An estimated 50,000 people participated in a major march against racial injustice in Manhattan Saturday, with several Pioneer Valley residents among them.

NEW YORK CITY -- An estimated 50,000 people participated in a major march against police brutality in Manhattan Saturday, with several Pioneer Valley residents among them.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Arise for Social Justice of Springfield, American Friends Service Committee of Western Massachusetts and Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts were among the organizations that facilitated the bus rides from Western Mass.

The above video begins with a chant from local protestors who bused from Northampton, Holyoke and Springfield to Washington Square Park, where the rally started. Following several hours of demonstrating, the protest concluded at One Police Plaza in front of the New York Police Department Headquarters.

Read more on Western Massachusetts residents' participation in the march here.

The five colleges and and area organizations transported local protestors to "Millions March NYC" Saturday afternoon, which started at Manhattan's Washington Square Park and ended at One Police Plaza in front of the New York Police Department Headquarters. Watch video

NEW YORK CITY — Calls for the end of racial injustice have reverberated around the world in the wake of high-profile deaths of black men at the hands of white police officers that have gone unpunished.

Voices from the Pioneer Valley are among them.

Dozens of buses from the five colleges and Werstern Massachusetts organizations took locals to the "Millions March NYC" protest Saturday afternoon, which began at Manhattan's Washington Square Park and ended at One Police Plaza in front of the New York Police Department Headquarters.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Arise for Social Justice of Springfield, American Friends Service Committee of Western Massachusetts and Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts were among the organizations that facilitated the bus rides from Northampton, Holyoke and Springfield.

Organizers estimate that as many as 50,000 people came out for the New York City rally to protest the killings of unarmed black men and boys by police officers, chief among them Eric Garner and Michael Brown. But activists were careful to point out that according to citizen database estimates, more than a thousand people have been killed by police in 2014, and studies show that black men are five times more likely to meet that fate.

Pioneer Valley residents who participated in the New York City rally have strong opinions on the matter, many based on personal experiences of racism. Here's what a few of them have to say:

Wilson Jesus, 19, Westfield State University sophomore

Wilson Jesus has helped organize a few protests against police brutality on his campus over the past month. But unfortunately, he said, they haven't been well received by the entire student population.

"We had our chants, and some students tried to trump our voices with music from their dorm windows, kids playing the 'Cops song,' trashing the protest on social media like we're doing something wrong," he said, his knees pressed against the bus seat in front of him as he traveled to New York City for the protest.

Jesus is half black. He said he often feels uncomfortable when people react negatively, both passively and outright, to the way he looks and talks.

"I'd like people to understand that when we're out there, we're fighting for equality," he said. "We want to be treated like equals. What's the problem?"

V Andreani, 22, Smith College alumna, Easthampton

Andreani said she's spent the year with Teach for America in New Orleans teaching mostly black and Latino children.

Originally from Brazil, Andreani said she's been involved with activism for a long time. But she'd been out of the activism loop for a while, she said, when the news reports of black men and boys being killed by white cops began to proliferate.

"Throughout these last few months, I've been really disappointed in the U.S.," she said. "I thought we were better than that."

On the bus ride to the march, Andreani said she had never been to a protest this big and didn't know what to expect.

"This is about using my body to show my dissatisfaction," she said of the rally, "and using whatever tools I have to show the government that people care about these things."

Sonia Little, 31, Williamsburg

Sonia Little isn't an organizer. But when she heard area groups were trying to get buses together for the major rally against police violence in Manhattan, she wanted to help.

That's how she ended up on a bus full of mostly college students Saturday morning, hitching a ride from Northampton, Holyoke and Springfield to New York City for the 2 p.m. protest.

The movement means a lot to her. As a black woman, she said she's been subjected to blatant racism. The same day it was announced that a grand jury decided not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson for killing 18-year-old Michael Brown, she experienced an injustice of her own.

She was taking a photo of a sign for a maple syrup stand in a neighbor's yard when a man drove by in a car and asked her what she was doing.

"I was there for less than a minute," she said.

Little said the man then told her that it's his job is to protect the community from "people like [her]." She asked if he was a police officer, and he said he was. She reported the incident to state police and local police departments, but received little response.

"They're trying to pretend it's a black community crime problem," Little said of those who oppose the protests, "when it's crime in the police community that's the problem."

Sophia Gerstle, 18, Northampton High School senior

Sophia Gerstle is white, but she said she wants to raise her voice for those who no longer can.

The soft-spoken girl held a handmade sign that read, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor" in front of the Peter Pan bus station in Northampton as she waited for a bus to take her to the New York City march.

Gerstle is is organizing a community discussion forum at her high school next week that will focus on issues surrounding police brutality.

"I've been reading a lot and listening to a lot of actors I respect, mainly black actors, saying it can't be only people of color talking about this," she said. "Everybody needs to show up and show solidarity."

She said if she could relay any message to the American masses, it would be this: "It can't end today. You have to take whatever outrage or whatever you're feeling and use it in your everyday life."

Erick Anaya, 20, Springfield

Erick Anaya had a sprained knee, but he still decided to march it out Saturday.

He rode a school bus with about 40 others from Springfield to New York City for the "Millions March" Saturday. Anaya went in the place of his supervisor at The Western Mass Recovery Learning Community, and he was glad for the opportunity.

"I think it's a travesty, what's going on right now," he said. "Police violence in general, against any creed or race, is a tragedy. There's God-awful things happening lately in the world."

Anaya is Puerto Rican, and said he's reluctant to go to the police for help. The hesitancy comes from years of feeling profiled and judged for the color of his skin, he said.

"I can't remember a time I've ever called them," he said. "I probably never will."

Check out the photo gallery to see what contraband TSA agents found on travelers last week at airports from around the U.S.

Going through the airport security screening process in a post-9/11 world is never fun and sometimes can feel pretty invasive.

Taking off your shoes, emptying your pockets, removing computers from the case- all while feeling the pressure of passengers behind you and watchful Transportation Security Administration agents is enough to spark a mild panic attack in the most calm of travelers.

But as the TSA reports each week, the efforts are not made in vain. In the past week TSA agents across the nation found a variety of items, including loaded guns, in bags despite them being prohibited by law. While some of the items were concealed, including loaded guns, others were simply tossed into bags.

Check out the photo gallery above to see what folks tried to walk onto an airplane with this week and offer your reactions in the comment section below.

The first female Philadelphia firefighter killed in the line of duty is buried

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Like lots of kids, Joyce Craig wanted to be a firefighter when she grew up.

After motherhood and a stint as a transit driver, she entered the male-dominated ranks of the Philadelphia Fire Department and quickly captivated colleagues with her fearlessness and determination.

Craig, who on Tuesday became the first female member of the department killed in the line of duty, advocated for her comrades and forged lasting friendships that extended from jokes in the early mornings of quiet overnight shifts to sleepovers amongst their children.

All the while, mourners said at Craig's funeral Saturday, the 11-year veteran pushed them to show the same tenacity she did eight years ago after being severely burned -- injuries that required skin grafts and a two-month hospital stay. She begged off light duty in favor of the front lines at one of the city's busiest engine companies.

Craig, 36, died after being trapped in the basement of a burning row home where an elderly woman was later rescued. She is survived by a 16-year-old son and a 16-month-old daughter.

"Joyce is a hero not only because of her death in service of one of our citizens. Joyce is a hero because of how she lived in service of our many citizens," Mayor Michael Nutter told mourners at a packed North Philadelphia funeral home.

Craig will be posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant and flags will remain at half-staff throughout the city for the remainder of a 30-day mourning period, Nutter said.

Michael Craig called his sister a warrior and encouraged mourners to join in the singing of Alicia Keys' "Superwoman" to close the service.

Despite his sorrow, he said he felt "great honor" knowing his sister died helping save a life while doing the job she first started telling people about at age 5.

"There's no more honorable way that I could imagine there would be for her to go," he said.

Hundreds of firefighters from departments across the continent, including contingents from Chicago and Toronto, watched the service on a large screen outside.

They applauded as Nutter announced Craig's promotion and saluted as pallbearers -- including a fellow female firefighter, Lisa Forrest -- carried her flag-draped casket past crying relatives to the back of a fire truck.

Firefighter Garret Sahm, one of Craig's best friends from the department, was on duty with Craig eight years ago when she was badly burned. And on Tuesday he helped pull her from the burning home and performed CPR as firefighters tried to save their fallen comrade.

"I was mad at God that day. I was mad at him," Sahm said. "But when it was all said and done I had to thank him because he allowed me one last chance to touch my friend."

Part of the fun of getting Christmas gifts is ripping into a neatly wrapped package or sifting through colorful tissue paper to see what's inside.

HOLYOKE— Part of the fun of getting Christmas gifts is ripping into a neatly wrapped package or sifting through colorful tissue paper to see what's inside.

At the Holyoke Salvation Army wrapping Toy for Joy gifts is just as important as handing them out.

Lt. Miguel Garces said volunteers gather days before distribution to wrap each gift for the 1,200 families that registered this year.

"We do it in part because sometimes children come with their parents to pick up the toys and we don't want them to get upset if they don't a get a particular toy want," he said. "Also, this is another way to make it easier for the family to surprise the children."

Toy for Joy, sponsored by the Salvation Army and The Republican, has received nearly 6,000 registrations for families in need of toys this holiday season. Most families have multiple children.

The toys are purchased with donations made by The Republican readers as well as donations from Hasbro.
Here are today's donors:

>In honor of our parents, Ruth and George and Dot and Mike from L and T--$20
>Barbara--$15
>In memory of Charlie and Mary Ghedo from Neal, Sue and family--$20
>In memory of family no longer with us from Ted and Louise--$50
>In memory of Eleanor, George and Margaret Reilly, love Kathy--$25
>In loving memory of my brother, Tommy Dionne, love Marie --$25
>In memory of Poppa Charlie and Poppy Sheehan--$50
>In memory of a loving grandmother from James and Katie--$30
>Merry Christmas Mom, your my angel on earth, love Dana--$10
>Happy Holidays to all from Angela--$10
>Merry Christmas and be well--$25
>In memory of TK, a loving Dad and Grandad--$100
>Pray for peace, Rudy--$10
>Jeff--$25
>Henry--$ 10
>Remembering deceased members of the Remy, Morris and Gardiner families--$20
>Merry Christmas from Lucas and Lexie Letendre, Sacramento, CA--$25
>In loving memory of my parents, Dan and Eileen Sullivan--$20
>Happy Holidays from Scott, Maureen, Ryan and Timothy Denault--$100
>In loving memory of Sonny who loved Christmas from his bride--$100
>In memory of my husband John, with love from Joan--$25
>Roxy and Molly Finnegan--$50
>From the grandchildren--$20
>For other kids Christmas, Erin and Finnola--$25
>In loving memory of Jason DeGray--$50
>In memory of our Dad and Popov Socrates Babacas, love Pammy, Bobby, Krysten, Jen and Katie--$25
>Love to my 4 grandchildren Ben, Cameron, Hannah and Ellen--$25
>Loving memory of my parents Earl and Odette Benjamin--$20
>In memory of John A Jury Jr.--$5
>Buy a fun toy from Rich and Ronnie--$20
>In memory of Spiro and Duncan, two great dogs--$50
>In memory of Mark Urban, forever missed, from the Lords--$25
>In memory of Grammy and Pops Dymon and Poppa and Gramma--$25
>In memory of my dad, son Jeffrey and brother Sonny --$50
>In memory of Paul R Sr and Paul R Jr from their family--$10
>In loving memory of Paul O'Brien--$50
>In loving memory of Mary Rae MacFarland from Keith and Jo--$25
>In memory of our parents from Norm and Jeanne--$200
>In loving memory of Beverly Baldyga, love ya, Diane--$50
>In loving memory of Victor and Fanny Nystrom, George and Sophie Pafitis and Jeff and Bea Nystrom--$30
>From Rekha and Naveen--$25
>In loving memory of my father William LaRochelle--$100
>From Claudia and Harry M--$20
>Happy birthday to Eileen and Merry Christmas to all--$50
>In memory of Meme Sheila--$100
>To honor Aunt Dot, love Greg, Carol, Allie and Amanda--$25
>In memory of Neil Hansen--$50
>Johnson--$20
>In memory of loved ones, R and JC--$25
>In memory of my parents Benta and Joseph Moura from Rosa Moura--$5
>In memory of my brother Casey Moura from Rosa Moura--$5
>In memory of my godmother Isabel Moreno from Rosa Moura--$5
>Anonymous--$100
>In loving memory of Roger R Martin from his family--$25
>In memory of Sandy Rogers and Judy Savas, love Pat and Gloria--$50
>Anonymous--$275
>In remembrance to Bert, Mom, Pat and Sid--$50
>In memory of James Donohue, Hugh and Anna Ketchum from Ken and Peg--$50
>In loving memory of our daughters Kristen and Kimberly Haglund, miss you daily, love Mom and Dad--$25
>In loving memory of all our deceased family members from Rich and Maureen--$25
>Anonymous--$10
>In memory of Nanny--$50
>In memory of Rachel, a cat who loved Christmas--$2
>In memory of Harry and Claire Broderick, love your family--$10
>In memory of Marie L Brunelle and Thomas J Murphy, love your family--$3
>In memory of our Jackie Bear, we miss you, love your family--$5
>In memory of Maggie our beautiful girl, love, your family--$3
>In memory of Tessa, love, your family--$2
>Merry Christmas Mason James Ware, love Grandma and Grandpa Montagna--$5
>In memory of "Papa Lou" who kept Christmas best from Tony Cignoli--$250
>Merry Christmas from the Dowds--$100
>In loving memory of our Dad, Alphonse (Santa Claus) Lussier from Paul and Lorraine--$100
>In memory of Agatha and Stanley Kleczek--$20
>In memory of Dorothy L Kleczek--$20
>In memory of Ted Dutkiewicz and his parents Ted Sr and Jeannette--$20
>May the spirit of Christmas be with you throughout the New Year from Drs. Szarlan, Wegiel and Mitera, Ludlow Family Dentistry--$700

--Received: $3,780
--Total to Date: $25,697
--Still Needed: $124,303

The program, which will provide toys and gifts to families in need in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties, has a fund-raising goal of $150,000 by Christmas Eve.

Hasbro's association with Toy for Joy began three years ago when it united its Giving Tree effort with the campaign. Its employees are among the volunteers who help the Salvation Army register families and distribute the toys; the international toymaker is also a major donor of the gifts which are distributed.

For more information, call the Springfield citadel of the Salvation Army, (413) 733-7581.

The Springfield citadel will accept new, unopened toys as donations; they can be brought to 170 Pearl St. on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through Dec. 23.

To make a contribution to the Toy for Joy fund, write: Toy for Joy, P.O. Box 3007, Springfield 01102.

Contributions may also be dropped off with the coupon at The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. until Dec. 24.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Mary Messer 

Mary Josephine (Bradley) Messer passed on her 88th birthday, Dec. 11. She was employed by Westvaco US Envelope Company for 30 years until retirement. Some passions in her life included cake decorating, baking, tennis, camping, holidays, crafts, games, dancing and watching movies. Among her survivors are five daughters, 16 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren and seven great-great grandchildren.

William W. White, III, 33 of Dorchester, is charged with firing the weapon.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

PLYMOUTH— State Police have arrested William W. White, III, 33 of Dorchester, after he allegedly fired four shots out of a moving vehicle Saturday morning.

Trooper Walter Baptise was monitoring traffic on Route 25 westbound in Plymouth when he heard what he believed was a single gun shot followed shortly after by three more at 1:25 a.m., Saturday morning, according to a Massachusetts State Police press release.

Police determined that the gun shots came from a 2002 Nissan Maxima traveling westbound on Route 25 just west of the Plymouth Street overpass and pulled the vehicle over.

As the vehicle came to a stop the male passenger carrying a handgun fled from the vehicle into the wooded area adjacent to the roadway. Trooper Baptiste secured the scene and had a conversation with the female operator of the vehicle, police said.

Trooper Baptise was assisted on this stop by Trooper Timothy Blackwell and his K-9 partner Jager. During the trooper's conversation with the operator of the vehicle White emerged from the woods without the handgun.

Trooper Blackwell and K-9 Jager conducted a search of the area and quickly recovered the 9mm handgun, a bag of 9mm ammunition and a knit cap White had discarded.

Officials said White is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm without a license, carrying ammunition without an FID and discharging a firearm near a highway.

The female operator of the vehicle, Jocelyn Morales, 26 of Middleboro, was issued a criminal summons for accessory before the fact and accessory after the fact. She will be summonsed to appear in Plymouth District Court.

White was transported to the State Police Barracks in Bourne and booked. In addition to the charges listed above, White was wanted for an outstanding default warrant out of Boston District Court. He was held without bail and transported to the Plymouth County House of Correction pending his appearance in court.

The handgun and ammunition seized in this case were processed as evidence and secured pending further legal proceedings, police said.

The passenger of the vehicle was transported to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

BELCHERTOWN — A woman was killed in a car accident this morning in Belchertown, police said.

Police and firefighters responded to reports of a crash on State Street at 6:47 a.m. The crash happened just 100 yards south of the Police Department. At the scene police found two victims in a 1993 Honda Civic which had struck several trees.

Belchertown firefighters used the Jaws of Life to extricate the driver and her passenger. The female victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The male passenger was transported to Baystate Medical Center by Life Flight helicopter, police said.

The identity of the victim is not being released at this time. The accident remains under investigation by the Belchertown Police Department, Massachusetts State Police Accident Reconstruction Team and State Police.

The release last week of a Senate report cataloging years of such interrogation tactics has revived debate about legal opinions since discredited and withdrawn and about the decision to not prosecute the program's architects or officers who used the methods.

WASHINGTON -- When the CIA sought permission to use harsh interrogation methods on a captured al-Qaida operative, the response from Bush administration lawyers was encouraging, even clinical.

In one of several memos forming the legal underpinnings for brutal interrogation techniques, the CIA was told that Abu Zubaydah could lawfully be placed in a box with an insect, kept awake for days at a time and slapped multiple times in the face. Waterboarding, too, was acceptable because it did not cause the lengthy mental anguish needed to meet the legal standard of torture, the 2002 Justice Department memo says.

The release last week of a Senate report cataloging years of such interrogation tactics has revived debate about legal opinions since discredited and withdrawn and about the decision to not prosecute the program's architects or officers who used the methods. Civil rights groups in the United States and abroad are renewing calls to prosecute those who relied on techniques that President Barack Obama has called torture.

"How can we seriously use the phrase 'rule of law' if crimes of this magnitude go uninvestigated and unprosecuted?" said ACLU deputy legal director Jameel Jaffer.

The Justice Department, which spent years looking into the matter, says it lacks sufficient evidence to convict anyone and found no new information in the report. It also is far from clear that any international case could be brought.

Department officials said they will not revisit their 2012 decision to close the investigation, citing among other challenges the passage of time and the difficulty of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that crimes were committed, especially in light of government memos that gave interrogators extraordinary latitude.

"Our inquiry was limited to a determination of whether prosecutable offenses were committed. Importantly, our investigation was not intended to answer the broader questions regarding the propriety of the examined conduct," the department said in a statement after the Senate report was released.

That conclusion followed an investigation led by special prosecutor John Durham that begun in 2009 as an outgrowth of a probe into the destruction of videotapes of CIA interrogation tactics. The inquiry into interrogation tactics came amid the release of an internal CIA inspector general's report that revealed CIA interrogators once threatened to kill the children of a Sept. 11 suspect and suggested that another suspected terrorist would be forced to watch his mother being sexually assaulted.

Durham's job was expanded to look for potential crimes in the deaths of two detainees, including one who was shackled to a cold concrete wall in a secret CIA prison, while in custody in Iraq and Afghanistan. In closing the investigation, the department said it had "reviewed a tremendous volume of information" about detainees alleged to have been in U.S. custody, but did not find enough evidence to convict anyone.

The investigation focused on instances in which interrogators went beyond what was approved in memos from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel. The Obama administration had said interrogators would not face charges if they followed legal guidelines set forth in the memos, which have been rescinded.

In great detail, the Bush administration memos explored the legality under the federal torture statute of varied interrogation methods contemplated by the CIA. The analysis established parameters for conduct, largely assuring the agency that actions now characterized by Obama as torture were legally permissive. The guidance was sought in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001 as the country feared another attack. CIA Director John Brennan said Thursday at a news conference that he was confident the overall interrogation program saved lives.

One argument in the memos held that certain aggressive interrogation practices were permitted so long as they stopped short of producing pain equivalent to experiencing organ failure or death. Another said they were permissible provided the interrogator's primary objective was to not "inflict severe pain or suffering."

Sleep deprivation, though uncomfortable, was judged acceptable because it did not cause severe physical pain, one memo states. Facial slaps were fine because they did not conjure fears of imminent death. Waterboarding was more problematic, but did not result in the requisite "prolonged mental harm."

The government gave itself permission to use the techniques by defining torture "in such a way that almost any action could fall short of that definition," said William Aceves, a national security law expert at the California Western School of Law.

In light of the Senate report, United Nations officials say senior U.S. officials and CIA agents who authorized or carried out torture must be prosecuted. They say the actions violate the U.N. Convention Against Torture, which the U.S. ratified in 1994 and which bars American personnel from engaging in torture or "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of detainees.

Lawyers say government officials could, theoretically, be at risk of prosecution in foreign countries where the interrogations occurred. A case also could be referred for prosecution by the U.N. Security Council to the International Criminal Court. But the U.S., which is not a member of the court, holds veto power.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki would not discuss whether the U.S. would block other nations from prosecuting American individuals involved in the interrogation program. The Justice Department said if a foreign court does take action, it would raise "jurisdictional and other legal defenses to prevent unwarranted prosecution of U.S. officials."

Stephen Vladeck, an American University law professor, said that while calls for prosecution were understandable, it's not necessarily the most effective approach.

"This was an orchestrated government-wide campaign, and so unless you're going to prosecute the entire government, what's the best way to actually learn the right lessons?" he asked.

The better question, he said, "is whether our goal is to punish those responsible or whether our goal is to build an unassailable historical record to ensure that this never happens again. And I don't know that those two are consistent.

About all anyone can say for certain is that, as Bush himself has said, he's still thinking about it.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Jeb Bush's big donors and allies are tantalized by his promise to decide "in short order" whether to run for president.

But supporters are struggling to understand what his actions mean and whether they can predict his political intentions.

Bush is scheduled to give the commencement address Monday at the University of South Carolina during his second visit in recent months to the state that's set to host the South's first presidential primary.

On the eve of that appearance, he said in a television interview, "I think I would be a good president" and announced plans to release an electronic book early next year, along with roughly 250,000 thousands of emails from his time as Florida's governor.

Surely, those are signs he's in.

Bush also is expanding his private equity business, and advisers insist he's not courting a political staff Iowa and New Hampshire, even as other would-be candidates assemble their 2016 campaign teams in the early voting states.

Surely, those are signs he's out.

About all anyone can say for certain is that, as Bush himself has said, he's still thinking about it.

"He's begun the journey. How long it will take him, I don't know," said Al Cardenas, a longtime Bush friend and former chairman of the American Conservative Union. "People are interpreting activity to conclude that he's closer to running. I'm not of that school.

"I hope he runs, but I believe the activity is based on getting serious."

Bush has said he expects to make a decision by the end of the month.

As the son of one president and brother of another, he has the power to transform the 2016 contest like no other Republican. He can tap into his family's vast political network, and his campaign would attract strong support from major donors and widespread media attention.

Bush spent much of the recent midterm campaign out of the public eye. But the address at South Carolina will be his fourth high-profile speech in recent weeks. That includes an appearance before corporate executives in Washington, where he called for his party to embrace an immigration overhaul and to focus on governing. He also said would make the call on running for president "not that far out in the future."

In an interview with ABC's Miami affiliate WPLG-TV, Bush expressed confidence that he would make a fine president and said he was in the process of writing an e-book about his time as governor and that it would come out in the spring. At about the same time, he will make public about 250,000 emails from his time in office, in an effort to promote transparency and to "let people make up their mind."

Bush said going through the material has reminded him that "if you run with big ideas and then you're true to those ideas, and get a chance to serve and implement them and do it with passion and conviction, you can move the needle. ... And that's what we need right now in America," he said in the interview that aired Sunday.

Slater Bayliss, a longtime Florida-based Bush aide who helps lead a political action committee founded by Bush's sons, met with strategists in Iowa during a late November trip to his native state.

Former Iowa Republican Party Chairman Chuck Larson was among those who discussed with Bayliss the state's political trends, policy issues and how the state might react to a Bush campaign.

"If Jeb Bush decides to run for president, I believe he will be incredibly well received by conservatives in Iowa," Larson said.

Bush's spokeswoman, Kristy Campbell, like other advisers, said the meetings were unauthorized and unrelated to his decision-making.

She said Bush "has not yet made a decision on whether he will pursue a run in 2016, and has certainly not dispatched anyone to meet with Iowa leaders," Campbell said.

The same week Bayliss met with Iowa Republicans, Bush was named chairman and manager of a new private equity fund, BH Global Aviation. As first reported by Bloomberg, the offshore fund raised $61 million in September.

Bush's team described the investment as an expansion of an existing, and previously reported, private business, which he would review should he run. Most recent presidential candidates, including private equity investor Mitt Romney, formally cut ties with their business interests years before running.

"I think Mitt probably didn't defend an incredible success story, but that's totally his deal and that business. It's like comparing an apple to a peanut," Bush told the Miami TV station, trying to differentiate their private equity dealings.

He added, "We're creating jobs, we're expanding business. I'm not ashamed of that at all. I think that practical experience is something that might be useful in Washington, D.C."

There is no shortage of pressure on Bush to get into the race, including from members of his family. His older brother, former President George W. Bush, has encouraged his brother to enter the 2016 contest.

"He knows I want him to run," Bush told CNN recently. "If I need to reiterate it, I will: 'Run, Jeb.' I think he'd be a great president."

Still, associates say that the family support and a growing public profile should not necessarily be taken as a sign of anything.

Actor Mark Wahlberg's plea for a pardon has focused fresh attention on excusing criminal acts -- something governors rarely do because it's so politically risky.

BOSTON -- Actor Mark Wahlberg's plea for a pardon has focused fresh attention on excusing criminal acts -- something governors rarely do because it's so politically risky.

Massachusetts hasn't approved a pardon in more than a decade. Republican Mitt Romney didn't pardon anyone before he left as governor in 2007. Only now, in the twilight of his eight years in office, has Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick recommended any pardons.

"It's hard politics to get pardons before the Governor's Council," Patrick said, referring to the elected body that has the final say.

Patrick, long an outspoken advocate of giving second chances, has thrown his support behind four pardons and a commutation as he prepares to turn the office over to Republican Gov.-elect Charlie Baker. If approved, they would be the first pardons in Massachusetts since 2002 and the first commuted sentence in 17 years.

Wahlberg isn't among them. His request, filed last month, is pending before the state parole board, which hasn't decided whether to grant a hearing or make a recommendation to the governor.

The A-list actor is seeking a pardon for violent assaults committed as a troubled teen in Boston in 1988, when he hit a Vietnamese man in the head with a wooden stick while trying to steal alcohol from a convenience store and punched another man in the face while trying to avoid police. He was sentenced to three months in jail and served about 45 days.

In the request, Wahlberg said he dedicated himself to becoming a better person in his adult years so he could be a role model.

But his case -- which has touched off a firestorm of criticism nationwide -- underscores the bad politics that pardons can represent for someone like Patrick with potential presidential aspirations. Or, for that matter, for an incoming governor like Baker trying to get a new administration off the ground.

If the past is any guide, there's little to gain and a lot to lose.

Mike Huckabee's presidential aspirations were fouled in part by pardons during his time as Arkansas governor, including one in 2000 of a felon who later killed four Seattle-area police officers. Tim Pawlenty took flak for pardoning a Minnesota sex offender who was accused of reoffending in 2010, and later withdrew from the race for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012.

In 1995, then-Massachusetts Gov. William Weld commuted the sentence of a man who spent 23 years in jail for murder but won his release by telling how he'd become addicted to heroin while serving in the Vietnam War. Two years later, the man was sent back to prison after it was revealed he had lied about his service.

Even though the state's governors have been stingy with pardons, there's been no shortage of requests.

Since Patrick took office in 2007, there have been more than 900 pardon and commutation petitions have been filed with the board of pardons -- including a surge in requests in the past year, in part due to new guidelines put into effect by the Patrick administration to make it easier to qualify for clemency.

The changes make commutations possible for those serving unduly harsh sentences, and allow pardons for those who can show they've made an extraordinary contribution to their community -- a new twist that may have prompted Wahlberg to make his request. Under the old guidelines, applicants had to prove they needed the pardon to find work, or for some other compelling reason.

Among those Patrick is offering clemency is Deanne Hamilton, 49, who has served more than half of a 71/2-year sentence for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in a school zone. At the time, Hamilton was an addict living in an apartment located about 700 feet from a Brockton school.

If approved by the Governor's Council, Hamilton's would be the first commutation by a Massachusetts governor in 17 years and would make her eligible for parole.

Patrick also is recommending pardons for four people who've been out of prison for years -- Jeffrey Snyder, Guy James Coraccio, Thomas Schoolcraft and True-See Allah --for offenses ranging from youthful criminal offenses such as larceny to armed assault, burglary and marijuana possession. They would be the first pardons since 2002, when Jane Swift was acting governor.

The Saturday morning blaze at 20 Pine St. was quickly extinguished.

EASTHAMPTON -- Easthampton firefighters quickly extinguished a shed fire at 20 Pine St. Saturday morning.  The fire, which was caused by an overheating car battery charger, was called in by the homeowners around 7:30 a.m., said firefighter Greg Gagnon Sunday. When firefighters arrived, the shed was fully involved.

The detached shed was a total loss, and the fire caused about $15,000 worth of damage, said Gagnon. Nine firefighters were assisted by Easthampton police.

The Easthampton Fire Dept. extinguished the blaze in less than ten minutes, there were no injuries, and no homes were damaged.

According to city assessor's records, 20 Pine St. is owned by John F. and Phoebe E. Pelkey.

The churches were responding to a call from several historically African-American denominations for what they called "Black Lives Matter" Sunday, in response to the recent police slayings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York.

NEW YORK -- Congregants in African-American churches across the country wore black to Sunday services and prayed over the men in attendance in a symbolic stand against fatal police shootings of unarmed black men.

Bishop T.D. Jakes told worshippers at The Potter's House Church in Dallas that black men should not be "tried on the sidewalk." At Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, Maryland, choir members sang "We Shall Overcome" for worshippers wearing T-shirts that read "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe." Men at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles stood more than four rows deep around the altar for a special blessing and message from the pastor, Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake.

"Police forces are charged with protecting all our citizens," said Blake, leader of the national Church of God in Christ, the largest black Pentecostal group in the U.S. "In a very special way, they are to abide by the laws they are called to enforce. They should not bring fear to our citizens, but rather confidence."

The churches were responding to a call from several historically African-American denominations for what they called "Black Lives Matter" Sunday, in response to the recent police slayings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York. The church actions came a day after marches and demonstrations by civil rights and other groups around the country pressing for changes to the criminal justice system.

"It is a time to hear God calling us to be relevant and responsive to the needs of people with us and around us," wrote Senior Bishop Lawrence Reddick of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, an organizer of Sunday's church action.

At morning services, the Rev. Lee P. Washington, pastor at Reid Temple AME Church in Glenn Dale, Maryland, called black clothing "serious dress for serious times." He said those who contend that the black men who were killed by officers "deserve what they got" for disobeying police, or whose deaths were nothing more than an "unfortunate tragedy," should think about the impact of the deaths on grieving families.

"In our minds, black lives do matter," Washington said.

Several pastors sought blessings for law enforcement officials and noted many do their jobs with integrity, but they said officers guilty of wrongdoing should be held accountable. Bates Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, tweeted a photo of a pastor and congregants clutching their own necks to protest the chokehold death of Garner by New York City police during his July arrest for selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

"We have to just come together and do our part," said Darrell Ward at services at First AME Church: Bethel, a New York congregation that participated in "Black Lives Matter" Sunday.

Some predominantly white churches also participated in their own congregations. The Rev. George O. Wood, head of the Assemblies of God, a major Pentecostal denomination whose U.S. churches are mostly white, asked churchgoers to take part regardless of whether they agreed with the grand juries that exonerated the officers in the Brown and Garner cases.

"Whatever your opinion of those controversial decisions, can we stand with our brothers and sisters and affirm the value of black lives generally and of their lives specifically?" Wood wrote in his request to Assemblies of God members. "If Spirit-filled Christians cannot find a way to work together to heal these divisions, what hope is there for the rest of the country?"

As ski season begins, Vermont State Patrol is asking skiers and snowboarders to remain in bounds.

KILLINGTON, VT. - At least three skiers who were lost in the woods on Pico Mountain were able to make their way out safely Saturday.

Vermont State Police were called after the skiers went out of bounds at about 2:30 p.m. and were lost, police officials said.

Police and the Killington Ski Patrol were able to contact the skiers and identify their location. The group was able to make their way out of the woods on their own safely and without injuries, police said.

Pico Mountain and Killington are owned by the same company and work in partneship.

As the ski season begins, Vermont State Police would like to encourage skiers and snowboarders to stay on marked trails and in bounds.

A last-minute deal that salvaged U.N. climate talks from collapse early Sunday sends a signal the rich-poor divide that long held up progress can be overcome with a year to go before a landmark pact is supposed to be adopted in Paris.

LIMA, Peru -- A last-minute deal that salvaged U.N. climate talks from collapse early Sunday sends a signal the rich-poor divide that long held up progress can be overcome with a year to go before a landmark pact is supposed to be adopted in Paris.

Still, it remains to be seen whether governments can come up with a new formula for how countries in different stages of development should contribute in a way that keeps global warming from reaching dangerous levels.

"This issue will be contentious and it will need to be worked through all the way to Paris," U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern said after the marathon talks in Lima finished, more than 30 hours behind schedule.

The U.N. talks were still far away from reaching any agreement on reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to a level that scientists say would keep global warming in check. But the Paris agreement would be the first to call on all countries to control their emissions.

The U.S. and other developed nations say that means tearing down the firewall in negotiations that compels only rich countries to rein in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Though it was agreed in 2011 that goals set in Paris would be "applicable to all," many developing countries worry they will be required to take on emissions controls that stymie their economic growth. In Lima they angrily rejected a draft text that made no mention of different responsibilities and capabilities to fight global warming.

"We are in a differentiated world. That is the reality," Malaysian negotiator Gurdial Singh Nijar told delegates. "Many of you colonized us, so we started from a completely different point."

Despite the tough rhetoric, the conference ended Sunday with a compromise based on a groundbreaking U.S.-China deal on emissions targets last month.

The Lima decision noted the principle in the 1992 U.N. climate change convention that countries have "common but differentiated responsibilities" to tackle climate change. But like the U.S.-China deal, it added that this should be seen "in light of different national circumstances," suggesting countries' responsibilities change over time as they develop.

"It sounds like a tiny thing, but it's very important," said Nathaniel Keohane, vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund. "I think we're starting to see the plates move."

How to interpret what it means in practice is going to be critical over the next year as countries firm up their emissions targets for the Paris agreement.

Asked about the implications of the Lima deal, Chinese negotiator Su Wei repeated China's mantra that the purpose of the Paris agreement is to "reinforce and enhance" the 1992 convention, not rewrite it.

"This paragraph may represent a compromise that both sides can interpret as they choose to," said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Yet the joint announcement with the U.S. signaled that China is ready to assume a bigger role in the global response to climate change. For the first time, the world's biggest carbon polluter set a fixed target to peak emissions by 2030.

Showing signs that it, too, anticipates the end of a binary view of the world, Brazil put forth a proposal of "concentric circles" with different expectations for developed, emerging economies and least-developed countries.

The final agreement in Lima didn't address Brazil's proposal, though it noted that climate action plans by least-developed countries and small island nations should reflect their "special circumstances."

All countries are supposed to present their plans to control emissions before the Paris agreement next year. In Lima, negotiators listed things that countries "may" want to include in their pledges, such as time frames, base years and methods for calculating emissions.

China and other developing countries blocked a proposal for a review process that would allow the pledges to be compared against each other. Instead, the U.N. climate agency will prepare a report analyzing the "aggregate" effect of all pledges a month before Paris.

Meanwhile, rich countries resisted any firm commitments of money to help poor countries tackle climate change, though many separately announced pledges to a Green Climate Fund set up for that purpose.

Environmental groups worried the outcome of the Paris talks will be a purely voluntary system where both developed and developing countries propose weak voluntary actions without regard to the deep emissions cuts scientists say are needed to avoid dangerous levels of warming.

Emissions keep rising every year because cuts in rich countries aren't enough to offset fast growth in China, India and other emerging economies. Meanwhile, climate impacts ranging from sea level rise and increasingly freakish weather are becoming more noticeable as warming continues. This year could go down as the hottest on record.

"Political leaders at the U.N. talks need to be reminded that they can't negotiate with the climate," said Mohamed Adow, a climate change expert at Christian Aid. "Otherwise we're in danger of sleepwalking into a failed deal in Paris."

Banks take the biggest financial hit, but identity theft victims' out-of-pocket losses can range from an average of $63 for misuse of credit cards to $289 for fraud involving social security numbers.

SAN FRANCISCO -- As soon as Mark Kim found out his personal information was compromised in a data breach at Target last year, the 36-year-old tech worker signed up for the retailer's free credit monitoring offer so he would be notified if someone used his identity to commit fraud.

Someone did. The first monitoring report showed crooks opened accounts in his name at Macy's and Kohl's department stores, where they racked up more than $7,000 in charges. "My heart basically sank," he said. Over the next seven months the New York City resident spent hours on the phone, most of a day in a police station filing a report, and countless time sending documents to banks and credit reporting agencies to clear his credit history.

He's hardly alone. The Target hack during last year's Black Friday shopping weekend was just one in a wave of data breaches that have exposed more than 100 million customer records at U.S. retailers, banks and Internet companies. The latest high-profile hack, at Sony Pictures Entertainment, resulted in Social Security numbers and other personal details of nearly 50,000 current and former Sony employees and film actors being stolen and posted online for anyone to see. While cases are difficult to trace, analysts at Javelin Strategy & Research estimate that one in three Americans affected by a data breach ultimately became the victim of fraud last year -- up from one in nine in 2010.

Although banks often absorb bogus charges, it's up to victims to clean up their credit histories and recover stolen funds. On top of lost time, money and emotional energy, victims face the frustration of rarely seeing anyone pay for the crimes. Identity theft cases are rarely prosecuted, said Avivah Litan, an analyst who studies fraud and identity theft for the research firm Gartner. Local police have limited resources, and criminals are often overseas, "so unless it's part of a bigger pattern, they're not going to spend much time pursuing it." Kim said a police detective who took his complaint later told him the accounts were opened by someone in California, but Kim never heard any more about the investigation.

In the past year, Target and other major retailers have said they're increasing security. President Obama has urged banks and stores to speed up adoption of "chip-and-pin" payment cards, which are harder to hack. But reports of data breaches continue. And as Federal Trade Commission member Terrell McSweeney said recently, "Disturbingly, the news has seemed to desensitize many people to the real risks created each time an event occurs."

Kim can't be certain Target was the source of the fraud he experienced, he acknowledged. Experts say crooks often steal or buy consumer information from more than one source, and use it to compile a complete dossier on potential victims. That's likely the way hackers last year impersonated the rich and famous to get credit reports on Paris Hilton, Michelle Obama and even General Keith Alexander, then-head of the National Security Agency.

Alexander told a public forum this fall that when he tried to file his taxes, he learned someone else had already claimed a $9,000 refund in his name. Fraudsters also used his identity to apply for about 20 credit cards. The FBI eventually caught a suspect, he said; the FBI declined comment.

Meticulous by nature, Kim documented every conversation with an investigator or company representative. He was fortunate, he added, that his employer let him use the phone and fax machine where he works. "If I worked at a stricter company, it would have been a nightmare," he said. But Kim was never reimbursed for sending affidavits and other documents by certified mail to various banks and agencies.

While identity theft is certainly a global problem, experts say it's difficult to measure worldwide losses. However, a Department of Justice study estimates identity theft of all kinds was responsible for U.S. financial losses of $24.7 billion in 2012 -- nearly double the $14 billion lost from all other property crimes such as burglary and theft. According to Javelin surveys in the U.S., when an existing credit card is exposed and then used for fraud, the average loss is $1,251. When a social security number is exposed and then used to open new accounts, the average loss is $2,330.

Banks take the biggest financial hit, but identity theft victims' out-of-pocket losses can range from an average of $63 for misuse of credit cards to $289 for fraud involving social security numbers. Of course that doesn't quantify lost time and stress.

Albert, who didn't want his last name published because he fears being victimized again, learned in 2012 that his personal information was exposed by a data breach at University of Miami Hospital, where he'd gone for minor surgery. After submitting his federal tax return the following year, the 60-year-old Miami resident found the government had already issued a refund to someone else using his social security number.

It took eight months for the airline reservations employee to get his $4,000 refund, which he needed to pay off debts. Albert said he doesn't know if the tax scammer used personal information from the hospital breach or some other source. But experts say health records are a treasure trove for scammers, since they may contain financial information, insurance numbers and personal data that can be used to obtain drugs, medical services or other benefits.

Albert now subscribes to a credit monitoring service and has asked reporting agencies for a "freeze" to block any applications for credit in his name. However, that "freeze" required a laborious process to lift when he later applied for a mortgage and then Internet service from AT&T. He still worries someone will claim the Social Security benefits he's counting on when he retires.

"There's a rage that comes up, when you realize what happened," he said. "You feel violated. You feel attacked."

Kim just got all of the fraudulent accounts removed from his credit history this month. He and other victims say the experience has made them even more careful about their financial data and credit records. Kim, for example, registered for a security alert from the major credit reporting agencies, which advises lenders to contact him if someone tries to get credit in his name.

The alert expires in seven years, but Kim said he "absolutely" plans to renew it.

"I have to be watchful," he added. "I know something else could happen."

Scientists often test drugs in mice. Now some cancer patients are doing the same -- with the hope of curing their own disease.

Scientists often test drugs in mice. Now some cancer patients are doing the same -- with the hope of curing their own disease.

They are paying a private lab to breed mice that carry bits of their own tumors so treatments can be tried first on the customized rodents. The idea is to see which drugs might work best on a specific person's specific cancer.

Hundreds of people in the last few years have made "mouse avatars."

Five things to know about them:

HOW IT WORKS

Several labs breed these mice but the main supplier to patients is Champions Oncology, a company based in Hackensack, New Jersey, that also operates in London, Tel Aviv and Singapore.

Patients have a tumor sample sent to Champions, which banks it and implants bits of it into mice kept in a Baltimore lab.

THE COST

Champions charges $1,500 to bank the tumor sample plus $2,500 for each drug tested in groups of mice. Most patients try three to five drugs and spend $10,000 to $12,000. Insurance does not cover the mouse testing; it's considered very experimental.

THE EVIDENCE

There isn't much. Dr. Andrew Gaya of Leaders in Oncology Care, a private clinic in London, looked back at how well mice performed in 70 patients whose outcomes from treatment were already known. About 70 percent of the time, tests in the mice suggested something that turned out to have helped the patients. And if something had not worked in the mice it almost never worked in a patient.

There is no evidence that using mice is any better than care based on medical guidelines or the gene tests that many patients get now to help pick drugs.

THE LIMITS

Mouse testing has some drawbacks. It takes several months, so patients usually have to start therapy before mouse results are in.

The tumor grafts are under the mouse skin -- not in places where the cancer normally occurs, such as the pancreas or lungs, and therefore don't reflect the human tumor's environment. The mice also have highly impaired immune systems so they can tolerate the human tumors. That means they don't reflect how a person's immune system would respond to a treatment and cannot be used to test immunotherapies.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The mice may be best for cancers that have spread widely, or that have returned after initial treatment, to help figure out what to try next. That helped Yaron Panov, a 59-year-old Toronto man diagnosed four years ago with liposarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer. No specific drugs were recommended, and "I was given six months to live," he said.

Tests on his avatar mice suggested the first drug he was prescribed would not work but that one for colon cancer might.

"It was working on the mice so I knew it would work on me," he said. "It's such a boost of confidence" and it makes it easier to endure side effects, said Panov, whose cancer is in remission.

The car fire happened on Sheridan Lane in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Fire Department is looking for witnesses to a car fire on Saturday night in the city's North End neighborhood.

Firefighters responded to 17 Sheridan Lane at 11:47 p.m. Saturday night to find a 2001 Chevy Monte Carlo with the interior fully involved in flames, said Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

The Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad has determined this to be a set arson fire. Any one with information should call the Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad at (413) 787-6370.

Chairman Daniel Hagen on Dec. 3 encouraged all councilors to attend, so as to learn about the financial implications of the proposed COLA boost.

EASTHAMPTON — Dozens of Easthampton's retirees would see a slight boost in their pension benefits if a measure to be discussed Tuesday by the city's Finance Committee is approved by the full City Council.

The city's retirement board voted in August to increase the basis upon which a yearly, 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment is calculated. The plan would increase the so-called COLA base from $12,000 to $14,000, yielding an approximate extra $60 per year for qualifying retirees, said Finance Committee Chairman Daniel Hagan.

The boost would affect around 96 retirees who now pull a pension in excess of $12,000, said Hagen. Those who now receive a $360 COLA – which amounts to 3 percent of $12,000 – would receive $420 a year if the COLA base is adjusted upward.

If the City Council approves the plan, "about half" of the city's current 155 retirees would see an increase amounting to about $5 per month, said Tina Schneider, administrator of the Easthampton Contributory Retirement Board. She said the increase would benefit only those retirees who currently earn at least $12,000.

State law caps the annual COLA at 3 percent, said Schneider, meaning the only way the benefit can be boosted is through an increase in the basis upon which it is calculated. Easthampton currently pays retirees the full 3 percent authorized by law on the $12,000 basis.

Schneider said the COLA basis has not been changed since 1997, adding that the matter of increasing the basis to $14,000 first came before the City Council four years ago.

Hagan on Dec. 3 encouraged his fellow city councilors to attend the Dec. 16 Finance Committee meeting to learn about the issue before the matter comes up for a formal vote. The Finance Committee is tasked with making a recommendation on the proposal, but the full City Council has the final say.

In fiscal 2013, Easthampton had 143 retired city workers earning an average benefit of $17,900, according to the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission. The city's unfunded pension liability – that is, the difference between current long-term pension obligations and the money available to pay for them – sits at around $19 million, according to the commission's latest annual report (pdf).

Last October, the Massachusetts Taxpayer's Foundation sounded the alarm on unfunded pension and retiree health benefits for public employees, reporting that benefits promised on the state and local level amount to about $146 billion, with only $63 billion set aside.

Hagan said while an extra $60 per month may not seem like much, it's important for local lawmakers to understand the aggregate cost of the benefit over 20 years. The city is currently working to pay down its unfunded pension liability, said Hagan.

City finance director Melissa Zawadzki said she would attend Tuesday's meeting and be available to answer questions about the short and long-term implications of raising the city's COLA basis for retirees.

The Finance Committee meeting is set for Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. at the city's 50 Payson Ave. municipal building.

Lebert, 51, of West Springfield, is charged with armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

SPRINGFIELD — Hampden Superior Court jurors on Monday were listening to Michael Lebert cross-examine a Chicopee police sergeant when Lebert began to shout "I ask this court to dismiss the charges against me."

Lebert, who is representing himself at trial, went on for several minutes yelling at Judge John S. Ferrara, alleging police misconduct in their investigation as the judge had court officers hurriedly take jurors out of the room.

Lebert at one point said a photo police used to have the victim identify him — which is in evidence in the trial — was not really of him. Ferrara looked at the photo, then at Lebert, and said, "You're saying that is not a picture of you?"

Lebert would not sit down as ordered to by the judge and was surrounded by three court officers and made to sit.

Lebert, 51, of West Springfield, is charged with armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Marilyn White, a bartender at the Dugout Cafe in Chicopee, testified she was working on Sept. 21, 2012, at about 10:30 a.m. when she was hit on the head with a hatchet handle, punched in the face and hit with a bottle.

After the outburst Ferrara told Chicopee Police Sgt. Jeffrey Nadeau he could leave the witness stand temporarily. Then Ferrara spent some time trying to restore calm. Lebert had become increasingly agitated leading up to his outburst, particularly arguing at sidebar conferences.

In talking with Lebert, Lebert's stand-by counsel Terrence Dunphy and assistant district attorney Ingrid Frau, Ferrara determined it appeared police put down a date in error on a form.

Ferrara said it appeared to him to be a clerical error and said, "It certainly doesn't warrant you standing up and ranting that the case should be dismissed."

Ferrara had these other warnings to Lebert: "You won't start yelling at me at the trial" and "You need to behave." Ferrara told Lebert his outburst showed jurors a negative appearance and could be prejudicial to him.

"I don't know if you appreciate everyone's trying to give you a fair trial," Ferrara said.

Ferrara said if there was any other outburst he would end Lebert's cross-examination of the witness on the stand at that time.

Nadeau and Chicopee Detective Timothy Foley had both testified they brought a photo array of eight pictures to White on Oct. 27, 2012, and were showing each to her as they all stood on her porch.

Foley said when White saw Lebert's photo, her legs weakened, she started breathing heavily and he and Nadeau had to steady her. He said she gave a statement that she was 100 percent sure the man who attacked her was the man in the photo.

Much of Lebert's cross-examination of the detectives centered on things they didn't do in the investigation.

Next on the stand were a number of prosecution witnesses from the State Police Crime Laboratory.

Kimberly Harrington-Dean of the crime lab testified about testing for DNA on the hatchet handle. White had testified after she was hit on the head with it, she got up and grabbed onto it to keep her assailant from using it again.

Harrington-Dean said there was a mixture of at least two individuals and the major DNA profile from the hatchet handle was from the victim. The minor profile produced insignificant data to get results, she said.

Although Lebert asked her several times if it was true she did not find DNA linking him to the hatchet handle, she answered each time it was inconclusive.

The prosecution has one more witness and then Lebert will put on his case.

One witness he has called for Tuesday is former acting Chicopee Police Chief Thomas Charette.

Lebert has said he has two witnesses who will establish an alibi for him at the time of the attack, saying he was at a counseling appointment at the River Valley Counseling Center in Holyoke. Lebert also will call his own DNA expert.

The prosecution has not presented forensic evidence linking Lebert to the crime scene.

Lebert had been adamant before the trial he wanted to defend himself alone and did not want stand-by counsel. Ferrara – despite Lebert's objection – appointed Dunphy stand-by counsel.

Lebert has had Dunphy sit with him at the defense table and confers with Dunphy continuously. When it came time Thursday to talk about what instructions the judge will give the jury before they deliberate, Lebert said he was going to have Dunphy handle that discussion.

Dunphy had tried to stop Lebert's outburst, but Lebert did not stop yelling. Dunphy stepped to the side of the courtroom momentarily as court officers tried to restore calm.