The chief said quality-of-life issues like building code enforcement is a key to community policing.

HOLYOKE -- Police Officer Manuel A. Rivera Jr. is the department's new code enforcement officer with the pending retirement of Officer Joey Jones, Police Chief James M. Neiswanger said Thursday (Jan. 15).

Rivera, a 19-year veteran, will handle enforcement full time related to coding violations such as overgrown grass, excessive and visible trash or furniture strewn on lawns.

Such quality-of-life matters are key in the process of community policing, Neiswanger told the City Council Public Safety Committee.

"It's one of the critical pieces of our community policing initiatives," Neiswanger said.

Rivera said his previous duties included working as school resource officer. He has been shadowing Jones since October to learn the job, he said.

"I just have the opportunity to do be the code enforcement officer. I'm looking forward to it," Rivera said.

Rivera was asked to attend the meeting as an introduction to the Public Safety Committee.

"We look forward to working with you," committee Chairwoman Linda L. Vacon said.

"I just want to welcome Officer Rivera. It's a tough job. I'm sure it will be well done," Councilor at Large Howard B. Greaney Jr. said.

Jones has said the job of enforcing building codes can be frustrating. Upon getting a complaint about a lawn showing piles of trash, he said, he would try to find the owner or someone responsible for the property.

Often he finds a property mortgage now belongs to a bank. Often mortgage ownership has been transferred to one or two more banks since the name on file with the Board of Assessors was the identified property owner, launching a maze of searches to try to make someone accountable, he said.

Vacon asked how people can reach him and Rivera referred to his email at off.rivera.265@holyokepd.org and phone number of (413) 575-5123.

An Ohio man was arrested Wednesday in connection with what authorities said were the final stages of a terrorist plan to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Christopher Lee Cornell, 20, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was arrested shortly after he is said to have purchased two semiautomatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammuniation, the Wall Street Journal reported. Cornell,...

An Ohio man was arrested Wednesday in connection with what authorities said were the final stages of a terrorist plan to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Christopher Lee Cornell

Christopher Lee Cornell, 20, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was arrested shortly after he is said to have purchased two semiautomatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammuniation, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Cornell, who used the alias Raheel Mahrus Ubayada, is accused of revealing an Islamic State-inspired plot to blow up the U.S. Capitol to an FBI informant during meetings with the FBI, USA Today reported.

"Christopher Cornell indicated that he considered the members of Congress as enemies and that he intended to conduct an attack on the Capitol in Washington,'' FBI Special Agent T.A. Staderman said in a court complaint.

FBI agents arrested him in Ohio as he was allegedly taking the final steps toward traveling to Washington to carry out the attack, the Journal reported.

Cornell was unaware that his would-be partner was actually a government informant, who provided information about the plot in the hopes of receiving lenience in an unrelated criminal case, the Journal quoted court papers as saying.

Cornell "specifically planned that he and (the informant) would build, plant and detonate pipe bombs at and near the U.S. Capitol, then use firearms to shoot and kill employees and officials in the U.S. Capitol,'' the Journal wrote, quoting from court papers.

Cornell was charged with attempted killing of a government employee and weapons possession in furtherance of a crime. He is said to have told the informant that he wanted to attack the Capitol in support of the Islamic State.

"I believe we should meet up and make our own group in alliance with the Islamic State here and plan operations ourselves,'' he allegedly wrote to the informant.

According to CNN, he had researched bomb-making instructions online. When the FBI found out that Cornell had the weapons he intended to use, made their move. A law enforcement official told CNN that there was never any danger to lawmakers.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that Cornell was arrested moments after he bought a rifle in the Cincinnati area yesterday, according to documents filed with U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie K. Bowman in Hamilton County.

Greg Turner, a manager of the Point Blank Range & Gun Shop in Colerain Township, told the Dispatch that the store had been notified that Cornell would try to buy a gun there. Cornell arrived about 11:30 a.m., he said.

"As soon as the purchase was over and he left the store, several agents came out and tackled him in the parking lot," store manager John Dean told WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, Republican Sen. Rob Portman and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown were quick to praise the FBI and Justice Department. Brown said law-enforcement officials "have taken swift and appropriate action to keep our nation safe and secure."

"Once again, the entire Congress owes a debt of gratitude to the FBI and all those who keep us safe," Kara Hauck, a Boehner spokeswoman, told the Dispatch.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Cornell's parents said he showed little direction in his life, spending hours playing video games in the bedroom of his parents' apartment, rarely going out or working, and voicing distrust of the government and the media. But in recent weeks, they told the AP, they noticed a change in him.

They thought it was a change for the better: The 20-year-old suburban Cincinnati man was helping his mother around the house, cooking meals, sitting with his parents to watch movies, and talking about having become a Muslim.

"He said, 'I'm at peace with myself,'" his father, John Cornell, told the AP.

Boehner said a controversial government surveillance program was responsible for alerting authorities to the plot. He mentioned FISA, or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which gives the government authority to eavesdrop under certain conditions.

Cornell was jailed for a federal court appearance Friday in Cincinnati. 

His father called him "a mommy's boy" taken in by a "snitch" who was trying to help himself.

At Oak Hills High School, principal John Stoddard toldl the AP that teachers were shocked at the 2012 graduate's alleged involvement in the plot. Stoddard said Cornell was a typical student, and teachers remembered him as quiet but not overly so.

Cornell wrestled in school, and a case in the family living-room displayed wrestling trophies and awards. But his father said Cornell quit, partly because schoolmates teased him about being in close contact with other guys.

He had a girlfriend but found she was "just using him," his father said. He didn't pay attention to the news because he thought it was all propaganda from "Jew-run" media, and he believed presidential elections were controlled by a secret society, the elder Cornell said.

Green Township Police Chief Bart West said Cornell disrupted a 9/11 remembrance ceremony in a park in 2013. He was carrying a sign that read "9/11 was an inside job," according to West.

He wasn't arrested. West said Cornell was asked to stand off to the side, and then other people at the ceremony stood in front of him to block the sign from everyone else.

West said police went to the home when Cornell was a juvenile. His father said Thursday that they had a scuffle that resulted in Cornell spending a few days in juvenile detention.

The father said his son couldn't really decide what he wanted to do and didn't seem to have any long-term goals. He had gotten a seasonal job unloading trucks and stocking items for a store chain, and received his last check last week, the elder Cornell said.

His parents said they believed he was saving to buy a car.

"I'm in shock," his father said. His mother, Angel Carmen, added tearfully: "I feel like my heart has been ripped out."

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

The hotel has provided the off-duty Holyoke officers with space inside the chief likened to a mini substation.

Updated at 11:42 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015 to note Chairwoman Linda Vacon had said the meeting was informational only because only two of the committee's five members had shown up. Lacking a quorum, no votes would be taken, she said.

HOLYOKE -- Calls for police at the Holyoke Hotel connected to homeless families who are being housed there dropped slightly in 2014 compared to the previous year, Police Chief James M. Neiswanger said Thursday (Jan. 15).

The decrease in calls for service to the 245 Whiting Farms Road hotel -- 169 last year including 11 arrests compared to 177 in 2013 including eight arrests -- comes as police since mid-November have had a seven-days-a-week presence at the facility, though not round the clock, he said.

"It's less but it's not perfect," Neiswanger said at City Hall.

Neiswanger's discussion with the City Council Public Safety Committee was another in the periodic updates councilors have sought about the controversial state arrangement of housing homeless families in hotels and motels when shelters are full.

The state has required that the Holyoke Hotel hire off-duty Holyoke police officers for security. Such a detail consists of two officers on foot patrol inside and outside the hotel, Neiswanger said.

Hotel management has helped by providing an area inside for police that is like a substation. Officers also have gotten to know hotel management and homeless people living there, he said.

"It really has taken on a community policing feel," Neiswanger said.

The chief said hotel management told him that as of Thursday, 100 homeless families were living at the hotel.

A hotel management representative couldn't be reached for comment Thursday. The hotel hasn't returned previous calls seeking comment.

The hotel, which used to be a Holiday Inn, is near the entrance to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.

In October numbers, 140 families, were housed at the Holyoke Hotel. Another 42 families were at the Days Inn, 1515 Northampton St., and nine were at the Valley Opportunity Inn, 319 Main St., according to the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.

As of Jan. 13, 144 homeless families were living in hotels and motels here under arrangement with the state, Paul McMorrow, spokesman with the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development,said Thursday. He said a per-facility break down was unavailable. Statewide the total of homeless families living in hotels and motels was 1,503.

"That's certainly an unfair burden," committee member Howard B. Greaney Jr. said.

Between mid-November, when the regular police patrols began at the Holyoke Hotel, and Jan. 13, police received 37 calls for service there and made two arrests. The officers on the off-duty detail usually are able to handle such calls, Neiswanger said.

It was unclear how long the arrangement of housing homeless families would last or how long Holyoke Hotel will be required to hire off-duty Holyoke police as security.

"I do think there's a burden on the city," Neiswanger said.

The state has a right-to-shelter law and that means the state is obligated to find shelter for a family that qualifies as homeless the same day, and hotels and motels are used as a last resort when shelters are filled, state officials have said.

Committee Chairwoman Linda L. Vacon said it was important for councilors to stay in touch on the homeless-in-hotels issue with state Sen. Donald R. Humason, R-Westfield, and state Rep. Aaron M. Vega, D-Holyoke, who represent Holyoke on Beacon Hill.

Since 2009, Massachusetts taxpayers have paid nearly $56 million to hotels housing homeless families in Western Massachusetts. The state pays an average of $80 per night per room.

A homeless family is defined as having at least one parent and one child or individual younger than age 21 or a pregnant mother who lack a place to live, officials have said.

Before the meeting, Vacon announced that it would be an informational session only with no votes taken because only two of the five committee members attended. A quorum, the minimum number of members needed to make committee actions valid, was three members. Councilors Jennifer E. Chateauneuf, Daniel B. Bresnahan and James M. Leahy were absent.

The photo exhibit features 14 images from "The Struggle for Freedom: the History of African Americans in Western Massachusetts" and runs until Feb 27 at the Forest Park Branch Library, 380 Belmont Ave.

SPRINGFIELD — When Rolande Duprey, the adult reference librarian at the Forest Park Branch of the Springfield City Library, was picking photos for "The Rewards of Freedom" photographic exhibit, she had plenty of good material to work with.

She looked to Chat magazine – a monthly periodical published from the 1960s through the '80s that focused on Hartford and Springfield's black communities – for inspiration because "the magazine portrayed the African-American culture in a positive light," Duprey said.

"The photos I have selected celebrate this affirmative outlook," she said.

On Thursday evening, Duprey and others gathered at the Forest Park Branch Library to launch the exhibit, which runs through Feb. 28 and relies on photography featured in the book "The Struggle for Freedom: The History of African Americans in Western Massachusetts" – part of The Republican newspaper's Heritage Series.

The 14 images chosen for the exhibit are "extraordinary photos of (mostly) ordinary people," Duprey said.

Wayne E. Phaneuf, executive editor of The Republican, was among those who offered remarks at the event, which featured food and refreshments.

One of the featured photographers, J.B. Bradley, is the man who launched Chat magazine. Bradley was ill and could not attend the opening of the exhibit, but his son, J.B. Bradley Jr., was on hand to discuss the significance of the photos, some of which show the many renowned black Americans who've spent time in Springfield over the years, including Muhammad Ali (when he was still known as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.), Della Reese and the Isley Brothers, among others.

For Bradley, who's black, it was never about race, but rather the content of a person's character.

"It was never about color. I thank the Lord that I grew up in a family where it was never about color," he said, adding that he's chosen to live his life by the Golden Rule – "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

"It would be great if everybody followed this," Bradley said.

The exhibit debuted on Jan. 15, the birth date of Martin Luther King Jr., and follows months of protests surrounding the deaths of black men at the hands of white police officers – an issue that's sparked debate about racial attitudes in the U.S. and allegations of different standards of justice for white and black Americans.

While the images hanging on the library's walls will likely get people to "think more about civil rights," the real hope is to get people to "think about what's going on in here," Bradley said, pointing to his head.

"I think about what's right or wrong with me and get myself right," he said, offering a simple prescription for a better world.

Duprey said a companion exhibit will open at the Mason Square Branch Library at the end of February. That exhibit will highlight Springfield civil rights-era photos that appear in "The Struggle for Freedom."

The latest quake, measuring 2.2, hit the Plainfield area a week ago.

Another small earthquake, measuring 2.2 on the Richter scale, rattled communities in eastern Connecticut Thursday morning.

This brings to 12 the number of small temblors to hit the Plainfield area in the past week.

According to the Weston Observatory at Boston College, Thursday morning's quake occurred about 4:40 a.m. Two minor earthquakes were reported on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, according to CBS News.

On Tuesday, geophysicists from the Weston Observatory visited the area to investigate the frequent activity, and brought with them seismometers to detect movement in the surface of the Earth.

Their goal, WVIT-TV, NBC30 in Connecticut reported, is to find the epicenter and determine whether the area is experiencing an swarm similar to the one that Bar Harbor, Maine experienced several years ago.

The observatory's Justin Starr said earthquakes are not abnormal from time to time in New England, and the can come as swarms -- quakes in fairly quick succession.

Bar Harbor experience more than 40 earthquakes over several weeks in 2006 and 2007, and then things settled down, Starr told the television station.

"Is this on the same scale as that? Too soon to tell. It may just die down or it may capture a few more quakes, but it's no surprise to us," Starr said.

According to the New York Times, the strongest earthquake measured only 3.3 magnitude has done little more than cause a few pictures on walls to rattle and fall.

One resident, Jessica Lyon, told the Times she was sleeping in her Plainfield home and sat up suddenly the other morning, thinking a snow plow had just come tearing past her house.

"I never knew we have fault lines and stuff like that around here," she said.

But the number of small jolts have people like Lyon asking lots of questions, like, "could this be the start of something worse?

According to Rob Williams, a geophysicist at the United States Geological Survey, the answer is almost certainly no.

Swarms are so common in Connecticut, he said, that before the first European settlers arrived, the American Indians referred to an area near Plainfield as Machimoodus, which has been translated to mean "place of bad noises." It is how the town of Moodus got its name, the Times reported.

While Connecticut does not lie on a major fault line, the Hartford Courant reported, minor faults spiderweb all over the country, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

These pieces of the earth are constantly shifting and changing, so there is always pressure on some portion of the surface and therefore always the potential for another quake, John E. Ebel, chairman of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Boston College told the Courant.

Without a lot of research, it's impossible to know the cause of the recent quakes, Ebel said.

The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 2.0 to 2.2. happened last Thursday in the northern part of Plainfield. It could be felt as far southeastern parts of Connecticut and part of Rhode Island.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency issued a statement Thursday indicating it is monitoring the situation.

On Thursday, it hosted a conference call with the Western Observatory, and included emergency management agencies in Connecticut and Vermont, Following the call, it issued the following statement:

"It is not possible to predict the frequency of future earthquakes in a swarm based on past activity, or the duration of the swarm. Earthquake swarms are not usually followed by a significantly stronger quake, although this possibility cannot be conclusively ruled out and there are instances of swarms being followed by a strong, damaging earthquake."

The Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection is continuing to monitor the earthquake activity and plans to hold a multi-agency briefing Friday morning at its emergency operations center.

"MEMA has been in contact with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and has been advised that none of the nuclear power plants in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are reporting operational issues or concerns as a result of the earthquake activity," MEMA's statement adds.

And it issued the following safety tips:

• If you are indoors during an earthquake: drop to the ground; take cover under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and hold on until it stops.
• If you are outdoors during an earthquake: Stay outside, away from buildings, utility wires, anything that can fall on you or your vehicle and wait.
• After an earthquake, do not call 9-1-1 unless you have an emergency. Keep phone lines open for emergencies.

Additional information on actions to take before during, and after an earthquake can be found on the MEMA website at:
http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/ready-massachusetts/earthquakes.html.

The Weston Observatory has information on the history of earthquake activity in New England at https://www2.bc.edu/~kafka/Why_Quakes/why_quakes.html.

The town of Plainfield, meanwhile, plans to hold an informational meeting about earthquakes at Plainfield High School, 6:30 p.m. Friday in the high school auditorium. According to a notice on the town's website, representatives from the Connecticut Emergency Management Agency, Homeland Security, the Western Observatory and town officials will answer residents' questions or concerns.

Oil prices continued their slide, and U.S. government bonds jumped.

By MATTHEW CRAFT

NEW YORK — Disappointing results from Bank of America and Citigroup tugged the stock market to its fifth straight loss Thursday.

Oil prices continued their slide, and U.S. government bonds jumped.

Weak revenue from trading pulled down Bank of America's profit 11 percent in the fourth quarter. The bank's earnings and revenue fell short of Wall Street's estimates. Bank of America's stock sank 84 cents, or 5 percent, to $15.20.

Discouraging news on the global economy and falling oil prices have rattled investors recently, even as the bull market for stocks closes in on its sixth anniversary.

The stock market's fall is likely to prove temporary, another pause in a long climb higher, said Henry Smith, chief investment officer at Haverford Trust.

"Bull markets don't die because of age," he said. "They die almost always in anticipation of the next recession. But where are the indications of that?"

Despite slowing growth overseas, the U.S. economy continues to improve. Last week, the government said that the unemployment rate declined to 5.6 percent in December, a six-year low. On Thursday, the New York branch of the Federal Reserve reported manufacturing expanded in the region.

"Lately, it has ... been the economy versus the markets," said Jack Ablin, the chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank. "There's a divergence. The financial markets are worried about the impact of plunging oil prices, at the same time the economic backdrop in the U.S. is improving."

On Thursday, the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 18.60, or 0.9 percent, to close at 1,992.67. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 106.38 points, or 0.6 percent, to 17,320.71, while the Nasdaq composite fell 68.50, or 1.5 percent, to 4,570.82.

A volatile day of oil trading ended with crude falling $2.23 to end at $46.25 a barrel. Earlier in the day it jumped over $51. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, fell $1.02 to close at $47.67 in London.

Smith said he isn't troubled by the drop in oil. "Lower oil prices are good for the vast majority of the economy," he said. "It can't be bad because consumers in the U.S. and globally benefit from lower energy costs."

With JPMorgan Chase posting a drop in profits on Wednesday, the fourth-quarter earnings season has had a rough start. But that shouldn't come as a surprise. Analysts have spent the past few weeks trimming their forecasts. They now predict big corporations will report earnings growth of 4 percent, according to S&P Capital IQ, down from forecasts of 6.6 percent on December 1. Overall sales are expected to rise just 2.1 percent, largely the result of sliding revenue for oil companies.

Citigroup sank $1.82, or 4 percent, to $47.23 following news that the bank's quarterly profit fell 86 percent. The bank booked legal and restructuring charges at the end of last year to cover costs tied to a number of investigations. Analysts had expected stronger results.

In Europe, France's CAC 40 climbed 2.4 percent, while Germany's DAX gained 2.2 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1.7 percent.

Switzerland's central bank rocked currency markets on Thursday when it abandoned efforts to keep the Swiss franc artificially low against the euro. The Swiss currency soared in response. But Swiss stocks took a pounding on the prospect of the country's exports becoming more expensive to overseas buyers.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9 percent. China's Shanghai Composite surged 3.5 percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1 percent.

Back in the U.S., Radio Shack's stock plummeted 36 percent following a report in The Wall Street Journal that the struggling electronics retailer could file for bankruptcy protection as early as February. The company's shares fell 15 cents to 26 cents

Target announced that it was closing all of its stores in Canada, saying it couldn't find a realistic way for the division to turn a profit before 2021. Target's stock rose $1.34, or 2 percent, to $75.67.

Precious and industrial metals traded higher. Gold gained $30.30 to $1,264.80 an ounce, while silver rose 11 cents to $17.10 an ounce. Copper inched up 5 cents to $2.56 a pound.

In other futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange:

1. Wholesale gasoline fell 5.2 cents to close at $1.299 a gallon.
2. Heating oil fell 3.2 cents to close at $1.623 a gallon.
3. Natural gas fell 7.5 cents to close at $3.158 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Baker said he made a "series of proposals" during his campaign for governor that he thought would be "easier" for small businesses and "more flexible" because companies vary in their policies.

By GINTAUTAS DUMCIUS

BOSTON - Gov. Charlie Baker's decision to take time off from work this week for a flu-like illness earned him a rebuke on Thursday from a caller on the radio who questioned him about sick time benefits.

A caller identifying himself as "Eric" from Grafton accused Baker, appearing on the "Ask the Governor" segment of WGBH-FM's "Boston Public Radio" show, of campaigning against the ballot initiative.

Along with splitting the ticket in electing Democratic majorities in the Legislature and sending a Republican to the governor's office, voters in November also approved a law expanding earned sick time to all workers. Business groups and Baker opposed the measure.

"How do you justify taking a paid sick day yesterday?" the caller asked.

"I didn't campaign against earned sick time, per se, but I didn't support the ballot question that was before the voters, and the main reason for that is it's the broadest, most restrictive, most comprehensive earned sick time policy in the country by a wide margin," Baker responded.

Baker said he made a "series of proposals" during his campaign for governor that he thought would be "easier" for small businesses and "more flexible" because companies vary in their policies. His proposals would have been less expensive to implement and easier to enforce than the ballot question, he added.

The law, known as Question 4 on the November 2014 ballot, guarantees workers at companies with 11 or more employees up to 40 hours of earned and paid sick time.

"I'm a big believer in earned sick time, I just felt that that law in particular would have some unintended consequences," Baker said. "We're going to implement it enthusiastically and see where it goes, and I certainly hope that it doesn't have some of the unintended consequences that I was concerned about."

Earlier in the show, one of the co-hosts of "Boston Public Radio," Jim Braude, gently teased Baker about taking a day off to recover from the illness, suggesting he'd already instituted a four-day work week. Baker could not attend Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's "state of the city" address on Tuesday night and cleared his public schedule on Wednesday.

"My big concern, to tell you the truth, was I started to feel really sick on Monday, it got worse on Tuesday, and my thought was I could hang around here and infect everyone, go the mayor's state of the city and every single person I met would have an opportunity to be infected by me, or I could just go home and get out of the way and do the public health appropriate thing to do, which I did," Baker said.

Baker said he was "mostly tired" and that he went to bed at "five 'clock on Tuesday and got up about three o'clock Wednesday afternoon."

"Oh, there you go, there you go," said co-host Margery Eagan. "Well, you look pretty good, Charlie."

"I'm much better now," Baker said. "Much better."

The aviation maintenance program is the first of its kind in Massachusetts.

WESTFIELD - The City Council Thursday gave preliminary approval to finance nearly $2 million in bonding to make improvements at the city's Wastewater Treatment Plant and rehabilitate a 1939 hangar at Barnes Regional Airport.

A second approval is needed before the bonding can be finalized with nearly $1.5 million sought to replace Turblex blowers used at the treatment plant and $334,000 to restore and preserve the historic airport hangar. That second vote is expected to come at the City Council's regular meeting scheduled for Feb. 5.

The wastewater equipment bond amount was trimmed from an original request of $1.8 million several months ago. The bond and its interest costs will be paid for through sewer fee revenue.

Funding from the city's Community Preservation Act assessment will be used to finance the hangar restoration. The total cost is estimated at about $500,000 and the City Council earlier Thursday night approved the appropriation of $166,000 in CPA funds to start the project. The remaining $334,000 will be financed by CPA over the next two years.

City Council Finance Chairman Brent B. Bean II said the hangar will be used to house a new aviation maintenance program to be offered at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School. "This is an exciting program since it has already been earmarked for $1.1 million in state funding" through the state Department of Education, Bean said.

City Advancement Officer Joseph Mitchell said the hangar, built in 1939, has historic significance making its rehabilitation appropriate for the new vocational high school program.

City Councilor Cindy C. Harris called the CPA funding for the hangar project "an investment in our children's future" while Councilor Ralph J. Figy said the new school aviation maintenance program and curriculum is "the first of its kind in Massachusetts."

Although it approved eight other Community Preservation Committee appropriations, the council voted to postpone a final vote on a $300,000 appropriation for the Lumberyard Affordable Housing Project.

NORTHAMPTON - After a public comment session that lasted nearly two hours and was marred by a disruption, the City Council shied away from several of the most controversial items on its agenda Thursday.

Although it approved eight other Community Preservation Committee appropriations, the council voted to postpone a final vote on a $300,000 appropriation for the Lumberyard Affordable Housing Project. Several speakers at the public comment session voiced opposition to the Community Preservation Act funding, criticizing the project's size and design.

Ward 6 Councilor Marianne LaBarge suggesting having another public hearing on the matter, which has already sparked several public hearings.

"Something about this process is really, really bothering me," she said.

The council also put off a final vote on a an ordinance to nearly double their stipends from $5,500 to $10,000 a year, although it approved significant pay raises for the mayor and city clerk. A motion to postpone a vote on granting health benefits to councilors and other elected officials passed after a motion to postpone it failed by two votes.

During the lengthy comment session, more than a dozen speakers voiced support of Ward 7 Councilor Alisa Klein, who spoke out against police violence at a November rally held in the wake of the deaths of black men at the hands of police in other parts of the country. The sole speaker who voiced support for the local police was former city councilor Michael Kirby, who noted that police were summoned to deal with man who became upset during the session, yelling that he, a white man, has also been harassed by police.

A half dozen bar and restaurant owners objected to a request by Mayor David J. Narkewicz to petition the state for five additional all-alcohol licenses, which would go to the five restaurants who lost the lottery for Eric Suher's liquor license, which was stripped from him by the Northampton License Commission. The owners told the council that they paid substantially more to convert their beer ands wine licenses to all-alcohol licenses and that the additional licenses would devalue their businesses.

The council did approve Narkewicz's request.

"Tom is an experienced manager with a solid record that fully qualifies him for the position of district attorney," Baker said of Quinn, clearing up confusion about Quinn's status as interim district attorney in Bristol County.

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker has reappointed Thomas Quinn as Bristol County district attorney, just days after cutting the veteran prosecutor from the roster in an across-the-board annulment of outgoing appointments made by Baker's predecessor, former Gov. Deval Patrick.

On Jan. 9, Baker sent word to Secretary of State William Galvin that he was nullifying "any and all appointments" made by Patrick after Dec. 25.

Baker cited a law allowing incoming governors to rescind appointments made by their predecessors within two weeks of those appointments taking effect. Patrick appointed Quinn as "acting" district attorney on Jan. 2, meaning Baker's nullification order fell within the two-week window.

The Baker administration said rescinding the district attorney appointment for Quinn – the law enforcement official responsible for coordinating the prosecution of Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots player up on murder charges – was unintentional.

Bristol District Attorney Tom QuinnASSOCIATED PRESS / FILE PHOTO 

The administration said it believed Baker's rescission order didn't apply to acting officials, such as Quinn. Galvin rejected that interpretation of the law, saying there's no such thing as an "acting" district attorney.

The temporary removal of Quinn as district attorney had raised questions about the legality of his continued oversight of the Hernandez prosecution team, even after Baker had issued the Jan. 9 order voiding all last-minute appointments by Patrick.

By Thursday, however, any confusion over the matter seemed to have lifted, with Baker making his intentions crystal-clear about Quinn as Bristol County's top prosecutor.

"Tom is an experienced manager with a solid record that fully qualifies him for the position of district attorney and I am pleased to announce his appointment to this important post," Baker said.

"Tom has loyally served the entire community and earned their support, demonstrating true professionalism and steady leadership throughout his career. I am confident that he will continue to dutifully serve the citizens of Bristol County and our Commonwealth," the governor said.

Quinn will serve as district attorney until the next election in November 2016.

"It is an honor to receive this appointment from Gov. Baker and I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Bristol County as the district attorney," Quinn said.

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh is backing 56 different bills at the start of the new legislative session, including one that would allow the city's bars to stay open well past their current 2 a.m. last call.

BOSTON -- Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh is backing 56 different bills at the start of the new legislative session, including one that would allow the city's bars to stay open well past their current 2 a.m. last call.

Walsh, with the help of Belmont State Sen. William Brownsberger and Dorchester State Rep. Evandro Carvalho, refiled a bill called An Act Modernizing the Business Licensing Process to not only allow bars to stay open as late as 4 a.m., but to do away regulations on things like billiards tables and fortune tellers.

The push to extend the hours that bars can legally serve in Boston is part of a broader effort by Walsh's administration that began soon after he took office to make the city more appealing to young professionals.

"After 17 years in the legislature and now as mayor of Boston, I see the impact Boston has not only on the region but on the Commonwealth," Walsh said in a statement.

With the help of North End State Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Walsh is pushing a second major change to the city's liquor regulations that would reform the way punishments for violations are issued. The current system requires owners to shut down for a day or lose their license, but if Walsh has his way the city will be able to financially penalize companies instead of force them to close down for a day or permanently. The mayor's office said in a statement that the current system unfairly penalizes bartenders and servers for the failures of their bosses.

The state laws overseeing Boston's liquor licensing go back decades and are seen by some as extremely outdated. Walsh's previous efforts to extend the city's serving hours failed in the last session, but At-Large Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley's effort to increase the number of liquor licenses available to the city by 75 was approved as part of the massive economic development bill passed by the legislature last July.

Walsh is pushing changes to how the city taxes online travel sites that sell hotel rooms, how blighted properties are defined, and seeking the ability for the city to lower the speed limit in residential neighborhoods from 30 miles per hour to 25.

The entire list of bills being pushed by the Walsh administration can be found here.

The political opposition that nearly derailed a 2013 UFC fight at the TD Garden has not been seen or heard from in the run up to Sunday's mixed martial event that features one of the promotions biggest rising stars.

BOSTON -- The political opposition that nearly derailed a 2013 UFC fight at the TD Garden has not been seen or heard from in the run up to Sunday's mixed martial arts event that features one of the promotion's biggest rising stars.

UFC President Dana White said that the absence of opposition can be attributed to the new administration at One City Hall Plaza.

White said Mayor Martin J. Walsh sees the benefits of bringing an event like the UFC to Boston because it fills hotel rooms, restaurants and bars, generating tax revenue for the city.

"The past regime didn't get that. The new regime gets that. Mayor Walsh could not have been more supportive, more helpful, and I cannot say enough good things about him," said White.

White said he has not spoken with the mayor but that the UFC did speak with him prior to organizing the Boston fight.

In 2013 the UFC faced multiple regulatory headaches that were exacerbated by elected city officials, including At-Large City Councilor Stephen Murphy, and a local union with ties to a long running Las Vegas labor dispute. The fight ultimately went off without a hitch.

Murphy said on Wednesday at Boston City Hall that all he wanted then was a resolution that barred children under 16 from being allowed at the events.

"Now there's no issue," said Murphy.

The other hurdles the UFC faced included the in-state licensing of a controversial main event fighter and the need to comply with an obscure state law that required social security numbers for all fighters on the card.

The college's Project Theater Board said that the play is not inclusive enough.

The fact that Eve Ensler's celebrated play about women, "Vagina Monologues," does not have a transgender character has prompted the theater group at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley to cancel its annual production.

In an email sent by student Erin Murphy on behalf of the college's Project Theater Board, students were told that the wide range of women the play includes is not inclusive enough, according to CBS Boston.com.

CBS Boston, which includes WBZ-TV and WBZ-AM radio, was citing a report on a website called CampusReform.org.

While the play has expanded over the years to include diverse female scenarios that highlight gender-based violence, it does not include any voices from male students who identify themselves as female.

"At its core, the show offers an extremely narrow perspective on what it means to be a woman," according to Murphy's email. "Gender is a wide and varied experience, one that cannot simply be reduced to biological or anatomical distinctions, and many of us who have participated in the show have grown increasingly uncomfortable presenting material that is inherently reductionist and exclusive."

Performance of the play traditionally coincided with the annual VDAY campaign, which is a movement to end violence against women and girls. At Mount Holyoke, the annual production of the play has is traditionally held on Valentine's Day to raise awareness about the VDAY campaign.

Instead of "Vagina Monologues," Mount Holyoke will produce its own version of a trans-inclusive play and fix the problems perpetuated by Ensler's play, according to CampusReform.

The new production, comprised of students' monologues, will be performed in a fashion reminiscent of the feminist classic, according to Campus Reform. The program will be performed alongside the College's Peer Health Educators, an on-campus student-led group that provides education and workshops for students, including a workshop on how to use sex toys properly.

Mount Holyoke began admitting transgender women for the first time last year, but in a statement to the Huffington Post, it said that it has nothing to do with the performance.

"The student-group decision to cancel the play was made independently of the college's transgender admission policy," the college said in its statement. "As a women's college with a long tradition of educating women leaders, Mount Holyoke College supports and encourages students to take the lead in establishing and governing their own organizations. The college encourages students to seek peer input through open discussion and to consider and respect all viewpoints in their decision-making process."

According to the Washington Post, Mount Holyoke officials recently redefined what it means to be a women's college, explaining its admissions policy for transgender students.

"Mount Holyoke remains committed to its historic mission as a women's college," the policy reads. " Yet, concepts of what it means to be a woman are not static."

These are the types of students it will accept.

• Biologically born female; identifies as a woman
• Biologically born female; identifies as a man
• Biologically born female; identifies as other/they/ze
• Biologically born female; does not identify as either woman or man
• Biologically born male; identifies as woman
• Biologically born male; identifies as other/they/ze and when "other/they" identity includes woman
• Biologically born with both male and female anatomy (Intersex); identifies as a woman"

But it will not accept biologically born males who identify as men.

According to the DailyMail website, not all students were happy with the theater group's decision, and many aired their opinions on Holyoke Confessional, an anonymous message board for the campus community.

"I love how people who have never been able to discuss or embrace their vaj-wahs aren't going to find an avenue here, either, since female-validating talk about vaginas is now forbidden," one student wrote. "That's so misogynistic under the guise of "progress."'

"We can't present a show that is blatantly transphobic and treats race and homosexuality questionably, when one of the conditions of getting the rights to the show is that you can't critique it or alter it," another student wrote.

Emmanuel Soto, 20, of 37 Clinton Ave., Holyoke, was arrested on a fugitive-from-justice warrant and charged with carrying a loaded gun and possessing a gun and ammo without a license, according to Lt. Jim Albert, of the Holyoke Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau.

Emmanuel Soto (HOLYOKE POLICE DEPARTMENT) 

HOLYOKE — Officers patrolling a trouble spot for crime in the city ended up arresting an alleged parole violator with a loaded gun.

Emmanuel Soto, 20, of 37 Clinton Ave., Holyoke, was arraigned Thursday in Holyoke District Court on a fugitive-from-justice warrant and charges of carrying a loaded gun and possessing a gun and ammo without a license. Bail information and other arraignment details weren't immediately available.

On Wednesday evening, Sgt. Kevin Thomas and officers Sidney Riley and Joe Emiterio were on patrol in the area of Appleton and Elm streets when they spotted a man and woman acting suspiciously near 365 Appleton St., said Lt. Jim Albert, of the Holyoke Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau.

Both subjects were "hiding in the shadows and dressed in dark clothing" Albert said Friday.

Soto, who was wearing a black face mask, tried to run but was apprehended and found with a fully loaded .22-caliber revolver in his possession, Albert said. Soto also had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation in New York state, according to Albert.

The woman, an 18-year-old Holyoke resident, was allowed to leave after police determined she had no weapons.

The "hot spot" checks are highly visible patrols that pro-actively and aggressively target areas where gang and drug activity are common, according to police.

"In this instance, these officers took an armed and violent felon and fugitive off the streets of Holyoke," Albert said.

MAP showing approximate area where gun was taken off the streets:

The employee on Tuesday used a badge to gain access to a secure area of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and bypassed TSA screening, officials said.

ATLANTA -- A Federal Aviation Administration employee is under investigation after flying from Atlanta to New York with a gun in his carry-on, authorities said Friday.

The employee on Tuesday used a badge to gain access to a secure area of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and bypassed TSA screening, officials said. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta ordered the suspension of a program allowing safety inspectors to bypass security screenings, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in a statement.

The arrest comes less than a month after investigators uncovered a gun-smuggling scheme involving current and former airline employees and planes flying from Atlanta to New York. Five people were arrested, including a Delta Air Lines baggage handler. The baggage handler is accused of also using his security badge to bypass security and deliver guns to a smuggler on multiple occasions.

Federal authorities and Atlanta airport officials have pledged stricter employee-security procedures after the smuggling operation was uncovered. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson was also in Atlanta last week discussing security operations, and federal officials announced they are considering additional security measures for airline and airport employees nationwide.

Flooding in Malawi has killed more than 176 people, displaced at least 200,000 others, left homes and schools submerged in water and roads washed away by the deluge in the southern African country, the vice president said Friday.

BLANTYRE, Malawi -- Flooding in Malawi has killed more than 176 people, displaced at least 200,000 others, left homes and schools submerged in water and roads washed away by the deluge in the southern African country, the vice president said Friday.

Downriver in neighboring Mozambique, floodwaters have left at least 38 dead, according to Mozambican news agency AIM, displaced tens of thousands and damaged the main road linking the north and south of the country.

While the Mozambican government's flood plan, announced last year, may have lessened the damage, Malawi was caught off guard.

Dozens of people are missing in Malawi, with at least 153 unaccounted for in the worst affected southern parts of the country, Vice President Saulos Chilima said.

"It's a very bad situation," he said, speaking at a press conference in Malawi's commercial capital Blantyre.

A joint operation between the police and the army was underway to rescue hundreds who were trapped in their villages by flood waters caused by weeks of heavy rain, Chilima said. A bright spot of their work so far: Rescue workers had found a woman who had given birth while trapped by floodwaters. The mother and newborn were healthy, Chilima said.

"I flew over some parts of the Lower Shire but we could not find anywhere to land," he said of the south. "It's a big challenge we have before us." Thousands of homes had been destroyed, hundreds of hectares of crops submerged and livestock had been washed away, Chilima said.

"We have lost everything," said Kalenga, a man who took shelter in a tent camp set up by the Malawi Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, and Doctors Without Borders. He gave only his first name.

Tents have been set up for those left homeless, and many have found refuge with friends and neighbors whose homes remained habitable, Doctors Without Borders said in a statement. The international medical organization said it was concerned that displaced people were also vulnerable to water-borne disease due unsanitary conditions.

"Most of Nsanje and East Bank are submerged under two to three meters of water, which has transformed these vast plains into a giant lake engulfing houses and bridges," said Amaury Gregoire, Doctors Without Borders' mission head in Malawi's south.

The United Nations World Food Program said it plans to airlift more than 100 metric tons of food to the southern African to feed at least 77,000, but added in a statement that accessing Malawi's southern districts has been "extremely difficult."

In Chikwawa, 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) from Blantyre, traditional leaders sent dugout canoes to rescue stranded villagers, some finding shelter in trees.

"Some tree branches snapped, tossing people back into the water," said Issa Bande, whose village was flooded when Malawi's largest river, the Shire River, burst its banks.

In Mozambique, the Licungo river burst its banks and has reached its highest levels since 1971, killing at least seven people as they tried to cross its bridge, while a ferry sank on the river, killing eight people, according to Mozambican news agency, AIM.

The Zambezia province is the worst hit, where at least 23 people have died and thousands left homeless, according to AIM.

Mozambique's government announced last year that the country had set aside up to $32 million of the national budget to cover disaster response efforts. Relief workers there have been using boats to access areas where roads have been damaged.

Mozambique is frequently hit by floods. In 2000 the country experienced its worst flood, in which more than 800 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were made homeless when waters severely submerged whole towns.

Malawi's government said it is working on a disaster preparedness strategy.

A TV reporter asking to interview protesters who shut down sections of I-93 in Greater Boston was told "This is harassment" by one man answering the buzzer at a protester's apartment.

BOSTON — WBZ-TV4 CBS Boston reporter Ken MacLeod was not exactly greeted with open arms when he attempted to interview three Greater Boston people who participated in the "Black Lives Matters" protest that shut down busy Interstate 93 during the morning rush hour on Thursday.

On Friday, MacLeod visited the residences of protesters in Somerville, Brookline and Jamaica Plain. The responses he received ranged from "This is harassment" to "Please go away" to "I'm actually uncomfortable with this being filmed here."

Protesters on Thursday morning chained themselves to barrels in the middle of Interstate 93 northbound in Milton, blocking every lane of traffic. Protesters also shut down the HOV lane on I-93 southbound at Mystic Avenue in Medford.

Massachusetts State Police Superintendent Timothy P. Alben told reporters during a press conference Thursday that an Easton ambulance carrying car crash victims in serious condition had to be diverted to a lower-level hospital because of the protests.

Nearly 30 protesters were arrested and arraigned on charges including trespassing, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and willfully obstructing an emergency vehicle.

The protests prompted some state lawmakers to propose getting tougher on those who block highways.

The protest was in support of the "Black Lives Matter" movement, aimed at calling attention to and reducing the number of people of color killed by police officers.

 

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts said it provided food for 200,000 people last year, a figure that has doubled over the past five years.

Oil prices jumped after the International Energy Agency predicted drillers would cut production this year.

By MATTHEW CRAFT

NEW YORK — A surge in oil and gas companies pulled the stock market out of a five-day slump on Friday, as the price of crude swung higher.

Oil prices jumped after the International Energy Agency predicted drillers would cut production this year. Exxon Mobil, Chevron and other energy companies led all 10 sectors of the Standard & Poor's 500 index to gains, climbing 3 percent. Oil's seven-month slide had cut its price by more than half.

"Lower oil prices on the whole are supportive of economic growth worldwide," said Jason Pride, director of investment strategy at Glenmede Trust. "They're very helpful for Japan, Europe, China and India. It's clearly a good thing."

The S&P 500 index gained 26.75 points, or 1.3 percent, to finish at 2,019.42.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 190.86 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 17,511.57, and the Nasdaq rose 63.56 points, or 1.4 percent, to 4,634.38.

The rally came at the end of another rough week for the market. Since the start of the year, worries about the strength of the global economy and falling oil prices have weighed major indexes down. Even with its strong performance on Friday, the S&P 500 still lost 1 percent for the week, its third straight weekly drop.

"There has been a lot of conflicting information to digest, recently," said Anastasia Amoroso, a global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

Amoroso said the big question has been whether the recent slump in oil prices will lead to other problems, such as deflation, a downward spiral in prices that could put companies out of business. "Are low oil prices a good or a bad thing?" she asked, rhetorically. "For stocks, deflation is not so great."

Benchmark U.S. crude jumped $2.44 on Friday to settle at $48.69 a barrel in New York trading. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, added 31 cents to $50.17 in London.

The economic reports out Friday offered investors some encouragement. U.S. manufacturers churned out more furniture, computers and clothing in December, according to the Federal Reserve, as factory production increased for a fourth straight month in a row. In a separate report, a gauge of consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan jumped to its highest level in 11 years.

A fall in trading revenue pulled down Goldman Sachs's quarterly earnings 10 percent. The investment bank's fixed income, currency and commodities division slumped 29 percent. Goldman's stock dipped $1.26, or 0.7 percent, to $177.23.

It was a recurring theme for a week in which JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and other big banks turned in results that missed analysts' forecasts. Overall, analysts predict that big corporations will post earnings growth of 4 percent, according to S&P Capital IQ. Sales are expected to rise just 2.1 percent, largely the result of falling revenue for oil companies.

Most major markets in Europe closed with solid gains. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 climbed 1.3 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.8 percent.

A move by the Swiss National Bank on Thursday rippled through currency markets, after the central bank ditched its policy to cap the rise of the Swiss franc. Following the news, the Swiss franc spiked against both the euro and the dollar. Switzerland's stock market sank again on Friday, losing 6 percent.

The move in the Swiss franc rocked brokerages that deal in foreign currencies. FXCM, a New York-based brokerage, said late Thursday that its big losses may have put the company in breach of regulatory requirements. FXCM's stock plunged ahead of the opening bell before trading in its shares was suspended.

In the bond market, U.S. Treasury prices fell, driving the yield on the 10-year Treasury note to 1.83 percent.

Precious and industrial metals extended their recent run. Gold gained $12.10 to settle at $1,276.90 an ounce, while silver rose 65 cents to $17.75 an ounce. Copper inched up 6 cents to $2.62 a pound.

In other trading on the New York Mercantile exchange:

1. Wholesale gasoline rose 6 cents to close at $1.359 a gallon.
2. Heating oil rose 4.3 cents to close at $1.666 a gallon.
3. Natural gas fell 3.1 cents to close at $3.127 per 1,000 cubic feet.

"So many of you have lost everything," Pope Francis told 150,000 Catholic faithful gathered under a steady rain in an open field near the airport in Tacloban, the city hit hardest by Typhoon Haiyan.

TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) -- Pope Francis traveled to the far eastern Philippines to comfort survivors of devastating Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, then cut his own trip short because of another approaching storm.

In a windy and rainy morning Mass with a crowd that included Haiyan survivors, he conceded it was hard to find the right words when surrounded by so much pain.

"So many of you have lost everything," Francis told 150,000 Catholic faithful gathered in an open field near the airport in Tacloban, the city hit hardest by Typhoon Haiyan. "I don't know what to say to you, but the Lord does know what to say to you. Some of you lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silent. And I walk with you all with my silent heart."

Many in the crowd wept as Francis spoke, overcome by the memory of the Nov. 8, 2013, storm that leveled entire villages with ferocious winds and 7-meter (21-foot) waves and left more than 7,300 people dead or missing. Francis joined them in solidarity, even donning the same yellow rain poncho over his vestments that Mass-goers were given because of the rain.

Tropical Storm Mekkhala was expected to make landfall on nearby Samar Island in the late afternoon or early evening with winds of 100-130 kilometers (60-80 miles) per hour, the weather bureau said.

Francis drew applause when he told the audience that he had decided to visit the city of 200,000 in the eastern Leyte province in the days immediately after the storm.

"I wanted to come to be with you. It's a bit late, I have to say, but I am here."

Francis spoke in his native Spanish -- which he reverts to when he wants to speak from the heart. He ditched his prepared homily and instead composed a brief prayer off the cuff that began: "Thank you, Lord, for sharing our pain. Thank you, Lord, for giving us hope..."

As he spoke, the winds whipped the altar cloth and threatened to topple over the candlesticks.

After the Mass, his motorcade took him past cheering crowds to an abbreviated lunch with 30 survivors of Haiyan, and then to a cathedral in the city of Palo.

Entering without the usual ceremony and procession, Francis took the microphone and told a surprised crowd that he would have to leave at 1 p.m., four hours ahead of schedule.

"I apologize to all of you," he said, speaking in Italian through a translator. "I am sad about this, truly saddened."

The pope said the pilots of the Philippine Airlines jet told him the weather would worsen after 1 p.m. "We barely have time to get to the airplane," he said.

Some of the priests and nuns in the cathedral groaned, though mostly in a good-humored way.

After a quick exchange of gifts, in which Francis received a wood image of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception made from the debris from the typhoon-damaged church, his motorcade sped to the airport in Tacloban.

The papal delegation was soaked when it boarded the plane, and trip organizers begged the flight crew to turn off the air conditioning to prevent them and the pope from catching a cold.

Ferry services were suspended to Leyte province, stranding thousands of travelers including some who wanted to see the pope.

A police official estimated the crowd at the Mass at 150,000 before the pope's arrival and said tens of thousands more were lined up outside the airport area.

The pope blew kisses, waved and flashed the thumbs up sign to the crowd while riding on a covered popemobile from the airport terminal to the nearby altar.

"I hope the pope can help us forget and help us accept that our loved ones are gone," said Joan Cator, 23, weeping as she spoke. She lost two aunts and four nieces and nephews. "We still cry often and don't talk about what happened."

Villagers hung banners welcoming the pope from the bow of a steel-hulled cargo shop that smashed houses when it was swept in by Haiyan and remains on shore.

"Pope Francis cannot give us houses and jobs, but he can send our prayers to God," said Ernesto Hengzon, 62. "I'm praying for good health and for my children too. I am old and sickly. I'm praying that God will stop these big storms. We cannot take any more of it. We have barely recovered. Many people are still down there."

Francis is visiting the Philippines after stopping in Sri Lanka earlier in the week.

On Sunday, he is due to celebrate the culminating Mass of the visit in Manila's Rizal Park, where as many as 6 million people are expected. St. John Paul II drew a record 5 million people to his final Mass in Manila in 1995, and organizers say they think Francis may top that record.

During his visit, Francis has condemned the corruption that deprives the poor and he issued his strongest defense yet of church teaching opposing artificial contraception. He also made a surprise visit to meet with street children cared for by a Catholic foundation. Photos of the event show a beaming Francis sitting with two boys on his lap, and another with children embracing his belly.

Security has been tighter than it has ever been for this pope. It appeared to let up a bit outside of Manila: Cellphones worked in Tacloban and the police presence appeared to be less intrusive, though Mass-goers were told not to bring umbrellas.