The injured monkey had fallen between the tracks, apparently after touching high-tension wires at a train station.

NEW DELHI -- Onlookers at a train station in northern India watched in awe as a monkey came to the rescue of an injured friend -- resuscitating another monkey that had been electrocuted and knocked unconscious.

The injured monkey had fallen between the tracks, apparently after touching high-tension wires at the train station in the north Indian city of Kanpur.

His companion came to the rescue and was captured on camera lifting the friend's motionless body, shaking it, dipping it into a mud puddle and biting its head and skin -- working until the hurt monkey regained consciousness.

The first monkey, completely covered in mud, opened its eyes and began moving again.

Crowds of travelers watched the Sunday scene in amazement, filming and snapping pictures.

Two young men, fed up that someone was stealing packages from their South Salem apartment building, laid a trap that has led to the arrest of a serial thief, police say.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

Do you have news or a news tip to submit to MassLive.com for consideration? Send an email to online@repub.com.

Technology became an important part of the U.S. and Canadian military tradition, and NORAD Tracks Santa attracted around 1.6 million Facebook "likes."

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Volunteers at the North American Aerospace Defense Command pretended to monitor Santa Claus as he made his storybook Christmas Eve flight, saying they used the heat signature from Rudolph's nose to "track" St. Nick over spots ranging from Australia to the Americas.

Technology and social media became an important part of the U.S. and Canadian military tradition, and NORAD Tracks Santa attracted around 1.6 million Facebook "likes."

The volunteers on Wednesday answered phone calls and emails from children and posting updates on the mythical journey to Facebook, Twitter and www.NORADSanta.org.

The 59-year-old program now has a control center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, and it generates enough statistics, anecdotes and stories to fill a sleigh:

• HOW IT WORKS: Kids can call 877-HI-NORAD or email noradtrackssanta@outlook.com on Christmas Eve. A volunteer checks a big-screen computer monitor and passes along Santa's location. Updates are posted at noradsanta.org, facebook.com/noradsanta and twitter.com/NoradSanta. The volunteers will keep answering questions through 3 a.m. MST on Christmas Day.
• LATEST MOVEMENTS: NORAD said Santa made his final stop at the Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean early Christmas Day before heading home to the North Pole.
• SO FAR THIS YEAR: NORAD Tracks Santa had around 1.6 million Facebook likes as of Thursday morning. Twitter followers stood around 159,000. Initial website visits weren't available yet.
• AND LAST YEAR: The website attracted more than 19.5 million unique visitors in December, the Facebook page drew 1.45 million "likes" and the Twitter feed had 146,000 followers. Volunteers took 117,000 phone calls and answered 9,600 emails. Another 800 inquiries came in via OnStar. The Facebook likes, Twitter followers, phone calls and OnStar questions were all record highs for NORAD Tracks Santa.
• GROWING FAST: Visits to the website, which was launched in 1997, peaked at 22.3 million in 2012 before dropping to about 19.6 million last year. The reason isn't clear, but Maj. Beth Castro, a NORAD spokeswoman, said the website might not have been able to accommodate all the traffic.
• PHONE CALLS: Phone calls rose from about 74,000 in 2009 to more than 117,000 in 2013.
• SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook "likes" grew from 1 million in 2011 to 1.45 million last year; Twitter followers were up from 101,000 to more than 146,000.
• NEW THIS YEAR: The website has an animated elf named Radar. "Radar" was the favorite in a vote on Facebook, beating out "DARON," which is NORAD spelled backward, and "Echo L. Foxtrot," which uses the military phonetic alphabet to spell out "elf." NORAD Tracks Santa also has a new mobile version of its website for smartphones.
• WHAT'S NORAD? The joint U.S.-Canada command is responsible for defending the skies and monitoring the sea approaches for both nations. Its control room was originally inside Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs in a shelter designed to withstand a nuclear attack. The control room is now at Peterson Air Force Base, also in Colorado Springs.

The event came three days after the Friends of Mater Dolorosa met with the new Springfield bishop.

HOLYOKE - The Friends of Mater Dolorosa held its fourth Christmas Day celebration outside the closed church on Lyman Street.

The event, held at 11:30 a.m., included a Christmas prayers, a special remembrance to honor the founders of the church and Christmas carols sung in Polish and English.

During the short event, members also shared an update on the continuing efforts to re-open the church, which was closed in 2011. The parish was merged with Holy Cross to form the new Our Lady of the Cross.

Members held a 24-hour vigil for a year in protest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield decision to close the church. It ended when the Vatican's highest court agreed to hear the appeal but at the same time asked members to end the vigil.

The Christmas celebration comes three days after new Springfield Bishop Mitchell Rozanski and other diocesan officials met with several representatives of the Friends of Mater Dolorosa. Rozanski mainly listened to the group and made no promises to future of the church.

The victim receives minor injuries.

SPRINGFIELD - Police are investigating a shooting that happened in the afternoon of Christmas Day.

The shooting victim walked into the Mercy Hospital emergency room at about 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Police Sgt. Lawrence Murphy said.

The man was shot in the hand and his injuries were minor, he said.

Murphy said the shooting is under investigation and details of the crime were not immediately available.

Just as the train she had boarded pulled away from the station in Washington, D.C., she glanced at her left hand and realized the ring was not there

Hayley Plack couldn't believe her eyes.

The engagement ring that her fiancee, Andrew Frank, had given her on Thanksgiving Day was gone.

Just as the train she had boarded Friday pulled away from the station in Washington, D.C., she glanced at her left hand and realized the ring was not there, according to the Washington Post.

She scoured the floor of the car on which she was riding, crawling around looking for the 1.1-carat oval diamond ring, but to no avail.

So she got off the train at the next stop and called her fiance. Maybe she had forgotten to put on the ring that morning. So she called Frank hoping he could locate it for her.

But her fiancee, who worked at an area hospital, didn't answer the call. He was fast asleep in her D.C. apartment.

"Plack, 27, took a train back to Farragut North, where she first got on," the Post report continues. "She searched the platform. Nothing. She rushed up the escalator to the street, retracing her path back to the bus stop. Nothing. She hailed a cab and on the way home sent an e-mail to her boss at the National Gallery of Art, where she works as a program assistant: "I will be in late today. I'm dealing with something at home."

"She burst through the bedroom door. "Andrew" she shouted, "have you seen my ring?"

"Not on the night table. Not in the sheets. Not between the mattress and box spring. Not under the bed. Not on the hardwood floor. Not inside the lining of her black puffy jacket with a hole in the pocket that fleetingly offered her hope."

According to the website, Inquisitr.com, Frank, 32, had his doubts and secretly believed they would never find the heirloom again. However he encouraged his wife-to-be, not to lose faith and to hope it would be returned to them.

The couple started an online campaign to track down the ring, using classifed ads, local blogs and even went into Washington pawn shops in the hope someone had found it.

Plack had actually lost the ring only a few steps outside her apartment. It had been found by Siranjan Kulatilake, 55, in front of his apartment building, only four doors away from Plack's,

The next morning, Kulatilake's wife spotted on of the fliers Plack had posted in the neighborhood. The flier read,

"Lost engagement ring. Reward will be offered."

But Kulatilake did not want a reward for himself. All he wanted was to return the ring to its rightful owner, and for Plack to make a $50 donation to the Washington Humane Society. And so, less than a week before Christmas, Plack gave Kulatilake a check for $400 made out to the society.

Police officers remained vigilant against any threats on Thursday as the city readied itself for a wake and a funeral this weekend for one of two officers slain in their patrol car.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Police officers remained vigilant against any threats on Thursday as the city readied itself for a wake and a funeral this weekend for one of two officers slain in their patrol car.

The services for Officer Rafael Ramos are scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Ramos was killed last weekend with his partner, Officer Wenjian Liu, as they sat in their patrol car on a Brooklyn street. The shooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who had referenced high-profile cases of white police officers killing unarmed black men and had vowed to put "wings on pigs," later killed himself.

Visitors are expected to pay their respects to Ramos at Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens on Friday night. Vice President Joe Biden is expected to attend Ramos' funeral on Saturday.

Funeral arrangements for Liu haven't been announced.

Meanwhile, police on Thursday said they had made a total of six arrests of people accused of threatening officers.

A seventh man was arrested in Queens on gun charges after he was overheard making threats against police officers and talking about guns in his home as he spoke on his cellphone at a Queens bank, police said. He was not charged with making threats, police said.

In a holiday statement, Gov. Andrew Cuomo mentioned the slain officers and urged people to "offer support to their families any way we can."

On Tuesday, demonstrators took to Manhattan streets to resume their protests over the failure of grand juries to indict white police officers in the deaths of black men, especially Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island.

Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio had urged calm be returned to the streets after the shooting of the two officers in Brooklyn.

De Blasio on Wednesday said anti-police protests were "deeply divisive" during a "period of remembrances" for the officers. He said some things being said by fringe elements of the protest movement were "hateful words that attempt to divide this city in a time when we need to come together."

The military said the 11-year-old girl sustained severe burns when the car was engulfed in flames.

JERUSALEM - Israel's military said a young Israeli girl and her father were wounded in the West Bank when a firebomb was thrown at their car on a road near Palestinian villages.

It said the 11-year-old girl sustained severe burns and her father was lightly wounded when the car was engulfed in flames Thursday evening. Searches were underway in the Palestinian villages to find the attacker.

On Sunday, a four-year-old Israeli boy was wounded by Palestinians hurling stones at cars in the West Bank. Earlier this month a Palestinian splashed acid on a family with four girls, also in the West Bank.

Palestinians demand the West Bank, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war, as part of their future state and object to the Israeli presence there.

Political advisers, chiefs of staff, press secretaries and national security advisers have come and gone in the nearly six years Barack Obama has been president. Now, the White House chef also is hanging it up.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Political advisers, chiefs of staff, press secretaries and national security advisers have come and gone in the nearly six years Barack Obama has been president. Now, the White House chef also is hanging it up.

Sam Kass has been a fixture at the executive mansion, serving up nutrition policy as well as meals for Obama, his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha. He was not only their personal chef but also senior adviser for nutrition policy, giving him a seat at the table where administration officials hashed out everything from updated food labels to new requirements for healthier school lunches.

Kass, a newlywed, is leaving the White House at the end of the month, but don't ask him what the Obamas like or don't like to eat. "Top secret," he said.

"I love this family and believe in everything the president and first lady are doing and this has been the greatest job of my life and I assume will be the greatest job of my life," the 34-year-old said in an interview. "But I'm going to be with my wife. Once you're married you kind of need to be together."

Kass' wife, MSNBC host Alex Wagner, is based in New York City.

Kass' relationship with the Obamas started when they hired him to cook healthier meals for the family in Chicago before the 2008 elections. Michelle Obama was a vice president at the University of Chicago Medical Center and caring for young daughters, while Obama was a U.S. senator spending most of his time in Washington.

But the relationship sprouted well beyond the professional. Besides Kass' tireless work for Mrs. Obama, for whom he wore a third hat as executive director of her anti-childhood obesity campaign, Kass sometimes traveled with Obama and joined his weekend or vacation golf outings. Obama, in turn, blocked out several hours on his busy schedule to attend Kass' late-August wedding.

Obama said Kass "has grown from a close friend to a critical member of my team" and has left "an indelible mark on the White House." Mrs. Obama praised Kass' "extraordinary legacy of progress," which she said includes healthier food options in groceries, more nutritious school lunches and initiatives to improve how food is marketed to kids.

Unlike any White House chef before him, Kass helped make decisions with far greater potential consequences than whether the president's veggies, which Kass often plucked from the first lady's garden on the South Lawn, should be steamed or sauteed.

The school lunch changes have led Mrs. Obama into a public spat with the School Nutrition Association, an industry-backed group that represents school cafeteria workers and food companies that sell to schools. The group has lobbied Congress to weaken the standards, arguing they are a burden on financially pinched districts and a big reason why kids are throwing their lunches into the garbage.

A House Republican-led effort to allow some districts to ignore the new lunch standards altogether failed to advance in Congress, but requirements for more whole grains in school foods will be eased instead. The fight over the broader standards is expected to heat up again next year when Republicans, who are sympathetic to the association's arguments, will control both houses of Congress.

Nutrition advocates say anyone who hopes these issues will disappear with Kass will be disappointed.

"This administration is very committed to nutrition and obesity prevention. That commitment runs very deep," said Margo Wootan, a nutrition lobbyist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, who has pushed for healthier school meals.

Despite her group's issues with the lunch standards, Patricia Montague, the School Nutrition Association's chief executive, said Kass and "Let's Move" played "an important role in promoting healthier lifestyles for children both at school and at home."

Kass will stay involved with "Let's Move," Mrs. Obama's anti-childhood obesity initiative, along with broader efforts to improve childhood nutrition, the White House said.

Testifying to Kass' commitment, former colleague Kristina Schake said Kass spent weekends living the work he did at the White House, including visiting farms, farmers markets and food purveyors. "He can talk about different types of lettuce the way other men talk about sports teams," she said.

Kass said his big plan after leaving the White House is to get some sleep, and "I guess I'll also be the chef for my wife."

While some former White House chefs welcomed Kass' extra-culinary activities, one said Kass was an unnecessary staff addition.

"There is no need for two chefs in the White House. One is enough," said Roland Mesnier, who spent 25 years there as executive pastry chef. He was referring to executive chef Cristeta Comerford, who likely would have prepared Obama's meals had Kass not come along. She handles menus for official White House entertaining, such as state dinners.

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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

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Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com

Investigators searching for the cause of the blaze, said a Christmas tree caused it to expand rapidly.

The agency says the initiative is part of Gov. Deval Patrick's commitment to reducing electricity consumption and energy costs, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

BOSTON - The streetlights on some state roadways are going green.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation says it plans to replace about one-third of its streetlight fixtures around the state with more efficient light emitting diode lighting.

The agency says the initiative is part of Gov. Deval Patrick's commitment to reducing electricity consumption and energy costs, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The first phase of the project calls for retrofitting nearly 2,000 LED fixtures, and will include the rewiring of poles when necessary.

The initial phase will cost $2.2 million, with the agency leveraging $370,000 in incentives from Northeast Utilities and National Grid.

The father of a Jordanian pilot captured by the Islamic State group in Syria pleaded for his son's release on Thursday, asking the group to treat him well in captivity as a fellow Muslim.

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) -- The father of a Jordanian pilot captured by the Islamic State group in Syria pleaded for his son's release on Thursday, asking the group to treat him well in captivity as a fellow Muslim.

So far, there has been silence from the extremists about the fate of their captive, 1st Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh, since gunmen from the group dragged him away following his crash Wednesday morning.

Al-Kaseasbeh was carrying out air strikes against the militants when his warplane crashed near the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic State group's de facto capital. The group has executed captured Iraqi and Syrian Muslim soldiers in the past -- it follows an extremist version of Islam that considers rivals, even some Sunni Muslims, as apostates. Still, the group may want to negotiate a prisoner swap or other concessions from Jordan.

The pilot's father, Safi Yousef al-Kaseasbeh, made his plea while speaking to journalists in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

"I direct a message to our generous brothers of the Islamic State in Syria: to host my son, the pilot Mu'ath, with generous hospitality," he said. "I ask God that their hearts are gathered together with love, and that he is returned to his family, wife and mother."

"We are all Muslims," he added.

The pilot is the first known military member to be captured from the international coalition that has been waging a bombing campaign against the Islamic State group for months, trying to break its control over territory stretching across Syria and Iraq.

After the crash, al-Kaseasbeh was pulled by gunmen from a body of water and hustled away, according to photos published by the Raqqa Media Center, which operates in areas under IS control. He appeared to be able to walk and the only visible injury was what appeared to be a spot of blood at his mouth.

The capture -- and the potential hostage situation -- presents a nightmare scenario for Jordan, which vowed to continue its fight against the group that has overrun large parts of Syria and Iraq and beheaded foreign captives and local rivals.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

The U.S. military said Wednesday that evidence "clearly indicates" that the militants did not shoot down al-Kaseasbeh's F-16.

But the pilot's uncle told journalists that the family had been told by the Jordanian government that his warplane was downed by a missile.

Speaking at a gathering of the al-Kaseasbeh family and extended tribe in the southern Jordanian town of Karak, Younes al-Kaseasbeh said that the family was told that his nephew was flying at a height of 400 feet on a bombing mission when the militants hit him with a heat-seeking missile and his plane went down in the Euphrates River.

He said three other warplanes in the same sortie had wanted to rescue him, but were wary of striking militants in the area for fear of killing al-Kaseasbeh and so were ordered to return home.

The United States and several Arab allies have been striking the Islamic State in Syria since Sept. 23, and U.S. and other international warplanes have been waging an air campaign against the extremists in Iraq for even longer. The campaign aims to push back the jihadi organization after it took over much of Iraq and Syria and declared a "caliphate."

Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are participating in the Syria airstrikes, with logistical support from Qatar. Jordan in particular has come under heavy criticism from militants for its participation.

Also Thursday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that government airstrikes in another Syrian stronghold of the Islamic State group killed over 21 people -- including children.

The Observatory said Syrian military aircraft struck two locations in the northern town of Qabassen, including a market, causing the casualties. The death toll was likely to rise because people were still digging through the rubble to find bodies. The strike was also reported by another Syrian monitoring group.

Griswold is the father's character played by Chevy Chase in the Christmas cult classic, "Christmas Vacation."

CLARK, N.J. -- At least one "Christmas Vacation" fan was driving on New Jersey's Garden State Parkway Thursday.

Someone changed a sign for the highway's exit for Clark and Westfield to read "Clark Griswold."

Griswold is the father's character played by Chevy Chase in the Christmas cult classic.

State Police spokesman Sgt. Gregory Williams confirms photos of the sign posted on social media are real. A copy was posted on NJ.com.

Williams says the taped-on Griswold sign at the highway's exit 135 later was removed by the Turnpike Authority.

The Open Pantry serves a holiday meal on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

SPRINGFIELD — Maria Ortiz didn't have any plans this Christmas. Estranged from her family Ortiz was going to spend a quiet day at home until she heard about the Open Pantry holiday meal served at the High School of Commerce.

"I heard about it at church and I figured I would come out," she said. "It's nice to spend the day with friends."

The Open Pantry served over 200 meals at the high school today as well as 400 or so meals to those who could not make it to the school.

"Typically it's elderly or disabled people who can't make it here for the holiday meal," said Jim Cuddy, executive director of the Open Pantry.

Cuddy said the organization serves meals every day of the year, but makes a special effort to bring some holiday cheer on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

"The meals are handed out by volunteers. We would not be able to do it without them," he said.

Sydney Maxey and Kiley Sheehan are sixth graders in Agawam who came to help out. The girls served veggies and dip.

"It's the right thing to do to help out those who are less fortunate than us," said Sheehan, who heard about the dinner from Maxey.

"I come with my dad," Maxey said. "This is my second time."

Al Dasso and Bob Maurice have been volunteering for decades. Both men coordinate the holiday meals for the Open Pantry.

"A lot of people will call in and we send someone out to deliver the meal for them,"Maurice said.

Dasso said there are about 30 volunteer drivers who hand out the meals.

While there are homeless people who come to the holiday meal there are also many families with children and elderly who attend.

Ramonita Gomez and Juan Luis Davila have been married for 50 years. He is a retired mechanic and she is a retired Head Start teacher. With most of their children grown up or passed away, the couple came out to the meal for some company and a holiday atmosphere.

"It's our first year coming here. We did not have any plans and this is a nice way to spend the holiday surrounded by people," she said.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal also attended the event. The pantry holiday meals were held at the old Civic Center back when he was mayor of Springfield, he said.

"I'm just glad everyone can enjoy this day and we are so thankful to the Open Pantry and the volunteers who help out," he said.

The fire broke out five minutes before midnight on Christmas Eve.

SOUTHWICK - A Christmas tree likely played a role in the rapid spread of a late Christmas Eve fire that led to a mother's heroic rescue of her young son, Fire Chief Richard Anderson said.

"We think the Christmas tree was involved, or however it started, it made its way to the Christmas tree and once that goes...." Anderson told WGGB.

12-25-14 -- Southwick -- A firefighter sprays water on hot spots following fire that started late Christmas Eve at Two States Avenue.GEORGE GRAHAM / THE REPUBLICAN 

The blaze destroyed a multi-family home at 6 Two States Ave. and left nine people homeless, including the mother, father and baby son who lived in the basement apartment, officials said.

The fire was reported about five minutes before midnight and firefighters were still spraying water on what was left of the partially-collapsed and streaming structure some eight hours later.

Anderson said on Christmas Day that the two adults and their son, who was ultimately taken to Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston, are expected to be okay.

The fire chief said the child's parents were in an upstairs apartment when the fire broke out.

The mother suffered lacerations to her legs when she broke an exterior window to the basement apartment and scrambled inside to get her son.

The Boston Herald, citing family members, identified the mother, father and son as Hanna Turner, Tom DelNegro and 2-year-old Samuel "Sammy" DelNegro.

Turner, once inside, handed the little boy out the broken window to the father, according to the Herald.

Jennifer Mieth, spokeswoman for the state Fire Marshal's office, said state Trooper Michael Mazza and other investigators returned to the fire scene Friday as they continue to probe the fire.

Mieth had no information on reports that a Christmas tree may have been involved. Anderson could not be reached for comment Friday.

"A Christmas tree, obviously, once you have a fire, whether or not it was the source of the fire, adds a huge amount of fuel," Mieth said.

Mary Nathan, disaster program manager for the American Red Cross in Western Massachusetts, said Friday that the chapter here has met with six adults who were displaced by the fire.

"We have provided them with food and clothing," Nathan said, adding that most of them are staying with family.

Nathan said the chapter has reached out to the mother and father of the little boy, but had yet to connect with them as of late Friday morning.

The American Red Cross has begun working on longer-term recovery plans with the six adults that it has already met with, Nathan said.

Firefighters from Suffield, Granville and provide mutual aid.

Family members of those killed in an Enfield fire on Dec. 10 have said they believe it started in a Christmas tree on the first floor of the two story duplex and spread rapidly from there.

The South River Street blaze, which took four lives, remains under investigation, Connecticut State police said Friday.

The trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 5. Prosecutors oppose a delay.

BOSTON - Lawyers for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the man accused of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, have asked a judge to delay Tsarnaev's trial until September.

The trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection Jan. 5. Prosecutors oppose a delay. Tsarnaev could face the death penalty for his alleged role in planting one of the bombs that killed three people and injured more than 260 near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

"We continue to believe, based on our collective experience and judgment, that a September 2015 trial date would be most realistic and fair given the extraordinary complexity and international dimensions of this case," wrote William Fick, one of the federal public defenders on Tsarnaev's defense team.

Defense lawyers pointed to the enormous volume of evidence that has been generated. Prosecutors have a witness list, which has not been made public, that includes 590 law enforcement personnel and 142 civilians. They provided defense lawyers with a list of 1,238 potential court exhibits and 413 digital files. In December, prosecutors turned over to Tsarnaev's legal team 172 gigabytes of discovery material on seven computer disks and two hard drives.

"The sheer volume of material, alone, requires a continuance. As a practical matter, it (is) impossible for the defense to digest this information, much less attempt to pursue investigative leads it may suggest, in time to make effective use of it at trial," Fick wrote.

Defense lawyers cited the difficulty in investigating Tsarnaev's life history across "barriers of language, culture, and suspicion in distant and conflict-torn lands," including Chechnya, Dagestan and Central Asia. Potential witnesses in the United States, Fick wrote, are reluctant to talk out of fear of law enforcement.

Defense lawyers suggested that more time could mitigate the "truly extraordinary enmity" with which Massachusetts residents view Tsarnaev. They also expressed concern that the trial may conclude around the same time as this year's Boston Marathon in April.

Prosecutor William Weinreb responded that the government has produced volumes of information voluntarily and at the request of Tsarnaev's lawyers. "Tsarnaev should not be heard to complain about the receipt of information that he himself has requested and that the government had no legal obligation to provide earlier (or at all)," Weinreb wrote in a court motion.

He wrote that prosecutors have presented the information in an understandable manner. Weinreb said there is no evidence that additional time would help some of the problems Fick cited, such as the reluctance of witnesses to talk.

Defense lawyers have asked previously that the trial to be held in September 2015, and Judge George O'Toole rejected their request.

O'Toole originally scheduled the trial for November 2014, though he later postponed it by two months.

A nativity scene at a Catholic church was vandalized on Christmas morning when a statue of the baby Jesus was replaced with the "freshly decapitated" head of a pig.

HAVERHILL -- A nativity scene at a Catholic church was vandalized on Christmas morning when a statue of the baby Jesus was replaced with the "freshly decapitated" head of a pig.

Police are actively investigating the incident at Sacred Hearts Church that Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini said had "elements of a hate crime."

Haverhill police said that the it did not appear that the pig's head came from a proper butcher shop prepared for consumption as it had excessive hair on its skin. If it is found the pig was killed in a cruel manner there could be additional charges for the alleged vandal according to police.

A priest found the pig's head at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Christmas while preparing the church for mass.

Haverhill Police Lieutenant Robert Pistone, a spokesman for the department, told reporters that they are seeking info on the dead pig from any and all local farms or markets.

A parishioner donated her own baby Jesus statue to replace the missing one until it is found or returned.

The church's pastor, Reverend John Delaney, called the donation from the unidentified woman "a great sign of goodness and friendship from a neighbor" on a day of "sadness and hurt."

People with any information on the theft are encouraged to call Haverhill police at 978-373-1212.

The Massachusetts State Police is reporting an accident on 91 North in Springfield at Exit 3.

Update, 2:17 p.m. ET: All lanes are now open, according to State Police

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The Massachusetts State Police is reporting an accident on 91 North in Springfield at Exit 3. State Police Springfield barracks are reporting that five vehicles are involved but there's no word yet on injuries.

See the tweet below.

#matraffic Crash I-91N near Exit 3 in Springfield. All traffic restricted to breakdown lane. Expect delays.

— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) December 26, 2014

One break-in was reported late Christmas Eve, the other was discovered Friday morning.

 

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Two break-ins to athletic gear stores reported in recent days may be related, police said.

The first break-in, to Ruggers Rugby Supply at 121 Union St., was reported about 11:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Sgt Mark Sypek said the suspect or suspects used a parking sign with a concrete base to smash a window and get into the building.

They made off with a quantity of athletic shirts and shorts.

The second break-in was discovered Friday morning at Fast Feet, 231 Elm St. Sypek said the suspect or suspects pushed in an air conditioner mounted over the door, got into the store and made off with sneakers and oiher assorted athletic gear.

"It seems like there might be something there," Sypek said, when asked if the two break-ins might be related.

Sypek declined to give the quantities or estimated value of the items taken from both businesses.

Family, police had long suspected Mayrand killed Judith Whitney.

NORTHFIELD - Joseph Graveline said the system failed his sister Judith Whitney.

People knew about Edward Mayrand's violent past but couldn't tell her.

Whitney was murdered in New Hampshire in 1987 and police long suspected that Mayrand was responsible. They didn't have the evidence to prove it.

 This week, the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit established in 2009 found that Mayrand was indeed the killer. He died in 2011 in a Rhode Island prison for the murder of another woman in 1994, so he will never be charged.

"The story was pretty much a failure of the system to watch out for my sister's well-being," Graveline said. People in rehab where his sister met Mayrand couldn't tell her that Mayrand had a lengthy and violent criminal history beginning with a rape and assault conviction in 1975. He was out on parole in 1983 when he met Whitney.

Graveline said there are good people in the system but he has problems with the system itself.

He said that his sister, a Greenfield native, met Mayrand in a rehab program in Greenfield and was just getting sober. He said she was very vulnerable.

She knew Mayrand for less than a month when she went to New Hampshire with him. Graveline never met him but his sister told him "he was very, very nice." Graveline said he had a "velvet tongue."

He said his sister, who was living in Amherst at the time, stopped to see him as she was leaving for New Hampshire and told him " 'I need a few days peace and quiet without anyone bothering me.'" She was seeking that calm with Mayrand.

The family learned much about Mayrand after Whitney was murdered at 43 and long suspected that he had killed her but there wasn't enough evidence to charge him.

Graveline said they pushed the New Hampshire criminal system to bring charges but they felt they didn't have the evidence, Graveline said.

Timothy Sullivan, a retired Amherst Police Detective, said Amherst police also suspected Mayrand was involved as soon as they knew she went off with him. Whitney's former husband Warren Whitney had notified them she was missing and who she was with. "We did background on him. There was something definitely wrong there."

He said police had circumstantial evidence but not enough to bring before a jury. 

But that evidence came with the help of DNA taken from Mayrand before he died and evidence linking him the 1983 unsolved murder of Kathleen M. Daneault, in Gardner. Mayrand was also named as the murderer.

"It was a very different world," said Benjamin J. Agati, New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General. DNA was not commonly used, didn't become more common until the 1990s.

Graveline said he thinks, "This is just the tip of the iceberg." He believes that Mayrand is connected to many more deaths. He said his family has connections to law enforcement and heard things. And he said other women "might still be alive" if police could have made a case against Mayrand and his sister.

Agati doesn't believe Mayrand was involved in any other cases in New Hampshire, he said he wasn't there for long. In 1989, the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office charged Mayrand with being a felon-in-possession of a firearm for taking and possessing Whitney's weapon. He eventually pled guilty and was sentenced to 2 1/2 to 5 years and served the minimum in New Hampshire State Prison.
"He left the state quickly," Agati said. "There could be cold cases (in other states.)."

Police can call his office or the Massachusetts State Police and they will be happy to meet with them and share information. "His pattern with woman was one of extreme violence."

Graveline said he worries about other women who are vulnerable to men like Mayrand and wants to make sure they are getting the help the need.  

 "I'm very glad he's no longer with us (that) the case was forensically proven," Sullivan said. He and his partner the late Det. John Burns investigated the case.