of people are going to say 'if I don't get a raise, why should you? You're making $150,000 a year. Most of us are surviving on a lot less.'"

The only other person present for the hearing, Marc Joyce of Holyoke, said "I think I speak for a lot of people when I say the salary of elected officials is way out of whack."

He said it should be of great concern to people in the state the "the governor makes as little as he does" when compared to governors in other states or even with some of the state employees in Massachusetts earning more than the governor.

Joyce, a former Holyoke city councilor, who works as regional director of the state Department of Industrial Accidents, said he noted the commission's preliminary report notes there were recommendations as far back as 2009 to raise some executive salaries and they were not acted upon. He said it is well past time to do so.

"I often think with the number of natural disasters we've had over the past couple of years, anyone who says the government doesn't do much and we should have less and less and less, where would we have been without the government to step in and help?" he said. "There are really tremendous good things government does and these folks need to be compensated."

Joyce, according to the public database of Massachusetts employee salaries earned $89,221 in 2013.

Jackson said that whatever recommendations the commission puts forward, they will need unanimous support from commission members.

Preliminary report on public compensation

During closing arguments Thursday, defense lawyer Renee Steese told jurors the lawsuit was motivated by the plaintiff's ambition to purchase her own bar, and not alleged physical and verbal abuse by her client.

This story will be updated as reporting continues.

SPRINGFIELD - After less than three hours of deliberations, jurors Friday acquited the owner of the Club Castaway strip bar of sexual harassment and assault allegations made by a former bartender.

With its verdict, the nine-member jury rejected claims by bartender Cara Lyn Crncic that she was groped, fondled and punched by club owner Demetrious Konstantopoulos between July 2011 and December 2011.

After the verdict was announced, the 76-year-old defendant reached over and hugged his wife, Barbara, who sat next to him in the front row in U.S. District Court.

At the plaintiff's table, Crncic began sobbing.

During closing arguments Thursday, defense lawyer Renee Steese told jurors the lawsuit was motivated by the plaintiff's ambition to purchase her own bar, and not alleged physical and verbal abuse by her client.

But plaintiff lawyer Suzanne Garrow urged the jury to hold the owner of the Whately strip bar accountable for verbally and physically abusing Crncic and creating a hostile working environment for other employees.

The closing arguments capped eight days of testimony in the lawsuit by Crncic, 32, a Northampton bartender who worked part-time at Club Castaway from July 2011 to December 2011.

Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bill into law authorizing the funding in August.

AMHERST - Gov. Deval L. Patrick, officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center will be formally announcing grants for the University of Massachusetts at the campus Monday including $4.1 million in EPA funding for professor David A. Reckhow.

In the summer, the governor signed a bill into authorizing $1.9 billion for environmental projects throughout the state including $4 million earmarked for water quality innovation to support Reckhow's work. This is a separate pot of money. 

Reckhow in an email wrote that that the EPA grant to UMass is to support a center that will distribute the funds to six universities and about 15 faculty investigators not just him.  
And he said they are celebrating both the $4.1 million EPA grant for the Small Systems Drinking Water Center and the $4 million earmark in the Massachusetts Environmental Bond Bill for construction of a pilot plant testing site on the west side of campus near the existing Amherst wastewater treatment plant.   

Those attending the 1:30 p.m. event include Curt Spalding, U.S. EPA Regional Administrator for New England; Ramona Travato, U.S. EPA Office of Research & Development in Washington, D.C.; Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy, Maeve Vallely Bartlett, state Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; Henry Thomas III, chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees and Reckhow, a professor of civil and environmental engineering.

Items collected will be divided between Not Bread Alone soup kitchen and Craig's Doors, the Amherst winter homeless shelter.

AMHERST - The police department is hosting is first ever Fill the Wagon Food Drive that will take place from 9 to 6 p.m. Nov. 25 at the station on Main Street.

 Police will have two metered parking spaces bagged off in front of the station to allow people to quickly drop off non-perishable food items.

Items collected will be divided between Not Bread Alone soup kitchen and Craig's Doors, the town's winter homeless shelter.

Officer Marcus Humber, who is coordinating the drive, in an email wrote "I know this time of year is tough on those less fortunate and I want to do my part to help.

He said he mentioned the idea and his bosses liked it. "I used to do food drives and toys drives when I attended Stonehill College and I wanted to do the same for the community I serve."

Police are expecting this to become an annual event.

The vehicles were burned at Orchard Auto Sales, of 1307 Worcester St., Indian Orchard, shortly before 5:30 a.m on Oct. 30, 2013.

Springfield -- This surveillance image reportedly shows Kortine Oliver inside the store where she and another suspect allegedly bought gasoline used to set two vehicles on fire at Orchard Auto Sales & Repair in Indian Orchard on Oct. 30, 2013.Submitted photo 

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad, seeking the public's help as it investigates the torching of two vehicles at Indian Orchard car dealer last year, has released a surveillance video of the suspect at the scene.

The blaze at Orchard Auto Sales, of 1307 Worcester St., Indian Orchard, which destroyed a Jeep and a Mercedes, was reported about 5:24 a.m. on Oct. 30, 2013.

The video shows the suspect initially dousing the exterior of two vehicles with gasoline; however, they fail to ignite.

It then shows the suspect liberally dousing gasoline inside the Mercedes. Moments later it bursts into flames.

Kortine Oliver 

The Western Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force arrested a second suspect in the fires on Monday. Kortine Oliver, of 33 Homer Ave., Chicopee, was charged with two counts of arson of a motor vehicle, two counts of attempted arson of a motor vehicle, one count of intimidation of a witness and one count of assault and battery.

Investigators have also release a surveillanced image of Oliver taken from the the Pride station at Page Boulevard and Berkshire Avenue, where the suspects allegedly purchased the gasoline.

Those with information are asked to call the Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad at (413) 787-6370.

The rate hike, which the company wants to put in place Jan. 1, would increase the average customer's bill by about $26. the bill would increase from $90.40 to $116.26 based on the use of 500 kilowatt hours a month at 14.015 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Updated 4:02 p.m. : WMECo rate hike: save electricity, save money

SPRINGFIELD - Western Massachusetts Electric Co., WMECo, has asked state regulators to increase its rates by 29 percent due to a shortage of the natural gas used to generate most of the region's power.

The rate hike, which the company wants to put in place Jan. 1, would increase the average customer's bill by about $26. The bill would increase from $90.40 to $116.26 based on the use of 500 kilowatt hours a month at 14.015 cents per kilowatt-hour.

In September the state approved a National Grid rate hike of 37 percent. That added an average of 33 to a typical monthly bill.

Penni Conner, senior vice president and chief customer officer at Northeast Utilities, WMECo's parent company:

“We’re always mindful of the effect these supplier increases have on our customers, particularly those who are facing difficult financial circumstances. We’re urging all WMECo customers to take advantage of our efficiency programs to help reduce their usage, tighten-up their homes and keep energy bills down this winter.”

WMECo purchases electricity from suppliers and passes the cost, with no profit added,

More than half of New England’s electricity is now produced using natural gas. 

WMECo included the following energy efficiency tips:

•  turn down the thermostat
• caulk drafty doors and windows
• make sure heating vents aren’t blocked
•  switch to energy efficient light bulbs

WMECo provides power to to 210,000 customers in 59 cities and towns in Western Massachusetts including Springfield. It is a unit of Northeast Utilities.

Abimeal Roman agreed to meet with police and turn himself in at the corner of Bay Street and Berkshire Avenue.

SPRINGFIELD - An inmate who escaped last week from a minimal security alcohol treatment facility in the city's South End last week surrendered himself to police Friday morning, officials said.

Abimael RomanSpringfield police photo 

Abimeal Roman ,35, agreed to turn himself in to members of the Springfield police Warrant Apprehension Unit, the Hampden County Sheriff's Department and state police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Sector and U.S. Marshal's Service, according to Springfield police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney.

Roman was taken into custody at Bay Street and Berkshire Avenue at about 11 a.m.

Roman walked away from the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center on Howard Street on Nov. 6. Officials said he jumped out of a second story window.

The facility, operated by the sheriff's department, is a minimum security residential treatment facility treating up to 164 men and 18 women who have substance abuse issues.

Roman was convicted of burglary and receiving stolen property. He was not due to be released until May 2016.

Richard McCarthy, spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, said Roman could face additional time for escaping, but that has not yet been determined. It is to Roman's favor that he surrendered, rather than being tracked down by jail staff, he said.

McCarthy said Roman had been in contact with his family since shortly after his escape and his family had been trying to get him to turn himself in.

McCarthy said 80 percent of people who have walked away from minimum security programs in the past have voluntarily surrendered later on. Most depart without anything resembling an escape plan and quickly realize they are only making things worse, he said.

Since his escape, Roman had been the subject of reports in the local press. He was also featured on the weekly "Springfield's Most Wanted" segment on CBS 3 Springfield.

An LED bulb can cost just $1.75 a year to operate versus $10.51 a year for incandescent bulbs.

This story follows: WMECO asks Massachusetts regulators for 29 percent electric rate hike

SPRINGFIELD - Friday's announcement by Western Massachusetts Electric Co. that it plans to ask the state Department of Public Utilities for a 29 percent rate hike was not unexpected.

It follows other rate hikes requested by other utilities trapped by raising dependence on natural gas and a lack of capacity to bring that natural gas into New England, according to a release from WMECo.

In September the state approved a National Grid rate hike of 37 percent. That added an average of 33 to a typical monthly bill.

But WMECo spokeswoman Priscilla Ress said Friday that the proposed rate hike, if approved, won't go into effect until Jan. 1

That gives customers time to sign up for a home energy assessment before those rates go into effect. More information is available on masssave.com

WEMCo also recommends the Mass Save websites on

Residential lighting: For instance a LED bulb can cost just $1.75 a year to operate versus $10.51 a year for incandescent bulbs.

Home energy efficiency programs including rebates for new, cost-saving appliances.

Also, all utilities put forth the following list of tips:

• Turn off lights whenever you’re not in the room.
• Install a power strip to turn off all of your unused electronics. Some power strips now automatically cut power when a gadget is turned off.
• Hang your clothes outside and let the sun and air dry your clothes for free.
• Wash your clothes in cold water.
• Add a timer in your shower to help you take shorter showers.
• Install low flow water fixtures to instantly reduce your water consumption.
• Shop for energy-efficient products like LED light bulbs.
• Turn down your thermostat
• Make sure vents are not blocked
• Caulk drafty doors, floors and windows.

The 24-hour HackHolyoke drew women in computer science to Mount Holyoke College to invent and build projects Nov. 7-8.

The hearing is Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the selectmen's conference room in Town Hall.

LUDLOW - The Board of Selectmen will hold a public hearing Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the selectmen's conference room in the Town Hall.

The purpose of the public hearing is for public comments and questions regarding the proposed adoption of percentages of the local tax levy to be borne by each class of real and personal property for the taxable year ending June 30, 2015.

The Board of Assessors will be available to answer questions at the hearing.

At the public hearing information will be available regarding the proposed tax rate for fiscal 2015.

Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey paid tribute to the late Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino on Thursday with speeches on the floor of the United States Senate. Watch video

BOSTON — Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey paid tribute to the late Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino on Thursday with speeches on the floor of the United States Senate.

The pair touted Menino as a forward thinking leader that laid foundation for the rapid and robust growth the city is currently experience.

Markey noted Menino's efforts in crafting what's now known as the Innovation District on the South Boston Waterfront.

"Mayor Menino has ensured that Boston will continue to be a national leader in biotechnology, clean eneregy, and health care for generations to come and he did all of this while keeping Boston's historic character intact. Tom Menino knew when potholes needed feeling but he also knew when to leave the cobblestones alone," said Markey.

Warren commented on Menino's leadership of the city during times good and times bad.

"In our happy moments, Red Sox championships, and in our darkest moments, when smoke arose in Copley Square, we knew we could always count on Mayor Menino to be there," said Warren.

Markey, Warren resolution honoring Tom Menino by Garrett Quinn

Markey, Warren resolution honoring Tom Menino

The Northampton Business Improvement District was ordered shut down on Wednesday.

Editor's note: A copy of the judge's ruling is included at the end of this post.

NORTHAMPTON - A judge's ruling Wednesday ordering the immediate shutdown of the Northampton Business Improvement District paints a picture of a BID petition process pushed through City Hall by proponents without adequate oversight or analysis by city officials.

The Northampton BID was declared null and void Wednesday by Superior Court Justice John Agostino, who ruled that the nonprofit organization created more than five years ago was done so in violation of Chapter 40O, the state law which authorizes Business Improvement Districts.

The lawsuit pitted downtown property owners Alan Scheinman and Eric Suher against the City of Northampton and the Northampton Business Improvement District. It was filed on April 13, 2009, four weeks after the Northampton City Council's March 19 approval of the BID, and two months before the BID legally incorporated on June 15.

Agostino issued his ruling this week after a five-day jury-waived trial in August.

"At no time did the City Council make a meaningful or independent determination that the petition for the NBID complied with the statutory establishment criteria," wrote Agostino, who also cited the city clerk and city assessor for failing to exercise independence.

Under a Business Improvement District, commercial property owners within a set geographical area are assessed an involuntary fee on top of their property taxes to fund services such as beautification, and to pay for BID administrative costs. In Northampton, property owners had been paying .25 percent of their property tax. The fee had formerly stood at .50 percent, but was cut in half when BID members voted to recertify the district earlier this year.

State law stipulates that BIDs are formed through a petition process. The petition must contain assent signatures from 60 percent of property owners within the proposed area, and from owners representing 51 percent of the total assessed property value. A public hearing must be held, and the BID petition must be approved by the city clerk (or her designee) and the City Council.

In his 19-page decision, Judge Agostino found the following:

1. The defendants gathered BID signatures or assents by mail and other means before the petition language was drafted. The BID petition was materially amended after the signatures were collected, without any communication to those who signed.
2. The defendants revised the boundaries of the BID, outside of public view, as interest or opposition became apparent. The original 2006 boundaries were adjusted in 2008 to remove 27 properties belonging to opponents, and to add a number of parcels owned by Smith College.
3. The assessors did not check signatures against their own records of the names of property owners. Assessors rejected none of the 305 signatures on the BID petition, even though many were illegible and/or not the actual owners of the properties.
4. The assessor's Certificate of Compliance was generated by the BID proponents, and not by the assessor.
5. Assessor Joan Sarafin did not count the assents or make the 60 percent calculation, but watched proponent Daniel Yacuzzo calculate the figure. Yacuzzo was subsequently hired as executive director of the NBID.
6. City Clerk Wendy Mazza did not perform her own calculations before issuing a certificate of compliance, and based her determination solely upon the assessor's certificate.
7. In January 2009, Mazza sent an email to BID proponents and city officials saying she wished to withdraw her certification, expressing concerns about the process.
8. A Jan. 15 public hearing on the BID petition was not properly posted. First, the meeting notice was posted by BID proponents, not the city. Second, it gave the wrong location for the hearing. Third, it was not published in two consecutive weeks at least 14 days prior to the hearing.
9. At least 63 signatures on the petition were illegible and should have been rejected. Other assent signatures were from people who were not the actual owners of the property they signed for. Eliminating the invalid signatures would have pushed the assents below the 60-percent/51-percent standard, making the BID petition fail "by a wide margin."

The Northampton City Council "abdicated its responsibility" to determine if the BID petition was lawful before holding a public hearing, wrote Agostino.

In conclusion, Agostino ruled that the Northampton Business Improvement District was not validly established, and is, and always has been, null and void. The BID was ordered to cease operations immediately. The city must correct its official record to state that the BID was not legally established, and legally notify all affected property owners that the BID is null and void.

The BID petition was approved under the administration of former Mayor Mary Clare Higgins, with James Dostal serving as City Council president, Teri Anderson as economic development director, and Janet Sheppard as city solicitor. Sheppard was to step down later in 2009 amidst controversy over the destruction of public documents.

The Northampton BID was led since January by Executive Director Natasha Yakovlev, who took over from Yacuzzo, who had been at the organization's helm from its inception. The BID was governed by an 11-member board of directors. Yacuzzo died in October at the age of 66.

A federal lawsuit is still pending, challenging the constitutionality of a 2012 change to state BID law which makes membership mandatory. Scheinman, a party to that lawsuit, said Thursday unless the BID or the city appeals the Superior Court case, the federal case is likely to be dismissed as moot.

Northampton BID Court Decision

The man told police he was slashed in the face after three men attempted to rob him in the area of Mattoon and Elliot streets in Springfield's Metro Center neighborhood.

SPRINGFIELD — Police were investigating after a man with a slash wound to the face showed up at a city hospital for treatment just after 9 p.m. Friday.

The man told Springfield police that he sustained the injury after three men attempted to rob him in the area of Mattoon and Elliot streets in the city's Metro Center neighborhood. Nothing was taken in the incident.

A detective was dispatched to Mercy Medical Center about 9:30 p.m. to interview the alleged victim.

Additional information wasn't immediately available.

MAP showing area of Mattoon and Elliot streets where man says he was stabbed during attempted robbery:

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

A truck struck a low bridge in Amherst Friday night, closing the roadway for nearly two hours.

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen a The Amherst Police Department's patch. Republican file photo 

Amherst Police Sgt.David Foster said the truck struck the bridge at about 9:45 p.m., blocking the roadway and necessitating heavy duty equipment to remove it. Foster said it was a situation of a truck too high for a low overpass.

Amherst blogger Larry Kelley posted a photograph of the truck as it was towed through the center of Amherst at approximately 12:45 a.m. Indicating the reopening of the streets involved.

Two Springfield men were injured when they were stabbed by robbers in separate incidents.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

Springfield police Lt. Richard LaBelle said the victim was not cooperating with police, but did say the victim's injuries were non-life threatening.

The Major Crime Unit was dispatched to the hospital to interview the injured man at approximately 12:40 a.m., and find out where the attack took place, and what, if anything, was taken.

The man did tell police two men attacked him, one was wearing a red hooded-sweatshirt.

The incident is very similar to an attempted armed robbery earlier, when a Springfield man's face was slashed as three men tried to rob him near the intersection of Elliot and Mattoon streets.

The victim presented himself at the Mercy Hospital shortly after 9 p.m. with slash wounds. He told police the robbers got nothing from him.

Barbara Bowman of Scottsdale, Ariz., has penned an op-ed piece for The Washington Post detailing her rape allegations against comedian Bill Cosby, and questioning why the media has taken so long to look into the matter.

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) Holyoke couple arrested in Vermont heroin trafficking bust faces 40 years in prison [Eric Francis] Photo gallery above

2) Holyoke Police Officer John Wieland fired by Mayor Alex Morse for showing gun in restaurant incident [Mike Plaisance]

3) Woman who accused Bill Cosby of rape 30 years ago tells story in Washington Post op-ed [Ray Kelly]

4) 'Most brutal rape' brings 25-30 years in prison for Holyoke man [Buffy Spencer]

5) Springfield jury rejects claims against Club Castaway owner in sexual harassment lawsuit [Jack Flynn]

Gunshots were heard in the Forest Park neighborhood Saturday morning.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

Springfield police Lt. Richard LaBelle said three casings were found on Wilmont Street in the city's Forest Park neighborhood. LaBelle said the city's acoustic gunfire location system activated at approximately 4:10 a.m. registering three shots in the area of 77 Wilmont Street. At the same time, LaBelle said several residents called to report hearing gunfire in the neighborhood.

Police searched the area and found the three casings but no damage to cars or property. The incident remains under investigation.

The partners are proposing full interior renovations to the apartment building on Liberty Street in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD - Two partners filed the lone proposal this week, seeking to purchase and redevelop a tax-foreclosed apartment building at 803-807 Liberty St., for $5,000, and invest an estimated $375,000 in renovations.

The $5,000 bid was submitted by Demetrios Panteleakis of Springfield, listed as project manager and Paul Martin, owner of Martin Construction in Southwick, listed as general contractor.

The bid follows an unsuccessful effort to sell the building in June when there were no offers received.

"It's great to get a bid this time, and hopefully it will work out," said Amber Gould, senior program manager for the city's Office of Housing. "But it needs to be reviewed."

The developers, in citing their experience, said they are currently working on the complete restoration of the Student Prince Cafe and the Fort Dining Room downtown, and previously renovated and preserved the Westfield State Normal Training School Building in Westfield, converting it to housing, among other projects.

The city reserves the right to reject any bid received for the Liberty Street building, under the guidelines. The proposal will be evaluated by a city review committee, and any sale, if recommended, will need the approval of Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the City Council.

The developers said they will restore the exterior of the four-story brick building as close to the period appearance as possible, and completely renovate the apartments, along with a new roof and all systems brought up to code compliance, according to the proposal.

The building was constructed in 1916, containing two commercial spaces on the first floor and apartments on the upper floors. It has an assessed value of $455,800.